The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 99: The Mind of Crown Prince

Chapter 99: The Mind of Crown Prince

In a short span of time, Master Xue had already subdued over ten evil spirits.

It didn’t take long for him to find Chu Ye and the others.

However, the group of imperial soldiers had been tainted by resentment, losing their sanity and swinging their swords recklessly.

Chu Ye, protected by a talisman, remained unaffected by the malevolent aura.

Some of the soldiers, with strong righteous energy, had not been corroded by the resentment, resulting in a fierce battle between the two groups.

Of course, Ye Chengyan and the others couldn’t discern what was happening.

"That’s bad, some individuals have had their sanity disturbed by the resentment," Master Xue said, wielding his dust whisk and swiftly approaching to strike those who had been tainted by the resentment.

Ye Chengyan had experienced this before and wasn’t particularly surprised.

After being struck, the resentment within the soldiers was expelled, causing them to faint on the ground.

Chu Ye, with bloodstains on his body, gasped for breath and quickly approached to express his gratitude, "Many thanks to Master Xue."

As they were colleagues, he hadn’t used lethal force, resulting in an endless cycle of dealing with them.

His strength had been depleted, and without Master Xue’s assistance, he feared he would have resorted to a bloodbath.

"Exorcising ghosts and demons is the duty of this humble Daoist. General, there is no need for thanks," Master Xue replied with his usual rhetoric.

"The evil spirits on the mountain have been completely eradicated. I should take you leave."

Ye Chengyan was anxious to come out and naturally hadn’t brought any silver or banknotes.

He immediately took out a jade pendant, intending to use it as a token of gratitude. Without even glancing at it, Master Xue’s expression remained unchanged.

"This jade pendant is too valuable. If the Crown Prince wishes to offer compensation, a mere one or two taels of silver will suffice."

Only one or two taels of silver?

Ye Chengyan couldn’t help but recall that when Chu Nanli entered the palace to save the emperor, he was rewarded with a large box of gold, which he happily accepted.

People were indeed different, but he hadn’t expected such a disparity among cultivators.

He immediately felt a sense of respect and said, "Yuanqiu Mountain is the royal hunting ground, where thieves can be guarded against, but it is difficult to defend against evil spirits and resentful souls. I wonder if the esteemed Daoist would be willing to lend a hand to this prince and set up a formation in Yuanqiu Mountain to ensure that evil spirits and resentful souls will not disturb us again?"

"This humble Daoist is fated to assist the Crown Prince and shall certainly lend a hand," Master Xue readily agreed.

"As for compensation, the Crown Prince only needs to offer three or two taels of silver."

Ye Chengyan smiled and said, "Then I shall trouble Master Xue."

That night, Ye Chengyan invited Master Xue to the hunting palace, intending to survey Yuanqiu Mountain the next day and set up the formation.

Although Chu Ye had been saved by Master Xue, he remained cautious.

After freshening up, it was already late at night, but Chu Ye still went to see Ye Chengyan.

The room was brightly lit, illuminating Ye Chengyan’s handsome face.

He continued to read the official documents without raising his head.

"It’s so late, what does the General of the Cavalry have to discuss?"

"I find it inappropriate to have Master Xue set up the formation," Chu Ye said solemnly.

"Your Highness, although Master Xue lent a helping hand today, we have yet to investigate his background. It is unwise to trust him so readily."

After all, the emperor, empress, and high-ranking officials would all come to Yuanqiu Mountain, we should avoid any potential mistakes.

"Rest assured, this prince has already inquired about his background and has let Liang Han to investigate thoroughly," Ye Chengyan replied.

Chu Ye still had concerns and said, "If we are to set up the formation, I can invite my younger sister to come. Your Highness has witnessed her abilities before." Unexpectedly, Ye Chengyan’s face turned cold.

"Chu Ye, you should know that even selling one talisman by your sister costs dozens of taels of silver."

Ye Chengyan tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a faint mockery.

"Setting up a formation in Yuanqiu Mountain is time-consuming and laborious. Without eighteen thousand taels of silver, why would she help? You should also know that this prince has limited funds to mobilize."

Hearing this, Chu Ye felt displeased.

"If my younger sister is useless, then I will reprimand her for exorbitant prices. But her talismans are effective, and she even helped seal the formation in the palace. Eighteen thousand taels of silver is a fair price."

Although he respected the Crown Prince, Chu Ye couldn’t tolerate any mockery towards Nanli.

Ye Chengyan’s fingers holding the official documents turned white.

His voice squeezed through his teeth, "But, your sixth sister, is now engaged to the imperial uncle and will soon be this prince’s aunt. How dare this prince ask her for help? In any case, you only need to follow this prince’s orders, and there is no need for you to meddle in other matters."

At this point, the Crown Prince had already shown his displeasure, and Chu Ye knew it wasn’t appropriate to say more.

He pursed his lips and took his leave.

Ye Chengyan was somewhat annoyed and slammed the official documents on the desk.

The attendant hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please calm down."

"Now that his sixth sister enjoys a noble identity, Chu Ye also thinks highly of himself," Ye Chengyan said coldly.

"Your Highness, General of the Cavalry is also concerned," the attendant said.

"Indeed, it is more reliable to ask Miss Chu for help than that Master Xue."

"This prince is well aware," Ye Chengyan ground his teeth.

"It’s not about the money. It’s about her engagement to the imperial uncle.

If she were to achieve another accomplishment now, the imperial uncle would also bask in the glory."

The attendant was greatly alarmed, "Your Highness, are you afraid...?"

Ye Chengyan glanced at him with a hint of melancholy, "Originally I sought to arrange a match between her and her cousin, little did he know that the cousin had no such intentions. If Ninth Prince were still a cripple, I wouldn’t be so concerned. But now... Chu Nanli has managed to lift the curse on Ninth Prince, allowing him to stand once more. If I don’t consolidate my own power, can I truly secure the position of Crown Prince?"

The attendant, upon hearing these words, was filled with fear and trepidation.

However, he swallowed his saliva and said, "Your Highness, there is no need to panic. If Ninth Prince truly had such intentions, he would have acted two years ago."

Ye Chengyan replied, "That was because of the former Emperor’s plan! After being the Crown Prince for so many years, even if Ninth Prince wanted to usurp the throne, it wouldn’t be so easy. Moreover, at the time of the former Emperor’s passing, Ninth Prince was away at war. Even if he had the intention, he was too preoccupied."

But Ye Chengyan was different.

The Emperor was in his prime, with no health issues, and didn’t require the assistance of his Crown Prince.

Naturally, Ye Chengyan couldn’t establish his own power.

The members of the Cabinet and the Six Ministries were loyal to the Emperor, not to him as the Crown Prince.

Now, he needed to cultivate his own influence, achieve some accomplishments in front of the Emperor and the ministers, in order to secure his position.

He couldn’t allow Ninth Prince another opportunity!

The attendant understood Ye Chengyan’s plan and said, "Your Highness is wise. We must indeed guard against Ninth Prince."

Because Ye Siheng was not only talented in both civil and military affairs, but also young.

Once Emperor Mu passed away, Ye Chengyan might not be able to suppress Ye Siheng.

It was only right for him to make preparations now.

In fact, Ye Chengyan’s idea was quite simple.

If Master Xue proved useful, he could recommend him as the National Teacher, so that the Emperor wouldn’t have to constantly think of Chu Nanli.

This would be advantageous for him without any harm.

Within two days, Liang Han returned.

He had already carefully investigated and found out that Master Xue’s name was Xue Cheng, a Daoist from the Sanqing Temple, with a higher seniority than Ming Xu.