Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The Third Prince made Jia Lian feel very uncomfortable.

This idea had already formed when they first met the Third Prince.

Although the Third Prince had a good reputation in the court and among the people, perhaps because they were similar, Jia Lian felt from the beginning that the Third Prince was a very cunning person, and even somewhat sinister, so he did not like him very much.

I believe the other person feels the same way about him.

The reason the other party has always been so kind to him is probably because he is very valuable. Even though there is now a risk of breaking his promise to Emperor Ningkang, his past achievements and great reputation still make him very valuable to the Third Prince.

Of course, it might also be because the Third Prince is still very weak and needs a lot of help.

To be honest, if he had a choice, Jia Lian would actually prefer that the eldest prince continue to be the crown prince.

Although the eldest prince is not exactly brilliant and martial, he is of above-average appearance and his behavior is predictable. Even if such a person is supported to ascend the throne in the future, he will not feel that his future is uncertain.

Therefore, although Jia Lian appeared to be a staunch supporter of the imperial faction and did not participate in the struggle for the crown prince position, he actually leaned towards the crown prince.

Unfortunately, the crown prince, caught in the vortex of his peak, failed to grasp the situation and ruined himself.

Thinking of this, Jia Lian smiled helplessly. He no longer had the right to pity the Crown Prince.

He himself was also embroiled in trouble.

The retired emperor's remarks put him in the spotlight and placed him on the opposite side of Emperor Ningkang.

Whether Emperor Ningkang can come to his senses and whether he can reconcile with Emperor Ningkang remains to be seen.

The only certainty is that as long as he doesn't act rashly at this crucial moment, Emperor Ningkang will definitely not kill him.

At most, he'll be sidelined.

If that were the case, then befriending the future emperor in hopes of making a comeback after Emperor Ningkang's death would become extremely important.

If you look at it that way, the olive branch extended to him by the Third Prince seems like a lifeline for him.

When Jia Lian came to his senses, he realized that he had returned to the army camp and that Aqi was removing his armor.

He left the capital without any servants, not even Aqin.

He knew the danger was imminent, and since Ah Qin's skills were no match for her sister's, it was best for him to stay home and protect Feng Jie.

Looking at Aqi, whose face remained stern and whose eyes only softened for a moment when she occasionally looked up and met his gaze, Jia Lian's annoyance gradually dissipated.

The two sisters, Aqi and Aqin, are both quite tall. Aqi, the older sister, is even only slightly shorter than Jia Lian, but this does not detract from her feminine beauty.

Even now, wearing armor, Aqi's body still looks slender and delicate.

Thinking back to those days when I was away from home, it was always Aqi, who acted as my bodyguard, who made my bed, tidied my belongings, and took care of everything.

Despite juggling multiple roles, she never complained or acted coquettishly, and she didn't even show the slightest sign of fatigue in front of him. Jia Lian then affectionately reached out and patted her head.

Aqi glanced at him, seemingly understanding what he meant.

After stripping Jia Lian down to only his thin clothes and hanging his heavy armor on the rack, she went to the tent entrance and completely closed the tent flap.

The curtains are closed, which means that the lord is resting and should not be disturbed unless necessary.

Jia Lian had originally come back to sleep, but seeing this, he was no longer sleepy and looked at Aqi, who had suddenly become coy, with a hint of anticipation.

Aqi walked up to Jia Lian and, speaking in somewhat broken Mandarin, hesitantly asked, "Subordinate, do I need to remove my armor...?"

This official self-designation made Jia Lian feel strange.

But he still smiled and said, "You don't have to."

He wanted to see how far the straight woman, Aqi, could go, and he really didn't have any intention of having a major showdown with Aqi right now.

Aqi frowned; she wasn't really used to doing this kind of thing. Unlike her sister, she preferred to be passive.

However, she was the only woman by Jia Lian's side at this time, and she also knew that Jia Lian seemed to be troubled. As one of his women, she also had an obligation to comfort Jia Lian.

So she nodded, stepped forward and gently kissed Jia Lian on the corner of his mouth. Then, following the actions of her younger sister, she placed her hands on Jia Lian's chest and waist, and slowly lowered herself down.

The armor worn by her and her sister was specially made for them by Jia Lian. It was not only bright and exquisite, but also lightweight and soft, making it easy for her to kneel on the ground and giving Jia Lian a better visual experience.

……

Just as Jia Lian was indulging in the pleasures of beautiful women in his tent, an unusual scene unfolded in the commander's tent of the Imperial Guard.

A young general clad in golden armor knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing.

"We beg the Commander to do justice for my brother and me!!"

If anyone were here, they would see that this military general, at this moment, looked up and found his face covered in tears.

Unfortunately, there was no one else there but Feng Sheng, the high-ranking commander of the Imperial Guard.

As one of the three main battalions of the Imperial Guard, and also the largest guard battalion in terms of personnel, its commander's rank is higher than that of other ordinary battalions, reaching the second rank.

Moreover, as one of the greatest contributors to Emperor Ningkang's coup, Feng Sheng naturally has a bright future, and it is not impossible for him to rise to the highest rank in the future.

But Feng Sheng was also shocked.

"You mean, you suspect the Third Prince murdered your brother?"

"yes!"

"You saw it with your own eyes?"

"Although I did not witness it with my own eyes, I am absolutely certain that my brother's death is definitely related to the Third Prince!"

At that time, the elder brother led troops to assist the third prince in capturing the crown prince. After several battles, the crown prince's men were already numbering less than a hundred.

When we arrived at Wangjialing, my brother annihilated most of them in one fell swoop. How could the few remaining remnants of the Crown Prince's army possibly have killed my brother and his personal guards one by one, leaving not even a messenger who could escape?

Moreover, when the Third Prince brought back the bodies of his elder brother and the others, I carefully examined them. My brother and his personal guards all died from crossbow bolts. Although someone deliberately cut open their wounds with swords, how could they hide it from me!

"Commander! My brother has followed you for so many years, always loyal and devoted. Commander, you must do justice for my brother! You cannot let him die such an unjust death..."

After the young soldier finished speaking with grief and indignation, he kowtowed again.

Feng Sheng's expression became interesting. After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head: "All of this is just your speculation. Without any real evidence, to want to accuse His Highness the Third Prince is nothing short of wishful thinking..."

Sensing that the young man did not accept his statement, Feng Sheng raised his hand to signal him to calm down.

"Now that the Crown Prince is dead, the position of heir apparent undoubtedly belongs to the Third Prince. Don't tell me you don't have any real evidence; even if you saw it with your own eyes, so what?"

Your brother is dead. Do you expect me to oppose the Third Prince because of his death?

Even if I could do it, do you think His Majesty would depose the Third Prince over a mere irrigation canal?

Ugh……

Let's leave it at that. Whatever the truth, digging into it further will ultimately do neither of us any good.

"Commander!!"

The young man spoke out angrily, but he also understood that Feng Sheng's words made some sense.

Compared to the Third Prince, his elder brother was indeed nothing, even though his elder brother had made great contributions in this incident.

But he just couldn't accept it!

"Commander, my elder brother and the Third Prince had no prior grudge. After the Crown Prince lost power, my brother even tried to curry favor with the Third Prince. His Highness had no reason to harm my brother. I suspect this matter is related to the Crown Prince's death..."

"shut up!"

Feng Sheng suddenly stood up, his expression changing drastically.

"How dare you say such things? Do you want your entire Tian family of over a hundred people to be buried with you?"

The closer one is to the center of power, the more one understands the ruthlessness of the imperial court.

Now that the Crown Prince is dead, how he died is not very important. Unless Emperor Ningkang speaks up, who would dare to use this matter to attack the Third Prince?

The third prince was ordered to capture the crown prince, but he returned with the crown prince's corpse. Among so many officials on the mountain, didn't anyone have any doubts?

But have you ever seen anyone discuss this with others to their face?

There's no other reason than that the crown prince had already completely lost power, so he could be said to have deserved his fate.

Secondly, everyone knows that the Third Prince is the future heir apparent. At this point, everyone is too busy currying favor with the Third Prince to risk their lives.

"Go back. Your brother has done a great service this time, and I will use that as a reason to promote you a few ranks later."

Your elder brother is dead; your family will depend on you for support from now on. Don't do anything foolish.

After giving him a brief instruction, Feng Sheng waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

Although the young general was full of resentment, he had no choice but to leave the tent.

Upon exiting, a person was already waiting for them.

"So, what did the commander say?"

"What else can I say? Just as you predicted, he doesn't want to get involved in this at all."

This guy surnamed Feng is a disgrace to being a military commander; he's a coward in crucial moments and completely unreliable.

"So what are you going to do?"

The young man was naturally Tian Qu's younger brother, named Tian Liang.

He was caught in a dilemma, torn between his determination to seek justice for his brother and his knowledge that he was powerless to harm the Third Prince.

If things continue like this, he is destined to fail and die, and he might even lose the lives of the entire Tian family.

Finally, he said dejectedly, "What else can I do? Even Feng Sheng doesn't dare to offend the Third Prince, so what can I do?"

However, the revenge for killing my brother cannot be left unresolved; sooner or later… Hmph!

That being said, Tian Liang knew that if the Third Prince really became the Crown Prince and eventually ascended the throne, he would have no chance of revenge.

So he punched the big tree next to him hard.

The man beside him was also a commander in the guard battalion named Zhou Xianming, one of his closest brothers in the army.

Seeing that Tian Liang had already decided to give up seeking revenge, Zhou Xianming didn't say anything on the surface, but secretly he began to make plans.

He and Tian Liang were brothers, but he had little relationship with Tian Qu, so he didn't care much about Tian Qu's death.

However, after discussing it with Tian Liang, he felt that the reason why the Third Prince killed Tian Qu was probably related to the death of the Crown Prince. Perhaps it was because Tian Qu knew the truth about the Third Prince's plot to kill the Crown Prince that he was silenced.

Like the Tian brothers, he was an ordinary officer who had worked his way up in the military for many years and had a strong desire to improve himself.

He wondered if there was any way to monetize such important information.

……

Jia Lian slowly woke up from his light sleep and found himself still lying on the armchair, with darkness falling outside.

Looking down, he saw that Aqi was quietly lying on his thigh, fast asleep.

Her originally resolute face now revealed a touch of girlish innocence.

Looking at the little girl who hadn't even put the tools back for him, he wondered if she had fallen asleep from exhaustion. She was far too dedicated.

So she bent down and gently picked him up, placing him on the small bed beside her. To her surprise, Aqi, who was usually a very alert sleeper, was not woken up this time.

That tells me that the girl must have been exhausted these past two days.

After tucking her in, Jia Lian straightened his trousers and robes before leaving the tent.

"Has His Majesty awakened?"

"Not long after noon, he woke up. I heard that after taking the medicine, his body was fine."

After briefly inquiring about the situation on the mountain, Jia Lian decided to return to his camp to rest.

Anyway, Emperor Ningkang won't use him now, so he's happy to be idle.

"My lord, there is a man outside who claims to be a commander under Commandant Hu of the Imperial Guard and wants to see you."

"command?"

Like most people in high positions, Jia Lian now considers a mere sixth-rank commander insignificant.

If he wanted, he could easily promote a group of fifth and sixth-rank military officers.

However, Jia Lian was certainly not so arrogant as to refuse to see him simply because of his status.

Putting aside the fact that the Commandant Hu mentioned by the other party is probably Hu Yuanyao's father, Hu Jin, it is a time of great turmoil. This person came to see him under the cover of darkness, so he might have something important to say.

"Let him come over."

After giving the order, Jia Lian entered Liu Xianglian's tent, usurping its space.