Lin Zheqi prided himself on his meticulous mind and high vigilance, yet the princess knew his situation like the back of her hand and even managed to plant someone by his side without his knowledge. She was indeed more skilled than him.
The princess was astoundingly resourceful, reaching the pinnacle of cunning. He felt relieved that even without knowing his true identity, he had not made an enemy of the princess; otherwise, he would have been utterly defeated like Long Fengying and the others.
"The princess can make the arrangements," he said.
"Now, tell me about your experiences," she requested.
Lin Zheqi thus elaborated, including details about the people around him and the secret forces that Zhang Run had established—after all, the princess was well-informed about them.
After listening to Lin Zheqi’s accounts of the years, Yang Mengchen frowned tightly, "Apart from your arrival in Peng City, have you never seen that man since?"
"Yes, even that time he wore a mask and claimed his face had been injured by my father during their conflict," he replied.
"Isn’t that man one of the Dregs of the Previous Dynasty?" After hearing Duan Muyao’s words, Yang Mengchen had suspected as much, but now it seemed unlikely.
"No," Lin Zheqi shook his head with certainty. "If he were one of the Dregs of the Previous Dynasty, he would harbour resentment not only against the Royal Uncle and my father, but he also claimed to be of the royal family, saying the Royal Uncle had stolen the throne that was rightfully his and thus he was bent on taking it back by any means necessary."
Long Xuanmo suddenly spoke, "No one from the existing Royal family has a fief in Peng City."
"I’ve also conducted a thorough investigation; there were none in either dynasty, including the surrounding counties," Lin Zheqi confirmed what Long Xuanmo said.
After a moment of thought, Yang Mengchen said, "Conspiring to usurp the throne is an enormous crime. No one would be foolish enough to stir up trouble in their own territory."
"The Emperor is well aware of everyone’s actions within the Royal family," Long Xuanmo said with a deep implication.
Yang Mengchen and Lin Zheqi both understood well that it was not just the Royal family, but the households of major Imperial Court officials had the Emperor’s informants as well.
Smiling, Yang Mengchen raised an eyebrow and hinted, "You are forgetting one possibility."
Exchanging a look, Long Xuanmo and Lin Zheqi almost simultaneously exclaimed, "Faked death!" They meant someone who was presumed dead but was actually alive.
"Do you remember how tall that man was? About how old? Did he have any distinct features?" Yang Mengchen asked Lin Zheqi.
Lin Zheqi thought carefully; his yearning for familial affection since childhood, coupled with his exceptional memory, made his recollection quite vivid despite being under four years old at that time: "He was about seven feet tall, probably around forty-five years old now, with a somewhat coarse voice, a body in poor health, and no distinct features."
Yang Mengchen looked at Long Xuanmo, who shook his head. With the late Emperor and his many descendants, there were quite a few people in that age group today, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly who it was.
"We will look into it slowly," Yang Mengchen said, before turning to Lin Zheqi, "What are your plans moving forward? How can we assist you?"
Well aware of Yang Mengchen’s incredible intelligence, Lin Zheqi wasn’t the least surprised: "I plan to fight fire with fire. He went to great lengths to ’cultivate’ me, so if I don’t ’repay’ him properly, wouldn’t I be ’failing’ his efforts? If anything comes up, I will contact you." His eyes flickered with a ruthless light.
Long Xuanmo and Yang Mengchen nodded together.
"Furthermore, do not inform father of this matter for the time being; I fear it would cause him to worry," Lin Zheqi emphasized.
"Take care of yourself," she said.
Lin Zheqi nodded, stood up to take his leave, knowing all too well that he and Prince Chen were not close, and with spies for that man in The Capital, lingering too long would only invite suspicion.
Yang Mengchen handed a jade hairpin to Lin Zheqi, who upon receiving it, his face underwent a sudden change, "How did this hairpin come into the princess’s possession?"
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