Chapter 677 The Crown Princess
In a private room at Yuebinlou, Prince Ming suddenly awoke from his drunken dream. He opened his eyes and moved his body, only to find himself slumped over the table.
He just... fell asleep?
It was already dark outside, and the beauty inside the house was gone.
He jumped to his feet, but collapsed with a thud due to numbness in his legs.
Hearing the commotion inside, the Imperial Guards outside quickly slipped inside.
"Your Highness!"
The group bowed in unison.
The leader stepped forward and helped Prince Ming up.
Prince Ming fell hard, and his head felt like it was about to explode.
"What's wrong with me?" he asked, holding his forehead, his eyes wide with fury.
The Imperial Guards helped him sit back down on the stool.
"No, no, my butt hurts." Even an iron butt can't stand sitting on a wooden stool all afternoon, let alone one that's made of iron.
There was no bed for him to lie on, so the head of the Imperial Guards had to call over a companion to hold him up on either side.
Although it's not comfortable either, at least my butt won't suffer.
"Where is Miss Gu?" Prince Ming asked, holding his head, which felt like it was about to split open.
The head of the Imperial Guards reported, "Miss Gu left after the Prince got drunk."
"What? You just let her go like that?"
“Your Highness…you didn’t order her to stay.”
Isn't it because I thought she wouldn't leave? Are your brains made of wood?
Prince Ming choked.
Honestly, I got drunk during such a great opportunity.
Prince Ming wanted to blame the beauty, but considering her consistently aloof nature, he felt that it was his drunkenness that had left her standing there, causing her to leave in anger.
"You promised to give me a painting!"
"Your Highness, is this it?" A member of the Imperial Guard picked up a piece of paper from the table... uh... paper?
Generally speaking, a painting presented to someone of Prince Ming's status should at least be mounted as a scroll, but this is just a piece of paper, and it's a bit wrinkled, I don't know why.
Prince Ming sent someone to bring the painting over.
He stared at it intently, his mouth agape.
What... what is all this mess?
Is this the level of painting of a beautiful woman?
How can this be presented in a presentable way?
Too...
Forget it, he didn't fall for her because she can draw.
Her beauty was what truly captivated him.
If she can't draw, she can't draw. I can always teach her later.
Yes, that's right. He could use the opportunity of teaching the beauty how to paint to invite her out again, and he believed she wouldn't refuse.
The thought flashed through his mind, and the gloom in Prince Ming's heart vanished instantly, leaving him feeling refreshed.
Just as Prince Ming was happily putting away the beauty's handwritten painting, the coachman suddenly came up and reported at the door: "Your Highness, something has happened to Prince Han!"
...
In a quiet courtyard of the Han family, maids carried basins of bloody water out of the main room.
The Crown Prince Han was badly injured, and it took the doctor almost half an hour just to clean his wounds.
Fortunately, his internal strength was profound and his foundation was not damaged, but it was still very humiliating.
He sat in the chair with a cold expression, while Han Yong stood by him with a sigh.
"Go lie down on the bed for a while," Han Yong said.
"No need," Han Shizi said through gritted teeth, his bare chest pressed against his hand.
Han Yong sighed, "Why are you being so stubborn? If you're injured, you have to stay in bed."
Han Shizi said coldly, "I said I don't need it."
Han's second uncle stopped arguing with him about the topic and instead asked, "Who did this? How could they have injured you like this?"
Han Shizi's martial arts skills are unmatched among his peers in Shengdu, and the older folks of his generation would never easily make a move against a junior.
Han Shizi recalled the masked boy he had seen on the rooftop, and he felt that he was a stranger to him.
If there were such a young master in Shengdu, he couldn't possibly have been unaware of him.
However, his opponent did not defeat him through martial arts.
It was a scheme and gunpowder.
He first used countless hidden weapons on him, making him think that he was covered in hidden weapons, which caused him not to dodge when the other party threw out gunpowder.
Crown Prince Han recalled, "He used gunpowder."
Han Yong suddenly realized: "So it was gunpowder, no wonder it could hurt you... Wait, gunpowder? Isn't gunpowder something only the Imperial Preceptor's Hall has?"
Han Shizi shook his head: "It is true that gunpowder was invented by the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, but it has already been put into military use, and aristocratic families can also obtain it."
Han Yong pondered for a moment and said, "Black powder is strictly controlled, it's not easy to get."
Han Shizi did not deny this point: "The gunpowder contained sleeping potion, and what he used on me at the end wasn't sleeping potion, but it made me completely unable to move."
Han Yong pondered, "Gunpowder... an unknown poison... could it really be the work of the Imperial Preceptor?"
Han Shizi then said, "I have no grudge against the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, so why is the Imperial Preceptor's Hall targeting me?"
Han Yong nodded: "That's true." The Imperial Preceptor's Hall does not collude with or conflict with any force. To be precise, no noble family dares to clash with the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, and the Imperial Preceptor's Hall naturally disdains to make things difficult for any noble family.
Prince Han asked the servant at the door, "Where is the Prince? Hasn't he arrived yet?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Prince Ming arrived.
Han Yong bowed to Prince Ming. Han Yong was a son of a concubine in the Han family, and his status was incomparable to that of the direct descendants.
Prince Ming nodded slightly; his attitude toward Han Yong was naturally different from his attitude toward Han Shizi.
"You may all leave, but Second Uncle, you stay."
The servants withdrew one by one, closed the door, and only the three of them remained in the room.
Prince Ming looked at the battered and bruised Prince Han. Although he had heard on the way here that he had been injured, he was still shocked to see him in person: "Cousin, who injured you like this?"
Instead of answering his question, Han Shizi asked him, "Let me ask you, who did you go to see today?"
"Huh?" Prince Ming was taken aback.
Han Shizi said sternly, "Are you going to confess honestly yourself, or should I arrest your maid?"
Prince Ming's pupils contracted!
Cousin, cousin actually saw that maid?
Han Shizi coldly snorted: "Or, I can report to His Highness the Crown Prince and have him come and ask you personally."
Prince Ming pleaded, "Cousin! Please don't tell my father! If he finds out... he'll beat me to death."
The Crown Prince was extremely strict with Prince Ming, forbidding him from doing anything that would tarnish his reputation; otherwise, he wouldn't have kept his identity a secret from the beauty for so long.
Han Shizi said, "If you don't want me to go see the Crown Prince, then you'd better tell me honestly who you met today and what you did."
Prince Ming reluctantly recounted his visit to the beauty in detail: "...Cousin, you promised me you would never let my father know!"
Han Shizi said calmly, "Guards, escort Prince Ming back to his residence!"
"yes!"
After Prince Ming left, Crown Prince Han closed his eyes in frustration: "What does Second Uncle think?"
Han Yong said, "That student from Canglan Women's Academy must be involved in this matter. She deliberately lured Prince Ming and his six Imperial Guards away."
Han Shizi said with a deep look in his eyes, "Since Second Uncle also thinks so, then it is necessary to investigate this person."
...
On a dark and windy night, in a dormitory room of Linglong Pavilion at Canglan Women's Academy, Xiao Jingkong was already fast asleep on the soft bed.
He opened his little mouth and snored softly and evenly.
Xiao Heng summoned Xiao Jiu and asked it to guard Xiao Jingkong.
After that, he went to the gatehouse to greet her, gave the old woman guarding the gate one tael of silver, and asked her to sit in his room.
The little one usually doesn't wake up, but if he does wake up in the middle of the night, it's always good to have someone there.
Whether he gets into trouble or not is one thing, whether he's afraid or not is another.
After doing all this, Xiao Heng put on a cloak, the hood and a veil, and sneaked out of the academy.
From a large tree, a man in black winked at his companion: "Go! Follow me!"
Xiao Heng's carriage stopped in front of a pawnshop on Huayang Street.
Xiao Heng alighted from the carriage.
The pawnshop clerk was closing up shop when he said, "We're closing now. Come back tomorrow!"
Xiao Heng took out a piece of paper with a written note and handed it to him.
—I want to see your manager.
The waiter paused slightly upon seeing this, then looked at the other person more closely.
Xiao Heng wore a veil, but it did not diminish his exceptional good looks. Some people can captivate the world with just their eyes and eyebrows.
The waiter swallowed hard, then noticed a glimpse of the Canglan Women's Academy's uniform peeking out from under Xiao Heng's black cloak. He stammered, "Wait a moment."
The man rushed inside.
The sound of him talking to the shopkeeper could be heard from inside.
Who is it so late?
"First, a young woman specifically asked to see you. She seemed to be someone very important, and she had a very strong presence."
The waiter came running out with a grin and said to Xiao Heng, "Please come in!"
...
Han Shizi has his own intelligence network, so the people he sends out are naturally excellent. Except for the time when things went wrong while tracking Gu Jiao, they have always been able to complete their missions perfectly.
"Your Highness, Sun Feng and Zheng Hai have returned."
The guards outside the door reported this.
"Let them in," said Crown Prince Han.
Han Yong took a sip of tea.
The two entered.
Sun Feng reported: "Your Highness, I have inquired and found that the student surnamed Gu is from the State of Zhao."
Han Yong was surprised and chuckled, saying, "Another Zhao person. Isn't that Xiao Liulang also from Zhao? Could they be related?"
"It's hard to say," Han Shizi continued, asking Sun Feng and the other man, "Anything else?"
Sun Feng replied, "Also, we followed her and found that she went to a pawnshop in Huayang."
Han Shizi asked, "There are several pawnshops on Huayang Street. Which one did she go to?"
Sun Feng hurriedly replied, "Guirentang."
Han Yong gasped weakly, stroking his chin as he asked, "The one that was originally a pharmacy and later became a pawnshop?"
Han Shizi narrowed his eyes: "That's right."
Han Yong said, puzzled, "Wait a minute, we investigated that shop before, what was the shopkeeper's name again... Wang Fugui! Yes, that's the name! Isn't he His Highness the Crown Prince's spy?"
Han Shizi said, "They are also spies for the Nangong family. Guirentang is a contact point for the Nangong family to gather information."
Han Yong laughed sarcastically: "Wang Fugui is playing both sides. He's working for both the Crown Prince and the Nangong family. Isn't he afraid of things going wrong?"
Although the Nangong family is in the Crown Prince's camp, the Crown Prince probably wouldn't like the Nangong family bribing their people to act as spies.
"Since you knew, why didn't you tell the Crown Prince?" Han Yong asked his nephew.
Han Shizi said, "What's the point of telling them? Rather than letting the Nangong family find someone else to bribe, it's better to keep an eye on Wang Fugui, at least I've got my eye on him."
Han Yong smiled and said, "That makes sense."
Han Shizi looked at Sun Feng: "Did she go to the pawnshop to see Wang Fugui?"
Sun Feng respectfully replied, "Yes, she waited until the pawnshop was almost closing time before going there and went directly to see Wang Fugui. I didn't hear what they talked about; she's mute! She wrote everything down!"
They'd followed so many people, and this was the first time they'd encountered a situation where they couldn't hear anything.
As for Wang Fugui, he also used writing.
Han Yong said, "It's suspicious that she chose to go when there were no customers after closing time. It seems that this matter is inseparable from the Nangong family."
Although the Nangong family and the Han family both belong to the Crown Prince's camp, the aristocratic families have never been harmonious. Everyone wants to be the Crown Prince's number one meritorious official.
The Han family has the advantage of blood ties, while the Nangong family has the advantage of military power. The two families have been vying for power for quite some time.
Han Yong said, "They not only humiliated you, Your Highness, but they also set their sights on Prince Ming. If Prince Ming is truly bewitched by that woman from a lower country, they will have the opportunity to bypass the Han family."
Han Shizi frowned and said, "What Second Uncle said makes a lot of sense, but I still feel like something is not right."
Han Yong said, "Don't overthink it. Trust your second uncle. It can't be anyone else but the Nangong family!"
...
When Xiao Heng came out of the pawnshop, it started to drizzle.
The coachman handed him an umbrella, but Xiao Heng didn't get into the carriage immediately. Instead, he went to a shop diagonally opposite to buy candied hawthorns.
He walked in the quiet rain, holding an oil-paper umbrella, with pedestrians hurrying past him from time to time.
His veil was gently lifted by the night breeze, revealing a stunningly beautiful face.
In a teahouse on the street, two people sat near the window: a young man in white robes with a folding fan and a guard in gray robes with a sword.
If Gu Jiao were here, she would definitely recognize them as the people who bought Xiao Jingkong's Golden Abacus back then.
Xiao Jingkong sold his most beloved Xiao Jin in order to have the money to buy Gu Jiao a wedding dress.
The gray-clad guard exclaimed in surprise, "Young master, isn't he the top scholar from Zhao Kingdom? Look at his face!"
Young Master Mingyue shook the folding fan in his hand and said with a half-smile, "So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?"
The gray-clad guard thought for a moment and said, "He deliberately had those two people follow him. What was he planning to do?"
Young Master Mingyue laughed and said, "What he wants to do is none of our business. We just need to keep an eye on the little monk next to him."
The gray-clad guard asked in bewilderment, "We've been keeping an eye on him for over half a year, but we haven't seen him show up yet. Has he abandoned his apprentice?"
"Don't you want your own disciples?" Young Master Mingyue glanced at Xiao Heng, who stood gracefully under an umbrella in the rain, and sneered, "Then who do you think gave them their admission documents?"
The gray-clad guard scratched his head: "Who? Ah, does the young master mean...it was given by that person?"
Young Master Mingyue laughed and said, "I am now truly curious about what he intends to do by bringing all these people to the Yan Kingdom?"
...
After several days of scorching heat, it finally rained.
Prince Ming returned to his residence in the drizzling rain and, as usual, went to pay his respects to his father.
Although it's getting late, he came from the Han family. As long as he says he's been with his cousin, the Crown Prince, his father probably won't blame him.
He had just arrived at the door of the Crown Prince's study when he was stopped by the guards.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince is discussing important matters with someone. Please come again tomorrow."
"Then remember to tell your father that I have come to pay my respects to him."
"Yes, I will."
Prince Ming dared not eavesdrop on his father any longer and left with his umbrella.
In the study, the Crown Prince sat upright in the official's hat chair behind the desk.
Before him stood a high-ranking member of the Imperial Guard.
The Imperial Guards had just finished reporting the information they had gathered.
The crown prince's hand, which was resting on the armrest, suddenly clenched, and he said in a deep voice, "What did you say? The crown princess is coming back?"
The Imperial Guard replied, "Yes, the Emperor's edict has been delivered to the Imperial Mausoleum."
The Crown Prince pondered for a moment and said, "Is the decision finally made to execute her, or do you intend to pardon her?"
The Imperial Guard replied, "This subordinate is unaware; the imperial edict did not mention this matter."
The Crown Prince loosened his fist and rubbed the armrest of the chair: "We can't let the Crown Princess come back."
The Imperial Guard hesitated, looking at the Crown Prince: "Your Highness means..."
The Crown Prince said coldly, "Kill the Crown Princess!"
...
Xiao Heng bought the last string of candied hawthorns in the shop.
I was lucky.
It seems that his bad luck has decreased a lot since he started using Gu Jiao's identity.
You can find money on the street and avoid bad things.
but why……
His mood suddenly turned strange?
Xiao Heng held up his umbrella and looked up at the rain pouring down from the sky.
Is it because of the rain?
He suddenly felt a little melancholy.
(End of this chapter)
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