673 Leaving the Palace, the Ninth Prince is Free

The Emperor played chess with the Ninth Uncle not because he had nothing to do, but because he wanted to put pressure on the Ninth Uncle through chess, so that the Ninth Uncle would be intimidated before the battle and take the initiative in the subsequent conversation. However, he did not expect...

The Ninth Prince's chess skills became more and more sophisticated. In the past, the Emperor could play against the Ninth Prince to a draw, and occasionally even win a few pieces against the Ninth Prince. But now, let alone winning, it would be considered good if he could lose fewer pieces.

The emperor was too lazy to count how many pieces he had lost, so he threw the chess piece away and stopped playing.

He is the emperor, so if he doesn't want to play chess, then he doesn't have to. The Ninth Prince can't say anything. The emperor gets angry and throws chess pieces, but the Ninth Prince is very well-mannered. He doesn't show any expression whether he wins or loses, and picks up the chess pieces one by one.

So what if he is the emperor? When he is willing to lose, he will give in even if the other party is a beggar; when he wants to win, even the emperor has to give in to him.

The Ninth Prince's fingers are long and white. When he picks up the chess piece gracefully, your eyes will follow his hands, and the Emperor finds himself being led by the Ninth Prince without realizing it.

By the time the emperor found out, the Ninth Prince had already picked up most of the chess pieces. The emperor appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil. He thought it would be a shame if he told others that a dignified emperor was being held by the nose and led around, but such a thing happened.

Huh... The emperor took a deep breath and picked up the tea on the side to calm his excitement. He took a sip and the warm and fragrant tea calmed his restless heart a little.

Pah… The emperor deliberately increased the force, causing the cup to tremble on the table and a few drops of water to spill out. Normally, when the emperor did this, all the civil officials, military officers, empresses, and concubines would kneel down in shock, but…

The Ninth Prince continued to pick up chess pieces as if nothing had happened. After putting them away, he sat there motionless. No matter what tricks the Emperor used, the Ninth Prince remained as steady as a rock and remained calm.

The emperor understood that his imperial methods were completely useless in the face of this brother who had been raised with an imperial education but had no one to take care of him since childhood. The emperor had no choice but to speak directly: "Ninth brother's chess skills are getting better and better. I thought that after staying in the palace for too long, his chess skills would decline."

On the surface, he was talking about chess, but in reality, he was saying that the Ninth Prince's hands were too long, and he was meddling in outside affairs while in the palace. The Emperor's words were a warning to the Ninth Prince. He knew that the mysterious man was the Ninth Prince, and asked the Ninth Prince to be more restrained.

Unfortunately... The Ninth Prince understands the Emperor too well. The more certain the Emperor is, the less certain he is. If the Emperor is really sure that he is the one who gave out the porridge, he would have announced the evidence long ago. By then...

The people of the world will remember him, but the royalists in the court will firmly demand his execution because he is so successful that he threatens the emperor and has evil intentions.

"I am not like you, my royal brother, who is busy with all kinds of affairs. When I have nothing to do, I study these little things that are not presentable all day long. Naturally, my chess skills have improved." The Ninth Prince said evasively.

He didn't care about letting the world know that he was the mysterious disaster relief worker, but not now. Disaster relief cost a huge price and effort, and he wanted to achieve the best results.

If it is exposed too early, it won't be sensational enough and won't achieve the public support he wants. Besides, with the emperor's porridge distribution to suppress him, if he spreads his reputation at this time, the effect will be greatly reduced.

The emperor's eyelids moved slightly, as if he was considering the credibility of the ninth uncle's words. After thinking about it for a long time, he could not find any flaws, so the emperor gave up.

"Ninth brother, are you bored in the palace? Is it because the people in the palace don't serve you well?" The people who serve the Ninth Uncle are all spies sent by the Emperor. They even watch over the Ninth Uncle when he sleeps. If the Ninth Uncle is satisfied, then there must be something fishy going on.

"I am terrified. The palace is great and the palace servants are very dedicated. But no matter how good the palace is, it is not my home. I still miss the Ninth Prince's Palace." The Ninth Prince asked the Emperor directly when he would be released. At the same time, he was also telling the Emperor that he had no interest in the palace.

The emperor was shocked. The Ninth Prince's words were like a huge rock hitting his heart. The emperor raised his head and shot his sharp eyes at the Ninth Prince. The Ninth Prince did not flinch or fear, but met the emperor's eyes. His deep eyes were calm and revealed a peaceful state of at peace with the world.

The two most noble brothers in Dongling just stared at each other, one attacking fiercely, the other guarding calmly, until the emperor was satisfied and withdrew his gaze, the contest ended.

The emperor retracted his gaze and said casually, "This year we encountered a snowstorm that has not happened in a hundred years. I was worried that it would cause resentment among the people. I didn't expect that there were also noble people among the people who helped the people when they were suffering, set up stalls to give out porridge, and let the people of Dongling survive this snowstorm."

How could the Emperor want to chat with the Ninth Uncle? This was a deal. As long as the Ninth Uncle gave him clues about the mysterious disaster relief worker, he would let the Ninth Uncle return home.

The Ninth Prince certainly understood the deep meaning of these words. The Emperor was forcing him to admit that the mysterious disaster relief worker was related to him. Since the Emperor thought so, then let's do as the Emperor wished.

He would say what he had to say. As for what the emperor thought, that had nothing to do with him. The Ninth Prince's eyelids drooped slightly, hiding the emotions in his eyes, and said flatly: "Royal brother, Feng Qingchen is my woman. A few days ago, she cured the most distinguished sixteenth son of the Cui family."

Just these two sentences directed the emperor's attention to the Cui family.

The Ninth Prince's two sentences seem to be talking about what happened a few days ago, but in fact they are reminding the emperor that the only family in the world that can be so generous and give out so much grain is the Cui family. The mysterious man is the Cui family, and the reason why the Cui family did this is very simple, that is, they hope that the emperor will release him.

As for why the Cui family did this, the Ninth Prince also gave a reason. This was the condition for Feng Qingchen to treat Cui Haoting. The Ninth Prince specifically said "the most honorable Sixteenth Prince" to tell the emperor that if it were someone else, the Cui family would not work so hard, but Cui Haoting was different. For Cui Haoting's life, the Cui family would pay this price.

What the Ninth Prince said was obviously misleading the Emperor, but it was highly credible. At least the Emperor believed it. The Cui family had been in seclusion for a hundred years, so of course they had this kind of background.

Compared with the Ninth Prince, the Emperor believes that it was the Cui family rather than the Ninth Prince who provided grain for disaster relief, because the Ninth Prince did not have the ability to do so.

The Cui family is about to make a name for himself. Thinking of the incident some time ago when the Cui and Wang families joined forces to put pressure on him to release the Ninth Prince, the emperor became even more annoyed with the Cui family and kept a big grudge against them in his heart.

As soon as the Cui family was born, they stood on the side of the Ninth Uncle and opposed him. It was clear that they did not take him, the emperor, seriously. The Cui family would be the number one threat. The emperor exuded a murderous aura...

Although the Ninth Prince's eyelids were half covered, he could see the Emperor's expression clearly, not missing any subtle changes. The Emperor's performance made the Ninth Prince very satisfied. It was a good thing that the Emperor was thinking about the Cui family, and it would save him trouble if he let the Emperor fight against the Cui family.

Besides, he did not lie to the emperor. Everything he said was true. It was the emperor who was overthinking. He did not say anything. It was all the emperor's own imagination.

Anyway, the Cui family does have great ambitions, and he is not wrongly accusing the Cui family. When the emperor discovers the actions of the Cui family, he will believe what he said today more.

After leaving the palace, he will focus most of his energy on Xuanxiao Palace. It is a good thing for him to have the Cui family stay in the imperial city and control the emperor's main force and attention.

Cui family, I'm very sorry that I have to push you out as a shield in advance. I hope you will like this gift from me.

The Ninth Prince reached out and picked up the teacup in front of him. He did not drink from it but just held it in his palm, sitting there quietly, waiting for the Emperor's decision.

He gave the emperor what he wanted. Now it depends on whether the emperor will fulfill his promise. As for your saying that the emperor's words are as good as gold? Don't be ridiculous. The emperor didn't say directly that he would let him go.

People like them would never speak so clearly that they could give others an opportunity to find fault with them. Anyway, as long as both parties can understand, it's enough.

The Emperor did not disappoint the Ninth Prince. Realizing the great threat posed by the Cui family and with the Ninth Prince's uncle hinting that he had no interest in the palace, the Emperor had already softened his stance.

Having locked up the Ninth Prince for such a long time, he had no way to convict him of any crime. If he continued to lock him up, the pressure on him would be even greater. It would be better to use this opportunity to negotiate more conditions.

"Ninth brother, what about disaster relief?" The emperor looked up, his eyes as sharp as arrows, as if he wanted to see through his ninth uncle.

The Ninth Prince was not sure whether he had been prepared or was not afraid at all, but he remained calm: "Don't worry, my royal brother. I will send someone to pass the news to Feng Qingchen as soon as I leave the palace."

Although he was anxious to go to Feng Mansion and meet the man named Xuan Shaoqi, it was not the right time. He had to wait until he finished the things at hand so that he would have the leisure to fight with Xuan Shaoqi.

"It's already late today. Ninth brother, please come back tomorrow morning." The emperor stood up and looked down at his ninth uncle with a patronizing tone.

He was waiting for the Ninth Prince to thank him, but unfortunately, the Ninth Prince was always pushing for more. He stood up leisurely, but did not thank him. Instead, he proposed another condition: "Brother, I am used to being served by people from the Ninth Prince's Mansion."

The Ninth Prince Uncle reminded the Emperor that since he was not guilty, then the people in his mansion were not guilty either. So he should release all the servants in the Ninth Prince's Mansion and not try to use this opportunity to place people in the Ninth Prince's Mansion.

Ninety-nine steps have been taken, and the emperor does not mind taking one more step. Even if he places people in the Ninth Prince's Mansion now, within two days, those people will be killed by the Ninth Prince's uncle for various reasons. This is not the first time such a thing has happened. The emperor generously promised that all the servants of the Ninth Prince's Mansion will go back tonight.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I, your humble servant, respectfully send you off." Having gained the benefit, the Ninth Prince finally gave the Emperor enough face and sent him off with a respectful tone.

Having resolved his worries and found out the purpose of the mysterious porridge giver, the emperor was in a good mood and his steps were light, sweeping away the previous heaviness.

There was a fire in the clan house, and the Ninth Prince was nearly burned to death. Coupled with the pressure from officials and aristocratic families in the court, he really had no way of keeping the Ninth Prince locked up forever. So, he released the Ninth Prince and gained the greatest benefit from it.

Ninth brother, I didn't force you, you gave in willingly!