The number one rebel of the Great Wu

The Third Prince's residence, study.

Xiao Ce sat at his desk, holding a writing brush in his hand, but hesitated to put it down.

he was thinking.

Just think of the scene in the court today, when Jiang Boheng offered his resignation but was persuaded to stay.

Imagine the fire burning in the eyes of the old general as he walked alongside him after the court session.

I recall the varied expressions on the faces of the court officials when my father announced the southern tour.

Regent.

Xiao Ce's lips curled up slightly, but he quickly suppressed it.

These two words rolled around in his mind many times, and each time he pondered them, they tasted different.

It was power, it was trust, it was his father's reliance on him.

He was about to get what he had been dreaming of, but he was so nervous that he trembled slightly.

"Your Highness."

The voices of palace servants came from outside the door.

"Manager Lin sent someone with a letter."

Xiao Ce raised an eyebrow slightly.

Steward Lin? The Steward Lin from the Crown Prince's residence?

"Bring it in."

A palace servant presented a sealed letter sealed with wax. Xiao Ce opened it and examined it closely, his smile gradually deepening.

After reading it, he brought the letter close to the candle flame and watched it burn to ashes little by little.

Chief Steward Lin has served the Crown Prince for decades, and his current initiative to surrender is simply because he has sensed a shift in the political climate.

These kinds of people are the easiest to control; they have leverage, motives, and fears.

Xiao Ce wanted Shen Qingci.

It wasn't just because she was beautiful; he was after the Shen family behind her. If he could win over the Shen family, his position as regent would be more secure.

Xiao Ce also wanted Chen Changgeng. This little eunuch, whom Shen Qingci valued so highly, must have some extraordinary qualities.

However, as long as his second brother Xiao Lie is alive, he will never be able to have these two people.

Xiao Ce's gaze turned icy.

Therefore, my second brother... cannot be kept alive.

Now that Manager Lin has taken the initiative to come and join us, it's like heaven is helping me.

Xiao Ce picked up his pen, spread out a new sheet of paper, and began to write a reply.

The letter contained only a few words:

"Chief Steward Lin is very understanding and righteous, which greatly pleases me. I hope that you will secretly investigate the Crown Prince's condition and the arrangements within the palace, and report back every five days. Once this is accomplished, I will guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and honor."

After he finished writing, he sealed the letter and called a palace servant.

"Find a reliable person to deliver this letter to Steward Lin."

"Yes, Your Highness."

……

The Crown Prince's Residence, Chen Changgeng's residence.

Chen Changgeng returned to the room, closed the door, and took out a letter from his sleeve.

It was given to me by Lin Wan'er just now.

Chen Changgeng opened the letter; inside was a neatly folded piece of floral stationery with a poem copied on it:

"How deep the courtyard is, how many layers of curtains. Where once the jade-bridled, carved saddle roamed, now the road to Zhangtai is unseen from the high tower. Rain falls horizontally and wind rages at the end of March, the door closes at dusk, there is no way to keep spring from leaving. With tearful eyes I ask the flowers, but the flowers remain silent, as scattered petals fly past the swing."

Chen Changgeng was slightly taken aback after reading it.

He recognized the poem; it was by Ouyang Xiu and it was about a woman's lament.

However, upon closer reflection, there are subtle differences between the two poems. Could this have been written by Lin Wan'er?

This is, after all, the Great Wu Dynasty, not ancient times on Earth. Chen Changgeng said that the ancient people he was familiar with no longer exist.

With no reference points and no way to copy them, to be able to produce this, wow, impressive!

He read it carefully again, his gaze falling on the last two sentences.

"Tearful eyes ask the flowers, but the flowers remain silent; scattered petals fly past the swing."

This is hardly a lament of a woman confined to her quarters.

It's clearly a young girl's first love.

Chen Changgeng chuckled to himself.

This Lin Wan'er, who usually seems timid, is surprisingly thoughtful.

She couldn't say it directly, so she used this poem to express her admiration.

"Scattered petals fly past the swing," which probably describes her own restless and uncertain heart.

That's true. After all, their status was that of master and servant. Even if they didn't consummate their marriage, she was still a married woman.

Under the ethical norms of ancient times, Lin Wan'er's having such thoughts was enough to warrant condemnation, wasn't it?

"She's an interesting girl."

Chen Changgeng muttered something to himself, spread out a piece of paper, and began to revise it.

Since Lin Wan'er sent him her poem for his "critique," he had to give her some feedback.

Moreover, although the words are good, the word choice in a few places is a bit stiff, which shows that although effort was put in, the writer is not very proficient.

He changed two words and added a note to the side of the last sentence.

"This line is excellent, but the word 'swing' could be reconsidered. If it were replaced with 'curtain,' the imagery would be even more serene."

After he finished writing, he folded the stationery again, put it back in the envelope, and called Xiao Xizi, who was waiting outside the door.

"Send this to Consort Lin and tell her that I have read her poem, and that I like it very much."

"Consort Lin!?"

Xiao Xizi was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized who Chen Changgeng was talking about.

A look of surprise immediately appeared on his face. He hadn't expected that Manager Chen had even seduced Lin Wan'er!

Amazing!

At that moment, Xiao Xizi was filled with admiration!

"What are you thinking about? Hurry up and go!"

Xiao Xizi exclaimed "Hey!" and then quickly ran out.

Chen Changgeng shook his head and sat back down at the table.

He took out the "Secret Transmission of Sound" manual he had just obtained from Qin Lan and began to study it carefully.

Chen Changgeng estimated that only by mastering this secret method of transmitting sound would he be qualified to communicate with Qin Lan.

This woman is quite proud!

Such a profound technique as transmitting sound into secrets naturally requires focused concentration to cultivate.

As Chen Changgeng learned and tried things out, gesturing and practicing, time flew by, and he didn't even notice that it had already gotten dark outside the window.

Not long after, Azi pushed open the door and entered. She saw Chen Changgeng practicing his skills inside. She didn't want to disturb him, but she was curious about the way he was practicing. She went up to take a look and was immediately shocked.

"Secret telepathic transmission!"

The methods of transmitting sound into secrets vary among different sects in the martial arts world, but they are generally the same.

Although Azi was trained to be an assassin, she was ultimately an independent person without any sect or school, so naturally she didn't learn this skill.

Chen Changgeng mentioned it briefly last time, but she didn't think much of it. However, seeing Chen Changgeng secretly practicing today, she suddenly felt a little angry.

This guy has something good but he's keeping it from me!

It was this small exclamation that woke Chen Changgeng up.

With a "Holy crap!", Chen Changgeng turned his head and saw Azi looking resentful, and immediately gave an awkward smile.

"snort!"

Azi turned her head away angrily, sat on the bed, and sulked with her arms crossed.

Since Chen Changgeng wanted to keep it from her, she was unwilling to force herself to see it!

It's just telepathic communication, what's so special about it...

When Chen Changgeng saw that Azi was angry, he scratched his head. She was not easy to coax.

"Don't get me wrong, this is the payment that someone asked me to do for them."

"I'm asking you in advance to see if you want to change the payment."

"I figured you wouldn't know either, so I'm going back to share with you!"

Chen Changgeng quickly presented the secret manual of telepathic communication to Azi, putting on a humble and eager-to-learn appearance.

"I've looked at this several times and I still don't understand it. You're much smarter than me, why don't you take a look first?"

"Once you've learned it... can you teach me?"

Azi couldn't help but glance sideways. She knew the value of telepathic communication and gently bit her lip.

"Really? You're not lying to me?"

"How could I dare to lie to you? What if you suddenly get up in the middle of the night, pull out a knife, and stab me?"

"As my spouse, I wouldn't dare offend you, no matter who else I might offend!"

Chen Changgeng gave him a meaningful look.

"Who's your bedmate now?!"

"You, you'll be sleeping on the floor tonight!"

Azi blushed slightly, pretended to be angry, snatched the manual from Chen Changgeng's hand, and began to read it.