Regardless of how the various factions in the capital viewed Yin Wuyan's act of matchmaking for Qiu Huaixin, the news, once it spread through Qianzhong Prefecture, caused many eligible young men to become red-eyed with jealousy.
When Jiao Lianyu heard the news, he was so startled that he dropped the teacup in his hand. Looking at his tea-soaked robe, a shadow of envy and hatred flickered in his eyes. This world truly was unfair.
"Did it burn you?" Madam Huang asked anxiously as she stood up. Seeing her son looking down in silence, she knew his thoughts and couldn't help but say, "My son is also of marriageable age, but the Madam is solely focused on the eldest young master and doesn't even mention my son's marriage. What kind of a principal wife would act like this, not fearing that it would bring shame to the master if the news got out?"
...
"His Majesty will not believe it," Scholar Gu said with a gentle smile. Even though His Majesty had been suspicious in recent years, as long as there was no concrete evidence, he would still trust such an old minister, especially Yin Wuyan, whom he had personally nurtured.
Thinking that Yin Wuyan had actually taken the initiative to propose marriage for the young master of the Qiu family this time, Scholar Gu helplessly put down the secret letter in his hand. "Issue an order: do not act rashly. Everyone should attend to their own duties."
If His Majesty did not move, they could not move either. They could only wait and see. It was precisely during such times that they needed to remain steady, otherwise, it would be a case of one wrong move leading to a cascade of problems.
The man in black withdrew at his command. In the study, Scholar Gu thought of his young disciple far away in Qianzhong Prefecture. The situation in the capital had been unpredictable in recent years. He only hoped that the young girl would continue her travels abroad and not get entangled in this great vortex.
Compared to Scholar Gu's calmness, the several princes who had secretly instructed the censors to impeach Scholar Gu were furious.
Although they knew that this move would not do anything to Yin Wuyan before they acted, they were still extremely annoyed that His Majesty trusted Yin Wuyan, Scholar Gu, and Minister Qiu so much.
The Second Prince's face was solemn. Only after the tea in his hand had grown cold did he speak indifferently, "My father is so wary of us sons, yet he trusts Yin Wuyan so implicitly! Doesn't my father worry about nurturing a tiger that will bite him?"
The two advisors seated below could understand the Second Prince's feelings at this moment. Not only was His Majesty not establishing a crown prince, but he was also delegating power everywhere to old ministers and Commander Yin. This was clearly a move to guard against the princes. To put it bluntly, it was harsher than training a hawk.
The adult princes had no power in their hands and dared not openly cultivate factions. Yet, their younger brothers were all growing up, coveting the position of crown prince, intending to make the Yin imperial princes kill each other.
The officials in the court were also suffering. With no crown prince established, everyone could only serve His Majesty, but they also worried about inadvertently offending a prince. If that prince were to ascend the throne in the future, and there was a reckoning, their entire families would be ruined.
No matter how worried they were about establishing a crown prince, it was of no use. The Second Prince tilted his head and took a sip of the cooled, bitter tea before speaking of important matters, "Has the intelligence from Qianzhong Prefecture been received? How did those hundred-odd items disappear?"
The middle-aged scholar on the left immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to the Second Prince. "The message sent back by Wu Wu overnight indicated that there should have been a secret passage in the room where Sheng Xuan stored the items. The Imperial Dragon Guard transported the items out of the city through the secret passage. By the time the government discovered the items were missing the next day, they were already outside the city."
"Hundreds of people couldn't even guard the items? Is this the old minister His Majesty trusts the most?" His words were filled with mockery. The Second Prince thought of these items arriving in the palace and was even more annoyed, hitting the table heavily with his fist. "That Tao fellow is also useless. He let the Imperial Dragon Guard steal the items right under his nose."
Especially when he thought about how Qianzhong Prefecture had sealed the entire city and searched every inch of ground for the lost hundred-odd items, the Second Prince felt an immense sense of irony. The items were already outside the city, so turning Qianzhong Prefecture upside down would not help them find anything.
"At that time, it was Ge Yi, the Surveillance Commissioner of Qianzhong Circuit, who personally inspected the room. He didn't find any secret passages. One can only say that the Imperial Dragon Guard was one step ahead," the advisor on the right added in a deep voice. It could be said that this secret passage was incredibly ingenious to have been missed by Lord Ge.
"The Imperial Dragon Guard has indeed produced many talented individuals over the years." Despite his jealousy of Yin Wuyan, the Second Prince had to admit the power of the Imperial Dragon Guard. Yin Wuyan was far superior to them princes, commanding a group of loyal death warriors.
It was a pity that His Majesty trusted Yin Wuyan so much, allowing his Imperial Dragon Guard to grow to its current scale. The Second Prince could see through the people on the surface, but Yin Wuyan must also have a group of hidden death warriors.
However, whether Yin Wuyan harbored intentions of rebellion or usurping the throne, the Second Prince truly couldn't tell. The Imperial Dragon Guard was notorious. Many ministers' entire families had died under the Imperial Dragon Guard's goose-feather sabers, from the elderly to infants. If such a bloodthirsty demon wanted to ascend the throne, not only the officials would not agree, but the scholars of the world and the people of Daqing would also not agree.
The middle-aged scholar pondered for a moment before looking at the Second Prince and asking, "Does Your Highness see His Majesty's intention in this? Is he trying to purge Qianzhong Circuit?"
The appearance of these one hundred and two items had caused various factions in Qianzhong Circuit to compete for them. Many death warriors died in the bloody battle that night, and many were captured by the authorities. Finally, the items were sent to the capital by the Imperial Dragon Guard. His Majesty's actions would undoubtedly cripple the various factions in Qianzhong Circuit.
"It's normal for my father to stir up Qianzhong Circuit, given how deeply the old master's influence is hidden." The Second Prince also frowned and pondered. It was a pity that the token could no longer be obtained. Otherwise, they would have an additional force in secret, making it easier to gather information or do unsavory things in the future, and most importantly, without worrying about being discovered by the Emperor.
"Do you think this old master is a remnant of the previous dynasty or from the palace?" The Second Prince lowered his voice instinctively, implying something. If it were a remnant of the previous dynasty, it would be nothing. But if it were the influence of his good elder brother or younger brothers, the Second Prince's eyes instantly turned extremely gloomy. Then they had hidden themselves quite deeply.
The two advisors also fell into thought. If Zhan Feiyu had not gone to Qianzhong Prefecture, perhaps this long-hidden force would not have been involved. The old master had some connection with the barbarians and had close dealings with the third branch of the Qiu family. Now that the third branch of the Qiu family was being investigated for colluding with the enemy and treason, it was reasonable for the old master to hold a grudge against Zhan Feiyu and try to kill her.
It was likely that the old master himself did not expect that his several attempts would fail to kill Zhan Feiyu, but instead exposed his own influence. Cai Zhiyuan, the Commander of Qianzhong Circuit, was the unluckiest one.
This time, it was also because of Zhan Feiyu's involvement that the cowardly but ambitious Minister Tao placed the hundred-odd items in Sheng Xuan for bidding.
As a result, the items were eventually taken by the Imperial Dragon Guard. Although the old master's influence was unclear, there were undoubtedly casualties from the old master's forces in the battle in Qianzhong Circuit.
The white-haired advisor pondered for a long time before solemnly stating, "In my humble opinion, the old master may be related to the previous dynasty. This token should be related to the barbarians. The old master has had many private collaborations with the barbarians over the years, but they have also guarded against each other. Now that Qiu Wenlan has committed suicide and the whereabouts of the token are unknown, the old master is also worried that the court will find him by tracing the token."
Before this, the old master was a person hidden in the darkness, and the court did not know of his existence, so the old master could slowly infiltrate and develop his influence.
However, once the old master's past actions came to light, and the investigation continued step by step, it was only a matter of time before the old master's identity was discovered. This was also why the old master was determined to obtain the token, but unfortunately, the Imperial Dragon Guard acted quickly and accurately.
As long as the third branch of the Qiu family did not fall, the old master's influence would not be exposed. The Second Prince reviewed all the events in his mind. He could only say that Zhan Feiyu was a born troublemaker, causing trouble wherever she went, yet she herself had extremely good luck, always escaping danger.
Zhan Feiyu was also highly regarded by the Emperor, even being bestowed the Dragon Pendant. Minister Tao, that foolish fellow, had committed a great offense by striking the Dragon Pendant with his saber, thus losing his official position.
"Commander Yin wishes for the fifth daughter of the Gu family to marry Qiu Huaixin. Should we act in secret regarding this matter?" the middle-aged scholar asked again. They did not intend to move against Zhan Feiyu for the time being, and they couldn't. Other people and matters needed to be carefully planned.