bullyxtreme Chapter 333 An Encounter on the Wall
Chapter 333 An Encounter on the Wall
"We're not sure if it's possible, but this is too important for us to gamble."
Seeing their serious expressions, the Eighth Prince's shoulders relaxed slightly: "Then what should I do?"
"It means that I sincerely respect and love Yuanjia, and regard her as an important family member."
"that's it?"
"that's it."
The Eighth Prince did not readily agree: "I can try, but as you know, human relationships are very complex, and even as someone directly involved, I cannot guarantee anything..."
“You must guarantee,” the second prince explained seriously, fearing he might not understand the gravity of the situation, “that your decision could very well affect the lives of many people.”
The Eighth Prince's lips drooped: "But I don't know anything. Second Brother, don't you think it's too domineering to put so much pressure on me like this?"
He didn't feel that anything was necessary; he only knew that the Second Prince's words were extremely unfair to him.
Seeing that the Second Prince was about to say something, Zheng Jin quickly stopped him: "Second Brother! I know you are anxious, but speaking recklessly will only hurt the relationship between you brothers."
She looked at the Eighth Prince with a softened tone: "Eighth Brother, I know this matter is too difficult for you, but Second Brother is not talking nonsense. He just hopes that you can take this matter to heart. I know that our request is too rash and rude to you who knows nothing about it. Eighth Brother, we don't want to harm you, nor do we want to force you. We are... begging you."
The Eighth Prince raised his hand to cover his face: "Since Second Sister has said so, wouldn't it seem too heartless of me to refuse?"
What's worse, he actually falls for it.
The Third Prince patted the Eighth Prince on the shoulder: "The reason we all chose to come directly to see you is because we feel that there's nothing that family members can't talk about..."
The eldest prince said frankly, "Third brother, this matter really cannot be discussed."
Third Prince:...
"Even if you can't say it outright, there must be a reason!"
Before the Eighth Prince could answer, a familiar voice suddenly came from afar: "So you're here!"
The Eighth Prince clapped his hands: "I knew something was missing. Apart from the eldest sister and the third sister, now everyone is complete."
The second prince joked, "Sixth brother is late."
"Whether it's late or not is not important; what's important is whether the timing is right."
The sixth prince did not come empty-handed; he was carrying a long box.
"Sixth Brother even brought me a gift, oh dear, I'm so embarrassed..."
The Eighth Prince reached out to take the box, but the Sixth Prince suddenly withdrew his hand.
"Sixth brother?"
"This isn't for you."
The Eighth Prince immediately lost interest.
“However,” the Sixth Prince placed the box on the table, “it was indeed prepared for you, but you can only see it for a moment. This is someone else’s treasure, and you will need to return it later.”
His words drew everyone's attention.
What is so mysterious?
The sixth prince didn't try to be mysterious and opened the box amidst everyone's expectant gazes.
Inside the box was a statue of a deity.
"This...what is this?"
"A statue of a goddess."
The crown prince pondered, "It seems kind of familiar."
The sixth prince did not take out the statue, but simply stood the box up so that everyone could see what the statue looked like.
"But does he resemble someone you know?"
The Crown Prince clapped his hands: "That's it! He looks like Yuan Jia!"
However, no one else could see any similarity between the two.
The eldest prince wanted to describe the similarities to them, but after observing them carefully for a while, he was surprised to find that the two were not similar at all.
"It's similar, although I can't quite put my finger on why..."
After the eldest prince finished speaking, he also realized that his words were contradictory.
So he changed his wording: "It's just that... although they don't look alike, they give off a similar vibe."
The sixth prince looked at the eighth prince: "Eighth brother, take a closer look."
The Eighth Prince's gaze fell on the statue.
The statue is standing with downcast eyes, and its face has a rounded contour, giving it a compassionate appearance.
"Eighth brother, think again about what Yuanjia looks like."
Gradually, the Eighth Prince's expression began to become somewhat dazed.
The Sixth Prince did not let him look at it for long, but quickly closed the box: "Little Eight, just do your best, it doesn't matter if you can't do it."
After the sixth prince finished speaking, he leisurely left with the box.
The remaining people all looked increasingly bewildered.
The eldest prince racked his brains but still couldn't understand what he meant, and turned his head in confusion: "No, what does he mean?"
Zheng Jin glanced at the Eighth Prince: "Because he knows that coercion is useless. Perhaps he wants the Eighth Prince to know that Yuan Jia is worshipped as a god, and that it would be the Eighth Prince's honor to become her follower."
The Third Prince suddenly realized: "I understand. He's just a brainless Yuanjia fanboy who always thinks Yuanjia is the best in every way."
The Second Prince pulled out a booklet from somewhere and tossed it to the Eighth Prince: "Alright, here's the secret manual. Study it carefully."
The Eighth Prince took the booklet and curiously flipped through it.
The booklet seemed to have been compiled recently by the Second Prince, with page after page detailing Yuan Jia's achievements.
He wrote down each item one by one, and the final booklet was half a finger joint thick.
Okay, I didn't notice anything else, but I could tell they took this matter very seriously.
The Eighth Prince sighed: "Alright, I'll study it carefully."
Although they are a bit annoying, they are my older brothers and sisters, so what else can I do but spoil them?
……
While the Eighth Prince was suffering from various troubles, Zheng Xun was still in the Imperial Study dealing with the day's affairs with the Emperor.
Having finally finished reviewing the memorials at hand, Zheng Xun rubbed his neck.
It's about time, isn't it?
As Zheng Xun's thoughts faded, the light screen appeared.
The scene inside was the Eighth Prince's bedroom.
By this time, he had learned from Consort Shu how many people were preparing to make a move on him.
Clever as he was, he decisively chose to feign illness and stayed in his room studying the booklet given to him by the second prince.
"Yuan Jia is the most powerful, Yuan Jia is the kindest, Yuan Jia is the gentlest, Yuan Jia will always be the most important, always number one..."
emperor:……
He couldn't help but look up at the Eighth Prince, and strongly suspected that there was something wrong with his mind.
He looked at Li Xiaojun and said in a low voice, "Later, have the imperial kitchen stew something to nourish Xiao Ba's brain. Also, have the imperial physician take his pulse."
Li Xiaojun suppressed a smile and agreed.
I thought they had some brilliant method, but it turns out they're just brainwashing themselves by constantly repeating themselves...
Zheng Xun watched for a while, then inexplicably felt a little ashamed and quickly shifted the view of the light screen to another location.
This time, what appeared on the light screen was the residence of the oldest and most prestigious prince in the royal family.
The poor old prince was so shocked after hearing Zheng Xun's true feelings for the first time at the palace banquet that he almost couldn't catch his breath and went straight to see the late emperor.
Perhaps because he was concerned about the fate of the Great Yong Dynasty, the old prince managed to pull through and recuperate until now, when he has finally recovered to about 70-80%.
But today, the Prince's mansion suddenly became lively.
The visiting ministers came in waves, none of them having sent their visiting cards in advance.
The steward of the Prince's mansion greeted them with a smile, politely declining their offers. His mouth was dry from talking, and his smile was stiff, but in his heart he was cursing and complaining that these ministers did not follow the rules.
Their prince is already old and is recuperating; how could he withstand so many people disturbing him?
He didn't realize that those he could stop were all rule-abiding citizens; the truly rule-breaking ones never followed the usual path.
Just like Tao Heng, the official featured in Zheng Xun's live broadcast.
He happened to meet General Xu Bin as he crossed the wall of the old prince's courtyard.
These two people, who are usually the most glamorous and serious, never expected to meet by chance on the courtyard wall.
"General Xu, what a coincidence!"
Tao Hengwen smiled gently, maintaining his usual dignified demeanor.
"It is quite a coincidence... a very coincidental one!"
After exchanging greetings, the two fell silent for a moment.
Although the location is quite awkward, it's not without its advantages.
For example, both sides are crime scenes, and neither dares to inform on the other or expose the other.
Tao Heng, being the thick-skinned one, was the first to recover: "General Xu has also come to visit the old prince?"
Xu Bin felt that the word "visit" was used very cleverly, and shamelessly chimed in: "Yes, yes, yes, the old prince has been ill for so long, and the mansion has only sent gifts and has not come to visit. Thinking about it, I really feel guilty."
Tao Heng: ...
General Xu is quite a remarkable person.
These words resonated with him deeply, so he crept closer and said something from the bottom of his heart: "In my humble opinion, our visit this time shouldn't be too public. I know a secluded route..."
"Since Lord Tao is so generous, I can't leave without showing my appreciation. I don't have any other skills, just my strength and martial arts. So, Lord Tao, please lead the way, and I'll guide you!"
Outside the light screen, Zheng Xun couldn't help but glance at the emperor.
[Father, look at your ministers! Putting aside everything else, their skill at climbing walls is truly first-rate.]
Hmm... how can this not be considered a talent?
emperor:……
He never expected that the group of monkeys in the imperial court would actually go to find the old prince. Even when they were stopped, they refused to give up and even tried to climb the wall.
Oh well, what bad intentions could they possibly have?
They simply wanted to help Yuanjia and Dayong find the jade.
As for the old prince, well, we can only ask him to make do.
Tao Heng and the others should know their limits; they wouldn't really anger the old prince to death... right?
Forget it, I can't feel at ease at all.
He summoned Li Xiaojun and instructed him to arrange for several people and the imperial physician to take care of the old prince.
Li Xiaojun: Just spoil them!
Instead of stopping their nonsense, they even bail them out.
It's a pity for the old prince, who has to suffer like this at his advanced age.
He sighed as he gracefully withdrew.
The emperor's gaze returned to the light screen.
In the light screen, Xu Bin reached out and tried to lift Tao Heng up.
Tao Heng may look thin, but he is actually quite strong and heavy.
Xu Bin couldn't lift it up right away and gave an awkward laugh: "Well, it was an accident."
He made his move again, not daring to be careless at all, and finally didn't lose face again.
Guided by Tao Heng, Xu Bin skillfully navigated the Prince's mansion.
It must be said that Tao Heng was quite capable. Despite never having been to the Prince's Mansion before, he gave directions without hesitation and without making a single mistake.
By eavesdropping on the conversations of the servants in the mansion, they soon arrived at the location of the prince.
The old prince was still leisurely enjoying the flowers and tea in the courtyard when two people suddenly appeared in front of him.
He gasped, clutched his chest, and his breath caught in his throat.
His servant was very clever; he took out a porcelain bottle he always carried, poured out two pills, and stuffed them into the old prince's mouth.
Xu Bin and Tao Heng stood rooted to the spot, neither daring to speak nor move.
A group of guards quickly surrounded them: "Who are you? Why are you trying to assassinate the prince?"
"No, no, we are all officials of the imperial court. How could we assassinate the prince? We just came to visit, but we were stopped outside, so we had to find another way."
Tao Heng was very articulate, speaking clearly and quickly, explaining the cause and effect in a single sentence.
If they weren't still in the Imperial Study, Zheng Xun would have given him a thumbs up.
In the light screen, the guards of the Prince's mansion stared at Tao Heng and his companion suspiciously, not letting their guard down.
It's no wonder they were suspicious; what official would sneak into someone else's residence?
"We are not lying! If you don't believe us, wait until the Prince wakes up and identifies us, then we will accept whatever punishment we are given!"
However, a servant beside the old prince suddenly let out a pitiful wail: "The prince is dead!"
That shout terrified two out of the three people present.
While everyone was confused and at a loss, Tao Heng suddenly stepped forward, strode out of the encirclement, and came to the old prince.
Before the old prince's servants could react, Tao Heng laid the old prince flat, pried open his mouth, and pressed his hands together rhythmically on his chest.
"What are you doing! He's an assassin! Stop him! Quickly!"
The servants of the Prince's mansion shouted anxiously, rushing towards Tao Heng as they did so.
The guards realized what was happening and immediately tried to stop them.
At this moment, Xu Bin also realized what was happening.
He stood in front of Tao Heng, facing the guards of the Prince's mansion head-on.
As a general who had fought on the battlefield, even though he had to leave the battlefield due to injury, his aura and combat skills were not diminished in the slightest by the comfort of the battlefield.
He held his sword across his chest: "Since the old prince has stopped breathing, why not let him try? What if he can be saved?"
As expected, there isn't a single coward or useless person in the Great Yong court these days.
Xu Bin was a rare talent, skilled in both literature and martial arts. In the imperial court, he did not favor the best or strive for superiority, to the point that many people forgot what a brilliant genius he once was.
If he hadn't been injured back then... perhaps the Great Yong Dynasty would have produced a guardian deity on par with the He family.
Even though he couldn't shine on the battlefield, Xu Bin never gave up.
[Xu Bin is like a brick; he can be moved wherever he's needed. My father considered promoting such a reserved, intelligent, and loyal minister to the cabinet.]
Even if our father passes away, with regents like Xu Bin and Liao Hongsheng, my elder brother's throne will be secure.
Oh dear, such a talented person, he's mine from now on, how could I possibly accept that?
【I can only thank my elder brother and father for their generosity! Hehe, of course, it's more appropriate for me to recommend Xu Bin for the cabinet!】
Emperor: I don't see anything about you that makes you feel embarrassed.
Although he harbored resentment in his heart, he still gave up the idea of promoting Xu Bin.
Since Yuanjia needs it, let's leave this opportunity to win people's hearts to her.
He was a magnanimous emperor; most emperors, upon hearing such treasonous words, would likely not have let Yuan Jia off easily.
Unfortunately, I couldn't remind Yuanjia of his true feelings.
It's not a good thing to have your thoughts completely exposed to everyone.
This matter... must be resolved.
The emperor fell into deep thought, and the standoff within the light screen was far from over.
Although no one believed that the old prince could really come back to life, the guards still slowed down for a moment upon hearing Xu Bin's words.