bullyxtreme Chapter 332 The Eighth Prince Under the Spotlight
Chapter 332 The Eighth Prince Under the Spotlight
The light screen's perspective returns to Qi Yongji's location.
Qi Yongji was still radiating coldness, and the ministers below, who had been in fear for too long, were starting to get a little bored.
Soon, news of the turmoil in the imperial prison arrived.
Qi Yongji's face darkened even more.
[My God, how can someone's face be so dark?]
This scene should be somewhat funny, but after such a huge shock, no one can laugh.
Inside the light screen, Qi Yongji asked in a deep voice, "Have they come to break us out of prison?"
"No...no, it was while the jailer was distracted that the three spies...committed suicide."
The palace servant who delivered the message knew Qi Yongji's temperament; he was so afraid that he spoke in a rambling, incoherent way.
"Suicide? Where did they get their weapons? Don't tell me they didn't search them!"
"We searched them... but one of them swallowed charcoal, another hid a razor blade in his wound, and the third drowned himself..."
Qi Yongji wouldn't listen to his explanation.
All he knew was that the people in the prison were so stupid that they fell for the diversionary tactic, causing the "chicken" he was going to kill to scare the monkey to lose its life prematurely.
The angrier he got, the calmer he became: "My spies from the Brown Kingdom have revealed everything to the Great Yong Kingdom, and they even want to lead the Great Yong army back to attack the Brown Kingdom, while the Great Yong spies are able to seize the opportunity to seek death."
Who would dare to answer that?
The ministers of the Brown Kingdom couldn't help but grumble inwardly; how could they be blamed for this?
Isn't it because their royal family is inhuman that they cause the people below to side with other countries?
Receiving no response, Qi Yongji looked at the palace servants again: "Have the troublemakers been caught? Do you know what they look like?"
The palace maid who brought the news slumped to her knees, as if she wished she could melt into water and seep into the ground: "No...no, no, I don't know..."
Qi Yongji sneered, then suddenly stepped forward and kicked him away.
He's a martial artist, and he didn't hold back at all. How could an ordinary person withstand that?
The palace servant who brought the news was kicked half to death and lay unconscious on the ground. If it weren't for the rise and fall of his chest, he would have looked like a decoration on a gorgeous carpet.
The courtiers of the Brown Kingdom kept their heads bowed, none of them glancing at the palace maid.
Kicking someone away didn't calm Qi Yongji down; his aura grew increasingly oppressive: "We can't let the spies of Dayong run rampant; we must carry out a purge."
Qi Yongji's tone was sinister, and the chill seemed to penetrate the light curtain and climb up the spine of every Dayong person.
But the people of Dayong are all righteous and pure warriors, they're not afraid of this little bit of evil energy.
At that moment, the live stream screen suddenly went black.
Zheng Xun stroked his sleeve, lost in thought.
Why did the light screen last for much longer today than yesterday?
Let's try again tomorrow at the small court assembly.
The emperor cleared his throat.
The ministers, having regained their senses, stepped forward one by one to report on the important matters, and the morning court session officially began.
Zheng Xun gave Cen Wan a wink.
Cen Wan understood, and the two met outside Fengqin Hall under the pretext of going to the restroom.
Without time for pleasantries, Zheng Xun went straight to Cen Wan and said, "Go and inform our people in the Brown Kingdom to lie low for the time being and wait for things to calm down before taking any action. Remember, no rash moves are allowed."
Cen Wan lowered her head in agreement, a hint of worry flashing across her face.
Although they had channels for transmitting messages, it still took time for orders to be transmitted from Dayong.
She just hoped their people would be quick-witted and lie low if things went wrong.
Upon returning to Fengqin Hall, Cen Wan went to Li Xiaojun's place to ask for leave.
She made up an excuse about having a stomachache, which, in principle, should never have been allowed.
However, the emperor had heard Zheng Xun's thoughts and of course could not stop her.
Cen Wan naturally swaggered away from Fengqin Hall.
She didn't dare delay at all and quickly relayed Zheng Xun's order.
That was all she could do. The secret order didn't have many words, but every single one contained her hope—that everyone would be safe.
……
After the morning court session ended, the ministers did not disperse, but stood together outside the palace for a while.
The system upgrade is not just a matter for Zheng Xun, but a major event for the entire Dayong Dynasty.
Everyone knows what this means.
Even if the live stream doesn't last long, if even a little bit of information can be obtained through the system, it can save a large number of informants from being killed.
Moreover, live streaming is more discreet than live streaming, and it eliminates the time and risks associated with transmitting messages.
Liao Hongsheng, supporting his belly, pondered deeply on his round face: "In other words, after the princess's system upgrade, the scope and duration of her live streams may increase..."
Lord Jiang pondered for a moment: "Is there any way to speed up the system's upgrade?"
The second prince came over at this moment: "Oh, I know about this!"
The ministers all turned their gazes toward him.
The second prince explained the existence of the jade and the conditions under which it appeared, leaving the ministers both disappointed and enlightened.
"Oh dear, why am I not a member of the royal family? Otherwise, I would immediately produce a piece of jade for the princess!"
"Hey, you're making it sound like you're giving birth."
"There's still the Eighth Prince left, is that right...?"
"I don't know if it would work with other members of the royal family..."
With everyone eager to contribute to Dayong, they left with their hands clenched in anticipation.
As a result, the imperial family of the Dayong dynasty began to suffer.
The Eighth Prince's birth mother, Consort Shu, suffered the most.
In one afternoon, Consort Shu received more than a dozen visiting cards.
When the Empress handed the invitation to her, she subtly mentioned the cause and effect.
Consort Shu suddenly realized what was happening and quickly summoned the Eighth Prince to see her.
The Eighth Prince set off as soon as he received the news, but was delayed for more than an hour on the road.
There was no other reason than that he had encountered several palace concubines along the way, who all spoke highly of how wonderful Princess Yuanjia was, and that he, as her younger brother, should get along well with her.
Because of concerns about its impact on the formation of jade, no one dared to bring up the reason directly.
The Eighth Prince was completely baffled and could only marvel at how popular his Third Sister was.
After overcoming numerous obstacles, he finally met Consort Shu.
As a result, the first thing Consort Shu asked him when she saw him was still, "What do you think of your third sister?"
The Eighth Prince was completely bewildered: "Huh?"
"Just tell me your true thoughts."
The Eighth Prince thought for a moment, then his eyes flashed with admiration: "Third Sister is amazing."
"anything else?"
"Third sister...is she driven by a great sense of righteousness?"
Consort Shu sighed, somewhat disgusted with her son's stupidity.
She patiently guided him: "Do you like me more or your third sister more?"
Eighth Prince: He understands this problem!
It must be because he was away from the capital for many years that his mother was so anxious and insecure that she had to resort to this method to prove her place in his heart.
As his mother's sweet and filial son, he said confidently, "Of course it's Mom! Your kindness in giving me life is greater than heaven. Don't worry, I will always put you first..."
Contrary to his expectations, he was not greeted with a grateful look from his mother, but with a merciless flick on the forehead.
The eighth prince covered his forehead in confusion and cried out in a wronged tone, "Mother~"
"Rotten wood cannot be carved, utterly foolish, as stupid as a pig!"
"Alright, why are you scolding him? Xiao Ba meant well."
Before anyone knew it, Consort De had entered Consort Shu's bedchamber.
The Eighth Prince said, moved, "Aunt Xuan! You're the best!"
Consort De walked to the Eighth Prince's side and half-squatted down beside him: "Little Eighth Prince, let Aunt Xuan teach you a lesson."
The Eighth Prince knew that his Aunt Xuan was the most reliable person, so he quickly adopted a listening posture: "Please teach me, Aunt Xuan."
"You must remember that your third sister is the most important. You must respect her, cherish her, and treat her as your own sister."
The Eighth Prince looked somewhat puzzled: "Mother, Aunt Xuan, I know that Third Sister will soon become the Crown Princess, and we do need to build a good relationship with her, but is it really necessary to be so obsequious?"
"It's not about flattery; your respect and care must come from the heart, not just be superficial."
Consort Shu nodded in agreement.
The Eighth Prince looked at Consort De and then at Consort Shu, his little head filled with big questions: What kind of succubus is my third sister?
Seeing his silence, Consort Shu thought he was unwilling. She turned his shoulder and said seriously, "Let me put it this way, among you, Yuan Jia, me and your Aunt Xuan, Yuan Jia's life must be the most important."
The Eighth Prince was silent for a moment, then suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Mother, tell me the truth, is Third Sister your child or Aunt Xuan's child? Is it because you feel indebted to her..."
"Stop your imagination," Consort De stopped him. "Now that you've witnessed your third sister's abilities, you should know how important she is to the Great Yong Dynasty. If we change the order, shouldn't the Great Yong Dynasty be placed before us?"
"That's right..."
“That’s it. Whether you’re a member of the Dayong royal family or a Dayong citizen, you should do what I’m saying, shouldn’t you?”
"That's right..."
"Since you feel you're right, go back and think it over carefully, and adjust your mindset as soon as possible, understand?"
The Eighth Prince came full of doubts, and left full of doubts as well.
Just before he stepped out of the bedchamber, he heard Consort Shu's defiant yet assertive question behind him: "Lin Dongxuan! Tell me! Am I more important or is Xiao Ba more important!"
Consort De coaxed gently, "Of course it's you..."
"And you just criticized me because of him!"
"How could I dare..."
Eighth Prince: ...
He looked up at the azure sky in confusion, feeling that something was wrong with everything about Dayong.
Before he could sort out his thoughts, he was abducted by the Second Prince as soon as he left Consort Shu's place.
The Eighth Prince was full of doubts. After being pulled to a secluded place, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Second Brother, I always feel that there is something strange between my mother and my Aunt Xuan."
"The two ladies had a quarrel? That's normal. What lovers don't quarrel? It's alright, a little quarrel is good for the relationship."
"Wait! What do you mean by 'little lover'?"
The second prince was even more surprised than him: "You didn't know?"
"Should I know?!"
"But the entire court and the imperial harem all know!"
"So I'm the only one who didn't know?"
The Eighth Prince collapsed.
What exactly happened during his time away from Beijing?
However, if that's the kind of relationship between my mother and Aunt Xuan, then everything that's unusual makes sense.
He wiped his face; his emotions had been too volatile today, and making exaggerated expressions was tiring.
My face is tired, and my heart is tired too.
He asked numbly, "Father Emperor knows too?"
"That's natural."
"Father doesn't mind?"
"What does he care about? He's obsessed with politics. When the two empresses are too busy to handle things, they're treated like ministers."
Eighth Prince: ...
Okay, he's just inexperienced.
He vaguely felt that his decision to leave the capital and travel around was completely unnecessary.
His initial motivation for traveling, besides escaping the hustle and bustle of the capital, was to broaden his horizons and see more wonders.
But he was wrong.
The imperial city is not chaotic at all; it is too harmonious.
The imperial court and the inner palace were far more exciting than the outside world.
Having finally processed the conflict between his mother and Aunt Xuan, who was practically his biological mother, he asked the Second Prince with a blank expression, "Second Brother, is there something you need from me?"
"It's nothing, I just wanted to catch up with you."
The Eighth Prince thought to himself, "Making up for each other?" His Second Brother was indeed quite enthusiastic and often tried to connect with him.
But what was the topic they talked about the most again?
Oh, it's the glorious deeds of my third sister.
The map of the Yan Kingdom is so long.
"Second brother, could you explain what kind of riddle you're playing?"
Just as the second prince was about to speak, he heard a joyful voice from afar: "Eighth brother! So you're here!"
The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw the Third Prince waving at them.
The Eighth Prince blinked: "Third Brother? What are you doing here?"
The Third Prince strode up to them: "You've come to see your Eighth Brother!"
"Looking for me?" A premonition arose in the Eighth Prince's heart. "What do you want with me?"
"Let me take you to see Yuanjia!"
really.
The Eighth Prince was not surprised at all.
However, the matter is not over yet.
"Oh! So this is where I am, Eighth Brother! I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"Eighth brother!"
Two voices came from different directions, one from the Crown Prince and the other from Zheng Jin.
With all the brothers and sisters gathered together, the Eighth Prince calmly asked, "Eldest brother, second sister, do you also want to talk about third sister?"
"That's right..."
"Yes."
"Then let's sit down and talk together."
The Eighth Prince was also quite curious about what they were up to.
The group found a pavilion and sat down.
The Eighth Prince placed his arms on the stone tabletop and glanced at his older brothers and sisters: "Let's begin."
The others looked at each other, and no one spoke for a moment.
The Eighth Prince was not in a hurry and waited patiently.
"Let me do it."
Zheng Jin was the first to step forward.
"Xiao Ba, you should have guessed what we're going to say, right?"
She was certain that they weren't the only ones who found Xiao Ba today.
The Eighth Prince nodded: "I know about it, but I don't know the specifics."
One by one, they were all speaking in riddles to him, while he remained completely in the dark.
"Xiao Ba, do you trust us?"
"letter."
"Have you ever seen a piece of green jade? It's irregularly shaped, but the texture is excellent and it's very sturdy. This kind of green jade is different from others. As for how it's different... you'll know once you've seen it."
The Eighth Prince recalled for a moment: "What jade? Does it have any particularly obvious characteristics?"
Disappointment was evident on the faces of the others.
Zheng Jin wasn't trying to be mysterious; she was genuinely summarizing her own feelings when she said those things.
If it weren't for that mysterious feeling, they wouldn't have remembered what the jade looked like after hearing Zheng Xun's description.
The Third Prince added, "Moreover, your first reaction upon seeing that piece of jade was that it matched Yuan Jia quite well."
The Eighth Prince shook his head again.
The others all let out a collective sigh of disappointment.
The Eighth Prince pursed his lips and asked seriously, "Is this something that can't be said directly?"