Chapter 18: It’s Really Troublesome To Go Out
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Just as Liu Yu Zhen was about to turn and leave, he suddenly heard the voice of Consort Mingge once again.
“Crown Prince Liu? I have met him before, but this is a crucial place in the palace. How can I approach a crown prince casually?” Although Mingge was a woman, her status in the palace was quite high. Her every move was noble and courteous, and there was no hint of retreat in her voice towards the person.
Liu Yu Zhen was taken aback. Why was it the crown prince again? Couldn’t he stop appearing before him? Did he really want the downfall of the Liu Country? Although this Liu Country didn’t actually have much to do with him, it seemed that King Yan was very reluctant to let him see the Crown Prince.
Adhering to the principle of not causing trouble, Liu Yu Zhen quickly retreated behind the wall, feeling uneasy in his heart.
“Liu Ling has no intention of offending!” The man’s voice was melodious, magnetic, and captivating, as if it was heard somewhere before. He had only spoken half a sentence when a group of guards with weapons came running towards him from afar, their footsteps heavy. “Liu Ling is looking for something very important, and he happened to come here. Mingge Niangniang, please don’t blame me.”
“Oh? It’s the rabbit.” Mingge exclaimed joyfully; girls always liked such cute little animals.
Liu Yu Zhen inwardly cursed. How did his Bao’er end up in Liu Ling’s hands? How could he retrieve it now? He didn’t believe there were others in the palace who kept rabbits. It was obvious why Liu Ling was holding his Bao’er. The rabbit must have been released by Liu Ling to find him, and it wasn’t necessarily a coincidence that it was caught by Yue Lan.
He remained calm, knowing that it was impossible to claim Bao’er now. Liu Yu Zhen felt somewhat uneasy, wondering if he was overthinking due to his professional habits, or if there was indeed something sinister happening in the Yan harem palace.
“If Mingge Niangniang likes it, then this Bao’er one shall be a gift to you.”
“Bao’er, such an interesting name!” Mingge took the rabbit, her tone softening. “Many thanks to Crown Prince Liu. But this place isn’t suitable for lingering. Please return quickly.”
“Alright, Liu Ling will remember Niangniang’s guidance.”
The guards followed behind Liu Ling urged him to return to his own chambers. Meanwhile, Consort Mingge, holding the rabbit, couldn’t hide her happiness. With the company of her maids and guards, she also left the entrance of the king’s chambers.
Liu Yu Zhen finally approached the door, gazing at Liu Ling’s departing figure.
But when he looked, Liu Ling had already turned the corner and disappeared without a trace, leaving him disappointed. A man with such a gentle voice must be much more handsome than King Yan. In his impression, members of the special forces were all fiery-tempered, and his mischievous nature was already a rarity. A man as gentle as Liu Ling, whose voice could melt hearts, was definitely a rarity.
Oh well, if there’s nothing to see, then there’s nothing to see.
“Prime Minister Liu, please return to the inner chambers of the palace immediately,” reminded the guard at the door.
Liu Yu Zhen smiled as he looked at them. Just from their expressions, he could tell that these youngsters were still shaken from his near encounter with Liu Ling earlier. If they weren’t as discreet as he was, they would have sent him back long ago.
With mischief brewing, Liu Yu Zhen flicked one of them on the forehead, making a loud thud. “How can you stand guard like this? Straighten up!”
“Y-yes.”
“What was that? Speak up! King Yan didn’t just summon you to watch over me, but also to guard against outsiders. If they dare to come again, chase them all away!”
“Yes!” The guard was quite startled. While it was typical for orders from high-ranking officials to sound authoritative, why did Liu Yu Zhen’s command feel more like a scolding? Was a captive lecturing them?
Liu Yu Zhen felt a sense of satisfaction in various ways. Normally, he had to obey his team leader in everything, but now, he enjoyed this small moment of triumph.
However, over the past few days, with the doors of the King Yan’s chambers opened three times, and considering how Liu Ling managed to sneak the rabbit in, who knew what other tricks he might come up with to find him? “When will Crown Prince Liu return to his country?”
“I’m… sorry, I don’t know.”
“Then I’ll just go directly ask King Yan! I have to wait until Liu Ling leaves before I can conveniently leave Great Yan. Damn, it’s really troublesome. That pair of ‘bound individuals’ are so inseparable; Yan Tenghua hasn’t returned until now. Looks like I’ll have to personally ‘invite’ him.”
Liu Yu Zhen revealed a wicked smile. The one surnamed Yan still owed him a beating; if he didn’t expose King Yan’s weaknesses, he wouldn’t be Liu Yu Zhen!
He asked Xiao Zipei to provide him with a set of servant’s clothes. Xiao Zipei refused adamantly; this was a blatant provocation to test his training results. In just a few days, his body had recovered to a basic level of normalcy. Violence wasn’t only about having extraordinary physical abilities and strength; skill was also a key to victory.
Although he had transmigrated into this useless body, his skills were ingrained in his heart. With a single move of the ancestral grappling technique, whether once, twice, or thousands of times, he could effortlessly flip Xiao Zipei over and pin him down with his hands crossed behind his back.
“Give it to me.” This was already the fourth time. Liu Yu Zhen couldn’t personally snatch the clothes from the servant, because he had been running around everywhere, teaching the guards defensive skills. Basically, everyone here knew him, so impersonating a servant would be very difficult.
“No, I won’t!” Xiao Zipei retorted angrily.
“If you don’t give it, believe me, I’ll strip you right here.”
“Prime Minister Liu, don’t think I wouldn’t know what you’re up to. Can’t you calm down for a while?”
Liu Yu Zhen shouted, “Argh! I’m so bored! That damn Yan Tenghua has trapped me here, yet he doesn’t come to see me. I’m starting to mold away!”
“Prime Minister Liu, do you have the nerve to tell the guards to ‘register’ everyone going in and out of the palace, and to shoo away anyone near it? Were you planning to trap yourself here?” Xiao Zipei couldn’t help but express his disbelief. He suspected something was off with this prime minister. Why would he disclose such instructions to the gatekeepers? Did he really want to leave? Seriously?
“Oh, I don’t care. They’re your soldiers. They should follow you more.” Liu Yu Zhen was on the verge of losing his patience. If he saw Yan Tenghua, he’d definitely unleash all his grievances on him. No, first he’d give him a good beating. That’s more important.
Liu Yu Zhen released Zipei and made a face at him before swiftly moving to the door.
Xiao Zipei shook his head helplessly. Since Liu Yu Zhen started physical training, he had never been able to dodge this move. He was, after all, appointed as the Commander of the Imperial Guards by Yan Tenghua. In terms of martial arts, he was one of the best in the Great Yan. Yet, he was easily overpowered. Although it was partly because he couldn’t harm Liu Yu Zhen, the latter’s strength was truly remarkable. In the martial world, he would be a rare talent.
But how could someone with such skills be unheard of in the martial world? Moreover, his physique and stamina were similar to Prime Minister Liu’s. It was clear he wasn’t a martial artist by profession. Unless he deliberately abandoned his martial arts to enter the Great Yan and start anew, but that would be utterly unnecessary.
Xiao Zipei glanced at Liu Yu Zhen entangled with the guards at the door and couldn’t help but mock himself inwardly. If this fool had any purpose, it was probably as lost as his own ambition.
Seeing that Xiao Zipei didn’t follow him, ah, he underestimated himself. With a grin, he strode out of the palace, proudly displaying the Commander of the Imperial Guards badge that used to belong to Xiao Zipei.
“What?!” Xiao Zipei’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He quickly dashed to the door, but the gatekeeper stopped him from leaving. What on earth? These were his trained soldiers. How could they obey Liu Yu Zhen instead of following the rules? “Come back!”
“Hell no. You wait here. I won’t come back until I see that bastard.” Liu Yu Zhen refused to listen. Besides the captain, nobody could make him obey.
Huge shoutout to @denkoumaru on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
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