Part 4
Could tonight’s engagement be a play staged by the Marshal and the Prince to push the Prince to seize power and take the throne?
The guests looked at each other and lowered their eyes, unsure of what to do. But they were very clear that at this time, the more they said, the more they could get wrong. The Prince was the heir anyway; if the Emperor really couldn’t wake up, sooner or later, the Prince would become the Emperor.
So it was best not to offend him.
The Prince let out a soft sigh and suddenly smiled at Zong Hao. “A-Hao, what will people think of me if you say that? I have also been anxious for Father to wake up. Since you have found such a powerful energy stone, then let us try it. When Father wakes up, I hope he can resolve the misunderstanding with the Second Prince. A happy ending for all would be best.”
Zong Hao’s voice remained flat, neither joyful nor angry. “That is also what I hope for.”
The Second Prince kept his eyes lowered from start to finish. He didn’t speak and just stood there, as if he had lost interest in everything, leaving only indifference.
The Prince was even more convinced that the Second Prince had said something to make Zong Hao suspicious, but because of their years of friendship, Zong Hao leaned toward him, hence this outcome.
The Prince thought that even with the powerful backing of the base, he couldn’t cultivate a healer who could wake his father. He really didn’t believe Zong Hao’s so-called energy stone could do it.
Once he failed to wake, he’d see if Zong Hao would really push him onto the throne. Even if Zong Hao didn’t, he could have Patriarch Hermann propose it, using the stability of the Empire as a reason that there couldn’t be a day without a ruler. That reason was provided by Zong Hao himself.
And so, the group shifted locations and headed toward the back palace.
The guests lingered behind, unwilling to go. What if he really didn’t wake up? Would the Prince kill them to keep them quiet?
Patriarch Hermann was also in a daze. Wasn’t there supposed to be an engagement? How did the duck fly away just as it reached the mouth? And how did he not know about the Emperor’s condition? The Prince had hidden it so deeply!
Would the matter between Yousi and Mr. Bai… still be finalized later? Nothing unexpected would happen, right?
Yousi was the calm one. He glanced at the old man’s expression and silently lifted his eyelids. Don’t think about it. Barring any accidents, there won’t be any more ‘accidents.’
They should think about how to run if the Emperor really wakes up and the Prince wants to kill them.
But what surprised him most was that the Second Prince was actually the merman they had rescued. Good god, Mr. Bai didn’t say anything. Luckily, my acting was good, otherwise, I would have shouted on the spot.
Fortunately, in terms of acting, he had practiced for years. At this moment, he even looked as if this matter was entirely orchestrated by the Second Prince and the Marshal and had nothing to do with him or Mr. Bai.
As the members of the noble families followed silently, they still hoped it was all just a joke.
However, as they stepped into the Emperor’s bedchamber and the doors opened, the attendants on both sides stood there with lowered eyes, not daring to speak. They had received word that the Prince was bringing people, but they hadn’t expected so many.
Would something happen tonight?
The guests stood at the door, afraid to enter. They thought that if something happened, they might still be able to run. Even if they couldn’t, dying a few seconds later was still a gain.
Yousi was afraid he wouldn’t be able to see the show from a distance. Especially since the energy stone the Marshal spoke of was surely useless—the key was Mr. Bai. But he didn’t want Mr. Bai to be suspected, so he gave the old man a shove.
Patriarch Hermann was hiding behind a familiar family head when his back suddenly felt heavy. He stumbled forward, crossing the threshold first and following the Prince inside.
The guests looked at each other. As expected of the Prince’s faction. Look at that confidence; it’s truly something.
Patriarch Hermann’s mouth twitched. He looked back at Yousi. Other people pit others, but you freaking pit your own father!
Yousi followed close behind with a smile. Disliking how slow the old man was, he gave him another push. Patriarch Hermann was so angry he brushed Yousi’s hand away. Stop shoving me; I know how to walk, you father-pitting brat!
Mr. Bai and General Ning then followed leisurely, neither too close nor too far. After a few steps, Ning Yunyi looked back at the crowd huddled at the door. “Aren’t you joining us?”
Guests: [A threat! This is definitely a threat from the Prince’s close official!]
They lingered, but in the end, fearing offense, they slowly followed.
This was exactly the effect Ning Yunyi wanted. This way, hiding behind the crowd, he could maintain his cover.
Yousi was right; the energy stone Zong Hao brought out indeed contained a fair amount of healing power, but it wasn’t enough to wake the Emperor. The primary source would be his own lingli. However, he didn’t want the Prince to know his strength. Otherwise, if the Emperor woke up tonight and the Prince found out, it meant the Emperor would know too.
There was no guarantee the Emperor wouldn’t covet his ability and become a second “Crown Prince.”
Zong Hao entered immediately after the Prince, followed by the Second Prince and two other soldiers. Ichi had left after leaving the banquet hall to mobilize their confidants as a precaution. If the Prince really decided to rebel, they could fight back.
The Second Prince arrived at the front in a daze. He was just following orders, sniffing the surrounding air to follow. This was why his poor vision hadn’t been discovered. Finally, when he felt his sleeve being pulled, he immediately fell to his knees with a pu-tong. He kept his head low and didn’t speak, looking like he was pleading for forgiveness.
Zong Hao sighed. “Your Highness, should we use the energy stone now?”
Prince: “We still need to check it. The healers are on their way. Please wait a moment. After all, Father has been unconscious for so long; there is no rush.”
Zong Hao locked eyes with the Prince through his mask, remaining calm. “Your Highness is absolutely right.”
Soon, all the healers arrived. Ning Yunyi had even seen the head healer before—he was the one who had previously declared that Madam Ning could not be saved. He now stepped forward tremblingly, took the energy stone as the Prince commanded, and scanned it with a high-tech device.
After a long while, the healer withdrew the device and whispered into the Prince’s ear, “Your Highness, it is indeed the energy of three 3S-grade healers.”
But forget three; they had tried even higher-level healers, and it hadn’t woken the Emperor. In other words… this energy stone simply couldn’t wake him.
The Prince heard the subtext and finally felt relieved. But he was still uneasy and glanced at the healer, who nodded to him. Clearly, arrangements had been made beforehand; just in case the Emperor really woke up, they would simply stop pretending.
The Prince knew very well that once his father woke up, everything he had done could no longer be hidden. Rather than being imprisoned or captured, it was better to fight to the death. For so many days, the entire palace had been in his hands, and most of the guards had been replaced by his men.
Zong Hao was indeed powerful, but two fists couldn’t withstand a fatal blow. Moreover, Zong Hao’s body hadn’t fully recovered. The Prince had raised so many high-level experts under his command; it was time to test their effectiveness.
The Prince then moved aside and looked at Zong Hao. “I believe in you. Since A-Hao said so, let’s try it.”
Zong Hao didn’t speak or look at him. He just stepped forward and had the unconscious Emperor grasp the energy stone, then let the healer step forward to begin activating the healing.
As the healer put on a great performance of healing, the entire chamber was enveloped in a thick healing power. For a moment, everyone’s hearts grew calm as they watched.
At the same time, from several people away, Ning Yunyi transferred a large amount of lingli into the Emperor’s body, beginning to repair his mental sea, which had been damaged by mental attacks.
The Prince kept a close eye on his father’s condition. Finding that there was no reaction from start to finish, he felt relieved. Suppressing the urge to smile, he even began thinking about how to kill the Second Prince after everyone left.
Zong Hao couldn’t stay either. He was so close to him, yet he actually believed the Second Prince’s words and doubted him. Shouldn’t he have trusted him unconditionally?
To pressure him at this critical moment meant he had developed a double heart, so he couldn’t be allowed to stay.
Soon, the healer withdrew his hand, re-examined the energy stone, and knelt on the ground to report: “Your Highness, the healing power in the energy stone has been used up. However, your servant is incompetent and failed to heal His Majesty. Your servant deserves ten thousand deaths!”
The crowd gasped. He didn’t wake up? Was our guess really correct? Tonight was just a play, and the Prince and the Marshal conspired to push the Prince to the throne?
The Prince waved his hand, and the healer withdrew. He sighed and looked piteously at Zong Hao. “A-Hao, it seems the Second Brother lied to you. Not only was this energy stone ineffective, it might even have contained something bad, as Father’s condition seems even more serious.”
Meeting Zong Hao’s gaze, the Prince pushed his wheelchair a step closer to the Emperor. His palm rested on the Emperor’s shoulder. Since such a great opportunity had been placed before him, he’d just let his father… pass away.
The crowd shuddered. What? There was a problem with the energy stone the Second Prince gave the Marshal? The Emperor’s condition is even more serious? Did the healer just say that?
Zong Hao quickly realized the Prince’s plan. He frowned. “Your Highness, you should think carefully.”
The Prince’s grip tightened as he stared at Zong Hao. “I have thought very carefully. I didn’t expect you to cooperate with the Second Brother for your own selfish interests. He wanted to harm Father, and you actually helped him… I originally believed you could wake Father, but instead, you sought this opportunity to help the Second Brother harm Father again, didn’t you?”
Zong Hao said nothing, just looking at the man he had known for decades. He didn’t know what to say and had nothing left to say to him.
Just as the Prince began to put his jingshenli into his palm to transfer it into the Emperor’s shoulder, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist. At the same time, a raspy voice rang out: “Is that… so?”
When his wrist was seized, the Prince was visibly stunned. He was probably so surprised that it took him a long time to confirm that the voice really belonged to his father. He stiffly turned his head to look. Sitting in his wheelchair, his line of sight wasn’t far from the Emperor on the bed. He saw the other’s eyes, awake and bloodshot, staring fixedly at him.
Seeing his father awake, the Prince’s brain exploded with a weng sound. Instinctively, he violently flung away his father’s hand. He didn’t even care about acting anymore; he stood up directly from his wheelchair and stared at the Emperor, speechless for a moment.
The healer was also dumbfounded. [??] W-woke up? The Emperor woke up? How is that possible?
The Emperor gripped the edge of the bed, staring at the Prince through gritted teeth. His memory seemed to return to several months ago. He never imagined that this prince, on whom he had placed high hopes, would actually want his life… “You… you ungrateful son. You wanted to harm me, I can understand that, but your mother… you actually wanted her to die with me! How could you bring yourself to do it? She is your biological mother!”
Hearing this, the Prince looked as if he had heard something piercing. He ground his teeth until they creaked. “My biological mother? She is, but she cared more about him!” His finger pointed directly at the Second Prince, who was kneeling there with his head lowered, his expression unreadable.
“Clearly I am their son, clearly the Second Brother is her fake son, yet everyone likes the second one more!”
“He is a shifter, a gene despised by the world! It was one thing for Father to like him because of your guilt. But what about Mother? She actually cared for him and was more partial to this shifter. Why?!”
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