Chapter 94 The Crown Prince's Dragon Aura is Subtly Corroded
In Mu Yu's upgraded "Eye of Destiny," an extremely bizarre scene unfolds around Crown Prince Chu Chongyun.
He also possessed the golden dragon aura that signified his status as a prince, even stronger than that of Chu Chongjin and Chu Huaijin, after all, he was the crown prince of the country.
However, at this moment, wisps of black mist, deeper than ink and carrying an ominous and decaying aura, rose from the depths of the earth beneath his feet.
These black wisps carefully and gradually wrapped around his feet and climbed up his body.
Instead of directly eroding his luck as they did with others, they seemed to be... disguising themselves.
The black aura carefully dyed itself a pale gold color that was extremely similar to the dragon aura on the prince's body, and then silently merged into it.
This process was extremely secretive; if Mu Yu's eyes hadn't been able to see directly into the source, he wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.
It's like a glass of clear honey water, with a drop of highly poisonous ink secretly added.
Although the color may not appear to have changed much on the surface, its essence has subtly altered.
What alarmed Mu Yu even more was that she could "see" that as the disguised black energy merged in, the golden canopy above Crown Prince Chu Chongyun's head, which represented the aura of the heir apparent, was being stained with a faint layer of rust at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
It's like a magnificent piece of goldware, quietly rusting and decaying from the inside out.
“Ninth Brother…” Mu Yu tugged at Chu Chongjin’s sleeve, her little face full of nervousness.
"What's wrong?" Chu Chongjin noticed that something was off about her.
“Brother Crown Prince… he… there are many black insects crawling up from his feet.”
Mu Yu struggled to organize her thoughts.
"Those insects could change color, becoming the same as the golden light on the Crown Prince's body, and then they would burrow into his body."
"He looks like he's about to get sick."
Chu Chongjin felt a chill run down his spine.
Black bugs?
He immediately thought of the malevolent aura and resentment that Mu Yu had described before.
He followed Mu Yu's gaze and looked at Crown Prince Chu Chongyun not far away.
Chu Chongyun was raising his cup and chatting with a minister, appearing gentle and refined, with an extraordinary demeanor, and showing no signs of anything amiss.
But Chu Chongjin believed in Mu Yu.
"Little Yu'er, look closely, where did those black bugs come from?" he asked in a low voice.
Mu Yu stared intently at the screen.
Her little eyebrows were furrowed tightly.
"It emerged from underground."
"Underground?"
“Yes,” Mu Yu nodded affirmatively, “Right where the Crown Prince was standing, there seems to be a black hole underground, and those insects crawled out of the hole.”
Chu Chongjin's expression instantly became extremely serious.
He understood.
This is not a curse or evil spirit directed at the Crown Prince himself.
It's... the earth's veins!
The earth beneath the spot where the Crown Prince stands, or rather, the Eastern Palace where he lives, is probably in serious trouble!
The Great Chu Kingdom governs its country with the power of dragon energy, and the imperial palace is a place where dragon veins converge.
As the residence of the crown prince, the Eastern Palace's geomantic energy is closely related to the nation's destiny and the crown prince's personal fortune.
If the ley lines of the Eastern Palace are polluted, the Crown Prince, who resides there year after year, will inevitably be subtly eroded.
This is a hundred times more insidious and vicious than direct assassination or curses!
Because it is invisible and intangible, it influences things silently, and by the time it is discovered, the disease is probably already terminal and beyond saving.
At that time, it would be perfectly reasonable for the crown prince to "die of illness," and no one would be able to find any problems.
What ruthless methods!
Several figures flashed through Chu Chongjin's mind in an instant.
The Second Prince, Sikong Ming? Possibly, but he's far away in the northern frontier, beyond our reach.
The Third Prince, Chu Huaijin? He is narrow-minded and uses inferior methods; he seems incapable of making such a meticulous and far-sighted plan.
So... who else?
"Ninth Brother, should we tell the Crown Prince?" Mu Yu asked softly.
Chu Chongjin shook his head.
"I can't say now."
Go directly to the Crown Prince and tell him that there is something unclean beneath your land that is corrupting your fortune.
Even if the crown prince didn't consider them crazy, he would think they were cursing him.
Especially during this sensitive period, he had just made great contributions in Jiangnan and was riding high. Any action against the Crown Prince would be interpreted as having ulterior motives.
"This matter needs to be considered carefully." Chu Chongjin patted Mu Yu's head reassuringly. "Little Yu'er has already done a great service by discovering this."
Mu Yu nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Although I don't know why I can't say it, if Ninth Brother says I can't, then I can't.
She then began to study her upgraded version of the "Eye of Qi".
She discovered that in addition to seeing more complex colors of fortune, she could also see other things.
For example, some officials with great merit, such as Grand Tutor Su Wenyan, or her father Mu Fang, would have a faint phantom appear behind them in addition to their own aura of good fortune.
Behind Grand Tutor Su was an open scroll with countless densely packed golden characters flowing across it, representing his merits in teaching, educating, and passing on civilization.
Behind Mu Fang's father was a huge black iron shield, covered with marks from swords and axes, representing his achievements in guarding the frontier and protecting the people.
Mu Yu gave these phantoms a name in his mind: "Merit Assessment".
The higher the assessment score, the more solid the phantom becomes, and the brighter its color.
Conversely, there was also a shadowy figure behind some officials she disliked, such as the Third Prince Chu Huaijin.
But it was a hazy gray, like a cloud stained with ink.
Within the clouds, one could vaguely see some distorted images: a jealous face, a pair of hands stabbing in the back, and some shady schemes and plots.
Mu Yu calls this "bad guy performance".
The worse the performance, the darker the color, and the more disgusting it looks.
This new discovery intrigued Mu Yu.
It's like playing a "spot the difference" game.
She enthusiastically began to "review the KPIs" of all the ministers present.
That Minister of Rites, whose KPI for merit is a pen, is writing furiously; he seems to be a pragmatist.
That Minister of Revenue had a huge abacus for calculating merits and KPIs, which was constantly clicking and turning, representing his skill in financial management for the country.
The general who was just saying that she ate her food with rice has a merit KPI of a simple and unadorned long sword. The sword is stained with blood and also shines, which means that he has killed enemies and saved his comrades.
His "bad guy performance" is almost transparent, which shows that he is simple-minded and has no bad intentions.
Mu Yu happily labeled him a "good person".
Just as she was having a great time, a figure blocked her view.
Mu Yu raised her head.
It is Crown Prince Chu Chongyun.
He was holding a wine glass, smiling as he looked at her.
"This must be Princess Xiaoyuer, whom Ninth Brother often mentions?"
His voice was gentle, like a spring breeze.
But Mu Yu subconsciously shrank into Mu Fang's arms.
Because she saw that as he approached, the black mist, disguised as gold, rising from the ground, became even more concentrated.
He was like a mobile source of pollution.
"Greetings, Crown Prince." Mu Yu greeted him obediently.
"The little princess is truly lovely and charming." Chu Chongyun smiled, then turned his gaze to Chu Chongjin. "Ninth brother, you have made great contributions during your trip to Jiangnan, and Father Emperor has praised you highly. As your elder brother, I am also very happy for you."
"Your Majesty flatters me; it is all my duty," Chu Chongjin replied, rising to his feet with neither arrogance nor servility.
"Speaking of which, I recently acquired a few new koi fish for my Eastern Palace, and they are of excellent quality. If the young princess has some free time another day, why not come to the Eastern Palace to play and help me see if those koi fish are being cared for well?"
Chu Chongyun extended an invitation.
This was originally intended as a gesture of goodwill.
But when Chu Chongjin and Mu Yu heard this, their hearts skipped a beat.
To the East Palace?
Isn't that like walking into a trap, deliberately going to that contaminated area?
Before Mu Yu could speak, Mu Fang spoke in a deep voice.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. However, my daughter is young and has just recovered. She needs to rest and is not able to go out."
This refusal was quite abrupt.
Chu Chongyun's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
"It was my oversight. We'll wait until the princess is feeling better before discussing it further."
He didn't press the matter further and turned to leave.
Just as he turned around, Mu Yu clearly saw a cold, malevolent glint of resentment towards her father flash across the gray-black "bad guy performance" screen behind him.
Mu Yu's face fell completely.
She didn't like this prince.
He smiled like a mannequin, and he smelled terrible.
Moreover, he secretly dislikes his father!
On the carriage back after the banquet.
The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
"What exactly is going on with the ley lines of the Eastern Palace?" Mu Fang asked, frowning.
Yan Ziche analyzed, "The palace's ley lines are the head of the dragon veins, protected by layers of defense, making it as solid as a rock. To pollute the East Palace's ley lines without alerting anyone is not something that can be done overnight, nor can it be accomplished by ordinary means."
"Behind this, there must be a master of metaphysics and magic, and he must have an inside man in the palace."
Chu Chongjin nodded.
"Moreover, this man has grand ambitions. His goal is probably not just the position of crown prince."
It undermines the crown prince and shakes the foundation of the nation.
This is no longer a minor power struggle among princes.
Behind this lies a massive conspiracy capable of overthrowing the entire Great Chu.
"What do we do now? We can't just stand by and watch the Crown Prince be corrupted by that monstrous thing, can we?" Xiao Beichen said anxiously. "How about I sneak into the East Palace tonight and dig up the ground to take a look?"
"We must not be reckless," Chu Chongjin objected. "If you dig now, you'll immediately alert them. They're hiding so well; they must have a backup plan. We're currently in the dark while they're in the light, so we must proceed with caution."
"Then... what should we do?"
All eyes turned to Chu Chongjin.
Chu Chongjin pondered for a moment, then his gaze fell on Mu Yu, who was puffing out her cheeks and sulking.
He suddenly had an idea.
"Perhaps, there is someone who can help us."
"who?"
"Thank you, Zhiwei," Chu Chongjin said slowly.
"A healer can not only heal people, but also heal the land. The Xie family has a thousand-year-old tradition and may have unique insights into the geomancy of the land."
"Moreover..." A meaningful smile appeared on Chu Chongjin's lips.
"It's much less likely to arouse suspicion for a twelve-year-old child to go and investigate the Eastern Palace under the pretext of 'finding playmates for the princess' than for us adults to go."
Everyone's eyes lit up.
yes!
The darkest place is under the lamp!
Who would doubt a little miracle doctor who is a "playmate" of the young princess?
The atmosphere inside the carriage finally relaxed a bit.
Mu Yu was still angry about the Crown Prince's dislike of her father.
In her little mind, an idea was slowly taking shape.
This prince is so wicked.
He himself is full of bad bugs, and he also hates her best father.
She wanted to remind him!
Even if he doesn't want to hear it, she has to tell him!
Because she is not only her father's good daughter, but also a little auspicious omen for the Great Chu!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com