Support Xue Beng, Take Qian Renxue Down?

Xue Beng quickly explained the reason behind his bullying of the commoners that day, starting with the sudden, mysterious deaths of his two elder brothers, then describing how 'Xue Qinghe' had courted officials and acted with humility and wisdom, eventually ascending to the position of Crown Prince...

"So, you intentionally disguised yourself as a good-for-nothing to prevent him from targeting you, making him believe you were incompetent and posed no threat to his position as Crown Prince. You were using this method to protect yourself?"

Xue Hen, who had long known the truth, deliberately revealed a look of sudden realization.

Xue Beng nodded solemnly and replied, "Exactly. If I didn't, I fear he would have killed me just as he did my two elder brothers. Although I have no evidence, based on the logic that the one who gains the most is the culprit, the sudden deaths of my two brothers likely have everything to do with him!"

Beside him, Prince Xue Xing also spoke with a grave expression: "Xue Qinghe is absolutely not as virtuous as he appears. I have spent over sixty years in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and have seen my fair share of facades. I can see the ambition buried deep in his eyes. Since ascending to the position of Crown Prince, he has appeared to be focused on assisting His Majesty, but in reality, he is constantly recruiting officials loyal to himself!"

"He is the Crown Prince; it is only natural for him to build his own faction." Xue Hen set aside his look of realization, adopted a thoughtful expression, and said calmly.

"That may be so, but His Majesty is still in his prime. Why is he so impatient? Just how worried is he that his position as Crown Prince is unstable?"

"Haa~" Prince Xue Xing let out a heavy sigh. His tone shifted, and with a sincere expression, he said to Xue Hen, "I have digressed. Xue Hen, we did not come here today to denounce the crimes of Xue Qinghe, but merely to resolve the misunderstanding between you and Xue Beng. Xue Beng is not a profligate; he understands the importance of the people's hearts and knows that causing trouble for no reason is a grave mistake. But... to survive, he had no choice. If he didn't pretend to be an incompetent wastrel, Xue Qinghe would not let him live. I hope you can understand and not think of him as a tyrannical prince who enjoys oppressing the commoners, as others do."

Xue Hen tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair and said coolly, "Whether I can understand is irrelevant. Judge by actions, not intentions. Even if he has a thousand reasons, what does that have to do with those innocent commoners? They were bullied, and the one who bullied them was Xue Beng. That is indisputable, so he was not wronged when I struck him away."

Upon hearing this, Xue Beng lowered his head.

Prince Xue Xing hurriedly added, "We know those commoners were innocent, which is why we have secretly provided them with compensation afterward. Some would 'accidentally' find Gold Soul Coin on the road, while others would receive a big client while running their small businesses... We have provided compensation to all of them."

Xue Hen looked at Prince Xue Xing, a flash of surprise crossing his face.

This time, the expression was genuine.

These two actually secretly compensated the commoners after bullying them?

The original novel had truly never mentioned this.

"Cousin, I know that compared to the compensation I provide, the people would perhaps prefer not to have been bullied at all, but... I had no choice. I have to survive. I feel that one shouldn't have such high moral demands for someone whose life is constantly at stake. I have already tried my best not to become someone who stops at nothing to save his own skin." At this, Xue Beng looked up and said to Xue Hen, sounding somewhat powerless.

"Sigh~" Xue Xing also sighed at the right moment and shook his head.

Silence.

The room suddenly fell quiet.

Xue Hen's brows furrowed slightly. He tapped his fingers on the armrest continuously, and after 'thinking' for a good while, he said to the uncle and nephew before him, "Born into an imperial family, one often finds themselves in situations beyond their control; as long as your conscience is clear, that is enough. Also, if you want to save your life, you could pretend to be an idiot instead of a profligate; that way, you wouldn't have to bully those commoners. I wonder why you didn't think of that back then?"

"Pretend... to be an idiot?" Xue Beng was stunned.

"This... I truly didn't think of that method at the time." Prince Xue Xing's face twitched slightly as he scratched his head and said in a low voice.

"Alright, I understand. It is getting late, so I will not keep you two any longer." Xue Hen stood up.

"Cousin, we..."

"Good." Prince Xue Xing grabbed Xue Beng, who still wanted to say something, and pulled him up as well. He said to Xue Hen, "It is indeed getting late. Since the matter has been clarified, we shall take our leave. Xue Hen, get some rest."

"Mm." Xue Hen nodded.

Seeing his imperial uncle act this way, Xue Beng had no choice but to swallow the words he wanted to say. He followed him out of the guest room, and after bidding Xue Hen farewell at the door, the two went downstairs and walked out of the inn.

Watching the uncle and nephew leave, Xue Hen thought to himself, "The two of them... their level is actually higher than Qian Renxue's."

Both came with an agenda, yet the impression they left was completely different; that was the distinction.

"Xue Beng..." Xue Hen stroked his chin. Thinking of Tang San's treatment in the Heaven Dou Empire in the original novel and the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, the super Soul Tool treasured by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, he began to consider whether he should replicate part of Tang San's journey, support Xue Beng, bring Qian Renxue down, and then use the power of the imperial family to better utilize his system.

Right, his 'Fictional Sky Screen, Turning False into Reality' system could not achieve a high rate of authenticity just by making things up randomly.

Take Yuan Qi, for instance; even now, that character's authenticity rate had not reached fifty percent.

If he had the help of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, whenever he wanted to fictionalize something in the future, he could lay the groundwork across the continent in advance, plant various clues that would lead people to make connections, and then broadcast it on the Sky Screen. The effect would certainly be vastly different.

Xue Hen stood there considering for a while, finally deciding to wait and see what Xue Beng's next move would be. If he wanted his support, he would surely come again.

He then closed the door, picked up a piece of fruit they had brought, and sat back down in his chair.

On the other side, on the main street of Heaven Dou City.

Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng walked along, followed by many guards who had previously been stationed around the inn.

"Imperial Uncle, why were you in such a rush to pull me away just now? I still had things to say," Xue Beng asked Prince Xue Xing.

"We had already said enough. You should understand the principle that too much is as bad as too little," Prince Xue Xing replied.

"But..."

"After you explained the reason for bullying the commoners, Xue Hen's expression clearly changed. Later, when we spoke to him, he responded to everything, which means he took it to heart and believed your explanation! So, our goal for going there today has been achieved. As for wanting to get closer to him, you cannot rush; it must be done slowly. Tomorrow, you can bring some pastries to visit him again. Don't talk about official business; just ask him how he has spent these years, if it was hard being out on his own since he was young, and say more words of concern. Do you understand?" Prince Xue Xing instructed Xue Beng.

Hearing this, Xue Beng quieted down, thought it over carefully, and nodded in response: "Mm, I understand, Imperial Uncle."

"Mm, a child worth teaching." Prince Xue Xing nodded with satisfaction.