Chapter 591: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 591: Scheme within a Scheme (2)
Xiao Ruiyuan lowered his eyes to hide his cold demeanor. After bowing to the princes, he said to Prince Qi, “It is my dereliction of duty. I will take the Thirteenth Prince back to the palace and personally apologize to His Majesty.”
Prince Qi, upon hearing this, became furious. “Are you implying that I don’t have the authority to hold you accountable and seek justice for the Thirteenth Prince?”
Xiao Ruiyuan remained silent, tacitly acknowledging Prince Qi’s accusation.
“You—Xiao Ruiyuan, don’t think I’m afraid to punish you!” Prince Qi pointed angrily at Xiao Ruiyuan, his rage so intense he nearly wished to shoot an arrow through this detestable person.
Xiao Ruiyuan didn’t flinch, completely ignoring Prince Qi’s threats.
Prince Qi was so enraged he nearly choked on his own anger. His face turned crimson as he hurled accusations of “dereliction of duty,” “disrespect,” and “audacity” at Xiao Ruiyuan, but he dared not take further action. He knew that if he acted out, he would be the first to face punishment upon returning.
The onlookers felt embarrassed watching Prince Qi’s unrestrained outburst, which lacked any semblance of royal dignity. They were too intimidated to interject or to make Xiao Ruiyuan back down. Instead, they kept their heads down, holding their breath, and pretended not to be there.
Once Prince Qi’s tirade subsided, Xiao Ruiyuan ignored him and directly addressed the Thirteenth Prince, who was cowering behind Prince Qi. “Thirteenth Prince, please come with me back to the palace to avoid causing His Majesty undue worry.”
The Thirteenth Prince trembled and, looking fearfully at Xiao Ruiyuan, stammered, “N-No... I don’t want to. I want to go into the Beast Forest with Seventh Brother and the others to hunt... hunt tigers.”
...This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://www.eternalnovelhits.com....
Xiao Ruiyuan’s brow furrowed, his sharp gaze fixed on the Thirteenth Prince. In an authoritative tone, he commanded the guards, “Bring the Thirteenth Prince over. I will take him back to the palace to apologize to His Majesty.”
The guards exchanged anxious looks. Despite their reluctance, they knew better than to defy General Xiao, so they approached the struggling Thirteenth Prince.
“No, I don’t want to go back. Let me go, you wretched servants, let me go!” The Thirteenth Prince struggled fiercely while pleading with Prince Qi, “Seventh Brother, help me! Save me!”
It was unclear whether the Thirteenth Prince was pleading for help to escape the guards’ grasp or to avoid the punishment he would face from Emperor Huian.
Prince Qi was also taken aback by Xiao Ruiyuan’s bold actions. He had always known Xiao Ruiyuan to be cold-hearted and unyielding. Except for the Emperor and the sickly Crown Prince, no one could sway him. However, he did not expect Xiao Ruiyuan to dare “bind” a current prince in front of so many people—this was utterly outrageous!
Regaining his composure, Prince Qi looked at Xiao Ruiyuan’s retreating figure with a deeply displeased expression. “Xiao Ruiyuan, you are being outrageous! How dare you bind a prince of our Chu dynasty? Do you have any respect for the royal family or the Emperor?”
Knowing that today’s events reeked of a carefully laid trap, Xiao Ruiyuan was eager to leave this trouble spot and protect Chu Heng. He paid no heed to Prince Qi’s unreasonable accusations, quickened his pace, and continued to lead the guards away.
At that moment, a panicked elk burst into view, being chased by Prince Heng, who was armed with a bow. Behind him were two other grown princes.
With the appearance of Prince Heng and the other princes, all the princes were now present, except for the younger Thirteenth Prince and the confined Prince Jing and Prince Kang.
Prince Heng was the first to notice Xiao Ruiyuan and Prince Qi’s group. Surprised, he halted his pursuit and asked, “What are you all doing here?” Seeing the Thirteenth Prince being held by the guards and causing a commotion, he frowned, “What’s going on? Did the Thirteenth Prince make a mistake?”
Before Xiao Ruiyuan could answer, Prince Qi jumped in, as if seizing the opportunity. He exaggerated the situation, accusing Xiao Ruiyuan of grave misconduct and declaring he would report this to the Emperor, seeking punishment for his disrespect towards the royal family.
Prince Heng, instead of siding with Prince Qi, scolded him. “This issue is entirely the fault of the Thirteenth Prince. General Xiao is only taking him back to the palace to apologize to the Emperor. Even if you are concerned for the Thirteenth Prince, you should not be so unreasonable.”
Prince Qi’s face showed a flash of grievance. Just as he was about to retort, he received a meaningful look from his older brother and immediately fell silent.
Prince Heng sighed in relief and turned to Xiao Ruiyuan with a warm smile. “General Xiao, Seventh Brother is impulsive and speaks out of concern for his younger sibling. I apologize on his behalf. Please do not take offense.”
The observers, seeing Prince Heng’s dignified and gracious demeanor, felt he was indeed deserving of the title “Wise Prince.” They looked at Xiao Ruiyuan’s stern face and began to favor Prince Heng, feeling that Xiao Ruiyuan, with his arrogance and reliance on military achievements and the Emperor’s trust, had overstepped by disregarding even a prince.
The disapproving glances did not bother Xiao Ruiyuan. He remained convinced that the Thirteenth Prince’s disappearance was more than it seemed. All he wanted now was to leave quickly and return to protect Chu Heng. He responded to Prince Heng’s pretense with polite formality. “I dare not! I must take the Thirteenth Prince back and report to the Emperor. I cannot stay any longer. Farewell.”
Without waiting for Prince Heng’s reaction, he signaled the guards to take the Thirteenth Prince away.
Prince Heng’s face momentarily twisted with displeasure at Xiao Ruiyuan’s lack of tact. He stepped forward to intercept him, seemingly oblivious to the coldness in Xiao Ruiyuan’s eyes, and smiled. “Since we are in the Beast Forest, why not stay and demonstrate your archery skills? Let the guards return to report to the Emperor. I’ve long wanted to see your skills in horsemanship and archery. Let’s have a friendly competition. What do you say?”
Xiao Ruiyuan’s gaze was heavy as he looked at Prince Heng’s seemingly benign expression. He was about to refuse outright but was interrupted by Prince Heng’s next words.
“General Xiao, you are responsible for the safety of the entire hunting ground. Since this is the Beast Forest, which is dangerous, it’s better for you to stay and ensure everything is secure. If anything goes wrong, it will be hard for you to explain to the Emperor.”
Prince Heng’s smiling words contained an underlying threat, which made Xiao Ruiyuan’s expression turn icy...
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