The Eldest Daughter Returns with Power

Let's rewind to five days ago.

"Young Master, this is a letter from Miss." Yin Feng rushed over and handed a letter to Gongsun Lin.

"What? Whose letter?" Gongsun Lin looked at the letter in Yin Feng's hand with a puzzled expression.

"It's from Miss, your sister, Miss Yunruo." Yin Feng raised the letter in his hand again, gesturing for Gongsun Lin to take it quickly.

"Give it to me!" Gongsun Lin snatched the letter from Yin Feng's hand, eagerly opened the envelope, and began to read it carefully.

The letter's contents caused Gongsun Lin to frown deeply. His sister had told him that the Crown Prince had commissioned her senior brother, Yuwen Mo, to investigate the Shadow Cult, mentioning the need to ascertain the Third Prince's recent movements. Gongsun Lin immediately understood the Crown Prince's intentions. The Crown Prince clearly wanted to leverage Yuwen Mo's influence in the martial arts world to investigate the Shadow Cult. After all, being in the imperial court, their control over martial arts factions was relatively weak, while Yuwen Mo was different; he was a member of the martial arts world himself, with connections to various factions.

Gongsun Lin knew that this matter was of great importance. He held the letter his sister had written to him tightly and hurriedly went to the East Palace with Yin Feng.

Before long, they arrived at the gate of the East Palace. Gongsun Lin dismounted and quickly walked to the gate, saying to the guards, "Please inform the Crown Prince that Gongsun Lin requests an audience." After the guards went inside to report, Gongsun Lin was soon allowed to enter the palace.

Upon entering the palace, Gongsun Lin immediately knelt down, respectfully performed a grand salute, and said, "Greetings, Crown Prince!"

The Crown Prince sat at his desk, looked up at Gongsun Lin, smiled slightly, and said, "Get up. Is there something important that you've come to see me so late?"

Gongsun Lin stood up, took out a letter from his bosom, and handed it to the Crown Prince with both hands, saying, "This is a letter sent by my younger sister. It is related to your previous request for Yuwen Mo to secretly investigate the Shadow Cult. He needs the Third Prince's latest news and movements. If he wants to pass this information on to him, he needs your permission."

The Crown Prince took the letter, read it carefully, and then nodded, saying, "This matter was indeed arranged by me. Compile the latest information on the Third Prince and give it to Yunruo."

Gongsun Lin responded, "Yes, Your Highness. I will do my utmost to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

The Crown Prince nodded in satisfaction and then said, "Very good, you may leave now. Remember to report your progress to me regularly."

Gongsun Lin bowed again and then left the palace. Once outside, Gongsun Lin secretly rejoiced that he had arrived in time; otherwise, the consequences of delay would have been unimaginable.

After leaving the Eastern Palace, Gongsun Lin felt somewhat heavy-hearted. He had thought he understood the current situation, but now it seemed that things were more complicated than he had imagined. He realized that to remain invincible in this environment rife with power struggles, he had to remain vigilant at all times and constantly gather intelligence.

Upon returning to the Duke's mansion, Gongsun Lin did not delay and immediately summoned his trusted subordinates. He ordered them to devote all their efforts to gathering information about the Third Prince. Gongsun Lin knew that only by possessing sufficient intelligence could he gain the upper hand in this power struggle.

Gongsun Lin's men sprang into action, gathering information from all directions. Some ventured into the city to find those who had previously been in contact with the Third Prince; others lurked around the Prince Yuan's residence, observing the Third Prince's every move; still others cultivated close relationships with officials in the court, attempting to extract more information about the Third Prince from them.

Meanwhile, Gongsun Lin himself took matters into his own hands. He used his special status to speak with several important figures in the court. Through these exchanges, he gained a deeper understanding of the Third Prince. Furthermore, he learned from these individuals about the Third Prince's recent activities, which greatly excited him.

After several days of effort, Gongsun Lin finally gathered a large amount of valuable intelligence. He carefully compiled this intelligence, along with related information gathered some time ago, into a small booklet, which detailed various aspects of the Third Prince's situation. Gongsun Lin believed that this booklet would be of great value to his sister.

Subsequently, Gongsun Lin ordered Yin Feng to deliver the booklet along with a letter to his sister through the communication channels of his elder brother, the Crown Prince's shadow guards. He instructed Yin Feng to repeatedly remind the shadow guards to be extremely careful and ensure the booklet's safe delivery. Gongsun Lin knew that this intelligence transmission was of paramount importance; the slightest mistake could bring unexpected trouble to himself and the Crown Prince.

…………

The Dowager Empress, along with the Duke and Duchess of Jingguo, enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way and finally arrived in the capital.

That day, after returning to her residence, the old lady immediately sent someone to summon Gongsun Lin. Several days had passed since she returned to the capital, but apart from having dinner with Gongsun Lin on the day of her return, she hadn't seen her beloved grandson for days. She couldn't help but wonder what he had been busy with.

"Granny He, later you can arrange for someone to go to Lin-ge'er's courtyard to check on him and see what he's been up to. I haven't seen him for several days," the old lady said with a hint of reproach.

"Yes, this old servant will have Yichun go and check right away." Granny He then went to the outer room and instructed Yichun to go to Gongsun Lin's Songzhu Courtyard to find the Second Young Master.

After sending the intelligence to his sister, Gongsun Lin busied himself assisting the Crown Prince with other matters, not having a moment's rest. Three days passed in this way, and Yin Feng brought Yun Ruo's reply.

The letter mentioned that Yuwen Mo attaches great importance to this intelligence and is further investigating matters related to the Shadow Cult.

At the same time, Yunruo also reminded Gongsun Lin to be careful in order to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.

After reading the letter, Gongsun Lin felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders, as if a huge stone had finally been lifted from his heart.

Gongsun Lin put the letter away and turned to Yin Feng, saying, "This matter is of utmost importance. You must not divulge even a single word of it. If even a whisper of it gets out, it will be a terrible disaster."

Yin Feng nodded quickly, "Don't worry, young master, I understand."

After thinking for a moment, Gongsun Lin said, "I may not be able to get away in the coming days. Keep an eye on the situation in the capital, especially the Third Prince. Report to me immediately if anything unusual happens."

"Yes, young master." Yin Feng responded and withdrew.

Gongsun Lin rubbed his temples, silently praying that everything would go smoothly and nothing would go wrong.

A few days later, just as Gongsun Lin was handling affairs in his study, Yin Feng rushed over, his face showing a hint of anxiety, like a frightened rabbit.

"Young Master, something bad has happened! There's some activity from the Third Prince's side," Yin Feng said in a low voice.

Gongsun Lin's heart tightened, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand. "What's that noise? Speak quickly!"

"According to reliable sources, the Third Prince has recently been in close contact with a group of mysterious people, and their actions are very secretive, as if they are plotting something," Yin Feng said seriously.

Gongsun Lin's eyes darkened, like a gloomy cloud. "What is the origin of this group of mysterious people? Have you found out?"

Yin Feng shook his head. "It's not clear yet, but what's certain is that they are no ordinary people."

"Yinfeng, I'm writing a letter to Yunruo now. You should immediately arrange for the Shadow Guards to deliver it to my sister through special channels and have him pass it on to her senior brother, Yuwen Mo." As he spoke, Gongsun Lin hurriedly wrote a few lines, put the letter in the mailbox, sealed it, and handed it to Yinfeng.

"Yes, young master. I'll make the arrangements right away." With that, he left Gongsun Lin's study.