The explosion quickly drew the army's attention. Lei Baofei rushed over on a horse, looking grave and serious.
The street was chaotic, littered with broken pieces of rocks and dirt that had scattered from the explosion. Ye Zhizhou's head was covered with sweat as he crouched by the road, bandaging a child wounded from the explosion. Yan Mingyong was behind him instructing De'an with something.
"Your Highness!"
Lei Baofei dismounted from his horse and strode over. He performed a formal greeting with his hands cupped, "Requesting Your Highness to leave immediately. Another earthquake usually follows after one occurred, this place is not safe."
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Yan Mingyong glanced at Ye Zhizhou, who was focused on bandaging the child's wounds, and shook his head.
"No need. It's not an earthquake. Firstly, place wounded people and doctors in the nearby inn, clear up the street, and then surround the Chuan Yue restaurant. Medicine is on the way and will be here soon."
Lei Baofei frowned in confusion, "Not earthquake?"
"We'll talk in detail later, move the wounded people first."
Yan Mingyong turned his wheelchair to Ye Zhizhou's side and bent down to stroke his head, "Le'er, the doctors will be here very soon. I'll let someone move the child to the inn, you should rest for a while."
In the middle of tying the gauze in place he turned to look at Yan Mingyong and Lei Baofei, then stood up while wiping his sweat and nodded, "Okay, we'll also go to the inn."
He looked at Lei Baofei as he spoke. He didn't have the mood to do the mission at the moment, so he said briefly, "Requesting Lord Lei to handle the matters here. His Highness and I shall leave first."
This was the first time Lei Baofei met this book companion of the eighth prince. Seeing this calm and steady face that was unlike the repulsive appearance described by An Chengjie, he felt a complex emotion in his heart that warmed his attitude. He cupped his hands and replied, "Young lord An need not be polite, take care."
[Probability of Lei Baofei falling in love with the protagonist dropped to 5%, may the host persist in his efforts.]
Ye Zhizhou gawked, then glanced at Lei Baofei not knowing whether to laugh or cry. His heavy mood lifted a bit and a smile appeared on his face, "See you later, Lord Lei."
This Lei Baofei, every time he appears his love probability drops a little more, he's such a generous little angel.
"Le'er," Yan Mingyong tightly grabbed his hand and looked at Lei Baofei with a deep gaze, "We'll return to the palace shortly, I'm afraid we won't be seeing Lord Lei again."
It was only a few words of pleasantries, why did he relapse! Ye Zhizhou unhappily pinched his hand and then pushed his wheelchair away. He nodded to Lei Baofei and walked towards the inn, he waited until they were out of Lei Baofei's earshot before swatting at Yan Mingyong's head. "You little vinegar jar. With your bratty attitude, if not me no one would want you!"
Yan Minyong was indignant. "I don't want anyone else anyway!"
"But there will definitely be other people for me."
"Who dares!" Yan Mingyong forcefully hit the armrest, about to explode. "We'll go back to Wen Quan villa now! Right away! De'an, let servants ready our carriage! We'll go back and marry there!"
Only nutjobs would want to go back to that villa, there's only one person to talk to there— Yan Mingyong! And marriage? Ye Zhizhou tugged on those ears while grinding his own teeth, "Spare the rod, spoil the kid. You're still thinking of marriage? Have you even grown up there?"
Yan Minyong held unto the impudent hand on his ears, red-faced, he spoke through gritted teeth, "I am no longer a little boy."
"Is that so?" Ye Zhizhou started pulling away but found he couldn't break away. He snorted, "With your small body, can you perform in bed?"
Yan Mingyong stiffened and was subdued. Pleased, Ye Zhizhou pinched his face, he finally stopped provoking him and wheeled him away. De'an, who was following behind the two people walking peacefully, looked at Ye Zhizhou with a deep look then lowered his head silently. As the person who served under the eighth prince since he was young, he can say for sure that although the eighth Prince's body was not healthy he was already a full-fledged adult...
After settling the wounded people and the affected families at the inn, they both headed straight back to the palace. Yan Minyong went to meet with the emperor whilst Ye Zhizhou shut the palace's gate. He then took out the small pouch of explosive he made while he satyed at Wen Quan villa and gently placed it on the table.
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Without the network, the spiritual force couldn't cover a very wide range. He didn't get the chance to put some of his spiritual force in the protagonist, so wanting to search for the protagonist's location now was difficult.
The fire was aimed at Chuan Yue, and the explosion after it was for Mingyong's and his carriage. It's most likely that the protagonist found out that he was the person pitting him in the dark.. The situation was far from good. Originally he thought if he just tossed the protagonist around and out the capital that was the centre of the story, prevent him from making these bombs and offering them up to the seventh prince; this world will be as good as saved, but now.... There were two flags remaining, the bomb also appeared in this flashy manner, An Chengjie was hiding in some hole, and the seventh prince's circumstances were not clear...
Yan Mingyong returned from visiting the emperor. He saw the inner palace gate closed shut and turned his head to De'an who he left to keep watch on Ye Zhizhou, "Le'er shut himself in there all this time?"
"Young lord An hasn't come out since he entered."
Yan Mingyong's brows knitted. He rose up from his wheelchair and then pushed the gate open. He swept his gaze over the interior. When he caught sight of the figure near the table, his tense heart relaxed. Yan Mingyong strode in, took the man into his embrace and rubbed against his ears, "Still unhappy?"
As he spoke, his line of sight fell on the small pouch on the table and his expression changed. He quickly poured tea on it and held Ye Zhizhou away from the table while shouting at the door, "Guards, search all of Yong Yan! Pour water on any suspicious items you find!"
Ye Zhizhou was startled awake by his movements. Several Zijin guards wooshed in to search the interior, they took the drenched explosive and were about to speedily leave. He hurriedly shouted, "No, don't! Leave that here, my formula is still in it!"
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One of the Zijin guards walking out stopped and took the wet bomb back, he looked at Yan Mingyong.
Yan Mingyong who clung tightly to Ye Zhizhou's hand nodded his head after a moment's hesitation.
After the Zijin guards left, Ye Zhizhou broke free of Yan Mingyong's hold and opened the wet bomb, he took out a sheet of paper from inside of it; the writing was blurred from being drenched. He handed it over to Yan Mingyong, "For you, this is the formula for the explosives. What you thought was an earthquake was caused by this thing."
The emotions in Yan Mingyong's eyes looking at him was hard to make out. "This is what you made? It's for me?"
"Mm," Ye Zhizhou lowered his eyes to cover emotions showing up in them. "The explosion this morning was from An Chengjie using these. We have to catch him. Also, he might appear at the autumn hunt in a few days, we need to keep this in mind."
The love probability of that seventh prince didn't drop one bit so the plot where he and the protagonist meet at the autumn hunt most likely won't change. If he doesn't meet him, then that's all good, but if they do meet.. he will make him pay dearly!
Yan Mingyong took the wet paper and suddenly his lips pulled up in a smile, "Indeed, need to keep this in mind."
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Ye Zhizhou felt his smile looked somewhat strange, he eyed him with some doubt, "What is it?"
"Le'er."
Yan Mingyong put the formula down and moved closer to hold him, the smile on his face grew increasingly brighter and wider. "Did you guess that An Chengjie would collude with seventh brother from way before? When you just entered the palace, you sneaked into his room and left him a slip of paper — that wasn't because you fell for him but because you wanted to approach him and later prevent them from working together, right?"
What's with this... Not right! Ye Zhizhou pulled back and lowered his head to look at him, surprise coloured his entire face, "You knew that I left a note in seventh prince's room?"
"I knew."
Yan Mingyong dark eyes flashed with a strange glint. His hands loosened abruptly and he took out a small wooden sphere from his sleeves, shaking it as his smile distorted. "How can I allow others to receive a love letter you wrote before I could?"
Ye Zhizhou looked at the wooden ball wrapped around his note in Yan Mingyong's hand, then at his distorted smile. He held his forehead and howled, "No wonder seventh prince never responded... Have you been monitoring An Chengjie all this time? Don't tell me they got together already?!"
"Le'er really is smart."
Yan Mingyong put away the wooden ball, walked up to hug him and planted a kiss on his cheek, "The people An Chengjie cooperated with to make explosives are my people. At first I was only curious what he wanted to do by sneaking back to the capital city. I didn't expect him to make this device with such destructive power... Though I thought it was a pleasant surprise."
Pleasantly surprised? It all but exploded right over your head and you still feel pleasant? He had been annoyed before but this is the first time he was annoyed to this point! No wonder the protagonist finished the bomb even faster without the seventh prince's help! He didn't have the seventh prince but he still had the eighth prince! Truly wicked!
Ye Zhizhou lost his temper. He sat down on the chair and tore off the boy sticking to him. "Give me a clear explanation. Be it An Chengjie or the seventh prince.. What else are you doing behind my back?! You... You want to anger me to death!"
Yan Mingyong tightly held him, not letting go, his face rubbed the place between his neck and shoulders and he shut his eyes contentedly, "Le'er, you're really smart. You can also make explosives. Sure enough, An Chengjie has nothing on you."
"Get off me!"
"Le'er, let's get married."
Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.
"Has the seventh prince colluded with An Chengjie? Tell me clearly! When did they start working together!"
"Tomorrow I will ask imperial father to grant us marriage."
"Yan.. Ming.. Yong!"
"And after we're married, you'll have to call me 'husband'."
"..Get lost!" He can't get through to him! This brat must be doing this on purpose!
At night, Yan Mingyong crushed befuddling beads once more and put Ye Zhizhou to sleep. He left Yong Yan palace with De'an and only returned at dawn.
The next day, in the morning court, an official from the ministry of works went up to present the emperor with a type of weapon called "explosives". He unbridledly praised the wit and diligence of the seventh prince and revealed that the seventh prince was developing these in secret in order to present them on His Imperial Majesty's birthday. He also mentioned that the small earthquake on the southern street yesterday was exactly from this explosive — it was the prince testing out the weapon's power.
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As soon as he said this, the officials were in an uproar. The other princes' gazes as they look at the seventh changed, the seventh prince's expression also changed. The explosive was a secret weapon he just discovered recently; it was true he secretly tested it at the southern street, but offering it to His Majesty? This was clearly someone's trap for him!
A weapon that could cause an earthquake-like effect, its power would be tremendous! The princes exchanged glances, the court officials also frantically calculated in their hearts. For a while, only that one official's unending stream of praises to the seventh prince rang in the big hall.
Without waiting for the seventh prince to find an answer that'll work in his favour, the emperor of Yan already responded to the official's words. He received the explosives and rewarded the seventh prince with several things. He also told him to bring forth the maker of the bombs so that he may look at him. He didn't mention the havoc those bombs wreaked on the southern street, this attitude of his was very subtle.
Things have reached this point, the seventh prince could only kneel and thank the emperor. However, he felt heavy inside, his mind was working nonstop to figure out who could have betrayed him.
[Probability of Yan Mingli falling in love with the protagonist dropped to 90%, may the host persist in his efforts]
Ye Zhizhou blew his harmonica in a small pavilion of Yan Mingyong's palace while his gaze swept across the light screen. The corners of his mouth pulled up slightly. If the protagonist wants to hide away in the shadows, he will drag him out to see the light! And that seventh prince, wanting to play pig eating tiger while other princes are still standing strong? He's dreaming!
Yan Mingyong noticed the killing intent within his tune. His fingers fiddled with the page and a cold glint flashed through his eyes. Le'er is not happy, how should I coax him.... Take out An Chengjie and kill him, pull seventh brother down, or maybe ...get married?
Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.
Translator: Padam | Editor: Divetus