After swapping bodies with the princess, this prince slaughtered his way through the court and becam

Ren Jingxing returned to Hanzhang Palace and retrieved the letter from the Empress's Development Record.

The letter looked quite old; the envelope was yellowed and showed signs of wear.

Open the letter and begin reading:

...After the northern cities fall, the imperial court will surely be thrown into panic. At that time, the cities can be returned in exchange for a marriage alliance...

...I may propose that we send my fifteenth sister, who is only sixteen years old, to marry into a foreign land...

...I will volunteer to lead the army north as an envoy for the marriage alliance to escort the princess. Upon arriving in the north, I will make a promise to my soldiers...

...I have been having an affair with the Fifteenth Princess for a long time, and on the way to escort her, she will surely be carrying my flesh and blood.

...Please, Great Khan, treat this concubine well after the wedding ceremony and declare her your own daughter...

...When the time is ripe, we can use this son's bloodline to raise an army and march south. I will receive him in the court, and the world can be divided among us...

After reading the letter, Ren Jingxing was so shocked by the letter from the Fourth Prince Wei Mingchen that he was speechless.

It turns out that the Hu people's sudden attack on the northern border and their subsequent request for marriage were all instigated by the fourth prince!

First, they colluded with the Hu people to create the illusion of war, and then, as a second choice, they sought peace through marriage.

Then he had an affair with the princess in the harem, attempting to leave behind a bloodline.

Then they sent the fifteenth princess away for a marriage alliance, and used this opportunity to plan the army that would escort her!

Through this collusion between insiders and outsiders, they ultimately plotted to establish the Great Wei!

Ren Jingxing was so shocked that he was numb.

This is more than just radical!

That's absolutely insane!

While the other princes were still scheming for the position of crown prince, Wei Mingchen skipped the steps and attempted to seize the throne through war!

However, how is this any different from seeking help from a tiger?

Wouldn't a normal person first plot to usurp the crown prince's position, and only rebel after failing?

If this matter were to be widely publicized, it would be surprising to learn that Wei Mingchen, this "good-natured man," harbors such ambition.

I wonder how the court officials will react.

Ren Jingxing calmed himself down and began to think.

Now that he had the secret letter in hand, he knew some incredible news.

But how should this secret letter be used?

If we just spread the message, will anyone believe it?

Just then, the little maid Zhu'er rushed back:

"Princess! News from the Imperial Household Department says that all princesses with titles must attend court tomorrow."

The Imperial Clan Court officials, along with other important ministers, all had to attend court, and even the Empress herself was going!

Upon hearing this, Ren Jingxing immediately guessed the reason.

This suggests that the matter of the princess being sent to a foreign land for political reasons will likely be discussed publicly.

Ren Jingxing looked at Wei Mingchen's seal on the letter and made a plan in his mind.

If the letter could be delivered to the Minister's father, then it would be of use.

Just as Ren Jingxing made up his mind, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

That's not right. The letter states that the fifteenth princess, Wei Yunshang, is to be sent for a political marriage.

Why did the Hu people suddenly change their target to themselves?

Ren Jingxing pondered for a moment and then suddenly realized.

Could it be because he hinted at his discovery of the illicit affair between Wei Mingchen and Wei Yunshang while he was at the palace academy?

If that's the case, then Wei Mingchen still has connections with the Hu people!

"Pearl!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Go and call Xiao Fuzi here!"

……

The next morning, all the officials of the Great Wei were waiting in the side hall for the court session.

There were an unusually large number of people attending court this time, making the entire side hall quite crowded.

In addition to the original civil and military officials, the Grand Herald, the Director of the Imperial Clan Court, the Imperial Clan Court, and even the princes who still lived in the inner palace also came to the side hall!

The princesses needed to avoid suspicion, so they were not in the same side hall.

Some veteran officials who had long since faded from public life were also sitting in the side hall.

The side hall hadn't been this lively in a long time, and some officials who were good at conversation took the initiative to flatter it.

There were also some veteran officials who were unwilling to fade out of the political arena, and they were also making contact with different factions in the side hall.

The fourth prince, Wei Mingchen, looked around the hall, and some officials subtly winked at him.

"I still vividly remember how powerful and imposing Marquis Changxin was in the northern frontier back then."

An old man who had already retired from officialdom took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Marquis Changxin.

Marquis Changxin, Chu Yuanting, hurriedly bowed:

"So it's Lord Chen! My apologies for not recognizing you!"

The old man addressed as Lord Chen shook his head:

"It's so good to be a noble family like you, with your positions passed down through generations, living a carefree life."

Unlike us, who, having lost our official positions, can only retreat to the countryside.

Marquis Changxin's smile faded slightly, and he remained silent.

At this moment, Lord Chen looked at Marquis Xuanwei, Ren Bing, and asked in confusion:

"Who is this gentleman? He looks unfamiliar."

Ren Bing's expression changed slightly.

This old man is still restless even after retiring.

They came here specifically to slap me in the face.

At this moment, Marquis Anren, Zhang He, stepped forward and said with a forced smile:

"This is Lord Ren Bing, the Marquis of Xuanwei. Minister Chen retired early, and with the ever-changing political landscape of the court, it's normal that he doesn't recognize you."

Ren Bing cast a grateful glance at him, while Lord Chen looked grim.

Minister Chen laughed at Ren Bing's low rank, while Zhang He laughed at Minister Chen for retiring so early.

Just then, an old man arrived.

"So this is Lord Ren. I never expected him to be so close to Lord Anren and Lord Changxin."

Some of the elderly people did indeed come to have a relationship with Ren Bingpan.

They truly hadn't expected that Marquis Xuanwei, who was almost kicked out of the court, would actually squeeze back into the circle of the top elites.

However, many of the visitors did not recognize Ren Bing, which indeed shows that the Ren family was on the fringes of the powerful and influential in the capital.

However, the promotion of Marquis Xuanwei's status was genuine.

Apart from some retired officials who came to chat.

The people from the Ministry of Revenue were noticeably more enthusiastic towards Ren Bing.

Moreover, this enthusiasm was not because of Marquis Anren or Marquis Changxin, but because of Ren Bing himself.

"Marquis Ren's waterwheel truly benefits the country and its people!"

"It's not just beneficial to the country and its people. The problem of people paying taxes can be solved, and the national treasury doesn't need to spend too much money."

"Marquis Ren's waterwheel has made things much easier for our entire Ministry of Revenue!"

If Ren Bing during the salt administration period could only rely on his relationships with Marquis Anren and Marquis Changxin, then...

After the waterwheel incident, the relationship between Ren Bing and the Ministry of Revenue was based on genuine mutual benefit.

Even without Marquis Anren and others, the Ministry of Revenue would still actively seek to befriend Marquis Xuanwei.

"Hmph! It's nothing but a clever and cunning trick!"

An old man suddenly snorted disdainfully.

Marquis Anren, Zhang He, whispered:

"This is Consort Hua's father, Lord Xuanping Boding."

Consort Hua was the mother of the fourth prince, and Marquis Anren was the empress's younger brother.

Therefore, the relationship between Marquis Anren and Earl Xuanping was rather ordinary.

The Earl of Xuanping's hostility was mainly directed at the Marquis of Anren.

However, Empress Zhang did not give birth to a son.

Therefore, even Marquis Anren was reluctant to offend Earl Xuanping.

After all, it remains to be seen who will ultimately ascend the throne.

However, while Xun Gui had this concern, the civil officials did not.

Pan Yue, the Vice Minister of Revenue, immediately retorted:

"Hmph, is the Marquis of Anren's waterwheel some kind of ingenious and frivolous trick?"

What are the "beauty paper" and "beauty bowl" of the Earl of Xuanping?

Is this a bright path that benefits the country and its people?

The Earl of Xuanping immediately turned red in the face:

"Insolence! You're spouting nonsense!"

Pan Yue snorted coldly and said disdainfully:

"It's fortunate I'm not in the Censorate, otherwise I would have exposed your deeds to the public!"

In the Great Wei Dynasty, the civil officials were the least afraid of being granted official titles and honors.

Civil officials could not pass their positions down through generations, but they all banded together as scholars to attack the powerful and influential.

What you love to do most is stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at Xun Gui.

Xuanping Bo left in anger, and Pan Yue and the other civil officials also bowed and left.

For civil officials, Ren Bing could show goodwill, but there was no need for him to fawn over them.

Besides these people, there were others who expressed goodwill or malice towards Ren Mian to varying degrees.

Ren Bing was still somewhat puzzled as to why Lady Zhang, the maternal relative of the Seventh Prince, seemed to harbor some hostility towards him.

He remembered that there was no conflict between the Ren family and the Seventh Prince.

The side hall was still bustling with activity, because there were so many people attending the meeting, and they all arrived quite early.

The emperor specially arranged for the Imperial Kitchen to prepare breakfast for the officials.

One by one, eunuchs dressed in blue robes, carrying lunch boxes, poured into the side hall.

The short-statured Fu Zi walked at the door, her eyes darting around, searching for Ren Bing's figure.