Chapter Seventy-Four: The Crown Prince Released from Confinement

Li Bao'er followed Mu Cenlin for a long time until she could no longer feel the resentful gazes from the East Palace. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief, but her doubts only deepened.

Bao'er couldn't help but secretly call out to the system in her mind: "001! Come out quickly! What's going on between the Crown Prince and Mu Cenlin? It feels like they have a deep-seated hatred between them!"

001 immediately popped up, its voice brimming with gossipy enthusiasm: [Host, host! You've come to the right person! This system has just completed this part of the information!]

[Speaking of which, Crown Prince Mu Chen is quite a contradiction!] 001 began to ramble on, [Deep down, he yearns for the freedom of the martial world, particularly envying that kind of life of swift retribution, yet he is completely unable to relinquish the power and status of the Eastern Palace. As a child, because of his unruly nature, he was disliked by the Empress, and he would often secretly sneak off to the palace of Consort Zhang, who hadn't yet fallen out of favor, to seek warmth and comfort.]

Back then, Consort Zhang would tell the two little ones amusing stories of practicing swordsmanship on Mount Huaqing, as well as strange tales and legends from the martial arts world. It's said that the Crown Prince was completely captivated by them, and even developed a rather good relationship with the young Mu Cenlin!

Li Bao'er was surprised: "Hey, you're so close, like brothers? What happened later?"

[He's grown up! Power is tempting! The Crown Prince feels that our Great Demon King holds military power and enjoys the support of the border troops, his achievements are too great and threaten the Emperor's path! Coupled with political differences, he's started targeting and attacking him relentlessly! From the court to the military camp, he's done his fair share of sabotage for the Prince!]

001 paused, then her voice became even more serious: "Moreover! According to the data analyzed by this system, the Prince's uncle, the great general, mysteriously disappeared in the Western Regions, and there's a 99% chance it's related to the Crown Prince! It's very likely that the Crown Prince's faction was behind it all to weaken the Prince's military support!"

No wonder Mu Cenlin had such a strong desire to get rid of the Crown Prince!

While Mu Cenlin was looking ahead and not paying attention, Li Bao'er quickly turned around, stuck out her tongue forcefully in the direction of the East Palace gate, and made a face full of contempt and provocation!

"Pah! You scoundrel! You deserve to be locked up!"

After doing all this, she immediately turned around and pretended to be nonchalant.

Although Mu Cenlin didn't turn around, the corners of his lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly, a smile that vanished so quickly it seemed like an illusion. His grip on her hand, however, seemed to tighten slightly.

Bao'er heard his deep voice: "Childish."

His voice remained indifferent, but Li Bao'er strangely detected a hint of pleasure in it.

The two fell silent and walked side by side toward the palace gates. The sunlight cast long, intertwined shadows of them.

*

Shortly after Mu Cenlin and Li Bao'er left the palace, a seemingly unassuming carriage quietly drove into the Imperial Observatory, located in a corner of the imperial city and tasked with observing the secrets of heaven.

Fang Xu, dressed in a simple white robe and still with his face veiled, dismissed his attendants and stood alone on the observatory, clutching a string of jade stones tightly in his hand, murmuring repeatedly, "Yu'er."

Shortly after, extremely faint footsteps sounded behind them. A figure wearing a cloak to conceal their face, led by a trusted eunuch, quietly ascended the observatory.

Fang Xu did not turn around, but simply said, "The Empress's presence makes this humble abode shine."

The newcomer lifted the hood of his cloak, revealing the Empress's well-preserved face, now clouded with gloom. She dismissed the eunuchs and stared sharply at Fang Xu's retreating figure: "The Imperial Preceptor certainly has the leisure to gaze at the stars here? He must already know what happened in Yongshou Palace today, doesn't he?"

"Furthermore, Fang Xu! The woman you so confidently predicted to be blessed with great fortune and able to help Xuan'er secure his position as crown prince is actually Li Yan, the concubine's daughter from the Prime Minister's residence!"

The Empress's voice rose slightly: "A lowly concubine's daughter! Is this what you call destiny?! Is this destiny helping my son or harming him?! Grand Preceptor, shouldn't you give me an explanation today?!"

Fang Xu slowly turned around: "Your Majesty, please calm down. The secrets of heaven are unpredictable. The divination indicates that she is indeed a woman of the Li family. However... destiny is sometimes predetermined and is not bound by worldly status."

He then changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat mystical: "The flow of fortune is not static. Miss Li Yan has a special destiny and is indeed capable of gathering fortune, but whether this fortune is righteous or evil, helpful or calamity, depends on her later fortune and... her circumstances."

He looked at the Empress, his tone meaningful: "Only by placing it in the right position and guiding it with the aura of a true dragon can we turn misfortune into good fortune, truly make it useful, and bring lasting blessings."

The Empress frowned deeply. Although she was angry, Fang Xu's words led her to new thoughts: "Does the Grand Preceptor mean... that Li Yan, this pawn, has been used in the wrong place? Or even used by someone else?" She immediately thought of Li Bao'er. Could it be that the sickly girl had stolen the fortune instead?

Fang Xu did not answer directly, but looked up at the sky and said in a vague tone: "The predicament of the Eastern Palace is due to the obstruction of the flow of fortune. His Majesty is in a bad mood at the moment, and the Crown Prince is confined there, like a dragon hiding in the abyss. It is not entirely a bad thing."

He steered the conversation back to the current predicament and offered a solution: "The most urgent task is to find an opportunity, one that would allow His Majesty to rightfully lift the confinement and demonstrate that His Highness the Crown Prince, despite being in a predicament, still cares about the nation."

The Empress snorted coldly, clearly unmoved by his cryptic rhetoric: "Grand Preceptor, there's no need for you to play mind games with me! The Crown Prince is currently confined to the Eastern Palace, and that Mu Cenlin is becoming increasingly arrogant, even daring to contradict and threaten His Majesty! And that Mu Yuan harbors wolfish ambitions! If this continues, will there be any place for my son and me in this court?!"

Her voice was filled with barely suppressed anxiety and anger.

Fang Xu: "Your Majesty is right. Prince Jing is currently at the height of his power, and the prestige of the border army is growing daily. If no one can restrain him, it may not be a blessing for the country."

Fang Xu took out a scroll from his sleeve and slowly unfurled it, pointing to a few dim and unclear stars: "Your Majesty, please take a look. This is a letter written by His Highness the Crown Prince to the Imperial Observatory. Although he is in the palace, he is worried about the affairs of the country. He observed the celestial phenomena at night and noticed this calamity. Therefore, he wrote this letter to analyze the advantages and disadvantages. Then, I, the humble Taoist, will inform His Majesty and lift the confinement. Isn't that a logical thing to do?"

The Empress said no more, put her hood back on, and, guided by her trusted eunuch, left the Imperial Observatory as quietly as she had come.

The following morning, a petition, written with earnest words and filled with concern for the country and its people, and cleverly citing celestial phenomena as a warning, suggesting that the court strengthen its attention to the southeastern coast, was personally delivered to the emperor's desk by Fang Xu.

The emperor looked at the crown prince's petition and listened to Fang Xu's report on the strange phenomena of the previous night, and remained silent for a long time.

That afternoon, an imperial edict was issued to the Eastern Palace: Crown Prince Mu Chen, during his period of confinement for reflection, still cared about the country and observed celestial phenomena, which is commendable for his loyalty and filial piety. His confinement is hereby lifted. It is hoped that he will be diligent and self-disciplined in the future and live up to the Emperor's expectations.