Outside the hall, snowflakes were falling from the eaves.
The cold wind was so fierce that it made Chen Changqing's black robe rustle.
He slowly raised his eyes and looked ahead with a normal expression.
"Exactly."
After a pause, Chen Changqing slowly spoke, "Yesterday evening, a call for help came from the west of the city. Protector Chen was in danger. Deacon Liu Chuan was ordered to rescue him. We happened to meet him on the way. I went to the west of the city with Deacon Liu to provide support, but we were ambushed on the way..."
"The enemy attacked with such force that we were caught off guard and suffered heavy losses. I hastily retreated to the Secret Heaven Division and mobilized experts to provide support, but it was too late. Deacon Liu was killed during the retreat and died with grievances..."
After Chen Changqing finished his explanation, the hall fell into a dead silence again, leaving only the biting cold wind outside.
Whirring sound!
In the hall, there seemed to be an invisible pressure enveloping Chen Changqing, making him feel a little breathless.
He raised his eyes and stared ahead, at the back of the hall.
Faintly, a figure can be seen.
This person is the great protector of the Secret Heaven Division!
He is also the most mysterious and powerful guardian of the Secret Heaven Division.
He rarely appeared in public; even Chen Changqing had only seen him twice. Normally, the affairs of the Secret Heaven Division were managed by Chen Feiyang. Until this time, Chen Feiyang's whereabouts were unknown after he was assassinated, causing chaos within the Secret Heaven Division. This rarely seen Great Protector finally appeared!
Even though there was a door between them, Chen Changqing could still feel the oppressive aura brought to him by the figure behind the screen.
This great protector of the Secret Heaven Division is very skilled in martial arts!
At this moment, Chen Changqing was keenly aware that this great protector seemed to be suspicious of him.
The silent atmosphere lasted for a long time before it was finally broken!
A cold voice came again from the back of the hall.
"Why were you able to escape?"
Chen Changqing's expression remained calm as he said calmly, "Liu Chuan's martial arts skills are not as good as mine."
The Great Protector asked coldly, "I heard that your relationship with Chen Feiyang is not very good?"
Chen Changqing knew in his heart that this was probably the real reason why the Great Protector suspected him.
Many people in the Secret Heaven Division knew that Protector Chen had become increasingly displeased with Chen Kuishou, and the relationship and conflict between the two was visible to the naked eye.
Especially not long ago, when Gao Wenyang died in the sky prison, many people still remember the scene of the confrontation between Chen Changqing and Chen Feiyang.
At this moment, Chen Feiyang was suddenly assassinated, which is indeed a bit unusual.
The Secret Guard had been in the capital for many years and had indeed offended many people. However, the Secret Guard was known as the emperor's personal guard, and with the support of Eunuch Chen, even if the people in the capital hated them to the core, few dared to attack them openly.
After all, this is treason!
It’s no wonder that the Great Protector would suspect Chen Changqing.
However, Chen Changqing had anticipated this. He calmly replied, "It's true that there are some disagreements between Protector Chen and me, but we are colleagues. We both work for His Majesty and Eunuch Chen, and we have absolutely no selfish motives... Does the Great Protector suspect that I'm seeking personal revenge?"
The voice from the back of the hall was silent for a moment before speaking coldly, "There's no best... Protector Chen has been assassinated. No matter who the perpetrator is, this Protector will not let this go. This matter requires an explanation. Chen Kuishou, do you understand what I mean?"
Chen Changqing lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, Protector, I will catch the murderer as soon as possible and give an explanation to the Protector, His Majesty, and Eunuch Chen!"
"Well, go ahead!"
Chen Changqing turned around and slowly walked out of the hall.
Outside the hall, snowflakes were flying, and flakes of snow fell on his shoulders, and the cold wind blew in his face. At this time, Chen Changqing just realized that he had already broken out in a cold sweat!
My back is almost soaked!
With this great guardian around, the death of Chen Feiyang didn't have much of an impact. It would be very difficult for Chen Changqing to truly control the Secret Heaven Division!
Unless...
Thinking of this, Chen Changqing's breathing became slightly tense.
He recalled the casual words that the Crown Prince had said before. At that time, Chen Changqing was only shocked, but he did not expect that the Crown Prince Lin would act so quickly.
So, next...
This is the great protector!
Thinking of this, Chen Changqing's heart sank slightly. This great guardian's martial arts skills were not bad. He had to find a way to inform His Royal Highness the Crown Prince as soon as possible.
…
Capital city.
Outside the East Suburb Street, a few streets away from the bustling area of Beijing, lies a quiet manor.
The manor is not big, but in a place like Beijing where every inch of land is valuable, the fact that the owner can have a manor of this size is enough to show how powerful the owner is.
On a cold winter day, the land in the capital is barren and withered. However, within this manor, you can see lush greenery, small bridges and flowing water, creating a pleasant scenery.
Covered with heavy snow, the sky and the earth were covered in white.
Outside the manor gate, several figures had been waiting for a long time.
The person in front of the crowd was none other than Gao Boyan, the current Minister of Personnel. Next to him was a young man, Gao Boyan's eldest son, Gao Hang!
At this moment, Gao Hang looked up at the empty street in the distance. It was freezing cold, and he couldn't help but ask, "Dad, do we really have to greet him at the door? Is Lin Jiangnian such a big shot?"
"Shut up!"
Before Gao Hang could finish his words, Gao Boyan glared at him coldly: "Do you know who he is?"
"Isn't he just a prince of Linwang..."
Gao Hang was a little unconvinced and whispered, "If he were in Linzhou, he might still have some strength, but this is the capital, do we really need to curry favor with him like this..."
"What do you know?!"
Gao Boyan glanced at him coldly and said, "Do you really think that the Lin family's influence is only in Linzhou?"
"Isn't it?" Gao Hang asked subconsciously.
He was not unfamiliar with Lin Jiangnian. After all, he was often mentioned in the capital, but Gao Hang never thought that the Lin family was so powerful.
He is just the son of a king of a different surname!
Although there were not many kings of different surnames in the Daning Dynasty, there were some. Wasn’t there one in the north?
Most of what Gao Hang knew about the Lin family came from rumors. Although he had heard a lot about the Lin family's glorious military achievements, Gao Hang never took them seriously.
No matter how powerful that foreign king was, wasn't he still a minister of the Daning Dynasty? No matter how powerful the Lin prince was, he was just a cloak-and-dagger in Linzhou. What could he do in the capital?
Especially since the imperial court had been rumored to be reducing the power of the feudal lords for several years, but the Lin family had not said a word, which made Gao Hang look down on the Lin family.
Now their Gao family has hooked up with the third prince. They just need to wait for the third prince to succeed in the battle for the throne and ascend to the throne. Then their Gao family will have the merit of following the dragon. At that time, why should they still take the Lin family seriously?
Today his father invited the Prince of Lin to a banquet, but he dragged him to the door to greet him. If the other party was the Prince of Lin, it would be fine, but he didn't expect that he was just the Prince of Lin, but his father still had to go out to greet him in person. This undoubtedly made Gao Hang feel uncomfortable.
After all, his father was a minister of one of the six ministries of the imperial court, and in terms of seniority, he was Lin Jiangnian's elder. Why did he need to be so servile?
"madness!"
Hearing his eldest son's words, Gao Boyan revealed a look of disappointment and angrily scolded him, "The Lin family is entrenched in the southern part of the dynasty, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops. In your eyes, they are nothing more than this?"
"How many forces in Zhongjing and how many officials in the court are pawns planted by that Prince Lin? Do you really think that the Lin family's influence is only in Linzhou?"
Hearing this, Gao Hang was slightly startled, and then he realized that the situation was indeed quite serious. However, he still couldn't help but say stubbornly: "So what if there are hundreds of thousands of troops? They are still the imperial army, not the private army of his Lin family..."
Gao Boyan's eyes were cold: "How do you know it's not?"
Hearing his father's words and seeing his father's cold gaze, Gao Hang was suddenly shocked and his face changed: "Dad, what do you mean..."
“Here I come!”
Just when Gao Boyan wanted to give Gao Hang another warning, telling him not to underestimate the Lin family, he suddenly heard the voice of a servant. He looked up and saw a carriage slowly approaching in front of him and stopped outside the manor.
"Your Highness, we're here!"
Outside the door, Gao Boyan straightened his clothes, walked forward slowly, bowed and saluted: "Your humble servant Gao Boyan, respectfully welcomes His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
The servants and guards at the door also knelt on the ground.
Then, the curtain was lifted, and inside the carriage, a young man in brocade clothes slowly walked out of the carriage. He came to Gao Boyan and said with a smile: "Master Gao, there is no need to be so polite. Everyone, please stand up."
Gao Boyan looked up and looked at the young man in front of him.
This was the first time he met the Prince of Lin!
He vaguely saw a bit of the aura of the Lin Prince in this Prince Lin. It reminded him of the scene about ten years ago when the Lin Prince came to the capital alone...
Gao Boyan suppressed his pounding heart and said with a smile, "Your Highness has condescended to visit me. I have prepared wine and food. Please come to my house for a gathering. I will do my best to entertain you."
Lin Jiangnian also smiled. He glanced around casually and landed on Gao Hang, who was standing behind Gao Boyan. "Master Gao, there's no need to be so polite. I've heard of Master Gao's name for a long time, and today I finally have the time to see him in person... By the way, this is Master Gao..."
Gao Hang was inexplicably shocked when he was suddenly stared at by the young Prince Lin.
Especially Lin Jiangnian's gentle smile, which fell into Gao Hang's eyes, but for some reason, it was a bit creepy...
What's going on?
Upon seeing this, Gao Boyan hurriedly said, "It is my humble son, Gao Hang... Hang'er, why don't you quickly pay your respects to His Highness?"
Gao Hang's face changed slightly when he heard his father's words.
Seeing his father groveling in front of this young man who was almost the same age as him, he felt inexplicably aggrieved.
Although he knew that the other party had a powerful identity, Gao Hang didn't know why he felt inexplicably unhappy.
Hearing his father's words, his expression changed. He gritted his teeth secretly and bowed his head respectfully, "Gao Hang, I pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Mr. Gao, there's no need to be so polite!"
Lin Jiangnian waved his hand and said cheerfully, "Young Master Gao and I are almost the same age. If we were in Linjiang City, maybe we could become good friends."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness."
Gao Hang lowered his head and said.
Gao Boyan, who was standing by, saw this and said with a smile, "Your Highness, it's cold outside. Please come into the mansion first."
"Okay."
Lin Jiangnian nodded, put his hands behind his back, and walked into the manor under the guidance of Gao Boyan.
Gao Hang fell behind, staring at the figure of the Prince of Lin. Then, as if realizing something, he turned his head and asked, "Master Gao, is he alone?"
The butler beside him nodded.
"He dares to come to the banquet alone?"
Gao Hang showed an incredible look on his face: "He's not afraid?"
"Master, be careful with your words!"
Gao Hang didn't say anything, just stared at Lin Jiangnian's back in front of him and his father's servile appearance beside him.
For some reason, the more Gao Hang looked at it, the more dazzling it became.
…
Inside the manor.
It has to be said that Gao Boyan definitely put a lot of thought into winning over Lin Jiangnian.
The entire manor looked brand new. The maids and servants inside and outside the mansion knelt respectfully on both sides to welcome Lin Jiangnian into the mansion.
The interior of the mansion is magnificently decorated, exquisite and graceful. The spacious and bright rooms are filled with warmth, blocking out the cold outside.
Although the weather was freezing cold, the manor house was warm as spring.
Gao Boyan specially prepared an exquisite and luxurious banquet to entertain Lin Jiangnian. He even thoughtfully prepared a pair of beautiful twin maids for Lin Jiangnian to serve him during meals.
The twin sisters are not very old, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with stunning looks, and are both absolute beauties.
Fragile and delicate, I feel pity for them. Such a pair of sisters must be very attractive.
However, Lin Jiangnian declined with the excuse that he was not interested in women!
This was naturally an excuse, and Gao Boyan also saw through it.
"Could it be that Your Highness is not interested in this pair of Ling'er?"
Gao Boyan assured: "Your Highness can rest assured, the two of them have clean backgrounds and are absolutely clean..."
"That's not the reason."
Lin Jiangnian shook his head slightly.
"Oh? What's the reason?" Gao Boyan asked, "Could it be that Your Highness is wary of me? Worried that I might harm Your Highness?"
“Not really.”
Lin Jiangnian sighed.
"Why is that?"
"Master Gao, no wonder you've been an official in the capital for so many years and are still only a minister. There's something wrong with your ideology."
Lin Jiangnian sighed.
Gao Boyan's smile froze slightly: "Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"
Seeing that he was still so clueless, Lin Jiangnian pointed at himself and asked, "Who am I?"
Gao Boyan was confused: "Your Highness is naturally the Prince of Lin."
"What am I doing in the capital?"
"Your Highness, come to the capital..."
Gao Boyan was stunned and suddenly realized something.
"This prince is the eldest princess's fiancé, the future consort. Sir Gao, you are actually sending a woman to the future consort..."
Lin Jiangnian sighed, "I really don't know, Master Gao, are you truly stupid, or... do you have ulterior motives?"
Gao Boyan broke out in a cold sweat when he heard this, and quickly explained, "This humble official never had such thoughts. This humble official simply thought that His Highness would like it, so he tried to please him..."
Lin Jiangnian glanced at him, with a half-smile: "You know what, this prince really likes them. Twins, twin flowers..."
Gao Boyan's eyes fixed, and he immediately understood what he meant. He promised, "I will send the two sisters to Your Highness's residence later... Your Highness, rest assured, what happened in the residence today will never be spread out, and will never reach the ears of Her Highness the Princess..."
"Yeah?"
Lin Jiangnian looked at Gao Boyan and chuckled again: "But, this prince does not trust you, Master Gao!"
"what to do?"
“…”
