Chapter 336: It is not easy for a royal family member to have a simple life.
The third prince nodded slightly and gently pushed the teacup in front of Prince Yong.
"The world is full of troubles. I am just a passing traveler in this mortal world. I dare not claim to know everything."
He lowered his eyes, and his long eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyelids.
King Yong looked at his peaceful appearance, but he did not dare to look down on him in his heart.
It's not easy for a royal family member to have a simple life.
"Prince Su," Prince Yong said, no longer beating around the bush, his voice lowered a bit, "Your recent actions have been a bit excessive."
There was silence in the Zen room for a moment, with only the chirping of cicadas outside the window.
The third prince picked up his teacup and blew on the floating tea leaves.
"oh?"
He only uttered a soft monosyllable, waiting for King Yong's next words.
Prince Yong frowned slightly. This watertight attitude made him a little annoyed, but he could do nothing about it.
"There are undercurrents in the court."
"Some methods, when used on one's own brothers, can be considered temporary solutions."
"But if..." Prince Yong's voice suddenly became serious, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
"To shake the foundation of the nation and invite foreign invasion is not a struggle for power, but digging one's own grave."
He paused, his eyes fixed on the Third Prince.
"Third Prince, both you and I have the surname Zhao."
"This kingdom belongs to our Zhao family."
"Among the descendants of the royal family, there can be disputes and there can be superiority and inferiority."
"But if someone else were to seize our kingdom, our ancestors would never be able to rest in peace..."
The Third Prince's hand holding the teacup paused almost imperceptibly.
He slowly raised his eyes and met Prince Yong's sharp gaze. His eyes were deep and still could not tell whether he was happy or angry.
"What does Prince Yong mean by this?"
Prince Yong did not directly respond to the Third Prince's question. His deep eyes reflected the dancing candlelight.
He simply changed the subject slightly, "Your Highness the Third Prince has been accompanying the Buddha for many years, and it seems that he has a close relationship with Gu Junze?"
The question was asked abruptly, but with a certainty that seemed to be clear in his mind.
The sandalwood scent in the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The Third Prince scoffed softly, "It seems that nothing in this world can be hidden from Prince Yong's eyes."
He did not deny it, and his tone was calm as if he was stating an insignificant old matter.
"Gu Junze once saved my life."
This frankness came unexpectedly, and Prince Yong's upright figure stiffened slightly.
The third prince lowered his eyes and looked at the tea leaves floating in the cup. His voice was vague, as if coming from distant memories.
"If he hadn't rescued me when the mountain was covered in snow, there would probably be no Zhao Yunci in this world."
"I, a poor monk, may have frozen to death in the wild mountains and turned into a handful of yellow earth."
There was a flicker of genuine surprise in Prince Yong's eyes.
He had imagined countless possibilities, power-for-money transactions, secret collusion, but he had never expected that it would be such a past.
He was silent for a moment, seemingly digesting the information.
The only sounds left in the Zen room were the crackling of the candlelight and the faint chirping of insects outside the window, carried by the night wind.
"So that's how it is..." Prince Yong muttered to himself in a complicated tone.
He raised his eyes, his gaze became sharp again, piercing straight at the Third Prince, and his voice became even lower.
"Yunci, do you know... the current Prince Su is not the real Prince Su."
The third prince suddenly raised his head, and the calmness he had deliberately maintained in his eyes finally showed a crack.
"I'm afraid the real Prince Su... is no longer alive."
"The one sitting on that throne now is nothing but an imposter. The emperor's health is deteriorating, and there are only a few relatives he can trust."
Prince Yong leaned forward slightly, his eyes so blazing that they almost set the Third Prince on fire.
"In this Zhao Dynasty, the true legitimate bloodline, apart from the bedridden emperor..."
"Then you are the only one left, Yunci!"
The Zen room fell into deathly silence.
Only the candlelight flickered restlessly, illuminating the changing expressions on the two people's faces.
I don’t know how long it took, but when Prince Yong walked out of the meditation room again, the night had deepened.
His back was straight, but not as tense as when he came.
He turned his head to look at the tightly closed wooden door of the Zen room, and a meaningful arc appeared on the corner of his mouth.
The night wind blew the hem of his robe, and his steps seemed somewhat relaxed...
On the other side, Chu Ruohan and Gu Cheng'an stayed behind the bamboo basket for a long time, their nerves tense all the time, holding their breath and listening attentively to the movements around them.
The moonlight shines through the gaps between the bamboo leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground.
Only when they were sure that the chaotic footsteps had completely disappeared did the two of them relax their tense nerves a little.
"It should be safe." Gu Cheng'an said in a low voice, and was the first to stick his head out from behind the bamboo basket, carefully observing his surroundings.
Chu Ruohan supported her slightly bulging belly and slowly stood up. Her legs and feet were a little numb from squatting for a long time.
Seeing this, Gu Chengan quickly reached out to support her, with a look of worry on his face: "Are you okay?"
Chu Ruohan shook her head, indicating that she was fine.
She took a deep breath, adjusted her breathing, and calmed herself down.
The two men quietly left the pile of bamboo baskets, walked out of the backyard carefully, and returned to the dark streets.
"Why did you suddenly appear in the alley?" Chu Ruohan finally asked the question in her mind.
Gu Cheng'an rubbed his head a little embarrassedly, with a bitter smile on his face.
"Du Ruoling always comes to the military camp to bother me, and I'm really bored, so I found a quiet alley to relax."
He raised his head, his expression serious: "Who knew I'd run into you being chased? It's really fate."
When Chu Ruohan heard this, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
It turned out that Gu Cheng'an was still worried about Du Ruoling.
"What should we do now?" Gu Cheng'an looked around and asked in a low voice.
Chu Ruohan pondered for a moment, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes: "I want to go back to the general's mansion."
Upon hearing this, Gu Cheng'an quickly shook his head and said, "We can't go back. The outside is surrounded by the Imperial Guards and there's no way out."
Chu Ruohan pondered for a moment, his eyes flickering in the night.
"Then let's leave the city first."
Gu Cheng'an hesitated slightly, and finally nodded.
"Okay, I know a smaller path that's less guarded."
The two men stuck to the wall, avoiding the patrolling imperial guards, and quietly moved towards the city gate.
Under the moonlight, Chu Ruohan frowned, with a thousand thoughts in her mind.
Gu Junze is under house arrest, and Gu Chengyan has been named crown prince.
Time passed by minute by minute, and the situation became increasingly unfavorable for them.
When they were almost at the city gate, Chu Ruohan suddenly stopped.
"Go back to the palace." Her voice was firm and clear.
"Ah?" Gu Cheng'an was stunned. "Didn't we just escape? If we go back now, wouldn't we be walking right into the tiger's mouth?"
He looked at Chu Ruohan in confusion, completely unable to understand why she suddenly changed her mind...
Chu Ruohan turned to Gu Cheng'an, her eyes calm, "No matter what, I must go to the palace to see the emperor..."
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