Chapter 98

Chapter 98

The Fourth Prince seemed to have anticipated the Eighth Prince's sudden attack. He tilted his head to the side, dodging a powerful punch, then grabbed the teapot from the table and flung it towards the Eighth Prince's face. The steaming hot tea splashed out as the teapot spun through the air.

The hot water splashed onto his face, and the Eighth Prince's expression turned serious. He swiftly sidestepped, snatching a nearby chair and swinging it to parry the teapot.

With a loud crack, the teapot shattered into pieces, scattering across the floor tiles.

The Eighth Prince hurled the chair at the Fourth Prince instead of throwing it. The Fourth Prince raised his leg and kicked, breaking the back of the chair.

They fought without weapons, tacitly agreeing not to use any, relying solely on their fists. After several moves, the table was overturned, and chairs were knocked over, leaving the room in complete disarray.

The Fourth Prince sported a bruised eye, and the Eighth Prince's mouth bled, yet both fought on with increasing ferocity.

After missing a punch, the Fourth Prince scolded, "Eighth Prince, you fool! Everything I said earlier was for your own good, and yet you still attack me."

The Eighth Prince sneered, "For my own good? If it were for my own good, you wouldn't have secretly sent someone to assassinate me."

The Fourth Prince looked stunned, "Assassinate you? When did I ever do that? Why would I want to assassinate you?"

The Eighth Prince, recalling that the Fourth Prince hadn't heard A Tong and Nuo Er's conversation, felt a surge of malicious glee and smiled with an inscrutable expression, "Not only do I know about your attempt on my life, but I also know the manner of your death."

With that, he took advantage of the Fourth Prince's momentary confusion and kicked him in the chest, sending him to the ground.

The Fourth Prince sat on the floor, not getting up, "Eighth Prince, there's no need for you to be so cryptic. Everything you know must have come from that so-called mystic seer, right?"

A while ago, his mother had sent him a letter with just one simple line: "A mystic seer has appeared in the Eastern Palace, knows all, do not show your face in the capital." If the letter hadn't come from his mother, he would have thought it was a prank.

But even though he believed his mother wouldn't lie to him, he still had his doubts. He had killed countless people on the battlefield in his early years. If there really were such supernatural things in this world, he would have died a thousand times over.

Moreover, if the person in the Eastern Palace really was a mystic seer, then surely they would have already calculated everything he had done and said. Why would his mother tell him not to show his face in the capital?

Could it be that the mystic seer could only make accurate predictions if they saw his face?

Last night, he received a pigeon-post message saying that the Eighth Prince was leading tens of thousands of troops towards Qianzhou at full speed.

Although he didn't know the purpose of the Eighth Prince's trip, when he thought about his mother's letter, he was certain that nothing good would come of it.

So he went out overnight to make arrangements, preparing for the Eighth Prince's sudden attack, in case he couldn't handle it.

Just as he finished, his wife sent a maid to find him, saying that the Eighth Prince had already arrived at their residence and that he should return quickly to receive the imperial decree.

The Emperor had sent the Eighth Prince to suppress the bandits. Although the decree didn't explicitly state the reason, it was obvious that the Emperor suspected him of being behind the massacre of the village.

What a joke!

Qianzhou was his fiefdom, and the people of Qianzhou were his subjects. Even if he didn't want to return to the capital, he should have thought of another plan. How could he allow bandits to harm the people?

No matter how ruthless or unscrupulous Shen Xiao was, he understood the principle that 'water can both carry and capsize a boat.'

In any case, even if Shen Xiao had to break his own legs to delay his return to the capital, he would never do something so foolish.

However, he understood why the Emperor suspected him and wasn't angry. After all, if he were the Emperor, he would also be wary of someone as capable as himself.

He was just curious about what the mystic seer had told the Emperor to make him send the Eighth Prince all the way to Qianzhou to urge him to return to the capital.

Feeling very curious about this, and knowing the Eighth Prince's impulsive nature, he deliberately provoked him upon his return, thinking that in his rage, the Eighth Prince would reveal something. As expected, the Eighth Prince did mention two things.

As for why he would assassinate the Eighth Prince, he wasn't particularly concerned. Among royal brothers, when there's no conflict, they are friendly and respectful, but when it comes to power struggles, it's a fight to the death.

But he was very curious to know exactly how he had died. As for the Eighth Prince, he believed he understood him well. The more you feigned ignorance, the more he would obfuscate; the more nonchalant you seemed, the more likely he was to spill the beans.

The Eighth Prince was not surprised that the Fourth Prince knew about A Tong. These Feudal Princes, ambitious or not, all maintained a few spies in the capital for their own protection.

Moreover, with Imperial Noble Consort Rong in the vast palace teeming with masters and servants, it wasn't unusual for messages to slip out.

But when the Fourth Prince mentioned the 'divine calculator,' the Eighth Prince instantly pictured those white-bearded Taoist priests with their street banners, and then the image of a chubby little child popped into his head, making him burst out laughing: "Fourth Brother, you know about the divine calculator, but do you know who it really is?"

The Fourth Prince leaned lazily against the wall behind him: "Whoever it is, I couldn't care less."

Seeing the Fourth Prince's bruised face, the Eighth Prince felt much better and called off the fight. He dragged over the only intact chair in the room and plopped down: "Whether you care or not, I'm here today to give you a heads-up. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to crack down on those bandits, and I won't hold back."

The Fourth Prince: "Go ahead, kill them all."

Seeing that his expression seemed genuine, the Eighth Prince raised an eyebrow: "Do you have any relatives, friends, or old acquaintances among those bandits?"

The Fourth Prince: "Even if I said no, you wouldn't buy it."

The Eighth Prince patted his thigh: "Then I'll really take them out."

The Fourth Prince: "Kill them, better to wipe them all out. Once the bandits in Qianzhou are wiped out, I'll throw you a victory feast."

The Eighth Prince frowned. The Fourth Prince's attitude was unexpected.

Back in the capital, everyone, including the Emperor and the eldest brother, believed the bandit issue was the Fourth Prince's ploy to avoid returning. But now, it didn't seem that way.

Could it be that the Fourth Prince had grown more cunning, his acting skills sharper? But that couldn't be; both the Emperor and the eldest brother had said the Fourth Prince was 'brave but not wise.'

He couldn't see through the Fourth Prince's act, so maybe the bandit issue really had nothing to do with him?

The thought sparked the Eighth Prince's curiosity. He dragged a chair over, sat cross-legged facing the Fourth Prince, and rested his chin on his hand: "Hey, Fourth Brother, level with me, did you really not orchestrate those bandits?"

The Fourth Prince countered with a question: "Why would I sabotage my own fiefdom and people? If it were you, would you?"

The Eighth Prince thought about it and shook his head: "No, I wouldn't."

The Fourth Prince: "Then that's settled."

The Eighth Prince nodded: "Alright, I'll believe you for now. Then tell me, why aren't you returning to the capital?"

The Fourth Prince: "Why don't you ask the Second and Third Princes why they aren't returning to the capital?"

The Eighth Prince: "No need to ask, those two must be guilty. But I want to know what you've done, why aren't you returning to the capital?"

The corner of the Fourth Prince's mouth twitched slightly, but he didn't answer.

Seeing this, the Eighth Prince knew there was something fishy and pressed on: "Do you want to rebel, seize power? Or have you done something shady in the past that you don't want the divine calculator to know?"

The Fourth Prince was silent for a moment, then answered with a question: "Eighth Brother, can you honestly say you've never thought about that position?"

How could he tell the truth? The Eighth Prince immediately denied it, cupping his hands towards the capital: "My loyalty to the Emperor is as clear as the sky. Don't measure me by your own standards."

The Fourth Prince sneered: "You have the ambition but not the guts, right?"

The Eighth Prince raised his fist: "Want to fight again?"

The Fourth Prince quickly changed his tone: "I misspoke."

He sat up straight, leaned in, and spoke with sincerity, "Eighth Prince, it's been years since we last met. We've fought and argued, so why not sit down, have a drink, and talk things over?"

Eighth Prince eyed him suspiciously, "Are you trying to pump me for information?"

Before leaving, his eldest brother had warned him not to drink on this trip to Qianzhou to avoid trouble, and he had promised. A Zhi had also reminded him repeatedly that if he got drunk and felt sick without her there to care for him, she'd worry. So, drinking was out of the question.

Fourth Prince chuckled, "You're not scared your wife will find out and give you a beating, are you?"

Eighth Prince straightened up proudly, "If my wife hits me, it's out of love. Jealous?"

Fourth Prince clicked his tongue, "I know you two are lovey-dovey, no need to rub it in."

Eighth Prince smiled, propped his chin on his hand, and said, "I won't drink, but ask away. I'll decide if I can answer."

Fourth Prince seized the moment, "Did you see my mother before you left the capital?"

Eighth Prince shook his head, "No."

"Then do you know how she is now?"

They used to stay in touch, but this time it had been too long, and he was really worried.

Eighth Prince thought it over. Before leaving, he'd asked his eldest brother what to say, and was told to use his discretion. He figured telling Fourth Prince about Consort Rong might speed his return, so he said, "Before I left, your mother had been demoted to a consort and was confined to her quarters, reflecting on her mistakes."

Fourth Prince's face fell, and he shot up from the ground, "What?"

Back in the capital, within the imperial harem.

Shen Zhinuo, holding the Little General, wandered the harem with her siblings, hoping to find someone interesting, but after checking many maids and eunuchs, they found nothing.

As they turned to leave, an older consort and her attendants emerged from the corridor. Their eyes met, and the consort, startled, quickly turned and walked away.

---

Shen Zhinuo asked curiously, "Dog, who's that? I don't recognize her."

Shen Weiqing, sensing something was up, quickly called out, "Zhao Yi Jiang, wait!"

The system quickly searched for information on Zhao Yi Jiang: "Zhao Yi Jiang, the mother of the Third Prince, has lived a reclusive life since the Third Prince was taken to the Imperial Noble Consort's palace to be raised. Beyond that, nothing more is known."

Shen Zhinuo ran after Zhao Yi Jiang, "Let's scan her and see if we can dig up anything about my Imperial Uncle."