Quick Transmigration: The Foolish Beauty Saves the World

Chapter 158 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (36)

After the banquet, the emperor summoned Jingli alone, while the rest of the people left the garden in small groups.

Jingjing and Yu'an stayed with Langyue for the time being, waiting for Jingli to return to their residence together.

Langyue's sorrow remained undiminished, and Yu An's expression, hidden beneath the human skin mask, was also not good.

After tonight, things are likely to change again.

The emperor's side, however, was not as serious as Jingli had imagined.

The emperor seemed like a different person. He first told Jingli that after the crown prince's investiture ceremony, his mother, Langyue, would also be granted the title of empress and a coronation ceremony would be held.

Then, he showed exceptional gentleness and concern for his food, clothing, and daily necessities, as well as his safety, and generously assigned him ten bodyguards.

The training of the secret guards was extremely rigorous. There were only thirty-seven of them in the entire palace, and Jingli alone was assigned ten of them. The other princes only had guards, which shows the emperor's favoritism.

But why?

Jingli pondered to himself.

To say that the emperors favored certain subjects in the past was only superficial.

The emperor assigned him two companions, but neither Zeng Yuan nor Yuan Lanying were considered promising children.

The emperor gave him the utmost leeway, indulging him in his frivolous pursuits and showering him with rare treasures, making him a thorn in the side of the princes.

They even attributed the words "rabbit" and "plaything" to Yu An, so that people would think that he had homosexual tendencies at a young age (although he did have them).

All of the above suggests that the emperor intended to spoil him.

Why has he suddenly changed his tune? It can't really be because he performed well during the spring hunt, can it?

Jingli couldn't figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it.

Now that he has essentially secured the position of Crown Prince, with the Emperor genuinely protecting him, he and Yu An will face far fewer dangers.

He's become quite adept at using an opponent's strength against them over the past few worlds.

As for the mystery in the White Jade Pool, once we return to the palace and combine it with 6058's speculation, we will uncover part of the truth.

He had a premonition that once this mystery was solved, the pollution of the world could be resolved.

From the emperor's residence to their own quarters, no one spoke a word on the way.

Overnight, Jingli and Langyue's identities were completely different from before. On their way back, the number of palace guards escorting them doubled—not counting the ten hidden secret guards.

Although the ceremony has not yet taken place, the emperor has already given his personal approval in front of everyone, so the existence of the ceremony seems less important.

Unless something unexpected happens to Jingli and Langyue.

But at least this was in the imperial palace, right under the emperor's nose, and right after the crown prince had just been recognized.

When Jingli was still a prince, the eldest and second princes could only rely on wild beasts for cover. Now that Jingli's position as crown prince has been established, unless there is someone who is really blind, no one would dare to do anything to Jingli and Langyue at this time.

After all, the emperor is still alive, and the crown prince is just the crown prince. It's not worth offending the emperor for the position of crown prince.

Back in their courtyard, Langyue dismissed the palace servants who were not originally part of their household, and led Jingli into the main room alone, closing the door behind them.

Once the door closes, an hour will pass.

Lang Yue inquired in detail about what Eunuch Wan had taken him to do before the banquet. Jing Li did not hide much and told him about the White Jade Pool, the so-called divine water, the jade slip he saw in the illusion, and the bright future shown to him by the jade slip.

Langyue frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Is that all?"

It's no wonder she was suspicious. Her entry into the palace was essentially a forced marriage by the emperor. Before entering the palace, she was engaged to her childhood sweetheart. Later, when the emperor summoned her to the palace, she had already made plans to elope with him.

Unfortunately, he was eventually caught and brought back.

Not long after entering the palace, she became pregnant.

The reason she didn't abort the child was entirely because she didn't know whether the child belonged to the emperor or her childhood sweetheart.

When Jingli was born, wrapped in swaddling clothes and held in her arms, she realized that the child was not the emperor's—Jingli had a small mole on his palm that was exactly the same as that of her childhood sweetheart.

Of course, Langyue managed to remove this mole when Jingli was still very young.

After Jingli was born, the emperor had a new concubine and spent much less time with Langyue. However, as Jingli grew up, the emperor showed her some special care.

Langyue was filled with anxiety, worried that her secret would be exposed, but at the same time, she secretly felt a sense of pleasure—if her son were to truly ascend the throne in the future, she couldn't imagine the emperor's expression when he found out that Jingli was not his child.

These were all just her fantasies when she was young.

But today, when Eunuch Wan took Jingli away, an overwhelming fear almost overwhelmed Langyue.

No one knows how she smiled as she saw Eunuch Wan off, or how she was alone in her bedchamber, trembling with fear and sweating profusely—

She was afraid, afraid that the emperor had many ways to confirm whether Jingli was his son.

To confuse the royal bloodline is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family...

When she and her childhood sweetheart pledged their lives to each other, she was no longer afraid of being insulted for her promiscuity. However, when it came to integrating into the entire family, she could not remain calm in the face of change.

She pinched her thigh hard, feeling the pain, and then looked at Jingli standing right in front of him. Finally, she couldn't help but hug Jingli and sob softly.

Jingli didn't know what Langyue was thinking, but she could sense the lingering fear in her emotions.

The two were in the same situation. Compared to Jingli, Langyue had more to consider regarding palace affairs, and the pressure she faced was no less than that of Jingli.

The mother and son embraced, offering each other comfort and strength in this tacit way.

Next, Langyue taught Jingli some ways to deal with people. The palace was a complex place with many powerful figures, and Langyue was worried that someone might overhear her, so she couldn't go into too much detail with Jingli, but she did give him a general overview.

These relationships were indeed important to Jingli. He silently memorized them and created a relationship network in the system, which would be of great use in the future.

While Jingli and Langyue were enjoying a loving and filial relationship, in the largest courtyard of the imperial palace, the emperor was also discussing something with Eunuch Wan.

"The divine water's perception is never wrong. This third prince is so outstanding that I almost missed out on a promising talent."

The emperor's eyes were filled with pleasure, mixed with a hint of greed.

Eunuch Wan frowned and cautiously cupped his hands, saying, "But Your Majesty, this Third Prince is, after all, the son of the Goddess..."

“Since she is a goddess, then her son is a divine child. If there is any problem, this boy will not be able to leave the Holy Land alive. Since he has gained the Holy Land’s recognition, why should I give up this readily available treasure?”

Eunuch Wan knelt down in fear, repeatedly saying, "Your Highness, please calm your anger..."

“Eunuch Wan, you have served me for two lifetimes, and you know what the god said back then: that the son of the goddess might shake the imperial power.”

The emperor revealed a look of certainty: "Now, the goddess's son is my heir. But what if the goddess's son were the very imperial power? How could he possibly shake that?"

"This..." Eunuch Wan still looked hesitant. "There are other princes around, Your Majesty might as well..."

"The other princes? Ha," the emperor scoffed. "The eldest with a congenital leg ailment? The second with a heart condition he dares not speak of? The fourth who died young? The fifth with nothing particularly outstanding? The sixth whose fate is unknown? Or a toddler whose pubic hair hasn't even grown yet?"

"The Third Prince is indeed the son of the goddess."

"Eunuch Wan," the emperor said with a displeased expression, "your body may be old and your memory may be fading. How about I help you recall what the divine intervention said about the goddess's son?"

Eunuch Wan said tremblingly, "Bring it into the holy land, the divine water... will surely bring about its destruction."

The emperor raised an eyebrow slightly: "Very well, we'll find a suitable vessel for it when the time comes."

After saying that, he felt a little annoyed: "If I had known earlier that Li'er was not the daughter of the goddess that the divine intervention had said, I should have nurtured her properly."

Eunuch Wan quickly chimed in, "In the end, he's just a vessel; no matter how much he's cultivated, he can't compare to His Majesty's profound foundation."

"Enough," the emperor waved his hand. "There's no point in saying more. This third prince has excellent potential and should be well protected."

The same topic was brought up with him by 6058 after Jingli returned to the palace.

While Jingli was still in the imperial palace, 6058 searched for several nights and finally found some fragments of information.

According to the records of the officials who served the late emperor and the current emperor, when the current emperor was still a prince, he was not as cunning or powerful as the other princes, but he was intelligent, healthy, and had a bit of luck. He repeatedly survived the struggle for the throne and was appointed as the crown prince by the late emperor at the age of thirteen, and moved into the Eastern Palace.

After that, the late emperor bestowed numerous honors and rewards upon the emperor, who was showered with favor. The emperor indulged in pleasure, and despite the constant remonstrances from officials of the previous dynasty, the late emperor ignored them all and did his utmost to protect the crown prince.

After the late emperor passed away, the crown prince—who is now the emperor—ascended the throne. He changed his previous lazy ways and now displays the demeanor of the late emperor in every gesture.

6058 highlighted this sentence.

[6058: Did you see that? The way the late emperor raised his princes is exactly the same as the current emperor's method. Calling it raising a crown prince is less accurate than calling it raising a treacherous insect.]

While processing 6058's words, Jingli took the little bird that carried 6058 and "strolled" around the East Palace.

Upon returning from the imperial palace, the emperor indeed kept his promise and held a grand investiture ceremony for Jingli on an auspicious day.

Soon after, Langyue was crowned Empress, and their original palace was renamed Gui Palace. Jingli moved into the East Palace, and the mother and son no longer lived together. However, Jingli still had the custom of paying his respects to Langyue every day.

Jingli also enjoyed the same treatment as the current emperor when he was the crown prince. As soon as he entered the Eastern Palace, rewards came like a tidal wave. There was even a special cold spring in the Eastern Palace, which was said to be for Jingli to use to improve his physical condition.

A quick glance at the scene revealed that it contained ingredients similar to "divine water".

6058 continued in the system:

[Calling it raising Gu gu isn't entirely accurate, since Gu gu needs a body to parasitize it. What they're raising is more like providing the bodies for the Gu gu to parasitize.]

Having said that, Jingli guessed what was going on.

[Jingli: The emperor didn't choose a crown prince, but rather a suitable host. The current emperor and the previous emperor are actually the same person, like a parasitic worm, passing on the body generation after generation.]

[Jingli: So, the jade in the cave and the dirty water were both mediums for the emperor to parasitize?]

"Correct."

Jingli's analysis was accurate, and 6058 couldn't help but exclaim in admiration using the bird's true form.

The eunuch standing nearby immediately praised, "Your Highness has taught this bird to be truly intelligent; it can even speak human language."

Jingli glanced at him but did not reply.

[6058: There are some rumors circulating over the slave settlement that Emperor Jingxian received divine guidance and gained insight into the secrets of heaven, which enabled him to destroy the Yu Dynasty in one fell swoop and seize imperial power.]

Jingli scoffed.

The so-called divine guidance and heavenly secrets were nothing more than a commotion created by Sefoxis and others using the power that originally belonged to Mr. Yuan.

6058 shares the same idea.

The two stopped in front of the cold spring. The array in the palace cave could not be detected by 6058, but the East Palace, which was within easy reach, was still worth a try.

Although the concentration of the strange liquid in the cold spring is not as high as that of the so-called holy site, sweeping away the formation here will be beneficial for dealing with the pollution later.

Seeing that Jingli was standing still in front of the cold spring, the eunuch standing nearby was a little unsure of the new crown prince's thoughts. He carefully asked, "Your Highness, do you wish to bathe in the cold spring?"

“No need for today.” Jingli shook his head. “Have someone watch over this cold spring. No one except myself is allowed to approach it.”

The eunuch nodded hastily: "Of course, this cold spring was built by the late emperor himself. Apart from the crown prince, only those with the body of a true dragon can approach it."

"Oh?" Jingli became interested. He had originally been worried that others would be tainted by the filth, but he hadn't expected the young eunuch in front of him to know some secrets. "What would happen if other people got close?"

The old man looked around, beckoned to Jingli, and lowered his voice, saying, "I heard from my master that some fool once stole a ladle of this divine water, and then—"

He made a motion of wiping his neck.

"What happened? Were you discovered and beheaded?"

The young eunuch shook his head frantically, then lowered his voice again: "That person disappeared, not even a bone was left."

Jingli was terrified.

It turns out this disgusting liquid not only serves as a probe and medium, but can also kill silently...

Jingli pretended to be frightened and nodded: "Then pass on the message and tell the people in the palace to stay away from here."

"Your Highness is very kind."

The father-in-law nodded and withdrew.

After Jingli entered the East Palace, the palace servants around him were also replaced.

Jingjing, the young eunuch, and Yu An, who served him personally, were all there, but there were many more, like the one who just spoke, who were sent by the emperor.

On one hand, she takes care of Jingli's daily life, and on the other hand, she monitors her.

Jingli detected a hint of warning in what he had just heard, a mixture of truth and falsehood.

Furthermore, the whereabouts of those ten secret guards are unknown. The emperor said he had given four of them to Jingli, but Jingli had never even seen them.

With the surveillance of the pseudo-world consciousness, coupled with the omnipresent surveillance of palace servants and secret guards, Jingli's situation seems to have become even more difficult.

[Keiri: It seems we have no choice but to soak in this cold spring.]

[6058: Hehe, whoever wants to date can date.]

Jingli patted the bird's head and popped one of its quills, relieving the pressure. Both the bird and the person laughed.

Back in the palace, Jingli summoned Yu An, Jingjing, and several of his personal palace maids, and solemnly warned them not to approach the cold spring.

That night, Jingli used several sleeping talismans, changed into an invisibility cloak, caught two rats, and came to the cold spring.

To avoid any mishaps, he even used a low-level environment card, so that to outsiders, the cold spring and its surroundings would still appear deserted.

Then, Jingli threw the two rats into the pool one after the other.

The difference is that one of them is enveloped in Jingli's energy, while the other is not.

As Jingli had predicted, the unwrapped mouse fell into the cold spring, and the originally clear liquid turned blood red around the mouse. Then, the mouse "dissolved" in the spring.

No bones remain.

The other mouse received a very different treatment; the spring water, just like that day in Jingli, turned into white mist and rushed to envelop it.

Having achieved its objective, Jingli quickly withdrew the rats, reclaimed its energy, and discarded them.

The mouse was about to escape when it made a "squeak" sound, as if it had been caught by someone.

Then, Jingli was also captured by a force.

A familiar voice came from behind: "Your Highness is here. What brings you here?"

·

【small theater】

Is the Crown Prince catching mice in the middle of the night a sign of the loss of humanity or the decline of morality?