Imperial Husband Chapter 55

After returning to the main hall of Linzhi Palace together with Li Jin, Ying Yuan couldn't help but grab Li Jin's sleeve and said, "Li Jin, I was wrong this time. Please don't be angry with me, alright? I feel awful."

Except for the Crown Prince, who had his exclusive Eastern Palace, all other princes lived collectively in Linzhi Palace after the age of ten, only moving to mansions bestowed by the emperor after receiving their titles.

That Ying Yuan, who was thoroughly neglected by Ying Zhengjing, could obtain the main hall of Linzhi Palace was thanks to his current status as the legitimate son.

Li Jin sighed silently, then met Ying Yuan's gaze and said, word by word, "Seventh Prince, I know you mean well, but you and I are friends. If every time you choose to sacrifice yourself to help me, I truly dare not remain close to you."

Li Jin knew these words were somewhat harsh, but before leaving for Zhuzhou, he had to correct Ying Yuan's tendency to sacrifice himself at the drop of a hat.

Today's Zhuzhou was not as peaceful as before and was fraught with hidden dangers everywhere. Ying Yuan was the imperial candidate Li Jin had his eyes on, and Li Jin really didn't want to see Ying Yuan perish in Zhuzhou because of him.

"No."

Upon hearing this, Ying Yuan's first reaction was refusal.

Over the years, Ying Yuan had valued Li Jin's life more than his own, how could he bear Li Jin distancing himself.

Li Jin didn't speak, only looked steadily at Ying Yuan, making it clear he wanted Ying Yuan to give his assurance.

"Alright, I understand," Ying Yuan lowered his head and said in a slightly aggrieved tone, "From now on, I swear I will look after myself first. Is that acceptable?"

"Mm."

Li Jin knew when to stop, gently ruffled Ying Yuan's hair, and conceded.

Li Jin was so insistent on getting Ying Yuan's guarantee because he knew Ying Yuan was a man of his word, and whatever he said, he would absolutely do.

"Li Jin, can you not be like this next time?"

"Seventh Prince, I hope you will care more about your own life."

To be honest.

The current Ying Yuan was not just slightly different from the Ying Yuan of his previous life, it sometimes made Li Jin wonder if it was because he had changed the path Ying Yuan was originally meant to take that made him so attached.

"I will," Ying Yuan emphasized, "and I already gave you my promise just now."

"Good." Li Jin nodded and subtly changed the subject, "Then without delay, let's look at the situation in Zhuzhou now, so we aren't overwhelmed when we get there."

This information in Li Jin's hands was secretly given to him by Yang Shaochuan on Ying Zhengjing's orders just before they left.

Ying Yuan nodded in agreement.

But before long, Ying Yuan remembered something amiss, "By the way, Li Jin, there's one thing I don't understand. Why was Ying Zijun able to say those things today?"

After seven years of interaction, Ying Yuan was well aware of Ying Zijun's limited capabilities, which was why he was puzzled that Ying Zijun, who was always supercilious and arrogant, could utter such carefully considered words.

Li Jin smiled composedly, "Him? He's being used as a pawn."

From the moment Ying Zijun said things he shouldn't have been capable of, and later with Ying Ziqi's assistance, Li Jin deduced it was all a scheme set up by Ying Ziqi.

After all, in his previous life, Ying Ziqi was most adept at using this method to win people over. Li Jin was used to it and wouldn't be taken in.

"Li Jin, you figured out who it was?"

"Ying Ziqi."

"Right, why didn't I think of him earlier?" The moment Li Jin said the name 'Ying Ziqi', Ying Yuan suddenly understood, "Some time ago, I saw Lao Liu (Sixth Prince), who belongs to Lao Wu's (Fifth Prince) faction, secretly meeting him. Lao Wu's words today are probably connected to him. But why would he go to the trouble of manipulating Lao Wu into doing this?" 

Li Jin replied unhurriedly, "If I'm not mistaken, perhaps he has developed a murderous intent towards us and plans to use this opportunity to eliminate us."

Ying Yuan frowned slightly, "He wouldn't dare, would he?"

Ying Yuan was well aware that Ying Ziqi was unscrupulous, but he still found it hard to believe that Ying Ziqi would dare move against them outside the palace. After all, unlike Crown Prince Ying Ziheng, who had frequent access to court officials and could easily build alliances, Ying Ziqi often operated alone and lacked the same connections.

Li Jin shook his head, "Never judge a person by their appearance, just as you cannot measure the sea with a pint pot."

Without his pre-rebirth experiences, Li Jin might have thought similarly to Ying Yuan. Unfortunately, those were just false appearances created by Ying Ziqi. In terms of actual power, Ying Ziqi was not inferior to the currently prominent Crown Prince Ying Ziheng. It was just that, unlike Ying Ziheng's largely overt influence, Ying Ziqi kept all his power hidden, waiting for the right moment.

In his previous life, Ying Ziqi's influence was deeply concealed. Even though Li Jin was Ying Ziqi's confidant for a long time, he couldn't know all of Ying Ziqi's trump cards. Otherwise, Li Jin wouldn't have been in such difficult situations, almost losing his life several times at Ying Ziqi's hands.

"Li Jin, you seem to understand Lao San (Third Prince) very well?"

When Ying Yuan said this, he was completely unaware that his tone carried a trace of jealousy.

"Not exactly understanding. It's just that every time I see him, I have a feeling that he is very formidable." Li Jin's words were a fabrication. After all, it involved the matter of his rebirth, and he did not plan to tell anyone, to avoid uncontrollable butterfly effects.

"..."

The corner of Ying Yuan's mouth twitched, clearly not believing it.

But since Li Jin had said so, Ying Yuan couldn't press further and had to set the matter aside for now, planning to find another opportunity to ask later.

"His Majesty the Empress has arrived." Suddenly, following a eunuch's loud announcement, Gu Rushuang, attended by Zhiqiu, appeared at the main hall of Linzhi Palace.

Hearing this, Li Jin and the others immediately went out the main door to welcome Gu Rushuang, "We pay our respects to Your Majesty the Empress."

"Rise. Let's talk inside."

"Yes, Your Majesty the Empress (Mother Empress)."

Shortly after, Li Jin, Ying Yuan, and Gu Rushuang entered the inner room, while Zhiqiu remained outside to guard against eavesdroppers.

"Jin'er, Zhuzhou is dangerous. Just now, when the Emperor asked you, why didn't you politely decline?" Gu Rushuang directly stated the purpose of his visit to Li Jin and Ying Yuan.

Li Jin picked up the teapot and poured tea into the cups in front of Ying Yuan and Gu Rushuang, "Replying to Your Majesty, since the Fifth Prince was able to say those words, he surely has follow-up plans. It was better for me to agree directly, to leave a good impression on the Emperor."

The facts also proved that this move was very effective with Ying Zhengjing.

Gu Rushuang picked up a teacup from the table, took a sip, and sighed, "Very well, since the matter is already settled, it can only be this way. However, I will help you select suitable personnel from the Imperial Physicians."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

These words from Gu Rushuang undoubtedly relieved Li Jin of future worries, saving him the trouble of being wary about which faction the accompanying imperial physician belonged to.

Gu Rushuang nodded and said again, "Jin'er, This Palace finds Ying Zijun's actions today improper. If This Palace guesses correctly, he was certainly manipulated by someone to deal with you."