Chapter 409
**Chapter 407: The Ninth Prince**
The Ninth Prince of Nan Chu was tall, stepping into the light with a gaze as sharp as a knife that cut into Shen Wei's face.
Li Mi, the Ninth Prince, paused.
He tilted his head, scrutinizing Shen Wei's features. As if he had stumbled upon something amusing, Li Mi teased, “So, you’re the fisher girl the Emperor brought back?”
Shen Wei took a sip of her tea. “Mm.”
Li Mi smirked, “You’re really ugly.”
Shen Wei set her teacup down. “If the Emperor were to make me his consort, I would be your mother. A dog doesn’t mind a poor home, and a son doesn’t mind an ugly mother. How can you find fault with your mother?”
Li Mi: ...
Li Mi gritted his teeth. “What a sharp tongue you have.”
Nearby, the palace maid Cai Zhu was so frightened her legs turned to jelly, nearly dropping to her knees. She kept casting anxious glances at Shen Wei, hoping she wouldn’t provoke the Ninth Prince.
Li Mi was no ordinary man!
He was ruthless!
When he got angry, even the former Qin Fei wouldn’t dare to lift her head. Li Mi had long been at odds with the Emperor, his temper explosive. There was an incident where a palace concubine accidentally offended him, and he had directly executed her.
Afterward, the Ninth Prince was locked in the Tianlao (Heavenly Prison) for half a month, suffering greatly. Even after being released, his foul temper remained unchanged, constantly opposing the Emperor.
A plump white fox ambled over, circling Shen Wei’s feet before curling up into a fluffy ball, snuggling against her. Shen Wei was quite fond of it, reaching down to rub its chubby head.
The white fox squinted in pleasure, its furry ears flattening down.
Seeing this, Li Mi ground his teeth in secret. “This fox is known for biting, yet it’s so affectionate with you.”
Shen Wei smiled brightly. “Those who know how to adapt are wise. It’s a clever fox, aware that biting me would lead to a miserable fate. What about you? Are you clever?”
Li Mi pressed his tongue against his cheek, giving Shen Wei a long, deep look. “Disaster.”
With that, Li Mi flicked his sleeve and left.
The white fox remained affectionately curled at Shen Wei’s feet.
Cai Zhu let out a long sigh of relief and hurried to pour tea for Shen Wei. “Miss, you’re quite lucky. The Ninth Prince must be in a good mood today, or he would have taken action against you.”
Shen Wei toyed with her teacup, asking Cai Zhu, “Is it true that the relationship between the Ninth Prince and the Emperor is extremely poor?”
Cai Zhu nodded reluctantly. “They’re like fire and water, unable to coexist.”
Shen Wei slowly shook her head, confidently stating, “If they truly couldn’t coexist, that little brat would have been killed long ago.”
Yet, Li Yuanli still spared the Ninth Prince’s life, indicating that their relationship was not as severed as the outside world believed.
...
...
In the front hall of the palace.
Li Yuanli lounged on the dragon throne, the piles of documents on the table towering like a mountain, yet he paid them no mind. Through the beaded curtain, several court officials were arguing, discussing how to convict the Prime Minister’s residence.
Li Yuanli felt himself drifting into a doze.
Until the head eunuch came to report, “Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince has arrived.”
The bickering in the hall abruptly ceased.
The officials, feeling uneasy, dared not linger. Every time the Ninth Prince came to see the Emperor, the hall would erupt into chaos.
No one wanted to tempt fate.
The officials bowed and took their leave. Li Yuanli rested his forehead on one hand, closing his eyes to gather his thoughts. The fragrance from the gilded bronze incense burner in the hall was delicate, lulling him into a deeper slumber.
Heavy footsteps shattered the tranquility behind the beaded curtain.
Li Mi strode into the hall, and the other palace attendants discreetly withdrew. He swept aside the beaded curtain with a flourish, the sound echoing as he raised his voice, “I don’t understand why you would choose such a coarse, ugly woman of lowly birth!”
Li Yuanli leaned back on the dragon throne, his voice calm. “She is the best woman in the world.”
Li Mi was momentarily stunned, hardly believing his ears. “That Yuan Xi’er is arrogant, slick-tongued, and disrespectful to the throne. She doesn’t deserve you! I’ve never seen you so infatuated with a woman. Have you been bewitched?”
Li Yuanli sighed deeply. “It is I who am unworthy of her.”
Li Mi felt as if he had heard a fairy tale.
A look of confusion crossed his youthful face. “Are you sick? If you’re really that ill, you might as well hand the throne over to me!”
Li Mi had only meant it in anger, but the man on the throne suddenly smiled. “Are you serious?”
Li Mi fell silent.
The eighteen-year-old boy, like a young tiger with ruffled fur, lowered his noble head and muttered, “Not serious.”
Li Yuanli slowly stood up. Dressed in a black robe embroidered with gold dragons, his face showed no signs of age, his eyes deep like the ocean, holding the weight of countless years.
He walked down the white jade steps to stand before Li Mi.
Li Yuanli looked down at the young tiger, assessing him. “Do you know why I spared your life back then?”
Li Mi mumbled, “I don’t know.”
The outside world believed that the relationship between the Ninth Prince Li Mi and Li Yuanli was terrible. After all, Li Yuanli had personally killed Li Mi’s biological parents, slaughtering the royal family.
It was a blood feud.
Yet, Li Mi bore no grudge against Li Yuanli.
Before Li Yuanli appeared, he had been the least favored little prince in the Nan Chu harem. He had a remarkable memory and clearly recalled being locked in a pigsty by his cowardly mother.
He remembered fighting with piglets for food, the sharp laughter of the beautiful palace concubines, and the fat white maggots crawling over his small hands and feet in the sweltering summer heat.
It was Li Yuanli who had pulled him out of that pigsty.
It was Li Yuanli who had given him his first full meal.
Without this man, he might have drowned in the pigsty or been suffocated by his own mother long ago.
Over the years, Li Yuanli had been strict with him. He forced him to practice martial arts, to study hard, to run errands, to kill and burn—yet he never killed him.
Li Mi’s feelings toward Li Yuanli were complex; he felt neither gratitude nor resentment.
Li Yuanli patted his shoulder, his voice laced with laziness. “I will be leaving the palace for a while. You will govern in my stead. If I do not return, you may ascend the throne. The new Emperor of Qing Guo ascended at sixteen; you are no worse than him.”
Li Mi furrowed his brows, suspiciously studying Li Yuanli’s face. “Are you sick? Stop talking nonsense!”
Li Mi certainly wanted to inherit the throne.
But in his mind, he thought he would have to wait at least another decade. After all, the current Li Yuanli didn’t seem old at all; he was in his prime, full of vigor.
Li Yuanli replied, “Perhaps I am ill... Remember to finish reviewing the documents on the table, and send someone to copy the Prime Minister’s records.”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Li Yuanli left the deliberation hall, heading toward the Chang Le Palace.
Inside the hall, Li Mi was stunned for a moment before suddenly raising his voice in anger. “I think you’re really sick! Seriously sick! You might as well die! If you die, I won’t even give you a funeral!”
The palace attendants bowed deeply, wishing they could cover their ears.
Here we go again.
Every time the Ninth Prince visited, he would end up in a fierce argument with the Emperor.
...
...
In the Chang Le Palace.
A palace maid brought over the prepared health tonic. The warm soup exuded a bitter aroma, and Shen Wei waved her hand. “I won’t drink it.”
No amount of medicine could cure her illness.
Table of Contents
