Chapter 81: The Crown Princess

Chapter 789: Twelve-Character EvaluationChapter 81: The Crown Prince's Consort

If Li Chen, when he was forced to confront the emperor a few days ago, although already had some political acumen, he was still somewhat immature and inexperienced. In the end, if it hadn't been for Emperor Daxing's sudden recovery, saving his life, I'm afraid that now the crown prince would either be a puppet or successfully persuaded by the Imperial Guards.

Now the Crown Prince, standing on the Taihe Palace, is extremely shrewd and skilled in political maneuvering. He advances and retreats with precision. Every step he takes has been carefully calculated, anticipating any unpreparedness on his opponents' side, thus securing a victory.

Although I have managed to turn the tables this time, overall, I'm likely to face the same fate as Zhao Jianye under the current situation where Su Zhetong has made a comeback and taken control of the Five Armies Marshal's Mansion with its 300,000 elite soldiers.

So, in the end, Zhao Xuanji actually lost a step.

Most importantly, facing his own pressure, the prince did not act impulsively but instead appropriately took a step back.

This made Zhao Xuanji realize that the current Crown Prince had learned to conceal his sharpness, no longer so ostentatious. But every move he made was incredibly forceful, leaving no room for Zhao Xuanji to exploit.

“This child must not be left behind!”

With a silent thought, Zhao Xuanji seemed to have made up his mind, his eyes flashing with malice.

Both sides achieved some results, and this morning court session was no longer necessary to continue.

"With no other matters, I shall dismiss court." Li Chen waved his hand.

The entire court, both civil and military, was silent. Everyone needed to go back and digest what had just transpired today; no one spoke another word.

After a brief pause, Li Chen announced his departure from court.

Thus, Li Chen's first early court session in his life came to an end.

This morning court session, Li Chen achieved his goal and formally entered the center of the political struggle in the Qin Empire, officially facing off against Zhao Xuanji as a chess player.

But Li Chen was not completely victorious.

After all, Zhao Xuanji is shrewd and cunning. Li Chen didn't expect to defeat him in one court session.

On the contrary, this time he saw Zhao Xuanji's skill and realized that he still lacked some fire.

"I wish I could ascend the throne sooner."

Stepping out of the Taihe Hall, glancing in the direction of the Qianyuan Palace, Li Chen suddenly had a rebellious thought.

If he were emperor now, then too many things wouldn't need to be done cautiously, and Zhao Xuanji would inevitably have no chance of turning things around.

But Zhao Xuanji was obviously aware of this. He didn't want his influence to grow so continuously, but who knew when Emperor Daxing would pass away Therefore, he accelerated the promotion of the Ninth Prince. Once that day came, as long as the Ninth Prince had enough reputation and with Zhao Xuanji's support, he might not be unable to vie for the throne.

"Three treasures," Li Chen stopped and called out.

“Here I am,” Sanbao appeared like a ghost.

"Keep a close eye on the Ninth Prince. This palace needs to know who he contacts daily, what he says, and what he does. Report any changes immediately." Li Chen said indifferently.

"Slave obeys," San Bao respectfully replied.

"There is one more thing, slave girl doesn't know whether she should say it."

Li Chen turned his head and looked at Sanbao with indifference, saying, “You're getting better and better at your job now, stuttering and deliberately looking for trouble”

Sān Bǎo hurried to say, "This concerns the Crown Prince's consort... this servant dare not speak rashly..."

"Hurry up and speak, or I'll have you sent to the Jingshi Hall to be an ordinary eunuch who serves tea and water!" Li Chen scolded.

Sān Bǎo's face tightened, and she immediately said, "This servant received a tip that some time ago, someone from outside the palace had a private meeting with the Crown Prince Consort... However, the timeframe was too short, and we haven't been able to find out what they said yet."

Li Chen's face hardened, and he coldly said, "Immediately return to the East Palace."Chapter 792: Interlocking Rings