My father, Gao Huan, is an invincible prince!

Chapter 6: What ambition, what scheming, what a spectacular drama of a snake swallowing an elephant!

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng's eyes widened in shock, and he almost jumped up on the spot.

Damn it!

Is Zheng Da Che really brainless?

Lou Zhaojun had barely suppressed the rumors in the mansion when she dared to send someone to see him, as if she was afraid that others would not know about their little affair.

He immediately frowned and shouted sternly, "I won't see him! Tell him to get out of here immediately!"

Wang Hong was taken aback, then bowed and accepted the order, turning and leaving.

After speaking, Gao Cheng looked at the food spread out on the table and instantly lost his appetite.

Before he could even calm down, Wang Hong, who had just left, pushed open the door and came back, carrying a small black lacquered wooden box.

He handed the brocade box to Gao Cheng and said helplessly, "Your Highness, that maid said that your aunt knew that it was inconvenient for you to see her at this moment, so she specially prepared this item and asked me to deliver it to you to express her feelings. She said that when Your Highness sees it, you will know her true intentions."

Gao Cheng stared at the black lacquered wooden box, the veins on his forehead throbbing faintly, his heart filled with both anger and anxiety.

This crazy woman is really determined to ruin him!

If he hadn't known the whole story and hadn't had a private affair with her...

He even suspected that the woman might be a spy sent by the puppet Wei regime in the west, specifically to sow discord and plot against the Gao family.

Even so, what she's doing now is almost like being a spy.

Gao Cheng couldn't help but rub his throbbing temples, and instinctively ordered Wang Hong to return the item.

But when the words were about to come out, he hesitated for a moment.

After all, it has already happened.

Lou Zhaojun couldn't hide his affair with Zheng Dache from her, so she couldn't possibly keep the fact that Zheng Dache was sending him things from her either.

Returning it now would only make things worse, giving others reason to say that they are guilty and cowardly.

"And place it on the table."

Thinking of this, Gao Cheng finally raised his chin and said with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

Since the truth has already been revealed, one more piece of evidence won't make a difference, so we might as well accept it calmly.

Upon hearing this, a hint of hesitation flashed across Wang Hong's face.

He was the prince's personal bodyguard; how could he not know the gravity of this matter?

Having an affair with one's father's concubine is already a fatal mistake; to then accept private gifts from someone else is tantamount to handing over a knife handle to another.

But since his lord had given orders, he ultimately dared not offer any advice.

He could only bow and gently place the wooden box beside the food table, then curtsy and retreat, closing the door behind him.

Gao Cheng glanced at the wooden box, picked up his chopsticks and continued eating, but as he ate, he couldn't help but feel a little curious.

What would Zheng Dache give him at this time?

She even asked someone to pass on a message, saying that this item could express her feelings and loyalty.

Moreover, he didn't quite believe that a woman who could play such a risky move as "luring the crown prince" so flawlessly would be foolish enough to hand over her own weakness.

Ultimately, the doubts remained unresolved.

Gao Cheng finished his food in a few bites and then pulled the black lacquered wooden box in front of him.

He held his breath briefly, then used his fingertips to open the box.

However, the moment Gao Cheng saw what was inside the box, his hand holding the box suddenly stopped, and he froze on the spot.

Inside the box was plain brocade, upon which rested a white silk handkerchief, with delicate lotus scroll patterns embroidered along the edges, and the four characters "Life and Death Without Regret" embroidered in crimson velvet in the center.

But Gao Cheng's gaze did not fall on the handkerchief that revealed his feelings.

Instead, he stared intently at the center of the handkerchief, at the palm-sized mutton-fat jade pendant.

The jade pendant was warm and lustrous, with an ancient "Zheng" character engraved in relief, and the edge was engraved with the unique clan emblem of the Zheng family of Xingyang, which could not be imitated by others.

In an instant, Gao Cheng's breathing quickened, and his fingertips trembled slightly.

He recognized the item; it was the clan token of the direct line of the Zheng family of Xingyang!

The Northern Dynasties were based on aristocratic families. All top-ranking families had such clan decrees, which were distributed to the core members of the family. The Gao family was no exception.

The holder of the order can mobilize the corresponding share of property, servants, and grain within the clan. All members of the clan should regard the order as if they were the clan head.

Just like the Crown Prince's Decree in his hand, wherever the Gao family's businesses were located, he could use this decree to allocate 20% of the resources, and no one dared to disobey.

Of course, the power of Zheng's clan decree was not as great as that of his crown prince decree.

After all, although Zheng was a direct descendant of the Xingyang Zheng clan, she was ultimately a married-out daughter and had limited power within the clan.

Therefore, what truly shocked Gao Cheng was not the authority of the token, but the profound meaning hidden behind it.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through my mind like lightning.

He recalled a detail from history that he had overlooked.

After Zheng Dache's affair with Gao Cheng was exposed, Gao Huan was clearly furious and even severely punished his own son, Gao Cheng.

However, she turned a blind eye to Zheng Dache's mistakes, opposed his further favoritism, and had a son, Gao Run, with him.

When he read history, he thought it was just about beauty seducing people, but now that he thinks about it, it's not that simple.

Who was Gao Huan?

He was a powerful figure who could be deposed even by the emperor; how could he be truly controlled by a woman?

The only explanation is that someone is protecting her.

The person who could protect her could not possibly be Xianbei Xun Gui.

Thinking of this, Gao Cheng stared at the jade pendant in his hand engraved with the character "Zheng," and suddenly understood the inconsistencies in the events of the past.

He finally understood why Zheng was willing to risk her reputation to go to such lengths to lure him into her trap.

Why did she still dare to send people to deliver the goods even after her scheme had been exposed?

Why is it that, in historical records, after this shocking scandal came to an end, Zheng was not only not executed by Gao Huan, but instead lived a long and peaceful life?

It turns out that from beginning to end, she was not simply attracted to the boy's looks.

Instead, it was the powerful families of Hebei who had already set their sights on him, the heir of the Bohai King.

As for the Zheng family, they were merely pawns pushed to the forefront by powerful families to test the waters!

Yes, chess pieces.

Those powerful families in Hebei wanted to use Zheng Dache as a pawn to establish connections with him and compete with the Xianbei nobles for the right to speak.

As for why he was so certain that this was a tactic employed by the Hebei aristocratic families?

It's easy too!

This is because, over the years, Gao Huan had already seized military and political power in Eastern Wei and established a "dual system with Jinyang and Yedu coexisting."

However, he himself always focused on the Jinyang Ba Mansion.

This resulted in the core of power in the entire Eastern Wei being concentrated in the hands of the Bafu, also known as the Six Garrisons Xianbei and the Huai Shuo Army.

As for the Han Chinese aristocratic families in Hebei, despite their long-standing reputation, they were always excluded from the core of power and remained frustrated and unfulfilled.

This can be seen from the historical fact that after Gao Huan's northern expedition against the Jie Hu, he chose to stay in Jinyang himself, while sending Gao Cheng to Yecheng to balance the power between the Xianbei nobles and the Han gentry.

"What ambition, what a scheme, what a tale of a snake swallowing an elephant."

After figuring everything out, Gao Cheng sneered, threw the jade pendant back into the brocade box, leaned back in his chair, and his eyes gradually turned cold.

The powerful families of Hebei are trying to turn him into a puppet.

First, they used their beauty to lure her, then they used the clan's decree to intimidate her, proceeding step by step, each step linked to the next.

It's no wonder that, according to historical records, Gao Cheng sought Sima Ziru's intervention immediately after the incident.

Who was Sima Ziru?

That was Gao Huan's close friend from his humble beginnings, a core member of the Huai Shuo Group, and a backbone of the Xianbei military group.

It turns out that Gao Cheng back then also saw through the schemes of the powerful families and was unwilling to be a puppet on a string.

And he, if not for having read history books in his previous life, and if not for being a calm time traveler.

They're probably already moved to tears by now, thinking they've received a tremendous boost, and are completely devoted to being used as pawns.