Ch 84: You’re Far Worse Than Your Fourth Brother
“Excellent.”
Li Hanzhou took out a Crimson Flame Fruit from his Storage Bag and then placed the banknote on the table.
“Great Priest, then this deal is done!” Yun Po said, reaching for the banknote Li Hanzhou had placed on the table. So much silver; enough to repay the Clan’s debts.
But just as his hand touched the banknote, Li Hanzhou suddenly grabbed Yun Po’s wrist.
“Hmm?”
“Great Priest, what is this?”
Yun Po looked at Li Hanzhou and found his expression terrifying.
“Second Highness.”
Shi Ming, who had remained silent until now, stood up and said, “Second Highness is playing us.”
Li Hanzhou had just instructed Shi Ming to say this. He felt that since Shi Ming was already involved in this scheme against the Second Prince, he should have some participation beyond simply eating.
“What do you mean?”
Yun Po was puzzled.
“Is this a Crimson Flame Fruit?”
Shi Ming casually tossed the Crimson Flame Fruit into the wine bowl in front of him. The fruit’s color dissolved upon contact with the wine, revealing the original walnut color, the dye floating in the wine cup.
“This…”
Seeing this, everyone present was stunned.
“Second Highness, watch carefully. Our Star Luo Kingdom’s Crimson Flame Fruit does not lose its color.” Li Hanzhou said coldly, then took out a Crimson Flame Fruit and dropped it into a wine cup.
The Crimson Flame Fruit floated calmly, its color unchanged.
Yun Po’s Crimson Flame Fruit had almost completely lost its color.
Li Hanzhou picked up the walnut with two fingers and coldly snorted, “Second Highness, you’re quite the joker.”
“How could…”
Yun Po frantically took out a large handful of Crimson Flame Fruits and poured wine over them. All the fruits lost their color.
Just a pile of ordinary walnuts.
“Great Priest, I say this is a misunderstanding, do you believe me?” Yun Po said dejectedly.
“A misunderstanding, you say.” Li Hanzhou narrowed his eyes. “Then I’ll go tell His Majesty about this misunderstanding. His Majesty’s good son tried to swindle Star Luo Kingdom out of twenty-seven million taels of silver with a pile of walnuts! The Great Zhou Emperor must give Star Luo Kingdom an explanation for this today!”
“Although Star Luo Kingdom has been forced into Yunhuang by the Divine Palace, we are not to be trifled with!”
“Farewell!”
Li Hanzhou said angrily.
He was about to leave with Shi Ming.
“Great Priest, wait.” Yun Po panicked.
This matter could not reach Emperor Zhou’s ears.
If Emperor Zhou found out, he would be even less able to explain himself. After careful consideration, it appeared as though he had tried to swindle money using walnuts, even though he himself had been deceived.
Who would believe that?
Zhou Qianlin had fled.
Zhang Xiaohu was nowhere to be found.
He had no evidence.
His Father Emperor would surely scold him severely and become completely disappointed in him, making the position of Crown Prince unattainable.
Li Hanzhou stopped. “Second Highness, is there anything else? Unless you intend to send your hidden three hundred axemen to kill us? You can try.”
“No, no, no, Great Priest, there’s a misunderstanding.” Yun Po was startled.
This made things even harder to explain.
“Great Priest, tonight’s events were truly a misunderstanding. I hope you can forgive me.” Yun Po came before Li Hanzhou, gritted his teeth, and produced a stack of banknotes. “For the losses I caused, this is a small token of my apology. Please, Great Priest, do not tell my Father Emperor about this.”
Li Hanzhou glanced at the banknotes. This stack likely contained one million taels.
He figured the man probably didn’t have much left; this was probably his last resort.
“Very well. Considering Emperor Zhou’s sake, I won’t make things difficult for you. I hope Your Highness will take care of yourself.” Li Hanzhou took the banknotes and put them into his Storage Bag.
“You, you are far inferior to your Fourth Brother. In my opinion, your Fourth Brother is far more suited to be Emperor.” After saying this, Li Hanzhou pulled Shi Ming away from the Second Prince’s Mansion.
Yun Po stood there, his fists clenched tightly.
The murderous intent in his gaze was almost impossible to conceal.
“Second Master…”
Several soldiers cautiously approached.
“Get lost!”
“Yes, yes.”
Everyone quickly left, knowing that Yun Po was in a foul mood.
After leaving the Second Prince’s Mansion, Li Hanzhou and Shi Ming strolled slowly down the street.
“Not full, are you?” Li Hanzhou said with a smile. “There’s a noodle stall up ahead; let’s have a bowl of noodles.”
“Okay.” Shi Ming nodded.
He was indeed not full.
“Boss, two bowls of noodles.” After sitting down, Li Hanzhou called out to the noodle stall owner.
“Okay.”
The noodle stall owner was an elderly person who warmly greeted Li Hanzhou and Shi Ming, wiped down the table, and then turned to diligently cook the noodles.
“Martial Uncle, you’re amazing.” Shi Ming said admiringly. “You had Zhang Xiaohu make two types of Crimson Flame Fruits long ago, one that loses its color, and one that doesn’t.”
“That Zhang Xiaohu is quite the talent,” Li Hanzhou said. “His dye blending is quite good.”
“But Martial Uncle, why did you mention the Fourth Prince before leaving? Saying the Fourth Prince is more suitable to be Emperor could put him in danger,” Shi Ming was puzzled.
“Silly child.”
Li Hanzhou patted Shi Ming’s head and said, “Although we’re close to the Fourth Prince now, don’t forget our identity. Great Zhou is our enemy.”
“You saw the tragic state of Lingyan City when we arrived. So many people were separated from their families and lost their loved ones, all because of Great Zhou. If they descend into internal strife, it would benefit us in the Divine Palace.”
“We are only temporarily bound together by mutual benefit. Once this matter is concluded…”
“We and Great Zhou will inevitably clash.”
“I understand.” Shi Ming nodded.
“Here’s your noodles.” At this moment, the owner brought over two bowls of noodles, placing them on the table and saying with a smile, “Eat slowly; they’re hot.”
“Thank you, Boss.”
Li Hanzhou took a bite of the noodles; the hot broth was delicious.
Shi Ming, however, stared at his bowl of noodles in silence.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Li Hanzhou asked.
Shi Ming said absentmindedly, “Martial Uncle, if Great Zhou and the Divine Palace really fight, it’s the commoners who will suffer, right? Delicious noodles like these might not be available after the war.”
“Can’t we avoid war?” Shi Ming asked Li Hanzhou intently.
“We can.” Li Hanzhou looked at Shi Ming. “Cultivate diligently. When your strength allows you to decide everything, you can naturally influence whether the two countries go to war. As long as you are strong enough, they will all listen to you, and dare not defy your will. Wouldn’t that solve the dispute?”
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