Chapter 814 The Battle of Drama Queens! (Second Update)
The Cold Palace.
Han had already rested in the east courtyard.
Suddenly, a gyrfalcon swooped down from the rooftop, crashed into her window frame, dropped the small bamboo tube it was carrying in its beak, and then flapped its wings and flew away.
Han was awakened and called Xu Gao, who was on duty outside the door, to check what was wrong with the windowsill.
Xu Gao pushed open the window, and a small bamboo tube fell to the ground. He walked around and picked it up from the yard: "Your Majesty, it's a bamboo tube."
"What's inside?" Han asked.
Xu Gao stretched out his arm as far as possible, trying to move the horizontal bamboo tube as far away as possible, making sure that the mouth and bottom of the tube were not facing him.
With his fingers delicately curled, he steeled himself and swiftly pulled off the lid of the bamboo tube.
He breathed a sigh of relief when no hidden weapons flew out.
"It's a note, Your Majesty."
Xu Gao presented the note from the bamboo tube to Madam Han with both hands. After reading it, Madam Han slammed her fist on the table: "Damn it! They actually captured the Crown Prince!"
Xu Gao took the note and looked at it. It read: "Meet at Baifeng Pavilion tonight at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), or the Crown Prince will lose his life."
The chaotic writing made Xu Gao's eyelids twitch twice.
“Your Majesty, this may not be true,” Xu Gao said.
Madam Han calmly said, "I know, so you should go to the Crown Prince's residence immediately to find out the truth."
"yes!"
Xu Gao agreed.
Although Lady Han is imprisoned in the Cold Palace, she now controls the "king" and the guards at each palace gate have long been replaced by members of the Han family. It would not be difficult for her and her people to leave.
To Xu Gao's surprise, the Crown Prince was indeed not at home, and the ten Imperial Guards that the Crown Prince had taken with him rushed back to mobilize troops, saying that the Crown Prince had been kidnapped!
After hearing Xu Gao's report, Madam Han was so angry that the veins on her forehead throbbed: "Prepare the carriage!"
...
At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), Han's carriage arrived at the agreed location without delay.
Gu Jiao and Xiao Heng were already waiting in the pavilion.
Upon seeing the eldest grandson of the emperor and Xiao Liulang, Madam Han's gaze turned cold: "It's you?"
Gu Jiao shrugged: "Didn't Dark Soul tell you? I stole the king from you!"
Dark Soul did tell them, but Han didn't expect that the two of them would kidnap the Crown Prince again overnight.
She had just knocked the king unconscious when Xiao Liulang came to snatch her away.
The next day she appointed the crown prince, and that very night Xiao Liulang kidnapped him.
Madam Han led Xu Gao up the steps, and she sat down gracefully opposite the two of them. Then she looked at Xiao Heng and said with a cold smile, "It has been a long time since I have encountered such a formidable opponent. Shangguan Qing, you have impressed me greatly."
"You flatter me, Your Highness," Xiao Heng said calmly. "It's getting late, so I'll skip the pleasantries. I invited you here tonight to make a deal with you."
Han looked around.
Xiao Heng smiled faintly: "No need for Consort to look, the Crown Prince is not here. Consort, don't try to stall for time and hope that your expert can find the Crown Prince."
Han narrowed her eyes: "What kind of deal do you want to make with me?"
Xiao Heng said, "Hand over the fake king, and I will return the crown prince to you."
Without hesitation, Han replied, "Ha, dream on!"
Xiao Heng said calmly, "Isn't the Imperial Concubine afraid that I will kill the Crown Prince?"
Madam Han threatened, "If you kill the Crown Prince, I will kill the young princess in the palace! This is not the outcome you want!"
A flash of anger crossed Xiao Heng's eyes: "Han! You would even lay a hand on an innocent four-year-old child! You are far too ruthless!"
"Are you only just realizing how ruthless I am?" Madam Han looked fearlessly at the two young men in front of her and sneered, "You're still too green to fight me! If you don't want anything to happen to the little princess, you'd better obediently send the crown prince back to me!"
Originally, Xiao Heng and Gu Jiao's goal was not to replace the fake king, but if they wanted to open a skylight in a dark room, they had to first advocate for the removal of the roof.
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow and said, "Catching people is no trouble for me. Sending them back to the Crown Prince? You wish!"
"It's you again, you brat from a lower country!" Madam Han gave Gu Jiao a cold look, her gaze suddenly becoming meaningful. "What's so good about following the eldest grandson of the emperor? What Shangguan Yan and the eldest grandson of the emperor can give you, I and the crown prince can give you even more. Why not consider working under me? I will definitely not treat you unfairly."
Oh dear, is this blatant poaching?
Han is very optimistic and confident about his situation.
Gu Jiao curved her lips into a smile, raised her hand, and gently grasped Xiao Heng's hand, which was resting on the stone table. Then, under Han Shi's ghost-like gaze, she slowly said, "What I want is him. Can you give him to me?"
Han felt as if she had been struck by lightning; two grown men... actually...
"Indecent and immoral!"
She was simply unbearable to look at!
Han turned her face away and said coldly, "The little princess is yours! This is the biggest concession I can make! Otherwise, I don't mind fighting you to the death!"
She understood perfectly well that Shangguan Qing wouldn't actually kill the Crown Prince, because if he did, she would definitely kill the young princess as well.
But Shangguan Qing should also know that she would never hand over the king.
The perfect balance that can be achieved between the two sides is to exchange the young princess for the crown prince; that's all.
Xiao Heng said, "Fine, you have someone bring the little princess over, and I'll have my men bring the crown prince over too. Don't try anything funny. If more than five people come, I'll kill the crown prince!"
This was to guard against the Han family sending troops to wipe them out.
Xiao Heng said calmly and coldly, "Anyway, if we die, the little princess probably won't survive in your hands either. At worst, we'll just give the little princess a quick death before we die!"
It must be said that Xiao Heng's considerations were very comprehensive, and his words were very persuasive.
Whether he kills the young princess or not is not important if it really comes to that; what matters is that he can convince the Han family that he will.
The Han family did indeed have a plan to send troops to encircle and suppress them, but unexpectedly, the enemy saw through their plan once again.
He was the same age as Prince Ming, yet he had calculated people's hearts to such an extent.
The younger generation is truly formidable.
Han whispered a few words to Xu Gao, who nodded in agreement: "Yes, this servant will go and bring the young princess over right away."
"Where is the Crown Prince?" Han asked Xiao Heng.
Xiao Heng said, "Now that we have seen the young princess, we will naturally bring the crown prince over."
Yin hour (3-5 AM).
Xu Gao led three people to Baifeng Pavilion. One of them was An Hun, and the other two were the wet nurse and the sleeping little princess.
Gu Jiao looked An Hun up and down. He had been injured by Long Yi so badly, yet he had almost recovered in just one day and one night. Was it the effect of the purple grass poison? His physique was truly formidable.
Gu Jiao whistled.
Xiao Jiu went to deliver the message.
A quarter of an hour later, Long Yi carried the Crown Prince and used his lightness skill to arrive at Baifeng Pavilion.
Dark Soul looked at Long Yi, who had suddenly appeared, and his eyes revealed a murderous intent.
Han was focused on saving the Crown Prince and did not want any further complications. Most importantly, she did not want a fight to break out and accidentally injure herself or the Crown Prince.
"Can we exchange now?" she said casually.
"Let the young princess come over first," Xiao Heng said.
Han hesitated for a moment, then nodded to the wet nurse.
The wet nurse carried the little princess over.
Dark Soul kept his eyes fixed on the wet nurse's back. If she refused to hand over the prince, he would kill both of them with a single blow!
Fortunately, Xiao Heng didn't renege: "Long Yi, give the Crown Prince to them."
Long Yi disdainfully tossed the prince over.
Dark Soul caught the prince.
“Let’s go!” Xiao Heng said.
The two sides did not fight, firstly because they were evenly matched, and secondly because neither side wanted to accidentally injure the other's people.
After Xiao Heng and his entourage left, the Crown Prince sat down on a stool, covered his face which was swollen like a pig's head, and tearfully accused, "Mother...they have gone too far!"
Looking at her son, whose face was bruised and swollen, Madam Han felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She raised her hand and carefully cupped her son's face in her hands: "You scoundrel! How could you hurt your son like this! Don't worry, my son, your mother will definitely get justice for you!"
"However," Han Shi asked, as if remembering something, "how did you end up leaving the manor?"
The Crown Prince took out the note he had been carrying in his bosom: "When I received this note, I thought it was from you, Mother Consort, who was looking for me."
Han took it and looked at it. It was indeed her handwriting. She remembered the matter of the curse, and the handwriting on the letter that had been confiscated was exactly the same.
Madam Han said thoughtfully, "It seems the other side has a master who can confuse handwriting... But didn't I just have Xu Gao remind you during the day not to come to the Cold Palace to see me unless it's absolutely necessary? How could I possibly come looking for you on my own? How did you fall for it?"
The Crown Prince said with shame, "Your subject... Your subject was careless for a moment."
Han sneered, "I think you've become too proud of yourself since you've become the crown prince."
The crown prince lowered his head and remained silent.
Han asked again, "What did they say to you after they arrested you?"
The Crown Prince hesitated and said, "They say... my mother is plotting a rebellion, and the emperor in the palace is a fake emperor."
Han slammed her hand on the table: "Nonsense! Don't fall for their tricks!"
The Crown Prince hurriedly replied, "That's what I think too!"
Madam Han opened her mouth, but hesitated, and then sighed, "Alright, you're injured like this. Hurry back to the manor and see the imperial physician. Besides, with your injuries, you probably won't be able to attend court. Just rest at home for the next few days."
The Crown Prince looked at her and asked, "May I go and visit my mother?"
After thinking for a moment, Han said, "It's better not to. Things haven't been peaceful in the palace lately. Don't come to the Cold Palace to see me."
The Crown Prince said, "May I visit Father Emperor? I was just appointed Crown Prince and haven't had a chance to go to the palace to express my gratitude to Father Emperor."
After a moment's consideration, Lady Han said, "Go and express your gratitude after your father has finished court. But your injury..."
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "This little injury is nothing. Besides, the more injured I am, the more I will remember to express my gratitude, which will surely move Father Emperor more, won't it?"
Han thought to herself, "That's a fake emperor. Why should he be moved?"
But saving face is something you do for the whole world to see.
We certainly cannot afford to be complacent.
After escorting the Crown Prince back to his residence, Lady Han returned to the palace by carriage.
The crown prince summoned a guard and said impatiently, "Where are the lanterns? Can't they light a way?"
"Yes!" The guard quickly lit a lantern to light the way ahead.
The crown prince returned to his courtyard and pushed open a half-closed door.
The guard asked, "Your Highness, are you going to the study?"
The Crown Prince paused for a moment: "It's almost dawn, you really shouldn't be working in the study. Go back to your room."
"Please be careful." The guard, carrying a lantern, walked ahead and, upon reaching the main room, gently pushed open the door and bowed respectfully. "Your Highness, shall we fetch a doctor for you?"
The crown prince put his hands behind his back, glanced back at him, and said, "No need. This little injury isn't worth making a scene. Go and rest. Don't wake me up in the morning."
The guard hesitated for a moment, then said, "Uh...yes."
Strange, has the Crown Prince suddenly decided to go to bed early?
That's true. He's getting old, and after coming back injured, his body definitely can't take it.
The guards withdrew, carrying lanterns.
The prince closed the door, bolted it, paced back and forth in the exquisite and luxurious room, grabbed a plump, juicy peach from the table, and took a big, satisfying bite.
"Is this where the Crown Prince lives?"
The Crown Prince... to be precise, is Gu Chengfeng.
After muttering to himself, Gu Chengfeng immediately exclaimed in surprise, looking at the peach in his hand: "Even peaches are this sweet!"
To be able to enjoy chilled, sweet fruits in the middle of the night—the Crown Prince of the Great Yan Kingdom certainly knows how to enjoy life!
Gu Chengfeng flopped onto the bed, and the soft, bouncy feel almost made him scream with pleasure.
He kicked off his shoes, holding a peach in one hand and resting the other behind his head.
He crossed his legs again, shaking his foot as he munched on a peach and smugly hummed, "That stupid woman from the Han family must still be gloating over how she's a master negotiator, exchanging a mere princess for her crown prince. Little did she expect that what she got in return was actually you, Master Feng! This is what you call... an eye for an eye!"
Thinking of his performance in the pavilion, he sat up and said with great satisfaction, "My acting was so good that I even fooled my own mother, Madam Han. I'm truly amazing!"
It's late, I'm going to sleep now. I'll write more for you all during the day.
By the way, I'd like to ask for some monthly votes~
(End of this chapter)
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