Li Tianheng could not help laughing at those words, but his mood was nowhere near as relaxed as he appeared. Until now, he had known nothing of the arrival of Xue Lingjun, the Eldest Princess of Great Yong, nor of the assassination attempt against her and Hu Xiaotian. If everything Hu Xiaotian said was true, this series of incidents was far from simple. The real target behind these schemes in Western Prefecture was surely himself. Li Tianheng recalled the rebellion orchestrated by Lin Zefeng and Zhao Yanjiang. During their preliminary interrogation, both men had confessed that Great Kang had secretly incited them to turn against him.
Li Tianheng's gaze settled on Hu Xiaotian's face again as he carefully considered why the emperor of Great Kang had sent him. Bearing the title of future imperial son-in-law, Hu Xiaotian appeared to be riding high on the spring breeze of success, but now it seemed the lad was merely a pawn of the Imperial Court. If anything happened to him in Western Prefecture, the Imperial Court of Great Kang could seize the opportunity to heap accusations upon Li Tianheng. He gradually understood the emperor's intentions. The old fellow might be advanced in years, but the depth of his scheming was rarely matched in this world. This time, he was killing two birds with one arrow. Li Tianheng asked, "Have you offended anyone? Think carefully. Since something like this happened within Western Sichuan, I will certainly investigate until the truth comes to light."
Hu Xiaotian said, "I've offended more people than I could count. Speaking of which, I still owe you an explanation, Uncle Li."
Li Tianheng lifted his teacup and leisurely took a sip. "An explanation for what? You've rather confused me, my worthy nephew."
Hu Xiaotian said, "Regarding my engagement to your