Isolated town in northern border region

After bidding farewell to Xiao Lie, Xiao Ye did not return to his residence, but went directly to the busiest street in the city.

He walked alone down the street, tearing down the notices that were posted high up, low down, on walls, and under pillars, one by one.

Some pieces were stuck too high, so he moved a nearby stone block and stood on tiptoe to reach them; some pieces were half-broken by the wind, so he tucked the remaining fragments into his bosom.

People passing by recognized him; some stopped to look, some pointed and whispered among themselves.

"Isn't this the Sixth Prince?"

"Why is he tearing down the notice himself?"

Xiao Ye ignored the stares, folded the last fragment of the notice and put it into his sleeve, then turned and walked towards Juxianlou on the street corner.

Juxianlou is the most bustling restaurant in Kyoto.

After entering the building, Xiao Ye went straight to a private room on the second floor. He then had a long table set up in the lobby downstairs. From the open doors and windows of the private room, the people downstairs could clearly hear his voice.

He invited several renowned scholars from Kyoto and several high-ranking officials with considerable influence in the court, as well as several well-informed teahouse owners.

Before long, the news spread.

The Sixth Prince, Xiao Ye, intends to publicly clarify the matter of the notice at Juxian Tower.

The lobby was packed with people; some were holding teacups, some were eating, and some were leaning on the railing, craning their necks to look up at the second floor.

Xiao Ye stood by the window of the private room, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the people below, and then spoke.

"I have invited you all here today to announce something."

"That notice was posted by me."

The lobby downstairs was quiet for a moment, then a low murmur of discussion arose again.

Xiao Ye did not pause.

"I posted those notices because I wanted to become the disciple of the King of the Northern Frontier."

"I thought that doing this would prove my sincerity and that I could bring up past mistakes as a pledge of loyalty."

"But yesterday the King of the Northern Frontier said something to me—he said: 'Using one's own father's reputation to pave a road is a crooked road from the very beginning.'"

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the lobby downstairs could hear him clearly.

"Upon hearing this, I felt deeply ashamed and realized something..."

"I want to become the disciple of the King of the Northern Frontier, not because he can teach me how to scheme against people, but because what he wants to do is to enable more people in this world to live well."

"And what I have done is exactly the opposite of the righteous path that my brother has taken."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces in the lobby downstairs, some curious, some scrutinizing.

"So today I tore down all those notices, and now I'm standing here to explain the whole story!"

"This notice I posted is true!"

"It is true that I wish to become your disciple!"

"Using the wrong method after making the change is even more true!"

"As for the things written in the notice, about His Majesty's ambush and plot to kill the King of the Northern Frontier in Bingzhou, they are all hearsay, and I have no evidence."

"However, Father Emperor ordered me and my fifth brother to go to the Northern Frontier to investigate the true nature of the Northern Frontier King..."

"I did not fabricate anything; every word I said is true!"

"But I should not use them to pave my own way, much less use them to harm my own father."

When he said, "They shouldn't have used them to hurt their own father," his voice lowered, as if he paused for a moment.

A moment later he raised his head again.

"The King of the Northern Frontier made me realize something..."

"If a person truly wants to walk the righteous path and do things with integrity, the first thing they must learn is how to be a good person!"

The hall was quiet for a moment, then someone started clapping—it was the storyteller sitting in the corner.

Immediately, more people joined in the clapping, the applause spreading from downstairs to upstairs, and the people on the street cheered loudly.

"Well said! This is true benevolence and filial piety of our Great Chu!"

"Yes! The Sixth Prince has admitted his mistakes and corrected them, and the King of Northern Frontier is loyal, filial, benevolent, and righteous—truly a model for our Great Chu!"

Xiao Ye stood by the window without smiling, but bowed again to the people downstairs before retreating back to the private room.

He looked down at his hands as he sat down.

I got several cuts on the rough wall when I tore down the notice this morning, and my palms are still red and burning.

But he felt incredibly at ease, and his breathing was exceptionally smooth.

The news spread like wildfire throughout Kyoto.

In teahouses, taverns, and on the streets, people were no longer talking about the notice that "Emperor Chu plotted to kill the King of the Northern Frontier," but about "the Sixth Prince admitting his mistake in public."

someone said.

"The Sixth Prince is so young yet he knows how to admit his mistakes, and he even admits them in front of the whole world. He does have some sense of responsibility."

Some people sighed.

"The magnanimity of the King of the Northern Frontier is truly rare!"

"The prince could have easily forced His Majesty to abdicate using the Sixth Prince's proclamation, but instead of doing so, he earnestly advised the Sixth Prince!"

"Truly a gentleman!"

Some people have discerned another layer of meaning.

"The Sixth Prince has admitted his mistake. Although there is no concrete evidence regarding the matter in Bingzhou, it is true that he was sent to the Northern Frontier to investigate the truth!"

"It's likely... that the Chu Emperor's scheme was real!"

"Exactly! The King of the Northern Frontier is a man who fought his way up on the battlefields of the Northern Frontier, yet he spent months recuperating from injuries sustained during a hunting trip in Bingzhou!"

"Moreover, I heard that Peng Xuan even said in the main hall that all of this was instigated by His Majesty!"

"The King of the Northern Frontier is a loyal minister and general of our Great Chu, how could Your Majesty do this..."

"Hey! It's all for that position!"

The news reached the palace quite quickly.

When the Emperor of Chu heard that his own son had slapped him in the face in a restaurant, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood!

"Xiao Ye! I was truly blind!"

The Chu Emperor leaned back on his dragon bed, his eyes wide with rage, and kept pounding the bed!

"Xiao Lie! It must be Xiao Lie!"

"He's getting revenge! He must be getting revenge!"

"I... Xiao Yu is dead, and he sent my youngest son to harm me!"

"Outrageous! I am still the Emperor of Great Chu! How can I endure such humiliation!"

Before the Chu emperor could even issue his edict of self-reproach, he was already nailed to the pillar of shame by his own son!

From now on, everyone will know that Xiao Mu is a tyrannical ruler who is jealous of talent and murders loyal officials!

But Xiao Lie was the gentleman who suffered countless injustices yet remained loyal to his country!

That evening, news spread from the palace that His Majesty was seriously ill, and the abdication ceremony, originally scheduled for half a month later, was postponed indefinitely.

While chaos reigned outside, Xiao Lie sat in the post station reading "A Record of My Experiences in the Northern Frontier".

"Hey! This kid's got a good head on his shoulders!"

"With just his eyes, he figured out most of the principles of the steam engine and even tried boiling water himself."

"Not bad, a promising talent!"

Jiang Min looked at Xiao Lie, who was all smiles, like an old father, and smiled in response.

"He's definitely a good kid!"

"With the Sixth Prince's outburst, His Highness's reputation has soared!"

Xiao Lie looked up and glanced at Jiang Min.

"Hey~ none of that matters."