mtlumby2d Chapter 285 Returning to the Capital
Chapter 285 Returning to the Capital
Chapter 285 Returning to the Capital
Inside the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince, with his robes open, leaned against the railing of the corridor, playing with a jet-black myna. The myna was very well trained; when the Crown Prince fed it a melon seed, it would call out "Your Highness, Your Highness!" Its small eyes were full of intelligence, pleasing the Crown Prince greatly.
Behind him, a eunuch was recounting to him in detail what had happened at the morning court session that day. He remembered every word spoken by everyone perfectly and even imitated their tone of voice flawlessly.
"However, after the court session, His Majesty summoned the Left Chancellor and Lord Feng to the Imperial Study alone. What they discussed there is beyond my ability to find out," the eunuch said obsequiously.
"What else can they be talking about? Of course, they're talking about me." The Crown Prince sneered. "Since they're hoping to use this to completely bring me down, then I'll tell them that it's absolutely impossible."
“Indeed, in His Majesty’s eyes, no one can compare to His Highness the Crown Prince,” the eunuch hurriedly chimed in.
"And then?" The prince raised his hand to stroke the myna's beak and continued to ask.
"Afterwards, the Left Prime Minister and Lord Feng left the Imperial Study and then left the palace. Lord Feng returned to Shuntian Prefecture, while the Left Prime Minister went to the Fourth Prince's residence. He stayed there for less than an hour before leaving, but he was followed by a young lady, who was Zheng Yan, who had previously presented the account book rubbings to Shuntian Prefecture."
"Ah!" The prince was suddenly pecked by a myna bird, his finger cut and blood immediately flowing out. The prince's eyes darkened, and he grabbed the myna bird by the neck, angrily saying:
"You beast! How dare you bite me! Guards, chop this beast into pieces and feed it to the dogs!"
"Yes!"
Upon hearing this, the guards on both sides immediately stepped forward, seized the myna bird that had been shouting "Long live the Crown Prince!", and cleaved it in two with their swords. Bright red blood sprayed everywhere on the ground. Only after watching the foolish bird being chopped into a pile of minced meat and devoured with relish by the vicious dogs kept by the Crown Prince did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"That lowly maidservant went with Gongsun Zhan?" The Crown Prince instructed a palace maid to treat his bitten finger, his tone growing increasingly cold. "What exactly is that old bastard up to? Could it be that he's allied with the Fourth Prince?"
"I don't think so." Lan Yingzhou walked up to the Crown Prince, bowed, and said, "Lan Yingzhou greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Rise." Upon seeing Lan Yingzhou, the Crown Prince's previously gloomy face immediately brightened. "Why did you say that just now, Mr. Lan?"
Lan Yingzhou said, "The Left Prime Minister is the most trusted senior minister in the court. If the Left Prime Minister had not stopped Lord Feng in time today, I'm afraid that the account book would have been presented to the Emperor on the spot. Even if Your Highness had bowed to the Emperor and admitted your mistake beforehand, the civil and military officials in the court would still demand that His Majesty give an explanation to the people."
"So, the ledger is still in Feng Ling's hands?" the Crown Prince asked hesitantly.
"To be precise, it's in Gongsun Zhan's hands," Lan Yingzhou said confidently.
The Crown Prince said with delight, "So, he's helping me? That old man, no matter how much I try to be nice to him, he always acts indifferent. I never expected him to care about me so much."
Lan Yingzhou looked at the Crown Prince with a complicated expression, paused, and said, "Does Your Highness know what happened yesterday?"
Following his words, the crown prince asked, "What happened yesterday?"
Lan Yingzhou: "Yesterday afternoon, the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Sixth Prince all entered the palace to meet the Emperor, and at the same time, they requested to take concubines. Do you know who they want to marry?"
Crown Prince: "Who is it?"
Lan Yingzhou paused for a moment, then said, "She is Ye Pianran, the eldest daughter of Marquis Anshi and the granddaughter of the Left Chancellor Gongsun Zhan."
The crown prince's pupils suddenly contracted, and he exclaimed in shock, "It's her?"
"What, Your Highness has also seen this woman?" Lan Yingzhou suddenly felt a surge of interest in Ye Pianran. What an exceptionally beautiful woman she must be to have three princes express a desire to marry her!
The Crown Prince said thoughtfully, "I saw her once at Qionglin Garden during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but she was wearing a veil, so no one could see what she looked like. But her mother was a famous beauty and talented woman in the capital, so she must be quite beautiful herself."
At this point, a thought suddenly struck him, and he summoned the shadow guard beside him.
"I wish to meet this graceful young lady. You know what to do."
※※※
As the sun set, before the city gates were secured, an inconspicuous carriage entered the capital and turned into a deep alley in the south of the city. Inside the carriage sat Ji Hongbo, whom Ye Yingrou had previously sent to Fuzhou, and Ji Linchuan, the top assassin of Ronghua Tower.
Ji Linchuan sat opposite Ji Hongbo, his left hand holding a sword, his right hand hidden in his sleeve. It appeared intact, but it concealed a deadly intent. This hand of his had been severed during his duel with Chunyu Yang, but what was shocking was that he had someone attach an iron hook to the severed part. The hook was extremely sharp and faintly glowed with a bluish light, clearly coated with a deadly poison.
"We have important business to attend to this time, so don't act rashly."
As they finally arrived in the capital at top speed, Ji Hongbo couldn't help but give Ji Linchuan some instructions.
Ji Linchuan had been meditating with his eyes closed the whole way, and after hearing this, he didn't even look up, only saying, "That person isn't dead."
“That’s Prince Beiwu, the son of the current emperor, an invincible war god in the Great Xia,” Ji Hongbo said. “Putting aside the fact that killing him would mean making an enemy of the royal family, although you severely injured him last time and blinded him with poison, my spies in the capital told me that he was not injured at all. You should know that even I am helpless against the poison of the Lord, but there are people in the capital who can cure him. This shows that he obviously has a master helping him behind the scenes.”
Ji Linchuan finally opened his eyes, but his eyes were extremely cold, and the scar on his face that almost pierced through his face made him look like a vengeful ghost.
"I, Ji Linchuan, will avenge any wrong done to me."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Ji Hongbo took a deep breath and said, "After the matter is settled, his life will naturally be yours. But don't do anything before that."
Ji Linchuan closed his eyes again, unsure whether to agree or not. Suddenly, he frowned, and his longsword was drawn and thrust forward to block. With two sharp clangs, a short arrow, severed by the sword, was deeply embedded in the side wall. The arrow's fletching, lying on the ground, clearly had a secret letter tied to it.
The incident happened in an instant, yet it deeply shocked Ji Hongbo. He bent down to pick up the arrow fletching, pulled out the secret letter, unfolded it, and his expression instantly became ambiguous.
The letter was sent by Ye Yingrou. She knew he had already gone to the capital and asked him to meet her outside the city at midnight tonight.
He returned to the capital for other matters, so he did not inform Ye Yingrou in advance. However, he did not expect to keep it from her, since she had assassins like Rong Shiqi by her side, who could naturally keep track of his whereabouts.
Since she wants to see him, he might as well go and see her. He wants to see what she's up to now. If she's still only concerned with bringing down that mother and daughter in the Marquis's mansion, then don't blame him for turning ruthless.