Chapter 541 The Southern Kingdom is in chaos, engulfed in turmoil.

Shen Bingxuan thought for a moment before saying, "Brother Yao's surname is not actually Shen. His surname is Meng, and his name is Meng Yao. He is the sixth prince in the palace."

Lin Yu found it unbelievable, "A prince going to such a far place to catch a thief himself?"

Jiang Fenghua asked, "Whose property is this jade shop? Is it Meng Yao's?" She felt this was crucial, as the bandits were clearly after the jade shop and seemed to know the way well, as if they came solely for this jade shop.

She found it strange that the bandits robbed the jade shop but didn't attack the surrounding shops.

Shen Bingxuan continued, “His mother is a daughter of our Shen family, the king’s favorite concubine, and my aunt. The sixth prince doesn’t like life in the palace, nor does he like being a king like his father. He prefers doing business and living a free life outside the palace. He used to sneak out of the palace to work as a jade carver with Uncle Wen.”

The jade shop you went to is owned by our Prince Yun's Mansion and Uncle Wen. Brother Yao can earn money there, so he's kind of a small business owner. But after the King found out, he arranged a position for him as the Junior Chamberlain..."

Lin Yu asked, "Is he the only prince in the Southern Kingdom?"

"No, there are also the eldest prince and the fourth prince. Brother Yao is the sixth prince. There are only three princes in total, and they are not born to the same mother."

The relationships within the royal family are very complicated. The king has married many wives, and although their children share the same father, they have different mothers and are never of one mind. That's why Yao-gege doesn't get along with any of them.

She thought: Maybe the king prefers her aunt, so he wants to pass the throne to the sixth prince, but the sixth prince doesn't like being king at all.

Lin Yushen understood this deeply. She felt that as long as it was a royal family, the relationships between the members were very complicated. Everyone had a different mother, but they all had the same father. How much kinship could there be in that?

Ultimately, whoever gets to sit on the throne will have to rely on their own abilities, so they will fight tooth and nail, disregarding family ties.

They also understood from Shen Bingxuan's words that Meng Yao was cheerful and kind-hearted, which was why he was valued by the Prince of Nan. This Prince of Nan was truly a man of character!

After hearing this, Jiang Fenghua felt that Meng Yao was really unreliable. When he captured Yang Guaizi, he harmed many people, but he failed to keep an eye on him. He was really not cut out to be a king.

To succeed to the throne of the Southern Kingdom, one needs more than just kindness; one must also be cunning. Meng Yao's scheme to lure Yang Guaizi is not a scheme at all; it caused innocent people to lose their lives and be injured, all of which was his fault.

Knowing that his true identity was a prince, Jiang Fenghua also figured some things out. If he dared to deal with even a prince, it seemed that the person behind Yang Guaizi must also be of high status.

She and Lin Yu had the same idea: the most likely scenario was a power struggle between princes.

Soon they received news that the bandits had robbed the jade shop clean and fled. The government officials were furious but dared not speak out, as the soldiers were frightened away by the bandits' ruthless killing.

The Prince Yun's mansion was the first to be persecuted by bandits. Fortunately, Prince Yun used his prestige to scare the bandits away, but that was all. The mansion suddenly caught fire.

These many people even allowed the bandits to escape, so it seems her guess was correct: there was an internal traitor in the Southern Kingdom.

Upon hearing that the Prince Yun's mansion was on fire, Shen Bingxuan rushed home without a second thought.

She also felt that this incident was targeted at the Prince Yun's Mansion.

-

Meanwhile, as soon as Meng Yao entered the palace, news from outside also reached him, indicating that he was about to leave the palace again.

The Prince of Nan was exasperated. "Yao'er, your father's health is deteriorating day by day. Do you want to anger your father to death?"

"Something has happened outside the palace. Yang Guaizi has been rescued. Son, you must leave the palace immediately to find out who released Yang Guaizi."

Meng Yao is unaware that he has been targeted by Yang Guaizi in retaliation. Fortunately, he entered the heavily guarded palace, otherwise he might have been killed.

The Prince of Nan said, "I have already sent soldiers to capture these bandits. This matter is now in the hands of the soldiers. You should not leave the palace again."

“I am still the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, an official in the court. The people outside the palace are being brutalized by bandits. How can I stand idly by? My official position was given to me by my father. Now I have run away and become a coward. How can I explain this to the people?” Meng Yao said in a deep voice.

"Yao'er, things are not as simple as they seem. Why have so many swindlers recently broken into various parts of the Southern Kingdom? It's extremely difficult to wipe them out one by one. They are not ordinary thugs; they are likely backed by a vassal state, which is why they dare to burn, kill, and rob so recklessly. I have already dispatched troops to suppress them, and news will be available soon."

Meng Yao paused, stunned. At this moment, he did not know that the person behind the scenes was actually targeting the Shen family, in order to eliminate his power and prevent him from becoming the King of the Southern Kingdom.

At this moment, news came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, the Yun Prince's mansion is on fire, and the Yun family's jade shop has been looted by bandits. Countless officials and civilians have been killed or injured... The entire city of Li is in chaos."

Meng Yao could no longer sit still. Ignoring the Prince of Nan's objections, he left the palace directly, saying, "Your subject will go out of the palace to take a look first."

The King of the South immediately ordered his hidden guards to protect Meng Yao's safety.

As soon as Meng Yao left, a pair of sinister eyes appeared in a corner of the Southern Palace, thinking to himself, "Father is always so biased, wanting to pass the throne to that good-for-nothing Meng Yao. Since that's the case, then don't blame your son."

After Meng Yao left the palace, the eldest prince's men began to set up surveillance within the palace. Soon, the fourth prince was also summoned into the palace by him. "Eldest brother."

"Meng Yao is back, we can make our move now." The eldest prince's eyes were grim.

Meanwhile, the King of the South summoned his ministers to the palace to discuss countermeasures. "Our customs have always been strictly guarded. How could pirates suddenly break into the Southern Kingdom, burning, killing, and looting? We should arrest the customs commander and hold him accountable." This person was clearly trying to cause trouble.

Another official said, "Two months ago, pirates began to rampage along the southern border, and they almost occupied the southern sea area. If the pirates are not eliminated, the southern country is in danger of being robbed by them at any time. If we arrest Commander Lu and hold him accountable, who will guard the border and resist the enemy?"

The King of the South was filled with worry. "I fear that not only are pirates running rampant, but even vassal states beyond the seas may want to use pirates to cause trouble."

Another official said, "I believe that the Southern Kingdom can seek help from the Great Zhou Dynasty to drive out the pirates. If the vassal states really dare to plot against our country, we should make plans as soon as possible!"

The Southern King has now considered the worst-case scenario, and requesting support from the Great Zhou Kingdom is the best course of action.

However, what the King of the South didn't know was that no matter what he tried, he couldn't save him; the Southern Kingdom would soon fall into the hands of his eldest son.