Chapter 86
Liu Ruyan frowned.
Turning around, she saw only a child standing there.
"Where did this brat come from?" Liu Ruyan glared at Mo Yu with displeasure.
"Someone, seize this child!" Mo Yu ordered the eunuch beside her with a frown.
"Qingshi, run!" Li Zhiwei recognized Xu Qingshi’s face and immediately shouted at him.
This madwoman harbored feelings for Xu Heming—there was no guarantee she wouldn’t harm Xu Qingshi.
"Mother, don’t be afraid! I’ll protect you!" Ignoring Li Zhiwei’s frantic signals, Xu Qingshi instead rushed in front of her, glaring furiously at Liu Ruyan.
"You foolish child!" Li Zhiwei sighed, thinking that Xu Qingshi was relying on sheer stubbornness to shield her.
But instead of standing with her against these people, he should have gone to fetch help.
"Hah, so it’s just a little burden. Seems the heavens are on my side today." Liu Ruyan’s initial irritation shifted to smug satisfaction.
Who would have thought Xu Qingshi, that little nuisance, would deliver himself right to her? Today, she could dispose of both of them without lifting a finger.
Truly, the heavens were aiding her.
Xu Heming would be hers alone.
"Do you really think killing us will make Xu Heming marry you?" Li Zhiwei was convinced the woman had lost her mind.
She was the Emperor’s consort—Xu Heming wasn’t foolish enough to wed her!
Hidden nearby, Zhu Hanyu watched as Xu Qingshi was captured and cursed inwardly, Idiot!
But there was no time to dwell on it. He hurried off to find reinforcements.
Yet, what had that woman just said?
That the Prince of An belonged to her?
Who would have thought the seemingly upright Prince of An was secretly entangled with one of his father’s concubines?
And here his father trusted him so deeply.
Zhu Hanyu hesitated—should he report this to his father?
If he did, would the Emperor even spare Xu Qingshi’s life?
Among the few people Zhu Hanyu actually liked, Xu Qingshi was one.
But if Xu Heming truly had an affair with a consort, no one in the Prince of An’s household would be left alive.
Lost in thought, Zhu Hanyu bumped straight into Zhu Jingchen.
"Ow! Which blind servant dares crash into me?!" Zhu Hanyu rubbed his sore backside, his words slipping out thoughtlessly.
Zhu Jingchen, who had been about to help him up, instantly darkened.
This brat!
Daring to call his own father a "blind servant"?
"Then why don’t you open your eyes and see what this ‘blind servant’ looks like?" Zhu Jingchen gritted his teeth.
"Huh? That voice… sounds familiar." Zhu Hanyu rubbed his rear, puzzled.
When he looked up, his heart nearly stopped.
"F-Father! I didn’t mean to bump into you!" Zhu Hanyu panicked. Heavens, if Father finds out I cursed, will he make me copy the Three Character Classic again?
Tears welled up in his eyes, as if he’d suffered some great injustice.
"Oh, now you have the nerve to cry!" Zhu Jingchen cursed inwardly. Little rascal! He hadn’t even scolded him—anyone watching would think he’d been harsh.
"Your Majesty, what have you done to Yu’er?"
The Empress, having just left the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, saw the Emperor glaring at Zhu Hanyu with a stormy expression.
She sighed. Their third son was still just a child—couldn’t the Emperor guide him patiently instead?
"Mother! Waaah—!" Zhu Hanyu clung to the Empress’s leg, bawling dramatically.
"Empress, I said nothing to him," Zhu Jingchen defended, feeling equally wronged.
Damn this brat!
He shot Zhu Hanyu a glare.
"And this is ‘nothing’?" The Empress sighed. She didn’t know how the Emperor treated the other princes and princesses, but he always seemed to enjoy teasing Zhu Hanyu.
Yet their third son was the most easily frightened by his father’s sternness.
"I swear, he called me a ‘blind servant’! I didn’t even call him ‘Little Third’!" Zhu Jingchen protested.
"You really said that?" The Empress looked at Zhu Hanyu in disbelief. Has he grown so bold?
"Your Majesty, Empress, perhaps you should hurry. If the Third Prince has urgent matters, this old servant can assist first?" A nearby eunuch urged anxiously, watching the imperial couple bicker.
"Father, I’m sorry! But can you please save Xu Qingshi?" Zhu Hanyu, remembering his mission, wiped his tears.
He had to get help—fast.
If they delayed any longer, that madwoman might beat Xu Qingshi to death.
"Qingshi is in the palace? Where? What happened?" Zhu Jingchen rubbed his temples.
This boy really knows how to add to my troubles. Before I’ve even settled the older one’s mess, the younger one stirs up more.
He wondered if putting on a good show for Xu Heming today might soften the man’s fury.
"Father, Qingshi’s in the Cold Palace! A madwoman captured him!" Zhu Hanyu burst into terrified sobs again.
Hearing "Cold Palace," Zhu Jingchen didn’t hesitate—he broke into a sprint. After a few steps, he remembered Zhu Hanyu and, without pause, hoisted the boy onto his shoulder, charging forward.
Zhu Hanyu froze, then wailed as he bounced precariously.
Is Father punishing me in some new twisted way?!
"Father, spare me! Even if Prince An stole your woman, don’t take it out on me!"
Zhu Hanyu was convinced his father’s heartbreak had turned him into a scapegoat.
"What did you say?!" Zhu Jingchen skidded to a halt. The eunuchs and guards behind him stumbled, some colliding into each other.
Thankfully, those at the front managed to stop.
But they wished they hadn’t heard the Third Prince’s words.
Prince An involved with a consort?
This was palace scandal—not something meant for their ears.
After all, only the dead kept secrets.
"Father, don’t kill Qingshi! He’s innocent—he’s just a child!" Zhu Hanyu shrank under Zhu Jingchen’s murderous glare, his voice fading to a whisper.
I’m so scared… Is Father going to start eating children now?
But this time, he didn’t dare cry.
Meanwhile, Zhu Jingchen’s mind reeled.
Xu Heming—with one of my consorts?
Who was it?
Damn that Xu Heming! How dare he covet what’s mine!
"Your Majesty, perhaps this is a misunderstanding," Eunuch Liu ventured cautiously, sweating bullets.
If this were true, his head might not stay attached much longer!
