When she realized what Lin Jiangnian meant by the casual remark of "imported tea", the smile on Miss Zhao's face finally broke.
Her smile froze, and she stood still, her pretty face flushed, her beautiful eyes filled with shame and anger.
There was a moment of silence.
“Bang!”
She put the tea back on the table.
With some force, the teacup made a slight impact sound when it hit the table.
She stood up and took two steps back, creating some distance between them. She stood there, her cheeks flushed, her eyes glaring at Lin Jiangnian. Beneath her tight-fitting dress, her towering breasts rose and fell with her rapid breathing, trembling.
Her emotions at this moment were enough to show that her state of mind had changed greatly.
Lin Jiangnian remained motionless, glancing at Miss Zhao, who was glaring at him in shame and anger, and chuckled softly, "What? Miss Zhao doesn't want to feed you anymore?"
"lecher!"
Zhao Xi gritted her teeth and glared at him: "Disgusting!"
She never expected that the guy in front of her would be so vulgar and disgusting.
How could he say such a disgusting word like "imported tea" with a calm expression?
Even just thinking about it made Zhao Xi feel uncomfortable all over and couldn't accept it.
Is this Prince Lin really going so far as to bully her?
Lin Jiangnian said nonchalantly, "Wasn't it Miss Zhao who approached me first? I haven't done anything yet, so why would Miss Zhao slander me?"
"What you just said was very obscene!"
"Where's the obscenity?"
Lin Jiangnian asked back.
Zhao Xi: “…”
Her face flushed with shame and she gritted her teeth, especially when Lin Jiangnian looked at her. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she always felt that the Prince Lin's gaze seemed to linger on her mouth.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xi felt an inexplicable strangeness, and his whole body seemed to be getting hot...
Damn it!
"It seems that His Royal Highness has seen through my scheme?"
Taking a deep breath, a smile returned to Zhao Xi's face. Her delicate face had skin as white as cream, and her temperament was as elegant as water, yet there was a bit of an elusive aura.
Lin Jiangnian looked bewildered: "Plan?"
"Did Miss Zhao use any tricks on this prince?"
"Your Highness, why do you have to pretend to be stupid?"
"What do you mean, Miss Zhao... Why can't this prince understand?"
Seeing that the guy in front of him was still pretending to be stupid, Zhao Xi couldn't help but feel angry.
This guy's reaction just now was clearly intentional... and now he's playing dumb with her?
Although she was angry in her heart, the woman still had a charming smile on her face, her eyes bright and lively, "Your Highness, didn't you realize that I just used... a honey trap?"
"Honey trap?"
Lin Jiangnian became more and more confused: "Is there?"
Zhao Xi: “…”
Zhao Xi narrowed her eyes and asked, "In the eyes of His Highness, am I not pretty?"
"That's not the case!"
Lin Jiangnian shook his head slightly and glanced at Zhao Xi in front of him.
This young lady of the Zhao family was considered to be of the highest quality in both appearance and temperament. Her innate coolness and elegance were especially rare in the world.
"Miss Zhao is a beauty of national beauty, and she certainly deserves the title of beauty. However... I believe that Miss Zhao may have misunderstood the concept of the honey trap."
"oh?"
Something seemed to glint in Zhao Xi's half-closed eyes. "Then according to what Your Highness said, what qualifies as a honey trap?"
Lin Jiangnian calmly explained: "The key to the beauty trap is the strategy..."
Zhao Xi was listening when he suddenly noticed that Lin Jiangnian had stopped talking.
"Then what?"
She asked.
Lin Jiangnian looked her over for a moment before casually saying, "Miss Zhao didn't take off her clothes, and she didn't seduce me with her body language or words... How could this be a honey trap?"
Zhao Xi: “…”
It was visible to the naked eye that the fair face of the young lady of the Zhao family suddenly turned red, like a plum blossom in early winter, so beautiful.
His expression changed into one of shock, as if he had not expected this for a moment.
"Your Highness wants to see me take off my clothes?"
She gritted her teeth and questioned.
Lin Jiangnian sighed: "If I say I don't want to, Miss Zhao will definitely not believe me. But if I say I do..."
After a pause, Lin Jiangnian continued, "If Miss Zhao is willing to show it to me, I will naturally not refuse."
“…”
Although Zhao Xi had lived in seclusion for many years, she was no stranger to the affairs of the capital. She did not like to show up in public, simply because she did not want to pay attention to the strange looks from the capital.
As the daughter of Prime Minister Zhao, she has received great attention since she was a child. Even after she grew up, people seeking marriage almost broke down the door of the Zhao family.
However, Zhao Xi didn't like any of them.
Regardless of whether they were well-matched young men, uneducated and uneducated dandies from aristocratic families, or those young men in the capital who boasted of their talents, when they saw Zhao Xi, they would, without exception, hide the burning gaze in their eyes, put on a sanctimonious demeanor, and talk freely.
Hypocritical and boring!
These children of aristocratic families, living under the emperor's feet and relying on the shadow of their ancestors, are accustomed to living in a comfortable zone. Although they seem to have superficial style, they are actually unsightly.
But today, the frankness of the Prince of Lin caught Zhao Xi off guard.
Perhaps she never thought that a man would admit in front of her that he wanted to see her take off her clothes.
Zhao Xi fell into a brief silence, doubting his life.
It was not until a long time later that she raised her eyes and stared at Lin Jiangnian again: "Aren't you afraid that I will tell the princess about this?"
"Why did Miss Zhao tell the Princess?"
"Piaomiao and I are good sisters..."
Zhao Xi seemed to have found a way to counterattack. His eyes gradually brightened as he stared at him, "Piaomiao is your highness's fiancée, but your highness wants to see his fiancée's best friend undress... What if this gets out..."
"This prince also wants to ask Miss Zhao a question!"
Lin Jiangnian interrupted her.
"Um?"
"Miss Zhao, as the eldest princess's best friend, secretly invited the eldest princess's fiancé into her boudoir and attempted to seduce her best friend's fiancé with her beauty. What was her purpose?"
"Miss Zhao, aren't you afraid of what people will think of you if this gets out?"
The smile on Zhao Xi's face froze again.
Those originally gentle and soft eyes became more and more embarrassed.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Is this why you want to see the eldest princess's sisters take off their clothes?"
Lin Jiangnian glanced at her: "When did I say I wanted to see it? Besides... Miss Zhao, you haven't taken off your clothes yet?"
"How about you take it off first?"
“…”
Zhao Xi naturally didn't take it off.
She is not a fool, how could she really let the Prince of Lin take advantage of her?
But after a brief confrontation, she did lose this time.
It was a terrible loss.
This also made her have a deeper opinion of the Prince of Lin.
"This boy has a reckless personality, is quite shameless, and speaks and acts shamelessly, but he is also very wise and appears foolish. He should not be underestimated..."
Lin Jiangnian raised his eyes and saw that the young lady of the Zhao family had lost her previous spirit. She bit her lower lip lightly, and there seemed to be a few traces of shame on her fair cheek. She glared at her like a bullied young wife, gritted her teeth lightly, and didn't know what she was thinking.
It looked like Lin Jiangnian had really done something to her.
Seeing this, Lin Jiangnian stopped provoking the young lady from the Zhao family. Although he didn't know what the young lady's purpose was, if he could make friends with the Zhao family, it would be of great help to Lin Jiangnian in his affairs in Beijing.
His eyes moved away from her face, but inadvertently fell on the pair of naked beautiful legs under her white skirt, which were lightly stepping on the blanket.
Half of her snow-white and well-proportioned calves were exposed outside the skirt, and a pair of delicate and small three-inch golden lotus feet were clearly visible on the blanket.
The slender, snow-white toes are crystal clear and flawless like white pearls. The delicate and tender instep of the foot has a perfect and elegant curve, with a hint of barely visible green on it. The faintly visible green blood vessels are like jade marks dotted in jade.
Dazzling white.
Extremely tempting.
Lin Jiangnian glanced at her a few more times before looking away again: "Miss Zhao, why did you invite me here today?"
"Your Highness, why do you ask such a question when you already know the answer?"
Zhao Xi also slowly put away the emotions on her face at this time. Her beautiful face gradually became serious as she stared at Lin Jiangnian: "I wonder what your Highness thinks about the last matter?"
"Miss Zhao overestimates this prince."
"Your Highness still refuses, unwilling to help me?"
Lin Jiangnian shook his head and sighed, "I would like to help, but I'm afraid I'm powerless..."
Zhao Xi was silent for a moment, as if he had anticipated this result.
However, she still raised her eyes and looked at Lin Jiangnian again: "Can I ask your Highness a question?"
"Excuse me, Miss Zhao."
"Your Highness..."
Zhao Xi paused, staring into his eyes, and asked word by word, "Are you still loyal to the Daning Dynasty?"
Lin Jiangnian suddenly looked up, his eyes deep: "Miss Zhao, what do you mean by this?"
Zhao Xi, however, seemed not to notice the wariness in Lin Jiangnian's expression and said, "Your Highness, there is no need to worry. This is simply my personal curiosity. It has nothing to do with anyone else or the Zhao family."
Lin Jiangnian didn't say anything.
Zhao Xi sighed softly, "There have long been rumors in the capital that Prince Lin has a large army in Linzhou, his achievements surpass his master, and he has long harbored rebellious intentions..."
"Although this is just a rumor, over time, it can confuse people and confuse right and wrong... Your Highness, upon entering the capital, should be able to sense this, right?"
Lin Jiangnian remained silent.
After entering the capital, he could indeed feel that most people in the capital were not friendly to him, the Prince of Lin, and even held hostility towards him.
"In everyone's eyes, Prince Lin has long been a traitor with rebellious intentions, and you are the son of a traitor. Naturally, they are hostile and hateful towards you..."
"In fact, many people in the court speculated that His Highness's visit to the capital this time was a delaying tactic by Prince Lin. On the surface, His Highness came to the capital to marry the eldest princess, but in reality, it was a cover-up for his rebellion..."
Lin Jiangnian glanced at her and asked, "What about Miss Zhao?"
"Do you think so as they do?"
Zhao Xi supported her chin lightly with her hand, leaned forward slightly, and moved closer to Lin Jiangnian. She stared at Lin Jiangnian's face without blinking. After a moment, she shook her head gently: "I don't think that His Highness would rebel."
"How do you know?"
"intuition."
Zhao Xidao.
Lin Jiangnian said calmly, "Intuition isn't always accurate."
"That's true."
Zhao Xi nodded slightly, her beautiful eyes falling on Lin Jiangnian's face again. She paused and chuckled softly, "But I believe in Your Highness."
"Why?"
"because……"
Zhao Xi's beautiful eyes were as silky as silk, staring at Lin Jiangnian's handsome face without blinking: "Your Highness is handsome?"
"?"
“…”
"If Prince Lin truly had rebellious intentions, he could have established himself as king more than a decade ago when he destroyed the Southern Border states. Why would he have waited until today?"
"Back then, Prince Lin was incredibly powerful, conquering over a dozen states in southern Xinjiang and commanding the support of the people... Why would he wait until the world is at peace now to earn a reputation as a traitor?"
The quiet room was filled with warm fragrance.
Lin Jiangnian raised his eyes and looked at the beautiful face in front of him.
The slender eyebrows, the dark and clear pupils, the straight nose bridge, the soft, plump and delicate lips, the graceful, smooth and bright cheeks, and the delicate face that is so delicate that it seems to be broken by a baby's are all perfectly gathered in the same pure and unworldly face.
She was also looking at Lin Jiangnian, with a smile on her face.
Lin Jiangnian was silent, then said, "It's a very simple truth, but they don't believe it."
Zhao Xi chuckled, "It's not necessarily that they don't believe it, but... for them, the hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in Linzhou are in the hands of your Lin family, so they can't sleep peacefully."
Lin Jiangnian didn't say anything.
"Your Highness hasn't answered my question yet?"
Zhao Xi's eyes were filled with a hint of smile: "Then, Your Highness, are you still loyal to the Daning Dynasty?"
Lin Jiangnian glanced at her: "Don't you already know the answer?"
"I want to hear it from your Highness himself."
"Your father asked?"
Zhao Xi shook her head slightly. "It has nothing to do with my father. I just wanted to ask. Of course... I also asked that good sister who was helping me."
At this point, she paused and said, "Of course, if Your Highness doesn't want to say it, that's fine."
Lin Jiangnian was silent for a moment, then said, "There's nothing I can't say... Since I'm a citizen of the Daning Dynasty, I should be loyal to the dynasty!"
"But what if the court doesn't believe it?"
Lin Jiangnian looked up at her and said calmly, "As long as the imperial court does not reduce the power of the feudal lords, I will remain a citizen of Daning."
Zhao Xi was silent, as if thinking about something.
As long as the feudal system is not abolished, he will be a citizen of Da Ning.
If the imperial court reduces the power of the feudal lords...
Thinking of this, Zhao Xi sighed, "Then, Your Highness, do you know which officials in the court are in favor of reducing the power of the feudal lords?"
Lin Jiangnian asked back, "Miss Zhao, do you understand?"
"In the court, there has always been a split between conservatives and radicals over whether to reduce the power of the feudal lords. The conservatives worry about the decline of imperial power and the chaos that will ensue, and that reducing the power of the feudal lords is inevitable. As for the radicals, they think the conservatives are too conservative..."
Lin Jiangnian glanced at her and said, "So, all the civil and military officials in the court agree to reduce the power of the feudal lords?"
"That's not the case."
Zhao Xi shook his head slightly. "The trend of reducing the power of the feudal lords has long been prevalent in the court. Even if there are those who disagree, they dare not speak out lightly. If they are not careful, they will be accused of being an accomplice of your Lin family."
At this point, Zhao Xi glanced at him again and said, "My father actually doesn't agree with reducing the power of the feudal lords."
Lin Jiangnian was stunned.
As a veteran of three dynasties, Prime Minister Zhao held a high position within the court. He had not expressed his stance on the controversy surrounding the reduction of vassal states. However, everyone believed that Prime Minister Zhao was loyal to the court and would naturally support the reduction of vassal states.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Xi said that Prime Minister Zhao did not agree with the reduction of the power of the princes?
Is it true or false?
What is her purpose in saying this?
"My father sees things more clearly than they do. The Daning Dynasty has only just enjoyed a few years of prosperity. It's a rare opportunity to recuperate. If we reduce the power of the vassal states at this critical juncture, there's a high possibility of chaos throughout the country if we're not careful..."
Zhao Xi sighed, "My father didn't want to see this happen, but the momentum for reducing the power of the vassal states is overwhelming, especially since this was mentioned by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, the future emperor. If he proposes reducing the power of the vassal states, who would dare to object?"
Seeing that Lin Jiangnian remained silent, Zhao Xi seemed to sense something, and his tone suddenly shifted, becoming a bit gentler. "Besides the current Crown Prince, there's another person who strongly supports the reduction of feudal fiefdoms. He even pushed hard to arrange your engagement with the Princess. Do you know who it is?"
Lin Jiangnian's eyes narrowed slightly. He only knew that the marriage contract between him and the eldest princess was an agreement reached between the emperor and Prince Lin, and he didn't know that there were unknown details in it.
"who?"
"Chen Zhao!"
Lin Jiangnian looked at her suspiciously.
Zhao Xi raised her head slightly, her pretty face full of smiles. Beneath her curved eyelashes, her eyes rippled like the rippling water of a spring under the moon. She chuckled and explained, "He is His Majesty's favorite minister, highly favored by the Emperor. Back then, your engagement with the eldest princess was possible thanks to his whispering in His Majesty's ear."
"Why would he do that?"
“I’m actually quite curious about this…”
Zhao Xi sighed, "As the crown prince, it's understandable that His Royal Highness would want to reduce the power of the princes. But Chen Zhao is just a eunuch in the palace, and yet he's so enthusiastic about this. It's quite unusual..."
Now, since the Emperor had ceased to care for state affairs, the imperial court had become divided into three factions, led by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. With His Royal Highness the Crown Prince leading the charge to reduce the power of the vassal states, and Chen Zhao strongly supporting this, the voices in the court in favor of reducing the power of the vassal states were almost one-sided.
"This person is indeed not a simple person. I have investigated his background, but I only know that he entered the palace at the age of fifteen. I have no information about his life before that..."
"Ever since he took control of the Secret Heaven Division, he has been secretly cultivating his own power and doing some shameful things. I have always suspected that the things he did in secret must be related to the Daning Dynasty and your Linwang Mansion..."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have strongly supported Your Majesty in marrying the eldest princess to you. There must be some ulterior motive behind this..."
But soon, Zhao Xi frowned and muttered to herself, "But after all, he is just a eunuch. Now that he is favored by the emperor and has great power, what is the point of him doing these things?"
Lin Jiangnian shook his head: "No one would think that they don't have enough power."
"But hasn't he already..."
Zhao Xi was stunned when he said this, then looked up at Lin Jiangnian: "He is a eunuch?"
Lin Jiangnian did not answer, but suddenly asked: "What is his relationship with the prince?"
Zhao Xi was stunned, and then his expression changed slightly.
"He doesn't have a good relationship with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Earlier, it was, it was..."
Zhao Xi's expression gradually became serious, as if he had thought of something.
Some time ago, there was indeed discord between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Chen Zhao, and there were even considerable conflicts.
When she heard Lin Jiangnian's words at this moment, an idea suddenly emerged in her mind.
"Could it be that His Royal Highness's recent illness...is related to him?!"
Lin Jiangnian remained silent. It was unclear whether the Crown Prince's illness had anything to do with the old eunuch. But it was certain that there was a veiled struggle between the two.
Zhao Xi pondered for a long time. When he looked up again, there was a hint of something strange in his eyes as he looked at Lin Jiangnian: "Do you know something?"
"No."
"nonsense."
Zhao Xi stared at Lin Jiangnian, her beautiful eyes bright. "You must know something, right?"
"No."
"Then how can you be sure that Chen Zhao has the intention of rebellion?"
Lin Jiangnian shook his head and denied it: "I never said that."
Zhao Xi: “…”
This guy really didn't say that.
But he had clearly hinted at it just now...
Chen Zhao was a eunuch, and all his power came from the favor of the current emperor. Once the emperor passed away and the crown prince ascended the throne, his good days would surely come to an end.
In this case, Chen Zhao must have been prepared.
So, what is his purpose?
rebellion?
still……
The guy in front of him was unmoved, but Zhao Xi could sense that he must know something.
Zhao Xi stared at him, as if trying to discern something from his face: "Do you know Chen Zhao's secret?"
“I don’t know.”
"Then why won't you help me kill him?"
“I don’t have that ability!”
"You have!"
Zhao Xi gritted his teeth, "That old eunuch Chen Zhao has been causing chaos in the court, murdering loyal officials, and committing heinous crimes... Some time ago, Xu Zheng, the Minister of War, was arrested and imprisoned on trumped-up charges, and his entire family was executed..."
"Lord Xu has served the court for three generations, and he was loyal to the court. He held the position of Vice Minister of the Six Ministries, yet he ended up like this... Such a scourge to the court, do you think he should be put to death?"
Lin Jiangnian nodded in agreement: "He deserves to die."
"Then are you willing to help me kill him and eliminate this evil for the court?"
“I don’t have that ability.”
“…”
Zhao Xi stopped talking, staring at him with her almond-shaped eyes, full of resentment and anger.
Lin Jiangnian looked away, not meeting Zhao Xi's gaze. Suddenly, his eyes fell on her exposed, snow-white, slender feet.
The slender calves are snow-white, delicate and graceful, and the slender jade feet are as bright and smooth as jade, soft as fat, and delicate and smooth.
Lin Jiangnian couldn't help but take a few more glances.
"Does it look good?"
"good."
Lin Jiangnian nodded subconsciously.
"Want to touch it?"
Lin Jiangnian paused, looked up, and saw a pair of eyes with a hint of shyness staring at him, with curved eyebrows and seductive eyes. She bit her red lips lightly as if she had made up her mind.
"If you help me kill Chen Zhao, I'll let you touch me..."
"how?"