When Li Zhixing had come back to himself he said hurriedly, "Marquis, this is not a thing to joke about. It is His Majesty's own order."

He thought Ning Chen was refusing to hand the man over in order to protect Ning Ziming.

Ning Chen sighed. "Everything I have said is true... Ask them if you don't believe me."

Pan Yucheng and Gao Ziping nodded.

Li Zhixing's expression stiffened. "This — how did this come about?"

Ning Chen hid nothing. He told it through.

Li Zhixing's face went serious. "This is plainly aimed at you."

Ning Chen inclined his head slightly.

"Marquis, a word aside."

The two of them went out into the courtyard.

Li Zhixing lowered his voice. "Marquis, this must be held down... Once it gets out, if you take the name of killing your own father, it will not only affect the marriage with the princess. I am afraid it will destroy your prospects entirely."

"Let's do this. I'll find a way to put a condemned man in Lord Ning's place—"

He had not finished before he saw Ning Chen wave a hand.

"I am afraid it won't do. At a beheading the identity is verified, and once the thing is exposed that is the crime of deceiving the sovereign. You could hardly escape the blame yourself."

Li Zhixing said, "I'll put my own men in as coroner and executioner both... I guarantee there will be no trouble."

Ning Chen smiled bitterly. "And if on the day of the beheading the President of the Secretariat appears and demands that the identity be verified... what then?"

"This..." Li Zhixing did not follow. "Why would the President of the Secretariat do that?"

Ning Chen smiled. "I only put it as an example... If not the President of the Secretariat, then somebody else will show up and demand the identity be verified."

Li Zhixing frowned. "Then what do we do?"

"Go into the palace, see His Majesty, and impeach me."

Li Zhixing gave a start. "How can that be right?"

"Concealing it is the crime of deceiving the sovereign, and…