son, don't mess around

Chapter 805 Someone else
In the warm and inviting room, on the bed, two figures intertwined and embraced.

Zhao Xi gently rested her head against Lin Jiangnian's chest. The surroundings were quiet, and she could clearly hear Lin Jiangnian's heartbeat.

An inexplicable sense of peace.

She slightly raised her eyes, looked at Lin Jiangnian, and asked about the important matter.

"How's the investigation going?"

Her beautiful eyes sparkled, and she asked, "I heard you went to the palace to meet the Emperor?"

Lin Jiangnian was somewhat surprised: "You knew about this too?"

It's only been a short time since he entered the palace, and it wasn't even a big deal. How did she find out so quickly?

Zhao Xi snorted lightly: "What, you're still planning to keep this from me?"

The news of Lin Jiangnian's entry into the palace might be kept secret from others, but it certainly wouldn't escape Zhao Xi's notice. After all, who could blame her when she had a father who was the prime minister?

Lin Jiang chuckled lightly: "I did indeed meet with the Emperor."

"and then?"

"There is no more."

Lin Jiangnian sighed.

Zhao Xi naturally didn't believe it: "How could there be no 'afterwards'? What happened between you and the Emperor? What exactly happened?"

Faced with Zhao Xi's questioning, Lin Jiangnian did not hide anything. He hugged Zhao Xi in his arms, reached out from behind and slipped his hand through her slender waist, gently rubbing and playing with her with his fingertips, while telling her his original guesses, which he gradually overturned.

After hearing this, Zhao Xi was clearly shocked. She even almost forgot that Lin Jiangnian was pinching her and taking advantage of her. She couldn't help but sit up.

Her face was filled with astonishment: "You suspect it was the Emperor who did it..."

"Hey, why are you so agitated?"

When the blankets slipped off her body, exposing her snow-white neck and collarbone to the air, Zhao Xi finally realized what was happening, only to be pulled back into Lin Jiangnian's arms.

"How can I not be excited? You suspect..."

Zhao Xi opened her mouth, her gaze falling on Lin Jiangnian. But soon, she gradually realized something.

Then, she stared at him suspiciously: "You've been suspecting this for a while, haven't you?"

Lin Jiangnian nodded.

"Then why didn't you tell me before?"

Annoyance flashed across Zhao Xi's face.

If this guy had suspected it all along, why didn't he say anything when we asked him before?
"You said it yourself, that's the emperor. How can you doubt him so easily? If you're not careful, you could lose your head."

Lin Jiangnian sighed: "I wouldn't dare to act recklessly without being absolutely certain, much less involve you in this."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xi fell silent.

Lin Jiangnian's words made sense; he didn't tell her about it because he didn't want to involve her.

Can……

"Then you can't hide it from me!"

Zhao Xi's eyes flashed with anger, and she reached out and pinched him again in an annoyed manner.

"Hey, woman, are you even being reasonable?"

"I won't talk!"

"Fine, you were the one who refused to tell me first!"

"What are you doing... Stop it, don't..."

"..."

On the bed, under the covers, another round of frantic activity ensued.

After a long while, it finally ended with Zhao Xi begging for mercy.

In terms of strength, she could never compare to Lin Jiangnian. In any case, in the end, she would definitely be the one who suffers the loss and admits defeat.

However, this Miss Zhao is a woman who never gives up, despite repeated defeats.

"what about now?"

Zhao Xi's face was rosy, and her delicate skin was fair with a rosy glow, making her extremely beautiful and dewy, which made people very hungry.

She nestled in Lin Jiangnian's arms, her graceful body curled up like a gentle and shy wife. However, the elegant air about her gave her an irresistible allure.

She stretched out a hand and drew circles on Lin Jiangnian's chest: "Is he the emperor?"

"uncertain."

Lin Jiangnian sighed, "Things are getting more and more complicated."

"Ok?"

Do you still remember Hu Yao?

Lin Jiangnian suddenly brought it up.

Upon hearing this name, Zhao Xi glanced at Lin Jiangnian sideways and asked casually, "You like her?"

Lin Jiangnian: "?"

"Do you want to hear what you're saying?"

"That's right!" Zhao Xi argued forcefully. "Then why do you keep bringing her up?!"

"Hey, you're jealous too?"

"Can't you eat it?"

"..."

In this round of confrontation, Lin Jiangnian was defeated and speechless.

It seems like it can actually be eaten?
However, this is somewhat unreasonable. Looking at the woman's narrowed, squinting eyes, it's clear she's doing it on purpose.

"There's something wrong with Hu Yao."

Lin Jiangnian said, "The person who instructed her to do all this was the Sixth Prince!"

The power behind Hu Yao, and indeed the entire Hu family, is the Sixth Prince, something Lin Jiangnian already knew.

It was precisely because of this move by the Sixth Prince that Lin Jiangnian truly became suspicious of the Emperor, and subsequently entered the palace to confront him.

But this trip to the palace also caused Lin Jiangnian's suspicions to waver. He realized that things might not be so simple after all.

The Jiangnan assassination case involves a complex web of forces, which Lin Jiangnian still hasn't fully untangled. If the Sixth Prince is behind it all, then... what role does the Lü family play in all of this?
This was a point of confusion that Lin Jiangnian had been unable to understand before!

Until he met Hu Yao. From Hu Yao, he heard about someone that Lin Jiangnian had almost overlooked, but who was precisely someone he couldn't ignore at all.

Tao Ya!

The eldest daughter of the Tao family in the capital, and Lü Xuan's newlywed wife!
This eldest daughter of the Tao family was someone Lin Jiangnian had overlooked from the very beginning.

After investigating the Tao family in Jiangnan and then the Tao family in the capital, Lin Jiangnian focused his attention on the Lü family, trying to find out what kind of power was behind them.

What they overlooked was that Tao Ya was the key link between the Lü family and the Tao family.

And that woman... there's something wrong with her!

When Lin Jiangnian refocused his attention on Tao Ya, some previously overlooked details gradually came to light.

The eldest daughter of the Tao family in the capital was rumored to be frail and shy, rarely venturing out, and few in the capital had ever seen her. However, when Lin Jiangnian met Tao Ya last time, he found that the woman was not as frail as the rumors suggested.

Of course, this alone wouldn't have aroused Lin Jiangnian's suspicion. What truly made him set his sights on Tao Ya was the information that Hu Yao inadvertently revealed yesterday.

Among the information revealed by Hu Yao was the presence of the Tao family in Beijing.

It must be said that Hu Yao is indeed a special woman. This woman is cunning and calculating; she is not only ruthless but also knows exactly what she wants.

Her schemes were naive, and Lin Jiangnian could see through them at a glance. But the more naive she was, the more purely evil she seemed.

Lin Jiangnian likes to greet intelligent and pure people. Even bad purity is still purity.

Hu Yao wanted revenge; she wanted to retaliate against the Sixth Prince and vent all her past humiliation and anger. Lin Jiangnian saw this and offered her an irresistible temptation.

An opportunity for her to take revenge herself.

Hu Yao couldn't refuse, nor did she want to!

She had nowhere to retreat.

The Sixth Prince will kill her sooner or later; as long as she remains in the capital, she will not be able to escape. Rather than that, she might as well take a gamble.

Lin Jiangnian's status as the heir apparent of the Prince of Lin, and his past behavior, gave Hu Yao the hope of taking a gamble.

So she agreed to Lin Jiangnian's request and told him everything she knew.

According to her understanding, the mastermind behind the assassination in Chujiang City, Jiangnan, was the Sixth Prince.

He secretly plotted and lobbied many prominent families in the capital to get involved. Even some court officials were among them.

Hu Yao, an insignificant pawn, was chosen by the Sixth Prince because of the Hu family's extensive business empire and their ability to quickly relay messages and act as an inside agent for the Sixth Prince.

Ultimately, the Hu family played the role of doing the dirty work in all of this.

Having served the Sixth Prince for a long time, Hu Yao had learned some secrets that were unknown to others. Although the Sixth Prince would avoid her, Hu Yao had long anticipated that he would discard her after using her, and secretly investigated some of the forces that associated with the Sixth Prince.

Among them was the Tao family!
What surprised Lin Jiangnian even more was that... Hu Yao knew Tao Ya.

Several years ago, Hu Yao, the eldest daughter of the Hu family, had dealings with the Tao family in the capital. Therefore, she had met the eldest daughter of the Tao family once.

Hu Yao was certain that the young lady of the Tao family she had met was frail and looked like she was about to die. Besides, the Tao family was also shrouded in mystery, giving off an extremely unsettling feeling.

However, Hu Yao didn't take it to heart. Even when the eldest daughter of the Tao family married Lü Xuan a year ago, Hu Yao only thought it was because the eldest daughter's health had improved and didn't take it seriously.

However, the news revealed by Hu Yao was a revelation to Lin Jiangnian, making him suddenly understand.

A frail and terminally ill young lady from the Tao family?

This was completely different from the eldest daughter of the Tao family that Lin Jiangnian had met. Recalling the connection he had found between the Tao family in the capital and the Tao family in Jiangnan a few months ago, Lin Jiangnian quickly uncovered the deceptive trick of the Tao family in the capital and the Tao family in Jiangnan using a substitute to deceive the heavens.

Next, Lin Jiangnian went to the Lü family to test the waters with the young mistress of Lü.

Sure enough, the test yielded results.

That young mistress Lü really does know martial arts.

His martial arts skills are also very high!
She doesn't look weak at all.

Lin Jiangnian's deliberate behavior at the Lü family's house was intended to force Tao Ya to reveal her true colors, and at the same time, to make that woman give herself away.

What Lin Jiangnian didn't expect was that the woman was very clever. She knew she had been exposed, but she didn't panic. Instead, she deliberately tricked Lin Jiangnian.

The contents of that letter were deliberately left in Lin Jiangnian's diary.

The diary entries were Tao Ya's tearful complaints, condemning Lin Jiangnian for his alleged ulterior motives. That woman deliberately left this diary to seduce Lin Jiangnian. If the diary were to be exposed, it would likely get Lin Jiangnian into trouble.

Fortunately, Lin Jiangnian did not fall for it.

"Hahaha……"

On the bed, upon learning this, Zhao Xi burst into laughter. Her delicate face couldn't hide her mockery; her eyelashes curved, and her body trembled slightly; she was clearly laughing very happily.

The delicate collarbone, faintly visible beneath the bedding, was sharply defined, and that patch of snow-white skin trembled slightly with laughter.

"So you've finally met your match? You actually got tricked?!"

Upon learning of Lin Jiangnian's humiliation, Zhao Xi was unusually pleased: "Tsk tsk, breaking into someone's room in the middle of the night, confident of catching them red-handed, only to get slapped in the face... Haha..."

Zhao Xi rarely laughed so happily, without any regard for her image.

Lin Jiangnian said with a stern face, "Are you happy to see your man suffer?"

"Yes!"

Zhao Xi's eyes narrowed into crescent moons with a smile: "Serves you right for bullying me all this time, isn't this karma coming your way?"

"You're probably in big trouble tomorrow!"

Zhao Xi looked into Lin Jiangnian's eyes and smiled, "You barged into Mrs. Lü's boudoir late at night. Do you think the Lü family will let this go?"

“Lu Fusheng was once the Minister of Personnel. Even though he is no longer the Minister, he still enjoys great prestige in the capital. He will not be able to swallow this insult and will definitely report this matter to the higher authorities!”

"Then you'll become famous in the capital again... The dignified heir of the Prince of Lin actually had improper intentions towards someone else's son's wife."

"This time, you're really going to lose face!"

Zhao Xi's face still showed schadenfreude.

"You're so happy that I'm having bad luck?!"

Seeing that she was still smiling so happily, Lin Jiangnian immediately reached out with both hands and pinched her, his hands trembling.

"If my reputation is ruined, won't you be the one who suffers along with me?"

Zhao Xi blushed slightly and slapped his hand: "Why am I so unlucky?"

"You, the dignified eldest daughter of the Zhao family, have followed this young master, so won't your reputation also be damaged?"

"It's alright, I will definitely sever all ties with you and declare to the public that I don't know you."

"Such a ruthless woman?"

"I've always been this ruthless!"

Zhao Xi, with her face bare, hummed softly.

He was clearly in a good mood.

After making a scene, Zhao Xi rolled her eyes again and gave him a helpless look: "You went to find that woman recklessly. Now you've not only gotten yourself into trouble, but you've also alerted her. It's not worth it."

"It's alright. Do you think my reputation needs to be damaged?"

Lin Jiangnian didn't care at all. He leaned closer to Zhao Xi, buried his head in her chest, and took a deep breath.

Fragrant!
Zhao Xi's body trembled slightly, her face flushed. This bastard was playing with her again.

Why do I like it so much?

But upon further reflection, it doesn't seem wrong...

Being a lecher is part of the character of this Prince Lin's heir. His nighttime intrusion into the Lü residence and his harassment of the man's daughter-in-law only confirmed his character.

And look at this scoundrel now... isn't that exactly what he's like?
"Moreover, I deliberately stirred up trouble."

At that moment, Lin Jiangnian's voice came from his chest again.

"Ok?"

"Otherwise, she won't give herself away."

As Lin Jiangnian felt the softness of the facial cleanser, he squinted and enjoyed it: "I'm just afraid they won't make a big fuss. The bigger the fuss gets, the more restless she will become, and the people behind her will definitely not let it go."

Hearing this, Zhao Xi was slightly taken aback, somewhat puzzled: "Isn't the person behind her the Sixth Prince?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiangnian sneered: "Do you think that a sixth prince who has no presence in the capital, is a marginal figure, has no support, and has no power can stir up such a big storm?"

Zhao Xi was taken aback. "That's right!"

That Sixth Prince sounds impressive, but what's he really like?

The Sixth Prince was not favored at all in the capital. In terms of status, he was not even as good as the纨绔 (playboy) Eighth Prince.

How could he possibly have such great ability and power?
Zhao Xi subconsciously said, "You, um... you mean..."

Lin Jiangnian took a deep breath and sneered.

"If the mastermind behind him isn't the emperor, then there must be another force secretly manipulating all of this!"

"An unknown force, deeply hidden!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)