Chapter 417 Get out

Zhu Junning felt Zhu Huai'an's gaze on her, turned around and gave him a smile. At this moment, the Prince of Lingnan had already strode to the door. She said to Zhu Huai'an, "Brother, let's go."

Zhu Huai'an gave a faint "hmm," then turned and the two followed the Prince of Lingnan out of the courtyard. At the gate, a servant had already prepared three horses. The Prince of Lingnan mounted his horse first, while Zhu Huai'an's gaze remained fixed on Zhu Junning.

He knew Zhu Junning could ride a horse, but he had only ever ridden in the stables before, never galloping on the streets, let alone at night. But then he saw Zhu Junning deftly grab the saddle with one hand, put one foot in the stirrup, and with a push, land on the horse's back, his movements practiced and graceful.

"Brother, let's go."

Zhu Junning uttered those words, then cracked his whip and galloped away. Zhu Huai'an's heart was filled with complex emotions, but he had no time to think further and could only mount his horse and chase after them.

In less than half an incense stick's time, the three had already reached the vicinity of the explosion. The strong smell of gunpowder, mixed with acrid smoke, wafted into their nostrils, causing them to instinctively frown.

After riding forward a few dozen steps, by the flickering firelight in the night, they could see that a group of soldiers, holding long spears, were densely surrounding the courtyard, whose beams were exposed and whose walls had collapsed. Not even a fly could get in.

The veins on the Prince of Lingnan's hand, gripping the whip, bulged, and the carved vine pattern on the handle looked as if his fingertips would leave shallow marks. He had accepted the emperor's intimidation and wanted to humble himself and seek peace for a while. But he hadn't expected the emperor to be so aggressive, brazenly bombing his private quarters on his own territory.

The emperor is provoking us, blatantly provoking us!

His teeth clenched so tightly they were grinding, but the King of Lingnan made no further moves. Though his heart was pounding with rage, his mind remained clear. The den of privately printing silver notes had surely been exposed. Even though he was the undisputed king of Lingnan, privately printing silver notes was a capital offense, and he absolutely could not rashly rush over to question them now.

On the other side, Zhu Huai'an stared at the ravaged courtyard, his hands trembling uncontrollably. More than the King of Lingnan's anger, he was terrified. After all, he had been in charge of the private printing of silver notes from beginning to end. Now that the imperial court wielded such a powerful weapon, Lingnan was clearly at a disadvantage. If it really came to that, and the emperor used this matter against him, what would his father do? Would he completely break ties with the emperor and rebel?

In the past, if the emperor didn't possess such a weapon, my father might have tried to fight back. But now, that's absolutely impossible. How will my father explain this to the court and the emperor? Just find a servant to take the blame? The emperor certainly won't let it go. In the end, it will probably be me, the heir apparent of the Lingnan Kingdom, who will have to bear the consequences.

Thinking of this, he turned to look at Zhu Junning, who stood dashingly on horseback. His eyes trembled uncontrollably, and his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned blue. Had his father foreseen this all along? Was that why he had chosen a new heir in advance, waiting to push him out to take the blame? He didn't think his father wouldn't choose a woman to succeed him; wasn't the Duke of Chu in the capital a woman who held the seal of office?

He quietly took a few deep breaths, his throat tightening as he asked the Prince of Lingnan in front of him, "Father, what... what should we do now?"

Upon hearing his question, the King of Lingnan turned around, his face expressionless, his eyes as cold as a pool of water in the dim night. Zhu Huai'an's heart raced at his expression, and he looked tremblingly into his eyes.

He lowered his eyebrows slightly, his eyes held a barely perceptible disappointment, and even his gaze towards him carried a cold and distant quality.

Zhu Huai'an remained stiff and dared not move until the Prince of Lingnan turned his head and he breathed a sigh of relief, his back already covered in a layer of cold sweat.

At this moment, Zhu Junning's voice rang out, "Father, let's go back. It won't be good if someone sees us."

General Zhao's actions are specifically aimed at them. They haven't figured out a countermeasure yet, and if they are discovered now, they will only fall into a trap that the other side has already set up, making it even more difficult to turn the tide.

The Prince of Lingnan had also considered this, but then glanced coldly at the dilapidated courtyard, turned his horse around, cracked his whip, and said in a deep voice, "Return to the manor!"

The sharp crack of the whip striking the horse's body still carried a lingering sense of ferocity.

Zhu Junning and Zhu Huai'an immediately followed behind, while in the bombed-out courtyard, General Zhao, Ning Yunchuan, and the heir of the Marquis of Cheng'en were listening to the soldiers' report:

"General, I just noticed three tall horses standing under the old locust tree at the west end of the street in the courtyard. Two men and a woman were sitting on them. They reined in their horses and watched for about half an incense stick's time before turning their horses around and leaving without daring to get closer."

General Zhao, Ning Yunchuan, and the heir of the Marquis of Chengen exchanged glances for a moment. General Zhao then turned to his subordinate and asked, "Can you see who it is?"

After a moment's thought, the soldier replied truthfully, "It was too dark at night, so I couldn't see clearly. I could make out that they were the King of Lingnan and his heir, but I don't remember the woman who was with them."

General Zhao remained silent for a moment, then waved for the soldiers to leave. He turned to Ning Yunchuan and the heir of the Marquis of Chengen and asked, "What do you two think?"

Although his men were the main force in this operation, they were only responsible for supporting the operation. Ultimately, the decision would be made by Ning Yunchuan and the heir of the Marquis of Chengen.

The two exchanged a glance, and Ning Yunchuan spoke first: "It's not too late to pay a visit to the King of Lingnan after we've gathered the evidence."

........

Lingnan Prince's Mansion

In the spacious study, five or six candlesticks illuminated the room as bright as day, yet could not dispel the oppressive atmosphere. The Prince of Lingnan rested his knuckles on the edge of the desk, his brows furrowed into a deep furrow.

Zhu Junning sat to one side, his face also solemn. Zhu Huai'an sat in his chair with his back slightly hunched, his hands gripping the hem of his clothes, even his breathing was extremely soft.

"Huai'an, what do you think we should do about this?"

The King of Lingnan's voice suddenly rang out, and Zhu Huai'an jumped up, sitting up abruptly with a look of panic on his face. He frowned and pondered for a moment before stammering, "Son... Son doesn't know."

Upon hearing this, the King of Lingnan made no attempt to conceal his disappointment, staring intently at Zhu Huai'an until Zhu Huai'an, unable to bear the pressure of that gaze, knelt down with a thud, and only then did he look away.

"Get up." The King of Lingnan's voice carried a hint of weariness. In the past, he had placed high hopes on this son and devoted a great deal of effort to him. But as Zhu Huai'an grew older, his inherent stupidity became more and more apparent, and how could he suppress this disappointment?

Zhu Huai'an shakily got up and sat down again, holding onto the chair. Cold sweat streamed down his face, but he didn't even have the courage to raise his hand to wipe it away. He could only hurriedly lower his head and stare at the beads of sweat hitting his royal blue brocade robe, instantly spreading into a small, dark, damp patch.

The pent-up resentment in her heart could no longer be suppressed: Could she entirely blame him for not being able to come up with a plan? He was in full charge of privately printing banknotes, and now that things were about to be exposed, he would most likely be pushed forward to take the blame. Her heart was already filled with anxiety and unease; how could she possibly come up with any plan?

"Get out!" the King of Lingnan suddenly shouted. Zhu Huai'an, still reeling from his grievance, fell to his knees with a thud.