Chapter 1 The Third One's Residence

"Which one is the Third One's residence?"

This question,

Shocked not only Qi Simiao, but also the Second Prince, Li Yinglian, and Zheng Fan standing beside him.

As the victim, Zheng Fan didn't actually get much information about the case investigation. The Sixth Prince's merchant team wasn't a secret intelligence agency. It could be used to catch wind of things, but if you wanted to reach the level of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Sixth Prince's head would probably have been moved long ago.

Therefore, Zheng Fan had been following the Jingnan侯's (Hou, Marquis) train of thought.

Originally, Zheng Fan thought that this Qi Simiao was the enemy who had plotted against him, and at the same time, this Second Prince was definitely involved.

Zheng Fan was still sighing, could it be that he really had the face of a rebel?

Or, was the Second Prince so deeply afraid of the Sixth Prince that once he discovered that the Sixth Prince had any intention of reaching out to develop his power, he would immediately and decisively cut it off?

But with the Jingnan侯's words,

This turning point came too suddenly, and he almost strained his back.

These princes, were their methods so ruthless?

How did the Dayan Emperor give birth to children, giving birth to a group of monsters?

With this turning point, many things that were previously obscured began to become clear.

The assassination was carried out by the Second Prince's people. Because of his mother's family, the Tian family, the Second Prince had a certain degree of infiltration into the Jingnan Army itself. In layman's terms, he could command a group of people.

Killing Zheng Fan was to cut off the Sixth Prince's arm. No matter how much the Sixth Prince pretended to be a leisurely prince, it was only after his mother's family was exterminated and his mother was given white silk.

You must know that the Sixth Prince's older brothers were older than him, and they had long seen how high-profile and beloved by the Emperor the Sixth Prince was in his early years.

Although it was unclear why the Emperor suddenly suppressed the Sixth Brother, out of an instinctive fear, they were unwilling to see the long-silent Sixth Brother suddenly start to lay out plans to develop his power again.

Of course, if the mastermind behind the scenes was really the Third Prince, then killing Zheng Fan was really just an appetizer; this was the real Xiang Zhuang's sword dance.

Using the Second Prince's people to attack, creating the collusion between Jingnan侯 and Jin, and the subsequent series of disturbances, it was because of that assassination that Jin and Qian would cheer and call Jingnan侯 the Jingnan King.

And Jingnan侯 was the Second Prince's uncle, naturally belonging to the Second Prince's camp. To cut off the Second Prince's path to becoming the Crown Prince, it was best to get rid of Jingnan侯.

Making him show his brilliance, putting him in the eye of the storm, seemingly creating momentum for him, but in reality, it was "praise to kill"!

Since ancient times, there have been too many examples of cunning rabbits dying and hunting dogs being cooked, especially when the power and prestige of foreign ministers reach a certain level, how could the one sitting on the dragon chair not be afraid?

This was the obvious side,

There was also a more insidious dark side.

Even seeing Qi Simiao's behavior of seemingly trying to exonerate himself while clinging to the Second Prince when Jingnan侯 directly convicted him,

It was obvious that he had rehearsed it in advance, at least, he was mentally prepared.

This meant that they had already made a plan. Once the matter was investigated, they would sacrifice Qi Simiao and cling to the Second Prince, thereby cutting off the Second Prince's possibility of inheriting the throne!

One link after another, one step at a time, this could no longer be described as borrowing a knife to kill, because they had played with this knife to the extreme.

Qi Simiao's mouth opened wide. He seemed to want to say something, but he didn't know how to open his mouth.

In front of such a powerful Jingnan侯, he knew that whatever he said was useless.

The Second Prince almost jumped up from his kneeling position and shouted:

"Was it the Third One who did it?"

The Second Prince had always been known as an "honest man" in the court, but a prince was still a prince. An honest man was not synonymous with a fool.

"Responding to the Marquis, the Third Highness's residence is in the back." Li Yinglian immediately replied.

Jingnan侯 walked up to the Second Prince, and the Second Prince stared blankly at his uncle. Jingnan侯 also looked at him seriously.

Then,

Jingnan侯 bypassed the Second Prince and walked out of the凉亭 (liáng tíng, pavilion).

Zheng Fan and the guards beside him followed Jingnan侯 out. No one watched over Qi Simiao, and he just kept kneeling there.

Many of the eunuchs and palace maids around the 凉亭 (liáng tíng, pavilion) had their backs soaked with sweat.

The Second Prince opened his mouth, seemingly a little short of breath. Li Yinglian hurriedly got up to support the Second Prince, stroking his back while comforting him:

"Your Highness, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright."

The Second Prince gasped for breath,

Nodding with lingering fear,

Then,

His gaze slowly fell on Qi Simiao kneeling on the ground.

"Mr. Qi, I have called you 'Mr.' for three years, why do you treat me like this!"

Qi Simiao didn't speak.

"Have I ever owed you anything, have I ever been unfair to you, why do you want to put me to death!"

Qi Simiao heard this,

Suddenly smiled.

"Mr., why are you laughing?"

Qi Simiao still maintained his kneeling posture,

Slowly said:

"The previous emperors of my Dayan, including the current one, were either extravagant or warlike.

Only the Third Highness can create a real prosperous Dayan, allowing my Dayan to restore the rule of the sage and enjoy eternal peace!"

Qi Simiao knew clearly that today's matter could not be resolved.

Therefore, he didn't care anymore and said everything.

"Third Brother, hahaha, Third Brother... cough cough cough..."

The Second Prince first laughed and then coughed.

"Ah, Your Highness, you're spitting blood! Someone, someone!"

………

People who have worked in the workplace probably understand a principle, that is, how important it is to follow the right boss. Those who have worked in the system naturally understand this principle even more.

Zheng Fan now felt that following Jingnan侯 seemed to be really good.

First of all, when he went to the Qian territory to act cool and almost got ambushed, it was Jingnan侯 who led ten thousand Jingnan troops to relieve the siege.

And now, Jingnan侯, since entering the capital, had simply interpreted arrogance to the fullest. Following this kind of boss, at least you didn't have to put up with grievances.

The Third Prince's residence was behind the Second Prince's residence. When Jingnan侯 led his guards over, a group of people seemed to have gathered at the gate of the Third Prince's residence after receiving the news in advance.

They were a group of palace maids and eunuchs, and a group of scholars. The Third Prince had a reputation for being cultured. The Dayan Ji clan had always given people the impression of being skilled in martial arts on horseback. After so many generations, there was finally a genetic mutation, and a scholar seed appeared among the princes.

This kind of persona could be said to have naturally become the heart of the Dayan literati, and naturally there was no shortage of people around him who cheered and were fond of him.

Because the prince had not been sent out, and he lived in the prince's residence, the Third Prince didn't have his own guards and personal soldiers.

The First Prince led the Tiancheng County soldiers, and he didn't lack soldiers around him. The Second Prince led the capital's forbidden army, and the forbidden soldiers outside the prince's residence listened to his orders. In addition, there was another prince who enjoyed the quota for personal soldiers, that was the idle prince, Little Sixth.

Even, to be precise, the only one who could openly have a quota for personal soldiers instead of relying on county soldiers and forbidden soldiers was the Sixth Prince.

But Little Sixth wouldn't be complacent because of this special treatment, because that day, after a series of father-son talks, the Emperor Yan happily rewarded his sixth son, enjoying the salary of a 親王 (qīn wáng, Prince of the First Rank), which was equivalent to enjoying a certain level of treatment in later generations.

The day after the reward, Little Sixth's maternal grandfather's family was exterminated, and his mother was thrown into the cold palace by the Emperor, and later even given white silk.

Jingnan侯's guards were naturally the best of the best tiger and wolf soldiers selected from the Jingnan Army. The sense of oppression after approaching made the group of scholars, eunuchs, and palace maids panic.

"Who comes there!"

"How dare you!"

Several scholars began to shout, stiffening their necks.

This scene was all too familiar to Zheng Fan.

Jingnan侯 didn't stop and continued to move forward.

At this time, as a subordinate, you needed to clear the way for your superior.

In fact, Zheng Fan had started his own business and was the boss in his previous life, and he hadn't really been in the workplace much. But since waking up in this world, he had really gained experience in flattering, and even been inversely flattered into an instinct.

"Hua!"

Zheng Fan drew out his saber and strode forward.

The guards who were originally following Jingnan王 immediately imitated Zheng Fan's actions, drew out their sabers, and quickly followed Zheng Fan.

Damn it,

The brothers are really giving me face!

That was the feeling, even if it was just borrowed prestige, this feeling was really good.

Zheng Fan enjoyed this moment very much. Although the barbarian soldiers of his own Cui Liu Fort were also afraid of him to death, except for being able to obey orders during battles, they would really tremble with fear as if they had seen a demon king in their daily lives.

Unlike these Jingnan侯's guards, they were so tacit, and so willing to cooperate with the pose.

Moreover,

From the aesthetic point of view,

This group of well-equipped guardsmen was also much better than the barbarian soldiers in his own fortress.

Especially since Fan Li taught those barbarian soldiers to shout "乌拉 (wū lā, Ulla)," Zheng Fan's aesthetic had collapsed.

This group of guardsmen, cooperating with his actions, was like practicing gymnastics with a group of Olympic champions, that was so cool!

"Guards!!!"

Zheng Fan shouted loudly.

"Here!"

"Here!"

Nearly a hundred people shouted in unison.

Hiss...

Cool!

"The Marquis is here, whoever dares to stop him will be killed without mercy!"

"Kill without mercy!"

"Kill without mercy!"

Hundreds of guards shouted together, and at the same time began to speed up with Zheng Fan.

These people, including Zheng Fan, had really killed people and seen blood. When they rushed up, the momentum directly caused the palace maids, eunuchs, and scholars who were planning to stop them to collapse.

They started screaming and running away, and no one dared to stay here to stop them.

Zheng Fan took the lead, strode in, and rushed into the Third Prince's residence.

He didn't even enter the house. In the front courtyard, he saw two people sitting on a stone table, one young and one old. There was also an eunuch standing aside with his hands tied.

When Zheng Fan came in, the eunuch continued to stand there as if he was dozing off, and the Third Prince was drinking tea with his lecturer.

Zheng Fan waved his arm,

The guards behind him immediately dispersed and surrounded the place.

These people were really too considerate, he had to tell Blindman that his future guards had to be trained like this.

Soon,

Jingnan侯 strode in.

When Jingnan侯's figure appeared here,

The eunuch took the lead in kneeling down,

Said:

"This servant Wei Zhen greets Marquis Jingnan."

The Third Prince and his lecturer, who were still drinking tea, smiled at each other and got up together:

"Nephew Ji Chengyue greets Uncle."

"Your subordinate Tan Guang pays respects to Marquis Jingnan."

Jingnan侯 ignored their greetings and walked straight into the courtyard, heading towards the Third Prince.

At this time,

The eunuch Wei Zhen moved his knees while kneeling and blocked Jingnan侯, continuing to lower his head.

"You, want to stop this Marquis?"

"Responding to the Marquis, this servant is lowly and naturally dare not stop the Marquis. It's just that the Marquis came with anger, and this servant, as the Highness's attendant, naturally dares not let the Marquis's anger clash with the Highness."

"Good, your surname is Wei, who is Wei Zhonghe to you?"

"Responding to the Marquis, Grand Eunuch Wei is this servant's godfather."

"Godfather? Do you know that even if Wei Zhonghe himself came, he wouldn't dare to speak to this Marquis like this!"

"This servant only has one master in this life, and this servant's life belongs to the master. This servant dares to ask the Marquis to calm down, and after the Marquis calms down, this servant will naturally offer tea to the Marquis!"

"What if this Marquis doesn't?"

"Then this servant..."

Wei Zhen's lowered sleeves began to flutter, and streams of green light began to flicker from his sleeves.

"Shua!"

All the guards prepared to step forward, but Jingnan侯 raised his hand to signal them to stop.

Wei Zhen lowered his head and continued:

"Marquis, this servant is best at brewing tea. Even the Highness praises the tea brewed by this servant."

Legend has it that when the previous Emperor seized the throne, he was once in a precarious situation and was driven out of the capital. He was ambushed on the road, and with the desperate obstruction of a Qishi (Qi cultivator) beside the previous Emperor, he was able to successfully enter Beifeng County with his family.

That Qishi (Qi cultivator) was seriously injured. Although he survived, that position had been abandoned in the fighting.

After the previous Emperor seized the throne, the Qishi (Qi cultivator) became the Chief Eunuch of the inner palace. Since then, the eunuchs in the palace with qualifications have had to practice Qi cultivation, and they regarded him as their Grand Ancestor.

Grand Eunuch Zhang beside the Sixth Prince was also a Qishi (Qi cultivator).

This Wei Zhen, Grand Eunuch Wei, was the same.

However, Zheng Fan wasn't too worried about Jingnan侯's safety.

Because Zheng Fan had once asked Great Hero Chen why he didn't go to find trouble with Jingnan侯,

Great Hero Chen honestly replied: Tian Wujing, I can't beat him.

This was enough to show that this Marquis was definitely a martial arts master. Zheng Fan even estimated that his martial artist realm might not be inferior to Sha Tuo Qieshi, and it was the Sha Tuo Qieshi when he was alive!

Jingnan侯 saw that the eunuch seemed to be preparing to fight him,

Instead of getting angry, he smiled,

Said:

"Are you... stalling for time?"

"This servant dares not, this servant..."

Before he finished speaking,

A long roar came from afar,

"Imperial Edict!"

Zheng Fan turned his head to look. The edict messenger came alone. Although he was walking on the ground, the speed of his steps was astonishing.

In almost a few breaths, the person who was still shouting in the distance had already entered the residence and arrived in the courtyard. The person who came was not red-faced or breathless. His face was delicate and he was humble. His femininity contained a hint of sonority.

What Zheng Fan didn't know was that this was Grand Eunuch Wei Zhonghe of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs of Dayan, whom Jingnan侯 had mentioned several times to help introduce him to.

"Imperial Edict, Third Prince Ji Chengyue receives the Edict!"

Wei Zhonghe stood in the center, holding the Imperial Edict.

Third Highness Ji Chengyue took a step forward and knelt down,

"This son is here!"

Third Highness's lecturer, Tan Guang, also knelt down to receive the Edict.

Jingnan侯, who was standing there, turned around and faced Wei Zhonghe.

Wei Zhonghe hurriedly put on a smile and said:

"The Emperor has said that Marquis Jingnan is guarding the border for the country, his hard work is meritorious, the country has a pillar, the people are fortunate, Dayan is fortunate, and I am fortunate. He is exempt from kneeling."

Jingnan侯 clasped his fists in both hands,

And said calmly:

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Then,

Jingnan侯 simply walked to the stone table and sat down on the stone chair beside it.

Alright,

Zheng Fan and the guards, who were still watching whether their Marquis would kneel, now understood,

"Crash"

They immediately put down their weapons and knelt down.

Don't mention it, this was the first time in two lifetimes that Zheng Fan had knelt to receive an Imperial Edict.

"By the decree of the Emperor, who received the Mandate of Heaven: Third Prince Chengyue is unfilial to me above, and unkind to his brothers below. His morals are lacking. From today onwards, he will be demoted to a commoner, expelled from the Prince's residence, and confined to the Lakeside Island forever."

"This son Ji Chengyue receives the Edict, long live the Emperor, long live, long long live!"

After kowtowing three times, Third Highness Ji Chengyue raised his hands, indicating that he received the Edict.

The meaning of this edict was that the Third Prince was unfilial to his father and unkind to his brothers, so he was deposed as a commoner. The last item was that he would be confined to Lakeside Island forever.

Zheng Fan didn't know where Lakeside Island was, but it felt like it was similar to being permanently exiled to Ningguta in Qing Dynasty dramas.

So, was this the end of it?

Zheng Fan was a little curious and raised his head slightly to look at the Third Highness. The Third Highness was really good-looking, with clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, and he really had a scholarly air.

It's just that with this edict, the Third Prince was completely finished, almost without any possibility of making a comeback.

Just then,

Wei Zhen suddenly got up,

A peaceful smile appeared on his face,

Zheng Fan and the surrounding guards immediately picked up their sabers and stood up in alert.

Wei Zhen first looked at Wei Zhonghe,

Wei Zhonghe avoided his gaze, and the corner of his eye twitched slightly,

Then,

Wei Zhen looked at the Third Prince again, and the Third Prince also looked at him.

"Your Highness, this servant has just offended the Marquis. This servant knows that he has committed a serious crime by violating the rules. It's a pity that this servant will no longer be able to brew tea for His Highness in the future."

Then,

He turned around and said:

"Godfather, please forgive your unfilial son for not being able to take care of you in your old age."

After saying that,

Wei Zhen stretched out his arms, as if there were silver snakes dancing in his palms. Then, he slammed his palms on his chest.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Wei Zhen spat out a mouthful of blood,

And two streams of blood mist spurted out from the back of his body.

The next moment,

Wei Zhen's body swayed for a while and fell to the ground.

Zheng Fan didn't know what rank Qishi (Qi cultivator) this Wei Zhen was. Of course, this question was meaningless now, because he was already dead, he had already committed suicide.

Earlier, when he dared to block in front of Jingnan侯, he had already risked his life.

He knew that Jingnan侯 not attacking him was his choice not to attack, but Jingnan侯 would never let himself leave here alive.

He was just a eunuch, and the order of superiority and inferiority could not be abolished!

If he didn't commit suicide, his godfather Wei Zhonghe would personally take action to clean up the sect. He didn't want Wei Zhonghe to kill him personally, which would only make his godfather more painful.

At the moment when Wei Zhen fell, Wei Zhonghe opened his mouth and his eyes were a little red.

Then,

Third Highness's lecturer Tan Guang got up, picked up the teacup in his hand,

And said:

"It was our lack of consideration that harmed His Highness."

After saying that,

He drank the tea in the teacup in one gulp.

The Third Prince, who was kneeling on the ground and holding his hands up as if receiving the edict, said:

"It is Chengyue's lack of talent that has failed the expectations of all the teachers."

"No, the Third Highness has the cultural spirit of my Dayan, and he can open up a prosperous and peaceful world for my Dayan. We are willingly following His Highness!

His Highness must not abandon himself. You must know that Heaven is about to entrust a great task to this person, and he must first work his muscles and bones and temper his will.

On Lakeside Island, please read more books, Your Highness."

"Chengyue thanks the teacher for his teachings. Lakeside Island is quiet, which is perfect for reading."

"In that case, this subject will leave first, Your Highness, take care."

After speaking,

A wisp of blood had already overflowed from the corner of Tan Guang's mouth. Tan Guang covered his chest with one hand and staggered back a few steps,

"Take... care..."

"Thump!"

Tan Guang fell to the ground.

The Third Highness, who was kneeling on the ground and still maintained his posture of receiving the edict, closed his eyes,

And said softly:

"Teacher, take care."

Wei Zhonghe took a deep breath, no longer looking at Wei Zhen's body lying on the ground, but put the imperial edict into the hands of the Third Prince.

"Commoner Ji Chengyue, the Secret Intelligence Division's prison carriage is already waiting outside the Prince's residence. Follow this servant."

"Yes, Grand Eunuch Wei."

Ji Chengyue slowly stood up.

Wei Zhonghe glanced at Jingnan侯 sitting there, and said with a smile:

"The Marquis has worked hard to return to the capital. The Emperor said that today is the day when the Empress returns to her family's home to visit her parents. It is a day for family reunion and sharing happiness. Today, he will not summon the Marquis to the palace for an audience."

After speaking, Wei Zhonghe bowed slightly to Jingnan侯, then turned his head and urged:

"Commoner Ji Chengyue, why don't you leave with this servant?"

Wei Zhonghe walked in front, and Third Prince Ji Chengyue followed behind him.

From today onwards, one of the seven princes of Dayan would be removed from the list. It was still hard to say whether Ji Chengyue could leave Lakeside Island in this life.

Even if this generation of Emperor Yan died, and his brother succeeded to the throne in the next generation, it was unlikely that he would issue an edict to release him.

Zheng Fan sighed in his heart. He often lamented to Blindman that in the past, when he faced Xu Wenzu, the Sixth Prince, and later Jingnan侯, he was like a gambler sitting at a gambling table, constantly facing the situation of having to go all in.

Now it seemed that even if he was a prince, he was no different from a gambler sitting at the gambling table.

Take one wrong step, and you lose everything.

However,

Just then,

"Wait."

The speaker was Jingnan侯.

The next moment,

Including Zheng Fan, hundreds of guards immediately turned sideways and blocked Wei Zhonghe and the Third Prince Ji Chengyue behind him.

A fire immediately rose in Wei Zhonghe's heart. He was the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. In the palace, even the princes and concubines had to call him "Grand Eunuch Wei" with caution. Where had he ever seen this kind of treatment on weekdays?

But Wei Zhonghe also knew that these border troops only recognized their general's military orders and did not recognize any imperial edicts.

Bearing his temper, he continued to smile carefully,

Wei Zhonghe turned around to look at Jingnan侯, who was still sitting there, and said:

"Marquis, is there anything else you want to order?"

Jingnan侯 didn't look at Wei Zhonghe, but put the horse whip he had been holding in his hand on the stone table,

And slowly said:

"This edict, this Marquis will not accept it."