Meanwhile, in his manor, Prince Zuo Cheng was still plotting his grand design.
When Chen Suning had summoned Lin Yun to Wangjing, he had indeed been worried. After all, the events that had transpired at the Flowing Cloud Sect were extremely disadvantageous to him. If the matter were proven true, his own position within the Daye Dynasty would be in peril. He didn't know if Chen Suning possessed any other powers that could threaten him.
The only fortunate thing was that the idiot, Prince Changqing, still trusted him.
Prince Zuo Cheng immediately seized this opportunity to orchestrate the current situation, hoping to use this incident to resolve the problem smoothly. As long as Lin Yun was dealt with, Chen Suning would be out of options in the short term. Prince Zuo Cheng could then use that chance to quickly investigate the secrets of the Guardians and His Majesty the Emperor.
"Your people need to speed things up," he said, glancing at the mysterious masked figure standing beside him. "The way things are looking, our dear Emperor is gradually losing his patience."
"To help you accomplish these things, I have also paid a considerable price. I hope you will not disappoint me."
The mysterious figure smiled. "Rest assured, Your Highness. We will not disappoint you this time. We have already uncovered several key clues regarding the Guardians. According to our understanding, while the Guardians are powerful, the one they grant their allegiance to is not the reigning emperor, but a talisman in the emperor's possession. And this talisman can appear in anyone's hands."
Prince Zuo Cheng had been somewhat tense, but his expression relaxed upon hearing this. This meant that if he could obtain the talisman, he would be able to control the Guardians.
"Does Your Highness wish to obtain this talisman?" the figure asked. "As long as you can acquire it, then not only the Daye Dynasty, but the entire cultivation world will prostrate itself at your feet."
Hearing these words, Prince Zuo Cheng's heart began to pound with excitement. For a long time now, he had been deeply dissatisfied with the current system. In his view, the Daye Dynasty and the cultivation world should be one and the same. He truly couldn't understand why, since the Dynasty controlled the cultivation world, it didn't interfere more in its internal affairs. If they could convert the power of the cultivation world into a part of their own, with their combined strength, couldn't they sweep across the entire Hidden Dragon Continent?
And yet, despite having this potential, the Daye Dynasty remained content with ruling a small corner of the land.
Just then, a stream of light flew in from outside, landing directly in Prince Zuo Cheng's hand. After reading its contents, the corners of his mouth turned up.
"My plan has succeeded. Prince Changqing is dead, and Lin Yun has been imprisoned for it."
The mysterious figure glanced at the message, clearly not entirely convinced. Although everything was going according to their plan, it seemed far too easy. In his eyes, there had to be some other hidden secrets behind this matter.
"Your Highness is celebrating too soon. We still do not know if this is true. I will arrange for people to investigate and see if Prince Changqing is truly dead or only feigning death." Unlike the prince, the mysterious figure was far more cautious. After all, this matter concerned many people; they could not act rashly.
Although Prince Zuo Cheng was a little displeased, he couldn't be bothered to argue. A little caution was always a good thing. He assumed that even if Lin Yun wasn't captured, he would have fled. With Lin Yun's current strength, few in Wangjing would be his match. Though he felt a bit helpless about that, there was no need to rush. Lin Yun was now a stray dog with no home; he certainly couldn't help Chen Suning accomplish her goals.
It was a pity that Prince Zuo Cheng did not know that on the very next day after the incident, Lin Yun had entered the Imperial Palace. He was, of course, in disguise, and with his superb movement techniques, it was impossible for anyone to have noticed him.
In the Imperial Study, Chen Suning stared at Lin Yun.
"I had originally asked you to investigate the relationship between those two, yet you yourself became entangled in this troublesome affair. And now look, everyone's eyes are focused on you. I would very much like to know how you plan to handle this."
Looking at the disguised Lin Yun below, Chen Suning was somewhat annoyed. Not only had he failed to clearly investigate the situation with Prince Changqing and Prince Zuo Cheng, but he had also dragged himself into the mess, unable to get out. With this, Lin Yun would be unable to operate freely in Wangjing.
Seeing her tense expression, Lin Yun just laughed. "Your Majesty is being a bit too anxious. This was indeed a trap set by Prince Zuo Cheng, but it's a pity his little scheme was seen through by me long ago. Rest assured, Your Majesty, Prince Changqing is not dead. And he can also testify that Prince Zuo Cheng wanted to kill him."
Hearing this answer, Chen Suning slowly stood up. "Are you certain?"
Lin Yun nodded. "This subject would not dare to speak nonsense. Your Majesty may rest assured, this entire affair is under my control."
Chen Suning finally let out a sigh of relief. At least they now had some definite intelligence. But she also quickly realized that this alone was far from enough. To topple the great tree that was Prince Zuo Cheng, they would have to pay an even greater price.
"We had not expected you to possess such methods," she said. "What do you plan to do next?"
Lin Yun replied, "For now, I will naturally operate in secret. The people in Wangjing can't catch me anyway. I came this time to ask what Your Majesty's second task is."
Chen Suning stared at Lin Yun and said, "The matter of the Zhenhuang Hall. We naturally do not wish to see the Zhenhuang Hall opened, but given the previous situation, it seems this is unavoidable. We have received news that there appear to be some Crimson Ghost Sect disciples within Wangjing, secretly plotting something. If you can, help us root them out."
"And remember," she said, her voice serious and emphatic, "We want one alive."
Lin Yun nodded and accepted. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. These people will not escape from the palm of my hand."
Mere disciples of the Crimson Ghost Sect, what threat could they be? With his current strength, dealing with them was only a matter of time. However, having to avoid Prince Zuo Cheng's people in the process would indeed be somewhat troublesome.
"Although We know you are innocent, the warrant for your arrest must continue," the Empress said. "So please, be as quick as you can."