Chapter 352: Chapter 74: The Gift of Lawless Freedom
The rain continued to fall, becoming more urgent as time passed.
A carriage departed from the relatively secluded Imperial City North Gate, maintaining a steady pace as it passed by one residence after another. After leaving the gate of the Upper City District, it stopped in an alley within the Inner City District.
The driver, dressed in plain clothes and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, was exceptionally low-key. After halting the carriage, he entered the carriage compartment and bowed to the Second Prince seated inside.
"There’s no need for formalities, just deliver the message," said the Second Prince with a wave of his hand.
He had left the Imperial City at this time specifically to hear the news.
Within the Imperial City, even though he knew the Emperor would only respond to specific keywords, the Second Prince dared not speak freely. He feared that even if he used substitutes like "Your Majesty" or "Father Emperor," he might still be detected by the Emperor.
After all, the Emperor was one of the Six Great Powers of the age; even without using the sensation of the Emperor Dao Fruit, his Divine Sense alone could cover the entire Divine Capital, sensing various Qi Mechanisms.
If it only covered the Imperial City, then nothing within it could be concealed from the Emperor.
The Second Prince was no third-rank strong person like Gongsun Qi or Zhang Zhixuan; within the Imperial City, he was extremely cautious with every word, deliberating each statement thoroughly.
"Yes," the eunuch responded softly, then quickly said, "His Majesty ordered Wan Dingtian from the Southern Heavenly Department to take Yang Ji’s life in the Heavenly Prison and then handed Yang Ji’s Dao Fruit to the Great Eunuch Cao Lin, who personally delivered it to the Yunming Pavilion."
Regarding the death of Yang Ji, the Emperor didn’t attempt to hide it. The Southern Heavenly Department’s visit to the Heavenly Prison was done openly; surely someone was aware of their movements and would investigate in this direction.
In the Divine Capital, there were never shortages of behaviors probing into others’ whereabouts. At this critical juncture, the Divine Capital was riddled with informants from various parties, making it a place where dragons and snakes were intermixed.
To cover up the trip to the Heavenly Prison would’ve seemed like an attempt to hide something, so instead, the news of Yang Ji’s death was released to conceal another truth.
Moreover, it would also let others witness the Emperor’s might, serving as a warning shot to intimidate any potential challengers.
However, this might also lead people to contemplate why Yang Ji was killed?
The Second Prince immediately picked up on this potential oversight, "Could it be the Taiping Sect..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he stifled his voice in his throat, forcibly halting himself, unable to hide the astonishment in his eyes.
Could the recent news be the Taiping Sect fanning the flames from the shadows?
After this news spread beyond the palace, many would likely speculate as such.
Some might then wonder if the rumors were true, whether the Emperor was attempting to gain immortality?
Others might suspect: the Taiping Sect is causing trouble again, spreading rumors.
There was no helping it; the Taiping Sect had a prior reputation. After the incident in Yong Province, many regarded the Taiping Sect as potential rebels. The idea of rebels attempting to disturb the imperial order was not at all surprising.
This was also the Emperor’s intention in reprimanding Zhang Zhixuan.
A rebel slandering the current regime was entirely normal; no need to rush, no need to panic, the Emperor was certainly not thinking about immortality, and all those rumors were false; the music should continue, the dance should go on.
And the Second Prince, he belonged to the former group.
Living within the palace, the Second Prince was acutely aware of the shifts in the atmosphere inside the Imperial City. Recently, the palace had indeed adopted an even strict vigilance.
If it weren’t for this caution not being overt, the Second Prince might not have even been able to leave the palace.
Thinking of this, a greater shock and a profound sense of unwillingness grew in the Second Prince’s heart.
If the Emperor were to achieve immortality, what would become of them, the princes? Just continue to wait?
Although he had enough longevity and could live another hundred years without difficulty even without harboring the Emperor Dao Fruit, he had been striving for the position of the Emperor for decades already. He was already over fifty years old this year, and in a few years, he would be sixty.
"How could there be a Crown Prince of sixty years in this world?"
Suddenly, a voice from outside the carriage echoed the Second Prince’s thoughts.
"I apologize, I forgot you’re not yet the Crown Prince; just a Prince, and it’s not even certain that you will ascend the throne," the person outside the carriage paused, then continued in a clear yet peculiar voice, "In that case, perhaps the Second Prince will feel a bit better? Even if Your Father the Emperor were to pass away, it’s not guaranteed that you would succeed him."
His words also avoided mentioning the term "Emperor," evidently aware of the Emperor Dao Fruit.
And this peculiar voice, the Second Prince remembered only one person.
He gestured to stop the eunuch, shook his head slightly, and then said coldly, "You dare to show your face after killing my brother, Lawless Freedom, you truly have the audacity!"
The last time he encountered this person, the Second Prince could not have imagined that he would be so audacious as to dare to kill a Prince right under the Emperor’s nose.
He had judged the other as a madman without scruples, and he had not been wrong.
And now, Lawless Freedom had appeared again...
The Second Prince was on full alert, with the substantial power within him ready to be unleashed, and a faint yellow pattern had already appeared quietly on his stern face.
The eunuch at his side concealed his murderous intent, mustering a chilling Qi.
Both were prepared to act at a moment’s notice.
As the Second Prince stood resolutely on guard, the carriage began to move again.
Accompanied by the crisp sound of horse hooves, the carriage slowly proceeded, and from its direction, it seemed headed towards the Outer City.
The person outside the carriage chuckled, "Without boldness, how could I dare to take on such a moniker?"
"And besides, had I, this madman, not killed the Fourth Prince, how would the Second Prince have benefited? The things your brother left behind have brought you quite a few conveniences."
Before the Fourth Prince’s death, the Second Prince had been pursuing him aggressively, so after his demise, he was the first to partake in the spoils.