Jin Zijin’s meaning had become quite clear, and Gu Youyou nodded lightly.
"According to the strategy of sacrificing the chariot to save the chess piece, the Fifth Prince holds great military power; their strength remains. They have merely lost the Third Prince!"
"Exactly!" Jin Zijin said, "Perhaps things are far from being so simple. The rebellion of the Third Prince over a decade ago involved many, aside from the Fifth Prince and the wife of the Third Prince, who acted out of moral righteousness. The other royal relatives involved in the rebellion all died, including three of the Emperor’s own brothers."
Every magnificent imperial throne is founded on a pile of stark white bones, and the blood that flows most is often that of the Imperial Family.
Jin Zijin stood up, walked under a plum tree to pick up a few withered branches, then slowly returned.
Gu Youyou said, "The Emperor is deep and calculating. He must have wanted to use that opportunity to weed out dissidents, yet the Fifth Prince managed to stay unscathed, which is no simple feat."
"Yes," nodded Jin Zijin, "The Fifth Prince’s act of righteousness in exterminating his kin severed any intent the Emperor might have had to kill him."
"But given that outsiders can see that the Fifth Prince is employing the tactic of sacrificing the chariot to save the chess piece, wouldn’t the Emperor, with his wisdom, know as well?"
Jin Zijin broke the twigs he had gathered and slowly started piling something on the ground.
Seeing this, Gu Youyou stopped out of curiosity.
From a distance, they looked just like two children with untainted hearts.
"Being a prince, the Emperor would need a just cause to act against him, and he’s undoubtedly aware of that; it’s just that there hasn’t been an appropriate opportunity," said Jin Zijin with a sneer, "An old round of succession struggles has ended, and a new one slowly begins. As long as imperial power exists, the struggle for it will be endless. He keeps the Fifth Prince not only because he hasn’t found the chance to eliminate him but also to contain other powers."
As he spoke, Jin Zijin finished piling up his creation and said, "The current court is just tower constructed of sticks!"
Looking at the pile of sticks, Gu Youyou’s lips twitched.
Well, let’s just pretend it’s a tower.
"Steady if not moved," he said, suddenly pulling out a small stick, and then said, "Collapse if disturbed."
He pulled out that stick, and the tower he had taken a while to build collapsed into a heap.
"Outsmarting oneself, years of effort to maintain the balance of the court, yet it is so fragile that pulling one hair affects the whole body."
Gu Youyou stared blankly at Jin Zijin’s contemptuous expression.
He was scorning the current Emperor, no less, which was... quite outspoken. She wondered if it was because he was a member of the Dao Family that he could be so bold, or if it was just his own disdain for the current Emperor.
Gu Youyou had been there for quite a while; glancing at the sky, she stood up and said with a light chuckle, "It’s getting late; I should head back now. See you tonight."
"Mhm, see you tonight!" Jin Zijin responded with a smile.
A meeting tonight? Why did that feel a little odd?
Lin Qianqing, who had been waiting impatiently for Gu Youyou for quite some time, finally saw her return and practically jumped with excitement.
"Cousin, where have you been? Finally, you’re back."
The day was getting late, and people were returning to the city in groups of threes and fives.
Gu Youyou, apologetically, said, "I bumped into a friend and talked for a while; I’m sorry for making you wait."
Gu Youyou’s polite words made Lin Qianqing feel slightly uneasy.
"We’re family; why so formal?" She grinned, sidling up to Gu Youyou and said, "I saw who you were with, you and the Princely Heir..."
"Stop right there!" She couldn’t let her imagination run wild, "Seeing isn’t always believing; it wasn’t him."
"Then who was it...?"
"I can’t tell you for now. As for what to say to Grandmother, you should understand, right?"