Tuoba Hong suddenly flung open the door and strode off in pursuit of the shadowy figure that had appeared.
But apart from the complete silence of the courtyard and the deep darkness of night, they found no trace of anything.
At that very moment, in another courtyard just a wall away, a nimble-looking man landed, scaling the eaves and walls.
"Knock knock knock"
Then a soft knocking sounded on the door.
With a creak, the door was quickly opened from the inside.
Illuminated by the dim candlelight inside, a tall, burly man with his black hair tied up quickly entered.
After entering the room, the man in black turned around and carefully looked outside to make sure there was nothing unusual before closing the door.
Inside the house, another man with an extraordinary air, who appeared to be his master, seemed to be waiting for him on purpose.
He was dressed in a black brocade robe, his dark hair half-tied up, and he was sitting leisurely by the tea table, sipping tea.
As soon as the man in black approached, he bowed respectfully and reported, "Your Highness, the refugees we secretly brought out from Longhu City who are infected with the plague have now successfully infiltrated various parts of the Western Qin Kingdom."
The man seemed to have expected this, and his expression didn't change much when he heard the news. He just leisurely played with the teacup in his hand.
Seeing this, the man in black continued, "Everything in the court is also under the Crown Prince's control. In the past few days, our influence in the Western Qin court has also taken effect, forcing Prince Xuanyuan Han of Qin to be implicated in the epidemic prevention matter. That dog emperor has ordered him to be confined to the Qin Prince's residence to reflect on his mistakes. We only need to wait quietly here for a few more days, and the entire Lingkong will become His Highness's possession."
With a loud "smack," the man slammed his hand heavily on the coffee table in front of him, shouting, "Fine..."
In an instant, a burst of laughter, clearly delighted with the news, filled the entire room: "Hahaha, hahahahaha..."
After a while, the laughter stopped abruptly.
The man then raised his voice with extreme arrogance, saying, "I have said long ago that Prince Qin, Xuanyuan Han, is nothing but a greenhorn who has not yet grown up and will never amount to anything! In the battle in the Northwest, I was careless and fell into his trap. This time, I will settle all old scores and new grudges one by one."
After saying that, he quietly clenched his fist and said in a very contemptuous tone, "Hmph... How dare you think you can fight against this prince? You're too green."
Upon hearing this, the man in black standing to the side curled his lips into a sly smile.
After a while, the man seemed to remember something, frowned, and asked, "By the way, how's it going with the news from Xiqin Academy that I asked you to find out?"
The man in black recalled for a moment and said, "I heard that after Princess Yongle was driven out of the Qin Prince's mansion by the returning Consort Chun, she refused to return to Dongning Kingdom no matter what. She felt that as a noble princess of a country, she had fallen to such a state, and that her mother, the Empress Dowager, had also lost power in the Dongning court. Her own elder brother had been defeated by a lowly illegitimate son born to an insignificant maid, which was too humiliating. During that time, I heard that she tried to commit suicide several times, but Miss Lu found her and stopped her each time. I suppose she must hate the Qin Prince's mansion to the core now."
Hearing this, the man was surprised and thought to himself, "I never thought that after so many years, when everyone in the world thought she was dead, the Consort Chun could actually come back to life. She is truly blessed with good fortune and a long life. This is really a miracle! I'm afraid there must be a master behind all this helping her."
He then took a sip of tea, seemingly lost in thought, and after a moment of contemplation, the man suddenly turned and continued, “However, since these two beauties are so aggrieved, as an old acquaintance, I, the prince, should step forward and offer them some advice to help them calm down.”
The man in black, puzzled, asked, "What does the Crown Prince mean by that?"
The man then instructed, "Send someone to the Western Qin Academy and find a way to invite the two beauties out for a gathering in the south of the city. Tell them... it has been a long time since we last met, and this prince has missed you both dearly. I sincerely invite you to come out and enjoy this spring's new tea, catch up, and please do me the honor of joining me."
The man in black asked doubtfully, "I've heard that Princess Yongle and Lu Tianjiao, the young lady of Xiqin Academy, are both incredibly discerning individuals! Now that our status is different from before, is the Crown Prince sure they will accept the invitation?"
The man smiled, seemingly extremely confident, and said, "If I, the prince, have sent you, it must be because I am absolutely certain of success. If I'm not mistaken, they've probably already been searching for information about me everywhere!"
The man in black, somewhat skeptical, clasped his hands in a fist salute and accepted the order: "Your subordinate obeys!"
After arranging everything, the man gently raised one hand and waved it at him, signaling him to step back.
Upon seeing this, the man in black understood what he meant and was about to turn and leave when he suddenly seemed to remember something.
So he stopped and turned back, stammering as he continued to report, "By the way, I have something else to report."
The man asked, "What is it?"
The man in black pondered for a moment and said, "When I passed through the front yard on my way back just now, I met someone. The figure and the voice of that person... were just like... the Second Prince."
The man had barely finished speaking when he spat out the mouthful of tea he had just swallowed, followed by a series of heavy coughs: "Cough cough cough..."
After a while, once he had calmed down a bit, the man quickly stood up and asked, "What did you say? Say it again, who did you just see?"
The man in black was startled for a moment, then repeated, "Just now, when I passed through the front yard, I met someone. Judging from that person's figure, and the tone and voice he used... it was exactly like... the Second Prince."
The man was immediately astonished. He stared blankly at the face of the man in black, speechless for a long time, his mind a complete mess.
After a long while, he slowly sat down again, seemingly lost in thought, and uttered a voice that sounded like he was talking to himself: "It's him... Could it be... that he's still alive... that he didn't die in the fire along with my father's body."
Seeing that he seemed dazed, the man in black asked with concern, "Your Highness, are you alright?"
The man seemed to be suddenly awakened, but his expression still looked obviously off. He simply said to himself, "It's alright. Go and do what I asked you to do earlier!"
"yes!"
After that, the man in black said nothing more, turned around and walked out on his own, gently closing the door behind him.
Inside the room, the man remained silent, his myriad thoughts, like the deepening night outside the window, suddenly swallowed up by the surging undercurrents...
Distant mountains shrouded in mist and veiled in blue smoke.
The moon hangs like a hook outside the window.
In the courtyard, a still pond gleamed with a cold light.
Suddenly, a faint flute melody began to play...
The next day.
Before dawn, Tuoba Hong couldn't wait to embark on his journey to the next destination.
Standing at the entrance of the City God Temple, the young novice monk and his senior brother personally came out to see him off: "Take care, benefactor, and have a safe journey!"
Tuoba Hong returned the gift.
Looking at the sacred Buddhist sanctuary before him, he murmured with deep regret, "I rushed here so fast, but I still missed the master once again."
Just as he was feeling dejected and about to turn away, he vaguely sensed out of the corner of his eye that a pair of eyes were secretly watching him.
Suddenly, his wise gaze faltered slightly, and an idea immediately formed in his mind.
Not far from the City God Temple, there is a grove of trees.
In spring, the wind is warm and the flowers are in bloom.
In the early morning, the forest is shrouded in mist and clouds, exuding an ethereal atmosphere. Clumps of new green shoots burst forth from the soil, carrying with them the fragrance of earth.
There is a vast bamboo forest inside, and right now the bamboo shoots are sprouting from the ground and the bamboo leaves are lush and green.
The forest was filled with the chirping of early-rising birds, their calls captivating. A clear stream meandered through the bamboo grove like a green ribbon, creating an atmosphere of utter tranquility.
Suddenly, a masked man in black, wearing a straw hat, appeared faintly in the woods.
As he walked, he suddenly stopped and looked around as if searching for something.
After a moment, perhaps having found nothing, he muttered to himself, somewhat puzzled, "Strange! We were clearly coming in this direction just now, how come we can't find them in the blink of an eye?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the masked man suddenly felt as if someone was quietly approaching him.
Just as he was about to turn around for a closer look, a gleaming sword suddenly appeared and, taking him by surprise, was already quietly placed against his neck.
So, before even seeing him, they heard his questioning voice: "Who are you? Why are you following me?"
Seeing that his presence had been exposed, the masked man in black quickly turned around and knelt down in front of him, sincerely begging for forgiveness: "Second Prince, please forgive me! It was the First Prince who specially sent me to stay behind and wait for Your Highness."
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Hong stood rooted to the spot, staring wide-eyed at him, almost stunned. He repeatedly asked, "Who did you say? My brother... you mean my brother... he's not dead... he's still alive? He's really alive? Where is he now?"
The masked man in black nodded and replied, "In the great battle in the Northwest, our army was almost completely wiped out, and the First Prince also narrowly escaped death. Last night, the First Prince was still half-believing, half-doubting, until he heard the Second Prince's flute music, and then he was certain that it was indeed Your Highness. So, he instructed his subordinates to bring you to see him no matter what."
Tuoba Hong came to his senses and asked, "Where is my elder brother now?"
The masked man in black explained, "Second Prince, please calm down. The First Prince left the City God Temple last night. I will take you to see him now."
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