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

Chapter 483 The Future of the Great Zhou Dynasty

"The Third Prince returned to the capital. The first thing he did upon his return was to go to a teahouse with the Fifth Prince. The two of them stayed there for nearly two hours before coming out."

It was already dark when they came out, and then they each went home. They kept the private rooms on the third floor of the teahouse under their control, making it impossible to approach them. What they discussed remains unknown.

Lin Qi told Jiang Xiaoqi everything he had seen, big or small. Jiang Xiaoqi then drew a line between the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince on a relationship chart and put a question mark on it.

"You've worked hard, brother. Your skills have improved so much that even the prince's guards can't detect you nearby."

Lin Qi picked up his teacup and gulped down a cup of tea, then hastily wiped his face.

"That's not because I'm so great, hehe~ You don't know, my mother owns that teahouse in the east of the city!"

Most of what I just said came from the teahouse owner!

The shopkeeper saw it with his own eyes; how could he not know?

Jiang Xiaoqi was once again impressed by Madam Lin's foresight. Teahouses were indeed a very suitable business for officials' wives.

It is said that Madam Lin owns several such teahouses, scattered throughout the east, west, south, and north of the city, so no matter which side you go to, you have a high chance of entering a Lin family teahouse.

"That's really all thanks to Madam Lin. How can this not be considered a form of financial power?"

"What ability?"

"It's nothing, let's get down to business. The Fifth Prince is probably going to start playing dumb again."

Many of the pieces of evidence we found previously pointed to the Third Prince, but I suspect that someone deliberately released them.

Of course, the Third Prince wasn't wronged; it's just that the evidence was obtained a little too easily.

Lin Qi nodded. He had also looked at those case files. It seemed as if a hand had deliberately strung together many loose threads.

Cheng Enbo is indeed the Third Prince's man on the surface, but is he really?

"Mingfei, are you saying that the Fifth Prince might be feigning friendship with the Third Prince this time?"

"It might be more than just closeness; it could very well be a feigned alliance."

Lin Qi found it hard to believe that one prince had defected to another.

"They are both princes, but their statuses are different. The third prince's maternal family has military power, while what does the fifth prince have? An unfavored daughter."

Jiang Xiaoqi's words cleared up Lin Qi's doubts. Indeed, although they were all princes, princes were not the same.

Lin Qi stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said, "If the Fifth Prince is truly feigning allegiance to the Third Prince, then he must have a greater scheme. It's just unknown what his next move will be."

Jiang Xiaoqi tapped his fingers lightly on the table and analyzed, "If the Fifth Prince pledges allegiance to the Third Prince, he will definitely gain the Third Prince's trust and learn more of the Third Prince's secrets. He might even turn against him at a crucial moment."

The eldest prince has now lost his princely status, and His Majesty is also very disappointed with his incompetence.

Although the second prince is the legitimate son, his mind has remained at the age when he was seriously ill and had a fever as a child for many years.

The fourth prince himself was unambitious, spending his days drinking and ignoring the help he received from his maternal family.

Of the remaining adults, the only one who could fight was the Third Prince. He was meticulous, had a good reputation, and was highly respected among scholars.

The maternal family wields real military power, and reportedly has many capable strategists and advisors under their command, making them quite a capable force.

It's not surprising that the Fifth Prince would deal with his biggest rival in such a roundabout way; it remains to be seen who will ultimately prevail…

Lin Qi's eyes lit up. "In this way, we might be able to maneuver between them and obtain more information that is useful to us."

Since the Fifth Prince is not truly loyal, he is like a venomous scorpion lurking in the shadows, ready to bite the Third Prince at any moment.

But if we can keep a close eye on him, we can seize the opportunity to exploit the Fifth Prince's weaknesses. Once he has the Third Prince under his control, we can then use him to lure the Fifth Prince out.

Jiang Xiaoqi's expression was indifferent, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

"What's wrong? Mingfei, is this idea bad?"

Jiang Xiaoqi shook her head, "What you said is very good, and there's nothing wrong with it, it's just..."

"I wonder who will be the next emperor of our Great Zhou Dynasty..."

"Huh? This...this isn't something we should be worrying about, is it?"

Isn't our job to solve the case? Once the case is solved, isn't that enough?

Lin Qi scratched his head. What business was it of theirs what the next emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty would have?

Now that he can work with his good brothers to investigate cases and handle affairs, he feels quite proud of himself.

Back in the North, he wouldn't have dared to imagine what he could do. He only knew what he couldn't do.

"Lin Qi, you're going to be an official in the future, right? Even if you don't take the imperial examination route, Minister Lin will still send you to the Imperial Academy."

No matter what happens in the future, I will become an official of the Great Zhou Dynasty, a member of the court, and serve the court and His Majesty.

To put it bluntly, His Majesty the Emperor is the boss and owner of us officials.

Don't you really care about this boss's personality, temperament, and way of doing things?

A tyrant of murder, a tyrant of suspicion, a tyrant of incompetence—can you truly submit to them wholeheartedly and serve them?

Lin Qi frowned, seemingly pondering Jiang Xiaoqi's words seriously. "Then, wouldn't it be fine if we didn't become officials? We could support ourselves by doing business or farming."

"I have my mother's dowry. Your family used to be landlords and gentry; you have plenty of land and estates. Even if we don't become officials, we won't starve!"

Jiang Xiaoqi remained silent, simply watching Lin Qi.

Lin Qi finally lowered his head...

"Sigh, well, I admit it. Without a wise ruler to govern, the people will eventually suffer misery."

If barbarians rush to bully the border people, the powerful and wealthy will only become more unscrupulous in seizing land and amassing wealth.

Officials will become increasingly corrupt, eventually leading to decline and the downfall of the nation, just like the previous dynasty...

However, our Great Zhou shouldn't be like that. The new dynasty has only been established for twenty years. Although officials may have factions, there aren't many who prey on the people or engage in corruption and bribery.

Jiang Xiaoqi nodded without refuting.

"What you said is true, but you forgot a premise: that the current monarch is on the throne and continues to govern diligently and tirelessly, just as he did in the previous twenty years."

The problem has come full circle. His Majesty is nearing the age of fifty. Even if he is in good health and the imperial physicians are highly skilled, there is no guarantee that he can remain on the throne for another twenty years.

Moreover, the princes are eyeing the throne covetously; if their ambition truly emboldens them, they might even commit patricide and seize the throne…

Lin Qi's eyes widened instantly. "Ming Fei, how can you just say things like that?"

Lin Qi even opened the door and checked around before feeling relieved and coming in.

"It's alright, my home's security system is quite robust. People can only come in when I want them to!"

For example, those suicide squad members from before...