Chapter 309: This damn Fourth Prince actually wants to poach the Lord Governor?!

After seeing off Lu Jiuan, Imperial Physician Sun and Imperial Physician Zuo did not stay long, but the Fourth Prince stayed in Jiuxiao Courtyard with no intention of leaving.

Xiao Yan listened to his nonsense patiently for a few words, and a look of annoyance appeared in his eyes.

Hearing that the Fourth Prince still wanted to talk to him about court matters, Xiao Yan simply lay back down with an extremely cold expression.

"Your Majesty has the final say on matters of the court. The four battalions outside the capital are not something eunuchs like us can covet. Your Majesty only mentioned this matter because he was furious after the attack yesterday. If I, the governor, were to seize the power to mobilize the four battalions, I would be in great trouble."

"But..." The Fourth Prince frowned, "Father clearly favors Governor Xiao."

Xiao Yan said indifferently: "So what?"

Seeing the Fourth Prince's confusion, he said in a cold voice, "There are only four main branches of military power in the capital: the four suburban battalions, the palace guards, the patrol battalion, and the Black Armor Guards. Of these, the control of the four battalions is of paramount importance and has always been in the hands of the princes. I already have the Black Armor Guards. If I gain control of the four battalions, not only the ministers in the court, but even His Majesty will not be at ease."

"Your Majesty is merely angry with the Lu family, and because I was instrumental in saving your life, he feels indebted to you for your previous cold treatment, so he casually mentioned this. It may not be true intention. However, if I were to be ungrateful and truly covet the command of the Fourth Battalion, Your Majesty's guilt towards me would turn into suspicion."

Xiao Yan hated Queen Lu and naturally the Fourth Prince, but when he thought about using them as a shield, he patiently explained a few words, but his tone was not very good after he finished speaking.

"The Fourth Prince has been in the court for many years. Could it be that he can't even understand His Majesty's intentions?"

"You are only obsessed with grabbing power, but you don't realize that the Emperor's mind is fickle. Once the balance in the court is broken, the one who grabs the most power will become the target of public criticism. If you can't even understand this, Your Highness should give up your ambition as soon as possible, otherwise you will die without knowing how."

The Fourth Prince's face was turning pale and blue. If it weren't for the white cloth covering the injured half of his face, his stiff expression would have made him almost collapse.

Xiao Yan coughed and said, "I am still injured. Is the Fourth Prince okay?"

The Fourth Prince quickly said, "No, I just came to visit Governor Xiao..."

"So the visit is over?"

The Fourth Prince: “…”

He felt both embarrassed and angry, but he could only suppress it for a long while. He stretched out his hand and placed it on the four-wheeled cart: "I am relieved to see that Governor Xiao is safe. Governor Xiao, take good care of your injuries. I will take my leave now and come to visit you again when I have time."

"No need to visit." Xiao Yan said coldly, "The Fourth Prince has been visiting Jiyun Lane for a while, so it's better to take good care of your legs."

"Although I have agreed to cooperate with the Queen, I don't want to waste my energy on pushing a worthless person who can't even stand up to the throne. Besides, you and the Lu family are already sworn enemies. If the Lu family can plot against you once, they can plot against you a second time. If they knew how often you interacted with me, they might not hesitate to eliminate you completely to prevent future troubles."

Seeing the Fourth Prince's face turn pale, Xiao Yan's voice became even colder.

"I deposed Lu Qin to temporarily deter the Lu family from taking action, and to give the Fourth Prince and the Queen time to find a way to gain a foothold in the court. Instead of wasting time on me, you should think more about how to protect the few remaining court officials under your command and prevent them from thinking that you are truly useless."

"As for Cumulus Alley, you'd better not come here too often, so as not to make His Majesty think too much."

The Fourth Prince did not expect Xiao Yan to express his disdain for him so bluntly. His mother had clearly said that he had agreed to cooperate with them. He wanted to say something, but when he met Xiao Yan's emotionless black eyes, the Fourth Prince just held on to the handle of the four-wheeled cart tightly.

Tang Ning stood aside and clearly saw the Fourth Prince's knuckles turning white from exertion. Thinking that he was still useful, she said, "Brother is seriously injured. He was already forcing himself to meet guests today. He needs to rest from now on. Your Highness, why don't you go back first?"

With the stairs, the Fourth Prince's expression finally improved: "Then I'll take my leave first."

"I'll escort His Highness out."

After all, he was a prince, so Tang Ning never humiliated him too much.

With Tang Ning seeing him off, the Fourth Prince came out of Jiuxiao Courtyard. Although he was still extremely angry about what Xiao Yan had just said and cursed him as a eunuch countless times in his heart, he still remembered that he was still in someone else's house, and there was only a hint of displeasure on his face.

Tang Ning said, "My brother has been in a bad mood since he was injured. Just now, Mr. Lu came over and made him unhappy again. Your Highness, please don't mind."

The Fourth Prince's expression brightened slightly after hearing her gentle words. "It's my fault! If Governor Xiao hadn't been venting his anger for me, he wouldn't have put himself in such a dangerous situation."

Tang Ning: “…”

Seeing that the Fourth Prince seemed to have already determined that what happened last night was to avenge the Lu family on his behalf, Tang Ning did not refute him. She simply escorted him out of the backyard and said, "Since my brother has chosen His Highness, he will not tolerate anyone else hurting you."

"Although my brother's words just now were not very pleasant, he also hoped that Your Highness would recover soon so that he could return to the court and be trusted by His Majesty again. Now, there are more and more voices in the court calling for a crown prince, and the Second Prince's voice is higher than yours. If you don't do something, people will think you have no interest in that position."

"Besides, my brother has a special status. His Majesty favors him because he doesn't associate with anyone and doesn't interfere in the fight for the throne. If you come here too often, it will not only arouse suspicion, but if His Majesty really becomes suspicious, it will not be good for you or my brother."

The Fourth Prince couldn't help but feel a tightness in his heart as he listened to Tang Ning's slow chatter. After Xiao Yan's anger from his cold words just now dissipated, he couldn't help but feel a little scared.

"The county lady is right. I was careless. I will be more careful in the future and keep my distance from Governor Xiao in public."

Tang Ning smiled softly: "It's getting late, and my brother can't leave without someone by his side, so I won't see you off."

The Fourth Prince quickly called out to her, "County Lady."

"Um?"

"I once obtained something, and I felt that only the county lady could match it."

The fourth prince took out a square brocade box from his sleeve and opened it, revealing a large pearl lying inside.

The pearl was round and pure white, without a single flaw. The most rare thing was that the pearl was as big as a pigeon egg and lay safely on the red velvet cloth below, looking extremely rare.

"I acquired this pearl in my early years, but I never found anyone who could match it. Later, when I met the county lady for the first time, the thought immediately crossed my mind: this pearl is a perfect match for you."

"A treasure to match a beautiful woman, I hope the county lady will accept it."

Tang Ning looked at the Fourth Prince's fiery eyes, then at the pearl in his hand.

The next moment, I almost felt sick.

Canglang, who was following behind to protect Tang Ning, almost drew his sword when he heard the Fourth Prince's words.

This damn Fourth Prince actually wanted to steal his family's governor's girl?!