"Presumptuous! Chen Yuan, how dare you contradict me!"

Hearing Chen Yuan's righteous and stern attitude, Consort Yang felt offended and immediately rebuked him.

Regardless, she was still a noble consort, how could she tolerate being contradicted by an outside official?

Chen Yuan's attitude remained neither humble nor arrogant, and he felt no fear from Consort Yang's rebuke. What if he contradicted her? This kind of shallow woman deserved a good scolding!

What did Chen Yuan have to fear?

"This is my answer. I have said all I need to say. Consort, please take care of yourself. Farewell!"

Chen Yuan cupped his hands, turned, and left.

"You..."

Consort Yang's tone faltered, and she nearly lost her balance. When she summoned Chen Yuan to the palace, she never expected him to be so unyielding, completely disregarding everything else.

He directly contradicted her with words!

He didn't take her seriously at all.

Watching Chen Yuan's departing figure, Consort Yang's eyes were filled with anger and killing intent. If word of today's events got out, her reputation would be completely ruined.

Most importantly, she couldn't do anything to Chen Yuan.

He was reasonable, neither humble nor arrogant, and spoke righteously. Even if she brought it to His Majesty, she wouldn't gain any advantage. His Majesty was no longer the one who doted on her.

In recent years, he had focused entirely on state affairs and cultivation, rarely visiting the harem, and hadn't even seen her in months.

If she could cry to Emperor Jingtai as before, she wouldn't have resorted to summoning Chen Yuan to the palace and pressuring him with words.

"Your Highness, calm down!"

"Your Highness, calm down!"

Several palace maids hurriedly knelt, fearing that Consort Yang would vent her anger on them.

"Mother Consort, Pingyang also takes her leave."

After Princess Pingyang saluted, she retreated with a calm expression, disregarding Consort Yang's dangerous gaze.

After leaving Chunhua Palace, Chen Yuan didn't rush to leave. He deliberately wandered through the harem, wanting to see the place Jiang He had told him about.

But soon, Princess Pingyang caught up with him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Commander Chen, do you have other matters to attend to?"

Princess Pingyang looked at Chen Yuan with a suspicious gaze.

Could it be that besides her mother consort's summons, he had been summoned by other nobles in the harem?

With Chen Yuan's unyielding personality, was he planning to contradict someone else?

"Nothing, I just thought the scenery here was quite nice and wanted to take another look," Chen Yuan said with a smile, not revealing any other purpose. If he was noticed, it would be difficult to act in the future.

Pingyang's beautiful eyes darted around, and she said after a moment of contemplation:

"There are indeed many places with beautiful scenery in the harem. Where does Commander Chen want to go? If you don't mind, Pingyang can show you around."

"Your Highness grew up in the harem and naturally knows a lot about certain places. In that case, Princess, please lead the way."

There was still some time before the ancestral sacrifice, so he couldn't be impatient.

He felt that this Pingyang seemed smarter than her younger brother. If he revealed any flaws, it would be easily discovered. He would rather not go than arouse her suspicion.

"Alright, then Commander Chen, let's take a walk."

Looking at the palace-dressed beauty in front of him, Chen Yuan nodded.

"Okay."

During their stroll, Chen Yuan chatted with Princess Pingyang about many things. He thought Pingyang would speak up for her uncle or threaten him for contradicting her mother consort earlier.

But to his surprise, Pingyang didn't bring up those topics at all.

Instead, she asked Chen Yuan about the previous Immortal Ascension Battle, expressing her admiration for him and saying that he had brought glory to the imperial court and was a role model for the younger generation of Great Jin.

Chen Yuan: "Your Highness is too kind. It was just a coincidence."

Pingyang smiled and said:

"Weren't you very unyielding in Chunhua Palace earlier, Commander Chen? Why are you being so humble now?"

Seeing that she had indeed brought up the topic, Chen Yuan felt relieved and said with a serious expression:

"If others respect me, I will respect them tenfold. The Noble Consort's words were fierce and aggressive, so Chen wouldn't bow down and beg for mercy. Besides, the court's trial of Yang Hucheng is due to the strictness of the law, which is a good thing."

"How well said, 'If others respect me, I will respect them tenfold.' Is the next sentence going to be, 'If others offend me, I will offend them'?"

Chen Yuan didn't answer.

But sometimes silence is the best answer.

That was indeed his character.

As far as he was concerned, he would mercilessly uproot and eliminate anyone who provoked him, because he always remembered one sentence: mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself.

"If Pingyang were the imperial brother, she would never harbor resentment against Commander Chen because of this matter."

With this sentence, Princess Pingyang implicitly distanced herself from the Fourth Prince, Sima Ke, not wanting Chen Yuan to be hostile towards her because of this matter.

Hearing this, Chen Yuan looked at Princess Pingyang with some surprise.

Judging from the things he had heard, the relationship between the Fourth Prince and Princess Pingyang should be very deep. After all, some people said that the reason Princess Pingyang had not married to this day was to plot for Sima Ke to become the crown prince.

"Your Highness is clear about grievances and gratitude. Chen admires that."

"I heard... Commander Chen has quite a few connections with Master Li of the Shuanghe Nunnery?" Suddenly, Princess Pingyang changed the topic, seemingly asking casually.

But in Chen Yuan's view, this was probably her real purpose in seeking him out.

He immediately denied it:

"Where did Your Highness hear such rumors? Shuanghe Nunnery seems to be a nunnery. How could I have any connection with it?"

Princess Pingyang took a deep look at Chen Yuan:

"Commander Chen, are you unaware of the relationship between Master Li and Jiang, the Golden Envoy of Qingzhou?"

"I really don't know. Your Highness, please tell me about it."

"Forget it. Since Commander Chen doesn't know, perhaps Pingyang is just imagining too much." Princess Pingyang smiled lightly, not delving further.

From Chen Yuan's words, she had already judged what she wanted to know.

She also felt somewhat worried for Sima Ke.

A prince who was not yet the crown prince had no right to antagonize the Li family. Even a single word from the Grand Marshal, who controlled the world's troops, could ruin his future.

Chen Yuan was not a rootless weed in the capital. He had support.

Otherwise, he would never be so arrogant and unyielding.

If Chen Yuan knew her thoughts, he would definitely say that he would be like this regardless of whether he had support or not. The main thing was that Chen Yuan had a choice. He didn't have to stay on the imperial court's ship until it sank. This was just the most advantageous path for him to climb up.

Of course, Chen Yuan would not betray the imperial court unless absolutely necessary.

With his current reputation and strength, if he betrayed the imperial court, it would definitely lead to Jingtai's relentless pursuit at any cost, which was not what he wanted. The price was simply too high.

......

......

"What? Chen Yuan actually dared to contradict Mother Consort!"

Hearing his subordinate's report, Fourth Prince Sima Ke's eyes were filled with anger as he stared at the bowing man in front of him.

"Your Highness, the news from the palace is indeed like this."

The man hurriedly knelt down, fearing that Sima Ke would vent his anger on him.

"Damn it!"

Sima Ke roared, his face somewhat twisted, his killing intent towards Chen Yuan growing even stronger!

He might not have reacted too strongly to other things, after all, he had some composure. Even if Chen Yuan's attitude was firm and he insisted on taking Xiao Qingmu away that day, he had ultimately endured it.

But now he couldn't endure it any longer. Since the people in the capital wanted to see him fight with Chen Yuan, so be it. Did Chen Yuan really dare to kill a current prince without regard for his own life?

Sima Ke didn't think Chen Yuan had that kind of courage.

But he couldn't find Chen Yuan's weakness. He had just arrived in the capital, and his foundation seemed unstable, but in fact, through his previous actions, he had directly established his authority.

He had essentially stepped on Sima Ke to make a name for himself in the capital.

With Zhang Yantong, a powerful official of the Sky Patrol Department, as his backer, Sima Ke really felt that Chen Yuan was a thorny hedgehog that couldn't be touched or criticized.

He really dared to contradict directly!

As for framing him, it wasn't that he hadn't thought about it, and he had even put it into action. He learned from some secret information in Qingzhou that Chen Yuan had eliminated dissidents in Tangshan and seized power.

The people there only knew of the Chen Emissary and didn't know there was an emperor.

This was a very good excuse, but unfortunately, someone in the palace told him that Chen Yuan had already confessed this matter to His Majesty. If he wanted to use this to find Chen Yuan's weakness, he would even be reprimanded by the emperor.

It had to be said that Chen Yuan was indeed a clever man. When he first met Emperor Jingtai, he confessed this matter and allowed the court to investigate it. With Jiang He protecting him in Qingzhou, it was really impossible to throw mud on him.

"Your Highness, please calm down."

Several guards of the prince's residence said hurriedly.

Sima Ke's expression was extremely gloomy. Since he was born, it was the first time he had encountered an opponent like Chen Yuan, who was exceptionally strong, incredibly talented, and seemingly unyielding in character, but in fact, was scheming everywhere.

Moreover, he had a considerable background to support him.

Before he became the crown prince, most of the important officials in the court were still watching. If he wanted to take action, it was indeed a tricky matter.

Most importantly, how to defeat Chen Yuan was a problem!

In the beginning, he wasn't so serious about Chen Yuan. When the First Prince and the Second Prince had intended to befriend Chen Yuan, his attitude was very indifferent.

But because of this, by chance, he was tricked by that bitch Xiao Qingmu and became hostile to Chen Yuan because of Yang Hucheng's matter.

He was even killed at his door alone, and Xiao Qingmu was taken away, causing him to lose face.

If there was still a chance to salvage it, he would never want to be an enemy of someone like Chen Yuan, at least not before becoming the crown prince.

But now, he had already taken action and used some small tricks to confront Chen Yuan, but the other party didn't play by the rules and directly severely punished all those who disobeyed orders.

Now, the people of the Eastern Emperor City Division no longer dared to resist in any way.

As for the high-level...

Those few divine envoys rarely paid attention to him, and other Dan Realm grandmasters might have a higher official rank than Chen Yuan, but they couldn't control him.

But he couldn't back down now. Once he backed down, those officials who were watching him would definitely be disappointed in him, causing the balance of the crown prince to tilt towards the other two imperial brothers.

Now, such a thing had happened again. Chen Yuan openly contradicted his mother consort in the harem, and the conflict between them had become increasingly large...

It had even reached a point where it couldn't be reconciled.

Just as Sima Ke was thinking about how to plot against Chen Yuan, a close guard below him moved his eyes and said in a low voice:

"Your Highness... why not send someone to ask the Eldest Princess?"

In the eyes of many people in the capital, the current Eldest Princess was talented in both literature and martial arts. If she were a man, perhaps the position of crown prince would have been decided long ago.

It was a pity that the world was still governed by the rule of male dominance.

Even if the Eldest Princess was extremely talented, she would inevitably marry out in the future.

"Imperial Sister..." Sima Ke narrowed his eyes. He was indeed very admired by this imperial sister and had always been deeply scheming.

It was a pity that the mother consort resented her because of what happened in the past, which had always created some estrangement between them. But no matter what, he was still her biological younger brother.

It didn't seem impossible to let her make suggestions for him. After all, he was also avenging his mother consort. Taking a deep breath, he was about to tell his subordinates to inform him that he wanted to see the imperial sister.

Suddenly, a guard at the door came in, respectfully and solemnly said:

"Your Highness, there are Dongying warriors outside the mansion who are asking to see you."

"Dongying dwarfs?" Sima Ke frowned and waved his hand:

"I won't see them."

Whether it was the Western Regions, Dongying, or the Northern Barbarians, the people of the Central Plains generally looked down on them. In the eyes of the people of the Central Plains, only the Central Plains was the center of the universe.

Other regions were all uncivilized barbarians.

As a prince, Sima Ke's arrogance was naturally even higher.

The guard below continued:

"Those Dongying warriors said that they also have a grudge against Chen Yuan and hope to meet Your Highness."

The guard looked up and saw that Sima Ke didn't say anything and his face was still gloomy. He subconsciously thought that he still wouldn't see them, and he hurriedly bowed and retreated, telling those Dongying warriors.

"Wait..."

Sima Ke stopped the guard.

"Does Your Highness have any other instructions?"

"Let them in."

Sima Ke said with a gloomy expression.

The enemy of the enemy is a friend. Although Sima Ke didn't want to make friends with Dongying dwarfs, since the other party had come to his door, he might as well see them.

If they could deal with Chen Yuan, that would naturally be the best.

If they just wanted to use this to build a relationship with him, then he could meet them and ignore them in the future.

"Yes."

The guard retreated, and Sima Ke sat down slowly with a calm expression, looking ahead.

Not long after, the guard who had just gone out led several warriors dressed in Central Plains clothes and slowly walked into the hall. The leader was a young warrior with a long knife on his back.

A strand of long hair hung in front of his forehead, and his temperament was cold, with some stubble around his mouth.

Behind him were a few followers.

Sima Ke didn't get up to greet them, but looked at them indifferently, his eyes slightly moving.

The leading young man glanced at Fourth Prince Sima Ke and followed the etiquette of the Central Plains, cupping his hands and saying:

"Ito Ichido of the Ito clan of Dongying, greets Fourth Highness."

Sima Ke's eyes were somewhat suspicious. As a current prince, he was naturally not ignorant. At least he had heard of the three major families of Dongying.

The strongest was the Yagyu clan, which was said to have a True Lord level powerhouse guarding them.

The second was this Ito clan.

Their power was definitely at the top in Dongying. In recent years, as Dongying warriors had become more and more active in the Central Plains, the names of the three major families had spread a lot.

"The Ito clan has lived overseas for a long time. Why have they come to the capital now?"

Sima Ke's expression was somewhat puzzled.

"Dongying is a small country that admires Central Plains culture. Kyoto is the essence of the Central Plains, so it should also be respected by our Dongying warriors. Therefore, we have come to the capital to see it."

Ito Ichido bowed.

"If you want to see Kyoto, there are officials from the Ministry of Rites. Or... does Your Excellency want me to take you on a tour?"

Sima Ke tapped the table with his fingers, his eyes narrowed.

For the visits of these overseas barbarians, they are generally received by officials from the Ministry of Rites. The Celestial Dynasty values etiquette the most.

The other party's purpose in coming to him was probably not so simple.

"That's not the case. Ichido came to pay respects to Your Highness because he admires Your Highness's reputation. You are the best choice for the next emperor. I hope to represent the three major families of Dongying to build a good relationship with Your Highness."

Ito said softly.

"Shut up!" Sima Ke's eyes suddenly sharpened and stopped the other party's words.

The emperor was not dead yet, what would he think if these things were heard by the emperor?

He felt that these Dongying warriors had come to harm him.

"I am the son of the emperor, so I naturally hope that the emperor will live forever. Don't mention such presumptuous words again, or don't blame me for punishing you."

"Ichido misspoke, please forgive me, Your Highness."

Seeing the other party's reaction was so great, Ito Ichido also said quickly.

"Please sit down, everyone."

Sima Ke pointed to the seats on the side and said.

"Thank you."

"Please speak directly about what your purpose is. My time is limited."

"Ichido has already said that he just wants to befriend Your Highness. Although we are overseas forces, we wholeheartedly yearn for the Central Plains and want to integrate into the Central Plains. Your Highness has given us hope."

"Heh..." Sima Ke snorted softly and changed the subject:

"When you asked the guards to report just now, you said you had a grudge against Chen Yuan. What kind of grudge is it? As far as I know, Chen Yuan comes from Qingzhou, which is far away from the East Sea. How could he have a connection with Dongying?"

Ito Ichido said in a deep voice:

"The three major families of Dongying are of the same breath. Yagyu Shinichi and Yagyu Muneyoshi were killed by Chen Yuan, that is the first grudge. The ancestral tablets set up by our families in Qingzhou were destroyed by Chen Yuan, that is the second grudge.

This person has always been dissatisfied with our Dongying warriors and wants to kill them. He doesn't allow our Dongying warriors to live in Tangshan, which is an insult to us, that is the third grudge."

"With all of these added together, how can it not be considered a grudge?"

"So what are you going to do?"

"Defeat him. Only by shattering his Dao heart can we wash away the shame of our Dongying."

"Oh?"

Sima Ke became interested and was about to listen carefully.

The guard outside came in again and bowed:

"Your Highness, the Eldest Princess has sent a letter."

"Bring it to me and let me see."

Sima Ke narrowed his eyes, and the guard offered the letter respectfully.

Slowly opening the letter, Sima Ke's eyes narrowed instantly, somewhat gloomy and angry, because there were only a few words on it:

"Chen Yuan cannot be defeated by force, it is better to cease the dispute for now."

Casually crumpling the letter into a ball, Sima Ke looked at Ito Ichido and said lightly:

"What are you planning to do?"