Chapter 238 The Life-Chasing Talisman

What Song Zhimian showed Xiao Huaijin was a secret letter she had drafted for customs clearance.

Issued in the name of the Ministry of War, the holder can travel freely in any city of Dayu, including the Southwest Army...

And the holder is none other than Ruan Xingzhi!

Xiao Huaijin knew that if such a secret letter of passage fell into the hands of the Third Prince, Ruan Xingzhi would be a spy with a special mission to disrupt the Kingdom of Biao.

It would be lucky for Ruan Xingzhi if the Third Prince didn't eat him alive.

"You really don't want to get your hands dirty!" Xiao Huaijin sighed.

Song Zhimian smiled.

"It's not only Ruan Xingzhi who would use someone else to do his dirty work."

"Anyone would use someone else to do their dirty work!"

Xiao Huaijin nodded, folded the paper, and put it in his pocket.

"I'll go find Uncle Jiu right now to have the Southwest Army's seal stamped on this secret passage."

Hopefully, the third prince won't be too angry.

...

The third prince spent all his time in the palace, constantly instructing the imperial physicians to do their utmost to treat the old emperor, as he did not want to deal with this mess.

He hasn't even figured out how to be a crown prince yet, let alone an emperor.

He simply didn't want to hear about the situation outside, nor could he refuse to face this predicament, as memorials from all over the country kept arriving at his desk.

Every day, the first thing I do when I open my eyes is to see which army has been attacked again, or which city has been lost.

Or perhaps the army is running out of food and supplies, and has started looting from the people.

How many more people are heading towards Shijie City...?

The third prince was numb. He knew that perhaps in the near future he would have to go on the run, just like that ancestor of the Yu family...

"Don't send these messages here. Send them wherever they're supposed to be sent!"

"I can't handle this here!" The Third Prince waved his hand wearily.

The attendant immediately agreed.

I might not be able to get these kinds of documents again in the future, so it seems I won't be able to stay here for much longer.

We need to find a place to run away, but shouldn't we get some travel money before we do?

The Third Prince's villa has many treasures; let's go take a look there tonight...

...

The third prince was pacing back and forth in the old emperor's palace alone. The imperial physician had gone to prepare the medicine and wouldn't be back for a while.

The Third Prince realized that things couldn't continue like this, and he should start thinking about a way out.

There's an old saying in Da Yu: "Where there's life, there's hope." Find a place to hide first, and then slowly look for opportunities later.

Endure hardship and persevere; you will surely reap the rewards after all your suffering.

And that Ruan Xingzhi, we must bring him along. He's smart, he might come in handy...

"Your Highness, someone outside requests an audience!" The attendant who had just left suddenly returned.

The third prince was getting a little impatient.

It must be some prince or minister who has come again. What time is it? Why are they looking for me instead of running outside?

"I won't see anyone!" The Third Prince didn't even raise his head.

The attendant dared not leave and had no choice but to repeat himself, even though he was in a bad mood.

“Your Highness, he’s not a court official, but a former advisor to the Second Prince, a man named Mr. Bai!” the attendant whispered.

The Third Prince...

"That Mr. Bai who grew up with Second Brother? Wasn't he left in Sikkim by Second Brother? How did he end up in Mandalay?" The Third Prince stood up abruptly.

This Mr. Bai is my second brother's advisor, and he is quite capable.

It was thanks to Mr. Bai that the second brother was able to contend with the eldest brother.

However, he suddenly came to Mandalay...

"Everyone else is heading to Sigir, but he is heading to Mandalay instead. Why is that?"

"Isn't he afraid of death?" The Third Prince looked at his attendants.

Upon hearing the Third Prince's question, the attendant immediately knelt down.

"Your Highness, that Mr. Bai said he risked his life to return to Mandalay for the sake of the future of the Kingdom of Biao."

He said... he obtained a secret document concerning the Kingdom of Biao, which explained why so many things had happened there in less than six months.

After a moment of silence, the Third Prince nodded and gestured for his attendants to bring Mr. Bai in.

...

When Mr. Bai entered, the Third Prince had already sat down on the throne previously held by the old emperor of the Biao Kingdom.

Dozens of guards stood beside him, protecting the Third Prince very well.

Mr. Bai looked exhausted. He immediately knelt down after entering the main hall.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

The Third Prince sized up Mr. Bai for a while, confirming that this was the same Mr. Bai who had been accompanying the Second Prince.

He was taciturn and unassuming, never vying for anything, but his second brother trusted him implicitly…

"Mr. Bai, you mean you returned for the sake of Biao Kingdom, the current Biao Kingdom..."

"Do you think there's still hope?" the Third Prince asked with a faint smile.

Mr. Bai then looked up at the Third Prince above him, and felt a pang of emotion.

As expected, the position of Crown Prince still fell to the Third Prince.

But even if the Third Prince becomes the Crown Prince, what then? Does the Kingdom of Biao still have a future? It's already on the verge of falling apart.

Although he was reluctant to come, there was still one thing he hadn't finished. Once that was done, he could return to the Bai family in the Naga Hills.

There were more important things waiting for him there.

Thinking of this, Mr. Bai respectfully kowtowed again.

"Your Highness, although I have always followed the Second Prince, the Second Prince has been kind to me and recognized my talent."

But I understand that Biao Kingdom is our root, and I follow the Second Prince in the hope that Biao Kingdom can become better.

"It seems that the Kingdom of Biao has begun to fall apart in a short period of time. Your Highness, have you thought about why this is?" Mr. Bai looked at the Third Prince.

The Third Prince squinted at Mr. Bai.

"Sir, please speak! You say you obtained a secret document concerning the Biao Kingdom. What kind of secret document is it?"

Mr. Bai lowered his head and took out a letter wrapped in oiled paper from his pocket. The oiled paper was kept close to his body, indicating that it was carefully stored.

Mr. Bai opened the letter in the oiled paper and held it above his head with both hands.

"Your Highness will understand what's going on once you see what's inside!"

This was obtained by chance through an insider in Da Yu.

"It was because of this that the informant... was executed!" Mr. Bai said in a low voice.

The more Mr. Bai said this, the more curious the Third Prince became about what exactly it was...

When the attendant brought up the items from Mr. Bai's hands, the Third Prince was completely dumbfounded after examining them.

Secret clearance letter...

When there is a special mission that requires passing through a checkpoint, these secret letters are made in duplicate: one copy is kept as a stub, and the other is kept by the holder...

What we have now is clearly a stub.

As for the other copy, it should be in the hands of Ruan Xingzhi, who lives in his own villa...

"Oh! It was him! I trusted him so much, and he turned out to be this kind of person!"

Good! Very good! He actually destroyed a country all by himself!

"Ruan Xingzhi, you deserve to die!" The Third Prince, enraged, smashed everything he could find...