Did they mishear, or has the Ninth Prince gone mad?
Many people in the court wanted to curry favor with him, and many sent him beautiful women.
But he looked down on both men and women.
What deity are we trying to fool with all this fuss?
The ministers dared not speculate too much, and could only offer their own suggestions on how to appease the person.
Cosmetics in the east of the city, pastries in the south, clothes in the west, and sweets in the north.
Wei Linyuan was completely confused and was about to interrupt them when someone said, "Your Highness, today seems to be... the birthday of the Crown Prince of Northern Qi..."
Wei Linyuan paused for a moment, then immediately silenced everyone, keeping only the person who mentioned the Crown Prince of Northern Qi for questioning.
"I have checked the records of the Southern Liang Dynasty. It states that his birthday was at the end of the year, but it is only September. Why is that?"
The old minister bowed his head and explained, "I am a historian and know some inside information. Because the birthday of the Crown Prince of Northern Qi, the birthday of Princess Ji, and the extermination of the Princess's family all fall on the same day, it was considered taboo, so some unnecessary changes were made."
"Since then, no one in Southern Liang has known the true birthday of Mu Sijin, the Crown Prince of Northern Qi."
"I see. It was my carelessness. Thank you, Lord Lin."
After Wei Linyuan released the historian surnamed Lin and ordered his men to bestow a reward upon him, he began to ponder how to celebrate Jinjin's birthday.
… …
After the historian left the Wei residence, he was immediately surrounded by a group of colleagues: "Old Lin, what did the Ninth Prince say to you? Is he truly in love with the Crown Prince of Northern Qi?"
"I heard that the Ninth Prince threw the head of the Xuan Yuan Academy dean at His Majesty, which means he knew that Mu Sijin was trying to frame him and taught him a lesson. Is that true?"
"Should we try to curry favor with the Crown Prince of Northern Qi in the future?"
The group was chatting happily in a small alley at the corner of the Wei residence when they suddenly saw someone from the Eastern Depot arrive, and they immediately stopped talking.
Just as they were about to find excuses to go home, they heard the red-clad guard say, "By order of the Ninth Prince, Historian Lin has rendered meritorious service in devising a plan. He is to be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold, a thousand bolts of silk, and promoted two ranks."
Good heavens!
Upon hearing this, the ministers immediately had an idea in mind.
We must curry favor with the Crown Prince of Northern Qi!
From now on, anyone who dares to make things difficult for Mu Sijin will be their enemy!
… …
The Prime Minister's Residence.
Ji Xuan's birthday banquet lasted until evening, and many people left one after another.
In the middle of this, Zhu Ziqing brought Mu Siyu over once, and demanded with a clear conscience that Si Jin return the Qilin beast.
But before he could say two words, the Qilin roared at him until his eyes went black.
He sat there for a while with a sour expression, then walked away.
After everyone had left, Ji Xuan called Si Jin into the house.
As soon as the door closed, he immediately turned around, and together with Shen Yi, bowed to him.
"I apologize for keeping His Highness sitting here all day." With that, he asked Shen Yi to pour tea for Si Jin.
After the tea was poured, the three of them sat together and chatted for a long time, regardless of their positions or whether they were master or servant.
Si Jin only then learned that several months ago, Shen Yi, in order to rescue the original owner who was trapped in the palace, led more than a dozen guards into the palace to assassinate Zhu Ziqing.
However, his assassination attempt failed, and he was captured. Ji Xuan rescued him under the guise of being a male concubine.
"If it weren't for the princess, I wouldn't be alive now, and I wouldn't be able to see His Highness the Crown Prince looking so spirited." For some reason, Shen Yi's eyes reddened as he spoke.
The sorrow of national subjugation and the pain of eking out a living in a foreign land caused the general's sharp brows to furrow.
Although Si Jin was not the original owner of this body, he was also a military general.
He understood better than anyone else the military general's obsession with his country.
If they could, they would risk their lives to protect the homeland they love.
Having finally stopped crying, Shen Yi continued, "It's not just me. All the male lovers of the Prime Minister's Mansion, some were rescued by the princess, and some were talented people she recruited. When she met you before, she discussed with me that she could use the troops she had to help us find the scattered old troops of Northern Qi and help us overthrow the country."
Si Jin turned to look at Ji Xuan: "What are the conditions?"
The woman did not remove her mask and, just as when she was leading the horse, continued to drink tea with her left hand.
He spoke calmly, yet uttered shocking words.
"I want to kill Zhu Ziqing and become emperor."
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