Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey!

Wang Baobao looked at the servant delivering tea and asked, ”Where is your Prince?”

The servant in the mansion replied, ”The Prince is busy, he will come as soon as he’s done, right away.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Baobao glanced at the servant and said, ”Is your Prince deliberately avoiding me?”

Hearing this, the servant said, ”Young Prince, why would you think that? Back when our Prince was besieged, it was Prince Ruyang who sent troops to rescue him; otherwise, where would our Prince’s good days have been? Our Prince remembers all this!”

Listening to the servant’s words, Wang Baobao did not say anything further; he just looked at the servant and said, ”I’m not saying anything more, have your Prince come quickly, I have an urgent matter to discuss with him.”

The servant replied, ”Understood, understood.”

After saying this, the servant quickly headed to the inner courtyard, while Wang Baobao sat there, managing his emotion, watching the servant walk away.

Soon the servant arrived at the back courtyard, where the Prince was pacing to and fro.

A woman standing nearby looked at the Prince and said, ”Prince, why are you still here?”

Prince Lu, sweating heavily and full of anxiety, said, ”Troublesome matters have come to the door, how can you expect me to go out?”

The woman asked, ”What troublesome matters are these, Prince?”

Prince Lu replied, ”That Kuo Kuo outside is the most favored adoptive son of Brother Ruyang.”

The woman said, ”Then why aren’t you expressing gratitude? Do you not care about Brother Ruyang’s affairs?”

The Prince said, ”What do you mean! Do you know that Brother Ruyang has been detained by the court, even his Ruyang Royal Mansion has been confiscated. Kuo Kuo’s visit this time must be an attempt to drag me into the mess, to save Brother Ruyang.”

”But you should save him, Brother Ruyang has taken care of you all these years; if you don’t go to his aid, won’t people say you’re heartless and ungrateful?”

”Save, save him? With what? Surely you know our Lu Royal Mansion, we have only a small number of soldiers and scant resources, no demonstrable strength. Like us, mere ants, the court can easily wipe us out. If we get involved, you’re just wishing me a slow death, aren’t you?”

Filled with tension, Prince Lu fell silent for a moment, then said, ”Then what do you mean, keep hiding and not see him?”

Prince Lu said, ”That’s not possible either, if I delay too long, Kuo Kuo might become displeased. How about I say I’m sick?”

The woman said, ”Prince, pretending to be sick can only avoid him for a while; what if he insists on seeing you?”

Prince Lu said, ”Avoid him for now; anyway, I can’t wade into these muddy waters.”

Saying this, Prince Lu instructed the waiting servant, ”Go and inform the guest that I am ill and cannot receive visitors.”

”Yes.”

Upon hearing this, the servant hurriedly ran outside. Seeing the servant leave, Prince Lu turned to the woman and said, ”Quickly, find me a thick blanket and a warm towel...”

Seeing Prince Lu busy himself, the woman said, ”Prince, I feel we can’t keep hiding; some things cannot be avoided.”

”Avoid for one moment if we can; Brother Ruyang, such a powerful person, yet when the court says capture him, they capture him. What about me, a mere Prince Lu, won’t they easily toy with me?”

”So, it’s good enough if we can save our lives.”

Saying this, Prince Lu prepared to feign illness. As a mere prince, overseeing only the affairs of Yan State, commanding only one tael men, lacking ample provisions and lacking commerce, ensuring the safety of his life was already very difficult; survival depended on navigating the cracks.

Faced with today’s situation, he could only hide away and dared not get involved.

Seeing Prince Lu like this, the woman could not help but shake her head. Though she did not understand much of the politics within, she knew that living under someone else’s mercy requires humility, but cannot lack principles; sometimes, taking a side is necessary.

A strong person will not spare you just because you are weak.

But Prince Lu could not muster any courage whatsoever; he ran off in a flash, terrified that Kuo Kuo would follow and drag him into the swamp.

He only wants to live well, spending his days leisurely, without involving himself in other matters. He really doesn’t want to get involved and is unwilling to do so.

The servant then emerged and saw Wang Baobao. Wang Baobao looked up at the servant and asked, ”Where is your Prince?”

Hearing this, the servant immediately frowned and replied, ”Our Prince is ill and cannot get out of bed, so cannot see visitors.”

”Ill?”

Wang Baobao’s face suddenly became unpleasant, ”I think he’s not ill and instead avoiding me, correct?”

”Ah, Young Prince, you’re joking, how could our Prince possibly be avoiding you?”

The servant quickly explained, Wang Baobao raised his hand after hearing this, ”Whether he’s avoiding me or not, he knows in his heart; I won’t make it difficult for you. Just give him a message: if he still won’t see me, I’ll turn around and leave, never to pester him again.”

Hearing this, the servant looked at Wang Baobao, and asked, ”Young Prince, what shall I say?”

Wang Baobao paused for a moment and said, ”Lips gone, teeth cold, intention to cut the feudatories!”

”Just eight words?”

The servant confirmed once, and Wang Baobao replied, ”Yes, go ahead, I’ll wait for you.”

The servant said, ”Yes, I’ll go now.”

With that, the servant dashed off quickly, seeing him leave, Wang Baobao remained seated, planning to see if Prince Lu could really sit it out.

At this moment, Prince Lu lay down into the heated blankets, his head wrapped in a warm towel, lying there groaning as if truly sick.

Seeing him like this, the woman was helpless. Although she was a favored concubine of Prince Lu, some matters couldn’t be spoken of.

Watching her Prince feign illness, she was about to leave.

Just then, the servant rushed up to the door and saw the woman, saying, ”Princess.”

The woman looked at the servant, ”What is it that you’re in such a hurry?”

”It’s...”