Yinji followed the servant and walked quickly through the corridor to the outside of Prince Jin's study.
The study door was closed, and two guards stood on both sides like sculptures.
He straightened his robe, which was a little messy due to his hurried journey, took a deep breath, and was about to go forward and knock on the door when it creaked open from the inside.
Prince Yinqi of Jin walked out with a solemn expression, followed by a middle-aged man dressed in ordinary merchant clothes but with eyes as sharp as an eagle.
When the man saw Yinji, he bowed, said "Greetings, Prince", and hurried away, his figure quickly disappearing into the depths of the garden.
"Father." Yinji bowed quickly.
"Come in."
Yinqi's voice was low, with a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.
He turned around and went back to sit behind his desk.
Yinji followed him in, closed the door, and keenly noticed a depressing atmosphere in the study.
"Father, the king has urgently summoned me. What is the urgent matter?"
"The rebels reached Xijing. One of your two uncles was captured by the rebels and almost boiled to death, and the other had his entire family killed, leaving him all alone." Yinqi said solemnly.
"I didn't expect the rebels to be so rampant and treat people like me like this."
Upon hearing this, Yinji's eyes turned red and his fists clenched loudly. "Don't worry, father. If the rebels dare to come to Jinyang, I will lead my troops to fight them to the death and protect your safety."
Yinqi waved his hand and said, "Ji'er, don't worry about me. If the rebels take Xijing, their next target will be the capital. They won't come to Jinyang for a while."
"Then father, please recruit me..." Yinji said with a curious look on his face.
"Ji'er, how much do you know about Zhao Muyun in the three months since you served as the Guoyi Captain in Yinzhou? What is his character like? Is he stubborn and easily broken, or is he flexible and adaptable?" Yinqi stared at Yinji and asked seriously.
"Father, didn't we report this to you when we contributed 115,000 taels of silver and 30,000 dan of grain to Lord Zhao's private salt business?"
Although Yinji was surprised by his father's sudden question, he answered seriously, "Master Zhao is not only a man of loyalty and righteousness, but also a man of both civil and military talents, brave and resourceful!"
"His martial prowess is unfathomable, he is filled with mysterious strength, and he seems to have an endless supply of knowledge."
"He is knowledgeable and experienced, whether it's military affairs, government affairs, economics, equipment, weaponry, etc. He even has many new things that Dayin has never had before, and he can easily come up with them."
"No, I accepted your order and became his disciple. I have gained a lot from following him."
When Yinji said this, Zhao Muyun's voice, appearance and smile appeared before his eyes.
"No, that's not what I want to know. What I mean is, do you think Zhao Muyun is reliable?" Yinqi lowered his voice.
"Father, what...what are you going to do?" Yinji asked.
"How much do you know about the factional fighting going on in the court right now? As a member of the royal family, you shouldn't be involved in military affairs. Do you know how you were able to become the Commandant of Resoluteness and serve in the Commandant's Office of Suppressing the Enemy?"
"Do you know why we were able to invest in Zhao Muyun's illegal salt business, and His Majesty remained silent about it?"
Yinqi asked a series of questions that shocked Yinji: "Father, I have been in Master's army for a long time. I have thought about this, but I am not mature yet. I hope you can explain my doubts and answer my questions."
"Ji'er, actually, all this is caused by your royal grandfather and your uncle." Yinqi lowered his voice.
"Your Majesty and the Crown Prince?" Yin Ji was shocked. "How did my affairs involve them?"
"Because His Majesty wants me to be his whetstone, sharpening the Crown Prince's sword!"
Yinqi let out a bitter laugh, "When the Crown Prince inherits the throne in the future, I'm afraid our lineage will decline from then on."
"Father, we won't do it! If we don't argue with uncle, he won't bother us anymore in the future!" Yinji seemed to understand.
"But, can we disobey the Emperor's order?"
Yin Qi shook his head. "Not only us, Zhao Muyun is also a victim of this game, and so is your sister!"
"Alas, my father is enjoying himself now. If he dies, we will be doomed."
Yinji frowned. He didn't think as far ahead as Yinqi did. However, when he heard his father mention his sister Yinyao, he said:
"Father, my younger sister will eventually get married. If she marries into a good family, she won't have to get involved in this vortex."
"I thought so too, but it's too late!"
Yin Qi smiled helplessly and said, "His Majesty wants to marry your sister to Zhao Muyun!"
"He's disregarding our ancestral teachings and tying our Jin Palace to a military general through marriage, leaving us no chance of survival! Your royal grandfather is truly a good grandfather!"
What!
Yinji stood there in a daze, his heart filled with waves of emotion.
No wonder my younger sister came to ask what Zhao Muyun looked like as soon as he entered the door.
It seems that she also learned that the emperor wanted to grant her a marriage to Zhao Muyun.
But Yinji himself must not have heard anything about it.
"If our family marries Master, we will become a thorn in the prince's side!"
"Originally, my father was just a leisurely prince, living a carefree life in his fiefdom. He sent me to serve in the army, and he even let us participate in the private salt business. Now he wants us to marry my sister."
"His Majesty is crazy. Even if he uses us as the Crown Prince's whetstone, he can't ignore our lives!"
Yinji became more and more indignant as he spoke.
"When your royal grandfather is nice to you, he looks kind and gentle; but once he turns cruel, he is more cruel and cold-blooded than a tiger." Yinqi also complained bitterly.
"Father, what should we do now? Maybe one day His Majesty will issue an imperial decree, forcing my sister to marry Master!" Yin Ji asked.
Yin Qi's face was solemn. "That's why I'm asking you, what do you think of Zhao Muyun?"
"Master is a rare genius in governing the country, and he is a master in using military tactics. The twenty heroes in the Lingyan Pavilion who founded Dayin combined cannot be compared with Master!" Yin Ji said with admiration.
"So, whoever gets Zhao Muyun can get the world?" Yinqi said sinisterly.
"Father..." Yin Ji was shocked when he saw his father's scary expression for the first time.
Yinqi swallowed and lowered his voice, "Father sees us as tools. When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, we will be the first ones he will eliminate. We're going to die anyway, so we might as well give it a try."
"Therefore, I called you back to discuss this matter with you."
Yinji was stunned. Wouldn’t it be a rebellion if he tried to take a risk?
Can we still hope to depose the crown prince and reinstate the Prince of Jin as the heir apparent?
My uncle has been the crown prince for thirty years.
During these thirty years, the crown prince's position had become deeply entrenched, and almost half of the court officials were his people.
"Father, are you planning to join the fight for the throne?" Yin Ji asked in a low voice, "We don't stand a chance at all!"
"The opportunity is right in front of us!" Yinqi smiled and said, "You are the opportunity!"
Me? Yinji pointed at his nose, looking confused.
Yinqi spat out a few words: "The Crown Prince has no heir!"
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