“If you dare leave with this person, I’ll tell Lian Yu that the person in your heart… is Li Zhaoting.”

Quan Feitong’s eyes burned darkly as he spoke softly. Suzhen was so shocked she could barely hold her disheveled clothes together. Just at this moment, the visitor shouted sternly: “Li Huaisu, what are you and Quan Feitong doing here!”

The voice couldn’t hide its shock and fury.

He strode quickly toward them. Quan Feitong rose from Suzhen’s body, and as the man reached to pull Suzhen, he grasped her wrist with one hand, smiling: “Seventh Prince, my respects.”

This was indeed Lian Jie. He grabbed Suzhen’s other hand and looked coldly at Quan Feitong: “So Prime Minister Quan summoned this prince here to appreciate this vivid spring palace show?”

“Li Huaisu, come with me.”

Suzhen saw the extreme disgust in his eyes, knowing he was angry for Lian Yu’s sake. But Quan Feitong’s earlier words meant she had to pull back her hand: “Seventh Prince, I wasn’t willing just now, whether you believe it or not.”

This was all she could say.

Lian Jie’s gaze darkened as he sneered: “You weren’t willing, yet won’t come with me?”

He looked again at Quan Feitong: “If Prime Minister wants this prince as witness to report this to my imperial brother, I’m afraid you’ve miscalculated. First, I won’t tell him about this – Li Huaisu is so filthy, why would I defile my own mouth? Second, even if my sixth brother truly knew, even saw this scene personally, he wouldn’t do anything. He’s the emperor – why worry about lacking women? Devastatingly beautiful ones are possible, talented and intelligent ones are possible, gentle and virtuous ones are also possible!”

He dropped these sinister words and turned to leave. Suzhen almost wanted to rush out the door after him, seeing that figure so similar to Lian Yu… She quickly turned her head away, not daring to look further.

But Quan Feitong laughed: “Seventh Prince, you think I called you here just to watch me and Li Huaisu being intimate? I sought you out to ask you something.”

Lian Jie gave a cold laugh, his steps not stopping. Just as he stepped out the door, one sentence stopped him like thunder.

“If I’m willing to support you, would you be willing to become emperor?”

These words shocked Suzhen greatly, and Lian Jie immediately turned around, pointing at Quan Feitong: “Bullshit!”

Quan Feitong only smiled: “Are you willing or not?”

At that moment, Suzhen suddenly had the feeling that this Quan Feitong wasn’t joking, wasn’t being playful, and didn’t even seem to be scheming.

Lian Jie’s eyes also gradually filled with laughter: “Prime Minister Quan truly has good schemes! When assassination failed and you knew my sixth brother wasn’t easy to handle, you thought of this move of brothers fighting each other!”

“Too bad Lian Jie made a promise long ago to be eternally loyal to Lian Yu and never be your puppet emperor.”

He turned sharply and strode away.

Suzhen silently applauded, thinking “good.” This struggle for power and throne had never ceased in history – how many emperors had stepped on their siblings’ blood and flesh to sit in the highest position, looking down on all living beings? Lian Yu was undoubtedly capable, letting Lian Jie…

“What fine brotherly affection.”

Quan Feitong suddenly laughed lowly. Suzhen felt this voice was unsettling as she looked coldly at Quan Feitong. She didn’t speak. Since he wanted Lian Jie to misunderstand them, she’d fulfill his wish. She didn’t know how he had discovered something unusual between her and Zhaoting… Unexpectedly, Quan Feitong was also looking at her, looking deeply at her. Finally, just as Lian Jie stepped out the door, he laughed softly: “If you knew how Lian Yu became this emperor, and still support him, then by all means leave.”

“Seventh Prince, I’m not asking you to be a puppet emperor. This was the late emperor’s wish. The late emperor’s edict originally appointed you – it was Murong Liu who committed regicide and secretly changed the edict.”

“What did you say?”

Suzhen felt as if someone had punched her hard in the heart. Not only could she barely stand steady, but Lian Jie also stopped abruptly and turned around.

“Impossible!” He stared at Quan Feitong with blazing eyes: “Quan Feitong, to make me and sixth brother turn against each other, you’d even fabricate such treasonous lies!”

He suddenly laughed loudly. Suzhen clearly saw the cold, violent killing intent in his eyes as he stepped toward them. Suzhen suddenly remembered that Quan Feitong seemed unable to fight, and she only had amateur martial arts skills…

Quan Feitong was a great demon everyone wanted to kill – should she save him or not?

Just at this critical, hesitant moment, Lian Jie couldn’t take another step forward. Someone silently restrained him from behind.

This person was said to have unparalleled martial arts!

Naturally, it was Chao Huang, who had secretly come here but suddenly disappeared. When Chao Huang had no border wars, he couldn’t leave the capital lightly. To leave the capital required the emperor’s personal written approval – this Great Zhou law was precisely to prevent ministers commanding heavy troops from suddenly rebelling.

Lian Jie immediately couldn’t move. He stared fiercely at Quan Feitong: “What, when provocation failed, you resort to force?”

He questioned Chao Huang: “I wondered why one of the masked assassins at the Huang residence that night had such powerful martial arts, killing us until we had no ability to resist. So it was you. Do you know leaving the capital without permission is a grave crime?”

Chao Huang smiled slightly: “Sorry, Seventh Prince. Chao Huang only follows big brother’s orders. I’m afraid grave crimes can’t touch me – did Lian Yu see me personally? As long as he didn’t see me face to face, he can’t prosecute me!”

Lian Jie sneered, proudly raising his chin as he stared at Quan Feitong: “Prime Minister, I advise you to release me. Before leaving, I told sixth brother I was coming to find you.”

His eyes still showed thick hatred and killing intent, like dense fog on a gloomy day, making one suddenly feel terrified. This was a side Suzhen had never seen in the gentle, jade-like Lian Jie. Indeed, imperial offspring all had this innate ruthlessness.

But Quan Feitong showed no fear, only sighing quietly. His expression seemed like encountering a stubborn child: “Unfortunately, I have no evidence of Lian Yu’s treason.”

The mockery in Lian Jie’s eyes grew stronger.

Quan Feitong suddenly lifted his robes and knelt down before Lian Jie.

Lian Jie trembled, his brows suddenly furrowing. But Quan Feitong’s eyes were steady, his expression calm: “Seventh Prince, these knees of mine, Quan Feitong, have knelt before three people – one was the late emperor, one was Lian Yu, and one is you. Even meeting the Empress Dowager or imperial consorts, I needn’t perform such grand ceremony. I knelt to the late emperor because he showed me recognition and was the Great Zhou’s ruler. I knelt to Lian Yu out of necessity. But I kneel to you – what do you think that’s for?”

Suzhen trembled all over. This man seemed increasingly serious, yet he clearly wanted to drive a wedge between the Lian Yu brothers. His ability lay in pride and charm, and being positioned below one person but above ten thousand others. At first glance, he couldn’t possibly kneel to anyone easily. So now, the more convincingly he acted, the more likely Lian Jie would believe him.

Power was a devil, and Quan Feitong was too clever. Lian Yu trusted Lian Jie completely – if Lian Jie rebelled, Lian Yu would be completely unprepared!

“Seventh Prince, don’t listen to him! Think of how the Sixth Young Master treats you and the Ninth Prince. How could he possibly commit regicide! He was already the late emperor’s son and the child raised personally by the Empress Dowager. According to Great Zhou palace law, sons gain nobility through their mothers – the late emperor appointing him makes perfect sense emotionally and logically.”

Suzhen suddenly spoke up. As soon as she finished, she leaped out and struck hard at Chao Huang.

Normally, Chao Huang absolutely wouldn’t let Lian Jie escape, but he never expected Suzhen to suddenly attack. With Lian Jie also being skilled in martial arts, in the moment of Chao Huang’s loosened grip, he actually managed to rush out.

Quan Feitong spoke almost simultaneously: “Seventh Prince, Lian Yu’s birth mother was poisoned to death by your mother, Concubine Ai. This is palace secret, but those who know have always known. Someday when Lian Yu holds all power, the first person he’ll kill will be you mother and son!”

Suzhen’s heart pounded wildly, seeming to see Lian Jie’s figure trembling slightly.

Chao Huang moved to pursue, but Quan Feitong calmly stopped him: “Chao brother, no need. He’ll come find me!”

Chao Huang responded “Yes” and leaped before Suzhen, staring at her fiercely. Just as he was about to punish Suzhen, Quan Feitong reached out to block him: “This is my woman – you can’t touch her.”

At these words, both Chao Huang and Suzhen were shocked.

Chao Huang was about to speak when Quan Feitong stopped him again, gesturing for him to leave the room.

The room was empty again. Suzhen looked warily at the man before her: “Your schemes are useless on me! I was just being foolish earlier. Li Zhaoting is your junior fellow – you wouldn’t harm him. But in the critical moment, I was still fooled by you, so that Lian Jie misunderstood as you wished.”

Quan Feitong grasped her chin, his eyes deep as lake depths, yet clearly reflecting incongruous wildness and… doting affection.

“But your relationship with Zhaoting… at least I found that out, didn’t I?” he said slowly.

Suzhen was furious: “You’re despicable.”

“Lian Yu doesn’t know about your private relationship with Zhaoting, so when you said you had someone in your heart, he didn’t realize who it was. But I thought of it.”

“So what? You’re delusional if you think you can seize Lian Yu’s throne!” Suzhen’s gaze grew colder.

“Baby,” Quan Feitong laughed with a “tsk,” “You think everything I told Lian Jie was lies? That’s only because you’ve never seen Lian Yu’s true face. He committed regicide and usurped succession – everyone was deceived by him. You think I’m the most dangerous person? No, it’s not me, nor any enemy hiding in the shadows. The one who can overturn clouds and rain with a flip of his hand is the current Son of Heaven. I’m not a good person, but everything I’ve done is to return Great Zhou’s history to its rightful course.”