Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

In the tenth year of Tianhua in the Great Chen Kingdom, the Sitianjian observed the stars at night and saw the nine stars of the Arc and the Arrow, with Sirius shining alone in the sky. He was horrified and hurried to the palace to report to His Majesty: Sirius indicates troubled times and wars, which is a sign of great misfortune!

At the same time as the Astronomical Supervisor knelt before the Emperor of Dachen, there was also a palace eunuch. After hearing what the Astronomical Supervisor said, he knelt on the ground and trembled. After several questions, he finally answered: "Noble Lady Lin is about to give birth. Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the birth of the ninth prince..."

-

The Kingdom of Dachen, the 26th year of Tianhua.

"A hundred years ago, the Eight Kingdoms Rebellion brought devastating suffering to the people. After twenty-seven years, Jin, Liang, Sui, Chu, and Wei were completely destroyed. Today, the world is divided into three parts. Qi occupies the southwest corner of the Fenglin Mountains..."

"Hey, this is so old news!"

"Please listen patiently as I explain. Zhou relied on the turbulent Taihua River for its survival. However, Qi and Zhou coveted the fertile farmland and mineral resources of our Great Chen and repeatedly launched wars. Fortunately, our Great Chen army is strong and powerful, and General Lu is the bravest of the three armies! Three months ago, on the banks of the Taihua River, General Lu shot down the Great Zhou army flag on the opposite bank with a single arrow. His bravery is unmatched in the world!"

"it is good!"

"it is good!"

The storyteller in the hall opened his mouth with eloquence, making the audience's blood boil. The women wanted to marry General Lu, and the men just wanted to quickly go to the Taihua River and join General Lu's camp so that they could serve their country tomorrow.

"Today, our Great Chen has won a decisive victory. General Lu has returned triumphantly to the court. Zhou has offered our Great Chen a peace treaty, offering ten thousand taels of gold and the son of Marquis Xun'an as a hostage. We are willing to cease hostilities!"

"Marquis Xun An? Who is that?"

"Have not heard."

"Marquis Xun'an is the brother of Queen Zhou and a great general of the Zhou Dynasty! Don't you know this?"

"Alas, a defeated general, how can he talk about courage?"

"That's right, what's Xun Anhou? What's more, the one sent here is just the crown prince! Shouldn't they send the prince?"

"That's right, if it's really not possible, sending a princess as a marriage partner would be considered reasonable."

The storyteller laughed heartily, slammed the gavel, and continued, "You all don't know, the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty had just come of age, and he only had one son, who was still in swaddling clothes. How could he bear to let him go?"

"Then send the emperor over here! Ahahaha!"

"Hahaha, sure, sure, I think it's okay!"

The storyteller laughed again: "Everyone is joking. The Zhou Emperor is probably not as valuable as the son of Xun Anhou."

"Eh? Why?"

"You all probably don't know this. Let me explain. The Zhou emperor has only been on the throne for two years, and all court affairs are controlled by Xun Anhou. All memorials to the cabinet must be copied to Xun Anhou for his decision. This is one reason. It is said that Xun Anhou's son has been a brilliant and intelligent person since childhood. Not only is he well-educated, but he is also well-versed in the art of war. People say he is a genius. Previously, on the banks of the Taihua River, he held our General Lu for several months, and even repeatedly saw through General Lu's plans, making this battle extremely difficult and dangerous. Tell me, how can such a person remain in the Zhou Dynasty? If the Zhou Dynasty rebels again in the future, Xun Anhou's son will definitely be the general. How can we deal with him?"

"Then why don't you kill this man right away, General Lu?!"

"Hey, if we're talking about peace, how can we kill the proton?"

"Then you will be imprisoned for life!"

……

A storyteller could make even a rumor come alive, and this time, surprisingly, it was even 70% true, earning the applause of the entire audience. In a private room on the second floor, Qi Xiao listened to the storyteller's eloquent speech, which was listened to with rapt attention. He ate sunflower seeds, crossed his legs, and smiled, looking quite relaxed.

"Master, people are entering the city." Zong Sheng pushed the door open and walked in.

"Let's go!" Qi Xiao stood up, brushed the wrinkles of his robe, and strode out.

Yongjing, the capital of Fuzhou, was the capital of the Chu State a hundred years ago. After the fall of Chu, the name "Jing" was dropped and renamed Yongcheng. The century-old city was magnificent, with its main street over a hundred feet wide, enough to accommodate eight carriages. At this moment, this usually spacious avenue was thronged with people.

The yamen runners pushed the crowded crowd to the sides of the street, leaving enough space in the middle. With limited manpower, the yamen could only advance slowly, ensuring that no one could get close to the prison van passing through the middle.

Sitting in the huge prison car was a young man in gorgeous clothes, but his hands and feet were shackled, with his head lowered, as if he was asleep.

"Wow……"

"What? Wow what?"

"Hey, did you see that?"

"I can't see clearly..."

"Get out of the way! Who's blocking the way? Get out of the way! Everyone, get out of the way!"

Two men, two on horseback, were galloping through the city, heading towards the main street. The surrounding civilians were terrified, screaming and dodging, but they dared not speak out.

"Get out of the way!" Zong Sheng's shout spread so far that it could be faintly heard even on the main street, followed by the sound of hurried horse hooves.

"Ouch!"

"Hide quickly! It's the King of Chu!"

Qi Xiao and Zong Sheng whipped their horses as if they were treating Yongcheng as a racecourse. They only managed to rein in their horses when they met a prison van on the main street.

"How dare you! Who dares to block the King of Chu's way!"

A government servant came over and said, "I pay my respects to the King of Chu. Please wait a moment, and we will clear the way for you."

"Yeah." Qi Xiao responded lightly, rode his horse slowly to the prison car, and looked at the people in the car.

The man in the prison van didn't care about the noise and bustle around him. He had been treated like this wherever he went in the past few days, so there was nothing to be surprised about. But the sudden silence on the long street was a bit abrupt. He couldn't help but look up and around, and met Qi Xiao's gaze.

A young man was sitting on the tall black horse. He looked arrogant and very unpleasant, so he lowered his head again.

It wouldn't matter if he didn't look up, but when he did, he stunned everyone watching. He should have been in a state of disgrace and dejection, yet why was he so calm and composed? Instead, he exuded a cold and aloof air, making everyone feel timid and afraid to peek.

The man in the prison van had his robes stained with dirt and wrinkled from being confined, but his hands and face were clean. His skin was very white, like porcelain or jade, pale as if he were weak and sick, or like a white lotus revealing a sense of elegance in the mist.

Qi Xiao smiled and said, "She's good-looking. I want her. Zong Sheng, take her away."

"Yes!"

"Ah? Oh! No way!" The yamen runners and soldiers standing by were all horrified. No matter how arrogant and unruly the King of Chu was, he couldn't rob the prisoner cart in public, right?!

"What can't you do?" As Zong Sheng spoke, he drew his iron sword and placed it across the neck of the yamen runner.

Qi Xiao looked down at the frightened yamen runner and asked, "I didn't rape a woman in the street. I'm just a prisoner. What do you think of me?"

"This this……"

"Zongsheng, take him away." Qi Xiao added to the yamen runner, "Tell Yue Zhilin to classify this man as a slave. I want him."

Yue Zhilin was the prefect of Fuzhou Prefecture. In the entire territory of Fuzhou Prefecture, only Qi Xiao, relying on his status as a prince, dared to address him by his name.

"Your Highness! You can't do that!" The bailiff knelt on the ground in front of Qi Xiao with a thud. "This man is a wanted criminal of the imperial court. Even my master can't make the decision!"

"Then have Yue Zhilin write to the Ministry of Justice and tell them I'm leaving."