Chapter 109

In the Zhennan Prince Fu, a beautiful woman was feeding fish by the pond in the courtyard.

She looked somewhat dazed, continuously throwing fish feed into the pond; perhaps she had fed them too much, as some fish were already bloated but still eating.

If the fish feed hadn't run out, the fish here would likely have eaten themselves to death and floated belly-up.

Fish, as a species, have a characteristic: if they don't eat themselves to death, they will eat until they die.

Seeing that it was getting late, Ji Lianyu sighed mournfully and returned to her room to prepare for rest.

Generally speaking, at this time, she should have changed into carefully prepared clothes and be on her way to the palace.

But Xu Zifeng had said he would be out for a few days, and there was no news of him being caught and thrown into the dungeon.

Thus, Ji Lianyu had no suitable reason to serve Li Chen.

"Zifeng, that child, it's so dangerous outside so late; it would be safer in the dungeon."

If Xu Zifeng knew his aunt was hoping he'd be caught for this reason, he would likely be so angry he'd vomit blood.

That night, Ji Lianyu tossed and turned, unable to sleep; it felt like something was missing, and she couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

Besides Xu Zifeng, quite a few people left the Imperial Capital today.

In the Jing'an Prince Fu, Princess Li Ling was holding some delicious food, intending to give it to Chen Xuan; after all, he was her husband in name.

Married for three years, the two had never lived together and lived in different places.

Li Ling came to Chen Xuan's residence, but upon opening the door, she found he wasn't there, and there was a note on the table.

It roughly said he had something to go out for and would return later.

This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened, and she was already used to it, always feeling that this guy was mysterious.

There was no help for it, so Li Ling had to return to her empty room alone.

Regarding the concept of guarding an empty room alone, the one who understood it most deeply was the Crown Princess.

At this moment, in the Crown Prince Fu, quite a few experts from the Ministry of Justice were already lying in ambush outside the gate.

Since Li Chen had spoken personally yesterday, Pang Jin did not dare to be negligent.

Moreover, he was also investigating and laying out plans for the Crown Prince's case.

With experts from the Ministry of Justice nearby, the petty criminals naturally didn't dare to make any moves.

It looked like secret protection, but in reality, it was open intimidation!

Inside the boudoir of the Crown Prince Fu, a woman with a stunning face rested her chin on her hand, contemplating her life.

The Crown Princess was named Yun Shang, and her family power was vast, spreading throughout the May Tian Ce Dynasty; this was also the Crown Prince's purpose in marrying her.

The Crown Prince had always valued benefits; he married so many wives just to gain the support of the forces behind them.

After he ascended the throne, he could rely on these people, plus the forces attached to him, to stabilize the situation.

Yun Shang's father was named Yun Xu, the commander of the Second Army Group of the May Tian Ce Dynasty.

In the May Tian Ce Dynasty, he was a man holding heavy power.

This Second Army Group was an army stationed in the south, specifically to guard against the Zhennan Prince.

The Crown Prince's ideas and layouts were not bad; as long as he married Yun Shang, then Yun Xu, as his father-in-law, would naturally not let the Zhennan Prince rise.

Yun Shang had been famous since childhood, and she was a perfect match for the Crown Prince.

She had no resistance to marrying the Crown Prince because her goal was to become Empress.

Coming to the Crown Prince Fu, having worked hard for so many years, wholeheartedly supporting the Crown Prince, and with only a few more years until she would become Empress, who knew the Crown Prince would suddenly die at this time.

This shattered Yun Shang's beautiful dream, and she suddenly went from being the high-and-mighty Crown Princess to a widow.

With the Crown Prince's passing, many concubines in the Fu had already returned home; very few remained. It wasn't that these people cherished the Crown Prince's affection—the Crown Prince was often out socializing, so how could affection grow over time?

Those who stayed were basically using the Crown Prince's last connections to help their families develop.

But Yun Shang was unwilling; if she just went back like this, wouldn't all her years of effort be in vain?

Now was not the time to observe wifely virtues; the Crown Prince was only so-so to her, and everyone was together for each other's purposes.

No matter who became Emperor, Yun Shang wanted to be Empress.

This was the main reason Yun Shang contacted the Second Imperial Prince and Li Chen.

But both of them were afraid she was plotting some conspiracy, so they both expressed refusal.

Yun Shang was not discouraged; she didn't believe it—with her beauty, no one wanted it even if she gave it away for free?

If that didn't work, she could still increase the stakes.

Now the Second Imperial Prince was about to make a move against His Majesty, and she wanted to wait for the result of this time; she couldn't place the wrong bet again.

However, Yun Shang still leaned toward Li Chen winning; after all, Li Chen was truly handsome and strong, and he was the legitimate Emperor—where could one find such a man?

It wasn't that Li Xian wasn't excellent, it was just that the person he was compared to was simply too super-model-like.

When Yun Shang rested tonight, her mind was full of Li Chen's figure.

Especially the way Li Chen rejected her—truly unique!

Yun Shang had considered several men, but she had never considered the Third Imperial Prince.

Yet, the Third Imperial Prince liked her and was even unable to forget her.

The Third Imperial Prince's confidants all knew that he carried a handkerchief with him; this handkerchief was what Yun Shang had used to wipe his sweat back then, and he had kept it until now.

He still remembered that back then, after the Third Imperial Prince's cultivation talent was crushed by the Second Imperial Prince, he resolutely threw himself into the army and started racking up military merits.

When he first entered the army, it was in the Second Army Group, and all the various abilities the Third Imperial Prince possessed were learned from the commander, Yun Xu.

Then he naturally had the opportunity to contact Yun Shang, and Yun Shang had always been his white moonlight.

When the Third Imperial Prince was punished by Yun Xu for making a mistake, it was Yun Shang who helped him wipe his sweat, which was also the origin of that handkerchief.

Perhaps Yun Shang had already forgotten, but he had not.

Who knew the Crown Prince would come along and snatch his love, forcing the Emperor to grant a marriage and stealing his beloved woman.

At the time, he was so angry he wanted to kill the Crown Prince because he felt the Crown Prince did it on purpose.

Actually, he guessed right; the Crown Prince did it on purpose. As long as he married Yun Shang, he could gain the support of the Second Army Group commander Yun Xu, and he could also cut off one of the Third Imperial Prince's arms—killing two birds with one stone.

The Crown Prince had been very learned since childhood; he developed a method similar to the founding Emperor of the previous dynasty, using recruitment to expand his power, which was very slow.

But marriage was fast; as long as these capable or background-rich women became his wives and concubines, they certainly wouldn't want anything to happen to him, and they would also hope for him to become Emperor and then rise to prominence.

It didn't even require the Crown Prince to take the initiative; the women around him would also use their own resources to help the Crown Prince advance further.

The Crown Prince felt his approach was completely fine; not to mention the founding Emperor of the previous dynasty, even the late Emperor was like this—the Empress Dowager and those concubines were many of them descendants of meritorious officials.

Facts proved that as the number of women increased, the power in his hands also grew larger.

Coupled with the accumulation of his status as Crown Prince, he began to gain a firm foothold in the May Tian Ce Dynasty.

The Crown Prince had considered before that once he became Emperor and wiped out the Zhennan Prince, he would immediately take the Zhennan Prince's wife into the harem.

The Zhennan Prince's wife was originally a descendant of the great Ji clan; the Ji clan had moved south and developed there for a long time, possessing a certain prestige and connections.

Then, through the method of taking a concubine, he could let the Ji clan help stabilize the situation in that region, which would allow him to quickly solve various problems in the south.

This was also the reason why the Crown Prince had the most concubines among the Imperial Princes.

Regardless of how ugly those women were, or even if they had physical defects, he didn't care; what he wanted were resources and connections.

Unfortunately, the Crown Prince's grand plan of taking concubines was theoretically good, but he didn't have the ability of the founding Emperor of the previous dynasty. As long as one of the women he married was an inside agent wanting to deal with him, he could only die with hatred, dying in an unclear way.

Li Chen, who had read the "Imperial Dragon Sacred Scripture", naturally knew this point. He didn't want to die in such an unclear way, so before the "Imperial Dragon Sacred Scripture" was complete, he didn't have too many thoughts.

He could try those he found himself; those who were too proactive were mostly dangerous.

This was also the reason he rejected the Crown Princess at light speed; the Second Imperial Prince was obviously not a fool either.

After returning to the Imperial Capital, Li Chen's layout for the Manghuang Mountain Range was almost finished.

Next, he followed Lin Yue'e to the inn she had been watching yesterday. Since he guessed that the Crown Prince's master was here, Li Chen naturally had to come and scout it out first; if there was danger, he would solve it personally.

The inn is located on the west side of the Imperial Capital, with an elegant environment and booming business, with many people coming and going.

The most important thing is that this is a major traffic artery.

Whether it's staying here or eating here, it's very convenient.

Li Chen and Lin Yue'e came to the front desk, and Lin Yue'e took out a waist token.

This was a waist token proving her identity as a head constable; there was no need for Li Chen's waist token to appear in such a place.

If he accidentally took out Li Chen's waist token, that would be too scary.

However, Lin Yue'e put Li Chen's waist token on her chest and her own waist token on her waist, so she wouldn't touch the wrong one.

It was also an expression of keeping Li Chen in her heart.

"It's Head Constable. I have already reported the list of Spring Examination students. Is there a problem?"

Seeing Lin Yue'e's waist token, the shopkeeper thought it was the government office investigating whether any students had substituted their identities to take the exam.

!

Every year, there are more or less such incidents; the imperial court checks very strictly, and they cooperate very well.

"That's not the problem. I want you to check on someone; they should be staying in this inn."

Lin Yue'e recounted the situation she saw yesterday, which was the clothing characteristics of the Dingtian Shiren.

The shopkeeper was very sensible and, according to her request, called over several shop assistants.

Through communication with the shop assistants, the basic information about the Dingtian Shiren was quickly obtained.

"Reporting to the Head Constable, the person you are investigating is an outsider. He arrived at our small shop yesterday. The shop assistant saw him go out very early today, and there is a partner staying at the inn; she is currently eating at the Fragrant Pavilion."

The shopkeeper stated where the Dingtian Shiren's room was.

Such a large inn can basically provide food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

After receiving the news, Li Chen followed Lin Yue'e to the Fragrant Pavilion.

The so-called Fragrant Pavilion is a relatively large dining place.

When Li Chen arrived here, he saw an unexpected person.

Isn't this the woman he saw yesterday at that exotic-style restaurant?

According to the shop assistant's identification, this woman was the target they were looking for.

After locking onto the target, Lin Yue'e let the shop assistant go back to his own business and told him not to alert the enemy.

The shop assistant indicated he understood; it wasn't his first time cooperating with such matters, and he expressed that it was his honor to serve the Head Constable.

After saying this, he went to greet nearby guests.

Lin Yue'e took Li Chen to a place where no one was around and organized the clues in her mind well, telling Li Chen.

According to the information Lin Yue'e obtained, after the Second Imperial Prince was scared away by the strength Li Chen displayed in the court, he was not reconciled and went back to invite his master to come out of the mountains.

The news from the Tianyan Shen Zong said that the Second Imperial Prince's master and mistress had already gone into seclusion.

And Lin Yue'e had discovered someone in the Imperial Capital suspected to be his master.

Doesn't this mean that seclusion was just an excuse, and his master and mistress had already arrived in the Imperial Capital and were plotting against Li Chen?

As a close official beside Li Chen, Lin Yue'e suggested finding a way to solve the Second Imperial Prince's master and mistress first, removing this danger first.

The Spring Hunt certainly still had people hidden deeper; not only did the Second Imperial Prince want to make a dark move, for example, the Ministry of Justice and the government office were both investigating remnants of the previous dynasty, and there were even some lurkers whose forces were unknown, who were likely also going to make a move.

In Lin Yue'e's view, since the person in front of them could be solved first, they could act directly.

But she only stated her own opinion; how to handle it specifically still depended on Li Chen.

After listening for a long time, Li Chen finally understood.

In other words, I can accept this woman?

According to Li Chen's way of thinking, anyone who has malice toward him doesn't need to be too polite.

Just like Xu Zifeng's aunt, she is proactive now, and she serves Li Chen very well, giving her a full sense of accomplishment.

If it were forced, how could there be such a feeling?

Li Xian's mistress, looking at her, is even more charming and alluring.

Li Chen is a person who likes to enjoy life and has no great interest in dead fish.

He is thinking about how to make Li Xian's mistress take the initiative to deliver herself to his door.

This woman is not an ordinary woman; she has a high status in the sect, and her own cultivation is also very strong. If he wants to make her yield, he must master her personality and weaknesses.

There are 4 days left until the Spring Hunt; in these 4 days, if he can find a way, he can have some fun.

If he can't find it, then Li Chen can only use force.

He won't be arrogant and leave behind future troubles, nor does he intend to let Li Xian's mistress go.

After thinking for a moment, Li Chen thought he would scout for information first.

He let Lin Yue'e monitor here and ordered the shop assistant to take him to the room where the Dingtian Shiren was staying.

The shop assistant had sharp eyes and saw that Lin Yue'e, a head constable, was very low-key in front of Li Chen, so he felt Li Chen was also a big official and was very earnest in his work.

Arriving near the guest room of the inn, the shop assistant opened the door and indicated that this was the place he was looking for. Li Chen waved his hand to let him leave, and the shop assistant left without looking back.

He knew well that sometimes knowing less is a good thing.

After he left, Li Chen entered the room and placed an inconspicuous conch-shaped stone at the foot of the bed in the room.

This is Li Chen's refined gadget, the 'Recording Stone', which will record all the movements in the room.

The Dingtian Shiren is a powerful expert at the Sage Realm; if he put some living creatures or eavesdropped nearby, he would certainly be able to detect it.

It is often these inconspicuous stones that won't make people suspicious.

After doing all this, Li Chen closed the door and returned to the Fragrant Pavilion.

Seeing Li Chen return, Lin Yue'e immediately said, "That woman is still there, but just while you were gone, three people tried to chat her up, and they were all rejected by her."

As a government official, Lin Yue'e recorded the details normally.

As a woman, she was indeed a bit envious of that woman's figure.

Especially those full breasts, which were something Lin Yue'e lacked.

She bound her chest very tightly, but even if she relaxed, she didn't have that scale.

But those were just thoughts she had when she was bored just now; now she was considering whether to immediately gather people to act against that woman, or wait until the Second Imperial Prince's master came and do it together.

She recommended breaking them one by one to avoid danger when the time came.

Li Chen, however, said, "I have a plan; you cooperate with me."

Li Chen told Lin Yue'e the plan.

Roughly, it was: I want to handle that woman; you be my wingman and provide some assistance.

As for the Dingtian Shiren, Li Chen wasn't afraid; I'm at max level, it's good enough that I don't kill you, and you still dare to come and kill me?

The moment you make a move is your death date, not to mention Li Chen had already buried formations.

Lin Yue'e understood after listening for a while; His Majesty certainly wasn't just greedily lusting after beauty.

Because that woman had a very high status in the Tianyan Shen Zong and was powerful; killing her would trigger the revenge of the Tianyan Shen Zong, and even the turmoil of a sect alliance.

His Majesty intended to take her for his own use, also to stabilize the situation.

Indeed, my perspective was small, only considering fighting and killing.

It was fortunate that His Majesty reminded me; otherwise, I would have nearly made a big mistake.

Yes, His Majesty certainly meant this!

(End of this chapter)