His expression was complex and somber, just like the continuous rainy days of the past few days.

In contrast, the expression of the Second Prince, Li Chengru, was much more natural.

"Prime Minister Lin, you seem distracted while playing chess today. The King has never beaten you before, but you have lost four games in a row today."

The Second Prince, Li Chengru, looked at Lin Xuanfu with a forced smile; no one could truly discern his thoughts in his sharp eyes.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xuanfu breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, Your Highness, I have been disrespectful. I have suffered a terrible defeat today."

"Look, there I am... dead again..."

Lin Xuanfu spoke while observing the placement of the pieces.

After agonizing for a while, he finally realized the situation. He had no chance of winning no matter what, so he could only admit defeat and praise the Second Prince's chess skills, saying that he had already surpassed him.

"Oh……"

The Second Prince, Li Chengru, sneered, casually scattering the chess pieces in his hand onto the stone table. He shrugged and said, "Forget it, it's no fun playing anymore. You're not focused, so playing is just a waste of time."

Lin Xuanfu did not try to flatter Li Chengru, but simply cupped his hands in apology, and did not pursue the topic further.

Li Chengru was right; he wasn't just absent-minded today, but had been for quite some time.

Ever since he learned five days ago that Li Kuangyou and the other two had been trampled to death by the people, his mind had been in turmoil.

Losing three pieces was nothing to Lin Xuanfu. When he encountered enemies, any of his retainers or former officials could easily replace them.

Most of those who could seek refuge with the Lin family were capable individuals from all over the world.

There were generals with superb martial arts skills, clerks who were proficient in government affairs and accounting, and important officials of the imperial court.

As for Fang Wenyue, Li Kuangyou, and Lin Chengdu...

Lin Xuanfu had a thousand ways to kill these two people and prevent them from talking nonsense.

Even if you do nothing and dare not do anything.

Lin Xuanfu and Li Kuangyou, along with the other two, dared not implicate themselves while in prison.

"well!"

Lin Xuanfu sighed deeply once again.

What troubled Lin Xuanfu more was not the emperor's reward, nor Sun Jian's ability and cunning.

Rather, it's Sun Jian's current standing in the hearts of the people!

He has now completely broken ties with Sun Jian, and from beginning to end, he has been determined to kill Sun Jian.

Although there is currently no evidence pointing to him, Lin Xuanfu knows in his heart that Sun Jian had already guessed it was him.

Given how things have come to this point, even if he were willing to take the initiative to make peace with Sun Jian, or rather, beg for peace, Sun Jian would probably not agree.

Judging from the current situation, Sun Jian is far more terrifying than he imagined!

His growth rate is truly astonishing...

At this rate, they'll soon be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, the powerful prime minister.

But I'm almost sixty years old, and Sun Jian is only twenty!

"Prime Minister Lin, why do you sigh?"

The Second Prince, Li Chengru, still wore that smiling tiger expression, asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Lin Xuanfu didn't mince words and said directly, "Your Highness, I'm worried..."

"I am worried that the young Sun Jian will become a major obstacle to our great cause."

"It's even possible that they could become the ones doing bad things..."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Li Chengru raised an eyebrow and continued to pretend he didn't understand, pressing for answers.

"Your Highness knows perfectly well what's going on, so why bother questioning this old minister?"

Li Chengru took a sip of tea and looked up at the bamboo grove in the distance.

"Tell me."

“Sun Jian is not only a child with superb martial arts skills and extraordinary talent, but also has a deep understanding of strategy and tactics, and is well-versed in military strategy. Now he also possesses unpredictable skills.”

"How many secrets he still harbors, we have no idea..."

Lin Xuanfu sighed and continued, "Every time it seems we have pushed him to the brink, he always manages to escape from the dead end. And after each escape, he always manages to do something unexpected and possesses skills that have never been seen or heard of before."

"This has happened far too many times: assassinations by assassins, false accusations in front of the government office, slander by the Wei family... attacks from court officials, rumors that ruin one's life, and so on! And now, this locust plague!"

"Judging from the current situation, I'm really afraid that one day that brat Sun Jian will ride roughshod over the prince and this old minister..."

"So what you mean is?"

Li Chengru raised an eyebrow, withdrew his gaze, and a hint of ruthlessness appeared in his eyes.

How could he not know about Lin Xuanfu's remarks?

But who can be blamed for this?

Li Chengru couldn't understand what Lin Xuanfu was up to, since he was so determined to kill Sun Jian!

I've always wanted to kill them, but I'm afraid I'll always end up making things worse.

Until you watch others go further and further, and stand higher and higher.

Isn't this deliberately creating enemies for oneself?

In the end, they didn't kill anyone, but instead shot themselves in the foot.

From the very beginning, Li Chengru advocated winning over Sun Jian and making him work for him.

However, Lin Xuanfu repeatedly tried to kill Chen An, citing Sun Jian's status as the Crown Prince's tutor and his supposed unreliability.

They repeatedly challenged Sun Jian's bottom line, always citing the reason that Sun Jian would become a great threat in the future.

The two men originally held different views.

The second prince also wanted to drive Sun Jian to his death, but he did so in the hope that Sun Jian would be driven to desperation and eventually seek refuge with him.

Thus, they will be loyal to me in the future...

But Lin Xuanfu, that old man, was thinking of killing the prince with one blow and severing his left and right arms.

This way, they could support the second prince to ascend the throne after Emperor Qianwu's death.

"This kind of person can't be allowed to live! He's too terrifying. We must find a way to eliminate him before he gains enough power. Let's go all the way and prevent future trouble!"

"Otherwise, it won't be him who falls in the end, but us."

Li Chengru didn't speak, but looked at Lin Xuanfu's face and began to think.

In fact, what Lin Xuanfu said was not without reason.

If the second prince wants to ascend the throne in the future, he will need the support of these veteran ministers. Killing Sun Jian would trigger a series of chain reactions, and things might even get worse.

Rather, Sun Jian was an extraordinary man. If one could have such a person by one's side to advise and strategize, how could one worry about the stability of the world? How could one worry about not unifying the nine provinces?

Therefore, the Second Prince Li Chengru still adheres to the principle of using people only when they are absolutely necessary and only discussing them when they are not.

Sun Jian now enjoys high prestige throughout Dagan.

It can be said that if Sun Jian had joined any prince's ranks, that prince would have become one of the most sought-after candidates for the throne simply because of Sun Jian.

It's no exaggeration to say that this is the level of influence Sun Jian has today.

"All right……"

“I gave Sun Jian a chance before, but he didn’t take it seriously. It seems I have no choice but to take drastic measures…”

A hint of murderous intent flashed in Li Chengru's eyes.

He recalled how he had helped Sun Jian at the East Gate and even stepped in to resolve a problem. At the time, he had asked Sun Jian to look for him, but there had been no news of him since. Although it would be a pity to kill such a person, if he was not killed, he would become a great enemy in the future!

Li Chengru could clearly distinguish between what was more important and what was less important.