Chapter 151 A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.
Previously, everyone thought that the disaster victims would break through the gates of Weizhou and rush into the city to seek revenge, or that the people inside the city would be driven to desperation and force the second prince to come out and apologize.
But no one expected that the gates of Weizhou, which had been besieged by refugees for many days, would actually open themselves.
Inside the Weizhou government office, Li Yuanyou was still drunk and slumped over the table, with the wine jug in front of him overturned on the floor, and the air filled with the pungent smell of alcohol.
Huang Wei rushed in, not even bothering to bow, and loudly reported, "Your Highness! Something terrible has happened... No, it's good news! Her Highness the Eldest Princess has arrived with reinforcements! The refugees outside the city have been evacuated, and the siege of Weizhou has been lifted!"
"Royal sister?" Li Yuanyou suddenly raised his head, his drunken eyes instantly brightening, and he sobered up considerably.
He pushed aside the wine jug on the table, and with his clothes disheveled, he staggered out of the city.
The moment the city gate slowly opened, Li Yuanyou immediately spotted Li Yuanzhao standing at the very front of the procession.
Shen Churong arrived with her grain transport team, and many disaster victims stood behind her.
But he could no longer see anyone else; he could only see his elder sister.
He practically tumbled and crawled over, then knelt down in front of Li Yuanzhao with a thud, grabbed her leg, and collapsed onto the ground, wailing like a wronged child.
"Royal sister... I thought I would never see you again!"
"Why did you take so long to get here? I was so scared..."
"Waaaaah, I thought I was really going to die here..."
Tears mixed with snot smeared all over Li Yuanzhao's trouser legs, leaving dirty stains.
Li Yuanzhao kicked his leg in disgust, trying to push him away, but he was held tightly and couldn't move an inch.
Li Yuanyou cried for a while before gradually stopping, raising his dejected face.
He had heavy dark circles under his eyes, his face was as pale as paper, and even his lips were bluish-purple, making him look very pitiful.
He stared longingly at Li Yuanzhao, his voice trembling with tears. After hesitating for a long time, he finally asked the question that had been hidden in his heart.
"Royal sister, you...you really don't want me anymore?"
He still refused to believe that his elder sister, who had protected him since childhood, would really want to kill him.
Li Yuanzhao frowned, his tone full of impatience, "Get up and speak. What kind of behavior is this for a prince?"
The disaster victims behind him had no idea that the Second Prince, whom they had been clamoring to kill for over a month, would turn out like this.
It seems...so incompetent and weak...
Shen Churong and Chen Yanqing were already used to the Second Prince's behavior.
Xue Nanzhi was somewhat shocked. How could the Second Prince look like this?
Fortunately, she was intercepted by the eldest princess and abandoned her allegiance to him, instead of actually going to him for refuge.
Otherwise, what would happen if I followed someone like that?
Only Shi Zhu stood in the crowd, looking at the Second Prince's disheveled appearance, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
Would someone like that really kill a prince because of a power struggle?
Inside the guest rooms of the government office.
Everyone else received their orders and went to distribute relief grain or comfort the victims, leaving only Li Yuanzhao and Li Yuanyou inside the house.
Li Yuanzhao leaned lazily against the armchair, tapping the armrest with his fingers, his gaze coldly fixed on the person in front of him. He didn't speak, but he exuded a sense of oppression.
Li Yuanyou stood awkwardly in front of her like a child who had done something wrong, explaining what had happened during this time with some grievance.
"...I don't know how things turned out this way. I didn't do anything..."
How could Li Yuanzhao not know that the way things had turned out had little to do with him?
But he is by no means innocent.
She interrupted him directly, saying, "Li Yuanyou, didn't I warn you long ago that if you don't have the ability, don't show off?"
Li Yuanyou immediately shut his mouth; he could clearly feel his elder sister's anger.
She rarely takes herself this seriously; it seems she's really angry this time.
He stammered an explanation: "I wasn't showing off... I didn't want to come at all, I was forced to..."
"Forced?" Li Yuanzhao sneered. "Don't give me that story about them forcing you. I don't believe in forcing a cow to eat grass. If you really didn't want to come, who could force you to?"
Li Yuanyou's expression changed slightly, and he quickly stepped forward, his tone tinged with urgency.
"Royal sister, you know! I've never thought of competing with you for anything! My dream is to wait for you to ascend the throne in the future, to be a carefree prince, and to live a peaceful and stable life with you protecting me for the rest of my life!"
But Li Yuanzhao just looked at him indifferently.
"You say you don't want to compete with me, but every single thing you've done, isn't it all a form of competition with me? Prime Minister Cui has been trying to win over court officials for you, and the Imperial Concubine has been paving the way for you, and you've never stopped them; on the contrary, you've tacitly allowed them to do so. When the Emperor sent you to Weizhou to provide disaster relief, you knew you weren't capable of it, but you still took it on. Aren't these all forms of competition?"
"I didn't! I really didn't think that!" Li Yuanyou's voice trembled with anxiety as he hurriedly tried to explain, "I! I just... I just couldn't go against my mother's wishes and dared not disobey my father!"
Li Yuanzhao looked at the panic and helplessness in his eyes, and it didn't seem fake.
She softened her tone, her voice now carrying a more persuasive quality.
“Yuanyou, a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. You are the emperor’s son, with royal blood flowing through your veins. This very identity means you cannot remain untainted. You may not want to fight, but there are plenty of people who want to drag you into fighting with me.”
"The Imperial Concubine wants to use you to seize power, Prime Minister Cui wants to rely on you to consolidate his power, and those who depend on them will push you to fight against me. Don't you even understand these things?"
Li Yuanyou was stunned. The panic on his face was gradually replaced by confusion. He opened his mouth, but in the end, all he could say was a helpless question.
"Elder sister, what... should I do?"
Li Yuanzhao then smiled enchantingly and said slowly, "Yuanyou, you're a good boy, your elder sister believes you know what to do, right?"
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