Quick Transmigration: The Foolish Beauty Saves the World

Chapter 151 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (29)

"Your Highness!"

Yuan Lanying was Jingli's study companion; how could she possibly let the prince go out alone!

He had just sensed someone spying on him, and there was a hint of hostility in that gaze, but it vanished in an instant. It was clear that if he hadn't been emotionally agitated, he wouldn't have noticed this person at all.

This shows that this person's abilities surpass those of Yuan Lanying!

Jingli might encounter danger if she goes out alone!

Yuan Lanying was filled with thoughts in an instant, and he took a step to follow. He was tall and had long legs, and he caught up with Jingli in no time. He took two steps forward and blocked Jingli behind him.

"Your Highness! Don't run outside. There are guards and palace servants inside the courtyard. You'll be fine."

Jingli looked up at Yuan Lanying, whose face was filled with genuine worry. Jingli realized that her actions had been somewhat rash.

"I understand, I'm sorry."

Yuan Lanying was terrified and quickly knelt down: "Your Highness is too kind to Lanying."

Jingli helped him up, and Yuan Lanying suddenly looked in one direction—that familiar feeling of being spied on came back.

[Congratulations, host! Mission target's favorability +1.]

[Affection Level: 82/100, First Stage Goal: 100 (Note: Affection level cap will increase as the mission progresses)]

[Warning! Target's corruption level increased by 1, current corruption level is 95! Host, please take immediate action!]

There was something inexplicable about the scene.

Yuan Lanying sensed that someone was spying on her, and her favorability rating changed accordingly, indicating that the person nearby was Yu An.

He's not showing up now, probably because he has other plans.

But why... does the corruption value rise again?

Jingli couldn't understand it.

"It would be best to report today's events to Her Majesty."

Jingli didn't explain much, just nodded in agreement, and the two returned to the courtyard to begin practicing their swordsmanship.

As dawn broke, Yuan Lanying told Langyue's trusted eunuch about the spying she had felt earlier that day. The eunuch said he would investigate thoroughly, and the little incident passed.

At noon, the emperor hosted a banquet in the front hall, where the princes, empresses, and ministers who had come with him gathered to discuss the spring hunt the following day.

"In the blink of an eye, my sons have all grown up. Tomorrow is the spring hunt, and I've set a prize: whoever hunts the most will receive the exquisitely colored Black Tortoise in this box."

The "exquisitely colored Xuanwu" mentioned by the emperor was crafted by a master jade carver from this world. The raw material was a piece of beautiful black and white jade, with clean colors and no impurities.

The most remarkable thing is that the black and white of this jade form the shape of the Eight Trigrams. As soon as this jade was made, the Imperial Observatory declared that it contained great fortune and that it must be placed in the Imperial City.

Thus, this cleverly colored Black Tortoise came into being.

Now that the emperor is going to give this Xuanwu to one of his princes, this move has taken on a slightly subtle meaning.

From a superstitious perspective, whoever obtains this Xuanwu will possess its fortune, and perhaps this fortune can even help in the struggle for the crown prince position.

From a practical standpoint, this ingeniously colored Xuanwu must be placed within the imperial city, and naturally, the prince who obtains it cannot leave the imperial city.

What kind of prince doesn't have to leave the palace? Naturally, it's the crown prince.

From any perspective, the unusual color of the Black Tortoise has linked this spring hunt to the struggle for the throne. The people at the banquet are all laughing and talking, but they are hiding their own ulterior motives.

After the luncheon, the men and women split into two groups and toured the palace, while the princes chose which group to follow based on their own interests.

The eldest, second, and fifth princes chose to enjoy tea and play chess with the emperor's group, while the sixth prince chose to go boating and admire flowers with his birth mother, August, and the empresses.

Jingli wasn't very interested in any of this and went to the stables alone to look at her snow.

Speaking of which, Jingli's feelings for Baixue have deepened over these three compressed years, and his riding skills have also improved a lot. Tomorrow's spring hunt will not only be the first time he has ridden a horse outside in this world, but also the first time in all the worlds he has experienced.

However, judging from today's situation, tomorrow's spring hunt is unlikely to be peaceful.

Jingli carefully checked the stable with the system, fed Bai Xue some grass, stroked his mane, and sighed softly.

Bai Xue affectionately rubbed against Jing Li's palm, and suddenly, he moved his nose and stomped his front hooves.

At the same time, a small pebble landed at Jingli's feet.

Jingli released energy to sense the area—this time, there was someone outside the stable.

This time, the person was close enough that Jingli could "see" his appearance through the energy he released—the person was dressed in black and his figure was almost identical to Yuan Lanying's.

The difference was that he wore a mask that covered most of his face, revealing only his thin lips and small chin.

But Jingli knew that this was Yu'an.

Yu An neither approached nor spoke, indicating that he was not allowed to show himself for the time being.

But then, he threw in another pebble.

Jingli picked up the pebble and, sure enough, saw the character "yuan" engraved on it, a symbol that belonged only to the two of them.

Jingli held the pebble in her hand and chuckled twice, "You're back?"

Yu An's eyes flickered slightly at the cutouts in the mask, and then Jing Li heard the counterfeit system's announcement again.

[Congratulations, host! Mission target's favorability +3.]

[Affection Level: 85/100, First Stage Goal: 100 (Note: Affection level cap will increase as the mission progresses)]

[Congratulations, host! Mission objective's corruption value -1.]

[Darkness Level: 94/100, First Stage Target: 80]

[Congratulations, host, you have received 20 points as a reward for increased favorability, which can be used to purchase items in the system shop.]

[The upward trend of corruption value has reversed, and the skill "Approaching Other Cases"*1 has been gained. It can be used to enhance existing abilities. Use it?]

Jingli chose to use it and then received another small pebble.

This time, there was only a clean mark on the stone, as if Yu An was answering "yes".

Jingli simply pulled over a piece of clean, dry grass, sat on it, and asked in Yu An's direction, "When will you come to my side?"

No stones were thrown at them, but Jingli sensed from Yu An's emotional fluctuations that he seemed to be in a dilemma.

So he changed his question: "Tomorrow? Will you come?"

This time, Yu An threw back a small stone.

Jingli realized something and asked, "Does Mother have any plans for tomorrow?"

There were no small stones.

"Will there be danger tomorrow?"

Another small stone was thrown in.

"You came here today to remind me, didn't you?"

Yu An hesitated for a moment, but finally threw in a stone.

The reminder was just a side note; he would definitely protect Jingli by then.

He came over simply to see him and hear him speak, nothing more.

Jingli nodded: "I understand. I'll be careful tomorrow. You should be careful too. I can protect myself, and I don't want to see you get hurt."

At this moment, it was just the two of them and a white snowflake. Jingli hadn't seen Yu An for a long time, so he was too lazy to put on his previous pretense and openly show his concern.

Yu An threw in another small stone, but the mark on it was very faint, clearly expressing his reluctance.

Jingli picked up the stone and put it into her cloth bag.

"What happened today is our secret. I won't tell my mother."

Yu An outside nodded and threw in another stone.

Then, Jingli heard three clear bamboo whistles.

This means he should leave.

Jingli touched the snow and hurriedly ran outside.

Yu An had already disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a letter where he had just stood.

"Spring hunt, in the bushes to the southeast."

·

【small theater】

Yu Yuanyuan: It's not that I don't want to talk, it's that I want to maintain my aloofness.

6058: It's clearly because you're afraid your hoarse voice during puberty will scare away my baby.

Yu Yuanyuan: (covers mouth with hand)