Jiang Chen caressed the clan genealogy, his eyes occasionally revealing a thoughtful expression.

There were currently four princes remaining in the imperial capital.

They were the Third Prince, the Sixth Prince, the Seventh Prince, and Jiang Zuo Wang, the late emperor's youngest brother.

Logically, they had ample time and opportunity to collude with the Mei family, making them the most suspicious.

However, after some investigation, Jiang Chen was no longer so certain.

According to the information he currently possessed, these four individuals, though residing in the imperial capital, held no real power. They merely possessed the title of prince, with no authority to interfere in state affairs!

Moreover, in the original owner's memories, these individuals were merely pleasure-seeking纨绔子弟 (wankuzi di – good-for-nothing playboys) who did nothing all day long and never paid attention to court matters.

Could it be that his thinking was wrong?

Jing Yue noticed Jiang Chen's entanglement and softly reminded him, "Your Majesty, could it be other feudal lords?"

"Although the imperial capital is far away, with carrier pigeons, remote command is not difficult."

Jiang Chen did not deny it, his expression grave as he said, "That's possible."

"But... I still feel that the mastermind behind this is likely lurking around me."

Jiang Chen had not inherited many memories, and his impression of the Great Wei's royal family was very vague.

He couldn't help but ask, "Jing Yue, I've been too busy with state affairs lately, and I really don't have time to take care of some minor matters."

"Help me sort things out and list the powerful figures in the palace and in the royal family. I have a use for it."

Without much thought, Jing Yue said directly, "Among the various feudal lords, the strongest overall is the Fourth Prince, the Zhenbei Wang (Prince Who Pacifies the North), who was enfeoffed in Yanbei."

"The most prestigious, most cultured, and wealthiest prince is the Eighth Prince, the Qingwen Wang (Prince of Celebrated Culture), who was enfeoffed in Jiangning."

"The other princes also have troops and wealth, but the power they can exert is limited, and they cannot be compared to the Zhenbei Wang and Qingwen Wang!"

Jiang Chen nodded, "What about in the palace?"

"Does the current harem have any consorts who hold power?"

Hearing this, Jing Yue's cold tone showed a slight fluctuation, "Your Majesty, Consort Mei was once the most powerful person in the palace."

"But now that you have thrown this woman into the cold palace, if I have to pick someone with authority, I can only think of one person – the Imperial Concubine Dowager, Lü Shi!"

Jiang Chen's expression was solemn as he tried to recall this Imperial Concubine Dowager Lü Shi.

But no matter how hard he thought, his mind remained blank, and he could only give up and ask the key question: "Has this Lü Shi had any children?"

Jing Yue's voice took on a serious tone, "Your Majesty, Lü Shi has two sons, the Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince. Both of them are in the imperial capital."

A trace of vigilance flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes, and he decisively said, "Transfer a team of dark guards to monitor these two from now on!"

"Without my order, the dark guards are not allowed to leave a step. I need to know what they do every day and whether they have any contact with Mei Wen Shi's faction!"

Jing Yue nodded solemnly.

"Right, and that Lü Shi, monitor her too."

Hearing this, a troubled expression appeared on Jing Yue's pretty face, "Your Majesty, the number of dark guards is limited, and there may not be enough manpower to monitor Imperial Concubine Dowager Lü."

In fact, dark guards could be drawn from Jiang Chen's side, but Jing Yue immediately rejected this approach.

In her mind, nothing was more important than Jiang Chen's safety!

She would rather fail the mission and be reprimanded than let Jiang Chen bear the slightest risk.

After Jing Yue finished speaking, she felt uneasy, fearing that her emperor would be disappointed.

But Jiang Chen's response was not as harsh as she had imagined, but rather carried a bit of generosity!

"It doesn't matter, you can send the dark guards you can mobilize over there first and simply monitor her."

"When Yuan Buyi returns to the capital in a few days, take back the dark guards protecting him and send them to Lü Shi."

The peaceful attitude made Jing Yue even more ashamed.

It was her dereliction of duty as the commander of the dark guards that she could not meet the emperor's requirements!

Seeming to sense Jing Yue's strangeness, Jiang Chen's eyes flickered slightly, and he changed the subject, "By the way, how is the progress of expanding the dark guards?"

"If you encounter any difficulties, you can tell me directly. Whether it's money or manpower, I will solve it for you."

A look of embarrassment appeared on Jing Yue's cold face, and she said with difficulty, "Your Majesty, the training of dark guards has its own rules and regulations, and cannot be achieved through financial means alone."

"According to the royal family's convention, the members of the dark guards must be selected from the common people, and they must have a clean background and no ties, so as to ensure absolute loyalty."

"After being selected, they will be trained by special personnel, which requires a great deal of effort. Without enough time and systematic martial arts manuals, it is difficult to train them on a large scale."

After a pause, Jing Yue lowered her head, "After you ordered it some time ago, I started to handle the expansion... so far, it can only be said that the effect is limited."

Hearing this, a hint of regret appeared in Jiang Chen's eyes.

He had deeply experienced the usefulness of the dark guards these days.

If he could have tens of thousands of such subordinates, treacherous officials like Mei Wen Shi could be wiped out with a snap of his fingers, why would he need to be so careful now?

Jiang Chen was frowning and sighing when a silhouette suddenly flashed in his mind, and he cheered up again:

"Jing Yue, if we have the help of Headmaster Yang, do you think that with her background as the leader of the Taiping Dao (Way of Great Peace), she can train a large number of dark guards for me?"

Jing Yue was slightly startled, and then pondered, "Logically speaking, it should be possible!"

"The Taiping Dao is the leader of the righteous path, passed down for generations, with a rich foundation, and has many martial arts manuals and mysterious pills and medicines."

Speaking of this, her eyes lit up, "Moreover, the Taiping Dao is passed down from generation to generation, and if Headmaster Yang enters the palace, these treasures can be used as dowry and brought into the palace together!"

"At that time..."

Jiang Chen felt a little embarrassed listening to this, and interrupted with a wry smile, "Jing Yue, you have too much confidence in me, don't you?"

"Headmaster Yang has only met me once, and we haven't even said a few words, and you're already thinking about her dowry?"

Jing Yue disagreed and retorted seriously, "Your Majesty is handsome and dignified, a rare and great man in the world!"

"Even those proud and aloof noble ladies of the imperial capital are vying to enter the palace, wanting to accompany you, how can Headmaster Yang be an exception?"

"After a few more days, when Headmaster Yang becomes familiar with you, Your Majesty, she will definitely be attracted to you and willingly enter the palace to accompany you!"

Jiang Chen was a little flushed by the flattery and shook his head, "Enter the palace? Forget it!"

"With her personality, I'm afraid she'll go berserk the moment she knows my identity."

Speaking of this, Jiang Chen revealed a mischievous smile, "However, I'm still looking forward to seeing this scene."

"Although this Yang Muxi is beautiful, she is too unruly and has no fear of the court. If I don't temper her temper, she might cause a big mess in the future."

Jing Yue agreed and echoed, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"Although this Headmaster Yang has a chivalrous personality, she is too simple-minded and acts too radically. Her sharp edges need to be blunted before she can be brought into the court."

Jiang Chen nodded in agreement. Jing Yue's words struck a chord with him.

A woman like Yang Muxi was a very powerful assistant, and he couldn't let her go!

However, before taking her into his possession, he still had to discipline her first...