Chapter 466 How much truth do you think there is in what you said?

The cooperation between the Prime Minister and the Earl of Qingshan was driven by their own ulterior motives. The Crown Prince secretly plotted to exterminate the Prime Minister's entire family once he ascended the throne. The Prime Minister, on the other hand, had long planned to control the Crown Prince as a puppet after his coronation and had naturally prepared a backup plan.

Once outside the secluded courtyard, he glanced back, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He turned and walked to a low-key carriage, stepping onto the horse's stirrups. The wheels quickly began to turn.

Before long, the Prime Minister returned to his residence. Entering his study, he once again took out the letter from the Prince of Lingnan and carefully examined it. The initial joy he had shown was gone, replaced by a look of deep thought and gravity. The Prince of Lingnan's plan was indeed excellent, but if it were exposed, the repercussions would be unimaginable.

Having clashed with Jiang Yu multiple times, the Prime Minister knew her temperament all too well. He certainly didn't want to end up being dragged into the palace by the collar by Jiang Yu. Therefore, this matter had to be handled with utmost care!

“Father.” The voice of the eldest son, Pei Hanming, came from outside the study. The Prime Minister closed the letter and responded, “Come in.” Pei Hanming pushed open the door and entered, his face showing obvious solemnity.

Seeing his expression, the Prime Minister frowned and asked, "What happened?"

Pei Hanming bowed and hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard has arrested Su Chengyan and Gu Zhaoqing."

"What?" The Prime Minister stood up abruptly, his face full of disbelief: "Did the Embroidered Uniform Guard say they committed any crime?"

Pei Hanming shook his head: "No. It all happened too suddenly. The Embroidered Uniform Guards surrounded the Su and Gu families without warning and took everyone away."

The prime minister's face instantly turned ashen, and he staggered into his chair, muttering, "The emperor is going to take action against me."

Pei Hanming glanced at him cautiously and asked, "What should we do now?"

The Prime Minister, after all, was a man who had weathered many storms. His earlier panic was merely due to being startled by the sudden bad news. He calmed down in an instant, and his expression returned to normal.

He waved for Pei Hanming to sit down and slowly said, "His Majesty has long known about my relationship with the Prince of Lingnan. Now that the Prince of Lingnan is trapped in the capital, His Majesty obviously wants to keep him here and then subdue Lingnan. We have been openly confronting His Majesty for a long time. What he is doing now is just to intimidate those who follow me."

The Prime Minister glanced at Pei Hanming's furrowed brows, sighing inwardly at his son's dullness, but still patiently explained, "Those people followed me only for personal gain. Now that we are at a disadvantage against the Prince of Lingnan, they will certainly not follow us wholeheartedly anymore. We are better off without such people!"

Even so, he was still feeling bad, but he couldn't show any emotion, even in front of his own son. He glanced down at the letter in his hand and handed it to Pei Hanming: "Take a look."

Pei Hanming took the letter and read it carefully. His face immediately lit up with joy, and he stood up and said, "If we can make the Emperor suspicious of the Duke of Chu, our opportunity will have arrived!"

The Prime Minister nodded, but his tone remained cautious: "This matter must be handled flawlessly, otherwise, given Jiang Yu's temperament, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Upon hearing this, Pei Hanming couldn't help but shudder, as if Jiang Yu's revenge had already befallen him. His fingers trembled slightly as he closed the letter and asked, "What do you intend to do?"

The Prime Minister took the letter, lowered his eyes, and stuffed it into the envelope, saying, "Send a message to the Prince of Lingnan's residence, inviting the Prince of Lingnan to meet tomorrow."

“Okay.” Pei Hanming hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Would you like to go to the prison to see your aunt?”

The prime minister suddenly tightened his grip on the letter, crumpling it into a ball and making a soft creaking sound.

“No need.” His voice was as deep as waterlogged cotton. “The most important thing right now is to make the plan happen and stabilize the situation. Once things are settled, there will be plenty of time to see her.”

He lowered his gaze to the crumpled letter in his hand, his throat tightening. A fleeting look of tenderness for Pei Tinglan crossed his eyes, but it was instantly suppressed by the overwhelming pressure in his chest. At this moment, there was no room for sentimentality; all emotions had to be wrapped in calculation, giving way to the game before him.

"Yes, son understands." Pei Hanming dared not say anything more, bowed, and quietly withdrew.

The prime minister sat in his study for a long time without moving on...

...

The situation in the capital was already unpredictable, as if even the heavens sensed something amiss. Early the next morning, a light drizzle began to fall. The Prime Minister, accompanied by Pei Hanming, went to a restaurant owned by the Prime Minister's residence. Upon entering, the two went directly through a secret passage into a hidden room. They waited there for a short while before the Prince of Lingnan and Zhu Junning arrived.

"uncle."

Upon seeing the Prime Minister, the Prince of Lingnan bowed deeply, and Zhu Junning knelt down behind him. Seeing this, the Prime Minister's eyes welled with tears, and he quickly helped them up, sighing, "It's all the work of fate!"

The Prince of Lingnan sighed, his tone tinged with melancholy: "When my mother was in Lingnan, she told me about my uncle almost every day. She said how you protected her, how you shielded her from rumors, and how you planned for her future. I grew up listening to my uncle's stories, and I have long regarded you as my dearest elder."

These words deepened the Prime Minister's expression of affection. The Prince of Lingnan continued, "Over the years in Lingnan, I have considered bringing my mother back to the capital to see you, but the court has never relaxed its vigilance against Lingnan. I was afraid that a hasty departure would cause you controversy, and even more afraid of implicating my mother, so I could only endure it. I finally managed to bring my mother to the capital under some pretext, hoping to fulfill her wish and allow her to reunite with you, but I never imagined... that she would end up in this state, without even the chance to have a proper conversation with you."

By the end, the King of Lingnan was in tears. The Prime Minister sighed again and patted him on the shoulder: "It was also because she acted too rashly."

"It's my fault for not taking good care of my mother." The King of Lingnan's voice was choked with sobs.

The Prime Minister sighed again: "We must make proper plans for this important matter as soon as possible so that she can get out of this predicament soon."

The Prince of Lingnan nodded emphatically. After sitting down and exchanging a few pleasantries, they got down to business. The Prime Minister looked at Zhu Junning and asked, "You said Xie Ning'an mentioned to you that Grand Tutor Yan's eldest granddaughter is in love with Prince Rui. How much truth do you think there is to that?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Junning roughly guessed what the Prime Minister was thinking. Instead of answering directly, he said, "Junning believes that regardless of whether this is true or false, Yan Fengxi is a useful person."

The Prime Minister frowned and pondered for a moment, then gestured for her to continue. Zhu Junning straightened her back slightly and continued, "Yan Fengxi is the eldest granddaughter of the Grand Tutor's family, yet she has always been overshadowed by the concubine's daughters in the family. I've heard that the Yan family is now planning to marry her off to a family outside the capital. Do you think Yan Fengxi can accept that?"