son, don't mess around

The more chaotic the court is, the more beneficial it is for the Linwang Palace!
If the Xu family really rebels, there will be chaos in the world!
If the imperial court wants to suppress the rebellion in the north, it will not have the energy to deal with the Lin family in the south. What's more... the imperial court will need the troops of the Lin Palace to help suppress the rebellion!

With the current capabilities of the imperial court, can it stop the powerful Xu family?
Hard to say.

The Xu family has been operating in Xuzhou for many years and has long been strong and powerful. They have countless soldiers under their command, and most of them are soldiers who have defended the border and actually fought on the battlefield.

On the other hand, the troops guarding the imperial court, although known as the king's army and the elite of the dynasty, are ultimately somewhat of a paper war.

If a war really breaks out, no one can be sure how much combat power there will be.

Once the imperial court is caught up in war and unable to take care of itself, the initiative will be in the hands of Prince Lin.

And Prince Lin naturally had a legitimate reason to lead his troops into the capital to quell the rebellion!

Once Prince Lin leads his troops into the capital, it will be hard to say who will control the world in the end...

Lin Hengzhong remained silent. He glanced at Wu Yue who was lowering his head slightly in the yard, but said nothing.

Then, he looked ahead and asked, "Where are Zheng Zhiming and Dongfang Guanshan?"

Wu Yue replied, "After learning that the prince was attacked and injured, Dongfang Guanshan rushed back from Xuzhou overnight and should be able to return to the palace in a few days. Zheng Zhiming received your secret letter and is still staying in Xuzhou waiting for orders."

Lin Hengzhong nodded slightly: "Tell Zheng Zhiming to continue to pay close attention to all military movements in Xuzhou. Don't alert the enemy and wait and see what happens."

"Yes."

Wu Yue lowered his head.

Just as there are many spies from the Xu family in Linzhou, there are now spies from the Linwang Mansion all over Xuzhou.

The two kings of different surnames are both sympathetic and have great talents. They are also enemies and friends. Under normal circumstances, the two sides check and balance each other, and no one will act rashly under the watchful eyes of the other.

But unfortunately, with the death of the previous emperor, this delicate balance was instantly broken.

King Xu of Xuzhou can no longer sit still!
When the previous emperor was still alive, his prestige could still shock the Northern King. After the previous emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, his prestige in the court was almost gone. Naturally, King Xu was most likely unwilling to be inferior to a young emperor who was still wet behind the ears.

In addition, without the deterrence of the previous emperor, the power of the northern king grew stronger day by day, and naturally he became more and more restless.

It is only a matter of time before he starts a rebellion!

Now it seems that all we need is an opportunity!

Even if the court realized this, it was too late. The Xu family had been operating in Xuzhou for nearly a hundred years, and their assets should not be underestimated. Today's Xuzhou is like a powder keg. Once the court takes any radical action, it is very likely to cause this powder keg to explode instantly.

"You go down first."

After Wu Yue finished his report, Lin Hengzhong waved his hand.

Wu Yue lowered his head, turned around silently, and when he was about to leave, he stopped, wanting to say something but stopped.

"Your Majesty."

After hesitating for a moment, Wu Yue finally spoke: "I have one more thing to ask."

"What's the matter?"

"I have recently heard some rumors among the people..."

Wu Yue said in a deep voice: "There are rumors among the people that the prince's son is..."

"Fake!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a gleam of light flashed in the eyes of Lin Hengzhong, who had originally looked calm.

"Where did the rumor come from?"

Wu Yue raised his head slightly to glance at the prince, then lowered his head and told him the rumor he had heard.

"This is a rumor I heard among the people, saying that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has actually passed away a long time ago... The current His Royal Highness in the palace is a fake."

"The news has recently spread in Linzhou and has caused quite a stir..."

When Wu Yue said this, he shut up and didn't continue.

Is the Prince Lin a fake?
When he first heard the news, he thought it was absurd. Is there anyone in this world who dares to pretend to be the prince of Lin?
But the rumors among the people were not groundless, and the news that was spread out was reasonable and beneficial. It was said that the prince of Lin had actually died a year ago, and now his identity was replaced by an imposter.

Although Wu Yue did not take the rumor seriously, when he was ordered to go to the border of Linzhou a few days ago to welcome the Prince of Lin back home, he subconsciously observed for a while longer.

After this observation, Wu Yue immediately realized that something was wrong!

As one of the four most skilled generals under Lin Hengzhong, he had made outstanding military achievements. In the past, he looked down on the incompetent prince and did not take him seriously.

But, he is the Prince Lin after all!

He is not unfamiliar.

But when he saw the Prince of Lin again a year later, Wu Yue felt a sense of strangeness.

Although this person looks exactly like the Crown Prince and there is almost no difference between them, his temperament has changed dramatically compared to the previous Crown Prince.

Even if temperament could change in just one year, it couldn't possibly change so much, right?

In terms of speech and behavior, the prince has changed greatly from what Wu Yue had remembered.

More importantly, the prince didn't know martial arts before, and his body was a little weak. But now, only a year has passed, and Wu Yue has felt the existence of strong internal strength from the prince...

This is very wrong!
Wu Yue, who originally didn't take the rumor seriously, couldn't help but think of the rumor again after noticing such a big change in His Royal Highness...

Your Highness, is this true or false?

But this is a bit too weird!
How could there be two people in this world who are so similar?

After much hesitation, Wu Yue reported the matter to the prince.

After Wu Yue finished speaking, Lin Hengzhong looked at Wu Yue with a hint of coldness in his eyes.

"What do you think?"

After a moment, Lin Hengzhong said calmly: "Do you also think that the prince is an impostor?"

Wu Yue's heart sank, but he remained calm and said respectfully, "I think... all of this is just a rumor. It is a malicious act by someone who wants to shake the morale of the people and the army in the Lin Palace!"

"They want to take advantage of the time when the prince was assassinated to shake the foundation of my Lin Palace in Linzhou. Don't trust them!"

Lin Hengzhong remained silent and looked at him calmly.

If you really don't believe it, why would you take the initiative to talk about it?
However, Lin Hengzhong did not expose it.

"The prince is the prince, no one in the world can pretend to be him!"

Lin Hengzhong said expressionlessly: "I am Lin Hengzhong's son, and no outsider dares to pretend to be him!"

The voice was neither cold nor bland, yet powerful.

After Wu Yue heard this, his heart trembled. It seemed like the prince had something else to say?

But it doesn't get the point.

"check!"

Then, Lin Hengzhong ordered in a cold voice: "Find out all those who spread the rumors and uproot them!"

"Leave no one behind!"

"Yes."

"..."

Linwang Palace, inner courtyard.

"Your Highness, this Chen Junru is much harder than you thought!"

A guard was standing outside the courtyard, reporting the situation.

"Oh?"

In the courtyard, Lin Jiangnian was a little surprised: "That kid hasn't made a move yet?"

"No."

The guard looked unhappy and reported with his head down: "The jailer has tortured him, but he refused to speak. He is more difficult to deal with than expected..."

Listening to the guard's report, Lin Jiangnian was indeed a little surprised.

"It seems that this guy is not stupid!"

I thought Chen Junru was a brainless playboy who could be dealt with with a little discipline. But Chen Junru obviously knew the seriousness of the matter and would never admit it.

If he really admitted it, he would be dead!
"I underestimated him."

Lin Jiang laughed. "Your Highness, I think the punishment should be increased and we should not be lenient. Let him have a good taste of the methods of our Lin Wang Mansion!"

The guards were giving advice from the side.

Your Highness is still too soft-hearted. If you really use the methods used in the Prince Lin’s Mansion, I don’t believe that boy will not confess.

Lin Jiangnian glanced at him and said, "Are you stupid, or do you think I am stupid?"

The guard was startled and quickly lowered his head: "Your Highness, please forgive me, it is my fault that I have no brains."

"It's good to know."

Lin Jiangnian said unhappily, "This kid is from the Chen family after all. Are you treating him as a criminal? If this gets out, it won't be the fault of the prince anymore."

The guard felt aggrieved and somewhat puzzled.

When did Your Highness become afraid of the Chen family?

Didn’t Your Highness act fearless when he was outside before?
Lin Jiangnian didn't explain too much to the guards. After all, the Chen family was not a small family. He could ignore it, but he couldn't take it lightly!

The Chen family has considerable influence in Linjiang City and is not a soft persimmon that can be easily taken advantage of.

After all, Chen Junru was a pampered dandy. If he was really treated as a criminal, he would definitely not be able to withstand the punishment of the Lin Wang Mansion. If he accidentally killed someone, it would be extremely disadvantageous to Lin Jiangnian!

At present, Lin Jiangnian is following the public opinion, so he is naturally fearless. But if Chen Junru is gone, then he, the prince of Lin, will definitely become the target of public criticism.

"Keep thinking of ways to pry open his mouth. I don't believe he can keep his mouth shut."

Lin Jiangnian waved his hand.

Chen Junru was not stupid, and he knew that telling the truth would not end well. But he was, after all, a pampered playboy, and he could resist for a while, but he couldn't keep holding on forever.

Just at this moment, footsteps were heard again outside the yard.

"Your Highness."

"Outside the door, the head of the Chen family, Chen Hongsheng, is here!"

Hearing this news, Lin Jiangnian raised his eyebrows slightly.

The rightful owner is here?

"Your Highness, would you like to meet this person?"

The guard beside him asked.

"Yes, of course I will."

Lin Jiangnian stood up and stretched himself: "Since they have come in person, I must meet them, but..."

"Let it air out first!"

……

Outside the Prince's Palace.

A carriage was parked not far away. In front of the mansion, Chen Hongsheng, dressed in a long robe, stood at the door with an angry look on his face.

"Master Chen, my prince is in poor health and will not receive anyone in his mansion!"

The guard at the door had a blank expression on his face.

Shut out!

Chen Hongsheng, who was blocked at the door, had a look of anger in his eyes.

Deceiving too much!

He visited in person, but was still turned away.

Why don't you see guests?

It's totally a lie!
However, Chen Hongsheng suppressed his emotions and said, "Chen is here today to visit His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. Please let him know!"

The guards at the door looked the man up and down. They naturally recognized him. He was Mr. Chen from Linjiang City, a well-known figure. He had some friendship with their own prince, and ordinary people could not afford to offend him.

Naturally, one cannot afford to offend these guards.

but……

Who told him to be left out in the cold? It was the request of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!
Are you kidding? If you offend His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, wouldn't that be courting death?
Everyone knows that in Linjiang City, people would rather offend Prince Lin than offend His Royal Highness. Prince Lin is broad-minded and may not bear grudges, but His Royal Highness will never let go of a grudge...

"Then Master Chen, please wait a moment. I will go and inform you later."

The guard at the door responded perfunctorily and turned back to the house, leaving Chen Hongsheng and the housekeeper standing outside the door, basking in the sun.

The sun is shining brightly and the temperature is not high, but you can still sweat.

"Your Majesty, they did it on purpose."

The butler standing by also looked unhappy.

The master came to visit in person, but was treated like this?

Even if Prince Lin came, he would not dare to neglect his own master so easily, right?
How dare the Prince Lin?

They actually let the master wait outside the door and didn't even let him enter? !

Chen Hongsheng didn't show any displeasure, but one could also see some suppressed anger in his eyes.

He really couldn't figure it out at the moment. Was Prince Lin really a playboy, or was he deliberately using the name of a playboy to bully him?

If it's the former, then there's nothing to be afraid of. But if it's the latter...

Not knowing what he was thinking about, Chen Hongsheng was slightly startled, with an indescribable fear.

If it is the latter, then the Prince Lin should not be underestimated!

Outside the door, it was still quiet.

The guard who was supposed to report back to the palace disappeared and has not returned for a long time.

Chen Hongsheng and the housekeeper, who had been waiting at the door for a long time, finally became impatient.

"Master, they don't even want to see you, Master. This is too much!"

The butler spoke angrily, he was already sweating under the scorching sun.

Chen Hongsheng's patience was finally exhausted. If he stayed any longer, he might not be able to see the Prince of Lin.

Thinking of this, Chen Hongsheng turned around with a cold face and prepared to leave.

Just as the two were about to leave, the door of Prince Lin's Mansion, which had been silent, finally slowly opened.

Then, an anxious and enthusiastic voice was heard.

"Uncle Chen, please stay!"

Immediately afterwards, a figure hurriedly walked out of the gate.

"Uncle Chen, you are so honored to be here. I hope you can forgive me for not welcoming you in person!"

Chen Hongsheng stopped and turned around. A handsome young man appeared in his sight. He was walking towards him quickly with a happy look on his face. Then, as if he thought of something, he turned his head with a murderous look on his face.

"You bunch of dogs and slaves actually blocked Uncle Chen from entering the door. You are so audacious! You deserve to die!"

Lin Jiangnian's face was filled with anger and he angrily scolded the guards beside him.

The guards beside him bowed their heads respectfully: "Your Highness, please forgive me!"

"It was my negligence. Your Highness, you were resting and I didn't dare to disturb you... Please forgive me, Your Highness!"

"You can't let Uncle Chen wait outside the door. Isn't this what I teach you every day?"

Lin Jiangnian angrily stepped forward and kicked the guards next to him twice: "Get out of here now, you are neglecting Uncle Chen, I will deal with you later."

Lin Jiangnian scolded angrily, and then looked at Chen Hongsheng in front of him with a happy face: "These bastards actually neglected Uncle Chen so much. This prince has already taught them a lesson. They will never dare to do it again next time!"

"I didn't keep Uncle Chen waiting for too long, did I?"

Chen Hongsheng looked at the young man in front of him with a bright face, a warm smile and a harmless look, with a blank expression on his face.

"Why isn't Uncle Chen talking? Is he angry?"

"..." (End of this chapter)