Eternal Night - Chapter 39
Prince Duan stared intently at Yongye. His features were flawless, strikingly similar to his princess, both equally beautiful. The princess possessed a gentle, watery grace, yet was stubborn at heart. Yongye, on the other hand, exuded a vibrant, heroic spirit, and his calculating nature was strikingly similar to his own. The more he looked at him, the happier he became.
His smug expression was laughable to Yongye, who curled his lip and said, "Smug!"
Prince Duan was taken aback, a proud expression on his lips. He moved a chair to sit in front of the bed and said slowly, "Let's make it clear first, no one will play mind games."
"You go first!" Yongye refused to take the initiative.
"You even want to take advantage of this!" Prince Duan laughed, then thought for a moment and said, "Of course I don't want to get involved in the mess of the Emperor's selection of an heir. I found an opportunity to drag you out."
"I only let you see that you hit me hard. Otherwise, how could I have let you see... see that flower!" Yongye's face flushed again.
Prince Duan glanced at him and chuckled, "Whether it is or not, the truth is that you want me as your backer."
"I'm afraid of dying at your hands; it's too much of a loss," Yongye chuckled.
The air seemed to freeze instantly. Prince Duan looked intently at Yongye and said slowly, "If you weren't my biological son, I simply couldn't trust you. You're even more cunning than I was back then!"
Yongye chuckled: "Like begets like, and like mouse children know how to dig holes. That's absolutely true!"
Prince Duan coughed awkwardly twice: "What rats! Anyway, you need to be yourself! What kind of talk is this!"
"Father, don't you think I'm better off the way I am now?" Yongye blinked. In just one year, he had killed Old Man Wang, the noodle seller; Lord Cao, the Prefect of the Capital; Lord Wang, the Censor of the Censorate; and Master Ma, the rice merchant of the Capital… causing Feng Yangxi to search for him everywhere. If he acknowledged his family and severed ties with Youli Valley, and Youli Valley exposed everything, how would Prince Duan deal with it? Each of these incidents could warrant his head. Would Prince Duan be forced to kill his own son so soon after acknowledging him? Would his gentle mother suffer unbearable pain again? Yongye had no choice but to completely destroy Youli Valley and eliminate this future threat.
Prince Duan's expression changed several times, and he said in a deep voice, "If I didn't know, that would be one thing, but how can I..."
"Father's wish is also Eternal Night's wish."
The two gazed at each other for a long time. Prince Duan said softly, "The first time you fooled me, making me think that I hadn't been switched. The second time you made my heart race, your expression clearly telling me that I was wrong. This is the third time, and you cleverly guessed everything. I am very pleased."
Yongye suddenly felt a little embarrassed, coughed, and laughed, "That's good, I don't have to go to the palace to study anymore, so I won't anger Grand Tutor Huang!"
“No need. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor have asked about the severity of your injuries several times… My father replied that his old age and illness have worsened, and it would be better for him to recuperate quietly at home,” Prince Duan said carefully.
"His Highness has always protected me, so I still need to go to the palace to thank him."
Prince Duan said softly, "His Majesty has already issued an edict to establish the Second Prince as the Crown Prince, and the First Prince has been granted the title of Prince You and has left the palace to establish his own government office. From now on, you can go and thank him without having to go to the palace."
So fast? Yongye couldn't help but feel a little smug.
"So what kind of act are you putting on with the Second Prince?"
"Father truly lives up to the legendary reputation of being cunning!" Yongye laughed. "How did you guess that I was putting on an act with the Second Prince?"
Prince Duan snorted: "You knew all along that those three eunuchs would not escape death, and you even guessed that the eldest prince would be eliminated. Of course, the one who benefits from this is the second prince. Who else could it be but him?"
"How could I have known the eunuch would die!" Yongye denied it in his words, but his tone betrayed his admission.
His face looked so innocent, his small body was injured and frail, yet he had plotted to kill three people to eliminate the eldest prince, and escaped with a beating. Prince Duan gasped and began to scrutinize him carefully.
"How did you know so accurately that the Emperor would believe the First Prince killed the eunuch?"
Yongye smiled sweetly: "Because the Second Prince said that the First Prince likes me. The competition for the Crown Prince position is so fierce. The First Prince is a man of questionable morals. How can he compete for it? Even if Li Tianyou didn't kill the person, there is suspicion that he was murdered to cover it up."
“You!” Prince Duan sighed and shook his head. “No wonder you refuse to be yourself. You insist on making this happen.”
"The eldest prince whom Youli Valley wanted to support has been eliminated. How could he not be anxious? If they hadn't supported the eldest prince, they would have been anxious too. Anxiety will reveal flaws, and there are no secrets in the world that can truly be kept."
Master Qingyi once said that all the assassins in the world come from Youli Valley.
A place that trains assassins, and also an assassin organization, always ready to help, with extremely high prices for each mission.
Anyone encountering trouble only needs to turn to Youli Valley, and they will never fail or suffer any consequences. With such a reputation, Youli Valley naturally developed even more rapidly. Meanwhile, the Peony Academy truly opened branches in the capitals of various countries, specifically for receiving missions and relaying messages. Over time, it became a tightly controlled organization independent of any particular nation.
Not only the Prince of Duan, but every country wanted to destroy Youli Valley, yet they couldn't do without it.
No one will act rashly.
A faint smile appeared on Prince Duan's lips, his pupils suddenly contracting, revealing a cold, needle-like glint. "Using deception to disrupt the court and establish a crown prince, this Youli Valley is definitely not a simple organization that buys lives for money."
“Father once said that Li Yannian persuaded you for three years before you agreed to send the Crown Prince for treatment. Father must already have plans to destroy Youli Valley, but he hasn’t found a way in yet. Yongye, please open that door for Father.”
"Your father is worried about you, about the future..."
Yongye interrupted Duan Wang and said without hesitation, "We'll deal with Youli Valley later."
"You actually guessed it a long time ago, but you don't want to acknowledge us, right?" Prince Duan asked him calmly.
Yongye smiled and looked at Prince Duan, replying, "After all, I've been in the Prince's residence for a year. I just thought, how could there be someone who looks so much like him? Plus, there's this flower that inexplicably appeared on the sole of his foot; it feels like a secret mark left by someone. My luck is extraordinary."
Prince Duan smiled and said, "It was your mother's fault for being naughty; she shouldn't have been there."
Yongye asked in confusion, "Then where should it be?!"
Prince Duan suppressed a laugh and said, "You'll find out later."
Yongye turned his head, lifted his foot to look at the flower, and grimaced in pain as he pulled at his wound.
"You should have learned some kung fu, then you wouldn't have been so badly injured."
Should he tell him he knows kung fu? If he did, Prince Duan would guess he was also an assassin from Youli Valley, and all his efforts would be wasted. Yongye blinked, his mind racing, and sighed, "If you teach that Yongye kung fu, I believe they will teach me kung fu too."
"What martial arts skills do you need to learn? I'll be content as long as you can keep your father safe and sound."
Prince Duan's words were like a gentle hand squeezing Yongye's heart, causing him to feel a surge of almost painful emotions. In this life, he had finally found the feeling of home, the feeling of a father.
They managed to deceive the Wandering Valley
Yongye was the only one left in the room. He sighed contentedly.