Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 229 Extra: The Third Prince (4)

"Because I am still young and inexperienced, praising me now would be tantamount to telling everyone to turn their anger against me! So, Grand Tutor, you are protecting me!" The Third Prince had now figured out the situation and was no longer confused.

The Grand Tutor nodded in satisfaction: "I didn't say that; I just told two stories..."

The third prince nodded with a smile.

The Grand Tutor continued, "From now on, I will no longer praise you in front of the other princes, but you must know why you are studying. Keep a low profile and bide your time; one day you will need to put your talents to use! From now on, you must act convincingly!"

The third prince felt a lump in his throat, deeply moved. Although he had not received fatherly love from his father, the Grand Tutor's love made him feel an unprecedented warmth.
-
"Third Prince, come here and take your article!" The Grand Tutor handed the article to the Third Prince with a stern face. The article did not even have any comments or replies.

The Third Prince lowered his head, took the thin piece of paper back, and sat down in his seat. When no one was looking, he leaned close to the paper and smelled it. It still smelled of white vinegar. It seemed that the Grand Tutor had written quite a few replies, and he couldn't wait to go back and roast them over a fire to see how they were done.

Yes, the Grand Tutor had made an agreement with him long ago, writing the reply with white vinegar. When the Third Prince returned, he only needed to heat the paper over a candle flame to see the words left by the Grand Tutor.

In fact, whenever the emperor came to check on the princes' studies, the third prince would deliberately compose a conventional poem or essay, making everyone think that he was just an ordinary person.

Concealing one's talents is also a way to save one's life.

"Third Prince, why are you daydreaming again? This essay is also mediocre!" The Grand Tutor banged the ruler loudly, glaring angrily. "Stay after class today! The other princes may go home."

"Oh! Oh! Someone else is going to be kept here!" The Second Prince walked to the door, turned back and gave the Third Prince a gloating look.

"Second Brother, let's hurry up and leave! Haven't you heard the rumor?" The Fourth Prince tugged at the Second Prince's sleeve.

"What rumors?" The Fourth Prince tiptoed closer to the Second Prince's ear and whispered, "People in the palace are saying that anyone who bullies the Third...Third Brother will be in trouble. After all, he's a jinx, very powerful. He borrowed the lives of the Emperor and Consort Xian, those lives are so precious! He even borrowed the fate of the nation. Tell me, who can stand against him!"

Upon hearing this, the second prince's face turned pale instantly. He recalled that a few days ago, after bullying the third prince, he had indeed been unlucky for three days in a row.

"Really...really that effective?" The second prince was still a child, and he was so frightened that he stammered.

The fourth prince tugged at the second prince: "However, second brother, don't let Father and your mother hear what you said. They hate hearing this the most. If you anger Father, you'll be in big trouble!"

The second prince glanced at the third prince. The sun was setting, and the spot where the third prince was sitting was out of the sunlight, making it look eerie. The second prince, still shaken, quickly left with his entourage.

Seeing that everyone had left, the Third Prince and the Grand Tutor both burst out laughing.

"Grand Tutor, your trick is so effective!" The Third Prince smiled brightly. "Do you know what? Even the palace servants who used to bully us don't dare to deduct our allowances anymore!"

The Grand Tutor smiled, patted the Third Prince's head, and took out an oil paper package from his pocket and handed it over: "These are candied fruits from Xu's shop that I brought for you."

"Thank you, Grand Tutor!" The Third Prince picked up the paper package and held it out to the Grand Tutor. "Grand Tutor, please have some!"

The Grand Tutor picked up a candied fruit and put it in his mouth to taste it, and the Third Prince also picked one and put it in his mouth.

"You've finished eating. I'm going to test you later! Also, you need to review anything you didn't understand these past two days." The Grand Tutor squinted his eyes, savoring the candied fruit.

"Hmm!" The Third Prince raised his head, his smile sweeter than candied fruit. "Later, I'll take this candied fruit back to my mother so she can try it too!"

"Good boy!"
-
"Third brother, let's go! How about we play polo together?" The Crown Prince nodded to the Third Prince with a smile on his face.

The Third Prince respectfully rose and said, "Yes, Crown Prince!"

Recently, the power struggle between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince has intensified, and the Second Prince has always looked down on the Third Prince. Although the Crown Prince also dislikes him, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Moreover, he needs to maintain his dignity as the Crown Prince and must ensure that both the Third and Fourth Princes are on his side.

The thought of his second son's furious expression filled the Crown Prince with a sense of smug satisfaction. This wasn't the first or second time he'd invited the Third Prince to play polo, though the Third Prince usually ended up on the sidelines, and today would likely be no different.

The Third Prince sat to the side, watching the Crown Prince ride his chestnut horse and play polo with such carefree abandon. He couldn't help but feel a little envious. How wonderful it was that he could live such a carefree life. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye, who was carrying a bag and sneaking towards the stables.

The stable over there only kept one horse, a Ferghana horse that had just been presented as tribute to the Crown Prince from the Western Regions!

The third prince discreetly concealed himself with a pillar, then slightly turned his gaze to see what the other person was up to.

That was a small, thin child, who turned out to be the sixth prince, Guo Xijin!

The Third Prince had accompanied the Crown Prince to the horse farm many times, so he naturally knew that the Sixth Prince was born into a humble family, and his mother was a palace maid without even a rank! His situation was far worse than his own; he often went hungry and would come to the horse farm to do hard labor in exchange for some horse feed.

The Third Prince had encountered this situation several times and had even secretly helped the child on a few occasions.

But today was different. Why was he feeding the horses so secretly? Shouldn't everyone know he was doing the work? The Third Prince was puzzled but remained silent. If the Sixth Prince were punished because of him, he would feel a pang of guilt. "Come! Bring my prized horse! I refuse to believe we can't win like this!" The Crown Prince dismounted from his chestnut horse, tossed the reins to a nearby attendant, strode to the resting area, and accepted the tea offered by the attendant. He downed the tea in one gulp and cracked his whip: "Go! Keep fighting!"

……

The Third Prince no longer remembered how he watched the Crown Prince fall from his horse and how he was carried out covered in blood.

A few days later, when the Third Prince mustered up the courage to stand at the Empress's palace gate, he was blocked by the Sixth Prince.

The twelve-year-old boy leaned against a vermilion pillar, toying with a jade-inlaid dagger, a smile as poisonous as honey on his lips: "Third Brother, are you going to complain?" He suddenly leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against the Third Prince's ear, "However, at the Ning'an Palace dinner, Mother specially bestowed a bowl of lily soup upon Consort Xian! I added a little something to it. If Third Brother goes back late, he might not be able to see Consort Xian one last time!"

The Third Prince's pupils constricted, and he turned to run, but then he heard a slow voice behind him: "Considering that Third Brother has helped me a few times, I didn't kill him. The antidote is in my hands, but it won't be long before I can get it."

As dusk fell, the Sixth Prince's laughter was so terrifying. Although he was not even as tall as the Third Prince, his fierceness made the Third Prince feel suffocated.

The rain poured down again, and the Third Prince stumbled into Ning'an Palace, his black robes covered in mud.

Consort Xian lay paralyzed on the bed, black blood spilling from the corner of her lips. Her once gentle face was now twisted into a bluish-gray.

When the Third Prince grabbed Consort Xian's cold hand and called for the Imperial Physician, no one responded. Presumably, the Imperial Hospital had already been taken care of by the Sixth Prince.

As a torrential downpour began, outside the Imperial Study, the Third Prince knelt in the puddles, his forehead pounding against the blue bricks with a loud thud: "Father! Father! Please, save Mother!"

The Imperial Study was brightly lit. The door opened, and a figure in bright yellow robes emerged. He scrambled forward like a madman, grabbing the Emperor's robes and crying, "Father! It's me, Heng'er! Please, save Mother! The Imperial Hospital refuses to make a house call; it will be too late if we wait any longer!"

His knuckles turned white from the force, and muddy water dripped from his hair onto his dragon robe. The emperor abruptly pulled back the hem of his robe, the gold-embroidered python pattern brushing against the third prince's cheek. His dragon boots stepped over the trembling back of his hand, splashing water all over his face: "What kind of behavior is this! The Taoist priest was right, you really are a jinx to your mother!"

The emperor looked down at his disheveled son, his eyes filled with impatience: "Everyone has to die someday, why be so anxious!"

Before the words were finished, the bright yellow dragon robe had already disappeared into the rain, leaving only the Third Prince kneeling on the spot.

A pair of boots embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns stopped in front of him. The rain overhead had stopped, and the Third Prince looked up to see the Sixth Prince holding an umbrella and smiling at him.

"How was the decision made?" the Sixth Prince asked with a smile.

"Sixth brother, I was wrong! I was wrong! I didn't know anything, I didn't know anything!" The third prince kept kowtowing.

"Go back. I've already sent someone to deliver the medicine. By the time you get back, Consort Xian should be alright." The Sixth Prince was smiling, but his eyes held complex emotions. He looked at the Third Prince as if he were looking at his own helpless self from years ago.

The third prince quickly got up, thanked him, and then tried to run back.

"Keep your mouth shut. The medicine will be given in six doses. If you dare to say anything more, the next time the poison won't be so easy to cure." The Sixth Prince's smile faded, and he said calmly.
-
For seven days in a row, the gates of Ning'an Palace remained closed. The Third Prince sat there each day, gazing at the lotus pond, repeatedly wondering if his mother would have survived her blindness had he not intervened.
"Third Prince..." The Grand Tutor couldn't bear to watch any longer and came over to offer a whole host of comforting words, but the Third Prince showed no reaction whatsoever.

"Grand Tutor, tell me, how many fish are there in this lotus pond?" The Third Prince suddenly spoke, his eyes still fixed on the water. "Only those who own the lotus pond have the right to determine the life or death of these fish and shrimp, don't you agree? I'm confident, don't worry, I'll catch the biggest fish."

The Grand Tutor smiled and breathed a sigh of relief; the child had overcome his inner conflict!

How can you protect yourself? How can you protect the ones you love? The answer is to seize power! To seize the greatest power!
Thank you for your support! This story is now officially finished. My next story, "Young General, Today's Assassination Attempt is in progress" (my fingers are typing away)... I hope you will all support me!
[Strong Couple + Double Rebirth + Suspense + Happy Ending]

Aloof and arrogant (actually a talkative and clingy young general) × delicate and innocent (actually a cunning and decisive female spy)

Female protagonist's story:
In her previous life, Lin Yuan was the top secret agent of the Great Zhou Dynasty. She had shed blood for her country, but was framed and became a traitor hated by everyone, ending up with a bad reputation and a heart pierced by a sword.

In this life, she uses her exceptional tracking skills, disguise abilities, and analytical skills to find the real culprit, uncover the truth, and unravel mysteries...

She believed in repaying all grudges and settling all scores, and that she was never a magnanimous person.

The "鸢" in "林鸢" refers to the "鸢" in "鸢鸟" (bird of prey), not the "鸢" in "纸鸢" (paper kite).
In this lifetime, she'll strike first! Guo Yi'an, you're dead!

Male protagonist's story:
Guo Yi'an, the country is at peace; this is my father's wish.

He was once a dashing young man, but somehow he became a taciturn and cold-faced general. When they met again, he cautiously tried to get close to her, clumsily trying to love her in his own way.

It turns out that even a general who strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies can be afraid that the kite in his hand will break its wings, and he will restrain all his sharpness, leaving only a gentle touch in his palm.

Everyone says that General Guo is a cold-faced demon who is ruthless and decisive, and never smiles. But who was that person who just smiled so cheaply at Miss Lin?

In this lifetime, he must save her and prevent her from dying from an arrow piercing her heart. Lin Yuan, you must live!