The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

Time passed, and the Fourth Prince Zhou Bin had been reflecting on his mistakes behind closed doors for two months.

Marquis Zhao Xi of Wu'an submitted three memorials to the Ministry of War requesting reinforcements in the southwest.

Although Grand Commandant Zhou Jing suppressed the matter on the grounds of "insufficient evidence," rumors of "instability in the southwest" had already spread throughout the Six Ministries.

The fourth prince's cronies remain active in several departments, including the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, where they hold positions such as secretary and director.

The movements were much smaller than before, as if waiting for some signal.

Just when everyone thought that the reshuffling in the court was about to return to calm for the time being, the Taibao Mansion released a message.

Grand Protector Yuwen Lie wanted to arrange a marriage for the Fifth Prince, Zhou Gui.

The news originated from the steward of the Grand Tutor's residence, first reaching the Ministry of Rites, then the Hanlin Academy, and within half a day it spread throughout the entire imperial city.

Arranging marriages is not unusual in itself.

The fifth prince, Zhou Gui, is sixteen years old this year. He ranks fifth among the princes and should be of marriageable age long ago, but his marriage has been undecided.

His birth mother died early, and he was raised under the tutelage of Grand Tutor Yuwen Lie. Yuwen Lie did not make arrangements for him, and the Imperial Household Department could not make decisions on its own.

Now that the Grand Tutor's office has finally relented, it's like throwing a pebble into his calm lake, causing ripples to spread outwards and affect the entire court.

The fifth prince, Zhou Gui, was in a rather unique position among the princes.

In terms of background, he was even more impoverished than the Third Prince Zhou Ying.

At least the Third Prince had Consort Rong still alive. Although she was a disfavored concubine, the two of them depended on each other for survival, and in the palace, they had the small courtyard of Ningcui Pavilion to shelter them from the wind and rain.

The fifth prince did not even have a birth mother; his mother died when he was three years old.

After that, he was taken to the Taibao Mansion for education, and the number of days he spent in the palace throughout the year could be counted on one hand.

The west wing of the Taibao Mansion was his residence.

It was a small, two-courtyard house with an old locust tree in the middle. Under the tree were stone tables and benches, and on a weapon rack in the corner were several unsharpened iron swords.

He studied and practiced martial arts with the sons of the Yuwen family, listened to Yuwen Lie lecture on criminal law, and reviewed years of case files in the library of the Grand Protector's mansion.

Yuwen Lie treated him like a personal disciple, never shortchanging him in terms of food, clothing, and shelter, but never allowing him to get involved in the core of power within the Taibao Mansion.

In the imperial court, the Fifth Prince's presence was even less noticeable than that of the Third Prince.

The Third Prince still had the title of "son of Consort Rong," and occasionally people would mention the disfavored concubine of Ningcui Pavilion during their leisure time.

The Fifth Prince seemed to have been forgotten by everyone; even at the palace banquet, his seat was placed in an inconspicuous corner, about the same as Zhou Xing's.

This prince, who was almost forgotten by the court, was suddenly thrust into the spotlight by the Grand Tutor's Office.

After the news spread, the discussions within the Six Ministries never ceased.

Some speculate that the Taibao Mansion might be using the Fifth Prince's marriage to send some kind of signal to the outside world.

After all, Yuwen Lie has never formed factions or taken sides in the court. His sudden arrangement for the Fifth Prince's marriage must have a deeper meaning.

Some have analyzed who the Grand Protector's family has chosen as their in-law, and this reveals Yuwen Lie's true intentions in making this move.

Does it favor the eldest and second princes, or does it form its own faction?

Some even predicted that the faces of the older princes would not be much better now.

Everyone wanted to fill the vacancy left by the fourth prince's fall from power.

The fact that the Taibao Mansion suddenly brought up the Fifth Prince was clearly meant to tell everyone that the struggle for the throne was far from over.

The news of the Taibao Mansion's proposal for marriage naturally reached the ears of various factions.

The eldest prince, Zhou Cong, was playing chess with Kong Yan at the Grand Tutor's residence when he heard the news. The white chess piece in his hand hovered in mid-air for a while before slowly landing on the chessboard.

He frowned and asked Kong Yan, "The Grand Tutor's Mansion has never been so proactive in the marriage of a prince. Yuwen Lie has never formed factions or taken sides in the court. Why did he suddenly think of arranging a marriage for his fifth brother?"

Kong Yan pondered for a while, fiddling with his prayer beads, and then said, "Yuwen Lie never speaks without reason in court."

"As soon as the Fourth Prince lost power, a position in the court became vacant. The First Prince and the Second Prince were both watching closely, while the Third Prince was also secretly gathering his strength."

"When Yuwen Lie pushed the Fifth Prince forward at this time, it was less about fighting for the Fifth Prince and more about sending a signal to everyone."

"He hasn't taken sides yet; his power can be directed to either side at any time."

"His act of arranging a marriage is not important; what is important is who he is arranging the marriage with."

"If he chooses a family of civil officials, it would be a gesture of goodwill towards the eldest prince."

"If he chooses the military general Xun Gui, then he is aligning himself with the Second Prince."

"If he chooses to be a regional governor, then he will be forming his own faction."

……

The Grand Commandant's Residence!

The Second Prince, Zhou Xun, was practicing his swordplay in the Grand Commandant's training ground when he heard the news and put his heavy sword on the weapon rack.

Wiping the sweat from his face with a cloth, he turned to Zhou Jing and asked, "Is this about choosing a principal wife for the fifth prince, or choosing an ally for himself?"

Zhou Jing stood silently by the edge of the training ground, leaning on his bamboo cane, for a long time before slowly saying, "Yuwen Taibao's judgment has always been discerning."

"It is said that he declared that he would choose a legitimate daughter who is well-educated, from a respectable family, and of similar age to the Fifth Prince, not seeking a prominent family background, but only a family with a clean and upright tradition."

"That's a beautifully said statement, but the more beautifully said something is, the less you should believe it completely."

"I don't need a prestigious family background. The threshold of the Grand Tutor's mansion is already higher than that of most dukes and marquises. Any woman who can catch Yuwen Lie's eye must come from a good family."

"But no matter what, his sudden introduction of the fifth son was definitely not just to find him a wife; he was stirring things up."

The Third Prince Zhou Ying was checking the inventory of military equipment at the Imperial Stables when he heard the news brought by Liu Wenzhao. He simply closed the inventory slowly and tapped the cover lightly with his fingers.

"The position where the fourth brother lost power was originally something the three brothers were vying for, but now that the Taibao Mansion has suddenly pushed the fifth brother up, the situation has become even more murky."

"However, muddy water has its advantages; it's easier to catch fish in muddy water."

He asked Liu Wenzhao if the Taibao Mansion had given any indication of what kind of family Yuwen Lie was looking for.

Liu Wenzhao replied, "The conditions announced by the Grand Tutor's office seem lenient, but in reality, they are extremely demanding."

"The requirements are that the girl be well-educated, from a respectable family, and of similar age to the Fifth Prince. We do not require her to be from a prominent family, but the family that the Grand Tutor’s family can take a liking to must be of good standing."

Zhou Ying pondered for a moment and said, "Yuwen Lie is choosing allies. The fifth brother's marriage is just a pretext. The real purpose is to use this to reintegrate the power of the neutral faction in the court."

"This may not be a bad thing for them."

"No matter who the Taibao Mansion chooses, it cannot change the fact that the Fifth Brother's foundation is weak."

"The fifth brother has neither the prestige of the eldest brother nor the military achievements of the second brother, nor does he have his own practical foundation in the court."

"Even if the Taibao Mansion paves the way for him, how far he can go on this road still depends on his own abilities."

"Right now, the most important thing is to keep a close eye on the duties at the Imperial Horse Administration and the Ministry of Personnel's Performance Evaluation Department."

"Taking advantage of the moment when the fourth brother is out of power and the eldest and second brothers are eyeing the Taibao Mansion, we should firmly seize the power that we should take over."

Meanwhile, in the study of the Fourth Prince's residence, Zhou Bin was sitting by the window pruning a newly delivered bonsai.

With a snip, he cut off an extra branch with the silver scissors in his hand, then gently placed the scissors on the table and wiped his fingers with a white cloth.

He asked whether the marriage proposal at the Zhao family mansion was true or false.

Zhao said the news came from the steward of the Grand Tutor's mansion, so it should be true.

Zhou Bin was silent for a while, then suddenly laughed and said, "Yuwen Taibao is clever. He chose this moment to push out the fifth brother. Everyone's eyes are on him, so who will care about him?"

He remembered this favor.

Zhao was somewhat puzzled, "What benefit does the Grand Tutor's family's marriage proposal bring to His Highness? The Grand Tutor didn't even speak up for His Highness."

Zhou Bin sneered, "The best thing is that Taibao doesn't speak up for him."

"The Grand Protector never speaks for anyone in public in court, but at this moment he pushed out the Fifth Prince to divert everyone's attention."

"With the eldest, second, and third brothers all busy figuring out the fifth brother's marriage, who else is keeping an eye on him?"

"This is Yuwen Lie. He doesn't show off, but at the most crucial moment, he moves a piece on the chessboard and changes the course of the entire game."

Lady Zhao nodded thoughtfully, then asked if His Highness meant that the Grand Protector was helping His Highness.

Zhou Bin shook her head and said no.

"The Taibao isn't helping me; the Taibao is maintaining the balance."

"In Yuwen Lie's eyes, it is not a good thing for any prince to be too powerful. Only when the power is equal can his position as Grand Protector be the most secure."

"He doesn't want either side to collapse completely, nor does he want either side to become dominant."

"Therefore, when he lost power, the Taibao Mansion would secretly share the burden for him, giving him a chance to catch his breath."

"This isn't about personal favors; it's about balance, it's Yuwen Lie's way of surviving."

Meanwhile, Zhou Xing was practicing calligraphy by the window in the side hall.

Before him lay a newly delivered secret letter, on which all the details of the marriage proposal from the Grand Tutor's residence were written in neat small characters.

He put down his pen, held the secret letter to the candle flame and burned it. Looking at the pile of ashes in the bronze dish, he suddenly smiled.

Chunlan happened to come in to change the tea. Hearing the laughter, she peeked over and asked the prince curiously what he was laughing about.

Zhou Xing lowered his head and continued writing, the smile on his lips still there, though slightly faded.

He said it was nothing, he just thought the weather was nice today.

Chunlan turned her head and looked out the window. A light autumn rain was falling outside, and the leaves of the old locust tree were scattered all over the ground by the rain.

She turned to look at Zhou Xing, completely baffled as to what His Highness meant by saying the weather was nice.

Zhou Xing offered no explanation.

He finished writing the last stroke, put down his pen, picked up the sheet of Xuan paper, and blew on the ink.

There were only four words written on the paper.

"To fish in troubled waters."

He folded the paper and stuffed it into the drawer, then leaned back in his chair and gazed out the window at the old locust tree, wet with autumn rain.

The shadows of the trees swayed slightly in the rain. Some leaves were knocked off by the rain, but most leaves were still firmly attached to the branches.

He felt that the tree resembled the scheme he had set up.

It may look like its branches and leaves are swaying, but its roots are deeper than anyone else's.

This game is getting more and more interesting.