Establishing Authority

"Ninth Uncle, just who is this Marquis Xiao Ming?"

"A madman!"

"Hmm?"

"He hates us to the bone. He wishes he could kill every last one of us!"

Chu Zhiyuan frowned.

"The previous Marquis Ming was the same damned sort!"

"Is there an old grudge? Did someone die at our hands?"

"Yes. The Marquis Ming from the generation before that died at our hands... Good killing!"

Chu Zhiyuan knitted his brows.

Within an Imperial Court, its composition was complicated; all kinds of people could be found.

For every person who took a mild stance toward the Jade Scenery Dynasty, there was someone hardline, even fanatically hardline.

Marquis Xiao Ming belonged to the fanatically hardline faction, which made him exceptionally troublesome.

Chu Zhiyuan frowned. "So he released the news himself?"

"Deliberately, to make you look bad, make you lose face, and strike at your reputation."

"To force me into making a move?"

"Exactly." Chu Hongwei sneered. "He is forcing you to strike first, so he can seize the chance to cripple you—or even kill you."

Chu Zhiyuan frowned. "He truly dares kill me?... The Twelfth Princess cannot keep him in check?"

Chu Hongwei snorted. "If she could truly keep him in check, would he dare act so outrageously?"

Chu Zhiyuan slowly nodded. "Does he have someone backing him?"

"No matter how outstanding the Twelfth Princess is, she is still only a princess, not a prince."

"Which prince stands behind him?"

"The Third Prince."

"The Third Prince... Li Yongning?"

"That's right... This Third Prince possesses astonishing aptitude and equally astonishing talent. His reputation is enormous, utterly eclipsing the First Prince and Second Prince."

Chu Zhiyuan frowned. "He and the Twelfth Princess..."

"They were born of the same mother, both the Empress's legitimate son and daughter."

"I thought they were enemies. So they