son, don't mess around

After leaving the Zhao residence, Lin Jiangnian returned to the Jiang residence first.

Today was quite exciting!
Lin Jiangnian was caught red-handed by Zhao Xiang as he came out of Zhao Xi's room early in the morning. Then, Lin Jiangnian used all his skills to pull and tug at Zhao Xiang.

Ultimately, the negotiations failed, and as expected, he was kicked out.

However, although he was kicked out, Lin Jiangnian was not too worried.

Given the current situation in the court, no matter how ugly things get, Prime Minister Zhao will not completely break ties with him for the time being.

Even though the meeting ended badly, at least on the surface, Prime Minister Zhao was not too angry and maintained a basic level of decorum with Lin Jiangnian.

As for the demands and conditions proposed by Prime Minister Zhao, Lin Jiangnian naturally could not agree to them.

Reduce the power of the feudal lords?

The right to surrender troops?
What a joke!
Do you really think he's the kind of brainless idiot who led a large army to the gates of the capital, then suddenly ordered them to retreat and garrison outside the gates, just wanting an apology from the emperor?

Or is it the kind of top-tier idiot who commands hundreds of thousands of troops, but would surrender his military power and obediently commit suicide for a woman in order to be spared?

...There might be idiots like that in the world, but they definitely aren't Lin Jiangnian.

Therefore, it was only natural that the talks with Zhao Xiang broke down.

However, after dealing with that Prime Minister Zhao today, Lin Jiangnian vaguely realized that... Prime Minister Zhao's purpose was probably not just that.

As a veteran of three dynasties, Zhao Xiang was naturally not stupid. He was well aware of the difficulty of reducing the power of the princes, and he should also know that Lin Jiangnian would never agree to this.

We can't make the decision either!
So why would he say that on purpose?

What other conspiracy is Old Deng plotting?
Lin Jiangnian couldn't figure it out for a moment, but he didn't take it too seriously.

There's no rush!
The most urgent matters right now should be those of the imperial court and that Chancellor Zhao.

Others may not know the situation, but Lin Jiangnian is fully aware of the battle situation on the front lines.

The imperial court suffered repeated defeats at the front, and morale plummeted. Troops dispatched from the provinces were caught off guard by the Xu Prince's rebel army and were routed.

Currently, the imperial army at the front is suffering repeated defeats. The front line of the war has gradually moved southward from Xuzhou.

However, the imperial court was still the imperial court; it hadn't completely reached the point of decay seen in the twilight of a dynasty, and the fighting capacity of the imperial army remained. Even though the rebel army led by Prince Xu was riding high, it would still be difficult for them to capture the capital in a short time!
At least for the time being, the situation on the front lines is temporarily deadlocked.

However, the threat to the imperial court was not only the Prince of Xu, but also the several northern grassland tribes that colluded with the Prince of Xu, as well as various forces within the country that were eager to make a move.

It's no exaggeration to say that the country is beset by both internal and external troubles.

If not careful, this vast dynasty and empire could fall apart.

In this situation, the most anxious parties are the imperial court, Prime Minister Zhao, and the emperor in the palace.

They are eager to find a way to break the deadlock!

Now, the best, and almost only, way to break the deadlock before them is... the Prince Lin's Mansion!

However, for the emperor and Prime Minister Zhao, the Prince Lin's residence was an extremely dangerous double-edged sword.

very useful!
But the problem is... would the imperial court dare to use it?

Once this sharp sword is drawn, it's not so easy to put it back. And if you're not careful, you might hurt yourself.

The imperial court wanted to use it, but dared not.

This is their biggest dilemma!

However, Lin Jiangnian didn't care about all that; he didn't care about the court's opinion. He was more concerned about the court's army at the front... Although not much intelligence had been revealed, Lin Jiangnian was certain from the clues coming from the front that Li Piaomiao had arrived at the court's army base.

If you calculate the time, it's indeed about time!
Li Piaomiao remained extremely discreet, revealing no trace of her whereabouts. Even Lin Jiangnian only discovered her location through intelligence infiltrated by the Prince's Mansion.

Clearly, the eldest princess intended to quietly join the army and make plans.

Lin Jiangnian had a lot of confidence in her in this regard.

This brought their plan one step closer to completion.

Once the eldest princess has firmly established herself in the army and gained control of the troops at the front, that will be the time for their plan to be truly implemented.

……

Upon returning to the Jiang residence, the place seemed rather deserted.

When they left the Jiang residence a year ago, only a few servants and maids remained. Upon returning to the capital, they temporarily stayed at the Jiang residence.

Lin Qingqing and Lin Kong, acting on Lin Jiangnian's orders, have been secretly monitoring the movements of various forces in the capital, especially the Sixth Prince. Lin Jiangnian has ordered people to keep an eye on his every move and investigate the forces behind him.

However, the Sixth Prince remained calm and did not make any move in the past few days.

With Tao Ya's 'suicide,' Lin Jiangnian's initial plan to use Tao Ya to lure out the forces behind her failed. Now, he can only try to find another way to approach the situation.

Currently, Lin Jiangnian only has two clues left: the Sixth Prince and the forces within the palace.

Whether the assassination attempt in Jiangnan was related to that emperor is uncertain, but that's no longer important. Now that the investigation has reached this point, Lin Jiangnian will undoubtedly continue to pursue it.

Similarly, Lin Jiangnian also planned to meet with the Sixth Prince. He wanted to see how this unknown Sixth Prince was secretly wielding power and stirring up trouble in the capital.

Lin Jiangnian returned to the inner courtyard of the Jiang residence while squinting in thought.

The inner courtyard was deserted; not only were there no maids or servants, but even the kite was nowhere to be seen.

"What about people?"

Lin Jiangnian was surprised. Where had Zhiyuan gone if she wasn't at the manor at this hour?
After searching the inner courtyard, Lin Jiangnian found no trace of the kite. Just as he was about to leave the courtyard to ask the maids in the mansion,

"Your Highness!"

A soft and familiar voice sounded from behind. Lin Jiangnian turned around and saw a woman with delicate features and a beautiful temperament who had appeared at the gate of the courtyard at some point and was speaking to him respectfully.

"Jasmine?"

The women who appeared in Lin Jiangnian's line of sight were the two sisters he had taken in from the capital. They had returned to the capital with Zhiyuan this time.

Jasmine and Wind Chime, these two sisters who were once delicate and frail, have now blossomed into graceful young women. Paper Kite recognized their talent for martial arts and took them in to personally teach them.

The Jasmine before me had shed her former fragility and was completely transformed. Standing there, she exuded a rather aloof and elegant aura.

It must be said that Zhiyuan possesses a kind of indescribable charm. It seems that everyone who follows her is unconsciously influenced by her and assimilated by her.

Whether it's Jasmine in front of us or Lin Qingqing and the others, we can inadvertently see a bit of the kite in them.

Perhaps this is what personal charisma is?
Lin Jiangnian thought to himself, "Jasmine, what are you doing here? Where's the kite?"

"Your Highness, Sister Zhiyuan instructed me to stay and guard the manor. Sister Zhiyuan, she..."

Jasmine said softly, "Sister Paper Kite went out early this morning."

"Go out? Where did she go?" Lin Jiangnian asked casually.

"This servant does not know." Jasmine shook her head slightly, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.

But in the end, he said nothing.

Lin Jiangnian was a little puzzled as to where the kite had gone early in the morning, but he didn't think much of it.

He originally wanted to discuss the next steps with Zhiyuan, but seeing that Zhiyuan wasn't there, he gave up for the time being.

After staying at the residence for a while, Lin Jiangnian got up and went out again. He had originally planned to go to the palace again.

However, as the son of a vassal king, he naturally did not have the right to enter the palace at will. His first entry into the palace was to announce his arrival to the emperor. His second entry was with Zhao Xi's help, to see the reigning empress dowager.

He entered the palace twice, but did not attract much attention.

However, with the news of Lin Jiangnian's appearance in Beijing and the exposure of Tao Ya's death, he is clearly no longer as free as before.

After leaving the Jiang residence, he was not in a hurry to enter the palace.

Currently, there are still some doubts he hasn't been able to clarify.

Regarding the power structure within the palace, the Prince Lin's mansion cannot yet extend its reach that far, but Zhao Xi's previous words reminded him of this.

Besides the emperor, are there any other forces hiding in this palace?
What if the person standing behind that Sixth Prince isn't the Emperor... then who could it be?
Who else has the best chance and the ability to make a move?
While pondering, Lin Jiangnian finally turned his attention back to the Sixth Prince.

……

Cuiwei Residence in the capital.

The courtyard was deserted and quiet.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Lin's heir has already set his sights on us."

Inside the front hall, a guard in black was reporting something in a low voice.

“Our mansion is covered in spies, inside and out; every move we make is under their surveillance. Besides, it seems the Secret Service has also set its sights on the Prince…”

Inside the lobby, smoke swirled, and a sense of despondency permeated the air.

A young man was reclining on a soft couch, his brocade robes slightly open. At his knees, a beautiful young woman was bowing her head, serving him respectfully and diligently.

Li Chang'an squinted, his face displaying an inscrutable expression—a mixture of pleasure and distorted emotion.

Upon hearing the name of the Secret Astronomical Bureau, a dark glint flashed in his eyes: "How did the Secret Astronomical Bureau get involved?"

"This subordinate is not entirely sure either. After the death of the young mistress of the Lü family, His Majesty ordered the Secret Observatory to investigate the matter. For some reason, the Secret Observatory has set its sights on the Prince..."

Upon hearing this, a shadow of gloom appeared in Li Chang'an's eyes.

Then he abruptly flicked his sleeve and shouted, "Get out!"

The woman in front of him collapsed to the ground, barely daring to breathe. She quickly covered her mouth, bowed her head, and hurriedly left.

After the woman left, Li Chang'an looked up with a cold gaze: "How's the investigation into Tao Ya going? How did she die?"

The guard in front of him bowed respectfully and said, "The Lü family has kept the news extremely secret, strictly forbidding anyone from going to offer condolences. It seems that no other forces appeared on the night Tao Ya died."

"I believe that her death is very likely related to the Crown Prince of Lin!"

A glint of light flashed in Li Chang'an's eyes: "Lin Jiangnian!"

He murmured the name to himself, and after a long while, a meaningful sneer appeared on his gloomy face: "I really underestimated him. He actually managed to find out about Tao Ya."

Upon hearing this, the guard in front of him showed a hint of worry: "Your Highness, that Prince Lin's heir is not to be underestimated. Since he was able to find Tao Ya, could it be that he already knows about Your Highness...?"

"What can he do even if he knows?"

Li Chang'an sneered: "What can he do to me?"

"Others may fear him, but I do not. Does he really think that the son of a mere prince can act with impunity in the capital?"

"He was lucky last time. Let him keep jumping around a little longer; his time is up sooner or later!"

Li Chang'an's tone made no attempt to conceal his murderous intent, nor his regret for not being able to kill Lin Jiangnian last time.

He can't understand!
That night in Chujiang City, he had clearly laid an inescapable trap, calculating every step flawlessly. He cut off the Prince of Lin's reinforcements and dispatched so many elite assassins.

In fact, so many experts were lying in ambush along the way!

But in the end, they still couldn't kill him, and he escaped.

What a great fate!

It's all garbage!

So many experts, yet they all failed.

Li Chang'an's eyes were grim. Lin Jiangnian was not dead, and his painstakingly planned scheme had failed. So many experts had died, so many of his trump cards and forces had been exposed, and even he himself was at risk of being exposed.

Not worth the candle!

If we could have killed Lin Jiangnian and that Princess Xu directly in Jiangnan last time, we wouldn't be in so much trouble now.

Lin Jiangnian didn't die; his plan failed, and he had no choice but to continue his undercover work.

What surprised him even more was that the Prince of Lin would be so determined. In order to find out the forces behind it all the way from Jiangnan to the capital, he even went so far as to come to the capital in person.

They even traced it back to Tao Ya!

This caught Li Chang'an somewhat off guard!
However, Tao Ya's death was not important to him. Tao Ya was just an insignificant pawn in this game.

Li Chang'an's only worry was whether the Crown Prince of Lin had obtained any crucial information from Tao Ya...

Although Tao Ya wasn't one of his people, she was still connected to the forces behind both of them. Would Tao Ya's death expose his true identity and plans?

Thinking of this, Li Chang'an's gaze became even more gloomy.

Upon learning that Tao Ya's identity had been exposed, their first instinct was naturally to silence her. However, before Li Chang'an and his backers could make a move, Tao Ya had already died at the Lü family's hands.

Li Chang'an was unclear about how many secrets Lin Jiangnian had uncovered from Tao Ya, and what exactly happened in Tao Ya's death.

"Investigate, keep investigating. Keep an eye on Lin Jiangnian, watch his every move. Report any suspicious activity or clue to me immediately."

"Yes!"

"besides……"

Li Chang'an's gaze deepened, a murderous intent flashing within him: "Where is Hu Yao!"

Compared to Tao Ya, Hu Yao was the woman who posed the greatest threat to him.

The woman knew too many of my secrets; I had to silence her. But the last attempt to silence her failed, causing quite a stir.

Although she held the woman's and the Hu family's fate in her hands, she dared not act rashly. But this feeling of being threatened naturally made the Sixth Prince feel as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.

"Hu Yao has gone missing..."

"I heard that Hu Yao had a big fight with her father a few days ago and ran away from home. Her whereabouts are still unknown."

"Whereabouts unknown?"

Li Chang'an's pupils suddenly contracted, and he was about to say something when...

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Immediately afterwards, another guard's voice rang out from outside the door.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Lin's son has come to pay a visit, saying he wishes to see you!"

"..." (End of this chapter)