The next morning, when the Fourth Prince saw Huangfu Yi with dark circles under his eyes, he chuckled and said, "Fifth Prince, take care of yourself. Once we return to the capital, it won't be a problem to have as many beauties as you want. I heard you went to find medicine earlier?"
Huangfu Yi bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Fourth Brother. Qi Laibao can't die so soon. The grievances I suffered in the past can't be forgiven in a short time."
The fourth prince coughed, no longer concerned with his private life, and turned to business.
...
Huangfu Jue was still in the Summer Palace, his expression as calm as ever. But An Shiyi, his bodyguard who had followed him for many years and was now a visible bodyguard, knew that he was on the verge of exploding with rage, like a taut string ready to hurt someone at any moment.
When he was a child, he was somewhat cute when he got angry. However, since the former crown prince left, the Ninth Prince's aura has become increasingly strong. When he is not with Qi Laibao, he always looks unhappy and indifferent.
"Did you catch up?"
An Shiyi knelt on the ground with his head bowed, his head lowered even further: "...It happened so suddenly. I didn't expect the Fourth Prince to kidnap Eunuch Laibao. My men didn't have any boats ready. By the time we caught up, the Fourth Prince and his men were already far away."
Huangfu Jue's hand, gripping the cup, bulged with veins, and his voice was filled with malice: "Where did Lu Lu chase after them?"
An Shiyi added, "The land route is twice as long, and there are many refugees and bandits along the way. If we can't catch them to the last waterway on the Li River tonight, they will enter Shuncheng Road. At that time, the distance will be even longer, and we don't know which boat they are on..."
When the Ninth Prince returned last night, he found many guards dead in the courtyard and noticed that Qi Laibao was not there. He immediately wanted to go out and look for him, but was stopped by several trusted confidants. The Fourth Prince was also ruthless and vicious, and the assassins he trained were used against his own younger brother. In the many days since he left the palace, the Ninth Prince had encountered no less than five assassination attempts.
The exact number of assassins is still unknown. It is only confirmed that one group belongs to the Fourth Prince, while the other group, whose martial arts skills are even higher and whose actions are more disciplined, is of unknown origin. Everyone is secretly watching and waiting to take the Ninth Prince's life.
The Ninth Prince knows the size of His Highness's forces and cannot possibly fight against two sides at the same time, especially the Seventh Prince. It is unknown whether he is behind these events... The Ninth Prince must and can only endure it, otherwise who will take control of the overall situation?
Huangfu Jue took another breath: "That idiot fourth brother... Go, find out who he's been in contact with recently, and check the people around him too."
"yes."
Fearing he might still want to leave, An Shiyi added, "If I may say something, there is still the Fifth Prince on the ship. Given our past relationship, he will surely take care of Eunuch Laibao. Your Highness, please rest assured... As soon as we reach Qinghai Road, our people will definitely rescue Eunuch Laibao."
"Relax?"
"Go and spread the word that the Ninth Prince has accidentally lost a cherished item that he has kept for many years. Whoever finds it will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver. The rest of you will split half of the reward with the ship."
An Shiyi's pupils dilated, and he understood what was happening. He unconsciously looked up and said, "What is this...?"
Huangfu Jue coldly replied, "Go now!"
Qi Laibao has been well taken care of all these years and has never encountered any bad people. Now that he has been caught by Lao Si and put on the boat, who knows how he will be treated.
The thought of him possibly crying helplessly somewhere, and of him possibly being tortured by Lao Si, made Huangfu Jue press his temples hard. He felt his heart pounding. Was that damned residual poison still there? His head started to hurt again.
An Shiyi had no choice but to retreat, his brows furrowed. He knew what the Ninth Prince meant by this, but he really didn't understand why he left like this.
Those who achieve great things must have a firm will and a temperament that is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even the Fourth Prince could poison his younger brother... Does the Ninth Prince know what he is doing?
...
Qi Qi did cry, but it was fake crying. In order to cover up the truth, Qi Qi had to "cry out" a few times every night, and the intonation and intermittent manner of the crying was self-evident.
Moreover, although the door was usually closed, Qi Qi pinched himself until he had many red marks on his body in fear of the Fourth Prince coming to cause trouble.
Good days are gone forever. After so many years in the Phoenix Palace, he had developed delicate skin and had hardly ever done any housework. The hardest thing he had ever experienced was bitter melon, which would turn bright red with just a light pinch... But he didn't even need to pinch it much. The wooden bed on the ship was too simple, and the quilt was too rough. After sleeping on it for a few days, he couldn't take it anymore and his back started to hurt.
The feeling of being on the water is not as good as being on the water. If I weren't naturally good at sleeping, staying up so many nights would be really tough.
The food on the ship was bad, just simple meals, and the clothes were also poor, made of coarse linen. There were no extra meals, nothing at all, and all we could do was stay in the small dark room, sleeping and spacing out.
The Fifth Prince only comes back for a short while during the day to bring him food, and doesn't return until the evening. It's impossible for him not to talk, as Qi Qi would be bored to death. But once he starts talking...
As the conversation went on, it inexplicably drifted back to the topic of dating. Qi Qi didn't want to become mute, so she argued with him a few times, finally making him understand that if he wanted to find a wife, he shouldn't even think about getting close to her.
This has been the case since ancient times. Marrying wives and taking concubines has been a consensus in human society for many years. Not to mention capable men, even beggars who become rich by the city wall still go to brothels. Trying to control these men's lower bodies is something that even the monogamous laws of the new century cannot control.
In this era, men don't care about this, and of course, women don't care either. After all, many of them haven't even met their spouses before marriage, so marriage isn't supported by feelings at all.
Emotions are not a necessity for human development. Doesn't Qi Qi want to have women on both sides? Of course he does. However, before human emotions develop, he is first and foremost a rather traditional little nanny robot.
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