While the two were still facing off, Jiang Moran had already copied the map. This way, even if he gave the parchment scroll to the Second Prince, he would still know the way.
Surely no one was stupid enough to just hand over the original map like that.
With these thoughts in mind, he drifted off to sleep. Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened, and Fengcheng, already surging with undercurrents, grew even livelier...
Fengge Residence.
A scholarly aura filled the entire estate. Any residence that dared to use the character “Feng” in its name was naturally extraordinary. The man sitting at the desk wore a robe embroidered with gold thread, a noble air between his brows, every detail highlighting his extraordinary status.
To dare name his estate with “Feng,” this person was none other than the Eldest Prince of the Tianwu Kingdom!
The Eldest Prince had read widely since childhood and was even praised by the Imperial Tutor as possessing the talent to govern the country and pacify the people. Yet for some unknown reason, the Emperor had still not designated an heir.
Nevertheless, he had always regarded himself as the crown prince, constantly studying the way of governance.
Slowly lowering the booklet in his hand, he found himself unable to focus on the contents he usually studied with painstaking care. The Eldest Prince knit his brows slightly, a trace of anxiety he himself had not noticed flickering in the depths of his eyes.
“Someone, come in,” he called out in a deep voice.
The moment the words left his mouth, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded outside, and a moment later, a eunuch rushed inside.
“This servant greets Your Highness!”
The Eldest Prince nodded slightly. “Has Father's physical condition shown any signs of improvement lately?”
“In response to Your Highness, based on the information this servant has gathered, His Majesty's illness has not improved,” the eunuch replied cautiously, cold sweat already soaking his back.
Discussing the illness of the current Emperor was a grave taboo!
Hearing this, the Eldest Prince's brows furrowed a little deeper, and he fell into silence.
Receiving no response for a long time, the anxious eunuch nervously raised his head slightly, only to see the Eldest Prince lost in thought with a deep frown...
“Your Highness?”
The Eldest Prince came to his senses and waved his hand. “Forget it, you may leave.”
The little eunuch, as if granted a grand amnesty, hurriedly withdrew.
As the door creaked shut once more, the room fell into silence again. Only this time, he did not pick up the booklet on the desk.
It wasn't that he was unaware of the Third Prince's actions; quite a few court ministers had already been won over by him.
Yet he had never taken it to heart, simply because he was the Eldest Prince. Since ancient times, succession had followed the principle of prioritizing seniority over capability. As long as he lived, the position of crown prince would be his.
No matter how many ministers his third brother won over, it was all in vain.
Still, he couldn't help but feel somewhat frustrated. His imperial father was now plagued by illness, yet he had still not officially established him as the crown prince.
This bred a subtle unease in his heart.
“Jiu Ge,” the Eldest Prince called out softly. Promptly, a figure appeared in the hall, kneeling respectfully on one knee.
This person was the Eldest Prince's personal shadow guard, a trusted confidant left behind by his late imperial mother.
At the time his mother was on her deathbed, she had only left one sentence: “From now on, Jiu Ge will protect you. As long as he is by your side, no one can harm you in the slightest...”
Over the years, Jiu Ge had indeed lived up to that. He had fended off several assassination attempts sent by the Third Prince.
This was also why he had absolutely no fear of his third brother. No matter how many ministers the other won over, as long as he stayed alive, the throne would ultimately be his to sit on.
Rubbing his fingers against the booklet, the Eldest Prince finally spoke up. “How has my third brother been doing lately?”
“Replying to Your Highness, the Third Prince has recently won over the Prince's Residence, as well as several ministers with real authority in the imperial court.”
The Eldest Prince fell silent upon hearing this, his thoughts turning into a tangled mess. Why could even the ministers with real authority be won over...
Did they not know that he was the rightful heir?
The Eldest Prince asked again in a deep voice, “And what about my second brother's movements?”
Jiu Ge continued, “The Second Prince has not left his palace, nor has he actively tried to win over the ministers in court. However... he did meet someone these past few days.”
Met someone? The Eldest Prince felt a bit puzzled. “Have you investigated that person's background?”
“We have. He is a figure of the jianghu, holding a fair amount of fame there.”
Hearing this, the Eldest Prince's tight frown eased slightly. The rumors that his second brother loved tales of the jianghu seemed to be true.
It appeared his second brother truly had no interest in the seat of the Son of Heaven.
“I understand. You may leave.”
“Yes.”
The Eldest Prince picked up the booklet again, the unease in his heart dissipating by more than half.
Little did he know, a change was already quietly approaching...
...
Having slept the entire day, Jiang Moran sat up from the bed, rubbing his eyes as he looked at the already darkened sky outside. Alright, it wasn't an issue with his eyes.
He had slept until nightfall, having eaten nothing for nearly a day, and his stomach was already protesting in earnest.
Downstairs, Fengqingzi immediately stood up upon seeing him appear at the top of the stairs.
“Senior, you're awake! Would you like something to eat?”
Jiang Moran glanced at what was on the table. It turned out to be the famous “buns steamed over high heat.”
“Uh, no need. I'll head out and find something to eat myself,” Jiang Moran politely declined. Waking up from a deep sleep just to eat steamed buns—anyone who didn't know better would think Brother Jiang couldn't afford anything else.
Seeing Senior about to head out, Fengqingzi hurriedly said, “Senior, Fengcheng has implemented a nighttime curfew lately. No shops will be open.”
Hearing this, Jiang Moran could only stop in his tracks. No wonder it was so quiet outside; so there was a curfew in the city. However, it only restricted the ordinary commoners; Fengcheng at night was actually still quite lively.
“...Alright, then I'll see what food this inn has.” Helpless, he walked over and sat opposite Fengqingzi, calling out to the inn's shopkeeper, “Shopkeeper, what food do you have in your shop? Recommend a signature dish to me.”
“Coming, Guest!” The shopkeeper trotted over with a grin, holding a small notepad as he said, “Our signature dish here is none other than white flour steamed over high heat!”
Jiang Moran: ?
Isn't that still fucking steamed buns?!
“I fucking...” Jiang Moran stood straight up from his seat and turned to leave without another word.
He refused to believe he was fated to eat steamed buns today.
The shopkeeper and Fengqingzi looked at each other in confusion, not expecting him to have such a huge issue with eating steamed buns. By the time they snapped out of it, he had already left the shop...
A black-robed figure leaped across the rooftops. It was indeed Jiang Moran, who had just left the inn; he wasn't so foolish as to wander openly on the streets.
The black robe allowed him to blend perfectly into the night as he skillfully traversed the rooftops.
“It seems there really aren't any shops open. Sigh...” Jiang Moran let out a sigh. Was he truly fated to eat steamed buns today?
He paused on an old rooftop. Gazing into the distance, the entirety of Fengcheng was terrifyingly quiet, with only the occasional night watchman patrolling with a lantern.
While he was still squatting on the roof enjoying the night breeze, a faint whimpering sound drifted over, barely audible.
Though the sound was very faint, he still caught it.
“...Ugh, let me go.”
A young girl was pinned into a corner by a man with a wretched look on his face. Her mouth was held tightly shut by his hand, leaving only tiny whimpers leaking from the gaps between his fingers.
The man grinned at her, the hunger on his face laid bare without any attempt at concealment.
In the young girl's eyes, this was nothing but endless despair. Her clothes had been torn halfway open, exposing her fair skin.
Her tender face was covered in tear stains, which only served to trigger a strange excitement in the man.
A bag of sweets lay scattered on the ground. She had earned them by working at a shop, and they were her younger brother's favorites, but now they lay strewn all over the dirt.
“Be good, don't cry yet. Save some tears for later, hahaha,” the man leered, licking his lips as his gaze drifted to her skin illuminated by the moonlight.
He could no longer restrain his hands from reaching toward her budding curves. At this moment, the girl's terror reached its peak, and her face went completely rigid.
A faint scent of vegetation drifted through the air. The girl only felt a blur before her eyes as a pitch-black figure suddenly materialized in front of her.
The chilly air brought by the fluttering black robe shook the girl completely awake. Breaking free from her despairing terror, she began to pant heavily.
Before she could catch her breath, she was frozen once more by the scene in front of her.
The wretched man who had been reaching out toward her just moments ago was now kneeling on the ground like a dead dog, his throat locked in a death grip by the black-robed figure.
Muffled sounds squeezed from the wretched man's throat, vaguely sounding like pleas for mercy.
But she could clearly see the black-robed figure's grip tightening. With a crisp crack, the wretched man slumped down as if his bones had turned to mush.
This was her first time witnessing someone being killed, and her face instantly turned pale.
Right then, a gust of cold night wind squeezed into the alley. The girl couldn't help but shiver, wrapping her arms tightly around her shoulders as she shrank back.
Yet in the next second, she froze.
The night wind had brought the cold, but it had also blown away her fear.
The hood of the black robe was blown back, revealing a handsome and refined face. Under the bright moonlight, he looked like a celestial being descended upon the earth; even the tattered black robe could not hide his elegant, noble aura.
“You...”
“Rumble...”
A sudden noise rang out, cutting off her subconscious murmur.
This chime of hunger completely shattered the atmosphere the other party had built up...
Jiang Moran's eye twitched. Damn it. The image he had worked so hard to project was completely ruined.
His aloof persona had collapsed.
While he was still immersed in self-pity, the girl burst out laughing with a pfft.
At this, her fear washed away completely. After all, she shouldn't be afraid of her savior; it was just that seeing someone killed for the first time had naturally left her a bit shaken.
Having let out a laugh, the girl quickly adopted a serious expression. “Th-Thank you for saving me.”
Jiang Moran waved his hand. “It was nothing. If you want to thank me, tell me if there are any food stalls nearby that are still open.”
The girl shook her head. The shop where she worked was already considered one of the latest to close. If they hadn't been warned by the night watchman, they probably would have stayed open even later.
Seeing her shake her head, Jiang Moran sighed helplessly. It looked like he really had to go back and chew on white steamed buns tonight.
Just as he turned to leave, the girl stepped forward and grabbed his hem.
“Benefactor, you saved my life, and I haven't been able to help you with anything. I... I feel a bit bad about it,” the girl said, lowering her head.
“If you don't mind, benefactor, would you like to come to my house for breakfast tomorrow? My cooking isn't exceptionally elite, but it's definitely delicious!”
Having finished, she let go of his hem and lowered her head sheepishly, waiting for his answer.
Looking at her expectant yet nervous expression, Jiang Moran's lips curled up slightly. She must have used every ounce of her courage to say that.
“Alright then. I'll save room in my stomach tonight and look forward to eating my fill tomorrow morning.”
The girl instantly beamed, her eyes crinkling into lovely crescents, looking very adorable.
Suddenly remembering her younger brother was still waiting at home, she quickly told Jiang Moran her home address, picked up the candies on the ground, and hurried away.
Standing there and watching her leave, he found it somewhat amusing. She had just given him her address just like that; she really wasn't afraid of him at all.
He then slowly stretched. It seemed he really couldn't find any food tonight, so he might as well head back first.
Clatter!
Just as he was about to leave, the sound of an object falling suddenly came from nearby.
A boy around fifteen or sixteen stumbled out from the side. When he saw Jiang Moran look over, his entire body froze, and he then fled in a panic.
...Where did this kid come from? Still playing outside during curfew.
Jiang Moran watched his fleeing figure, shaking his head as he withdrew his gaze. Little did he know, this would be the decision he regretted the most.
...
Rate on N.U.
