Chapter 462 Still Has a Trump Card

Pei Tinglan was dragged out of the imperial study, but before she could be taken out, the emperor summoned the imperial physician to examine her. The physician was shrewd; although he found Pei Tinglan's condition to be poor, he only replied that she "needs to rest and recuperate." He knew in his heart that at this moment, Pei Tinglan's life or death was no longer important.

After all, her identity had been completely exposed, giving the emperor a pretext to punish the prime minister. The Prince of Lingnan, due to the evidence presented by Jiang Yu, was also imprisoned in the capital and unable to leave on his own. Even if Pei Tinglan were to die now, it wouldn't implicate Jiang Yu in the slightest.

The emperor ordered the imperial physicians to prepare medicine immediately, and then commanded the imperial guards to imprison Pei Tinglan. After making these arrangements, he dismissed Jiang Yu and the others. However, none of the ministers present felt at ease.

Among this group were many officials from the Prime Minister's faction. Leaving aside the fact that the Prime Minister concealed his kinship with the Prince of Lingnan, now that the Emperor has made it clear he intends to purge the Prime Minister, how should they proceed? Should they abandon the Prime Minister, yet fear being implicated and punished after his downfall? Should they do everything in their power to protect him, yet are unsure if they can truly safeguard him?

Those outside the Prime Minister's faction also had their own plans, but their gazes towards Jiang Yu had completely changed. No one could have predicted what astonishing things this woman would do in the future.

As for the Prime Minister and the King of Lingnan and his daughter, their faces were frighteningly gloomy.

The group walked out in silence. After a few steps, they saw Prince Rui approaching, looking somewhat anxious. The group quickly stepped forward to pay their respects. Prince Rui's gaze lingered on Jiang Yu for a moment. Jiang Yu understood and gave him a reassuring smile before continuing to walk out with the others.

Zhu Junning, who had admired Prince Rui for many years, seemed to forget to breathe the moment he saw him appear. Her whole heart was focused on him, and she naturally did not miss the exchange between Prince Rui and Jiang Yu.

Her hands clenched involuntarily, and as she left with the others, she couldn't help but look back. Prince Rui was still standing there, gazing in the direction they had gone. Zhu Junning lowered his head, his eyes full of thought, and his gaze kept drifting towards Jiang Yu several times.

Jiang Yu noticed her gaze and immediately turned to look at her. The moment their eyes met, Zhu Junning hurriedly looked away. Now, she only felt fear towards Jiang Yu and no longer had the desire to compete with her as before.

Seeing her retreat, Jiang Yu frowned. She knew that people's actions never came out of thin air; there was always a reason. Although Zhu Junning's intelligence was not as great as Xie Ning'an's, she was still a smart person. After experiencing this series of events, if Zhu Junning looked at her with suspicion, it was definitely not without reason.

But why exactly?

Jiang Yu had been pondering this the whole way, but even by the time she reached the palace gates, she still hadn't come to a conclusion. She decided to put it aside for the time being; forcing herself to figure things out would only lead to trouble. She had come on horseback, and upon exiting the palace gates, Xia He was already waiting with her horse. Jiang Yu mounted her horse, not even glancing at the Prince of Lingnan and the Prime Minister again, and galloped away.

Now that things have come to this, the pretense of civility has been completely severed. Just proceed according to the original plan and don't overthink it.

The Prince of Lingnan and the Prime Minister watched her figure disappear at the end of the street before turning their gaze away. They exchanged a glance, silently conveying their feelings, before parting ways. Although their kinship had been exposed, they had already prepared their explanations before the Emperor, claiming that neither of them was previously aware of this relationship. Now, the Prime Minister couldn't afford to lose his position; the charade had to continue.

The Prime Minister departed in a carriage, while the Prince of Lingnan mounted his horse alongside Zhu Junning. He glanced back towards the palace gate before setting off, with Zhu Junning quickly following. Upon returning to the Prince of Lingnan's residence, the father and daughter entered the study, sat facing each other, and remained silent for a long time.

Today's events truly caught them off guard. Although they had anticipated that the emperor would keep them in the capital, they had not expected that the emperor would use the old grudge between the Duke of Chu's mansion and them to take action; they had not expected that Jiang Yu would act so quickly and ruthlessly.

Not only was the Princess Consort of the Prince's Mansion paraded through the streets in a prison cart, but Pei Tinglan's misdeeds were also publicized along the way. Finally, in front of everyone, Pei Tinglan was dragged into the palace. This was a complete disgrace; if it couldn't be salvaged, the Lingnan Prince's Mansion would find it difficult to maintain its standing in the world.

The King of Lingnan's face turned ashen. Suddenly, he raised his fist and slammed it hard on the table, shattering the silence with a dull thud. He gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "I will tear Jiang Yu to pieces!"

Zhu Junning pursed her lips and didn't reply. She knew in her heart that the question wasn't whether they could kill Jiang Yu, but whether they could survive under Jiang Yu's relentless pressure. But the King of Lingnan was currently furious, and she dared not say these words aloud.

She got up and poured the King of Lingnan another cup of tea, and softly advised, "As long as we can survive this ordeal, we will fight Jiang Yu to the death in the future."

The Prince of Lingnan glanced at her and let out a long sigh. He knew perfectly well he was in a life-or-death situation. His earlier threat of "tears to pieces" was nothing but a furious outburst in a fit of rage. The reality he had to face was ultimately inescapable.

His hands trembled slightly, but he still picked up the teacup, took a sip, and tried to suppress the agitation in his heart. Zhu Junning also held her cup and quietly drank her tea. Seeing that his expression had eased a little, she asked softly, "Will Uncle take any action?"

After all, he was the prime minister, having cultivated his power in the capital and the court for many years; he couldn't be so easily brought down. Otherwise, the emperor would have dismissed him directly today, instead of waiting for him to resign voluntarily. But in the end, the prime minister didn't resign, and the emperor only showed a disapproving expression, saying nothing more. This is enough to show that even the emperor had to be somewhat wary of the prime minister's power.

The King of Lingnan had calmed down considerably. He put down his teacup and said in a deep voice, "Next, we can only help the Crown Prince ascend the throne."

Zhu Junning was startled, then nodded in understanding. They truly only had this one card left to play. But supporting the crown prince was no easy task; it would certainly require the current emperor to fall seriously ill or pass away. However, the emperor was currently in good health, so the only way to achieve their goal was through extreme measures.

"Then... what are the chances of success?" Zhu Junning couldn't help but ask.

The Prince of Lingnan remained silent, his face tense. Zhu Junning frowned, his expression grave. His silence was the best answer: the chances were slim. Indeed, how could the Emperor and those he trusted, such as Jiang Yu, not have considered this? If they had, they must have taken precautions.

At this moment, the King of Lingnan spoke, his voice extremely low: "Your maternal uncle still has a trump card, but we must first lower the emperor's guard. If the palace is too heavily guarded, things will become difficult."

As soon as he said that, a thought suddenly popped into Zhu Junning's mind. But as soon as the thought appeared, his heart clenched tightly, and he even held his breath for a moment.