IDWBE -Chapter 148 Expectations

He was not like his brothers. He had no grand ambitions of his own.

If nothing unexpected happened, his current life was already quite good. He had no plans to change it.

They could walk their grand Chenghua Avenue; he would stick to his own Erxian Bridge.

Why drag him into their competition?

He had suffered enough from the brutal college entrance exams in his previous life.

He truly didn’t want to struggle desperately again.

Consort Wen sneered lightly. “All under heaven belongs to the king; within the four seas, all are his subjects. If the ruler orders a subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. What would you do then?”

Lin Yi frowned. “That’s exactly what troubles me. Whether it’s the Crown Prince or Prince Yong, I won’t end well. But before, I didn’t know Old Six had ambition. Now that I do, perhaps helping him wouldn’t be so bad. At least if he becomes emperor, he probably won’t do anything to me.”

In truth, his ideal candidate had always been the Second Prince, Prince Pingchuan.

Unfortunately, he had died too early.

Consort Wen said, “I remember you once told me a story. I don’t recall the name of the person in it, but I clearly remember one sentence: Never place your fate in someone else’s hands.”

Lin Yi laughed. “You know that was just a story, right? Stories are meant to deceive.”

Consort Wen replied, “But you also said yourself: If one lives an entire life like that, it would be too regrettable, too tragic.”

Lin Yi tilted his head, thought for a moment, then smiled. “That was before I was granted my own residence and left the palace. I had no freedom inside the palace walls. If I had to spend my whole life in that lifeless cage, then yes—regretful and tragic indeed.”

Consort Wen let out a cold laugh. “Drifting in the spring breeze, casting light fishing lines upon vast waters—that is not freedom. Only by mastering changing circumstances can one attain true freedom of body and mind.”

Lin Yi fell silent for a long time.

After finishing his wine, he sighed. “From what you know, what is the situation in the palace now? One by one, without imperial decree, they sneak off to their fiefs. Old Six openly recruits troops. Old Seven is even harsher—he beheaded the regional commander, a major military and administrative official, and hung his head over the city gate. How is that any different from rebellion?”

“Have you considered that your father the emperor may truly be failing?” Consort Wen said with a faint smile. “Otherwise, why would they dare act so boldly?”

Lin Yi nodded. “That’s possible. Otherwise, those usually obedient ‘good boys’ wouldn’t dare cause such trouble.”

Consort Wen added, “Your father may truly be bedridden this time.”

Lin Yi asked, “Has He Jin allied himself with the Crown Prince?”

“Does He Jin have a better choice than the Crown Prince?” she replied calmly.

“Poor old man—what a heroic figure he once was, yet even he has moments of helplessness,” Lin Yi sighed. “If you truly have some leverage in the palace, please help watch over my mother and younger sister. I ask for nothing else.”

Consort Wen crossed her legs and snorted. “As long as the Crown Prince isn’t a fool, he won’t rashly offend others. Surrounded by powerful enemies, he needs allies more than enemies.”

Lin Yi said, “True enough. At least he’ll give me some face.”

“Your face?”

She gave a cold laugh. “Do you even know how much ‘face’ you have? The Crown Prince will spare the princess and the others out of consideration for General Yuan and his son—not for you.”

Lin Yi huffed angrily. “Do you know how hurtful that sounds?”

Couldn’t she at least leave him a shred of dignity?

Among everyone in Prince He’s residence, only Consort Wen spoke so bluntly. Every time, she left him bruised and battered.

Most infuriating of all—she even mimicked his tone and manner of speaking.

“You—if only you tried a little harder, that would already be something,” Consort Wen said as she set down her cup and stood. “I hope you’ll think carefully about your future.”

With that, she left without looking back.

Watching her disappear around the corridor’s corner, Lin Yi turned to Mingyue beside him. “Why does everyone place expectations on me? It’s giving me tremendous pressure.”

“Your Highness,” Mingyue smiled, “I remember that after each story you told, when you summarized, you would always say, ‘See? That’s the chosen one of heaven.’ I think you are that kind of person.”

“Why?” Lin Yi asked curiously.

Zixia replied, “I’ve never seen anyone more learned than you, Your Highness. You are simply indifferent to fame and ambition. Otherwise, the title of greatest scholar under heaven would surely be yours.”

They had followed Lin Yi since childhood. They knew better than anyone what kind of person he was.

Lin Yi scoffed. “Does writing a few poems make someone broadly learned?”

In this world, only he knew that he was the greatest literary plagiarist of the past thousand years.

Mingyue continued, “Your Highness, you know far more than poetry—mathematics, natural philosophy, chemistry. The Steward says you are someone born with innate knowledge.”

“Born with innate knowledge? There is no such person in this world.”

Lin Yi shook his head with a bitter smile.

Since childhood, he had worked hard to restrain his vanity and desire to show off, constantly fighting the cleverness that always wanted to draw attention.

The night grew cool.

Especially in the mountain city of Daxi.

Bao Kui stood among steep mountains, glanced at the soldiers hidden in the darkness behind him, and confidently said to Zhang Mian, “Lord Zhang, shall we just climb the city walls and enter directly?”

Behind him were masters of the third rank and above. Even if they encountered the imperial guards, he dared to fight—let alone a band of rebels.

Zhang Mian shook his head. “This is our first time leading troops. Better to be cautious and steady. If we encounter a true master, you and I might both fall here.”

Bao Kui laughed. “If there were real masters, how could they have been chased by General Yuan and forced to hide in Daxi City?”

Zhang Mian smiled. “If there were none, General Yuan would have wiped them out already. Why would he have given them a chance to flee?”

“That… makes sense,” Bao Kui scratched his head and sighed. “Then what should we do, Lord Zhang? The brothers ran out of dry rations yesterday. Hunting alone isn’t enough to fill our stomachs.”

Zhang Mian turned and called in a pinched voice, “Has Wang Tuozi returned?”

With a whoosh, a shadow leapt down from a tree.

“My lord, I’m back, I’m back!”

Before he finished speaking, he was already before Zhang Mian.

Zhang Mian glanced at him.

Though he himself was sixth rank, in terms of lightness skill, he couldn’t match fourth-rank Wang Tuozi.

Originally a thief, Wang Tuozi possessed exceptional agility. If not for Mingyue personally capturing him, almost no one could have caught him.

After being seized, he spent over half a year in labor reform building roads. Later, when Prince He formed a militia, Wang Xing indiscriminately pulled him in to make up numbers, and he had remained ever since.

Among the ten thousand garrison soldiers, Wang Tuozi’s “Lingbo Steps” were the most proficient.

Even Hong Ying, that wretched eunuch, once praised him, saying that if he could advance his Huiyuan Technique another level, there would be very few in all Sanhe who could match him.

“You came back just in time. How was the reconnaissance?” Zhang Mian asked.

Since Wang Tuozi excelled in lightness skill, Zhang Mian had made him a scout.

Wang Tuozi grinned. “Huang Sifang is sleeping in the old prefectural office inside Daxi City. If you hadn’t ordered me not to act rashly, I could’ve chopped off his head and brought it back. But as for whether there are experts outside the office—I’m not sure. Still… something feels off.”

“What feels off?” Zhang Mian asked urgently.

“Too quiet,” Wang Tuozi replied. “My lord, you know what I used to do for a living. The reason I’m still alive and kicking is because my instincts are sharper than most. If Miss Mingyue hadn’t been so skilled, I wouldn’t have fallen into anyone’s hands so easily.”

Zhang Mian frowned. “You mean there are experts outside?”

Wang Tuozi smiled awkwardly. “I didn’t dare get too close. Not everyone is as kind as Miss Mingyue. If I run into someone I can’t beat, all I can do is flee—or I’d lose my life.”

Bao Kui said, “Lord Zhang, why don’t I personally investigate?”

Just as Zhang Mian was about to speak, Wang Tuozi suddenly shrank his neck and shouted, “Not good—someone’s coming!”

“You little thief, quite alert indeed.”

Looking toward the voice, they saw that under the bright moonlight, a figure was standing atop the massive canopy of a tree—no one knew when he had appeared.

“May I ask who you are? State your name!”

From the man, Zhang Mian felt an inexplicable pressure.