Who is he? This fake Prince Min naturally knows, isn’t it the real Prince Min, Chu Ze, in the trading house?

"Return to your position? Sir, are you planning to abandon all these years of management in Xuzhou?"

Mr. Ning replied, "As long as the generals and prefectural governors in the military camps are our people, it doesn’t matter."

Xia Houzhe laughed coldly, "What if Chu Ze doesn’t want to play anymore and exposes us?"

"That’s why you shouldn’t have returned to the capital," Mr. Ning said with some impatience. He shouldn’t have allowed him to return to the capital, and now this whole mess is giving him a headache.

Xia Houzhe’s eyes turned cold, his fingers curled up.

To let the real Chu Ze return to his position means he would once again plunge into hiding, like a rat.

Moreover, if he listened to this plan, who knows if they would make him live in obscurity, only following their arrangements?

Xia Houzhe lowered his head and said, "There’s no need to say extra words. Things haven’t reached that point yet. Even if they investigate, they’ll just trace it back to the trading house, won’t they? The actions of the remnants of the Xia clan are more convincing than me, a ’royal brother,’ right?"

Mr. Ning’s lips tightened, and the wrinkles on his face gathered so tightly they could catch a fly.

"Is the lord determined to go his own way?"

"Sir, I just don’t want to wait anymore."

Mr. Ning laughed angrily, "You even found mineral stones like a screen to present as a birthday gift to Emperor Chu. As you said, if successful, it would indeed cause chaos in this country unbeknownst to anyone. We have great opportunities. In fact, by a twist of fate, those things ended up with the Empress Dowager. What does that signify? It signifies that the Great Qing’s Ziwei Emperor Star is flourishing, able to turn calamities into blessings. That is not our opportunity."

"Knowing something is impossible and doing it anyway isn’t bravery; it’s foolish recklessness. That’s a fool’s courage, and the end will be tragic." He looked at Xia Houzhe and said, "If the lord continues to act willfully, the old subordinates may become disheartened and will not obey the lord’s orders."

It was practically a threat.

Xia Houzhe felt a surge of anger for the first time, finding the old man before him somewhat obstructive, so he lowered his eyes and forcibly restrained his anger, saying, "Sir knows, Zhe didn’t mean that. Sir has painstakingly managed for years, truly devoted to restoring the Xia, how could Zhe not understand? Just thinking that at this point, it’s better to act than to stay passive, otherwise drawing more attention."

Seeing him lowering his posture, Mr. Ning felt reassured and softened his voice, saying, "As long as the lord understands, it’s fine. As an old minister, if I could see Great Xia rise again and the lord ascend the throne, what worth would this old life have?"

Xia Houzhe bowed to him and said, "Please, sir, rest and recover here. Now that the small western courtyard has been targeted, I suppose the entire capital is strictly searching for the remaining party. This North Garden, with its backdoor leading to Beixing Lake, is seldom visited and the safest place."

In fact, fearing the Prince Mansion might be besieged, he intended for Mr. Ning to be sent away. But now, it’s better to be tied together, so those people wouldn’t dare to create chaos or seek another noble master. If Emperor Chu really investigated this place, he could take advantage of the chaos and deal with Mr. Ning, and the old subordinates would have nothing to say.

However, Mr. Ning was unaware of the sinister thoughts of the person in front of him. After pondering for a while, he became somewhat uneasy, fearing Emperor Chu might actually target Prince Min, thereby implicating himself.

He glanced at Xia Houzhe and said, "Let me think about it. Lord, please leave first."

Xia Houzhe placated him with a few words and turned to leave with furrowed brows.

"Sir, the lord might have ulterior motives." A shadow fell in front of Mr. Ning.

Mr. Ning had already put away his benevolent expression and said, "Unaware of heaven’s high and earth’s depth, hard to accomplish great deeds. Contact Tong Qian and be ready to assist us in leaving at any time."

"Understood."

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and the shadow’s expression changed slightly. In several swift movements, he was on the rooftop, soon landing again and urgently said, "Sir, the Imperial Army has surrounded the Prince Mansion."