We'll have you impersonate the Crown Prince and create a prosperous era for the Great Qian Dyna

Manager Liu stood on the roof of a restaurant.

Under the eaves, a dozen or so men on horseback looked up and confronted him.

Manager Liu wasn't angry; instead, he laughed in the darkness, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief and felt a weight lifted from his heart.

Fortunately, the crown prince was not completely abandoned.

This also means that the crown prince has a chance to compete for the throne!

Manager Liu's smile vanished, replaced by a cold look as he looked down.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot comply!"

"How can anyone slander the Empress's son?"

"Zhou An will die tonight!"

The leading guard was utterly helpless.

"Manager Liu, you're not getting any younger. It's not good for you to climb so high. You should come down here instead."

"My master said that Zhou An cannot die. If he dies, His Highness the Crown Prince will have no hope. At most, he can be taught a lesson."

Steward Liu had no intention of killing anyone, and at this moment he was only pretending to be hesitant.

Upon seeing this, the guards immediately breathed a sigh of relief and began to earnestly persuade them.

"Chief Steward Liu, you and my master come from the same background. We both served the Empress and received her favor. Does my master intend to harm the Crown Prince? He's doing this for the Crown Prince's own good!"

Only then did Steward Liu change his mind.

"He may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment!"

"Bring Zhou An here; I'll do it myself!"

The guards immediately nodded repeatedly.

Immediately, someone rushed into the restaurant.

While Zhuan An was still drinking with the beauty, several burly men rushed in, blindfolded him, and dragged him out by his hair.

"Do you know who I am? I am Zhou An, son of the Minister of Works!"

"You've offended me, aren't you afraid of dying?"

Zhou An screamed in panic.

With his eyes covered, he had no idea where he was being taken.

Steward Liu flipped over and landed steadily. Looking at Zhou An in front of him, he raised his fist.

No words were spoken.

There were only muffled thuds as each punch landed.

This series of punches sent chills down the spines of the guards.

In the end, someone even separated the two of them.

"Steward Liu, that's enough! Any more and he'll die!"

Only then did Steward Liu put away his fist and look at them coldly.

"Go back and tell your master that if he truly cares for the Crown Prince, then kill this despicable man who insulted the Crown Prince!"

"I believe he has a hundred ways to kill this boy without implicating the Crown Prince!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Steward Liu turned and left.

On the way out, Manager Liu sighed with regret.

Like the old eunuch, he had been with the Empress for a long time.

They are all from the Empress's family!

Why could he ignore the fact that the fake crown prince killed the real crown prince?

The real reason is very simple.

There are no filial sons at the bedside of a chronically ill patient.

Similarly, the Empress's kindness to him had long been worn away by the Crown Prince's torment and humiliation!

He just wants to live for himself now!

Of course, he also had a good impression of the fake prince. The prince not only called him Lao Liu and treated him like a person, but also gave him a lot of things and confided in him about many things.

This is a privilege reserved for our own people!

Steward Liu sighed deeply.

"Old Huang, it's not that Old Liu betrayed the Empress, it's just that the fake Crown Prince is far, far superior to the real Crown Prince!"

……

Qin Mansion.

When Zhou An was brought over, he was barely alive.

After Lin Sang finished the acupuncture, she wrote down the prescription before walking up to Qin Zhi'ang.

"My lord, Young Master Zhou's pulse has stabilized, and his life is out of danger. However, his vital energy has been damaged, and he will likely be relatively weak for the next few years. With careful care, there will be no problem."

Qin Zhiang nodded slightly, signaling Lin Sang to leave.

As soon as Lin Sang left, Zhou Qingyang, the Minister of Works, immediately came over.

"Lord Qin, you must do me justice!"

"I only have one son. He went to the Duke's mansion on His Highness's orders, and now he's been beaten like this. All I want is an explanation!"

Qin Zhiang patted Zhou Qingyang's shoulder apologetically.

"Fortunately, your son's life is not in danger. Don't worry, this matter will definitely not end here. Once the Third Prince ascends the throne, won't the Crown Prince be at our mercy?"

"When that time comes, we can settle scores and avenge our grievances. Your son can do it himself."

Zhou Qingyang was not comforted.

After all, it wasn't Qin Zhiang's son who was being beaten, so how could they possibly empathize with him so much?

But he also knew that the Crown Prince was still the Crown Prince, and since Zhou Rui was not dead, he could only pretend that this had never happened.

Zhou Tianze, who was standing to the side, was getting restless.

"Grandfather, this boy is far too arrogant and domineering. He beat Young Master Zhou like this. Are we really just going to ignore it?"

Qin Zhi'ang glanced at Zhou Tianze indifferently, wanting to say many things, but uttering not a single word.

He turned to Zhou Qingyang and explained.

"Lord Zhou, please forgive me. It's not that I'm turning a blind eye, but was His Highness the Crown Prince mentioned in even a single word about tonight's events?"

"As far as I know, the one who carried out the killing was Liu Li, the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace. The one who stopped the killing was His Majesty's secret guards. The Crown Prince did not show up. Given His Majesty's favor towards the Crown Prince, he will surely protect him."

"This matter must not be pursued any further; otherwise, it will only embarrass His Majesty and serve no real purpose!"

Zhou Qingyang sighed, feeling unwilling but helpless. He turned his head and walked towards Zhou Tianze.

"Third Prince, my son is working for you! You can't let him down!"

This attempt at moral blackmail made Qin Zhiang frown.

Zhou Tianze was young and inexperienced, so he could only look to Qin Zhiang for help.

Qin Zhi'ang closed his eyes and reluctantly revealed his solution.

"Didn't the northern frontier report six months ago that there were frequent battles and requested support from the imperial court?"

"At tomorrow's court assembly, I will use this as an excuse to call on the capital to train troops and send the victorious army to the northern frontier. At that time, Lord Zhou can invite the Crown Prince to come out of seclusion."

Zhou Qingyang's eyes lit up.

"On what grounds?"

Qin Zhiang glanced at Zhou An and spoke calmly.

"Didn't your son say that His Highness the Crown Prince drew up a few blueprints that left even the Duke of Protectorate speechless with astonishment?"

"Given his exceptional military talent, how can we afford to overlook it?"

Zhou Qingyang was overjoyed.

Training troops is good.

As long as we can train our troops, we'll have plenty of opportunities to take action against the Crown Prince.

Even if they couldn't kill the crown prince, they could at least avenge their son's beating to some extent.

As for what kind of soldiers that useless crown prince can train... that's hilarious!

Is that useless crown prince capable of training troops?

He ordered his servants to take his son away, his heart and mind filled with revenge against the crown prince.

As soon as he left, Qin Zhiang sighed.

"If Zhou An were dead, it would be so much better. In that case, the court officials would be in danger, and even if the Crown Prince wanted to stay in the capital, it would be impossible for him."

"What a pity! If we had known sooner, we would have made sure Liu Li killed Zhou An!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tianze's hair stood on end.

Zhou An was his subordinate, working for him, yet in the end, his maternal grandfather still wanted Zhou An dead?

How ruthless is this?