He Zan thought about it carefully and said, "It seems to be a swallowtail pattern."
He Zan thought for a moment and added, "But it was dark at the time, and I couldn't see clearly, so I can't be completely sure."
Swallowtail?
After listening to this, Lu Xingzhou exchanged a glance with Wang Wentian, and they both thought of the same person in their hearts.
Lu Yuan.
Lu Xingzhou had long known that the second prince Lu Yu'an had an organization under his command that was specifically responsible for assassinations and intelligence. In fact, many princes like them had similar organizations under their command, even Lu Xingzhou had one.
The news about Lu Yu'an was obtained by Lu Xingzhou's intelligence spies, and Lu Xingzhou only then knew that Lu Yu'an's organization was called the Yan Guard.
Because the late former queen Jiang's name contained the character "Yan".
If Lu Yu'an did this, it would not be difficult to imagine.
Emperor Jingkang was now in his prime, and some court officials had mentioned the idea of appointing a crown prince early, but Emperor Jingkang flew into a rage and repeatedly asked those officials whether they hoped he would die soon.
The minister was so frightened that he dared not speak, and no one mentioned the matter again.
But just because no one mentions it doesn't mean that everyone doesn't have their own thoughts.
The throne of the Great Chu has always been passed down from the eldest son to the eldest legitimate son, but the current situation in the Great Chu is somewhat complicated. Although the eldest prince and the second prince are both legitimate sons, they are born to the former queen Jiang after all, and Jiang has long passed away. The current queen also has a legitimate son, Lu Xingzhou.
So even though the emperor has not made a decision, it does not mean that the ministers do not have their own thoughts in private.
Among the three princes, the second prince is the least favored one.
Even the empress dowager had no intention of supporting Lu Yu'an. Although he was the son of the former queen Jiang, the second prince was destined to be neglected.
If the assassin was sent by the Second Prince, then his motives would be clear.
Lu Xingzhou came to the Northern Frontier to negotiate as a prince. If he could successfully negotiate and sign an alliance with the Jin Kingdom without spending a single soldier, it would be a huge threat to the eldest prince or the second prince.
But how did Lu Yu'an know the details of the negotiations between Lu Xingzhou and He Zan?
Lu Xingzhou did not report the matter to Emperor Jingkang, because Emperor Jingkang said before Lu Xingzhou left that he would give full authority to Lu Xingzhou to handle the matter. Lu Xingzhou knew that this was also a test from his father, the Emperor.
The details of the peace talks were only known to a few generals and envoys from the Jin Dynasty who were present that day, so the problem must lie with these people.
Lu Xingzhou pondered and said, "I'm afraid this matter is related to the Second Prince of Da Chu. I will conduct a thorough investigation in the next few days and will definitely find the real culprit and give the Crown Prince an explanation."
He Zan nodded and said, "Not just you, I will also investigate. If there are any Jin envoys colluding with the Second Prince of Great Chu, I will not let them off lightly."
There was a hint of ruthlessness in He Zan's eyes, but Lu Xingzhou and Wang Wentian were not frightened by such eyes. Wang Wentian had been on the battlefield for a long time and had seen all kinds of eyes. Lu Xingzhou was a prince and had seen many crueler things than this.
He Zan was still injured, so Lu Xingzhou and Wang Wentian didn't want to stay for long, and they said goodbye and left after a while.
Lu Xingzhou and Wang Wentian came out of Hezan's room and discussed countermeasures along the way. These details of the peace talks may be caused by the Jin envoys, but this possibility is very small. No matter how long the Second Prince's hands are, they may not be able to reach the Jin Kingdom. Moreover, even if he has connections and can bribe the people of the Jin Kingdom, Hezan will not be able to come to the northern border to negotiate with them safely. There are plenty of opportunities to take action on the way, so why wait until now.
So the most likely scenario is that there is a spy on the side of Da Chu.
Lu Xingzhou's eyes darkened, and he whispered, "We must be able to conceal the fact that we met with the Crown Prince of Jin today. Send someone to pass on the message and tell them about the assassination. The Jin Kingdom doubts the sincerity of the Great Chu, and the negotiations are suspended. The Crown Prince is very angry and has decided to recuperate in Luancheng for a few days before returning to the Jin Kingdom."
"But... we haven't told the prince about our plan just now..." Wang Wentian was a little worried.
Lu Xingzhou glanced at him and said, "The Crown Prince of Jin is no fool. He must have some extraordinary qualities to have been able to climb to the position of Crown Prince among so many brothers. He will know what to do after hearing this news."
Wang Wentian scratched his head. He was good at military strategy, but he was not good at controlling people's hearts.
When Lu Xingzhou returned to the room, Shen Liyue came to greet him with a worried look on her face.
"How is the Crown Prince of Jin?" Shen Liyue asked with concern.
Lu Xingzhou shook his head: "It didn't hurt any vital parts, but it still hurt a little bit."
Chen Liyue was even more worried about He Zan's attitude. The negotiations between Da Chu and Jin were almost concluded, but this incident suddenly happened. She was afraid that He Zan would vent his anger on Lu Xingzhou.
"Don't worry, He Zan is not an unreasonable person, he knows it." Lu Xingzhou saw Shen Liyue's nervous look and explained softly.
"Yeah." Shen Liyue was still a little worried, but after hearing what Lu Xingzhou said, she had no choice but to nod.
"But has the prince found out who assassinated the Crown Prince of Jin?" Shen Liyue asked again.
Lu Xingzhou's eyes grew colder. "He Zan said he saw the assassin had a swallowtail tattoo on his body. If that's true, then he must be the Second Prince's man?"
Shen Liyue was also a little surprised: "Second Prince?"
Not to mention Chen Liyue, even Lu Xingzhou didn't think at first that it was Lu Yu'an who sent someone to do it.
Chen Liyue knew that this matter was not that simple. If it was the Second Prince's people, then it would involve a struggle for imperial power, which was not something she could interfere with.
"Could it be that Hezan saw it wrong? Or maybe..." Shen Liyue spoke hesitantly, after all, this matter was of great importance.
Lu Xingzhou knew what Chen Liyue was worried about and shook his head. "That shouldn't be the case. I've been able to see He Zan's character over the past few days. If he really had no sincerity in negotiating peace with Great Chu, why would he have made such a long journey? As the crown prince of Jin, he wouldn't want to start a war."
Shen Liyue nodded, admitting that what Lu Xingzhou said made sense.
Lu Xingzhou told Shen Liyue about his suspicion that there were people belonging to the Second Prince in the military camp, but Shen Liyue was not very surprised.
This is to be expected. Outsiders would not know much about the details of the peace talks and the time when He Zan left. The only possibility is that there was an insider.
Lu Xingzhou despises people like this the most.
Emperor Jingkang suppressed the issue of appointing a crown prince. On the surface, everything was calm and no one dared to mention it. However, undercurrents were surging behind the scenes, and there were many fights between the brothers.
But that is only limited to Wangjing City, and Lu Xingzhou can accept all of this.
But after all, they are all people of the Great Chu. Once they are involved in foreign affairs, Lu Xingzhou cannot tolerate it.
Lu Yu'an is dragging the people of Northern Xinjiang to bear the blame for his own selfish interests. What are the faults of the Northern Xinjiang soldiers? What are the faults of the people of Northern Xinjiang?
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