Shaojun riding the sea

Chapter 234 I Will Never Abandon You

"What? The twelfth prince was imprisoned in the cold palace, and he has to copy scriptures to atone his sins and reflect on himself for half a year before he can be released? How could this be possible?"

When Shi Xuanling heard what Junior Master Youming said, her face immediately changed. She asked anxiously, "What happened in the palace? When Ayue and I left the imperial city, wasn't Concubine Rou still enjoying the emperor's favor? The twelfth prince might even be made the new crown prince. How could she fall from grace so suddenly? How could they end up in such a situation now?"

"It's a long story. In order to fight for the position of the Eastern Palace, Queen Wei and Concubine Rou fought openly and secretly for many times. They used all means, but in the end... Wei won."

The power of Empress Wei's maternal family was enormous. Even though Concubine Rou had the support of the Restoration Faction headed by Pei Shixi, they could not bring down the Wei clan after all the fighting.

"It was actually God's will. Originally, the two sides were evenly matched and fought back and forth, and neither could win with one move. But unexpectedly, on the birthday of the twelfth prince, a torrential rainstorm that had not been seen in a hundred years fell in the imperial city. During the thunder and lightning, the plaque inscribed by the previous emperor in Emperor Yun's bedroom was even split apart. This gave Queen Wei's party the opportunity to fan the flames and make a big fuss!"

The heavy rain on the day of the twelfth prince's birthday was an accident, the lightning that cracked the plaque was also an accident, and the plaque being inscribed by the late emperor was also an accident. But when so many accidents collided at the same time, things became not so simple.

The Imperial Astronomical Observatory in the palace wrote to Emperor Yun, claiming that all this was a bad omen. They observed the celestial phenomena and star maps, and deduced many hexagrams that were unfavorable to the country. Later, the rumors intensified and spread in the palace. They all said that the twelfth prince was a disaster star that would defeat the emperor and his father, hinder the country's destiny, and destroy the Dongmu Dynasty!
"What bad omen, weird supernatural things, it's just someone behind the scenes fanning the flames and spreading rumors. The chief supervisor of the Imperial Observatory is named Fan, and he used to be one of the disciples of the Wei family's grandfather. The Wei family seized this opportunity and made the matter bigger and bigger at all costs, and directly pinned the word "disaster star" on the twelfth prince. Emperor Yun is suspicious, face-conscious, selfish and ruthless. Even though he used to dote on Concubine Rou and her son, everything turned to dust and bubbles after this incident."

Just like that, the third prince transformed himself and successfully entered the East Palace, becoming the new crown prince, while Concubine Rou and her son were separated, one was confined to her own palace, and the other was sent to the remote Yuanwu Palace to copy scriptures to atone her sins and appease the wrath of heaven.

"That damn Imperial Observatory said that the twelfth prince must introspect for half a year, eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures to get rid of all the bad energy in his body, only then can he change his fate and be reborn. Pei Shixi was so angry about this that he submitted several memorials in succession, but they were all rejected by Emperor Yun. The man on the dragon throne is truly cold-faced and cold-hearted, mean and ungrateful, and he is merciless even to his own son."

The twelfth prince was still young, and had always been under the protection of his mother Concubine Rou and his master Pei Shixi. He was weak and naive in character. After suffering this huge blow, he fell ill and his life in Yuanwu Palace became more and more difficult every day.

"Empress Rou and Pei Shixi were very anxious, but the dark places in Yuanwu Palace were filled with Queen Wei's men, so it was not easy to send medicine in. They thought of many ways to let me sneak into Yuanwu Palace without anyone noticing and secretly treat the twelfth prince. But do you know who I met there?"

Hearing Junior Master You Ming's sudden question, Shi Xuanling was startled and blurted out inexplicably: "Someone else has sneaked into the cold palace and wants to harm the twelfth prince?"

"No, someone got there before me and secretly delivered medicine to the twelfth prince. That person happened to be Queen Wei's biological son, the new crown prince who will soon take over the East Palace, the third prince, Kuang Lianya."

That was why he was able to transfer some of Queen Wei's secret sentries away, allowing the guards to relax a lot, and asking Pei Shixi and the others to find a chance to send You Ming into Yuanwu Palace.

Although the third prince Lian Ya was born to Queen Wei, he had always been incompatible with the Wei family. If the original crown prince had not been a drunkard and too useless, Queen Wei would not have thought of her own disobedient and rebellious son. The Wei family had finally won the position of crown prince, and also explained the pros and cons to the third prince. The royal struggle has been cruel since ancient times. He and the twelfth prince are not even brothers, and they are in a life-and-death hostile relationship. He must not be soft-hearted to his "twelfth brother" anymore.

The Third Prince agreed to obey on the surface and reassured the Wei family, but he secretly sneaked into Yuanwu Palace to deliver life-saving medicine to the Twelfth Prince.

When You Ming came to Yuanwu Palace quietly, what he saw was the third prince sitting beside the bed, carefully feeding medicine to the twelfth prince one spoonful at a time.

"Twelfth brother, you have to get better soon. Don't let yourself be defeated. Your mother is still waiting for you in the palace. You have to cheer up and stop having crazy thoughts. Staying alive is the most important thing..."

The twelfth prince leaned on the bed, his face pale and his eyes misty with tears: "Third brother, I am not a disaster star, I will not bring disaster to my father, I will not harm the country's destiny, I will not..."

"I know, I know everything. The bullshit omen and the arrival of a disaster were all made up by those dogs of the Imperial Observatory. They just want to bring you down and make you lose the emperor's favor and dignity, so that you can no longer seize the position of the crown prince. I know all the dirty things they do, and I am not ashamed to be associated with them, but I am in the middle of it and it is difficult for me to resist. I can only be pushed forward by them..."

"Third brother, I understand. I understand everything. You are not trying to harm me. In my heart, you are as bright as the moon and you are honest and upright. I never want to compete with you for the position of crown prince. I just want to read books, play the piano, ride, shoot and dance with swords with you, just like before..."

As the twelfth prince spoke, tears began to fall down his face again. He was kind and weak, and the third prince had been protecting and helping him for many years. Now seeing him like this, the third prince couldn't help but sigh and whispered:

"Twelfth brother, with your personality, you really shouldn't have been born into the royal family. I am now somewhat thankful... Thankful that the position of the crown prince is mine. Otherwise, if my eldest brother inherits the throne in the future, how can I protect you?"

These words were full of deep meaning and brotherly love. Even You Ming, who was hiding in the dark, was deeply moved. The Third Prince, who was beside the bed, had already grasped the Twelfth Prince's hand and solemnly promised him:

"You should take good care of yourself and don't think about anything. I am here. I will protect you for the rest of your life. If I become the emperor in the future, I will never allow the Wei family to harm you and your mother. No matter what situation you are in, you will always be my dearest twelfth brother. I will keep my word and I will never abandon you!"

In the secret room of Feng Tower, the aroma of tea lingered. When Shi Xuanling heard this, she couldn't help but sigh and said, "The Kuang royal family has always been decisive and ruthless. I didn't expect that there would be such an 'alien' Third Prince. He is affectionate and loyal, and he does not go against his heart. It is a blessing in disguise that the Twelfth Prince can become his brother."

"Yes, don't you think that the Third Prince is more suitable to be the emperor than the Twelfth Prince?"

You Ming suddenly spoke. He looked at Shi Xuanling with deep eyes and said faintly, "Xiao Lingling, I have a feeling that the Third Prince will not be our enemy. Perhaps, he can help us in the future. What do you think?"