Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 332 - 238: Who did it?_2

Chapter 332: Chapter 238: Who did it?_2

Xu Yuan nudged his chin towards Li Zhaoyuan and grinned:

"Of course, I can sleep. When the sky falls, there are tall ones to hold it up, so these matters should still be left to talents like the Second Prince who are skilled in governing the country."

After speaking, he leaped into the night sky and disappeared.

Zhou Chen also left after performing a bow.

Watching the two figures vanish,

Li Zhaoyuan glanced at the scroll in his hand, intending to put it away discreetly, but to his surprise, the scroll suddenly combusted.

Seeing this, Li Zhaoyuan exhaled and scattered the ashes, disappearing from the spot as well......

...

...

...

A few moments later, after moving through the air, Xu Yuan landed on the ground.

Due to the cold wind, he circulated his Blood Essence Meteoring Art a few times and wrapped his jacket tighter before feeling much warmer.

However, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhou Chen, the scruffy middle-aged man, catching up.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan halted and asked:

"Mr. Zhou, you’re not going to rest, but instead you’re following me, why do so?"

Zhou Chen chuckled upon hearing this:

"Third Young Master, tonight is likely to be chaotic. I will stand guard at your door to ensure your safety."

Xu Yuan was rendered speechless, nodded his head, and did not refuse.

On the way back to his residence,

Zhou Chen suddenly asked, sounding mysterious:

"Third Young Master... who do you think is behind tonight’s incident?"

Without a second thought, Xu Yuan directly replied:

"It must be those Sects."

"The Sects? The ones from the southern part of the Northern Frontier?" Zhou Chen stroked his chin.

Xu Yuan glanced towards the south and said with a light laugh:

"It’s not the Imperial Family, it’s not us; surely it can’t be the Northern Border Sects destroying their own, right?"

Zhou Chen showed an enlightened expression and with solemn respect, he clasped his fist in a traditional salute:

"Third Young Master sees through the heart of the matter."

"....."

Xu Yuan’s mouth twitched and he waved his hand:

"Alright, planning such a large-scale sabotage operation couldn’t have been done overnight. According to the efficiency of our Black Scale Guards, to carry out such a massive destruction mission without leaving any trace, the planning alone must have taken at least months. And judging by the situation a few months ago, if the storage in Northern Border City were damaged, the Imperial Court could only be forced to withdraw its troops, which is what those Sects would like to see."

Zhou Chen hesitated upon hearing this, saying:

"Months? But your current plan..."

Xu Yuan smiled slightly:

"Whether or not remains are left in the current state of Northern Border City is irrelevant. If we win this war, we can justify it as an emergency measure; if we lose, nothing matters anymore, because there will no longer be any Northern Border Sects."

Three hundred thousand elite troops buried in the tundra would leave the Northern Border Sects virtually empty shells.

The dead can’t demand explanations.

Zhou Chen’s grin widened, and he saluted again with deep seriousness:

"At first glance, one may not realize it, but Third Young Master is truly a man of great talent."

"......" Xu Yuan.

After a brief pause, Zhou Chen suddenly said out of the blue:

"Third Young Master, there’s something I’m not sure whether I should discuss."

Xu Yuan glanced at him:

"If it should be said, say it; if not, then don’t."

Coughing lightly, Zhou Chen still ventured to speak:

"My lord, given the current situation, if it truly was those southern Sects’ doing, they would likely also destroy our and the Imperial Family’s storage..."

Xu Yuan laughed softly and said:

"Only destroying the Northern Border Sects’ storage could still shift blame onto us. If they destroyed everything, then it would clearly point to them as the culprits."

Zhou Chen fell silent for a moment, then asked:

"The culprit, is that useful?"

Xu Yuan smiled and replied:

"Of course, it’s useful..."

Before he could finish, Xu Yuan’s voice abruptly stopped.

The incident happened so suddenly, he hadn’t thought it through.

Is having a culprit useful?

Of course, it is useful.

The world’s Sects, because of their privilege of not paying taxes, have formed a complex web of interests.

Now, this interest group has sold out the Northern Border Sects for the benefit of the majority; there is a lot of room to maneuver for the Imperial Court, which can certainly create dissension at the very least.

But upon deeper reflection, Xu Yuan suddenly realized there seemed to be no way to sow discord.

Or rather, the effect of sowing discord was insignificant.

The Dayan Dynasty demanded spirit taxes, and the Sects were unwilling to pay; that was the most fundamental and direct conflict.

If this issue couldn’t be resolved, even if the Northern Border Sects were duped, they would only seek retaliation in other areas instead of cooperating with The Imperial Court.

Putting oneself in the Sects’ shoes,

from the Sects’ perspective, if all the storage facilities in Northern Border City were destroyed, coupled with the current blizzard disaster, the city was bound to fall, and the seven hundred thousand elite troops would inevitably be annihilated all at once.

Following that, the Three Prefectures of the Northern Frontier would be directly facing the attack of the Barbarian Tribes, and without their elite Sect forces, none would be able to resist, regardless of Xu Yinhè and Li Yaoxuan’s ability to reach the heavens, they would have to deal with the Barbarian Tribes first.

Wait until Li Yaoxuan meets his death, and at that moment, the situation will inevitably undergo a huge shift.

Would the next Emperor of the Dayan Empire share the same attitude as Li Yaoxuan?

All the Sects in the world would not threaten the position of the Li Family imperial lineage, but Minister Xu in the Prime Minister’s Mansion would.

At that thought,

a trace of solemnity appeared in Xu Yuan’s eyes, which were swirling with blood flames.

Why haven’t these people made a move on our Imperial Court’s storage? Is it because... they couldn’t plant a spy?

The answer seems to be just this one.

The unfortunate event tonight made Xu Yuan’s judgment of the situation begin to blur.

In the silence amidst the drifting snow, the roar in the sky above South City continued, and the Bright Pattern Lamps still cast a hazy glow on both sides of the stone-paved road.

Not knowing how long he had been standing there, Xu Yuan suddenly cast a fierce glance towards the deliberation hall.

Zhou Chen, upon seeing this, transmitted his voice and asked:

"Third Young Master... Have you thought of something?"

Xu Yuan frowned in thought for a few moments and spit out a name.

Li Zhaoyuan.

Zhou Chen, upon hearing the name of the Second Prince, was stunned for a moment:

"Third Young Master, do you mean..."

Xu Yuan exhaled, but his tone was somewhat uncertain,

"This matter might have been done by that Second Prince."

Zhou Chen, with a tone of confusion,

"The Second Prince? Second His Highness shouldn’t have that kind of power..."

As Xu Yuan continued to stride forward, he glanced at Zhou Chen and transmitted his voice:

"He indeed doesn’t have it, but didn’t I just say that the Sects from the south do?"

Zhou Chen hissed softly and carefully transmitted back:

"Third Young Master, are you suggesting... that Second His Highness is in secret communication with the Sects? Why?"

"To fight for succession."

Xu Yuan sighed, looking in the direction of the Imperial Capital, "Mr. Zhou, do you know how big the gap is between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince?"

"Cough, Third Young Master, about this matter, Mr. Zhou..."

Zhou Chen coughed lightly, his casual nature instinctively wanting to shy away from the topic.

It’s too dangerous.

As a Third Grade Great Grandmaster, he might be buried without a trace if he got involved.

But as he was halfway through his words, he paused, gritted his teeth, and changed direction:

"...Mr. Zhou indeed does not know, but it is widely rumored that the Second Prince’s temperament is similar to the Emperor’s, and the Emperor might consider a change in the heir to the throne given the current situation?"

With his current Cultivation resources, he could probably only remain at Third Grade for his entire life.

Risking life for fortune; this is an opportunity to become one of the trusted aides of the Third Young Master.

Seeing that Zhou Chen didn’t refuse, Xu Yuan smiled faintly and said:

"The gap between him and the Crown Prince has nearly reached a point where even the Emperor can’t intervene."

"The Emperor also can’t intervene?" Zhou Chen licked his lips.

Xu Yuan faintly smiled:

"The Emperor has already delegated too much power to the Crown Prince. After being designated as the heir for nearly thirty years, there’s no way that those aligned with the Crown Prince would switch allegiance to the Second Prince now, whether it be the Deputy Minister, the head of the Imperial Guards, or the Imperial Family’s commerce guilds. Each of these is a current high official of the court; unless the current Emperor determinedly kills the Crown Prince directly."

Nearly thirty years of companionship has become a strong, unwavering bond.

Even if Li Yaoxuan now supports Li Zhaoyuan’s accession, the people under the Crown Prince wouldn’t agree.

Once Li Zhaoyuan ascended to the throne, these positions would inevitably be gradually replaced by his confidants, in other words, there would be a purge of the current officials.

Therefore, Li Yaoxuan at this point truly does not have the time to support Li Zhaoyuan anymore.

After a pause, Xu Yuan laughed softly:

"Of course, if Li Zhaoyuan is willing to cooperate with our Prime Minister’s Mansion, it is possible, but if he chooses so, he who has no strong backing, the most likely consequence is to become a puppet, being slowly and methodically controlled by the Prime Minister’s Mansion as we consolidate imperial power."

"Mr. Zhou, do you think someone like Li Zhaoyuan would be willing to become a puppet Emperor?"

"....."

Silence.

After a long while, Zhou Chen suddenly said in a low voice:

"So, the Second Prince can only seek support from the Sects if he wants to ascend to the throne?"