Troublemaker Prince C23
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 23
You Fenyun's exploitation of his ministers was so terrifyingly severe that it was no wonder the sixty-year-old Prime Minister Su already looked no different from a ninety-year-old man. You Yusui further reflected on those years when he had diligently served as Crown Prince—no wonder he had fallen gravely ill from overwork and died.
Therefore, You Yusui felt that his illness must not recover. Father Emperor could dream on if he thought this prince would share his worries—let him worry by himself.
"Why are you feeling unwell again?" Xie Tan set down the tea cup in his hand and looked toward You Yusui, who was lying weakly in Huo Xiling's embrace.
Cui Yan, who was standing nearby, had discerned something, but he merely smiled without speaking, watching as the Xie family's son, who was often praised by his elders for being exceptionally clever, fussed over the Crown Prince with various expressions of concern.
"Alright, His Highness has just awakened and has spoken so much with you—naturally he would feel mentally exhausted. Just let him rest more." Cui Yan pulled back Xie Tan's hand that was about to touch You Yusui's forehead and said with a smile, "It happens that we have a rest day today. Why don't we go together to see the Spring Banquet and leave this place to the young people?"
After these words, Cui Yan glanced at You Yusui and Huo Xiling—the relationship between these two could not be hidden from him.
Upon hearing this, Xie Tan withdrew his hand and looked at You Yusui, saying, "Rest well."
After speaking, Xie Tan departed together with Cui Yan.
The door was gently closed, and only You Yusui and Huo Xiling remained in the room. In the quiet atmosphere, Huo Xiling began nuzzling You Yusui's neck like a fluffy big dog.
The warm breath made You Yusui's neck tingle with an itchy sensation. He wanted to dodge, but his waist was tightly encircled by Huo Xiling's arms, preventing him from breaking free.
"Let go," You Yusui softly scolded, suppressing the tickling sensation.
"I won't let go. If I do, Crown Prince brother will run away with someone else," Huo Xiling said, burying his face in the hollow of You Yusui's neck.
You Yusui understood—this little wolf cub was jealous.
"Young General Huo has quite the temper, eating even this prince's cousin's vinegar," You Yusui said, raising an eyebrow.
However, Huo Xiling behind him said, "If I were already a general, I would have already snatched Your Highness home and wouldn't need to be jealous."
You Yusui couldn't help but laugh. He lowered his head and said, "Then you'd better quickly achieve great military merit and become a great general, so you can snatch this prince home."
"Good!" Huo Xiling embraced You Yusui tightly.
Hearing this, You Yusui laughed even more cheerfully. Huo Xiling, who took these words seriously, was truly adorable, and he himself was also very happy. It was a pity that he wouldn't live to see his coming of age ceremony and wouldn't be able to witness Huo Xiling achieving merit and becoming a great general.
Moreover, these words might just be something he said to humor himself.
Seeing You Yusui smile at him, Huo Xiling had long since thrown away his earlier jealousy to who knows where. He scooped up You Yusui in his arms and said, "Your Highness, I know of a secluded place on this estate where there's a small stream. I'll take Your Highness to catch fish there."
After speaking, Huo Xiling glanced at the bed where You Yusui had been lying.
"As for this place, let's leave it for them to perform their conspiracy."
Then, Huo Xiling personally helped You Yusui put on his outer garment. The red clothing was like blazing peach blossoms, perfectly suiting the spring day. However, that head of black, silky long hair—no matter how hard Huo Xiling tried, he couldn't arrange it properly.
After several attempts, You Yusui took a red hair ribbon and tied up his own hair, then extended his hand toward Huo Xiling, saying, "Take me out to play."
Upon hearing this, Huo Xiling immediately lifted You Yusui up, then carried him out through the window.
Subsequently, the people Huo Xiling had arranged carried the unconscious Third Prince and placed him on the bed in the room, disheveling his hair and removing his outer robe. At first glance, one couldn't tell who was lying on the bed.
Huo Xiling didn't know what the Third Prince and his allies intended to do when You Yusui was alone, but since this was their own scheme, let them bear the consequences of their plotting themselves.
After Huo Xiling's people finished all this, they said to those guarding outside, "His Highness the Crown Prince has just taken medicine and is tired. Don't disturb his rest."
After saying this, the two people secretly escaped through the window, then walked out of the Spring Banquet quite naturally—all of this went completely unnoticed.
After they left, the servants guarding outside voluntarily found work to do, going to brew medicine and boil hot water, leaving the room. The few who remained were drugged with sleeping powder and dragged aside. Moreover, a large amount of sleeping smoke was blown into the Crown Prince's resting room to ensure he wouldn't wake up midway.
After the people arranged by Marquis Nan'an finished all this, they stripped Prime Minister Su's granddaughter down to only her undergarments and stuffed her into the bedding.
Just as they finished, Marquis Nan'an's people heard footsteps approaching and hastily slipped away through the window.
Now everything was ready—all that was needed was for someone to come and expose it.
At this moment at the Spring Banquet, Li Yuan, seeing that the Third Prince had been gone for a long time without returning, felt somewhat puzzled and couldn't help muttering, "Could he have diarrhea? Why has he been gone so long without coming back?"
Not only did Li Yuan mutter, but the little eunuch guarding outside the side room also muttered—his master had been inside for so long, why hadn't he come out yet?
Li Yuan, seeing that the Third Prince continued not to appear, felt somewhat troubled. Without the Third Prince, what reason could he use to go find the Crown Prince?
Just then, one of Marquis Nan'an's people whispered something in his ear, and immediately Li Yuan's eyes lit up—the deed was done.
Li Yuan couldn't help but search around once more for the Third Prince, but the Third Prince and his accompanying little eunuch never returned.
Meanwhile, Marquis Nan'an's person whispered, "This matter must be done quickly to avoid complications from delay."
If Xie Tan or Cui Yan returned to check on the Crown Prince's condition, this affair would certainly be exposed.
Hearing this, Li Yuan also became very anxious. However, everyone knew the Crown Prince had fallen ill from anger and had just taken medicine and gone to sleep. Rashly proposing to go find the Crown Prince now would be impossible to gain support for.
He urgently needed a reason—a legitimate reason to go see the Crown Prince.
Soon, Li Yuan had a brilliant idea.
"What did you say! The Crown Prince actually did such a thing!" Li Yuan shouted loudly.
Quickly, the attention of everyone around was drawn to Li Yuan.
"How could His Highness the Crown Prince arbitrarily expel a scholar from the Spring Banquet? If this scholar were a talented person, wouldn't our Great Jing lose a valuable talent!" Li Yuan declared forcefully.
The next moment, everyone present looked at Li Yuan as if he were an idiot. This happened so long ago—bringing it up now was somewhat sick. Moreover, that Zhang Luren had stepped on the Third Prince's foot. You're now seeking justice for the Third Prince—aren't you afraid the Third Prince will resent you?
"For the fairness of the Spring Banquet, I must seek justice for the expelled scholar!" Li Yuan declared righteously.
"Well said!" Li Yuan's cronies immediately chimed in.
Under Li Yuan's organization and his cronies' support, a group demanding an explanation from the Crown Prince quickly formed, marching toward the Crown Prince's resting room with great momentum.
The onlookers nearby exchanged glances—they weren't fools. Anyone could see there was something fishy about Li Yuan's actions. Subsequently, a group of people inconspicuously followed along.
There were no guards in front of the Crown Prince's resting room. Seeing this, everyone felt even more certain that something was amiss, though they couldn't determine what would happen next.
Li Yuan, however, was smugly satisfied. After today, the Crown Prince's reputation would surely be ruined once and for all.
Thinking this, Li Yuan controlled his excitement, limping up the steps with his bottom sticking out.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, why did you drive the scholar from the Spring Banquet? If you don't give the world an explanation, today Your Highness shall not leave the Spring Banquet!" Li Yuan declared loudly, about to push open the tightly closed door.
Just then, Xie Tan emerged from the crowd and said, "I was the one who arrested him. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
Xie Tan's expression was cold and stern. This young genius, famous from an early age, silenced everyone upon his appearance.
When Li Yuan saw Xie Tan, he couldn't help showing some fear, but still puffed out his chest, putting on an appearance of demanding an explanation.
Then, taking advantage of Xie Tan's inability to stop him in time, Li Yuan pushed open the door.
When the door opened, everything inside was clearly visible to everyone, and the scandalous scene was exposed.
Li Yuan snorted inwardly, then focused his gaze on the bed and nearly bit his own tongue.
"Third, Third, Third Prince!"
"Isn't the one lying beside the Third Prince Prime Minister Su's granddaughter?" someone with sharp eyes said.
"Where's the Crown Prince? Where is the Crown Prince?" Li Yuan frantically looked around in panic.
The person lying there should have been the Crown Prince—why was it the Third Prince!
Soon, the drugged Miss Su opened her eyes, saw such a scene, screamed, kicked the Third Prince off the bed, and fainted while clutching the bedsheet.
The Third Prince, even after being kicked off, still didn't wake up and continued lying on the ground with his eyes closed.
As for Li Yuan, he had completely broken down and was asking everyone around if they had seen the Crown Prince.
A eunuch's loud call was heard, and everyone parted down the middle. The Crown Prince, seated in a palanquin, appeared before everyone. His eyes were slightly downcast like a deity looking down upon all living beings, and that fire-red clothing seared everyone's eyes. Lofty and aloof, blazing like fire.
The Crown Prince seemed different from before—this was everyone's thought.
"Why are you here?" Li Yuan asked with an ugly expression.
You Yusui was seen casually twirling the beautiful long-handled smoking pipe in his hand, glancing sideways at Li Yuan and saying, "If this prince isn't here, should this prince be under Third Brother's bed?"