Chapter 26
The apology was fake, and the real purpose was to show that he was accompanying the king.
Ling Xu discreetly observed Ling Huanchen's reaction, but he couldn't discern any sign of anger or sadness on his face; it was practically untouched. The person he wanted to attack didn't respond, like a punch hitting cotton. His exhilaration turned into a stagnant breath, his smug expression failing to maintain for a moment.
"Your Highness, are you blaming me for monopolizing the King?"
Ling Huanchen put down his teacup slowly, "Prince, if you have something to say, please get straight to the point. There's no need to beat around the bush."
Ling Xu snorted coldly upon hearing this. "If that's the case, I won't waste any more words with Your Highness. I'm sure Your Highness knows that the King has been summoning me daily these days, and no one else has been allowed to accompany him except me. I'm not sure how much longer Your Highness can stay in Yuluan Palace. I came here today to take a look beforehand, so I won't be rushed when I move in later."
As soon as he said this, the palace servants who were serving on the scene exchanged glances with each other. They were not only worried about Ling Huanchen, but also worried about their own future situation.
Ling Huanchen was neither anxious nor alarmed. He sipped his tea slowly, as if there was a mad dog barking across from him and that he didn't need to personally take part in the subsequent scenes.
Seeing no one paying any attention to him, Ling Xi suddenly stood up with an embarrassed expression. "I call you Your Highness because you are a member of the mermaid royal family. I don't need to explain your current situation; everyone can see it. If we can get along harmoniously, I will spare your life in the future as a fellow tribe member."
"Hey, Prince of the Mermaid Tribe, I'm still here." Yu Zhao imitated his sarcastic tone and said.
Facing Yu Zhao, Ling Xu's momentum did not drop at all. In his eyes, as long as he could capture the King of Youcheng, no one else would be a threat.
"The young prince is so leisurely. Why don't you wait until the king and his family attend the morning court? I will invite the king here so that we can ease the misunderstanding from last time."
If Yu Zhao didn't know the truth, he would have exploded with rage. But now, Ling Yu's provocation seemed ridiculous. "I won't bother you with our brotherly affairs. I heard that you've been visiting Ziyi Palace every day lately. I've also heard my brother mention it."
Ling Xi raised his chin even higher when he heard Yu Xi mention him, but the next moment, Yu Zhao said, "My brother said that the zither he plays is too bad, and his dancing is too contrived and disgusting, so he just watches it for fun."
"That's nonsense!" Ling Xi's face turned red and white. "If the king didn't like what he heard or saw, why would he summon him every day?"
Yu Zhao looked at Ling Huanchen, "My brother said that he used to listen to the sounds of nature, but now he wants to hear the discrepancies of the world. Dealing with too much government affairs is inevitably tiring, so a joke can be a good way to amuse him. If you don't believe me, think about it. Has my brother never invited you to stay overnight in Ziyi Palace? Has he never smiled at you, and often been distracted and impatient? My brother is very gentle to those he likes."
Every time he said another word, Ling Xi's face turned paler. By the end, he had turned so pale that if you didn't know better, you would think he had suffered a serious injury.
"I don't believe it, Your Majesty... Your Majesty is a serious person."
Yu Zhaochong winked at the person beside him, "Brother, did you always smile when you were in Yuluan Palace?"
Xiao Qi immediately followed up, "Of course, the king is so tender and affectionate!"
Ling Xi gritted his teeth and pretended to be calm, "You also said that it was in the past and it can't be counted."
Seeing that the psychological offensive was almost over, Ling Huanchen spoke at the right time, "Alright, Prince, you came to Yuluan Palace early this morning and spoke rudely, insubordinately, and arrogantly. It is neither moral nor reasonable for me to sit idly by. Come, give me thirty lashes to serve as a warning to others."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yun He came in with a long whip, and without waiting for Ling Xi to shout, he kicked him to the ground.
The sound of whips was crisp, sharp and frequent. Ling Xi was whipped back before he could make a sound, and the next whip hit his back right after.
Yun He put away his whip and stood aside, "Master, I am already thirty."
"Yes." Ling Huanchen walked up to Ling Xi and said condescendingly, "I hope the prince can recognize his mistakes and repent. If not, you can complain to someone and seek revenge. Send the prince back."
When Ling Xi was dragged up by the guards, his limbs were so weak that he became a decoration. He raised his head and stared at Ling Huanchen with a pair of sinister eyes, gritting his teeth, "You wait!"
"Okay, I'll wait." Ling Huanchen went back to continue sipping tea, and did not even give Ling Xu a glance until he was dragged out of the Yuluan Palace.
On the other side, after the morning court session, Yu Xi went to the study in Ziyi Palace to review memorials, oblivious to what was happening outside.
Fu Changshi waited on the side, never mentioning the summons. A few days ago, the king had ordered Ling Xi, the prince of the mermaid clan, to accompany him. The initially submissive young prince had become incredibly cocky. If he gained power, there would be no peace in the palace. He simply hoped the king and His Highness would quickly reconcile, which would be a blessing for them as servants.
"Your Majesty, the crown prince of the mermaid tribe and the envoys are here to see you."
Fu Changshi's eyelids twitched. What he feared would come true. He didn't go to summon the person, but he came on his own.
Yu Xi didn't even raise her head, she just said, "Let them in."
Ling Xu was seen being supported by the envoy, taking two steps and resting for one. He finally arrived in front of the emperor. He was almost out of breath and was still struggling to kneel down.
"Prince, you still have an injury on your back."
"It's okay." As he said that, Ling Xu bowed and kowtowed with the envoy. He had a divine object with him, and King Youcheng could not remain indifferent to him, so he showed a weak attitude and waited for King Youcheng to ask the reason.
Yu Xi lowered her eyes and offered a rare word of concern, "Is the prince ill? If you are unwell, there is no need to show up to see the emperor. You should go back and recuperate quietly."
Ling Xi was stunned when he heard this and was almost dismissed by Yu Xi. Fortunately, he reacted in time and, regardless of the injury on his back, kowtowed immediately, "I beg Your Majesty to make the decision for me."
"Oh? Tell me about it." Yu Xi then put down the memorial and looked formally at the two kneeling people.
Ling Xi bowed again, "I am not sick, I was whipped by Your Highness. Please help me, Your Highness!"
Yu Xi pondered for a moment, "So that's how it is. Why did Huan Chen order someone to beat you?"
Ling Xi, intent on brewing his emotions, didn't notice the intimacy in Yu Xi's address and continued to speak to himself, "Because, because my words were inappropriate, Your Highness may have felt offended. In fact, I just mentioned accompanying the king, and His Highness was furious. It was clearly jealousy at work. If he hit me, it would be like hitting your face, Your Highness."
Fu Changshi, standing by, stole a glance at Ling Xi. An old palace hand, he'd witnessed many past harem struggles, and Ling Xi's tactics were considered average. The effectiveness of his attempts at discord depended entirely on the king's true loyalty. Fu Changshi lowered his head again, watching the king's heart. No matter what the situation was, he was convinced the king's heart remained with the Jade Luan Palace.
"You bumped into Huanchen, and he ordered his men to beat you. Isn't that right?"
Yu Xi asked the question so naturally that Ling Xu almost didn't react.
"Your Majesty, are you going to side with His Highness?"
Yu Xi stopped looking at him and continued to bury her head in the memorial. "You call him His Highness, but he is not only the Highness of your mermaid tribe, but also the Highness of the Youcheng Palace. This will not change. If you make a mistake, you will be punished. Leave."
Ling Xu was stunned on the spot. If the envoy hadn't pulled him back, he would have knelt for the whole day and forgotten about it.
This was impossible. He had clearly followed the noble's instructions and placed the sacred object in the most secluded place. It had been effective a few days ago, so how could it suddenly stop working? They had said that the King of Phantom City would definitely be obsessed with him, but now looking at Yu Xi's expression, it was clear that he didn't care whether he lived or died.
After all the annoying people had left, Fu Changshi immediately ordered someone to clean the place where Ling Xu had just knelt, leaving no footprints.
"Your Majesty, are you still going to rest in Ziyi Palace tonight?"
"Go to Yuluan Palace." This time he went there with a legitimate reason.
Fu Changshi was delighted and said, "I will arrange it right away!"
When Yu Xi entered the palace from the main gate of Yuluan Palace again, all the palace servants were extremely happy, even happier than during the New Year, because they saw that the king came with a smile on his face, and their days of fear were about to end.
Only Ling Huanchen was neither surprised nor overjoyed to see him coming. He still bowed to him as usual.
"All of you step back."
"yes!"
Xiaoqi and Yunhe each led the palace servants out and closed the palace door considerately.
As soon as the bystanders left, Ling Huanchen was grabbed by someone and put on his lap.
"Your Majesty, how can you do this in broad daylight..." Meng Lang.
Before he could utter the last two words, he looked up and saw Yu Xi's playful eyes, and suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Huanchen means that it will be fine if it's a dark and windy night?"
That's not what he meant, absolutely not!
Yu Xi wanted to hug him, but he really couldn't do anything. After all, he was powerless, so he gave up on himself and nestled in someone's arms like a quiet fish. "Little fish, are you hooked?"
"I think it's hooked now." Yu Xi gently stroked her waist with a slight smile on her lips.
Although a secret meeting at night is a bit exciting, the right way is to hold the soft and fragrant beauty in your arms openly.
As he expected, after the two of them were intimate for a while, a secret guard quietly entered the hall and threw a human-sized sack on the ground.
"Your Highness."
Yu Xi reached out to take the thing presented by the secret guard, but when she was distracted for a moment, the little mermaid in her arms ran away.
To hide his embarrassment, Ling Huanchen walked over to the sack and asked, "Could it be Ling Xi in here?"
The guard nodded and pulled the ropes apart, revealing Ling Xi's face. He was tightly bound, with a handkerchief stuffed in his mouth, looking like a fish waiting to be slaughtered.
Ling Xi: “Mmmmm…”
Ling Huanchen: “…” It’s true.
Yu Xi looked at the jade in his hand. It was crystal clear and had two red lines embedded in it, like blood dripping through the stone.
"Where did you find it?"
"Your Majesty, under the lotus leaves in the pond."
No wonder I couldn’t find it, it was actually hidden in the pond.
Yu Xi remembered that the high priest once said that in order to eliminate evil magic, the object that served as the trigger must be destroyed.
"Go ask the high priest how to destroy this stone."
The author has something to say:
Thank you for the nutrient solution encouragement from “Fushengbanshi”!
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