Lu Mansion.
In a dim room.
The tea is steaming on the tea table.
Two figures sat facing each other.
"Prince Lin entered the palace to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?!"
When the then Minister of Personnel, Lü Fusheng, heard the news, his face turned serious: "Your Highness, is this news true?!"
Across the tea table, the Third Prince's face was gloomy and expressionless as he said, "I saw it with my own eyes, how could this be false?"
After confirming this news, Lu Fusheng was puzzled and shocked, muttering to himself, "Why would Prince Lin come to the palace to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at this critical moment? When did they have any contact?"
Lu Fusheng was completely baffled. Ever since his illness, the Crown Prince had been recuperating in the Eastern Palace, rarely entering the palace. He also rarely interacted with others. After the Prince of Lin arrived in the capital, he had absolutely no contact with the Crown Prince...
"Could it be that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is trying to secretly win over Prince Lin?!"
Lu Fusheng's face was solemn, and he spoke after thinking for a while.
"This possibility cannot be ruled out."
The third prince had a sullen expression.
The court was in turmoil. After the Crown Prince fell seriously ill, rumors were spreading. Rumors that the Third Prince wanted to compete for the throne also spread like wildfire.
It is impossible for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince not to notice this, so it is possible that Li Ci Ning tried to win over Prince Lin.
"this……"
Lu Fusheng's expression changed slightly. "If Prince Lin sides with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it will be extremely disadvantageous to you, His Royal Highness the Third Prince!"
The Third Prince wanted to compete for the throne, but his biggest challenge was the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince reached some kind of agreement with the Prince of Lin... the consequences would be disastrous.
With the support of the son of a prince who holds significant military power, the third prince's chances of becoming the crown prince will be very slim.
"So, plans must be advanced!"
The Third Prince's face was gloomy. He slowly raised his head and looked at Lu Fusheng in front of him. He said in a deep voice: "Minister Lu, I'm afraid our plan needs to be put on the agenda!"
Seeing the look on the Third Prince's face, Lu Fusheng was startled, his heart suddenly sinking: "Your Highness, but, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still..."
"This king doesn't have that much time to wait!"
The Third Prince's face was sinister, and he gritted his teeth and said coldly, "If this continues, all my efforts will be wasted!"
"Then Your Highness, are you planning to..."
Lu Fusheng's eyelids twitched suddenly, and he realized something in his heart.
The Third Prince glanced at him and said calmly, "Most of the commanders of the imperial guards have already been bribed by me. I have also long since placed my trusted associates among the defenders of the capital. Even the majority of the officials in the court have already shown their goodwill to me..."
"Outside the capital, I also have a private army..."
The Third Prince tapped the table lightly with one hand and spoke expressionlessly.
"What can Li Ci Ning use to fight this king?!"
Lu Fusheng's heart changed slightly, as expected...
Your Highness the Third Prince, are you planning to force your way into the palace?!
As for the purpose of forcibly entering the palace...
Lu Fusheng suppressed his shock and said, "Your Highness, are you planning to..."
The Third Prince glanced at him and said expressionlessly, "Minister Lu, why do you still ask when you already know the answer?"
"Then your Majesty..."
Lu Fusheng asked.
The Third Prince narrowed his eyes slightly. "Father has been lost in seclusion, pursuing immortality, and neglecting state affairs. Since Father doesn't want to govern this country, then I will govern it on his behalf!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Fusheng instantly understood the third prince's purpose.
The Third Prince not only intends to attack His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but even His Majesty...
Even though Lu Fusheng had experienced strong storms, he still felt a chill on his back at this moment.
Although he supports the third prince, but... this is treason!
The Third Prince wants to kill his brother and father...
This is crazy!
What will happen if you fail?
Lu Fusheng's face looked a little ugly, but he knew that he had no way out.
"Your Highness, are you sure?"
Lu Fusheng asked in a deep voice.
The Third Prince glanced at him and said calmly, "Minister Lu, don't worry. I've been building up my power in the capital for many years, so I'm naturally 90% confident."
Although he was not completely sure, the Third Prince was not too worried.
He now holds considerable prestige in the court, with many ministers supporting him. Furthermore, the Third Prince has been secretly cultivating and planting forces in the capital over the years, gradually infiltrating the palace.
Most of the commanders of the imperial guards in the palace have been bribed and captured by him, and he has even planted many spies in the Eastern Palace of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's every move is under his surveillance.
How could his weak and indecisive brother, the emperor, defeat him?!
He just had to wait for him to mobilize his private army outside the city to enter the capital, eliminate Li Qining, take over the imperial guards, and control the entire palace. Then he would go to the Health Preservation Palace and force his father, who had been in seclusion for a long time, to issue an abdication decree...
After receiving the abdication edict, he would announce it in the court and ascend the throne smoothly. By then, the great event would be accomplished...
Thinking of this, the Third Prince's eyes became slightly hot, as if he had already imagined the scene that was about to happen.
He had been preparing for this day for a long time and had been waiting for it for a long time!
"Your Highness..."
Lu Fusheng's face turned slightly pale. If a rebellion succeeded, it would be fine. But if it failed, his entire clan would be in danger.
As the Minister of Personnel, Lu Fusheng naturally had many things to consider.
"Don't worry, Minister Lu. If I accomplish something great, I will definitely not forget your contribution!"
The third prince spoke slowly.
"I, this old minister, will certainly do my utmost to assist the Third Prince in achieving great things, but..."
Having said this, Lu Fusheng paused and said worriedly: "However, if the Third Prince wants to accomplish great things, he must first deal with one person!"
"who?"
"Prime Minister Zhao!"
Lu Fusheng said, "Prime Minister Zhao is a veteran of three dynasties in our Daning Dynasty. If Your Highness wants to achieve great things, you must first win him over... However, Prime Minister Zhao is a stubborn person. If he knew Your Highness's intentions, he probably wouldn't..."
The Third Prince sneered, "If he doesn't want to, I will kill him."
"Absolutely not!"
Lu Fusheng quickly shook his head. "Your Highness, Prime Minister Zhao cannot be killed. He has many disciples throughout the country and holds an extremely high prestige. Killing him would cause dissatisfaction among the common people and scholars. Your Highness would then be despised by the world and questioned for his illegitimate position. The loss would outweigh the gain..."
The third prince's eyes narrowed slightly, Lu Fusheng was right.
He really can't just kill people randomly, Prime Minister Zhao!
only……
"I have visited Prime Minister Zhao before, but he was unwilling to be with me."
The third prince had a blank expression on his face.
That old guy really doesn't know what's good for him!
Lu Fusheng said, "Prime Minister Zhao is a senior official in the court, so he naturally doesn't want to get too close to the other princes. However, since Your Highness has made up his mind, why not give it another try..."
"If you can get Prime Minister Zhao's support, your highness's mission will be halfway accomplished."
“…”
Night falls.
At Lu's house, the lights were on in the room.
The third prince and the current Minister of Personnel were secretly plotting a rebellion.
It was late at night and the wind was cold and fierce.
The capital city, shrouded in darkness, still appears deserted on the surface.
In secret, undercurrents are surging.
…
Zhao Mansion.
Night gradually falls.
In the courtyard, the cold wind was blowing.
The trees not far away were rustling in the cold wind, and the swing under the tree was gently swaying in the cold wind.
Everything is extremely quiet.
Under the eaves, the maid Xiaoyue was wrapped tightly, with her head tucked in like a fat girl, and she turned her head to look at the beautiful figure not far away.
"Miss, it's cold outside, do you want to go back inside?"
Not far from Xiaoyue, a graceful figure was standing under the eaves bored. She was wearing a light green dress, wrapped tightly, and her delicate face was full of depression.
"Boring, don't want to go back!"
Zhao Xi sighed softly.
It's so cold, and she's almost suffocated staying in the room all day.
There's not much else to do every day except reading, and those books are becoming less and less interesting. They're either just whining or love stories...
What is the meaning of love?
This day is so boring!
Zhao Xi, standing under the eaves, sighed repeatedly.
She doesn't like winter very much!
The weather is cold, so cold that I’m not used to it!
Xiaoyue, who was standing by, heard her mistress's complaints and asked tentatively, "So, Miss, do you want to go out for a walk?"
"Where are you going?"
Xiaoyue thought for a moment and said, "Let's go for a walk in the city. I heard there are some new storytellers under the overpass in the east of the city. They are really good at telling stories."
“It’s boring!”
"Then let's go boating in the southern suburbs? I heard the lake there has thawed, and a few days ago many talented men and beautiful women were boating there reciting poems and writing couplets."
"I don't want to go."
"That……"
“…”
Xiaoyue made many suggestions in succession, but without exception they were all rejected by her mistress.
Xiaoyue tried her best!
My daughter really doesn't want to go anywhere, but she's bored staying at home.
"Then, Miss, do you want to go play with the eldest princess?"
Xiaoyue remembered that the eldest princess seemed to be one of the few friends of her young lady.
"That ice gourd of hers can't even utter a single word for a long time, and it's even more boring. Why bother looking for her?"
Zhao Xi curled his lips.
Ice gourd?
Xiaoyue blinked. Only her own young lady dared to comment on the eldest princess in this way.
Although the eldest princess looks a little cold, she is still a very nice person...
However, the young lady doesn’t even want to pay attention to the princess, so what else can she do?
Xiaoyue's eyes rolled and she quickly thought of another person.
"Then, Miss, would you like to meet... His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Lin?"
Xiaoyue remembered that during this period, the Prince of Lin seemed to come to see her young lady often?
This is very rare!
When have you ever seen your daughter meet another man alone?
Not to mention being called into her own boudoir, this Prince Lin is one of a kind in the world.
More importantly...
That Prince Lin is so handsome!
Xiaoyue's face turned slightly red. His Royal Highness the Prince of Lin was really handsome!
He has sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and is handsome and well-mannered. He is much better looking than those weak and fair-skinned scholars and talented men in the capital.
My lady always appreciates pretty things... right?!
Zhao Xi, who was originally bored, was startled when she heard her maid suddenly mention Lin Jiangnian.
"he?"
Zhao Xi couldn't help but think of that handsome face. Needless to say, every time he saw this guy, his mood would get better.
Maybe it has something to do with his good looks?
But soon, some strange experiences surfaced in Zhao Xi's mind again. He gritted his teeth and snorted coldly: "Why would I see him?"
"Not interested."
Xiaoyue blinked. Not interested?
Didn't His Royal Highness the Prince of Lin just come here yesterday...
Just as Xiaoyue was about to complain, there was a sudden noise outside the door.
"Um?"
Xiaoyue turned her head and didn't see anyone appear in the yard. When she turned around to look at her young lady, she found that a figure had quietly appeared beside her.
A woman dressed in black was standing under the eaves with her head bowed respectfully.
"Miss, this evening, a major event occurred in the city... Chen Feiyang, the guardian of the Secret Heaven Division, was attacked by an assassin. All the Secret Heaven Division experts around him were killed tragically. The Secret Heaven Division's reinforcements were also ambushed along the way, and no one survived..."
Hearing this news, Zhao Xi was startled and raised his eyes suddenly: "Assault?"
"Chen Feiyang, was attacked?!"
"That's right."
Zhao Xi was stunned. "Who is it? How dare they kill the Secret Heaven Guardian in the Imperial City?"
"It's not clear yet..."
The woman in tight clothes whispered, "When the reinforcements from the Mi Tiansi arrived at the west of the city, only corpses were left on the ground, and the murderer was nowhere to be found. As for Chen Feiyang, his whereabouts are unknown..."
“Missing?!”
Zhao Xi's eyes narrowed: "He's not dead?"
“I don’t know.”
Zhao Xi's breathing quickened, but he quickly suppressed the shock in his heart.
How dare you attack and kill the emperor's private guards in public?
Who on earth did this?!
As the guardian of the Secret Heaven Division, Chen Feiyang usually does many evil things, and no one knows how many people hate him to the core.
But there are not many people in the world who have the courage and ability to assassinate him.
not to mention……
As Zhao Xi was pondering this, he suddenly realized something and his expression froze. He turned and stared at the woman in tight clothes in the courtyard. "Wait, where did you say this happened?"
"West of the city!"
"Where is it in the west of the city?"
"Outside the Jiang family of Jiang Ningkang, the Minister of Revenue."
The woman in tight clothes said, "I heard it's in a house not far from the Jiang family. It's a private residence of the Mi Tiansi, and it seems to be used to monitor... the Jiang family."
"Surveillance on the Jiang family..."
Zhao Xi was lost in thought, as if thinking about something. After a moment, a look of "I see." suddenly appeared in her beautiful eyes.
"I see……"
She murmured to herself and looked up.
There seemed to be a gleam of light in those bright eyes.
She probably knew who did this...
He had just come to her yesterday to ask for intelligence on the four guardians of the Secret Heaven Division, and today something happened to Chen Feiyang... This is too much of a coincidence!
More importantly, within this imperial city, under the feet of the emperor, the only person who dares to do this... is him.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xi's emotions were slightly moved. After thinking for a moment, she turned around abruptly.
"Xiaoyue!"
"Hmm? Miss, what's wrong?"
"You can go to the Jiang family later. Forget it... go tomorrow."
Zhao Xi thought about it and shook his head again.
"Going to the Jiang family?"
Xiaoyue wondered: "Why go to Jiang's house?"
"What do you think?"
A faint smile appeared on Zhao Xi's face, and he narrowed his eyes. "Go see Prince Lin and tell him to come to me when he's free. We have something important to discuss!"
"ah?"
Xiaoyue blinked and stood there in a daze.
no……
Miss, didn’t you just say you were gone?
Aren't you not interested?
Why suddenly...
Do you still want to see him?
…
