She married a dying prince and she won three babies.

"Thank you, ***." He didn't say too many unrealistic words.

The grace given by the noble man comes next.

"Okay, Xiangling, you brought him back. Please pay attention to what he needs. Find him some suitable books so he can concentrate on studying for the exam. We only have a dozen days, so don't waste it."

"Yes, mother." Hua Xiangling gladly accepted the task. She also wanted to see how capable this scholar was.

-

After dinner, the prince and Shangguan Ziqi went to the study in the outer courtyard to discuss something.

"Ever since your wife mentioned that the Third Prince might be named Crown Prince, I have sent An Shi to lead several secret guards to keep an eye on the Third Prince.

Since returning to Beijing, he has been in contact with the owner of a restaurant.

An Shi investigated the owner of the restaurant, but couldn't find any details about him.

He was forty-two years old, had no family, only a few servants and waiters, and there was no record of him leaving Beijing.

In other words, he was born and raised in Beijing.

His identity was recorded in the government office as he fled to Beijing with his parents 35 years ago. After his parents died, he grew up alone in the capital by begging, then worked to earn money and opened a small restaurant.

The restaurant's business wasn't particularly impressive. The profit was barely enough to support him and a few of his employees. None of his employees had families, either. This alone made him suspicious.

An Shi wanted to follow this boss named Li Hongcang, but he lost him every time. This shows that this person is not simple.

And today, he sent people to follow the third prince and found that the two of them met again.

But because they were talking in a dark room, the people following them didn't know what they were talking about and didn't dare to get close.

The prince took what Yu Yuanzheng said very seriously.

Now Shangguan Ziqi has taken over the prince's military affairs and has to go to the military camp outside the city every day to handle some military affairs. Until now, his seal of command has not been handed over.

After all, having just returned from the border, there were still many military matters to attend to. For example, they had to reorganize the troops. At that time, they had transferred the troops from more than a dozen prefectures across the country to the capital. There was also the resettlement of wounded soldiers on the battlefield.

After a great war, it was the biggest test for the Wei army, whether it was the people, the operation of the military camp, or the weapons.

Since the bomb is to be used as military equipment, research must continue.

There are quite a lot of things to do.

"Father, do you mean that this person might be a powerful force?"

"That's right, and he's relying on the Third Prince. If this person is truly capable, then the Third Prince could potentially be crowned Crown Prince through some means."

After hearing this, Shangguan Ziqi frowned.

"Father, I think the best way is to capture him all at once, leaving him no chance of recovery. If we can't completely crush the Third Prince once and for all, there will likely be trouble in the future. This is because my aunt is too ambitious. She will do everything she can to push the Third Prince into a trap."

"You mean we don't have to worry about it? Any development?" The prince raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that we don't need to care, but we need to find out what the Third Prince and this person are planning. We need to prepare a strategy to deal with it.

If we tell the emperor directly that the third prince has behaved improperly, the emperor will at most suppress him.

Which prince wouldn't build his own power after leaving the palace? The Third Prince was merely absorbing some of the forces in the capital. As long as they didn't cause any major trouble, the Emperor would probably turn a blind eye.

However, we need to investigate this person named Li Hongcang in detail to find out who he is. My son suspects that he may be the power that Canglan has developed in the Great Wei.

Shangguan Ziqi thought of his deceased Aunt Wang and Third Uncle. Perhaps these were the men they had left behind.

Of course, there are some other forces in the capital, but they generally do not participate in the court disputes. There are also some merchants who want to cooperate with the prince, seek protection, and do business.

"Well, you have a point. You should discuss this matter with the eldest prince. Ask him to be more vigilant and not fall into the trap of the third prince. Always bring enough guards with you when you go out.

"You should also deal with your military affairs as soon as possible and hand over the seal of command to the emperor. I will arrange for the investigation of this person."

The prince felt that this matter was more important.

"Yes."

"Also, the Emperor will be offering sacrifices to the Heaven on the eighth day of the eighth month. Protecting the Emperor is of primary importance. You will be responsible for the safety of the concubines, princes, and princesses, and I will accompany the Emperor."

"Okay. Father, the eldest prince was crippled after the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony, on his way back. Do you think this could be another opportunity for someone to take advantage of him?"

"You are right. The emperor usually does not leave the palace, so it is difficult for them to have a chance. There are still more than two months left, so I will find out more." The prince felt that it was very likely.

The next day, after returning to the city from the army, Shangguan Ziqi went to the eldest prince's mansion.

At this time, the eldest prince had already received an assignment from the Ministry of War.

The Minister of War is the father-in-law of the third prince.

The time was too short, and the eldest prince had not yet established his own network in the Ministry of War.

He left the yamen early and returned home.

"Ziqi, there was something fishy about the incident where Princess Zhenguo and County Lady Xiangling rescued someone yesterday." After the two of them sat down, the eldest prince got straight to business.

Since returning to the capital, he began to arrange his own personnel and keep an eye on the second and third princes.

When the two of them saw me standing up, it was impossible for them not to take action.

Although he is the legitimate prince, he has no mother.

In terms of strength, the three are equally matched.

It depends on who has more supporters.

If the emperor wants to appoint a crown prince, he must also listen to the opinions of his ministers.

"What did Your Highness find out?" Shangguan Ziqi didn't pay attention to this matter.

"I suspect someone is using the scientific examination to create trouble."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Prince Rong's Mansion only cares about the war and doesn't pay much attention to literature unless the emperor arranges it.

"I got the victim Miao Bingwen's essay from my aunt. He did quite well. He shouldn't have been last. He should have been in the top 50, or even higher. So, it's very likely someone switched his exam paper."

"Is there a loophole in the scientific examination management?" Shangguan Ziqi asked in surprise.

Every imperial examination is the most concerned by students all over the world. If someone takes advantage of a loophole and causes students who should have passed the exam to fail, while some mediocre people are allowed to enter the court, that would be unacceptable.

"should be."

"Your Highness suspects that Miao Bingwen may have been murdered to silence him, preventing him from entering the palace to take the palace examination?"

"Yes. I suspect that the person whose exam paper was switched didn't expect to pass the imperial examination, and it just happened to fall into Miao Bingwen's hands, giving him the opportunity to participate in the palace examination.

If you fail to make the list, you may be less likely to be exposed.

Once he takes the palace examination, he will be unable to hide it, and only death can prevent him from entering the palace."

"Your Highness, have you found any evidence?" Shangguan Ziqi felt that the eldest prince's analysis made sense.

"No, it's just my guess." The eldest prince has been back in Beijing for too little time, and he doesn't have time to pay attention to too much in a short time.

"Your Highness's analysis makes a lot of sense. Then please ask Your Highness to talk to Miss Huining and make sure Miao Bingwen is well protected and allowed to complete the palace examination smoothly. Expose all the conspiracies to the light of day. The Emperor will be furious and will surely order a thorough investigation."

"Well, that's all we can do for now."

"Your Highness, who do you think did it?" Although Shangguan Ziqi also had suspicions, he had no evidence.

"The second or third brother could be involved, or there is also suspicion of frame-up." The eldest prince thought of two possibilities.

"That is, deliberate cheating to frame someone else." Shangguan Ziqi also thought of this possibility.

This is really treating scientific examinations as a joke.