The death of the Crown Prince was more important to her than anything, but what Pei Zhan uncovered implicated Xu Yin in this bloody case, and he even killed the sister of a Great General amidst such critical wartime circumstances! This, on a personal level, is an act of ingratitude! Such a person does not deserve to be a scholar-official, nor to hold any official position! And from a public perspective, his act of killing a soldier’s family member shakes the morale of commanders fighting on the front lines! This is something the court absolutely does not allow! "My mother-in-law happened to witness the entire course of the bloodshed, yet due to her humble status and personal affairs, she hid this secret out of fear. "Afterward, she had a brief encounter with Liang Ning, and it was then that Liang Ning temporarily entrusted her with this dagger. They never expected that Liang Ning would encounter a mishap shortly after." "Your Majesty, the dagger has been retrieved." At this moment, the eunuch who went to retrieve the dagger from the palace gate returned. A short dagger, gleaming with cold light, was presented before the Empress. Upon seeing it, the Empress’s eyes welled with tears again, and she tremulously gritted her teeth, "Is this the murder weapon that took the lives of my son and grandson?!" Pei Zhan paused slightly and nodded, "It was this knife that Liang Ning took from the pool of blood in Baiyu Lane." The Empress covered her face and wept bitterly. The palace maids near the door hurriedly came in to support her. The Empress waved them away, trying hard to steady her breath: "Good! Summon Xu Yin, bring everyone into the palace!" Xu Yin bid farewell to the Crown Prince and returned to the Mansion, where Lian Rong still awaited at the door to welcome him. Xu Yin’s gaze lingered on him for a moment before taking large strides into the study. The glass screen in front reflected the sunlight, which was already high but found just the right angle to pierce into the room, shining brightly like a sword freshly fed with blood. Lian Rong followed behind and waited for him to turn around before saying, "It seems things didn’t go as smoothly as imagined." Xu Yin pulled off and tossed his black gauze hat onto the desk, speaking slowly, "I misjudged him." Lian Rong hesitated slightly, "Misjudged who?" "The Crown Prince." Xu Yin’s eyes were impenetrable and enigmatic, "I thought he was mediocre, not of imperial caliber; after all, he even wanted to bring a favored concubine to the coming-of-age ceremony before, but it turns out he wasn’t at all!" Lian Rong was stunned. "But the court officials’ assessment of the Crown Prince was only that he is humble and gentle, without any particularly high praise." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖•𝗇𝗲𝘁 "Evidently, that was just a facade." Xu Yin sneered, "He is far from gentle, and his mind is astonishingly deep!" "Then what did he say? Did he not accept your allegiance?" "He didn’t refuse; however, he deemed the crime of killing Princess Rong inadequate as a pledge and wants me to eliminate Prince Rong and his son!" Lian Rong couldn’t help but be shocked: "How could that be feasible? Making a move against the Prince Rong Mansion at this critical moment would be just waiting for the Emperor to apprehend you. Even if you did, the Crown Prince couldn’t save you!" "If it could be done easily, why would he have me do it?" Xu Yin snorted coldly, "The evidence is all in Pei Zhan’s hands, and it’s likely already presented to the Emperor. If Prince Rong and his son are interrogated, they will surely reveal the truth and accuse the Crown Prince. "But currently, there is no concrete evidence pointing to the Crown Prince as the mastermind. With Prince Rong and his son gone, the Crown Prince can escape blame. "So, killing Prince Rong and his son has become inevitable. "And once I’ve killed for him and bear the blame for the murders at Prince Rong’s Mansion, I’m dead no matter which one they pick. "It’s only by doing so that he can feel reassured with me." Lian Rong frowned, "In that light, the effort it takes the imperial family to groom a Crown Prince is evident. But are you really going to do it?" Xu Yin opened the incense box, picked up a stick of incense, lit it, and inserted it into the incense burner, watching the smoke slowly rise, he said, "I’m not necessarily bound to pledge allegiance to him, but for my own sake, Prince Rong and his son indeed cannot be left alive. "Not only are Prince Rong and his son the only ones who can prove the Crown Prince killed the Crown Prince’s older brother, but they’re also the only ones who can prove I killed Liang Ning. "I wasn’t involved in the bloody case of Baiyu Lane; only Princess Rong truly died at my hands. But Prince Rong and his son killed the Crown Prince’s older brother; if I want to get away, I just need to tell the Emperor everything in reverse, and I could at least survive with a meritorious service. But doing so, I would lose the Crown Prince, and that would be a terrible bargain for me. "Moreover, Prince Rong knows about my killing of Liang Ning; he would surely expose me, and then I really couldn’t escape the death penalty." Beneath the curtain, Lian Rong’s face was dark: "So you’ve decided to act?"