Quick Transmigration: Leisure

Chapter 369 The Runaway Princess is Forcibly Taken Away (18)

It was a noisy restaurant.

The fifth and sixth princes, dressed in commoners' attire, mingled among the students, debating—a scene that could be seen every autumn.

The old emperor was skilled at disciplining his sons, often having them conceal their identities to observe the people's conditions.

Some are just putting on an act, while others are actually getting involved.

Some princes often took this opportunity to screen students who met their criteria and invest in them in advance. For some students with access to information, this was also a chance to pledge their loyalty to their chosen master.

Therefore, the debates are always very intense, and the positions are clearly defined.

Peacemakers don't even deserve to be seen.

A major topic this year has been the filial piety of children, and it's clearly aimed at the Fourth Prince. In this world, he's openly restricted from going out and can no longer scale walls.

Every year was Xia Youmi's way of getting information, so she naturally wanted to join in on this kind of excitement.

Anyway, she just slipped out to have some fun and didn't violate any principles, so even if the Fourth Prince knew, he wouldn't bother to care.

At the center of the discussion, some people pointed the finger at Chunyu Huai, and said it quite eloquently, saying that as a member of the royal family, he had many responsibilities, and that his easy use of excessive grief as an excuse set a bad example for officials and the people.

From now on, if one wants to shirk responsibility, one can abandon one's people under the guise of grief for one's deceased mother.

He also quoted classical texts, which was quite humorous.

Chunyu Wei and Chunyu Jing, disguised as ordinary people, couldn't help but agree with this person on the spot. They echoed and exaggerated the criticism of Lao Si in a voice that could be heard around them.

Xia Youmi seized the opportunity and immediately put on a show of getting flustered.

Dressed in men's clothing that wasn't particularly refined, she exuded an imposing aura and launched into a tirade against the fifth and sixth brothers.

There's no logic or reasoning involved, but they just act all indignant, like they won't tolerate any slander against the fourth brother, and they even deliberately steer the conversation towards the fourth brother's enemies, saying that others are just jealous of him and that's why they're exaggerating the facts.

The fifth and sixth brothers were rendered speechless.

Although they are ordinary citizens, they may have acquaintances among them.

You can't take it seriously when someone points fingers at you and insults you, because debates are inherently about different perspectives.

then,

The arrogant Xia Youmi was dragged out by the hem of her clothes; the person was none other than Chunyu Huai.

He was trying not to laugh while simultaneously trying to scare her.

Xia Youmi acted out shock, helplessness, panic, and awkwardness. Then, remembering her persona, she started to put on a cold face and pretend that she was very smart.

Then he returned to a calm demeanor that revealed no emotion.

She ignored everything Chunyu Huai said.

But the effect has already been seen; the fifth and sixth brothers' plans were rudely exposed by her.

Chunyu Huai thought of Xia Ji.

Soon after, Xia Ji obtained a minor official position, the kind that allowed him to speak at court and directly expose people's shortcomings.

Xia Ji, who intuitively believed that the Fourth Prince would win, gladly accepted the role.

He would clearly choose sides in court, and a message would be delivered the night before explaining the key points. The next day, Xia Ji would directly confront him.

Anyone or any policy that infringes upon Chunyu Huai's interests will be targeted.

His gaze was always fixed on the emperor at the head of the table. He was always able to speak at the right moment, observe the changes in the old emperor's expression, and immediately shut up when things seemed inappropriate.

Xia Ji's existence was initially a joke.

Xia Youmi's identity was also discovered that day, but there was nothing they could do to interfere.

Her reputation didn't need any outsiders to damage it; it was already shattered to pieces.

But gradually, Xia Ji's power was revealed as the other princes repeatedly failed.

As long as he senses that a certain force's actions are not right.

Those things are very difficult to accomplish.

It's incredibly accurate, every single one of them is right.

The old emperor was happy to see the joke, as he had some special feelings for Xia Ji, so he secretly allowed him to cause trouble.

after all,

The emperor, who was becoming increasingly energetic, wanted to become a fisherman.

Of course, to keep a low profile, Xia Ji would make a small mistake twice out of five times.

It's harmless, but funny.

It was on that occasion that Xia Youmi's little tricks while patrolling the streets were officially recognized by Chunyu Huai.

Although he knew this beforehand, Xia Youmi couldn't let his guard down and kept the frequency to a limit.

With her tacit consent, Zhu Cang was able to follow her out.

Instead of being laid out in the yard and fast asleep.

......

Shen Shi (3-5 PM)

"Brother, why don't you rest for the night and set off again tomorrow?" As soon as Xia Youmi arrived at Mu Shi Manor, Xia Jiechuan, along with a guard and Zhu Cang, ran all over the surrounding area.

Although I had checked before coming, it's better to be safe than sorry.

In the past six months, Xia Youmi has attracted a lot of hatred.

There are the families of the fourth prince's concubines and princesses, as well as the princes who were shot by Xia Ji, including the fifth and sixth princes, and the maternal families of the tenth and eleventh princes' principal wives.

In short, I'm annoyed by her, but I can't bring myself to retaliate against her.

Who would bother arguing with this roughneck and his foolish daughter? This father and daughter are utterly shameless scoundrels who don't value their lives. They constantly need the Fourth Prince or the Fourteenth Prince to vouch for them.

Can,

Once you come to the village, things are different; small traps are a piece of cake.

In particular, Xia Youmi chose to come just as the Fourth Prince's family returned from the estate, thus avoiding the need for the guards' protection.

It's like catching a turtle in a jar.

Therefore, for safety reasons, Xia Youmi had already informed Xia Ji.

The day after she arrived at the manor, she performed a resignation ceremony in the court, saying that because of her outspoken remonstrances, there were always people watching their only precious daughter. Although the fourth prince had done his duty, he had sent many people to protect her even before she was married.

But he couldn't guard against treacherous people using underhanded tricks, and if something happened to his beloved daughter, he would be too ashamed to attend court again.

He exaggerated the meager affection between father and daughter, making it sound incredibly romantic. In short, Xia Ji's acting talent was fully unleashed, and he didn't care about the purpose at all, simply following the Fourth Prince's orders.

Zhu Cang would occasionally make three trips a day to the Prince's residence to convey some of Xia Youmi's nonsensical requests.

Then pass it on to Xia Ji and have him perform it.

He didn't mind going along with Chunyu Huai's plan at all. On the contrary, he enjoyed some small pleasures while in charge of the situation, and his body, which was over thirty years old, looked much lighter.

The shadow of his mother's death gradually faded, and he and the Fourteenth Prince, working towards the same goal, were more harmonious than before.

Without the awkward constraint of Consort Yi's favoritism, the brothers worked together and actually reaped considerable benefits in secret.

Having been tormented for many years, the fourteenth prince only wanted to assist his elder brother in ascending to the throne. The fourth prince trusted him, thus saving himself countless troubles that should have existed.

Xia Youmi didn't care about who won or lost their fight.

Besides enjoying every day, the rest of the time is spent planning the route after the mourning period.

There was no need to worry about Xia Jiechuan. After getting acquainted with Xia Ji, he quickly caught Chunyu Huai's eye, though he remained hidden in the shadows. While still at the academy preparing for next year's imperial examinations, he had already planned to place promising talents into the Fourth Prince's camp.

He also helped him cause a lot of trouble. With Xia Jiechuan's unreliable status as the stepson of the Xia family, he was actually better than some of the more guarded sons of powerful and wealthy families.

Therefore, Xia Youmi will likely rebel in the future.

It shouldn't affect this cheap father and son who have their own value, right? She just needs to make sure her own people are taken care of.

Xia Jiechuan inspected the entire Mushi Manor but did not stay overnight.

With a kind smile, he rode away on horseback, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.