The entire big hall lay in disarray, the laughter and cheer from moments ago having dissipated like smoke after a storm.
At the head of the room, the Second Prince sat rigid as stone, eyes dull, lips pressed into a thin, bloodless line. His gaze remained fixed on the empty seat where Jun Mo Xie had sat moments ago, as if still trying to comprehend how a mere young master had so easily, so publicly, slapped his dignity into the mud and walked away unscathed.
His fists clenched so tightly that the veins bulged along his knuckles. His teeth ground together audibly.
The Prince stood dazed for a long, long time. He eventually raised his gaze, sighed, and said. "Let's go."
Cheng De Cao, the ever-faithful bootlicker, approached cautiously.
The silence felt suffocating, but Cheng De Cao was nothing if not opportunistic. This was the perfect chance to regain favor, perhaps even push that despicable Jun brat into an early grave.
Forcing a concerned expression onto his face, Cheng De Cao bowed respectfully, lowering his voice to a careful, soothing murmur.
"Your Highness… this Jun Mo Xie was far too impudent today. Insolent to the point of lawlessness! How dare he act so arrogantly in front of you, the Son of Heaven's bloodline? Allow me, just a word, Your Highness, allow me to arrange something discreet… I could teach him a lesson he'll never forget. Or better yet…" Cheng De Cao's eyes glinted, lips curling in a sycophantic smile, "Perhaps a little accident befalls him on his way home tonight? A drunkard's quarrel, a blade in the dark… Shall I handle it?"
The Prince's eyes slowly lifted to meet Cheng De Cao's eager expression.
For a moment, silence.
"Are you really that stupid?" The Prince's voice was low, calm—almost too calm. But each word landed like a hammer strike, sharp and final.
Cheng De Cao blinked, his grin faltering.
"Your Highness…?" He stammered.
"Stupid beyond redemption!" The Prince suddenly snapped, his hand slamming down onto the table, rattling goblets and plates. His face darkened as if ink had spilled across his features. He stood, the hem of his robe swirling like a storm cloud.
"You think Jun Mo Xie would dare humiliate me so brazenly if he didn't have absolute confidence backing him?" The Prince's voice grew colder, slicing through the air like a blade. "Do you really think he is so reckless? No, he came prepared. Prepared knowing full well that no one could touch him!"
Cheng De Cao shrank back instinctively, beads of sweat forming at his temples.
The Prince sneered, pacing slowly in front of him. "First, you lack the power to even scratch him. Second, even if by some miracle you succeeded—if so much as a hair on Jun Mo Xie's head was harmed—the Imperial Court itself would crumble under Jun Zhan Tian's fury! You were there last time, weren't you? When half the court was purged in a single night because someone dared to cross the old tiger?"
Cheng De Cao's throat bobbed. Memories of blood-soaked corridors and severed heads flashed vividly in his mind. His knees trembled.
"And now, after this public humiliation, if Jun Mo Xie meets any misfortune, tell me... who will be the first suspect?" The Prince leaned in, eyes glittering with cold amusement. "It won't matter who did it. The dagger will point directly at me."
He chuckled darkly, the sound hollow and bitter. "Do you want me to personally invite Jun Zhan Tian to ransack my palace? Shall I write him an invitation and tie a red ribbon to it?"
Cheng De Cao's face twisted as if he'd swallowed a live scorpion. But he dared not utter a word. Inside, he cursed bitterly.
What kind of Prince is this? First, you let yourself be humiliated, and now you're taking it out on me? Am I a dog you can kick when you're upset?!
Fang Bo Wen, who had remained quiet till now, gently stroked his beard, clearing his throat. His aged eyes glimmered with insight, the trace of a knowing smile dancing at the corners of his lips.
"Your Highness," Fang Bo Wen spoke slowly, voice calm and measured, "today's events were not as simple as they appeared. Jun Mo Xie's performance was not a reckless outburst but a carefully written script."
The Prince turned sharply toward him, eyes narrowing. "Oh? Teacher, explain."
Fang Bo Wen nodded, his voice deliberate. "The Jun Family has always kept a neutral stance in the empire's political waters, focusing solely on military affairs. All three of His Majesty's sons have, over the years, sought to rope them into their camps. After all, gaining Jun Zhan Tian's army is tantamount to securing the throne itself."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"But today… Jun Mo Xie made it crystal clear. The Jun Family wants no part of these muddy struggles. They'd rather stand apart, sword unsheathed but uninvolved. The insult Your Highness suffered... it was merely the unfortunate byproduct of their declaration."
The Prince's brows furrowed, but his eyes flickered with reluctant understanding.
"So, what you're saying… it wouldn't have mattered whose invitation he accepted. He intended to cause a falling out regardless?"
Fang Bo Wen smiled faintly. "Precisely. Your Highness was simply… the unlucky chicken chosen to scare the monkeys."
The Prince's jaw clenched visibly. "Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, is it? And I—" his voice turned venomous, "—I am the chicken!"
He threw back his head and laughed, but the sound was hollow, edged with bitterness.
Fang Bo Wen didn't flinch. He continued calmly, "And now, there is an even graver issue. After today's spectacle, everyone will know of the rift between Your Highness and the Jun Family. If heaven forbid, any harm should come to Jun Mo Xie… well, do I need to spell it out?"
The Prince inhaled sharply, the implication striking him like a cold slap. His fists trembled.
"So you mean to say," He said hoarsely, "not only have I been publicly shamed, but now I must protect that little bastard?! Guard his safety like he's a precious jade?!"
Fang Bo Wen merely nodded.
"It is Your Highness's choice, of course. But if you wish to keep your palace standing, and your head firmly attached to your shoulders... You might consider it."
The Prince stood there, face ashen, trembling with rage. His vision blurred with the sheer unfairness of it all.
'Jun Mo Xie! That despicable brat!'
To publicly humiliate him, then force him into this miserable position, to be the first suspect if anything untoward happened, to be unable to even retaliate, to have no choice but to protect his enemy…
It was intolerable!
"Damn that son of a bitch!" The Prince finally roared, his voice echoing off the high walls, shaking the entire hall. "He's a walking jinx sent to torment me!"
His courtiers stood frozen, not daring to breathe.
Inside, the Prince seethed. He could almost see Jun Mo Xie's smiling, infuriatingly casual face, could almost hear that drawling, lazy voice teasing him again.
Today, he had been made the fool.
And worse… There was nothing he could do about it.
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Spoilers for the next three chapters!
Chapter 81: Awaited Passion
Chapter 82: Awaited Passion (2)
Chapter 83: Awaited Passion (3)
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