Hu Yan said with a calm expression, "First, you need a fortune to squander. Second, squandering it is a skill in itself. To be able to do it like you, my lady... I would be very willing to learn."
Bai Zhi felt him getting closer and closer and swallowed nervously. "..."
'We're just talking... why is he getting so close...'
'It's not like we're saying anything that can't be overheard...'
Hu Yan had just contacted the adjutant who had served him since childhood. He learned that the Emperor's health was failing, and he likely wouldn't last another year. The situation at court was grim. With the Emperor's declining health, many from the Royalist Faction had begun to switch their allegiance to the Eldest Prince. Aware of the Eldest Prince's ambition, the Emperor intended to support the Fourth Prince—who was only a few years old and had been born after Hu Yan's "incident"—as his successor.
