Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 394 - 272: Imperial Power_2

Chapter 394: Chapter 272: Imperial Power_2

"Stop thinking about it."

Xu Yuan grinned and pointed to the dagger in her hand, "The Kunwu Mirror that acted as the key has been destroyed by you, and it looks like the Kunwu Realm can only emerge when it is on the brink of destruction."

Unless you’re as lucky as Big Ice Lump, most secret realms are only discovered by the outside world when the levitation stones within begin to age and are about to disintegrate, causing spatial anomalies to form around them.

Li Qingyan inclined her head slightly and asked with interest,

"However, Prince Consort, you seem to be quite familiar with these things, and it looks like you recognized that fox seductress from earlier?"

"Lou Ji mentioned it."

"....." Li Qingyan.

Having shifted the blame onto the great temptress, Xu Yuan didn’t care whether the other party believed him or not, and continued on his own,

"The Fox Tribe has three kings, and one of them is the Heavenly Snow Spirit Fox, Nan Jinxi. But I truly didn’t expect her to come and attempt to assassinate us."

Li Qingyan’s brows furrowed lightly as she said in a clear voice,

"It’s unexpected for the Ancient Abyss to intervene in Dayan’s warfare at this critical juncture."

Xu Yuan’s gaze was somewhat peculiar,

"Didn’t you suspect earlier that Nan Jinxi’s assassination attempt was for her beloved?"

Li Qingyan’s gaze was peculiar as she chuckled,

"Her beloved? I admit that there are people in this world who would die for love, but the chances are too slim, and Prince Consort, the words spoken by an enemy can at most serve as a reference. What if what she said was intended to mislead us?"

Xu Yuan paused to consider and then shook his head,

"The Ancient Abyss has no reason to get involved in the conflict between Dayan and the Barbarian Tribes now. The Ancient Abyss is much more powerful than the Barbarian Tribes. Considering all the Demonic Beasts spying in Dayan Territory, along with their high-ranking transformed infiltrators, they have no reason to provoke Dayan at this time."

Li Qingyan pondered for a moment and then looked up at the dark cave ceiling,

"That’s an oversight on my part. If it really was the work of the Ancient Abyss, then Nan Jinxi’s target should only be you."

"......"

Xu Yuan was taken aback, but after pondering for a moment, it became clear to him.

Li Qingyan had a different line of thought than his.

He had mostly used the god-like perspective he once held to deduce the future trends and judge that the Ancient Abyss would choose to enter the fray after Dayan’s internal conflicts had ended, to pick fruit from the troubled waters.

On the other hand, Li Qingyan considered the delicate relationships among the various powers.

Especially between the Imperial Family and the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

If Nan Jinxi had only killed him, Xu Yuan, then the Ancient Abyss would certainly have a motive.

By killing him inside the Northern Border Army, a hostage just like him, it would be highly likely that the Second Prince and the Third Prince would die in the Northern Border due to illness from the climate and water.

The relationship between the Prime Minister’s Mansion and the Imperial Family was already tense over Li Yaoxuan’s health, and this incident would inevitably lead to irreparable rifts.

But if Li Qingyan were to be killed alongside him, Xu Yuan, the story would be different.

Though Xu Yuan was internally selected as the "Crown Prince" of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, it was a matter kept in the shadows.

Li Qingyan, being the only member of the Imperial Family with actual command over troops, was far more important on the surface than he was.

The Imperial Family would never sacrifice her for a frivolous playboy.

In other words, there was someone else behind the scenes.

As Li Qingyan thought, she habitually rubbed the Sumeru Ring on her finger with her index and thumb, and asked in a soothing voice,

"Prince Consort, who do you think is behind this attempt on our lives? Could it be that fox spirit’s beloved she mentioned?"

As she said this,

Li Qingyan herself chuckled and shook her head, "Forget it, even if it was instructed by her beloved, we don’t know who it is. Blindly guessing here won’t get us anywhere. We’ll capture them later on for interrogation."

"......"

Xu Yuan turned his head and looked at her smiling profile, remaining silent.

Making swift decisions based on the information available and having unwavering confidence in his own judgments.

After considering it for a long time, Xu Yuan still chose to speak directly,

"I... believe it was your Second Brother."

"......"

His voice echoed softly within the silent cave.

Li Qingyan slowly turned her gaze, "Second Brother? He does have the motive to do so, but where is the evidence?"

Such a response indicated that Li Qingyan had indeed suspected the Second Prince.

As he met Li Qingyan’s tranquil gaze, Xu Yuan’s mind raced with how to explain this conjecture.

He stated it was Li Zhaoyuan.

Most of the information came from the minor storylines within the "Cangyuan Chronicles."

Though the Kunwu Mirror was useful, it couldn’t compete with the allure of Nan Jinxi’s illustrations, particularly because they showed more skin.

Xu Yuan initially thought she was a female protagonist that could be pursued in this novel, so he had put in quite an effort.

However, the production team at Cangyuan Chronicles seemed not to include a power gamer. Hmm... at least the copywriter responsible for Nan Jinxi’s storyline wasn’t a power gamer.

Even after completing the entire storyline, she couldn’t be pursued.

Putting aside some of the more complicated dialogues, the useful information boiled down to three or four points.

First, Nan Jinxi had a grudge against the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Second, Nan Jinxi had very little connection with the Ancient Abyss.

Third, the person Nan Jinxi loved once had a very high status.

As for the fourth point...

Xu Yuan was not so sure about this one, as his memory was a bit hazy.

He wasn’t one of those prodigies who could play a game once and remember all the details perfectly.

He just vaguely remembered that in the world line where the Second Prince ascended the throne to become Emperor, Nan Jinxi never appeared in the storyline.

From these pieces of information one could infer that Nan Jinxi was indeed a Demonic Beast who would sacrifice everything for love, and there was a high probability that her beloved was the Second Prince.

Now the problem arose, how should he explain these things to Li Qingyan?

Should he just say, "Bro, I’ve got clairvoyance"?

After a long silence,

Xu Yuan sat cross-legged on the floor, hands crossed and resting on his knees, and spoke in a gentle and slow tone:

"Actually, I deduced this through the direction of the beneficiary."

As he spoke, he glanced at Li Qingyan’s expression. Li Qingyan gave a nod, signalling him to continue.

Xu Yuan exhaled a breath and continued in a low voice:

"First, Qingyan, you know that with the current situation in the Northern Frontier, we don’t need each other. The Barbarian Tribes lost some in your surprise attack, more in their assault on Northern Border City, and yet another batch during the decisive battle with the Sects. When that final battle happened, with Master Zong present, the Barbarian Tribes stood no chance of winning."

Li Qingyan nodded his head: "Indeed, what next?"

"Second..."

Xu Yuan hesitated for a moment: "Second, if the situation continues to develop as it is now, with the Northern Border Sects and the Barbarian Tribes annihilated, and the Sects are smart enough not to make bold moves at this critical juncture... then... the conflict between your Imperial Family and my Prime Minister’s Mansion could very well escalate to become the main conflict."

"That’s a fact. Why are you suddenly being so cautious, Prince Consort?"

Li Qingyan, who seemed not to care about these things at all, tilted her phoenix eyes and smiled softly: "Father Emperor is determined to eradicate the Sects precisely to consolidate the Imperial power, to uphold the Imperial Family’s rule over the land, even at the cost of cultivating and allowing the rise of powerful ministers like Minister Xu on the court."

"That’s pretty much it."

Xu Yuan was speechless for a moment. His perception of this remarkable woman deepened, and his speech became more direct: "If your father, erm, Emperor Li, were in good health, these conflicts could be temporarily covered up. We could all move forward together until the Sects are completely wiped out or compromised, but the problem is that it’s no longer possible now.

"Your father will definitely take action before his death. I think with his savvy, he wouldn’t just leave his successor to deal with such a powerful minister in charge of both military and financial power."

Li Qingyan’s eyes sparkled with an imperceptible emotion, and she nodded her head:

"So, what does this have to do with my second brother?"

"Killing you would weaken the viable forces your eldest brother could use; killing me would weaken the heir of the Prime Minister’s Mansion."

"Pretty stupid," Li Qingyan commented softly. "Even though we are related by blood, I don’t necessarily support my eldest brother."

Xu Yuan grinned:

"But since you can’t be of use to him, you must be killed."

Li Qingyan massaged her temples:

"The Sects, huh... Looking at it this way, indeed, I cannot be of use to him."

After a pause, Li Qingyan asked with renewed interest:

"But the key question is, can he survive after doing this?"

"He can."

Xu Yuan’s answer was decisive:

"In such a scenario, if he succeeds, upon returning to the Imperial Capital, even if Li Zhaoyuan is exposed, your father would personally protect him and cover up everything he has done."

Li Qingyan propped her chin, tapping her fragrant cheek with a slender forefinger:

"He is linked to the Sects."

"Qingyan, you’ve just mentioned that everything your father has done was to consolidate Imperial power."

"......" Li Qingyan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Xu Yuan placed his knuckles on his forehead, pressing his crossed hands together and exerting a little force:

"Uniting with and using the Sects to eliminate my Prime Minister’s Mansion, which threatens the Imperial power, isn’t that a good option?"

"If it’s confirmed to be feasible, your father will not only refrain from killing him but, in his final days, will actively help the Second Prince consolidate the Crown Prince’s forces and push him onto the throne."

"Don’t forget, Li Zhaoyuan is the one who most resembles your father."