If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

Now that both families are burdened with injustice, Xi Lingxian, fearing he might back down, immediately softened her expression.

"You...you really think something's wrong with the Prince of Chenliu?"

Wang Jue's expression was meaningful. "You think he's quite right?"

"No. I can't tell," she said honestly.

He grunted, "I would find it strange if you could tell."

Xi Lingxian gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, fine, you're amazing."

"If all of this was truly the work of the Prince of Chenliu, then his cunning is truly unfathomable. Can we handle him?"

Wang Jue turned her head slightly. "Who are you asking about? Your father or me?"

Xi Lingxian looked impatient. "Now the two families are practically tied to each other. If even your Wang family can't handle this, our family's situation will only get worse."

"Tell me the truth, if you were to face the King of Chenliu, what are your chances of winning?"

Wang Jue's expression was grim, yet somewhat bewildered.

"Say something!" Xi Lingxian was afraid that something might happen to her family and her father and brothers.

"They can't do anything to me, but it's a different story for you."

"...What do you mean?"

Wang Jue: "The reason they only dare to shoot arrows from behind is because they are afraid that our two families will be forced to unite to purge the court of corrupt officials. After all, one side has power and the other has troops, so changing the dynasty is not out of the question."

Xi Lingxian frowned. "You want to be the emperor?"

"You want to be the empress?" he asked disdainfully, arms crossed.

"What does it have to do with me?" Xi Lingxian didn't have that much ambition.

Wang Jueyou never concealed his inherent ambition and desires.

He didn't not want to sit on that dragon throne, but he couldn't.

There are dozens of large and small aristocratic families in the world; maintaining balance is the way to live a normal life.

Whoever becomes emperor will become the target of public criticism.

Human nature cannot withstand tests; it will not invite trouble upon itself.

Seeing that he remained silent, Xi Lingxian assumed that he was unsure of himself in facing the Prince of Chenliu.

"I have an idea."

"The dagger, my second uncle's affairs, the assassination of the Prince of Huainan's heir, and the Prince of Chenliu are all tangled together in a mess, and it will be extremely difficult to investigate them thoroughly."

Wang Jue's brow twitched slightly: "What are you trying to say?"

"I want to help you. I want to find out the truth about this miscarriage of justice as soon as possible, and clear the name of the Xi family and me."

His gaze was deep: "How can we help?"

Xi Lingxian hesitated for a moment, "The Prince of Chenliu is currently in charge of the investigation, and he is the most suspicious person right now; if we can start with him, we might be able to find some clues and evidence of his crimes; he is a member of the imperial family, and there are many things we can't deal with forcefully, but if I get to know him better, maybe we can—"

"Get to know each other better?" Wang Jue interrupted her, his expression as cold and icy as a deep winter pool.

Without giving it much thought, Xi Lingxian continued, "Yes, I deliberately tested him today. I think I have a chance, and perhaps I can use this to my advantage—"

"Use him?" Wang Jue's eyes were sharp and deep. "How will you use him? What do you plan to offer in exchange for his trust?"

His brows were furrowed, and his lips were pressed into a thin line.

"What's wrong? I'm talking to you about something important."

"You call this serious business?"

"Can you please let me finish what I have to say?"

Xi Lingxian tried her best to keep her voice steady: "To put it simply, it's a honey trap. I can maintain contact with him, gain his trust, and then work with you from the inside—"

"An inside-outside collusion?" Wang Jue's voice suddenly became almost out of control. "Who used you as an inside-outside colluder?"

Xi Lingxian was startled and stood there stunned.

Wang Jue's pupils trembled slightly, each word carrying a chilling sense of oppression, "Honey trap? How did you even come up with that?"

Xi Lingxian felt looked down upon. "What do you mean?"

Wang Jue really wanted to crack open her head and see what was inside.

From his expression, Xi Lingxian was certain that he truly despised her.

We didn't see eye to eye.

"Never mind what I said."

She lifted her foot and walked away.

"It's time for lunch now."

He suddenly said in a nonchalant tone.

Xi Lingxian was somewhat confused. "Huh?"

"Those who came to offer condolences haven't eaten or drunk anything. Is this how the Xi family treats its guests?"

Xi Lingxian was completely confused.

Knowing that she would have to rely on him to investigate the case and deal with the Prince of Chenliu, she forced herself not to turn against him.

He instructed the kitchen to send over a meal, which was then set up separately in the main hall.

He ate at a leisurely pace, his manners refined and elegant.

Separated by a screen, Xi Lingxian sat on a soft couch behind the screen.

Through the silhouette on the screen, it seemed as if she was holding a book and reading it.

Wang Jue was puzzled.

"Do you regret it?" he asked from behind the screen.

"...What?"

"The changes in my life began with your refusal to marry me."

Xi Lingxian paused for a moment, then said calmly and firmly, "No regrets."

"Having more setbacks and experiences in life is not a bad thing, but marriage is a lifelong commitment, and once you get involved, it's hard to get out."

Wang Jue's eyes narrowed slightly.

He himself didn't know how much of the affection he had for his wife from their past life remained.

Family ties always exist, but they are not the only ones.

……

Jiankang Palace

The King of Huainan and the King of Chenliu stood guard together before the emperor's bed.

The emperor was delirious, spending most of the day in a coma, muttering, "I have no face to see my ancestors."

The King of Huainan, a man over forty years old, had red eyes.

Since the southward migration of the elite and the decline of imperial power, with powerful families in power, even though he never believed in divine retribution, he would occasionally wonder if this was truly retribution for the Gaopingling Incident.

The Prince of Chenliu personally served him medicine.

The emperor knew his days were numbered, the crown prince had been deposed, and the second prince was too young. He wanted to choose a virtuous successor from among the princes of the imperial clan.

The supreme ruler, who wouldn't be tempted?

But the King of Huainan did not.

The emperor under the control of powerful families is merely a puppet, and the slightest misstep could cost him his life.

The King of Huainan strongly recommended the King of Chenliu, praising him as young, promising, courageous, and resourceful, who would surely be able to restore the Xiao family's empire.

The emperor noticed the fear in the Prince of Huainan's eyes and did not force him, especially since he already favored the Prince of Chenliu.

The following morning at court, the emperor, despite his illness, proposed to appoint the Prince of Chenliu as the crown prince.

The emperor had not consulted with Wang Dun and other officials of the Secretariat beforehand, catching the heads of the powerful families off guard.

Compared to the younger and more easily controlled Second Prince, the Prince of Chenliu clearly had too many uncontrollable and dangerous factors.

Before Grand Commandant Wang Dun could even speak, officials from the Secretariat eagerly submitted their objections.

It is said that Your Majesty has a prince to inherit the throne, but instead chooses to establish a member of the imperial clan, which is contrary to the rites and patriarchal laws; moreover, the second prince is a descendant of the previous emperor, and no matter what his future qualities may be, the next emperor will not tolerate him.

The ministers advised the emperor to leave a way out for the second prince.

Although the Wang family did not directly voice their opposition, the voices of opposition from their protégés and former subordinates who relied on the Wang family's support rose one after another.

They represent the Wang family.

The usually weak emperor was quite firm this time, saying that the second prince was of mediocre talent and not as intelligent and decisive as the Prince of Chenliu, and therefore not capable of shouldering great responsibilities; as for the second prince, he could be adopted into the lineage of the Prince of Chenliu.

Xi Rui stood behind Wang Jue, leaned forward, and whispered, "Has the emperor gone mad? He's not going to pass the throne to his own son?"

Wang Jue remained silent.

The old emperor, nearing his end, has become more assertive.

Xi Rui: "Although I haven't had much contact with this Prince of Chenliu, I have a vague feeling that he's not someone to be trifled with. Brother Qingyu, you won't just let him get away with this, will you?"

Wang Jue glanced at Yu Liang behind Wang Dun and chuckled, "Someone's more anxious than me."

Xi Rui let out a soft "ah".

Despite the verbal and written criticisms from officials of the Secretariat, the emperor was not persuaded, and Yu Liang, the then Director of the Secretariat, simply rejected the edict.

The reason is simple: Yu Liang is the Second Prince's maternal uncle.

With the second prince ascending the throne, his status will surely rise accordingly. If it were someone like the Prince of Chenliu, what hope would he have?

The emperor had never anticipated that Yu Liang, whom he had personally promoted, would stand opposite him at this crucial moment. His face turned ashen, and he nearly coughed up his lungs.

Yu Liang ignored him.

The Yu family rose to power through the maternal relatives of the emperor. He was supported by the emperor to deal with the Wang and Xie families. Now that he has used them, he wants to kick them aside. It's not that easy.