Due to this matter, Emperor Jingping had an impression of Shen Chen and only then remembered that the State Preceptor had returned to the capital for quite some time and had not been summoned to the palace for a chat. Instead of picking a date, he sent for the State Preceptor to enter the palace right after finishing his conversation with his two sons in the Imperial Garden.

Being an emperor is not easy, having to deal with this issue at one moment and that issue the next.

If there is a minor conflict between officials in the court, a memorial has to be submitted as a complaint...

When a minister encounters an unpleasant matter, they can at least discuss it with brothers, wives, or servants.

However, as the Emperor, when wronged, should he talk to a eunuch? Or with a concubine?

At this time, the State Preceptor became the emperor’s confidant~

Not only able to vent grievances without spreading outside but also receive patient comfort...

...

The Third Prince, Li Shu, titled Prince An, was nearly forty. Compared to previous years, he appeared even older and haggard, with hair partly gray and black, a hooked nose, a mustache, and a fierce appearance that made others fear him unconsciously.

Over the years, he secretly recruited and gathered a significant amount of military power. At the same time, he established the elusive Yama Hall to assassinate officials he had conflicts with and eliminate dissidents.

At this moment, Prince An was dressed in a Dragon Robe, comfortably seated in a secret chamber, with several people respectfully standing before him.

"Prince An, what should we do next?"

The speaker was a refined, middle-aged man with a goatee, wearing a dark gray twelve-panel robe embroidered with orchids, a gray square cap on his head, and a thin face.

His name was Xu Yinming, the think tank of Prince An, and he was currently asking for the master’s instructions for the next move.

The fall of Jiyin Village has been spreading wildly. It would have been fine before, but not long ago, Jiyin Village had just agreed to join Yama Hall under Prince An’s command, and within days, the news of the village’s destruction spread. Prince An’s Mansion had no choice but to gather key figures to discuss the direction.

Li Shu’s face also turned sour: "Are you the think tank or am I the think tank? When something like this happens, don’t you come up with a solution immediately? I really raised a bunch of incompetents, lying low for so many years, yet accomplishing nothing, all because of you drunkards and gluttons."

Silence enveloped the scene.

The other officials standing around exchanged worried glances, not daring to speak.

The room inside the secret chamber was large, with several famous calligraphy copies piled up on the large marble desk made of pear wood. Judging by the handwriting, two of them were from the calligraphy master Zou Lan. There were three treasured inkstones, several wolf hair brushes, and a brush pot... The large porcelain plate of official kiln was placed at the farthest corner.

On the south wall hung a painting of eight galloping horses, majestically running across the grasslands, painted vividly~

The luminous pearl lit up the chamber as bright as day, without revealing it was a secret chamber.

Xu Yinming bowed and stepped forward, saying: "Prince, this matter came too suddenly. Jiyin Village offended an unknown expert and was destroyed. I secretly examined their injuries; it seems it was done by one person. Does the Prince remember a man named Zhao Jun, who is now a steward at the Minister’s Mansion?"

Prince An replied: "I remember. Are you suggesting it might be him?"

Hidden Guard Wang Mao, standing behind Prince An, had a gleam in his eyes, as he also remembered that man. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Before the think tank could speak, Prince An narrowed his eyes and answered on his own: "Impossible, he was crippled back then. As far as I know, the people in Jiyin Village are not ordinary; the fact that he could single-handedly defeat them is too far-fetched."

Wang Mao walked forward, knelt on one knee, with solemnity.

"For unknown reasons, Wu Canyang from Medicine King Valley has already healed him. Now, he is no different from a normal person."