AWB Chapter 160 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (38)
Chapter 160 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (38)
The eunuch Wan and the emperor exchanged a glance, then the eunuch dismissed the unimportant people around them and returned to his own bedchamber.
Beneath the sleeping quarters, there is another secret chamber.
Neither Jingli nor 6058 were able to discover this secret room, not only because neither of them had any reason to approach the emperor's bedroom, but also because, like in the previous two worlds, the existence of this secret room was obscured by the shadows.
The world is heavily polluted, and even if Jingli went outside the emperor's bedroom, he probably wouldn't be able to find out that there is a secret room underground.
There is also a formation inside the secret room.
If Jingli and 6058 were here, they would find that this formation is very similar to the formations in the cave and the East Palace, but with slight differences.
Just as 6058 had previously stated, this formation is absorbing power.
The emperor sat in the center of the formation, feeling the newly established connection.
Eunuch Wan then took out a box from a hidden compartment. Inside the box was a note—a message that had just been sent by the Crown Prince's spies.
"Entering the spring is no different."
Eunuch Wan breathed a sigh of relief, completely dispelling his suspicions about Jingli.
He can fool the magic water once, but what about twice, three times, or countless times?
Divine water is a miracle born along with the descent of the gods. How can a mere mortal like Jingli compare to divine power?
Perhaps this third prince truly inherited the emperor's bloodline and escaped the prophecy of being the son of a goddess.
Seeing that Eunuch Wan looked relaxed, he chuckled and asked:
"how?"
Eunuch Wan shook his head helplessly: "This instrument of mine is indeed useless, it has even begun to question the judgment of the divine water. His Highness the Third Prince soaked in the cold spring today and there was nothing wrong with him."
The emperor chuckled, "I see that young Yin is quite clever. Once the power of the divine jade within this vessel dissipates, I will bestow upon him a pot of divine drink."
Xiao Yinzi is the same Xiao Gonggong who gave Jingli a popular science lesson on the sacred water yesterday.
Divine Water can only be used by those who are related to the late emperor by blood, while Divine Drink can be used by those who are not related by blood, such as Eunuch Wan. However, using this method will accelerate the aging of the body, so one can only stay by the emperor's side and be constantly nourished by the formation.
The emperor's meaning was that he had already chosen the next suitable candidate for Eunuch Wan.
After expressing his gratitude, Eunuch Wan sat cross-legged outside the formation and asked, "Your Majesty, how is the connection between the Third Prince and you?"
The emperor was visibly delighted at the mention of this.
"It went much more smoothly than last time; I could even feel the surging power within me."
He closed his eyes and savored the moment.
"I have a premonition that with this goddess's son as my vessel, I will be able to obtain more energy for the gods, and at that time, divine blessings will be abundant."
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Wan bent down and made a strange gesture, saying in a long voice, "The gods are merciful."
The two then devoutly worshipped what they called the "gods" in this manner.
At the same time, Jingli also discovered several spies in the Eastern Palace.
Upon entering the Eastern Palace, he used his energy as a shield to cover the entire area, and all the palace servants, guards, and secret agents sent by the emperor were within his energy perception.
Of course, not all of these people wear eyeliner, and even those who do wear eyeliner vary in intensity.
After he finished bathing, the young eunuch from yesterday hurriedly wrote something down and handed it to the guard on duty at the gate. Then, the guard went in the direction of the emperor.
In addition, he was surrounded by countless gazes.
Among them were Langyue's guards and the emperor's secret guards.
Just now, Yu An's corruption value dropped by two points, while his favorability value surged by 20 points, directly breaking through the first stage limit.
According to the counterfeit system's judgment, once the second stage begins, Yu An's attitude towards him has upgraded from "friend" to "close friend," someone he can entrust his back to.
It seems he already had a plan in mind.
However, the Eastern Palace is clearly not a place for conversation. If an illusion had to be set up for every discussion, it would be a waste, even if it wasn't unaffordable.
The future holds countless smaller worlds to explore, with the level of danger gradually increasing. Jingli doesn't want to be caught off guard by a lack of resources in the future.
Therefore, he summoned Jingjing and said, "Tell Xiao'an to come with me to visit the Empress Dowager's palace."
After Langyue was crowned empress, Jingli changed his address for her from "mother" to "Empress Dowager".
The Gui Palace where she now lives is simply a renamed version of their former palace. Although there are spies sent by the emperor, it is, after all, her own territory and has its own unique features.
For example, beneath Jingli's previous sleeping quarters, there was actually a small, hidden space. Jingli had previously explored it with her energy. This space connected to the side hall, Langyue's sleeping quarters, and Jingli's sleeping quarters, leading all the way to the outside of Guigong Palace, beyond the living quarters of the palace servants. It was probably a life-saving passage.
With the support of energy, Jingli only needs to set up an isolation array to use it as a "meeting room".
When the group arrived, Langyue had not yet returned. She was probably having a gathering with the other ladies. News of Jingli's visit had already spread, and she would likely return soon.
This period of time is enough for Jingli and Yu'an to express their stances to each other.
Jingli made arrangements with Eunuch Yin in Gui Palace, then went to sit in her previous bedchamber for a while, leaving him outside until Langyue returned and informed him.
Upon entering the bedchamber and closing the door, Jingli discreetly placed a sedative talisman on each of the palace servants inside. He then took out two more talismans and stuck them on two pillars in the room.
The next moment, he conjured a pen out of thin air and gestured around.
Yu An couldn't see what he was doing, but he could vaguely see a faint golden light floating around him, followed by a familiar, comforting feeling.
Jingli didn't explain, but simply smiled, took his hand, and opened the passage leading to the underground space.
He just set up an illusion array here and used two puppet talismans.
After entering the passage, he waved his hand to remove the sleeping charms from the palace servants. In their eyes, it was only a blink of an eye. Jingli and Yu'an then began to practice their movement techniques and discuss their experiences inside the room.
Compared to the prop cards, the talismans and formations in the scene have a smaller range and slightly weaker abilities. They also require time to make and, due to the influence of pollution, cannot cover the entire East Palace with a wave of the hand like the prop cards.
But the benefits are obvious: it is renewable.
With the help of "learning by analogy", the array formations and talisman techniques he learned in the previous world were enhanced to a certain extent. He might not be as good as the immortals in fantasy novels, but in this level of small world, he could reach the master level and easily bewitch the ordinary people in the palace.
Jingli didn't say much, and pulled Yu An into the underground secret room.
Just as Jingli had envisioned, this secret room contained not only some miscellaneous items but also some easily portable valuables, serving as a life-saving passage.
It's unclear whether Langyue is taking precautions or has other plans.
"Your Highness, what brings Xiao An here?"
Jingli raised her index finger to her lips, gesturing for him to be quiet. Then, she took out a pen and drew an isolation formation.
With these multiple safeguards in place, there's no need to worry about this area being exposed.
Putting down his pen, Jingli then looked at Yu An.
“You can speak now.” Jing Li lifted her chin and chuckled, “Yu An.”
Yu An's heart tightened, and he subconsciously drew the soft knife hidden in his sleeve, pointing it at Jing Li.
The docility in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by the ferocity of a bloodthirsty beast.
The eyes, paired with his disguised face, made Jingli feel somewhat out of place. Then, her pink eyes lit up, and this time, Jingli did not hide them.
Seeing this scene, Yu An was even more surprised and couldn't help but grip the knife in his hand even tighter.
He was only a step away from Jingli; he could easily thrust his knife out and seize the Crown Prince's life.
In such a cramped environment, Jingli's agility was no match for Yu An.
But Yu An simply didn't have it.
"Jingli's display of skill just now was too shocking; it would be better to be more conservative," Yu An explained to himself.
Jingli wasn't frightened by him; instead, she shook her head helplessly.
"You were like this when we first met. Back then, you didn't want to hurt me, and now you're leaving room for me as well."
"When did Your Highness find out?"
Yu An refers to his own surname.
After the Jing family seized imperial power, the Yu surname almost disappeared.
Since emerging from the slave camp, Yu An had always used the name "Yuan An." He was certain that he had never let his guard down and had been exposed, which could only mean that Jing Li already knew.
Sure enough, Jingli replied, "I knew it the first day I met you."
Yu An remained silent, only frowning as he looked at Jing Li.
The Yu An before me finally looked just like the one I first met.
The fact that the counterfeit system remained silent indicates that Yu An's trust in Jing Li has not diminished.
Jingli was still smiling: "Xiao An, you don't need to be nervous. Since I brought you here, it's because I don't want to hide anything from you."
He observed Yu An's expression and continued, "I know your background and what you think. As I said before, I share the same goal as you and I will help you. But if you are unwilling, we can pretend that nothing happened today and everything will remain the same as before."
That being said, Jingli was determined to secure this collaboration.
In Jing Li's eyes, Yu An's pretty face frowned, her expression becoming serious. After a long while, he sheathed his knife and asked:
"When you took me away from the slaves, you already had a plan in mind, didn't you?"
Yu An's questions were all affirmative.
Jingli readily agreed.
Yu An was still puzzled: "How old were you back then? How could you..."
Jingli interrupted him: "You're not much older than me. Are you the only one allowed to have lofty ambitions at such a young age, but I can't?"
Yu An was speechless.
"Besides, as I said, I have some opportunities."
Jingli shook his head, looking quite proud.
Yu An wanted to ask what the opportunity was, but thinking that such mysterious things couldn't be explained in a short time, he instead asked:
"What does Your Highness intend to do?"
Jingli's smile became even more pronounced.
"Returning the item to its rightful owner and getting back on track."
·
Langyue had just finished her routine gathering with several ladies and returned to Gui Palace when she saw Eunuch Yin waiting at the door.
"Slave, please see the Queen."
Lang Yue knew he was sent by the emperor, so she waved her hand and said with slight impatience, "Get up. Where is the crown prince?"
"His Highness is in his bedchamber. This servant will go and inform him immediately."
At this point, Jingli and Yu'an had finished their brief communication. Yu'an's favorability fluctuated and reached 12/100 in the second stage.
After returning to his bedchamber, Jingli used the sleeping talisman again, removed the puppet talisman, and shut down the formation.
Before Eunuch Yin could announce her arrival, Jingli sensed Langyue's arrival and went out on her own.
"Mother!"
Upon hearing this, Langyue glanced at Jingli. This child is now the Crown Prince, yet he still has no manners.
But she didn't say anything in the end.
The emperor never commented on Jingli's recklessness, and she didn't need to say anything in front of everyone.
Why did you decide to come over at this time today?
There has always been a rule in the palace to pay respects to the Empress. However, both mother and son have just been conferred titles and are very busy. Jingli is now the Crown Prince and no longer has to go to the Imperial Study to study as before. Naturally, he no longer needs to have lunch with Langyue.
Lang Yue had thought she wouldn't see Jing Li for a while, but unexpectedly, the guy came by himself.
Jingli still affectionately nestled close to the bright moon, just like when she was a child.
“I came because I missed my mother.”
Langyue's expression softened, and the weariness from dealing with genuine and insincere compliments dissipated.
She dismissed the palace servants and led Jingli to the side hall, saying, "Since we've been to Zixing Palace, it's been a long time since we had a long talk. Today, Li'er, please keep Mother company."
These words were spoken to Jingli, and also to the palace servants.
Jingli had a vague feeling that her conversation with Langyue today might clear up some of the fog.
He gave Yu An a look, and Yu An understood, quietly retreating and disappearing in a few moments.
Lang Yue noticed this little action, but she pretended not to notice and led Jing Li into the side hall.
“Li’er, now that you are the Crown Prince, you should not be so carefree. You should be more restrained when there are outsiders around.
As Langyue spoke, she waved to the side and said, "You've grown a lot taller recently. Your mother ordered some new clothes for you a few days ago. Although the material can't compare to the ones your father gave you, they'll be just right for when it gets warmer."
As she spoke, protecting Jingli, she said, "Want me to take you to try it?"
Her words were full of a mother's care for her child, but Jingli still sensed something unusual.
The Empress sent the Crown Prince clothes so that he could try them on. He could have just asked a palace maid to help him. Why bother the Empress?
Jingli sensed no malice from Langyue and knew she must have other plans.
These days, the two are surrounded by spies; it's always better to be safe than sorry.
Lang Yue seemed to realize that there was something wrong with her words, and pretended to wipe away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes:
"They say children grow up in the blink of an eye. It's only been a few days, but you seem to have grown quite a bit taller. When you were just a little kid, your mother could easily change your clothes with one hand. Now..."
Jingli, being perceptive, replied, "It's possible now, why don't you give it a try, Mother?"
Lang Yue couldn't help but smile; her child was indeed intelligent.
She looked at the palace servants waiting to the side and said, "Then you may leave. I wish to change the Crown Prince's clothes myself today."
These palace maids were all new, and upon hearing this, they had no choice but to obediently retreat.
The mother and son passed through the side hall and entered the small room where clothes and cloth were stored. Jingli saw that there were already two people inside, who at first glance looked exactly like the mother and son.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Majesty the Empress."
The two men did not stand on ceremony; they simply bowed and took out clothes that were the same style as the boy's.
Without further ado, Langyue stuffed the clothes into Jingli's hands.
"Don't ask, come with me first."
Jingli was both amused and exasperated.
Could it be that they really are mother and son? The way they evaded the emperor's spies was exactly the same.
Jingli's move relied on an illusion created by runes and formations, while Langyue used a real person.
Alright, after we finish talking today, Jingli can also reveal some of her abilities to Langyue, which will make it easier for them to cooperate in the future.
·
【small theater】
Yu Yuanyuan: What happened? I woke up to find the whole world had become my helper!