Traveling through an ancient military camp: Bao'er's survival song

At this moment, the Imperial Guards stood in confrontation with General Guide's personal guards in front of the General's residence. Zheng Xi, who had come out, politely but firmly refused the Eighth Prince's intrusion after learning his purpose. He even thought the Eighth Prince must be tired of living; they were soldiers who had fought on the battlefield, protecting their country with real swords and spears. If they so easily allowed a bunch of good-for-nothings from the capital to barge in, how could they ever face returning to their garrison?

“Your Highness, the Li Baobao you mentioned is actually my junior apprentice. General Guide has never been harsh on my apprentice, so the situation you described doesn't exist. Besides, even if my apprentice made a mistake, it's within the rules of our military camp for General Guide to punish him. My general hasn't returned to his residence yet. If you were to lead a group of people into the general's residence on this fabricated charge, not only would I be unable to explain myself to the general, but I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to explain yourself to His Majesty either!”

To be frank, Jin Hai's Imperial Guards were merely there to bolster Liu Shu's morale. They were neither the Eighth Prince's private troops nor did they have any orders. Even if Zheng Xi opened the gates to let them in to search the mansion, they would have to consider whether it was appropriate. Therefore, only Liu Shu was anxiously jumping up and down in front of General Guide's mansion. Zheng Xi's firm refusal and Jin Hai's ambiguous statements made Liu Shu anxious and angry, and also made him realize that one only regrets not having enough power when one needs it. In the end, Liu Shu was forced to give up on those Imperial Guards and, with a leap, used his light-footed skill to break into the mansion alone.

Zheng Xi didn't dare to really harm the Eighth Prince. He left most of his soldiers to continue guarding the gate, and led two soldiers to chase after the Eighth Prince.

However, Peng Zizheng and Li Bao'er were indeed not at home.

Liu Shu stopped pressing Zheng Xi for answers and headed straight for the palace.

Inside the Imperial Study in the palace, Liu Xu was discussing matters with the Grand Tutor when he heard a commotion outside. Before he could even frown and ask what was going on, his eighth brother, with disheveled hair and dressed in plain clothes, rushed in. The eighth brother then kowtowed, crying out, "Your Majesty, save me!"

Liu Xu sat upright in his seat, looking at his eighth brother who was bowing and kneeling on the ground below, without saying a word.

Liu Xu was named Crown Prince from birth, and it would be impossible for his older brothers not to covet the position. However, among these brothers, the one who appeared most indifferent to ambition was actually the only son of the former favored concubine, Consort Chen. He never feigned filial piety before the late emperor, nor did he hold any official position in court. Even his friends came from families with low-ranking but insignificant posts. Yet, Liu Xu never underestimated this eighth brother; in fact, he somewhat disliked him. Because such a person was, in the emperor's eyes, the perfect, harmless member of the imperial family.

However, after reading his eighth brother's brilliant essays, Liu Xu knew that his eighth brother was not as ordinary as he appeared.

So how could that be? How could a prince with such a noble mother, a prince who is so accomplished in both literature and martial arts, not have the slightest bit of ambition?

Liu Xu did not believe that there were such perfect royal relatives in the palace.

Aside from his deceased elder brothers, the second brother was greedy, the fifth brother was lustful, the sixth brother was power-hungry, and the seventh brother was mediocre and arrogant. In Liu Xu's mind, these "imperfect" imperial relatives were not a threat and could be easily controlled.

So, if the perfect, even almost invisible, eighth prince wasn't truly perfect, then he must have had grand ambitions.

This was the first time Emperor Liu Xu had seen his eighth brother, who usually had no attachment to anyone or anything, in such a disheveled state. This scene gave Liu Xu a slight sense of relief, but this relief only lasted for a moment: what if his eighth brother was deliberately putting on an act for him?

Liu Xu waved his hand, dismissing the eunuchs guarding the door and preventing Wu Peng'en from taking his leave. Then he said to Liu Shu, who was prostrate on the ground, "Eighth Prince, please stand up and speak."

Liu Shu straightened up, revealing his pale face, and said, "Your Majesty! Peng Zizheng has kidnapped my people! I beg Your Majesty to save me!"