Prince Dongping retreated a step, the anger in his heart simply beyond words. The implications in the fire tender’s words couldn’t be clearer. He looked at the fire tender and suddenly laughed once. “Collect his corpse? What collecting corpses? What exactly do you people want to do?!”
Han Zhengqing was truly a complete and utter madman! He cursed in his heart, only feeling utterly exhausted throughout his body, almost lacking even the strength to raise his hand. At this point, Han Zhengqing still didn’t forget to disgust him, still didn’t forget to use his mother’s matters to make an issue.
This made him both detest his own mother and despise Han Zhengqing. Beyond that, he felt even more filthy and wretched himself. Back when his mother was toying with Han Zhengqing in the palm of her hand, when she was deceiving Han Zhengqing, had she ever thought about whether his situation would one day be so awkward?
The fire tender was clearly a shrewd person. He saw through his powerlessness and helplessness, and the smile on his face deepened further, his tone becoming even more unbridled. “Prince Dongping, when going into battle, father and son are soldiers together; when fighting tigers, brothers are closest. You mustn’t get this wrong—your father is the Marquis, and your brother is still in Jinzhong right now.” As he spoke, his eyes rolled around in a circle before finally fixing on Prince Dongping. “Matters have reached this point. We don’t ask that Your Highness help the Marquis with anything—at least don’t cause trouble for the Marquis… If the Marquis succeeds, in the future you’ll be second to none and above ten thousand if nothing else. Being enfeoffed as a prince is certain. The Marquis only has you as his son in his eyes. Whatever you want, how could he not give it to you?”
Prince Dongping only felt disgusted. But even though he was already disgusted to the extreme, he didn’t forget to flash a smile at the fire tender before him. “Is that so? Since he sent you to say these things to me, does that mean if I tell you to do something, you must do it?”
The fire tender looked at him somewhat warily. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded. “The Marquis’s meaning is to have me ensure Your Highness’s safety by all means. So Your Highness absolutely must not be willful anymore…” He lowered his voice. “Something’s going to happen—you know that too, right? His Majesty is unconscious now. Very soon, very soon the spearhead will…” He glanced in the direction of Yong’an Palace, then turned back with a serious expression. “You should still come with me. When you return next time, you’ll be able to openly change your status.”
“Fine.” Prince Dongping nodded. “Let me first go pack up some things. My mother has something to hand over to him. I don’t dare not bring it to him.”
The fire tender hadn’t expected that Prince Dongping, who had just been gnashing his teeth, would suddenly change his attitude in an instant. Stunned for a moment before reacting, he looked at him suspiciously. After a long while, he finally nodded. “Since that’s the case, Your Highness, please go ahead. I…”
As for things Consort Fan wanted to hand over to Han Zhengqing, he absolutely didn’t dare say anything to tell Prince Dongping not to bring them. Otherwise, when the time came, Han Zhengqing would surely want to eat his heart alive. He thought it over, then afraid Prince Dongping might pull some other trick, he gritted his teeth. “I’ll accompany you.”
Prince Dongping lifted his foot and led him to his own sleeping chamber. Qian Ying and Huang Yiqing had already come out to meet them. After news of Emperor Jianzhang’s collapse spread, they hadn’t had a moment’s peace, afraid that something else might happen—in fact, the timing of Emperor Jianzhang’s collapse was truly too inopportune. It clearly indicated that a storm was brewing, harbingers that major events were about to occur.
They couldn’t get a word in before Zhou Weizhao. Thinking that Zhou Weiqi had already gone to warn Zhou Weizhao before, they were thinking they should have Zhou Weiqi go send another message—Emperor Jianzhang’s illness was extremely suspicious…
Zhou Weiqi temporarily had no time to speak with them. After leading people and walking a few steps, he suddenly turned around, pointed at a fire tender who had followed most closely, and said to the Imperial Guards standing before the hall, “This person is a spy who attempted to abduct me. Seize him!”
The fire tender’s head shot up to look at him. His expression first carried a few traces of disbelief. Then after seeing Prince Dongping’s calm and unruffled eyes, he suddenly understood—Prince Dongping was completely without fear—he knew full well that Marquis Jinxiang cared about this son to the extreme. He knew that even if he immediately drew a blade and killed him right now, he wouldn’t dare fight back. Even if caught, he couldn’t possibly reveal the true relationship between him and Marquis Jinxiang.
This person… if he weren’t the Marquis’s biological son, he truly wanted to send him to the afterlife with one blade.
Ever since Empress Dowager Lu and Emperor Jianzhang successively fell ill, the palace had been filled with Imperial Guards. At this moment, the fully vigilant Imperial Guards reacted almost instantly, charging straight at that fire tender.
The fire tender’s martial arts skills were formidable, but facing more than ten Imperial Guards swarming over in groups, he gradually became somewhat unable to hold them off.
Qian Ying and Huang Yiqing jogged breathlessly to Prince Dongping’s side, staring wide-eyed and somewhat at a loss. “Your Highness, this is…”
Zhou Weiqi sighed, a trace of mockery floating in his eyes, but deeper was disgust. “Another bedbug from Han Zhengqing.”
Truly foul beyond endurance. He quietly repeated everything the fire tender had said to them once. Seeing the fire tender had already been pinned to the ground, he stepped forward and looked down from his superior position with hands clasped behind his back at the fire tender whose face was pressed to the ground, letting out a cold laugh. “He is a traitorous rebel subject. I am an orthodox imperial grandson. You’re in a stinking ditch—do you think others must also flock to stinking ditches?”
Qian Ying came to his senses. After glancing at that person, he turned to look at Prince Dongping. “Your Highness, we must inform the Grand Consort.”
Now that Emperor Jianzhang was unconscious and Empress Dowager Lu’s illness was difficult to bear, only Zhou Weizhao could take charge of the overall situation. To avoid misunderstandings, this matter still had to be quickly reported to Yong’an Palace.
Moreover, the implications in this person’s words were all very strange—something about great disaster arriving, something about upheaval. Right now, aside from Emperor Jianzhang’s illness… what else could be made into a major issue?
And as for Emperor Jianzhang’s illness, Qian Ying’s eyelid jumped.
If these people were truly making an issue of Emperor Jianzhang’s illness, that would be simply too terrifying. There truly would be upheaval.
Zhou Weiqi nodded. “We must inform them.” He looked at Jiang Hong who came rushing over urgently and instructed him in a composed tone, “This person is Han Zhengqing’s spy. He spoke crazy ravings to me attempting to disturb people’s hearts. You all hand him over to Commander Lai for disposal.”
The fire tender clenched his fists, wanting to bite his tongue. Jiang Hong had already swiftly bent down and grabbed his jaw, using force with a clang to dislocate his jaw. Only then did he kick him twice like kicking a dead pig, ordered people to haul him up, and solemnly cupped his hands again toward Prince Dongping. “This subject takes his leave.”
Qian Ying hurriedly rushed forward. “Your Highness, should we make a trip to Yong’an Palace…?”
Prince Dongping nodded.