Chapter 145

"Tsk." The Third Prince's surging emotions were interrupted by a click of the tongue. The Prince Ping's heir stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his lips with his fingertip, and his light-colored pupils reflected the two figures, eerily like a wild beast in the dark night, ready to devour its prey.

He was smiling, but his expression was devoid of any warmth. "They are truly brothers in love and respect, which is truly admirable. I am even a little moved."

He turned his eyes, shifting his gaze from the Third Prince to Xue Jin'an, and then met a pair of dark, deep eyes that seemed to devour all light—this was the first time the Prince Ping's heir had seen a pair of eyes even more special than his own. He was unconsciously drawn in, unable to resist staring at them for a long time, his expression slightly stunned, as if his soul had been sucked in.

Xue Jin'an didn't flinch or avoid the gaze, staring back without blinking. Although he didn't know why he was doing this, the otaku had said that humans always develop a competitive spirit in some inexplicable way, perhaps just a syllable, or perhaps just a glance. At this moment, whoever changes their mind first loses.

As a code-driven individual, Xue Jin'an had no competitive spirit, but as a self-proclaimed otaku with an arrogant personality, his phone never produced the word "lost" after running a single line of code.

The two people stared at each other for a while without any apparent reason.

Prince Hei had already regained his senses, but he still didn't look away. Even though his eyes started to twitch, feel sore and bloodshot, he gritted his teeth and tried his best to keep his eyelids open.

Finally, the Third Prince stepped between the two, his tone quite unpleasant, "Who are you trying to scare?"

"Who's trying to scare whom? He's the one who's staring at me." Prince Ping immediately turned his head away and blinked twice to moisten his eyes, which were about to explode.

He had originally intended to reach out and rub it, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Xue Jin'an acting as if nothing was wrong. He abruptly turned his raised hand to brush away the stray hairs on his forehead, then turned his gaze back to Xue Jin'an. His light-colored eyes were now clearly bloodshot, but he stubbornly refused to close them.

However, she had learned her lesson and this time her gaze was no longer fixed on Xue Jin'an, but instead fell back on the Third Prince, and she continued, "Relationships in this world are never long-lasting. Even true relatives will scheme against each other for their own benefit... You two must stay together for a long time, maybe it will become a legendary tale, and be remembered for all time."

These words sounded like kind words at first glance, but to the Third Prince they sounded extremely grating.

Fueled by both old and new grudges, the Third Prince, already prone to fits of rage, immediately clenched his fists, ready to deliver a few punches to the Prince of Ping's face. However, as he took his first step toward the Prince of Ping's heir, his usually absent-minded rationality suddenly kicked in, and he grabbed the Prince's arm.

The thought that my seventh brother was still behind me rang in my mind like an alarm bell, freezing all my emotions.

The Third Prince took another deep breath, his body stiff, and with difficulty, he withdrew the foot that had stepped out. He forced a stiff smile, turned his head and ignored the Prince Ping's heir, saying, "Seventh Brother, don't worry, I will control my temper and won't act rashly to make things difficult for you."

"?" Xue Jin'an tilted her head and looked at him in confusion. "Why didn't you make a move?"

"Uh..." This question stumped the Third Prince. He said stupidly, "Don't you dislike it? You always beat me up because I hit people..."

The Third Prince still remembers the first time at the Imperial Stables, when a little eunuch, Seventh Brother, almost slit his throat with that lotus sword. Later, at the palace banquet, he was bewitched and went berserk, beating two unimportant people. Seventh Brother beat him so badly that he was barely alive and almost couldn't get out of bed. The Third Prince thought angrily.

He completely downplayed the severity of his actions, nearly killing the person on the spot, and didn't mention that it was his own mother who begged Xue Jin'an to beat him up at the palace banquet.

Anyway, the Third Prince only remembered that his Seventh Brother beat him up twice—twice!

Xue Jin'an spoke frankly, "I neither like nor dislike anything; I just can't stand seeing good things go to waste in front of me."

In particular, he can't stand seeing a healthy battery get blown up by his phone with a bad battery.

The Third Prince's eyes lit up, his fighting spirit igniting within him. He tentatively asked, "So, you attacked me not because you were disappointed in me, is that it?"

"Without expectations, there is no disappointment. I treat all humans equally and I don't meddle in other people's business." Xue Jin'an then gave a concise and objective commentary on the cause and effect of the Third Prince being beaten twice: "You hit someone, and the person also put a curse on you. Neither of you wants the other to live, so you're even."

Regardless of whether someone deliberately set a trap behind the Third Prince's two provocations, or whether the other party premeditatedly used poison, the final result of their confrontation was that the other party was killed. It was as if the wronged had found their rightful owner and the debtor had been apprehended.

If I had to say something, the Third Prince's experience proves the saying "No zuo no die" (meaning you reap what you sow).

Xue Jin paused for a moment. The data analysis suggested that the Third Prince's brain, which was still practically new after fifteen years, was highly likely to not understand him. So he replied in more direct terms: "Every cause has an effect. Your frequent beatings and scoldings of the eunuchs and palace maids are the cause. This cause alienated them from you, thus creating the effect of their betrayal. You let me judge this case, and I will sentence you all to die together."

Third Prince: "..."

Crack—a heart silently split open.

The Third Prince hadn't managed to kill himself in fifteen years, but today he was nearly choked to death by Xue Jin'an's merciless words. He slumped down, lowered his head, and said, "I understand. I'll control my temper and won't do anything reckless in the future."

As if to prove his determination, he took a deep breath, shuffled over to Prince Hei, and tried to soften his facial muscles, giving him a twisted smile.

Crown Prince Hei: "...Are you threatening me?"

"Enough...nonsense!" The Third Prince swallowed back the curse word, and said irritably, "Let's call it even, okay? From now on, when we work together, don't hold grudges..."

"Want to get along? Impossible." The Crown Prince's expression and tone were unusually calm. Without his smile, his light-colored eyes looked even colder and more ruthless. He looked at the Third Prince and said, word by word, "Unless time can be reversed."

"You—" Veins bulged down the Third Prince's neck, throbbing and pulsating in a terrifying manner. He was clearly furious, and his fists made a cracking sound as if his bones couldn't bear it. Almost everyone thought that this notoriously bad-tempered Third Prince would explode, but he gritted his teeth and actually endured it.

No, I can't. I just promised I wouldn't lose my temper so easily. I can't. I'll just treat this as a form of self-cultivation. I must endure it. The Third Prince closed his eyes, refusing to look at the infuriating face of the Prince Ping's heir. He struggled to suppress his heavy, rapid breathing, his chest heaving violently. He used all his strength to calm his emotions and control his impulses.

As the Third Prince struggled to quell his anger, the Prince Ping's heir slightly raised his gaze and met Xue Jin'an's eyes across the distance.

This time, the two did not play the staring contest game. Prince Ping's heir quickly looked away, but that glance turned into data, which was repeatedly analyzed in Xue Jin'an's mind and finally shaped into a character model of Prince Ping's heir in his mind.

How to describe that look? Surprisingly, there was no sarcasm in it, nor was it as cold and hard as he had said. Xue Jin'an couldn't discern the specific emotions contained within it, only knowing that at the moment their eyes met, his data generated emotional garbage.

He launched a small rocket, erasing the emotion called "sadness" from the data along with it.

Although the Prince Ping's heir seemed to be constantly at odds with the Third Prince, in reality, his malice was equally directed at both the Third Prince and Xue Jin'an. If it were only the Third Prince, Xue Jin'an might not have noticed anything strange, since the Third Prince and Consort Xian had offended far too many people; it was quite normal for them to have made an enemy without her knowledge.

But Prince Ping's heir intentionally mentioned Xue Jin'an in his words and actions.

Xue Jin'an was certain that neither he nor the original owner of the body had ever had any contact with this person, and this person did not have any role in the original text. In other words, his father, Prince Ping, had a role in the original text that was more or less like a background character. It was only when the emperor saw the princes vying for the throne and reminisced about the past that he said that the late emperor was not very close to his princes, but suddenly developed some fatherly love on his deathbed, and decided on the titles of several princes and even "arranged" their fates.

When the emperor described it himself, he made it sound as if the tragic deaths and injuries of his brothers were all ordained by the late emperor. However, according to Granny Su's recollections, the truth was that the late emperor felt the emperor was cold-hearted and vindictive, and that those brothers who had offended him would not fare well once he ascended the throne. So he said that Prince Ping had not offended him and was not capable of anything, so he spared his life. He also said that Prince An was still young and it was questionable whether he would even survive, so he spared him as well...

As expected, of the emperor's many brothers, only these two survived and were granted the title of prince.

However, it must be said that the late emperor did have some skill; he could guess the manner of death with unerring accuracy. When the otaku saw this, they couldn't help but complain, "What kind of Yama is this, calling roll?"

The otaku opened the comments section and, sure enough, saw the talented people there shouting:

—Your Majesty, please stop providing him with inspiration!

—Emperor: Write it down, write it down, you'll need these.

—Other princes: Father, are you playing mahjong downstairs and need one more player?

...

Prince Hei's role in the original text is basically contained in this passage.

If Prince Ping's father is like this, then Prince Ping's heir is even more untraceable. Therefore, if Prince Ping's heir targets him, it can only be because of his identity. The only thing he and the Third Prince have in common is that they are both princes.

Based on the known information, it is possible that the Crown Prince learned some secret from Prince Ping during his youth, which caused a drastic change in his personality and a severe deterioration in his relationship with Prince Ping. This dislike even extended to the princes themselves. Alternatively, it is possible that what he knew involved both Prince Ping and the Emperor, leading him to hate them as well.

Xue Jin'an is now very sensitive to matters related to the emperor, especially old stories. The emperor has too many secrets, whether it is his indulgence in the harem or his overly benevolent and weak character in politics, there are points that cannot be deduced logically.

Perhaps the emperor really was a mentally unstable person; after all, only novels need logic, while reality doesn't. Perhaps this was a bug created to rationalize the plot holes in the novel, a flaw that arose when the world consciousness filled in the gaps. Perhaps it was all part of the emperor's plan, something he did intentionally.

Xue Jin'an has no preference among these three possibilities for the time being, so he will collect information from all three parties.

However, Prince Ping's heir clearly wouldn't say anything now, so Xue Jin'an didn't press him for details. After all, the man was already under his control, and there was still plenty of time.

Now, Xue Jin'an needs to address the Third Prince's emotional issues.

"Why don't you beat him up?" Xue Jin'an said to the Third Prince. "Controlling your temper doesn't mean swallowing your anger. If you're provoked, you should fight back."

The third prince, still not quite understanding, stammered, "But... it will cause you trouble."

“If you’re not wrong, you don’t need to think so much.” Xue Jin’an said, glancing around and taking in the expressions of the two hundred guards. “You are my men. Don’t cause trouble, but don’t be afraid of trouble either. If trouble comes, just trust me.”

“If it can’t be solved, it’s because those in power are incompetent,” he said firmly.

The last thing an army needs is an insubordinate person. The fact that these people, as troublemakers, are still kept in the camp by Commander Wei is not only because of their outstanding abilities, but also because they have no problems with their character. There is a 70% chance that they become troublemakers because they don't get along with their superiors, or have simply offended them.

Xue Jin'an wanted to use them, so he naturally didn't hesitate to demonstrate his reliability as their superior.

He could clearly see that everyone's eyes were filled with emotion.

"Very good." Xue Jin'an smiled and said to the Third Prince and the Heir Apparent of Prince Ping, "You may begin."

"What?" Both of them were a little taken aback.

“Fight me, fight me to the death. As long as you have a breath left, I can save you.” Xue Jin’an thought for a moment, then counted on his fingers as he explained the specifics of his ability to save them: “Broken bones can be set immediately, and severed limbs can be reattached in no more than half an hour…”

The atmosphere gradually cooled with each word Xue Jin'an uttered.

After listing them one by one, Xue Jin'an raised his chin and said, "Don't worry, you can trust me completely."

All the guards: "..."

They couldn't help but shudder, their initial emotion turning into shock.