Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 746: Chapter 364: Underestimating Prince Chu

The betrayal of the Jinling Families is still unknown to the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen, who are far away in the capital. The Li Family is temporarily hiding this from the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen, and they haven’t broken ties with Duke Zhen yet. This is their own decision, and also the intention of Prince Jing.

Mr. Fan reported the betrayal of the Jinling Families to the Crown Prince in detail to Prince Wei.

After hearing this, Prince Wei was not too surprised. The Li Family and the Fang Family are not opponents of the Song Family, and eventually, they will lose to the Song Family, at which point they will obediently surrender. However, their speed of compromise was faster than he expected.

The reason the Li Family and the Fang Family betrayed the Crown Prince and allied with Prince Jing so quickly is mainly because Li Jue was captured and has since disappeared without a trace. Without Li Jue directing them from behind the scenes, these families become like headless flies, lacking a backbone, they would be easily controlled and guided by the Song Family, naturally defecting to Prince Jing.

"Is Li Jue still not found?" Prince Wei had originally planned to capture Li Jue and let Zhao Yao handle him, but unexpectedly, someone took Li Jue away before he could act.

"No." During this period, Mr. Fan and his associates have been tirelessly searching for Li Jue, having practically turned Jinling City upside down several times, yet they still have not found a single clue about Li Jue. "Your Highness, could Li Jue have been captured by the Song Family? Otherwise, Li Jue couldn’t have just vanished into thin air."

"We have our people in the Song Family, if the Song Family really captured Li Jue, our people would have noticed." Prince Wei didn’t think the Song Family secretly captured Li Jue. Li Jue’s shrewdness and tricks were not impressive in his eyes, but neither the Song Family nor the Fang Family were a match for Li Jue.

The Song Family wanting to capture Li Jue wouldn’t be an easy feat. Besides, Li Jue wouldn’t be so easily caught.

"Then who could have taken Li Jue away without a trace?" Mr. Fan said puzzled, "In Jinling City, only we have the ability to capture Li Jue, if not us, I really don’t know who else could have such skills."

Prince Wei couldn’t think of anyone either, which is why his heart was filled with doubts.

Although on the surface, Jinling City was controlled by the Li families, in reality, it was under the control of the Southern Wei people. Now, someone took Li Jue from under their noses, and they still couldn’t find him, such strength was truly shocking.

Prince Wei had previously suspected Prince Chu, but Prince Chu’s capabilities hadn’t reached that extent.

Mr. Fan saw Prince Wei deep in thought and didn’t dare say a word, standing silently to the side.

After pondering for a while, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Prince Wei, and he suddenly thought of a particular group of people, his face showing shock as he said, "Could it be them?"

Seeing Prince Wei seem to recall something, Mr. Fan cautiously asked, "Your Highness, who are they that you speak of?"

Prince Wei frowned deeply, his expression slightly stern, and said, "I remember years ago, when we sent people to the Western Regions, we encountered a group whose origins we didn’t know, nor did we know whose people they were, but they had considerable capabilities."

Hearing Prince Wei mention this group, Mr. Fan also recalled them.

"Yes, there was such a group, I remember you instructed us to keep an eye on them and find out who they were, but our people couldn’t trace where they originated from." Mr. Fan, realizing Prince Wei’s meaning, said, "Your Highness, do you think the people who abducted Li Jue were from the Western Regions?"

Prince Wei felt it was likely, "Possible."

"Your Highness, that group is in the Western Regions, not in Jinling." Mr. Fan found it unlikely, "Even though that group is skilled, if they came to Jinling, it wouldn’t be possible for us not to detect anything."

Prince Wei furrowed his brow further, saying nothing.

"Your Highness, they had quite a few people, if they truly came to Jinling, it wouldn’t be possible without any commotion. Even if our people were incompetent, they wouldn’t be completely unaware." Mr. Fan was aware of that group from the Western Regions, and all these years, they’ve kept a watchful eye. "Moreover, that group has been active in various countries in the Western Regions and hasn’t left."

"Is that so?" Hearing Mr. Fan’s words, Prince Wei found it unlikely that the group from the Western Regions came to Jinling, but his instincts told him it was them.

"Your Highness, it surely isn’t them."

Prince Wei squinted his eyes slightly, his expression inscrutable, saying, "What if it wasn’t just them?"

Mr. Fan was taken aback first, then he immediately understood Prince Wei’s intent.

"Your Highness, you mean that group has accomplices, and you think their accomplices are in Jinling?"

Prince Wei nodded slightly, "It’s possible."

Mr. Fan thought Prince Wei’s guess plausible, but there was something off.

"Your Highness, I remember that group suddenly appeared in the Western Regions a few years ago. If they truly have accomplices, then their accomplices should have appeared in Jinling years ago as well, but over the years, Jinling hasn’t seen such people."

"What if they, like us, have been lurking in Jinling early on?" Prince Wei trusted his intuition, "All along hidden silently, without letting any force discover their existence."

"This...seems unlikely..." Mr. Fan said, "Even if there truly is such a group, what would their purpose be for abducting Li Jue?"

Prince Wei was thinking further: "What if they belong to the Fourth Prince?"

"Prince Chu’s people?" Mr. Fan exclaimed, "Didn’t you say earlier it was impossible it was Prince Chu?"

"On second thought, only the Fourth Prince would have such capabilities." If the group from the Western Regions and the ones in Jinling were both the Fourth Prince’s people, then the Fourth Prince’s power was far beyond what he imagined.

"But... if that’s truly the case, then Prince Chu is too..." frightening.

Prince Wei’s complexion turned grim, his eyes cold.

"Only the Fourth Prince could achieve this."

Mr. Fan was so terrified, his face turned pale, and his small eyes were full of horror. He swallowed hard with fear and said, "Your Highness, if Prince Chu really placed people in Jinling, and all these years they’ve gone unnoticed, then Prince Chu’s power..." He dared not continue. That Prince Chu’s force might be comparable to theirs.

Prince Wei sighed deeply: "I underestimated the Fourth Prince." The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was the Fourth Prince’s doing. Only the Fourth Prince could have the ability to capture Li Jue and also have the skill to guide the Li Family and the Fang Family to side with Prince Jing step by step. "The Fourth Prince truly has remarkable skills."

Mr. Fan thought, trembling inside, if all this was arranged by Prince Chu, then Prince Chu’s cunning and methods were truly terrifying.

In a flash of lightning, Mr. Fan suddenly thought of something. His expression changed drastically, full of uneasy horror. His mouth wide open, he exclaimed with fear: "Your Highness, if Prince Chu truly is as you said, then does he really know your true identity?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Wei was taken aback, then shook his head, saying: "Impossible." His true identity was unknown even to the Emperor, Prince Chu couldn’t possibly know.

Mr. Fan thought it over and agreed: "I was overthinking it." His Highness’s identity was extremely secretive, Prince Chu couldn’t possibly know.

Prince Wei thought Prince Chu couldn’t know his true identity, but deep down a voice told him that the Fourth Prince had long known his identity.

All along, only the Fourth Prince knew his ambition, and only the Fourth Prince sensed that he wasn’t truly aiding the Crown Prince. He hid it well, deceiving everyone, except failing to deceive the Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince always being elusive, perhaps the Fourth Prince truly discovered his true identity. If so, he must now reassess the Fourth Prince.

Mr. Fan saw the icy look on Prince Wei’s face, not daring to breathe loudly.

After a moment, Prince Wei said coldly: "I underestimated the Fourth Prince!"

Mr. Fan, startled by his words, raised his head abruptly, looking at Prince Wei in disbelief: "Your Highness, you mean Prince Chu knows your true identity?"

Prince Wei did not want to admit it, but he had to: "Very likely so."

Mr. Fan gasped in fear. In panic, he said: "Your Highness, then..."

"The Fourth Prince should only be suspicious, he has no evidence." If the Fourth Prince had proof that he was a Southern Wei person, given the Fourth Prince’s nature, he would have reported it to the Emperor long ago.

"Your Highness, then we must eliminate Prince Chu quickly."

"Now is not the time." He would eliminate the Fourth Prince, but not now. The Fourth Prince was not his current enemy, and he was not a match for the Fourth Prince.

Mr. Fan dared not ask when they could kill Prince Chu, "Your Highness, since we know Prince Chu sent people to abduct Li Jue, do we still need to find Li Jue?"

Prince Wei waved his hand: "No need, although the Fourth Prince unnecessarily intervened, his goal aligns with ours, so we don’t need to act."

"What about Prince Jing and the Song Family?"

"With the capacities of the seventh, evidence of what the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen have done in Jinling should have already been sent back to the capital." Prince Wei smiled meaningfully, "Next, the capital will be lively, but unfortunately, I won’t see it."

"Your Highness, you still haven’t fully recovered from your injury, you should rest well in Jinling."

"Originally intended for the tenth brother to handle Li Jue, now that Li Jue is taken by the Fourth Prince’s people, it would let the tenth brother down."

"Your Highness, it may be that Prince Chu’s people have already sent Li Jue to the tenth Highness."

"If they were really sent to the tenth brother, he wouldn’t fail to inform me."

"Indeed."

Prince Wei was thinking about another matter. Li Jue should not be dead, the Fourth Prince didn’t kill Li Jue, likely having another purpose for him.

What use would Li Jue be to the Fourth Prince?

Prince Wei thought for a long time, but couldn’t figure out what value Li Jue had to Prince Chu.

At this moment, Zhao Yao, hiding somewhere in Jinling, suddenly sneezed a few times. Prince Chu, on his way back to the capital, also sneezed several times in succession.

Zhao Yao rubbed his itchy nose, muttering in his heart: Who on earth is cursing him?

At this moment, Tong Xi came in and reported anxiously to Zhao Yao: "Your Highness, that Li Jue is making a fuss in the secret chamber, demanding to see you."

"Finally can’t resist wanting to see me, huh."

Tong Xi asked: "Your Highness, do you intend to meet him?"

Zhao Yao scoffed, saying: "He wants to meet me, do I have to see him?" He waved his hand, "No."