Chapter 335: The Truth Comes to Light

New Emperor took the jade pendant and looked at it; sure enough, it was the ancestral jade pendant he had bestowed upon his eldest son. He gripped it in his palm, rubbing it, and asked Pei Biao: "Do you have anything else to say, Pei Biao?"

Pei Biao?

When has Father Emperor ever addressed him by his full name?

Pei Biao's rising panic and fear were almost suffocating him; cold sweat poured down like rain, his breathing grew ragged, and he could barely stay on his feet.

"Father Emperor, please hear me out—this must have been stolen by that traitorous minister! I have never given it to him!" Pei Biao fell to his knees with a thud, "Father Emperor, you cannot condemn me for a crime just because of a single jade pendant!"

Exactly, with just a single jade pendant, what proof could it possibly be?

It's impossible to convict him on that basis alone!

Mu Yuanzhi: "Sir Sima, hurry up and produce some other evidence; the Eldest Prince is about to deny it again."

"There is, evidence naturally exists." The witch doctor said, "My manor still holds many gifts sent by the Eldest Prince for no reason at all—why would he shower me with so many presents?"

"That's because I wanted to win you over as my strategist!" By now, Pei Biao no longer minded finding a lighter charge to pin on himself.

Forming cliques for personal gain behind the scenes is hardly worth mentioning!

Mu Yuanzhi knew Pei Biao would desperation‑seek the witch doctor's help, and this witch doctor, too—always producing evidence that can be quibbled over; has he really run out of options?

Gu Rongjin and Pei Di also turned their gaze to the witch doctor, while Xiao Yichen remained silent, as if he could continue playing the puppet as long as no one summoned him.

Pei Biao's heart pounded like drums; he clenched his palm, striving to steady himself, refusing to believe the witch doctor still had any other tricks.

He had been very cautious—never exchanged letters with that traitorous minister, and the jade pendant had been stolen when he wasn't paying attention, so there could be no other evidence.

The witch doctor's expression remained calm and unhurried; he simply produced a seashell from his sleeve.

Everyone was puzzled—what kind of seashell is this?

Pei Biao likewise didn't understand; this seashell isn't his—what does it mean?

What more mystifying tricks is he up to now?

"It's clearly a seashell that records sound," the witch doctor said with a mysterious smile. "It's a unique shell found only in the Black Sea; even after a hundred thousand tides, such a one may not appear on the shore. It can clearly record sound, naturally including what people have said."

The witch doctor then proceeded to show the seashell he had just drawn a deep breath into, presenting it to everyone—especially the New Emperor.

Mu Yuanzhi was quite interested—what a handy thing to have!

She wanted one too!

Pei Biao was utterly stunned—so you're saying every word of his conspiracy with the witch doctor has been recorded?!

What a treacherous, scheming minister!

"The Eldest Prince's order for me to kill the Crown Prince is recorded here, word for word," the witch doctor said, making a silencing gesture to indicate everyone should stay quiet.

"I never told you to kill him! I only said……"

Pei Biao, flustered, shouted aloud.

The hall fell instantly silent.

Pei Biao seemed to shrink inward.

What did he say?

What exactly did he say?

How could he make such a rookie mistake?

Pei Biao could scarcely believe it—he felt as if his thoughts were being controlled, and every reaction was wrong!

The witch doctor smiled as he put the seashell away, shrugging: "Your Majesty, forgive me—I was lying just now; this seashell doesn't actually have such miraculous powers."

New Emperor: "How can it not? Didn't it make the guilty Pei Biao confess?"

The four words "guilty Pei Biao" were the final straw that broke him; he collapsed, slumped to the ground, feeling as if his soul had been sucked out.

Mu Yuanzhi thought Pei Biao was low‑witted, but she hadn't expected him to be this dense—how did she herself let her guard down and slip up?

Her gaze drifted to the smiling witch doctor.

No, Sir Sima is skilled in dark arts; perhaps his words just now contained a hidden keyword that triggered Pei Biao's foolish compliance.

Otherwise this step would be too risky; swapping in someone with stronger mental fortitude—like Pei Yunxi—would keep them tight‑lipped even at death's door.

But none of that matters now; the important thing is that Pei Biao admitted it, and everything was readily resolved.

"Father Emperor!" Pei Biao, as if waking from a dream, crawled forward and seized his father's foot in a desperate hug: "Father Emperor! I was wrong! I was momentarily muddle‑headed, led astray by villains—that's why I acted this way! It's all that evil daoist's bewitching of me! I wouldn't have done such a brainless act otherwise! Father Emperor, please give me another chance!"

"At this point, are you still trying to shift the blame onto others?" The New Emperor, rare in showing anger, kicked Pei Biao away with a mighty kick.

He drew a deep breath, his eyes full of disappointment: "Do you think I only learned of your crimes today? I noticed them long ago, Pei Biao—when you look at Pei Di, jealousy always flickers unintentionally in your gaze, that hatred sends chills down my spine."

Pei Biao's eyes widened—had Father Emperor really noticed all along? Was it that obvious? He outwardly showed great concern for Pei Di!

"This succession change was also a trap I deliberately set—not to make you fall for it, but to see whether you could tolerate your own brother; as it turns out, you have disappointed me." The New Emperor closed his eyes.

What…

So it turns out all of this was Father Emperor's scheme?

He actually set such a vicious trap for his own son?!

Pei Biao couldn't believe it; he clutched his chest and struggled up from the floor, utterly devastated.

"Father Emperor… you did all this for my younger brother, scheming against me like this…" Pei Biao had forgotten how abjectly he had just begged for mercy; rage and resentment flooded his body, giving him the courage to defy the Son of Heaven, his father.

"I am the eldest legitimate son—I should be the heir! How do I fall short of Pei Di?" Pei Biao pointed at the New Emperor and demanded, "You've favored him since childhood, even had General Qi as his tutor and let him mingle with senior ministers and capable generals—what about me? What have you given me?!"

The New Emperor glared at Pei Biao: "Unfilial son! How dare you speak to your father like this! Even at your young age your heart was corrupt; I myself personally taught you, hoping you would mend your ways—but instead you've grown worse, actually plotting against your own brother!"

Only then did Pei Di suddenly realize why the father appeared to favor the eldest son—it wasn't favoritism at all, but the discovery of the eldest's misconduct, so…

…he really wasn't the eldest son's shield…

Pei Di found it hard to digest this all at once.

He had always envied the eldest son for receiving the father's personal instruction; the father's eyes and heart seemed to hold only the eldest, yet he was made heir apparent and even crown prince, and he had always believed he was the father's shield protecting his cherished treasure.

After all these years, he realized he had been completely mistaken—everything was wrong!

Pei Di felt as if the blood in his veins had ignited all at once.

"Little Di." Mu Yuanzhi patted him.