The princess regretted it.

Chapter 318 "Raising Private Soldiers!"

"The person who opened the door was one of my grandfather's closest associates. I was about to go over and say hello, but I noticed they were unusually cautious and careful, as if they were planning something big and secret. Curious, I hid myself, then found an opportunity to climb over the wall into the yard and quietly sneaked up to their back window."

The second prince spoke slowly, his tone so flat as if he was telling a story that had nothing to do with him. But only he himself knew how shocked and terrified he was when he heard the secret.

"I heard their conversation clearly outside the window. I heard a secret. They are raising private soldiers! Raising private soldiers! Do you know? Do you know what they want to do by raising private soldiers?" He asked Xiang Jiaoyu softly, word by word, with pain and sorrow in his eyes.

As soon as he said this, Jiaoyu felt as if she'd been burned by fire. She jumped to her feet, her initial surprise instantly turning into fear. She looked at the Second Prince with bloodshot eyes, desperately shaking her head, her voice trembling as she spoke, "Impossible, impossible! Second brother, this can't be nonsense! This, this, this will result in the death of all nine generations of my family. Brother! This can't be true, can it?" She repeatedly denied the Second Prince's words, trying to comfort herself. She simply couldn't accept this fact. In her mind, her maternal grandparents had always been their strongest support. How could they do such a treasonous thing?

"I also hope this is false. But I heard it with my own ears." The second prince smiled bitterly, his eyes full of pain and struggle, "My grandfather told him not to worry about his family, and he just needed to set up those strongholds. If he needed anything, he could send them a pigeon letter. The palace is currently controlled by our mother. If I can successfully ascend to the throne, I, a simple-minded person like me, will rely on them in the future. Then the time comes to deal with the third brother. If I am of one mind with them and want to keep the Zhang family rich and prosperous, then they can let me get married and have children smoothly; if I have other intentions, they can make me seriously ill at the appropriate time, and write a letter of abdication, and then he can ascend to the throne naturally." The second prince's voice became lower and lower, and every word seemed to carry endless sadness. This cruel truth was like a sharp blade, cutting the last bit of fantasy of family affection in his heart into pieces.

Jiaoyu felt like she had been struck by a bolt from the blue. She stood there in a daze, her face full of disbelief. She shook her head mechanically, her lips trembling slightly. She opened her mouth and tried to say something, but her throat seemed to be choked by something and she couldn't make a sound for a long time.

Various scenes from the past kept flashing through her mind, and at this moment, all the details that she had once ignored suddenly became clear.

No wonder my second brother always loved to hang out with the Emperor, often trying to get close to him. His attitude towards him was always so sincere and natural, unlike me, who was completely dependent on my maternal grandparents and always looked to them for help. It turned out that my second brother had long known the terrible truth behind this, so unless it was absolutely necessary, he rarely asked for help from my maternal grandparents.

I also remembered that my second brother and my cousin used to have a close relationship, like brothers. My second brother always asked my cousin when he would come back, but later, he never mentioned it again. At that time, I just thought that my second brother had grown up and the friendship with my cousin had faded, but I didn't expect that there was such a heartbreaking reason.

When I think about how my second brother always lacks confidence in himself, and how he has said more than once that he doesn't want to sit in that position, it turns out that there is a reason for all of this.

Jiaoyu felt a mixture of emotions at this moment, with a thousand words stuck in her throat, but she didn't know where to begin. As if she had lost her soul, she slowly moved to the front of the Second Prince and slowly squatted down. She stretched out her hands, gently supporting the Second Prince's knees, and raised her head. Her eyes were filled with complex emotions: shock, guilt, and heartache. Her lips trembled as if she was trying to organize her words, wanting to say something to comfort her second brother, but the words seemed to be stuck deep in her throat, and she couldn't say them.

The Second Prince slowly turned his gaze towards Jiaoyu, his eyes filled with fatigue and earnestness. He forced a smile, but it was uglier than tears, filled with bitterness. "He's actually the same as Prince Zhong of the Duke of the Protectorate's Mansion and Young Master Mu of the Prime Minister's Mansion. They're not who they appear to be, but are secretly being groomed by their families to succeed them. He's the heir to the Zhang family, and even the Great Jin Dynasty! Hahaha... Do you understand now why Second Brother is so unwilling to compete for that position?"

He sighed softly, his voice a little hoarse, "Because I may not be able to protect that position at all, let alone this world. My maternal grandfather's thoughts are so deep, secretly plotting such a treasonous thing, but what can I do? After all, they are my mother's blood relatives. If I tell this to my father, how will my mother deal with it? How sad will she be? I don't mean to blame you, but I know in my heart that I really don't have that ability. I am really useless."

He paused slightly, looking at Jiaoyu with pleading eyes, "I hope you and mother will stop now and stop making mistakes for that position. Okay? I just hope our family can be safe and sound. I really don't dare to hope for anything else."

Hearing this, Jiaoyu felt a turmoil in her heart, her mind a tangled mess, unable to make sense of it. She bit her lip, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness, unsure of what to say or do. After hesitating for a long time, she simply whispered uncertainly, "Brother, can we still turn back? Will stopping now guarantee safety?" She knew they were already caught in this bottomless vortex, and escaping unscathed would be far from easy.

The brother and sister sat facing each other in silence, both mired in a deep silence. The room was so still that they could almost hear each other's heartbeats, a pin drop. They were both struggling with their own thoughts, unable to find a way out.

However, they didn't know that their conversation soon reached Jin An's ears. After returning from the Health Palace, Jin An knew that there must be many hidden secrets behind this matter and she must not take it lightly. So she immediately arranged for Ye Yi to arrange for people to go to the Second Prince and the Third Prince to secretly investigate the situation.

There wasn't any important information from the Third Prince. He simply went back to his study and had a fit of rage, smashing some things. He scolded Jin'an for meddling in his affairs and ruining his plans; otherwise, he hadn't done anything out of line. He'd been raging and cursing behind closed doors, and no one had caught him there, nor could they have punished him.

When Jin'an's secret guards heard the Third Prince scolding their master, they decided to teach him a lesson. So, just as the Third Prince's anger had subsided and he was about to leave, they found the perfect moment and quietly unleashed a burst of hidden energy, striking him squarely in the knee. The Third Prince felt a tingling sensation in his knee, and his legs instantly gave way. He staggered, tumbling awkwardly to his knees at the doorway. His appearance was truly comical.