Chapter 132 The Heavenly Decree: A Scheme

The prince, dressed as a eunuch, took off his eunuch robes and casually tossed them to the eunuch.

The young eunuch followed behind the crown prince and saw him walk briskly toward the study.

He had been by the Crown Prince's side for over a decade, and he could tell at a glance that the prince was in a very good mood.

He grew bolder and said with a smile, "Your Highness, it seems you have had a very fruitful trip. May I ask which important person you met this time?"

The prince, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at the little eunuch behind him. The smile on his face was slowly replaced by a gloomy expression.

Seeing his appearance, the little eunuch felt a pang of anxiety and immediately knelt down on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

"Spare me! Your Highness, spare me! It was my fault for being so talkative! Please spare me!"

Before long, red spots appeared on the ground.

But the little eunuch dared not stop and continued to bang his head on the ground.

"Your Highness, spare my life! This servant will never dare to utter another word!"

"Your Highness, spare my life!"

The next moment, a cold light flashed.

The young eunuch felt a sharp pain in his chest, followed by dizziness, and a rusty taste slowly filled his throat.

"Noisy".

He heard the Crown Prince's cold voice, and then everything went completely black before his eyes.

His Highness the Crown Prince glanced indifferently at the little eunuch lying on the ground, then waved to the patrolling soldiers standing nearby.

"Get rid of it."

"yes!"

The team of ten soldiers moved swiftly and silently, and soon dragged the body away.

Then, several eunuchs poured several basins of water over the blood, washing it away from the ground, and the blood quickly disappeared.

The crown prince paid no attention to what was happening behind him. He walked towards his study. A young eunuch saw him and immediately stood respectfully to the side, bowing his head in greeting.

"Come with me."

After he finished speaking, he continued walking forward.

The little eunuch who was left behind by him paused for a moment, then lowered his head and followed him into the study.

The prince strode to the desk, sat down, took out a small booklet the size of a palm from his robes, opened it, and placed it on the desk.

The eunuch who followed him in saw this and, being very perceptive, stepped forward to grind the ink.

The prince picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write on the booklet.

After he finished writing, he blew on it, looked at what he had written, and nodded in satisfaction.

He looked up at the young eunuch beside him and asked, "You're not bad, you're more perceptive than the previous ones. From now on, you'll serve me."

The young eunuch bowed and said, "Yes."

The Crown Prince seemed to be in a very good mood, and at this moment he seemed to have suddenly become eager to share.

"I have discovered another promising talent today. If I nurture him, he will surely become my right-hand man in the future."

As he spoke, he began to flip through the previous pages, his smile growing wider.

"My chief minister, my Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, my Minister of Finance—once I ascend the throne, these people will all be my confidants."

The little eunuch listened to all this, and his legs trembled slightly, but he dared not make any move.

He has been here for nearly ten years and knows the Crown Prince's temperament very well. He knows that the Crown Prince is short-tempered and unpredictable, and that any eunuch or palace maid who works here will die on the spot if he does anything that displeases him.

For example, if others had heard what His Highness the Crown Prince just said, he would have been considered a traitor. If that had reached His Majesty's ears, the Crown Prince would have been in deep trouble.

But the young eunuch, thinking of his own life, pretended that he had just become deaf and mute.

The prince spoke with great enthusiasm, glancing at the young eunuch every now and then.

Seeing that he was like a wooden figure, without any reaction, I pursed my lips in boredom. After I had finished speaking, I lowered my head again, picked up my pen and continued writing in the booklet.

The young eunuch caught a glimpse of his current actions out of the corner of his eye and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The Gu residence.

Gu Huiming was painting, and as he finished the last stroke, he admired the painting in front of him with great interest.

The butler strode to the study door, bowed respectfully, and greeted, "My lord."

"What is it?" Gu Huiming asked, his eyes never leaving the painting.

The steward said respectfully, "My lord, news from over there is that the Crown Prince met with Shao Yanzhe today."

Gu Huiming paused for a moment, then said, "Don't worry about it, they're just clowns."

The butler replied, "Yes."

He didn't ask whether the "clown" he was referring to was the Crown Prince or Shao Yanzhe; that wasn't his place to ask.

Hanlin Academy.

Wen Yanqing looked up, wanting to turn her neck to relieve the soreness, but inadvertently saw a familiar figure.

"Oh? Brother Shao, your little eunuch friend is here again." Her gaze toward Shao Yanzhe was full of mockery.

Shao Yanzhe, who was engrossed in reading, looked up and glanced at her helplessly. Then he looked out the window and saw a familiar figure walking towards him in the distance.

"Alright, Lord Wen, be careful, walls have ears. It's not too late to say anything after you've finished your duties," he reminded him.

Wen Yanqing nodded: "Okay."

Soon, the little eunuch, disguised as the crown prince, sneaked out of the window again, but actually made himself very conspicuous. He tilted his head and looked inside. When he saw Shao Yanzhe, he waved to him, looking very happy.

Shao Yanzhe stood up and walked out of the room, looking at him and asking, "Is there something you need from me?"

The little eunuch scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly, revealing a slightly silly smile.

“Well, Lord Shao, when you helped me get the book earlier, you accidentally brought another one with you. I was worried that you would be anxious, so I took the time to return it to you.”

As he spoke, he pulled a thin book out of his pocket, which indeed looked like something that might accidentally get stuck in the book.

Shao Yanzhe glanced down at it, then gratefully reached out and took it, saying, "Thank you so much, young man. If the higher-ups find out, I'll definitely be reprimanded."

"No need to thank me. It was Lord Shao who accidentally smuggled it in while helping me find the book. Now that the book has been delivered, I'll be leaving now."

The young eunuch turned to leave, but was stopped by Shao Yanzhe.

"Wait a minute."

"Lord Shao, is there anything else?"

Shao Yanzhe turned around and returned to his seat, took a small bag, and then stuffed it into the little eunuch's hand.

"Take these, they're pastries I specially prepared for you, they taste pretty good."

"Really? Thank you so much, Lord Shao." The little eunuch asked with some surprise.

"You're welcome, take this and fill your stomach!"

Shao Yanzhe watched the little eunuch leave with a smile, looking to be in a very good mood.

"Brother Shao, how is it?" Wen Yanqing appeared beside him from nowhere.

"It's nothing."

Shao Yanzhe waved his hand.

In the days that followed, the young eunuch and Shao Yanzhe got along well, exchanging small gifts from time to time. To outsiders, their relationship seemed to grow increasingly close.

Wen Yanqing and the other two remained silent in response.

Finally, the little eunuch had had enough of his act. He chose a day when Zhou Jiming was present and revealed his true identity to everyone.

"Huh? Your Highness? What are you doing here?" Zhou Jiming looked surprised, appearing somewhat naive and innocent.

The young eunuch, looking surprised, helpless, and realizing he could no longer make friends as an ordinary person, reluctantly revealed his identity to Shao Yanzhe and the other two, who were equally surprised and unaware.

"My lords, I apologize, it was my fault." He apologized first with a sincere expression.

Shao Yanzhe stopped him, asking, "What wrong has Your Highness done?"

The Crown Prince grabbed his hand with some emotion: "I'm glad that Lord Shao doesn't blame me. I've been the Crown Prince since I was a child and I don't have many friends. This time, by some twist of fate, I didn't expect to be able to make a few good friends. I really consider you all my friends."

Shao Yanzhe forcibly suppressed the urge to shake off her hand, his face equally excited: "Of course!"

After finally getting rid of the Crown Prince, Shao Yanzhe looked helplessly at the other four, whose eyes and faces were full of smiles.

"You guys are good enough."

"Alright, alright, but Brother Shao, do you really want to become the Crown Prince's official?" Zhou Jiming, who had previously seemed so naive and innocent, asked.

"Of course not. It's about time, I need to find an opportunity to be transferred out. What are your plans?" Shao Yanzhe asked.

Zhou Jiming shrugged and said, "I can't leave Kyoto for long. I'll just be a playboy like before and drift through life!"

Wen Yanqing, Su Yuheng, and Shen Jingzhou shared the same idea as Shao Yanzhe. They did not want to get involved in the struggle between the royal family and the Grand Secretary, and planned to be sent away first, and then consider whether to return after the situation stabilized.

Just as the group was seeking a posting to a distant location, their superior, Lord Sun, sent them invitations to a poetry gathering, hoping they could get to know each other better than other unfamiliar officials.

If Shao Yanzhe wanted to stay in Kyoto to develop his career, this poetry gathering would be a great stepping stone. However, he did not want to stay in Kyoto, so he planned to just make a brief appearance at the gathering and then disappear from the public eye.

The poetry gathering was held at the famous Shōgetsai in Kyoto. In addition to those who had already become officials, there were also some scholars who were somewhat famous but had not yet passed the imperial examinations. It was a very lively and unique event.

Shao Yanzhe arrived at Songyuezhai early, greeted the people he knew, and then hid in a corner to eat and drink.

These days, he used the Crown Prince to find himself a post in the countryside, and he can take up his post next month.

Therefore, he regarded the poetry gathering in front of him as a leisurely event.

He sat in a very secluded corner, occasionally taking a break to listen to the poems of other scholars, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Finally, the sun set, and the poetry gathering came to an end.

Shao Yanzhe also planned to leave with Zhou Jiming and the others, but when they arrived at the entrance of Songyuezhai, they found that the entrance had been sealed off at some point, and they were unable to leave for a while.

Seeing this, he immediately had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, the next moment, the entire Songyuezhai was surrounded by Tianluozhao's people, and those who tried to climb over the wall were thrown back.

The people inside were trapped like turtles in a jar.

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