Hearing this, the other party was clearly unhappy, but at the moment, there really was no better solution.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "You have a good relationship with Prince Jing on your side, so let Prince Jing put in a good word for us. As long as he is willing to help, we are also willing to show our sincerity."
It's clear that the other side still cares a lot about Daoping. After so many years of planning, only Daoping has been able to truly keep the old emperor in check. If they lose him now, it will be too difficult to cultivate another one.
Lin Yiping could tell that the other party cared, and said, "What kind of sincerity are you showing?"
"We'll have to go back and discuss this, but we won't let him down."
Lin Yiping nodded and replied, "Prince Jing's biggest enemy is Prince Chen. If you can help him weaken Prince Chen's power, it will be easier for me to persuade him."
Upon hearing the name of Prince Chen, the other party's expression changed several times. He said, "Prince Chen is also our enemy. We have been fighting against him for many years. He has many capable people around him. We cannot guarantee that this condition can be met, but we can definitely provide gold and silver jewelry."
"Ha, do you think Prince Jing cares about the gold and silver jewelry you give him?"
The other party didn't speak, presumably because they were troubled. If the other party were a poor person, it would be easy to deal with them, but since they were not short of money, it was difficult to handle.
"Then let's go back and discuss it, and we'll give you an answer here tomorrow night."
The other party was very cautious and dared not make any promises lightly.
Lin Yiping could understand, after all, Prince Chen had indeed recruited quite a few capable people over the years, making him difficult to deal with.
On the surface, the old emperor neglected state affairs and favored the crown prince. However, the crown prince was incompetent but adept at taking credit for Prince Chen's achievements. Every time Prince Chen did something, the old emperor could find an excuse to attribute it to the crown prince. Therefore, the old emperor did not actually oppose Prince Chen working for the people; he simply wanted Prince Chen to work hard for the crown prince.
But Prince Chen was no fool. Although the title was nominally given to the Crown Prince, the real benefits and the people's trust belonged to him. The people are paramount, and he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. Prince Chen's prestige among the people completely overshadowed that of the other princes.
This is also what the other princes are most anxious about. They used to disdain doing those things to the people, but now it's too late to regret it, as Prince Chen has already reaped all the benefits.
The most important thing now is to shatter Prince Chen's good reputation and overturn the people's perception of him, so that the other princes will have a chance to fight again.
"Okay, let's talk about it tomorrow night."
Lin Yiping nodded, turned around, mounted his horse, and rode away.
After walking for a while, a servant asked, "Master, are we really going to ask Prince Jing for help?"
"Why not go? Such a good resource would be a waste not to use it."
He curled his lips into a smile, already having a plan in mind.
Prince Jing was actually quite favored by the old emperor, mainly because he was considered to be rather dim-witted and liked to go against Prince Chen. The old emperor also liked to use him to keep Prince Chen in check, so no matter how much trouble he caused, the old emperor would never really get angry, and would even go along with it and help him out.
"Your master is wise!"
After his subordinate offered a compliment, the two quickened their pace and returned to the city.
The Taoist temple could basically convict Dao Ping, but Lu Baichuan felt something was amiss, so he deliberately asked Prince Chen to wait a little longer, hoping to catch a bigger fish.
As for the other princes, seeing that the evidence was conclusive, they had nothing to say for the time being and left early, leaving only their own people to guard the scene.
It's less about guarding the scene and more about guarding Prince Chen, watching for any moves he might make and reporting them immediately.
Prince Chen was already used to these things and didn't care. At this moment, he was having a late-night snack with his subordinates at the Taoist temple. At Prince Chen's table sat Lu Baichuan and several other leaders with higher official positions, which made the subordinates of the other princes extremely envious.
To their masters, they were just servants, and it was impossible for them to eat at the same table with their masters.
Moreover, in the middle of the night, the masters are probably out enjoying themselves somewhere, how could they possibly think that they are still on night duty?
At that moment, they instantly understood why Prince Chen had so many talented and extraordinary people around him.
"When do you think they'll start to get angry?"
While eating, Prince Chen asked Lu Baichuan, who replied, "They should already be taking action, but we haven't found out anything yet. But don't worry, maybe a little provocation will expose their true colors soon."
"Excitement? You mean?"
Prince Chen raised an eyebrow, wondering if he thought the same thing.
"Use torture."
As he spoke, he patted his chest, where there were many bottles and jars that He Jiuniang had given him. He had kept them close to his body these past few days, taking them out whenever he needed them.
Prince Chen nodded and said, "Wait a little longer, we can try it first thing tomorrow morning."
If nothing unexpected happens, there should be a good show tonight.
However, Prince Chen was not right that night. The whole night was quiet, not only on their side, but also on the side where the Taoist priests were imprisoned.
Only the Taoist priests would whine and claim they were innocent.
The peace at the Taoist temple did not mean that peace was possible elsewhere. Lin Yiping went to see Prince Jing that very night.
Prince Jing was about to fall asleep with his beloved in his arms when Lin Yiping jumped in through the window and pulled him up with a delighted expression.
"Your Highness, I heard that something happened at the Taoist temple. What exactly happened?"
Prince Jing, who had been disturbed from his nap, was initially angry, but upon seeing Lin Yiping, his anger instantly dissipated. Lin Yiping was his strategist, and his late-night visit must mean he had important matters to discuss.
He then dismissed the beauty in his arms and asked, "Brother Yiping, is there something you need so late?"
"Of course! Your Highness, your chance to turn things around has come!"
Lin Yiping appeared pleased, sat down at the table, took a sip of water, and said, "I have heard about what happened today, but I do not know the specific details. Your Highness, please tell me in detail. I think this is Your Highness's opportunity!"
Prince Jing was very interested in this topic. Upon hearing this, he immediately perked up and recounted what had happened in the palace.
"Does Your Highness still remember how the Emperor treated Daoping back then?"
Prince Jing thought about it carefully and said, "Father still hopes that Daoping is innocent. That evil Taoist priest holds some weight in Father's heart."
“That’s right! Since that’s what the Emperor thinks, let’s just do it his way. Why should we be afraid of displeasing the Emperor? Your Highness, the Crown Prince has been favored for many years because he can follow the Emperor’s wishes. If we don’t seize this opportunity, the Crown Prince will take it away from us. Your Highness has already lost many opportunities, so we can’t lose this one too.”
Lin Yiping adopted a serious demeanor and analyzed the current situation earnestly. No matter what, the emperor is still the emperor. Only by stabilizing the people can we talk about what to do next.
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