After returning to the palace, Ning Hong noticed that Zhao Qingqi seemed to be working even harder.
From his initial carefree attitude to his current strict self-discipline, he is gradually taking on the demeanor of a crown prince, which makes him and the empress very gratified.
Emperor Chengye naturally took note of this as well.
However, he did not feel gratified; on the contrary, he felt somewhat disgusted.
His father is still alive and well, so why is he working so hard as a son? Is he planning to usurp the throne?
"Eunuch Ning, what do you think of the Crown Prince?" Emperor Chengye inhaled the scent of the golden pills, a hint of intoxication on his face. He picked through the pills, finally picking out the smallest one and handing it to Ning Hongze.
Ning Hong thanked the emperor and accepted the gift. The eunuch serving nearby immediately brought over water.
Ning Hong swallowed the pill without even blinking.
He felt a slight discomfort in his throat as soon as he swallowed. He coughed lightly and smiled gratefully.
"Thank you for the medicine, Your Majesty."
"Hmm, now tell me about the Crown Prince? What do you think of him?"
"The Crown Prince?"
Ning Hong frowned, "This crown prince is really outrageous."
"How so? I've heard people praising the Crown Prince; he's made a lot of progress lately."
Ning Hong's heart tightened, but her face showed a hint of indifference. "Judging from your expression, you seem somewhat dissatisfied with the Crown Prince."
"That's natural. The Crown Prince has insulted me time and time again, so I naturally dislike him."
It seems that's indeed the case.
Many people have heard the Crown Prince verbally abuse Ning Hong on the spot, calling her a eunuch.
“These days, I originally wanted to take him out of the palace to experience the lives of ordinary people outside, so that he would know the hardships Your Majesty endures. But I never expected that he would take me to such a brothel.”
At this point, Ning Hong's face showed a hint of hatred. "I am already a cripple. Going to such a place would be an insult to me."
"Hahaha, that's exactly what that child would do." Upon hearing this, Emperor Chengye couldn't help but burst into laughter.
This brat is still just a brat.
"That is indeed a bit outrageous." Hearing this, he became somewhat less suspicious.
His expression softened considerably. "Alright, Eunuch Ning, you may leave now!"
"yes."
Ning Hong silently withdrew.
As I passed through the corridor, I happened to see the Taoist priest in blue robes slowly walking over, his whisk hanging down at his left wrist.
He does have a rather otherworldly and ethereal appearance.
"Nine thousand years old."
"The Taoist priest in green robes."
The two exchanged polite greetings.
"The elixirs that the Taoist priest refines are becoming more and more exquisite; their aroma alone is intoxicating."
"Your Excellency is too kind. I suppose Your Excellency has already tasted the elixir I refined, which is why you have gained this insight."
I never expected that this person would be so favored by the emperor.
He had seen how much the emperor cherished those elixirs. Yet he was willing to share them with this eunuch.
I just don't know what this eunuch's stance is.
Is it because you're indifferent to everything, or because you have someone you're interested in?
Regardless, he had to speed things up.
Back in her dorm room, Ning Hong had just sat down when Zhao Qingqi suddenly pounced on her from behind, exclaiming, "Wow—I scared you!"
Ning Hong lost her balance and fell off the chair, taking a hard fall.
For a moment, he felt his mind go blank, and his mouth tasted slightly metallic.
"Ning Hongze, Ning Hongze, are you alright?!"
Seeing that Ning Hong hadn't sat up for a long time, Zhao Qingqi couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
"Are you alright? I just wanted to tease you."
He never expected Ning Hongze to fall so hard.
"It's none of your business." She swallowed the metallic taste in her mouth. Ning Hong took a deep breath and stood up, taking Zhao Qingqi's hand to help her.
"How did you fall so hard?" He had never seen the arrogant Ninth Prince in such a disheveled state.
He didn't find it funny at all; on the contrary, he felt very sorry for him.
"I just didn't notice for a moment," Ning Hong coughed lightly twice. It wasn't that she didn't notice, but rather it was a problem with the pill's poison. This time, the pill seemed to have been given a rather strong dose, and it seemed that the person behind the Taoist priest was getting impatient.
How did you end up here?
"Why didn't you go to the East Palace Study today?" I usually find him incredibly annoying, but I'm not used to not seeing him for a while today.
"The Emperor summoned me."
"Why did my father summon you?" He didn't like being too close to his father, and he especially disliked having his name mentioned alongside his father's. After all, there had been widespread rumors that Ning Hong was his father's concubine.
Of course, he was certain these were just rumors. Ning Hong was not that kind of person.
"Your Highness, that's a ridiculous question. There's a clear distinction between ruler and subject. When a ruler wants a subject to go see him, what reason is needed?"
"snort!"
That's what I said, but I'm still unhappy.
"Besides, if I hadn't gone on this trip, how would I have known that the Emperor harbored resentment towards you?"
"Huh? My father harbors resentment towards me, why?"
"Because you've become outstanding?"
"Shouldn't my father be even happier that I've become so outstanding?" Zhao Qingqi asked doubtfully. Wouldn't it be most gratifying for an emperor to have such a capable heir?
“It is, and it isn’t.” Ning Hong sighed. “In the imperial family, there are no fathers, sons, or brothers. If the crown prince is powerful, the emperor will naturally be happy. But the premise is that this emperor is willing to relinquish power. If the emperor does not want to relinquish power and still wants to continue to rule the world, then a clever crown prince is a threat to him. And a threat needs to be eliminated.”
It is clear that Emperor Chengye does not want to relinquish power at this time.
"It can't be that bad. He is my father, my biological father."
“What do you think?” Ning Hong countered. “Do you think your father would care about such family ties? He doesn’t only have you as his son.”
Even if Zhao Qingqi were to die right now, Emperor Chengye would only grieve for a moment before appointing a new crown prince.
"Then should I be as dull and stupid as before?" Zhao Qingqi felt a chill run down his spine. Although he didn't want to think of his father that way, he had to admit that Ning Hongze was right.
"It's not that bad, it's just that you don't need to be as strict and self-disciplined as you are right now. The more playful you are, the safer you will be."
"These days, even being a crown prince isn't easy."
"Being the crown prince is never an easy thing, unless all your brothers are gone and you are the only one left."
Ning Hong's words were clearly directed at someone else.
Zhao Qingqi nodded seriously, "But there's no other way. I have three brothers! Although we're not on good terms, I still hope they're alive! I can use my intelligence to crush them."
Ning Hongze: "—"
If this weren't his Ah Cha, he really would have liked to slap him a couple of times to bring him to his senses. Where did he get his wisdom from?
He's clearly an idiot—
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