In my past life, I was buried alive! Reborn, I'll overturn the capital.

Chapter 36 Crown Prince Qin Jinghao

Meanwhile, Qin Xuanyu, led by the Grand Eunuch, had arrived at the highest point of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion—the Moon-Viewing Pavilion.

Behind the beaded curtain stood the current emperor.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects! Long live the Emperor!" Qin Xuanyu bowed to the Emperor.

"I've already said it, there's no need for such formalities between brothers like us." The emperor stepped forward, helped Qin Xuanyu up, and pulled him to sit down beside him.

"Today, you specially invited me to watch a good show, and now I finally know how well my attempt to add icing on the cake went?"

It turned out that after Qin Xuanyu made proper arrangements for Jiang Qingyue, he instructed Yingyu to invite the emperor out of the palace early the next morning.

Hearing that it was related to Qin Xuanyu, the emperor was curious and wanted to know what Qin Xuanyu was up to, so he decided to go out and see.

Of course, he also suspected that Qin Xuanyu might have ulterior motives, deliberately sending him out of the palace, with some kind of conspiracy waiting for him, but over the years, if he really wanted to do so, he would have had plenty of opportunities.

Therefore, he decided to come and take a look anyway, but just in case, he sent his bodyguards to protect him secretly.

"Thank you for your help, Your Majesty."

"Actually, if you want to help Miss Jiang, you can just reveal your identity directly. Why go through all this trouble?"

The emperor already knew the whole story from Yingyu and couldn't understand why Qin Xuanyu had made things so complicated.

"Because it's not suitable," Qin Xuanyu explained.

The emperor was puzzled. "What's inappropriate about it? You've already helped her once, what's one more time? When did you become so hesitant in your actions?"

"After all, she is Jinghao's fiancée, and as Jinghao's uncle, I naturally need to avoid suspicion." Qin Xuanyu's expression was inscrutable, and he spoke of this matter as if it were a trivial matter, making the emperor even more unsure of what to do.

Yes, the Jiang family's daughter is engaged to the current Crown Prince Qin Jinghao, but it has always been thought to be Jiang Chuchu. Now that this misunderstanding has occurred, the choice should naturally be corrected, otherwise there will be no way to explain it to the world.

However, the entanglement between Qin Xuanyu and Jiang Qingyue made the emperor even more uncertain. "You helped her last time, and I didn't see anything inappropriate about it?"

"Last time it was to repay a life-saving debt, which was justified, but this time it was also by chance that I saved her. If I were to involve Yu Jinghao, the Jiang family woman, or even my brother, it would be inappropriate. Therefore, it is not appropriate for me to step forward."

Qin Xuanyu's words were so flawless that the emperor could not find any fault with them.

However, the emperor was not satisfied. He narrowed his eyes and carefully examined Qin Xuanyu, trying to see what was going on in his face. "Then what do you think of the marriage between Jinghao and the Jiang family? Jiang Chuchu has been well-educated for many years and is well-mannered. She and Jinghao are also in love. Jiang Qingyue is a country bumpkin and is probably not presentable. But she is the true daughter of the Jiang family. It is really difficult for us."

Anyone with common sense could understand that the emperor's words, while seemingly directed at Qin Xuanyu, were actually a test of Qin Xuanyu's attitude.

"I can't offer any advice on this. At worst, we can just take both as concubines."

Qin Xuanyu's nonchalant expression left the emperor speechless for a moment. "You, you are right. It's understandable that you lack experience and don't understand the intricacies. Fine, let me worry about it alone."

Then, the emperor changed the subject, "But you should be settling down by now. All these years, hasn't a single one caught your eye? How about I pick out a few for you?"

"No need," Qin Xuanyu refused directly. "My heart is not here. I am happy to be alone."

"Then the poison in your body..."

"It's alright. I've already had people keeping an eye on things secretly. In the coming days, let's officially announce my brother's return to court!"

"What is this?" The emperor was startled. He knew it; this was what was waiting for him!

Once he returned to the capital… the emperor felt uneasy. “Didn’t you say you were going to investigate secretly? Why are you preparing to come back? Won’t this…” The emperor still appeared to be concerned for Qin Xuanyu.

To be honest, he didn't want Qin Xuanyu to return to the court. Too many people in the court were on Qin Xuanyu's side. It was fine if he didn't return, but once he did, those people would definitely start to make trouble.

If Qin Xuanyu truly harbors ambitions of becoming stronger...

Upon realizing this, the emperor could no longer sit still.

"The enemy is hiding in the shadows and is too difficult to deal with. Therefore, I plan to announce my return to the court and act as if I am completely unharmed. The enemy will realize that they failed in their first attack and will definitely take further action. At that time, I will surely be able to catch them."

Although he could remain silent indefinitely, it wouldn't be conducive to his continued actions in the long run, especially since Jiang Qingyue... would inevitably cause some gossip.

And this marriage... Thinking of this, Qin Xuanyu's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That makes sense. Alright, I'll make the arrangements. Welcome back!" The emperor patted Qin Xuanyu on the shoulder, beaming with joy. "From now on, we brothers will continue to work together!"

"Your Majesty, this time when we return to court, I will not participate in these matters. I wish to rest and recuperate in peace." How could Qin Xuanyu not see through the emperor's forced smile? He did not want to break ties with the emperor, so he was happy to postpone the matter to avoid trouble.

"Alright... I agree!"

"Then I shall take my leave!" Qin Xuanyu rose to bid farewell and leave. Before leaving, he glanced at the screen out of the corner of his eye, a slight smile playing on his lips.

After Qin Xuanyu left, a commotion came from the direction of the screen he had been looking at. A tall and handsome figure slowly walked out, wearing a crown and jade ornaments, dressed like a wealthy young master.

"Father!" Qin Jinghao bowed slightly, then sat down in the seat where Qin Xuanyu had just been sitting.

The Emperor: "You heard everything just now."

Qin Jinghao nodded, "Yes."

"What do you think?"

"It's hard to tell. The Imperial Uncle's thoughts have always been unfathomable. It's difficult to tell whether they're true or false."

"Regardless of whether it's true or not, we must be on guard from now on!" The emperor looked in the direction Qin Xuanyu had left, his expression slightly grim. "Your marriage to Jiang Qingyue should be settled."

"Father!" Qin Jinghao couldn't sit still any longer. "Father, you clearly know..."

"Of course I know!" The Emperor interrupted Qin Jinghao. "You just saw it yourself. Jiang Chuchu is narrow-minded and petty. She is not worthy of a respectable position, and her status is unclear. She is not qualified for the position of a concubine."

The Emperor naturally saw Jiang Chuchu's behavior today. Those methods were the same ones that women in the harem had used to death, and he genuinely looked down on them. Yet, his own son was completely infatuated with her.

"But Jiang Qingyue has been wandering outside for many years and behaves in a crude manner, and..." Qin Jinghao dislikes Jiang Qingyue, so how could he talk about marrying her?

"Foolish! You are the Crown Prince and need to balance the power of all parties. Do you think things can go your way? Even if you like Jiang Chuchu, you can always take her as a concubine later. But there is no possibility of changing your marriage to Jiang Qingyue. Besides the Jiang family, she also has that person on the frontier behind her!"

Besides, now that Qin Xuanyu is back, do you think you can still rest easy? Think about it carefully!

After saying this, the emperor angrily turned and left.

Watching the emperor's departing figure, Qin Jinghao knew he had a point, but...

Qin Jinghao clenched his fists, still feeling extremely unwilling.

Alright, let's appease Chuchu first, then go and meet Jiang Qingyue. We'll figure out the rest later.