We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

"Why is Fourth Brother interested in that position?" King Qin looked at Li Lin in surprise. "That shouldn't be the case. You and Sixth Brother are as close as brothers. Why would you compete with him?"

Although Li Lin was a political idiot, he knew that such words should not be spoken carelessly. He immediately glared at him and scolded him:

"Don't talk nonsense. Sixth Brother is loyal to our father and the court. How could he have such a rebellious thought?"

"Alright, we're brothers, and we all know each other." The King of Qin looked at Li Lin with disdain and sneered, "How come you've become as hypocritical as the scholars?"

"Destroyed the Khitan, destroyed the Goryeo, and pacified the Shiwei. The Sixth Brother is so powerful! Even my father came to Fengguo in person, and the military heroes praised him highly."

"That former Yu... cough cough cough, he's now the Supreme General of Tiance, the leader of all the kings. You're telling me he has no thoughts? Are you kidding me?!"

Li Lin silently clenched his fists and thought, anyway, Sixth Brother only asked me to beat someone up, but didn't say who specifically to beat up.

It’s one thing to beat those ministers, and it’s also one to beat that bastard, so it’s better to beat him right here.

The King of Qin seemed to sense Li Lin's ill intentions and subconsciously dodged to the side. He said nervously, "Are you going to attack me, kid?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the guards beside the King of Qin approached Li Lin vigilantly.

Qu Jinshan and Kuoqi also held the hilts of their swords, and a group of Fengguo knights slowly walked behind Li Lin.

Li Lin looked at King Qin deeply and gave up the idea of ​​beating him up on the spot.

His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, known as the 'King of Chivalry', may be the one among all the princes of Daqing who values ​​family ties the most.

If he wasn't forced to do so, he wouldn't want to attack his brother, even if that brother was a jerk enough.

Li Lin waved his hand, signaling Qu Jinshan and the others to withdraw, and then whispered to the King of Qin:

"When I saw you a year ago, you were not like this.

At that time, you were jumping up and down like a ram in heat, and even I, who was not good at planning, could see clearly your desire for the throne.

Don't tell me that in just one year, your temperament has changed so much!"

Hearing Li Lin's words, King Qin was slightly startled and waved his hand to let the guards retreat.

“I was like that before, so what?

I am the Prince of Qin in Daqing, Your Majesty's biological son. Although I am not the eldest son, I am the oldest prince under the Crown Prince!

I was born into an imperial family, and am the eldest of the princes. Since the crown prince died young, it is God's will that the second son inherit the throne!

Why can't I sit on that supreme throne?"

Although the King of Qin spoke in a low voice, his tone was passionate. Fortunately, the guards around him were all competent people, and no one eavesdropped or looked back.

However, he quickly realized his own gaffe and lowered his voice again:

"You came too late. You have no idea what's going on in the court. The Crown Prince..."

King Yan took a breath and shook his head:

"You think... you think Father really needs an heir?

Just chess pieces, we...are all just chess pieces he uses to balance the political situation! You, me, the Crown Prince...we are all the same!

I advise you not to have any extra thoughts. Is the position of Crown Prince really that easy to sit on?"

Suddenly, a strange smile appeared on King Yan's face.

"Of course, if the emperor really wants you to be the crown prince, you can't escape!

I know Lao Liu is a smart man and has given you advice a long time ago. You can think of yourself as smart people, but you can't think of us as fools!

Do you think I didn't try to defile myself? Do you think the third brother didn't do the same thing?"

Li Lin's body shook violently, as if hit by an invisible hammer.

What the King of Qin said was unexpected and did not sound like something he would say at all.

Looking at the King of Qin whose temperament had changed drastically in front of him, Li Lin had no intention of mocking him, only a chill that went through his heart.

What did the second brother see and experience in Beijing to become what he is now?

He was a notorious rogue among the princes, with a bad temper and a stubborn streak. Last year, the sixth brother and I beat him for nearly half an hour, but we still couldn't defeat him.

Seeing Li Lin's silence, the King of Qin seemed to have lost the desire to talk, and said the last sentence lightly:

"Alright, fourth brother. You've rested enough. Come back to the palace quickly. Father is waiting."

Li Lin frowned, glanced at the expressionless King of Qin, jumped on his horse and headed towards the city gate.

The King of Qin also mounted his horse with his guards, but did not get too close, just following Li Lin from a distance.

The streets of the imperial capital are still crowded with people and bustling with noise.

The shouts of peddlers, the clatter of cart wheels, the fluttering sleeves of Hu women...

However, none of this mundane atmosphere of the city could penetrate the heart of Prince Li Lin of Yan.

The air was heavy, making one feel stuffy in the chest.

People on the street go about their business as usual, with the usual numbness or anxiety of struggling to make a living on their faces.

They had no idea what kind of power turmoil was brewing in the palace, which was enough to overthrow the entire empire.

But Li Lin knew. Not only did he know, he also saw those low-ranking officials who were moving among the crowd and occasionally passed by him.

Li Lin could clearly see the deep fear hidden beneath the officials' downcast faces.

No one dared to make a mistake at this time, no one dared to talk or laugh loudly, and even the footsteps seemed to be deliberately lowered, for fear of disturbing something and bringing about a catastrophic disaster.

As they approached the imperial city, the flow of people became increasingly dense, and Li Lin's eyes habitually swept across the crowds of people.

Suddenly, a figure came into his sight.

It was a young boy in a half-worn blue cloth shirt, struggling to squeeze out from behind a street stall.

The servant's face was filled with anxiety, his eyes were fixed on Li Lin, and his lips moved silently, as if he wanted to say something.

Li Lin's heart sank suddenly. It was someone from his father-in-law Zhu Chun's house!

The servant boy obviously also saw the gaze given by Li Lin, and his intention to struggle became more obvious, almost rushing over desperately.

However, the moment he took a step, he seemed to be locked by an invisible cold poisonous snake.

The servant froze instantly, and the blood color on his face faded away, leaving only a deathly pale color.

Li Lin didn't even need to look back to know who was there.

King Qin, his good second brother.

After entering the city, he rode his horse and followed closely behind, neither too far nor too close, like a leech on the tarsal bone.

"Damn it." Li Lin whispered.

I should have realized long ago that the King of Qin came out of the city to greet me not because of the deep brotherly love between them.

He came here to cut off his connection with the outside world and isolate himself from any news that might reach his ears.

What exactly happened in the palace? Even this reckless man started to use conspiracy and intrigue?

The carriage rumbled past the shadow of the huge gate of the imperial city and drove into the wide imperial road in front of the imperial city.

The towering vermilion palace walls on both sides stretched straight into the distance, like two huge and cold bloodstains, cutting through the gray sky. Every few feet on the top of the wall stood the figures of palace guards.

"Fourth brother, thank you for your hard work on the journey." A low and familiar voice sounded in front of Li Lin.

Li Lin pulled the reins and slowly lowered his head.

Prince Jin stood at the city gate in a white robe, still with the same unchanging cold expression, his eyes fell on Li Lin's face like two cold probes.

"Thank you, Third Brother, for coming to greet me." Li Lin met King Jin's gaze without avoiding it.

"The Emperor is concerned about my eldest brother's condition and fourth brother's distant position in the frontier. He has specially ordered me to wait here and bring you to the palace for an audience immediately." He paused, his voice lowered. "The city is full of mixed people, with many spies. Fourth brother, of noble status, it is best not to interact with irrelevant people, so as not to displease the Emperor."

Unrelated people, etc.?

Li Lin turned around and looked at King Qin, sneering in his heart.

The King of Jin was waiting at the gate of the imperial palace, and the King of Qin followed closely behind. The two men were called guides, but in fact they were guarding him.

It was to ensure that he entered the palace like a blind and deaf man, knowing nothing.

So, what does my father-in-law want to tell me?

The Crown Prince's true condition? The prevailing sentiment in the court? Or... the Emperor's unfathomable heart?

Every guess was like a heavy stone, weighing down Li Lin's heart, making him feel more and more suffocated.

"Fourth brother, please come in." The voice of King Jin, neither happy nor sad, sounded again.

Li Lin looked at him deeply, took a deep breath, and stepped into the imperial city.

The King of Qin and the King of Jin looked at each other and followed him.

However, Qu Jinshan and other guards could only stop here.

Li Lin looked behind him and saw that martial law had been enforced near the imperial city. There was no sign of the night watchmen and no place for them to hide.

Li Che once said that the Night's Watch can go anywhere in the world except the Imperial City.

Li Lin understood that he could only rely on himself from now on.

Entering the imperial city, the atmosphere became even more depressing.

The overlapping eaves of the palace are like the bony spine of a monster, silently piercing the sky with rolling dark clouds.

The eunuchs and palace maids passing by were all in a hurry. They only dared to salute the three princes from a distance and did not dare to linger on them for a moment.

Li Lin looked towards the Yangxin Pavilion in the distance, frowned slightly, and asked, "Where is my father?"

"Eastern Palace." Prince Jin replied.

Li Lin was shocked: "Why are you in the East Palace?"

Prince Jin shook his head and stopped. "Fourth brother, I will take you here. Father is waiting for you in the East Palace."

After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the imperial city without waiting for Li Lin's reply.

The King of Qin stood beside him, hesitantly glanced at Li Lin, then said softly, "Go ahead. Neither you nor I can escape."

Li Lin looked at the two people's backs with a serious expression as they disappeared from his sight, and then walked towards the East Palace.

An old eunuch appeared in front of him at some point and led the way silently.

This old eunuch was not Huang Jin, but a stranger that Li Lin had never seen before. He had been in the palace for more than ten years since he was a child, and he knew almost all the famous eunuchs in the palace.

The fact that he has lived to this age and still has not left the palace shows that this old eunuch has an extraordinary status, but Li Lin has no impression of him at all.

The two men walked to the gate of the East Palace, one in front and the other behind. The door was half open, and there was no guard waiting outside.

Li Lin sniffed and smelled a faint stench coming from the palace.

"Your Highness, please come in." The old eunuch said in a hoarse voice.