Chapter 1519: Her Highness the Princess (69)

As Juanzhu looked at Lü Qing, with his crippled leg, his face full of despondency and already beginning to show wrinkles, his features twisted in ferocity, she could no longer see even a trace of the spirited and ambitious man he once was.

While wiping his face, she hesitated for a moment.

Was this really what she had wanted?

“Juanzhu, you're the only one left by my side.”

Unexpectedly, Lü Qing suddenly became gentle. Looking at her with affectionate eyes, he held her hand and said, “No one around me is sincere. Only you are still willing to stay by my side.”

“Juanzhu, you're the best.”

His words made her heart ache.

“Prince Consort, Juanzhu will take good care of you.”

“Mmm.”

Closing his eyes, Lü Qing no longer threw a tantrum.

After suffering twice at Lin Yuexiang's hands and being humiliated twice by Tang Xi, he could no longer endure it.

This was not the life he wanted.

Therefore, he had to rise again.

And the only person capable of helping him stand once more was the Third Prince.

As long as the Third Prince became Emperor in the future, then even as a cripple, Lü Qing would stand above all others, second only to the sovereign himself.

Tang Guo, Lin Yuexiang, the Little Divine Doctor—he would deal with them one by one.

As for Tang Xi, he wouldn't let her off either, though she'd have to wait until the end.

Though Lü Qing had not lived very comfortably over these years, with his brains, he had still accumulated a considerable fortune.

He intended to hand that money over to the Third Prince to support the raising of a private army.

Even if the throne couldn't be inherited openly, seizing it through rebellion would be just as good.

After recovering for a period, Lü Qing assured Tang Xi that he would no longer act crazily. Only then did Tang Xi permit him to go outside again.

Seeing that he truly behaved properly, greeted everyone with smiles, and no longer exploded in anger at every turn, she finally relaxed and stopped paying much attention to him.

However, the moment the Third Prince and Lü Qing began making suspicious moves, Crown Prince Tang Zhi had already noticed.

He simply chose not to expose them.

In truth, he had long wanted to pull out the thorn that was the Third Prince, but the man had always kept an exceptionally low profile, leaving no faults to exploit.

Though he still didn't know what the two were plotting, it certainly wasn't anything good.

Better to wait until they produced concrete evidence and then wipe them out in one stroke.

Tang Zhi felt rather pleased with his own plan. He hurried over to Tang Guo and explained everything, clearly expecting praise.

“Guo'er, what do you think of this idea?”

“Very good,” Tang Guo replied. “But Imperial Brother must keep a close eye on their movements. You can't let them do anything outside your expectations.”

Tang Zhi wore a confident smile.

“Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Third Brother has always been unwilling to accept his position. I'm just waiting for him to make a mistake. Father even mentioned him today, intentionally or otherwise. Although he didn't say much, I can tell Father probably already knows. Thinking about it, Father is so wise—how could such little tricks escape his notice?”

“As long as Imperial Brother knows.”

“Oh, right. Regarding this year's imperial examinations, I've taken notice of several promising candidates. One of them is called Lü Yufan. Despite his young age, his learning is profound. I think he's very likely to become this year's top scholar.”

Tang Zhi had never gotten along with Yun Buxiu and rarely visited his residence, so naturally he didn't know that Lü Yufan was Yun Buxiu's disciple.

“Has Imperial Brother already recruited him into your camp?”

Tang Zhi hurriedly corrected her.

“What do you mean by recruiting him into my camp? I'm making friends with him—a good friend.”