In the next two days, Lin Jiangnian had a lot more free time.
When he got up in the morning, the servants who came to serve Lin Jiangnian were replaced by the two maids from before. The maids told him that Xiaozhu did not dare to come.
I heard that he was called away by a kite.
Lin Jiangnian naturally knew the reason. Zhiyuan clearly wanted to protect the little maid, but at the same time, it was also a provocation to him, the Prince of Lin?
Now that Lin Jiangnian's identity is unstable, he is not yet qualified to compete with her, so he does not intend to continue to argue with her.
I'll just make a note of this for now!
Change clothes, wash up, and eat!
After breakfast, Lin Jiangnian casually wandered the palace. As he walked, he noted the route to the various buildings, large and small. Nestled at the foot of a mountain, the palace was not only massive and teeming with people, but also boasted a unique landscape, one of the most spectacular in the entire Daning Dynasty. After a complete circuit, Lin Jiangnian hadn't even finished halfway around the palace.
However, Lin Jiangnian managed to find out the location of the Sutra Library in the palace from the maids in the palace.
Nestled between two towering mountains, the waters flowing from the mountains form several rivers. These rivers eventually converge to form a vast pool, a thousand meters deep, with no bottom in sight. This pool is called Sun Moon Lake.
Above the pool, a seven-story attic stood majestically and beautifully decorated. Beyond the attic, guards and experts surrounded it, guarding and protecting it.
This is where the Sutra Library of Prince Lin’s Mansion is located.
Ruyi Tower!
Ruyi Tower is named after the ancient king Lin Hengzhong, who met a master while traveling the world. He gained enlightenment under the master's guidance. When he built the attic, he named it Ruyi Tower, which means to be satisfied and fulfilled.
Within this Ruyi Tower, the palace collected secret martial arts manuals, unique skills, peerless weapons, rare medicinal herbs and elixirs, strategies and tactics, even military tactics and statecraft...
The entire building is all-encompassing, like a treasure chest, with everything you need, and it houses countless treasures from all over the world.
There has always been a rumor that Ruyi Tower houses rare medicinal herbs and treasures that are unimaginable in the world!
Fifteen years ago, Prince Lin led his army to suppress the rebellion and destroy the Miaojiang region. He also wiped out the Miaojiang royal family and all the treasures stored in the Miaojiang palace.
Rumor has it that the soil in Miaojiang is fertile, growing all sorts of rare treasures and nearly extinct rare medicinal herbs. Furthermore, the Miaojiang royal family has been skilled in medicine and poison making for generations.
When the Miao Kingdom fell, the treasures of the entire Miao imperial family were also returned to the Lin Palace. It was rumored that after Lin Hengzhong plundered these rare treasures, he stored them in Ruyi Tower.
Lin Jiangnian was a little tempted when he heard the news.
In addition to martial arts secrets, Lin Jiangnian is also more interested in those rare medicinal herbs!
Now he still has the poison that the woman in red put in his body, threatening his life at any time. This poison is difficult to detect and difficult to remove.
Ordinary antidotes might be completely ineffective. If this Ruyi Tower really is as rumored outside, housing rare and precious herbs and elixirs, maybe we can find an antidote to the poison?
However, after a brief excitement, Lin Jiangnian quickly calmed down!
Although he knew the existence of Ruyi Tower, there was another problem before him.
How to enter Ruyi Tower?
As the prince of Lin Wang, it is not difficult for him to enter and exit Ruyi Tower.
But here’s the thing…
The former Prince of Lin was not interested in the Ruyi Tower. In the eyes of the Prince of Lin, the treasures collected in the Ruyi Tower were not even as interesting as the banned books in the room.
Therefore, over the years, the Prince Lin almost never set foot in Ruyi Tower.
Lin Jiangnian learned this from the maid in the mansion. This made the situation a little tricky.
Prince Lin almost never went to Ruyi Tower, so if Lin Jiangnian went there rashly, it would be hard not to attract attention. Especially that kite... She would probably suspect something at the first moment.
Therefore, although he was anxious, Lin Jiangnian also knew that things could not be rushed.
He wanted to enter Ruyi Tower openly, so he needed a reason, a reasonable reason that would not attract attention or suspicion!
…
Although he couldn't enter Ruyi Tower for the time being, Lin Jiangnian was not idle. He took advantage of the two days to familiarize himself with the palace, memorizing the faces of many people in the palace, and at the same time, he also learned more information.
Information about the Prince Lin’s Palace and the current situation of the Daning Dynasty.
The situation in the palace was quite simple. The Princess of Lin died early, and the Prince of Lin did not take in any more wives or concubines. The Crown Prince of Lin had no brothers or sisters. As the only son of the Prince of Lin, he enjoyed the best of time, place, and people, and was at the peak of his life from the moment he was born.
If nothing unexpected happens, if King Lin dies in the future, the Crown Prince of Lin will naturally inherit the throne without interruption, just like King Xu of Xuzhou in the north, and continue to inherit the Lin family's territory in Linzhou.
Unfortunately, those princes of Lin Wang died too young, which benefited Lin Jiangnian.
As for the current situation of the Daning Dynasty, it is extremely complicated!
Although the dynasty was nominally unified, strictly speaking, the excessive power of local forces seriously hindered centralization.
In particular, the two kings of different surnames, the Lin King, who ruled Linzhou, and the Xu King, who lived in Xuzhou to the north, were the most powerful. They were collectively known as the Southern and Northern Kings. These two kings, with their own independent military forces, posed a significant threat to the dynasty.
In recent years, the imperial court has been trying hard to weaken the military power of the two men, and even to reduce the power of the vassal states.
But the effect is minimal!
The reason for this is that, in addition to the fact that the two kings of different surnames had enormous power and could not be easily shaken, there were also major reasons within the imperial court.
A few years ago, the emperor of the Daning Dynasty suddenly fell seriously ill and could not be cured for a long time. After ordering the crown prince to be regent, the emperor secluded himself in the deep palace and rarely appeared in public in the past few years.
At court, the Crown Prince, though capable, was weak and unable to preside over the overall situation. Undercurrents surged among various factions, making it difficult for them to unite.
Furthermore, during his retreat, the emperor would have a highly trusted eunuch by his side, responsible for conveying his orders. The eunuch himself held no power, but perhaps out of concern for his safety, or perhaps to monitor the court, the emperor, before his retreat, entrusted him with the reins of the imperial secret service.
With the power of the Secret Department, the power of the eunuchs has grown and has gradually affected the situation in the court.
Therefore, the eunuchs gradually disrupted the government!
The current structure of the dynasty's court can be said to be divided into three parts, headed by the prince's party and the old eunuch in charge of the Secret Department, and the two dynasties are restraining each other, confronting each other, and fighting openly and secretly.
The situation of the Daning Dynasty had nothing to do with Lin Jiangnian. The only thing he cared about was the eldest princess of the dynasty.
After all, she was engaged to the Prince of Lin.
Lin Jiangnian didn't know much about the eldest princess's origins. He had learned a little bit from Xu Lan before.
The marriage between the Daning Dynasty and the eldest princess to the Prince of Lin was obviously a form of solicitation.
However, whether this was a co-optation or some other motive was unclear. Political marriages usually had deep meanings behind them.
What Lin Jiangnian was interested in was not the eldest princess, but what Xu Lan had mentioned... Was the eldest princess a master of the second-grade Tianxuan realm?
How powerful is the second-grade Tianxuan?
Lin Jiangnian had no idea, but he thought that it was definitely not someone who could be scammed by a low-ranking ninth-rank official like Xu Lan.
Lin Jiangnian wanted to know more, but found that no one could help him in this regard.
The red-dressed woman still hadn't returned, and the maids and servants in the mansion didn't know anything about martial arts. As for asking Zhiyuan?
That's not realistic!
The only person who might be able to answer Lin Jiangnian’s questions is probably...Xu Lan?
However, Xu Lan has not appeared for two days since what happened that day.
It seemed that what happened that day had left a great psychological shadow on her. She did not come to the palace again, but she did not break her promise and did not reveal Lin Jiangnian's identity.
A delicate balance was maintained between the two, each holding onto the other's weakness and maintaining a tacit understanding.
But this is also good!
Just when Lin Jiangnian thought that the girl would not dare to come again in the short term.
After two days' absence, Xu Lan came again.
…
When he saw Xu Lan again, Lin Jiangnian was somewhat surprised.
"Why are you here?"
"Can't I come?"
Xu Lan crossed her arms and glanced at him sideways, with a look of disdain and the arrogance of a girl who came at will.
Familiar expression, familiar savage tone.
"Yes, of course."
Lin Jiangnian spread his hands, glanced at her, and said with a hint of amusement: "Then what brings you here today, Miss Xu?"
"Of course I'll settle the score with you!"
Xu Lan sneered, his eyes fell on Lin Jiangnian, as if he thought of something, a complex emotion flashed across his face.
She stared down at Lin Jiangnian and sneered, "You don't think that what happened two days ago can just be let go?"
Lin Jiangnian was startled. He looked up at Xu Lan's unyielding expression, a little bewildered: "Did anything happen the other day?"
"Bang!"
Xu Lan angrily slapped the table and said angrily: "Stop playing dumb in front of me!"
"I'm here to settle accounts with you today!!"
“…”
Side yard.
Zhiyuan sat under the eaves, quietly flipping through the information brought to him by his servants.
Although she was a maid in the palace, almost all decisions on major and minor matters in the palace were made in her hands.
A few days ago, His Highness was assassinated, implicating many forces within Linjiang City. However, a thorough investigation revealed that the matter was far from as simple as imagined.
"Who is it, anyway?"
Zhiyuan was silent, his eyes slightly cold.
Her duty and mission is to protect His Highness's safety. It was her dereliction of duty that His Highness was frightened by the assassination.
Finding the mastermind behind this became her most important task. As the voices of the imperial court calling for the reduction of feudal power grew louder and louder, the attention of those people naturally fell on His Highness.
Your Highness is the prince's only son. If anything were to happen to Your Highness, the huge family business of Prince Lin's Mansion would probably end up with no one to inherit it.
Thinking of this, Zhiyuan lowered his eyes and said nothing.
At this moment, a maid appeared hurriedly under the eaves.
"Miss, Miss Xu is here. She went to look for His Highness..."
Zhiyuan raised her eyes slightly, startled for a moment: "What does she want from His Highness?"
"No, I don't know, but... Miss Xu seems very angry and said she wants to come and settle the score with His Highness..."
The maid whispered, "Just now, Miss Xu took His Highness away from the palace, saying she wanted to go, go..."
Zhiyuan's eyes narrowed: "Where to?"
"Brothel."
“…”