CHAPTER 103: CHAPTER 103: THE CROWN PRINCE HAS QUITE A FEW DEMANDS

"Why?" Lv Xia couldn’t help asking, knowing well that he shouldn’t speak much with Tang Ziqian to avoid any slip-ups.

He had a favorable impression of the young County Captain.

In the two times of ambush when he went to report the case, County Captain Xue met him personally and comforted him, a rare kind-hearted person.

"Because he submitted a higher-level plea to overturn my case—" Tang Ziqian explained briefly, then sighed half-truthfully, "Actually, he didn’t have to do that. This matter was not for a lowly County Captain to step in. By doing so, he offended many people both openly and secretly and had to resign and retire. Alas... who knows what he’s after?"

Lv Xia was stunned for a long time before softly saying, "Probably for peace of mind..."

...

"Lv Xia has confessed!" Tang Ziqian said with a smile.

The Crown Prince raised his eyes to look at him, his gaze calm and indifferent. At first glance, he looked the same as usual, but Tang Ziqian vaguely felt that his spirits seemed low.

What happened? During the day, the Crown Prince went to the Imperial College with his little sister. Could something have happened?

Just as he was about to ask, the Crown Prince spoke, "What did Lv Xia confess to?"

Tang Ziqian composed himself and said, "Does Your Highness remember the Winter Solstice incident last year?"

Li Mu’s eyes slightly darkened.

Of course, he remembered.

Last Winter Solstice, the Observatory reported that cloud energy invaded Taiwei Palace, obscuring the Crown Prince’s star, a great omen of disaster.

In recent years, the emperor often used astronomical phenomena to imply that his life was short-lived, but this time, it even dragged Miss Tang into it.

"Lv Xia said that on that night, he also observed the starry sky and saw Taiwei Palace clear and cloudless, with no signs of disaster."

Li Mu lowered his eyes, his expression unchanged.

The emperor highly employed officials from the Qingzhou School, which advocated the doctrine of disaster interpretation, so they naturally had to control the Observatory.

Fabricating a few ominous signs was not surprising.

"That’s all Lv Xia confessed, nothing else. He seems to be considering the camaraderie among fellow disciples," Tang Ziqian sneered, "but Prime Minister Zheng didn’t spare him as a junior brother and almost silenced him permanently!"

Li Mu offered no comment, merely saying, "Keep him well for when I return to the Capital City with my name restored. He’ll be of use."

Tang Ziqian acknowledged this and noticed the Crown Prince’s slightly weary expression, prompting him to ask, "Did nothing happen when you went to the Imperial College with your sister today?"

"Met Prince Jin Li Shu."

Tang Ziqian’s heart tightened: "And then?"

The Crown Prince lived a reclusive life, and few knew him, but Li Shu was among those few.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince shook his head calmly, "Nothing happened."

Tang Ziqian felt relieved.

Indeed, if something had happened, he wouldn’t be standing here.

"With only a few months left, Your Highness should go out less to avoid unforeseen events," Tang Ziqian advised.

Still, it was puzzling why the Crown Prince was still fooling around with a little girl at such a critical time.

Li Mu remained silent and changed the subject: "This student uproar is a good opportunity to replace the officials of the Imperial College. You ought to instruct the Gu Family’s disciples..."

...

After Tang Ziqian left, Li Mu’s face darkened.

After a moment of thought, he called Mo Huan to whisper a few instructions.

Mo Huan complied, about to leave, when he was stopped.

"Order to inform your master, by June I will descend the mountain, and I do not wish to see Zhao Jing alive—"

...

A thousand miles east of the Capital City, the mountains rise, stopping abruptly at Taihang Mountain.

Taihang Mountain starts from Henei and reaches north to Youzhou, stretching a thousand miles, a strategic military location since ancient times, connecting Hebei and Hedong through eight east-west mountain passes.

Half of these key passageways are within the jurisdiction of the Zhenzhou Governor Mansion.

Jingxing Pass is the first southern pass within the jurisdiction of the Zhenzhou Governor Mansion, defended personally by the Heir of Prince Changshan, Li Xingyuan, for the past three years.

At this time, Li Xingyuan was in his residence, holding a secret letter from the Capital City, sighing and shaking his head.

"Is there something wrong in the Capital City?" a staff member asked.

Li Xingyuan chuckled, putting down the secret letter: "Tang Ziqian’s issue was seen through by the Crown Prince, and now he’s questioning me!"

The staff member laughed, "No wonder, the Crown Prince wouldn’t feel comfortable seeing our infighting even before he left the Capital City, would he?"

"Not only that!" Li Xingyuan tapped the letter, "The Crown Prince said he doesn’t want to see Zhao Jing alive!"

The staff laughed, "The Crown Prince sure has many demands."

Li Xingyuan abruptly stopped smiling, casting a glance at him, "Many? How many times has the Crown Prince ordered something?"

The staff’s expression changed, whispering, "F-first time..."

Li Xingyuan snorted a laugh.

The staff looked troubled, "But Zhao Jing—"

"Do you think I don’t know that?" Li Xingyuan laughed, lit a fire, and burned the secret letter.

"Go back to the Prince Mansion and say nothing, just tell them I’m going to the Capital City myself to escort the Crown Prince out!" With that, he strode out of the conference hall.

The matter of Tang Ziqian and Zhao Jing needed a quick explanation with the Crown Prince.

"When does the Heir set off?"

Li Xingyuan paused, gazing at the mountain silhouette in the evening glow.

"Tomorrow—"

He should reach the Capital City before April, or else...

...

This year’s climate is clearly hotter than last year, and despite being just mid-March, the sun was already fierce.

"It wasn’t this hot last year, was it?" As a time traveler who hadn’t yet appeared by last March, Tang Xiaobai nonchalantly inquired about last year’s temperatures.

"It is indeed hotter this year." Tang Jiaojiao was also sweating at the tip of her nose, looking somewhat impatient from the heat.

"How about we head back?" Tang Xiaobai seized the opportunity to suggest.

Tang Jiaojiao refused: "Weren’t you the one crying out to come to Changle Slope to ride horses? We’ve barely started, and now you want to go back?"

Tang Xiaobai earnestly said, "I worry that if you get tanned, you won’t be as beautiful."

Tang Jiaojiao quickly touched her face, then glared at her and ordered someone to get a straw hat: "Let’s return to the mansion!"

Tang Xiaobai happily followed, asking, "Sis, doesn’t our family have any summer retreats or estates for avoiding the summer heat?"

"Of course, we do! It’s at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, you’ve been there as a child, remember?"

"Forgot... why didn’t we go last year?" Although last year wasn’t as hot early on as this year, by midsummer, it was steamy.

"That’s an imperial summer retreat, adjacent to Taihe Palace. Since Your Majesty didn’t go, we couldn’t either."

"Why didn’t His Majesty go last year?"

"Ha!" Tang Jiaojiao let out a cold laugh, "Not just last year, His Majesty hasn’t gone to Taihe Palace for cooling for the past few years! Our Majesty is diligent and caring, not indulging in pleasure, a blessing for the common people!"

Judging by the tone, Miss Tang seemed to hold some grievance about not going to the summer retreat.

"This year’s heat should get him to go, right?" Saying this, she subconsciously turned to seek agreement from the person beside her, only to see the little ancestor nodding—

...

"You had just left when a message came from the Palace," Gu Family was wiping sweat with a white handkerchief while softly speaking with a smile, "On the first day of May, the imperial carriage will visit Taihe Palace—"