When the Deposed Crown Prince Was Reborn as Troublemaker - Chapter 83

You Yushan stared at You Yusui, who stood not far away with a face full of smiles. What “dying for the country” — the Crown Prince was simply using public office to settle personal scores and take revenge!

County Magistrate Li looked at the Crown Prince, whose expression remained unmoved, and could not help but reveal a hint of panic. He glanced again at the bound You Yushan and said with a trace of disbelief. “You’re not Xie Tan?”

You Yushan: …He had said from the very beginning that he was Prince Wu — it was County Magistrate Li who had insisted on mistaking him for Xie Tan.

Upon hearing County Magistrate Li’s words, the smile on You Yusui’s face grew even wider. “My cousin is already past twenty. Third Imperial Brother is only sixteen — how could you mistake him for my cousin?”

Although You Yushan had grown stockier and was somewhat rushed in manner, he was still very much a young man!

Having said that, You Yusui turned to You Yushan and gave him a look that said “you’re so pitiful,” which enraged You Yushan so much that his face turned ashen.

County Magistrate Li’s face also turned ashen. Since the person he had captured was Prince Wu and not Xie Tan, and could not be used to threaten You Yusui, there was no choice but to resort to force.

“Men! Seize the Crown Prince!” County Magistrate Li called out loudly.

As his words fell, several dozen garrison soldiers filed in, standing before County Magistrate Li and leveling their long spears at You Yusui and his companions.

At the sight of this, several of the powerful families’ women shrieked in fright, while the powerful families’ men shouted at County Magistrate Li to put down his weapons at once.

County Magistrate Li let out a cold laugh. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, I have five thousand garrison soldiers at my disposal. Your five hundred guards have all been pinned down by them — no one is coming to save you. I advise you to surrender and spare yourself suffering.”

You Yusui looked at the garrison soldiers that County Magistrate Li could command at will and smiled. “It seems you have already become the sole authority in Dayang County.”

County Magistrate Li chuckled upon hearing this. “I captured Prince Wu’s men last night. Your Highness the Crown Prince, you have no cards left to play.”

“Attack!”

At the command, the several dozen garrison soldiers bearing long spears closed in on You Yusui.

“Your Highness!” Cui Yan moved to stand in front of You Yusui.

“Get out of the way.” You Yusui shoved Cui Yan aside.

Cui Yan, who had nearly tripped and fallen: …Your Highness, are you annoyed that I’m blocking your way and getting in the way of your move?

Immediately after, Cui Yan took a deep breath, slipped into the crowd, and retrieved a long sword from beneath a table bearing offerings of fruit and tossed it to You Yusui.

You Yusui leapt up and caught the long sword, using the momentum to fling the scabbard outward. The scabbard struck You Yushan squarely in the chest, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood and stagger back two steps before collapsing to the ground.

By this time, the long sword had already been drawn from its scabbard, emanating a cold, chilling gleam in You Yusui’s pale white hand. At the sight, County Magistrate Li’s expression changed immediately, and he shouted loudly, “Charge! Charge! Attack!”

The garrison soldiers immediately swarmed forward, but the sharp spearheads were swiftly sliced off by You Yusui one after another. The metallic clanging of iron hitting the ground rang out like falling flower petals scattered across the floor, and the soldiers had not even registered what had happened as they stood there holding nothing but wooden shafts.

Watching this, Cui Yan breathed a sigh of relief, and all he wanted to do was cry out: His Highness is mighty!

At that very moment, You Yusui kicked the sharp iron spearheads lying on the ground up into the air, then spun around and sent one of those iron spearheads flying with a kick.

A sharp crack of splitting air rang out. County Magistrate Li, who had been standing at the outermost edge of the crowd, stiffly lowered his head and stared at the sharp object embedded in his chest, then spat out a mouthful of blood.

When they saw County Magistrate Li fall to the ground, Madam Li, who stood among the crowd, let out a piercing scream. “Husband!”

At the sight of this, the garrison soldiers immediately raised what remained of their shafts and swung at You Yusui together as he stood in the middle of the crowd. In that instant, You Yusui seemed to see the scene of himself being stabbed to death by rebels with a flurry of spears — how utterly wretched and desperate that had been. No one could save him. He had only himself!

In an instant, a bloodred hue flooded both of You Yusui’s eyes, and instinct began driving him to protect himself. Kill! Kill them all! As long as they were all dead, no one could hurt him!

No one had anticipated that those pale white hands gripping the long sword would become machines of death. Each time a white butterfly passed, another garrison soldier among those surrounding him fell.

Watching the garrison soldiers break ranks and attempt to flee, You Yusui raised his sword, a smile spreading across his face as he looked at the crowd with those phoenix eyes now stained with blood. “Shall we continue?”

The garrison soldiers were trembling with fear and did not dare to go on — yet You Yusui was already giving them no chance.

From the moment blood was first drawn, slaughter had been destined to fill the Buddhist hall.

Those pale white hands holding the long sword moved like the Grim Reaper, slitting the throats of one garrison soldier after another. Bodies fell and covered the ground. Specks of blood had splattered onto You Yusui’s pallid cheeks, and his hem was dripping with fresh blood — he looked not like a beauty, but like a demon crawled up from the deepest pits of hell.

Cui Yan watched the scene unfold and, suppressing the fear in his heart, urged, “Your Highness, enough!”

Not a single garrison soldier dared to step forward anymore — none of them dared to harm you any longer!

Yet You Yusui could hear nothing at all — he was like a creature that knew only killing.

At this moment, Cui Yan desperately wished for Huo Xiling’s arrival.

Young General Huo, please come and take charge — His Highness has lost control!

After You Yusui had sent the last of the garrison soldiers surrounding the hall on their way with the sword in his hand, he heard from outside the Buddhist hall the sound of armor clanking and the footsteps of a group of people.

You Yusui turned around in alert, and his gaze met squarely with that of Huo Xiling, who was just stepping into the Buddhist hall.

You Yusui stared blankly at Huo Xiling, momentarily unable to react.

Seeing this, Cui Yan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as His Highness doesn’t go and send them all to the underworld with his sword, it will be fine.

“Your Highness?” Huo Xiling stood in the backlight and called out tentatively.

With a clatter, the long sword in You Yusui’s hand dropped to the ground, and tears instantly fell from his eyes. He said to Huo Xiling, “Xiling, I’m so frightened.”

As the words fell, You Yusui’s body involuntarily began to collapse.

Huo Xiling saw this and hurriedly caught him, then turned to the nearby Cui Yan. “What happened to His Highness?”

Cui Yan drew a breath and said, “Take His Highness away from here first, then I will take his pulse.”

The garrison soldiers that County Magistrate Li had surrounded Jinyun Temple with had already been encircled and wiped out by the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace guards and Huo Xiling working from both inside and outside. The powerful families and their women had not managed to escape either — every last one of them was held in the Buddhist hall awaiting judgment.

This battle had been won splendidly. Yet Huo Xiling felt not the slightest joy, for You Yusui was still unconscious to this day.

Behind layers of gauze curtains, You Yusui lay on the bed with a pallid face. The temperature of his body was frighteningly high, and every so often he murmured deliriously.

Cui Yan had already taken his pulse once. The Crown Prince’s pulse was alarmingly erratic.

Huo Xiling, who was by You Yusui’s side, spoke up and asked Cui Yan, “How is the Crown Prince?”

“He was subjected to a shock and fell unconscious.” Cui Yan withdrew the hand he had placed on You Yusui’s wrist. “I will prescribe some medicine first. The most important thing right now is to bring down the fever.”

After saying this, Cui Yan glanced once more at Huo Xiling, then added, “In the future, under no circumstances should the Crown Prince be allowed to witness bloodshed.”

Cui Yan thought back to how You Yusui had gone on a frenzied killing spree in the Buddhist hall earlier that day, slaughtering over a hundred people, and still felt a lingering dread. The Crown Prince’s behavior had clearly been abnormal.

“Lastly, what happened in the Buddhist hall must absolutely not be allowed to spread.” Cui Yan said gravely, with a solemn expression. “The story is that Young General Huo, you arrived in time, saved me and His Highness the Crown Prince, and the over a hundred people in that Buddhist hall were also killed by you in order to rescue the Crown Prince. His Highness, being of poor health, lost consciousness from the shock.”

Cui Yan was only grateful that You Yusui had knocked Prince Wu unconscious with the scabbard right from the start. If Prince Wu had been awake, there was no telling how this matter would have been covered up.

Upon hearing this, Huo Xiling replied, “Understood.”

The Crown Prince single-handedly slaughtering a hundred people — even if they were enemies who sought his life, it would still be far too shocking. It was far better to say that he had arrived in time to kill the rebels and rescue the Crown Prince.

Cui Yan nodded upon hearing this and said, “I’ll go and boil the medicine. You stay here and keep watch over His Highness.”

As the words fell, Cui Yan rose and left. The entire room was left with only Huo Xiling and You Yusui.

Huo Xiling sat at the edge of the bed, his fingers gently tracing the features of the person he had been longing for day and night. Then he listened as You Yusui began to speak in delirium.

“Imperial Mother, Imperial Mother, I miss you so much. They all say I was born to doom my mother — I didn’t, I didn’t mean to cause your death.”

Huo Xiling’s heart ached upon hearing this. He took hold of You Yusui’s hand and said, “Your Highness, the late Empress and your maternal grandfather both loved you dearly. You were not born to doom your mother.”

“Father Emperor, Father Emperor, I did not rebel — I didn’t, I didn’t!”

As the words fell, Huo Xiling froze. Then he gripped You Yusui’s hand tightly and asked, “Your Highness, what rebellion?”

In reality, You Yusui had made no move toward rebellion whatsoever, and even if You Yusui had harbored such intentions, it would have been impossible to conceal it from Huo Xiling, who was with him day and night.

This could not help but make Huo Xiling connect it to that dream — the dream that had ended with You Yusui being condemned to death for treason.

“Your Highness, tell me.”

You Yusui, pained by Huo Xiling’s tight grip, shifted and began murmuring something else in delirium.

“No, no — it’s so cold inside the coffin, I don’t want this.”

“I won’t die — they all have to die, they all have to die.”

“Imperial Mother, Imperial Mother, where are you? The road is so dark, I can’t see you, I’m so frightened.”

Huo Xiling, listening by his side, grew more and more alarmed with each word, his heart plummeting to the depths and submerged in icy water.

Countless nightmares surged toward You Yusui — the wretched deaths of fifteen lifetimes laid bare before his eyes, the desolation of being buried in the wilderness still clinging to his body. No matter what effort he made, he could not escape the word “death.” Even if he killed off the First Prince and the Third Prince’s entire faction, it was not enough to let him live.

Because of the delirious words coming from You Yusui’s mouth, Huo Xiling did not dare to let servants attend to him and instead took personal care of him throughout.

Yet bowl after bowl of medicine was administered, and still You Yusui would not wake. He even visibly grew thinner before their eyes.

The little bit of flesh that had only just been painstakingly put on — now it was all gone, his jaw whittled down to a sharp point.

“Your Highness, what will it take for you to wake up.” Huo Xiling said, looking at You Yusui lying on the bed.

Cui Yan was at a loss as well. The fever had already broken, and the pulse had returned to a calm state — but if the person was unwilling to wake, what else could he do?

“Now that His Highness is unconscious, Dayang County has no one to oversee affairs, and the corruption case has no one to preside over. Young General Huo, with the Crown Prince absent, this is precisely when you need to step up.” Cui Yan said.

The Crown Prince had already been unconscious for three days. Huo Xiling had set aside all the matters in his hands in order to look after the Crown Prince — this was truly unacceptable.

Huo Xiling looked at Cui Yan. “Isn’t there still you?”

Cui Yan was taken aback. “Me?”

The moment I stepped out that door, I became the lead presiding official of the corruption case. Who would even remember that I’m only an imperial physician?

****

Back in Chang’an, You Fengyun received a message from a shadow guard during morning court.

“The Crown Prince has been unconscious for three days. His condition is critical.”

Upon reading that line, You Fengyun’s expression changed drastically.

The court officials hurriedly inquired, only to see You Fengyun fling out the words “court is dismissed” and leave in haste. Xie Tan, who had been preparing to leave after the court session ended, was also summoned by You Fengyun.

In Xuande Hall, You Fengyun looked at Xie Tan. “The Crown Prince is gravely ill. Go to Dayang at once.”

Xie Tan’s expression grew sharp immediately and he replied, “Yes!”

As the words fell, Xie Tan took his leave, appearing to be preparing to set off for Dayang County at once.

Seeing this, You Fengyun let out a heavy breath. He was trying to figure out why there had been such a sudden critical turn in condition — unconscious and unresponsive for three days. He regretted it somewhat. He should not have sent the Crown Prince to Dayang County just to balance the various factions.

At least at this moment, You Fengyun did not wish for the Crown Prince to die.

Not long after Xie Tan had left, Eunuch An Hai came rushing in and said, “Your Majesty, Lord Xie — has just set off by carriage toward Hedong Commandery! “

“What?” You Fengyun was somewhat taken aback. In the end, he lowered his gaze and said, “Never mind, let him go.”