He had his elder brother curbing him, and his mother was also under the watchful eyes of concubines. If it weren’t for the Shen Family on her side, their situation would likely be even more difficult.
"The most important thing right now is the position of Crown Prince. Mr. Shen is your uncle and will certainly give you full support. Moreover, you have nurous officials in the court backing you, so we need not worry excessively."
Adviser Jiao Ling noticed a trace of worry on the Second Prince’s face and assud he was concerned about the position of Crown Prince, so he hurriedly offered comfort.
"I hope I can achieve my wish."
Being born in the Royal Family, even if one does not wish to vie, one must. The consequence of neither vying nor fighting is either being detained in the Imperial Clan Court or buried in the Imperial Mausoleum.
Even if one wishes to be a leisurely Prince, departing early to the fief, can the new emperor be at ease? No! The new emperor would fear unrest at night.
He has no other choice, and being the legitimate son, how can he shrink back?
In the end, one either dies by the hands of one’s brothers or sits on the Dragon Throne; such is his fate.
Gu Chengyu concluded his discussion with Yin Kun regarding the current situation in the court and agreed to visit their teacher’s residence the next day before taking his leave.
Upon returning ho, Gu Chengyu had just changed out of his casual attire when Ming Yan ca to report.
"Sir! We’ve found the mastermind behind the scenes." Ming Yan reported urgently, as the identity of the mastermind was truly extraordinary.
"Oh? Who is it?" Gu Chengyu had just secured his collar’s frog button when he heard Ming Yan’s report and hurriedly turned to ask.
"It is Prince Jing!" Ming Yan was equally shocked when he found out; he watched Gu Chengyu’s expression, hoping to see the sa surprise mirrored in his master.
Unfortunately, he was destined for disappointnt, as Gu Chengyu remained silent, expressionlessly walking towards the desk and sitting down.
"Are you certain? Make sure you haven’t mistaken soone else." Gu Chengyu contemplated for a mont before asking.
"The person they t covered his face; we followed him to a private villa. When he left, Ding Liu trailed him back to Prince Jing Mansion. Then, Ding Liu and others waited outside the Prince Jing Mansion, not noticing any unusual comings and goings."
"The person was masked, how do you know the person who erged later was the sa as the one before? Did you verify the number of people entering and leaving Prince Jing Mansion? Did you have soone check if anyone didn’t return to the mansion?"
Ming Yan nodded affirmatively, "Rest assured, we rembered your instructions. Ding Liu and the others identified the masked person leaving the villa; his build, movents, and gait were the sa as they were initially. Three stewards, two servant girls, four young servants, and two old servant won left Prince Jing Mansion today."
"The servant girls, young servants, and old servant won went out to buy supplies; Xiao Liu and the others confird no issues. We checked the three stewards too; two were stewards of the outer quarters of Prince Jing Mansion and returned after completing their tasks. The last one was a steward of a farmhouse in the suburbs, who went to deliver vegetables to Prince Jing Mansion and didn’t leave again after returning to the farmhouse."
Ming Yan knew that his master was always ticulous; previously, Gu Chengyu had instructed him to be careful, and fortunately, this ti he had Ding Liu and the others investigate thoroughly.
Gu Chengyu was satisfied with Ming Yan’s thorough investigation.
He nodded, "You did well this ti. Tell Ding Liu that I will not treat them poorly."
Such attention to every detail has refined Ming Yan and his group; they can be relied upon for significant tasks in the future.
"The Ding Generation was personally trained by you, Sir, so you can trust their work to so extent."
Ming Yan was slightly pleased; having worked together initially, his bond with Ding Liu and the others was naturally stronger than with those who ca later.
Receiving his master’s praise would certainly make Ding Liu and the others more diligent and motivated in their work.
"For those who ca later, have the Ding Generation ntor them, especially the newly bought batch of adolescents. Select those who are clever and sensible and focus on grooming them."
Gu Chengyu lanted that his manpower was still insufficient; it was hard to acquire a batch of adolescents the year before last, and they couldn’t be used yet and needed a few more years of training.
"Yes, Sir!"
Gu Chengyu was already pondering whether this was indeed instigated by Prince Jing, believing this possibility was higher.
Though it was possible that the man in black could be a Hidden Guard planted in Prince Jing Mansion and then fra Prince Jing, Gu Chengyu considered this unlikely.
First, how could that person know he would send soone to follow the man in black?
Second, an espionage agent should only convey information. If such a task were entrusted to a Hidden Guard, it would risk exposure.
Should Prince Jing find out, wouldn’t that be counterproductive? He believed he wasn’t important enough to warrant such a risk.
Between him and Prince Jing, which matter weighs more? Is there any need for deliberation?
Gu Chengyu dismissed each of these questions to justify his judgnt.
"In that private villa, were you able to find Xiao Yao?" Suddenly he recalled Xiao Yao; why did the man in black enter that villa?
Was he there to check on Xiao Yao, or was it a diversion?
"Reportedly, no."
"Did you send soone to check the villa? The man’s entry into the villa must have a purpose; the likelihood that Xiao Yao is hidden there is significant."
Otherwise, why detour to the villa before reporting back to him? It couldn’t be because he discovered soone tailing him, could it?
A person acting on Prince Jing’s behalf, when discovered being followed, would simply confront the pursuer, not take initiative to fra Prince Jing.
"Ding Liu personally inspected, finding no children held captive. He also stationed watchers there for a day; nothing unusual occurred except for so servants entering and leaving."
Gu Chengyu got up and paced in the study, "Did you thoroughly check those servants? Were there any children about the sa age as Xiao Yao?"
Ming Yan was montarily stunned at this question; he hadn’t heard Ding Liu report on this matter, which might have been an oversight on Ding Liu’s part.
"Sir! I will have Ding Liu return imdiately for further investigation." Ming Yan grew anxious, aware this was also his oversight.
Gu Chengyu sighed, "Those servants must be carefully screened. As long as they are of a comparable age, attempt to bring them here first. Xiao Yao might be hidden among them, and hopefully, there’s still ti."
Gu Chengyu felt anxiety creeping in, fearing that Prince Jing might have noticed sothing.
These past days, Ding Liu and his group had been monitoring outside Prince Jing Mansion, likely attracting the attention of Prince Jing’s household.
Although Ding Liu and his group were skilled in martial arts, Prince Jing Mansion was not devoid of experts either.
Ming Yan rushed to where Ding Liu rested, eager to report as they had been comnded only monts ago, now another blunder had occurred.
"Ding Liu! Stop resting; I have sothing to ask you."
Ming Yan entered Ding Liu’s room without knocking, aware of Ding Liu’s exhaustion from recent efforts. With soone watching Prince Jing Mansion, he was rotated back for so rest.
Removing his clothes, Ding Liu was preparing to sleep when Ming Yan rushed in, startling him.
"I ask you, did you see any children in the villa of the sa age as Xiao Yao? Include the servants."
Ding Liu was dumbfounded by Ming Yan’s question, but suddenly recalled an incident.
When he entered the villa, he happened to witness a woman spanking a child.
The woman was shouting, saying that if the child went out to play, his mother would spank him.
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