A day later, Purple Radiance Prince's Manor.
The soul tool lamp shone on Xu Tianchen, casting his shadow at a long angle. He sat in a chair in the study, his expression grave as he stared at the secret letter in his hand, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force of his grip.
The words in the letter pierced Xu Tianchen's eyes like needles. The one who had leaked his whereabouts was his dear elder brother—the current crown prince, Xu Tianran!
"Is the information accurate?"
Xu Tianchen set down the letter and looked at Shadow Ghost, who was kneeling before him on one knee. His expression was somewhat grim, his voice low.
"According to the information gathered and verified by Web, after mobilizing nearly all internal resources to check every detail, we have confirmed that the person who leaked Your Highness's whereabouts was Crown Prince Xu Tianran. It was only after he entered the palace and met with His Majesty that His Majesty ordered you to escort Zhao Yushan back to Mingdu instead."
Xu Tianchen let out a sigh, leaned back against the chair, and closed his eyes.
To be honest, the two of them had once been especially close. He still remembered playing with Xu Tianran in the manor's gardens when they were children. Back then, there had been none of these twists and turns between them.
When had the distance between them begun?
Perhaps it had been during the investiture ceremony after the ascension ceremony, when the two of them had been named crown prince and Purple Radiance King. Or perhaps it had begun even earlier—so early that he had never noticed it.
At first, he had truly only wanted to be a respectful younger brother to Xu Tianran!
He would be an idle prince, cultivate in