Three Imperial Cities. Thirteenth Prince's Manor. Ning Chen had returned. The once warm and welcoming manor had become a place where all was changed, people and things no longer as they had been.
Shi Yu and Shi Qing had left, and the Crown Prince's Estate had become empty and desolate. The laughter and merriment of old could no longer be heard.
The collapsed royal hall had been rebuilt. Though the newly refurbished hall looked brand-new, it was so unfamiliar that not a trace of its former self remained.
Ning Chen entered, his gaze sweeping across the furnishings within the hall as he stood in silent contemplation.
"His Highness the Crown Prince, Ninth Prince requests an audience."
At that moment, a guard hurried over from outside the royal hall and bowed respectfully.
Ning Chen turned around and nodded. "Show him in."
"Yes!"
Having received his orders, the guard rose and departed.
Before long, Ninth Prince appeared before the royal hall. Clad in an exquisite royal robe, the smugness on his somewhat sinister face was impossible to conceal.
Seeing the newcomer, Ning Chen walked out of the royal hall and offered a courteous salute. "Greetings, Ninth Imperial Brother."
"Thirteenth Imperial Brother, you are being too formal."
Xuan Que stepped forward and raised a hand to help him up. "You are now the Crown Prince. Your imperial brother cannot bear such a salute from you."
Ning Chen straightened, his gaze resting on the Ninth Prince before him. "Imperial Brother, please, let us speak inside."
Xuan Que nodded and walked into the royal hall ahead.
Ning Chen followed him inside.
The somewhat chilly hall was exquisitely decorated. Compared to before, it carried a touch more nobility, better befitting the grandeur a royal Crown Prince ought to possess.
"I returned in too great a hurry