Chapter 268: The Spirit Tablet Has Been Set Up

“No nonsense! I came a long way to hear a performance of red and white faces from you.”

General Lei smiled wryly. “Your Majesty, you don’t understand the dangerous situation in Lingnan. We tried several times to submit reports, but there was no time or energy. Honestly, the First Prince went wherever he wanted, and we couldn’t control him. We were all busy calming the people and finding shelter. Who had time to manage what the First Prince was doing?”

The Tiansheng Emperor frowned. “In that case, I’ve wronged you. I was too careless. You may rise; it is I who should be punished.”

General Lei was stunned.

He had been stationed in Lingnan for years and rarely went to the capital. He had only been to the capital once, when he was conferred the title, and had only met the tyrant once before, today being the second time.

From his impression and the rumors, he thought the tyrant was a harsh ruler, known for his severe methods. Yet now, the Emperor dared to self-reflect…

“I must see what the First Prince is up to!” The tyrant, enraged, left with a swipe of his sleeve.

Lin Xuanzhi patted General Lei on the shoulder. “Our Emperor is truly wise and cares deeply, isn’t he?”

“Yes, yes.” General Lei’s eyes were red. “We have a wise ruler! We are serving the right person.”

“In the future, we should work hard to assist the Emperor. Having a benevolent monarch is indeed our great fortune.”

They wanted to showcase their talents in officialdom, and first, they needed to encounter a wise ruler.

As the saying goes, “A good bird chooses its tree to perch on.”

“Daddy, take me, take me, I want to go too.” Ah Bao bounced along behind the tyrant.

Di Zian also joined.

The tyrant looked back. “Lin Xuanzhi, General Lei, you should come along too. The Sixth Prince will be guarded by Feng Batian for now.”

Four hours later, the group finally reached the mountaintop.

The mountain path was treacherous, taking time and effort.

At this moment, the First Prince had no idea what awaited him.

He was inside the grass hut, leisurely brewing tea by the stove.

“Your Highness, it’s so cold today,” a woman in red said, leaning into the First Prince’s arms.

The First Prince shivered. “Even though it’s sunny, I still feel cold. There’s an ominous feeling in my heart.”

The woman leaned in and kissed him. “Why don’t we do some warm-up activities?”

The First Prince felt inexplicably irritable, pinching the woman’s face. “Behave. I need to get my treasure first.”

“Your Highness is really dedicated these days, burning incense…” The woman smiled, but a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

The First Prince carried out a black object wrapped in a cloth, resembling a spirit tablet.

“You’ve burned enough incense and paper money for this spirit tablet,” the woman, named Lian’er, said. Her red attire was semi-transparent.

The First Prince glanced at her. “Not enough, we need more paper money.”

“Oh, there are footsteps outside.” Lian’er, sitting on a cushion, hummed idly.

The First Prince ignored her, placed the spirit tablet at the door, set up the incense burner, and knelt. “Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, wealth and promotion, promotion and wealth…”

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the door, blocking the sunlight.

Lian’er stood up in fright. “Your… Your Highness…”

The First Prince continued kowtowing. “Why are you calling me?”

He looked up and gasped. “What! It’s a ghost! My father’s ghost has appeared!”

“Fool! Who are you calling a ghost?” The Tiansheng Emperor kicked him.

The First Prince fell to the ground, his chest heavily kicked. “Father… Father Emperor…”

He rubbed his eyes, slapped himself hard, and saw the imposing figure at the door was still there. The First Prince was numb from head to toe. “Father Emperor, you really came? You’re not a ghost?”

The First Prince quickly knelt again. “Father Emperor, please calm your anger. Your son greets you.”

He trembled all over.

The Tiansheng Emperor scanned the room. The people behind him also looked curiously inside. Since the First Prince had moved to the mountaintop, no one had visited or seen his living conditions. It was surprising that over the year, the First Prince had become plump and lived quite comfortably.

Especially the red-clad woman in the room, who looked stunned.

“Damn! There are countless casualties and cries down the mountain, while up here it’s all warmth and softness. The First Prince’s life is like living as a deity.”

They had truly experienced what it meant to have two worlds within one realm.

“Di Xuanlang, you are simply—simply—” The Tiansheng Emperor was so furious his head was buzzing, almost unable to stand. “Who is she? I sent you to Lingnan to manage the plague, and you’re here fooling around with women!”

Roaring angrily.

[Not a woman]

A small, childish voice rang in the tyrant’s and the First Prince’s minds.

Ah Bao was already sitting on a cushion in the room, propping up her little feet, and cracking sunflower seeds.

Even Di Zian was stunned.

The three of them were jolted and involuntarily looked towards Lian’er.

Not a woman, then what?

“Father, I’m wronged. I had reasons for doing this. Father, you must listen to my explanation…”

“Go ahead and explain.”

Huh?

The First Prince was taken aback by the sudden shift in his father’s demeanor. He hadn’t expected his father to calmly listen to his explanation. But what could he explain?

Earlier, he had just been shouting in panic.

He hadn’t anticipated his father coming here. He knew that the memorials from Lingnan wouldn’t reach the palace quickly, and even if they did, Lin Xuanzhi wouldn’t impeach him. After all, his own life was trivial compared to the situation in Lingnan.

“Father, actually, when I came to Lingnan, I was prepared to sacrifice myself.”

“Sacrifice yourself in a soft and gentle way?”

The First Prince: “…Of course not. Father, please believe me. I do have you and the Tiansheng Dynasty in my heart.”

“Nonsense. Without me, where would you be?”

The First Prince felt aggrieved. “I’m just… a bit afraid of dying, so I moved here.”

“So you only wanted to put on a show in front of me, claiming you were here to manage the plague, when in fact, you were just escaping to Lingnan to live comfortably. I trusted you, thinking you were the First Prince, grown up and responsible. But you’ve disregarded the people of Lingnan and nestled yourself in luxury on the mountain.”

The First Prince wiped his tears. “It’s not like that, Father…”

The tyrant was no longer interested in listening to the First Prince’s excuses. Suppressing his anger, he kicked the spirit tablet at his feet. “You’re not cursing me to death, are you? Even setting up my spirit tablet?”

The First Prince trembled in fear.

It’s over! If Father finds out about the spirit tablet…