The Demon Prince

Outside the door, the Minister of Personnel led a group of people in.

The elderly man at the head of the group wore a crimson official robe, had a thin face, gentle eyes and brows, and held a scroll of visiting cards in his hand.

However, the officials from the Ministry of Personnel behind him all had solemn expressions, clearly indicating that they were not there for a simple visit.

Gu Bing'en's heart sank. The Ministry of Personnel? Why are the Fourth Princess's people here?

The Minister of Personnel bowed with his hands clasped.

"Fifth Prince, Minister Gu."

"Having heard that the Crown Prince is here, I have come to inquire after his well-being."

Gu Bingen's face was grim:

"It's too much of a coincidence that Minister Li is coming to our door so late at night."

"Is it a coincidence?" The Minister of Personnel smiled.

"I only heard that the young master had been away from the Fifth Princess's residence for a long time, so I came to check on him."

If the Crown Prince is safe and sound, I will leave.

Gu Bingen didn't speak, but he understood the meaning behind those words.

As long as Xiao Xingyue gets into trouble, the Minister of Personnel will make a scene in the imperial court.

The Fifth Princess's household plotted to murder the Crown Prince of the State of Zhen. No one can bear the blame for this.

But the matter wasn't over yet. Footsteps sounded outside the mansion again, and this time, there were even more people.

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies—three high-ranking officials from the Six Ministries and Nine Courts—entered the government one after another.

Each of them had men behind them, and although they did not draw their swords, they blocked all the exits outside Taiping Prefecture.

The Second Princess's people have also arrived!

Gu Bingen's expression completely changed:

"What are you doing?"

The Vice Minister of Justice said calmly, "I heard that the Crown Prince is here."

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices replied:

"This official also comes to offer his greetings."

The Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial bowed slightly.

"The young master is busy with the investigation today, and I was worried that he might be overworked, so I came to check on him."

Gu Bingen looked at Li Taiping, and the Fifth Princess also slowly stood up. Her gaze passed over everyone and landed on Xiao Xingyue:

"When did you contact them?"

Xiao Xingyue smiled but did not answer.

These people were clearly there to support him, and also clearly there to snatch him away.

The people in the Fifth Princess's residence couldn't possibly be unaware that the news of their plan to trap Xiao Xingyue had already spread.

This shows that Xiao Xingyue had already made arrangements before entering the manor.

Gu Bingen gritted his teeth:

"Xiao Xingyue, you were prepared all along?"

"I'm easy to talk to, I never deliberately target anyone, and I don't want to neglect anyone." Xiao Xingyue straightened his sleeves:

"So I invited a few friends in advance."

The Minister of Personnel smiled and said:

"Your Highness is too kind. I have long admired your name. The court is always crowded, and I have never seen Your Highness up close before."

It is a great honor to meet you today.

Xiao Xingyue glanced at him:

"The Minister of Personnel is indeed enthusiastic."

The smile on the Minister of Personnel's face froze slightly.

He wasn't being enthusiastic; he just couldn't let the Fourth Princess's power be overtaken by the Fifth Princess.

Xiao Xingyue now holds the power to investigate within the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites. Whoever can win him over first will have an extra advantage in the future political landscape.

The fifth princess wanted to devour him, but the fourth princess naturally refused.

Looking at the situation on the field, Gu Bingen knew that it was no longer possible to forcibly keep Xiao Xingyue today.

He was still unwilling to give up:

"The young master barged into the Fifth Princess's residence today, behaving insolently."

Xiao Xingyue responded with an "oh," while the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice coughed lightly.

"I believe that Minister Gu's words are inappropriate."

Gu Bingen's face darkened.

Li Taiping said in a deep voice:

"That's enough, withdraw the garrison troops."

Gu Bingen's expression changed, he gritted his teeth, and finally waved his hand.

The guards outside slowly retreated, and Yan Shao and several other young men from wealthy families also lowered their heads.

No one expected that the seemingly sure thing would be broken by the forces that Xiao Xingyue had summoned in advance.

The Second and Fourth Princesses have all arrived. If we continue to forcefully detain Xiao Xingyue, it will only push the Fifth Princess's residence to the opposite side of everyone.

Forced by circumstances, Gu Bing'en, having held the position of Minister for many years, was adaptable and resilient. He took a deep breath and bowed to Xiao Xingyue.

"Your Highness, we apologize for our rudeness earlier. We were just joking with you."

Yan Shao also bowed:

"Young Master, please don't take it to heart. Everyone in Taiping Prefecture is sincere."

It was only because Gu Chenjun caused a misunderstanding that everyone was anxious, which led to this situation.

An elder from the maternal clan immediately waved his hand, and servants brought over several boxes. When the boxes were opened, they contained silver notes, jade artifacts, medicinal herbs, several trade route permits, and a promise from the Ministry of Works to repair the goods.

Gu Bingen, suppressing his heartache, spoke:

"These gifts are offered as an apology; please, Your Highness, be lenient."

Chen Jun is young and doesn't know any better; a little discipline will suffice.

Xiao Xingyue glanced at the boxes and realized that he had actually gained something from the trip; it hadn't been a wasted trip.

Li Taiping also pondered for a moment:

"Your Highness, please handle the investigations conducted by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites first."

We'll discuss the rest later.

Xiao Xingyue walked up to Li Taiping and, up close, found that Li Taiping was even more charming. Her face, which held a hint of anger, was truly beautiful.

Exactly, it has thorns.

"Fifth Prince, I have offended you greatly today."

"We have not been hospitable," Li Taiping said coldly.

"However, Your Highness may want to consider my suggestion carefully." Xiao Xingyue approached again, his voice lowering slightly.

"I don't need nine votes, just a majority is enough."

In other words, only five votes are needed.

After speaking, Xiao Xingyue turned and left.

Li Taiping stared at his retreating figure for a long time without looking away.

Before leaving, Xiao Xingyue was telling her that if she didn't vote, other princesses would vote for her!

She had originally prepared a banquet, intending to assess Xiao Xingyue and use the resources of the user department and the engineering department to persuade him to stop.

But from the moment Xiao Xingyue entered the manor, he had been evaluating her from the opposite perspective.

Assess her power, assess her allies, and even assess whether she truly knows what her subordinates are doing.

For the first time, she felt so clearly that Xiao Xingyue was just as her mother had said... He remained silent until he spoke, and when he did speak, he was astonishing!

When Xiao Xingyue left Taiping Prefecture, the Minister of Personnel and others did not leave. They stood outside the door and took turns bowing to him.

"Your Highness, if you need anything today, please send someone to the Ministry of Personnel."

"If there are any obstacles in the investigation of the documents, I may issue a warrant for assistance on behalf of the Crown Prince."

"Some of the old files from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices can also be transferred to the Investigation Bureau."

"The Court of State Ceremonial is in charge of foreign documents. If the Crown Prince wishes to investigate the old case of Gou Li, I am willing to cooperate."

One sentence after another, all well-spoken, and each one subtly expressed their stance.

Xiao Xingyue responded with a smile:

"I will remember your kindness and pay you a visit in the future."

The smiles on everyone's faces deepened.

But after taking a few steps, Xiao Xingyue's mind started buzzing, and he whispered an instruction to Zhao Yuanbao:

"Divide the visiting cards they sent into three parts: one to record the favor and how we should return the favor; one to record the conditions, what we want and how they should give it to us; and one to record what each of them wants from me."

"Your Highness is awesome, I've learned a lot." Zhao Yuanbao nodded. He was truly eager to learn, and through constant exposure, he had learned many words and knowledge points he had never heard of before.

He was too eager to improve:

"Your Highness, what about the Fifth Princess?"

Xiao Xingyue glanced back at Taiping Prefecture:

"She has already lost."

"Where did we go wrong?"

"She thought she was in control of the situation."

Xiao Xingyue smiled:

"But the ones who really control the situation are her people."

The fact that Gu Bing'en dared to order my imprisonment on her behalf shows that he didn't treat her as his master at all.

If Li Taiping doesn't investigate this matter thoroughly, he'll eventually be dragged down by his own people.

"So, do you still want to cooperate with her?"

"Of course." Xiao Xingyue smiled.

"It's a win-win situation; she'll need me."

As night deepened, the outsiders dispersed.

The lights in the Listening to Rain Hall were still on.

Gu Bing'en, Yan Shao, and several elders from the maternal clan all stood in the hall; this time, no one dared to sit down.

Footsteps sounded from behind the screen, and a woman in palace attire slowly walked out.

She was about thirty years old, and her eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to Li Taiping's. She was less charming and more graceful.

When she is not smiling, her gentle demeanor exudes nobility.

She was none other than Consort Ling, the birth mother of the Fifth Princess.

Everyone immediately bowed:

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Consort Ling raised her hand, signaling everyone to stand up.

She walked to the main seat and glanced in the direction of the Prince's Mansion:

"Intelligent, bold, and good at leveraging opportunities."

Gu Bingen said in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, I failed today."

Consort Ling said coldly:

"You underestimated your opponent."

Gu Bingen's face stiffened.

"He dared to enter Taiping Prefecture alone, so he must have been prepared."

The timing of the Second and Fourth Princesses' arrival suggests that he had anticipated the possibility of Taiping Prefecture turning against him from the moment he received the invitation.

Yan Shao's forehead was covered in sweat.

Li Taiping whispered:

"Mother, Xiao Xingyue's investigation seems to involve the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works..."

Consort Ling gave her a deep look, then glanced at Gu Bingen and the others, who immediately lowered their heads.

Consort Ling said in a deep voice:

"Therefore, we must not rush to win them over, nor can we let others take them away."

Today, taking advantage of Gu Chenjun's mistake, our initial probing of Xiao Xingyue ends here.

Gu Bingen looked up:

"Is Your Highness worried about the death of the King of Zhen?"

Consort Ling's eyes were downcast:

"The death of the King of Zhen is related to the Nine Pythons Devouring the Dragon, and may also involve His Majesty."

These words sent a chill down the spines of everyone in the hall.

Consort Ling continued:

"Until the truth comes out, it remains to be seen whether Xiao Xingyue is a controllable pawn or a scourge that will bring disaster upon himself."

"Taiping, what you need to do next is prevent him from being taken away by the other princesses, especially your older sisters."

Li Taiping nodded:

"Your subject understands."

Consort Ling then looked at Gu Bing'en and Yan Shao:

"You had better give me a satisfactory explanation regarding the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works."

Gu Bing'en's throat tightened: "Your Majesty, I understand."

Consort Ling said coldly:

"If you don't wash yourselves clean, you know what the consequences will be."

Gu Bingen and Yan Shao both lowered their heads at the same time:

"Your subject dares not."

Li Taiping stood aside, his eyes even colder.