Peerless Heiress

Chapter 70

I was startled. I glared at him, "What are you yelling about? Just because you're the prince doesn't make you so great. I've never seen you act this arrogant when I was an assassin," I thought to myself, but I didn't dare say it aloud. I could only glare at him and reluctantly say, "Then you should at least tell me what happened. I need to know the whole story before I can help you find a solution."

Yuwen Ke turned around, looked out the window, and after a while spoke, "It's because of your little poem."

I was getting impatient when I suddenly heard this, and I was completely baffled. "What kind of words are these? 'Give me back'? What does this have to do with me?"

Yuwen Ke's voice faltered for a moment, then he explained in a muffled voice, "Snatching mud from swallows' beaks, shaving iron needles, scraping gold from Buddha's face—searching meticulously, finding something out of nothing. Searching for peas in quail's crops, splitting lean meat from heron's legs, scooping fat from mosquito bellies—how ruthless you are, old gentleman..."

Well?

My eyes widened, then I suddenly realized what I had done and burst into laughter.

Yes, that day, in order to get closer to An Ye, I deliberately dragged him along on a boat trip on the lake. Later, on a whim, I even got him to write a little poem for me, satirizing Li Jinhuan. I remember An Ye even stamped the poem with a small seal bearing the character "Ke". However, I only did it on a whim and forgot about it immediately afterward. Who would have thought that this matter would stir up such a storm among the upper echelons of the Tianxing Dynasty?

Indeed, given that he was the Crown Prince of Dark Night, writing such a short poem would surely be seen as a public statement from the royal family! And since that was a gathering place for the upper echelons of the court, wouldn't it spread immediately? No wonder Dark Night hesitated at the time, not really wanting to write it.

However, because I have always acted impulsively and was unaware of Dark Night's identity, I never considered the consequences of Dark Night writing such a short poem. Yet, Dark Night knew the outcome. He knew what it would mean and what sensation it would cause if he, as the Crown Prince, wrote such a poem, especially at a gathering of people. So why didn't he simply refuse? Why did he still write it for me in the end?

I frowned suspiciously at An Ye's retreating figure. Could it be that he had planned this all along, intending to use this opportunity to stir up trouble? However, if he had truly been prepared, how could the court have fallen into such chaos?

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind of these chaotic thoughts. Forget about it. As long as it's fun, I don't care about messy things.

Chapter 144: Undercurrents

"In other words, it's as if you, Crown Prince, directly denounced Li Jinhuan's greed on behalf of the royal family, which resonated with the anti-Li faction in the court, sparking an anti-corruption storm. Then, a whole bunch of memorials impeaching Li Jinhuan emerged, and anti-corruption rhetoric was everywhere in the court. It wasn't just Li Jinhuan who was implicated; a whole bunch of corrupt officials who associated with him were impeached. Then, Li Jinhuan's faction immediately defended themselves and began to impeach another group of people."

"As a result, the court began to fall into chaos, and Your Highness, you did not have any favorable evidence to protect one side at the expense of the other. Moreover, the balance of power among the court officials cannot be achieved by favoring one side and suppressing the other, thus creating a situation where one side becomes too powerful. That would be even more dangerous. Your Highness must balance the various forces and ensure that they check and balance each other. Only in this way can the power of the royal family be the greatest, and the dignity of the royal family be relied upon by everyone so that no one dares to disobey."

"So, Your Highness, you're currently in a stalemate, unable to make a move, right?" I said, counting on my fingers as I explained each point in detail.

Yuwen Ke had already turned around halfway through my speech, looking at me with a shocked expression, his mouth slightly open, his face full of disbelief.

"You... how could you know all this so quickly? The art of managing subordinates... the art of political maneuvering... how do you know all this? How could you, with just a few words, pinpoint all the problems so accurately and immediately?" He stared intently at me, hesitant. "You, are you a prince from somewhere?"

"What prince? No way! This is so simple, you could figure it out with your toes, right? That's how politics have always been." This is common sense, isn't it? It's been shown and repeated a thousand times in TV shows, movies, and books, hasn't it?

I rolled my eyes.

Yuwen Ke gazed intently at me, then suddenly smiled. He took a few steps forward, gently took my hand, and whispered, "Lin Ran, will you stay by my side?"

Huh? I blinked.

"Will you stay by my side, be my prime minister, and help me govern this country?" Yuwen Ke looked at me with fervent eyes, his gaze burning brightly. "You are so intelligent, and you understand these political maneuvers and the art of managing subordinates. You must also aspire to become a high-ranking official, second only to the emperor, right? I'll give you that. As long as you stay by my side, I'll give you everything. I'll give you a position that no one else can match, power that no one else can match. As long as you stay by my side, stay with me, and never betray me, I will never use those methods of managing subordinates on you. I'll let you stand shoulder to shoulder with me. Are you... are you willing?"

Huh! I blinked again, a little dazed.

"Prime Minister...Prime Minister?!..."

Make me prime minister? A woman, prime minister in this time and space? To be honest, I've thought of many possibilities for things to go very well, but this is definitely not one of them.

Prime Minister ﹏﹏

Hmm, seems pretty good. Second only to the emperor, above all others, wielding absolute power. If I say east, those officials wouldn't dare say west. Hehe, how impressive! And another thing, if I become prime minister, wouldn't all my underlings from the Mischief Gang, cough cough cough, the Carefree Gang, be able to get minor official positions too? Hehehe, just thinking about it makes my mouth water. It must be so interesting.

And another thing, that damned fox Mo Yu is always wary of me. If I become the Prime Minister, wow, that seems to be a higher rank than his. If that happens, can I finally control him? And get my revenge?

﹏﹏hey-hey.

I narrowed my eyes, growing happier the more I thought about it, and grabbed Yuwen Ke's hand. "Are you serious? You really want me to be your prime minister?"

Yuwen Ke stared intently at me, his dark eyes focusing on the figure of a cheerful, beaming young man in green. He nodded heavily at me, as if making a decision, and his voice, almost a sigh, was barely audible, "...Even with a different identity...that's enough..."

This assassin-turned-crown prince is a bit strange, but I can't worry about that now. I'm going to be the prime minister! I'm so excited I could fly! I'm beaming with pride, completely oblivious to the other pair of eyes staring intently at me, their depths churning beneath the surface.

Chapter 145: Cool Breeze

The Tianxing Dynasty. It was the time for the morning court session.

There was much discussion in the court, and the officials arrived very early today. The political situation in the past few days had been extremely turbulent, and everyone was potentially involved. Therefore, they were all unusually energetic, holding jade slips, gathering in twos and threes, discussing in hushed tones, occasionally glancing at their opponents with hostile and wary eyes.

These days, the Emperor is slightly unwell, and the Crown Prince, who rarely appears in public, is in charge of governing the country in his place. The court officials have always felt that the Crown Prince is mysterious and unpredictable. The Crown Prince's mystery and unpredictability lie not only in his infrequent appearances, but also in the fact that no matter how much the court officials try to find out, they cannot figure out what the Crown Prince is thinking, what he likes, or what he dislikes.

For example, just a few days after taking over, the Crown Prince actually stirred up such a fierce political struggle. Moreover, the source of all this, that little poem written by the Crown Prince himself and stamped with his personal seal, which was completely different from the Crown Prince's usual style of doing things, did not come from the court, but from a small pavilion in a lake. This really surprised all the court officials, regardless of which faction they belonged to.

The turmoil has lasted for several days. The court is in a stalemate and in disarray. Some officials are trembling with fear, some are taking advantage of the situation to eliminate their old enemies, some are righteously determined to cleanse the court of its corrupt atmosphere, some are secretly anxious, and some are simply gloating and watching the drama unfold.

Everything is in chaos.

Among them, only one person stood there with a leisurely smile, like an elegant and carefree landscape amidst the chaos and turmoil. All the chaos and turmoil seemed to automatically bow down and retreat to him, or as if they were blown away by a refreshing breeze, as at ease as appreciating chrysanthemums and drinking tea in the countryside.

He smiled slightly, with a gentle, spring-like ease, but in the depths of his eyes, unseen by anyone, lay a profound coldness and indifference, along with a hint of mockery.

With things in such a mess, Yuwen Ke, how are you going to clean this up?

Mo Yu's smile suddenly froze, and his dark pupils shrank to pinpoints as he stared intently at the side door of the main hall.

There, a figure in bright yellow slowly approached, led by twelve ceremonial eunuchs. The usually expressionless Crown Prince's face softened with an indescribable gentleness as he tilted his head slightly and smiled at the person beside him.

Beside him, the young man in light green robes smiled sweetly, gesturing with his fingers as he spoke. She tilted her head slightly to look at the Crown Prince, and the two smiled at each other, their expressions filled with an intimate familiarity that made them oblivious to their surroundings.

A cool breeze suddenly swept around Mo Yu, and as his clothes fluttered, his clenched hands turned bluish-white.

Chapter 146: Appointment

"The Crown Prince has arrived!"

At the eunuch's call, the murmurs of the court officials instantly ceased. All eyes solemnly turned in the same direction, then, with slight surprise, they looked at the unfamiliar young man who had suddenly appeared beside the Crown Prince. Their gazes met, filled with unspoken questions: Who is this person?

When the Crown Prince was under the gaze of the court officials, he had regained his solemn and dignified demeanor. He slowly stepped onto the jade steps and sat down gently on the jade throne.