son, don't mess around

At first, Zhao Xi thought it was just that scoundrel making up stories to deceive her and then take advantage of her.

Sure enough, before we'd even exchanged a few words, that scoundrel came over again.

His hand, through the hem of her skirt, restlessly groped her legs... Was she really that nice to touch?!
Zhao Xi was both ashamed and angry. She had originally intended to give this lecherous man a good scolding. But when she heard Lin Jiangnian mention Chen Zhao's 'resurrection' and his conspiracy with the Sixth Prince, she was stunned.

Is Chen Zhao the mysterious person behind the Sixth Prince?

Did Chen Zhao not die a year ago?
Is he also the brother of the leader of the Heavenly God Sect?

Even though Zhao Xi was well-informed, he was still shocked by these sudden news and couldn't process it for a long time.

"Wait, I'm a little confused right now..."

After Lin Jiangnian finished speaking, Zhao Xi was already a little dazed. She told Lin Jiangnian to shut up and decided to digest the information properly.

After a long while, Zhao Xi finally sorted out the clues: "So, you mean that all of this was orchestrated by Chen Zhao and that cult leader?"

"The Third Prince was rescued from the imperial mausoleum, and you were assassinated in Chujiang City. Was he the mastermind behind all of these events?"

Lin Jiangnian nodded: "Although there is no confirmation, it's pretty much true."

"In the entire Da Ning court, apart from the emperor, only he has this ability."

"No wonder..."

Zhao Xi suddenly realized.

As she gradually processed the shocking news, her previous doubts also gradually dissipated.

No wonder, she had always found it strange.

"So, this was all his conspiracy? But why would he do it?"

But then Zhao Xi had some doubts: "You said Chen Zhao didn't die, that he murdered the late emperor a year ago and faked his death to escape."

"But if he has been hiding in the Da Ning Imperial Palace for the past year, he should have had countless opportunities to attack His Majesty with his martial arts skills. Why did he wait until now?"

"And yet it still failed?"

Lin Jiangnian's hand remained on Zhao Xi's fair and shapely legs through her skirt, slowly moving away as he savored the exquisite touch in his palm. He then asked, "Are you suggesting that all of this might have been a performance by Chen Zhao for us?"

Zhao Xi's face was flushed, and she felt a ticklish sensation on her legs. She couldn't help but lightly kick the bastard. Unexpectedly, the bastard seemed to get even more excited, and his actions became even more outrageous.

Zhao Xi glared at him, giving him a warning look, before saying, "I don't know if he's acting, but... but it is indeed a bit strange, unless... he's waiting for a higher bidder?"

"Waiting for a better price?"

Lin Jiangnian asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"You said you weren't sure which side he was on, right? Is there a possibility... that he's always been a centrist?"

Zhao Xi's breathing quickened slightly: "He's hiding in the palace, posing a threat to His Majesty at any time, so he has enough resources at his disposal..."

“A year ago, he might have had an affair with the Third Prince and reached some secret agreement. Now he might also be involved with the Sixth Prince and Xu Hong in some kind of collusion…”

"His biggest bargaining chip is His Majesty's life, so could that be the reason why he hasn't shown up and made a move yet?"

Zhao Xi's words surprised Lin Jiangnian. This was a possibility he had never considered, but upon closer thought, it seemed not impossible.

He didn't know whose side Chen Zhao was on. Logically speaking, a Grandmaster of such rank wouldn't remain subservient to someone for long. Neither the Third Prince, the Sixth Prince, nor Xu Hong necessarily had the ability to control him.

Furthermore, Chen Zhao mostly comes from the southern border kingdoms...

In that instant, a thought seemed to surface in Lin Jiangnian's mind. He stood there, stunned, pondering it carefully, even stopping his hand that had been taking advantage of Zhao Xi.

"how?"

Zhao Xi noticed that the strange sensation in her leg had disappeared. Looking down, she saw that the guy seemed lost in thought.

Looking again, she realized that her skirt had been lifted up by this scoundrel, exposing her fair legs to the air, and her skin was reddened from his touching.

Zhao Xi blushed and quickly pulled her legs back, hiding them completely. She sat up and regained some of her usual dignified and elegant demeanor.

Seeing that Lin Jiangnian was still in a daze, he interrupted, "What are you thinking about?"

"I've thought of a possibility."

"What's possible?"

Lin Jiangnian snapped out of his reverie and shook his head slightly: "I'm not sure, I'll have to check it out."

As he spoke, he waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about that now. The most urgent thing right now is to find Chen Zhao."

"did you find it?"

Lin Jiangnian sighed: "Not yet, he's hiding it too well."

Zhao Xi rolled her eyes at him: "A first-grade grandmaster is not someone you can find so easily."

Lin Jiangnian understood the logic, but he still had to look for Chen Zhao even if he couldn't find him. If he didn't look for Chen Zhao, Chen Zhao would probably cause him trouble.

"Where is the Sixth Prince?"

Zhao Xi then asked, "Since he has contact with Chen Zhao, he must know something."

"He's quite clever; he disappeared the night Chen Zhao had his accident," Lin Jiangnian said with a laugh.

"Not found yet?"

"Not yet, but I estimate it will be soon; he can't run very far."

Lin Jiangnian sneered.

Li Chang'an is not Chen Zhao; it won't be so easy for him to hide.

"Then you'd better hurry."

Seeing Lin Jiangnian's confident demeanor, Zhao Xi reminded him, "If he leaves the capital, it won't be so easy to catch him again. We might be able to find out Chen Zhao's whereabouts from him now, but if we wait any longer, it might be too late."

"Don't worry, I've already ordered someone to arrest him."

Lin Jiangnian sighed, "But he's quite good at hiding. I didn't bring enough people with me to the capital this time, otherwise I could have found him much earlier."

This time, Lin Jiangnian only brought paper kites, jasmine wind chimes, and a few personal guards of the heir apparent, including Lin Qingqing and Lin Kong, with him when he entered the capital. The manpower was severely insufficient, which prevented him from acting as recklessly as before.

Zhao Xi's beautiful eyes flickered, as if she had thought of something: "If you want to find the Sixth Prince, perhaps there are other ways."

"Any other way?"

Seeing Zhao Xi's beaming smile, Lin Jiangnian seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"

"There is one."

"tell me the story?"

Zhao Xi smiled enigmatically: "If I remember correctly, Hu Yao is still in your hands, isn't she?"

"She has a deep grudge against the Sixth Prince. Didn't the Sixth Prince want to silence her before?"

Lin Jiangnian was taken aback, but quickly realized Zhao Xi's purpose: "You mean..."

Meeting Zhao Xi's smiling gaze, Lin Jiangnian quickly clicked his tongue and said, "How come I didn't think of that?"

"You're really resourceful, aren't you? You even managed to come up with such a dirty trick?"

"Screw you!"

Zhao Xi's smile froze, and she said irritably, "I was just trying to help you, if you don't like it, fine!"

"Love, of course, I love everything you say."

Lin Jiangnian approached Zhao Xi with a grin.

"Come on, I get angry just looking at your face!"

Zhao Xi couldn't stand this guy's shameless behavior.

But since he was shameless, Lin Jiangnian naturally didn't take Zhao Xi's stubbornness seriously and immediately went up to her again, hugging her and being affectionate.

It feels like three autumns have passed since we last met.

After spending a long time with Zhao Xi, Lin Jiangnian realized it was getting late and Zhao Xiang might be returning soon, so he reluctantly said goodbye to Zhao Xi.

"Wait a while longer, and once I've settled things with your father, I'll take you away."

Zhao Xi's face was rosy and bright, as if she had been watered. She curled up on the soft couch, wearing an outer robe, and rolled her beautiful eyes: "Wait until you've dealt with my father before you talk!"

"What you're saying now is no different from those heartless men who make promises they can't keep."

"Hey, what are you saying? Do you think I'm a heartless man?"

"Don't doubt it, it is you!"

Zhao Xi snorted coldly, then, as if remembering something, warned again, "And you're not allowed to hurt my father!" "I know, you've said it so many times, I promise I definitely won't lay a hand on your father!"

"That's more like it..."

As soon as Zhao Xi opened her mouth, she sensed something was wrong and raised her eyebrows: "What do you mean by not taking the initiative?"

Lin Jiangnian shrugged: "What if your father gets angry and provokes me into attacking? I can't just passively take the beating, can I?"

"My father doesn't know martial arts, how could he possibly hurt you?"

"This concerns my dignity. How can I, the dignified heir of the Prince of Lin, passively accept defeat?"

"What do you want?"

Lin Jiangnian said viciously, "If your father dares to hit me, I'll take my revenge on his daughter tenfold!"

"you dare……"

Just as Zhao Xi was about to speak, she suddenly realized something was wrong.

Upon closer inspection, her face flushed crimson.

"Get out! Get out of here!"

"..."

Lin Jiangnian dressed and walked out of Zhao Xi's room. The courtyard was covered with snow, the sky was gradually darkening, and it started snowing again. Snowflakes fell and the cold wind was biting.

Footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard, as if someone was approaching.

Lin Jiangnan then realized that he had been in Zhao Xi's room for too long and had almost forgotten the time. He had almost forgotten that there were two guards in the Zhao residence who he had knocked unconscious earlier, and they had probably been discovered by now.

Realizing this, Lin Jiangnian decisively chose to flee as the best of the thirty-six stratagems. He stepped out from under the eaves, leaped, and jumped onto the roof.

Just as I was about to leave, I heard a shout from the side.

"stop!"

It was the voice of a guard from the manor.

Lin Jiangnian looked up and saw two guards standing on the eaves of the house next to him, who had been waiting for a long time.

At the same time, an elderly man with white hair and bright eyes rushed back from outside, and his eyes met Lin Jiangnian's.

The next second, the old man's eyes suddenly changed, and his face turned ashen.

"Prime Minister Zhao, what a coincidence!"

Lin Jiangnian greeted him with a very kind smile.

However, there was no response.

To be precise, he was met with a slightly dark, gloomy face. As if realizing something, the face glanced at the courtyard, then at Lin Jiangnian on the rooftop, its expression quite unpleasant.

That bastard, how dare he come here?

They're trying to steal his daughter again?!
Deceiving too much!

"Take him!"

Zhao Xiang's voice sounded somewhat exasperated.

No sooner had he finished speaking than two guards on the roof, rubbing their hands together and eyeing him menacingly, pounced on Lin Jiangnian.

Caught red-handed again, Lin Jiangnian felt somewhat guilty and naturally didn't intend to stay any longer. Just as the two guards pounced forward, Lin Jiangnian tiptoed onto the roof tiles.

"Crack!"

Stepping on a broken tile, Lin Jiangnian used the momentum to leap over the heads of two guards, and then used his lightness skill to quickly escape out of the mansion.

"Prime Minister Zhao, my visit today was rushed and I apologize for the inconvenience. I will come again next time!"

Snowflakes drifted down from the dim sky, mingling with Lin Jiangnian's hurried final words and his figure that vanished in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Xiang, who saw this scene from outside the courtyard, was so angry that his face turned red.

"Butler Zhao!"

Zhao Jing stepped out from behind: "What are your orders, sir?"

"Draw all the elite troops from the manor here, and also invite that person to guard outside the young lady's courtyard."

Zhao Xiang's face turned ashen: "If this bastard dares to come again, break his legs!"

"Master, this..."

"Ok?"

"Don't worry, sir, I'll take care of it right away!"

"..."

It was an exceptionally cold day with heavy snowfall.

As dusk fell, the city descended into a slum on the eastern outskirts of Beijing.

A heavy snowfall destroyed many people's homes, leaving many homeless. The government resettled many people near the slums in the eastern suburbs, a place where all sorts of people from different walks of life gathered.

Inside a cluster of bungalows, with sentries stationed all around, the atmosphere was tense.

In the dimly lit room, a faint light illuminated a young man, dressed in fine clothes, but whose expression appeared somewhat disheveled.

His expression was weathered, and his eyes were filled with resentment and hatred.

"Your Highness, there are people searching for us everywhere outside."

A guard's deep voice rang out: "The Imperial Secret Service, the Prince of Lin's heir, and some other unidentified forces are all searching for the Prince's whereabouts..."

"Your Highness, we must leave the capital immediately. If we delay, it may be too late!"

Under the lamplight, a pair of sharp, resentful eyes were filled with anger. After a long silence, Li Chang'an's hoarse voice rang out: "Where is Chen Zhao? Where is he?"

"My subordinates don't know."

The guard's voice was low: "Your Highness, Chief Steward Chen made a pact with you to plot a great cause. He promised to get rid of His Majesty, but now His Majesty is safe... Chief Steward Chen... I'm afraid something has already happened to him..."

A flicker of fear flashed in Li Chang'an's eyes. His voice was hoarse as he said, "No, impossible! He's a first-rank expert! Who could kill him?!"

The guard smiled bitterly; he too was unwilling to believe that anyone in the world could kill a first-rank master.
But the question is, how do we explain this now?
"Your Highness, our plan... has likely failed!"

The guard gave a wry smile.

"No, I have not failed yet!"

In the dim light, a hint of madness flickered in Li Chang'an's eyes.

"So what if we fail for now? They can't do anything to me without evidence of my rebellion. As long as I'm still in the capital, I'll have a chance to make a comeback!"

Li Chang'an's cold gaze swept over everyone in the room: "A temporary setback has already made you all so dejected?"

"Lin Jiangnian has no evidence whatsoever. Even if he did know, what could he do? I only need to sever all ties with Chen Zhao, and no one can do anything to me!"

"But……"

The guard beside him reminded him, "Chen Changqing is still alive."

Li Chang'an's eyes narrowed sharply, and after a moment of silence, he said, "He can't cause any trouble, and he has no evidence. As long as I refuse to admit it, he can't do anything to me."

"But Your Highness, there is still one person who poses a threat to us."

"Who?"

"Hu Yao".

Upon hearing this name, Li Chang'an fell silent. A hint of apprehension finally surfaced in his eyes.

He could still ignore Chen Changqing, but Hu Yao... that woman!
She was once his plaything, but now she has betrayed him. And who knows how many secrets about him she holds in her hands!

The more unknown something is, the more fear and apprehension Li Chang'an feels!

"kill!"

After a long pause, a deep voice rang out, seemingly coming from the throat, carrying a deep killing intent.

"Find her at all costs!"

"Kill her!"

"!!!" (End of Chapter)