People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 124, After hardship comes even greater hardship.
Xu Qing left the Pearl Palace shortly afterward, without getting intimate with the Tide Demoness.

Although he was tempted by the Tide Fairy's suggestion, he declined to play it safe. However, he didn't leave empty-handed, as the Tide Fairy agreed to wear that outfit from now on.

Walking back to the Imperial Hospital, Xu Qing felt a rare sense of relaxation.

"The trap has been dug for Han Yu. Now we just need to see how Ji Wuye will retaliate after King Han An issues the order in court."

Given Ji Wuye's lust for power, he probably won't let Han Yu off easily.

After returning to the Imperial Hospital, Xu Qing continued with his own affairs, waiting for the show to unfold.

Xu Qing left the palace at noon and went to the Feng residence for a meal hosted by Doctor Feng.

In the afternoon, Xu Qing went to the Zhang residence as usual to check on Zhang Kaidi's condition and also asked Nian Duan about medical books.

At dusk, he studied with He Guanzi and practiced the Evergreen Skill, Autumn Water of Ten Thousand Rivers, and Still Water of the Heart at night. The day passed quickly.

The following day, King Han held a rare court assembly. Apart from the seriously ill Jang Kai-di, all the other officials of the Korean court were present. Even Han Yu participated in the assembly with the help of a footrest made for him by a craftsman.

King Han immediately announced his order, which naturally drew strong opposition from Ji Wuye, thus sparking a debate in the court.

Xu Qing was handling government affairs at the Imperial Hospital when he received the news.

"The entire court meeting ended in discord. The Grand General strongly opposed the King's order, greatly angering the King. Moreover," the physician relaying the message glanced around before leaning closer to Xu Qing and saying.
"General, you publicly mocked the Fourth Young Master's lameness, even saying that the Fourth Young Master walks like a wild duck."

"It is said that the image of the Fourth Prince is disgraceful to the court. The king is asked to dismiss the Fourth Prince from his political and advisory duties. The Fourth Prince was so angry that he almost started cursing at the general in public."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing smiled happily. Although he hadn't witnessed the spectacle firsthand, hearing the retelling still stirred his emotions.

Everything was just as he had expected. Ji Wuye would definitely jump out and object in public. However, he did not expect Ji Wuye to be so stubborn as to mock Han Yu in front of the entire court.

The reason Han Yu had the craftsmen make him a foot brace, and why he endured the excruciating pain to attend the court assembly while his condition was still unstable, was it not to tell others that his foot was fine?
But Ji Wuye showed no mercy by publicly exposing Han Yu's self-deception, even going so far as to humiliate and ridicule him, which was tantamount to trampling Han Yu's dignity into the ground.

"Han Yu is such a proud man, he'll probably be so angry he won't be able to sleep when he gets back. It would be so much better if he just stayed home quietly. Why did he have to shoot himself in the foot?" Xu Qing thought gloatingly.

"And then? What was the outcome of the court meeting?"

"In the end, only five of His Majesty's proposals were implemented. All five officials from the Fourth Prince's residence were promoted, although the Fourth Prince wasn't very happy when he left," the physician said.

There were supposed to be twelve officials, but they only got five insignificant positions and were publicly humiliated by Ji Wuye. It would be strange if he was happy.

"Okay, go down now," Xu Qing said.

"promise."

Xu Qing put down her brush and looked in the direction of Han Yu's residence.

"Don't worry, this is just an appetizer. More hardships are ahead for you. I hope you can pull through."

"However, after hardship comes a rainbow, or even greater hardship."

Xu Qing revealed a playful smile, a hint of coldness in his eyes.

At the Fourth Young Master's residence, the sound of porcelain shattering echoed continuously.

With a ferocious expression, Han Yu threw the porcelain bowl on the ground. The bowl shattered, and several shards flew to Han Qiancheng's feet. The maid outside the door knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, terrified that Han Yu would take his anger out on her.

"How dare he humiliate me?! He's nothing but a rude brute, how dare he insult me!" Han Yu said angrily.

The fact that Ji Wuye's public mockery of him in court caused Han Yu to break down so easily, disregarding his years of self-cultivation and carefully maintained persona, clearly shows that the humiliation Han Yu suffered from Ji Wuye's public taunts in the court was greater than expected.

Han Qiancheng looked at Han Yu, who was in such a state of disarray, and his eyes flashed with murderous intent. He cupped his hands and said...
"Fourth Master, let me assassinate Ji Wuye. He dared to humiliate you; I will kill him!"

Han Yu suddenly turned around to look at Han Qiancheng, his usually calm eyes now filled with anger and murderous intent.

"No, the Qin army has conquered the border, and Han still needs him. We can't kill him," Han Yu said through gritted teeth.

"Moreover, he has many skilled fighters around him, and they are all extremely tough. You can't kill him with your arrows alone."

Even though he was on the defensive, Han Yu still maintained a degree of rationality. Until he found a replacement for Ji Wuye, even if he had the ability to kill Ji Wuye, he couldn't act.

"So we're just going to let this go like this? I can't stand his humiliation of you." Han Qiancheng clenched his fists, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Han Yu's chest heaved as he tried to control his breathing and calm himself down.

"I must endure it. The more he humiliates me, the more opportunities my father will find to delegate power to me. Although I only got five positions this time, it's enough to stabilize people's hearts," Han Yu said coldly.

Although Han Qiancheng was unwilling, he could not disobey Han Yu's orders and could only suppress his anger.

"It seems we have to take the initiative and have our men spread the word. We have to make sure my older brother hears about it."

The message Han Yu was referring to was the one Han Wang An had told him: "The Crown Prince is often ill; you should encourage him." He had originally intended to let the message spread on its own and let it ferment first.

But Ji Wuye's humiliation today made him decide not to sit idly by and wait for his death, but to take the initiative to strike.

Although he couldn't do anything about Ji Wuye, his useless older brother was very weak. Once he heard the news, he would definitely be terrified and lose his composure.

Based on his understanding of Crown Prince Han, he knew that in order to secure his position, the prince would not only complain to Ji Wuye, but also try to do things to prove himself.

Making things difficult for Ji Wuye is secondary; the main thing is to keep Crown Prince Han busy. Once he's busy, he'll have ways to create obstacles and make things difficult for Crown Prince Han, causing him not only to achieve nothing but also to cause a lot of trouble, thereby lowering his standing in King Han An's eyes.

"Yes."

“Ji Wuye will definitely cause trouble during this period. We must make sure our subordinates are careful and cautious, and not give him any opportunity.”

"Only when the Crown Prince makes a move will it be our chance to take advantage of the situation."

Han Yu unfastened the leg braces from his legs, threw them on the ground, and continued speaking.

“Find new craftsmen and have them remake it so that when you wear it, you can walk in it just like an ordinary person.”

"Yes," Han Qiancheng said.

Thank you to the Lord of the Era for the 100 Qidian Coins reward.

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(End of this chapter)