"Yes, Ji Chengjue is now very useful to His Majesty; without Ji Chengjue, His Majesty’s long-held wish to advance south might very well continue to be shelved.

But if I am gone, the Northern Border Army and His Majesty will therefore break off completely.

His Majesty is a very pragmatic person. No, the men of the Ji Family are all pragmatic and cold-blooded.

His Lord of Jingnan can depose a number three. Why can’t my Earl of North Border do away with a number six?

Ji Chengjue used this to manipulate his father, and we can similarly follow suit."

"When?"

"Now."

"Very rushed."

"Brother, even you think it’s rushed, so they probably wouldn’t expect us to act directly like this."

"Indeed."

"Brother, I can’t wait any longer. Father has dismantled the Northern Border Army, and the Lord’s influence over the Northern Border Army is steadily diminishing.

Brother Bao has died in battle, Li Fusheng has joined Lord Jingnan’s camp; our trump cards are diminishing, whereas Ji Chengjue’s trump cards will increase.

Not to mention wealth, grain trade, not to mention the advancements and promotions of those scholars; at Snow Sea Pass, he has a Lord Pingye that he personally supported, and Lord Pingye is a favorite in front of Lord Jingnan, even the young lord is..."

The princess closed her eyes,

took a breath,

and continued:

"One rises while the other falls; I must seize the opportunity. Since Father and His Majesty have already arranged my fate, I can accept;

However, I must become the princess consort, and in the future, I must become the Empress, and in the future, I must become the Empress Dowager, to preside over court affairs!

Brother, whether you think I am crazy or possessed, but I believe this is my only chance now.

Moreover,

I am not sure,

when I wake up tomorrow after today,

whether I will still have the courage to ask you to kill the current prince; perhaps tomorrow I won’t dare."

Li Liangshen picked up the teacup on the small table and moved it toward the princess,

and said:

"Finish this cup of tea; after drinking it, if you still want me to go kill the Sixth Prince, then I will go."

The princess picked up that cup of tea,

and began to sip quietly,

initially drinking slowly,

toward the end,

her gaze began to calm down, and she drank the entire tea in one go, then put the teacup back on the stone table.

"Brother, I have a premonition right now; perhaps I am not calm now; perhaps I am, in your eyes, being stubborn and willful;

but somehow,

I truly feel that,

if I do not kill Ji Chengjue today,

in the future,

no one will be able to restrain his progress,

not even his father.

Brother, do you believe in fate?

I did not before;

but now,

I want to believe."

This might be a woman’s sixth sense.

A very crazy thought, a very crazy act, sudden and impulsive, but often the key points of fate come unexpectedly.

Li Liangshen smiled,

"I have said, you are my sister; I escorted you to the capital, and I also said, in this capital, no one can bully you.

I don’t believe in fate,

but now, give me a definite answer,

Do we kill or not?"

The princess bit her lip,

then flashed a charming smile,

and said:

"Kill."

...

Prince’s mansion, rear courtyard.

"Come, try this, it’s pickled crab."

Ji Chengjue warmly entertained Fanli and the sword maid.

Lingxiang had already supported Madam He back to her room to rest early.

So, in this small hall, there were only four people, and the other one was Master Zhang.

The sword maid used chopsticks to pick up one, put it into her bowl, and then began to grab it by hand, sending a crab leg into her mouth, nibbling lightly and then sucking.

"How does it taste?" Ji Chengjue asked.

The sword maid replied, "Extremely delicious."

"Indeed, at night, a plate of pickled crab, with vegetable porridge and two small dishes, that’s what makes a supper truly delightful."

How could the Sixth Prince, who produced roast duck at Quande Building, not know how to enjoy food?

Of course, the Sixth Prince is also an oddity; he can enjoy exquisite cuisine while also enduring months of corn cakes.

Fanli picked up one, did not split it open, directly put it in his mouth, and began chewing, profoundly demonstrating "a bull chewing peony."

Ji Chengjue decisively refrained from discussing gourmet food with Fanli and instead said to the sword maid:

"The biggest trick of pickled crab is in the salt used; it must be sea salt, brought from Qian State, which is unavailable in Yan."

The sword maid smiled and said:

"Your Highness, I have eaten it when I was little."

"You are from Qian?"

"Yes, I am from Qian."

"When did you meet Zheng Fan?"

"A few years ago, when the Yan Army attacked Qian."

"Where?"

"Under the imperial capital, my master died to block the Yan Army, and I was captured by my lord."

"Sounds... quite interesting."

"Your Highness, what you said sounds a bit inhumane."

"Hahaha, I am a bit like Zheng Fan, always enjoying adding flavor to life."

Master Zhang got up and began to pour wine.

"I envy Zheng Fan. The sky is high for birds to fly and the sea is wide for fish to leap; this is true freedom. Snow Sea Pass is really a place where the sky is high and the emperor is far away."

The sword maid quickly replied, "Your Highness, our lord misses you very much too."

Fanli just swallowed a crab and spoke:

"Misses the money and grain you send."

Ji Chengjue was not offended but laughed and said, "Your lord can’t be ever satisfied no matter how he is fed."

Ji Chengjue could deeply relate to this point.

Suddenly,

Fanli, who was about to eat another crab, suddenly paused, frowned, and looked at Ji Chengjue.