The cold winter wind, wrapped in tiny snowflakes, slapped against the tall walls of the Lin Mansion. Li Chengqian's proposal for marriage was like this sudden cold wave, sweeping across the entire Lin Mansion. In the study, Lin Qingya sat alone at the desk, with the imperial edict sent by the emperor in front of her. The flying dragon and dancing phoenix handwriting on the rice paper clearly announced this political marriage. She gently stroked the dragon pattern on the imperial edict, a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, but there was no panic in her eyes. This was not expected, but it made her expected "chess piece" finally fall into place. She picked up the pen and quickly wrote her reply on the back of the memorial, with crisp movements and swift writing. She looked up at the window, where snowflakes were still flying. "Li Chengqian, your game has just begun."
The next morning, Lin Qingya dressed in plain court clothes and went to the palace to meet Li Heng. She waited for a moment at the door of the imperial study, and was led in by the eunuch. Li Heng sat on the dragon chair, his face calm, but he could hardly hide his inner anxiety. "Lin Qing, this matter..." Li Heng's voice was a little heavy, he hesitated, and looked at Lin Qingya with complicated eyes. Lin Qingya knelt down without being servile or overbearing, "Your Majesty, I have received the marriage proposal from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." She spoke slowly and unhurriedly, "But... I am daring to ask Your Majesty to allow me and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to hold a grand wedding. At that time, we will invite celebrities from all over the world and envoys from various countries to attend the ceremony." As she spoke, her eyes were fixed on Li Heng's eyes, as if waiting for his response, with an unquestionable power in her eyes. The imperial study was silent, with only the sound of Li Heng's slow breathing and the slight sound of the wind blowing through the window.
Later, Lin Qingya learned from the informant in the palace that Li Chengqian was secretly conspiring with his confidants to use this marriage to consolidate his power in the court, and even secretly plotting something bad. She immediately informed Li Rui of this. As night fell, Lin Qingya secretly met with Li Rui, and the two met in a quiet garden. "Chengqian's ambition is obvious," Lin Qingya said in a deep voice, tapping her slender fingers on the table, "This marriage will be a counterattack." She took out a few secret letters from her sleeve and handed them to Li Rui, "This is the latest intelligence I received. Li Chengqian plans to..." She didn't continue, but stared at Li Rui's eyes tightly. Li Rui took the letter, frowning. He read the contents carefully, occasionally looking up at Lin Qingya, his eyes full of worry and concern. The wind gently blew the leaves, making a rustling sound, setting off the solemn atmosphere of the two. Li Rui gently held Lin Qingya's hand, silently giving support, "I will do my best to help you." His hands were warm and strong, making Lin Qingya feel at ease.
Lin Qingya carefully planned every detail of the wedding. On the surface, she was in a glorious position, but secretly she was setting a trap. She used mind reading to grasp the plans of Li Chengqian and his accomplices, and passed the information to Li Heng and Li Rui in time. On the wedding day, Li Chengqian and his accomplices intended to launch a coup at the wedding, but Lin Qingya had anticipated their actions and cleverly used this marriage as a trap to catch them all. In the end, Li Chengqian's conspiracy was completely defeated, and he was deposed as the crown prince. This marriage also became a key step for Lin Qingya to counterattack Li Chengqian. She looked at the sunset and smiled.
"Everything is under control."
After overthrowing Li Chengqian, Lin Qingya did not feel relaxed, but became more vigilant. On the surface, she enjoyed the honor of the Crown Princess, walking in the gorgeous palace every day, dealing with various social events with a smile, but in fact she was secretly collecting intelligence. One day, she strolled alone in the Imperial Garden, savoring the fragrant tea in her hand, but her eyes wandered around, observing everything around her.
A middle-aged eunuch in a dark brocade robe hurried past, and Lin Qingya calmly used her mind-reading skills. The other party's heart was full of anxiety and uneasiness, and he kept muttering words like "Northern Frontier" and "Secret Letter". Lin Qingya calmly kept this in mind and continued to walk seemingly casually. The scenery of the Imperial Garden was picturesque, but Lin Qingya's heart was heavy. She knew that a bigger conspiracy was brewing.
Back in the palace, Lin Qingya immediately called her personal maid, Ziyu. "Ziyu, go check. There haven't been any unusual actions in the palace recently, especially those related to the Northern Frontier." Lin Qingya's tone was calm, but her eyes were sharp. Ziyu responded respectfully, "Yes, Crown Princess." With that, she withdrew, her steps light and quick.
A few days later, Zi Yu presented the intelligence she had collected. It mentioned that some officials who had colluded with Li Chengqian in secret had been active recently. Although they had no direct contact, they seemed to be meeting in secret. This included the Minister of Revenue and several generals who held military power. After reading the intelligence, Lin Qingya stroked the table lightly with her fingers, and a cold light flashed in her eyes. She immediately realized that the mastermind behind the scenes was much more powerful than she had imagined, and had a complex relationship with the Northern Frontier.
In order to find out the truth, Lin Qingya decided to use her status as the Crown Princess to approach those suspicious officials. She dressed up carefully and attended a palace banquet, during which she skillfully chatted with those officials. She used mind reading skills to quietly detect their inner activities, and finally found out that they were all ordered by one person - a powerful official hidden deep in the court, whose name was Qi Heng.
Qi Heng was loyal to the emperor on the surface, but secretly colluded with Beijiang, trying to use Li Chengqian to create unrest and even usurp the throne. Qi Heng's ambition was so great that it was chilling. Lin Qingya collected evidence related to Qi Heng at the banquet without making a sound, and on the surface she was still talking and laughing, with elegant manners. In the dead of night, she sorted out the evidence and wrote a memorial, intending to expose Qi Heng's crimes at the court meeting.
"The time has come." Lin Qingya murmured to herself, with a determined light in her eyes. She held the memorial tightly in her hand, ready to stir up a bloody storm in the court.