Moreover, he was determined to bestow the supreme position upon the Ninth Prince, so how could he let go of the Feng family's iron mine, which could be used to produce and forge weapons?
If it fell into his hands, it would likely increase the Ninth Prince's ability to raise private troops. Therefore, Yin Canwen advised Feng Shan to reconsider.
However, Feng Shan was resolute.
The explosion of the mine was also inextricably linked to the Ninth Prince.
Since he had tried so hard to obtain it, even resorting to harming the Feng family, why not just give it to him? It would add another boost to his ambition. Who knew what would happen behind the scenes?
While Liangzhou was troubled by the mine incident, Jinling City was then struck by another great fire.
This fire was not an accident but man-made.
The ancestral residence of the Zhu family was burned to the ground. Although it had already been thoroughly ransacked by Liang Quanbin's men and there was nothing left, burning the house so openly seemed like a declaration of war against Liang Quanbin.
He had not forgotten that although Zhu Hong had been captured by him, Huo Chong had disappeared. This act of burning the ancestral residence might have been his doing.
For this reason, Liang Quanbin was furious and issued a warrant, searching the entire city.
When the news reached Xiao Tingyi, he was somewhat displeased.
Let it burn. In any case, Chi Zimuo had already delivered the evidence of the Zhu family's corruption to him.
But now, Liang Quanbin regarded Huo Chong as the primary wanted criminal. Such a high-profile pursuit made his whereabouts even more unpredictable, and even Xu Lin had lost track of him.
The clue to the person behind the Zhu family, which they were about to uncover, was now broken.
Xu Lin knelt before Xiao Tingyi, saying with remorse, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. It is due to my incompetence that Huo Chong escaped."
"Never mind. A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Moreover, if the person behind him were so easy to investigate, we wouldn't have noticed the problem until now."
Prince Ding did not punish him, but that did not mean Xu Lin could forgive himself.
After punishing himself with ten military strokes, he became even more attentive to the Zhu family's affairs.
At the same time, Prince Ding also received news of everything that had happened in Liangzhou, including Feng Shan's near-death experience.
Considering that Feng Shan was Feng Jinyao's second uncle, and the matter of the Qingyan Flower seemed to be subtly related to the Feng family's second branch, he found an opportunity to inform the Feng siblings of the matter.
Upon hearing that the Ninth Prince had imprisoned his second uncle and then blown up the mine, Feng Jinyao was furious.
In her previous life, her second uncle's family was implicated only after their own family suffered successive misfortunes. But now, their entire family was safe and sound, yet her second uncle's family was experiencing all sorts of dangers.
All signs pointed to the Ninth Prince. Thinking of this, Feng Jinyao felt that her actions were not swift enough!
If the Ninth Prince was not overthrown, countless more disasters would likely arise.
Therefore, she said to Xiao Tingyi, "Your Highness, since you have a way to find out about my second uncle's family, can you send people to protect the safety of my second uncle's family?"
Although her tone was a bit stern, she was speaking to him for the sake of her family, which Xiao Tingyi naturally understood.
So he said to her, "Rest assured, I have already made arrangements. They are your family, and they will naturally be my family as well."
Feng Jinyao looked at Xiao Tingyi with a complex expression. He did not use this as a bargaining chip to exchange for anything, which Feng Jinyao admired. However, his last sentence made Feng Jinyao hesitant to accept his favor.
Alas, her own abilities were insufficient, and she had to rely on his influence to protect her family. Therefore, at such a time, she could only choose to remain silent.
Seeing that she did not object, a smile appeared in Xiao Tingyi's eyes.
As powerful as he was, his initial intention was to protect himself and those around him. Now, being able to protect the people she cherished was also a good thing.
The fact that she did not object now was a good sign.
He continued, "There must be someone in the Feng family's second branch colluding with the Ninth Prince, otherwise it would not be such a coincidence. Therefore, do you need me to send the news? To remind your second uncle and his family to be more vigilant?"
Feng Jinlin naturally nodded. It would be excellent to have the reminder from Prince Ding's subordinates!
However, Feng Jinyao remained silent. She was thinking, if she were her second uncle and aunt, what would she do at this moment?
She and her mother had already sent news of an insider to the Hua family, and they were likely aware of it by now.
Yet, so many things had happened, and her usually sharp-tongued second aunt had not reacted. Perhaps they had other considerations, maybe they wanted to lure the snake out of its hole? Or perhaps they intended to find the person deeper behind the scenes.
Therefore, Prince Ding's forces intervening rashly might not be appropriate.
After much deliberation, she said, "Thank you, Your Highness. However, there is no need to trouble yourself with this matter for now. I believe my second uncle and aunt have their own judgment. They have been doing business in Liangzhou for decades; would it not be laughable if they couldn't even find an insider?"
Her words showed complete confidence in the Feng family's second branch, which made Xiao Tingyi raise an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
"Sure."
"Alright, then it shall be as you say."
It had to be said that Xiao Tingyi was always completely compliant when facing Feng Jinyao. He respected her decisions and never acted behind her back. Since she trusted the Feng family's second branch so much, he would go along with her.
In any case, their safety was already being protected by the hidden guards of Prince Ding's mansion. As for other matters, they could handle them themselves.
"Your Highness, how do you plan to deal with the Zhu family's affairs?"
The Zhu family was now equivalent to having their property confiscated and their family wiped out. Even if the evidence of corruption was presented, it would be of no avail.
Therefore, this weapon had to be used at the right time to exert its greatest effect.
"Zhu Hong has already been secretly sent to Dongdu City by Liang Quanbin. It is simply because Liang Quanbin believes Zhu Hong to be a member of the First Prince's faction, and he is rushing to deliver the evidence into Duke Weiguo's hands, unaware that I am the one plotting behind the scenes. According to the journey, it will take at least a month to reach Dongdu City. During this time, we will have enough time to defect Liang Quanbin."
"Defect?"
Feng Jinlin looked at Prince Ding, Xiao Tingyi, with some confusion. Was it really appropriate to try to defect such a person?
"Your Highness means to make Liang Quanbin believe that Duke Weiguo intends to abandon him, so he will simply deliver the evidence he holds to you?"
"She who knows me is Yaoyao."
Feng Jinlin frowned and asked, "How could Liang Quanbin believe that Duke Weiguo would abandon him? They are not only colluding for profit but also related by marriage."
This relationship seemed unbreakable.
Feng Jinyao smiled and said to her somewhat confused second brother, "Have you forgotten that Your Highness has someone skilled in disguise by his side?"
"I know, but without any reason, how could Liang Quanbin believe that Duke Weiguo wants to kill him?"
"If there's no reason, can't we create one?"
Xiao Tingyi's expression towards Feng Jinyao at this moment became even more endearing. It had to be said that every thought of hers coincided with his own. Such a like-minded person was someone he could not let go of for a single day.