Chapter 736 – The Emperor’s Fall, the Chenzhou Imperial City Broken (Part Nine)
The Third Prince felt something was off upon hearing this, but he shook it off.
However…
He had barely taken a couple of steps when the leading soldier suddenly blocked his path.
In the next instant, a sharp pain surged through his chest.
“Sending you on your way to the Yellow Springs, Third Prince. Don’t hold it against me.”
Amid the excruciating pain, he vaguely heard the other person’s sneering and mocking voice in his ear.
The Third Prince struggled to spit out two words, “You…”
Before he could complete even one sentence, he unwillingly drew his last breath, his body slumping helplessly to the side.
The man kicked him once, and seeing that the Third Prince was dead beyond the point of return, he promptly tossed his body into the backyard well.
Once the corpse decomposed, the time of death would be hard to determine.
At that point, they could easily pin the cause of death on Changshou Wang’s army.
“Let’s go. There’s no trace of the Third Prince here, just a lunatic. We’ll search elsewhere.”
As fate would have it, while the Third Prince easily shuffled off this mortal coil, the Fourth Prince was nowhere to be found.
Not only was he missing, but they couldn’t even enter the Fourth Prince’s residence.
The soldiers discreetly reported this to Feng Zhen.
Feng Zhen was bewildered, “You can’t find the Fourth Prince’s residence?”
The soldiers felt wronged; they didn’t really fail to find it, they just couldn’t get inside.
Clearly, it was that house, but it felt like they had run into an invisible wall, unable to approach.
Feng Zhen didn’t believe in supernatural forces, but this incident piqued his alertness.
“Get going. Keep a close watch on that area and don’t let anyone approach casually.”
Feng Zhen reluctantly sent the soldiers away, and after a furrowed brow, he sought out Jiang Pengji to discuss the issue at hand.
“Lord, I don’t believe in superstitions, but if the Fourth Prince is safe and uses this ‘miracle’ to rally support for himself, the common people and court ministers will surely lean towards him. In that case, why not be ruthless and burn down the nearby residences to eliminate future troubles?”
Feng Zhen was convinced that superstitions were nonsensical, but too many foolish commoners could easily be manipulated.
Throughout history, which emperor didn’t fabricate their own legends and miraculous tales?
Otherwise, how could they solidify the notion of ‘the Mandate of Heaven’?
Jiang Pengji listened and smiled as she threw back a question.
“Burning down nearby residences? That’s a good method, but what if it’s ineffective? If the nearby homes turn to ashes while the Fourth Prince’s residence remains unscathed, then we wouldn’t achieve our goal but merely help them build a narrative. This isn’t supernatural; it’s just someone pulling strings behind the scenes. Just petty tricks, an amateur scam.”
Feng Zhen was taken aback, and before he could voice his confusion, Jiang Pengji tossed the responsibility back to him.
“You handle this for a while. I’ll personally send the Fourth Prince on his journey to the Yellow Springs.”
If the soldiers could easily find the Fourth Prince, it would mean that the transmigrator hadn’t thought to use Wu Ma Jun.
That would be best; it saved her the effort.
But now, with multiple soldiers able to see the Fourth Prince’s residence yet unable to approach it, it was intriguingly suspicious.
Ancient people would attribute such matters to supernatural forces, but the audience in the live stream had a different perspective.
【Coca-Cola】: Hearing the streamer say she’d send the Fourth Prince to the Yellow Springs has me feeling so pumped, it’s bad enough I want to marry her.
【Pepsi】: Is everyone adoring the streamer’s towering aura, while I’m the only one curious about what Feng Zhen said? I’m super intrigued. What happened to the Fourth Prince’s residence? Why are they hitting an invisible wall? Is there really such a thing as fairies and monsters in this world?
【Mint in July】: Even if there are fairies and monsters, our streamer can tear them apart! No fear here, let’s cling tight to the streamer’s thigh!
【Lemon Lemon】: Thinking about what the streamer said earlier, I feel like the Fourth Prince’s legs might not be crippled after all. Plus, with the First, Second, and Third Princes all kneeling, the Emperor’s title might just land on his head! Even if his legs are crippled, ancient folks are superstitious; if the Fourth Prince adds a bit of mythical flair and puts on a show of divine protection, he might just break through the ranks! Anything is possible.
Ancient folks loved to assign mythical backgrounds to unexplainable phenomena, but modern people mostly see through the act as staged.
If the Fourth Prince seizes the opportunity, he could turn his life around.
It’s just too bad that his opponent isn’t anyone else but Jiang Pengji, who specializes in dealing with various shady characters.
The Fourth Prince was not favored, and after coming to Chenzhou, his wife Liu Huan had given birth to ominously conjoined twins, causing Wu Ma Jun to be repeatedly demoted. For various reasons, his residence was situated in the most remote area of the imperial city, looking rather desolate and quiet; the nearby houses seemed more like haunted ruins. This showed just how much the Emperor despised Wu Ma Jun while he was alive.
Jiang Pengji hadn’t alerted anyone, avoiding all eyes, and quietly sneaked nearby.
Looking at the residence in front of her, not only was she shocked, but the audience was too.
【Ground Peanut Candy】: No way? Is this really the Fourth Prince’s residence? It looks nothing like it; even a regular rich merchant’s place seems better!
【Shen Jia】: After all, he’s an undesired prince without any family backing; life must be tough, so it’s normal for him to live modestly.
As the live stream audience discussed the appearance of the Fourth Prince’s residence, Jiang Pengji paid no mind, merely frowning subtly.
The entire residence was enveloped in a strange aura that affected ordinary people’s judgment.
【Bookworm Xiao Yin】: Streamer, let’s go take a look! See if it really is an invisible wall!
【Evening Glow Clear Sky】: We should trust science! Oppose all feudal superstitions; an invisible wall is just a trick to blind us.
Jiang Pengji observed for a while, and suddenly smiled—
Indeed a negligible little trick.
Such petty tricks could fool the simple-minded, but to try and mislead her?
Time for a makeover!
Compared to the cold outside, the inside of the residence was surprisingly lively.
Wu Ma Jun was busy frolicking with a few maidservants, living quite the carefree life.
“Hmph! You’re still here misbehaving?”
As he reached for a maidservant’s collar, his palm brushed against softness, about to stage an improper performance, when a cold huff abruptly rang out.
He felt as if struck by lightning, shoving the dazed maidservant aside and ushering everyone out.
Kneeling down, he respectfully spoke, “Mother.”
Suddenly, a charming figure appeared in the previously empty space.
Dressed in a flowing red gown, strikingly beautiful, her face adorned with heavy makeup, she was all the more enchanting.
The Red-Clothed Woman’s gaze lowered, coldly fixing on the back of Wu Ma Jun’s head, her eyes devoid of warmth, resembling a merchant inspecting goods.
