"You must know that this matter is of great importance, concerning the safety of the imperial family!" the Heavenly Emperor said. "Therefore, I wish to ask for your assistance in uncovering this hidden individual!"
"Your Majesty must know that the hidden individual could be one of the princes," Lu Fan said, cupping his fist. "If I were to directly investigate, it might be considered overstepping. After all, princes hold a most revered status. Even as the King of the Northwest, I cannot act recklessly!"
"This is the Dragon Seal. There are two of them. One is with me, and the other represents supreme authority. To see the Dragon Seal is to see me, the Emperor!"
The Heavenly Emperor produced a Dragon Seal and placed it before Lu Fan. "With this, you should have no reservations, correct?" Su Dan novel network
"This..."
Lu Fan was startled. "Does Your Majesty know what this Dragon Seal represents?"
"Of course, I do. You need not be overly concerned. The reason I am giving you the Dragon Seal is to empower you and allow you to thoroughly investigate this matter!" the Heavenly Emperor said. "If any minister or prince objects, you shall present this Dragon Seal!"
"Your Majesty has arranged everything, leaving me no room to refuse!" Lu Fan shrugged. "In that case, I accept this task and will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Emperor nodded gravely. "With your words, I am at ease. This matter must be handled with utmost caution. If anyone is indeed colluding with the Hell Dynasty, they will surely have powerful protectors. However, within this imperial capital, any disturbance will be instantly sensed by me!"
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will provide you with an explanation!" Lu Fan nodded solemnly, his words earnest.
"Enough, let us not dwell on these matters. I invited you here today primarily to drink!" the Heavenly Emperor smiled slightly and raised his wine cup.
Lu Fan also smiled, saying no more. Since the Heavenly Emperor had spoken, some things naturally did not need further discussion.
However, the Dragon Seal was extremely precious. The fact that the Heavenly Emperor was willing to entrust it to him was enough to show his trust.
After several rounds of drinking, Lu Fan rose and cupped his fist. "The wine has flowed freely. I shall take my leave now. As for the hidden individual, I will spare no effort in my search!"
The Heavenly Emperor nodded slightly, saying nothing more. As long as the hidden individual could be found, he would be able to relax. Otherwise, it would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to the entire dynasty.
After Lu Fan departed, the old eunuch looked at the Heavenly Emperor. "Your Majesty, why do you place such trust in the King of the Northwest? That is a token of the Heavenly Dynasty and a symbol of imperial power. The authority of the Dragon Seal is immense!"
"He is the King of the Northwest. Why would I not trust him?" the Heavenly Emperor smiled faintly. "If any of my other brothers held the Dragon Seal, I would certainly not be at ease. But the King of the Northwest is a king by marriage, not by blood. He cannot usurp my throne, nor can he raise an army to rebel!"
"Your Majesty's foresight is indeed impeccable!" the old eunuch nodded, finding the Heavenly Emperor's words to be quite reasonable.
Leaving the palace hall, Lu Fan was about to depart the imperial palace when he saw a young man sitting in a lakeside pavilion not far away, playing with mud with great absorption.
Seeing this scene, Lu Fan was even more surprised. This was within the imperial palace grounds. Under normal circumstances, there should be no men here. Moreover, this person was quite unfamiliar; he did not seem to recognize him.
"King of the Northwest, this is Prince Bai Xi!"
The old eunuch emerged and looked at Lu Fan, speaking somewhat seriously.
"Prince Bai Xi? But judging by his state of mind..." Lu Fan was somewhat surprised.
"The King of the Northwest may not know, but Prince Bai Xi suffered a severe injury in his childhood and has been mentally unsound since he was young!" the old eunuch said with a smile. "He has always been raised within the palace, as is the Heavenly Emperor's wish!"
"I see!"
Lu Fan nodded and approached Prince Bai Xi, looking at him closely before smiling. "Prince Bai Xi!"
"Are you calling me?"
Prince Bai Xi, holding the mud, looked blankly at Lu Fan, appearing to have regained some sense.
"So Prince Bai Xi still has his wits!"
Lu Fan instantly smiled, but the next moment, Prince Bai Xi suddenly became foolish and nonsensical again, letting out an incessant strange laugh, as if greatly stimulated.
Seeing this, the old eunuch said helplessly, "King of the Northwest, please do not be offended. Prince Bai Xi is always like this; sometimes he is lucid, and sometimes his mind is clouded."
Lu Fan nodded, not minding. However, he had a feeling that Bai Xi was not actually foolish. The lucidity he had shown earlier seemed like that of a normal person.
More importantly, Lu Fan had been observing Prince Bai Xi's every move from a distance and found him to be quite intelligent. How could he possibly be mentally unsound?
However, within the inner courts of the imperial palace, some people had to resort to certain measures to survive. Lu Fan did not understand the reason behind Prince Bai Xi's condition, and the motive remained somewhat elusive.
Upon returning to the King of the Northwest's manor, Bei Cheng had been waiting for a long time. He stepped forward and smiled. "Your father asked you to have dinner first. There must be another intention behind it, right?"
"Prince Bei Cheng is indeed intelligent!" Lu Fan nodded and, without any concealment, took out the Dragon Seal.
"The Dragon Seal? How is this possible!" Prince Bei Cheng was greatly startled and found it almost unbelievable. He knew very well what the Dragon Seal represented.
"It seems the Heavenly Emperor trusts me greatly, otherwise, he would not have handed the Dragon Seal to me!" Lu Fan said softly. "However, this also increases my pressure."
"What pressure is there? With power in your hands, dealing with anyone is just a word from you!"
Bei Cheng said softly, his eyes carrying a hint of indifference.
"While that may be true, things are not that simple!"
Lu Fan shook his head. "Some matters are not as straightforward, especially when I have no clues and no idea who the culprit is. This makes me feel somewhat numb."
"It could be Bei Hai, or it could be Bai Long!" Bei Cheng said. "As for the other princes, it's not impossible either."
"Prince Bei Cheng has a younger brother named Bai Xi?" Lu Fan asked curiously.
"That's right. Are you suspecting him?" Bei Cheng was somewhat surprised and looked towards Lu Fan.
"Why, shouldn't I suspect him?" Lu Fan gave an awkward smile.
"He went mad years ago. How could he possibly do such a thing?" Bei Cheng shook his head.
"Is there a possibility that he isn't mad at all, and is actually very intelligent, but you've all assumed he was foolish since he was a child?" Lu Fan's expression was somewhat serious. This was his greatest suspicion.
"How can that be possible!" Prince Bei Cheng shook his head.
"Nothing is impossible. It's just that I'm not sure if he is involved in this matter!" Lu Fan frowned.