Half an hour later, Shang Changge and Shang Changze left the Third Prince's residence together.

It was still early, so the siblings didn't rush back to their respective homes. Instead, they casually found a teahouse where storytelling was performed and sat down to drink tea.

"Now, let's talk about those mountain bandits...!"

Because it was a second-floor window seat, the storyteller's voice was exceptionally clear.

Under the cover of the storytelling, Shang Changge began to ask the handsome younger brother sitting opposite her what she wanted to know.

"Has Aze witnessed the strength of Emperor Shadow?"

Shang Changze withdrew his gaze from the crowd downstairs, almost immediately understanding what Shang Changge wanted to do, and sighed helplessly.

"Sister, don't do anything risky."

My sister has changed a lot lately, but such changes are understandable.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange, but as he pondered this, he took a sip of tea and casually asked the question.

"Speaking of which, when did you learn martial arts, sister? I never knew."

Shang Changge took a sip of tea, feigning profundity and avoiding answering.

"Don't pry, everyone has their own little secrets."

Shang Changze: ...

Shang Changze was speechless. Seeing that his sister didn't want to talk, he could only sigh and give up. He then advised her:

"Sister, the Imperial Shadow is not so easy to deal with. Don't take any risks."

Shang Changge listened to the advice and readily agreed: "Okay."

He was so easily persuaded and readily agreed to advice that Shang Changze didn't know how to offer any further advice.

Unable to put her mind at ease, the princess's residence received another group of Shang Changze's men that very night.

These people can't just sneak in; they'd be mistaken for assassins and end up killing each other.

So they first met with Shang Changge, and after exchanging greetings, the leader explained their purpose:

"Princess, we were sent by the Crown Prince to protect you."

Shang Changge nodded in agreement at first, and only continued speaking with a smile after the leader breathed a sigh of relief:

"Yes, you were sent by Aze to spy on me."

The leader's expression froze for a moment, and before he could explain, Shang Changge interrupted him.

Shang Changge waved his hand: "Alright, go do what you're supposed to do."

After saying that, he left the group of people behind and went back to his study to work on the painting he hadn't finished working on.

The sky was dim, but the study was bright.

The drawing Shang Changge was working on was a map of the Third Prince's residence, containing only simple routes.

There were many guards, and the guards were very strict, so her people could only explore a limited area.

There are two people in the study now.

Shang Changge and the leader of her assassins, who were responsible for exploring the Third Prince's residence during the day.

The leader of the assassins had a hoarse voice, indistinguishable in gender, and lacked any distinctive features.

"Princess, based on my perception, there are at least two Imperial Shadows within the Third Prince's residence, along with over four hundred visible guards."

There are approximately over a hundred other assassins and bodyguards. Based on my understanding of your skills,

"It's easy for you to infiltrate, but not so easy to kill the Third Prince, and leaving after killing him is absolutely impossible."

The assassin spoke bluntly, and Shang Changge understood. She then wisely pressed the pause button on the Ga Shangrui plan.

After dismissing the leader of the assassins from the study, he slumped into a chair and gave up.

bother,

The simplest and most direct method won't work; it seems we have to take a roundabout approach.

“Cheap maternal grandfather, cheap uncle, Xiao Ji, Xiao Ji, Xiao Ji…”

Ultimately, Xiao Ji, who controls one-third of Qingyan's military power, is still the most crucial figure in this struggle for the throne.

Previously, they feared the old emperor would act rashly, but now the old emperor has sent people to bring Shang Rui back in a grand manner.

Then, without delay, he arranged a marriage between Shang Ruiyun and Xiang Rong. With these two actions, the old emperor's intentions were all too clear.

Anyone with a bit of sense can see that the situation is now completely reversed.

The old emperor was now worried that the concubine's brother's faction would resort to desperate measures, from which we can conclude:

In retaliation, my grandfather, who is essentially a nepotistic relative, will likely join forces with other ministers to put pressure on the old emperor at tomorrow's morning court session.

She asked the old emperor to bestow a marriage upon her and Xiao Ji, thereby consolidating the position of the beauty's younger brother as crown prince.

Shang Changge: "..."

6!

That's amazing! It's incredible that she even has the mind to ponder whether Ga Shangrui's plan is feasible.

Is this something a princess needs to consider? That's her powerful maternal grandfather's business!

...

Is there another possibility?

The powerful minister's maternal grandfather listened to advice and used mutual benefits as leverage to cooperate with Xiao Ji, instead of being fixated on making Xiao Ji his son-in-law.

Or,

Xiao Ji heeded the advice and refused to marry her, proposing instead a mutually beneficial partnership or outright refusal to cooperate.

If none of these possibilities apply...

Her marriage to Xiao Ji was a done deal, so for the sake of her freedom for the rest of her life, she had no choice but to pack her bags and run away with Qing Yao.

Selfish?

Yes, she is selfish.

Having power and wealth is certainly the best thing, but compared to freedom, it's okay not to have them.

The handsome younger brother just resembles the older brother, but he's not actually the older brother.