"When you went into the alley to ask about Old Zhou, then came out carrying the jade, the whole city would know within an hour—the Prince had entrusted his most precious token to an outsider like you to retrieve."
Lin Taichu frowned. "But a few days ago, everyone was saying I was one of the Second Prince's men. Now they'll say I retrieved a token for you. Outsiders will definitely claim that you and the Second Prince are secretly working together. Wouldn't that damage your reputation?"
The Prince suddenly smiled and pointed at Lin Taichu. "That is exactly the effect I wanted."
"You deliberately wanted them to think that?" Lin Taichu was even more confused.
"The people in the palace haven't been watching me for just a day or two." The Prince's smile vanished, and his tone turned grave.
"The Second Prince wants to win me over, the Third Prince sees me as a thorn in his side, and several old ministers think my command of military power is too much of an eyesore. But they usually keep themselves hidden and act polite on the surface, so there's no evidence against them."
He lifted his teacup and took a sip. "Now I've released this news and made everyone think I've joined forces with the Second Prince—you're one of the Second Prince's men, yet you retrieved a royal token for me. Isn't that relationship obvious enough?"
"Those who hold grudges against me definitely won't be able to resist stepping forward. They'll speak ill of me in the palace and may even send people to investigate. Then, won't it become perfectly clear who wants to deal with me?"
Only then did Lin Taichu understand. "You're using this as bait to lure those hiding in the shadows into showing themselves?"
"Exactly." The prince