Chapter 711 The King's Wrath
The streets were bustling with people, but that did not obstruct their view.
Their eyes met, and both of them seemed to pause slightly.
Generally speaking, when strangers make eye contact, a sense of awkwardness arises involuntarily, as if caught peeping. Even if it is just a coincidence, one will subconsciously want to look away.
But right now, neither of them is avoiding the other, and they are openly staring at each other.
It's not surprising that the monarch has such confidence. After all, he is the Son of Heaven, and he can look at whomever he wants openly. On the contrary, those who meet his gaze should immediately lower their bodies, feel his aura of supreme authority, and decisively look away.
Xiao Heng looked away, not out of guilt or embarrassment, but with a calm expression, like a still, undisturbed lake.
The king continued to stare intently at Xiao Heng.
Zhang Dequan took in the king's expression and realized he was in trouble. He had forgotten that the king and Empress Xuanyuan had met at the gate of Lingbo Academy.
Empress Xuanyuan loved playing polo, and Lingbo Academy had the largest polo field in the capital, so Empress Xuanyuan came over almost every few days.
The king was studying at Lingbo Academy. One day, while passing by the polo field, he was knocked unconscious by a polo ball thrown by Empress Xuanyuan.
He fell to the ground, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Empress Xuanyuan who had come to check on his injuries.
Afterwards, the king told Zhang Dequan's godfather—the previous Grand Eunuch—that he had seen a fairy.
Zhang Dequan couldn't fathom the king's thoughts, but there was one thing he was certain of: the king had once had very deep feelings for Empress Xuanyuan.
During the years when Empress Xuanyuan was banished to the Cold Palace, the king never failed to send someone to report the news of her being in the Cold Palace.
Empress Xuanyuan had countless opportunities to leave the Cold Palace, but she simply chose not to.
Rather than saying that the king imprisoned Empress Xuanyuan in the cold palace, it would be more accurate to say that Empress Xuanyuan refused to see the king again until her death.
"These eyes do indeed resemble those of Empress Xuanyuan from back then? Could it be that the King has taken a fancy to her and wants to bring her into the harem?" Zhang Dequan muttered to himself, startled by his own speculation.
"Uncle! Uncle!"
The young princess was displeased with the king's absent-mindedness and jumped up to tug at his sleeve, which was hanging down by the carriage window.
Unfortunately, it was all for naught.
The king withdrew his gaze and looked at her, saying, "You've made friends on your first day. It seems you really like it here."
"Yes, I like it!" The little princess nodded sweetly.
This was the first time the young princess had shown such great interest in going to school. The king was quite pleased, thinking that sending her here was indeed the right decision: "Will you come to school tomorrow?"
The young princess hurriedly said, "Coming, coming!"
I'm not only coming myself, I'm also bringing my birds to compete with my friends!
The king then said, "I won't have time to see you off tomorrow."
The young princess snorted, "I can go by myself!"
Has she really fallen in love with this place?
This morning, I don't know who it was, but she kept hugging his leg and crying, begging him not to mistreat her, and not to punish her by making her come to school so far away.
The king said, "Get in the carriage and return to the palace."
"I'll tell them!" The little princess rushed over, panting, and politely said to Xiao Jingkong and Xiao Heng, "Goodbye Jingkong, goodbye Sister Jingkong!"
Xiao Jingkong waved his hand: "Goodbye."
The young princess and Zhang Dequan, who was carrying a book bag, returned to the carriage.
The little princess was very excited to make friends her own age for the first time. Even as the car wheels started turning, she couldn't resist leaning out the window and waving to Jingkong, "See you tomorrow, Jingkong!"
Xiao Jingkong waved to his little playmate and said, "See you tomorrow, Xiaoxue!"
The carriage approached from behind, gradually drawing near Xiao Jingkong and Xiao Heng. In the instant it brushed past them, the pure friendship between the two little ones was greatly elevated during their farewell.
The king was also able to get a close look at Xiao Heng.
Xiao Heng, however, did not look at the king again.
Even after the carriage had driven away, the little princess was still leaning against the window, waving to her friends.
The king's gaze remained fixed on the direction of Lingbo Academy.
Zhang Dequan felt uneasy. Could the emperor have really taken a liking to her? Have some shame, Your Majesty! She's your niece's classmate's older sister.
Zhang Dequan braced himself and asked, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites seemed to have asked us a few days ago whether there would be any selection of concubines this year?"
"Hmm," the king responded in a deep voice.
Zhang Dequan breathed a sigh of relief.
The response was so straightforward that it's safe to assume they weren't interested.
He's just a student at Canglan Academy, what does it have to do with him? Why is he worrying about it?
After the king and the young princess left, Xiao Heng also took Xiao Jingkong's hand and returned to the Canglan Academy next door.
Han Shizi emerged from a side room on the second floor of a teahouse near Lingbo Academy, on his way to Canglan Academy to arrest someone, when suddenly a Han family guard rode up on horseback, stopped in front of him, dismounted, and reported: "Shizi, the old master wants you to return! He has important matters to discuss!"
The old master, the current head of the Han family, and Han Ye's grandfather.
Han Ye frowned as he watched Xiao Heng's departing figure: "Consider yourself lucky!"
Han Ye returned to the Han family home without stopping.
The Han family held a solemn family meeting, attended by Old Master Han, the five elders of the Han family, his father, and his second uncle. The meeting focused on how to divide up the military power of the Nangong family.
As the heir of the Nangong family, Nangong Li's death dealt an irreparable blow to the family. Although the old master Nangong was still alive, he was getting old, and Nangong Li's eldest brother was not up to the task. Among the nephews and nieces, there were a few outstanding ones, but with the help of the Han family, some infighting broke out.
In short, the Nangong family is now in complete chaos.
If we don't seize this opportunity to divide up military power, it will be difficult to shake the Nangong family once they overcome this current crisis and the entire clan is united.
As a junior, Han Ye didn't have much say in front of his grandfather and several elders, so he just listened quietly.
His involvement was not for offering advice, but as the future heir of the family, he had the right and the obligation to know about any changes in the family.
The opinions of Old Master Han and the clan elders diverged. One side advocated taking action now and directly applying to His Majesty to transfer a member of the Han family to succeed Nangong Li in his military position. The other side advocated waiting and seeing, first letting the Nangong family recommend their own members, then secretly sabotaging them and making them make mistakes to confirm that the Nangong family had no successor, and then having the Crown Prince plead for the Han family.
Han Shizi thought to himself, what's the use of all this internal strife now? If the Crown Prince's position is not secure, not only will the Nangong family lose their military power, but the Han family will also have to give it up.
Han Ye was a composed person and didn't blurt out Xiao Liulang's affairs just because he felt they were arguing wrongly.
For two full hours, the old folks argued heatedly, but ultimately they couldn't reach a conclusion and decided to continue arguing the next day.
After all the elders left, Han Ye returned to his own courtyard.
A trusted guard cautiously approached and whispered, "Your Highness, Lord Shao, who serves the Crown Prince, has come and asked you to visit the Crown Prince's residence tonight."
Han Ye avoided everyone's gaze and went to the Crown Prince's residence.
It was past midnight, and the Crown Prince was still not resting.
"Your Highness."
Inside the study, Han Ye lowered the hood of his black cloak and bowed to the Crown Prince, who was standing by the window gazing at the bright moon.
The Crown Prince waved his hand and turned around: "No need for formalities. How did things go today? Did His Majesty see him?"
"I saw him," Han Ye said.
The crown prince's expression changed, and he stepped forward: "Then..."
Han Ye said, "He also saw His Majesty, but judging from their reactions, His Majesty probably didn't recognize him."
Xiao Liulang was wearing the uniform of Canglan Women's Academy and had his face covered with a veil, so no one could recognize him.
The Crown Prince asked, "What about Xiao Liulang? What was his reaction when he saw His Majesty?"
Han Ye said, "No response."
The crown prince frowned: "No response?"
Han Ye recalled what he had witnessed and remarked, "He's a calm person, which is quite remarkable."
How powerful is the aura of a monarch? There are very few people who can meet the gaze of a monarch without feeling intimidated.
The Crown Prince then asked, "Did he say anything to His Majesty?"
Han Ye shook his head: "No, they didn't say anything. His Majesty was sitting in the carriage at the time, and he was standing at the entrance of Lingbo Academy."
The crown prince said thoughtfully, "Now that you've seen them, why don't you say anything?"
Han Ye analyzed, "I guess either he doesn't know anything about his own background, or even if he does, he doesn't recognize His Majesty the King."
The Crown Prince clenched his fist and placed it on the windowsill, his gaze deep and unwavering. He said, "I cannot let him see the King. If he tells the King about Nangong Li's assassination attempt on him and implicates me, I fear my time as Crown Prince will be over."
A monarch may not favor his crown princess, or even kill her or other members of the royal family, but that does not mean others can do the same. The power of life and death can only ever be held by the monarch himself!
Han Ye exclaimed in surprise, "How could that be? Your Highness is the Crown Prince!"
The Crown Prince sneered, "Shangguan Yan was once the Crown Princess! Did you see the Emperor show her any mercy? He was ruthless when he deposed her. My father is the most heartless and cruel man. Besides, don't forget, Prince Ling, Prince Xu, and Prince Li are all eyeing the Crown Prince's position. None of my brothers are easy to deal with! If they find even the slightest fault in me, I will be utterly destroyed!"
Han Ye fell silent.
The Crown Prince looked up at the bright moon in the sky: "Ye'er."
Han Ye cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness."
The prince said softly, "I want him to never see the sunrise tomorrow morning."
...
In the palace, the little princess, who had been making a ruckus all day, finally rested.
The emperor's bedroom returned to its usual tranquility.
The young princess was favored, and many concubines in the harem wanted to take her into their palaces to take care of her, but she politely declined.
The young princess may seem a bit slow-witted, but having lost her mother at a young age, she is actually more sensitive than most children.
She could sense that in this deep palace, only her uncle, the king, genuinely liked her, without any ulterior motives.
Therefore, she only wanted to stay in the king's palace.
Her small bed was right next to the king's dragon bed, draped with her favorite pink curtains.
The king sat behind his desk reviewing memorials, listening to her even breathing, and his expression momentarily became dazed.
Zhang Dequan carefully turned the lamp wick up a little brighter.
This was the eighth time the king had been in a daze, ever since he returned from Lingbo Academy.
Zhang Dequan dared not expose the truth, nor did he dare to ask, so he could only whisper a reminder: "Your Majesty, it is late, please rest."
The king asked, "What time is it?"
Zhang Dequan replied, "It's almost midnight."
The king put down the memorial and said, "I'm going out for a walk."
"This..." Zhang Dequan didn't dare to stop him, so he picked up the lantern and left the palace with the king.
The king arrived at the cold palace.
He stood before the dilapidated gates of the Cold Palace, remaining silent for a long time.
Zhang Dequan thought to himself, "It was that female student who caused trouble today. Those phoenix eyes of hers really look more and more like the eyes of Empress Xuanyuan."
Zhang Dequan's face was covered in bite marks, and he held a lantern in one hand and fanned the king with the other.
The Cold Palace is overgrown with weeds, and the mosquitoes are extremely venomous; one bite can be quite serious.
The king, however, seemed oblivious to the fact that he too had been bitten several times. He just stared at the gate of the Cold Palace, as if hoping that Empress Xuanyuan would come out from inside.
But how could that be possible?
From the moment you wiped out her entire clan, she will never come out to see you again.
Zhang Dequan could only mutter a few words to himself, not daring to say anything more on the surface.
"Your Majesty, there are too many mosquitoes here. Please take care of your health..."
"who!"
Zhang Dequan was speaking when the sound of a tree branch snapping suddenly came from the Cold Palace, and the king shouted angrily.
Zhang Dequan was taken aback.
The king strode forward and pushed open the gate of the Cold Palace, only to see a figure vault over the wall.
"Protect the king!" Zhang Dequan hurriedly spread his hands to block the king's path.
The king said calmly, "They've already left."
Zhang Dequan thought to himself, "That person's back view looks a bit familiar..."
The king said, "Shangguan Yan."
Is she the Crown Princess?
It's not surprising that she's the Crown Princess.
She was watched during the day and could only sneak out at night to remember Empress Xuanyuan.
"She went that way, send someone to check."
"yes."
Zhang Dequan summoned the palace guards nearby and ordered them to chase after the enemy and investigate, but not to alert them.
A moment later, several people came to report, and the leader stammered, "The deposed crown princess... slipped out of the palace through a dog hole."
The king's expression became quite interesting. He gritted his teeth and said, "Crawling through a dog hole? Shangguan Yan, you've really made me proud!"
Zhang Dequan broke out in a cold sweat. "Your Highness, do you even remember you're the Crown Princess? Amnesia doesn't mean you can let yourself go like this."
"Your Majesty..." Zhang Dequan thought to himself, "Should I take men and bring her back?"
The king's gaze turned icy as he said, "Prepare the carriage! I want to see what kind of trouble she's trying to cause by leaving the palace so late!"
(End of this chapter)
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