The Tang Dynasty royal family, especially this emperor, always attached great importance to kinship. There are very few events in the palace that have been fought for power as in history. The emperor trusted his only brother very much and would never belittle him in front of officials. The prince knew that the respect for him was earned by himself. If he wants it today, his brother, the emperor will lose it.

True, the emperor did not ask him to get up, as usual, but looked at him coldly from above. He assessed the magnitude of the pain and regret on his brother's face before anger bleed from his face. He said, "Lift up your head and look at me."

The prince looked up slowly, then stared into his brother's piercing gaze.

"Are you sponsoring Wang Jinglu?"

"Yes."

"Do you think it's a pity that I sent him to serve in the military?"

"I don't dare."

"I sent him to train with the Xu family for his good."

Xu Shi was the greatest general of the Tang Dynasty. Wang Jinglu is a genius in cultivation. Under Xu Shi's guidance, he will make great progress. The crown prince was stunned for a moment before thanking the emperor loudly.

"Don't thank me. At least, don't thank me for him.

The emperor looked at his younger brother and said coldly: "It's not an easy task for Tang to have a talent like him. That's why I want to protect him. However, Don's talent can only serve Don, not any rich man. Do you understand?

These words touched the family. The prince felt his heart contract, sweat running down his back, wetting his royal robe. He didn't know how to answer the question, so he could only bow his head and humbly ask for forgiveness.

"I've given you some good things over the years. The Royal Vault is a bit empty these days. You should offer some respect. I will remember your gesture of kindness.

"I don't dare."

"Is there anything in the world that you don't dare to do?"

The emperor smiled and said, "You are a prince, but you let your butler run the brothel." If Miss Jane wasn't the queen's childhood sweetheart, how long would you hide it from me?

Although the emperor did not sneer and there was not a trace of sarcasm in his words, the prince felt that the immeasurable pressure on him had been raised by another notch. The sweat on his back quickly flowed down his back, waiting for the emperor's edict. However, after waiting for a long time and not hearing anything, he began to become suspicious.

The smile on the emperor's face slowly faded, and he looked at the prince. The Emperor said, "I will not punish you severely, just because the man who guards the people in the Red Sleeves Mansion on behalf of your butler says that you are only loyal to me."

The crown prince suddenly realized that his attendants had reported Cui Delu's report after Chao Xiaoshu visited the Red Sleeve Mansion. Although he admits that he is only loyal to the man on the throne, he does not want his subordinates to say much about it. He felt the blood running down his face and thanked his lucky star, who mentioned his loyalty to that man.

...

...

Since the first year of the Apocalypse, the Tang Dynasty has been smooth sailing. There were few major criminal issues, one of which was that of the Imperial astronomers, and the other was a recent event, which they now called the Chunfeng Pavilion Incident.

In this incident, more than 10 officials were stripped of their posts, and an official of the Ministry of Military Affairs was publicly sent to the gallows. However, inside the palace where the secret is located, it is known that several key figures in key positions were completely overhauled. It was only because these positions were important for the security of the palace that the news was kept secret.

On that rainy spring night, Cao Ning, the deputy general of the Yulin Imperial Guard, ushered in the arrival of Eunuch Lin and ushered in his own death. Chang Siwei and Fei Jingwei, who were imprisoned before, killed him after receiving the edict written by the emperor himself. According to reports, Cao Ning later died of illness.

That night, Liu Si of the Fish Dragon Sect followed the emperor's order, rode a horse and brandished a spear, killing Chu Ren, the deputy commander of the heroic cavalry battalion who had framed them ten years earlier, and obtained their long-awaited revenge.

It was after this spring rain that the high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty learned about Lao Zhao from the Spring Breeze Pavilion. Or, so to speak, they are finally starting to take the name seriously. They wanted to know who the masked young man from the Yuelun Kingdom who was killing people next to him was.

Zhao Xiaoshu stood by the lake in the Imperial Garden. He stared silently at the lake known as the Leaving Sea. His indigo robes fluttered gently in the breeze.

The eunuchs and court ladies who walked past him would humbly turn away and leave. Now that everyone knows who he is and what he will become, they can't suppress the envy, curiosity, and respect in their eyes.

Chao Xiaoshu didn't seem to notice that the cold-blooded look on his face last night had dissipated. I can't see the nervous looks that people from the Jianghu world usually show when they enter the palace. His face was completely calm and seemed to be at ease.

A goldfish jumped up from the departing sea, jumped over the dragon gate woven by the palace maids with flowers, and then happily entered the water again.

In the eyes of many people, Chao Xiaoshu is like a fish at the moment. He is about to rise up several ranks and become a key figure in the palace.

However, Chao Xiaoshu didn't want that to happen.

One of the biggest upheavals in Datang Tianqi occurred in the Datang Palace. In every administrative office, petty officials are making frightened guesses about what will happen to their superiors. At the same time, the young man in the imperial study looked around excitedly. Chao Xiaoshu, who was standing on the edge of Di Lin's distance from the sea, seemed to have nothing to do with him at all. He smiled as he watched the colorful fish jump around, break the water, cross the gantry, and happily fall into the lake. They wag their tails and sigh occasionally.

Ten years ago, he was still a young scholar who entered the city and entered the academy, but was taken by the emperor to the world of Chang'an rivers and lakes. Ten years later, he could kill people with a sword swing and became a force to be reckoned with on the streets of Chang'an. He stood by the lake reminiscing and planning for the future. He did not find the path to officialdom tempting him. He just wanted to go back to those days when he had only focused on cultivation.

The jingle of bracelets pierced the silence of the lake. The young princess with innocent facial features slowly walked towards him with two personal maids. Li Yu's gaze fell on his pale green robe, which looked almost white because it had been washed too many times. She blinked in surprise, then smiled and bent over. She said in a gentle voice, "Uncle, what are you going to do."

Li Yu was the most admired fourth princess of the Tang Dynasty. She is treated with great respect and doting. She would greet the prince only plainly, and would only address him with his title prefixed with uncle. Why did she greet this man so intimately?

"This civilian doesn't dare."

Chao Xiaoshu tilted his body away and let her walk past him. While he claims he doesn't dare, his body language doesn't seem to be. He was just vigilant and politely held her far away.

Li Yu's hand, which was originally on his hip, froze slightly after witnessing Chao Xiaoshu's reaction. The palace maid and the nanny behind her watched tremblingly. Without waiting for them to react, Li Yu said with a smile. "My father used to take me out to play. We've met a few times in gambling dens. It's just that they forgot my memories from when I was so young. You used to carry me around, why is it so formal now?

"Your Highness, your words scare me. What great things have I done to get a position higher than yours?

Cao Xiaoshu replied with the corners of his mouth slightly upturned. Light reflected off the surface of the lake onto his handsome face, illuminating it. There is nothing to suggest that he was deliberately modest, but just the expression of a subject who obeys the rules. There was a line between royalty and commoners that he would not cross.

Chao Xiaoshu rejected Li Yu's friendly attitude in the most neutral way. The atmosphere by the lake became unbearably tense. Li Yu looked at the middle-aged man quietly, thinking of the anger that his father had shown since yesterday and his attempts to protect and curry favor with the man. She was pretty sure that this man held a very important place in her father's heart. With a wave of her hand, she stopped the maids beside her and continued, "I brought some barbarian bodyguards from the steppe. I heard that there was a man named Chen who was looking for information about them. Is he your man?

Chao Xiaoshu was silent for a moment before replying, "His name is Chen Qi, and he is my person."

Li Yu smiled when he heard this. She turned her gaze to the surface of the lake, which looked like the sea, at the lotus leaves that were being pushed around by the moving fish. She asked, "Is the lad useful?"

"Your Highness, I did not take advantage of him, but asked him for help." Cao Xiaoshu replied. We worked together and he wasn't taken advantage of.

"If you work together, is he one of your men?" Li Yu turned around and asked him with a frown.

Zhao Xiaoshu thought of the omelette noodles in the old brush shop and Ning Que's answer. He said self-deprecatingly: "Some people are more tired of the world than I am.

Chao Xiaoshu looked at Li Yu's frowning brows, and said seriously: "Your Highness, he doesn't want anyone to find out." Please keep this secret for him.