After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 726 Analysis of the Political Situation 2

Upon arriving at the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, the two alighted from the carriage one after the other.

Li Mo followed the eunuch from the East Palace and drove the carriage through the side gate. It was freezing cold, so they let the horses go to the stable to eat some grass and warm up.

Li Mo naturally had a place to go. The Eastern Palace had its own tea room for guards and attendants, where they could rest and wait for their master.

Chen Lin personally came out to welcome Jiang Xiaoqi and Qiu Cheng inside; this was the first time the two had visited the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.

Although they were curious about the layout of the Eastern Palace, the two refrained from looking around, not wanting to appear naive or ignorant.

The Eastern Palace is many times larger than the former palace of the Second Prince. It is a relatively independent entity, and its garden is also exclusively for the Eastern Palace.

It's just that it's the dead of winter now, and the garden is bare and lifeless. But when some flowers and plants are transplanted next spring, it will surely be a completely different scene.

After walking for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two finally arrived at the study now used by the Crown Prince, led by Chen Lin.

As soon as the two entered, they felt a warm breeze. Jiang Xiaoqi noticed with her sharp eyes that the Crown Prince was using the New Year's gift she had given him—a solar-powered mini-sun.

No wonder, the heat just now didn't seem to come from burning charcoal.

"Your humble servant pays respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

The two bowed and were immediately helped up by the Crown Prince.

Fortunately, the prince has both a left and a right hand, so he can support both of them at the same time.

If a third person comes, things might get a bit awkward.

"Please rise quickly. You two have come through the snow. Thank you for your hard work."

"Since the Crown Prince moved to the Eastern Palace, we have not yet come to offer our congratulations. Today, on the occasion of the New Year, we have come to pay our respects to Your Highness."

"You two are very kind. When we moved the East Palace, the Empress Dowager told me to keep a low profile, so we didn't invite anyone."

"Yes, Your Majesty is very thoughtful. It is indeed better to keep a low profile during this special period."

The three chatted about trivial matters, and Chen Lin served them hot tea. After they sat down, the conversation got down to business.

The point is for everyone to share information and resources based on the current situation. We're all on the same side, so there's no need to beat around the bush.

"Your Highness, actually, on the way here, Lord Jiang and I did a rough analysis, and the conclusion is..."

I wonder what Your Highness thinks. Such a big thing has happened recently, but His Majesty seems to be too calm.

Aside from sending condolences to the innocent adults who were injured, there seems to be no other activity.

"So, what are His Majesty's plans regarding the Tenth Prince and the You family?"

The Crown Prince put down the piece of golden thread cake he had just picked up, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Actually, it doesn't make any difference whether Father deals with the You family or not."

After all, the You family's greatest hope is gone. Even if the You family is not punished, they have no future prospects.

The tenth prince is dead, and the head of the You family, General You, has suffered a stroke and is said to be unlikely to recover.

This drastic measure, though ruthless, is undoubtedly the most effective, isn't it?

Qiu Cheng and Jiang Xiaoqi nodded in unison. Indeed, the You family's greatest hope was gone.

This is like a helmsman who has lost his navigation goal and direction; no matter how far he drifts at sea, he will never reach his destination.

"So Your Highness also thinks it must be the Fifth Prince's doing? But as far as I know, the Fifth Prince has no one left to use."

Moreover, the Fifth Prince's residence seems to be facing financial difficulties, and he has already dismissed most of his advisors.

"It's true that he's short of money, but it's not necessarily true that he has no capable subordinates."

A useful person doesn't necessarily have to be a master of scaling walls or a peerless strategist.

The people who can be used are either peddlers, robbers, thieves, or even the elderly, women, and children.

As long as someone has one skill that is useful and it is used in the right place, they are a valuable person.

Of course, most of these people are one-offs; they use them and discard them without a second thought, and they don't feel bad about losing them.

Qiu Cheng was startled. "Use and discard"—this sounded a lot like "read and burn."

That means that all those who served and risked their lives for the Fifth Prince were ultimately destined to be abandoned or even killed.

Why are these people so obedient? They can't all be suicide squads, right?

There always needs to be a reason to pledge allegiance to someone, right? If one foresees their own fate when pledging allegiance and still forges ahead, then he can only guess that either the Fifth Prince is too charming, or these people are out of their minds.

"Many of these people don't even know who they are loyal to."

"What? How is this possible?" Qiu Cheng asked, puzzled.

The Crown Prince and Jiang Xiaoqi exchanged a glance. "These people were likely left behind by the Third Prince, but for some reason, they ended up in the hands of the Fifth Prince."

Qiu Cheng suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. The Third Prince had a huge power before, and there are indeed many capable people left behind."

These people were being used by the Fifth Prince without even realizing it. But how did the Fifth Prince manage to control these people?

The Crown Prince pondered for a moment and said, "There might be something we don't know about this. After the Third Prince fell from power, his forces scattered like leaves in the wind. It's not impossible that the Fifth Prince secretly gathered these people together. Perhaps someone is acting as a go-between."

Jiang Xiaoqi thought of a name: Song Jinyang.

"Your Highness, could it be some ministers who colluded with the Third Prince before? They are unwilling to accept defeat and have turned to support the Fifth Prince, hoping to make a comeback?"

Qiu Cheng thought of the factional struggles in the court. The Third Prince had fallen, but those who had once followed him were still in the court!

The Crown Prince nodded slightly. "That's possible. It seems we need to send someone to investigate secretly. The Fifth Prince's actions are becoming increasingly secretive, so we must be on guard."

The tenth prince's actions were meticulously planned, but there was a fear that the fifth prince might get carried away and become uncontrollable.

Qiu Cheng and Jiang Xiaoqi immediately responded, "Your Highness, rest assured, we will do our utmost to find out the truth."

"With your help, I have a better chance of winning."

However, this matter requires caution; we must not alert the enemy.

"Yes, His Royal Highness!"

After the three finished talking about the Fifth Prince, they discussed other matters, such as how to arrange for the artisans to resume work after the ground thaws in the spring.

How to complete the trial launch in the shortest possible time, get the fleet ready as soon as possible, and set sail for Japan.

There are many details to this, and the three of them talked until it got dark.

"Alright, alright, that's enough for now, Chen Lin, prepare dinner!"