Chapter 190: The Struggle for the Throne

The back residence of the Duke’s Mansion in Chu County.

The second quarter of the Chou hour.

The bright moon outside the window plated the room with a layer of silvery radiance.

The peach-blossom flush on Lin Hansu’s face had not yet fully faded, and a few strands of black hair clung to her temples and cheeks. Her right hand gently stroked Ding Suian’s head as he lay on her chest. “Next time you want to see me, just tell me in advance. Why go to such lengths?”

It sounded like a reprimand, yet one could not detect any trace of Life Qi.

She was not someone who would resignedly accept her fate; she had grand plans in her heart, ambition, and burning desires.

Ever since she became entangled with Ding Suian, those shackles had been completely torn apart.

Tonight, Ding Suian had climbed over the walls and buildings to steal her away, which had actually scratched the right itch.

The taboo and the danger brought with them excitement.

This secret indulgence even made her vaguely look forward to what kind of surprise Ding Suian would bring her next time.

“Giving is not as good as asking, asking is not as good as taking, and taking is not as good as stealing.”

Ding Suian, resting his head on the stress ball, replied with his eyes closed.

“Pah!”

Lin Hansu naturally understood the meaning of ‘give, ask, take, and steal,’ and couldn’t help but ask, “Who told you such nonsense?”

“My eldest brother.”

“Eldest brother?”

“Your father.”

“…”

Lin Hansu pulled her fingers out from Ding Suian’s hair and pinched his ear, though it didn’t hurt. She scolded him, “You were so well-behaved when you were in City! You would blush when I applied medicine for you. Now you’ve learned bad habits from them. From now on, spend less time hanging around with Lin Dafu.”

“By the way, what have you all been doing these past few days? A group of you acting all mysterious.”

“We are working on the Law Talisman.”

Lin Hansu had never intended to hide anything from Ding Suian, so she explained the origin and principles of the Law Talisman in detail.

“Did you succeed?”

Ding Suian became interested, but Lin Hansu replied, “Not quite.”

“What do you mean not quite?”

“It means it has an effect, but it’s not very effective.”

“What do you mean?”

“For example, the famous piece ‘Holy Emperor’s Battle-Breaking Song’ from the Battle-Urging Command cannot stimulate the blood-courage of the person receiving the talisman after being made into a Law Talisman using Simplified Character Notation.” Lin Hansu’s face showed a strange and frustrated expression. “It only makes the recipient dance around uncontrollably.”

She continued, “There is also the famous piece ‘Farewell at Longling’ from the Heart-Disturbing Command. After being made into a Law Talisman, it also fails to make people feel lost or sluggish. It only makes people… cry.”

“Make people cry?”

“Yes, Zhao Yan volunteered to test it once and cried for half an hour.”

“Hahaha~”

This was actually quite interesting.

It must be that after the zither music was turned into Simplified Character Notation, the effect of disturbing the mind and Qi was greatly reduced, or perhaps it only focused on one specific emotion, which caused this situation.

The Battle-Urging Command stimulates blood-courage and encourages progress. When made into a Law Talisman, it only makes people dance, but isn’t dancing also a form of excitement?

The Heart-Disturbing Command makes people lose their goals and feel lost and helpless. When made into a Law Talisman, it only makes people cry, but isn’t crying a manifestation of sadness?

“What effect does the Spring Return Edict music have when made into a Law Talisman?”

Ding Suian had always been interested in the Spring Return Edict, which could set bones and heal wounds. This time, Lin Hansu shook her head. “The Spring Return Edict can only be learned after joining the State Religion. Besides, the ‘Holy Emperor’s Battle-Breaking Song’ and ‘Farewell at Longling’ are useless as Law Talismans, so why bother with the Spring Return Edict music?”

“Being able to make people dance and cry isn’t exactly useless, right?”

“What’s the use? Next time we face an enemy, should I use the ‘Holy Emperor’s Battle-Breaking Song’ Law Talisman on Zhao Yan and make her dance to death?”

“Hahaha~”

Ding Suian couldn’t help but laugh. Then, he realized that Lin Hansu was stuck in a rut. The ‘Battle-Breaking Song’ belonged to the Battle-Urging Command, which applied positive buffs to one’s own side, so her instinctive reaction was to only use it on her own people.

But what if this Law Talisman was stuck onto an opponent?

“Sister, I’ll go take a look in the next few days. Maybe I can offer some ideas.”

“Alright.”

Lin Hansu thought for a moment and agreed, then warned, “You can go, but be careful. Don’t let Waner find out about us.”

“Mm.”

Ding Suian looked up at the sky outside the window, shifted his body up, and lay side-by-side with Lin Hansu. He suggested seriously, “Sister, it’s getting late. Let’s hurry up and get some sleep.”

“…”

Lin Hansu’s waist and legs were still aching, and she hadn’t recovered yet. She quickly raised her hand to push against Ding Suian’s chest. “Wait, in a few days, the imperial court will announce something important.”

“What important matter?”

“The Prince of Linping is about to become the Governor of Central Heaven.”

“Whoa!”

Ding Suian was shocked. His body, which had been pressing against Lin Hansu, slowly turned back and lay down.

The position of Governor of Central Heaven had been vacant for many years.

Everyone knew how special its status was.

“Is Your Majesty preparing to name an heir?”

“I don’t know, but given the current situation, if the Prince of Linping is named as the heir, I’m afraid something major will happen.”

“Sister, are you talking about Chen Yi and the Vermilion Bird Army?”

As long as it wasn’t Prince Anping, Chen Duan, who inherited the throne, anyone could be the next emperor.

But now, Chen Yi was in command of the Vermilion Bird Army, which was responsible for guarding the imperial City and was one of the eight divisions of the Imperial Guard. Under normal circumstances, if the Emperor intended to name the Prince of Linping, Chen Hong, as the heir, he would definitely have to strip Chen Yi of his military power first!

As someone whom the world considered a member of Chen Yi’s faction, the struggle for the throne could potentially affect him.

Lin Hansu said, “It’s not just about the military power of the Prince of Shuochuan; Prince Anping will definitely not sit idly by and watch the Prince of Linping inherit the throne.”

That’s true. In recent years, whenever there were major occasions such as sacrificial ceremonies or military expeditions, Chen Duan had presided over them on behalf of the Emperor.

In the hearts of many court officials, he was already the heir of Great Wu. Now that the court was suddenly doing this, his situation had become awkward.

But Ding Suian said, “Although Your Majesty is old, he is still alive, and with Princess Xingguo presiding, even if Chen Duan is dissatisfied, I’m afraid he wouldn’t dare to take such a risk, right?”

Lin Hansu thought for a moment, then suddenly put on her clothes and sat up. She lowered her voice unconsciously, “Young Master, Prince Anping has no way out.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know about how the Crown Prince and the Second Prince fought in the early years, caused too much trouble, were imprisoned by Your Majesty, and subsequently died of illness, right?”

“Mm.”

Ding Suian also knew that Chen Duan was the son of the Crown Prince, and Chen Hong was the son of the Second Prince.

Lin Hansu continued, “Then do you know how the Imperial Eldest Grandson and the Imperial Third Grandson died?”

“Didn’t they die of illness?”

“That was just a respectable excuse from the court. Both of them were also fighting for the throne, exposing each other for treason! In the end, they were secretly ordered to die by Your Majesty.”

“…”

The Imperial Eldest Grandson was Chen Duan’s biological brother, and the Imperial Third Grandson was Chen Hong’s biological brother.

So the hatred between the two cousins had long been passed down from the previous generation to this one.

The two of them indeed had reasons to fight to the death.

Lin Hansu being able to know these things was likely because she had access to secret information at the Princesss Residence.

The credibility was extremely high, but Ding Suian still felt it was bizarre. Theoretically, according to the current custom of punishing the family of a criminal, after the previous Crown Prince and Second Prince were both defeated, even if their descendants were not implicated, they should have been sent to their fiefs and kept away from the political core.

But both families not only remained in Central Heaven, but they were also allowed to let their hatred continue to breed and spread.

“Watching his own family members kill each other, has Your Majesty become this confused?”

“Shh! Do you not want to live?”

Lin Hansu was so scared that she hurriedly covered Ding Suian’s mouth, then explained in an even lower voice, “Your Majesty is the founding emperor. Perhaps in his eyes, only the one who stands out among all the brothers is qualified to inherit the throne.”

Isn’t this just raising Gu?

Then, Lin Hansu whispered, “Young Master, we just need to follow Your Highness closely and quickly help your father, uncles, and brothers establish a firm foothold in the military. As for the struggle for the throne, let’s not get involved for now.”