The Heartthrob System cultivates brotherhood online

From a remote courtyard came faint sounds of scolding, mixed with a few suppressed cries of pain.

"Too slow." Ling Si turned sideways, dodged the boy's attacking hand, and hit back with his backhand.

Qin Yu'an was holding back his anger, and even though his hands were hurt from being hit, he still attacked.

Ling Si grabbed his wrist and completely pressed him against the mottled wall. He shook his head and sighed, "Slow down."

Qin Yu'an took a deep breath, and after being let go by the young man, he shook his arms vigorously a few times and stomped his feet.

Ling Si stood aside with his hands behind his back, pinched his wrist, twisted it, and put it in place with a click.

The boy's face turned even paler.

The young man's eyes were full of dissatisfaction: "You've practiced for so long, but your level is only this low. Any kid on the street is smarter than you."

"Sorry," Qin Yu'an apologized subconsciously, then remembered that the other party didn't like him always using this to evade responsibility, "I will practice hard."

"Horse stance for one hour." A piece of wood knocked Qin Yu'an's legs apart. "If your lower body is unstable, if the enemy attacks you by surprise, you won't even have a chance to resist."

Qin Yu'an listened to the advice humbly. A row of unknown birds flew over the dilapidated yard. The sky was blue with only a few clouds scattered on the horizon. He thought of paper pulp, which had not yet formed real paper and was swaying slowly in the filter.

Ling Si looked up along the direction of his gaze. This was not the imperial palace. The entire imperial city was under the emperor's surveillance, especially the imperial palace. Ling Si was being watched as a key target, but no one cared about a powerless prince in the cold palace. So he asked Qin Yu'an to find him himself, in a different place each time.

But these places all have one thing in common: they are deserted and dilapidated.

The weather is a bit hot, and Ling Si's black clothes easily absorb heat. It seems that he will have to change his appearance in the future.

Qin Yu'an retracted his gaze and looked forward. A gust of cool wind blew over, and the black scarf on the young man's face was blown up, just revealing his slender neck with a slightly protruding Adam's apple on top.

Qin Yu'an knew that the master was young. Even though the black cloth completely covered his eyes, the exposed eyes were enough to prove it. They were clear, clean, and indifferent. Qin Yu'an couldn't read them, but he could guess the disdain in them. It seemed that nothing in the world could move him.

He didn't know his master's name, and the other party would not tell him. When he called out this title for the first time, the young man agreed, and Qin Yu'an breathed a sigh of relief.

"There are a new group of officials in the court. You need your own subordinates."

Ling Si spread out a piece of paper and showed it in front of him.

Ling Si: "Remember their names and let me see your value."

To be honest, after seeing this list of names, Qin Yu'an was unsure. He was just a powerless prince, and who would make friends with him? What's more, Huang Cheng hoped that some of them would become his aides.

Being in the cold palace doesn't mean Qin Yu'an is completely unaware of what's going on in the court. He stared at the first name, then looked at Ling Si, "Li Tingyan is from the Prime Minister's faction, he is the Prime Minister's disciple. He is too innocent. If it weren't for the gratitude towards his teacher, he wouldn't have divided the party."

The emperor cracked down on factionalism in the court. The prime minister was impeached several times for this, but the case was always dropped because his disciples pretended to be neutral and could not find any evidence against him.

Although Li Tingyan has no apparent affiliation, everyone tacitly assumes that he is a member of the Prime Minister's faction.

He was promoted by the Prime Minister and is now a scholar in the Hanlin Academy, serving as the Emperor's scribe and enjoying great favor from the Emperor.

"Not too stupid." After confirming that Qin Yu'an had finished reading, Ling Si waved his palm to shatter the paper and walked to the cool eaves. "Everyone has weaknesses and desires. Let's see if you can figure it out."

Qin Yu'an gritted his teeth and said, "I'll try."

"Don't show your weakness." The blue-white folding fan hit the young man's forehead hard, shaking him.

Qin Yu'an: The master probably doesn't know how strong his hands are.

Ling Si had analyzed the situation in the court and the harem with Qin Yu'an before. Now each family was vying for the crown prince who had not yet been crowned by the emperor.

The eldest prince was born to Concubine Ming. He was twenty-four years old and had already established a household outside the palace. He was mediocre, and there was nothing wrong with him, but he had some outstanding qualities. His mother's family was average. But they were not completely uncompetitive. If His Majesty intended to follow the principle of primogeniture, then the eldest prince would be the biggest enemy in front of him.

The second prince injured his leg while riding a horse and has been lame ever since. It is impossible for a disabled prince to take the throne.

The third princess and the fourth prince were both born to Concubine Xian, but last year, the third princess died, the fourth prince had a high fever and became an idiot, and Concubine Xian went crazy overnight. In order to appease the prime minister, the emperor visited her for a few days, and Concubine Xian's condition improved. It seemed that she was showing signs of regaining favor. If she gave birth to another prince, there was a possibility that he would be made the crown prince.

The fifth prince, Qin Yu'an, has no power or influence and seems to have no chance of winning, but his advantage is that he does not have a powerful maternal family.

The Sixth Princess and the Eighth Prince were born to the same mother, Concubine Jin. Concubine Jin was the younger sister of the current imperial censor Wen Lin. When Ling Si asked to marry her nephew, Concubine Jin regarded him as a thorn in her side. Now her nephew passed the imperial examination and became one of the top three Jinshi. He also entered the Hanlin Academy, but he was not as powerful as Li Tingyan of the same period.

The seventh prince is only ten years old. If the emperor is healthy and lives a few more years, then these princes may all participate in the competition.

......

After teaching Qin Yu'an, Ling Si returned to the Marquis' Mansion. The person who usually came out to greet him was nowhere to be seen today.

Ling Si walked into the mansion and asked the people around him.

Zhu Lin looked at him, and the young man understood and bent down.

After hearing Zhu Lin's words, Ling Si's expression remained normal, his brows lowered, and he said in a deep voice: "Don't do anything, just wait for him to come back."

"Yes."