Chapter 113

No, impossible! Long Aotian is a ghost and is far away in Qizhou. How could he possibly be the Seventh Prince in the capital's palace? This is impossible, absolutely impossible!

Helian Cheng desperately wanted to deny this possibility. He opened his eyes wide and saw all of the Seventh Prince's moves clearly. The clearer he saw, the more terrified he became. In the chilly spring world, he broke out in a cold sweat, his back sticky and damp.

The martial arts style, the way he moves, his height and build, even his age... everything matched up. He simply couldn't convince himself that such a coincidence could exist in the world. He couldn't even deceive himself.

Helian Cheng could only accept this possibility. Once he accepted the memory, he began to eagerly produce various pieces of evidence. For example, the sand table game that was once popular among the middle-level officers of the Northwest Army, upon closer inspection, was very similar to the card games that were popular in the army, except for some inconsistencies in hero names and gameplay.

He remembered that the card game originated from that capital city... Nine Plus One? It seemed to be sold by a shop with that name. Wait, the shop where the Seventh Prince clashed with the Rongdi also seemed to be this one.

—Although Helian Cheng only arrived in the capital yesterday, he immediately sent people to inquire about the Rongdi people. He was an absolute advocate of war when it came to dealing with the Rongdi, so he was actually very dissatisfied with the Ministry of Rites' handling of the matter. If any Rongdi person dared to utter the term "two-legged sheep" in his presence, he would surely have them beheaded, and they would have absolutely no chance to stand here and make things difficult for the Seventh Prince.

A ruthless thought flashed through Helian Cheng's mind. After realizing that Long Aotian and the Seventh Prince were likely the same person, he couldn't help but ponder: Was the Seventh Prince's extraordinary efforts to befriend the Northwest Army an accident or a scheme? Was Zhou Yushu behind this? Or...?

One doubt after another jumped out of his mind uncontrollably, marking the seventh prince with layer upon layer of danger.

Xue Jin'an easily and neatly dealt with the Rongdi people. He felt an exceptionally hot gaze fixed on him. He looked up and met Helian Cheng's complex and unfathomable eyes.

Caught off guard, Helian Cheng met those dark eyes and took in the Seventh Prince's appearance and expression. He wanted to ask him something, but after moving his lips, he said nothing.

Helian Cheng knew the emperor well. Once the news of the Seventh Prince's involvement with the Northwest Army spread, regardless of whether it was true or false, the emperor would definitely punish the Seventh Prince severely. The supernatural and superstitious behavior would also arouse the jealousy of other court officials and princes. Countless long-time enemies would step forward and push this prince, who was closest to the position of crown prince, to the edge of a cliff... Once the question was raised, the Seventh Prince would only have one way out: death.

Months of genuine care finally stirred his compassion. He was loyal to the emperor and patriotic, willing to go through fire and water for the Great Qi, but he wasn't made of stone; he also had his own joys, sorrows, preferences, and dislikes. Before things became certain, he was willing to protect those close to him. This was true of Helian Yong, and it was also true of the Seventh Prince.

Helian Cheng sighed inwardly, withdrew his gaze, and concealed all the complex emotions in his eyes.

Helian Cheng swallowed back what he wanted to say, but Galdan couldn't hold back any longer. He jumped out and angrily questioned the Seventh Prince, "Openly assassinating my Rongdi envoy, what is the Great Qi planning to do?!"

He remained rational and did not directly say things like "This means war with my Rongdi tribes," leaving room for maneuver for both sides.

The emperor was secretly delighted, greatly pleased with Xue Jin'an's extraordinary martial prowess. He pretended to have just come to his senses, first summoning the imperial physician, and then revealing a bewildered expression, "What does the envoy mean? I don't understand."

Consort Min smiled and added, "Yes, Your Majesty, I don't understand either. Wasn't this a friendly competition proposed by the envoy himself? Our Great Qi sent two people, but is something amiss?"

The implication is: You Rong and Di people provoked us first, and you even lost the group fight, yet you still have the nerve to shout?

Galdan couldn't refute the fact that they had provoked him first, so he simply went around in his shoes and said, "You use your superior weapons under the guise of friendly sparring, but in reality you're launching a sneak attack. Is this the behavior of a great power?!"

He aggressively tried to drag the Seventh Prince into the mess, but the officials of Daqi were shameless. The chief minister, Jiang Wen, shut them all down with one sentence: "The Seventh Prince's martial arts are unparalleled. Neither of the two envoys had any blood on them. It was indeed just a friendly spar."

Galdan's eyes widened as he saw all the courtiers nodding and saying things like "a mere dagger" and "Your Highness knows your limits," and even the emperor at the head of the table nodding with satisfaction. He was instantly furious, feeling that the Great Qi had gone too far in bullying them.

This time he really misunderstood the court officials. They genuinely thought that the Seventh Prince had shown mercy, at least not killing the person outright, right?

This Rongdi envoy is incredibly ungrateful; not only is he ungrateful, but he also dares to frame the Seventh Prince!

The way the courtiers looked at Galdan as if he were a child throwing a tantrum ignited a powder keg that was already on the verge of exploding. Weng Tianxin couldn't stop them and said angrily, "You've attacked me in the back and then turned around and accused me. You've bullied me to this extent. Do you really think that the Rong and Di tribes are helpless?!"

The Rongdi guards stood in unison beside the two, their eyes flashing fiercely. —Weng Tianxin didn't stop them, thinking it was for the best; perhaps only through extreme measures could they probe the true intentions of the Great Qi.

The court officials all fell silent. This "sparring" had escalated to the national level, and it seemed that the two countries would go to war at the slightest disagreement. However, just as Xue Jin'an had guessed, the Great Qi did not want to go to war with the Rongdi.

Aside from the national treasury problem, the main issue is that the officials of the Great Qi Dynasty have become accustomed to years of peace and tranquility, and have long since lost their ambition, only wanting to eke out a living in a life of extravagance and debauchery.

Xue Jin'an didn't know if the emperor felt the same way about the Rong and Di tribes, but the fact that the Great Qi Dynasty hadn't launched a military campaign against them for so many years was enough to show that the pro-peace faction still held the majority in the court.

They wanted to maintain this false peace, but the Rong and Di tribes were still determined to invade the Central Plains. They even took advantage of the court officials' desire for "peace" to test and provoke them. Perhaps they wanted to extort more supplies from Daqi, or perhaps they wanted to... launch a sudden war.

Xue Jin'an pondered, seemingly an outsider watching the heated debate with an expressionless face, even though he was the one being pointed at.

On the Rongdi side, Prince Galdan stepped forward, and naturally, another prince responded.

The eldest prince, wearing a mask of a smile, slowly broke the silence with an approachable and gentle expression: "Prince Galdan, what makes you say that? Perhaps there is some misunderstanding between us?"

"The contestant was Batuna, so why did he launch a sneak attack and injure someone else?" Galdan was clear-headed and wouldn't let go of the matter of Weng Tianxin being attacked.

The eldest prince sighed and said apologetically, "It was Xiao Qi and Xiao Wu who made a mistake. They acted rashly without listening to the rules of the sparring. They are still young and their innocent hearts are bound to be impulsive. I apologize to you on behalf of my two younger brothers. Fortunately, they still had some sense of propriety. Envoy Weng didn't even suffer any minor injuries. That's really great."

The eldest prince's words were incredibly sarcastic, not only repeatedly saying "they are still children," but also mockingly saying, "They have the nerve to cause trouble when they don't even have a scratch," which infuriated Galdan.

Before Galdan could say anything more, a weak yet loud voice, loud enough for everyone to hear, suddenly rang out: "I can't go on, I can't breathe."

He turned his head, and to his disbelief, the Fifth Prince, who had just been standing perfectly fine, clutched his chest, rolled his eyes, and collapsed onto the Seventh Prince beside him.

Xue Jin'an watched as the Fifth Prince was falling towards her, and quietly dodged to prevent him from falling on her.

—The full set of princely robes he was wearing was not newly made, but it was made by his mother when she was imprisoned in Zhaoyang Palace. It was made by his mother in her imagination of her son being able to attend court and listen to government affairs when he was fifteen years old.

Xue Jin'an didn't know what Zhou Yuting was thinking when she made this dress, and he couldn't sense it from it. He could only judge from the clues revealed by the dress itself.

For example, the stitches at the back are a bit messy, which shows that she is in a hurry, perhaps because she already knows that her days are numbered; another example is that the color of the ruby ​​inlaid on the fabric is not quite right, and if you look closely you can see a dried bloodstain, which means that Zhou Yuting accidentally dripped blood on it and inlaid the ruby ​​to cover it up, but the method is so clever that it is hard to find.

Zhou Yuting probably knew what would happen to Zhaoyang Palace after her death, so she hid the dress very well. If Zhou Yushu hadn't known his sister's temperament well and would have left something for his nephew, he wouldn't have been able to find the dress and put it away.

The clothes were delivered to Zhaoyang Palace two days ago by a palace maid named Xiyun. Xue Jin'an knew her; she was a palace maid that Chu Wenwan brought back from the summer palace two years ago. After Ziyun died, she was promoted to a first-class palace maid. Not long after, Chu Wenwan died, and she was assigned to work elsewhere.

This person also had another identity: he was Zhou Yushu's spy planted next to Chu Wenwan, and for all these years he had been secretly sneaking into Zhaoyang Palace to offer incense and prayers for Zhou Yuting's memorial tablet.

Xi Yun came not only to deliver gifts, but also to verify her identity with Xue Jin'an. This signified that Zhou Yushu completely trusted Xue Jin'an and had entrusted his people in the palace to him.

However, neither side intended to reveal Xi Yun's identity for the time being, so Xi Yun simply delivered the gifts, gave a bow, and left without saying a word.

The Imperial Guards routinely monitored everyone entering and leaving Zhaoyang Palace. After confirming that Xi Yun had not behaved abnormally, they quickly withdrew their attention and focused on Xue Jin'an.

The prince's robe that was delivered has been altered and fits Xue Jin'an perfectly.

This was probably altered by Zhou Yushu after he met Xue Jin'an at Jiutianyi. The embroiderer was very careful and didn't cut it, leaving enough room for the garment to "grow" as Xue Jin'an grew up.

Xue Jin'an didn't understand human feelings, but he didn't want this "new clothes" to get dirty, so when he could take action, he used the Fifth Prince as a shield and gladly accepted broad beans as weapons.

The Fifth Prince was unaware of the story behind it. He only knew that Xue Jin'an would definitely not let him get close to him like that, so he was not afraid at all when he was dodged. He just quickly grabbed the hem of his clothes and fell to the ground in a slow and elegant manner.

As he fell to the ground, he exerted himself secretly, and in order not to make the silk dress look cheap, Xue Jin'an had to go over and join in the act: "Fifth Brother, wake up."

Xue Jin'an squatted down in front of the Fifth Prince, his voice completely flat, but the two slaps he gave the prince's face were quite crisp.

"..." He was waiting for an opportunity to retaliate! This was definitely retaliation! The Fifth Prince gritted his teeth inwardly, his face completely blank.

The Fifth Prince's fainting was actually a charade, and everyone could tell, but it didn't matter. They were all caught up in the act and started calling out, "Fifth Brother/Fifth Prince!"

The two sides are now in a standoff. Weng Tianxin is only a bit disheveled and doesn't even have any superficial injuries, while the Fifth Prince has fainted. The initiative in this matter has directly changed hands.

Galdan snapped out of his blunder and knew things couldn't end like this. Before the eunuchs and maids could surround him, he rushed over and grabbed the Fifth Prince's hand.

The Fifth Prince had keen senses; even with his eyes closed, he could sense what was happening around him. The moment his fingers gripped Galdan's wrist, he immediately understood what Galdan was about to do. With a cold laugh in his heart, he took the initiative and suddenly opened his eyes like a zombie, grabbing Galdan's wrist with his other hand. The internal energy that had been dormant in his body for a long time transformed into a venomous snake, directly striking Galdan's tendons and veins!

It is important to know that different cultivation methods result in different attributes of internal energy. Even internal energies of the same attribute can cause great suffering when they clash, let alone those of different attributes.

Xue Jin'an knew that the Fifth Prince would not sit idly by and wait for his death. He calculated the angle and turned slightly to the side without making a sound to help the Fifth Prince cover up. Apart from the three people involved, no one saw the Fifth Prince open his eyes and take action. They only saw that Galdan seemed to be going to harm the Fifth Prince and they all shouted his name loudly.

The Fifth Prince had concealed his abilities very well before. Even though everyone knew he knew martial arts, no one thought his skills were particularly profound. When Galdan made his move, he was completely unprepared for the Fifth Prince's powerful internal energy. Caught off guard, his face turned pale and a metallic taste rose in his throat.

He gritted his teeth, his face contorted, but he refused to spit out the blood. Instead, he let out a sinister grin, his five fingers forming a palm that pressed closer and closer to the Fifth Prince's chest, determined to expose the prince's feigned unconsciousness.

The Fifth Prince had not expected him to be so patient. Caught off guard, he broke free of his restraints. Just as the other's hand, imbued with internal energy, was about to strike his chest, the Fifth Prince's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and his internal energy surged due to the agitation of his master's emotions.

The Fifth Prince hated pain the most, especially pain in his chest, which reminded him of the time when his own mother forced him to take drugs, causing him to lose consciousness from the pain.

He deserves to die. The Fifth Prince's killing intent surged, and his inner strength was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Galdan sensed the murderous intent surrounding him. He suppressed his instinct to dodge and fiercely pressed his palm down.

At this critical moment, a hand holding a dagger thrust in and pierced Galdan's palm.

"Ugh—" Galdan cried out in pain, his pupils constricting as he stared at the expressionless seventh prince.

"It's filthy." Xue Jin'an looked at the blood trickling down his palm, about to drip onto his clothes, and pushed him away forcefully.

Galdan collapsed to the ground, his hand, from which a dagger was stuck, twitching, and blood gushed out, staining the ground.

At the same time, Xue Jin'an pinched the Fifth Prince's carotid artery, cutting off blood flow and causing him to faint, turning his feigned fainting into a real one.

Xue Jin'an stood up, and the crowd whose view had been blocked saw the Fifth Prince lying unconscious on the ground. They all became restless.

"Your Highness!" Weng Tianxin's vision was also blocked, and he couldn't see anything clearly. He rushed over the moment Galdan fell. He originally wanted to question Xue Jin'an, but when he turned around, he saw the Fifth Prince lying there, his life hanging in the balance. His words got stuck in his throat.

Galdan, who was already suffering from internal injuries, was now hit with an external injury, and he fainted from the pain.

The provocation ended with both sides being injured and admitted to the Imperial Hospital. Weng Tianxin hurriedly followed them away. The dagger belonged to the Fifth Prince, and he assumed that the Fifth Prince and Galdan had secretly fought, which caused this scene.

However, Galdan soon woke up in pain again. The dagger that had pierced his palm was removed, and strong liquor gushed from the wound. He was in so much pain that his arm spasmed and the veins on his forehead bulged. If Weng Tianxin hadn't been holding him down, he would have almost jumped out of bed.

"What are you doing?!" Galdan's words were almost squeezed out between his teeth.

"Disinfection to prevent infection," the imperial physician explained. "This is a method of prevention and treatment using strong liquor created by the Seventh Prince. After our Imperial Hospital's experiments, wounds wiped with strong liquor are indeed less likely to fester, and the possibility of developing a high fever after injury is greatly reduced. This is a method that the Third Prince has personally tested, and it is very safe and effective."

When Xue Jin'an used this method to disinfect the Third Prince's entire body, the imperial physicians seized the opportunity to ask him about the disinfection process. He had nothing to hide and also mentioned that the alcohol content was not high enough, so the disinfection was not thorough. Moreover, alcohol in ancient times consumed a lot of grain and was a luxury item.

Alcohol disinfection is rarely used in modern times, as it is too painful and has poor penetration. Most people use iodine solution instead. However, in ancient times when there were not many disinfection methods, it was considered a miraculous technique, since most of the deaths from external injuries in ancient times were due to infection.

Reducing the risk of infection by 10% means that doctors have 10% more time to treat patients.

Recently, the Imperial Medical Academy has been researching how to purify alcohol. A junior eunuch who collects medicine suggested distillation. After they tried it, they found that it was indeed effective. The junior eunuch used his merit to exchange for an opportunity to learn medical skills and is now learning from Chief Physician Hu.

—This little eunuch was Fulu's spy planted in the Imperial Hospital. This method was also something Fulu learned from Xue Jin'an.

The imperial physician spoke with great pride about the alcohol disinfectant, but Galdan, upon hearing "Seventh Prince," flew into a rage, shouting, "It's him! It's him again—"

He was so enraged that his eyes rolled back and he fainted again.

Weng Tianxin did not immediately help him up. He was shocked and realized when he saw the bloody dagger that it was not the fifth prince who stabbed Galdan, but the seventh prince Xue Jin'an!

The Seventh Prince, the Heavenly Child Granny, martial arts manuals... No, this person absolutely cannot be allowed to live! Weng Tianxin took out an amber sphere from his waist belt, which was only the size of a fingernail.

What will happen to that child? Will he die? Weng Tianxin hesitated for a moment, but ultimately crushed him.

Amidst the shimmering amber fragments, specks of white pebbles were scattered, while Batu, lying in the other room of the Imperial Hospital, suddenly sprang to his feet, his eyes bloodshot.

*

In Qianyuan Palace, the officials of the Great Qi Dynasty secretly glanced at the Seventh Prince, who had returned to his seat as if nothing had happened. After exchanging glances, they tacitly concealed the truth. Some even thought to themselves: "As expected, the prophecy was right. The Seventh Prince is a natural nemesis of the royal family. He will always see bloodshed when he goes out. He is a nemesis to every royal family."

Although the Rong and Di had left, the banquet was not over yet. The Rong and Di's attempt to test the prince backfired, and the other envoys were all intimidated. They obediently flattered the Emperor of Daqi, and the banquet afterwards was a scene of singing, dancing and harmony.

Later, they relaxed and, amidst the sounds of music and dance, mingled in twos and threes, clinking glasses and chatting happily.

Xue Jin'an had finished eating and, too lazy to listen to the pointless conversation, left on her own.

Princess Irina of the Russian Empire huddled together with the eldest princess. She noticed Xue Jin'an's actions, watched his retreating figure, and said with a smile, "What an interesting show, it's a pity the ending wasn't beautiful enough."

“A good play should have a profound and poignant ending, so that it can be unforgettable,” Irina said meaningfully.

The eldest princess understood the meaning behind her words: she wanted to see the Rongdi and Daqi go to war. This was evident from the previous confrontation between Jiheliancheng and the Rongdi. The Great Empire and the Rongdi had some cooperation, but the cooperation between the two sides was rather fragile.

The world is bustling with activity, all driven by self-interest; this is true even between individuals, let alone between nations. Often, even national and personal grievances are compromised for the sake of profit.

The Great Empire and the Great Qi were truly equal powers. Although they were neighbors, they were separated by the Rong and Di tribes. There was no irreconcilable hatred between them. Therefore, the cooperation between the Great Empire and the Rong and Di tribes was mostly due to the Rong and Di tribes enticing them with benefits. Their relationship was not unbreakable.

The great empire is now playing both sides and profiting from both, so it's not losing out at all.

The eldest princess saw through this, and she retorted with a gentle and graceful smile, "This is, after all, the Great Qi, not the Great Empire. You must have seen enough of those kinds of dramas that conform to the aesthetics of the Great Empire."

This refers to the current Queen ousting her husband from the throne.

Unlike the Great Qi royal family, which intermarried with court officials and noble families, the Great Empire placed more emphasis on intermarriage between states, much like the Warring States period when the seven states exchanged princesses.

In other words, the current Empress of the Empire is a princess from another country, and the entire Tsarist Russia is controlled by foreigners. This is unbelievable to the officials of the Great Qi Dynasty, which values ​​legitimacy and the inheritance rights of princes and princesses of mixed ethnicity have relatively low weight.

Irina's smile faltered slightly as she looked at the princess and said in the Imperial language, "How annoying, we're the same kind of people."

The eldest princess raised her glass and said in the Daqi language, "I like it very much."

Both of them smiled and offered toasts, making it seem to an outsider that they were having a friendly conversation.

The other princes around him also offered a cup of wine, but only the sixth prince, who understood the imperial language, trembled with fear.

Unfortunately, the Sixth Prince's seat was empty, the Seventh Prince's seat was arranged in the front row, the Fifth Prince went to the Imperial Hospital, and the Fourth Prince also left quietly shortly after the Seventh Prince left his seat. He could only move closer to the Eighth Prince.

"What's wrong?" The Eighth Prince asked, somewhat puzzled.

"N-nothing..." The sixth prince didn't dare to speak and just shrank next to him.

Although the Eighth Prince was somewhat gloomy, he was not a cold-hearted person. He remembered the Sixth Prince's past kindness to him and did not push him away. He just frowned slightly when he saw the empty seat left by the Fourth Prince.

Since Chu Wenwan's death, the Fourth Prince's personality has changed drastically. He has become much more silent and gloomy. After the Sixth Prince gave him a book of "The Perfect Prince's Questions," he became engrossed in doing the questions and slowly returned to his original state. However, the birth of the Tenth Prince brought him back to his original state.

The Eighth Prince had thought he would be back to normal after the Tenth Prince's full-moon celebration, but when they met again after several days, he felt that the Fourth Prince had become even more depressed and gloomy, and kept glancing at the Seventh Prince as if he wanted to do something...

Fourth Brother went out with Seventh Brother, I wonder if something bad happened to him? The Eighth Prince couldn't help but wonder.

The Fourth Prince did indeed come out with Xue Jin'an. Xue Jin'an quickly noticed that someone was following them. It was simply because the Fourth Prince's martial arts skills were too poor and his tracking skills were too bad, making it difficult for him not to notice.

Xue Jin'an subtly concealed himself at the corner, thus luring the Fourth Prince out.

"Where is he?" The fourth prince looked around anxiously, but when he turned around, he was startled by Xue Jin'an standing silently behind him. He stumbled and fell to the ground.

Xue Jin'an asked him directly, "What are you doing following me?"

"I—" The fourth prince subconsciously wanted to avoid looking at Xue Jin'an, but he forced himself to look directly at him, opening his mouth to utter a syllable and then closing it again.

Facing Xue Jin'an once again, he was filled with mixed emotions. Many images flashed through his mind, and various sounds buzzed in his ears.

There was the look of someone who had intimidated the Rongdi people with a single blow not long ago; there was the look of his mother who died with her eyes wide open in disbelief after being killed by a single blow; and there was the look of a fierce yet powerless wolf cub who had been bullied by him while hiding in Qifeng Courtyard.

He suddenly heard the Fifth Prince's sarcastic remarks and was transported back to that cold, dark night, feeling the pain of his face being rubbed against the ground.

The Fifth Prince said, "Xue Jin'an is truly a living Bodhisattva."

The Fifth Prince said, "Fourth Brother, it's not shameful to be a coward and a good-for-nothing."

Overwhelmed by a flood of memories and emotions, the Fourth Prince's lips trembled, his face pale, and he stammered as if possessed, "Why...why did you do this to me..."

"Huh?" Xue Jin'an looked at him, puzzled.

The fourth prince suddenly sprang up, trying to grab his collar, his face contorted with rage and despair. "Why? Why would you take away even my last remaining family member? He's my uncle, my last family member! Why are you doing this to me?"

Xue Jin'an casually dodged the Fourth Prince's sudden attack by sidestepping. Suddenly, he paused, catching some faint sounds. He looked up at the sky in the direction of the sound.

"Someone's here." He heard it; someone was coming from above.

His martial arts skills were not low, and his movements were very fast, but he was too heavy, so the vibration sound was obvious. It was... Batu? Xue Jin'an quickly analyzed and compared the data transmitted and identified the suspect.

Almost the instant he locked onto it, a massive shadow leaped out, obscuring the sky.

Xue Jin'an met those crimson eyes and heard his hesitant voice say, "Found you."

Batu suddenly raised his hand, and the deformed log flew down from the sky and crashed down.

The visitor was clearly hostile. The only thought on Xue Jin'an's mind at that moment was: I really should bring weapons with me.

"Watch out!" The fourth prince suddenly shouted and pounced over, shoving Xue Jin'an aside.

Xue Jin'an was stunned. His hand, which was about to grab the wood and throw it back, stopped. Caught off guard, he was actually pushed a step away. The wood, which carried Batu's immense force, slammed directly onto the Fourth Prince's back. He fell to the ground like a dead fish and couldn't move for a long time.

"What are you doing?" Xue Jin'an looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he was sending someone away, and even suspected that he was an undercover agent sent by Rong Di.

To everyone's surprise, the Fourth Prince immediately launched into a tirade: "Xue Jin'an, are you sick in the head? Are you just standing there like a target? Weren't you beating me pretty badly before? What were you standing there for just now?"

The massive figure had already landed, but Xue Jin'an didn't turn around. He just looked at the Fourth Prince with a puzzled expression and asked again, "What are you doing?"

"What else can I do? Can't you see I'm trying to save you?" The Fourth Prince struggled to his feet, then surprisingly stood in front of Xue Jin'an, looking at him unarmed and angrily saying, "Alright, stop hiding! What time is it? Hurry up and take out your weapons to fight!"

Xue Jin'an: "Weapons are not allowed at the banquet, so I don't have any."

Fourth Prince: "..."

The Fourth Prince erupted in another tirade: "No way, Xue Jin'an, are you out of your mind? Why aren't you usually this obedient?"

"So you have a weapon?" Xue Jin'an asked.

The Fourth Prince… he really did have one. He drew a soft sword from his waist. This was a weapon specially made for him by his mother, who said it could be used to attack unexpectedly.

He wasn't good at martial arts and was always ridiculed during his lessons, so he didn't like learning. He also hid the special belt and rarely wore it until his mother passed away. After the entire Yihe Palace was ransacked, the belt became one of the few keepsakes left by his mother.

He looked at the soft sword in his hand, suppressed the ripples in his heart, and put it into Xue Jin'an's hand. His voice was deep and cold: "Xue Jin'an, I will stand in front of him. I will not let him catch you unless I am beaten to death."

So run, run away, run far away.

"After this, I owe you nothing." The bullying he suffered at Qifeng Courtyard will be repaid today. If he is still alive, "from now on, the only thing between us is the hatred for the murder of our mothers."

After finishing his sentence, the Fourth Prince ignored Xue Jin'an's reaction and rushed straight towards Batu.

Xue Jin'an looked at his generous back and tilted her head in disbelief, not understanding why he would go up to his death.

I don't understand, but I respect him. He must have his reasons for doing this.