Minister Liu had the Second Prince of Dongyi’s guard escorted out. Walking to the bedside, he saw Fan Yugan open his eyes and glance at him, then suddenly sit up and lean over the bed’s edge as if to vomit. The attendant quickly brought over a basin, his movements seeming quite practiced.

Lu Fenglang covered her mouth with a handkerchief and stepped back several paces, while Minister Liu also frowned deeply.

Seeing that Fan Yugan had finished vomiting, Liu Rushi frowned and said to Fan Yugan’s attendant: “Go prepare a sobering soup for your young master. This is too unseemly!”

After everyone had left, Fan Yugan sat up, no longer showing any trace of his previous drunken state: “My lord, I met the Second Prince today, but fearing he might think I was acting deliberately, I pretended to be completely drunk and collapsed, saying nothing and doing nothing! I’ve returned to request instructions from you!”

Liu Rushi had noticed Fan Yugan’s clear, bright eyes when he first opened them, knowing he hadn’t drunk much. He hadn’t expected this young man to be so quick-witted.

Indeed, meeting the Second Prince once and saying nothing before collapsing drunk – this was truly an accidental encounter. If he had said anything… even a single sentence would appear to have ulterior motives in others’ eyes!

“Rest for three days starting tomorrow, then go again…” Liu Rushi pondered for a moment. “Publicly, we’ll say I punished you!”

“Yes!” Fan Yugan responded.

What no one expected was that the next day at noon, the guard who had escorted Fan Yugan back the previous night came again, inviting Fan Yugan to a pleasure boat on behalf of the Second Prince.

Upon receiving this news, Liu Rushi chuckled softly: “This Second Prince seems to be a calculating person!”

Lu Fenglang spoke up: “No wonder this Dongyi First Prince, despite being the legitimate eldest son, has always been suppressed by this violent-tempered Second Prince!”

Lu Fenglang, having often been by Chancellor Lu’s side, realized upon seeing the Second Prince’s guard openly come to invite Fan Yugan that their plan to have officials hidden in Dongyi secretly contact the First Prince on behalf of Great Zhou had been discovered by the Second Prince.

It seemed there were spies planted by the Second Prince around the First Prince, and these spies… probably had extraordinary relationships with the First Prince.

Could such a First Prince outmaneuver the Second Prince?

Moreover, even if they told the First Prince about the spies, this indecisive First Prince, who valued personal relationships, would probably trust his people more and be unwilling to believe these Great Zhou envoys.

“My lord, tonight when Fan Yugan goes to see the Second Prince, perhaps… this student should privately visit the First Prince.” Lu Fenglang immediately made a decisive suggestion. “Fenglang wants to meet the First Prince. If he truly cannot be supported, we needn’t waste our energy. We only need to find ways to disrupt the current balance in Dongyi’s court, preferably making the First Prince and Second Prince mutually destroy each other, so Great Zhou can install a puppet emperor… the legitimate Seventh Prince, currently only six years old!”

Although the First Prince was the legitimate eldest son, the former empress had died early. The current empress bore this Seventh Prince, who could be considered the Dongyi emperor’s child of old age. Because he was born with leg disabilities and the current empress lacked a powerful maternal family, neither the First Prince nor Second Prince in their succession struggle had considered this Seventh Prince a threat.

For foreign envoys to stir up trouble in another empire’s capital required great boldness…

Before Lu Fenglang’s departure, her grandfather had told her he regretted not raising Lu Fenglang like a son, as the Bai family had done. He said that after Lu Fenglang returned from Dongyi, he would certainly teach her properly, and also instructed her… Liu Rushi was a gentleman of upright character who might not think of extraordinary measures. If Lu Fenglang cared about her official career prospects, when necessary, she shouldn’t spare her reputation and should boldly make suggestions to Liu Rushi.

However, Lu Fenglang had forgotten her grandfather’s reminder to keep her ambitions modest and prioritize caution.

Liu Rushi turned to look at the gleaming light in Lu Fenglang’s eyes, not having expected her to possess such determination – she was ruthless.

“But with just the three of us…” Liu Rushi felt somewhat overwhelmed.

“My lord, this student believes that where there’s a will, there’s a way!” Lu Fenglang again brought up Bai Qingyan to persuade Liu Rushi. “When the Bai family faced disaster, His Majesty was merely a woman who single-handedly supported the Bai family. Who could have imagined then… that His Majesty would ascend to that supreme position!”

Liu Rushi pressed his lips together, and after a long while: “Indeed, then let’s… give it a try!”

That night, the two envoys from Great Zhou’s mission to Dongyi split up: Fan Yugan accepted the Second Prince’s invitation to visit a pleasure boat on the lake, while Lu Fenglang disguised herself in men’s clothing, posing as a servant of Dongyi’s Vice Minister of Revenue to visit the First Prince.

The Vice Minister of Revenue had the First Prince dismiss his attendants, and only then did Lu Fenglang reveal her true identity to meet with the First Prince.

“There are probably spies from the Second Prince’s circle around the First Prince, and they’re very close to the First Prince. Therefore… Lu Fenglang meets with the First Prince in this manner. Please keep today’s visit secret, so that… Great Zhou can better cooperate with the First Prince!” Lu Fenglang straightened her back and spoke solemnly.

At the same time, on the pleasure boat, the Second Prince, perhaps currently riding high with success and satisfaction, asked Fan Yuhuai from his lofty position: “I hear… Great Zhou wants to support my incompetent elder brother to ascend the throne?”

Hearing this, Fan Yuhuai didn’t panic. He feigned composure as if everything was under Great Zhou’s control, smiling and speaking frankly with the Second Prince: “Why would Great Zhou support the First Prince’s ascension? It’s simply because the Second Prince is currently surrounded by Tianfeng Nation and Yan Nation, which are gambling against the Great Zhou. Whether Yan Nation or Tianfeng Nation, they all hope Dongyi will fight with our Great Zhou! Am I correct in what I say?”

The Second Prince looked at this playboy who played the qin quite well, feeling that this playboy seemed to be more than just a playboy. He remained silent, only picking up his wine cup, when he heard Fan Yuhuai say with a grin, “Naturally, these are words from our Minister Liu. Please don’t think this humble one is merely parroting!”

“It seems your Great Zhou… acts as if it’s not afraid for me to know you want to support the First Prince’s ascension?” The Second Prince’s sinister eyes fixed on Fan Yuhuai as he tilted back his head and drained his cup.

Fan Yuhuai clasped his hands in his sleeves and smiled, unafraid of the Second Prince’s change of expression: “Our Great Zhou is separated from Dongyi Nation by the sea, so naturally we hope for harmony between our two nations and peaceful coastlines while Great Zhou and Yan Nation are gambling! If the Second Prince can sign an alliance guaranteeing peaceful coexistence between our two nations after ascending to the throne, Great Zhou can also work to promote the Second Prince’s ascension!”

Seeing the Second Prince’s expression unchanged, Fan Yuhuai smiled: “After all, for our Great Zhou, supporting anyone’s ascension has nothing to do with Great Zhou – it’s not as if they’re coming to be Great Zhou’s emperor! Our current interference in Dongyi’s succession is merely to avoid war during this critical gambling period! However, our Great Zhou is a vast nation – if we really must fight… then we fight, it’s nothing special!”