Chapter 363: Secret Passage (Part 1)
Sun Wei replied, "I will remember it."
The prince cast his eyes on the birdcage under the corridor and walked over slowly.
"What do you remember, my lady?" he asked.
Sun Wei said slowly, "The Crown Prince is going to Jingkou at that time. I ask the Crown Prince to allow me to go with him."
The prince nodded and sighed softly, "Now that you've mentioned it, it all comes back to me. Back then, every time you showed up, you always gave me many surprises. Like that time, when you said you'd keep me safe as long as I took you with me. Sure enough, while the trip to Jingkou was treacherous, we were saved, and your contribution was in no small part."
"Your Highness is overly kind. I have done nothing wrong. This is all Your Highness's blessing."
The prince smiled.
"Why should your Highness be so reserved?" the Crown Prince said. "You should know that since I have brought you all the way from Xunyang to Jiankang, I will not easily take your life."
"Your Highness is so kind," Sun Wei replied, "I am deeply grateful."
The prince's eyes dimmed, a hint of disappointment flashed across them.
"In my opinion, the Lady has always spoken calmly, gracefully, and with great insight. I actually enjoy being with her," the prince said. "Now, the Lady has changed. Is it because of Ziheng?"
"I dare not. I know very well that His Royal Highness Prince Yuzhang's behavior is not satisfactory. If the Crown Prince is dissatisfied, it must be that His Royal Highness Prince Yuzhang has offended me. The Crown Prince can speak frankly with me without any reservations."
The prince teased the bird in the cage and said calmly, "As expected, only when you mention Ziheng will the lady say a few more words."
Sun Wei remained noncommittal. "I sincerely hope that the two Your Highnesses will put aside their past grudges and help the Crown Prince rule the world."
"Have we all forgotten our past?" The prince sneered. "There's no grudge between us two. It's fate that we've come to this point. There's no room for two tigers in one mountain. If I'm here, Ziheng can't be here."
"Why do you say that, Crown Prince?" Sun Wei asked, "His Royal Highness Prince Yuzhang is a minister. His long-cherished wish is to help the Crown Prince unify the country and revive the empire. He has absolutely no second thoughts."
"No second thoughts?" The Crown Prince sneered. "If you have no second thoughts, what does it matter if I take back the Northern Palace? Why wouldn't Ziheng be happy?"
"Military power is no joke, let alone the Northern Palace. His Royal Highness Prince Yuzhang is not unhappy, but rather cautious. Please understand, Crown Prince!"
"Cautious? Your Highness, that's a nice way of speaking." The Crown Prince smiled. "Isn't he just mocking me for not having led an army and not knowing how to lead one? Your Highness doesn't understand Ziheng's arrogance. He calls himself my closest person and thinks I must rely on him in battle. For a monarch, this is extremely dangerous. If I don't adapt, sooner or later Ziheng will become a powerful official, and I will still be a puppet."
"The prince is a king, not a puppet."
"Isn't it?" The prince took a small spoon and fed the bird water. "Isn't that what you all discussed privately? Or are you too lazy to even discuss it?"
The prince continued, "I know I'm just a puppet. I have to look at people's faces in government affairs and rely on Ziheng in war. Even my marriage has to be arranged by the Queen Mother. I feel really helpless as a prince. I thought I couldn't go on like this, so I saw Ziheng again."
As he spoke, he changed to another small spoon and continued feeding. "Look at how willful Ziheng is. He won't negotiate on any marriage he doesn't like. Even if the Queen Mother asks, he dares to reject it outright. I, the Crown Prince, am even inferior to him. Come to think of it, isn't he so arrogant because he holds the military power? To be honest, my lady, I've been living a much freer life since I took over the Northern Palace. This trick really works."
Sun Wei listened from the side without saying a word.
In her eyes, what the prince said was biased.
Sima Jun dared to be so arrogant because he was so stubborn. Once he made up his mind, he would not waver even if he was forced into a desperate situation.
It was like this in the previous life, and it is like this in this life.
"Why aren't you speaking, my lady?" The prince put down the spoon in his hand and looked back at her.
"All the armies in the world were originally meant for the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince wants to take control of the Northern Palace, there is nothing wrong with that. However, I think the Crown Prince should not trust Lu Qiuyan so easily. He is ambitious and his methods are vicious. He is not someone you can trust."
The prince shook his head helplessly.
"When did Lady Jun and Ziheng become frightened by Lv Qiuyan? Why is he so terrifying?"
After he said that, he called out "General Luqiu".
Someone agreed, and then someone walked in from the room. It was Lu Qiuyan.
Sun Wei looked at him.
His injuries were obviously not healed yet. He was hunched over, holding his abdomen, and his face was extremely pale.
"Does he look scary?" asked the prince.
"Prince, don't judge a person by his appearance," Sun Wei advised.
The prince sighed deeply and waved to Luqiu Yan.
Lu Qiuyan understood and quickly knelt down before the prince.
The prince treated him as a stool and sat on his back.
"Look at him again, lady, do you still find him scary?"
Sun Wei's eyes only fell on Lu Qiuyan.
He lay motionless, looking harmless.
"Your Majesty still doesn't believe it?" The prince stood up again and stepped on Lu Qiuyan's head, knocking him to the ground.
Lu Qiuyan remained silent.
Sun Wei felt that the prince didn't understand what she meant.
He humiliated Lu Qiuyan in such a way, but Lu Qiuyan didn't say a word, which is really scary.
The prince is unaware of what he has done, so what can she do?
"I am narrow-minded, Your Highness is wise." Sun Wei gave in.
The prince then raised his foot and said, "General Luqiu, why don't you thank your granddaughter?"
Lu Qiuyan stumbled to her feet and bowed deeply to Sun Wei: "Thank you, my granddaughter."
"General, you are so polite."
After hearing this, Lu Qiuyan straightened up slightly and looked at Sun Wei.
Sun Wei clearly saw a smile in his eyes.
He could actually laugh.
They are all crazy.
Sun Wei didn't want to stay any longer, so she asked, "I wonder why the Crown Prince summoned me here?"
"Don't worry, the lady will know soon."
He slowly walked up to Sun Wei and looked at her.
Sun Wei just lowered her head and looked at the dark patterns on the hem of his clothes.
He suddenly raised his hand, and Sun Wei hurriedly took a step back.
The prince's hand froze in mid-air.
He sneered.
"I used to really like your ambitious demeanor, as if nothing in the world could stump you." The prince said slowly, "However, things are different now. You are already a prisoner, and there seems to be no other way. I am waiting for you to beg me."
As he was speaking, Zhao Tong came in and whispered a few words to the prince, who suddenly changed color.
"When did it happen?"
"Just now."
The prince thought for a moment and said to Lu Qiuyan, "It's time to act. General, please make preparations quickly."
Then, he glanced at Sun Wei and said to Zhao Tongdao, "You will make the arrangements."
Zhao Tong agreed and watched the prince leave.
Zhao Tong bowed to Sun Wei and said, "Lady, please come here."
This quiet courtyard is connected to the imperial palace by a secret passage, so one does not have to go through the palace gate to enter the palace. Her name is not on the list of people entering the palace, so she can enter the palace without anyone noticing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
