His mind felt like it was roaring.
He, of course, did not believe in fate, so even though he had relied on Nan Chaoyin on the surface for years to have the capital to contend with his imperial uncle, he had still not brought Nan Yuan'er into the imperial palace.
Besides not trusting Nan Chaoyin, he also hated her so-called empress destiny.
Of course, there was a different explanation for the outside world.
Before, they had suspected that Yu Chengxuan was the one planning the 'women in power, ruining the country and harming the people' affair, and had only thought it was a tactic for the other party to force him to give up Nan Yuan'er, but what if it wasn't?
Combined with the imperial betrothal ceremony in the main hall today and the sudden fire at Jingren Palace.
If the two celestial warnings were combined into one, the conclusion would be the opposite.
The woman in 'women in power, ruining the country and harming the people' did indeed refer to Nan Yuan'er, but the country she would ruin was not just Linyuan, but Linyuan and Dali!
The combined meaning was: Nan Yuan'er marrying into Dali would inevitably trigger a war between the two countries!
This was the so-called ruin of the country, the so-called damage to national fortune.
As long as Ji Hong had even a shred of belief in fate, today's bestowed marriage would remain unresolved, and Ji Hong would soon elevate Nan Yuan'er to the imperial harem.
This was the complete scheme.
'Women in power' was just the introduction, and the fire at Jingren Palace was the endpoint.
"But why?" What benefit would Nan Yuan'er residing in the imperial palace bring to Yu Chengxuan?
Nan Shiying shook her head, "You ask me, who do I ask... Wait... Has His Highness told you about the relationship between Dali and Miaojiang being of the same origin?"
Ji Hong quickly glanced at Ji Jinmo, who did not even spare him a glance.
Ji Hong gritted his teeth.
This reaction meant he hadn't said it!
To prevent Ji Hong from grinding his teeth to dust, Nan Shiying said, "Dali and Miaojiang share the same origin. The Dali royal family's predecessor was a group of people who split from Miaojiang in ancient times."
"So?" Does this have a direct connection to him helping Nan Chaoyin?
"I'm guessing, just guessing!" Nan Shiying preempted Ji Hong's opportunity to smear Nan Chaoyin, speaking very cautiously, "What if Nan Chaoyin is a spy from Miaojiang or Changsheng Sect?"
Ji Hong almost burst out laughing, "Imperial Aunt, could a spy rise to the position of Prime Minister? Why don't you just say I'm also a Miaojiang spy."
Nan Shiying suddenly had an epiphany.
Seeing Ji Hong staring at her intently, as if genuinely considering if he himself could be a Miaojiang spy, a chill ran down his spine, "No, Imperial Aunt, are you really thinking about it?"
"No!"
Nan Shiying waved her hand, "I'm thinking, if Nan Chaoyin truly has an identity, what kind of identity would make him look down upon the position of Prime Minister?"
Ji Hong said, "If he desired the throne, naturally he would look down upon the position of Prime Minister."
"For the throne!"
"If he coveted the throne, he would want to sit on it himself, but if he were a remnant of Miaojiang or Changsheng Sect, unless he was the sect leader behind Changsheng Sect, even if he obtained the throne, he would ultimately be doing all the work for others. If the dogs and birds are cooked when the cunning rabbits are dead, it would be better to be a stable Prime Minister!"
"So what Imperial Aunt means is, if Nan Chaoyin truly has a hidden identity, then he is very likely the sect leader of Changsheng Sect in this generation?"
Nan Shiying nodded.
Ji Jinmo tapped his fingers on the table, offering another possibility, "Besides the sect leader of Changsheng Sect, he could also be a remnant of the Xiliang royal family."
Alright, then what?
"So what's the connection?" After all was said and done, the purpose of Yu Chengxuan doing this had still not been explained!
Nan Shiying shrugged, "Perhaps he wants to accelerate Nan Chaoyin's usurpation of the throne?"
"???"
"A few days ago, Yu Chengxuan came to me and wanted me to return to Dali with him." Nan Shiying spoke of Yu Chengxuan looking for her a few days ago. Ji Hong, upon hearing this, let out a gasp and looked at Ji Jinmo with eyes as wide as copper bells.
Imperial Uncle is about to have his wife stolen!
No wonder Imperial Aunt said so much. Turns out she knew from the very beginning that Yu Chengxuan's affection was not for Nan Yuan'er but for her. I wonder if Imperial Uncle knows about this.
Yu Chengxuan is still alive!
Well, Imperial Uncle probably doesn't know!
Seeing Ji Hong's look of having stumbled upon some monumental gossip, and seeing him constantly giving Ji Jinmo meaningful glances, Nan Shiying was silent for a second before realizing, "He wasn't looking for me, he was looking for Feng Luan!"
Ji Hong: "..."
Ah, Feng Luan.
For some reason, he felt a little disappointed.
If looks could kill, Ji Hong would have died a thousand times over. If the late emperor were still alive, he would have been the most unreliable crown prince!
Alas, the burden on his shoulders only allowed him to reveal this side of himself when facing Ji Jinmo.
"The point isn't this, the point is that he said, with what seemed like seriousness or a joke, 'The Dali imperial palace has long been under my control.'"
"If this is true, it means he can directly force his way in and depose the old emperor whenever he wants to ascend the throne."
"So, if he can quickly gain control of the Dali court and ascend the throne, then there is a logical basis for accelerating Nan Chaoyin's usurpation of the throne!"
After his ascension, he could take advantage of the internal chaos in Linyuan, with the three forces (Ji Hong, Ji Jinmo, Nan Chaoyin) fiercely competing for power, and annex Linyuan.
What a grand plan, what immense ambition and deep strategy.
No wonder Hui'an was so wary and fearful of him!
It's a pity that despite his meticulous planning, he never imagined that Ji Jinmo and Ji Hong were on the same side from the beginning.
"But all of this is just your speculation!" Ji Hong never imagined that Yu Chengxuan would have the intention to annex Linyuan at this point. Nan Shiying nodded, "Bold speculation, cautious verification!"
"Wait, he wanted me to return to Dali with him. Could it be because he thinks I can cure the蛊毒 on Jinmo? If the Dali royal family is skilled in 蛊, then the reason Jinmo's 蛊 poison remains unhealed after Yin Silan's death, is it because the person who administered the 蛊 to Jinmo was not Yin Silan, but... the Dali royal family?"
"I should have realized this earlier, damn it, it's really damnable. I shouldn't have detoxified Yu Chengxuan today; I should have used his life to exchange for Dali's detoxification for Jinmo."
Nan Shiying suddenly stood up, "It's not too late, it's still not too late. Yu Chengxuan is still in the capital!"
Ji Hong also stood up.
Only Ji Jinmo remained seated, motionless, as if this matter had nothing to do with him.
"You thought of this long ago?" Nan Shiying, seeing his reaction, guessed certain things.
Ji Jinmo pursed his lips. In fact, the moment he heard that Dali and Miaojiang shared the same origin, he had harbored suspicions. But what was the use of detaining Yu Chengxuan? Would the Dali Emperor remove the 蛊 poison from him for the sake of a mere seventh prince? There was also one point that Ji Jinmo couldn't figure out.
"I just haven't figured out one thing. If the 蛊 poison in my body was truly administered by the Dali royal family, then why didn't they activate the 蛊 worms in my body when I led the Demon Hunter Army to slaughter nearly all of Dali's imperial forces back then!"