"Your Highness?" Han Fen's face looked as if he was constipated. "After Caiyu was driven out of the Quiet Spring by His Highness, His Highness asked me to fetch cold well water. Now he's pouring it bucket by bucket!"
He didn't react at first, but then he thought about it.
What else could make a man keep pouring cold well water on himself?
That Caiyu was trying to kill the prince!
Zhu Xiao instantly understood. Then he stamped his foot. "See, I told him not to play with fire. That woman is only for looking at, not for having. But he insisted on keeping her around to play with!"
Han Fen sneered. "But I saw you, General Zhu, trying so hard to matchmake them!"
Zhu Xiao gave an embarrassed smile. "It's been a long time since there's been such a lively atmosphere in the mansion. None of the beauties sent here before was as interesting as Caiyu."
He nudged Han Fen with his elbow, raised his eyebrows, and jerked his chin. His face looked mysterious. "Don't you think His Highness has become a bit more worldly recently?"
"Once His Highness re-enters the mortal world, our great cause will be achieved soon!"
Han Fen didn't say a word, but he agreed in his heart.
His master had been living like a monk for six years. Even they, the subordinates who followed the prince, had been living like cowards in the Yan region for six years.
An old horse in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand miles.
Moreover, they were all strong and capable generals with unfulfilled ambitions.
Everyone was looking forward to the day when the prince would re-enter the mortal world and lead them to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun to avenge the humiliation of the Battle of Na'uerhai six years ago.
Zhu Xiao left Han Fen and went to the greenhouse.
Since there was a hot spring pool in the Lotus Sound Pavilion, Song Yinghuai rarely used the greenhouse. No wonder Zhu Xiao couldn't find him anywhere.
When he got closer, he heard the sound of water pouring behind the screen. The room was filled with a cold atmosphere. There was not a trace of warmth at all.
Zhu Xiao's voice was a bit teasing. "Is His Highness putting out a fire?"
The sound behind the screen stopped, and there was the sound of rustling clothes.
After a while, Song Yinghuai walked out from behind the screen, neatly dressed. His eyebrows were cold. "Who told you I was putting out a fire?"
"Han Fen." Seeing Song Yinghuai's bad complexion, Zhu Xiao didn't hesitate to betray his friend.
Then he looked at his appearance. He didn't seem to be on the verge of exploding, but rather looked disgusted. He couldn't help asking, "Isn't it?"
"No!" Song Yinghuai quickly denied it. Thinking of the trace of red in the Quiet Spring, his natural cleanliness made his scalp tingle.
"Stop talking about this." Song Yinghuai changed the topic. "What news has come from the capital?"
Zhu Xiao changed his joking expression and said seriously, "The Prince of Zhou and the Prince of Qi have been recalled to the capital by the crown prince."
A cold light flashed in Song Yinghuai's eyes, cold and sharp like a flying blade falling to the ground. "Father is obsessed with alchemy. The crown prince is acting as regent. He's using Father's power to kill his own brothers!"
Zhu Xiao was worried. "We're all from the same root. Why should we fry each other so impatiently? His Majesty dotes on the crown prince so much, but he's still not satisfied. He's worried that the power of the vassal kings will undermine his imperial power. He's already trying to harm his brothers before he ascends the throne. If such a person becomes the emperor, it will be a disaster for the whole world."
Song Yinghuai picked up the Buddhist beads from the table and twisted them hard. A storm was gradually brewing in his eyes.
Zhu Xiao couldn't help urging, "Your Highness, the Princes of Zhou and Qi were brought up by the old princess in the palace. They have the closest relationship with you and have always supported us in the Yan region. The crown prince's call for them to enter the capital this time must be to cut off our left and right arms first!"
"Even if we take a step back, if something happens to the Princes of Zhou and Qi, and the news reaches the old princess's ears, she may not be able to bear the blow!"
"Click."
Song Yinghuai threw the Buddhist beads back on the table. There was a cold and calm look on his handsome face. "Tell Tan Xiong to contact our old subordinates in the capital and the court officials who support the Yan region. Do whatever it takes to save the lives of the two princes."
Tan Xiong was one of Song Yinghuai's five fierce generals and was in charge of the "Eastern Army" of the Five Armies Camp.
Tan Xiong was a founding hero of the Great Ye and a direct disciple of King Zhongshan, Xu Xun. He had deep roots in the capital.
He was good at gathering intelligence and making connections and was the key figure connecting the Yan region and the capital.
Zhu Xiao asked, "Will this expose our strength in the capital?"
"It doesn't matter." Song Yinghuai's deep voice didn't show a trace of emotion. "Since he's already started to target me, even if I hide my strength, I can't stop him from framing me and the people around me. It's time to gradually show our strength in the Yan region and make him afraid to act rashly!"
"Then I'll go back to the Five Armies Camp to find Lao Tan and convey Your Highness's words."
Time was pressing. Zhu Xiao immediately got up and left.
Before leaving, he hesitated for a moment, looked at Song Yinghuai, and said, "You'd better be careful. If it really doesn't work, stop testing that woman. Although you believe in Buddhism and don't want to kill innocent people, this is a matter of great importance. It's better to kill a hundred by mistake than to let one go!"
After Zhu Xiao left, Song Yinghuai had a cold face and closed his eyes while twirling the Buddhist beads.
Suddenly, he exerted a force, and all the beads on the third string broke.
The beads rattled and rolled all over the floor. One bead rolled to his feet and stopped shakily.
Song Yinghuai looked down at it for a long time, then reached out to pick it up and put it back on the table.
Meanwhile, Caiyu walked back to the side hall with difficulty, covering her lower abdomen all the way. Because she had been in the water, the ginger soup with Chinese prickly ash and red dates she had in the morning had long lost its effect.
Now her abdomen felt as if a sharp knife had been stuffed into it, slowly twisting and scraping inside.
The stabbing pain came in waves. She didn't even have the strength to go to the kitchen again to make herself a bowl of ginger soup.
After changing out of her wet clothes, she rolled on the bed, groaning and gasping...
She didn't know how long it took before she fell into a drowsy sleep.
When Song Yinghuai returned to his bedroom, he saw that the side hall was completely dark. Not even a single candle was lit.
The bedroom was the same. It was completely dark, something that had never happened before.
He immediately darkened his face and wanted to wake up the woman who was sleeping soundly. But then he heard faint talking coming from the side hall.
His expression turned cold. He strode across the arched door, and the sound got closer.
It was Caiyu's voice, weak and whispering like a kitten. He couldn't hear clearly what she was saying.
Although the hall was dark, Song Yinghuai was a martial artist and could see in the dark. He could tell that there was no third person hiding in the hall except the two of them.
It seemed that Caiyu was talking in her sleep.
Song Yinghuai hesitated for a moment, then still walked towards the bed in the dark.
Sleep talking and drunken words are the best ways to peek into a person's real identity in reality.
Song Yinghuai stood by Caiyu's bed. The bright moonlight shone in through the window lattice. Her snow-white skin glowed like jade in the faint light.
Because she had been tossing and turning, most of the brocade quilt on Caiyu had fallen off, revealing a pair of long and straight legs.
Song Yinghuai's eyes suddenly darkened in the dark.
He remembered again the night when he was practicing calligraphy. He had lingered here.
She was so soft and obedient, calling him "Your Highness" again and again, letting him do whatever he wanted.
At that time, Caiyu was like a gentle spring stream, almost melting him completely.
His eyes lingered on the woman who was sleeping restlessly on the bed. He imagined that if he really hadn't been able to control himself that day, this would be his.
Caiyu had countless nightmares in the pain of being half-awake and half-asleep.
In her dream, her parents, elder brother, and second sister were all buried under the thick snow, with their unclosed eyes looking at the distant Yanmen Pass.
"Daddy... Mother..." Caiyu sobbed in her dream.