Chapter 152: You Are Finished, Your Highness the Crown Prince

Feihong did not understand, "What pendant?"

"The White Jade Guanyin Pendant," Xiao Youlan's gaze darkened slightly, "It is the item she wanted, but it was not in Bai Sheng's hands. Xiao Mingyu should have let Bai Sheng bring the pendant and the antidote to the Eastern Palace together, but Bai Sheng did not. That pendant must have been taken by Xiao Mingyu."

Feihong still did not understand, "This... what does this mean?"

Xiao Youlan curled his lips, "This shows that today's events were not done by the Emperor alone, and Xiao Mingyu is by no means ignorant of them."

No wonder Emperor Yongzheng learned that Nan Xueyin was an Assassin.

Xiao Youlan had kept this matter well hidden; the reason the Emperor knew was because Xiao Mingyu had reported the news.

He likely did not say it to the Emperor face-to-face; he probably took a roundabout way and went to see the Empress Dowager first.

That day, everyone thought Xiao Mingyu went to Baoci Palace to bid farewell; it turns out he had set up such a massive trap.

"It was actually the Prince..."

Feihong found it unbelievable, but quickly thought of the urgent matter, "Fortunately! Fortunately, the Prince is still in Fengdu today; he isn't returning to Lianzhou until tomorrow!"

Xiao Youlan turned around, "Shu Yu!"

Shu Yu, who was holding Song Jianing's hand and about to head out, stopped and turned back.

"I must trouble Miss Song to stay in the Eastern Palace a while longer," Xiao Youlan's expression was slightly stern, "Right now, you need to come with me to Jiaoyuan first."

Shu Yu hesitated for a brief moment.

Song Jianing let go of his hand first and said softly, "The Crown Prince must have sensed something amiss and is going to save Miss Nan. I will be fine staying in the Eastern Palace; Miss Nan's life is currently hanging in the balance, that is what is most important."

Shu Yu nodded obediently.

Jiaoyuan.

When he heard that the Eastern Palace guards had surrounded Jiaoyuan so tightly that not even water could pass through, Xiao Mingyu was in the middle of checking his luggage.

His movements paused involuntarily.

It was just as Nan Xueyin said; the Crown Prince really had come looking for her.

Xiao Mingyu gritted his teeth; he really was... deeply infatuated!

Bai Sheng's face was covered in anxious sweat, "Your Highness, this Crown Prince is not here with good intentions; it looks as if he wants to flatten our Jiaoyuan, and I don't know why..."

He sighed again, "The Crown Prince wanted the antidote; didn't you already send it to him, Your Highness? Why is he going back on his word and running over here to throw his weight around?"

Out of caution and safety, Xiao Mingyu had not told him about Nan Xueyin's situation; he said with a sarcastic tone, "Who told him to be the Crown Prince? So noble and so favored. No matter how outrageous his actions are, the Emperor cannot bear to blame him."

Bai Sheng looked at his master with great sympathy.

Xiao Mingyu asked, "Where are they?"

Bai Sheng said, "They just surrounded Jiaoyuan and are all outside the main gate right now."

Xiao Mingyu grunted, thinking to himself that it seemed they only dared to surround the courtyard and ultimately did not dare to break in without authorization.

He clapped his hands, "Fine, since they are people from the Eastern Palace, then I shall go meet them myself."

Shu Yu was guarding just outside the main gate of Jiaoyuan.

At this moment, an Eastern Palace carriage also pulled to a steady stop outside the gate.

Xiao Mingyu was just about to ask Shu Yu why he was surrounding his courtyard when he saw the wooden door of the carriage pushed open, revealing Xiao Youlan's handsome and cold face.

Xiao Mingyu was stunned; he had not expected him to come in person!

Shu Yu had arrived first with the guards to surround Jiaoyuan, and Xiao Youlan had followed behind in the carriage.

Was Nan Xueyin truly that important to him?

Xiao Mingyu hid the jealousy and dissatisfaction in his heart, walked forward, and feigned complete calm, "I wonder what brings the Crown Prince here? Why have you surrounded my Jiaoyuan?"

Xiao Youlan did not waste words with him; he stepped off the carriage and asked sharply, "Where is Nan Xueyin?"

Xiao Mingyu was even more bewildered, "Isn't this Miss Nan already a person of the Eastern Palace now? Has Your Highness forgotten? A few days ago, the Crown Prince used both threats and inducements to make me send Bai Sheng back to Lianzhou to retrieve the antidote. Bai Sheng only just returned from the Eastern Palace not long ago! Could it be that the Crown Prince is going back on his word?"

Bai Sheng also nodded from the side, "That's right! Crown Prince, I gave the antidote and had Officer Wu Zhui take it, confirming that the antidote is real..."

Xiao Mingyu sighed, "Your Highness, I know you have many grievances against me, but this is still Fengdu, under the Emperor's feet. If you do something like this, I fear it will provoke the Emperor's displeasure, and the court officials will have much to discuss!"

Xiao Youlan felt annoyed and disgusted by his high-sounding words; he frowned and ordered Shu Yu, "Take your men and search inside!"

Shu Yu acknowledged the order.

He had been a troublemaker since he was a child and was not afraid of offending any nobles or powerful figures; hearing Xiao Youlan's order, he immediately led his men to charge inside.

The people of Jiaoyuan wanted to block them, but Xiao Youlan's voice was icy, "Whoever dares to block them will be dealt with for defying the orders of the Eastern Palace Crown Prince!"

That group, fearing the Crown Prince's great favor and majesty, shrank back in fear.

Shu Yu and his men successfully broke in.

Xiao Mingyu gritted his teeth, "Crown Prince! Jiaoyuan was, after all, bestowed upon me by the Emperor!"

Xiao Youlan suddenly grabbed his collar, saying word by word, "If Nan Xueyin suffers any harm, even if the Emperor wants to protect you, I will definitely tear you into a thousand pieces."

Xiao Mingyu's pupils could not help but tremble.

In his impression, Xiao Youlan had always been cold and distant; no matter what happened, it was always difficult to see obvious emotional changes on his face.

He was like a deep river that would never ripple.

This demeanor, these words—it was truly the first time Xiao Mingyu had seen them.

Watching the guards pour into Jiaoyuan like a tide, Xiao Mingyu suddenly began to laugh.

Xiao Youlan pressed him against the wall and asked coldly, "You still have the leisure to laugh?"

Xiao Mingyu laughed until he could barely catch his breath, saying between laughs, "You are finished, Crown Prince. You are done for!"

Xiao Youlan frowned.

"For the sake of a woman, you have done such a thing; you are no longer the perfect Crown Prince in everyone's eyes! In your eyes, a woman has become more important than the state—before long, the entire Fengdu, the entire imperial court, everyone will know that the Crown Prince, in a fit of rage for a beauty, actually disregarded the bonds of brotherhood and led guards to forcibly break into Jiaoyuan."

Xiao Mingyu's smiling face eventually turned triumphant, and he lowered his voice, "I don't mind telling you, I originally sent Nan Xueyin to the Eastern Palace to find out what hidden illness you had, so as to drag you down from the position of Crown Prince. Now it seems she has done this job much better than I imagined. She has seduced you, and now she outweighs everything else in your heart. After today, I fear you will never be able to be the Crown Prince again!"

But Xiao Youlan did not show the expression of shame and anger that he had imagined.

On the contrary, Xiao Youlan actually smiled slightly and said, "Don't you know? This position of Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is not something I wanted, but something the Emperor insisted on forcing upon me. The thing you have racked your brains to obtain is something I do not even care to look at."

The look in Xiao Youlan's eyes as he gazed at Xiao Mingyu could only be described as pity, "You want to snatch Nan Xueyin back because you discovered that you like her very much. So, did she tell you that she only likes me now? Did she tell you that I am far, far better than you?"

Xiao Mingyu's eyes were wide with fury!

His heart had long since been left scarred and wounded by that conversation with Nan Xueyin.

Now, Xiao Youlan was effectively rubbing salt into those wounds.

Xiao Mingyu's eyes were bloodshot, and he could not speak.

"What's more," Xiao Youlan said coldly, "even if I cannot become the Crown Prince, you will absolutely never be able to take residence in the Eastern Palace. You have racked your brains, yet not only have you failed to get what you wanted, you have also lost the two most capable people by your side: Wu Zhui and Nan Xueyin. The one who is truly finished is you."

After speaking, Xiao Youlan released Xiao Mingyu and strode away, heading toward Jiaoyuan.

He had to find Nan Xueyin!

It was also at this moment that Shu Yu was the first to emerge from the courtyard to the west, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, the person has been found!"