Bizarre
Jing Yao pulled Zuo Yuanwu and turned left and right before entering a pavilion in the East Palace Garden.
This place is far away from the inner courtyard palace. The surroundings are open and the view is wide, so it is not easy to hide people. Others cannot get close and naturally cannot hear what they are talking about.
However, if you look out from the side window of Yilan Palace, you can still see the situation here.
But Jing Yao didn't care much. There was nothing innocent between her and Zuo Yuanwu and it wasn't like they were having an affair. Was she afraid that others would see them here?
"Hurry up and sit down!"
Jing Yao pointed to the seat next to her and asked Zuo Yuanwu to sit down. Zuo Yuanwu thought about it again and again and was about to move to the opposite side, but he saw the girl's face suddenly turned into anger. In the end, he followed her wishes and sat down next to her.
"That's more like it."
Jing Yao snorted coquettishly, how could they discuss confidential matters from such a distance?
Zuo Yuanwu stiffened his body and explained cautiously, "I was afraid that if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince saw me sitting so close, he would... feel unhappy."
Although he knew that he had no chance of being with the young lady, he was still worried about causing trouble for her.
Si Pei looked like a well-mannered and elegant gentleman, but Zuo Yuanwu knew that he had a bad character in his bones. He was paranoid, selfish, and conceited... Otherwise, why would he use all means to force the young lady to stay with him.
If a person like this wasn't so useless... he should have rescued the young lady long ago.
Jing Yao disagreed: "You and I were just chatting and catching up, what's wrong with sitting closer? If he can't even tolerate such a small thing, I won't indulge him. You don't have to worry about me."
Zuo Yuanwu felt that the young lady now seemed to be less and less afraid of Si Pei, and there was less disgust in her words.
"The relationship between the young lady and His Highness seems to be... much better?"
Faced with his doubts, Jing Yao was stunned for a moment, and the tips of his ears were stained with a light pink: "It's not bad..."
There was a hint of shyness in her words.
Zuo Yuanwu understood what she meant. Yes, if there were no misunderstanding between them due to the Jing family, it would be reasonable for them to resolve their past grievances and reconcile as before.
Although he was unwilling to admit it, Prince Si Pei was indeed deeply in love with the young lady. Perhaps as long as the young lady said yes, Si Pei would do anything.
"Oh, that's all." Jing Yao seemed to feel that he was being too coy. He waved his hands and even pretended to be indifferent with a bit of anger: "Anyway, he has been sticking to me for so many years, so I'll just consider this a reward for him."
award……
Si Pei has liked her for so many years and yet he gets such a reward... Can love be treated as a gift?
"Miss, do you not like His Highness?"
Jing Yao was rarely stumped by his question and was so choked up that he didn't know how to answer.
Does she like Si Pei?
Jing Yao, who has lived a new life, knows clearly that he does not love Baili Wenfu, and he paralyzed himself in the past just to make Si Pei angry.
The extent of her love for Si Pei was something she had been unwilling to think about in both of her lives.
The rift between her and Si Pei in past and present lives was not just due to the misunderstanding of the Jing family's massacre, but those details now seemed to be just like her feelings for Si Pei, so it was best not to think too much about it.
"That's not important."
Anyway, whether she likes it or not, Si Pei will not let go. It’s not a bad thing for the two of them to be entangled like this until they are old.
She can accept spending the rest of her life with Si Pei, so why bother about whether he loves her or not.
Jing Yao didn't think her thoughts were a bit heartless. She still had feelings for Si Pei and was willing to help him. That was already Si Pei taking advantage, so how could she be too accommodating to him?
She, Jing Yao, gave Si Pei a chance because she was tired and scared and really didn't want to make trouble with him anymore.
Jing Yao probably couldn't see or feel the arrogant and complacent look in his eyes when he pursed his lips to scold Si Pei.
Zuo Yuanwu didn't know when a smile appeared on his lips. He was happy for the young lady.
The young lady is now happier and more comfortable than ever before. Expressions can be disguised, words can be fabricated, but the expression cannot be deceived.
Jing Yao exudes a pampered and willful nature. The girl's unbridled behavior tells others how much she is favored and indulged, and how much she enjoys it.
The happiness that being with Si Pei brought her finally outweighed the pain.
So even though Jing Yao didn't answer directly, Zuo Yuanwu already understood the answer. As long as the young lady was happy, nothing else mattered.
He was staring at the girl's face and laughing. Jing Yao then realized that the business had not yet begun, and scolded her: "Hey, Yuanwu, why are you asking these nonsense? We are here to discuss business."
Zuo Yuanwu also realized that he had lost his composure. He coughed twice and pretended nothing had happened: "Well, Miss, you asked me to check on Prince Lin before. I sent spies to Jiang and Ru to investigate, but..."
He paused and shook his head slightly: "I didn't find anything unusual."
Zuo Yuanwu himself sent out three groups of spies. One team was to investigate the information of Prince Lin himself, one team was to investigate Prince Lin's behavior in his fiefdom over the years, and the rest were to investigate Prince Lin's subordinates.
Logically speaking, with an investigation of this scope, if Si Jue really had any unusual behavior, there would be no trace at all.
"There's nothing special about Prince Lin's affairs in the palace, as you know, young lady."
Jing Yao nodded. When Si Jue was still the Sixth Prince in the palace, he dressed very well to please the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
At that time, he probably didn't have the ability to stir up trouble or make secret moves under the emperor's nose.
Prince Lin's performance in his fiefdom was consistent with his own claims. His policies were neither meritorious nor ineffective, and he largely continued the systems established by his predecessors. However, it was precisely because he maintained his integrity and refrained from tyranny, while also deeply caring for the people, that Si Jue was deeply beloved by the people of both Jiang and Ru.
"No unusual behavior at all?"
Jing Yao asked again in disbelief.
"...Well, if you're talking about recruiting soldiers and secretly colluding with court officials to build up your own power, I certainly haven't found any."
Jing Yao was overwhelmed.
Without soldiers, horses, or anyone else, how did Si Jue rebel in his previous life?
In the previous life, wasn't it Si Jue who led his elite troops into the Eastern Palace in one night, killed Xing Feng with two sword strikes, and stabbed Si Pei to death with one sword!?
Before, Jing Yao could say that maybe Si Pei had not been too wary of his younger brother in his past or present life, so he let him keep a low profile and accumulate strength in secret, but now Zuo Yuanwu specially sent people to investigate and there was nothing unusual.
"However, the fact that Prince Lin is not showing any abnormality may be the biggest problem."
Seeing Zuo Yuanwu's expression becoming slightly solemn, Jing Yao was stunned: "What do you mean?"
"How could a grown prince not have any power of his own?"
Zuo Yuanwu shook his head. It seemed that Prince Lin Sijue's behavior could no longer be described as innocent, but rather as being detached from the world to an outrageous degree.
As the son of the emperor, any prince who remained alive had the possibility of succession, but also the possibility of being murdered. Even for self-preservation, he could not be completely powerless. He did not associate with any ministers in the court or local officials, and he rarely interacted with the royal family. He even failed to find anything useful with his own maternal family.
Is this a possible thing?
"Prince Lin is not retiring to the mountains, and the fact that he's a royal relative doesn't seem right."
Although Crown Prince Si Pei is the emperor's most preferred heir, the emperor is now seriously ill and the crown prince has not yet ascended the throne. Will the relatives who disagree with Si Pei just sit there and wait for death?
Si Jue is also the legitimate son of Queen Yue, and is the only adult prince among the current princes except Si Pei. In terms of bloodline and status, he is qualified to compete.
Even if Si Jue really has his heart in Tianshan and has no intention of competing for the throne, someone with ulterior motives will do it for him.
"Prince Lin had some influence in the court before he left for his fiefdom, but after arriving there, he has nothing."
He checked the current status of some of the former officials of the Lin Wang Party and found that they really had nothing to do with the Lin Wang.
Jing Yao frowned. This was too strange. Could it be that all these people had changed sides and become the prince's party or the neutral party?
You can tell it's impossible just by thinking with your toes.
Those records of communication were most likely erased.
Zuo Yuanwu nodded. He had expected this outcome from the start. A smart person would cover up their tracks and destroy the evidence, especially a prince raised in an imperial household. But Si Jue was being too clever, and this had revealed a flaw.
It was not until he continued to investigate that Zuo Yuanwu realized that he had thought too simply.
Jing Yao pressed on, "Letters can certainly be easily erased and destroyed, but actions and interactions with people will certainly leave traces, right?"
Zuo Yuanwu himself was also puzzled: "That's the truth, but Prince Lin doesn't have it."
At first he did not believe this statement and thought that the spy was not doing his job well and was deliberately using this excuse to fool him.
"Then I sent two more groups of people to investigate again, and the results were the same."
"how so……"
Jing Yao's eyes were dull, which probably meant that Si Jue was more terrifying than they imagined.
Zuo Yuanwu knew this was unreasonable, but he said Si Jue was innocent, and there were many suspicious points about him. If he really wanted to investigate his problems, there would be no clues at all.
Zuo Yuanwu raised his eyes: "If he can really hide all traces completely, then we..."
The girl took over the second half of his speech and said, "I'm no match for him at all."
Jing Yao's fingers subconsciously clenched the gauze fabric on the hem of her skirt. No, she had been reborn to stop Si Jue with these memories.
Even if Si Jue didn't show any abnormality now, if he showed his fangs later, all of them would die at his hands. Therefore, this person must not be allowed to stay.
Zuo Yuanwu saw her intention and quickly stopped her from blurting out the words: "Miss, you must not do this!"
"If Prince Lin's power is truly so unfathomable, then our chances of success are extremely slim if we act rashly. If he discovers us... and we have no evidence of his treason, even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does his utmost to protect you, Prince Lin will certainly not let us off."
Only then will Jing Yao be in real danger.
"Why don't I tell Si Pei about this first?"
Zuo Yuanwu shook his head, believing this move to be inappropriate. "His Highness, even if he indulges you any further, won't do so in political matters. If he were to learn that you and I were privately investigating Prince Lin, it would inevitably make His Highness suspicious, and he might even think you and I had ulterior motives."
If she can investigate Si Jue with Zuo Yuanwu without telling him today, will she be able to interfere in government affairs without telling him tomorrow?
The emperor never allowed anyone else to covet his power, and it was a taboo for the harem to interfere in the affairs of the previous dynasty.
Jing Yao was in a headache. Shouldn't he have just confessed to Si Pei directly? This would have saved him from all the trouble.
But apart from Zuo Yuanwu, she couldn't think of anyone else who could trust her so much and investigate a lazy prince who lived peacefully in his fiefdom without any suspicion or reason.
Si Pei is such a smart person, he will definitely notice something unusual.
Jing Yao thought so in her heart, but she didn't realize that she had actually tacitly accepted from the beginning that Si Pei would not trust her so much.
Or perhaps she couldn't completely trust Si Pei.
She was unaware of her own inner suspicions, and was also worried that Si Pei would in turn suspect him, so she accepted Zuo Yuanwu's suggestion and let him hint at Si Pei to investigate.
Jing Yao's emotions hadn't completely recovered from the tension and sadness when he suddenly remembered something:
What about Yue Ningning, who has the closest relationship with Si Jue?
If the two of them had known each other and gotten together since Jiangzhou, and decided to work together, they would definitely have had some contact.
"Are there any women with whom Prince Lin has close contact?"
"Never found anything." Zuo Yuanwu shook his head. In Prince Lin's mansion, not to mention female relatives, even maids were scarce.
Jing Yao felt doubts rising in his heart. Now he was not only surprised but also worried. "Is there a woman named Yue Ningning in Jiangzhou?"
Zuo Yuanwu nodded. "Yes, he is not very old. I heard that he started his business in Jiangzhou by selling silk fabrics. He was even able to snatch business from the Wei family. He is quite famous and capable. I heard that he has already arrived in Shanghua."
"Has she never had any contact with Si Jue?"
Jing Yao's voice became softer and softer, until she saw Zuo Yuanwu shaking his head, and she closed her eyes weakly.
I have absolutely no idea how this could happen.
This is different from the previous life!
In his previous life, Si Jue brought Yue Ningning to the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. Si Jue himself said that he met Yue Ningning in Jiangzhou, and at that time, the two of them secretly fell in love and decided to spend their lives together. He specially came to ask the Empress Dowager for a marriage...
How come there is no intersection now?
No, there is definitely a problem.
Jing Yao stood up suddenly. If the two of them were allies now, Si Jue could clean up all the traces, and the same would certainly be true for Yue Ningning's Yushan Bookstore.
If her guess was correct, neither of them would be able to find the problem.
So she really looked forward to whether Si Pei's people could bring her a surprise.
"Miss, we can't act hastily right now. There must be something wrong with Prince Lin, but we'd better observe secretly for a while."
Although Jing Yao was not very satisfied with the result, he had no other choice: "Yeah."
Si Jue hid the past, she wanted to see how he would pretend in Shanghua, the imperial city!
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