Chapter 495: Chapter 495: What Else Is Worth Caring About?

Huangfu Jingchen’s mouth twitched slightly. Although everyone here is family, Father, isn’t it a bit too arrogant to always say you want to burn down the Crown Prince Mansion?

That is the Crown Prince Mansion, not some random spot for stray cats and dogs. Even a small spark would alarm all the forces in the Capital City.

He changed the subject, "Why did you come to the Capital City? Grandfather will be angry!"

Returning to the Capital without a decree is, after all, a defiance of imperial authority.

Prince Cheng chuckled, "Your mother insisted on coming here on her own, but I was worried. What if she gets tired from such a long journey? So I came along!"

Huangfu Jingchen: "..."

Does traveling with him suddenly mean mother won’t get tired?

Little did he know, along the journey, Lu Qianxue honestly wasn’t that tired. When they set out from Yunzhou, they first sent a message by carrier pigeon and were accompanied by ten fast horses.

Being from a military background, Prince Cheng had a fondness for fine horses and treasured swords. Though, in front of Concubine Cheng, those things were secondary.

Fine horses are hard to find, but ever since Prince Cheng arrived in Yunzhou, he acquired quite a few. Yunzhou, being on the border, often faced external threats. To defend against these and indulge his interests, he even established a stud farm filled with quality steeds and skilled trainers.

The cavalry under Prince Cheng’s command was renowned for their strength, and their superb horsemanship was all thanks to his efforts.

Along the way, they would nap on horseback when tired. Moreover, whenever a horse showed signs of fatigue, they would immediately switch to another, ensuring every horse was in top condition for the journey.

Of course, they didn’t travel without rest. They stopped five times since the horses needed feed and water. If any of the ten horses showed signs of exhaustion, they replaced them with better ones at the rest stops.

The five resting stops were arranged in advance through messages sent by carrier pigeon by Concubine Cheng, ensuring everything was ready to minimize any delays mid-journey. Each stop lasted no more than thirty minutes, an almost negligible amount of time.

Certainly, with ten extraordinary horses traveling day and night, how could they not be fast?

Even urgent military dispatches sent with a hundred-mile speed couldn’t compete with this.

And Prince Cheng was as indefatigable as iron; every night, he would have Lu Qianxue sleep in his arms while he directed the horse. If he were truly too tired, he would secure himself on the horse and meditate for an hour. Traveling day and night was indeed exhausting, as was riding, but Lu Qianxue truly didn’t feel tired.

In fact, they reached the Capital City early yesterday morning, but Lu Qianxue, seeing how Prince Cheng hadn’t rested even a moment on the journey despite her persuasion, directly tapped his acupoint to let him sleep well.

If not for this, they could have taken action one day earlier.

Uncle Chen worriedly said, "Your Highness, coming to the Capital City like this, I fear the Emperor may punish you!"

Prince Cheng replied carefreely, "Punish as it may be, at most losing my princely title. Then I can wander the Jianghu with Xue’er and never deal with these court affairs again!"

Lu Qianxue chuckled teasingly, "Could you really give it up?"

Prince Cheng smiled affectionately, "As long as I have Xue’er, what is there worth caring about?"

Uncle Chen: "..."

Huangfu Jingchen: "..."

Feeling rather speechless, he didn’t want to say anything.

That was the sensation of being unexpectedly force-fed another serving of public displays of affection.

Lu Qianxue glanced admirably yet playfully at Prince Cheng, then turned her tender gaze toward her son, reaching out to hold Huangfu Jingchen’s arm, resting her hand gently on his pulse.

Her gesture was casual, as if she merely wanted to bond with her son after a long time, holding on for just a moment before letting go.

Her once-smiling brows suddenly turned chilly, as if the room’s warm spring month abruptly shifted into the icy grip of the late winter’s chill. She spoke with a touch of anger, "Interesting, just because he became Crown Prince, does he think he’s invincible? Who gave him the nerve? If he dares to bully my Chen’er, he should be prepared to face our wrath as husband and wife!"

"Xue’er, don’t fret, let’s burn the Crown Prince Mansion first, and then drag the Third Elder away for a beating to let off some steam!"

As Huangfu Jingchen was about to speak, the room seemed to get even colder, accompanied by a subtle swirl of air.

There was no trace of Prince Cheng and Concubine Cheng anymore.

As they had come, they departed without a trace as well.

Reflecting on the words just spoken by his parents, Huangfu Jingchen knew what they were going to do. He felt a bit amused yet deeply warmed at the same time.

If his siblings ever erred, his parents never hesitated to discipline them. But if they were bullied, their parents fiercely defended them.

To think they journeyed tirelessly from Yunzhou upon hearing about his troubles in the Capital City.

One must know his father is a Vassal King, not allowed to enter the Capital without the Emperor’s decree. Yet, for his sake, his parents disregarded this rule, coming as they pleased, journeying day and night.

As for the fate awaiting the Crown Prince, Huangfu Jingchen felt no worry.

Firstly, despite being an elder, the Crown Prince repeatedly harmed him without cause, each time with lethal intent, growing increasingly vicious and excessive. Even without his parents intervening, he would eventually retaliate.

Secondly, his parents act with clear awareness of limits. They will vent their anger but will surely keep things within the boundary Grandfather can tolerate.

Moreover, he considered that even if it escalated, with Grandfather thoroughly enraged, the worst outcome would be his parents demoted to commoners and himself reduced from Princely Heir to a commoner born.

But does it matter?

They have hands and feet, and even as commoners, living happily is far better than the Royal Family’s scheming, where familial bonds are thin.

The Crown Prince Mansion was in chaos.

The Crown Prince had just been fretting over Huangfu Wei’s disappearance when, amidst his intensified search efforts, an imperial decree arrived from the palace.

The Crown Prince understood, it must be the outcome of his actions against Huangfu Jingchen.

He felt no great worry since Mr. Gongyang once said he was a man favored by destiny, bound to face challenges and turn them into fortune.

Thus, his father likely just wanted a reproach, dock his salary, then confine him for a while.

He is the Crown Prince, and even confinement would last no more than a month. Otherwise, a Crown Prince persistently confined, absent from governance, would tarnish his prestige. His father wouldn’t allow that.

Now that the outcome was settling, it was just right for Old Nine and Prince Liang to see that they shouldn’t secretly cause trouble for him. Nor should they think that a minor misstep on his part would lead his father to hold grudges, treating him like Prince Liang.

Despite his excessive actions, they were quite mild compared to those of Prince Liang.