Intelligence, Report This Prince’s Presence in Lyndaria

Lady Yvonne, born into poverty, is a quiet, frail beauty who always looks as though she's being persecuted and suffering endless grievances.

Lady Yvonne has no support in court. Though she bore both a prince and a princess, she was just a minor beauty. But after Prince Titus of Lyndaria was crippled, her son became the most likely candidate for Crown Prince.

For the next few years, no new princes or princesses were born to the Lyndarian royal family. Even when a powerful consort managed to conceive, it was extremely difficult to carry the child to term, and those born died young.

Prince Terrence thus became the only healthy prince of the Lyndarian royal family. With no rivals, he was named Crown Prince, and Lady Yvonne rose with him, promoted to Noble Consort and becoming the second most powerful woman in the inner palace.

For years, no new princes were born to the Lyndarian royal family. To say Lady Yvonne had nothing to do with this—Ninth Royal Uncle would never believe it. This move isn't really framing her; it's just giving the Empress a chance to find evidence that Lady Yvonne is behind the chaos in the harem. After all...

No emperor can tolerate his own woman killing his children. As long as the Empress finds proof, Lady Yvonne's fate is sealed. Even if Prince Terrence is Crown Prince, with such a vicious mother, he will surely be despised by the Emperor. And then...

Whether he can keep his position as Crown Prince will become a real question.

As for why they're acting now—the reason is simple: the timing is perfect.

Before, Prince Titus was always in a wheelchair. Even if Lady Yvonne's true nature were exposed, for the sake of the Lyndarian kingdom, the Emperor would never punish Lady Yvonne, nor move against Prince Terrence. But now, things are different.

Prince Titus can walk now; he's no different from a normal person. The prosthetic Serena fitted for him is indistinguishable from real skin—unless someone points it out, no one would know his legs aren't his own.

With Prince Titus now eligible to inherit the throne, and the Empress's power in court, it's entirely possible to depose Prince Terrence and appoint Prince Titus instead.

No matter how skilled Lady Yvonne is, her influence is limited to the inner palace. And no matter how clever Prince Terrence is, in just a few years—and with the Emperor likely to live for decades—he can't possibly control much power. The Empress's natal clan, for instance, would never serve Prince Terrence.

Previously, the court ministers supported Prince Terrence simply because there were no other contenders. But now, with Prince Titus in the picture, they have to reconsider. At the very least, they won't bet everything on Prince Terrence.

What's more, Prince Terrence has always assumed Prince Titus was a cripple and that Lyndaria was already his. He didn't worry at all, gradually shifting his focus abroad, touring foreign countries to select a bride, and relaxing his grip on Lyndaria's affairs.

Although now he's desperate to return and reclaim control, Prince Titus has used Princess Yara's wedding to delay him, keeping him from coming back. That's one reason Prince Terrence is so eager to see Yara married off quickly.

With all these forces at play, Prince Terrence's position as Crown Prince is now extremely precarious. That's why, even knowing the fight for Skyvault Palace would be risky, he still chose to go to battle.

He urgently needs a major achievement to secure his position, and annexing Skyvault Palace to Lyndaria would be just that. But unfortunately...

He ran into Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena—two wildcards who ruined his plans and put his position as Crown Prince in jeopardy.

Ninth Royal Uncle used Ruby Redsleeve to expose Lady Yvonne's true colors—the sickly beauty act—dealing the final blow. When the time comes, Prince Terrence will be overwhelmed.

Even if Ninth Royal Uncle said nothing, Owen Ouyang could have figured out the key points and known how to use this for his own benefit. But when Ninth Royal Uncle said, "Leak the news that I've come to Lyndaria," Owen Ouyang was completely stunned.

"Master?" Owen Ouyang wracked his brain, but couldn't figure out what good would come from leaking Ninth Royal Uncle's whereabouts.

Ninth Royal Uncle sneered and raised an eyebrow, "What? Do you want to be Deputy Commander for the rest of your life?"

Boom...

Owen Ouyang understood instantly—Ninth Royal Uncle was using his own safety to pave the way for him.

Without thinking, Owen Ouyang dropped to the ground and kowtowed deeply. How could he ever deserve such sacrifice from his noble master? But instead of hitting the wooden floor, his head landed on a black boot.

Knowing Ninth Royal Uncle disliked physical contact, Owen Ouyang trembled as he looked up. Luckily, Ninth Royal Uncle wasn't angry—he just said, "Be careful."

With a bruised forehead, how was he supposed to explain it outside? He couldn't very well say the grape trellis at home collapsed.

"Yes, yes, I obey. Please rest assured, Master—I won't let you down." Owen Ouyang clenched his fist and spoke with determination.

"Do it cleanly. I'll use this chance to get rid of the current Commander of the Brocade Guard. Whether you can take that post is up to you—I've done all I can. After all, the higher you climb, the more useful you are to me." It took ten years to cultivate this chess piece; with any opportunity, Ninth Royal Uncle would help him rise, since Owen Ouyang's success benefits him.

"Rest assured, Master. But what about your safety? Should I wait a few days before reporting?" After all, this was Lyndaria—Owen Ouyang still worried about Ninth Royal Uncle's safety. If anything happened to him, Owen would be like a rootless duckweed, the higher he climbed, the harder he'd fall.

"No need—the sooner, the greater your credit." With Owen Ouyang in place, anything he did in Lyndaria never required him to act personally. He didn't mind drawing the attention of the Brocade Guard; as long as they had the skill to catch him.

"Yes, Master." Knowing Ninth Royal Uncle had a plan, Owen Ouyang dared not argue further.

"You may go." With instructions given and authority asserted, Ninth Royal Uncle had no intention to linger. Tonight, he still had to meet someone—someone very important.

"Yes."

Owen Ouyang returned to his carriage. With a flick of the driver's whip, his carriage sped toward the Flower Boat, while Ninth Royal Uncle's carriage moved along at a steady pace, both headed for the same destination.

For business in the capital, the Flower Boat was an excellent choice. Even if Ninth Royal Uncle disliked it, he had to admit—a barge drifting in the middle of the river was a safe place for parties meeting for the first time.

The carriage stopped beside an inconspicuous Flower Boat. Like all the others, even before boarding, the air was thick with floral fragrance, accompanied by intermittent music and laughter.

Ninth Royal Uncle's nose twitched; he unconsciously frowned and opened a hidden clasp in his sleeve. A refined bamboo scent surrounded him, suppressing the overpowering fragrance.

Ever since Su Wan tricked him with flower scent, Ninth Royal Uncle always took extra precautions when going out—after all, losing out over such a trivial matter was infuriating.

Free from the distracting fragrance, Ninth Royal Uncle boarded the Flower Boat alone and headed to the lowest deck. Unlike what outsiders imagined, the lowest deck was serene and empty, its elegant decor radiating quiet luxury.

Rumors, as expected, didn't match reality. Ninth Royal Uncle's eyes flashed with a faint smile.

By the time he reached this point, he could already see the other party's sincerity. It seemed that over the years, that person had lived anything but freely...