latelenovela Chapter 258 Attempting to Eat Chicken, Instead Gets Pecked
Chapter 258 Attempting to Eat Chicken, Instead Gets Pecked
When Emperor Wenjing's decree reached Prince Yong's residence, Prince Yong almost thought he had misheard.
In the Great Zhao Dynasty, princes could establish their own residences and live alone once they turned sixteen, but Prince Yong had not yet married a princess, so only he and his servants came to receive the imperial decree.
He lost his composure and repeated incredulously, "Does Eunuch Liu mean that the Emperor has ordered me to be confined to my quarters?"
Liu Haifu remained as respectful and submissive as ever, responding slowly and deliberately:
"Your Highness, it is indeed the Emperor's decree. The matter of your guards riding horses recklessly in the street and injuring people has reached the Emperor's ears. The Emperor's intention is that Your Highness should keep a closer eye on the people in your household in the future, and make sure that such an incident does not happen again."
Prince Yong's face, which usually wore a harmless smile, was now as gloomy as the sky before a storm, covered with dark clouds.
He secretly ground his back teeth and saw Liu Haifu off with a forced smile.
Once Liu Haifu's figure had completely disappeared from sight, Prince Yong's face instantly fell, his eyes turning fierce.
Seeing this, Kang Qian, the steward of Prince Yong's residence, cautiously approached and whispered as softly as a mosquito's buzz: "Your Highness, Mo Chang's act of riding his horse recklessly and injuring people in the street happened five days ago. Why would His Majesty suddenly punish Your Highness for this matter at this time?"
Kangxi and Qianlong were somewhat puzzled.
This has been going on for so long, the Emperor should have been angry long ago, why wait until today to lash out?
Prince Yong clenched his fists at his sides, glanced at the imperial guards who were heavily watching over him, flung his robes into the mansion, and said coldly, "Do you think that Father Emperor really punished me for this matter?"
Upon hearing this, Kangxi and Qianlong's hearts skipped a beat, and they lowered their voices, saying, "Your Highness, could it be because of the imperial tombs...?"
A ruthless glint flashed in Prince Yong's amber eyes. "Third Brother is right. Seventh Brother, that sickly fellow, never leaves the house and pretends to be harmless, but in reality, he is cunning and has been plotting in secret. This time, I have completely fallen into his hands."
On that day, after his third brother, Prince Qi, reminded him that the rebellion of the Mongol-Li people in Yuanbei River might be related to Prince Chen, Prince Yong began to test Prince Chen.
How could the fourth brother, who was so precious and noble, possibly stay in a place like an imperial mausoleum?
Since his good fourth brother, the Prince of Xiang, was also going to die anyway, why not ask him to do him a favor before he dies?
So he devised this plan.
He sent men to kill King Xiang.
After killing Prince Xiang, he placed the military order of Prince Chen's residence, which Yan Hong had stolen, into Prince Xiang's hands, creating the illusion that Prince Chen had committed murder.
He just wanted to see how Prince Chen would handle the matter.
If Prince Ruochen were a sickly man who rarely left his home, he would surely be overwhelmed by this matter.
But now, only one day has passed, and while nothing has happened to Prince Chen, he has been placed under house arrest by his father on some arbitrary pretext.
Third Brother was right; all these years, he had underestimated Prince Chen.
With such a deep and calculating mind, he will likely become a major concern for Third Brother in the future...
Thinking of this, a strong killing intent flashed in Prince Yong's eyes.
Liu Haifu's arrival was so sudden that Prince Yong did not have time to inform Prince Qi at his residence.
He worried that the King of Qi would be too concerned about him, so he tried every means to send messages out of the palace.
While Prince Yong racked his brains, Prince Qi was leisurely and carefree in his residence.
He not only knew that Prince Yong was under house arrest, but he also knew exactly why.
At this moment, he was lying in a rocking chair under the wisteria blossoms, basking in the sun. Opposite him sat another man, but the object of his affection had changed from Prince Yong to Li Zhuoyue, the famous "Lingxi Prince" of Shengjing.
Li Zhuoyue was born into the Li family of Chenjun and was the most outstanding among the younger generation of the Li family.
On the surface, the Li family of Chenjun did not take sides with anyone, but in private, no one knew that the Prince of Qi had a very good personal relationship with Li Zhuoyue, the eldest son of the Li family of Chenjun.
Li Zhuoyue leisurely picked up the teacup beside her, took a sip, and relaxed her brows and eyes. "The tea at the Prince's residence is still the best."
King Qi glanced at him and said unhurriedly, "If you like, I will have my steward bring you some when you leave."
Li Zhuoyue smiled, her eyes crinkling, "How could I possibly accept this?"
While saying this to the King of Qi, he turned to the steward beside him and said, "Pack me more."
The steward glanced at King Qi and respectfully responded.
King Qi raised his hand and waved it, "Go and serve tea to Prince Lingxi."
The steward understood that the prince was intentionally trying to get rid of him, so he immediately bowed and withdrew, also telling the servants serving nearby to move away.
Li Zhuoyue took another sip of tea, then sighed softly, "His Highness Prince Yong is someone who can't stay idle. Being confined to his quarters now must be very uncomfortable for him."
He glanced at Prince Qi, raised an eyebrow slightly, and a faint, mocking smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Isn't Your Highness afraid that Prince Yong will be heartbroken and saddened if he finds out that you are using Prince Yong like this?"
The Prince of Qi gently put down his teacup, his brow furrowing slightly. "He's been acting too recklessly lately. If we let him continue like this, it will alarm the Emperor."
Although Prince Yong was young and appeared harmless and innocent, those who knew him knew that he had some unspeakable peculiar fetishes.
Li Zhuoyue's mind raced, and she seemed to realize something, her smile becoming increasingly playful.
"That's true. His Highness Prince Yong has indeed gone too far lately, but fortunately, Your Highness is there to clean up the mess for him. The Emperor probably doesn't know about it yet."
King Qi, unwilling to dwell on the topic any longer, instead asked, "What exactly is the situation in Xiaozhou? Has it been investigated?"
Li Zhuoyue put down her teacup, her expression turned serious, and she nodded slightly, saying, "It has been investigated and clarified."
"The Mongol-Li people of Yuanbei River have been oppressed by Wang Xunzhen for many years and already hate him to the bone. In addition, the Mongol-Li people of Yuanbei River have grown stronger in recent years, and there is not enough of them in Yuanbei River."
"When Prince Chen's men approached them, the two sides quickly reached an agreement."
"Prince Chen promised to avenge the Mengli people and help them gain control of half of Xiaozhou. In return, the Mengli people will provide him with horses whenever he needs them."
There are 20,000 Mongol and Li people in Yuanbei River. If Shengjing is caught in the vortex of the struggle for the throne, they can choose to stand by and watch, and reap the benefits.
Alternatively, one can assess the situation and choose to support one of the factions.
For these princes, gaining the assistance of these 20,000 Mongol-Li people, especially their warhorses, would be like adding wings to a tiger.
It is important to understand that on the battlefield, cavalry is vastly different from infantry.
A brave and fierce cavalryman, when charging into battle, is capable of taking on a hundred enemies single-handedly; his combat prowess and mobility are awe-inspiring.
King Qi's expression changed slightly, and a dark glint appeared in his eyes.
He chuckled softly, "My seventh brother is usually unassuming, but he always does things so meticulously and quietly."
"If I hadn't felt the timing of the Mongol-Li people's rebellion in the Yuanbei River region was too coincidental and hadn't sent you to investigate, we'd probably still be in the dark."
"I truly never imagined that this matter would be related to him."
Li Zhuoyue said, "Your Highness, Prince Chen's plan is a great favor to the Mengli people. If the Mengli warhorses are truly used by him, the situation will be extremely unfavorable to Your Highness."
"If he can benefit the Mengli people, I might be able to as well." King Qi glanced meaningfully at Li Zhuoyue. "As long as the benefits are sufficient, it's not impossible to make these Mengli people grateful to me."
Li Zhuoyue pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly, "What Your Highness says makes sense."
"But this matter needs to be considered carefully and should not be rushed, lest it arouse the resentment of the Mongol people."