Chapter 169 The Same Path

"Ruan Xingzhi is really that bad?" Princess Yongxin still couldn't quite believe it.

Song Zhimian, however, thought it was normal.

When Song Zhimian heard Xiao Ruanruan say that the eldest son of the Ruan family was a pig-brain, while the second son was praised by everyone as a gentleman, she felt that something was wrong.

Bad bamboo can produce good bamboo shoots.

However, it's a bit problematic if two brothers from the same family have such different reputations.

really……

Song Zhimian could only surmise that the person advising the King of Wu behind the scenes was Ruan Xingzhi.

"A barking dog doesn't bite!" Song Zhimian only said this to Princess Yongxin.

Princess Yongxin said "Oh," and then said, "Ruan Xingzhi's examination papers for the county and provincial examinations should be in the Ministry of Rites now."

"I should be able to find someone to secretly take his exam paper out; it shouldn't be a problem."

...

Soon, Princess Yongxin produced Ruan Xingzhi's examination papers for the provincial and county examinations.

Song Zhimian quickly started reading.

After reading both exam papers and some of Ruan Xingzhi's usual writings, Song Zhimian quickly formed a general impression of Ruan Xingzhi.

He appears to be a gentleman, but he is actually quite shrewd and adept at concealing his true intentions.

"The Ruan family may seem to be spoiling their eldest son, but in reality, it is this second son who they truly value."

The King of Wu and the second young master of the Ruan family must have had a good personal relationship.

Otherwise, Ruan Xingzhi wouldn't have gotten the news so quickly, and wouldn't have reacted so fast. Song Zhimian put Ruan Xingzhi's test paper aside.

Princess Yongxin also noticed it.

The outside world's impression of the Ruan family is that they are utterly hopeless and incompetent.

If it weren't for the fact that a concubine in the family had given birth to a prince, how could the Ruan family have gained a foothold in the capital?

Unfortunately, the Ruan family produced another member, Ruan Xingzhi.

It seems that ever since Ruan Xingzhi first appeared, people have been comparing him to the eldest son of the Ruan family.

Many people see the mediocrity of the eldest son of the Ruan family, and the extraordinary talent of Ruan Xingzhi...

But the more this happened, the more respectful Ruan Xingzhi became to the eldest son of the Ruan family…

Ruan Xingzhi... is definitely not a simple person!

...

Seeing Song Zhimian start to stare blankly, Princess Yongxin was also stunned for a while.

"Zhimian, those three people went to see Ruan Xingzhi today, they must have gone to ask for a solution."

Ruan Xingzhi is smart; he should be able to tell them what to do.

So that means they'll have other methods tomorrow, right?

So, should we start preparing today?

"I'll go arrange for people right away!" Princess Yongxin said, heading to call her subordinates in.

Song Zhimian quickly grabbed her.

There shouldn't be any major problems tomorrow.

Ruan Xingzhi should know that people will be talking about this even more tomorrow, since almost everyone in the capital went to the Shangguan residence to pay their respects today.

People from the outskirts of Beijing and the Tianjin area will definitely be heading to Beijing tomorrow.

If Ruan Xingzhi lets those people cause trouble tomorrow, it will only be worse than today.

He wouldn't be that stupid.

He must now proceed with extreme caution, lest he push the King of Wu into an even more dire situation.

Therefore, they dare not make any moves tomorrow.

As for the day after tomorrow... they dare not make any moves.

No, it's more like they don't dare to do anything in public, but they still do things behind the scenes.

For example, he might create some trouble and then take the opportunity to finish the work he hadn't been able to do before, in order to achieve his goal.

Therefore, they will take action on the fourth day. "Song Zhimian analyzed for Princess Yongxin.

Princess Yongxin thought for a moment, following Song Zhimin's words, what if he were Ruan Xingzhi...

Indeed, tomorrow is not a good time!

We'll observe for a while, then stir up some trouble, and finally, naturally repeat what we said before.

But what we don't know now is what kind of trouble Ruan Xingzhi will cause.

"Zhimian, what do you think... Ruan Xingzhi will do?" Princess Yongxin asked, somewhat puzzled.

"What kind of thing?"

That must be something absolutely outrageous.

Given the current situation, Ruan Xingzhi should be thinking about two things.

"Princess, what do you think would happen if, on the third day, a jailer or other official on duty in the Ministry of Justice prison suddenly died?" Song Zhimian asked Princess Yongxin.

“Kill him to silence him!” Princess Yongxin immediately said.

"Yes! It's about killing them to cover it up!"

In the current situation, if something like this happens, many people will wonder, "Why is someone dying at this time?"

Everyone has already concluded that King Wu killed Lord Shangguan, so there's nothing more for King Wu to do.

But then someone died.

People assumed that the person had been murdered to silence him.

Moreover, it is highly likely that the Crown Prince's side committed the murders to silence witnesses.

With that, and considering what they said before, won't everyone start thinking even more?

At this point, with just a little guidance from someone inside, the Wu king's side will be able to revive.

This matter immediately returned to the realm of the princes' struggle.

"The King of Wu and Ruan Xingzhi have achieved their goal!" Song Zhimian analyzed carefully.

Princess Yongxin's heart pounded as she listened.

The struggle between the princes was indeed more terrifying than I had imagined!

No wonder my grandmother said there were many things she hadn't experienced; the things the princes were willing to do for that position far exceeded our imagination.

"Then... I'll go back and tell my grandmother."

"Grandmother can pass these words on to Prime Minister Lin." Princess Yongxin was about to leave immediately.

Song Zhimian still held onto Princess Yongxin, not letting her leave.

I haven't finished speaking yet!

Even with precautions in place, Ruan Xingzhi must have factored in the possibility of failure.

Even if Lin Xiang's side has taken precautions, Ruan Xingzhi's people can't reach those in the Ministry of Justice's prison, so he definitely has other tricks up his sleeve.

At this point, the King of Wu was essentially stuck in a quagmire and couldn't get out for the time being.

Ruan Xingzhi will definitely be thinking of dragging more people down with him.

And the person who was dragged into this must be one of King Zhao's men.

In the eyes of others, the King of Zhao and the King of Wu were in cahoots. If someone were to spread rumors that the things the King of Wu did were actually at the behest of the King of Zhao.

"This is the most chaotic time!" Song Zhimian said earnestly.

Princess Yongxin...

"Song Zhimian, how is your brain structured? How could you think of so many things!" Princess Yongxin exclaimed.

"I was just thinking, if I were Ruan Xingzhi, what would I need to do in this situation!" Song Zhimian sighed.

Princess Yongxin...

“Even if you swapped my soul with Ruan Xingzhi’s, I still couldn’t come up with so many ideas!” Princess Yongxin sighed.

Song Zhimian then released Princess Yongxin's hand and gestured for her to leave.

"Alright, now you can go back to the Duke of Han's mansion and find the old lady, and have her pass on the message to Prime Minister Lin."

...

On the evening of the third day, Ruan Xingzhi looked at the returning person with some surprise.

"Are they all in Lin Xiang's hands? Can't we get in touch with them?"