"Thank you, Princess." He didn't say too many unrealistic words.

The grace given by the nobles comes next.

"Okay, Xiangling, you brought him here, so please pay attention to what he needs. Find him some suitable books so that he can concentrate on preparing for the exam. There are only a dozen days left, so don't waste it."

"Yes, mother." Hua Xiangling gladly accepted the task.

She also wanted to see how capable this book was.

——

After dinner, the prince and Shangguan Ziqi went to the study in the outer courtyard to discuss something.

“Ever since your wife said that the Third Prince might be named Crown Prince, I have sent An Shi to lead several secret guards to keep an eye on the Third Prince’s movements.

Since arriving in Beijing, he has been in contact with an owner who ostensibly runs a restaurant.

An Shi investigated the owner of the restaurant, but could not find any details about him.

He was 42 years old, had no family, only a few servants and guys, and there was no record of him leaving Beijing.

In other words, he is a native of Beijing.

The identity record in the government office was that he fled to Beijing with his grandmother thirty years ago. After his grandmother died, he grew up alone in the capital by begging. He then worked to earn money and opened a small restaurant.

The restaurant's business was not prominent. The money earned was only enough to support him and a few waiters. None of his waiters had a family. This alone made people suspicious.

An Shi wanted to follow this boss named Li Hongcang, but he lost him every time. It can be seen that this person is not simple.

And today, he sent people to follow the third prince and found that the two of them met again.

Because they were talking in a dark room, the people following them didn’t know what they were talking about and didn’t dare to get close.

The prince took what Yu Yuanzheng said very seriously.

Now Shangguan Ziqi has taken over the prince's military affairs, and has to handle some military affairs in the military camp outside the city every day. Until now, his seal of command has not been handed in.

After all, I just came from the border and there are still many military matters to deal with.

For example, compilation.

At that time, troops from more than a dozen prefectures across the country were transferred to the capital.

There is also the placement of wounded soldiers injured on the battlefield.

After a great war, it was the biggest test for the Wei army, whether it was the people, the operation of the military camp, or the weapons.

Since the bomb is to be used as military equipment, we must continue to study it.

There are quite a lot of things.

"Your Majesty, do you mean that this person might be a powerful force?"

"That's right, and he also relies on the Third Prince. If this person really has some ability, then the Third Prince may really be named the Crown Prince through some trickery."

After hearing this, Shangguan Ziqi frowned.

"Your Majesty, I think the best way is to catch them all in one fell swoop and make sure they never have a chance to turn things around.

If the third prince cannot be suppressed once and for all, there will probably be trouble in the future.

Because my aunt is too ambitious. She will do everything she can to push the Third Prince to seek personal gain."

"You mean to ignore it? Let it develop?" The prince raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that we don't care, but we need to find out what the Third Prince and this person are planning. We need to prepare a strategy to deal with it.

If we tell the emperor directly that the third prince has behaved improperly, the emperor will at most suppress him.

Which prince does not establish his own power after leaving the palace?

The Third Prince is merely absorbing some forces from the capital, and as long as nothing serious happens, the Emperor will most likely turn a blind eye.

However, we need to investigate this person named Li Hongcang in detail to find out who he is.

My son wonders if it is the power that Canglan is developing in the Great Wei."

Shangguan Ziqi thought of the deceased Aunt Wang and Uncle San. Maybe these were the people they left behind.

Of course, there are some other forces in the capital, but they generally do not participate in court disputes.

There were also some businesses that wanted to cooperate with the prince, seek his protection, and do business.

"Well, what you said makes sense. You should discuss this matter with the eldest prince and ask him to be more alert and not to alarm the third prince. Be sure to bring enough guards with you when you go out.

"Deal with your military affairs as soon as possible and hand over the seal of command to the emperor. I will arrange for the investigation of this person."

The prince thinks this matter is more important.

"yes."

"Also, the emperor will offer sacrifices to the heaven on the eighth day of the eighth month. Protecting the emperor is the priority. You will be responsible for the safety of the concubines, princes and princesses, and I will accompany the emperor."

"Okay. Your Majesty, when the eldest prince fell and became disabled after the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony, on the way back, do you think this will be another good opportunity for someone to take advantage of him?"

"What you said makes sense. The emperor usually doesn't leave the palace, so it's hard for them to have a chance. There are still more than two months left, so I'll find out more." The prince felt it was very likely.

The next day, Shangguan Ziqi returned from the army to the city and moved into the eldest prince's mansion.

At this time, the eldest prince had already taken up the assignment of the Ministry of War.

The Minister of War was the third prince's father-in-law.

The time was too short and the eldest prince had not yet established his own network in the Ministry of War.

He left the government office early.

"Ziqi, there was something fishy about Princess Zhenguo and Lady Xiangling rescuing someone yesterday." After the two men sat down, the eldest prince got straight to business.

Since arriving in the capital, he began to arrange his own personnel and keep an eye on the second and third princes.

When the two of them saw that I stood up, it was impossible for them not to take action.

Although he is the legitimate prince, he has no mother.

In terms of strength, the three are equally matched.

It depends on who has more support.

If the emperor wants to appoint a crown prince, he must also listen to the opinions of his ministers.

"What did your highness find out?" Shangguan Ziqi didn't pay attention to this matter.

"I suspect someone is using the scientific research to make a fuss."

"Oh? What do you mean?" The Rong Palace only cares about the war and does not pay much attention to literature unless the emperor arranges for it.

"I took the victim Miao Bingwen's essay from my aunt and saw that he did a good job. He shouldn't be the last one. He should be in the top ten or even higher. So it's very likely that someone replaced his exam paper."

"Is there a loophole in the scientific examination management?" Shangguan Ziqi asked in surprise.

Every imperial examination is the most watched event by students all over the world. If someone takes advantage of a loophole and causes students who should have passed the exam to fail, while some mediocre people are allowed to enter the court, that would be unacceptable.

"It should be."

"Your Highness suspects that Miao Bingwen might have been murdered to silence him so that he could not enter the palace to take part in the palace examination?"

"Yes. I suspect that the person whose examination paper was replaced did not expect to pass the imperial examination, and it just happened to fall on Miao Bingwen, giving him the opportunity to participate in the palace examination.

If you fail to make the list, you are less likely to be exposed.

Once he takes part in the palace examination, he will be unable to hide, and only death can stop him from entering the palace."

"Your Highness, have you found any evidence?" Shangguan Ziqi felt that the eldest prince's analysis was very reasonable.

"No, it's just my guess." The eldest prince has been in Beijing for too short a time to pay attention to too many things.

"Your Highness's analysis is very reasonable. Then please ask Your Highness to talk to Princess Huining and make sure to protect Miao Bingwen and let him complete the palace examination smoothly, and expose all the conspiracies to the sun. The emperor will be furious and will definitely order a thorough investigation."

"Well, that's all we can do for now."

"Your Highness, who do you think did it?" Although Shangguan Ziqi had his suspicions, he had no evidence.

"The second or third brother could be involved, or maybe he is framed." The eldest prince thought of two possibilities.

"That is, deliberate cheating to frame someone else." Shangguan Ziqi also thought of this possibility.

This is really treating scientific research as a joke.