"Which is the Third Prince’s residence?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵
This question shocked not only Qi Simiao, the Second Prince, and Li Yinglian, but also Zheng Fan, who was standing to the side.
As the victim, Zheng Fan actually hadn’t been privy to much information about the investigation. The Sixth Prince’s trading caravan was not the Spy Bureau; it could be used to gather rumors, but trying to operate like the Imperial Guards would have likely cost the Sixth Prince his head long ago.
So, Zheng Fan had been following Lord Jingnan’s line of reasoning.
Initially, Zheng Fan had believed Qi Simiao was the enemy who had plotted against him, and that the Second Prince was definitely implicated as well.
Zheng Fan was still wondering, Do I really have the face of a rebel? Or is the Second Prince so deeply wary of the Sixth Prince that he would decisively crush any sign of the Sixth Prince trying to extend his reach and build power?
But with Lord Jingnan’s words, the turn of events was so abrupt it nearly threw Zheng Fan off balance.
Are these princes really so ruthless? How on earth did this Yan Emperor father such a brood of demons?
With this twist, many things that were previously shrouded in mist began to clear up.
The assassination was carried out by the Second Prince’s men. Due to his maternal Tian Family’s connections, the Second Prince had considerable influence within the Jingnan Army. Simply put, he could mobilize a group of them.
Killing Zheng Fan was intended to cripple the Sixth Prince. The Sixth Prince might act like an idle prince, but that persona only began after his matriarchal clan was exterminated and his mother, the imperial consort, was forced to commit suicide by white silk.
It must be remembered that the Sixth Prince’s older brothers, being his seniors, had likely witnessed how high-profile and deeply favored by their father the Sixth Prince was in his early years. Although it was unclear why their father had suddenly begun to suppress their sixth brother, an instinctive apprehension made them unwilling to see the long-dormant sixth brother suddenly start to make moves and expand his influence.
Of course, if the Third Prince was truly the mastermind, then killing me was merely an appetizer. That would be the true ’Xiang Zhuang performing a sword dance’—a diversion for a hidden, deadlier motive.
Using the Second Prince’s men to strike created the appearance of Lord Jingnan colluding with the Jin State, leading to the subsequent series of upheavals. It was precisely because of that assassination that the Jin and Qian States began to derisively refer to Lord Jingnan as ’Prince Jingnan.’
And Lord Jingnan, being the Second Prince’s maternal uncle, was naturally aligned with the Second Prince’s faction. To sever the Second Prince’s path to becoming crown prince, Lord Jingnan was the best target to eliminate.
Making him stand out, thrusting him into the eye of the storm—it seemed like they were building momentum for him and praising him, but in reality, they were ’killing him with praise’!
Throughout history, there are countless examples of ’boiling the hounds after the cunning rabbits are caught.’ Especially when an external minister’s power and prestige reach a certain level, how could the one on the Dragon Throne not feel threatened?
This was the overt layer. Then there was the even more insidious, covert layer.
Furthermore, Qi Simiao’s behavior when Lord Jingnan directly condemned him—actions that seemed like attempts to exonerate himself but were actually implicating the Second Prince—clearly indicated prior rehearsal, or at the very least, mental preparation. This meant they had already made contingency plans: if the matter was traced back to them, they would sacrifice Qi Simiao and ensure he dragged the Second Prince down with him, thereby destroying any possibility of the Second Prince inheriting the throne!
Each link connected to the next, every step meticulously calculated. This could no longer be described as simply ’killing with a borrowed knife’; they had wielded this ’knife’ with masterful finesse.
Qi Simiao’s mouth fell agape. He seemed to want to say something but didn’t know how to begin. In the face of such an overwhelmingly dominant Lord Jingnan, he knew that anything he said would be useless.
The Second Prince, however, almost leaped up from his kneeling position, exclaiming, "The Third Prince did this?"
The Second Prince had always been known at court and among the public as an ’honest man.’ But a prince was still a prince; ’honest’ is not synonymous with ’utterly foolish.’
"Replying to Your Lordship, the Third Prince’s residence is further back," Li Yinglian immediately responded.
Lord Jingnan walked up to the Second Prince. The Second Prince stared dazedly at his maternal uncle, while Lord Jingnan looked back at him intently.
Then, Lord Jingnan walked past the Second Prince and strode out of the pavilion.
Zheng Fan and his personal guards followed Lord Jingnan out. Qi Simiao remained kneeling there, unguarded.
The backs of many eunuchs and palace maids surrounding the pavilion were drenched in sweat.
The Second Prince’s mouth hung open, and he seemed to be gasping for air. Li Yinglian quickly rose to support him, patting his back and consoling him, "Your Highness, it’s alright now. It’s alright, it’s alright."
The Second Prince panted heavily, nodding with lingering fear. Then, his gaze slowly fell upon Qi Simiao, who was still kneeling on the ground.
"Teacher Qi, I have called you Teacher for three years! Why would you treat me ?"
Qi Simiao remained silent.
"Have I ever mistreated you, Teacher Qi? Have I ever wronged you? Why must you drive me to my death?"
Hearing this, Qi Simiao suddenly smiled.
"Teacher Qi, why do you laugh?"
Still kneeling, Qi Simiao slowly said, "Our Great Yan’s past emperors, including the current one, have either been extravagant and licentious or excessively militaristic and aggressive. Only the Third Prince can usher in a truly prosperous era for Great Yan, restore the sage governance of old, and ensure eternal peace!"
Today’s events cannot end well, Qi Simiao knew in his heart. Therefore, he no longer cared and blurted everything out.
"Third Brother... Hehehe... Third Brother... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."