the truth

Another month has passed, and everything is progressing smoothly.

The court was very peaceful, and Rong Xiao's power was further consolidated under her management, but there were still voices supporting Rong Xuan.

Strangely, the main characters have become somewhat lax since they returned to the capital.

While in Yunzhou, Yan Qing kept a close eye on the court's movements, and thus had a deep understanding of Rong Xuan's diligence during that period. But now, Rong Xuan was somewhere between two states; he wasn't exactly idle, but he hadn't done anything significant either.

To outsiders, this obvious change was because he was pursuing Yan Qing with all his might, but she knew very well that the reason was not that.

As if to show his supporters his determination to fight for the throne, Rong Xuan would also cause Rong Xiao a lot of trouble, but those trivial matters were not something Rong Xiao had to worry about, and even Yan Qing was too lazy to care.

It was nothing more than offering some harmless slander, or arguing a few words with Rong Xiao's faction of court officials in the imperial court.

This is what truly perplexes Yan Qing.

Rong Xuan has stated that he has no interest in the throne, and there is no doubt about that. He has no reason to tell such an easily exposed lie, especially one that brings him no real benefit.

But he still caused trouble for Rong Xiao, with some trivial matters that Rong Xiao couldn't handle.

His purpose then becomes intriguing.

Is it to attract attention?

Or is it Rong Xiao or her?

Yan Qing quickly dismissed this conjecture. Based on her current understanding of Rong Xuan, she believed he would take a more direct approach, such as following her around.

So why is that?

She felt that some details had been overlooked, but she couldn't recall them at the moment.

This matter has to be put on hold for now. Since things aren't going well here, we'll have to look for some progress elsewhere.

Yan Qing opened the cat map and selected a cat that was far away in the northern military camp.

It was originally a stray dog ​​in the wild, which was discovered by Cheng Changfeng by chance and taken back to the military camp to be raised.

Through this kitten, Yan Qing had the good fortune to see Cheng Changfeng again. His naivety had long been washed away by the tempering of the military camp, and now he looked quite like a commander.

Only when he occasionally steals a moment to play with the kittens can you still see that beneath his composure lies a youthful heart.

Thanks to his temperament, Yan Qing was spared a lot of trouble and gained a convenient way to understand military information.

However, whether this battle is an advance or a retreat, how to arrange troops, and how to deploy formations are not within the scope of Yan Qing's knowledge. Her real purpose is to find out about Rong Xiao's situation.

Although his strength was unmatched, the battlefield was a place where swords and spears had no eyes, and Yan Qing had to keep track of his situation at all times to ensure that nothing unexpected happened to the key figure in her mission.

Since Rong Xiao led his troops to the Northern Border military camp, Yan Qing has been keeping a close eye on him. So far, there have been frequent reports of good news in the Northern Border war, and Rong Xiao has been invincible. Seeing that the foreign tribes are about to be completely defeated, Yan Qing has been relieved.

Hopefully, we can return home in triumph soon.

After confirming Rong Xiao's condition, Yan Qing instructed the cat to follow the old rules.

Find a quiet corner and enjoy a delicious meal!

Few kittens could resist the temptation of the various delicacies in Yan Qing's hands, and precisely because they were mostly little gluttons, she encountered almost no obstacles when obtaining information.

The kitten quickly ran to a dark spot, as if it had crawled under something.

After listening to the sounds around for a while and confirming that it was only the kitten's urgent purring, Yan Qing called out Cat Number One and placed a lot of dried fish and shrimp in front of the kitten.

In the stillness, she listened to the kittens eating and exclaimed that it was simply heavenly music.

The rustling sound suddenly broke her enjoyment, and the kitten also stopped eating alertly and began to look around.

The kitten's view was low and obstructed, making it difficult to see anything, but fortunately, it could hear everything happening outside clearly.

The footsteps grew closer; it was more than one person.

"What exactly are the arrangements from above? If we wait a few more days, this war will be over."

"What's the rush? The higher-ups have their own arrangements. Just go back and wait patiently. Don't come looking for me again, or you'll be in big trouble if you're exposed."

After exchanging only two brief sentences, the two men left one after the other.

Yan Qing hadn't expected to make such a discovery today. Their words were suspicious, but the specific details were too vague, and further investigation was needed.

She comforted the kitten for a while, and only after it had eaten and drunk its fill did she disconnect the connection and begin to ponder those two seemingly random sentences.

It goes without saying that both of them are military personnel, so what they are doing must be related to the military, but who are they targeting? The scope is really too broad, and Yan Qing can't help but have a headache.

After some thought, Yan Qing decided to first understand the relationships between the people in the army.

She summoned Fangbi and asked her some questions about military generals.

Rong Xiao is the commander-in-chief, with General Cheng and General Jiang as his deputies.

General Cheng didn't need much explanation, but there was much more to say about General Jiang. Fangbi told her everything she knew, like spilling beans.

He was from a collateral branch of the Jiang family.

The Jiang family?

Yan Qing recalled the tunnel in the exotic cat manor, which led to the Jiang family, but in the end, after Rong Xuan exposed the Crown Prince's affair, the Jiang family was not implicated.

She then asked Fangbi about the connection between the Jiang family and the Crown Prince, and coincidentally, Fangbi happened to know the secret behind it.

No one knew about the Jiang family's private relationship with the Crown Prince, but they had no official contact with him. However, this General Jiang was different.

He was stationed in the northern border for many years. In his early years, he was promoted by the Crown Prince and had also publicly supported Rong Zhang. His stance is self-evident.

Knowing this much wasn't enough; she needed more information. In a flash, Yan Qing recalled the Crown Prince's case.

According to He Yi's letter, the matter was carried out very quickly, and it was already over by the time Yan Qing and the others arrived in Yunzhou. Yan Qing didn't know much about the details.

It is now necessary to investigate this.

Fangbi would never know about this, so the best person to ask is the person involved.

So Yan Qing told Fang Bi to go ahead and attend to her business, and then naturally walked into the courtyard and shouted, "Rong Xuan!"

Rong Xuan arrived in a hurry in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

He no longer followed me closely, leaving only people to guard outside the Cat Tea Garden. They didn't look around or listen indiscriminately, but simply performed their guard duties.

Their relationship was quite delicate, and such behavior was inappropriate, but she inexplicably went to the yard and called him.

Now that the shouting has been made and the person is in front of us, it would be pretentious to dwell on whether it was appropriate or not; that's not Yan Qing's style.

She led him inside and explained why she had called him.

Unexpectedly, Rong Xuan was so frank, saying, "It was I who slandered Rong Zhang."

?

Upon hearing this, Yan Qing lost her composure. Her eyes widened, and she leaned forward, asking, "Slander? But given the Emperor's indulgence of him, how could he not investigate thoroughly and just allow you to do this?"

Yan Qing clearly noticed that Rong Xuan's expression became somewhat strange after she said those words.

This expression gave her another idea, and she asked again, "What is the Crown Prince's crime?"

"Military affairs are not going well."

Sure enough, she had overlooked the root cause of the world's collapse from the very beginning.

She only thought about finding a capable person to be the emperor, so that her task would eventually be completed. But she forgot that the person who caused all this was still sitting firmly on the dragon throne.

Now Yan Qing has a clear answer to how he managed to sit on the throne.

Checks and balances.

Was Rong Zhang's constant indulgence truly out of love?

Is her ignoring Rong Xiao really because she doesn't love him?

Such thinking is too narrow-minded.

What does love or hate have to do with emperors?

What he wants is for no one to challenge his authority.

Rong Xiao is upright and capable, and his reputation among the people remains the same as it was back then. However, what comes first is not the prospect of having a successor who is interested, but the concern about the instability of his own position.

Even if you, Rong Xiao, are popular with the people, so what?

Rong Zhang is deeply favored by me. You in the court can decide what to do. I will decide who will hold this position above all others decades from now. You can guess who will stand behind him and become a veteran of two dynasties.

However, Rong Zhang was simply not up to the task, and the balance of power gradually tipped in favor of Rong Xiao over time. What to do?

The emperor's gaze slowly fell on his other son, the one who could replace Rong Zhang.

But one can't help but worry: can a brother raised by the same mother truly stand on both sides of the scale?

Therefore, the crown prince cannot be completely abandoned.

Everyone says that the heart of an emperor is unfathomable, but no matter how you dissect it, it's all just a calculation of power.

Yan Qing's gaze toward Rong Xuan also became strange, the meaning of which she herself did not know how to describe.

Rong Xuan didn't react much, only saying, "I thought you had already guessed it. I nodded last time too."

She didn't recall it, but this wasn't the time to dwell on it. Yan Qing then asked, "If something happens to Rong Xiao, then Rong Zhang will take his place, right?"

Yan Qing actually had the answer to this question in her heart, but she really needed to confirm the truth with her mouth.

Rong Xuan nodded silently, then said, "I have arranged for people to protect him, nothing will happen to him."

Yan Qing shook her head and looked at Rong Xuan.

The questions that were previously incomprehensible are now becoming clear. Rong Xuan is truly no different from the emperor, but if he wants Rong Xiao to sit firmly in that position, he must stand opposite Rong Xiao and make the emperor lower his guard.

Therefore, he had to cause some trouble for Rong Xiao, making it appear to outsiders that the two were in competition.

Rong Xiao might not have known about this in the past, but his trust in Rong Xuan stemmed from the fact that the two were close brothers.

Rong Xuan did not betray this trust, and even bore a lot for it.

Yan Qing naturally began to imagine Rong Xuan's past calculations. From the moment he saw through the emperor's heart, he became a person.

Whether it's brothers or mother and son, he can't say it out loud; he can only do it silently.

At that moment, Yan Qing realized that he and she were actually alike.

Absurd, an undeniable fact.

Returning to the matter itself, the situation becomes clear: Rong Xuan has now become an ally, so there is no need to be overly cautious.

She told Rong Xuan her conclusion.

"Rong Xiao is in danger."