Chapter 117 The Sickly and Tyrannical Crown Prince 15

Being so close, Lu Yuanju could smell his scent again.

It smells very good, with a hint of bitterness from the herbs.

Xie Rong was originally in poor health. Even though he was able to get out of bed to attend the morning court recently, he still couldn't withstand the hardships of the journey. But no one knew what the Imperial Preceptor had given Xie Rong before he left, because even the force with which he slapped people had become heavier.

Lu Yuanju slightly raised his eyes and saw Xie Rong's nose.

Exquisitely handsome, every time the Crown Prince rubbed his cheek against his chest for warmth, the tip of his pert nose would press against his chest, seducing him.

She seduced a lowly slave like that.

Xie Rong no longer looked at him. The fire in Fengxian Hall attracted almost everyone in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, including the eldest prince.

"Your Highness, what's going on?!" The eldest prince's face was full of anxiety, with a hint of reproach in it.

Xie Rong remained lazily seated in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips: "You still dare to ask me? If you hadn't come to the Imperial Ancestral Temple without permission, Grandfather Taizu wouldn't have been so angry, to the point that the Fengxian Hall was destroyed by fire."

"Once I return to the palace, I will definitely report the truth to my father. Commander Ye, why haven't you seized the eldest prince yet!"

Commander Ye is the commander of the palace guards. He came here on the emperor's orders to protect the crown prince.

Along the way, he also witnessed how difficult it was to serve this Crown Prince.

She looked beautiful, as tender as a snow-white dumpling, with pale lips that opened and closed, uttering soft, torturous words.

Not to mention the guards who followed him, even he, the commander of the Imperial Guard, was nothing more than a servant who could be ordered around at will.

Commander Ye, the eldest son of the prestigious Ye family, a prodigy, was young and impetuous, enjoying the Emperor's favor. He had never been treated so badly before. Thinking that His Majesty was not present, he thought that if he was firm, he could make the Crown Prince restrain himself. However, on the first night, when he was resting in the forest, he was tied up by the slaves around the Crown Prince and dragged to his side, where he was slapped twice across the face.

Commander Ye was dizzy from the two slaps, his nostrils filled with the fragrance carried by the Crown Prince's precious hands as he slapped him.

Her Highness, her face pale and cold, asked him, "Do you still dare to defy me?"

Commander Ye only remembers staring blankly at the Crown Prince's reddened, tender white palm, and stammering, "Did Your Highness hurt your hand?"

Then that damned slave threw him out to settle a personal score.

At this moment, let alone capturing the eldest prince, even if he were asked to add fuel to the fire, he would still go.

Commander Ye turned his head and roared at the Imperial Guards behind him who were staring intently at Xie Rong: "Still staring? Didn't you hear His Highness's order? Seize the First Prince!"

A squad of imperial guards stepped forward and surrounded the eldest prince.

"Xie Rong! I am your elder brother! How dare you arrest me with such a ridiculous charge?" The eldest prince's face turned red with anger as his hands were tied by two crude and uncouth imperial guards.

He had already made up his mind when he came. Xie Rong had already broken the fifth prince's leg, and his father was furious. There was a lot of discussion in the court and among the people. Now that he was coming to Fengxian Hall to pray for his mother, he could also return to the palace with Xie Rong. Even if Xie Rong still held a grudge against him, he would have to restrain himself. He couldn't possibly break his leg too, could he?

Who would have thought that Xie Rong would be so unscrupulous and lawless, not even putting his father, the Emperor, in his eyes!

Catching sight of the Imperial Advisor approaching from afar, the First Prince immediately said, "Imperial Advisor! Surely you can deduce the cause of the fire at Fengxian Hall?"

With everyone watching, he refused to believe that Xie Rong could control everything with one hand.

Wu Miao stopped in his tracks. The heat wave from the Fengxian Hall in the distance, carrying dust and debris, swept wildly, but then subsided and cooled down instantly when it was three feet away from him, as if it were isolated by an invisible barrier.

"What Your Highness said is the reason for the fire," Wu Miao said calmly before leaving.

The Imperial Advisor was invited by His Majesty when he first ascended the throne. Now, thirty years later, the Imperial Advisor still has black hair and a youthful appearance that has not changed.

Therefore, his words were considered divine words by the people of the Celestial Empire.

Commander Ye, now even more confident, waved his hand and said, "Your Highness, I apologize for any offense. Take him away!"

The eldest prince was led away, but he continued to curse:

"You wicked imperial advisor! You colluded with Xie Rong, putting on an act in front of my father, the Emperor, while you've already climbed into the Crown Prince's bed!"

Xie Rong wasn't angry at all; in fact, he couldn't help but laugh. "This is another little bastard."

Those who tried to seize the throne from him, this is their fate.

"Isn't Your Highness afraid that His Majesty will be angry?" Lu Yuanju asked, looking at him.

“You should be happy that your father is angry,” Xie Rong leaned closer to him. Although his face was pale and sickly, his smile was stunning, like a viper flicking its bright red tongue at a man. “If I were no longer the crown prince, you might be able to escape your slave status and return to the north. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

If Lu Yuanju wasn't a fool, he would know that if he really said he wanted to go back to the northern frontier, he probably wouldn't see the sun rise tomorrow.

"The Eastern Palace is quite good," he said.

"What's so good about the Eastern Palace?" Xie Rong pressed.

Lu Yuanju's dark pupils paused slightly.

Is this an invitation to say sweet words? Does she really consider him her soulmate?

Unfortunately, he now has no choice but to endure humiliation and comply with the young prince's wishes in everything.

Lu Yuanju scoffed lightly: "Wherever Your Highness is, everything is fine."

He glanced at Xie Rong and said, "Speak."

As expected, upon hearing what he wanted to hear, a smile spread across the young prince's pale face.

Xie Rong patted his face with a grin, "I knew you were a jerk."

An hour later, the fire in Fengxian Hall was extinguished.

All the memorial tablets of the Xie emperors throughout history were burned to ashes.

When this good news reached the palace, the emperor fainted on the spot.

When Xie Rong returned to the palace, the emperor was still asleep, and Empress Xue was sitting by his bedside taking care of him.

"Mother, there are so many palace servants, why should you take care of him personally?" Xie Rong walked in with a stern face. Seeing that only Empress Xue was in the bedchamber, she rolled her eyes and stepped forward to reach out her finger to check the emperor's breath.

Xie Rong looked disappointed. "Why is he still breathing?"

How can I not infuriate him?

Empress Xue coughed lightly and glared at him: "My son, don't be silly."

"What, you're disappointed that I'm not dead?" The emperor suddenly opened his cloudy eyes and stared at him intently.

“Father, you misunderstand. I was just worried about you,” Xie Rong blinked innocently, his hand fidgeting with the tassels of the bed curtains beside the dragon bed. “Although my eldest brother has made a big mistake this time, it is ultimately because Father did not teach him well, so Father, please don’t be angry.”

The emperor nearly choked on his breath. "Go back to the Eastern Palace and stay there!"

Xie Rong gave him one last thoughtful look before turning and leaving.

When the emperor is seriously ill, the crown prince should, in principle, oversee the state affairs.

Xie Rong, however, was unable to get up the next day.

When Eunuch Gao discovered the person on the bed early in the morning, the person was burning hot, delirious, and muttering curses at someone.

"Quickly...quickly go and fetch the imperial physician!"