Prince

The prince's name was Wen Youyuan. He was the younger brother of the current emperor of the Biyuan Kingdom. Ordinary members of the royal family might not know the secrets within the royal family, but how could someone like him, one of the highest-ranking members of the royal family, not know the history of his own Wen family?

It was precisely because he understood that he was startled. That unassuming Old Ancestor was a peerless master with unparalleled skills, and it was through his reputation that the Wen family established its current status in the Biyuan Kingdom.

Who is Mr. Nongzhu? He was one of the few friends of our Old Ancestor, and it is said that he was a peerless master with profound and mysterious skills. Moreover, there is a legend that Mr. Nongzhu was our Old Ancestor's savior. This matter involves our Old Ancestor's romantic past, and it is strictly forbidden to circulate within the royal family.

Wen Youyuan glanced at Wen Qing, who was still crying, and then looked at the people in the two rows on the left and right sides of the hall. These people were all relatives of the emperor and some descendants of meritorious officials who had come with the delegation. He waved to them and said, "You may all step down for now."

After bowing, the group left the hall. However, a young man who bore a resemblance to the prince remained, hesitant and seemingly wanting to say something. This man was none other than the prince's second son Wen Chongzheng. Wen Youyuan frowned slightly and said, "Chongzheng, is there something else?"

Wen Chongzheng said respectfully, "Father, I would like to stay and hear what is going on, and see if I can share your burden."

How dare he disobey his father's orders! Wen Youyuan raised an eyebrow, swallowing back the reprimand he was about to utter. This youngest son was born out of wedlock, and precisely because he was born out of wedlock, he was not in line to inherit the throne. That was why he had come to the Great Yang Kingdom this time.

The Biyuan Kingdom has a rather cruel rule for its royal relatives and nobles. Because the Biyuan Kingdom is not very large, in order to curb the proliferation of royal relatives and nobles, each royal relative or noble family can only have one descendant inherit the title. Once others inherit the title, they must be demoted to commoners.

Logically, even if these people were demoted to commoners, they would still have connections and influence. Unfortunately, due to that cruel rule, no one wanted to give up their inheritance of the title, and the open and covert struggles between brothers were rampant. Imagine, once someone inherits a title and gains power, how could they possibly let go of their former enemies? Therefore, many who lost their inheritance rights met with very tragic ends.

The ironclad rules set by our ancestors are not to be arbitrarily changed. Wen Youyuan did not want to see his two sons turn against each other, which is why he sent a prince to compete for the position of consort, hoping to protect both his wealth and his life. This was a last resort. Most of the people in the hall earlier were there for the same reason.

Wen Youyuan wanted to refuse his son's request, but couldn't bring himself to say it...

Wen Bai, standing to the side, knew his unspeakable secret. He glanced at Wen Chongzheng and smiled faintly, "Your Highness, since Wen Qing already knows, it's alright for Chongzheng to hear it. I believe Chongzheng won't spread it around." Although he also shared the surname Wen, he was adopted by the Wen family from a young age and changed his surname because of his talent for cultivation. He wasn't a true blood relative of the Wen family, but he was one of the people protecting the Wen royal family.

Wen Chongzheng, his head slightly bowed, wore a calm expression, but his hands, hidden in his sleeves, were clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his flesh. Just because he was born of a concubine, not the legitimate son, was he not even given the chance to fulfill his filial duties? Father, you are far too heartless!

Wen Youyuan's gaze swept over his son, not looking at him directly, and asked Wen Bai, "What exactly happened? Mr. Nongzhu is a mysterious figure who is rarely seen. How did you get involved with him? Brother Wen Bai, can you really confirm that he is Mr. Nongzhu?"

Upon hearing the words "Mr. Nongzhu," Wen Chongzheng's brow twitched involuntarily. Others might think he didn't know who Mr. Nongzhu was, but he had unintentionally heard of this person before; he was a figure of great Divine Ability. No wonder even the Princess had to suffer a setback.

"The Princess insisted on experiencing the customs and culture of the Great Yang Kingdom, so she chose a relatively clean inn to check in. However, she discovered that the inn had already been booked by Mr. Nongzhu..." Wen Bai immediately recounted the events. Since Wen Chongzheng, he decided to save the detailed account for later to tell the prince separately.

Unexpectedly, Wen Qing, who was crying and wiping away her tears, said, "Uncle, who exactly is that person? He recognized us as members of the royal family of the Biyuan Kingdom and dared to force Qing'er to kneel down and admit her mistake. Also, whose name is Wen Lanfeng in our royal family? I've never heard of him before! That person kept saying that Wen Lanfeng had to go to the South China Sea to apologize to him personally, or he would tear down our Biyuan Kingdom's palace. He was so arrogant, and Uncle Bai even sided with him and bullied Qing'er together, boohoo!" As she spoke, she cried again.

Her tone, seemingly accusing someone, was taken to heart. Wen Bai smiled wryly; he had intended to save these words for later to tell Wen Youyuan, but she had blurted them all out.

Wen Youyuan felt a chill run down his spine. He naturally knew that the Old Ancestor was Wen Lanfeng. Who else in the world could keep demanding that Wen Lanfeng go to the South China Sea to apologize? Good heavens! Why did he have to mess with this girl? The Old Ancestor might not give face to anyone, but he absolutely had to give face to that person—it was a life-saving grace!

Wen Chongzheng, standing to the side, remained calm on the surface, but his mind was in turmoil. That Mr. Nongzhu was actually a figure who could influence the legendary Old Ancestor of the Wen family? Heavens! His heart pounded wildly, as if he had found a Great Dao to the other side of the sea of suffering.

He had long harbored that intention, so naturally he knew a little about some hidden matters, and therefore knew who Wen Lanfeng was. Unlike the ignorant Princess Wen Qing.

"Eight hundred taels of gold and everything will be fine?" Wen Youyuan muttered to himself. Hearing Wen Qing's oblivious sobbing, he immediately pointed his finger and shouted angrily, "Still crying! Do you know that you almost caused a huge disaster? If something happens, even your Father Emperor will be implicated, and no one can save you."

The sobbing stopped abruptly. Wen Qing uttered a small "oh," her hair disheveled, looking pitiful and stunned, no longer daring to cry. It was the first time she'd ever seen her uncle so angry with her. Hearing that even her Father Emperor, might be implicated, she finally believed she'd truly offended someone she couldn't afford to offend. Tears welled in her eyes, her face filled with confusion as she wondered who that vulgar fellow with the large fan was.

Outside the hall, a servant walked in quietly and said respectfully, "Your Highness, lunch has been prepared. Please have your meal."

"Get out!" Wen Youyuan roared furiously. The servant was so frightened that he scrambled out of the room, completely bewildered as to what he had done to offend the prince.

"Guards!" Wen Youyuan shouted again, and two guards with their hands on their swords rushed in to pay their respects. Wen Youyuan waved his hand at Wen Qing and said in a deep voice, "Order all the guards in the embassy to keep a close watch on the Princess. Without my order, no one is allowed to let the Princess out. If she takes a single step outside, I'll take both of your heads!"

"Yes!" The two guards rose to their feet, inwardly shocked. While the Princess was indeed noble, confining the princess seemed excessive. However, being guards of the prince's residence, they stood behind the Princess without a word, obeying the prince's command.

"Uncle Wang! Qing'er knows she was wrong," Wen Qing said, feeling extremely aggrieved.

However, today, pleading and acting cute were useless. Wen Youyuan said sternly, "Shut up. When we get back, I'll let your Father Emperor punish you."

Wen Qing was dumbfounded. Wen Bai shook his head and sighed softly. Wen Chongzheng, however, increasingly appreciated the prowess of that Mr. Nongzhu.

After calming down a bit, Wen Youyuan turned to Wen Bai and said, "Brother Wen Bai, I'll go change my clothes first. I'll trouble you to take me to see the teacher later so I can apologize in person."

"Well... since the gentleman has already agreed not to pursue the matter, he probably won't go back on his word. If we go again, we might upset him," Wen Bai said, taken aback.

Wen Youyuan smiled wryly and said, "I can't rest easy without seeing him. I hope Brother Wen Bai can understand!" Although he said this, he still had the idea of getting to know the senior master. He had never met his Old Ancestor in his life, so meeting this Mr. Nongzhu would be enough to comfort him.

"Alright!" Wen Bai said with a helpless smile. Then the two of them walked out together, leaving only four people in the hall. Two guards stayed by the Princess's side, while Wen Qing stared at Wen Chongzheng with endless resentment and said, "Brother, you have to stay and keep me company."

"Ahem!" Wen Chongzheng coughed twice and said, "Father has given me some tasks, so I don't have time to spend with you for the time being. Take good care of yourself, Princess. You two must not neglect the Princess." The last sentence was addressed to the two guards, clearly telling them to keep a close eye on her. After saying that, he quickly ran off. "Brother, stop..." came Wen Qing's tigress-like roar from behind, but he ran even faster.

After Yue Qianchou and the others had eaten and drunk their fill at Guangying Inn, Boss Sang called for someone to clean up the leftovers while he personally went to the street outside and bought three money pouches. These were for Yue Qianchou; he was prepared to spend money while shopping with Furong, but hanging a Storage Bag outside would be too conspicuous, so money pouches were necessary.

As soon as Boss Sang returned to the entrance of Guangying Inn with three money bags, he came face to face with four people, one of whom was the same man who had previously compensated the gentleman. Although he didn't understand why they had come back, he still nodded and smiled in greeting.

Wen Bai glanced at the three money pouches in his hand and immediately understood. He cupped his hands and smiled, "Boss, we meet again. I wonder if that gentleman is still in the inn?"

Boss Sang quickly glanced at the group and returned their greeting, asking, "Do you need to see the gentleman for something?"

Wen Youyuan, standing to the side, cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "I have come to apologize to you, sir, for my niece's recklessness. Please inform her of my rudeness." As he spoke, he waved slightly behind him, and a guard took out a gleaming silver ingot and stuffed it into Boss Sang's hand.

Boss Sang put on a delighted expression and said, "Please wait a moment, I'll go and inform them right away." With that, he quickly ran inside.

Upon reaching the back courtyard, they saw the naive woman meticulously dividing three piles of gold and silver on a table, thoroughly enjoying herself. The gentleman stood by, fanning himself and watching with a smile. General Zhang Peng suddenly turned around, and upon seeing him, his wary gaze softened...

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