Would You Like to Have a Drink

Chapter 8.2

What? The Third Prince??! What does this have to do with the dead Third brother again? Zong Hong’s face was astonished.

Even if Pei Qianxue and the Third Prince have a good relationship, if he says such things in front of his father, is this not life-threatening?!

Zong Hongjiu unconsciously took two steps back, calmed down, and felt scornful.

The father emperor never mentioned the Third Prince in the court on ordinary days, and even when he was in command, he never went to the city gate to send him off. One must know that the King of Beining, who was deeply favored by Emperor Yuan, had this treatment, but the Third Prince does not. Anyone with discernment can see that this person was not actually favored by Emperor Yuan at all.

Although Emperor Yuan criticized all the other princes in front of Pei Qianxue, Prime Minister Pei shouldn’t be so outspoken. Did he really think that his father is the kind of monarch that is easy to get along with? 

When Zong Hongjiu, who was behind the curtain, thought that the head of the sad and modest man was about to fall to the ground in the next second, he finally heard the voice of Emperor Yuan.

“You’re pondering more and more about Zhen’s thoughts, you are daring.” Emperor Yuan snorted coldly, his eyes darkened, and his face was without joy nor anger. “For the sake of your courage to speak out and persuade, Zhen will spare your life for the time being.”

“It’s okay to hold the Witch Sacrificial Ceremony. Zhen will create a decree to serve the people and ask them to prepare for the ceremony. As for the candidate for the crown prince………..Who is there?!”

In the next second, the sword placed on the shelf was unsheathed.

With a “swoosh”, the thick curtain was immediately pierced by the sword’s edge as bright as a cold light, which formed into a white arc of bright light. Not far away, all the papers piled on the desk and official correspondence were swept away by the wind, and they were scattered all over the ground.

Zong Hongjiu stood there dumbfounded, only feeling a tingling pain in his neck. He unconsciously reached out to touch it, only to find blood on his hand, and the whole person collapsed to the ground.

Emperor Yuan was standing in front of him with Zhanlu in his hand across his neck. After seeing the unknown visitor clearly, he raised his sword eyebrows and looked unhappy. In the end, he moved the tip of the sword away. 

“Why is it you?”

After hearing the sound, the guards and palace servants who were guarding the door rushed in one after another. After seeing the situation inside, they all knelt on the ground.

Emperor Yuan glanced at Zong Hongjiu, who was trembling all over, and turned his head to ask, “Yuan Jia, what’s going on? Zhen and the Prime Minister are talking about important matters, why did you let irrelevant people wait in?”

The eunuch with all white hair and beard knelt on the ground with his forehead to the ground. “Your Majesty, this old slave is guilty.”

Seeing that Yuan Jia didn’t say anything and directly confessed his guilt, what else did Emperor Yuan not understand?

Anyhow, the Ninth Prince is the master and a servant is the slave. If he really wanted to break in, he wouldn’t be able to stop him.

Zong Hongjiu finally reacted, his lips trembling as he watched the sword, the sword that was among the top ten famous swords in the world, move away from his neck, and suddenly said loudly, “Father! I just saw Third brother in the palace! Not only that, but he also injured my bodyguard!”

The atmosphere in the entire hall was stagnant, and even Pei Qianxue couldn’t help but look sideways. The little eunuch who followed Yuan Jia wanted to bury his head in the ground.

Although His Majesty never said it, which among the palace servants kneeling in Zhang Palace doesn’t know that the Third Prince who died in the battle outside Hangu Pass was a scale of the Emperor Yuan that must never be touched? Even the Eldest Prince, the Second Prince and the Seventh Prince, who also died early, did not have such treatment.

It was not only a scale that must never be touched but more like a taboo. At the beginning of the year, when an old servant unconsciously mentioned the Third Prince, Emperor Yuan pulled his tongue out without saying a word. Only the Prime Minister, who was deeply favored by Emperor Yuan, repeatedly spoke bluntly in front of the tyrant and dared to mention it.

Zong Hongjiu believed in his heart that the Third Prince he saw earlier was a fake, but when he heard the secret conversation behind the veil, he immediately changed his statement, saying that the Third Prince had returned.

He didn’t believe that the emperor who favored him the most on ordinary days would value the Third Prince so much, however Prime Minister Pei wouldn’t necessarily dare to create something out of nothing. 

If the father emperor really valued that Third Imperial Brother so much, to the point where he would not establish a crown prince without seeing the dead body, he should be shocked after what he said, and then immediately issue a decree to send the Imperial Guards to conduct a thorough investigation. In this case, even mobilizing the Imperial Army, blocking the gates of the city, and digging three feet into the ground, just to find the person mentioned who had returned from the dead.

If it was really found to be a fake, then father’s anger will be transferred to the fake.

If  father emperor does not really value the Third Prince, then his act of eavesdropping in the hall today will be forgiven.

However, to his surprise again, after Zong Hongjiu finished speaking, Emperor Yuan’s expression did not change, and he only glanced at him lightly. This look made Zong Hongjiu feel cold all over and his next words stuck in his throat as he watched Emperor Yuan continue to ask Yuan Jia in astonishment.

“When did the Ninth Prince enter the hall?”

Yuan Jia: “In response to His Majesty’s question, His Highness came in about half a column of incense. This old servant reminded His Highness, but His Highness insisted on breaking in, thus this old servant couldn’t do anything.”

As for why he didn’t notify him, it’s because Emperor Yuan personally ordered it, he naturally wouldn’t ignore the emperor’s orders.

Listening to the conversation in the hall, for the first time in his life, Zong Hongjiu, who was kneeling on the ground, felt a great fear in his heart. For some reason, he felt as if something was happening that was gradually breaking away from his cognition and control.

The blood on his neck still continued trickling down his, dyeing his clothes deep crimson red.

However, if he were to be wounded on ordinary days, countless Imperial physicians would come and treat him. But now, Zong Hongjiu was kneeling on the ground, not daring to say a word, and did not dare to lift his head, for fear of seeing his father’s face that was so cold and inhumane.

But Zong Hongjiu couldn’t figure it out.

He could only watch Yuan Jia summon one of his personal attendants, and chose an inconspicuous one instead of the person closest to him.

As soon as the attendant came in, he knelt down on the ground and said tremblingly that they had indeed encountered an assassin in the palace. As for the assassin’s face, he did not mention a word, and when asked, he only said that it was somewhat similar, and he did not dare to use the word impersonation.

That’s right, even if he gave his attendant a hundred courage, he wouldn’t dare to talk about the royal family.

What’s more, this was the personal attendant that Emperor Yuan put next to the Ninth Prince, therefore he knew better than Zong Hongjiu, what can be mentioned and what can’t be mentioned in front of Emperor Yuan.

How could Emperor Yuan not know that Zong Hongjiu had been tyrannical and wanton in the palace before? It was just merely turning a blind eye and tolerating all his actions

Emperor Yuan’s doting on him was more like an old father’s doting on his young son for no reason. Although for no reason, there was still a bottom line.

After listening to these words, Emperor Yuan said indifferently, “Hongjiu, Zhen is very disappointed with you.”

“Eavesdropping on a secret conversation, arguing about your Imperial Brother, shouting in the hall, where are the things Shaofu taught you?” 

Emperor Yuan looked straight at the Ninth Prince who was kneeling on the ground, and threw the sword to the ground.

Zhanlu, who was ranked among the top ten famous swords, rolled to the ground like a thrown rubbish, and lay there coldly and abandoned.

“He’s back yet he went to see you and didn’t come to see Zhen? Lying without making a manuscript first.”

Emperor Yuan did not name who “he” was, as if it was just his name, which was a taboo. However, everyone present knew who the other person he was referring to.

Zong Hongjiu’s forehead oozes cold sweat.

In the end, he was still too young. It was not easy to think of another way of saying it in a hurry, and he didn’t even have the time to think about it so much.

Eventually, he couldn’t hold it anymore, and his tears poured out.

*******

Zong Luo told Zong Ruichen a few words, and after he made some remarks, he sent Zong Ruichen back to the cold palace again and waved goodbye.

After such a mess, Zong Hongjiu probably won’t focus on Xiao Ba, Zong Luo was finally relieved. Next, as long as the matter in his hands progresses, he will find a way to take Zong Ruichen out.

When he returned the same way, Zong Luo still used his old trick to attract the attention of the guards first, lightly climbed over the wall, and walked quickly towards the side hall where he had previously excused himself to change his clothes.

The door at the back of the side hall was still the same as when he left. Zong Luo raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, then ducked in again and locked the door.

He originally thought that after being away for so long, Gu Ziyuan would come to look for him in agitation. That’s why he left a gap when he exited the back door. At that time, he would have a good excuse that he did not see it because he was blind, therefore thought that the back door was the front door and accidentally lost his way in the Lanting Waterside Pavilion, and unexpectedly met Xiao Ba along the way. As the other party helped him find his way again, and seeing him suffer injustice, he would logically help the other.

But since Gu Ziyuan didn’t come, he didn’t need to be so troublesome, he just had to say some words to him when he saw him later.

Thinking like this, Zong Luo turned around and threw down the whip in his hand, and went to clean his hands. Yet suddenly he turned around alertly, his eyes were sharp.

“Who?” 

Across the white silk, his gaze pierced the screen not far away like electricity. The next second, a whistling sound rang out in the empty room.

The water contained in the pan was filled with oscillating ripples, with dark red python patterns swaying on the surface of the water, and a few gold lights leaped inside. It merged with the spotless white and quickly staggered several times before retreating.  The strong wind that swept out fell into the air, splashing a curtain of water.

After the short fight, Zong Luo understood who the uninvited guest that broke inside the side hall was.

Resisting his anger, he gritted his teeth and said, “Yu Beizhou!”

The moment the water splashed down, Zong Luo swept his palm towards the opposite side, and a large portion of the man’s crimson robe was instantly wet.

At the same time, a sudden cold flashed past, and the white silk that was wrapped around his eyes snapped, turning into strips of cloth and scattered on the ground, revealing slightly angered eyebrows behind it.

These eyes were like the stars and the moon. The look that was lost because of the cover up was restored in full. With the remaining sharpness of the brow tip, it added and diluted the deliberately disguised unconventional sick atmosphere, and suddenly unfolded something that was bright.

Yu Beizhou stared deeply at these intact eyes and laughed softly.

“Senior brother’s eyes are so beautiful, what a waste to cover them up.”