Princess Lin'an's summons

Well, besides being cunning, the eldest princess is actually very competitive. Xu Qi'an deduced the strong side of the eldest princess's personality based on behavioral psychology analysis.

Wait, why do I feel like it's looking at me?!

The dragon's eyes weren't fierce vertical pupils, but rather black pearl-like pupils, like those of a pet dog I'd seen in a past life, with eyes that looked like a pair of bright black buttons.

Therefore, it appears docile.

These weren't the main points. Xu Qi'an had a strange feeling that the spirit dragon was waiting for him.

Sure enough, when the eldest princess approached the spirit dragon, something unexpected happened.

It suddenly revealed its irritable and highly aggressive side, letting out a hoarse growl at the princess, threatening her not to come near.

The eldest princess frowned and took a few steps back.

The spirit beast stopped barking and rested its head on the shore, still in that "come ride me" posture.

"Huh, Linglong won't let Huaiqing go up."

"What's wrong? Is Linglong in a bad mood today?"

"No, its posture suggests it's waiting to be ridden."

The princes began to discuss it.

Xu Qi'an couldn't hear the princes' discussions, but he knew he couldn't let things remain at a stalemate. Imagine, a spirit beast that loves to eat purple qi, doesn't respect the princess, but then spreads its legs and waits for you to ride it.

This is definitely not a good thing!

Xu Qi'an guessed it was due to his strange luck, but he preferred to figure it out slowly on his own, even if it was in vain, rather than have his secret exposed.

According to the rules of this world, you are not exempt from sin just because you were unaware of it!

"Your Highness, this monster is extremely dangerous. Let's leave quickly!"

Before the princess could connect the dots, Xu Qi'an quickly stepped in front of her, thus overlapping Linglong's gaze and making the princess realize that Linglong was having emotional problems.

The princess frowned, stared at the spirit dragon for a moment, and nodded helplessly. "Let's go."

Xu Qi'an pretended to cover the rear, letting the eldest princess go first, and then followed. After walking several dozen meters, he heard the spirit dragon behind him let out a pitiful wail.

Xu Qi'an and Huai Qing returned to Sifangtai. The Second Princess Lin'an had already been pulled out of the water. She was soaking wet, wearing a thick cloak, her arms wrapped around her chest, shivering from the cold, and her lips were bluish-purple.

She pointed at Huaiqing and cried, "I'm going to tell Father Emperor, Huaiqing, this is not over between us!"

The eldest princess said calmly, "What does this have to do with me? It's clearly because Linglong was in a bad mood and lost control today."

Lin'an's image of repeated defeats and unwavering determination had long been ingrained in the public consciousness, and the princes and princesses had become accustomed to it, discussing the strange occurrences of the spirit dragon.

"The spirit dragon is definitely acting strangely; its outburst just now was odd."

"Why is it still on the shore? It's staring this way."

"She sounded so aggrieved."

The crown prince, being the elder brother, felt sorry for his younger sister for a couple of seconds, then cheerfully joined the discussion. "Perhaps she's in a bad mood. Spirit dragons aren't ordinary beasts; they naturally have tempers too."

However, beasts are beasts after all, and their thoughts are unfathomable. After discussing it for a while, the princes stopped paying attention to it.

The second princess fell into the water, and fearing she might catch a cold, the banquet was ended early. The noble princes returned by carriage, leaving the servants to clean up the mess.

The eldest princess led Xu Qi'an to Donghua Gate and arrived outside Wenyuan Pavilion.

The Wenyuan Pavilion was the imperial library, consisting of seven pavilions and containing a vast collection of books.

Xu Qi'an and the Princess buried themselves in the ancient scrolls for more than an hour and found a lot of information about the first supervisor.

This person created his own Warlock System, but his origins are mysterious. He assisted the first emperor in establishing a great and lasting dynasty, and should have been a minister who was honored with a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

But records about him abruptly ended five hundred years ago.

It is obvious that he has been erased from history. The person who erased him was, without a doubt, Emperor Wuzong.

On the second floor of the third library building of Wenyuan Pavilion, by the window, the eldest princess was half-bathed in sunlight, her fair face seemingly glowing, and even the fine hairs on her face could be seen.

She said, "If Emperor Wuzong erased the records of the first Director of the Imperial Academy, then we would not be able to find any relevant information in the Wenyuan Pavilion."

Seeing the disappointment on Xu Qi'an's face, the eldest princess suggested, "Didn't you say you found Buddhist script in the stone pillar? We can try to find a breakthrough here."

After reading for more than an hour, she looked somewhat tired and unconsciously leaned closer to the desk, a movement that caused her heavy chest to rest on the table.

Xu Qi'an glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eye, then stopped paying attention. After all, when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss may also be gazing into you.

Xu Qi'an dares not provoke this abyss yet, unless he can make it shyly look away in the future.

After changing my approach, I indeed made progress.

"I consulted the 'Geography Records of the Great Feng ' and discovered that at the beginning of the Great Feng Dynasty, there were no Buddhist temples in the capital, nor were there Buddhist School preaching. But five hundred years ago, a Buddhist temple suddenly appeared, called Baota Temple." The Princess is indeed a top student; she is much better at researching than Xu Qi'an, who has little education.

Her long eyelashes trembled, her eyes filled with weariness, yet also melting the cold, deep pool of light within them. At that moment, she seemed as if a beautiful woman had come to life. The princess was overjoyed at this discovery.

At its peak, Baota Temple was frequented by pilgrims and high-ranking officials and dignitaries. The temple even bought nearly a hundred acres of fertile land.

"But what followed was the imperial court's campaign to suppress Buddhism, and Baota Temple gradually declined. Now, the major Buddhist temples in the capital have little to do with Baota Temple."

"Yes, one branch survived, renamed Qinglong Temple, located on Baifeng Mountain in the western suburbs. Hey, are you listening?"

"Don't make noise, you're interrupting my train of thought." Xu Qi'an frowned.

The eldest princess raised her eyebrows, held back, and remained silent.

Xu Qi'an categorized all the clues in his mind.

"If Wei Yuan instructs me to focus on the mastermind behind the scenes, I won't need to get involved in the matter of the first supervisor. However, these matters are unavoidable; only by understanding the core of the case can I continue the investigation."

"As it stands, the outline of Sangbo is as follows: When Emperor Wuzong successfully usurped the throne, he sealed the first Supervisor of the Palace in Sangbo, using a divine sword to suppress destiny, supplemented by a magic array. This secret was known only to Emperor Yuanjing."

"The northern Demon Race, in collusion with traitors within the imperial court, destroyed the seal on Sangbo, releasing the first supervisor, in an attempt to destabilize the Great Feng Dafeng so they could seize the opportunity to cause chaos in the north."

"If we follow this line of thought, my investigation will focus on two categories: first, those who attempt to restore the former monarchy; second, those who attempt to usurp the throne."

"Royal relatives? The previous royal family is five hundred years ago, so the first possibility is unlikely. Then, someone wants to usurp the throne? Hmm, that hypothesis is more reasonable, but it lacks evidence."

"To be able to secretly ally with the northern Demon Race, and also a member of the royal family, the Prince of Zhenbei?!" Xu Qi'an's eyes widened in astonishment.

"What have you discovered?" the eldest princess asked immediately.

I suspect your uncle wants to be your father, but I have no proof. Xu Qi'an shook his head, not answering the princess, and continued his reasoning.

These words cannot be uttered without solid evidence. To slander a prince is a capital offense!

"Reasoning is like solving a math problem; every clue must be connected and pieced together. If even one point of doubt remains unproven, the answer may be drastically different."

"So now I have two things to do: First, confirm that the one sealed beneath Sangbo is the Supervisor, which is the core of all my speculations. And to confirm this, I must figure out what role Buddhist School plays in this."

"Second, I need to confirm whether the Daoist School sect was responsible for killing Magistrate Zhao to silence him. If so, what role did the Daoist School play in it, and were they colluding with the Prince of Zhenbei? Then I need to find evidence to prove their collusion."

"The solution to this problem must be completed within a week. That way, even if I make a mistake, I'll have a chance to start over. If there's still little progress in the case within ten days, then I'll have no choice but to cling to Mr. Wei's leg and cry, 'This case is ruined, let's rebuild it.'"

As Xu Qi'an pondered, he finalized tomorrow's tasks.

Check the records of various cultivation systems to confirm the truth behind Magistrate Zhao's death; visit Qinglong Temple to learn about the secrets of that year; visit the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion to meet the princess who was hailed as the most beautiful woman in the capital.

Having made up his mind, Xu Qi'an said, "This humble servant has some leads, but before the results are in, I dare not speak recklessly to the princess."

The eldest princess was clever; she didn't press the matter, but nodded and said, "I'm tired."

The golden nanmu carriage drove away from Wenyuan Pavilion, parting ways with Xu Qi'an. Xu Dalang spurred his horse, and the horse's hooves clattered as it hurried to Donghua Gate, where it was stopped by a line of guards.

"Princess Lin'an wants to see you!" the head guard said.

Princess Lin'an? She's at odds with the Eldest Princess, and I'm also associated with the Eldest Princess, so this is probably not a good thing. I won't see her!

Xu Qi'an refused outright. "I have an imperial order to investigate the case. You should inform Princess Lin'an that we should do it another day."

As he spoke, he pulled out his gold medal.

Unexpectedly, the head guard was not intimidated at all, and said with a smile, "Princess Lin'an is His Majesty's most beloved princess. Your gold token won't work here."

Based on observations at the banquet, the nightclub queen—no, Princess Lin'an—is willful and capricious. Although she doesn't whine for a long time after being punched like Lingyue, she still cries pitifully when she falls into the water. She's not a scheming person.

You might be given a hard time, but it's not a trap or a trap. Just be careful.

"So confident?" Xu Qi'an exhaled a breath of stale air. "Lead the way."

P. S.: Surprised? Unexpected?