Chapter 382 Identity in doubt

Judging from the pace at which Emperor Wu of Qin was courting death, Lin Pianran felt that his life was really coming to an end.

The brother and sister were sitting in the courtyard, enjoying themselves while eating and chatting, when a servant came to report, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has brought Baili Qingyun, Bai Wuji, and Shen Mubai to the Duke of Huguo's residence, and is now waiting in the main hall."

Lin Pianran and Han Chaolin looked at each other, and then walked towards the main hall together.

Before I even entered the main hall, I heard singing and laughter coming from inside.

It was expected that something happy would happen.

When Lin Pianran stepped into the hall, she saw several people sitting inside, drinking tea and chatting. Hua Xuewei felt a little uneasy in front of these juniors, but she could only accompany them respectfully.

The moment he saw Lin Pianran, Huo Yuchen's lips curled up into an extremely gentle smile, his eyes flashing with indescribable joy.

He gently hooked his fingers and said, "Pianpian, come and sit next to me." His voice was low and gentle, like a warm spring breeze, gently blowing across the heart.

Upon hearing this, Lin Pianran walked over slowly with light steps and gracefully sat down in the empty seat next to him, her gentle temperament revealed in every gesture.

In a short period of time, she had transformed from her initial youthful immaturity into a woman of reserved dignity. The aura of superiority that she inadvertently exuded in her every move always made people feel an invisible pressure.

Feeling Huo Yuchen's gaze on her, Lin Pianran's face unconsciously became hot.

She secretly glared at Huo Yuchen, signaling him to be more restrained.

Lin Pianran sat down leisurely, sipping the warm tea, a playful smile on her lips, and jokingly said, "Look at how excited you all are. You must have encountered some happy event, right?"

There was a hint of curiosity and joy in her words.

Chen Mubai humbly said, "Your Highness, please speak first! I will let you cultivate your feelings a little more."

Everyone laughed.

Huo Yuchen put his hand in front of his mouth, coughed twice, and then said calmly, "After raising silver over the past few days, we have raised more than two million taels. The current military pay is basically enough. We have also collected weapons and food. The crisis at the border should be resolved soon."

"Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief. This time, our Pian Pian has made the greatest contribution. It can be said that he has made a great contribution."

As he said this, an expression of great pride unconsciously appeared on his face, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Lin Pianran became even gentler.

Everyone present was convinced by this statement.

Without Lin Pianran's active efforts, the problems of silver, weapons and food would never have been easily solved.

Lin Pianran was very happy to hear the news. She felt that her efforts and financial support had finally paid off.

Huo Yuchen took a large wooden box from Jingyun's hand and said, "It contains all banknotes, weapons and food."

Lin Pianran didn't hesitate to take it and handed it to Jingyu, asking her to put it away first.

The funding problem of the war has been resolved, and the subsequent battle situation will depend entirely on the bravery of all the soldiers.

In the Great Qin Empire, the two war gods, Bai Wuji and Wei Zixing, stood tall and firm, like pillars of support. Furthermore, Lin Pianran's father and brother, along with numerous generals, bravely fought bravely at the border. With these loyal and courageous men, Lin Pianran was convinced that the Great Qin Empire would ultimately triumph.

Huo Yuchen pondered for a moment and continued, "The palace banquet is scheduled for three days from now. The princess of Wuheng Country has chosen the person to marry, and it is very likely that Prince Duan will be the one. Princess Wuya, who is here this time, is said to be the most favored princess. If they marry, Prince Duan's power will definitely increase greatly."

"It will also make more court officials look at him with new eyes, and even those who had previously remained neutral will turn to his side."

Lin Pianran's lips curled up in a hint of sarcasm. The Prince of Duan's recent small actions were too frequent. All the focus of recent big and small things was on him alone.

But this is both a good thing and a bad thing.

He is the focus and the target, and everything he does will be magnified infinitely. His every move will attract the attention of the world.

Whether it is Prince Jing, Prince Zhao, or Huo Li, their affairs are inextricably linked to Prince Duan.

Especially Prince Zhao, his attitude towards Prince Duan was simply puzzling, his respect and trust for him was beyond comprehension.

This trust is as heavy as that of a gambler addicted to gambling, who places all his hopes and chips on Prince Duan without reservation.

That determination and blindness make people look sideways and feel puzzled.

Lin Pianran always felt that Prince Duan must be hiding a huge secret, but she couldn't figure it out for the time being.

She thought for a long time and finally expressed her thoughts.

"This Prince Duan has quite a bit of foreign support. Those barbarians I encountered in Qingshi Town entered Prince Duan's mansion yesterday. Wave after wave of foreigners are coming for him. It seems that Prince Duan has been colluding with them both internally and externally for a long time!"

"Your Highness, you should keep a close eye on Prince Duan. Although he's been confined, it doesn't affect what he does privately. Also, his maternal grandparents' two uncles are both deeply trusted by Emperor Wu of Qin and are not easy to deal with. You should be more vigilant, too."

Huo Yuchen looked at the cup in his hand quietly, his eyes slightly blurred and a little absent-minded.

After a few breaths, he slowly spoke, "When I went to interrogate Prince Zhao, he became extremely emotional whenever Prince Duan was mentioned. His attitude towards Prince Duan was not like that of a nephew at all. I felt that he treated Prince Duan like a son he doted on and had high hopes for."

Bai Wuji also agreed with this view.

"I feel the same way. How could a prince care about his nephew more than his four biological sons? This is simply unbelievable."

In Lin Pianran's mind, a bold idea flashed through his mind like lightning.

So, she couldn't contain her inner excitement and her voice trembled slightly.

"If Prince Duan is indeed the biological son of Prince Zhao, then wouldn't all of Prince Zhao's actions be justified?"

When everyone heard this, they all looked at each other in surprise, their hearts filled with shock beyond words.

Could it be that King Zhao was so bold as to attempt to confuse the royal bloodline?

This...how did he do it?

Could it be that they were performing a "cat-for-prince" play, or a "substitute" scheme?

Lin Pianran pondered in his heart and boldly said something shocking.

"Do you think Prince Duan is also the son of Prince Zhao and Chen Lihua?"