Clearly, he had planned everything meticulously, and Father would absolutely not question why Yanyan went to look for these things, since she and Third Brother are married, it should have been discovered inadvertently.

Yet, she ended up revealing everything.

Father didn’t even ask, so why did she confess?

Jing Yunzhou gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and at that moment, his affection for Qiann Yan diminished significantly.

"Crown Prince, is this so?" the Emperor inquired, "How did you come to know about Old Third’s activities?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Jing Yunzhou hung his head low and answered honestly: "One night, I was abducted by a man in black, his movements were bizarre, and I had no time to react. Initially, I thought my life was in danger, but then I learned that the man in black was Lin Xinghuai’s childhood betrothed. She specifically sought me out to clear the Lin Family’s name."

"She told me many things about Third Brother Jing and Chen Country, but since there was no proof, I dared not believe it. With no other options, I sought out Third Brother’s wife. In my impression, Third Brother’s wife is knowledgeable, reasonable, and has a good sense of the overall situation. Father had also heard her say before that when faced with a choice between the country and the family, she would choose the country. Upon hearing this matter, she decided to help investigate Third Brother’s room."

"We all hoped this was a ploy to sow discord, so we did not inform Father immediately, wanting to first verify the truth. Alas, it turned out that everything was true." Jing Yunzhou said painfully, his eyes reddening, "Third Brother is utterly disappointing."

To avoid being stared at with a strange look by the Emperor in the upcoming moments, Jing Yunzhou could only act with great effort.

Qiann Yan stood coldly and indifferently at the side, quietly listening to Jing Yunzhou’s act; this scoundrel wanted her to bear the brunt, but he was dreaming.

This burden, he would have to bear himself.

Under Jing Yunzhou’s intense performance, the Emperor temporarily withdrew his odd gaze and silently looked at the letter on the Dragon Desk.

Jing Yunzhou did not dare breathe heavily, waiting for the Emperor’s order.

In any case, Third Brother was completely out of the running for the throne.

As for whether he could stay alive, it depended on how Father would handle it.

If it were resolved privately, Third Brother had a slim chance of keeping his life but would be imprisoned forever.

If the matter were made public, Third Brother would definitely not escape death.

An enemy’s spy, having also harmed a loyal minister like General Lin, if Father didn’t execute them, it would be hard to account to the people of Great Zhou.

In his view, Father might not necessarily care about Third Brother’s life at this point.

Rather, if the matter was made public, Father’s prestige would be harmed, and the entire Imperial Family would lose face. The wrongful case involving General Lin’s family would be enough to make the Great Zhou citizens endlessly curse them.

He speculated that Father intended to resolve the matter privately, and whether to save Third Brother’s life became unimportant.

"Crown Prince, tonight you will lead people to Prince Ling Mansion, arrest everyone there, dead or alive, and bring back all the evidence." The Emperor glanced at Qiann Yan, "Old Third’s wife, you will temporarily stay in the Imperial Palace, you’ll be allowed to leave once the matter is resolved."

Qiann Yan replied composedly, "Yes, Father."

The Emperor, seeing Qiann Yan’s obedient demeanor, felt somewhat relieved and found her more pleasing: "In the face of the national interest, you have chosen the country; you are a heroine of Great Zhou. This matter is solely Old Third’s doing, you are not to blame, you have even made contributions, do not worry. Once the matter is resolved, I will compensate you."