The best ring

Hou Zhong knew very well that Yuan Ji was far more important than him in front of the second prince Zhao Ke. Therefore, if the second prince Zhao Ke ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor in the future, Yuan Ji would probably gain the most benefits.

Hou Zhong was dissatisfied with this!

He is ambitious and unwilling to be subordinate to others. Now that he has the opportunity, he naturally wants to be the one with the most power.

And the only one!

Therefore, Hou Zhong wanted to perform and needed to perform. Only by performing well in helping the second prince Zhao Ke fight for the throne could he replace Yuan Ji's position in Zhao Ke's heart and gain Zhao Ke's trust. , surpassing Yuan Ji's position in Zhao Ke's heart.

Hou Zhong was not only competing with others, but also with Yuan Ji and Hou Yi.

This is also the reason why Hou Zhong is unwilling to leave the southern city.

Next to the city in the south is the city lord's mansion.

Duan Wanming is sitting in the living room drinking tea with a leisurely expression.

Although Zhao Xuan's assassin has not been caught yet, Duan Wanming is not in a hurry. The entire southern city has been sealed off, and the assassin cannot escape. It is only a matter of time before he is caught.

Taking a step back, Duan Wanming didn't care much even if he failed to catch the assassin. Now, he already knew that someone was going to do harm to Zhao Xuan, and he had sent many people to protect Zhao Xuan. He didn't believe it. Under his heavy protection, there are still people who can kill Zhao Xuan. As long as Zhao Xuan survives, he will have the capital to fight for hegemony.

But now that Zhao Xuan is under his control, he doesn't have to worry too much, just wait for the development of things in the imperial capital, and then get involved when the time is right.

At this moment, Duan Zeyun walked in.

"How's it going with the eldest prince?" Duan Wanming asked.

"The eldest prince seems to be unable to bear the loneliness and can't stay any longer." Duan Zeguang said: "He was clamoring to go out for a walk before, but I stopped him."

Nowadays, Zhao Xuan is nominally protected by Duan Wanming, but in fact, he is under house arrest by Duan Wanming. He has no freedom and is hidden by Duan Wanming. As long as Duan Wanming lives, Zhao Xuan does not need a capable person. Zhao Xuan has his own opinions.

"Well done, we must not let him show up rashly." Duan Wanming said, "Now, almost everyone knows that the eldest prince has come to my place. This is enough. We don't need to let the eldest prince show up anymore, we can directly use him To issue orders and contact other people in the name of others will not arouse any suspicion, but if he shows up, it will cause bad things. "

Duan Wanming's purpose is to control Zhao Xuan, so naturally he cannot be allowed to come into contact with other people, lest Zhao Xuan escapes from his control.

"I know, Dad," Duan Zeyun said.

"Are there any clues from the assassin?" Duan Wanming asked.

"Not yet." Duan Zeyun said: "The search for the assassin has been going on. However, the assassin is obviously very good at hiding, so we have not found him yet. However, no abnormalities were found in several city gates, indicating that the assassin is still In the city, I believe we can catch him soon.”

"Do you know who the assassin is?" Duan Wanming asked.

Duan Zeyun shook his head.

Duan Wanming smiled and said, "There is news from the Imperial Capital."

"What news?"

"Hou Zhong, the second prince's supporter, chased the eldest prince all the way to the southern neighboring city." Duan Wanming said.

"Dad, are you saying that the person who assassinated the eldest prince was Hou Zhong?!" Duan Zeyun asked in shock.

Duan Zeyun has also heard of Hou Zhong's name, and he has heard about it more than once. Hou Zhong was one of the most important talons of the late emperor, and he did many shameful things for the late emperor. These things were ordinary. People may not know it, or even have access to it, but Duan Zeyun, as the son of the lord of the southern neighboring city, naturally knows more than others.

Therefore, Duan Zeyun had not only heard about Hou Zhong, but also had some understanding. Now that he heard his father's words, Duan Zeyun was naturally surprised. He did not expect that Hou Zhong actually came to their southern neighboring city.

"This news spread quickly in the imperial capital." Duan Wanming said: "Obviously this is not simple. There is probably someone deliberately behind it to fuel the flames. Moreover, this news did not provide any evidence."

"What do you mean, dad, this news is false?" Duan Zeyun asked.

"No one can tell whether it's true or not. Even the person who spread this rumor probably doesn't know whether the assassin is Hou Zhong." Duan Wanming said: "For us, it doesn't actually matter, whether it is Hou Zhong or not. , We are all going to catch the assassin. Whether we can catch it or not is actually not important, but we have to make this gesture, understand?"

"Do it for other people to see?"

"That's right." Duan Wanming said: "Show it to the eldest prince, other ministers, and the people! Let them know that we are thinking about the eldest prince's safety. Let them know that we are very angry that the eldest prince was assassinated. This is very important. ”

Duan Wanming wants to use Zhao Xuan's name to do things. Since he wants to use Zhao Xuan's name to do things, he must be in the same camp as Zhao Xuan, and he must make other people feel that he The relationship with Zhao Xuan is very close. In this way, when he issues orders, no one will doubt whether he is using Zhao Xuan's name to do his own things.

Therefore, Duan Wanming made a lot of noise to catch the assassin, and everyone knew about it. As for whether he could catch the assassin in the end, he actually didn't care. If he could catch the assassin, that would be the best. In this way, he could find out who was behind the assassin. Even if he can't catch someone, he won't be too disappointed, because his real purpose has been achieved.

"I understand, Dad." Duan Zeyun said, "I will make a bigger noise, so that everyone in the entire Nanlin City and even the entire Yanfeng Kingdom will know about this."

"Yeah." Duan Wanming nodded with satisfaction: "You still can't relax on the side of the eldest prince. He is the key to our success. We must not let other people get in touch with him. Only in this way can we better control him."

"I know, Dad." Duan Zeyun responded.

"The situation in the imperial capital is surging." Duan Wanming said, "The current situation is getting more and more complicated. This is actually a good thing for us. The more muddy the water is, the better we can take advantage of it."

Duan Wanming has been paying attention to the changes in the situation in Yanyang City. It is precisely because of this that he will know about the rumor for the first time. Duan Wanming also knows that Yanyang City is the imperial capital of their Yanfeng Kingdom. If he wants to realize his ambitions, he must never ignore Yanyang City. He must also know what happened in Yanyang City at the first time. Only in this way can he plan more.