"I’m not sure," Yu Huoshui shook his head and said, "but without someone directing him, he definitely wouldn’t do such outrageous things..."
Zhong Daolong’s gaze shifted back to Zhong Tianyi’s face as he asked, "You didn’t know either?"
"Absolutely not," Zhong Tianyi said gravely. "If I knew someone was doing this, I would personally chop off his head."
"Li Zhi is Lei Xiangyang’s driver. When Li Zhi had an incident, Lei Xiangyang naturally couldn’t escape responsibility..." Zhong Daolong looked towards Zhong Tianque and said, "You’ve already heard about this, haven’t you?"
"I’ve heard something," Zhong Tianque responded solemnly.
He couldn’t say he didn’t know. To do so would either make him appear incompetent or insincere.
Either outcome would leave a bad impression on his father.
"What do you think?" Zhong Daolong asked aloud.
"I think someone is deliberately causing trouble, maliciously trying to ruin the relationships among our family members," Zhong Tianque stated emphatically.
"Good, it’s good that you think so," Zhong Daolong nodded and said. "This matter is indeed very strange. Dahe Commerce suddenly came into the picture, but the actual controller of Dahe Commerce is nowhere to be found..."
"This is someone trying to stir up the waters, causing unrest within our Royal Family... so, the more this happens, the more we need to keep our composure and trust each other more."
"Remember, we are a family... As long as we combine our strengths and our hearts, no one can shake our foundation."
"It’s those scoundrels who will run out of schemes and can only panic on the side. Do you understand?"
"Understood," Zhong Tianque and Zhong Tianyi answered in unison.
"Understood," Phoenix also nodded in agreement.
"That’s very good," Zhong Daolong said cheerfully. "After I learned about this, I was very angry and was thinking about how to discuss it with you..."
"I was thinking of having Feng Lei investigate first to see what the situation was. But then Tian Yi received the news and directly had Lei Xiangyang brought over."
"Since Li Zhi is Lei Xiangyang’s driver, if Li Zhi had any thoughts, Lei Xiangyang should have been aware..." Zhong Daolong looked at Zhong Tianque and said, "You will also work with Manager Chen to handle this case and see who wants to unsettle our family."
"Yes, Father," Zhong Tianque responded.
He knew his father entrusted him with the interrogation of Lei Xiangyang because he feared lingering doubts in his heart.
This way, he could find out any information he wanted directly from Lei Xiangyang.
Whether Zhong Tianyi was innocent would also be easy to determine.
However, he let Chen Fenglei cooperate with him also as a precautionary measure.
He feared he might "maliciously frame" someone, placing unwarranted charges on his younger brother.
What if some "unspeakable" secrets came out of Lei Xiangyang’s mouth? How would his younger brother then handle it?
Would there be yet another disturbance in the Royal Family?
He hoped that this time, the matter would end here, and no one would pursue it further.
To be both sovereign and father was truly a balancing act.
Zhong Daolong yawned and said, "I’m tired; let’s all disperse. I’m not like you young people. I can’t stay up late anymore."
"Father, get some rest early. Don’t overexert yourself," Phoenix said with a worried look.
Zhong Daolong took Phoenix’s hand and said, "It’s still my daughter who is considerate, caring about her father’s health. Unlike those two rascals who are always looking for trouble, making it so I can’t even sleep well."
"They are also unintentional," Phoenix said with a smile.
"Being unintentional is good. If it were intentional, that would be bad," Zhong Daolong said with a chuckle. "Alright, you go and rest too. Keeping you up in the middle of the night to listen to all this nonsense, it must be annoying, right?"
"How could it be? This is family matters, and I am part of the family. How could I not care?" Phoenix said dutifully. "I only wish for Father to be healthy and for our family to live in harmony. That’s my greatest wish."
"Yes, for the family to be healthy and live in harmony is also my greatest wish," Zhong Daolong glanced meaningfully at Zhong Tianque and Zhong Tianyi.
After Zhong Daolong went to sleep, Zhong Tianque gave Zhong Tianyi a look and stood up to leave.
"Big brother!" Zhong Tianyi called out.
Zhong Tianque stopped and looked at Zhong Tianyi, "Is there something else?"
"Brother, this matter truly has nothing to do with me... I was unaware before this." Zhong Tianyi spoke out.
Zhong Tianque nodded and said, "I know. It’s someone else trying to maliciously sabotage our relationship, hoping to pit us brothers against each other. Their intentions are condemnable."
"Do you believe me, big brother?"
"Of course." Zhong Tianque looked at his white sportswear and black hairband, smiling as he asked, "You just finished exercising, right?"
"Yes, I rushed back immediately after finding out about this."
"I know you’ve never been interested in these matters, preferring to drink and play ball... how could you possibly harm me behind my back?"
"Thank you, big brother." Zhong Tianyi vocalized his thanks.
Zhong Tianque patted Zhong Tianyi’s shoulder and said, "We’re family. Why the formalities?"
With that, he turned and left.
Phoenix glanced at Zhong Tianyi and said, "Second brother... cousin, it’s late, I’m going to sleep."
With that, she too turned and left.
Zhong Tianyi and Yu Huoshui exchanged glances and walked outside.
After they sat in Zhong Tianyi’s private car, Zhong Tianyi asked out loud, "Does he really believe me?"
"No," Yu Huoshui replied.
"Yes," Zhong Tianyi nodded and said, "He doesn’t believe, and neither does anyone else. Regardless of whether we did it or not, the blame would fall on us."
"Second brother, you have no way out now."
"Yes. Once it starts, there is no turning back."
"But, I don’t understand. This isn’t something we did... it’s not our path..." Yu Huoshui said gravely.
"We’ve been targeted," Zhong Tianyi declared. "Someone wants to stir chaos among us."
"That’s the question I should be asking," Zhong Tianyi said with a grim expression. "It’s your responsibility to find out the answer."
Tang Fei had just finished breakfast at the academy cafeteria and was about to head to the Star-picking Platform to practice swordsmanship when two men in black approached, asking, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Tang Fei?"
"I am Tang Fei," he replied.
"We are from the Imperial Guard, and the Eldest Prince wishes to see you," said the lead man in black.
Tang Fei knew that the Eldest Prince was fulfilling his duties.
Thankfully, Phoenix, the little spy, had given him a heads-up, or he would have been caught off guard.
Yet, to protect Phoenix, he feigned surprise and asked, "What does the Eldest Prince want with me?"
"We are not privy to that information," the man in black replied. "The Eldest Prince has already notified Dean Si..."
"Oh," Tang Fei nodded and said, "My master is Xuanyuan Mingjing; he’s waiting for me to attend class, and he’ll be angry if I don’t go... You wouldn’t want him to be angry, would you?"
"..." The men in black were at a loss for words.
They were well aware of Xuanyuan Mingjing, certainly not someone they could afford to offend.
Even their master would have to pay his respects politely.
"I’ll ask him for a leave, and then I’ll accompany you, how does that sound?" Tang Fei inquired.
"No problem," the man in black nodded and said, "We’ll wait for you at the gate."
"Alright. I appreciate your effort," Tang Fei thanked them.
He walked into the grape courtyard with the two black-clad bodyguards, and as soon as the courtyard gate closed, he quickly took out his phone and pressed the pound key three times.