Chapter 269: No Way to Escape

Lin Xuanzhi, General Lei, and Di Zian were all extremely anxious. If that really was His Majesty’s spirit tablet, the First Prince was done for!

[Don’t worry, the First Prince is too timid to set up a spirit tablet for Father.]

Tiansheng Emperor:…

Finally relieved, the Emperor thought, This eldest son still has some conscience.

But whose spirit tablet is this?

The Tiansheng Emperor ripped off the red silk covering the spirit tablet, revealing a name that shocked everyone present.

Di Xuanlang!

“Why did you set up a tablet for yourself?”

The tyrant’s face fell.

Di Xuanlang wanted to cry.

It’s over!

However…

“Father, look at this big gold ingot!” Ah Bao had somehow come into the room, proudly showing off a gold ingot bigger than herself, covered in gold foil.

Ah Bao peeked out from behind the gold ingot.

“Di Xuanlang, what is this for?” The tyrant glared, puzzled by his eldest son’s incomprehensible behavior after a year’s absence.

The First Prince was at a loss for how to explain.

[I know, I know]

The tyrant perked up his ears.

The First Prince cast a surreptitious glance at Ah Bao.

Ah Bao stroked her chin, smiling. [The First Prince is afraid that if he dies, he’ll be poor, so he set up a tablet for himself and burned gold ingots. When he dies in the future, he’ll be rich in the afterlife. He’s just saving money for his next life.]

[But what the First Prince doesn’t know is that even though the paper money is burned for his spirit tablet, if he isn’t dead, the money goes to others. He’s wasting his effort making others rich. Tsk, tsk, even after he dies, he’ll still be poor.]

No, no.

The First Prince only wanted to hold the Tenth Princess and explain properly.

Lian’er said that as long as the money was burned for his own tablet, even if he was alive, the money would still belong to him after death.

He was just preparing for himself. How could it become someone else’s?

“Do you want to die?” The tyrant’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The First Prince shook his head. “No, no, Father, I want to live.”

“You’ve set up your own spirit tablet! Is this your attitude towards living? As the First Prince of the Tiansheng Dynasty, you are unambitious, indifferent to the people, neglecting state affairs, and instead, you think about death and wealth every day.

“The people of Lingnan are suffering from the plague, living in dire straits, while you are stacking gold ingots and saving money for your next life! What are you thinking? Do you have a hole in your head?”

The First Prince, drenched in sweat and tears, knelt on the ground, too afraid to lift his head.

“Your Majesty, calm down,” Lin Xuanzhi stepped forward to mediate.

The tyrant calmed down. “Why do you want to die? If you wanted to die, why are you hiding here like a rat?”

“Father…” The First Prince trembled all over and cried.

[I know, I know]

Ah Bao knew again.

The tyrant perked up his ears as Ah Bao sighed inwardly. [The First Prince, like the Third Prince, is afraid of death. But while the Third Prince initially wanted to be Emperor, later his goal changed to becoming a leisurely prince, living a life of idleness.

[But the First Prince still wants to be Emperor. As the saying goes, a prince who doesn’t want to be Emperor isn’t a good prince. The First Prince’s ambitions are grand, but his abilities don’t match. He probably knows his capabilities in Lingnan, but he’s unwilling to accept it and fears defying Father. So, he thought of a way to laze around on the mountain, waiting for the plague to pass.]

But the plague in Lingnan kept worsening. The First Prince, seeing that his situation was becoming untenable and afraid to return to the capital, didn’t know what to do.

With no other options, he started thinking about the afterlife.

“Hmm, how did the First Prince die in that book I read? Let me think…”

[Got it! The First Prince defied the Emperor’s orders, performed poorly, and in shame, hanged himself with a white silk ribbon on a mound of yellow earth. In the end, his body was left to dry out in the wind, unclaimed, ending as a solitary, ghostly figure.]

The tyrant, Di Zian, and the First Prince all turned to look at Ah Bao.

Ah Bao, oblivious to the tension, continued to sit behind the gold ingot and crack seeds.

The First Prince was too shocked to cry.

He, he, he, he, died so miserably?

Thinking about all those gold ingots he had burned, it seemed all in vain.

He had spent countless days and nights stacking gold ingots, even risking infection by sneaking down the mountain at night to steal gold foil from the shop, all to ensure he would be rich and noble in the afterlife.

But this didn’t make sense. Lian’er had clearly said that burning money for the next life would ensure wealth, so he couldn’t have been deceived!

“Father, I was wrong. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but please don’t let your health be harmed because of me. It’s not worth it.”

“At least you know it’s not worth it,” the tyrant said, his eyebrows twitching in anger.

This eldest son, who had spoken so confidently when he first came to Lingnan, was now playing the cowardly escape act at a critical moment!

However, despite his limited abilities and lack of responsibility, there was one thing that pleased the tyrant immensely:

That was—he was obedient.

He’d rather die by his own hand than plot against the throne.

Although he had always wanted to be Emperor, the tyrant had seen through it; his eldest son truly lacked the ability to assume the throne.

“To know your mistakes and correct them is a great virtue. Get up,” the tyrant sighed.

The First Prince was astonished. Father, are you forgiving me just like that?

He was overwhelmed with emotion.

This excitement made his legs weak, and he could barely stand.

“But wait!” The First Prince smacked his head. “Taoist Baiyun, you’re here too. May I ask you a question?”

Taoist Baiyun wiped his sweat. “Please, First Prince, ask away.”

The First Prince knelt and approached. “Is the method of burning silver money for myself before I die really not effective?”

Taoist Baiyun: “…”

The tyrant: “…”

This foolish son is still thinking about money!

So cowardly and greedy! Even in death, he clings to money.

[Heh, my eldest brother is so clueless. He’s being used and still believes in such foolish ideas.]

[When a person dies, it’s over. You come empty-handed and leave empty-handed. How can someone plan for the afterlife while alive and accumulate wealth?]

Ah Bao munched on seeds, savoring the taste.

The First Prince was numb.

Taoist Baiyun cleared his throat. “First Prince, what you mentioned is just a delusion and cannot be taken seriously.”

In other words, you’ve been deceived!