Chapter 36 The eldest prince's twisted hatred
In recent days, the eldest prince Liu Jue has finally seen some light from the haze of house arrest.
Years ago, the emperor, considering that he would be seventeen years old during the Spring Festival, and because of the poisoning of the third prince, he had been confined for a long time. Although he was not completely cleared of suspicion, he still could not find any solid evidence.
He then released him from his confinement and even granted him permission to build a residence outside the palace. This was undoubtedly a signal that the Emperor had not completely abandoned him!
After leaving the stuffy palace and moving into a temporary villa, Liu Jue was immediately surrounded by a group of merchants, petty officials and the sons of fallen nobles who came to sniff out the scent and try to get close to him.
These people praised him to the sky, and poured flattering words like "a descendant of a royal family", "wise and brave", and "will become a great man in the future" into his ears like they were free.
Liu Jue was narrow-minded and self-willed to begin with, and after being drunk on this magic potion, he immediately became elated.
He felt that the unexpected disaster he had suffered before the New Year was pure bad luck, that he had been framed! His father's confinement had wronged him!
This evil fire was suppressed in his heart, making it difficult for him to sleep or eat.
He didn't dare to resent his father, and since his third brother Liu Chang had just recovered from poisoning, he couldn't get angry right away. So, who should he vent his anger on?
The handsome and calm face of the fake prince Cui Xiao instantly appeared before his eyes!
It was this pariah! A bastard who came from nowhere, who dared to use the title of the Marquis's son to speak freely in the imperial study, and even dared to analyze the case in front of the emperor, with the intention of vaguely "defending" him?
In Liu Jue's distorted cognition, Cui Xiao's analysis was not to exonerate him at all, but an insult to his lofty status as a prince!
What right did a lowly bastard have to tell him what to do? What was even more hateful was that if it weren't for Cui Xiao's "seemingly fair but actually useless" analysis at the time, he might not have had to bear the blame and be grounded for so long!
"It's all because of Cui Xiao! That bastard! He's caused this prince so much trouble!"
Liu Xuan roared in his new mansion and threw an expensive jade paperweight to the ground, smashing it to pieces.
Several newly recruited staff members stood solemnly with their hands hanging down, not daring to make a sound.
"I can't swallow this! He must pay the price! Tell me, how should we deal with him?!" Liu Xuan's eyes were red as he glanced at his staff.
Several older staff members looked at each other and advised
"Your Highness, please calm down! Although Cui Xiao's identity is fake, he is still the prince's tutor and his status is sensitive.
Moreover, there has just been a controversy in the palace regarding the true and false prince, and Your Majesty must be paying close attention.
If we move him now, we might end up in trouble! It's better to wait and see what happens, and then..."
Liu Jue was furious and pointed at the staff member who was speaking and cursed him.
"Good-for-nothings! A bunch of good-for-nothings! Just sit back and wait? Wait for my father to deal with him? Then who can I vent my anger on? Get out! Get out of here!"
Like an angry lion, he drove away several staff members who tried to persuade him.
The only person left in the hall was a short and fat young aide named Jia Ren who had remained silent.
This man has a mean face and flickering eyes. He is a "talent" newly sent in by Liu Jue's biological mother's family.
"Jia Ren! What's your idea? Don't be like those losers!" Liu Jue asked, panting.
Jia Ren's green eyes rolled, he came forward, lowered his voice, and said with a flattering and sinister tone.
"Your Highness, why wait until later? We have the opportunity right now! Your Highness is still temporarily residing in the palace, and that brat Cui Xiao is also in Xiefangzhai. We can... find a reason to make him suffer!"
"Oh? Tell me quickly!" Liu Jue's eyes lit up.
"Your Highness, didn't you just acquire a magnificent Saker Falcon? Why not pretend to invite the Third Prince and Cui Xiao to admire it? It wouldn't be easy for us to do something about it in your palace."
Jia Ren chuckled, "For example... taking advantage of his unpreparedness, we could slip His Highness's private seal into his lapel. And then... we could find it on the spot and catch him red-handed!
They said he coveted His Highness's treasure and intended to steal it! Stealing the prince's private seal is a serious crime!
Your Highness can then justifiably... punish him with dozens of lashes! Let his skin be torn and flesh ripped apart, so that he will remember this lesson!
Even if His Majesty finds out about it later, he can be punished for stealing a fake prince, but can he be severely punished for him?"
The more Liu Jue listened, the brighter his eyes became, and he couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh.
"Brilliant! Brilliant! Jia Ren, you really have some quick wits! Let's do it this way!"
Thinking of Cui Xiao being beaten to a pulp and wailing for mercy, Liu Jue felt relaxed all over, as if he had gotten rid of his anger.
The next afternoon, Liu Jue sent someone to invite the third prince Liu Chang and Cui Xiao, saying that he had just obtained a rare Saker Falcon and invited them to watch it together.
Liu Chang didn't want to go at first, but out of brotherly love and a slight interest in birds of prey, he agreed.
Cui Xiao's heart was filled with alarm.
The eldest prince had a deep hostility towards him, and his eyes had become even more hostile since the ban was lifted a year ago. A sudden invitation at this moment was definitely not a good thing! He instinctively wanted to decline.
"Brother Xiao, go ahead. Big brother also has good intentions." Liu Chang advised
"Don't worry, I'll accompany you. It's broad daylight and we're in the palace. He won't dare to go too far."
Liu Chang also noticed his elder brother's hostility towards Cui Xiao, but he was kind-hearted by nature and thought that this might be a way to ease the relationship.
Cui Xiao had no choice but to agree, but his vigilance was raised to the highest level.
Before leaving, he specifically told his personal eunuch, Little Li,
"No matter what happens later, you must stay with me! If someone sends you away, you must find a way to stay nearby. Be smart!"
Although little Li Zi is young, he is extremely smart. He was specially arranged by the second prince Liu Cong to serve Cui Xiao in the name of "lack of manpower". In fact, he was a trusted spy planted by Liu Cong to protect Cui Xiao.
"Don't worry, young master! I understand!" Little Li nodded heavily.
The group came to the side hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace where the eldest prince was temporarily staying.
Sure enough, there was a huge gilded bird stand hanging under the corridor, on which stood a Saker Falcon with extraordinary majesty and sharp eyes, which attracted Liu Chang's amazement.
Liu Jue proudly introduced the origin and magical features of the eagle, but his eyes occasionally glanced at Cui Xiao with undisguised malice.
Cui Xiao kept his nerves tense throughout the whole process, following Liu Chang closely, and Leo also followed closely.
Liu Jue cursed inwardly when he saw Cui Xiao was so well-prepared.
His eyes rolled and a plan came to his mind. He waved his hand in a pretentious manner.
"What's the point of just watching? Come, get some raw meat so that my third brother and Cui Xiao can also try feeding this divine eagle with their own hands!" Several young eunuchs responded and went to get the meat.
At this moment, Liu Jue smiled at Liu Chang again
"Third brother, the other day I acquired a painting called 'Autumn Hunting' by a famous artist from the previous dynasty. I've hung it in my study. The painting is exquisite, and the hawk's presence comes alive on the paper, creating a perfect contrast with this living creature. Why don't you come in and take a look?"
Liu Chang had no doubts and readily agreed.
He turned to Cui Xiao and said, "Xiao'er, please wait here for a moment. I'll go with my elder brother and be back soon."
After saying that, he followed Liu Jue into the inner hall.
Cui Xiao's heart skipped a beat and he thought to himself, this is not good!
He was about to say that they should go in together, but a few trusted eunuchs that Liu Jue had left outside the palace surrounded him silently. One of them said with a forced smile,
"Teacher Cui, Your Highness and the Third Prince are admiring the painting. Please wait here for a moment. This eagle is fierce, so please don't get too close."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
