IDWBE -Chapter 330 For the Sake of Interest

The Crown Prince picked up his cup again and drained it in one gulp. Leaning back in his chair, the sunlight streaming through the trees was too blinding. He closed his eyes and said expressionlessly, “Other than being petty and uneducated, I can’t find any other fault with you.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Brother,” Lin Yi said, then kicked the Twelfth Prince, Prince Yong’an, who had been staring blankly at the side. “What are you standing there for? Refill Brother’s tea.”

“Yes, yes,” The Twelfth Prince glanced around, finally spotted the teapot, and shakily picked it up. Even though the Crown Prince had fallen so low, he still dared not look him in the eye. After pouring the tea, he finally mustered the courage to say, “Your Highness, please have some tea.”

It was difficult for him! Clearly terrified of the Crown Prince, yet he dared not call him “Crown Prince” anymore—after all, he had been declared the “deposed Crown Prince.”

Right now, his Ninth Brother was only a regent, but anyone with eyes could see he would undoubtedly be the next Crown Prince.

If he continued calling his eldest brother “Crown Prince,” he might anger Ninth Brother.

“Look at you—go on, get out of here,” Lin Yi glanced at the Twelfth Prince with disdain, then smiled at the Crown Prince. “Among all these brothers, this one is the least reliable; his brain doesn’t work too well.”

“Luck isn’t bad, though.”

The Crown Prince finally looked at the Twelfth Prince.

“My brother flatters me,” The Twelfth Prince hurriedly lowered his head, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Luck?

He had followed Lin Yi from Jinling all the way to Ankang City, thinking this time he was truly on a mission to support the king.

But when he saw, amid the drums and horns, the Sanhe soldiers attacking Ankang City, he was stunned.

His eyes wide, he watched the Sanhe troops charge fearlessly onto the city walls and then open the gates.

Before noon, he received news that his Ninth Brother had forced a palace coup.

The most shocking part? The tyrannical father he remembered had actually agreed!

Agreed!

It was unbelievable!

How could his father possibly lose to an uneducated Ninth Brother?

After that, he remained in a daze, unable to process it, always feeling as if he were dreaming.

He had imagined the Third Prince, Fourth Prince, even himself eventually taking the throne—but never that the Ninth Brother would be the ultimate winner.

And it came so suddenly.

However, as his eldest brother had said, his luck was indeed good. He was clinging to the right “thigh.” From now on, as long as he didn’t stir up trouble and behaved honestly, Ninth Brother probably wouldn’t make things difficult for him, right?

“I misjudged,” The Crown Prince turned to Lin Yi. “You’ve won over Father. I am genuinely happy.”

Lin Yi asked curiously, “You lost. Aren’t you upset?”

At this moment, he could sense no sadness from the Crown Prince, nor any happiness—he seemed completely numb.

This did not match the eldest brother’s temperament at all.

“Victory to the king, defeat to the vanquished. What grief in life, what fear in death?”

The Crown Prince sighed. “As long as you spare your nephew, I am content.”

Lin Yi shook his head. “The sun is so nice. Why talk about death?”

The Crown Prince said, “Leave me with an intact body.”

“Brother, you underestimate me. I never said I wanted to kill you,”

Lin Yi smiled. “Stop overthinking.”

“The two dragons do not meet,” the Crown Prince said, “You spare me, yet aren’t you afraid I’ll rally my old followers and make your life miserable?”

“Not killing you doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll let you go,” Lin Yi sighed. “Brother, I still have a question: yesterday I met Father. He seems to hate Jizhao so much—it’s puzzling.”

The Crown Prince said, “The birth mother of Emperor Yongguang, the Holy Empress Dowager, was a saint of Jizhao Nunnery.”

“Ah, I see.”

Lin Yi suddenly understood.

The birth mother of Emperor Delong had been wronged by the Holy Empress Dowager—killing one’s mother was a grudge that could never be forgiven.

After ascending the throne, the Holy Empress Dowager mysteriously passed away.

However, since she was a saint of Jizhao Nunnery, her skill must have been formidable. Ending her life mysteriously wouldn’t be easy.

The Crown Prince seemed to read Lin Yi’s thoughts and continued, “The Holy Empress Dowager was indeed a Grand Master. But if Elder Wuxiang intervened, survival would be impossible.”

“Someone from Vajra Platform intervened?”

Lin Yi was more astonished.

The Crown Prince nodded. “Father was an outer disciple of Vajra Platform, and they have always been close. I originally relied on the Princess to help me, but with the addition of Elder Wuxiang, I failed. So I’m curious—how did you gain Vajra Platform’s support? Elder Wuxiang isn’t easy to persuade.”

Lin Yi said, “What if I told you I’ve never met anyone from Vajra Platform—would you believe me?”

The Crown Prince frowned. “I know Wen Zhaoyi supports you. Wen Zhaoyi, along with your aide Xiao Yingzi, is enough to succeed. Elder Wuxiang’s power is already at the Celestial realm. Though not omnipotent, without his approval, a palace coup would not be so easy.”

Lin Yi knew he didn’t believe him, so he didn’t bother explaining further. Curiously, he asked, “As far as I know, Wen Zhaoyi is also a saint of Jizhao Nunnery. What was her relationship with the Empress Dowager?”

He had never heard Wen Zhaoyi mention this.

He felt sorry for Emperor Yongguang—his mother was a saint of Jizhao Nunnery, and even his consort, Wen Zhaoyi, was from Jizhao Nunnery! In the face of imperial power, family and love were utterly powerless.

After finishing another cup of tea, the Crown Prince said, “Wen Zhaoyi and the Empress Dowager were both from Jizhao Nunnery, but they were utterly incompatible. It’s said they once fought fiercely in the palace. The Empress Dowager was Emperor Yongguang’s birth mother, yet he still feared her. As for Wen Zhaoyi, she never bore an heir. Out of anger, she entered the cold palace to practice her skills diligently.”

“I see,” Lin Yi pretended to suddenly understand.

So the Crown Prince didn’t know everything.

Wen Zhaoyi entering the cold palace was likely because her husband and son had died tragically. Disheartened, she focused entirely on training to seek revenge.

He took the tea cup from Xiao Yingzi, sipped lightly, and put it down. Then he asked, “Brother, I’ve just taken control of the situation. But as they say, a clever housewife can’t cook without rice—the treasury has less than 100,000 taels. Do you have any way to help me?”

“Find the Princess.”

The Crown Prince answered without hesitation.

“The aunt?”

Lin Yi asked.

“Yes.”

“I know she’s wealthy, but the amount in her hands should be limited, right?”

Lin Yi had known since childhood that this aunt was rich and reckless. Always favored by Emperor Delong, she could open restaurants, banks, and businesses anywhere, without anyone daring to oppose her.

Making money would be inevitable.

But since taking control of eight provinces, Lin Yi considered himself to have seen the bigger picture—his aunt’s wealth was trivial.