Human nature has weaknesses!
Once the weakness is exposed, it is difficult for anyone to escape from it.
No one is an exception.
For Lin Kong, he had been an orphan since childhood and, like many people in the Lin Palace, was adopted since childhood.
It was the prince who gave him another chance to live!
The prince took him in, provided him with food and clothing, and gave him the opportunity to learn martial arts. This opportunity was rare for ordinary people, and he cherished it immensely!
In return, guarding the palace and protecting His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Lin became his duty and mission!
Lin Kong has been diligent in the Lin Wang Mansion since he was a child, practicing martial arts and doing his work seriously, and he was soon rewarded... Fortunately, he has a good talent for martial arts and stood out from many candidates. He made meritorious contributions and was promoted to the commander of the personal army of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
I originally thought that his future would be bright and open!
However, this joy was quickly shattered by reality.
The prince was kindhearted and well-loved by the people of Linzhou, and his reputation was not bad. But the prince of Linzhou was the complete opposite.
Over the years, what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has done in Linjiang City has disgusted him! As a member of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's personal army, Lin Kong couldn't stand it, but he had no choice!
As a guard in the palace, the only thing he could do was to obey orders and help His Highness do things that even he found despicable.
He even felt sick to his stomach!
This so-called personal army of the Crown Prince was like a shackle to him.
He became the accomplice of Prince Lin, helping him do those disgusting things... He heard people outside scolding him, saying that he was a dog of Prince Lin, a loyal and disgusting dog!
From that time on, Lin Kong was confused!
He didn't know whether what he did was right or wrong, but he still had no choice!
His fate was determined from the beginning.
Over the years, the reputation that the prince had worked so hard to build up in Linzhou was almost destroyed by this Prince Lin.
There were constant impeachments against Prince Lin in the court, and the voices for reducing the power of the princes never stopped.
Lin Kong couldn't even imagine what would happen to Linzhou if the Prince of Lin inherited the throne in the future.
What will become of Linjiang City?
Will the fortune that the prince has accumulated over the years disappear in an instant?
That Prince Lin is uneducated, unambitious, and a complete idiot. When he ascends the throne, will this palace truly be safe?
Over the past few years, many people have urged Prince Lin to take another wife, even a concubine. Prince Lin is in his prime, so it's not too late for him to have a few more children.
After all, the Lin Wang Mansion has a weak bloodline, so just in case, it is also better to make plans for the future.
However, these proposals were rejected by King Lin!
Prince Lin does not take a concubine, which means that the only person who can succeed to the throne in the future is Lin Jiangnian!
This news is not good news for the entire Prince Lin's Mansion or Prince Lin's subordinates.
And in Lin Kong's heart, a strong and rebellious idea gradually emerged.
This idea became more and more intense.
Not long ago, His Highness went on tour, but he, as a member of His Highness's personal guard, did not go with him.
As expected, His Highness was attacked!
After hearing the news, Lin Kong rushed out of the city to rescue them. But at that moment, the rebellious thought in his heart became stronger!
When he arrived at the temple, he saw corpses strewn across the ground, mixed with rainwater, a scene resembling a hell on earth. His heart suddenly sank, then began to beat rapidly.
Until... my guards found His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the ruined temple.
Your Highness, you are not dead!
He was disappointed
…
In the quiet yard.
Lin Jiangnian looked at Lin Kong, who was kneeling in front of him with his head lowered, his whole body shrouded in a listless aura.
He no longer had the calmness and arrogance he had before, and was now filled with uneasiness and an indescribable feeling of unwillingness and fear.
Everyone has weaknesses!
He is no exception!
As a guard in the mansion, Lin Kong has no parents and no ties. Normally speaking, it is difficult to find his weaknesses.
Because of this confidence, he was fearless in front of Lin Jiangnian. Even if the other party was the prince of Lin Wang, he was still not afraid.
Until... when Lin Jiangnian said the name Su Lu.
Lin Kong was completely stunned.
And then, it was a complete failure.
This woman named Su Lu is his biggest weakness!
…
"Give her a chance to live?"
Lin Jiangnian stood where he was, his eyes still calm. He glanced at him and asked, "When did this prince ever say he wanted to kill her?"
Lin Kong lowered his head and gritted his teeth: "Miss Su is innocent, she knows nothing, Your Highness, please don't make things difficult for her!"
"I have no intention of making things difficult for her."
Lin Jiangnian sneered: "You make it seem like this prince is a bad guy who bullies men and women?"
Lin Kong took a deep breath and said, "I dare not."
"This matter is my fault alone, and I am willing to shoulder the responsibility. As long as Your Highness is willing to let Miss Su go, I will let Your Highness deal with me without any complaints or regrets..."
In order to protect Miss Su, Lin Kong risked his life.
He had been with His Highness for many years and knew His Highness best! If His Highness really wanted to harm Miss Su, everything would be over!
"I can't believe you're so genuinely in love with Su Lu."
Lin Jiangnian glanced at Lin Kong.
What the red-dressed woman said was indeed true. This Lin Kong was actually a romantic man?
A bit unexpected!
However, this also means that he has a weakness.
Women are his Achilles' heel!
Lin Kong lowered his head, said nothing, and looked dejected.
Seeing him like this, Lin Jiangnian knew that it was almost over, so he changed the subject: "Will you bear it alone?"
"Can you afford it?"
Lin Kong gritted his teeth and said, "I am willing to die as an apology!"
"Yeah?"
Lin Jiangnian raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "Then go to hell!"
"If you die, I will let Su Lu go? How about that?"
Lin Kong's heart trembled, and he looked up at Lin Jiangnian in front of him. When he saw the calm eyes of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it seemed as if he was talking about something extremely ordinary.
Endless fear surged in Lin Kong's heart. At this moment, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was completely different from before.
His Highness at this moment made Lin Kong feel as if he had seen the prince for a moment...the cold and indifferent temperament was extremely similar!
Feelings of fear and despair spread in Lin Kong's heart.
"Why? Can't bear to leave?"
Lin Jiangnian looked amused: "Don't want to die?"
Lin Kong's heart trembled, and a look of determination flashed across his face: "As long as Your Highness is willing to spare Miss Su, I am willing to commit suicide!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Kong slowly stretched out his hand, took a deep breath, and circulated his internal energy to suddenly slap his chest.
At this moment, Lin Jiangnian's expressionless voice came.
"Stop it first."
Lin Kong stopped where he was and looked up in confusion.
But Lin Jiangnian looked calm and said, "Don't rush to die, wait a little longer!"
Lin Kong looked stunned, as if he hadn't reacted.
Lin Kong's voice was hoarse and low: "Your Highness, you won't kill me?"
"Killing you is easy, but your life is worthless in my eyes!"
Lin Jiangnian shook his head: "I'll spare your life. I have other uses for you."
He already had an idea in his mind.
If Lin Kong had chosen to protect himself and distance himself from Su Lu, then what kind of person would he be in Lin Jiangnian's eyes?
Such a cold-blooded person cannot be allowed to stay!
But he would rather commit suicide than protect Su Lu, which is enough to prove that Su Lu is extremely important in his heart, even worth the price of his life?
This shows that he is indeed still of some use!
This is his weakness, and also his fatal weakness... People with weaknesses are easier to control!
Lin Jiangnian is sure to take advantage of his weakness!
…
"From now on, you are dead!"
Lin Jiangnian slowly put away the emotions on his face and looked at him expressionlessly: "Do you understand what I mean?"
Lin Kong's heart trembled as he stared at Lin Jiangnian's expressionless face. At this moment, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince seemed both more unfamiliar and more familiar...
The terrifying oppressive aura made it almost impossible for him to breathe.
The feeling of oppression that can only be felt when facing the prince, but now I feel it again from His Royal Highness the Prince Lin.
Is he dead?
Lin Kong's heart trembled, and he naturally knew what it meant.
"I understand..."
His voice was hoarse.
"Very good, since you are so sensible, I can give you a chance to survive and make meritorious contributions!"
Lin Kong said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, what are your orders?"
"You're from Kite, right?"
Lin Jiangnian spoke slowly.
Lin Kong was startled and looked up at Lin Jiangnian. When he saw him staring at him sharply, his heart trembled, and he lowered his head and fell silent.
He guessed His Highness's purpose.
"The prince has ordered his subordinates to obey Miss Zhiyuan and follow her orders..."
"Miss Kite?"
Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes suddenly: "Then what is her origin?"
"I... don't know."
"I don't know?"
Lin Kong lowered his head and said, "Miss Zhiyuan was brought back to the palace by the prince. She is nominally his maid, but... apart from the prince, no one knows Miss Zhiyuan's true identity..."
"I just know that the prince places great importance on and trusts Miss Zhiyuan..."
Lin Jiangnian frowned, stared at Lin Kong for a while, then retracted his gaze and said calmly, "So, you would rather obey her than me?"
Lin Kong's heart trembled: "It's the prince's order..."
"Yeah?"
Lin Jiangnian glanced at him and sneered: "Just my father's order?"
Lin Kong was silent, and lowered his head even more: "Your Highness, please forgive me."
“…”
Lin Jiangnian gradually withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "Don't forget, this is the Lin Palace, and I am the future heir to the palace... I will not argue with you about the previous matters for now, but you should understand how to make choices in the future, right?"
"I understand!"
"In that case..."
Lin Jiangnian took something out of his arms and threw it in front of Lin Kong: "Eat it."
"What is this?"
"poison."
Lin Jiangnian had no expression on his face.
Lin Kong's eyelids suddenly jumped. He was silent for a moment, picked up the black pill from the ground, and swallowed it calmly.
Seeing him so cooperative, Lin Jiangnian breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at him again and said, "From today on, you will be working for me. From now on, you must report all matters concerning the palace, big or small, to me. Especially... the orders given to you by Zhiyuan. Do you understand?"
Lin Kong's heart trembled as he suddenly realized something. Your Highness, the real target is not him.
But... Miss Kite? !
His Highness, he, he is going to...
He looked up in slight surprise, only to see Lin Jiangnian looking at him with a half-smile. Lin Kong's heart trembled!
As expected, His Highness's real target turned out to be... Miss Zhiyuan!!
After a brief shock, Lin Kong quickly calmed down.
He had no choice.
His life was now in the hands of His Royal Highness, so he had no choice but to obey. He could not care less about his own life, but he could not let this implicate Miss Su...
"I obey your command!"
Seeing Lin Kong nod wisely, Lin Jiangnian nodded in satisfaction.
He likes dealing with smart people, just as the woman in red likes dealing with her... Obedient people are very likable.
"Besides this, this prince needs you to do something..."
Lin Jiangnian seemed to have thought of something, and said with a hint of meaning: "If you help me with this matter, I will not only forgive you for what you did before, but I will even..."
"How about letting you marry Miss Su?"
Lin Kong's heart suddenly trembled. He looked up and looked at Lin Jiangnian in disbelief.
Marry, marry Miss Su?
This, this was a thought he dared not think about.
He did admire Miss Su, but... Miss Su was a prostitute after all, so what if she was the most popular girl?
Although Lin Kong didn't mind, he was from the Lin Wang Mansion and was a personal soldier beside the Lin Wang Prince. For the sake of the reputation of the palace, how could he be allowed to marry a prostitute?
Being in the palace, he had no choice. Therefore, he could only hide his love in his heart.
But now, Lin Jiangnian's words made his heart tremble suddenly.
Marry, marry Miss Su!
this……
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
Lin Kong's voice was a little hoarse, and his brain even had a brief short circuit.
Lin Jiangnian seemed to have anticipated his reaction and was not surprised. He spoke calmly.
"Don't worry, this prince keeps his word..."
"As long as you obey my orders, I will give you a chance to marry Su Lu..."
"It depends on whether you want it or not!"
“…”
Half an hour later, Lin Jiangnian left the courtyard and returned the same way.
The way to control people is to use the stick and sugar.
Killing Lin Kong is easy, but if you can control him for your own use, or even make him completely obey your orders, it will obviously be much more useful.
This is also the purpose of Lin Jiangnian coming to see Lin Kong today!
As the personal soldier of the Crown Prince of Lin's Palace, what he knew and what he could do were extremely useful to Lin Jiangnian.
If we can control him, that would naturally be a good thing!
If you can't control...
Lin Jiangnian's eyes turned slightly cold, and he would get rid of this person as soon as possible!
…
Not long after Lin Jiangnian left, he suddenly ran into a familiar figure.
"Kite?"
Zhiyuan, wearing a plain long dress, appeared in front of Lin Jiangnian's sight at some point and bumped into him.
Lin Jiangnian stopped, and Zhiyuan also stopped, and the two looked at each other.
There was a moment of silence.
"Your Highness."
Zhiyuan spoke in a calm voice, without any emotion at all.
Lin Jiangnian seemed a little surprised and looked her up and down for a while.
I haven't seen her for a few days since that night. The last time I went to see her, she turned me away.
I didn't expect that when we bumped into each other today, she would take the initiative to say hello again?
"Are you not angry with me anymore?"
Lin Jiangnian raised his eyebrows and said in surprise
Zhiyuan's eyes were calm as she said calmly, "I dare not."
"Yeah?"
Seeing this, Lin Jiangnian took a step forward and was about to walk towards her.
But just as he was about to move, Zhiyuan inadvertently took two steps back.
"I have something else to do, so I won't bother Your Highness."
After saying that, she left, leaving behind a faint fragrance floating in the air.
Lin Jiangnian didn't chase after her. He looked at her back deeply, shook his head, and turned away.
…
Not long after, Zhiyuan suddenly stopped and glanced back, but Lin Jiangnian was no longer behind him.
Her eyes remained calm, and her temperament was cold and unparalleled.
There's a kind of loneliness that's hard to describe.
Then he raised his eyes and looked towards the courtyard in front of him.
She didn't know when a figure appeared beside her, Lin Qingqing.
"Sister Zhiyuan, earlier... Your Highness went to Lin Kong's courtyard."
Zhiyuan's eyes moved slightly, and he nodded slightly without saying anything.
The surroundings fell silent. Lin Qingqing looked at Zhiyuan, who remained silent in front of her. After hesitating for a long time, she said, "Sister Zhiyuan?"
Zhiyuan glanced at her and asked, "What's wrong?"
"you……"
Lin Qingqing glanced at the courtyard in front of her and sighed softly, "Lin Kong committed such a serious mistake...yet you gave him such a light punishment this time. Aren't you being too protective of him?"
Zhiyuan's eyes were calm. After a moment of silence, he shook his head gently: "He is not a bad person by nature!"
“It’s not a question of whether it’s good or not…”
Lin Qingqing sighed, "No matter what Lin Kong's intentions were, he almost harmed His Highness this time. When the prince returns, he will definitely not forgive him... Sister Zhiyuan, why are you so foolish and getting into trouble?"
Having been with Zhiyuan since childhood, Lin Qingqing knew her best. She was so smart, why did she make such a stupid decision this time?
Isn't she worried that the prince and His Highness will suspect that she colluded with Lin Kong to murder His Highness?
Zhiyuan was silent for a long time this time, gradually withdrawing his gaze from the courtyard, and said softly, "I have my own plans."
"What are you planning?"
Lin Qingqing couldn't help but ask, what is Sister Zhiyuan's plan?
Zhiyuan was silent for a while before she spoke: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will eventually become the master of Prince Lin's Mansion!"
"So?" Lin Qingqing was confused.
Zhiyuan's eyes remained calm. "Your Highness is the prince's only son. In the future, you will inherit the prince's throne, his trusted generals, the Linzhou army, and the huge fortune that the prince has conquered... Therefore, Your Highness must learn to grow up!"
Lin Qingqing was still suspicious, but seemed to understand something: "Then, what does this have to do with this matter?"
Zhiyuan raised her eyes and said, "Lin Kong was adopted by the prince since he was young, and he is naturally loyal to the prince. The prince appointed him as the commander of the royal army, which was also a move for the prince!"
"Chess?" Lin Qingqing was puzzled.
"Um."
Zhiyuan nodded and said, "Lin Kong is quite capable and has a high talent for martial arts. But he is arrogant and difficult to discipline..."
"The reason why the prince kept him here is to prepare a small test for Your Highness!"
Zhiyuan's eyes were cold, yet they seemed to glimmer with light: "If Your Highness can subdue him and make Lin Kong sincerely convinced, it will prove that Your Highness is not completely unbearable..."
Lin Qingqing opened her eyes wide in shock: "Sister Zhiyuan, are you saying... that the prince had prepared all this long ago?"
She seemed to suddenly realize something and asked, "So, your previous light punishment of Lin Kong was all intentional?"
"Are you planning to leave Lin Kong to His Highness and let Him handle this matter on His Highness's own?"
"Um."
Zhiyuan nodded slightly. This had been a test from the very beginning.
Lin Kong was just a small part of this test, and the assassination at Yingfeng Garden became an opportunity!
"If His Highness wishes to inherit the throne in the future, he must pass this test... If he can't even pass Lin Kong, how can he be qualified to inherit the throne and control the generals around the prince?"
"Those people are a hundred times more dangerous than Lin Kong!"
Zhiyuan's eyes remained nonchalant, but the expression on her face gradually grew serious. "If Your Highness can't even get past this, perhaps you might as well give up everything, accept the court's reduction of your vassalage, marry the princess in the capital, and become a leisurely prince!"
"At least, I won't lose my life in a muddle!"
“…”
The modification is completed. Thanks to the rich lady 【Cha Cha Cha Cha Qian】 for the reward. I still owe seven chapters to update!