Part 3
Zong Hao stood there, his face hidden by the mask, but his voice was firm. “Your Highness, I have a reason that must be stated now.”
The Prince sighed. He had already reminded the other party that Mr. Bai was willing. Could he really abandon Yousi in front of so many people just because Zong Hao was the Marshal?
The Prince was too confident. He could only act helpless and say, “Then, A-Hao, what do you wish to say?”
The guests didn’t dare look directly at the Marshal, but their ears were pricked up, fearing they would miss even a single word of the drama.
They hadn’t expected to become witnesses to a drama of two men fighting over another. They could talk about this a hundred times without getting tired. Their ears were twitching when they heard the Marshal speak: “I have found the rebellious Second Prince, whom Your Highness has been pursuing. I have captured him, finally fulfilling my mission to provide an explanation to the unconscious Emperor and Empress.”
Zong Hao’s voice echoed clearly in every corner of the banquet hall. Everyone present was dumbfounded. [??] What?
He wasn’t saying Mr. Bai couldn’t get engaged to someone else? He wasn’t trying to win Mr. Bai back?
Is there something wrong with our ears? Otherwise, why did we hear the Marshal say he caught the rebellious Second Prince? When did the Second Prince rebel? And why are the Emperor and Empress unconscious? Since when?
The smile on the Prince’s face froze. It took him a long while to stiffly look at Zong Hao. “What… did you say?” How did he dare? How did he dare speak of the Emperor’s coma in front of so many people? Wait, how could he have caught the Second Prince? He really is connected to that expert, isn’t he?
Zong Hao cupped his hands. “Your Highness, I know you are worried about His Majesty. Therefore, after finding the Second Prince by chance, there was an unexpected surprise. Found along with the Second Prince was an energy stone. It is said to be a stone containing powerful healing properties, the only one of its kind in the entire Interstellar. It is very effective for waking and healing His Majesty. The Second Prince probably realized his mistake and was filled with regret. After finding the energy stone, he sought me out and asked me to bring him into the palace to plead for forgiveness from His Majesty. His fate will be decided by His Majesty then.”
As he spoke, Zong Hao stepped aside. Simultaneously, one of the soldiers behind him removed his mask, revealing the face of the Second Prince that the noble family heads recognized. The golden hair, sky-blue eyes, and that identical face—it was undoubtedly the Second Prince.
But countless question marks still filled the guests’ minds. “B-but how did the Second Prince rebel? And what happened with the Emperor’s coma?”
Zong Hao sighed. “During the sacrifice a few months ago, a misunderstanding on the part of the Second Prince caused a disaster, leading to the injuries and coma of the Emperor and Empress, as well as the injury to the Prince’s leg. But the Prince, out of love for his brother, hid the truth. He wanted to find the Second Prince and thus kept the news of the Emperor’s condition a secret. Now that the Second Prince has appeared, he has no other wish but to see His Majesty once more, use the energy stone to wake him, and then confess his crimes and accept his punishment.”
The guests gasped. My god, what a huge misunderstanding that could lead the Second Prince to attack his own parents!
“As expected of our kind and merciful Crown Prince. This brotherly love is truly touching. Even after everything, he didn’t give up on his brother and even kept it a secret. Truly moving.”
“Indeed. Despite the many wrongs the Second Prince committed, the Crown Prince still protected him. As expected of His Highness…”
“Fortunately, the Second Prince turned back from the brink and even found an energy stone. But can this energy stone really wake His Majesty? Is it truly that powerful?”
“If Marshal Zong said so, how could it be false? He must have tested the healing power within it before coming!”
“In that case, Your Highness, quickly let the Marshal take the energy stone to wake His Majesty. His Majesty won’t blame you later for favoring the Second Prince; after all, you were just caring for your brother…”
Hearing these words, the Prince nearly exploded with rage. He sat in his wheelchair with his eyes lowered to hide his emotions. He didn’t understand how Zong Hao could have teamed up with the Second Prince, as he had never exposed anything.
Or was it that Zong Hao really just believed his words and truly wanted to help by bringing the Second Prince and some energy stone to wake the Emperor?
But how could he let his father wake up? Once he woke, wouldn’t everything he had done be exposed?
While the Prince remained silent, Zong Hao stepped forward and lowered his voice. “Your Highness, I know you mean well, but news of His Majesty’s condition cannot be hidden for long. Since the Second Prince has chosen to atone, why not use this opportunity to wake His Majesty to avoid being blamed by others later? I have checked, and this energy stone indeed contains a massive amount of healing power. Your Highness, given our relationship, would I harm you?”
Zong Hao had wanted to say those words back to the Prince ever since he learned of his true mask.
The Prince laughed in anger, but for a moment, he couldn’t tell if Zong Hao was truly thinking of him or being sarcastic.
Before tonight, he had always thought Zong Hao was just a simple-minded, high-level jingshenli idiot. He sat on a gold mine yet did nothing with it. Zong Hao wasn’t greedy, but the Prince was.
But now, he didn’t believe it. Could it be that Zong Hao has been playing the pig to eat the tiger all along?
Zong Hao’s voice grew louder: “Your Highness, what are you waiting for? Rest assured, I had someone look at this energy stone beforehand. The healing power within it is at least equivalent to three 3S-grade healers. Even if something happens, I will use all my jingshenli to protect His Majesty.”
This guarantee moved everyone present. As expected of Marshal Zong, he’s still so reliable at critical moments.
The Prince looked up and stared quietly at Zong Hao. Because of the mask, he couldn’t see the other’s expression. But in this moment, he knew the other was doing this intentionally—intentionally pressuring him in front of so many people. He couldn’t silence all the noble families unless he killed everyone who knew the truth tonight.
But these were the heads of the noble families. If he killed them all, the entire Capital Planet would be shaken.
Clearly, this was a poor move. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he couldn’t do it.
The Prince was so angry he laughed. “A-Hao, is the energy stone you spoke of really that powerful? After all, it was brought by the Second Prince. He had such a huge misunderstanding with Father before. What if…”
Zong Hao sighed. “I know, but we must try. After all, His Majesty has been unconscious for several months. If this continues, I fear… I must also consider the bigger picture. If the Second Prince still harbors rebellious intentions, I believe His Majesty won’t blame us. At that time… I ask the Crown Prince to ascend the throne, consider the overall situation, and protect the peace and stability of the Empire.”
As soon as Zong Hao spoke, everyone was stunned. Even the Prince was dumbfounded. Whose side is Zong Hao on? He truly didn’t understand anymore.
If he were on his side, he wouldn’t have brought the Second Prince; but if he were on the Second Prince’s side, why would he make such a promise to push him onto the throne?
Or was it that the Second Prince had said that he, the Crown Prince, had done everything, but Zong Hao believed him instead and thus brought the person to wake the Emperor to prove who was the real culprit?
Thinking of this, the Prince fell silent. He frowned and stared at Zong Hao. If the energy stone in his hand couldn’t wake his father, tonight would be a great opportunity. With so many noble families present, the Marshal as the highest commander of the military, and Patriarch Hermann on his side, he could naturally become the Emperor.
But what if… this energy stone really woke his father? Everything would be lost.
However, thinking of the first possibility made his blood boil. As long as he became the Emperor, the Second Prince would naturally become a dead pawn; no one would believe what he said.
The Prince touched the armrest. Thinking that even after using the base’s jingshenli for so many years, he could only cultivate healers slightly above 3S-grade, and he had specifically had those experts look at his father’s condition. There was no way he would wake up; His Majesty only kept a fragile hold on life because of his high jingshenli.
The crowd didn’t dare say anything. My god, why the sudden jump? The Emperor isn’t even awake, and now it’s about the Crown Prince taking the throne?
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