Chapter 96 The Crown Prince Doesn't Believe My Words
Back in the carriage at Princess Anguo's residence, the atmosphere was so oppressive it could be squeezed out of one's skin.
Mu Yu buried her little head in her father's arms, her little hands clutching the hem of her clothes, round and round.
She knew she had gotten herself into trouble.
The Crown Prince was so angry that his face turned green, and the Emperor's expression was also not good.
Should she not have said those things?
But that's what she saw.
"Little Yu'er, don't be afraid."
A warm, dry hand gently patted her head.
It was Chu Chongjin.
"Did I...did I say something wrong?" Mu Yu asked in a muffled voice, her tone slightly nasal.
“You’re not wrong.” Chu Chongjin’s tone was more certain than ever before.
"You're just stating the truth."
He paused, then added, "However, the truth is sometimes not pleasant."
Yan Ziche, on the other side of the carriage, also sighed. His usually mature-beyond-his-years face was now full of helplessness.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has had a smooth life since childhood, and is proud and arrogant. He is used to being the center of attention."
"In his view, the whole world should belong to him, and there is no room for any flaws."
To him, the princess's blunt "reminder" was nothing short of the most vicious provocation and curse.
"Hmph! What a load of bull, what kind of prince!" Xiao Beichen, who was listening from the side, was furious and couldn't help but punch the wall of the carriage, making a dull thud.
"Good intentions are wasted!"
"If it weren't for Xiao Yu'er, once those black bugs had devoured all his luck, he would have had nowhere to turn to cry!"
Mu Fang remained silent throughout.
He simply held his little daughter tightly in his arms, with such force that it seemed he wanted to meld her into his very bones.
He wasn't angry that his daughter had caused trouble.
He was angry with himself.
He was furious that despite his martial prowess, he was unable to protect his daughter, causing her such humiliation and fear in the face of imperial power.
The little one in his arms seemed to sense his emotions and carefully tilted her little face up.
"Father, don't be angry..."
Looking into his daughter's clear yet slightly uneasy eyes, Mu Fang's heart softened, and he forced out a smile that looked worse than crying.
"Father isn't angry."
"Father was just thinking that if something like this happens again, Father should give him a good beating."
"Keep fighting until Thaksin is defeated."
"puff--"
The heavy atmosphere in the carriage was instantly shattered by those words.
Yan Ziche and Xiao Beichen blushed as they tried to suppress their laughter.
The corners of Ninth Prince Chu Chongjin's mouth couldn't help but turn upwards.
Duke, isn't your method of education a bit... too simplistic and brutal?
Mu Yu was amused by her father's words and snuggled against him like a little ball, her grievances and fears instantly dissipating.
But she was still somewhat unwilling.
Why doesn't the Crown Prince believe her?
Why does everyone think she's talking nonsense?
What she saw was clearly real!
Isn't there any way to let him, and everyone else, see what she saw?
Or is there anything that can prove that what she said is true?
The little koi's thoughts began to wander uncontrollably.
She thought of her brother Yan Ziche's study.
There were so many books there, piled up like a mountain.
Brother Yan once said that the book contains all the knowledge and secrets of the world.
Could there be any records about "black insects" and "merit assessment" in there?
Or, is there any way to deal with these bad things?
Mu Yu's eyes lit up instantly, like two little stars igniting in the darkness.
She's made up her mind!
As soon as she got home, she went straight to Yan Ziche's study!
She wanted to read through all his books!
She refused to believe she couldn't find the answer!
The little fist clenched again where no one could see it.
At the same time, in her sea of consciousness, on the scroll of radiant koi and auspicious clouds, below the [Dragon Gate Progress Bar], a new line of small text was quietly emerging.
[New mission begins: Uncover the truth.]
[Mission Description: Find evidence to confirm the existence of "Earth Vein Inauspicious Energy" and uncover the dark forces eroding the nation's destiny.]
[Task Reward: Unlocks basic 'Auspicious Purification' privileges.]
As soon as the carriage came to a stop, Mu Yu slid off Mu Fang's arms like a cannonball and headed straight for Yan Ziche's courtyard.
"Brother Yan! Brother Yan!"
Yan Ziche was startled by the hurried scene behind him as soon as he stepped into his courtyard.
He turned around and saw Mu Yu running towards him, panting, with Mu Fang looking helpless and Xiao Beichen, who was enjoying the show, following behind her.
"Little Princess, slow down, be careful not to fall." Yan Ziche hurriedly went to meet her.
Mu Yu grabbed his sleeve, tilted her rosy little face up, and loudly announced, "Brother Yan, I want to read your book!"
"Reading a book?" Yan Ziche was stunned.
“Yes! All the books!” Mu Yu nodded emphatically.
Yan Ziche looked at her small frame, which wasn't even as tall as his waist, and then at his several large libraries, and his lips twitched.
"Princess, I have... a lot of books."
"And most of it you probably... won't understand."
"I can understand it!" Mu Yu exclaimed anxiously, "I'm looking for something!"
"Looking for what?"
"Find the black ones, the big bugs that look like cockroaches!" Mu Yu described them vividly. "Also, find those gold plaques that rust, and something called 'Bad Guy Performance'!"
A group of people were completely confused by her words.
Only Yan Ziche frowned slightly, revealing a thoughtful expression.
He didn't dismiss it as childish nonsense, but instead squatted down and looked Mu Yu straight in the eye.
"Little Yu'er, say it again, where did those insects crawl out from?"
“From underground!” Mu Yu answered without hesitation, “There’s a big hole underground in the Crown Prince’s East Palace, like a honeycomb, and insects crawl out of it!”
underground, honeycomb, erosion...
Several keywords raced through Yan Ziche's mind.
His wisdom, beyond his years, allowed him to vaguely grasp a clue.
This doesn't sound like ordinary filth; it sounds more like... a kind of feng shui sorcery.
"Come with me."
Yan Ziche stood up and, with a serious expression, led everyone into his largest study.
In the study, rows of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves exude the stale scent of ink and paper.
Yan Ziche didn't search on the usual bookshelf, but went straight to the corner, moved a dusty box, and revealed an inconspicuous hidden door behind it.
Pushing open the door, an even more ancient and obscure aura rushed out.
This place contains rare and forbidden books collected by the Grand Tutor's family over generations.
“If there really is a record of such a thing, it could only be here,” Yan Ziche said in a deep voice.
He lit the oil lamp and began rummaging through the old papers.
Mu Yu followed his example and began to "look" at it in a very serious manner. Although she was illiterate, she could smell it with her nose.
Some books smell sweet, which is a sign of righteousness.
Some books smell foul; they're full of fallacies.
She moved like a little police dog on a treasure hunt, flitting between the bookshelves.
Suddenly, she stopped in front of a wooden crate that was almost falling apart.
"Brother Yan, it smells awful here!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Ziche walked over, opened the wooden box, and took out a scroll made of special animal hide.
The scroll is very old, with damaged edges, and five characters are written on it in an ancient seal script: "Records of Strange Things from the Previous Dynasty".
Yan Ziche carefully unrolled the scroll.
They found it at the end of the scroll!
That was a record about the last emperor of the previous dynasty.
"...The emperor lost his virtue, allowing the earth's evil influences to invade his body. Above the dragon veins of the capital, an evil array appeared, resembling a spider web, stealing the nation's fortune day and night. Its energy condensed into malevolent forces, resembling black worms, corroding people's minds and ruining their luck. At first, the emperor was unaware, but later his temperament changed drastically, becoming cruel and inhumane, ultimately leading to the downfall of the nation..."
Next to the record, there was also a hastily drawn illustration.
The image shows a massive, spiderweb-like formation covering the capital city.
The nodes of the formation were crawling with countless hideous black insects.
This scene is exactly the same as Mu Yu's description!
“Earth Vein Fiend… Evil Spirit Array…” Chu Chongjin’s voice carried a hint of coldness.
It turns out that this was not a curse without reason, but a real and terrifying evil spell that could bring down a dynasty!
Mu Yu pointed to another passage of text with her little finger and asked eagerly, "Brother, what does it say here?"
Yan Ziche looked in the direction she pointed, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
The text states that a wise man from the previous dynasty proposed a solution.
"To break the Earthly Fiends, the Dragon Gate Altar must be restarted. The altar was built by the founding emperor, who brought the Heavenly Mandate Koi, and gathered the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the faith of the people to purify the nation's fortune and suppress evil spirits."
"The altar... its location is suspected to be in the outskirts of Beijing, in the royal hunting grounds, deep in the White Tiger Ridge."
Royal Hunting Grounds!
Everyone was simultaneously shocked.
They found a clue, they found the key to possibly solving the problem!
However, new problems also arose.
The royal hunting grounds are forbidden areas and are heavily guarded.
How could they get in, and how could they find a forgotten altar from a previous dynasty in such a vast hunting ground?
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