Although it was raining heavily outside, there was a terrible silence inside the Xuanzheng Hall.

After an unknown amount of time, the stern and majestic emperor finally spoke.

"Third brother, do you really want to ask for permission to go to Jiangnan to control the floods?"

"......"

Zhou Huai closed his eyes and knocked his forehead heavily on the ground as a gesture of respect. The muffled sound of his kowtow echoed in the huge room.

"Yes, I am a guilty son. I have no other wish in this life. I only wish to go to a place where thousands of people are suffering, sacrifice my life for the people, and be loyal to you!"

Every word and sentence made a sound when it hit the ground.

However, at this moment, the Third Prince recalled what happened three months ago.

After the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony, on the last day before returning to the capital, the Third Prince unexpectedly met Master Jian Kong in the back mountain.

The monk, dressed in plain white robes, walked slowly towards them. He had a noble and elegant demeanor and a slender figure, like a bodhi tree enshrined in front of the Buddha.

"Amitābha Buddha, I have seen His Majesty the Third Prince."

"ah......"

By this time, the Third Prince was already half drunk. After careful identification, he finally confirmed that the other party was really Master Jian Kong. He then hurriedly stood up to salute, but his body was still staggering and in a disfigured state.

"Meet...Meet Master Jian Kong."

Ever since his mother's Wang family was exterminated and his mother was banished to the cold palace, Zhou Huaichen fell directly from the clouds into the mud, smashing his body into pieces and a bloody mess.

All those who used to fawn on him scattered like birds and beasts, civil and military officials avoided him like snakes and scorpions, and even the servants in the palace treated him differently.

Even for this grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, the carriages and horses that he brought with him, as well as the palace maids he brought to serve him, were of the simplest and fewest kinds.

His mother's family was exterminated overnight, and his father's favor also disappeared overnight.

Zhou Huaichen has been pampered since he was born, and now he has fallen down and been trampled upon by everyone. Probably no one can bear this feeling of loss.

The third prince just felt that everyone around him was laughing at him, especially Zhou Huaiyan, that useless sickly guy!

The Third Prince was resentful, annoyed, and angry. He was clearly wronged, and the five hundred lives of the Wang family were even more wronged!!!

A lot of hatred and rage accumulated in his chest, almost suffocating him, and now everything he had lost was thanks to Zhou Huaiyan.

But now, his mother's family was wiped out, and no matter what he did, it would be of no avail. So he got drunk every day and indulged himself every night, just to find a moment of peace in drunkenness.

But on that day, he met Master Jian Kong in the worst possible way. He easily exposed everything he was thinking and grumbling about.

The Third Prince seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw. He knelt before the merciful master, choking with sobs, and could not help but reveal his most vulnerable appearance.

"Master Jiankong, please teach me. Where is my way out now?"

The monk lowered his eyes, his expression as compassionate as that of a Buddha. He raised his hand and wrote a word on the palm of the third prince.

[......Yan? ]

"Yanzhou?!"

The third prince's eyes widened in shock, he suddenly remembered that after Yan Zhou was born, the White Horse Temple had opened a Buddhist hall to give lectures on how to get rid of corrupt officials and pray for the people.

At that time, the Third Prince resented the White Horse Temple for quite some time, but now, Master Jian Kong placed a "Yan" character on his palm...

【Will it be possible...? ! 】

The man's eyes suddenly widened, his breathing quickened, and a terrifying light burst out from his pupils, as if the fire of hope had been rekindled.

"You... saved... "

"Amitabha, monks should be compassionate."

A burst of intense joy burst out from the Third Prince's chest.

"Thank you, Master!!!"

But then he became worried again. The order to execute all members of the Wang family came from Xuanzheng Hall. Even though Master Jiankong saved many lives of his mother's family,

But in the future, they could only change their names and live in hiding, which did not help his grand plan at all.

Even more, if Zhou Huaichen secretly contacted the Wang family and was discovered by his father, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.

Seeing his worry at this time, Jian Kong did not answer. He just shook his head, turned around and left.

The distant Buddhist sound spreads from afar——

"The number 39 is a natural conflict. You are destined to have this disaster. If you advance, you will live. If you retreat, you will die."

[The number 39 is a natural contradiction...]

【Advance means life, retreat means death.】

The Third Prince stared blankly at the Master's long-vanished back, and suddenly realized.

In this life, only one of him and Zhou Huaiyan can survive.

But contacting the Wang family was extremely risky. If he was not careful and was discovered, he would be charged with deceiving the emperor. But now he finally got a chance.

When going south of the Yangtze River, one must pass through Yanzhou on the way.

......

"Old Third, you really don't regret it?"

The majestic voice of the emperor brought him back to reality.

The third prince kowtowed again.

"I will never regret even if I die nine times."

"If you insist, I will allow it."

Boom.

The red seal of the imperial jade fell on the imperial edict of Emperor Ming. Five days later, the third prince was ordered to go to the south of the Yangtze River to control the flood.

The emperor even personally led the civil and military officials to see him off at the city gate. The wind direction in the court suddenly began to waver again.

Several princes have already reached adulthood, or in other words, they had already started to take their positions several years ago.

Zhou Huaiyan also went there that day. He even presented a pot of good wine to the Third Prince.

"Third brother has the world in his heart and is willing to sacrifice himself for the people. I really admire you."

The third prince smiled with a fake smile.

"As the blood of the emperor, I should devote myself to the people."

"Third brother is the one who is aware."

Zhou Huaiyan offered him a glass of wine and said casually,

"I remember that the shortest route to Jiangnan would pass through Yanzhou. Third brother is so filial, he would definitely go and burn some paper and light some incense, right?"

As expected, Zhou Huaiyan saw the color drain from the man's face after he said this.

"Your Highness, why do you think that the Third Prince's pale face was because Your Highness guessed his plan, and not just because he was thinking about his deceased mother's family?"

Hongdou listened to the boy's analysis, but she couldn't come to the same sharp and clear conclusion as her master.

On the small white jade table stood a plate of purple grapes, delicate and translucent, gorgeous and full. The gorgeous purple color was so beautiful that it was simply mouth-watering.

Zhou Huaiyan lazily leaned on the soft couch, slowly eating the soft grape flesh that Ah Fei fed him.

"Well, if it was the latter, he wouldn't feel guilty. He would be angry and even jump up and punch me."

The thick juice flowed across his overly plump and moist lips, revealing a bright color for no reason.

I don’t know if it was intentional, but when Ah Fei fed the grapes into the boy’s mouth, her fingertips lightly pressed against the latter’s soft and bright red tongue tip.

Zhou Huaiyan licked the juice overflowing from the corner of his lips and glanced at him meaningfully, just in time to catch the kitten's sneak glance. The latter was startled, his ears immediately turned red, and he lowered his head as if he was trying to hide his true intentions.

"Your Highness is indeed very clever."

Hongdou didn't notice the ambiguity between the two. She was still immersed in the boy's strict deployment.

"Since New Year's Eve, I notified General Huo Xiao to conduct a secret investigation, and indeed, we discovered a private army that entered Yanzhou from the northern border. They entered with permission, and it seems that they had already begun to deploy when Duke Wei returned to the capital."

[The North enters Yanzhou? ]

Ah Fei's fingers paused.

Hongdou thought for a moment, frowning.

"Could it be that the Third Prince is colluding with Qi Shoubang to seize the throne?"

Zhou Huaiyan chuckled, with obvious sarcasm in his voice.

"Qi Shoubang doesn't think highly of my third brother."

The young man lowered his eyes, his tone seemed to conceal a hidden meaning.

"In his life, the only person he has ever cared about is my uncle."

Anko felt her brain was burning.

"Now that the Duke is old, the Northern Army will eventually have to have someone take charge. The most likely person to take power should be the Duke's adopted son Qi Shouguo. But Your Majesty will probably not allow it."

After a pause, she suddenly asked cautiously:

"Then...why would the Qi Shoubang send troops to sneak into Yanzhou? Could it be that they want to rebel?"

When she said this, her voice was very low.

"It's just bait for fishing."

"...Bait?"

Hongdou felt a little dizzy. Zhou Huaiyan frowned and couldn't help but sigh.

"Forget it, you're so stupid. Just do what I tell you to do and then think about it carefully when you get back!"

The tone of regret made the boy recall the frustration he felt when his physics teacher explained questions in his high school science class.

His first lady-in-waiting was good in every way and was completely devoted to him, but she was often unable to think straight.

In fact, at the beginning, Zhou Huaiyan would analyze the current situation and his own plans with his confidants, but he regretfully discovered that although the confidants he had recruited were very loyal, their brains were not very smart and could never keep up with his ideas.

However, the boy was completely unaware that it was not because the people around him were too stupid, but because he himself had reached a level of intelligence that was almost demonic.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Hongdou lowered her head in shame and could only retreat.

At this time, Zhou Huaiyan waited for Grape for a long time but she didn't come, so he turned to look at Ah Fei, his eyes looking down and fell on the little cat's wet fingers. When his height soared, the latter's hands also opened a lot, but not as delicate as Zhou Ren's, but very suitable for the hands of people who practice martial arts.

But probably because of her habit as a servant, Ah Fei would use medicine to remove the knots on her hands. Therefore, the flesh of her fingertips is very soft and pink in color. When she opens her fingers, she looks like a cat's flesh pad.

Zhou Huaiyan narrowed his eyes.

"What are you standing there for? Why don't you continue peeling?"

"Oh... oh yes..."

Ah Fei was lost in thought when he was suddenly interrupted by his master's voice. He immediately started peeling grapes in a panic. The purple juice stained his hands, making them wet.

This scene made Zhou Huaiyan feel familiar. He tapped the couch lightly with his finger bones.

[Hmm...where have you seen this before? ]

Oh, I remember now.

On the second night of New Year's Eve, Zhou Huaiyan had intended to apply medicine to him, but it was not very successful every time. So later, he thought of a way and finally succeeded.

Zhou Huaiyan collected the medicine jar with satisfaction, but did not put it down. He just put his hands on his chest, lowered his eyes, and slowly admired the kitten's embarrassment. The height difference between the two people made Ah Fei only able to look up at the boy. This posture would expose his vulnerable throat, making him feel like a lamb to be slaughtered.

At this moment, the young man was dressed in a splendid robe, shining like a son of God under the glass lamp, but she had nothing. Even though the two of them had no contact at this moment, that casual yet substantial gaze made Ah Fei more nervous than actual contact.

The little cat propped up the table with his backhand, stepped on the wet carpet, adjusted the angle slightly, and carefully reached out to hook the boy's belt.

"......Owner"

The young man was slightly startled, as if he had not expected the other party to do this after just applying the medicine. He lowered his eyes and smiled softly, leaning forward to get closer, and at such a close distance he almost burned the kitten's ears.

"You know, a half-opened flower is the most beautiful. If you force it to bloom to its fullest, it will eventually be ruined."

Ah Fei didn't understand at first. After a while, he finally realized what his master was saying to him. And, he compared it to a flower. The moment he realized it, his face was already burning.

.......

"Master, grapes."

At this time, the foreign boy twisted a grape with wet fingers and brought it to his lips. Probably because he was scolded just now, the kitten now looks very nervous. Zhou Huaiyan lowered his eyes, neither opening his mouth nor responding, just looking at his hand,

"Owner?"

Ah Fei suddenly became uneasy, his heart pounding, he thought he had done something wrong to upset the boy. But he didn't dare to move, he could only maintain his current position.

For a moment, the air became somewhat silent.

"......"

Zhou Huaiyan narrowed his eyes, suddenly chuckled, and finally slowly opened his mouth and bit it. Ah Fei was just caught by his master, so he didn't dare to be presumptuous this time.

So the kitten put the grapes to the tempting lips and wanted to withdraw his hand immediately.

However, the next second, Zhou Huaiyan bit his fingertips, as if accidentally or intentionally, and his tongue slid across the fingertips.

[…Huh?]

The kitten was stunned.

But the whole process only took a very short moment. Then, the boy rolled up the sweet and soft flesh and left without any reluctance.

".......Owner!"

Seeing the faint smile on Zhou Huaiyan's lips, Ah Fei immediately felt aggrieved.