The carefree sixth prince, my father respectfully invites me to ascend the throne.

When Murong Jin saw Linglong, he frowned in displeasure. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a cold and impatient tone.

Linglong lowered her eyes and said respectfully, "Princess, His Majesty is very angry about the Second Young Master's imprisonment and has ordered me to bring him back at all costs." After speaking, she raised her head again and looked at Murong Jin, "Please let me go and bring the Second Young Master back as soon as possible, Princess."

Upon hearing this, Murong Jin smiled sarcastically and said, "So impatient?"

"This servant is only following orders, and I hope the princess will not make things difficult for me." Linglong did not show the slightest displeasure, but instead appeared sincere.

Murong Jin snorted coldly, "Report back to Father Emperor, and I will find a way to get him to release Yang Ling after some time."

Linglong frowned upon hearing this. "Princess, His Majesty has been unwell lately, so he has been particularly fond of the Second Prince. If you were to disobey His Majesty's will at this time, I'm afraid..." She hadn't finished speaking, but her intention was already very clear.

Upon hearing this, Murong Jin raised her delicate eyebrows. "How is Father Emperor's health? Should we summon the imperial physician to treat him?"

"His Majesty was just having a sudden whim. He drank a cup of hot tea to calm his nerves, and he'll be fine in a few days."

Murong Jin nodded upon hearing this, "In that case, I'll trouble you to take care of Father's illness. As for Yang Ling, I won't trouble you with that."

Linglong's expression changed upon hearing this. "What does the princess mean by this?"

“What I mean is, you should stay in the palace and serve Father Emperor during this time,” Murong Jin said slowly.

Upon hearing this, Linglong's eyes widened, and she blurted out, "No! How can this servant abandon the Emperor?"

Murong Jin glanced at her. "So, are you going to abandon your second brother?"

Linglong was stunned for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Don't compare the Second Young Master with the Second Master!"

Murong Jin shrugged and spread his hands, "I never said I was comparing myself to my second brother."

"You!" Linglong was furious upon hearing this, but in the end, she managed to suppress her anger. She was the emperor's woman, and apart from obeying the emperor's orders, she could not disobey anyone else's.

Linglong gritted her teeth and knelt down, "Please grant my request, Princess."

Murong Jin sighed and said earnestly, "Linglong, your father has treated you well; you should repay his kindness."

Upon hearing this, Linglong's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition surged into her mind. Could it be that the princess had discovered something? Impossible! Back at the temple, she had personally heard the princess say that she wanted to leave the Prince of Yan's mansion, and that very night the princess had even argued with the prince.

Thinking of this, Linglong forced herself to remain calm and said, "This servant is foolish and does not know what the princess is referring to."

Murong Jin stood up and walked up to her, looking down at her. "Linglong, how long have you been serving Father Emperor?"

Linglong's heart raced. "I have been serving His Majesty in the palace since I was seven years old, and it has been ten years now."

Ten years...that's practically a veteran. Murong Jin lowered her eyes, looking at the exquisite makeup, and thought to herself that Murong Lin was quite willing to spend money.

However, Murong Sheng's confidants have been with him for far more than just ten years.

“Linglong, you’ve made a mistake this time and angered Father. Do you think he will still believe you?” Murong Jin looked directly into her eyes and reminded her word by word.

Upon hearing this, Linglong's heart tightened. "This servant dares not betray His Majesty."

"Then do you dare to betray me?" Murong Jin approached Linglong, pressing her step by step, his eyes sharp as if he wanted to pierce her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Linglong's pupils constricted, and her body trembled uncontrollably. She dared not...

"Princess, spare me!" Linglong finally couldn't take it anymore and knelt down on the ground, begging for mercy.

Seeing this, Murong Jin withdrew his intimidating aura and resumed his lazy and casual demeanor. "I have no intention of killing you. After all, you are just following orders."

Upon hearing this, Linglong collapsed to the ground as if relieved, tears welling in her eyes, and choked out, "Thank you, Princess."

Murong Jin shook his head slightly. "Get up. Since you have chosen your second brother, then you should assist him well from now on."

Linglong wiped away her tears, stood up, and said firmly, "This servant will do everything in my power to help the Second Young Master ascend to the position of Crown Prince!"

Murong Jin chuckled upon hearing this, his eyes revealing appreciation. "Very good."

"Linglong doesn't understand what the princess is saying."

Murong Jin raised an eyebrow. "What I mean is, my second brother is my only younger brother. I absolutely will not allow anyone to damage his reputation, much less allow anyone to bully him. So, you must protect my second brother."

Linglong nodded vigorously upon hearing this, "This servant understands."

Murong Jin nodded in satisfaction and waved for Linglong to leave.

After Linglong left, Murong Jin was left alone in the room. She narrowed her eyes and asked, "Yang Ling, what kind of scheme are you planning to pull?"

After being captured by Murong Sheng, Yang Ling stayed quietly in her courtyard to recover from her injuries, occasionally accompanying Yang Yuhuan to banquets, and lived a very peaceful life.

Although Murong Jin was puzzled, she did not interfere, because she knew that it was better to leave some things to Murong Sheng to handle himself.

Yang Ling was injured and naturally unable to go out to meet guests, so she had no opportunity to contact Murong Jin.

After learning that his son was injured, Murong Sheng immediately had someone send him back to his room and then went to visit him in person.

"Ling'er, are you alright?" Murong Sheng asked with concern.

Yang Ling was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, resting. When she heard Murong Sheng's voice, she slowly opened her eyes and said, "Father, I'm fine."

Murong Sheng sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at his son with affection. "Ling'er, who hurt you?" Although Murong Sheng showed concern for his son, he hated the culprit who hurt his son. How dare they touch his son? Did they have a death wish?

Murong Sheng was indignant, but asked with concern.

Yang Ling smiled slightly, "It's nothing, I just accidentally fell and bumped into a stone pillar."

Yang Ling spoke casually, but Murong Sheng was skeptical. "Really?" Although Yang Ling was mischievous, his martial arts skills were excellent. How could he not even be able to walk steadily?

Yang Ling nodded, "Yes, really. I just went to chat with my fourth sister, and she happened to run into me and helped me up."

Murong Sheng was silent for a moment, as if he had thought of something, "Your fourth sister has a quirky personality and likes to play pranks. You two siblings are often together, so you should be familiar with each other, right?"

Yang Ling lowered her head upon hearing this, her tone apologetic, "I'm sorry, Father, my fourth sister and I haven't lived together since we were little, so..."

Before Yang Ling could finish speaking, Murong Sheng waved his hand and said, "It's alright. Your father understands your predicament, and your mother, if she knew in the afterlife, would not blame you."

After Murong Sheng finished speaking, he looked up at Yang Ling and saw that his face was still pale. He reached out and touched his cheek with heartache. "You should rest well first and go to the palace to apologize when you are better."

Yang Ling nodded obediently, "Thank you for your concern, Father."

Murong Sheng smiled with relief upon hearing this, "Silly child, you are your father's son, it is only right for your father to care about you."