Outside the Jiang Mansion, on the street.
As evening fell, the number of pedestrians on the streets gradually decreased. A heavy snowfall blanketed the entire capital, turning it into a snowy city.
Beneath the eaves lay a thick blanket of snow. Pedestrians, in groups of two or three, trudged through the snow, weaving through the alleys of the capital. Even on the streets, a line of heavily armed city guards occasionally passed by, patrolling the streets and alleys.
After a heavy snowfall, Beijing was a hive of activity, with the freezing weather creating a calamity for ordinary people. Countless people froze to death on the streets after a heavy snowfall, and crime was also more likely to ensue.
In the capital, such incidents were rare, but not entirely absent. I heard that in the east of the city, a heavy snowstorm last night crushed a large area of houses, killing many people.
Early this morning, the atmosphere in the city was rather cold and depressing.
At that moment, inside a streetside teahouse, a few figures sat in groups of three or four. It was freezing cold outside, but inside, a stove sat, and pots of steaming tea sat on the tables. Passersby, merchants, and groups of friends gathered, whispering about the weather and the world, and discussing the situation in a noisy atmosphere.
In a box in the corner by the window on the second floor, Lin Jiangnian looked out at the street through the window sill, admiring the snowy scenery of the northern city in winter.
On the street, one could occasionally spot Mi Tiansi, hidden in the shadows of the snow, hurrying past. His expression was solemn, and his steps were hurried, heading towards the Jiang residence.
Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Chen Feiyang's whereabouts are unknown, and the Secret Heaven Division is in chaos!"
A slightly hoarse voice sounded next to Lin Jiangnian's ears, but it sounded somewhat cheerful.
Lin Jiangnian raised his eyes and glanced at Chen Changqing who was sitting opposite him: "Who is in charge of the overall situation in the Secret Heaven Division now?"
"Great Protector!" Chen Changqing's eyes were slightly solemn. "After Chen Feiyang got into trouble last night, the Great Protector appeared and ordered the Secret Heaven Division to find out the truth as soon as possible and find Chen Feiyang..."
"Great Protector?"
Lin Jiangnian half-closed his eyes, as if thinking about something.
Chen Changqing looked at the Prince of Lin in front of him and said in a deep voice: "This man has extremely high martial arts skills. I'm afraid he won't be easy to deal with..."
"How high?"
Lin Jiangnian asked with interest.
Chen Changqing shook his head and said solemnly: "The Great Protector rarely appears, and no one has ever seen him take action. But he can put a lot of pressure on me, and he should not be underestimated..."
Chen Changqing looked at Lin Jiangnian and said worriedly, "Your Highness, it may not be easy for you to deal with him."
After hearing what Chen Changqing said, Lin Jiangnian also became slightly serious.
Chen Changqing's martial arts skills are not weak. His strength is about the fourth or fifth level, which can cause him great pressure. This great protector is probably at least the third level or above.
With Lin Jiangnian's martial arts skills, it would be almost impossible to deal with him...
Seeing Lin Jiangnian silent and thoughtful, Chen Changqing hesitated for a moment and then said, "Your Highness, I wonder if Chen Feiyang... is still alive?"
Last night, Chen Changqing only received Lin Jiangnian's order to find a way to cooperate and delay the reinforcements from Mi Tiansi. As for what happened in detail, he didn't know.
When he arrived after dealing with Liu Chuan, there were only corpses on the ground at the crime scene, and Chen Feiyang was nowhere to be seen.
Lin Jiangnian glanced at him and said, "Don't worry, he won't survive."
Chen Feiyang is indeed not dead yet, but he is no different from being dead.
Hearing this, Chen Changqing felt a little relieved. At the same time, a hint of indignation appeared in his eyes.
Chen Feiyang's death was obviously a very gratifying thing for him.
As the leader of the Secret Heaven Division, Chen Changqing had been constantly outshined by Chen Feiyang over the years, and he had long harbored resentment towards him. Now that Chen Feiyang was gone, a huge weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders.
"By the way, Your Highness, you must be careful..."
Chen Changqing thought of something else, and with a slightly worried look on his face, he said in a deep voice: "The Great Protector has ordered a thorough investigation into the attack on Chen Feiyang. At that time, the forces in the capital will be mobilized. I am afraid that the investigation will lead to the Jiang Mansion and you, Your Highness. Your Highness, please be careful..."
Lin Jiangnian had anticipated this and was not too worried.
"Let them investigate."
Lin Jiangnian slowly withdrew his gaze from the window and landed on Chen Changqing. He then asked, "Apart from the Great Protector, where are the other two?"
"Where are they now?"
Chen Changqing realized something: "Your Highness, do you want to..."
"Since you want to kill him, do it quickly... Chen Feiyang is gone, and they should be the ones left." Lin Jiangnian said calmly.
His target from the very beginning was the four guardians of Mi Tiansi.
Since you want to kill him, just do it quickly and there's no need to drag it out.
But when Chen Changqing heard the news, he was still slightly shocked.
Now that Chen Feiyang had been attacked, the Secret Service had already become angry and vigilant. Logically, they should have kept a low profile and waited for things to calm down before taking action.
Unexpectedly, the Prince of Lin was actually planning to continue taking action?
Committing crimes against the wind?
Hearing this, Chen Changqing took a deep breath, his eyes slightly solemn. "The remaining two guardians are very close to the chief guardian. The chief guardian is very busy and can't stay in the Secret Heaven Division forever. He will soon hand over the overall situation to the two guardians. They are not to be feared..."
Having said this, Chen Changqing paused and said coldly: "If the Great Protector hadn't intervened, the two of them..."
"I can do it myself!"
Chen Changqing's eyes were deep and cold, and an indescribable aura permeated his entire body.
As the leader of the Secret Department, he is capable and talented, but is always trapped by power.
Now, the opportunity to break free from the prison is right here.
Chen Changqing gradually showed his potential.
"Then things will be much simpler."
Listening to Chen Changqing's words, a smile appeared on Lin Jiangnian's face.
"Then, this prince would like to congratulate Chen Kuishou in advance?"
"Once the remaining three guardians are eliminated, Chen Kuishou will hold the reins of power in the Secret Heaven Division. Congratulations!"
Chen Changqing's eyes narrowed slightly, and he raised his head to meet Lin Jiangnian's gaze. He slowly stood up, his expression respectful, and his tone solemnly said, "I dare not. The fact that I can truly hold the power of the Secret Heaven Division is all thanks to Your Highness. From now on, I will follow Your Highness's lead..."
"I will definitely not let Your Highness down. I also hope Your Highness still remembers what you promised me that day..."
"Don't let Chen down!"
Lin Jiangnian looked at Chen Changqing in front of him quietly and said calmly: "This prince knows that you are a person with ideals. Since I promised you, I will naturally not break my promise."
"I also hope that under the leadership of Chen Kuishou, the Secret Heaven Division can truly speak up for the people and seek justice and a stable world for them."
Chen Changqing looked serious and said in a deep voice, "I will definitely go all out and do my best to live up to Your Highness's expectations..."
“…”
Night falls.
The atmosphere in the city was a bit tense, especially outside the Jiang Mansion. There were many more city defense soldiers than before, as well as detectives from the Secret Service hiding in the darkness.
When Lin Jiangnian returned to Jiang Mansion, he discovered many secret sentries hiding outside Jiang Mansion.
This is not surprising.
Chen Feiyang was attacked just outside the Jiang Mansion. The incident caused such a big stir. In addition, the person who got into trouble was the one sent by the Secret Department to keep an eye on the Jiang Mansion. This forced them to suspect the Jiang Mansion.
To be precise, he suspected Lin Jiangnian!
However, since Lin Jiangnian was the crown prince of Prince Lin, without solid evidence, the Secret Heaven Division's people naturally didn't dare to act rashly. These secret sentries were clearly there to keep an eye on Lin Jiangnian's whereabouts.
Lin Jiangnian didn't try to alert them. Since they were willing to keep an eye on him, let them do it.
Lin Jiangnian returned to the Jiang Mansion calmly, but as soon as he came back, he was called over by Jiang's father and mother.
After all, such a big thing happened outside the Jiang Mansion, Jiang Ningkang naturally couldn't be unaware of it, and he also suspected whether what happened outside was related to Lin Jiangnian.
Lin Jiangnian didn't explain much, simply reassuring his parents that he knew what was going on. Jiang Ningkang did suspect something, but he didn't ask any further questions. He simply patted Lin Jiangnian on the shoulder and told him to tell him if he encountered any danger or trouble.
As a doctor in the Ministry of Justice, Jiang Ningkang's power is not great, but thanks to the Jiang family's influence in Jiangnan, Jiang Ningkang does have some influence in Beijing.
Now that Lin Jiangnian has come to Beijing, Jiang Ningkang naturally takes good care of the only blood left by his sister.
Jiang's mother was worried for a long time, repeatedly telling Lin Jiangnian to be careful and protect himself. After Lin Jiangnian repeatedly agreed, he left and returned to the courtyard.
The courtyard was deserted. Lin Qingqing had gone out of town on some business today and would not be back soon. Even most of the other personal soldiers of the prince around Lin Jiangnian had been dispatched.
Some time ago, I investigated the private army of the Third Prince hiding outside the capital, and I have made some progress.
In the courtyard, only two maids who had followed them from Prince Lin's Mansion to the capital were left.
"Where's the kite?"
Lin Jiangnian asked about the two maids, but the maids had been staying in the courtyard and had no idea.
This also means that Zhiyuan should not have been here today.
Lin Jiangnian was just about to go look for Zhiyuan, and when he was about to leave the courtyard, he ran into Xiaozhu who had just returned.
"Your Highness?"
"Xiaozhu."
Lin Jiangnian stopped and asked: "Where have you been?"
Xiao Zhu blinked her bright eyes and giggled, "Xiao Zhu just came back from Sister Zhiyuan's place."
"Kite?"
Lin Jiangnian glanced behind Xiaozhu and asked, "Is Zhiyuan next door?"
"No!"
Xiao Zhu shook her head and explained in a low voice, "Sister Zhiyuan is still with Miss Jiang, helping His Highness discipline the two young ladies he brought back today!"
Xiao Zhu started to laugh, but then he thought of something and blinked, "No, it should be the two sisters!"
A smug smile appeared on her face: "They were born later than Xiaozhu, and are about the same age as Xiaozhu, so... they are younger sisters!"
At this point, Xiaozhu excitedly waved his fists and said, "Your Highness, Xiaozhu is finally not the youngest anymore!"
"Yeah?"
Lin Jiangnian looked at Xiao Zhu and waved at her: "Come, let His Highness help you check if you are the youngest."
Xiao Zhu's face quickly turned red: "Your Highness, you, you... are bad!"
What exactly is the "small" that Your Highness wants to check?
She won't be fooled!
"Why are you blushing?"
Lin Jiangnian looked at Xiao Zhu's slightly red face, and then suddenly realized: "Xiao Zhu, are you thinking the wrong thing? His Highness said that he wanted you to come over to see if you have grown taller... What are you thinking?"
"Xiao Zhu doesn't believe it..."
Xiao Zhu blushed, pouted, and snorted softly, "Your Highness, you must have bad intentions!"
"Hey!"
Seeing that Xiao Zhu dared to speak to his own prince in such a way, Lin Jiangnian immediately stepped forward, pulled the little maid into his arms, and started bullying her for a while.
The bullied Xiaozhu's body became limp, her ears turned red, her breathing became rapid, and after she gasped repeatedly, he let her go.
"How did Zhiyuan discipline them both?"
Lin Jiangnian asked curiously.
He knew that Zhiyuan would find a way to find out all the secrets about the sisters, but he was also curious about how Zhiyuan would train them.
Xiao Zhu's face flushed as she nestled limply in His Highness's arms, breathing rapidly. Her large eyes were filled with a hint of red mist as she whispered softly, "It's just like how I used to discipline Xiao Zhu... Sister Zhiyuan would question them about their origins and then teach them the rules of the mansion..."
"Sister Zhiyuan was so fierce. She frightened the two of them so much that they were trembling with fear. They looked so pitiful and confessed everything..."
"Sister Zhiyuan even made them take off their clothes... Those two sisters are really pretty, with fair skin. The sister named Jasmine has big breasts..."
As if remembering something, a hint of envy appeared in Xiao Zhu's eyes.
Lin Jiangnian looked down at Xiao Zhu, touched her little head, and comforted her: "It's okay, Xiao Zhu, you don't have to be envious. You are still young and can still develop and grow. Don't be discouraged."
Xiao Zhu's face flushed with shame, and she struggled to escape from Lin Jiangnian's arms.
"Hmph, Your Highness, you only know how to bully Xiao Zhu!"
"I'm ignoring you!"
Xiao Zhu blushed, stuck out her tongue at Lin Jiangnian, then turned around and trotted away.
Lin Jiangnian stood where he was and did not chase after him.
I was thinking about whether I should go to my aunt's house to see the kite, but after thinking about it, I gave up!
As for what the sisters would become after being trained by Zhiyuan, Lin Jiangnian didn't really care. He just kept them here for convenience. The Jiang Mansion happened to be short of a few maids, so if they were okay, they could stay and become maids.
As for the bed warmer my aunt mentioned...
Let’s talk about it later.
Thinking of this, Lin Jiangnian turned around and went back to his room.
Lin Jiangnian walked to the door, pushed it open, and just as he stepped into the room, he suddenly stopped.
Look up.
In the pitch-black room, you can't see your hand in front of you.
The dim corridor lights under the eaves and the wind and snow outside the door vaguely illuminated a figure in the room.
Faintly, there was a figure in red sitting quietly in the room.
She raised her eyes and looked at him expressionlessly.
In the dim environment, that cold face is breathtakingly beautiful.
It almost takes one's breath away!
Lin Jiangnian was stunned for a moment and subconsciously looked back outside the corridor.
After making sure that no one was there, he walked into the room, turned around, closed the door, and locked it!
All in one go!
Then, Lin Jiangnian walked aside and lit the lamp.
The oil lamp illuminated the room, and also illuminated the fiery figure in red.
"Saint Lady Liu!"
Lin Jiangnian looked quietly at the familiar and beautiful face in front of him, with a smile on his face.
"Long time no see!"
…
