The fourth prince said, feigning seriousness, "Oh dear, look at me, I almost forgot. Today is my brother's big day!"
"that is--"
The fourth prince looked around, seemingly disappointed that there wasn't a single guest at the Eastern Palace to celebrate the wedding.
"Without guests, the palace maids and eunuchs have all slipped away or hidden themselves. The East Palace is so deserted, and I, as its younger brother, can't bear it."
"By the way, where is the bride! Come quickly so this prince can take a look! I heard she's a Xie family girl, but her fate isn't good; she's said to bring misfortune to her father, mother, and younger siblings!"
Xie Yuan clenched his fists tightly. The Fourth Prince was going too far.
His words were flippant, his laughter and mockery utterly disrespectful.
Xie Yuan felt he couldn't stand it anymore. He looked around and found the candlestick on the high platform quite handy.
She secretly took a few steps toward the platform.
But Xie Yuan quickly froze.
She never expected that the Fourth Prince would be so bold as to come up to her and reach out to touch her face.
"Huh? What's this? A peony painted between the eyebrows? Brother, your new bride knows how to dress up quite well. No wonder she comes from a noble family."
The fourth prince spoke of noble ladies, yet he showed no admiration whatsoever for them.
His frivolous and dissolute manner made it seem as if he were defiled a foreign woman or a courtesan.
Xie Yuan felt a rush of blood to her head. She didn't bother to grab the candlestick; instead, she gripped the scissors hidden in her sleeve.
However, before Xie Yuan could make a move, the Fourth Prince shut his mouth in terror.
"Speak up! Little Si'er, why aren't you saying anything?"
The deposed crown prince rushed forward, blocking Xie Yuan and directly facing the fourth prince.
The deposed crown prince raised his hand and grabbed the fourth prince by the neck.
"Helian Jue, you...you dare?"
The fourth prince struggled to breathe, his face flushed, and he managed to utter a few words with difficulty.
Do you think I dare?
The deposed crown prince had a bloodthirsty look on his face, and his eyes were filled with a chilling murderous intent.
He was truly intent on killing. "Little Fourth, I have indeed been deposed and banished by Father Emperor, but no matter how down on my luck I am, I am still Father Emperor's eldest son and have been the crown prince for more than ten years."
"Tell me, if I really kill you, will Father make me pay with my life for you?"
At this point, the deposed crown prince became somewhat excited, licking his thin lips, looking just like a villain.
"How about we make a bet? I'll strangle you right now—"
Fourth Prince: ...I won't gamble! I'm not stupid!
He won, and Helian Jue paid for it with his life;
Despite losing, Helian Jue was completely unharmed.
Regardless of winning or losing, the fourth prince cannot be "brought back to life".
"Brother! I...I was wrong! I deserve to die! I shouldn't have offended you!"
The fourth prince begged desperately for mercy, "Spare me, brother, ancestors... spare me!!"
The deposed crown prince didn't let go. "Is that all?"
What else?
The fourth prince was stunned for a moment, perhaps because a person's potential is more likely to be brought out in a critical moment.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he quickly looked at Xie Yuan again, "Sister-in-law, it's all my fault. I spoke without thinking and was impolite. I offended you. Please forgive me!"
Xie Yuan felt a warmth in his heart.
She knew that while the deposed crown prince was doing this to maintain his own dignity and prestige, he had also thought of her, the direct victim.
This, too, is a kind of gentleness.
"Pardon? On what grounds ...
Xie Yuan was touched by the deposed crown prince's thoughtfulness, but also annoyed by the fourth prince's frivolous and humiliating behavior.
She hid the scissors, picked up the candlestick, and walked a few steps to the curtain.
"This tent should be easy to light!"
Xie Yuan muttered to herself, then smiled at the Fourth Prince, "Fourth Prince, how about I make a bet with you?"
Fourth Prince: ...Screw you!
Are these two sick?
Why is everyone so fond of gambling?
"If I set this tent on fire, the entire East Palace will probably be on fire very soon."
Xie Yuan's smile grew even brighter as he set the curtains ablaze.
The soft curtains quickly burst into flames.
Xie Yuan was not afraid at all, and even reached out as if to set his sleeve on fire as well.
"Fourth Prince, guess what the Emperor would think if he knew that you had harassed your elder sister-in-law, and that she had been so humiliated that she had set herself on fire to preserve her chastity?"
The fourth prince froze.
The Fifth Prince's expression was also somewhat solemn.
Just now, the Fifth Prince was thinking that if Helian Jue refused to let go, he would have his eunuchs and guards swarm him.
With so many people, they still can't subdue a deposed crown prince?
But now, Xie Shi is actually going to set fire to the place, so resolute that the Fifth Prince is somewhat afraid.
The deposed crown prince is a madman enough to cause headaches, but unexpectedly, his new bride dares to threaten suicide like this.
This couple is truly a match made in heaven, an absolutely perfect pair!
Helian Jue's heart was slightly touched; Xie Yuan's actions were absolutely unexpected.
Yet it made him exceptionally satisfied.
In a better mood, he loosened his grip on the fourth prince's throat.
thump!
The fourth prince knelt on the ground and pleaded, "Brother, sister-in-law, I was wrong! I really know I was wrong!"
"Today is a joyous day for you two. It's not worth getting angry over someone like me!"
Lady Xie, Princess Consort of Yue, little ancestor, please stop setting fires with candles.
"Well, to congratulate my brother and sister-in-law on their wedding, and to express my apologies, I... I'd like to offer one hundred catties of gold and twenty bolts of silk..."
I'll apologize, is that alright?
Xie Yuan: ...If you had been so "sensible and tactful" earlier, none of this would have happened.
She removed the candle and did not relight it.
"Your Highness?!"
Xie Yuan turned to look at Helian Jue.
Strangely enough, Helian Jue, who was not familiar with Xie Yuan, understood her meaning.
"May you have good fortune!"
Helian Jue called out a name.
"You are here!"
A eunuch in his early twenties stepped out from some corner.
Xie Yuan was startled, thinking that the Eastern Palace had truly collapsed and all its members had left except for the Crown Prince.
Unexpectedly, there were even eunuchs serving them.
The key point is that this "appearance and disappearance" really surprised Xie Yuan.
The Fifth Prince felt a chill run down his spine. Helian Jue was indeed not completely crippled; he must still have some trump cards up his sleeve.
I'm so glad I didn't completely escalate the situation; otherwise, the consequences would have been unmanageable.
"Go to Xiao Si'er and get the wedding gift he's going to give to me and the Princess!"
Helian Jue gave the order in a deep voice.
"Yes! I obey!" the eunuch Duofu replied respectfully.
The Fifth Prince realized what was happening and quickly said, "Me too! I've also prepared a gift for my brother and sister-in-law!"
He was reluctant to part with the money, but he also didn't want to really have a major falling out with the deposed crown prince.
This couple are both fucking crazy!
Helian Jue glanced at the Fifth Prince indifferently and knew that this fellow was the most cunning and hypocritical. He clearly coveted the position, but he always encouraged the Fourth Prince to take the lead.
All he had to do was act like a gentle and refined gentleman and help the Fourth Prince clean up his mess.
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