What is a gentleman?
A gentleman should remain unmoved and calm when facing difficulties and temptations, and not lose his original intention because of temptation.
He will never go against his principles just because of greed for temporary beauty.
Take Lin Jiangnian for example. Last night, faced with the impulsive temptation of beauty, he finally resisted the invasion of beauty, successfully defended his bottom line, and maintained the image of a gentleman.
It really can be said that...
I can’t continue making up stories!
"Oh shit!"
early morning.
Under the eaves, Lin Jiangnian squatted at the edge of the platform, cursing and swearing. He looked depressed and sighed.
Almost!
I almost caught the kite last night!
Everything had been going smoothly, but Lin Jiangnian's gradual offensive caught Zhiyuan off guard. Zhiyuan had never experienced such a scene before. He was completely defeated by Lin Jiangnian's attack, and it seemed that he would succeed further.
The kite reacted!
Then……
That’s all!
Zhiyuan resisted fiercely and refused righteously.
Evil thoughts flashed through Lin Jiangnian's mind, and he thought of just doing it in one go.
But when he saw the pitiful look on Zhiyuan's delicate face, which was filled with a bit of panic and helplessness, the evil thoughts that had just emerged immediately disappeared.
If it were any other maidservant, Lin Jiangnian would have been rude. But facing Zhiyuan, he finally hesitated.
He forced himself on me... He is such a bad guy!
More importantly, when Zhiyuan reacted, Lin Jiangnian was no match for him.
So, Lin Jiangnian transformed himself into a gentleman. He changed his strategy and stopped forcing his way in. Instead, he used reason and emotion to manipulate Zhiyuan's mind.
It cannot be said that it is completely useless, it can only be said that... it did not succeed!
Although Lin Jiangnian's nonsense may have moved Zhiyuan a little, the strength of his resistance and struggle was much weaker.
But in the end, Zhiyuan still held on to her bottom line and did not completely believe Lin Jiangnian's lies, allowing him to succeed.
Of course, there may be other reasons!
but……
Lin Jiangnian looked down at his open hand, the palm of his hand still seemed to be somewhat soft. Thinking of the beautiful scene that happened last night, a smug smile appeared on his face.
As if remembering the last words Zhiyuan said last night, Lin Jiangnian's eyes gradually became firm and he stood up suddenly.
"Damn it, break off the engagement!"
"This marriage must be cancelled!"
“…”
Capital city.
Zuixianju.
The usually quiet Zuixianju has a few more figures today.
It's in the private room on the second floor.
A young man in gorgeous brocade clothes was lying lazily on the couch, casually glancing at another young man in the hall.
"Jiang Shaoan, you sent a letter last night saying you had something important to say?"
The person standing in the hall was Jiang Shaoan.
Last night, after being forced by Lin Jiangnian to go out and buy candied haws, Jiang Shaoan turned around and hurried to find the Eighth Prince to inform him of the news.
But it was already late last night and the Eighth Prince had already returned to the palace. It was not until this morning that I finally had the chance to meet the Eighth Prince.
"That's right, Your Highness the Eighth Prince, I have something very important to tell you!"
Jiang Shaoan swallowed his saliva, looking excited.
"Go ahead."
The young man lying on the soft couch was none other than the eighth prince of the current emperor. He was still young, with a childish face, but he could not hide his somewhat arrogant and dandy look.
Obviously, he is not a real prince.
Jiang Shaoan looked at the two people beside the Eighth Prince and swallowed his saliva: "Eighth Prince, they..."
The Eighth Prince glanced at the two guards beside him, his eyes calm: "No problem, go ahead."
Jiang Shaoan finally breathed a sigh of relief, then lowered his voice and said cautiously: "Eighth Prince, Lin Jiangnian, he is not dead..."
The Eighth Prince couldn't remember who this name was for a moment, and his expression remained disdainful. He said calmly, "Who? Who is Lin Jiangnian?"
"Prince Lin."
"In the King's World..."
Before the Eighth Prince finished speaking, he suddenly sat up from the couch and stared at Jiang Shaoan: "What did you say?"
"who?"
"Lin, Prince Lin..."
Jiang Shaoan gritted his teeth and whispered, "He's not dead. He made it to the capital alive..."
"Are you serious?!"
The Eighth Prince's eyes changed slightly as he stared at Jiang Shaoan, and even his tone changed.
"It's absolutely true, he's in my house right now!"
As if worried that the Eighth Prince wouldn't believe him, Jiang Shaoan gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment: "My mother said it herself, saying that he is my cousin... There is absolutely no mistake!"
The Eighth Prince's expression changed slightly. Upon hearing the news that Prince Lin was still alive, he could no longer sit still and stood up immediately.
"He's not dead. He's not dead?"
As he said this, he turned around and glanced at Jiang Shaoan: "You did a great job. This news is very important. You will definitely benefit from it later!"
Jiang Shaoan's face lit up with joy: "Thank you, Your Highness the Eighth Prince!"
The Eighth Prince waved his hands and sleeves: "Let's go!"
Afterwards, he left with his guards, leaving Jiang Shaoan standing there with a smug look on his face.
"Lin Jiangnian, let me see what you're going to do."
"With the Eighth Prince taking action, you're doomed... If you dare to hit me, I'll show you how I'll deal with you!"
“…”
In the capital, an ancient house.
Outside the pavilion, the mountains and rivers flow, and the scenery in the courtyard is still green. Even in the winter season, you can still feel the breath of spring.
However, the weather is still cold.
"Royal brother, something terrible has happened..."
Not far away at the end of the pavilion corridor, the figure of the eighth prince Li Ping hurried over with an anxious look on his face.
"Prince Lin is not dead!"
"He's still alive and has already arrived in the capital!"
"Now in Jiang Mansion..."
“…”
In the courtyard, a young man in his early twenties stood expressionlessly, gazing at the mountains and rivers in the courtyard.
The young man had a blank expression on his face, and a somewhat cold aura emanated from his entire body. He was wearing a brocade robe, which was extremely noble, and his entire body exuded the aura of royal nobility.
This person is none other than the third prince of the current Daning Dynasty, Li Yuan.
Right next to the young man stood a man in a gray robe, about thirty years old, with the same expressionless face. He was hidden in the yard and seemed to have no presence at all.
Not far away, the eighth prince Li Ping hurried over and reported the news to the third prince.
Although the Eighth Prince and the Third Prince are not from the same mother, they have a very close relationship. The Eighth Prince respects his elder brother very much and serves him at his beck and call.
Now that he had heard the news that Prince Lin was still alive, he ran to report it immediately.
"Alive?"
In the courtyard, after listening to the Eighth Prince's report, Third Prince Li Yuan's face showed little surprise. He spoke calmly, glancing at Li Ping behind him and asking, "Is the news true?"
"Absolutely true!"
The Eighth Prince nodded: "Jiang Shaoan told me that the Prince of Lin is related to Jiang Shaoan. Now the Prince of Lin is in the Jiang Mansion, there is no doubt about it..."
At this point, the Eighth Prince's face showed a bit of uneasiness: "Royal brother, what should we do now?"
"Prince Lin is not dead. What if he knew that we were the ones who assassinated him this time? Would he..."
At this point, the Eighth Prince's face showed a hint of panic. Although he had not participated in the assassination of Prince Lin outside the city, he was indeed closely linked to it. If the Lin family retaliated, then...
"What are you afraid of?"
The Third Prince spoke calmly, without a trace of emotion.
The eighth prince was a little flustered at first, but when he saw his brother was so calm, he felt relieved.
Yes, his royal brother is here. If anything happens, his royal brother will take care of him. What is he afraid of?
"So, what should we do now?"
The Eighth Prince swallowed and said immediately: "He didn't die this time, he is still alive. Brother, do you want us to try again?"
The third prince glanced at him and said nothing.
"What, what happened?"
"Do you think Lin Jiangnian is a fool?"
The Third Prince had a blank expression on his face: "He didn't die this time, will he give you another chance?"
"Then, what should we do?"
"No rush for now."
The Third Prince glanced at him coldly and said, "Go down first and keep an eye on the Jiang family's every move. Report any situation to me at any time."
"good!"
The eighth prince nodded and hurried away.
After he left, the Third Prince suddenly turned his head to look at the person who had been silent at the side and asked, "What do you think?"
This man's name is Situ Yan, and he is the most trusted aide and counselor to the Third Prince.
Situ Yan said in a low voice, "It's not beyond the Third Prince's expectation. He is not dead!"
"Yeah, I didn't expect he could survive like this."
A hint of reluctance flashed across the Third Prince's eyes, but then disappeared. He chuckled softly, "But, so what?"
"Even if he arrives in the capital, what kind of trouble can he cause?"
Situ Yan said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, you must not be so careless."
"I know."
The Third Prince narrowed his eyes, and the smile on his face faded slightly. "He's really like a piece of dog-skin plaster. His life is just like his father's, long and stinky..."
"Your Highness, this Prince Lin is not a threat to Your Highness at the moment, but we must be on guard against him."
Situ Yan obviously saw it more clearly: "It is indeed incredible that he survived this time. This boy is not as simple as he appears. Your Highness needs to be careful."
"Oh!"
A hint of sneer appeared on the Third Prince's gloomy face. "I want to see what kind of trouble he can stir up in the capital. How long can he, the Prince of Lin, survive in the capital without Lin Hengzhong?"
At this point, the Third Prince's eyes turned even more sinister and he sneered, "No need to intervene. I'm not the only one in the capital who wants to kill him."
Situ Yan was silent for a moment, then nodded: "There are other forces involved in the assassination of Prince Lin outside the city this time."
The Third Prince's eyes narrowed slightly: "Have you found out?"
"It's unclear at this time."
"snort!"
The third prince snorted coldly and said nothing more.
Lin Jiangnian was a source of worry for him, yet he was merely a dispensable character. A mere son of a foreign prince, he was not even worthy of his attention.
For the third prince, there are more important things at the moment.
"Li Ci Ning, what's the situation?" The third prince suddenly spoke.
Li Ci Ning is the elder brother of the third prince Li Yuan and the current Crown Prince of the Daning Dynasty.
Situ Yan lowered his head and said, "According to the palace, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is seriously ill and in poor condition. The palace physicians haven't found any symptoms..."
Upon hearing this news, the Third Prince finally let out a smug sneer, "This is truly God helping me."
Situ Yan warned: "Your Highness, don't be careless, in case of fraud!"
The Third Prince narrowed his eyes and said, "Of course I know, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..."
"Now that my father is in seclusion, the power in the court has fallen into the hands of others. If something unexpected happens to Li Qining again, the court will be in complete chaos!"
"When the time comes..."
Li Yuan did not continue speaking, but Situ Yan beside him naturally understood.
Your Highness, there is only one purpose for staying in the capital!
And now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has suddenly fallen ill, the opportunity is right in front of him! Compared to the Prince of Lin, for His Royal Highness, the position of Crown Prince that is within reach, and even the supreme throne in the Imperial City, is the most important.
Now that His Highness's power in the capital is growing, as long as the time is right, everything will be under control.
"However, my royal sister is always a hidden danger!"
As if he had thought of something, the third prince's face darkened slightly.
Situ Yan didn't say anything. His Royal Highness the Third Prince was a meticulous and ruthless person, and there were many things that didn't require him to say much.
Just then, footsteps were heard outside the yard.
"Your Highness, someone has delivered a letter."
"Who is it?"
"I don't know. He left a letter and then disappeared, saying he was going to give it to Your Highness!"
"A letter for me?"
A trace of doubt crossed the Third Prince's face. He glanced at the man with a grim expression under the tree outside the courtyard and frowned. "What's in the letter?"
The servants outside the courtyard were pale and dared not speak directly: "Your Highness, please look at it yourself."
“Give it to me!”
The Third Prince's face was expressionless as he took the letter from Situ Yan. The letter was very clean, and the content was only a short sentence.
But just this short sentence made the third prince's pupils shrink suddenly and his face instantly darkened.
"Li Yuan, clean your neck and prepare to die!"
The handwriting is clear and bright, and every word is heart-piercing.
Situ Yan, who was standing by, just took a glance and his face changed drastically: "Who wrote this?!"
The Third Prince had a gloomy expression on his face, and other than that, he did not leave any signature on the letter.
provocative.
This is a naked provocation.
Who would dare to be so reckless and challenge the Third Prince?
These childish words made the Third Prince's face change violently. His expression darkened, and after a moment, he coldly called out a name through gritted teeth.
"Lin Jiangnian!"
"Is it him?!"
Situ Yan looked up in disbelief: "How dare he?"
"Who else could it be but him?"
The third prince sneered repeatedly. If others didn’t know, how could he not know?
He could see the handwriting on the letter very clearly.
"well!"
"I originally wanted him to live a few more days, but I didn't expect him to seek death like this!"
"Then don't blame me for being rude!"
“…”
Jiang Mansion.
back door.
A figure sneaked in from the back door, looked around, and after making sure that there was no one around, he walked towards the yard like a guilty thief.
After taking two steps, a shout came from the side.
"stop!"
Jiang Shaoan's body froze, and he turned his head. He saw a familiar face and his expression suddenly turned terrified: "You, what do you want to do?"
"What?"
Not far away, Lin Jiangnian was sitting on a tree branch and glanced at him with a leisurely look.
"Where's my candied haws?"
“…”