Chapter 11
The Eighth Prince, Xue Liuguang, buried his head in the book on the table, his fingertips digging into his palms. He wished he could cover his eyes and ears and pretend he couldn't hear anything. However, he was hit hard on the shoulder, and his body swayed. He could no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb, and had to raise his head.
His second and third elder brothers were looking at him with a hint of threat in their eyes, while his study companion sat upright, "immersed" in the knowledge in his books, as if he hadn't done anything at all.
The Eighth Prince gritted his teeth to suppress the surging emotions in his heart. He told himself that princes were different from each other. His mother was a palace maid who died without even getting a title. He had no maternal clan to support him, and his father could not see him at all. No one was on his side. Before he had enough power and the ability to fight back, he had to endure, and he could only endure.
Otherwise, you'll end up like Xue Jin'an.
At least, he didn't turn out like Xue Jin'an.
Thinking of his seventh brother, who was only three months older than him, and how the other had gone from being a favored son of heaven to being bullied by everyone overnight, the eighth prince's unbalanced mood subtly improved.
The Eighth Prince didn't know why he felt better. Perhaps it was because he wasn't the worst, or perhaps it was because the one worse than him was Xue Jin'an, who was born around the same time as him, a prince, yet worlds apart from him.
He gestured to his brothers, nervously observing Master Cen's movements. As the Master turned around, he bent down and quietly left his seat, moving to the table at the head of the table. He reached out and began to rummage through the yellow paper that was pressed underneath. He pinched a corner of the paper and was about to pull it out when the Master seemed to sense something and prepared to turn around.
The Eighth Prince panicked, his hands trembled involuntarily, and cold sweat soaked his back. He subconsciously looked at his two elder brothers who were threatening him, but they had also lowered their heads and started reading books without him noticing.
No, this can't be! I can't be the only one punished. His pleading gaze landed almost without thinking on the sixth prince, who was the most agreeable of the group.
Most of the children in the palace are precocious and know a lot about things. The fact that the eldest prince went to court to listen to the government was like a signal flare, firing the first shot in the competition among the princes. In just one month, there was already a hint that two camps would be formed, with the second and third princes as the main forces.
Among the princes, the fifth prince suffers from a heart ailment, and the sixth prince is born with a stutter. With the other princes all healthy, they are basically out of the running for the throne. However, the maternal clans behind them are not to be underestimated, making them the best targets for winning over.
Behind the Fifth Prince's taciturn nature lies a cold and aloof demeanor. He always avoids people and is not easy to approach. As a result, the kind, simple, and easy-going Sixth Prince becomes a hot commodity, and the Eighth Prince also becomes somewhat familiar with him.
The sixth prince was indeed very gentle and "charitable". The eighth prince had eaten a lot of snacks and meals at his place and received gold, silver, pearls and coral as rewards.
At this moment, the Eighth Prince placed all his hopes on the Sixth Prince's soft heart. His face was pale as he silently murmured, "Sixth Brother, save me!"
The tutor immediately placed his hand on the sixth prince's hand. The sixth prince was actually a little hesitant, but seeing that the eighth prince was about to be exposed, his body reacted faster than his brain. He jumped up from the chair like a rocket.
"Master!" In his nervousness, he suddenly lost control of his voice, which exploded like a firecracker, startling even the composed Master Cen.
Master Cen loosened his beard, rubbed his chin which had been pulled so hard, and said irritably, "You can speak more quietly. Your teacher isn't so old that he's deaf."
"What questions do you have?" Master Cen asked.
The sixth prince blushed, feeling extremely guilty. His small stutter turned into a large one, and he stammered with great difficulty, "Reporting to my teacher, just now, the teacher was talking about the rituals of sacrifice... I... I didn't understand..."
Fortunately, Master Cen did not notice his abnormality and thought he was just nervous. After patiently listening to his words, he raised his eyebrows and teased him with a smile, "Yang Shunzhi is really not a good maternal grandfather."
The sixth prince's mother, Consort Shu, was surnamed Yang. She was the daughter of Yang Cong, the Minister of Rites. Shunzhi was Yang Cong's courtesy name.
The sixth prince immediately felt even more guilty, and lowered his head, not daring to meet Master Cen's gaze.
Fortunately, Master Cen did not seem to notice and patiently explained the sacrificial rites again.
With the crisis averted, the Eighth Prince breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled out the yellow paper to return to his seat. His heart was pounding like a drum, and the secret excitement of successfully doing something bad filled his mind. He wanted to check his spoils immediately, but his arm was pushed again.
The attendant turned slightly to the side, revealing the Second Prince and the Third Prince behind him, who were giving them meaningful glances.
As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, the Eighth Prince clenched his fingers and slightly tightened them, his face darkening for a moment. However, he quickly composed himself and naturally handed the spoils to his treacherous companion, instructing him to pass them on.
When the third prince eagerly opened the book to read it, the eighth prince pretended to accidentally knock the brush to the ground. As he bent down to pick it up, he lightly hooked the stool next to him with his foot.
"Ah!" The companion, who was unsteady on her feet, instinctively cried out as she fell.
Master Cen turned around and caught the Third Prince red-handed before he could put away the yellow paper.
Master Cen frowned, his tone cold, "Third Prince, what are you holding in your hand?"
The Eighth Prince looked bewildered and lost, seemingly unable to understand why the plot had unfolded so incomprehensibly when he had simply bent down to pick up a pen.
This impromptu classroom prank ended just like that. Master Cen was very angry and directly asked the teacher of the ruler. The Third Prince, who was caught red-handed, and the Sixth Prince, who covered for him, each received ten strokes on their palms, which instantly became red and swollen.
The sixth prince covered his palm with tears in his eyes. His study companion patted him on the back reassuringly, his gaze lingering on the culprit for a moment without making a sound.
The Third Prince was much more direct. He liked to practice martial arts and had a good physique. He had the most violent temper among the princes, completely opposite to the Fourth Prince, who was just a paper tiger who only talked big. He was the type who would take action without making threats.
He glared fiercely at the culprit's retreating figure, gritting his teeth as he said to his study companion, "Take him to the training ground after school."
The Eighth Prince pretended not to see his companion's pale face and trembling body. He casually picked up his brush and held it with his wrist suspended. He had been copying Master Cen's characters since he entered the Imperial Study and had already learned some of their forms. He originally wanted to write a free and unrestrained character with flowing strokes, but the moment he put down his brush, he inexplicably slowed down and wrote each stroke very neatly.
He didn't see the contents of the yellow paper, but he still remembered the neat and uniform characters.
Since Master Cen liked it so much, he must have liked the calligraphy as well. He couldn't help but imitate it and believed it to be true for many years. As a result, he learned the standard official script used in the imperial examinations.
He imitated the character and wrote the character "弃" on the paper.
—Those who have abandoned me, the days of yesterday cannot be retained.
Xue Jin'an, when bullied, would just become as dejected as a dead dog. I am different from him.
The Eighth Prince, who was still unaware of whose handwriting he was imitating, looked at the character "弃" (abandon) with great satisfaction and thought to himself.
...
The Fifth Prince's seat was at the very back, giving him a clear view of everything, including those seemingly discreet little actions.
How interesting. The Fifth Prince curled his lips, and seeing that things had calmed down and there was no more excitement to watch, he stood up.
He clutched his chest, frowned slightly, and said in a low voice, "Master, I am not feeling well."
The fifth prince, who suffered from a heart ailment, was released without incident. At the entrance of the Imperial Study, he encountered a young eunuch carrying a book box, negotiating with the guards at the door and even trying to slip him some silver. "Brother guard, please, His Highness was in a hurry to go in and left the book box behind. Please be lenient and, even if you can't let me in, please help me take the book box in. I would be extremely grateful."
The guards remained unmoved and coldly refused: "No outsiders are allowed to enter the Imperial Study, and those on duty are not allowed to leave their posts without authorization."
The Fifth Prince watched with great interest as the little eunuch, who was almost in tears, continued to talk to the guards despite his distress.
The Fifth Prince was in a good mood today, so he sent his attendant to ask, and when he learned it was a eunuch from the Fourth Prince's household, he kindly told him, "He didn't come."
"How is that possible?!" The little eunuch forgot everything else and began to rattle off the story with a pale face.
They suddenly disappeared around a corner near the Imperial Study? Perhaps—
"They've been tied up," the Fifth Prince said casually, but in his heart he thought:
The palace is heavily guarded, and assassins from outside can't get in. If anything were to happen, it would only be an inside job. However, the Emperor has just instructed the chief eunuch to make some changes, and the atmosphere in the palace is tense. If anything were to happen, it wouldn't be appropriate to show up at this time.
So the most likely explanation is that the fourth brother skipped school.
The Fifth Prince did not utter a single word of the above.
Suddenly hit with bad news, the little eunuch lost his balance and swayed precariously.
The Fifth Prince didn't care at all about the consequences of his words and just walked away.
His personal eunuch and study companion both thought he was really unwell and worriedly came over, asking whether he needed to go to the Imperial Hospital or Minghua Palace. Although he had moved into the Prince's Residence, his medicine was kept in Minghua Palace, and every time he needed to take his medicine, his mother would call him to Minghua Palace to watch him drink it. This almost ruined his otherwise bright mood.
The Fifth Prince simply abandoned them and left alone to go to the secret room.
I've spent enough time with people today; I need to be alone for a while.
However, to the Fifth Prince's surprise, his secret chamber was broken into. As soon as he got close, he heard screams from inside, as if a chase was taking place.
Murder in the palace? How dare you? The Fifth Prince, who was so eager to watch the spectacle that he didn't care about his life, tiptoed to the wall shaded by lush trees and climbed up, thinking he had gotten away with it—only to be nearly kicked over in the face.
"Fifth Brother!" The fourth brother's tear-streaked face suddenly appeared before him, with a seventh brother below him holding a knife and glaring menacingly.
Fifth Prince: "..."
Good news, Fourth Brother really was kidnapped, he wasn't skipping school.
The bad news is that the traitor is Xiao Qi, and he seems to have gone a bit crazy.
To make matters worse, he tried to run away but failed. His fourth brother grabbed his trouser leg, and Xiao Qi was laughing menacingly at him from below, looking like he wanted to kill him too.
Fourth Brother often bullies Seventh Sister, so it's understandable that Seventh Sister wants to retaliate. But it's not good to involve him, is it?
The Fifth Prince immediately thought of a way to escape. He stretched out his hand and said in a deep voice, "I'll help you."
"Fifth Brother! You are truly my good brother!" I will never again say that you are gloomy, sowing discord, and have ill intentions!
The fourth prince was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes, and he reached out and grabbed his hand.
"Take care." The Fifth Prince nodded to him.
Fourth Prince: "?!"
The fourth prince was kicked to the ground by his good younger brother.
The fourth prince was completely disoriented when he fell. Before he could react, he saw Xue Jin'an's face. Startled, he tried to run away, but was immediately pinned down.
"Seventh Brother, calm down! Calm down!" the Fourth Prince exclaimed.
Xue Jin'an knocked him unconscious without expression, and now that his ears were quiet, the first step of changing the battery—shutting down the phone—was complete.
The second step is to open the back cover.
Xue Jin'an pulled open his clothes, revealing his chest.
The third step is to remove the battery. Be careful not to touch or squeeze the circuit board interface lines, otherwise it may directly cause the interface to malfunction, so be slow.
Xue Jin'an carefully pressed the knife against the location of his heart, applying pressure little by little.
The fourth prince groaned, the pain causing him to open his eyes again. Upon seeing Xue Jin'an, he instinctively wanted to jump up and run away.
Xue Jin'an anticipated his actions and ruthlessly pressed one hand down on his head, pinning him back down and extinguishing his movements. With his other hand, he steadily held the knife against his chest, applying pressure at a steady pace, watching the bright red blood gush out without blinking.
"Don't move." Xue Jin'an's tone was extremely calm.
The heart is the battery of the human body, and blood is the battery's charge. If a human loses too much blood, he will die from exhaustion, just like a battery becoming unusable. Therefore, blood is not only the charge, but can also be seen as a whole with the battery—think of it as an alternative battery fluid.
Even when a phone is in sleep mode, it still consumes power. Even when a human is unconscious, their heart still beats and their blood still flows. Xue Jin'an just wanted to change the battery and didn't want the human to die, so he turned on the Bluetooth function and forcibly took over the other person's body, controlling the flow rate of the battery fluid.
He had clearly shut down this person's consciousness, but the person stubbornly restarted it, and due to subconscious resistance, the Bluetooth connection was lost.
My heart started pounding like it was on accelerator, blood rushed out of my body, and my body's vital signs were changing rapidly.
"Control your heart rate. If it's too fast, you'll die," Xue Jin'an said succinctly.
"Waaaaah, if you stab me, I'll die too!" The fourth prince cried out as his face was tightly covered.
Xue Jin'an immediately retorted, "You wouldn't."
People in the world of novels are very hard to kill. They can survive car accidents, fall off cliffs, have their eyes cut out and bones ripped out, and even become stronger!
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