Chapter 532: The Lifesaver

Chapter 532 The Life-Saving Benefactor

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuntang felt the voice was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't recall where she had heard it before.

The Imperial Preceptor stepped forward and said, "The Crown Prince's passing was sudden, and the capital is far from your lordship's domain. Sending word would take at least ten days to half a month there and back."

"The Empress Dowager probably assumed your lordship was too busy with affairs to be away, which is why she didn't send someone to notify you. It wasn't done on purpose, and I hope your lordship can understand."

The Imperial Preceptor was aware of this matter, and he had also heard of this Regional Prince of Jizhou.

By all rights, for something as major as the Crown Prince's death, he should indeed have been notified.

But Empress Dowager Yuan didn't want Yuan Jiuan to know.

First, he was on good terms with the Chu imperial clan, as their forefathers had once been sworn brothers, bound by shared hardships.

The founding emperor had granted Jizhou as a fief to the head of the Yuan family, trusting him implicitly and never once thinking of reclaiming this treasured northwestern land.

Empress Dowager Yuan feared that if Yuan Jiuan learned of this, he would side with the Chu family against her.

Second, Yuan Jiuan had over three hundred thousand troops under his command, all brave and well-armed. Empress Dowager Yuan was deeply wary of this and also coveted that power.

She had tried many times to take back military power from Yuan Jiuan, sending numerous able officials to Jizhou to negotiate with him.

She thought she could take back a bit at a time, and when Yuan Jiuan's troops were weakened enough, she would strip him of his title and abolish his fiefdom, taking everything from the Yuan family.

But unexpectedly, what was sent back were only the mangled corpses of the officials.

Among them, one official in particular left a deep impression on Empress Dowager Yuan—her own nephew, Yuan Zeming.

She had had high hopes for this nephew, but in the end, all that was returned was just one of his severed hands.

Empress Dowager Yuan sent investigators to look into the matter, but they were opposed by Jizhou officials. Yuan Jiuan wrote back saying her nephew was the one at fault, and he was just doing his job by the book.

Jizhou was a long way from the capital, and Empress Dowager Yuan had no confidence that she could get any justice out of Yuan Jiuan.

In the end, the matter was dropped.

Empress Dowager Yuan thus came to deeply hate Yuan Jiuan.

It was for these two reasons that, this time, she didn't notify Yuan Jiuan about the False Crown Prince's burial or the appointment of a new heir.

She felt it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble, and since Yuan Jiuan wasn't on her side, he would likely refuse anyway.

She only wanted to quickly seize back imperial power—once Yuanchao ascended the throne, everything would be settled!

Even if Yuan Jiuan disagreed, what could he do?

Could a Regional Prince meddle in court affairs?

But contrary to their expectations, Yuan Jiuan had actually come to the Xishu Kingdom.

And now he was blocking the Crown Prince's funeral carriage, preventing their departure.

The Imperial Preceptor felt his head spin. He had planned for everything except this!

Moreover, Yuan Jiuan had clearly entered the capital secretly, without alerting anyone.

Now that Empress Dowager Yuan wasn't here, only he could step up to negotiate!

Seeing no response from the carriage, the Imperial Preceptor spoke up, "The burial hour is almost here. I hope your lordship can do us this favor and let the Crown Prince be laid to rest as soon as possible."

As his words fell, a mellow voice like aged wine sounded from within the carriage. The man spoke lowly, "At least when the Crown Prince was young, I held him in my arms."

"By generation, he should call me uncle. Now that he has passed away at such a young age, how can I, as an elder, stand idly by?"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Go tell your Empress Dowager that at the very least, I must see the Crown Prince one last time. That request isn't too much, is it?"

The Imperial Preceptor's face darkened instantly. If he'd had any doubts about Yuan Jiuan's purpose before, he had none now!

Yuan Jiuan had come to the capital to sabotage their plans.

The very thing Empress Dowager Yuan feared most had come to pass!

The Imperial Preceptor stepped forward and said, "Your lordship, it's not that the Empress Dowager doesn't want you to see the Crown Prince one last time, but the Crown Prince was burned beyond recognition in the fire."

"We feared that opening the coffin hastily might startle your lordship."

The man inside the carriage pulled back the curtain and slowly stepped out.

He spoke in a gentle tone, "It's fine. I've seen all kinds of things—how could I be frightened by a dead man?"

"Master Daoist, open the coffin!"

It was only then that Ji Yuntang got a good look at the man's face. She was startled, yet also overjoyed.

Wasn't this the young man she'd helped fit with a prosthetic leg after his thigh was amputated during the medical skills competition?

Who would've thought he was actually the famous Prince Chengxuan!

Ji Yuntang was delighted by this discovery. She still remembered clearly how, when she first saw him, he had been wheeled onto the stage in a wheelchair by a servant—his face unshaven, sickly looking, wanting nothing but to die.

But a year later, not only was he clear-eyed and full of vigor, his every move exuded nobility, carrying the regal bearing of one destined to rule.

Ji Yuntang's gaze fell on the man's amputated right leg. Unless you looked closely, one would never guess it was a prosthetic.

As if sensing someone's gaze, the man turned and looked in Ji Yuntang's direction.

The moment he saw her, he went still, his amber pupils contracting sharply.

Was it her?

The young woman who had saved him?

As if sensing his confusion, Ji Yuntang blinked at him and pointed to her own right leg.

Yuan Jiuan was instantly certain—the young woman before him was indeed the very Princess Ye who had saved him back then.

Although Ji Yuntang's face was smeared with turmeric powder, making her look plain and rustic.

But those bright, clear, fox-like eyes were the most spirited Yuan Jiuan had ever seen.

One look, and he would never forget.

Yuan Jiuan was somewhat moved. He hadn't expected to meet the woman who saved his life here.

Though he longed to sit down with Ji Yuntang and catch up, the timing wasn't right.

Moreover, the way she was dressed made it clear she didn't want to reveal her identity, so he naturally couldn't acknowledge her publicly.

Yuan Jiuan could only push down his excitement and turn his gaze to the Imperial Preceptor.

Seeing that the Imperial Preceptor hadn't made a move, he asked, "Master Daoist, why are you so hesitant to open the coffin? I traveled all the way from a long way off to the capital by carriage to see the Crown Prince off—don't I even have the right to see him one last time?"

The Imperial Preceptor knew what it would mean to open the coffin. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and soon his back was soaked through!

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