Chapter Seven: Prince Beijing (Part Two)

Miao Royal Palace.

"Waaah... waaah..."

Cries echoed continuously.

An elderly nanny exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Report to the Miao King, it is a little prince!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Although he already had several sons and even adult grandsons, being advanced in years and still blessed with such a son, the aged Miao King was quite delighted.

Holding the infant in his arms, the old Miao King pondered what name would be fitting:

"May my Miao territory be as eternal as the great sun! Let him be called Jingri Guming!"

"Someone come, fetch the restorative herbs from the imperial treasury to nourish Consort Xi!"

From then on, a new child was added to the Miao Royal Palace, named Jingri Guming. Crucially, this child held an extremely high generational seniority.

He shared the same generation as the Crown Prince, whereas the Crown Prince's sons were already adults and had even begun campaigning in battles for the Miao territory.

Consequently, those people did not take a liking to Jingri Guming, as no one wished to bow before a mere toddler.

A few years later, Consort Xi passed away from illness. In the same year, another imperial grandson was added to the palace, named Qianxue Guming.

Meanwhile, to expand the Miao territory, Imperial Grandson Tianque Guming campaigned abroad year after year.

As if all martial fortune of the Miao territory had converged upon Tianque Guming, he always led the charge in battle and emerged victorious in every engagement.

For a time, the Crown Prince—father to Tianque Guming—felt an overwhelming sense of crisis.

Yet the old Miao King remained exceptionally robust, seemingly capable of retaining the throne of the Miao King for another twenty years.

Having served as Crown Prince for decades, with a vigorous royal father ahead whom he did not know if he could outlive, and a powerful, capable son behind him boasting glorious military achievements and massively expanding the Miao territory's borders, he cut a figure of formidable merit that overshadowed his sovereign.

With the busy Miao King, the Crown Prince, the Imperial Grandson, and the second imperial grandson all preoccupied with their respective affairs every day, Jingri Guming and Qianxue Guming received very little supervision, and the tutors dared not be harsh toward the imperial princes and grandsons.

Fortunately, Jingri Guming had been clever since childhood. If Tianque Guming concentrated the martial fortune of the Miao Royal Palace, then Jingri Guming concentrated its intellectual fortune.

He understood anything the moment it was explained, and could even deduce three instances from a single case.

Therefore, the old Miao King entrusted the imperial grandson Qianxue Guming to Jingri Guming's care—a little toddler taking charge of yet another little toddler.

Until the year Jingri Guming turned nine.

Jingri Guming was originally tutoring young Qianxue.

Suddenly, news arrived from the Miao Palace: Imperial Grandson Tianque Guming had launched a coup d'état, assassinated the Miao King, and had been discovered by the second imperial grandson, Haoqiong Guming, whereupon he fled the royal palace.

Jingri Guming looked at young Qianxue beside him, raised a hand to summon an attendant, and had little Qianxue taken away.

Jingri Guming sat by the table for a long while, then took out a slip of paper and wrote four characters upon it:

Rebel by seizing the momentum!

Naturally, Jingri Guming knew this was a scheme jointly devised by Tianque Guming’s half-brother, Haoqiong Guming, and his own royal father, the Crown Prince.

With a single plot, they eliminated both the old Miao King who had occupied the throne for too long and the battle-hardened Tianque Guming. Following that, the Crown Prince—now at long last deserving of the title—could ascend the imperial throne.

And the second imperial grandson, Haoqiong Guming, who cooperated with the Crown Prince, could likewise eliminate his competitor, Tianque Guming, positioning himself as the next Miao King after his father's ascension.

Someone once said that if you cannot discern the mastermind behind a plot, look to its greatest beneficiary, and you will surely discover the truth.

In this plot, the primary beneficiary was the Crown Prince, and the secondary beneficiary was naturally the second imperial grandson, Haoqiong Guming.

Jingri Guming did not act rashly, instead pondering how he would break the situation if he were in Tianque Guming's position.

And the only solution was the four characters he had just written: Rebel by seizing the momentum!

What a pity, naive Tianque Guming still wished to clear his name.

How could a Crown Prince capable of murdering his own father—and even his own son—possibly help the Imperial Grandson clear his grievances?

If Imperial Grandson Tianque Guming did not shoulder this blame, then who would have killed the old Miao King?

Why did Haoqiong Guming happen to discover Tianque Guming's rebellion? Why did Tianque Guming's alleged rebellion consist merely of assassinating the old Miao King without making any preparations to deploy troops? Why did Tianque Guming constantly proclaim his desire to clear his name?

The outcome could not withstand scrutiny. On that very day, the old Miao King—father to Jingri Guming—fell in a pool of blood, victim to the scheme of the son he trusted, falling beneath the blade of the second imperial grandson.

Even as he fell, the old Miao King heard Haoqiong Guming playing the villain who accuses his victim first, claiming that Tianque Guming had rebelled and assassinated him. Alas, the old Miao King could never stand up again.

And the rapidly expanding Miao territory was brought to an abrupt halt. In that final moment, the old Miao King saw many things, yet as his last breath escaped, he closed his eyes forever.

However, taking advantage of this opportunity, was it not also the best time to win over Zhan Bingwei?

Jingri Guming stood up and walked straight out of the Miao Royal Palace. Because he had been clever since childhood and frequently entered and left the Miao Palace, the guards paid him no mind.

After leaving the Miao Palace, Jingri Guming quietly concealed his presence, made his way to the military camp, and sought out Zhan Bingwei.

After drawing Zhan Bingwei out of the camp, Jingri Guming revealed his figure.

"Greetings, Prince Jingri!"

Zhan Bingwei, who as yet knew nothing of the events in the Miao Royal Palace, still addressed Jingri Guming with the title of prince.

"Zhan Bingwei, I happen to lack a bodyguard. Would you have any interest in becoming one?"

Jingri Guming said casually, knowing the outcome without having to guess.

"Zhan Bingwei swears to follow the Imperial Grandson unto death!"

Zhan Bingwei dropped to one knee and bowed to Jingri Guming.

Jingri Guming nodded and passed those four characters to Zhan Bingwei: "Remember what I just said; in time, you will naturally understand!"

"Furthermore, you have not seen me today!"

Jingri Guming turned and departed without a moment's hesitation. Today he merely planted a seed, which would naturally bear fruit in due course.

Zhan Bingwei stared uncomprehendingly at the four characters written on the slip of paper in his hand.

Yet when Tianque Guming later sought him out, Zhan Bingwei understood everything and felt a profound sense of awe at Jingri Guming's intellect. At such a tender age, possessing such wisdom—truly terrifying and formidable!

However, the Crown Prince, as the instigator of the plot, had already visited various factions across the Miao territory while Haoqiong Guming was executing the plan.

When Zhan Bingwei failed to persuade Tianque Guming to rebel by seizing the momentum, and failed to lead troops to escort Tianque Guming away at the earliest opportunity, the outcome was already sealed.

The longer time dragged on, the more unfavorable it became. Yet Tianque Guming, failing to see through the crux of the matter, remained fixated on clearing his name.

By the time he realized something was amiss, everything was already settled, and his best friend Zhan Bingwei—the man who had sworn to protect him—now stood on the opposite side.

Human beings are never isolated entities; how could Zhan Bingwei possibly abandon his grand and influential family?

Torn apart by the entanglement of various factions, Tianque Guming found himself utterly isolated and abandoned by all.

This palace coup left a deep impression on Jingri Guming: one man devised a scheme to murder his father and son, while another executed an action to murder his grandfather and frame his brother.

Meanwhile, young and innocent Qianxue Guming remained carefree in the Miao Royal Palace, merely wondering why the royal father who so often visited him came less frequently, and why the grandfather who occasionally looked in on him never came again.