Free Web NovelChapter 382: Chapter 384: Father-Son Affection
The rain came down in a torrent.
Wu Wang, wearing a straw raincoat, strode into the room.
He spoke to the four Flying Dragon Cavalrymen following behind him.
"Wait outside."
"Yes, sir."
The four Flying Dragon Cavalrymen stopped and stood quietly under the veranda.
Li Hao rushed over.
When he saw the four Flying Dragon Cavalrymen standing under the veranda, his heart tightened, and his sense of unease grew stronger.
The four Flying Dragon Cavalrymen raised their hands in salute, their voices cold and stiff.
"Your subordinates greet Your Highness, Prince Dongyang."
Whether from fear or the cold rain, Li Hao couldn’t help but shiver.
He tried to act as if nothing was wrong, walking past the Flying Dragon Cavalrymen with his eyes fixed straight ahead.
Wu Wang handed his still-dripping bamboo hat to a maidservant.
Seeing Prince Dongyang arrive, he immediately clasped his hands in a salute.
"This servant greets Your Highness, Prince Dongyang."
Li Hao’s hair and clothes were soaked through. Wet strands stuck to his cheeks, and water dripped from his jaw, leaving a trail of puddles behind him.
A maidservant offered him a handkerchief, but Li Hao swatted it away.
"All of you, get out."
The maidservants and attendants all withdrew.
Only Li Hao and Wu Wang were left in the room.
Li Hao barely suppressed the panic in his heart and asked in a hoarse voice,
"What are you doing here?"
Instead of answering, Wu Wang countered, "Your Highness must have seen the Flying Dragon Cavalrymen standing outside, I presume?"
Li Hao didn’t answer, his expression growing uglier.
Wu Wang sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"Your Highness, you’ve been so foolish. Even if you had conflicts with the Fifth Prince, you should not have resorted to murder.
Now that things have come to this, not even the Saint can protect you."
Li Hao swayed, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Does Father Emperor truly want to kill me?"
Wu Wang didn’t answer, merely looking at him with an expression of pity and compassion.
In that instant, Li Hao understood everything.
’Father Emperor wants to kill me to avenge Li Yan.’
’Father Emperor has completely given up on me.’
An intense sense of grievance and indignation washed over him, bringing him to the verge of collapse.
He roared himself hoarse.
"Li Yan was the one who attacked first!
I had to act against him to protect my mother consort’s safety.
Besides, I never wanted to kill him! It was an accident.
I never expected the dagger to plunge right into his heart.
Why can’t Father Emperor give me a chance to turn over a new leaf?
Li Yan is his son, and he wants to avenge him, but am I not his son, too?!"
By the end, his expression had become somewhat crazed, his eyes bloodshot.
Hearing the roars, the four Flying Dragon Cavalrymen on the veranda instinctively gripped the hilts of their swords.
On their way here, Wu Wang had instructed them that if Prince Dongyang refused to go with them, they were to use force and take him away.
No matter what, they had to complete the task assigned by the Emperor.
Wu Wang tried to persuade him patiently.
"The Saint was also forced to make this decision.
If he had a choice, the Saint would not want to do this.
Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its own cubs, let alone a man.
But things have come to this, and the Saint has no other choice.
He must give an account to the world.
I hope you can appreciate the Saint’s difficulties and come with us to Yuqing Mountain to see him immediately."
His words seemed like an admonition, but in reality, they only added fuel to the fire.
Li Hao grew even more agitated.
"I won’t go! If I go, I’ll never come back!"
With that, he turned to leave, but Wu Wang hurried forward and grabbed his arm.
"My Prince, please stay."
Li Hao was in a frenzy and, without thinking, forcefully flung Wu Wang away.
Wu Wang stumbled from the force and fell to the ground. His elbow hit the hard floor, and the pain turned his face pale.
Without a single glance at Wu Wang, Li Hao stormed out.
Wu Wang shouted, "Stop the Prince!"
The four Flying Dragon Cavalrymen guarding outside immediately drew their swords and surrounded Prince Dongyang, blocking his path.
One of them said in a low voice, "My Prince, please come with us to see the Saint."
Li Hao stared at the cold blades before him.
The sharp blades glinted with a cold light that chilled him to the bone in an instant.
’Father Emperor really is going to kill me.’
’The bond of father and son between us is severed.’
Li Hao clenched his fists so tightly the veins on the back of his hands bulged. A look of desperate, all-or-nothing resolve appeared in his eyes.
’Since Father Emperor refuses to leave me a path to survival, why should I care about our father-son bond any longer?’
’It’s time to risk it all.’
’If I’m going down, I’m taking them with me!’
Li Hao looked grimly at the Flying Dragon Cavalrymen before him and forced a single word through his gritted teeth.
"Guards!"
The Prince Mansion’s guards, who had been hiding in the shadows, sprang into action at the call. They swarmed out from all directions, surrounding the four Flying Dragon Cavalrymen.
The situation was instantly reversed.
Wu Wang staggered out of the room, clutching his injured arm.
When he saw the scene before him, the color drained from his face.
"My Prince, what are you doing? Are you going to defy an imperial decree?"
Li Hao roared with a savage expression, "You forced my hand!"
Wu Wang said, "Calm down, Your Highness! The Saint only wants to see you. Please, don’t do anything rash!"
Li Hao retorted, "Do you think I’d believe your nonsense? Just wants to see me? Father Emperor clearly wants to kill me to avenge Li Yan! Since he is merciless, don’t blame me for being unfilial!"
Another clap of thunder echoed.
A rumbling sound rolled from the distance, growing closer.
Its momentum was so tremendous it seemed as if it would blast all of Shangjing City into oblivion.
...
「Inside the Duke Zhen Country Mansion.」
Princess Rouwan had originally planned to win three rounds and then kick out Princess Consort Zhao and everyone she had brought with her.
But for some reason, after winning the first round, she never won again.
Whether she was the Landlord or a Peasant, she lost.
She kept losing, again and again.
But Princess Rouwan was a sore loser. Even though she was being utterly crushed, she gritted her teeth and insisted on playing.
’I refuse to believe I can’t beat this wretched girl!’
In the end, by the time dusk fell and Nanny Zhang reminded them it was time for dinner, Princess Rouwan still hadn’t won a second round.
Princess Rouwan’s eyes were red from losing, and she fumed,
"No eating! We keep playing!"
Hua Manman, however, refused to play anymore.
She pushed the playing cards away, flopped back in her chair, and clutched her tummy.
"I’m so hungry. I want to eat."
Feihua Zhenren copied her action and tone exactly.
"I’m so hungry. I want to eat."
It was like they were copy-pasted.
Princess Rouwan sneered, "Are you two gluttons?"
Hua Manman and Feihua Zhenren said in unison, "Yes, we are."
Princess Rouwan was speechless.
Nanny Zhang quickly had someone clear the card table and prepare to serve dinner.
Having lost all afternoon, Princess Rouwan was filled with frustration. How could she possibly have any appetite?
She glared at Hua Manman and Feihua Zhenren, watching helplessly as the two "gluttons" buried their heads in their food, the dishes on the table diminishing at a visible rate.
Nanny Zhang asked cautiously,
"Your Highness, why aren’t you eating?"
Princess Rouwan snapped, "I have no appetite."
Hua Manman piped up, "Since Your Highness doesn’t want to eat, you can give it all to us."
With that, she reached out to drag all the dishes in front of the Commandery Princess toward herself. Her movements were so practiced and shameless, it made one want to smack her.
Princess Rouwan grabbed her "paw" and said, word by word,
"Who said I’m not eating?!"
