Thud! Liang Yong fell to his knees. “Prince Yun, please spare my life. This subordinate doesn’t dare to.”
“You may withdraw. I bet you wouldn’t dare to either, but if there’s a next time, bring your head.” Yun Ruofeng warned.
Liang Yong stumbled as he crawled up from the ground and staggered out of the room in a sorry state.
Meanwhile, the man with the douli checked his back to make sure there were no people tailing him before entering the jiazi room.
A coloured glazed pingfeng separated the room into two sections.
The man removed his douli, revealing a respectful expression. “Master, the message has been relayed.”
“Mmm.” His seemingly indifferent reply carried an imposing authority to it.
It was soon the time for the meeting, and Yun Ruofeng approached the jiazi room. As he stood outside, he already had several guesses as to who he would be meeting, but he couldn’t be sure. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the man with the douli appeared. He opened the door and stood guard outside.
“May I know who you are? Are you Hua Ziheng or Hua Ziqing?” Yun Ruofeng couldn’t be bothered with the pleasantries.
The person chuckled. “As expected of Prince Yun, the person who wields power in all four nations. Even after being spurned by Nanzhao, your deeds are still shocking. This Prince admires you greatly.”
Yun Ruofeng could immediately deduce who this person was. Between Hua Ziheng and Hua Ziqing, the only person who could address themselves as ‘this Prince’ was Hua Ziqing, the deposed crown prince who was then conferred as Prince Qing when he returned to the court.
This person wasn’t well known, having shut himself away in Liuhua Courtyard. However, it was rumoured that he possessed exceptional abilities. It was just that since he was stripped of his ‘crown prince’ title, he wouldn’t have any chance at fighting for the throne if he didn’t have a powerful backer.
“Hua Ziqing, just get to the point; this Prince doesn’t like beating about the bush.” Now that Yun Ruofeng had ascertained the person’s identity, he was no longer polite.
Hua Ziqing opened the pingfeng, revealing his alluring face and a demeanor that carried a trace of warmth. If Pei Qianhao had been present, he would have identified this man as the same one from Xiang Village, despite the different appearance.
Although a person’s appearance could be altered, their demeanor couldn’t be masked.
This was why Yun Ruofeng didn’t identify Hua Ziqing as the man who had appeared in Xiang Village despite having someone there to report news to him.
“Prince Yun, since you have managed to guess this Prince’s identity, you should also know what my goal is. Hua Ziqing’s expression was gentle, but none of his real intentions could be discerned from his tone; it was apparent that he was sounding Yun Ruofeng out.
Yun Ruofeng’s expression grew cold. “This Prince doesn’t know. Could you share with me?”
Hua Ziqing’s attempts at probing Yun Ruofeng only ended up making the latter more cautious. Despite being held captive, he was able to overturn his situation and rise up the ranks again; he’s definitely not someone to be trifled with.
“How can you not know what I’m after when you are so astute and wise, Prince Yun?” Hua Ziqing’s gentle face reflected his sincerity.
Yun Ruofeng knitted his brow. “Tell me your bargaining chip.”
Since you don’t wish to be direct, I’ll set out a bait to lure you into telling the truth.
A chill seized Hua Ziqing’s heart. Yun Ruofeng is indeed intelligent, but it’s a pity for him that this Prince is no weakling.
“Beimin’s Princess Consort Hao is Nanzhao’s Eldest Imperial Princess who has been resurrected; this was something you spread, Prince Yun.”
You laid out the bait, and I’m holding you at your weak point; neither one is better than the other.
The aloofness left Yun Ruofeng, but the warning in his eyes was evident. “You can eat the wrong food, but you cannot say the wrong things. I’m sure you are well aware of that.”
