son, don't mess around

Chapter 868 Teaching Your Father's Daughter a Lesson

After Chen Changqing left, Lin Jiangnian remained standing under the eaves, his gaze fixed on the doorway, lost in thought.

Until, under the eaves of the nearby house, a figure quietly appeared without anyone noticing.

"Your Highness, this servant feels that...there's something wrong with him!"

The sound of wind chimes suddenly rang out.

Lin Jiangnian glanced at the girl beside him who had a rather sly look on her face and asked with a smile, "Why do you think that?"

"intuition!"

The girl stood to the side, somewhat cautiously, and secretly glanced at the door before whispering, "I have a feeling he's not simple... He doesn't seem to be loyal to His Highness."

Feng Ling couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could sense that Chen Changqing didn't show any respect for His Highness.

Furthermore, this person is quite cunning and gives off an impression of being extremely unfathomable, not someone to be trifled with, and certainly not a good person...

Hearing Feng Ling's words, Lin Jiangnian chuckled: "He's not one of my people, so why should he be loyal to me?"

"Not His Highness's person?"

Feng Ling was startled, then her eyes widened.

Isn't this guy one of His Highness's men?

But Fengling clearly remembered that His Highness had a lot of contact with him. Although this person did not seem very respectful to His Highness, judging from their previous interactions, if he was not His Highness's person, why would His Highness have such frequent contact with him?

"He is a member of the imperial court, and if we're talking about loyalty, it's only to the imperial court."

Lin Jiang smiled and didn't explain much to Feng Ling.

Chen Changqing was naturally not one of Lin Jiangnian's men; from beginning to end, he was a member of the imperial court.

As for Lin Jiangnian, he was merely a benefactor who helped him when he was at his lowest point!
Of course, it could also be said that Chen Changqing's current status and position are entirely due to Lin Jiangnian's support and promotion. Without Lin Jiangnian, Chen Changqing would certainly not be where he is today.

Therefore, Chen Changqing was extremely grateful to Lin Jiangnian.

Of course, he did not disappoint Lin Jiangnian. Over the past year, he has done a lot for Lin Jiangnian and provided a lot of help.

During Lin Jiangnian's return to the capital, Chen Changqing used the Secret Observatory's influence to help Lin Jiangnian investigate the assassination case in Jiangnan, and together they brought down Chen Zhao and the Sixth Prince. Even during the days when he was injured, Chen Changqing handed over command of the Secret Observatory to Lin Jiangnian.

This alone is enough to show his gratitude and trust in Lin Jiangnian!
But Lin Jiangnian also knew that even so, Chen Changqing was still not one of his people.

From beginning to end, he was a member of the imperial court.

From the first time Lin Jiangnian met him, he knew that this man harbored a patriotic heart and was loyal only to the imperial court.

This is exactly what Lin Jiangnian wanted to see, and it was the real reason he decided to give Chen Changqing a chance.

Only someone as steadfast in their beliefs as Chen Changqing is truly suited to sit in the position of head of the Secret Celestial Bureau.

The wind chimes were stunned, somewhat taken aback.

Is Chen Changqing a member of the imperial court?
"But……"

Fengling couldn't help but feel a little worried: "He's a government official, so... won't he pose a threat to our royal residence in the future?"

Nowadays, Fengling has come to regard herself as a member of the royal family, and naturally considers everything from the perspective of the royal family's interests.

Lin Jiangnian countered, "Is there anyone in the world who can threaten our royal family today?"

Wind Chime blinked, then thought carefully: "It seems...there isn't?"

"Isn't that what it is?"

Lin Jiangnian smiled and said, "Once the Eldest Princess ascends the throne, no one in the world will be able to stop our Royal Palace."

The wind chimes kept blinking, and I couldn't quite understand what they were saying.

She was unaware of the intricacies behind this, nor did she know the prince's connection to the court. She only knew that His Majesty had passed away and the eldest princess was to ascend the throne. But wasn't the eldest princess very close to her prince? She'd heard their relationship was quite unusual?
The wind chime seemed to understand, but gradually it began to grasp something.

...No wonder His Highness said that after the Eldest Princess ascended the throne, no one in the world could stop the Prince's Mansion!
With the imperial court and the Prince of Lin's mansion joining forces, who in the world can stop them?

Thinking of this, Fengling couldn't help but feel a little excited. She clenched her fist tightly, and was about to look up again, her face full of excitement, wanting to say something to His Highness. But when she looked up, she found that His Highness had disappeared without her noticing.

"Your Highness?"

Feng Ling looked around, but couldn't see His Highness anywhere. She then realized that His Highness had left sometime earlier.

The excited expression on Fengling's face froze, and her eyes gradually turned resentful. After a while, she stomped her foot lightly in annoyance.

"You wicked prince..."

"..."

The news of the emperor's death spread faster than expected, reaching almost the entire capital in just one day and the surrounding counties within two days. In less than three to five days, all the prefectures and counties had received the news.

The uproar it caused within the dynasty's borders was far more intense than anticipated.

The emperor died suddenly less than a year after ascending the throne. Various forces speculated about the cause of his death, which led to numerous conspiracy theories.

Among these speculations, most believed that the emperor's death was unusual. Some said that the emperor was murdered by his old eunuch, while others said that the rebel army of Prince Xu sent assassins to kill the emperor.

There are even rumors that Prince Jing, who had disappeared for many years, reappeared in the capital, assassinated the emperor, and intended to take his place.

The most fantastical theory is that some believe His Majesty has been punished... The reason is that the late emperor's death a year ago was extremely suspicious, and at that time some people suspected that the late emperor's death was related to the new emperor.

It is speculated that the crown prince murdered the late emperor and ascended the throne.

Now that the new emperor has suddenly died, it must be divine retribution for patricide...

Of course, the person who raised this question disappeared without a trace not long afterward. His friends and family had no idea where he went, as if he had vanished into thin air.

After the news of the emperor's death spread, the most attention naturally turned to the selection of his successor.

The imperial edict of succession has not yet reached the front lines, Li Piaomiao has not yet ascended the throne, and has not announced it to the world. Most people are still unaware of who the new emperor is, but various factions can glean some information from other channels.

When they learned that His Majesty intended to pass the throne to the Princess, just like the reactions of many officials in the court, everyone was caught off guard and completely dumbfounded.

Many people doubted the veracity of the news and couldn't believe it, so they sent people to investigate again. But the investigations revealed nothing new... The Emperor's will truly passed the throne to the Eldest Princess?!

Many people remained bewildered. From officials in the capital to powerful families across the country, and even officials from top to bottom, almost no one could have predicted this.

Although it was known beforehand that the Emperor was unwell, many people were speculating about the successor. Since the Emperor had no heir, if something were to happen to His Majesty, the successor would naturally have to be chosen from among the collateral bloodlines of the royal family.

The current emperor has no heir, but the late emperor still has many descendants alive. Apart from the third prince who rebelled, there is still the sixth prince in the capital, the eighth prince who has been enfeoffed, and several other princes who do not have much influence in the capital.

The Sixth Prince was physically disabled, so he was naturally excluded. In many people's eyes, the Eighth Prince was the best candidate.

The Eighth Prince was not old. When he was still a prince, he was already 'famous' in the capital. He was a notorious playboy. Although he did not do any serious work, he did have the blood of the late emperor flowing through his veins and was a legitimate candidate for the throne.

More importantly, the Eighth Prince had no powerful backing, and given his young age, he was easy to control, making him undoubtedly the ideal emperor in many people's eyes. For the vast majority of officials and powerful factions, they were naturally happy to see a puppet emperor sitting on that throne.

However, no one expected that His Majesty would ultimately choose to pass the throne to the least likely candidate... the eldest princess?

Although the eldest princess, as the daughter of the late emperor, does indeed have pure royal blood flowing through her veins.

But she is, after all, a woman.
How can a woman be emperor?
It's ridiculous!

No wonder all the factions doubted the veracity of the news at first glance... Never before in history could His Majesty be so foolish as to pass the throne to a woman?
Various factions were eager to act upon learning of the emperor's death. With imperial power waning and the court beset by internal and external troubles, its control over the various prefectures and counties within the dynasty's borders was diminishing.

In particular, many governors in the prefectures, who held military power and were, in a sense, almost became powerful officials in their own territories.

With the imperial court facing the rebellion of Prince Xu and a joint invasion by northern tribes, many people naturally harbored other ambitions. In particular, those forces that were close to the various regional princes all wanted to compete for power.

However, when people heard that the throne was to be passed to the eldest princess, many became wary and dared not make any rash moves.

No one knew what the emperor intended to do, nor who would ultimately inherit the throne. Therefore, many people were observing the situation.

They await further developments and news from the imperial court before taking any further action.

……

In the capital, however, the atmosphere was even more somber.

The emperor passed away, and the whole country mourned.

All entertainment activities in the capital were cancelled, and every household hung white lanterns to mourn His Majesty.

The streets of the entire capital were quieter than usual.

Apart from the city defense patrol soldiers, the constables of the Jingzhao Prefecture, and the experts of the Secret Observatory, there were not many other figures.

Even the places where the famous playboys and wealthy young men of the capital used to hang out in private are now deserted.

These纨绔 (playboys) in the capital also received warnings from their families and have been behaving much more obediently and discreetly lately. The capital is filled with an atmosphere of fear and unease, a desolation that makes one feel uneasy.

It gives me the feeling that a storm is brewing!

It seems everyone is waiting for something...

……

The capital city, the Zhao residence, the backyard.

As darkness fell, a figure, taking advantage of the night, silently appeared on the eaves of the Zhao residence. Stepping on the snow-covered eaves, leaving no trace, the figure gracefully glided across using light-footed skills.

Then it landed in the backyard and silently came to the eaves. It approached the door and knocked.

The room was filled with a warm, fragrant aroma.

Zhao Xi was sitting at the table, writing something with a pen. When she heard a knock at the door, she didn't even look up.

"come in."

The door opened, and a gust of cold air rushed in, only to disappear just as quickly.

When Lin Jiangnian entered the room, he immediately spotted a figure with his back to him at the table by the window not far away.

The orange light from the table illuminated a graceful figure. At home, Zhao Xi always dressed casually and loosely, yet even the simplest clothes looked beautiful on her.

This young lady from the Zhao family seems to have been born with a captivating charm in every gesture.

Zhao Xi, in my line of sight, was wearing a loose-fitting light blue and red long dress, her long, black hair reaching her waist cascading down, partially concealing her slender waist. Perhaps because the room was warm, her clothes seemed quite thin, and beneath the loose dress, the graceful curves of her figure were vaguely visible.

Especially when her back was to Lin Jiangnian, her dress was slightly tight, revealing her slender waist and highlighting her two full and round buttocks, which were slightly squeezed to outline a perfect curve.

Lin Jiangnian admired her for a moment before turning his gaze away. He stepped forward and came up behind Zhao Xi, reaching out to wrap his arms around her slender waist from behind. His other hand expertly covered her full, round buttocks and gave them a light pinch!
"what?!"

At the table, her body was attacked. Her delicate body trembled violently, and a look of panic appeared on her face. She was caught off guard.

When she caught a familiar scent, she turned around abruptly and saw a familiar face looking at her with a smug grin.

"why you?!"

Zhao Xi was startled. When she saw Lin Jiangnian, she was first taken aback, then a look of surprise appeared in her eyes. After realizing what had happened, she couldn't help but pat her chest and give him a reproachful glare.

"Huh, who else did you think it was?"

Lin Jiangnian looked down at her delicate facial features and her flawless skin, greedily inhaling her unique fragrance.

"I thought it was Xiaoyue."

Normally, only Xiaoyue is allowed into her room without Zhao Xi's permission. She initially thought Xiaoyue was bringing her something, but it turned out to be this bastard?

That jerk actually tried to scare her!
Thinking of this, Zhao Xi rolled her eyes. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed that the scoundrel's hands were not behaving properly.

"Where are you touching?"

"Revisiting an old haunt".

"Revisit my foot!"

Zhao Xi reached out and slapped his dog paw hard, saying irritably, "How did you get in?"

Lin Jiangnian bent down and put his arm around Zhao Xi, burying his head in her fair and slender neck and inhaling her scent, while his other hand continued to wander and caress her body: "You just walked in like this."

Zhao Xi's face flushed slightly, and her body tensed: "Didn't my father arrange for experts to be outside?"

When Lin Jiangnian came over last time, her father saw him again. In a fit of anger, her father invited all the best servants in the mansion and arranged them outside her courtyard, just to prevent that scoundrel from coming again.

Surprisingly, it still couldn't be prevented?
"They've already left!"

Lin Jiangnian said happily, "Your dad is very busy now. I guess he won't have time to talk to us for a long time to come."

With the emperor's passing, Zhao Xiang, as the regent, must now be the busiest person in the world.

In order to stabilize the political situation in the court, Prime Minister Zhao naturally had no time to deal with Lin Jiangnian, the 'thief' who stole his daughter.

Zhao Xi thought about it carefully and quickly understood. Her face flushed slightly as she glared at him: "So this is why you sneaked in and bullied his daughter?"

"What else can I do? Since your dad doesn't give me a good look, I'll have to bully his daughter a bit!"

Lin Jiangnian, with a self-righteous air, smoothly placed his hands on Zhao Xi's chest through her clothes, taking control with practiced ease.

Knead!

"I, the young master, will teach your father's daughter a lesson to avenge your father!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)