When Duke Zhongwu faced Xuandi, he was like a rabbit seeing a tiger. It was a direct suppression. Whatever Xuandi said, he could only grit his teeth and accept it. How could he dare to say a word more?

Even under Xuandi's tyranny, he still shamelessly forced a smile that looked worse than crying.

"Your Highness, where are we going now?" Xuan Di was in a much better mood after bullying Duke Zhongwu, and glanced at Huo Chengche beside him.

"It was the Fifth Young Master who promised to take Niannian out to play, why are you asking me about it?"

As Huo Chengche spoke calmly, he held the little baby in one arm and mounted the horse with the other, his movements graceful and nimble. He held the little baby steadily in front of him, his movements skillful and natural.

The little one loves riding on the big horse! He happily sits in front of his older brother and kicks his little legs.

Xuan Di looked at his silly little sister's pathetic little face, so happy just from being coaxed by that stinky man?

Unable to bear watching any longer, Xuan Di snorted coldly, raised an eyebrow, and smiled wickedly, saying coolly, "Does Your Highness really want me to make the decision?"

Huo Chengche: ...Forget it, this guy is too unreliable. Who knows what kind of huge waves we'll cause if we listen to him.

However, before Huo Chengche could say anything, the Duke of Zhongwu, standing to the side, twitched his eyelids and hurriedly spoke up, "No, no, no! Fifth Prince, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. In this capital, His Highness the Crown Prince is the most respected. Since we are traveling in the capital, let's follow His Highness the Crown Prince's arrangements!"

These words sounded grand and dignified, but the flattery and pleading in them were so obvious that even Huo Chengche couldn't help but glance at his uncle.

Although his uncle had served under the Prince of Hengchang for a while, he was now a powerful duke in his own right. How could he be so cowardly in front of Xuandi? It was truly an insult to the prestige of the Xiheng Kingdom.

"Ahem." Huo Chengche coughed lightly, reminding the duke to be mindful of his image.

Duke Zhongwu immediately straightened his back, transforming into a plump quail with its chest puffed out and head held high, looking righteous.

"Heh." Xuan Di sneered, glancing sideways at Duke Zhongwu, who slunk back in shame.

Huo Chengche: ...

He withdrew his gaze with disdain, and said indifferently with a cold face, "Then let's go find Liang Sheng, the Prefect of the Capital, and ask about the situation."

He didn't know what Xuandi was planning, but he left the palace today for two reasons: first, to secretly investigate the cheating in the imperial examinations, and second, to thoroughly investigate the rampant human trafficking. He wanted to use these two matters as a starting point to personally experience the lives of ordinary people in the capital; otherwise, he would be a truly incompetent crown prince.

As he spoke, he took the lead, spurred his horse on its flanks, and led the steed slowly toward the capital.

Xuandi and Duke Zhongwu naturally followed without any objection. During this time, Duke Zhongwu secretly glanced at Xuandi several times and noticed that he kept his thin lips pursed and was not in a good mood. As for what Xuandi was planning to do this time, he had no clue at all.

"If you look again, I'll gouge your eyes out." Xuan Di seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, his voice cold and eerie.

Duke Zhongwu shuddered, quickly averting his gaze and daring not to look again.

Xuan Di snorted coldly.

Just as they rode away a few steps, the people sitting at the tea stall far from the palace gate suddenly moved.

Before long, all the customers at the tea stall had left. In the distance, a young man in brown could be seen dashing off into the depths of the alley. As for the rest of the people…

Huo Chengche and Xuan Di exchanged a seemingly unintentional glance, and a chilling glint flashed in their eyes simultaneously.