Zhao Lin looked at Zhang Yongzhen mockingly and said nothing.

Zhang Yongzhen also knew that he had spoken out of turn and said, "You have to tell me what it is related to, so that I can go back and ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for instructions."

"Marquis Zhenbei's Mansion!" Zhao Linzhi said four words.

Zhang Yongzhen immediately stood up and said, "I will go back and ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to make a decision."

Zhao Lin said: "I hope Master Zhang can bring good news."

As soon as Zhang Yongzhen left, a person came out from behind the screen. It was the young eunuch Anquan.

He came to announce the imperial decree to Zhao Lin, and he was still having fun and was reluctant to leave.

"Do you want to join the prince?" Anquan asked with a frown.

Zhao Lin glanced at Anquan and said, "Eunuch Zhu can't become the emperor, so he must find a prince to support him."

An'an's expression finally relaxed, and he said, "Godfather said that the Crown Prince is narrow-minded, stubborn, and mean-spirited. He is not fit to be a ruler. If he becomes the Emperor, it will be bad for everyone. I don't recommend you choose him."

Zhao Lin nodded and said, "Did Eunuch Zhu tell me who His Majesty likes the most?"

Anquan smiled and said, "To His Majesty, they are all his sons. It doesn't matter who becomes the emperor, as long as it doesn't interfere with his fun."

Zhao Lin pondered for a moment and said, "The Crown Prince isn't an option, and neither is Prince Yu. Should we choose the Sixth Prince? Doesn't Eunuch Zhu have anyone in mind?"

Anquan said: "Godfather, just serve His Majesty well."

Zhao Lin shook his head and said, "A new emperor appoints new ministers. The current emperor favors Eunuch Zhu, but the next emperor might not. Don't forget, they all have eunuchs who have been with them since childhood. If the current emperor succeeds, Eunuch Zhu will have to give up his position. Without Eunuch Zhu, will you, Eunuch An, still have the same prestige you have now?"

Anquan's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "What do you want to say?"

Zhao Lin said, "Nothing, just a few words of regret. When the emperor abdicates, I might even lose my position as prefect."

Anquan's expression changed, but he didn't say anything. He just said, "We've been delayed for too long. We have to go back and report."

Zhao Lin said, "I'll see you off, father-in-law."

After watching them leave safely, Zhao Lin chuckled and said to Sudi, "It's really like having a pillow when you're sleepy. Just when you're short of money, someone sends it to you."

Sudi asked, "Will the prince really agree?"

"It doesn't matter." Zhao Lin said, "Whether he agrees or not has no effect on us."

Sudi asked, "What if he agrees? Do you really want to help him ascend the throne?"

Zhao Lin looked at Sudi in surprise and pointed at his nose. "I'm just a small prefect with only 30,000 soldiers under my command. I'm more than a thousand miles away from the capital. What does it matter to me who ascends the throne? Can I help?"

Sudi was stunned: "Then why did you tell him so much?"

Zhao Lin said, "He offered himself to me. I would feel uneasy if I didn't kill him. If I don't give him what God wants, I will be blamed."

Sudi was speechless and said, "Didn't you lie to them about the secret you told them?"

"How could that be possible?" Zhao Lin laughed. "Isn't Zhao Chenhan's identity a big secret?"

Su Di suddenly understood and said with a smile, "As long as this gets out, it will definitely make Zhao Jingzhou's family restless. If we can find the scholar from back then, it would be even better."

Zhao Lin said: "The prince's men are much stronger than us, and they can find it faster than us."

…

Zhang Yongzhen returned to the Prince's Mansion and told Li Jingxian about Zhao Lin's conditions. Li Jingxian almost laughed out loud: "Five million taels? You dare to agree to that?"

Zhang Yongzhen said, "My promise is not valid. Your Highness must agree to it first."

Li Jingxian realized: "Are you trying to cheat?"

Zhang Yongzhen said, "This isn't cheating. It's clearly because the two sides haven't reached an agreement on the terms."

Li Jingxian nodded and said, "What is that secret that is worth a million taels of silver?"

Zhang Yongzhen said, "I don't know, so I came to ask for your instructions."

Li Jingxian thought about it and didn't know how to make a decision.

He doesn't want to give money.

That's not one hundred or two hundred.

It’s a full five million taels.

Even if he cheats afterwards, I won't give him the rest of the money.

But this time, I have to give one million taels.

"He is so young, what secrets could he know?" Li Jingxian said.

Zhang Yongzhen said, "I don't think Zhao Lin would dare to lie to us."

Li Jingxian nodded.

It's not like he'll just take the money and run away.

Although one million taels is a lot, it is not enough to make Zhao Lin offend the prince.

The Qingzhou prefect alone could make hundreds of thousands of taels a year if he handled things properly.

One million taels is just a matter of two years.

There is no need for Zhao Lin to do this.

Li Jingxian made the decision and said, "Promise him."

…

"Zhao Lin is planning to join the Crown Prince?"

Zhu Zhongyan asked slowly, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

Anquan lowered his head and said, "Yes. Zhao Lin specifically asked his son to listen behind the screen. His condition was five million taels of silver, and Zhang Yongzhen agreed."

"Just money?" Zhu Zhongyan frowned slightly.

He didn't understand what Zhao Lin meant.

Money is important, but power is more important.

As long as you can get promoted, won’t money follow?

Get promoted and get rich. Get promoted and get rich. Why does promotion come before getting rich?

Because only by getting promoted can you get rich.

If you only get rich but don't get promoted, you will be taken advantage of by others sooner or later.

Anquan said: "Zhao Lin also said that he would give a secret to the prince."

Zhu Zhongyan asked doubtfully, "What secrets could he know?"

To people like Zhu Zhongyan, Zhao Lin is basically transparent. What kind of important secrets could he know that would be worth the prince spending money on?

Anquan said: "I don't know about this son."

Zhu Zhongyan thought for a moment and smiled, "You're so far-sighted at such a young age. You're looking for someone to join you now. He's right. None of us can become the emperor. We must find someone who can become the emperor and join us. Zhao Chenhan is in Prince Yu's group, so he can only join the Crown Prince."

…

This time Zhang Yongzhen was not in a hurry, but took a leisurely ride in a carriage to Qingzhou.

If he had to run another 800 miles in a hurry, Zhang Yongzhen would be exhausted to death.

"This is a silver note worth one million taels, which can be exchanged at any Yongqing bank across the country."

Zhang Yongzhen handed Zhao Lin a stack of silver notes worth 100,000 taels and asked, "Where's the secret?"

Zhao Lin smiled and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is indeed generous. The secret is that Zhao Chenhan is suspected to be Zhao Jingzhou's illegitimate son."

Zhang Yongzhen said unhappily, "Master Zhao, are you kidding me? You call this a secret?"

Zhao Lin said, "Master Zhang, please don't be anxious. Let me explain slowly."

Zhao Lin exaggerated the origins of Zhao Chenhan's clone that he had investigated.

Zhang Yongzhen was surprised and asked, "Is this true? Zhao Jingzhou really went to great lengths for a child. No wonder he loves his adopted son so much that he doesn't even care if his biological son is lost."

Zhao Lin said, "He's eager to throw it away. Otherwise, how can he take his illegitimate child back?"

Zhao Lin was stunned.

Zhang Yongzhen asked, "Master Zhao, what's wrong?"

Zhao Lin shook his head and said, "If this matter is handled properly, it might cause trouble in the Zhenbei Marquisate. Given Han Yuehua's temper, once she's convinced that Zhao Jingzhou is deceiving her, there's no way she'll let it go. This will create a rift between the Duke of Yingguo's residence and Zhao Jingzhou. Isn't this an opportunity?"