Zhongli stared intently at Li Hua. Although he knew the two were twins, he had never seen Li Hua reveal his true face.

They really were so similar, so similar that when Zhongli looked at Li Hua up close, it felt like he was looking in a mirror.

When his father told him that he had found his brother, who had been living among the common people, and that he was the president of a merchant guild that almost monopolized all industries in Jinchuan, and that he could provide him with inexhaustible wealth to help him complete his great cause, Zhongli Zhengzhen did indeed want to see what Li Hua really looked like.

But his father stopped him at that time.

His father told Zhongli Zhengzhen that there could only be one Zhongli Zhengzhen and one Third Prince of Jinchuan in the world. Otherwise, two people who looked exactly alike, especially a prince who was about to inherit the great cause, would inevitably cause endless trouble.

The Emperor made Zhongli Zhengzhen and Li Hua both forget what Li Hua really looked like.

Zhongli Zhengzhen had never really taken it seriously. When he met Li Hua, who was wearing a human skin mask, his only impression of his older brother was that he was mild-mannered and even somewhat timid.

Even if they really do have the same face, Zhong Li has seen twins before. Twins who grow up in the same background and the same family will have completely different personalities and temperaments.

However, Zhongli Zhengzhen never imagined that Li Hua, after removing his mask and wearing the robes of a prince from Jinchuan, would look exactly like him.

Zhongli's eyes burned with anger, but even more so with an unprecedented fear. This fear, like the fine blood vessels in his eyes, gradually spread to his heart and then took deep root in his bones.

He grew up in the imperial palace where imperial power was absolute, and throughout his life he was a favored son of heaven, admired by thousands. He never imagined that one day he would fall into such a state.

He never expected Li Hua to set him up like this, and now he can't even ask for help.

Li Hua also looked closely at Zhongli Zhengzhen and imitated Zhongli Zhengzhen's expression and appearance, which was actually not difficult for him.

Li Hua has traveled all over the country, met all kinds of people, and seen all walks of life. Naturally, he knows how to grasp the essence of a person.

He slowly straightened up, placing his palm on the jade belt around his waist, his fingertips gently tapping the gemstones inlaid on the belt. This was a gesture that Zhongli Zhengzhen would occasionally make when he was thinking, and almost no one knew about it except for Song Ci, who served him closely.

Even such subtle movements were imitated by Li Hua with unparalleled skill and soul.

He stood there, tall and straight, with deep-set eyes. The gentle and reserved demeanor that usually surrounded him was completely gone, and his whole aura exuded a sharp and intimidating sharpness, like a weapon with a blade.

“Don’t be afraid. Since you haven’t betrayed me, I won’t kill you,” Li Hua said. “I’m just using your men temporarily. I won’t do anything reckless or deliberately harm your people.”

Li Hua looked at Zhongli Zhengzhen and said, "As long as we can hold off the Regent this time, I will release you once the princess comes out of the palace."

Li Hua sat down next to Zhongli Zhengzhen, poured a glass of water, and held the glass to Zhongli Zhengzhen's lips to feed him the water.

"Drink more water. You'll feel very thirsty after the pill I just gave you takes effect."

However, Zhongli Zhengzhen did not speak, but glared fiercely at Li Hua.

Li Hua had no choice but to put down the cup, sighed, and said, "Your father taught you how to be a prince, how to be arrogant and domineering, but he never taught you how to save your life once you fall from grace."

"I think your father told you not to get too close to me, or not to take me too seriously, right?"

Li Hua sat next to Zhongli Zhengzhen and guessed exactly what their shared father had said.

Zhongli Zhengzhen's expression changed slightly, then he became even angrier, lying on the chair panting heavily.

Li Hua sighed and said, "There's no benefit to you being so stubborn with me. I don't even intend to hurt you. I just want you to rest for a while and have some water."

Zhongli Zhengzhen still wouldn't drink water, and there was even a hint of grievance in his eyes as he looked at Lihua.

He trusted Li Hua so much that he was never on guard, yet Li Hua schemed against him like this, all for a woman he considered completely untrustworthy, spouting nonsense, lustful and power-hungry, and willing to do anything to achieve her goals.

Seeing that he still wouldn't drink, Li Hua simply stopped bothering him.

He seemed to be able to guess what Zhongli was thinking from his expression, so Li Hua said, "When I have time... when the princess comes out of the palace, I will find a time to have a good talk with you."

“There are some things you can’t just listen to your father’s side of the story; you also need to know the truth about what happened back then.”

After Li Hua finished speaking, she stood up, bent down to pick up the cloak and mask from the ground, dressed Zhongli Zhengzhen in them, splashed some wine on him, and then helped Zhongli Zhengzhen out the door.

After the door opened, Song Ci, who was standing at the door, bowed in the direction of Li Hua.

Li Hua ignored him and instead helped Zhongli Zhengzhen up, saying to San Jiu who came to greet them, "The Prince Consort is drunk; let's take him back to the Prince Consort's residence for now."

Sanjiu nodded to Lihua and took Zhongli Zhengzhen with a worried expression. Lihua had already explained the details to him when they were in the manor.

Sanjiu did a very good job, and even hugged Zhongli and called him "Young Master" twice.

However, Sanjiu was not as calm as Lihua appeared. His eyes twitched uncontrollably. In order not to let Song Ci notice anything amiss, he half-carried and half-held Zhongli Zhengzhen, who was covered by a cloak, and quickened his pace toward the door.

Li Hua stood on the corridor watching Zhongli Zhengzhen being helped into the carriage, then turned to Song Ci and said, "Withdraw all the men who were preparing to escort the prince consort back to Jinchuan. I have other uses for them."

Upon hearing this, Song Ci paused for a moment. He was Zhongli Zhengzhen's confidant, and Zhongli Zhengzhen would tell Song Ci almost everything. But just as Song Ci was about to ask why, Li Hua turned his head and glanced at him.

That gaze was haughty and cold, and Song Ci felt a chill run down her spine. She immediately bowed and agreed.

Li Hua took Zhongli Zhengzhen's place, imprisoned Zhongli Zhengzhen in the Prince Consort's mansion, and then used Zhongli Zhengzhen's power to launch a full-scale attack on the Regent.

First, his subordinates, his advisors, and the people he cultivated in the court all encountered trouble to varying degrees.

These troubles varied in size and were a combination of evidence held by Zhongli Zhengzhen and information obtained indirectly by Li Hua's people.

There are no perfect people in this world. In the vortex of money and power, no one can remain completely clean and virtuous.

Therefore, Li Hua was quick to find fault with even the smallest things, from major corruption to minor issues like favoring concubines over wives, ruining his reputation, and being sued for filial impiety by his elderly mother. Although he only eliminated a few minor offenders and did not affect the Regent's power, it was still easy to cause them some trouble.

As soon as the Regent's health improved, people began to come to him for help.

These people were all carefully selected and placed in various positions in the court. They need to lie low for several years before they can play a significant role in the future.

Suddenly, a problem arose, and although the regent was furious, he could not ignore it.

When the regent realized something was wrong, even the horses of some of the cavalrymen kept in his residence began to collapse one after another due to diarrhea.

Given the current situation, coupled with the assassination attempt a few days ago, the usually cautious Regent should have been on edge, staying in his residence and waiting for the matter to be investigated before figuring out a solution.

However, he actually had a carriage prepared for him, intending to enter the palace that night.