At this moment, 003's voice rang in Lin Qian's mind: "Host, Prince Ning's behavior is indeed very dangerous, and we must find a way to stop him as soon as possible."
Lin Qian stopped, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. She clenched her fists and replied, "I know. I plan to tell Father about Prince Ning's secret efforts to win over important officials in the court, and see what he thinks."
“This is a good idea. The Prime Minister has considerable prestige in the court, and perhaps he can come up with a solution,” 003 said. “However, host, we must proceed with caution to avoid alerting the enemy.”
Lin Qian nodded, took a deep breath to calm herself, and then walked resolutely toward Prime Minister Lin's study.
The Prime Minister's residence was exceptionally quiet at night. Moonlight, like water, spilled into the courtyard, casting a silvery veil over everything. Lin Qian arrived at the study and gently knocked on the door.
"Come in," came Prime Minister Lin's voice from inside the room.
Lin Qian pushed open the door and entered the study. Prime Minister Lin was sitting at his desk, holding a book in his hand. When he saw Lin Qian enter, he put down the book.
"Father," Lin Qian said, bowing.
Prime Minister Lin looked at Lin Qian and asked, "Qian'er, what brings you to your father so late?"
Lin Qian walked to the desk and said with a solemn expression, "Father, Prince Ning has been frequently contacting ministers in private recently, trying to win them over. His ambition is obvious." Lin Qian's eyes were filled with worry. "003 also thinks this matter is of great importance. We must find a way to deal with it as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Lin's expression turned serious. He frowned and pondered for a moment, then put down the book in his hand, stood up, and paced slowly around the study. He then said, "Qian'er, this matter is of great importance, and we must handle it with caution."
At this moment, deep within the imperial study of the palace, the emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat majestically on his dragon throne. He held a secret report in his hand, his brow furrowed, his eyes revealing weariness and helplessness. The atmosphere in the imperial study was oppressive and heavy; the candlelight flickered in the breeze, making the emperor's expression shift between light and shadow.
"Prince Ning, you're getting bolder and bolder!" The emperor slammed the secret report onto the table, his voice filled with anger and disappointment. The report landed on the table with a dull thud, as if it were the emperor's venting of his rage.
This secret report was delivered by the Prime Minister at great risk. It detailed Prince Ning's various actions, including secretly contacting court officials, cultivating power, and even secretly collecting "evidence" of the Emperor's crimes. Although the Emperor had anticipated this, seeing the evidence with his own eyes still chilled him to the bone. A flicker of pain crossed his eyes; his own son had gone to such lengths to overthrow him.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger and take care of your health!" The old eunuch beside him knelt down and pleaded. His body trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with fear, afraid that the emperor's wrath would affect him.
The emperor took a deep breath, trying to calm his anger. He slowly sat down, his eyes gradually hardening, and he had already made a preliminary plan.
"Summon the Prime Minister!" the Emperor commanded in a deep voice. His voice echoed in the Imperial Study, carrying an unquestionable authority.
Before long, the Prime Minister hurriedly arrived at the Imperial Study. After bowing and paying his respects to the Emperor, he went straight to the point and asked, "I wonder what important matter Your Majesty has summoned this old minister so late at night?" His eyes were full of doubt, but he also had some guesses in his mind.
"My dear minister, please take a look!" The emperor handed the secret report on the table to the prime minister. The prime minister took the report and read it carefully. His expression grew increasingly solemn, his eyes filled with worry and anger. Every word in the report terrified him; the Prince of Ning's actions had seriously threatened the safety of the court.
"The Prince of Ning's audacity is outrageous!" the Prime Minister said indignantly, his hands trembling slightly with anger. "Your Majesty, we must not stand idly by and let him run rampant!" His voice was firm, demonstrating his stance.
The emperor nodded, stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, looked at the night outside, and said, "What you say is very true, my dear minister. I already have a plan in mind. However, this matter is of great importance, and we need to consider it carefully before taking any rash action." His eyes were deep and firm, as if he were thinking about a solution.
"Your Majesty is wise!" the Prime Minister said. "This old minister is willing to share Your Majesty's burdens and do everything in my power to stop Prince Ning's conspiracy!" His eyes were filled with loyalty and determination.
The emperor patted the prime minister on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Your loyalty is truly gratifying. However, Prince Ning is, after all, my son, and I do not wish to take that step unless absolutely necessary!" A trace of helplessness and sorrow flashed in his eyes. As a father, he did not want to come to the point of fighting with his son.
"Your Majesty is benevolent, and this old minister admires you!" the Prime Minister said. "However, Prince Ning harbors wolfish ambitions, and if we do not stop him in time, it may lead to a great disaster!" His tone was full of worry, fearing that Prince Ning's conspiracy would bring calamity to the country.
The emperor pondered for a moment, then turned to the prime minister and said, "Your words are reasonable. Let's observe the situation and see what Prince Ning intends to do. You secretly send people to closely monitor Prince Ning's every move, and report to me immediately if anything unusual happens!" A hint of decisiveness flashed in his eyes, indicating his decision to adopt a prudent strategy to deal with Prince Ning's threat.
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!" The Prime Minister accepted the order and departed. His resolute figure showed that he would do his utmost to complete the task assigned by the Emperor.
Meanwhile, in the Ning Prince's residence, the Prince was unaware that his actions had been discovered by the Emperor and the Prime Minister. He was plotting something with a man in black in his study. Inside the study, candlelight flickered, and the Prince's expression shifted between light and shadow.
"How is it going?" Prince Ning asked, his tone tinged with urgency. His eyes were fixed on the man in black, awaiting his reply.
"Your Highness, I have placed the evidence in the designated location as you instructed," the man in black whispered in Prince Ning's ear. A sly glint flashed in his eyes, suggesting he was quite confident in his actions.
Upon hearing this, Prince Ning revealed a sinister smile. He walked to his desk, picked up a wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp, his eyes filled with ambition and madness.
"Hmph, well done!" Prince Ning said smugly. "That system 003 and that bitch Lin Qian, they think they can stop my plan? They're dreaming!"
"Host, Prince Ning is too arrogant. We must not let him succeed!" 003 said angrily in Lin Qian's mind.
"Don't worry, he won't be able to keep this up for long," Lin Qian replied firmly.
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