son, don't mess around

Chapter 789 A colossal conspiracy

Secret Observatory, Great Prison.

The lights were dim, and the air was thick with the stench of blood, so stuffy it was nauseating.

Soon after, screams and wails could be heard coming from within.

In the dimly lit corridor, guards could be seen everywhere, and the surroundings were so enclosed that it was impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face.

Legend has it that the Secret Celestial Prison is like a fiery inferno. Without exception, anyone who enters this place will have a layer of skin peeled off.

Compared to the Dali Temple of the Imperial Court and the prison of the Jingzhao Prefecture, the Mitiansi, as the emperor's henchmen, was naturally more efficient in its work.

Subsequently, the methods of the Secret Celestial Prison far surpassed those of its predecessors, so anyone captured here had a 100% confession rate.

This means that anyone who enters this place is absolutely guilty!

Even if they are innocent, they must be guilty!
At this moment, a sinister and bloody atmosphere permeated the prison, making it so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

"Crash!"

Inside the prison, the sound of chains being pulled could be heard.

In a secret room within the prison, the two men who had been captured not long ago were being held.

At this moment, the two were locked in separate cells, their bodies bound by bloodstained chains. Their clothes were tattered and they looked utterly wretched, the air thick with the stench of blood.

Clearly, these two individuals had been subjected to severe interrogation and torture in the Secret Celestial Bureau prison.

The two men were bound to a rack, barely alive. Then, footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by the respectful voice of a jailer.

"The leader!"

Then, a deep male voice rang out: "Open the door."

As the cell door opened, light streamed in, and several figures appeared outside the cell.

"You all go down first."

A deep voice rang out.

"Yes!"

The jailer outside the door obeyed.

Soon, the surroundings became quiet.

Then came two footsteps, and two figures entered the cell.

Inside the room, the prisoner, bound by chains, struggled to raise his head, revealing a blood-stained face beneath his disheveled, straw-like hair, his eyes flashing with terror.

The first person he saw was a young man. He was about twenty years old, handsome, dressed in a light gauze robe, and exuded an air of nobility.

The young man appeared extremely kind, even harmless. Yet, his mere presence inspired an indescribable sense of unease.

What made the prisoner's heart tremble even more was... he saw the figure standing behind the young man.

He was tall and imposing, wearing a black robe with gold trim. The robe was exquisitely crafted and engraved with gold patterns... It was the unique attire of the Secret Celestial Bureau!
The owner of this attire was a man around thirty years old. Compared to the harmless, sunny, and cheerful young man in front, this man in black robes had a weathered appearance and deep-set eyes.

At the same time, he exuded a chilling aura that sent shivers down people's spines.

When the prisoner's gaze fell on the man's face, he instantly recognized him... Chen Changqing!

Chief of the Secret Observatory!
Today, the Secret Celestial Bureau is the true power holder and a favorite of the current emperor!
What terrified the prisoner even more was... the head of the Secret Observatory in his sight, a ruthless and merciless man who had been in charge of the Secret Observatory for the past six months, making countless petty officials and powerful ministers tremble with fear, and a great figure favored by the emperor.

At this moment, they were actually following behind that twenty-year-old man, seemingly deferring to his lead?!
The prisoner's heart was filled with turmoil.

Since the upheaval in the imperial palace last year, which caused turmoil within the Secret Observatory, this head of the Secret Observatory has been ruthlessly and decisively restoring order to the chaos in the capital. His Secret Observatory has been trained into an elite force, wiping out countless factions within the capital.

Almost none of the officials targeted by the Secret Observatory escaped. Even when offered large sums of money, the head of the Secret Observatory remained unmoved.

Rumor has it that he doesn't give face to anyone, and that in the world today, apart from the current emperor, no one can order him around!

Whether they were court officials, scions of noble families, or martial arts forces, all were extremely wary of the Secret Celestial Bureau.

But today...

The prisoner's gaze was fixed on the young man, who appeared to be around twenty years old, as if trying to see through his secrets.

who is he?!
At this moment, the cell was completely silent.

The handsome young man walked up to the prisoner who was bound by chains, looked him up and down, and exclaimed, "Your Secret Service is quite ruthless, aren't you? You've tortured him like this?"

Chen Changqing glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Compared to the methods used by the Mitian Division's prison, the methods of the Prince Lin's mansion are truly insignificant.

"Look, they've almost killed him!"

The young man looked at the blood-covered prisoner before him with interest, examining him closely: "Did he confess?"

The prisoner stared at the seemingly smiling face before him, but a sense of foreboding welled up inside him.

For some reason, it looks somewhat familiar!
Who is this young man?
"Who are you?!"

The prisoner's voice was hoarse and low as he stared intently at the young man before him, trying to find clues from him.

Who exactly is this person, that the leader of the Secret Celestial Bureau would treat him with such politeness and respect?!
Oh, I forgot to introduce myself!

The young man smiled at him and said, "My name is Lin Jiangnian."

You've probably heard of it, right?

Lin Jiangnian?
The moment the name was uttered, the prisoner's mind went blank, and his eyes widened in shock: "Lin, the Crown Prince of Lin?!"

He blurted it out instinctively, his expression changing drastically.

No wonder he looked so familiar... He, he is the Crown Prince of Lin?!
"It's...it's you?!"

"So you recognize me too?"

Lin Jiangnian raised an eyebrow: "Since that's the case, you know why I'm looking for you, right?"

At that moment, a storm raged within the prisoner's heart. He never imagined he would encounter the Crown Prince of Lin here!
When did the Crown Prince of Lin arrive in the capital?

So fast? !

more importantly……

The prisoner looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with undisguised astonishment. When did the Crown Prince of Lin get together with the head of the Secret Observatory?
Isn't the head of the Secret Observatory a favorite minister of the emperor?
How could she be so close to the son of a prince?
This……

At this moment, the prisoner's eyes were filled with shock. And beyond the shock lay profound despair!

Finished!

The Crown Prince and the head of the Secret Observatory... no one expected they could collude together. With this, the prisoner's last shred of hope vanished, his face turning ashen.

"Tell me, who ordered you to assassinate me?"

The prisoner in front of them was one of the two mysterious men beside Hu Yao, as Xu Zhongshan had mentioned.

When Lin Jiangnian met Chen Changqing the day before yesterday, he asked him to investigate the identities, origins, and whereabouts of these two men. In the capital, the Secret Observatory was undoubtedly much more efficient than Lin Jiangnian's subordinates.

In less than two days, the two were captured. The remaining task, naturally, was to get them to talk.

"You know where this place is, so don't have too much hope. Whether you choose to admit defeat to avoid physical pain or resist stubbornly to show your loyalty to your master is entirely up to you."

The prisoner's eyes were filled with terror, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"Don't even think about anyone coming to rescue you. This is the Secret Celestial Bureau Prison."

Lin Jiangnian glanced at him and sneered, "There aren't many people in this world who can rescue someone from here."

"Besides, would your master be willing to save you?"

Lin Jiangnian's words seemed to have struck a nerve, and his face turned pale.

He naturally had no hope; from the moment he fell into the hands of the Secret Celestial Bureau, he knew he was doomed. With all his acupoints locked, even suicide was a luxury.

At this moment, looking at the Prince of Lin who appeared before him unharmed, he knew that everything was over!

The prisoner's voice was low and hoarse: "I told you, can you let me go?!"

Lin Jiangnian said calmly, "Do you have the right to bargain?"

The prisoner trembled violently, his eyes filled with despair. He gritted his teeth and said, "If you're willing to let me go, let me leave the capital, let me get away from here... I'll tell you everything, I'll confess all my secrets..."

At this moment, the prisoner was unwilling to give up in order to seize the last chance to survive.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiangnian remained silent, as if hesitating about something.

"I... I'll tell you everything... just spare me, don't kill me..."

The prisoner continued speaking, his expression agitated.

"Row."

Lin Jiangnian hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "As long as you reveal who is behind this, I, the young master, will spare your life!"

Upon hearing this, the prisoner was overjoyed, but then realized something and cautiously looked up at Chief Chen behind him: "Then, Chief Chen..."

Lin Jiangnian scoffed: "You're quite the sly one, aren't you?"

The prisoner's voice trembled: "I... I just don't want to die."

"Alright, as long as you tell the truth, I guarantee you'll live!" Lin Jiangnian said.

"Really, really?"

"What, do you think I, the young master, would need to lie to you?"

"No, I don't dare..."

At that moment, when he heard the Crown Prince of Lin personally promise not to kill him and to spare his life, his eyes lit up with excitement.

This Prince Lin is of noble status. Since he has already promised to protect my safety... a Prince Lin, whose word is law, would not lie to him, would he?
"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you for sparing my life!"

"Go ahead."

Lin Jiangnian glanced at him: "Who exactly ordered you to do this?"

The prisoner took a deep breath, his eyes filled with solemnity, and finally spoke in a trembling voice, "Yes, it's the Sixth Prince..."

Sixth Prince?
When Lin Jiangnian heard this address from the prisoner, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

Right!
Sixth Prince, it really is him!

An unfamiliar face appeared in Lin Jiangnian's mind.

Sixth Prince?
To be precise, he should have been called the Sixth Prince back then!
Lin Jiangnian was not familiar with this person, and had never even crossed paths with him. Back in the capital, Lin Jiangnian had never even met this person.

All that is known is that this sixth prince's name is Li Chang'an.

Although this sixth prince was a prince, his presence in the capital was extremely low, and could even be said to be almost negligible.

They're practically invisible.

Despite being a prince himself, no one took him seriously!

There are many reasons for this.

Firstly, this sixth prince was born out of wedlock; his mother was merely an unfavored concubine in the palace, and his maternal line had no power or influence, so the sixth prince naturally had little status. Whether he was bullied from a young age is hard to say, but his living environment was certainly not good.

Secondly, the sixth prince suffered from a leg ailment, having had difficulty walking since childhood. Whether this leg problem was congenital or acquired was unknown, belonging to a royal secret, and thus unknowable.

But precisely because of this, the sixth prince was not favored from a young age.

A lame prince would undoubtedly bring shame to the royal family if word got out. Therefore, this sixth prince kept a low profile from a young age and lived deep within the palace.

Even after he grew up, there was almost no news or movement about him in the capital, as if he didn't exist.

Lin Jiangnian could understand this.

Princes with physical disabilities are often prone to developing distorted values ​​and even doing things that are difficult for ordinary people to understand.

In Lin Jiangnian's memory, there was once a crown prince who suffered from a leg ailment that led to psychological distortion. In the end, he impulsively committed treason and lost his position as crown prince.

Coincidentally, that crown prince also had the surname Li...

Because the sixth prince was so low-key, Lin Jiangnian would not have remembered that such a person existed if no one had mentioned him.

It's even more impossible to suspect this person!

At this moment, the Sixth Prince mentioned by the prisoner matches the Sixth Prince that Xu Zhongshan found out from Hu Yao...

So, who was behind all of this, the Sixth Prince?
Lin Jiangnian stared intently at the prisoner before him: "Did he order you to assassinate me?!"

"I, I don't know..."

The prisoner's heart skipped a beat: "I...we were just lowly henchmen, acting under orders. The Sixth Prince instructed us to contact the powerful families in the capital and coordinate with their operations..."

"We only know that someone will go to Jiangnan to assassinate Your Highness, but we don't know who exactly is behind it... It was all ordered by the Sixth Prince, and it has nothing to do with me..."

The prisoner spoke in a trembling voice.

Lin Jiangnian stared at him: "What is your relationship with Hu Yao? What role does she play in it?"

The prisoner's voice trembled: "Servants like us are not qualified to contact the Sixth Prince directly... But Hu Yao is different. She is the eldest daughter of the Hu family and is acquainted with the Sixth Prince... She gave us the intelligence, and we were responsible for cooperating..."

The prisoner, trembling, revealed his relationship with Hu Yao. And both were almost exactly as Lin Jiangnian had guessed.

The Hu family indeed played an extremely important role in this, and the most crucial one was the Sixth Prince!
Was he the mastermind behind it all?

Or is it just playing one important role in it?
Lin Jiangnian has been investigating the assassination case in Jiangnan for a long time, and has found the Tao family, the Lü family... and now, he has also found out the Sixth Prince who is hiding behind them!
The deeper the investigation goes, the more forces are involved.

As these forces gradually surfaced, Lin Jiangnian's suspicions grew stronger!

His gaze was deep and cold.

There must be some shocking conspiracy brewing behind this assassination attempt against him and Xu Chaoge in Jiangnan.

……

(End of this chapter)