son, don't mess around

In a quiet and dim room.

Chen Xu fell to his knees on the ground, looking embarrassed and his eyes full of horror.

Behind him stood two guards. In front of him sat a young man in a brocade white robe. He was less than twenty years old, but he seemed to have a natural temperament.

The young man's eyes were calm, yet seemed to be able to see through his true nature, causing Chen Xu to be somewhat afraid to look him in the face.

At the same time, my heart suddenly sank.

He never thought... that he had been targeted for a long time!

When Chen Xu found a strange guard in his house, he realized that something was wrong. He was not unfamiliar with the young man in front of him!

The Crown Prince of Lin, Lin Jiangnian!

How could there still be someone in the aristocratic circle of Linjiang City who didn't know what the Prince of Lin looked like?
This face is so familiar!

It's so familiar that it even makes people feel a little creepy.

At this moment, Chen Xu had already vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Why would Prince Lin come to him for no reason?

Thinking of this, Chen Xu's heart suddenly sank, and he caught a glimpse of a figure following behind the Prince Lin.

It was a teenage girl in a white dress, holding a sword in her arms, standing behind Prince Lin with an expressionless face. She looked cold and said, "No strangers allowed."

Although his face looked a little childish, he exuded a cold murderous aura.

This murderous aura would occasionally fall on Chen Xu, which made Chen Xu's heart tremble with fear!

This girl holding a sword... is definitely not simple!
"Your name is Chen Xu, right?"

As the atmosphere in the room gradually became dull, the Prince of Lin in Chen Xu's sight suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. His tone was relaxed, with a smile on his face, looking down at him.

Chen Xu suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and said calmly, "Your Highness, that's right."

"Do you know why I'm looking for you?"

Lin Jiangnian looked at him.

Chen Xu's heart was shocked, but his expression remained unchanged: "I wonder why Your Highness is looking for me today?"

Lin Jiangnian stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled, "Everyone in the Chen family says that you are very smart, much smarter than your useless cousin. Since you are a smart person, why do you have to act dumb in front of this prince?"

Faced with the sudden statement made by the Prince of Lin, Chen Xu was caught off guard.

Chen Xu said: "I don't know what your Highness means, please explain clearly."

Lin Jiangnian looked at the guy in front of him.

The young man who was favored by the Chen family was not a simple person. The boy in front of him was an ambitious person.

"You must be very unwilling, right?"

Lin Jiang young laughed.

After hearing this, Chen Xu was stunned for a moment and looked at Lin Jiangnian, as if he had anticipated something.

"You are obviously better than that loser Chen Junru, more capable, and more talented... You are obviously better than him in every aspect. However, you have always been inferior to him all these years!"

"Chen Junru is not as good as you in any way, but because he has a good family background, he is a direct descendant of the Chen family and the future heir to the Chen family. Therefore, you can't compare to him!"

Lin Jiangnian spoke in a relaxed tone, staring at him.

When he said this, one could clearly see a strange look in Chen Xu's eyes.

That is a look of unwillingness!
Lin Jiangnian understood.

He must be very unwilling!
He is better than Chen Junru in every aspect, but he has to be honest and humble in the Chen family, treading on thin ice to hide his incompetence. He cannot show too much talent, otherwise, he will definitely be targeted by Chen Junru!

Even so, Chen Junru still didn't let him go.

It seems that he has long realized that Chen Xu is his biggest threat, so Chen Junru has always looked down on him. In the past, he often called him over and dismissed him, scolding and humiliating him at any time.

This was undoubtedly a great humiliation for Chen Xu.

He is also a member of the Chen family. He is obviously better, but why should he endure humiliation from a loser?
He is unwilling to give in!
And Lin Jiangnian is very clear about this.

He looked at the silent Chen Xu in front of him and suddenly said, "You should really want to replace him, right?"

Chen Xu was shocked when he heard this. He was about to speak but was interrupted by Lin Jiangnian.

"You don't have to argue with me. You don't have to say that you don't have such an idea. Do you think I will believe it?"

The words that were about to come out of Chen Xu's mouth were abruptly blocked.

"You are a very ambitious person, I admire you!"

Lin Jiangnian looked at him with a gentle and slightly appreciative gaze: "Since Chen Junru's accident, you have been working hard in secret, right?"

"You deliberately tried to please Chen Hongsheng and pretended to be harmless in order to win his favor... You knew very well that if Chen Junru got into trouble, you would be the most suitable heir to the Chen family, right?"

Chen Xu's body trembled slightly, with horror in his eyes.

The Prince Lin in front of him had already told him everything he was thinking and planning.

He even knew everything about his movements in the Chen family. This inevitably made Chen Xu feel cold and scared. The spies of the Lin Wang Mansion might have already spread all over his Chen family.

Chen Xu's throat was a little dry, and his voice was a little hoarse: "Your Highness... why are you telling me this?!"

"You went to see Chen Junru with Chen Hongsheng in the first half of the night, right?"

Lin Jiangnian's nonchalant tone instantly gave Chen Xu a chill.

Prince Lin knew where he was going tonight? !
He suppressed his shock and wanted to deny something, but then he heard Lin Jiangnian's voice: "Since you have met Chen Junru, you should know what his current situation is, right?"

Chen Xu was silent. Of course he knew it.

After learning about Chen Junru's situation, he was ecstatic and couldn't wait to come back and share the good news with his father.

Once Chen Junru was deposed, he undoubtedly had great hopes of becoming the heir to the Chen family!

Lin Jiangnian seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "Once Chen Junru is deposed, he will naturally not be the heir of the Chen family. You do have a chance."

"But do you really think you have a good chance?"

Chen Xu's face froze.

"You are not the only one eyeing that position. There are many collateral descendants in your Chen family, and many of them are eyeing that position. Your lineage is not prominent in the Chen family, and you don't have many supporters. If you really fight for it, do you think you can compare with those collateral descendants?"

Chen Xu's face turned pale.

Can you compare to him?
He was unsure!
He boasted that he was more talented and capable than other collateral descendants of the Chen family of the same generation, and was appreciated by many elders in the Chen family.

When it comes to being the next head of the family, he is the most suitable person.

But Lin Jiangnian's words suddenly reminded Chen Xu...this alone is not enough!

So what if he is suitable?
The competition within the family was far more brutal than he had imagined, and it was not just because he was capable. Otherwise, how could Chen Junru, that loser, have always occupied the position of heir?

It's just because he is the main bloodline of the Chen family, so it's legitimate.

And what about him?
So what if he is a descendant of a collateral family and has abilities?

Lin Jiangnian's words were like a bucket of cold water suddenly poured down on him, instantly extinguishing most of his joy and excitement.

"By the way, there's more..."

Seeing Chen Xu gradually turning pale, Lin Jiangnian added fuel to the fire: "Do you really think that even if Chen Junru is already useless, Chen Hongsheng will give up that position?"

After these words were spoken, Chen Xu suddenly looked up.

"Chen Junru is indeed useless. He may not be qualified to inherit the position of the head of the Chen family, but Chen Hongsheng is not a simple person. Will he allow the power he has worked hard for many years to be easily given to you, the collateral descendants?"

"If I remember correctly, Chen Hongsheng is not very old now. He is in his prime, right?"

Lin Jiang's youthful and ethereal words suddenly rang in Chen Xu's ears like a thunderclap.

His face completely lost all color. It's not that he hadn't thought about this question before. It's just that he had never thought about it in detail before.

Chen Junru is the only son of Chen Hongsheng. Once Chen Junru is deposed, the Chen family will definitely find a way to finalize the next heir. If Chen Hongsheng wants to have more children, it will take too long, which is too risky for the Chen family.

Therefore, the best way for Chen Hongsheng is to select suitable bloodline from the side branch, adopt it into the main branch, and inherit the position of the future head of the Chen family.

However, he is a collateral descendant after all, and Chen Hongsheng may not be able to accept this result.

What if he decides to have a few more children... Considering Chen Hongsheng's current age, this is not impossible!
Chen Xu's face was uncertain. He was silent for a while, and finally raised his head to look at Lin Jiangnian again, and said in a hoarse voice: "Your Highness, what is your purpose in telling me all this today?"

In his heart, he had already vaguely guessed the purpose of the Prince of Lin in front of him.

"You're a smart man, you should have guessed it."

Lin Jiangnian looked at him, without beating around the bush, and chuckled, "I can give you this opportunity!"

"I will help you become the next head of the Chen family, and by the way, I will make your bloodline the legitimate one, and make it the direct line of the Chen family."

"How about it?"

Chen Xu's heart skipped a beat!
After hearing the words of the Prince of Lin in front of him, even though he had already guessed it, when he heard it with his own ears, his uneasy heart still skipped a beat!
Become the next head of the Chen family?

Let them become the main branch of the Chen family? !

These two conditions are what he and his father have always dreamed of!
At the same time, it can only be wishful thinking!
For a family as large as the Chen family, this is impossible unless something major happens.

If anyone else said this, Chen Xu would think that the other person was fooling him. But the one who said this was the Prince of Lin in front of him!

He is different!
Maybe he really has this ability? !

There was a gleam of heat in Chen Xu's eyes, and even his breathing became rapid.

But then, his expression changed again. How could there be a free lunch in this world? !

How could the Prince of Lin, who was in front of him, help him for no reason?
He spoke in a low voice, suppressing the throbbing in his heart: "Your Highness, why are you helping me?!"

"Because this prince admires you very much!"

Lin Jiangnian raised his eyebrows: "There are not many people that this prince can admire, and you are one of them."

"Although you are not a good person, you are much better than Chen Junru. You know how to be patient, know when to advance and when to retreat, and know how to judge the pros and cons of the situation. You are a talent."

"This prince is a man who loves talents. I am willing to give you a chance and help you."

Chen Xu looked at the Prince of Lin in front of him and saw that he was looking at him. His eyes were bright and clear, and very sincere... This made Chen Xu look a little dazed.

This Prince of Lin actually admires me?

He didn't want to believe it, but for some reason, he believed it a little.

...There is no reason for the Prince of Lin to use such an outrageous reason to deceive me.

"Your Highness!"

Chen Xu gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness is willing to help me, what is your purpose?!"

"I will never betray the Chen family!"

Lin Jiangnian just smiled and asked him: "What do you think of the Chen family now?"

Chen Xu was stunned: "Your Highness, what do you mean?"

"How long do you think the Chen family can last now?"

persist in?

Chen Xu keenly noticed the details in Lin Jiangnian's words.

He felt uneasy: "I don't know."

"Your Chen family is one of the oldest families in Linzhou. Back then, the Linwang Mansion was able to take root in Linjiang City and make Linjiang City prosperous as it is today. Your Chen family has contributed a lot."

"But at the same time, the Lin Wang Mansion also gave your Chen family several times the return, isn't that right?"

Hearing this, Chen Xu remained silent.

Indeed, although the Chen family was also a large and powerful family entrenched in Linjiang City back then, its size was completely incomparable to that of today.

As the Linwang Mansion grew, the Chen family's status and position also rose.

"But, the head of your Chen family has changed his mind and is leading your Chen family to a path of destruction!"

Lin Jiang sighed, his eyes gradually turned cold: "The prince has given you such preferential treatment, but you aristocratic families are ungrateful and try to maneuver between the court and the Lin Wang Mansion to wait for a good price."

"Even more... betraying my Lin Wang Mansion!"

Lin Jiangnian's sudden cold tone made Chen Xu tremble violently.

A sudden oppressive aura made his face change slightly, as if he realized something, and he was shocked... This seemingly harmless and frail prince of Lin in front of him was actually a hidden master? !

He suppressed the shock in his heart: "My Chen family will never sell out or betray Prince Lin's Mansion!"

"You didn't, what about the others?" Lin Jiangnian stared at him: "Are you sure that Chen Hongsheng didn't have it?"

Chen Xu was speechless and remained silent.

"The prince has been pampering you because of your hard work over the years, but you are ungrateful."

Lin Jiangnian stared at him: "Now, there is still this opportunity in front of you. Do you want to watch the Chen family go to destruction, or..."

"You take his place, and save the Chen family by making amends for your crime!"

"The opportunity is right in front of you, it all depends on how you choose!"

Chen Xu's face was pale and his whole body was trembling slightly.

At this moment, his mind was in a mess and infinite pressure suddenly hit him!

choose?

How to choose?
At this moment, the fate of the entire Chen family seemed to be in his hands, just a matter of thought?
He could sense the purpose of the Prince of Lin in front of him...he was serious!
Lin Wangfu is really going to take action against the Chen family!
No kidding!

So……

How should he choose?
After a long silence, Chen Xu looked up at Lin Jiangnian and asked through gritted teeth, "Why me?"

"Your Highness, why did you choose me?!"

"Because you are ambitious!"

Lin Jiang smiled young and said, "I admire you very much."

silence!

long silence.

There was no answer.

Lin Jiangnian was getting a little impatient waiting.

That was all I had to say. He had already given this guy a chance. If this guy didn't know what was good for him, there was no need to waste any more time.

Lin Jiangnian slowly stood up and took one last look at him. "I've given you the chance. Do you want to be a hero who saves the Chen family, or do you want to end up like Chen Junru? You can choose carefully."

After saying that, Lin Jiangnian took a step forward and prepared to leave.

"thump!"

Behind him, there was a sudden sound of someone kneeling down, followed by a trembling and somewhat horrified voice.

"I……"

"I promise, Your Highness!"

"..." (End of this chapter)