Chapter 218: The Near-Death Sensation

Li Can's tone was far from pleasant, yet the Crown Prince merely smiled, unconcerned, and sat cross-legged on the mat. "This is but a trivial matter," he said calmly.

Even the elimination of Li Chen had required no effort from him; all that had been managed by Li Ce. Li Can's expression was complex, his thoughts unspoken.

"Once you ascend to the throne," he reminded, "Your Highness will have everything at your disposal. But now is not the time to make enemies. Furthermore, how could His Majesty, who has arranged your marriage, allow anyone to disrupt it?"

Li Can had always believed that supporting the Crown Prince was the easiest and most straightforward path. Yet, he never expected the sudden appearance of Ye Jiao, who led Li Zhang to abandon the easy road and instead walk along the precarious cliff's edge. Along with Li Can, they risked falling to ruin.

Upon hearing this, the Chancellor's son, Fu Mingzhu, finally grasped the situation. His mouth fell open, a shocked gasp escaping as he came to a realization that was both unbelievable and profound.

"Your Highness," he stammered, his eyes widening in disbelief. "You—you truly desire that woman? You plan to seize her and torment her, don't you? Her temper is terrible; she'll make sure there's nothing left but ruin!"

"Her temper is fine," Li Zhang interrupted, his voice firm. "Do not speak ill of her."

Li Zhang's face remained cold, his demeanor as serious and deliberate as when he spoke of state matters. Fu Mingzhu drew in a sharp breath, looking to Li Can for answers. What was going on? A woman whom neither of them desired, and yet, it seemed, everyone was vying for her attention.

Li Can, finally having thought of a solution, spoke up, his voice low and contemplative.

"It's just a woman," he said, sitting up straighter and speaking more earnestly. "There is no difficulty in this matter. But… could we wait a little while?"

Li Zhang withdrew his gaze, his face still carrying a certain imposing authority, though his lips tightened slightly, signaling his attention. Li Can took this as encouragement and continued.

"Once the throne is yours, she will be yours as well."

Fu Mingzhu muttered under his breath, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "But by then, she will have married King Chu. How do you plan to take her then?"

"Very easily," Li Can's handsome face twisted into something harsher. "The Ninth Prince's health is frail. He'll be sent to the northern borders to fight the Turks, and it's possible he won't return. Ye Jiao will be widowed, and my second brother will bring her into the palace to care for her. What is wrong with that?"

Fu Mingzhu recoiled slightly, shocked by the brutal pragmatism. His moral compass seemed to be at odds with the cold, calculating nature of these men.

"But she's your sister-in-law," he muttered weakly.

"So what?" Li Can sneered, a disdainful smile curving his lips. The sunlight fell on his fair skin, shimmering like water's surface. His voice, light and unbothered, floated on the air. "In the great Tang, where the customs are enlightened, many women have married their husbands' brothers. There is nothing unusual in this. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Mutually beneficial? Fu Mingzhu's expression froze, struck by disbelief. He had once made promises to Qin Baiwei, hinting at poisoning Ye Jiao, so she could be replaced as the legitimate wife. But if he were ever to take such a step, he would have hesitated, for there was youthful affection, and Ye Jiao was not unappealing. Moreover, his family would have questions.

Yet these brothers, both willing to betray family ties, pursued their ambitions with such cold ease. It was no surprise that they would make ruthless rulers—this was the future of the empire.

In response to Li Can's suggestion, Li Zhang made no comment but instead focused on brewing tea. His movements were relaxed, confident in his control over everything.

Li Can and Fu Mingzhu exchanged anxious glances, waiting as Li Zhang finished preparing the tea and handed them each a cup. He smiled gently. "I was merely joking. Do not worry yourselves."

For reasons he could not fathom, Fu Mingzhu exhaled in relief. Li Can also relaxed his posture, leaning back and sighing dramatically.

"So it was just a jest," he remarked, though his gaze remained fixed on Li Zhang. The man's calm demeanor, his impassive face, and the hidden depths in his eyes all seemed to conceal something far more dangerous.

A jest? One had to be wary of a man like this, whose composure masked an intense, calculating mind. The sense of nearing death made one lose clarity of the senses. Touch, smell, sight, even pain all faded away, leaving only sound.

The faint sound of rustling reached his ears intermittently, a whisper of movement, as though his body was being dragged through the terrain, involuntarily, unfeeling.

Ye Changsheng remained motionless, not resisting, nor capable of resisting. He had no idea how long he had been submerged in the river, nor could he discern his location. Nor did he know who it was dragging him, slowly pulling him toward drier ground. The figure remained silent.

Could it be someone from Gesang Meiduo's faction? Had he been captured again? Ye Changsheng's mind flashed to the scene before the cliff, a rush of realization struck him like thunder, and he tried to sit up.

He had come to Jinzhou to repair the waterworks, to find clues about the case in Jinzhou. He couldn't afford to be a burden to Li Ce.

But though he was desperate, his body refused to obey. Every bone in his body seemed broken, numb with pain. Cold sweat poured down as Ye Changsheng barely managed to move his fingers, feeling for a sharp stone in the dirt. Just as he grasped something firm, a heat blasted against his face, accompanied by a strange growl. A coarse tongue licked his cheek.

He froze in terror. It wasn't a person dragging him; it was some wild beast. A wolf.

He had fought wolves before in the northwest, so he knew their ferocity. This creature must have been dragging him to a safe place to eat him. But, unexpectedly, the wolf didn't attack. Instead, it ran off into the dense forest and returned, dropping something warm on his chest—a freshly killed rabbit.

For a moment, Ye Changsheng's thoughts faltered. Was the wolf offering him food?

However, he couldn't eat the rabbit raw, nor could he prepare it. His vision was gone, and he had no way of cooking it. He lay still, tense, waiting for any sign of danger. But the wolf did not attack again. Instead, it left and returned, dropping various prey: birds, worms, rats, snakes, even a live fish.

Reluctantly, Ye Changsheng took the rabbit, finding the vein the wolf had bitten open, and drank the blood. It was the only sustenance he could manage.

As the wolf settled nearby, Ye Changsheng felt his body begin to warm in its presence. But he knew that in this desolate, uninhabited wilderness, he would die soon—his injuries, his blindness, and his inability to move made survival seem impossible.

He had never imagined his death would come in Jinzhou, so far from his mother and sister, unable to return. If souls could regain their sight after death, he hoped his spirit would find its way home, to thank his parents for their care and to comfort his sister in her grief.

But if there was even a sliver of hope left for survival, he would uncover Gesang Meiduo's plot and save the people of Jinzhou.

It would be a long night.

"Your Highness, may I suggest you rest for a night? You've been awake since yesterday and must be exhausted," Qingfeng said, holding a torch, walking behind Li Ce.

Li Ce's eyes were bloodshot as he walked along the river, his steps unsteady, but he kept his gaze fixed on every part of the riverbank, seemingly not hearing Qingfeng.

"You all rest," Lin Jing, his half-submerged body in the water, spoke. "I'll go another mile."

"No need to rest," Li Ce rejected, his determination unwavering. "The sooner we find him, the more hope there is of saving him."

"But…" Qingfeng worriedly glanced at him, fearing that Li Ce might collapse at any moment.

"Lin Jing!" Li Ce suddenly turned and called out.

Lin Jing spun around and hurried out of the water. "Your Highness!" he half-knelt, watching as Li Ce took the torch from Qingfeng's hand and pointed it toward the ground.

The earth was marked with distinct drag marks, as though something had crawled from the water and into the dense forest.

"Be cautious," Li Ce warned, stepping ahead into the forest. The area was eerily quiet. The ground showed no further mud traces, and only broken branches and flattened grass indicated a path.

"This doesn't look like someone crawling," Li Ce muttered, hurrying forward. "It looks like something dragged a victim. That something is…" He stopped dead in his tracks, noticing wolf tracks on the mud.

"Qingfeng!" He gave a brief command. "Draw your sword!"

In that instant, a shadow leapt from the depths of the forest, aiming for Li Ce's throat. Its fangs bared, it lunged

forward, but the sword clashed against its muzzle, deflecting its sharp teeth.

The wolf screeched in pain, retreating into the forest's dense undergrowth. Lin Jing drew his sword and followed, motioning for Li Ce to remain behind.

"Your Highness!" Qingfeng urged again, reaching out.

But Li Ce shook his head, his gaze unwavering. He had no time for fear.

Every second mattered now.