"You must know that this matter is no small thing, it concerns the safety of the imperial family!" the Heavenly Emperor said. "Therefore, I wish to ask for your help in finding this hidden individual!"
"Your Majesty must know that the hidden individual could be one of the princes!" Lu Fan said, cupping his fists. "If I were to directly investigate, I might be overstepping my bounds. After all, princes hold a supreme status. Even as the King of the Northwest, I cannot act recklessly!"
"This is the Dragon Seal. There are two of them. One is with me, and the other represents supreme authority. Whoever sees the Dragon Seal is as if they see me!"
The Heavenly Emperor took out a Dragon Seal and placed it before Lu Fan. "With this, you should have no more concerns, right?" Su Dan Novel Network
"This..."
Lu Fan was greatly startled. "Does Your Majesty know what this Dragon Seal represents?"
"Of course, I do. You don't need to worry too much. The reason I'm giving you the Dragon Seal is to grant you the authority to thoroughly investigate this matter!" the Heavenly Emperor said. "If any minister or prince objects, you shall present this Dragon Seal!"
"Your Majesty has already arranged everything, leaving me no room to refuse!" Lu Fan shrugged. "In that case, I accept this matter and will absolutely not disappoint Your Majesty!"
Hearing these words, the Heavenly Emperor nodded solemnly. "With your assurance, I am at ease. This matter must be handled with utmost caution. If anyone is indeed colluding with the Underworld Dynasty, they will undoubtedly have powerful protectors. However, within this imperial capital, any disturbance can be sensed by me in a timely manner!"
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will give you an explanation!" Lu Fan nodded solemnly, his words earnest.
"Alright, let's not dwell on these matters. I invited you here today primarily to drink!" the Heavenly Emperor said with a slight smile, raising his wine cup.
Lu Fan also smiled, saying no more. Since the Heavenly Emperor had put it that way, some things naturally didn't need to be said.
However, the Dragon Seal was extremely precious. The fact that the Heavenly Emperor was willing to entrust it to him was enough to show his trust.
After three rounds of drinks, Lu Fan rose and cupped his fists. "The drinking is almost done. I shall take my leave. As for the hidden individual, I will do my utmost to find them!"
The Heavenly Emperor nodded slightly, saying nothing more. As long as the hidden individual could be found, he could finally relax. Otherwise, it would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to the entire dynasty.
After Lu Fan left, the old eunuch looked at the Heavenly Emperor. "Master, why do you trust the King of the Northwest so much? That is a token of the Heavenly Dynasty, a symbol of the emperor. The Dragon Seal holds immense power!"
"He is the King of the Northwest, why wouldn't I trust him?" the Heavenly Emperor smiled faintly. "If it were any of my other brothers holding the Dragon Seal, I would certainly not be at ease. But the King of the Northwest is a king of a different surname. He cannot usurp my throne, nor can he raise an army to rebel!"
"Your Majesty's foresight is indeed remarkable!" the old eunuch nodded, agreeing with the Heavenly Emperor's words.
Leaving the palace, Lu Fan was about to depart the imperial palace when he saw a young man sitting in a lakeside pavilion not far away, playing with mud with great interest.
Seeing this scene, Lu Fan was even more surprised. This was the imperial palace, and under normal circumstances, there shouldn't be any men here. Moreover, this person was quite unfamiliar; he didn't seem to recognize him.
"King of the Northwest, this is Prince Bai Xi!"
The old eunuch stepped out and looked at Lu Fan, speaking with a serious tone.
"Prince Bai Xi? But looking at his state of mind..." Lu Fan was somewhat surprised.
"King of the Northwest, you may not know, but Prince Bai Xi suffered a severe injury in his childhood and has been mentally unsound since then!" the old eunuch said with a smile. "He has always been raised in the palace, which is also His Majesty's wish!"
"I see!"
Lu Fan nodded and approached Prince Bai Xi, looking at him closely before smiling. "Prince Bai Xi!"
"Are you calling me?"
Prince Bai Xi, holding the mud, looked at Lu Fan blankly, seeming to have regained some of his senses.
"So Prince Bai Xi does have his wits about him!"
Lu Fan smiled instantly, but the next moment, Prince Bai Xi suddenly became foolish and silly again, emitting incessant strange laughter, as if greatly stimulated.
Seeing this, the old eunuch said helplessly, "King of the Northwest, please don't be offended. Prince Bai Xi is like this. Sometimes he is fine, and sometimes he is mentally unsound!"
Lu Fan nodded, not minding. However, he had a feeling that Bai Xi was not truly foolish. The clarity he had just shown seemed like that of a normal person.
More importantly, Lu Fan had been observing Prince Bai Xi's every move from a distance and found him to be quite intelligent. How could he be mentally unsound?
However, within the inner palace, some people had to resort to certain means to survive. Lu Fan did not understand Prince Bai Xi, and the reasons behind his actions were still unclear.
Returning to the King of the Northwest's mansion, Bei Cheng had been waiting for a long time. He stepped forward and said with a smile, "My father, the Emperor, asked you to have dinner first. It must be for a specific reason!"
"Prince Bei Cheng is indeed intelligent!" Lu Fan nodded, and at the same time, he took out the Dragon Seal, showing no hesitation.
"The Dragon Seal? How is this possible!" Prince Bei Cheng was startled and incredulous. He knew very well what the Dragon Seal represented.
"It seems the Heavenly Emperor trusts me greatly, otherwise, he wouldn't have handed the Dragon Seal to me!" Lu Fan said softly. "However, this also increases the pressure on me!"
"What pressure is there? With power in your hands, who you want to deal with is just a word from you!"
Prince Bei Cheng said softly, his eyes filled with indifference.
"While that may be true, things are not that simple!"
Lu Fan shook his head. "Some things are not that simple, especially since I have no clues and don't even know who the culprit is. It's quite disheartening!"
"It could be Bei Hai, or it could be Bai Long!" Bei Cheng said. "As for other princes, it's not impossible!"
"Prince Bei Cheng also has a younger brother named Bai Xi?" Lu Fan asked curiously.
"That's right, you don't suspect him, do you?" Bei Cheng asked with surprise, looking at Lu Fan.
"Why, shouldn't I suspect him?" Lu Fan chuckled awkwardly.
"He went foolish at an early age, how could he do such a thing!" Bei Cheng shook his head.
"Is there a possibility that he is not foolish at all, and is actually very intelligent, but you all have thought of him as foolish since he was young?" Lu Fan's expression was serious, as this was his greatest suspicion.
"How could that be possible!" Prince Bei Cheng shook his head.
"Nothing is impossible, it's just that I'm not sure if he is involved in this matter!" Lu Fan frowned.