Xie Shikun narrowed his eyes, “What do you mean?”
His brother had always shown little interest in women, so why was he acting so strangely today?
“A different kind of fate than the one you’re thinking of.” Qi Shujin picked up the red string that had fallen on the ground and continued drinking his tea.
Within the Imperial City of Fengyun Kingdom, a figure swiftly exited the palace.
Continuous drizzle shrouded the vermilion palace walls in mist, while the green glazed tiles gleamed brightly under the rain.
Chen Qingyang emerged from the palace and boarded a carriage amidst the persistent drizzle, saying, “Go to the Protector-General’s Estate.”
The weather seemed to perfectly mirror his current mood.
Everything had unfolded according to his calculations, and he was about to marry Jiang Anya as desired. The Protector-General’s Estate had already become his solid backing. Why then did his heart feel so heavy?
The attendant waiting outside immediately followed, then contacted the prearranged betrothal procession to depart from the Third Prince’s Residence and head to the Protector-General’s Estate.
The continuous drizzle couldn’t dampen the gossipy curiosity of those eager for news. The entire Imperial City of Fengyun Kingdom knew that the Third Prince had gone to the palace to request an imperial marriage decree and was personally proceeding to the Protector-General’s Estate to deliver the betrothal gifts.
Murong Chao arrived at the innermost private room on the second floor of the teahouse and pushed open the door. Her almond-shaped eyes coolly glanced at the middle-aged man seated inside—Jiang Ze, the most trusted advisor of Fengyun Kingdom’s eldest prince.
Jiang Ze hadn’t expected the person who arranged to meet him to be such a young girl. He scrutinized her with sharp eyes.
He couldn’t sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from her—either she had no cultivation, or she surpassed him. He never considered that Murong Chao might possess artifacts concealing her cultivation level.
The pendant had already fused, yet it still retained its function of masking cultivation—an effect that couldn’t be refused. However, not displaying her cultivation level also had advantages, such as in this situation, where the other party couldn’t discern her strength and dared not act rashly.
“Who are you, miss? What business do you have with me?”
Murong Chao calmly sat opposite the man, placing her umbrella beside the adjacent chair.
“Who I am isn’t important. What matters is that I can fulfill the eldest prince’s wishes.”
“Why should I believe you?”
Jiang Ze’s gaze tightened. Who wouldn’t want to become Crown Prince? But the Third Prince bore the title of War God, and with the Protector-General’s Estate as his backing, he essentially held half of Fengyun Kingdom’s military power. For the eldest prince to attain the Crown Prince position—it was difficult.
This girl before him was merely just past the age of fifteen and unwilling to reveal her name. Did she truly possess such capability?
“The eldest prince’s greatest obstacle is Chen Qingyang. Chen Qingyang originally had the Crown Prince position firmly secured, but he took a wrong step. Once he marries Jiang Anya, he will lose any chance for the Crown Prince position.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ze’s gaze tightened again, and he couldn’t help asking, “With the Protector-General’s Estate as his support, how could the Third Prince lose his chance for the Crown Prince position?”
Murong Chao curled her lips slightly, “Surely you know the Emperor’s taboos.”
At this point, Jiang Ze felt somewhat disappointed. How could he not know the Emperor’s taboos?
First, the taboo against princes possessing strong power and popular support while the Emperor is still in his prime. Second, the taboo against princes colluding with powerful officials. The Third Prince wasn’t merely colluding—he was directly pulling someone into his faction. He had violated both of the Emperor’s taboos.
They were well aware of this point, but the Third Prince was currently riding high on momentum, and even the Emperor tolerated it. If they stepped forward, they might gain no benefits and instead end up sullied.
Now that the Continental Resource Championship is about to begin, only the crown prince of each nation can participate, and these resources are crucial to every country. Every nation needs a strong and capable crown prince, and the Fengyun Kingdom is no exception. Anyone can see that Chen Qingyang is currently the more suitable candidate for the Crown Prince position.
“Is that all?” Jiang Ze’s words clearly expressed doubt about Murong Chao’s abilities.
Murong Chao curled the corner of her lips slightly and softly uttered two words, “Retrieve the Military Seal in his hands.”
Jiang Ze narrowed his eyes. The military power held by the Third Prince, combined with that of the Protector-General’s Estate, already accounted for half of the Fengyun Kingdom’s forces. Even the other princes feared this military authority—would the Emperor not fear it? Of course, he did.
However, the Third Prince had just pacified the border, achieving such great merit. Even if the Emperor wanted to reclaim the military power in his hands, he had restrained himself from acting. To make the Emperor retrieve the Military Seal from him—this was not a reason just anyone could find.
“Everyone knows the reasoning, but how can it be accomplished?” Jiang Ze’s words were clearly testing Murong Chao.
No one would dare step forward without certainty.
Murong Chao tapped the table with her finger, and a sheet of paper appeared on it. Her slender, fair fingers pushed the paper toward him.
“The Protector-General is a subject. The Emperor does not fear military power in his hands, but it’s different when it’s in the hands of a prince. To reclaim the military authority from Chen Qingyang, the Emperor needs a reason he cannot avoid.”
Before the Continental Championship, unless the Emperor’s bottom line is crossed, it would be insufficient to make him reclaim the Military Seal from Chen Qingyang now.
Jiang Ze looked at the flimsy sheet of paper before him and didn’t take it seriously at first. However, after reading its contents, he was so startled that he stood up abruptly. It recorded only one matter, but it was something that held the Third Prince’s lifeline in its grip. How did she know about this? They had been monitoring Chen Qingyang closely and hadn’t discovered this information.
If it were true, the First Prince’s Crown Prince position would indeed be secure.
He quickly calmed down. “What do you want?”
All under heaven come for profit; he didn’t believe this young woman before him had no desires. He was more inclined to think it was her master behind her.
When Jiang Ze asked this question, Murong Chao knew the matter was settled. She glanced out the window and saw Chen Qingyang’s carriage and horses, returning from delivering betrothal gifts to the Protector-General’s Estate, passing by downstairs.
“Consider it my goodwill in helping the Emperor of the Fengyun Kingdom decide on the Crown Prince candidate.” With these words, she bent down, picked up her umbrella, and left the private room.
She didn’t care about the fate of the Fengyun Kingdom; she only wanted to reclaim everything she had given Chen Qingyang. If he wanted to become Crown Prince, he could dream on.
Jiang Ze’s lips twitched. If he believed that, he would be a fool. He put away the sheet of paper, stood up, and chased after her, but Murong Chao’s figure was already nowhere to be seen.
As long as her master behind her had desires, she would surely appear again. For now, the most important thing was the Crown Prince position. Jiang Ze settled the bill and hurried toward the First Prince’s Residence.
Murong Chao walked in the direction from which Chen Qingyang’s carriage procession had come.
Xie Shikun watched the graceful figure not far ahead. In the light rain, under a pale purple oil-paper umbrella, wearing pale purple robes, she was beautiful, yet there was an indescribable loneliness about her.
This woman had a story to tell!
“Shujin, what exactly do you want to do? Following her like this isn’t a solution.” Xie Shikun didn’t know what his friend intended, but one thing he was sure of—it wasn’t romantic feelings.
Qi Shujin curled the corner of his lips. “We don’t have a place to stay tonight.”
Xie Shikun looked at him in shock. “You don’t mean to stay at her place, do you?”
They could certainly afford to stay at an inn, and besides, would the young lady even agree?
“Why not?” Qi Shujin replied calmly.
Xie Shikun pointed at him in disbelief. “Even someone as notoriously flirtatious as me wouldn’t dare think that way.”
Qi Shujin’s mouth twitched. At least he had a clear understanding of himself.