"As long as you can help Ke'er ascend to the position of Crown Prince, this concubine... this concubine will agree to any condition!"

While Chen Yuan was pondering this matter, Consort Yang's gentle voice slowly resonated in Chen Yuan's ear. Then, she slowly walked to Chen Yuan's front, staring at him as she spoke.

She could sense that Chen Yuan's gaze towards her was somewhat special. Combined with some rumors about Chen Yuan, it was not difficult to guess his preferences for women.

Although it was different from ordinary people, wasn't that more beneficial to her son and herself?

The reason she wanted to entice Chen Yuan to reveal that the upheaval in the harem was related to him was to use it as leverage to force Chen Yuan to help her and her son.

Currently, Sima Ke was not favored by the emperor, and some of the forces he had built up were gradually disintegrating during his time confined in the palace.

Facing Sima Ke as an opponent, Sima Qian and Sima You stood on the same front by unspoken agreement. It could be said that Sima Ke was now on the verge of losing his qualification to compete for the crown prince's seat.

They must have someone powerful to help them!

Chen Yuan was very suitable.

Not only was he talented and resourceful, but he also had a powerful force supporting him, such as Jiang He, the Qingzhou Gold Envoy, and Zhang Yantong, the Xuan-level Divine Envoy.

These were all people from Chen Yuan's faction. Although they could not be considered huge, they were definitely not small.

Most importantly, Chen Yuan was growing too fast. According to the information she had, Chen Yuan was now ranked twenty-first on the Rising Cloud Rankings, and he seemed to be on the verge of becoming a Gold Envoy of a state!

And how old was he?

Only in his twenties. He had even greater potential in the future. If he became one of the Divine Envoys of the Sky Survey Division in the future, he would have considerable influence in the court.

He would definitely bring great assistance to Sima Ke.

Moreover, even if Chen Yuan made some excessive demands, she... didn't seem to be at a disadvantage.

Although she held a noble position, she was still a woman, a woman who had not been favored by the emperor for many years. Chen Yuan was the most outstanding young talent in the Central Plains. It was hard to say... she could resist such temptation.

Sometimes, it wasn't just men who liked female beauty. In fact, women liked male beauty even more.

Chen Yuan's gaze sharpened. He squinted and looked Consort Yang up and down, smiling lightly:

"Any condition is acceptable?"

"Yes, as long as you can help Ke'er."

"Come... kneel down first."

Chen Yuan looked down at Consort Yang, saying with a non-smiling expression.

"This... this won't do. This concubine is, after all, a consort. How can I kneel to you?" Consort Yang shook her head hastily. This was simply a great humiliation.

But at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder, did Chen Yuan have any other tricks besides his unusual hobbies?

"It seems that Your Majesty is not able to agree to any request."

Consort Yang looked at Chen Yuan's teasing gaze and took a deep breath:

"When you help Ke'er ascend to the position of Crown Prince, this concubine... this concubine will then agree to your rude request."

Chen Yuan chuckled, patted Consort Yang's cheek, and said indifferently:

"I will consider this matter. Your Majesty should continue to pray for blessings."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Watching Chen Yuan disappear, Consort Yang suddenly felt a little dazed. If it weren't for the occasional pain on her face, she really couldn't believe that she would have said such a thing just now.

Gently stroking her right cheek, Consort Yang suddenly found that she didn't hate Chen Yuan at all. On the contrary... she somewhat enjoyed it.

No... how... how could it be like this.

She couldn't think about it anymore.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing the strangeness that was gradually rising in her heart, she turned around and continued to kneel down to pray for blessings, but her trembling hands showed her restless heart at the moment.

In fact, Chen Yuan did not leave. He observed Consort Yang's behavior like an outsider, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was not showing any abnormality.

Killing her was definitely not an option, otherwise Jingtai would definitely be furious, and it would also involve Li Hongshuang, which would be the worst possible plan.

And he naturally couldn't be coerced by Consort Yang and her son. He could only use such methods to gradually disintegrate her hatred towards him.

Fortunately, everything was going according to his expectations.

As for Sima Ke's side, it seemed that helping him would not be a problem, but first they had to restrain them and make them willingly submit to him.

In that case, a prince could be considered a good pawn.

Although his original intention was to secede and occupy a territory, he had to make various preparations before the world was in chaos. Now he just needed to see if Sima Ke was obedient.

Of course, no matter how obedient he was, he would only be a discardable pawn that Chen Yuan could abandon at any time in the future. The previous grievances had to be repaid to him.

As for whether or not to sleep with Consort Yang...

As everyone knew, Chen Yuan had always been indifferent to female beauty. At most, he would explore her depth and see if she was really affected by him.

......

......

After confirming that Consort Yang was not showing any abnormality, Chen Yuan slowly left. His appearance also relieved the young Taoist nun who had been with him. She asked where he had suddenly disappeared to and what he was doing.

After brushing her off, Chen Yuan went straight to Li Hongshuang's side.

The imperial guards were indeed strong, but they were far from comparable to him. He only needed to hide his tracks to deceive everyone.

When Chen Yuan returned to the main hall, Li Hongshuang had regained her composure. Obviously, she had finished reading the contents of the brocade pouch. Chen Yuan even saw a lot of undisguised joy on her face.

It seemed that Jiang He had given her a promise.

"Thank you for this."

Li Hongshuang looked at Chen Yuan and said after the Taoist nun had left.

"Lovers will eventually be united. Brother Jiang has treated me well, and Sister-in-law has also treated me well. Chen Yuan is naturally happy to see the two of you no longer suffer from the pain of longing for each other."

Chen Yuan smiled lightly.

This was true. He was really happy to see this, of course, only if Jiang He didn't resist. Otherwise, he wouldn't have interfered in other people's business.

"This kindness is noted by this poor Daoist. It's still the same as before. If you encounter any difficulties in the capital in the future, you must come to me.

The old man still has some say."

Li Hongshuang smiled.

Chen Yuan nodded to express his gratitude.

But in his heart, he thought of what his uncle had told him in Chen Family Village. Back then, when the former Chu was destroyed, Li Kuangxiu and Gu Tianqiong, the Grand Commander of the Sky Survey Division, had made great contributions.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have reached the pinnacle of power. And they were obviously staunch supporters of the Sima family. If he were to start an uprising in the future, he would definitely have a falling out with them.

He understood this very well.

After chatting for a while, Chen Yuan got up and said goodbye, and went straight to the Eastern Imperial City Division. Last night, after he visited Zhang Yantong, the Grandmaster who had replaced him left.

Today was the day he was supposed to take office again.

Everything was the same as before. He was still patrolling and guarding in an orderly manner. On the first day of his return, Chen Yuan summoned several Deputy Envoys and asked about what had happened during this period.

This time, no one dared to seek death like Yang Hucheng. Even Mu Xiu came to visit Chen Yuan in a hurry.

He reported everything that had happened during this period in detail. The Grandmaster who was acting on his behalf knew his place very well. He was a master from the Zhang faction and knew that Chen Yuan was from the Zhang faction. Therefore, he was basically just a decoration. Most of the power was still in the hands of them Deputy Envoys, and Tao Qingyuan was the leader.

After chatting for a while, the others congratulated Chen Yuan on being ranked twenty-first on the Rising Cloud Rankings, saying that they all admired Chen Yuan for what he had done in Shu Prefecture...

After sorting out the matters of the Eastern Imperial City Division, Chen Yuan returned to the Earl's Mansion. This time, the Fourth Prince Sima Ke did not send anyone to present a visiting card, but personally came to visit.

The steward of Chen's Mansion did not dare to be negligent, let alone refuse him as before. Instead, he sent someone to invite him into the mansion while sending someone to notify Chen Yuan.

Compared to before, Sima Ke was much more haggard. He no longer had his previous high spirits, and even his smile was a bit forced. Seeing Chen Yuan coming in, he quickly stood up and cupped his hands, saying:

"Green Envoy Chen, it's been a long time."

Chen Yuan looked Sima Ke up and down and nodded slightly:

"It has been a long time since I saw Your Highness. Why are you free to come to Chen's Mansion today?"

"You all go down first."

Sima Ke instructed the guards beside him.

After they left, only the two of them were left in the room. Sima Ke said very sincerely:

"It was Ke who was impulsive before. He was actually dissatisfied with Green Envoy Chen for an uncle who violated the law and discipline. During this period of time, Ke has been reflecting on it in the palace for a long time.

Today, I am here to apologize to Green Envoy Chen."

"Your Highness is being too polite."

Chen Yuan smiled and ordered someone to serve two cups of spiritual tea.

Seeing that Chen Yuan's politeness was still tinged with estrangement, Sima Ke gritted his teeth and said in a low voice:

"When I went to the palace before, my mother told me everything. Although... it was a bit difficult to accept, I thought about it for a long time and figured it out. I will definitely not stop Green Envoy."

Chen Yuan frowned. What did Sima Ke mean by this?

Why was he beating around the bush?

What did Consort Yang tell him before?

What did he mean by stopping?

Without showing any emotion, he took a sip of spiritual tea and asked directly:

"What does Your Highness mean by this?"

Sima Ke was stunned. Could this kind of thing be said out loud?

Could it be that Chen Yuan was still dissatisfied with him and wanted to humiliate him?

That didn't seem right. It was said that Chen Yuan had a very open mind. Chen Yuan's question directly interrupted Sima Ke's next words.

After a long time of brewing, he continued:

"Green Envoy, you and I are now considered to be on the same line. The purpose of this visit is to eliminate the previous grievances. From now on,

I still need Green Envoy Chen to support me. Don't worry, if it is inconvenient for Green Envoy to act, when necessary... I... I can find an excuse to ask my mother to leave the palace."

"Hmm???"

The doubt in Chen Yuan's eyes became even stronger.

What exactly was Sima Ke talking about?

Before he could say anything, he suddenly heard Sima Ke say again:

"Logically speaking, I shouldn't say this, but I still want to remind Green Envoy that His Majesty is still in his prime and has not aged, but he has not been to the harem for many years.

You must be careful, otherwise... we will all commit a capital crime."

After saying this, Sima Ke breathed a sigh of relief. He had already reminded his mother, and she had a sense of propriety in her heart, but Chen Yuan was different.

He was young and energetic. If he gave birth to a younger brother or sister for him, he would really be dead.

This had to be prevented.

Since he couldn't stop it, he might as well accept it frankly. Now... he had figured it out. He felt that his mother must have figured it out a long time ago...

And Chen Yuan was just such a transparent person.

Chen Yuan looked at Sima Ke strangely. He didn't understand before, but if he still didn't understand now, it would be a bit abnormal.

It seemed that Sima Ke meant to offer Consort Yang?

Did he want to be on the same path as him?

What did he Chen Yuan take him for!

At the same time, he felt very abnormal. He had only met Consort Yang this morning, and the other party was willing to pay any price for Sima Ke, including what he thought.

But... this was this morning!

It was impossible for Consort Yang to tell Sima Ke about this. Moreover, judging from his words, it seemed that he had already felt that there was a relationship between them.

Why?

Why did he think so?

What had happened during the two months he was away?

At this moment, there were many question marks in Chen Yuan's mind, and he was extremely surprised by what Sima Ke said. This was really a bit unacceptable.

Listening to what the other party meant, he could even act as a matchmaker for them. He was really a... good child...

He didn't know what Jingtai would think if he knew he had such a good child.

That touch of green must be very dazzling.

No wonder he was so persistent in coming to see him after he returned to the capital. It turned out that he felt that he already had a deep relationship with him.

He wanted to use this to get closer to him.

He wanted him to support him in ascending to the position of Crown Prince.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing the strangeness in his heart, Chen Yuan slowly tapped the table with his fingers. This seemed to be a good opportunity for him.

An opportunity to treat Sima as a pawn. Immediately, he did not refuse, but said indifferently:

"I understand."

Seeing that Chen Yuan no longer concealed it, the last trace of doubt in Sima Ke's heart disappeared. Sure enough... he had to say it so clearly before he revealed his thoughts.

This Chen Yuan was really not simple.

"It's good that Green Envoy understands, but don't worry, this kind of thing is only temporary. After I ascend to the throne, I will definitely let Green Envoy no longer conceal it."

Although Sima Ke was extremely pained in his heart, he still showed a forced smile.

Now, the only force he could rely on was Chen Yuan's. Otherwise, he would really have to wait for one of his two elder brothers to ascend the throne and become a carefree prince, or even 'die' silently.

Wait, Sima Ke suddenly thought of something. If Chen Yuan's hobbies were different from ordinary people, wouldn't that mean his two elder brothers also had a chance?

He knew that the Queen and Sima Qian's mother were also extraordinarily beautiful, although not as beautiful as his mother, they definitely had a unique charm.

No, he must not allow this to happen.

At this moment, a sense of urgency suddenly arose in Sima Ke's heart. He was a little worried about gains and losses, and the thoughts in his mind involuntarily diverged a lot.

Chen Yuan couldn't understand Sima Ke's thoughts at all.

If he could really hear his inner voice, he would definitely think that he had suffered some kind of stimulation during the two months he was away. This was completely abnormal!

"But first, Your Highness needs to become the Crown Prince."

Chen Yuan smiled.

In fact, he didn't really expect Sima Ke to really ascend the throne in the future. Jingtai was only in his fifties and his cultivation had reached the Heavenly Core Realm.

It was difficult to die, and it was even possible that he would live longer than his sons.

He was just making a move in his spare time. What if he could really use it in the future?

"This matter is all up to Green Envoy."

Sima Ke said in a deep voice.

"If there is an opportunity, I will help."

Chen Yuan gave a vague promise.

Sima Ke was overjoyed and quickly said:

"Green Envoy, don't worry, I will also support Her Highness the Princess."

Sima Ke, whose psychology had gradually become different from ordinary people, didn't care about anything else now. He no longer stopped Chen Yuan from being close to his mother and the Princess.

It was just right to use his mother and the Princess to tie Chen Yuan down and not give others a chance.

The throne, now all he had in his eyes was the throne.

As long as he could ascend the throne!

Chen Yuan: "....."

Listening to Sima Ke's words, he was a little speechless. He suddenly felt that this guy was crazy, daring to say anything and think about anything. He actually thought of him as that kind of person.

Inside the Princess's Mansion.

Princess Pingyang, who was reading a history book, suddenly felt a little strange. An inexplicable emotion filled her heart, making her a little confused for a moment.

What happened?

Inside the Imperial Study of the Imperial Palace.

Jingtai, who was painting a spring scene, stopped the pen in his hand. He also felt a little awkward in his heart, especially when he looked at the patch of grass, he suddenly felt a little dazzling.

"Forget it, I won't paint anymore."

Jingtai threw the pen in his hand aside.

"Your Majesty doesn't have the mood?"

Cao Zhengxian asked in a low voice.

"I suddenly don't have the mood."

Jingtai shook his head.

"It must be those remnants of the former Chu who disturbed Your Majesty's mood. These guys deserve to die." Cao Zhengxian quickly said.

"How is the matter that I asked you to investigate?"

"Your Majesty, there is still no clue about Wu Daozi. After all, he has been missing for decades. I'm afraid it will take some time."

"I will give you another year. Even if you search every inch of land, you must find Wu Daozi for me. This person is related to my great plan, understand?" Jingtai said in a deep voice.

"Yes, this old servant understands."

"What about the remnants of the former Chu?"

"According to the information this old servant has obtained, it is inferred that the Tang Sect of Shu, which was destroyed by Chen Yuan not long ago, is probably related to these remnants. It's a pity that it was ultimately a step too late and no one was captured alive. They are all dead.

As for those remnants of the former Chu, according to the inferred information, they may appear in the north."

"The north?" Jingtai's eyes sank slightly:

"It seems that these remnants of the Xiang family want to imitate the affairs of the late Emperor and join forces with those barbarians!"

"This matter has to be guarded against."

"We must find a way to find the traces of these remnants and we cannot delay for too long. The former Chu Crown Prince has disappeared for decades. I always feel that this person's plan is not small."

"It's just that finding them is indeed a difficult matter."

"Therefore, we must find someone with strong ability to investigate!"

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