Chapter 824: Chapter 822: A Risky Move
The wind howled, whipping up dust and bringing with it waves of coolness.
Watching that tall figure fade away, Xia Ningxing’s nose tingled inexplicably, and her vision gradually blurred.
With a swipe of her hand, her cheeks were already covered in tears.
This departure was fraught with more peril than luck; she prayed for his safe return.
Xia Ningxing quietly chanted such prayers at the bottom of her heart.
Besides Tuanzi, Xia Ningxing now had another person she cared about.
The taste of worry was hard to stomach, and each day in the Prince Mansion felt like a year as Xia Ningxing frequently found herself distracted and daydreaming.
The ancient tis are indeed dreadful; even if a letter was sent by a fast horse, it would still take many days.
And even upon its arrival, what you would know would be events from several days ago.
How is he doing now, I wonder?
This triggered the housemaids and matrons in the mansion to gossip behind her back, saying that their Queen was lovesick for the Prince.
Xia Ningxing: “…”
What lovesickness, she’s simply concerned about her ally, alright!
The person who was thousands of miles away wasn’t having an easy ti, either.
Lu Tingli shed his armor and changed into a simple black traveling outfit; he stepped out of his tent, looking up at the moon in the sky.
The moon tonight was bright, its shimring radiance flowing, yet the more Lu Tingli looked, the more he felt it couldn’t compare to Xia Ningxing’s sparkling eyes.
The flowers blooming nearby were extrely beautiful, yet they couldn’t hold a candle to her beauty.
Soone seeking to ingratiate himself with Lu Tingli, noticing his expression, speculated: “Prince Tingli, are you in a bad mood? Should I grab a couple of won to lift your spirits?”
He presumptuously assud that any man could scatter all vexations with won.
Lu Tingli gave him a cold glare; that sharp, knife-like gaze seed intent on slicing off and tornting the man’s hands, making him tremble in his boots: “Scram!”
As the word fell, the man also collapsed to the ground with a thud.
It wasn’t that he wanted to fall, but rather, Lu Tingli had attacked him with his inner strength.
The man spat out a mouthful of blood, looking at him with a face of shock and confusion, clearly not understanding why he had beco so angered.
Even if he had guessed wrong about his thoughts, surely it didn’t warrant such a reaction?
“My Prince Tingli has always maintained a high moral standard, he’s not one to indulge in just anything!” Lu Tingli’s close guard imdiately rebuked, revealing the true reason on his behalf.
Even if the Prince himself didn’t admit it, the guard knew well that in his heart the Prince was fond of the Queen.
For a person like him, once he took a liking to soone, his heart could no longer entertain thoughts of another woman, not even for a mindless one-ti affair.
The other person: “…”
The guard continued: “Moreover, we have an important mission at hand this ti. If you cause a delay and sothing important is neglected, can you bear the responsibility?”
With such a big accusation thrown at him, the person was so frightened that he was covered in cold sweat, scrambling away: “I wouldn’t dare, I was wrong, I’ll leave right away!”
Not long after he had left, the campsite suddenly erupted with shrill screams of panic: “Disaster, the enemy is attacking our supplies!”
With that cry, the entire campsite descended into chaos.
Lu Tingli’s eyebrows knitted tightly as he took command of the situation: “Don’t panic, everyone on high alert!”
His voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the dark campsite.
Everyone began to counter-attack as if they had found their backbone.
For a mont, blades and swords clashed, shouts and roars rose, and the collision of weapons sparked fierce flas.
A few days later, a piece of news spread throughout the imperial city.
“Disaster! Our grain supply has been ambushed. Prince Tingli is surrounded by enemy forces and has fallen off a cliff. His life or death is uncertain!”
They say his life or death is uncertain, but the cliff is tens of thousands of feet high. What chances could there be of survival?
“How could this happen… How could this happen…”
Upon hearing this news, Xia Ningxing, who was having breakfast in the mansion, lost all color from her face, and her bowl and chopsticks dropped to the floor with a clang, shattered. Tears uncontrollably rolled down her cheeks, like beads off a broken string.
Her already frail body, now like a willow in the wind, staggered backward several steps, swayed, and then fainted from the shock.
Even though she knew it was fake, for so reason her body suddenly rebeled against her mind’s control, instinctively reacting in the most genuine way.
“Queen!”
The maids and matrons inside the mansion beca frantic at the sight of Xia Ningxing collapsing to the floor, hurriedly picking her up in their fluster.
Even though Prince Tingli had t with disaster, he still held his title and was considered to have sacrificed for the country. It was possible that the Emperor would still bestow posthumous honors, aning the Prince Mansion would not fall into ruin but could even gain more glory. Xia Ningxing was poised to beco the sole mistress of the Prince Mansion. Therefore, no one in the mansion dared to slight her.
They hurried to ingratiate themselves with her now, hoping to secure better positions within the mansion in the future.
The bad news about Lu Tingli had swiftly spread throughout the entire imperial city.
Hearing this news, Prince San and Prince Si were almost overjoyed enough to leap into the air.
Although Lu Tingli had always been indifferent to fa and gain, not vying for power, and seed as unthreatening as tepid water, one less prince naturally ant one less threat to them.
So how could they not be overjoyed?
Just as Prince San and Prince Si started to think that the struggle for the Crown Prince position was now just between the two of them, they fought even more fiercely.
Soon, Prince Si was confined by Prince San.
Thinking he had won the ultimate victory, Prince San was extrely smug, believing that the throne was within his grasp and his alone to ascend.
But just at that mont, the Imperial Physician treating the Emperor reported that the Emperor’s health was extrely robust, and living to over a hundred years old wouldn’t be a problem.
Over a hundred years old?
Upon hearing this, Prince San panicked, almost stumbling and falling, his eyes filled with anger and unwillingness.
With the Emperor only in his fifties and in his pri, if he were to live another fifty years, wouldn’t that an he’d rule for another five decades!
Fifty years! What did that an!
It ant that by the ti the Emperor passed away, he himself would be well over seventy!
Seventy is already rare, and setting aside the question of whether his body and energy could hold up, there was the more pressing issue of whether he could even live that long; wouldn’t his chance at the throne slip away entirely?
And even if he did manage to live that long, given his age and waning vitality, how many years could he feasibly maintain his reign?
So, this was absolutely unacceptable!
After gritting his teeth, Prince San secretly gathered his supporters to discuss the matter of staging a palace coup.
After hearing this, everyone exchanged looks and fell silent for a mont, no one imdiately offering an opinion.
This move was risky.
Success would bring him untold riches and absolute power, but defeat ant not only his death but the extermination of all those who joined him in the plot!
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