Another place.
After leaving the Marquis's residence, Jiang Yinjin did not arrange for a carriage from the Marquis's residence in advance, but instead asked Chuxue to hire a carriage at the post station.
The carriage took the three of them to a quiet little house in the capital.
The three got off the carriage, paid the money, and let the carriage leave.
They then knocked on the door and entered the courtyard.
This was a simple courtyard. The person who opened the door was none other than Jiang Yinjin's elder brother, Jiang Shenyan.
Ever since Jiang Yinjin and Zheng Ruier were discovered by Princess Rui'an at the restaurant, Jiang Yinjin had Jiang Shenyan buy a courtyard specifically for their meeting.
Jiang Shenyan carefully observed his younger sister's face and, seeing that she did not look haggard or thin, breathed a sigh of relief. "Come in."
The two entered the house one after the other, while Chu Xue and Chu Yu went to the small kitchen to boil water and make tea.
Jiang Shenyan pointed to the chairs in the small hall, "Sit down, Chen Hui just wiped them."
Chen Hui was Jiang Shenyan's attendant.
Jiang Yinjin sat down and asked, "Brother, how's the progress with the Prince of Qin? Last time you said that the Prince of Qin praised you, so what happened next? Can you further strengthen your relationship?"
Jiang Shenyan frowned and said in a deep voice, "The King of Qin has not shown any closeness to me. He is a suspicious man by nature. I have learned through some special channels that those who are close to the King of Qin are investigated for at least three years before being accepted. Therefore, I may not make any progress in the short term."
"Three years!?" Jiang Yinjin was startled, then bit her lip, her eyes fierce.
"I did not reveal all the information you wrote to me to the King of Qin."
Why?
Jiang Shenyan sighed, "Yinjin, although you are smart, you have never been in officialdom. Some people are naturally wary. They don't trust others, they only trust themselves! Several times when I leaked too much information, I even felt the King of Qin's vigilance and hostility."
"..."
Jiang Yinjin knew that her older brother was a perceptive person whose observational skills far surpassed those of his peers since childhood, and he had been praised by his father and other elders since he was young.
The elder brother said he sensed the King of Qin's wariness, so the King of Qin must have been wary.
Jiang Yinjin grew angrier the more she thought about it—why? Why could those villains from the Marquis of Anning's mansion defy fate and change their lives, while she died with resentment, her life still filled with grievances?
Seeing his sister's grief and indignation, Jiang Shenyan quickly changed the subject, "Oh right, didn't you keep telling me to keep an eye on Prince Jin's movements?"
"Yes, is there any news about Prince Jin?" Jiang Yinjin's tone was somewhat absent-minded.
"Rumor has it that Scholar Ma hosted a gathering of scholars a couple of days ago, which both Prince Jin and Prince Bai attended. According to the attendees, Prince Jin and Prince Bai look remarkably alike, even more so than brothers!"
Jiang Yinjin was taken aback. "They look alike? You mean, they resemble each other?"
"right."
Why do they look alike?
"That's unknown. After the gathering, some people discussed it privately, believing that the two could not possibly be related by blood. After all, the concubines in the harem are thoroughly investigated about their backgrounds when they enter the palace, so it's unlikely that the Prince of Jin's birth mother is related to the Marquis of Anning or his wife."
Jiang Yinjin frowned. "It's alright, but it looks remarkably similar?"
Jiang Shenyan nodded, "It could be a coincidence. Although this is rare, it does happen."
Jiang Yinjin was pleasantly surprised, her eyes sparkling, "What is the relationship between Prince Jin and Prince Bai?"
“Well… I haven’t heard of any special contact between the two,” Jiang Shenyan replied.
Jiang Yinjin bit her lip excitedly, then sneered, "Chen Mianmian was right after all. As long as we wait patiently, there will always be a brighter future. They waited for it, and so did I."
Jiang Shenyan asked, "What did you say?"
“It’s nothing. The imperial examinations just ended recently, and there are usually many gatherings of scholars at this time,” Jiang Yinjin said with a smirk and a calculating look in her eyes. “Our family has long-standing personal relationships with many literary figures. If you hear that a certain gathering invited Prince Bai but not Prince Jin, or invited Prince Jin but not Prince Bai, could you find a way to have the host send an invitation to the other one as well? Or send invitations to both of them at the same time, and try to get them together.”
Jiang Shenyan asked, puzzled, "Why?"
"Don't ask why, just do as I say."
Jiang Shenyan was silent for a moment, then asked in a deep voice, "Yinjin, can you stop being so secretive? Can you tell me what you know?"
"Not now, but I will definitely tell you later, brother!" Jiang Yinjin's eyes were firm. "Also, brother, you need to find a way to arrange for people to try to bring Prince Jin and the Crown Prince together and improve their relationship. Even if they don't have any relationship, you should create the illusion that they do!"
Jiang Shenyan remained silent.
Jiang Yinjin sighed deeply, "Brother, do as I say. One day... I will tell you all the grievances I've suffered over the years."
...
That night.
A pure black carriage, escorted by guards, stopped at the entrance of the Prince of Qin's residence.
As soon as the vehicle stopped, the guards rushed forward and quickly lowered the carriage seats.
Almost simultaneously, the carriage door opened, and a tall, slender young man in an official robe stepped off the carriage bench, then strode up the stone steps, ignoring the greetings from the servants on both sides, and hurriedly entered the gate of the Prince's Mansion.
The cold wind blew along the way, as fast as lightning.
A man dressed in dark robes approached, offering no further formalities, and quickly followed behind the Prince of Qin. He bowed and reported in a concise and efficient tone, "Your Highness, everyone has arrived and is in the hall."
"Hmm," the King of Qin replied only lightly, quickening his pace.
The group followed the prince quickly, and apart from the greetings from the servants passing by, there was only the sound of footsteps and the rustling of clothes.
We arrived at the hall.
The waiting staff rose to greet him.
The King of Qin walked to the main seat, turned around and sat down, looking up at the crowd.
With pale skin, deep-set eyes, and sharp, piercing gaze like a hawk's, "Have you gathered any useful information?"
The advisors stood awkwardly in the hall. "...I'm sorry, Your Highness, we are incompetent and have not been able to gather any usable information."
The King of Qin clenched his fist on the armrest, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.
After a moment, he regained his temper and slowly stretched out his long fingers. "Continue to collect information. Also, keep a close eye on him, both inside and outside the palace. Don't let any clue slip by."
At this moment, the leading advisor mustered his courage, knelt down, and pleaded, "Your Highness, please try that Miao poison! I guarantee with my life that the poison will not harm Your Highness and will surely fulfill Your Highness's wish!"
The other advisors were taken aback, because the prince had already clearly stated that he refused to use Gu poison, so why was he still insisting? The prince was naturally suspicious, and they only offered their advice in passing, as saying more would only arouse his suspicion.
Xiang Chao mentioned the Miao Gu poison three times, and the prince refused twice. This third time... it seems he'll have to throw Xiang Chao out of the Prince of Qin's mansion, right?
Just as everyone was holding their breath, the King of Qin stood up, walked through the crowd, and went to the front of the hall.
The silvery moonlight, like a light veil, draped over the man's slender figure, but instead of adding gentleness, it made him appear even more bizarre and unpredictable, making it difficult to fathom his thoughts.
After a while,
The King of Qin finally spoke calmly, "Use Gu poison."
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