son, don't mess around

On the east side of the yard, at the entrance of the yard.

Jinxiu looked suspiciously at the figure that was sneaking away not far away.

Then, isn’t she the maidservant beside Xu Lan? Why is her name Xiaolu?
Why is she here? !
Jinxiu's gaze fell on the eaves not far away, and she quickly realized something... This maid named Xiaolu just came out of Lin Jiangnian's room?

What did she do in Lin Jiangnian's room?
Jinxiu's beautiful face was slightly solemn. She was offended by An Ning and had come here to settle the score with Lin Jiangnian, but she didn't expect to run into this scene.

Is it possible...

As if she thought of something, Jinxiu widened her beautiful eyes slightly... He didn't even let a maid go?

Thinking of this, Jinxiu felt more and more upset. She wanted to turn around and leave, but just after taking a step, she stopped again.

I don't know why, but I feel a little unwilling.

At the same time, there is also some resentment and grievance.

Finally, she gritted her teeth, stepped into the yard, and came to the door of the room under the eaves.

Knock on the door!

There was no response from the room.

Jinxiu continued to knock on the door, but still no response.

Now, Jinxiu began to feel confused.

Xiaolu clearly came out of his room just now, why didn’t she respond?

Jinxiu reached out to push the door, and with a gentle push, the door opened.

She soon discovered... that there was no one in the room.

There was no sign of Lin Jiangnian.

Seeing this scene, Jinxiu's originally depressed emotions suddenly became clear.

He's not in the room?

So, she was overthinking?!

In an instant, Jinxiu's beautiful eyes brightened, and the depression that had just accumulated in her heart disappeared.

But then, she suddenly realized something... Lin Jiangnian was not in the room, so why did Xiaolu come here just now?
Recalling how Xiaolu was tiptoeing around just now, her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

What did she, a little maid, do by sneaking into His Highness's room while he was away?
There must be something wrong!
Jinxiu felt certain in her heart, and she looked around the room with her beautiful eyes.

The furnishings in the room were extremely luxurious. After all, it was the residence personally arranged by the governor of Xunyang, so it could not be shabby.

The room was very large, with exquisitely carved artworks all around, and beautiful scrolls hanging on the walls. Behind the screens that wrapped around it, there was a large bed!
It's big, enough to sleep several people!
Jinxiu looked around and didn't find anything unusual in the room.

Everything was arranged normally, nothing strange.

This made Jinxiu even more suspicious... What on earth did Xiaolu do when she ran into His Highness's room just now?
She is Xu Lan's maid, and she must have come here on Xu Lan's orders.

Jinxiu frowned.

She was not familiar with Xu Lan. Although they traveled south together, they had almost no interactions.

More importantly, Jinxiu could sense a sense of hostility towards herself from Xu Lan.

The reason is self-evident.

Jinxiu can see that Xu Lan is interested in His Highness!
And it's very obvious, very blatant.

Of course this is normal, after all, she and Lin Jiangnian are childhood sweethearts.

And precisely because Xu Lan is hostile to Jinxiu, Jinxiu will pay more attention to Xu Lan's behavior.

For example, right now...

Jinxiu continued to scan the room, trying to find some clues.

Xu Lan is unlikely to harm His Highness. She doesn't have that idea, and the Xu family doesn't have that courage. But how can we find a reasonable explanation for Xiaolu's sneaky behavior?

Jinxiu frowned and thought, but still couldn't figure it out. She searched the room but couldn't find anything wrong.

Jinxiu sighed lightly, thinking that she was overthinking and felt inexplicably worried.

Just as she turned around and prepared to leave, a flash of inspiration suddenly occurred to her mind. She suddenly remembered that she had accidentally overheard some conversations between Xu Lan and Xiao Lu when she was in the inn before...

Although I didn't hear it clearly, I still vaguely heard some key words...

Jinxiu stood there, thinking carefully, her expression gradually becoming solemn.

Something is wrong!
There must be something strange about this master and servant!
……

In the prefect's mansion.

Xunyang prefect He Jinqun closed his eyes and rested, his face expressionless.

Not far in front of him, Zhao Yuan said respectfully: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Princess left the mansion not long ago. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has just returned, and the Princess is nowhere to be found..."

Hearing this, He Jinqun suddenly opened his eyes: "Where did they go?"

"It's a private residence in the eastern suburbs of the city. I don't know who I met. I'm afraid of offending and disturbing the two princes, so I didn't dare to investigate."

A hint of appreciation appeared in He Jinqun's eyes: "You did a great job."

"Thank you for the compliment, sir!"

"These two princes are people you and I cannot afford to offend, so just treat them well. If we can make friends with them, it will be of great benefit to you and me."

He Jinqun narrowed his eyes, not knowing what he was planning.

Zhao Yuan was a little skeptical: "I'm afraid your thoughts and plans cannot be hidden from the two princes."

"so what?"

He Jinqun didn't take it to heart, as he had already made plans for it.

"And one more thing……"

Zhao Yuan seemed to have thought of something and asked, "The relationship between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Her Royal Highness the Princess is probably not as bad as the outside world has said. In fact..."

Hearing this, He Jinqun's eyes narrowed slightly: "What do you know? Tell me in detail!"

"I suspect that the imperial court may have secretly formed an alliance with the Linwang Palace..."

Zhao Yuan hesitated for a moment, then told his previous discovery: "When I went to pick up the two princes, I saw that the eldest princess and the prince were very close. Even the maidservant beside the eldest princess was very fond of the prince..."

After listening to this, He Jinqun's expression became slightly solemn.

"If that's true, this is big news!"

The imperial court wanted to reduce the power of the vassal states, and on the surface, it was incompatible with the Lin Wang Mansion. But secretly, it still facilitated this marriage... The deep meaning behind this is worth exploring.

"Does the imperial court want to win over the Lin family?"

He Jinqun murmured to himself, after the death of the previous emperor, the new emperor still wanted to marry the eldest princess to the prince of Lin, and the only reasonable explanation was to win him over.

"But why does the imperial court want to win over the Lin family?!"

He Jinqun frowned, and after a while, a bold idea suddenly emerged in his mind, and his pupils shrank slightly.

"Could it be..."

"The imperial court has already noticed the rebellious intentions of the northern Xu family and is planning to take action against them?!"

When this thought came to mind, He Jinqun's expression changed slightly and became more solemn.

If this is true, the dynasty will probably undergo drastic changes.

And he, as the prefect, is bound to be involved in it.

He immediately stood up and asked, "Where is the governor now?"

"The governor hasn't arrived in the city yet!"

"Prepare the carriages and horses. I want to go and greet the Governor in person!"

He Jinqun waved his hand and left in a hurry.

……

On the other side, the outer courtyard.

"Not long ago, He Jinqun suddenly left the prefectural government in a hurry and prepared a carriage to leave the city. Judging from the situation, he was probably going to meet the governor..."

"Yanzhou Governor Yuan Zhongnan left Xunyang City some time ago. Intelligence shows that after the prince was assassinated, Yuan Zhongnan sent many people to Linjiang City to inquire about the situation..."

"Your Highness, a letter came from Prince Lin's Mansion. The prince is still unconscious, but the palace is not in chaos. The order of Linjiang City is not disturbed. Everything is maintained in an orderly manner..."

In the courtyard, Lin Kong lowered his head and respectfully reported the information to Lin Jiangnian.

This time when they went south back to the Lin Palace, Lin Qingqing followed Lin Jiangnian openly, while Lin Kong secretly investigated and collected intelligence.

On the other hand, Lin Jiangnian also sent people to rush back to the Prince Lin's Mansion day and night to investigate the situation of the Prince Lin's Mansion.

At this time, Lin Jiangnian listened to the information sent back from the Linwang Mansion and frowned slightly. The Linwang Mansion was not in chaos, and the order in Linjiang City was not in chaos. This was indeed good news.

But the prince never woke up, which still made people feel uneasy.

It has been a while since Lin Hengzhong was stabbed, and he still hasn't woken up. This can only mean that Lin Hengzhong's injuries... are probably very serious!
Even, there is a high possibility that your life will be in danger?
But soon, Lin Jiangnian felt something was not right?
I can’t explain it, but I feel like things aren’t that simple.

How could Lin Hengzhong, a master who has already stood at the top of the world, get injured so badly?
What level of expert is needed to severely injure him? !
"Qingqing, what do you think?"

Lin Jiangnian glanced at Lin Qingqing under the eaves and asked her what she thought.

Lin Qingqing frowned slightly and shook her head: "I don't know either, but it doesn't seem that simple!"

"How to say?"

"The prince's injury..."

Lin Qingqing sighed softly: "It is said that the prince is seriously injured, but all the news comes from the Linwang Mansion, and outsiders can't see the prince at all."

"No outsider has seen the prince since he was injured!"

"...I also don't believe that there is anyone in the world who could seriously injure the prince to this extent."

Obviously, Lin Qingqing also had doubts in her heart.

In front of His Highness, she did not hide her thoughts.

As someone who was adopted by Lin Hengzhong himself, she knew the prince's strength best. In Lin Qingqing's eyes, the prince was almost invincible, so how could he be seriously injured and unconscious until now?
"You mean, there's a chance that the prince isn't injured?"

Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes slightly: "He is pretending all this?"

"It's possible."

Lin Qingqing nodded, but soon became confused: "But why did the prince do this?"

"That's unknown!"

Lin Jiang shook his head.

Judging from the current situation, something is indeed not right.

But if the prince had been pretending to be injured, and all this was his plan from the beginning to the end, then some things could be explained...

But Lin Jiangnian couldn't be sure.

Even he faced life-and-death situations several times and almost lost his life, so naturally he had to be careful.

Right now, he still has to wait until he returns to Prince Lin’s Mansion and sees the prince in person before he can be sure.

"How long will it take us to reach Linjiang City?"

Lin Jiangnian asked.

"If we're fast, we should be able to reach Linzhou in half a month. By then, soldiers from Linzhou will come to pick us up..."

"Okay, let's get ready. Get some rest tonight and continue our journey tomorrow!"

"Yes."

"..."

After Lin Qingqing and Lin Kong finished reporting the situation, they each withdrew.

It was evening and Li Piaomiao had just returned from outside.

That dazzling white dress looked absolutely beautiful against the backdrop of the setting sun.

"Where did you go?"

Lin Jiangnian stood under the eaves, looking at her with a smile.

Li Piaomiao raised his eyes, glanced at him, and said lightly: "I did something."

"Do you need help?" Lin Jiangnian asked back.

"Need not."

Li Piaomiao's answer was concise and to the point.

"alright."

Lin Jiangnian just asked casually and didn't say much.

When Li Piaomiao was about to leave, she stopped beside Lin Jiangnian. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, "What would you do if the Xu family rebelled?"

Hearing this question, Lin Jiangnian was slightly startled, then shrugged and said with a smile: "I am just a dandy prince who lives a life of idleness and waits for death. What do you think I can do, Princess?"

Li Piaomiao didn't say anything. Her beautiful and cold eyes stared at him quietly without saying a word.

Lin Jiangnian sighed in his heart. He naturally knew that Li Piaomiao was not asking about him.

Obviously, Lin Jiangnian's previous remarks made the princess feel a sense of crisis and realized the trouble of the Xu family.

Lin Jiangnian wanted to escape, but the princess didn't seem to intend to let him go.

"If the Xu family plots rebellion, they will be the enemy of the dynasty. As subjects of the dynasty, our Lin family should naturally safeguard the interests of the dynasty. If the princess can use us at that time, our Lin family will shed blood for the court, serve the country with all our heart, and die for it..."

Lin Jiangnian's words are somewhat hypocritical. I'm not sure how convincing they are.

But Li Piaomiao didn't delve into it further.

She looked at Lin Jiangnian quietly for a moment, then looked away and nodded.

Turn around and leave.

"This woman is so weird!"

Lin Jiangnian looked at Li Piaomiao's leaving back and sighed softly.

The Xu family is plotting a rebellion?

Whether he would rebel or not has little to do with Lin Jiangnian now.

The Xu family is far away in the north. If they really want to rebel, the first thing they will have to deal with is the imperial court, which has nothing to do with the Lin family.

In a sense, if the Xu family really rebelled, it would be more beneficial to the Lin family.

The Lin family, who were based in the south of the dynasty, could use this to threaten the imperial court and gain more benefits from it.

Even more, maybe he can really do as those people in the court said... and declare himself king?
……

In the evening, the sky is getting dark.

Lin Jiangnian took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and returned to the room.

"Tsk, it's luxurious indeed!"

Lin Jiangnian looked at the furnishings in the room. The decoration was not much worse than that of his room as a prince.

It can be seen how much the Xunyang prefect valued and respected him.

It was still early, and after taking a shower and changing clothes, Lin Jiangnian returned to his room with nothing to do, so he sat cross-legged and began to practice his internal strength.

As the internal force fluctuated, the temperature in the room gradually rose, and the aura lingering around Lin Jiangnian also became stronger.

Lin Jiangnian's current internal strength is close to that of a third-grade master.

This speed of progress is terrifying.

And all this is thanks to Li Piaomiao!

After a while, Lin Jiangnian slowly finished his training.

No!

too slow!
Ever since he had a delicious meal at Li Piaomiao's place, Lin Jiangnian has become addicted to it and has become a picky person!

During this period of time since going south, Lin Jiangnian has basically stayed by Li Piaomiao's side, using the excuse of "curing" Li Piaomiao's illness while absorbing the cold energy in her body for his own cultivation.

The speed of practicing alone is too slow!

So, Lin Jiangnian got up and planned to go find Li Piaomiao and suck her hard while it was still early.

Having made up his mind, he just walked to the door of the room.

"Bang bang bang!"

There was a knock on the door.

Then, a slightly nervous voice was heard coming from outside the door.

"Lin, Lin Jiangnian?"

"are u there?"

"..." (End of this chapter)