I made the villain right.

The next day, the sky was bright.

In a prison in the Ministry of Justice, Xu Siyuan was sitting in front of a square table in tattered prisoner uniform, looking a little lonely.

A few strands of messy hair hung on his cheeks, his chin was covered with stubble, his eyes were tired and haggard, he had lost his former energy and looked extremely miserable.

Xu Wusheng stood outside the cell, his eyes fixed on Xu Siyuan, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

He was followed by a line of eunuchs, with Eunuch Hong standing in the front.

Behind him, some eunuchs were carrying food boxes, and some were holding trays with bottles of fine wine.

When Xu Siyuan noticed someone coming, he slightly raised his eyelids to look. After seeing the person coming, he was not surprised, but his eyes moved slightly, and then lowered his eyes.

Xu Wusheng waved his hand to have the cell opened, then walked in.

Eunuch Hong immediately arranged for several eunuchs to arrange the food, and then left, leaving only the two brothers.

Xu sat down opposite him silently.

Xu Siyuan looked at the dazzling array of food on the table, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "It's hard for you to personally deliver the final meal to me."

After saying that, he calmly picked up the bowl and chopsticks and started eating.

He seemed to have anticipated this result.

"It's not a last meal for execution, I just want to sit down and have a chat with my third brother."

When Xu Siyuan heard this, his hand that was picking up the food suddenly paused, and then he continued eating.

Xu Wusheng poured himself a glass of wine, "During these days in prison, Third Brother is still stubborn and unwilling to turn to the light?"

Xu Wusheng changed the way he referred to himself from "I" to "I" and did not treat him with the courtesy of a monarch and his subject, but talked to him as a brother.

Speaking of his brother Xu Siyuan, Xu Wusheng was a little confused. He had been full of hostility towards him since he was a child. He always liked to follow behind Xu Wuchen and be his enemy everywhere.

He didn't know how he had offended him to make him behave like this.

Before, he thought Xu Siyuan and Xu Wuchen were birds of a feather, doing all kinds of bad things.

I never expected to find out something about him.

Over the years, he often went to slums to distribute porridge and do charity work, and was quite prestigious in that generation.

When people in the slums learned that he had been arrested and imprisoned, they spontaneously went to the Kyoto government office to plead for him every day.

They were all old, weak and sick, and the Kyoto prefecture could not use force against them, nor could they drive them away. They had no choice but to write a letter to Xu Wusheng.

Considering that he had been doing good things for many years and had not participated in Qin Yixian's evil deeds, as well as their blood brotherhood, he was willing to give him another chance to reform.

"Since ancient times, victors have been kings and losers have been bandits. You can kill me or chop me up, so why waste your breath?"

"I really don't know why Third Brother did this. Even though he knew Xu Wuchen was sinister and vicious, he still wanted to associate with him."

Xu Siyuan got furious when he heard that. He immediately threw away the chopsticks in his hand and cursed:

"Shut up! At least he saved my life, which is better than a hypocrite like you. Stop pretending here. I will never submit to you!"

Xu Wusheng frowned, with doubt in his eyes, and asked, "How come I am a hypocrite who is two-faced? Why does the third brother have such an evaluation of me?"

Xu Siyuan's eyes were slightly bloodshot due to anger: "In the past, you strangled the white rabbit I raised. This was my mother's favorite pet when she was alive, but you killed it. Since then, I have no desire to miss her at all."

"I have never done this. How can you accuse me for no reason? Are you listening to other people's slander?"

Xu Siyuan's eyes flashed with a trace of panic that was difficult to conceal. He subconsciously raised his voice: "Impossible, I clearly saw it with my own eyes!"

Xu Wusheng stared at Xu Siyuan and said sharply, "Absurd! This matter has nothing to do with me. Third brother, please don't slander me. You said you saw it with your own eyes, but you really saw my face."

Xu Siyuan was startled by this question, and the confidence on his face faded a little. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "No, I only saw your back at the time, but from the way you were dressed, it was clearly you!"

"Even what you see with your own eyes could be false, let alone concluding it was me just by looking at my back. That would be too hasty."

"There were witnesses at the time." Xu Siyuan said with more confidence.

"Who?" Xu asked silently.

"Xu Wuchen, he once told me that he saw you strangle my little white rabbit to death with his own eyes."

Xu Wusheng sneered, "Third brother, you should know Xu Wuchen's character very well. How can you trust his words so easily?"

His eyebrows moved slightly, as if thinking about something, and then asked: "When was your rabbit killed?"

"I was ten years old, in the middle of spring, February"

Xu Wusheng listened to the words, lowered his head and thought for a while, and suddenly seemed to have thought of something key, and a look of understanding suddenly appeared on his face.

"Third brother, you were deceived by Xu Wuchen. Now I understand that the person who strangled your white rabbit was Xu Wuchen. That year, he suddenly said that he liked my clothes and wanted to exchange them with me. I didn't think much about it and gave him the clothes. I guess after he changed into my clothes, he pretended to be me and strangled your white rabbit, so as to deliberately frame me."

Xu Wusheng paused, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, "As for why he is so deliberate, I think he has always regarded me as a thorn in his side, trying to make you hate me and isolate me."

After hearing these words, Xu Siyuan's eyes gradually revealed helplessness and panic, his face was full of struggle, and his inner beliefs seemed to be shattered bit by bit.

He didn't know whether to believe what the person in front of him said, but he felt that what he said seemed to make sense.

"Third brother, I think there is something fishy about Xu Wuchen saving you."

Xu Wusheng narrowed his eyes slightly and said earnestly:

"He has always disliked us illegitimate princes, and he always wanted to get rid of us. How could he save you for no reason? Tell me, when did he save you?"

"When I was eleven years old, I fell into the water and nearly died. If he hadn't rescued me in time, I would have died at the bottom of the lake." Xu Siyuan still has lingering fears when he recalls the scene at that time.

"It wasn't him. The one who saved you was Brother Zhijing. I saw it with my own eyes. That day, Brother Zhijing jumped into the water to save you without hesitation. After he got ashore, he caught a cold and had a high fever. He was unconscious all night."

Xu Wusheng said it in a decisive tone, his eyes revealing an unquestionable certainty.

Xu Siyuan's eyes widened in disbelief, and he muttered to himself, "Impossible! Then why was it that when I was unconscious, the person I saw was clearly Xu Wuchen?"

"After Zhijing saved you, I was afraid that he would catch a cold, so I took him downstairs to change his clothes." Xu Wusheng explained patiently, trying to wake Xu Siyuan up.

"Brother Zhijing, the man is in the palace now. If you don't believe me, you can ask him in person."

Then, Xu Wusheng waved his hand, signaling eunuch Hong beside him to come over.

"Eunuch Hong, please ask Brother Zhijing to come here quickly. I have something to discuss with him."

"As you wish." Eunuch Hong bowed slightly, received the order and left quickly.

At this time, Xu Zhijing was in Changle Palace. He stood tall and straight, quietly standing aside, watching Xu Wuyou practice archery with focused eyes.

I saw Xu Wuyou standing not far from the target, holding the sleeve arrow and aiming at the center of the bull's eye.

In a moment, she pulled the trigger and the arrow shot straight ahead, but deviated from the center of the target and hit the edge.

The moment the arrow embedded itself into the edge, a hint of loss flashed across Xu Wuyou's eyes.

Her confidence seemed to have been hit. She didn't want to practice anymore and suddenly took off the sleeve arrow on her hand.

Walking up to Xu Zhijing, he said in a reproachful tone, "There may be something wrong with this sleeve arrow. I have practiced hard for a long time, but I still can't hit the target with one arrow."

Hearing this, Xu Zhijing raised his eyebrows and wanted to laugh. He joked, "Isn't it because I'm not good at archery? Why do you blame the sleeve arrow?"

"Impossible. Even if I am a poor archer, I will not miss the target with my arrows. At least I can hit the target a few times by luck. You are such a good archer, you will definitely hit the target every time. If you don't believe me, try it and you will know what I say is true."

Xu Wuyou retorted unconvincedly, with a gleam of certainty in his eyes.

"Okay, let's give it a try."

Xu Zhijing agreed readily. He calmly took the sleeve arrow from Xu Wuyou's hand and put it on with skillful movements. His deep eyes instantly became extremely sharp and he focused on aiming at the bull's eye.

After a moment, fire decisively.

However, unexpectedly, the arrow flew past the edge of the target and failed to hit the center of the target.

Seeing this, Xu Wuyou said with an expression of "I was right", "See, I said there was something wrong with this sleeve arrow."

Xu Zhijing pondered secretly, thinking that the mistake was caused by his poor condition just now, so he decided to try again.

He adjusted his posture again, aimed at the bull's eye and shot, but the arrow still missed the bull's eye.

This time, he had to believe what Xu Wuyou said.

"So, you invited me to the palace today just for this matter?"

"Yes, please help me find out what is wrong with this hidden arrow."

Xu Zhijing's slender fingers groped carefully, and his sharp eyes checked every place.

Finally he discovered that a component in a hidden place was crooked, and that position happened to be the key point for placing arrows. No wonder the arrows missed the target so frequently.

He pointed to a spot and said, "This spot is crooked, so the arrows will miss the target."

Xu Wuyou suddenly remembered that day when they were fighting on the altar, a guard had swung a knife at her, and she had blocked it with her sleeve arrow in desperation, thus avoiding harm.

"Can you fix it then?"

Xu Zhijing shook his head: "This sleeve arrow was made by Fengyun Pavilion. The mechanism is ingenious and interlocking. Only they know how to repair it. If you need it repaired, you have to find them."

Xu Zhijing looked at Xu Wuyou with a trace of concern in his eyes: "I also need a few sleeve arrows. If the princess likes them, I can give them to you."

"No need for that. I prefer this one." Xu Wuyou gently stroked the sleeve arrow in her hand, with a trace of reluctance and attachment in her eyes.

"I used it to fight the enemy a few days ago, and I have developed a deep affection for it."

Xu Wuyou did not show any sign of discouragement, but said firmly: "I will ask someone from Fengyun Pavilion to help me fix it."

After saying that, she turned her gaze and saw the figure of Eunuch Hong, who was coming towards them.

"Why is Eunuch Hong here?" Xu Wuyou frowned slightly, his eyes full of confusion.

Eunuch Hong walked quickly to their side, bowed, and said, "My dear prince, His Majesty has invited you to follow me to the prison of the Ministry of Justice."

Xu Wuyou's delicate face showed a trace of confusion, and she couldn't help asking, "The Ministry of Justice's prison? Why did my brother ask him to go there?"

Eunuch Hong bowed his head and said softly, "I don't know the reason either."

"In that case, please lead the way, Eunuch Hong." Xu Zhijing said to Eunuch Hong calmly.

"I will go with you."

"It's better for a princess to not step into a dark and damp place like a prison."

Xu Wuyou heard this and shook her head, "It's okay, you were invited into the palace by me, I will not feel relieved until I send you out of the palace."

Xu Zhijing couldn't persuade her, so he followed her.

Under the guidance of Eunuch Hong, the two came to the cell where Xu Siyuan was imprisoned.

Xu Wusheng and Xu Siyuan sat there waiting in silence. When they saw someone coming, Xu Siyuan immediately stood up, grabbed his arm and asked anxiously.

"When I fell into the water when I was eleven, was it really you who saved me?"

Xu Zhijing was stunned by this sudden action, a look of confusion appeared on his face, and he subconsciously cast his gaze towards Xu Wusheng beside him, seeking his instructions.

Seeing this, Xu Wusheng just nodded slightly at him.

After receiving the signal, Xu Zhijing said to Xu Siyuan: "I was the one who saved His Highness, but why did His Highness suddenly ask about this today?

"Because Xu Wuchen once claimed your credit, Third Brother mistakenly trusted him all these years and kept acting for him."

Xu Wusheng said, looking at Xu Siyuan with a sharp gaze, with a hint of deep meaning in his eyes, "Now that the truth has been revealed, will the Third Emperor continue to be stubborn and stubborn?"

When Xu Siyuan heard these words, he felt as if he was struck by lightning.

It was really hard for him to accept that he had hated the wrong person all these years and was foolishly used by others to become an accomplice of the evil.

But the stubbornness in his heart made him unwilling to give in easily, so he forced himself to remain calm and tried to deceive himself by saying, "Even if the story of saving people is true, how can I believe that you strangled my rabbit to death based on your words alone?"

Although his voice still had a hint of toughness, the slightly trembling tone revealed his inner panic and anxiety.

At this time, the silent Xu Wuyou suddenly spoke up: "The person who strangled your rabbit was Xu Wuchen, not Your Majesty. I was nearby at the time. I saw him squatting under a tree, grabbing your rabbit and strangling it ruthlessly. He was still wearing Your Majesty's clothes. At the time, I thought it was Your Majesty and scolded him. Later, I found out it was Xu Wuchen. He said that it was your rabbit that bit him, so he decided to kill him."

Xu Siyuan's face was filled with anger, and he loudly refuted, "Nonsense! My rabbit is so well-behaved and docile, how could it bite people?"

However, Xu Wuyou's testimony was exactly the same as Xu Wusheng's previous words, which undoubtedly proved that Xu Wusheng was not lying.

Besides, he brought up the matter suddenly, and the two of them had no time to work out a plan in advance.

Xu Siyuan's mind was full of thoughts, and he suddenly realized something. He raised a self-deprecating smile: "It turns out that I have been played around by him all these years, and I was grateful to him. I was thinking of the undeserved kindness and served him wholeheartedly."

" Thinking of this, his eyes gradually turned red, his heart was filled with guilt and regret, his legs softened, and he knelt down with a plop: "I am confused, please punish me, Your Majesty."

Shocked by this sudden scene, he hurriedly used both hands to help Xu Siyuan up: "You were also deceived by the traitor. This is not your fault. Third brother, please get up quickly."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xu Siyuan lowered his head slightly, his voice full of gratitude.

Xu Wusheng looked at him calmly and said slowly, "You should thank those poor people who pleaded for you. If they hadn't come to the government office every day to plead for you and let me have mercy, I might not have come to this prison to see you."

When Xu Siyuan heard this, he felt mixed emotions. Guilt and gratitude overwhelmed him like a tide, making his eyes red.