65: Chapter 65 Was he a romantic figure before his death?

Inside the room, Prince Yin dismissed all the servants. After listening to Su Fan's suggestion, he paced slowly and pondered aloud, "You are saying... display inability when able, avoid the strong, act lowly to make them arrogant, attack when they are unprepared, and strike when they least expect it?"

Su Fan nodded his little head, his small frame slightly hunched, and said, "That is correct, Master. That is what the Art of War says. Given the current situation, you cannot contend with that person, so you should temporarily avoid the sharp edge of his blade. By appearing weak, you can confuse and indulge him, while secretly accumulating strength to decide the outcome in one fell swoop."

"The Art of War? What kind of military strategy is this? It is unexpectedly profound and mysterious."

After hearing the cunning military strategies Su Fan described, Prince Yin felt his blood boiling, as if he had drunk a large bowl of nourishing medicinal soup, and his body even seemed to feel a bit better.

He already knew what he had to do.

"This is The Art of War..."

As the words left his mouth, Su Fan suddenly realized this was knowledge from Earth, so he immediately changed his tone: "This is a military strategy passed down from grandfather to grandson."

Upon hearing this, Prince Yin's face twitched slightly... Are you, brat, taking advantage of me?

Seeing this, Su Fan hurriedly corrected himself: "This is the military strategy my grandfather taught to me, his grandson."

"And your grandfather is...?"

"My grandfather served on the battlefield and was a small squad leader."

"Oh, then he was surely a loyal and patriotic soldier..."

After saying this, a smile appeared on Prince Yin's face. He seemed to feel completely relaxed and immediately promoted Su Fan to a second-class servant.

"Ugly Slave, your suggestion was excellent. Next time you have any good ideas, you must report them to me immediately. Go and collect your reward money."

"Yes, Master. Thank you for your great grace, Master!"

As he walked out of the room, a look of endurance and determination appeared on Su Fan's still-youthful face.

The "Ugly Slave" call from Prince Yin just now reminded him that his current status was still just a slave...

He had merely been promoted from a third-class servant to a second-class servant, putting him on par with the few maidservants in Crown Prince Qi Xiaobai's room.

After being promoted to a second-class servant, his treatment improved slightly. In addition to his monthly stipend increasing to five hundred coins, his food and lodging were also upgraded. He could eat three taels of meat every day, and his sleeping quarters changed from a large dormitory for thirty-plus people to a second-class side room shared by three.

That evening, Crown Prince Qi Xiaobai seemed to have had a breakthrough, inviting him to the Music Appreciation Pavilion to ask for help with his studies.

After explaining the poetry to Crown Prince Qi Xiaobai, the young prince did not rush back to his room to sleep, but instead mumbled and asked, "Ugly Slave, Father says you possess great wisdom... what is called great wisdom?"

Su Fan pondered for a moment and said, "The Master is too kind with his praise. Speaking of great wisdom, I don't actually possess any. To devise strategies within a command tent and determine victory a thousand miles away—that is what is called great wisdom."

"To devise strategies within a command tent and determine victory a thousand miles away..."

Mumbling these two phrases, Crown Prince Qi Xiaobai stared at Su Fan, his eyes revealing a hint of approval for the first time.

"Ugly Slave, this pastry is for you."

Crown Prince Qi Xiaobai tossed a box of pastries to Su Fan and added, "My mother made these by hand. They are delicious."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

...The light of the silver moon spilled into the side room, shining on Su Fan's youthful face.

He looked out the window at the silver moon and the white stars, placed the sweet pastry into his mouth, and chewed, feeling a soft, glutinous sweetness...

At this moment, deep in his heart, he suddenly missed that small fishing village located on the distant East Sea coast.

He had already witnessed the prosperity of Zidu and was savoring the pastries made by the hands of high-ranking nobles...

Yet, at this moment, the person he most longed to see was his own younger sister, Su Ying. He wanted to share these delicious pastries with her and enjoy the prosperity of Zidu together...

Yingzi, are you doing well?

...Time passed in the blink of an eye, and over half a year had gone by, reaching the eighth month of the simulation.

Over these past few months, the ruler Qi Yuan had received a steady stream of impeachments against Prince Yin from court officials. Those memorials of impeachment were almost piled into a small mountain.

"Your Majesty, your subject has heard that the Earl of East Zidu, Prince Yin, though a member of the royal clan, disregards the laws and moral standards of the state. His misconduct is notorious; he acts recklessly in the marketplace, lingers in brothels, and indulges in music and song day and night. He lacks the decorum of a noble, corrupts public morals, and is utterly disgraceful. Furthermore, it is said that he relies on his power to forcibly seize several hectares of civilian land, causing public resentment to boil over. If such behavior is not strictly punished, where will the majesty of the state law remain? I hope Your Majesty will investigate clearly and, according to the law, strip him of his title and demote him to a commoner to serve as a warning to others!"

"Your Majesty, the Earl of East Zidu's son, Crown Prince Qi Xiaobai, is even more lawless. He urinates in the street and brings servants to beat others. At such a young age, instead of focusing on his Cultivate and studies, he has already developed the airs of a playboy. This is an outrage! I hope Your Majesty will discipline this utterly disgraceful father and son!"

Looking at the mountain of impeachment memorials and listening to the court officials' discussions, a mocking smile appeared on Qi Yuan's lips. He only said, "This King knows. This King will handle it."

Although he said this, he completely ignored the court officials' proposals.

After dismissing the court officials, Qi Yuan sat on the throne and muttered to himself, "This fourth royal brother of mine previously cared very much about his reputation and was praised by everyone. In these past few months, there have been hundreds of memorials impeaching him. What kind of game is he trying to play with me?"

His trusted attendant heard this and lowered his head, whispering, "Your Majesty, perhaps he sees he doesn't have many years left to live and wants to indulge himself a bit more before he dies?"

Qi Yuan frowned slightly, rubbing his chin, his eyes narrowed, and a look of suspicion appeared on his face. "What kind of trick is he trying to play on me... Could it be that those brothels are hiding some secret?"

"Go, send some men to investigate those brothels and see if they are hiding any tricks."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

...The next day, after court was dismissed, Qi Yuan called for his attendant. "Have you investigated clearly?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is clear. Prince Yin only listens to music and socializes with courtesans in the brothels; there is no other activity. This old servant also sent men to carefully search those brothels, and we did not find anything unusual."

After hearing the attendant's report, Qi Yuan sneered, "Could it really be as you said, that he just wants to indulge himself a bit more before he dies?"

"Your Majesty, this old servant dares to speak: if this old servant only had less than three years to live, I would definitely be even crazier than him. It's just that... this old servant lacks the capital for it..."

Glancing at his crotch, the attendant gave a sycophantic, awkward laugh.

"Hahahaha!"

Qi Yuan burst into laughter, then told his attendant, "Change the scouts' reports from every three days to every three months."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The scouts Qi Yuan referred to were the spies planted in the Earls Manor.

Those spies closely monitored Prince Yin's movements, and everything inside the Earls Manor could not escape their eyes.

This time, Qi Yuan changing the reporting frequency from three days to three months clearly indicated that he had relaxed his vigilance toward Prince Yin, feeling that he could no longer stir up any trouble.

On the throne, Qi Yuan toyed with a pair of pearls in his hand, a playful smile appearing in his eyes. "Fourth royal brother, oh fourth royal brother, if you admit defeat to me so quickly, this game won't be very fun anymore..."

...Inside the Earls Manor.

Under the brilliant lamplight, a beautiful woman dressed in deep robes sat alone in a pavilion, weeping until late at night, as if she had endless heartaches.

Whenever Jiang Ji thought about her husband lingering in brothels every day, she felt an increasing tightness in her chest, not understanding why this was happening.

Wasn't her husband already incapable of doing that?

Why then, did he not return home every night...

Could it be that he was just tired of her before and couldn't muster any interest in her?

It really made one feel sadder the more one thought about it...

Suddenly, a drunken man stumbled into the pavilion, muttering something like, "Appear empty when full, appear full when empty; display inability when able, display non-use when using..." Jiang Ji turned her head to look, immediately walked over, and supported the man. "Husband?"

"My lady."

Prince Yin's drunkenness seemed to vanish in an instant. He hugged Jiang Ji tightly, tears streaming from his eyes. "My lady, I have made you suffer!"

Jiang Ji was stunned for a moment. Although she did not know the reason, she immediately forgave her husband, hugging him tightly and weeping uncontrollably as well.

The two returned to their room together...

Jiang Ji lay half-reclined on the bed, wearing only a piece of transparent gauze, revealing a red bodice. Her voluptuous figure could not be concealed. However, Prince Yin's Yang Qi was eroded by a poisonous pill, and he was already powerless when it came to marital relations...

There was a look of disappointment in Jiang Ji's eyes. Although she felt a sense of loss in her heart, it was just helplessness.

Prince Yin drank with her in the room, which slightly alleviated the sense of loss in her heart...

Speaking of the Ugly Slave's suggestion, Prince Yin praised him incessantly. "This little fellow, I truly did not misjudge him!"

"Qi Yuan has relaxed his vigilance toward me. Next, I should take action..."