The next day, Meng Qi escorted Lu Guan, Ba Tu and others to the outside of the palace with a sword in his hand, where they saw several top-notch masters waiting.

  "Lu Shuai, within the Imperial City, there is a Right Chancellor guarding it, so there should be no danger." Meng Qi said with a cold and stern expression.

  Lu Guan nodded slightly: "The Right Minister will definitely accompany us to find the young master of the Jian tribe, you don't need to wait here, do whatever you want."

  Meng Qi hesitated and said: "General Lu, the matter of negotiating with deceit is of great importance. I think it's best to inform the four princes one by one, so they can make early preparations."

  Lu Guan was taken aback for a moment, then thoughtfully said, "Go."

  He didn't have the martial arts skills, connections and status of Wang De's right-hand man. Wanting to maintain absolute neutrality would only invite the joint resentment of the four princes - I'm being kind and trying to win you over, this broken-down general with no troops or money, yet you don't even show appreciation?

  Therefore, taking a cautious attitude helps to dispel this mood. As long as there is still hope of winning them over, most princes will not hate and turn against each other. Moreover, it is unknown which prince wants to secretly negotiate with the Western Barbarians, adding chips to ascend to the throne, nor whether he is aware that negotiation has its own risks, all of which require some probing. The current excuse is just right.

  After sending them into the palace, Meng Qi walked expressionlessly along the left side of the palace city towards Wang Hou Fang, his pace neither fast nor slow, as if he was taking a leisurely stroll after his daily morning exercise.

  He didn't have a specific plan of who to see first and who later, he intended to go along the way, whoever's house he encountered first, he would see them first.

  Entering Wang Hou Fang, Meng Qi's first glance fell on the Seventh Prince's Mansion not far away. He walked over calmly and explained his intention.

  The gatekeeper was very polite and did not ask for money or make any difficulties, and hastily went in to report.

  This made Meng Qi slightly stunned, the Seventh Prince was valued by the old emperor, and it was indeed not an ordinary person. At least in terms of discipline and control over his subordinates, he did a very good job, from small to large, one can see a glimpse.

  Before long, the doorman led Meng Qi to a flower hall. A young man wearing casual clothes and with his hair tied back was reclining lazily on a chaise lounge, looking relaxed and carefree, as if Meng Qi were not a stranger but an old friend he had known for many years.

  He was elegant and refined, not getting up, smiling at Meng Qi who came in: "Like the 'Surprising Sword' Xiao Meng I imagined, cold and sharp, a natural swordsman, but more elegant than I expected, even more so."

  "Thank you... Such flattery, Meng Qi accepted it all: 'Seventh Prince, negotiation with deceit.'"

  The hall had many guards with bulging temples, and Meng Qi could also feel the secret surveillance.

  The seventh prince grunted, still lying down, his right hand grasping the tea cup lid: "Whether or not there is a conspiracy has nothing to do with me, I am not someone who can make decisions. To be honest, I am a person who values reputation, in the eyes of my father and in the mouths of scholars, I am quite good. As for ceding territory to seek peace, that's something I couldn't do."

  "Seventh Prince, you have a way of winning people's hearts. There are many supporters for you in the imperial court, and your influence on the peace talks is immense." Meng Qi bluntly exposed his modesty.

  But he doesn't seem lonely and isolated; instead, he appears approachable and down-to-earth, which makes people admire him.

  The Seventh Prince chuckled and said, "No wonder you're the 'Surprising Sword' Xiao Meng. Your swordsmanship is all offense and no defense, just like your words, making it hard for me to parry."

  He smiled and suddenly sighed: "If the emperor were to wake up for another year, your words would be right. At that time, my momentum would have been established, and who else could take the throne? But now, many of the courtiers loyal to me are starting to distance themselves from me, and there are only a limited number of masters I can win over."

  "But I can't back down, this game has started and I no longer have the qualification to quit, because I am no longer alone."

  Sunlight filtering through the flower hall window, sprinkled on the Seventh Prince's body, golden spots flowing, bright and radiant, yet with a hint of faint sadness and melancholy.

  Looking at this elegant young master who was lying down to receive guests, Meng Qi didn't say much, only saying one sentence: "Seventh Prince, who do you think wants to talk?"

  He actually talked about the throne and the struggle for power in front of this stranger, it's unknown whether he was shallow-minded or intentionally performing to mislead.

  The Seventh Prince looked at Meng Qi with a smile that was not quite a smile: "If I had to say, it would be Third Brother and Fourth Brother."

  "Hmm?" The cold-faced swordsman Meng Qi waited for an explanation.

  "The Great Khan of the Western Rouran, Modu Chanyu, is indeed the master of my clan and a disciple of the Demon Gate's Dark Arts. However, this does not mean that they are natural allies with the Central Plains' Demon Gate. On the contrary, the Demon Queen who seeks to unify the Demon Gate and the Dark Arts practitioner who plans to use the Western Rouran's power to unify the Demon Gate have irreconcilable contradictions, making it impossible for them to join forces." The Seventh Prince said nonchalantly.

  Is he trying to clear himself? Meng Qi thought to herself.

  The Seventh Prince continued, "Elder brother has been in the position of Crown Prince for nearly twenty years. No matter how much Father Emperor suppresses him, he still has a force that cannot be underestimated. Under Father Emperor's intentional cultivation, both the imperial court and the military have loyal followers. Third Brother and Fourth Brother are far inferior in this aspect, relying solely on the support of Jianghu masters. If they were to ascend to the throne, they would have to eliminate my and Elder Brother's forces in order to sit securely."

  "Repel the external must first stabilize the internal, they naturally do not want to go to war with Xirong now, and definitely want to negotiate."

  "Repel externally and also be able to calm internally, occupy a superior position, and take advantage of the situation to launch an attack." Meng Qi replied indifferently.

  The Seventh Prince smiled and turned to say: "People all say that I am in cahoots with the Demon Gate, have you heard it, Little Meng?"

  "Yes." Meng Qi was frugal with his words.

  The Seventh Prince shook his head: "Ruling the world is done by the hundred officials, and all of them come from Confucian families, who view the Demon Gate as an evil demonic cult, hating it to the point of wanting to eradicate it. If I were to seek support from the Demon Gate, I would immediately give up on that idea, and there would be no possibility of ascending to the throne."

  First cultivate the land, then cultivate your own set of civil servants to replace the current Confucian... Meng Qi's thoughts wandered and he secretly disapproved.

  "That makes sense." He replied with a straight face.

  The Seventh Prince said a few more words and then saw off his guests without mentioning anything about winning over Meng Qi and Lu Guan.

  Out of the Seventh Prince's Mansion, they proceeded for a while before Meng Qi saw the Fourth Prince's Mansion. The gatekeeper stood upright with his hand grasping a long sword, looking fierce and sharp.

  Govern the country like governing the army... Meng Qi suddenly came up with this idea.

  The fourth prince's gatekeeper was stern and expressionless, his attitude cold, but before he had even gone in to report, the steward came out to invite Meng Qi into the mansion.

  "The young master has long admired Master Meng's swordsmanship and, upon hearing that you had entered the town, asked me to wait for you at the gate early on." The steward said with a smile.

  All four princes have royal titles.

  Meng Qi nodded slightly: "The Fourth Prince is a disciple of Jian Huang, his swordsmanship should not be inferior to mine."

  Afterwards, he fell silent, maintaining the demeanor of a cold and stern swordsman, until they were led into the study.

  The fourth prince's study was very large, with one side filled with military books and other items, and the other side hung with various precious swords.

  He turned to Meng Qi, pointing at a treasured sword: "Teng Xiang Sword, three feet three inches three tenths long, forged from fallen stars, unyieldingly hard, cutting through iron like mud. Our family's young master wielded it in his youth, shaking the region with awe."

  "Chi Yue Jian, three feet long, dark red color, like the moon dipped in blood, intoxicating to behold, once wielded by the left-handed 'Crazy Drunken Sword' of years past..."

  He was like meeting a kindred spirit, eager to share his collection with Meng Qi, in high spirits.

  Meng Qi was also generous with his own preferences, his eyes shining brightly, and he couldn't help but take them all away, what a wonderful deed!

  “...Tiemu Jian, the sword that our Shifu wore before he forgot his sword.” The Fourth Prince turned his head, looking at Meng Qi, and let out a long sigh. “I too am infatuated with the way of the sword, but I am entangled in worldly affairs and cannot escape. I can only watch as you advance to the highest realm of the way of the sword. In all these years, this is still the first time Shifu has praised a swordsman.”

  He regards Meng Qi as his comrade and also refers to himself in this way.

  Listening to the Fourth Prince's sentimental words, Meng Qi suddenly felt a bad taste in his mouth and solemnly shouted:

  "Imperial power, can be cut off? Glory and wealth, can be cut off? Mundane affairs entwining the body, can be cut off? If one is truly devoted to the sword path, then obstacles on the path must be cut off one by one!"

  A string of questions made the Fourth Prince's body sway slightly. He was originally majestic and powerful, but now he showed a hint of pallor.

  He fell silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said: "No wonder you, young Meng, can have such swordsmanship at your age. The sentence 'You're not worthy of my sword' on the stone bridge really made my blood boil, unfortunately I don't have your unwavering determination..."

  He sighed: "The Western Barbarians invaded, and the people suffered greatly. I only wish to lead an army of 100,000 to rescue the people from the brink of disaster."

  "Are you aware of the deceit in our negotiations, Fourth Prince?" Meng Qi didn't respond.

  The fourth prince nodded: "I understand your intention, I will do my best to stop the peace talks."

  "Which prince wants to negotiate?" Meng Qi asked the same question.

  The fourth prince hesitated for a moment: "Big brother is in charge of the country, if he doesn't want to negotiate, it won't be the current situation, but he may not know that negotiation has its own tricks."

  Meng Qi didn't ask more questions and after exchanging some insights on swordsmanship, he bid farewell and left.

  After walking for quite a distance, the Crown Prince's mansion appeared before Meng Qi's eyes.

  The gatekeeper of the Crown Prince's mansion looked arrogant and openly asked for bribes.

  Meng Qi looked at him coldly, his aura strengthened by the Phantom Shape Great Method, without saying a word.

  The gatekeeper was soon chilled by Meng Qi's icy gaze, his scalp numb and sweating, he gritted his teeth and turned to report.

  Not long after, he came out again and said with a hint of pride: "The Crown Prince does not want to see you, saying that he already knows."

  "Alright." Meng Qi's heart was calm and unruffled as he turned around and left. Not seeing him was also a kind of attitude.

  At the other end of Wang Hou Fang, the residence of the Third Prince is located here.

  As soon as Meng Qi stepped onto the steps, he saw the gate open and Cao Zhan, with a clever face, came out to greet him. With a smile all over his face, he said: "You are now truly famous in the capital, the king has been waiting for you since early morning."

  Seeing him in his brocade robe and jade belt, Meng Qi smiled: "You're doing pretty well too."

  "It's alright." Cao Zhan smiled and said, "The king has recruited many experts, so naturally he needs someone familiar with the Jianghu affairs to take care of things. And I just happen to be good at this sort of thing, doing a decent job, and was rewarded with secret skills and martial arts weapons."

  "Not bad." Meng Qi sincerely praised, when he first started his reincarnation mission, Cao Zhan didn't get off to such a great start, and he had to work hard to obtain the secret manual and magical weapon.

  All the way, Cao Zhan made every effort to pull the relationship between the two sides and catered to Meng Qi. He knew that this fellow was now famous and had a high status, and he was more skilled in knife skills!

  Passing through the courtyard and hall, as soon as Meng Qi entered the study, he saw a man in his thirties dressed as a prince walking towards him with his shoes on backwards, with an extremely enthusiastic attitude:

  "Xiao Meng, you've finally arrived!"

  He has a few similarities with the Seventh Prince, but his tone is passionate and his gestures are bold, making people feel very valued.

  Luo Shengyi stood behind the Third Prince, his expression calm and slightly smiling, without a hint of the annoyance Meng Qi had shown when visiting other princes. Ge Huaien was not present, possibly assigned to do something else.