Chapter 216, let's see how many more times we can get around this.

“The Crown Prince’s rebellion was premeditated, so if Li Jing says that the two thousand people outside the palace were the ones who forced the Crown Prince to abdicate, then they were the ones who forced the Crown Prince to abdicate.” Xiao Chen lowered his eyes slightly. “No one will know whether it was Li Mu who was forcing the Crown Prince to abdicate or Li Jing who was forcing the Crown Prince to abdicate.”

“But I can’t gamble.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t know what happened inside the palace.”

He turned his head, looked at Li Jin's pensive face, and pointed again at the name on the table that had long since dried: "But he knows he was there the whole time."

At this point, Xiao Chen clicked his tongue: "So I still don't understand how he managed to pull you into the Six Doors."

In a game of strategy and intrigue, regardless of whether the pieces are black or white, the guiding principle should be to avoid leaving any future troubles.

Born and raised in the royal family, Li Jin was able to deeply understand the meaning of this sentence.

At that time, Li Jinyuan was engaged in fierce fighting with the Tubo at the gateway to the Western Regions, and everything that happened in the palace and the capital was obviously not directed at him, the third prince.

But in the end, Li Jin lost all support from his maternal clan, Consort Xiao was sent to the cold palace, Li Mu's family was raided, and on the way to exile, his entire family was slaughtered.

In other words, under those circumstances, it would have been quite easy for Li Jing to kill another third prince.

Even if Li Jin made a smart move by handing over the tiger tally, relinquishing all real power, and voluntarily becoming a leisurely prince, making it impossible for Li Jing to eliminate him, Consort Xiao's only remaining son, whether morally or out of brotherly affection.

But as long as Li Jin is powerless and alone, it is practically the same as killing him.

"So I don't understand," Xiao Chen tapped the table, "whose side is this person on?"

"You say he's a confidant of the Crown Prince, but the things he's done don't seem like the logic of a normal strategist at all. It's also strange that Li Jing hasn't taken any action against you in the past few years."

“Because…” Li Jin brushed away the foam in the teacup, “He might lie to the Crown Prince, but he wouldn’t lie to my father, the Emperor.”

Glancing at Li Jin's calm face, Xiao Chen frowned: "Hey, I say, after six years, you're even more unpredictable than before."

"If you'd figured me out by now, I'd be long gone." Li Jin smiled and took a sip of tea.

“That’s true.” Xiao Chen took a deep breath. “It’s just a pity that I was unable to bring you any more news after finally returning to the capital.”

He said, "At that time, those two carts of armor somehow ended up in the hands of the Crown Prince, becoming irrefutable evidence. Although we were at the border, we did secretly investigate some things about this matter."

At this point, he frowned and shook his head: "Nothing was gained."

As expected.

Li Jin put down his teacup, looked at Xiao Chen's face, and nodded in greeting: "Give my regards to my maternal grandfather." Then, he made a gesture as if he was about to leave.

Xiao Chen was stunned when he saw it. He had been so serious just now, but in the blink of an eye, he turned into a nonchalant person: "Hey, you just listen and then leave! You have no sense of reciprocity at all."

Li Jin turned around, raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, then answered irrelevantly, "I'm going to offer incense to my maternal grandmother."

After saying that, he strode out.

"Hey!" Xiao Chen cried out anxiously, "Li Jin! Prince Jing!"

But Li Jin didn't turn around. With a slight smile, he opened the door, glanced at Jin Shu and Zhou Zheng who turned back in surprise, and then walked towards the corridor.

Behind him, Xiao Chen chased after him, looking at his back, and complained to Zhou Zheng with a crooked nose: "Your prince still hasn't gotten rid of his old habit of being cunning and scheming, saying only half of what he says?"

Before Zhou Zheng could nod, Xiao Chen's gaze shifted to the top of Jin Shu's head.

He lifted his shirt, plopped down next to her, and grinned: "Young man, what's your name?"

Jin Shu was stunned for a moment.

"How did you two meet? Are you Shadow in the Six Doors? Have you had any interesting experiences these past few years? This famous heartthrob in the capital, has he really not found a girl he likes? He..."

With a "smack," Li Jin's fan landed on Xiao Chen's shoulder. He smiled so broadly that his eyes curved into a crescent moon, which made Xiao Chen feel uneasy.

"Young General, you seem to have plenty of free time. Why don't you take this opportunity to practice your skills with Lord Zhou?"

After saying that, he pulled Jin Shu up from the steps and dragged her by the wrist toward the corridor.

As they walked, he said, "Stay away from this real playboy in the future. He's not faking it."

Only after the two disappeared around the corner did Xiao Chen open and close his mouth, pointing in the direction they had disappeared: "Really gay?"

He turned around and saw Zhou Zheng nod seriously, and was stunned.

On the other side of the corner of the room, in the corridor, Li Jin released Jin Shu's wrist.

The vast general's mansion was desolate, with only a handful of people in sight.

Jin Shu followed behind him, looking at the desolate scene before her, at the overgrown garden, and felt a pang of sadness.

This place should have been Li Jin's strongest support, but overnight, it was forced to withdraw from the stage of power.

God knows how Li Jin managed to grit her teeth and get through those years when she was all alone and helpless.

"Xiao Chen is that kind of person."

Suddenly, the man in front of her slowed down and parted his thin lips slightly.

Jin Shu watched his retreating figure, gazing at the golden floral embroidery on his brocade robes, and absentmindedly uttered an "Oh": "The renowned young general is actually a chatterbox; I truly didn't expect that."

That was too hasty.

What do you think it should be like?

Jin Shu paused.

Li Jin turned around: "What do you think a great general should be like?"

She smiled and, counting on her fingers, blurted out, "Ruthless and decisive, aloof and proud, a master strategist, capable of winning battles from afar." She quickly stepped forward, peered at Li Jin's profile, and added, "Yes, just like the prince."

In the desolate autumn courtyard, Li Jin stepped on the fallen leaves on the corridor, listening to the rustling sound, and after a long while, he snorted coldly: "Glib tongue."

“The one with the glib tongue is clearly the prince,” Jin Shu said. “To avoid that talkative general, he even claimed to be gay.” She pouted, “General Xiao was so scared his face turned pale.”

Li Jin suddenly stopped in front of him, raised an eyebrow, and turned to look at Jin Shu's face: "Avoid him?"

He smiled slightly and stepped forward to greet Jin Shu: "Xiao Chen and I grew up together. He's been a chatterbox for a long time, so I've long since gotten used to it. Why should I avoid him?"

In the corridor, the wind blew the fallen leaves, and Li Jin's hair moved with the wind, gently brushing against Jin Shu's cheek.

She slowly opened her eyes wide, held her breath, and looked up at Li Jin, who was so close to her, meeting his expectant gaze.

Oh no.

Jin Shu's heart skipped a beat, and her clever mind almost flew away with the handsome features in front of her.

She pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and patted Li Jin's shoulder: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your foresight and for helping me hide from the young general. I am extremely grateful, and I will accept it even if I am called a homosexual."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Jin stood in the autumn wind, his smile undiminished, though his temples throbbed.

He nodded, smacked his lips, took a deep breath, and took another small step forward.

It was so close to his chest, almost touching Jin Shu's cheek.

After using too many roundabout hints, it's time to get straight to the point.

Li Jin stood with his hands behind his back, chuckled softly, then slowly leaned down and whispered in Jin Shu's ear, "You're really something, managing to smooth things over like that."

Jin Shu froze, even her breath caught in her throat.

Li Jin's voice became even softer and gentler, his thin lips almost touching her earlobe: "Jin Shu, I want to see how many more times you can get around this, how many more times you can smooth things over."

After speaking, Li Jin straightened up, raised his chin slightly, glanced at her stunned expression, and raised his hand with satisfaction, wiping his lips with his thumb.