The battle for talent within the Eastern Palace.

You need to find someone, but you can't just go directly to them.

Lin Huaiyin had a sudden inspiration and instructed Xie Ao to keep an eye on Gongyang Yan before heading straight to the Imperial City Division.

The Imperial Envoy Qin Luo personally received them.

Lin Huaiyin's killing of Zhao Changji was already common knowledge, and the public opinion shifted from the brutal killing of a high-ranking official to the act of eliminating traitors for the country and undermining the White Lotus rebels. The murderer was transformed into a loyal and virtuous person.

All the officials and their families were grateful to Lin Huaiyin, except for Qin Luo.

Qin Luo knew more than outsiders about the crime of forging a secret edict, and Lin Huaiyin's arrow pierced through the plaque of the Imperial City Guard, which was equivalent to hitting Qin Luo squarely on the head, grinding him to the ground.

He was seething with anger. Now that Lin Huaiyin had come to his door, she must have something to ask for. He gave Lin Zhenlie face and came out to greet her, but after sitting down, he didn't say a word.

So Lin Huaiyin took out Xiao Zhian's jade token and falsely conveyed the Crown Prince's decree: "Now is a time of great turmoil. I trouble Commander Qin to go to Tianxiang Pavilion and send away the foreign guests who are entrenched there."

Qin Luo scoffed.

If secret edicts can be forged, jade tallies are probably no better.

Having learned from past mistakes, Qin Luo had no doubt that Lin Huaiyin was swindling again. He was just puzzled: why did Miss Lin only want to take advantage of His Highness the Crown Prince? She could have forged the imperial seal, but she only made a jade talisman. Could it be that she had some improper thoughts about the Eastern Palace?

This is bad, very bad. Apart from Princess Pingyang, His Highness the Crown Prince despises all women.

For example, the palace would announce the selection of concubines for the Eastern Palace, and the Crown Prince would immediately issue an edict ordering the submission of a list of crimes committed by the maternal families of the selected noble ladies.

His Highness is not fond of women and is busy dealing with the aftermath of the White Lotus Rebellion and convicting Prime Minister Shen. How could he possibly be distracted by foreign guests?

Qin Luo refused the imperial decree, leisurely took out his silver-threaded gloves, boldly took out the jade talisman, and prepared to catch the criminal red-handed and hand him over to the Eastern Palace.

Lin Huaiyin didn't expect him to reach out and snatch it. Luckily, she reacted quickly, pinched half of the jade talisman tightly, and used all her strength to tug the tug.

"Commander Qin, what do you want to do?"

"Verify its authenticity." Qin Luo said coldly, pinching the object between two fingers—

"Pass!"

The jade talisman was obtained with ease.

Lin Huaiyin's hand slipped, and her thumb slammed hard on the table, causing her to wince in pain.

Immediately, Qin Luo gestured to his men to arrest the person, then stood up and announced, "Take Miss Lin with me to the East Palace for a confrontation."

"Who dares to touch me! Give me back the jade talisman!"

Lin Huaiyin reprimanded her sternly, but remained seated and unmoved.

She only wanted the Imperial City Guard to cause Xie Xincun some trouble, to deflate his arrogance and show him that she was not to be trifled with, before meeting him to negotiate. At this critical juncture, she had no intention of going to the Eastern Palace, and she certainly didn't want to see Xiao Zhi'an. What if she accidentally let slip about Xie Xincun? Who knew what he would do?

Lin Huaiyin sat firmly in the armchair, not believing that Qin Luo would really dare to touch her. The last person who bullied her, Shen Congyun, was now almost dead in prison...

However, Qin Luo was truly daring.

The Imperial City Guard, independent of the Three Provinces and Six Ministries, was a bloody blade hanging over the capital. It was only subject to the orders of the Imperial Palace and the Crown Prince. Moreover, under Qin Luo's control, the Imperial City Guard had completely sided with the Crown Prince, Xiao Zhi'an.

Qin Luo was Xiao Zhi'an's loyal subject, entrusting his life and fortune to the Eastern Palace. Any act of overstepping or offending the Eastern Palace was within his control.

Now that Lin Huaiyin has forged the jade talisman and falsely conveyed imperial edicts, her crimes are heinous. No matter how powerful and influential the Lin family is, Qin Luo will not tolerate it. With a single command, he ordered his men to lift up the chairs along with the chairs.

Not only that, Qin Luo, not wanting to let things get any worse, grabbed a rope and tied the person and chair together tightly.

In an instant, Lin Huaiyin's tender chest flesh was chafed raw, and she was choked to death. She gasped for breath, and her mouth was stuffed with a rag.

Then everything went black; a black cloth covered her head.

What kind of prisoner treatment is this?

The incident happened suddenly, catching Lin Huaiyin off guard. She twisted and turned wildly, making "woo woo woo" sounds, but Qin Luo just snorted coldly and didn't say another word.

Immediately.

The gates of the Imperial City Guard were wide open.

Qin Luo stood majestically in front.

Lin Huaiyin and her chair were lifted high, attracting the attention of all sorts of people along the way.

Before long, the group entered the East Palace.

Upon hearing that they had arrived at the Jiade Hall, Qin Luo requested an audience, while Lin Huaiyin struggled frantically, panicking with anxiety.

She didn't want to see Xiao Zhian in such a disheveled state.

Losing the jade talisman given by Xiao Zhian was because she tried to harm another man but ended up making a mess of things. Xiao Zhian will definitely laugh himself to death later and will surely ask her why.

Having experienced the previous conflict in the guest room and being treated coldly by Xiao Zhian, Lin Huaiyin's mindset is different now. She doesn't want to lie to him, and she doesn't want him to overthink and waste his energy.

She'd be better off killing Xiao Zhian than telling him that a man had suddenly appeared who wanted to marry her.

"Waaaaah!"

"Waaaaah!"

Lin Huaiyin and her chair swayed back and forth.

The officials of the Left and Right Imperial City Guards weren't as ruthless as Qin Luo, so they didn't dare to mess with her.

So Lin Huaiyin shook her head faster and faster, and the amplitude became larger and larger. The black scarf could no longer cover her face. Just as she lost control and fell forward, a hand suddenly reached out.

A large hand rested on her waist, and Lin Huaiyin steadied herself. Her black scarf fell away, and the world instantly became clear. Before she could even see the person in front of her, a cacophony of noise filled her ears—

"Who dares to trespass into the Eastern Palace?!"

"bass!"

The swords and blades were drawn with a sharp, jerky sound.

Qin Luo took the lead, his cold weapon pointed menacingly at the person in front of him.

A cold light flickered on his face, his pale green robe fluttered without wind, and the man's calm and collected demeanor seemed almost divine. Lin Huaiyin stared in disbelief—"Young Master Xie?"

Despite the swords and knives aimed at him, Xie Xincun remained unfazed, reaching between Lin Huaiyin's teeth with his fingers to pull out a wet wad of cloth, his fingertips caressing the glistening corners of her lips.

“Call me Xincun.” He corrected Lin Huaiyin’s address with a smile, his eyes showing smugness and arrogance, as he slowly untied the rope.

Surrounded by officials from the Imperial City Guard and imperial guards, Lin Huaiyin felt uneasy at Xie Xincun's public display of power, sensing impending doom. She tried to distance herself from the situation, but Xie Xincun saw through her thoughts and smiled as he dropped two cold pills down her throat.

At the same time, footsteps approached, and Lin Huaiyin recognized Xiao Zhian. In a panic, she gasped for breath, then her pupils widened in shock—it was over, she couldn't make a sound.

A rustling sound.

The hemp rope came loose.

Lin Huaiyin regained her freedom—but she did not.

Xie Xincun scooped her up by the waist and placed his left arm across Lin Huaiyin to sit on.

When Xiao Zhian arrived, he witnessed Xie Xincun pressing Lin Huaiyin's small face into the crook of his neck.

In an instant, Xiao Zhian's blood froze, his mind went blank, and he thought he had seen wrong. He quickly walked over and stopped the guard.

Behind him, Xuan Ge quietly conjured a flying knife.

"Yinyin!" Xiao Zhian suddenly called out, his voice trembling.

He couldn't believe it. Not long ago, Yinyin was intimately close to him in his arms. At this moment, in his Eastern Palace, she was not here to see him, but sitting in another man's lap!

What happened? What exactly happened? Who is that man? What did he do to Yinyin?

Ignoring Xuan Ge and Qin Luo's advice, Xiao Zhian went straight into the encirclement and headed straight for the two of them.

Seeing the bloodshot eyes of his, he reached out to pull her, but Lin Huaiyin was unable to move or respond, her heart aching.

She wanted to explain, to say that it wasn't like that, but she couldn't speak. She could only blink, blink hard. Xie Xincun, on the other hand, slowly tilted her head and looked at Xiao Zhian with a half-smile.

"You are the Crown Prince of Xingchao?"

Xie Xincun clicked his tongue twice, and his right hand moved without a trace, suddenly producing a loud "dang" sound in mid-air.

The throwing knife landed without even touching the opponent's robes. Xuan Ge's attack missed, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. He signaled to everyone to remain calm—the disparity in strength was too great, and any fight would definitely result in casualties. If there were hundreds of archers, they might be able to barely hold the opponent back. Right now, he could only do his best to protect His Highness the Crown Prince. Miss Lin was truly helpless...

“Looks like nothing special,” Xie Xincun shook his head. “His strength is even less impressive. Crown Prince of Xingchao, don’t even think about my woman, and don’t call her so intimately.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Huaiyin was enraged—Xie Xincun was malicious, and she no longer wanted to ask him for an antidote; she only wanted him dead!

"Put Yinyin down!"

Xiao Zhian stared at Xie Xincun, approaching step by step, and said slowly and deliberately, "You have taken my Great Xing Empire’s future mother hostage. Offending her is offending me. Even if it is thousands of miles away, I will destroy your country and slaughter your clan. Blood will flow for thousands of miles and corpses will be everywhere before I am satisfied."

"Your Highness has great ambition, but it's a pity that marriage is a major event. It involves the names of parents and the words of matchmakers. I have already given the betrothal gifts. I wonder what Your Highness has to offer?"

Xie Xincun sneered and raised his hand to strike Lin Huaiyin's cheek.

As the long, slender, white fingers drew closer, Lin Huaiyin felt a chill run down her spine with disgust.

Xiao Zhian acted swiftly, grabbing Xie Xincun's wrist and coldly saying, "I've said it before, if you dare to overstep your bounds again, our two countries will clash. Take your betrothal gifts and get out."

After saying that, Xiao Zhian shook off his wrist and reached out to hug Lin Huaiyin.

Lin Huaiyin, her eyes blurry with tears, was finally rescued, and Xiao Zhian had no misunderstandings about her.

In the crowd, Qin Luo's lips twitched unconsciously, and the jade talisman at his waist suddenly felt painfully digging into his bones.

Xiao Zhian hugged Lin Huaiyin and was about to carry her away.

Xie Xincun's gaze slowly darkened. The river in his eyes rushed through the dense forest, echoing Lin Zhenlie's voice saying that Lin Huaiyin was involved in the incident and asking him to take Lin Huaiyin away.

He readily agreed. Originally, he was just bored and wanted to pass the time, watch the everyday life, find some fun, and play with the little girl. He didn't expect the couple to be so interesting and so deeply in love.

The crown prince has already issued such a warning, so it's unlikely that the request from his uncle from a powerful family would lead to war between the two countries.

The young couple are deeply in love; let them deal with Uncle Lin themselves.

Now that things have come to this, Xie Xincun thought: Let them go.

But……

But as Xiao Zhian slowly carried Lin Huaiyin away, the warmth in his arms gradually dissipated, and Xie Xincun felt a strange emptiness...

He had held the girl in his arms once, and he was truly reluctant to part with her. He was also displeased if someone took her away from him.

I was extremely displeased.

As his thoughts raced, Xie Xincun realized he felt a pang of reluctance. He didn't want to force himself; his heart was set on it.

Just as Lin Huaiyin was about to leave completely, he made a move to snatch her back, hugged her tightly again, and with a light touch of his feet, leaped into the air onto the roof of the palace.

"Yinyin!"

Xiao Zhian's face turned deathly pale.

Lin Huaiyin's face was pressed against Xie Xincun's chest.

"Chase!"

Xuan Ge gave the order.

The palace guards moved at the mere sight of the enemy.

Xie Xincun leaped across rooftops and walls, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"Your Highness."

Xuan Ge returned dejectedly to report back.

Qin Luo has already confessed to the whole story.

"Go to the Lin family."

Xiao Zhian's face was ashen.