Tap, tap…

The chaotic sound of horse hooves circled the crossroads, but never moved a single penny. Sun Shaozong had been wandering for some time, two streets away from Prince Yizhong's Residence.

It was strange to say that even though it was his first time back here, he couldn't help but feel a sense of homesickness.

Excited, uneasy, mixed with some indignant disdain and pity for their misfortune.

The eldest son of the Zhou Dynasty, who had traveled through time, could be said to have already sat on the Golden Palace with half of his butt, but in the end, he was stunned to have been imprisoned and women taken over.

Now it was even worse, even the only illegitimate child was killed by his warrior, and the relics were even sent as a birthday gift.

Sigh~

Traversing carried risks, so be cautious when pretending!

Sun Shaozong shook his head in silence and made up his mind to turn his horse around, kicking and stomping toward the residence of Prince Yizhong. No matter how much he procrastinated, this edict could never be violated unless he wanted to be with Prince Yizhong.

But when Sun Shaozong saw the next crossroads and looked at the towering residence from afar, his nervousness decreased a bit, but his excitement doubled.

Anyway, this was also the first face-to-face encounter between two travelers in the world of Red Mansions, and it was very likely to be the only one!

Saying it was a historic meeting, shouldn't it be considered a commercial exchange?

In a daze, Sun Shaozong seemed to hear the wheels of history rolling forward.

Indeed, wheels were rolling around, but what was loaded on it was not history, but a load of feces.

Being stopped by the stimulating smell, Sun Shaozong suddenly regained some consciousness and rushed into the street where Prince Yizhong's Residence was located, taking advantage of the fact that the other party had not yet reached the center of the intersection.

"Who’s there!"

"Stop now!"

Just a few steps away, two teams of people suddenly surged into the alleyways on both sides. Twelve swords and guns were raised at the front, while the other twelve were short crossbows with four edges and one water.

Looking at this outfit, it should undoubtedly be the Huben Camp under the command of Captain Qiu.

"I, Sun Shaozong of the Central Judicial Office, was ordered by the Emperor to deliver a birthday gift to Prince Yizhong."

Sun Shaozong spoke out his identity in a loud voice, and at the same time, he dismounted and spread his hands and feet wide open, looking as if he was ready for inspection.

Upon hearing the words 'Sun Shaozong,' the soldiers from the two opposing teams breathed a sigh of relief, but still maintained their combat formation, with only the two leading generals coming forward to be responsible for searching.

After carefully confirming that Sun Shaozong was not carrying a murder weapon, the two generals respectfully asked, "I dare to ask Lord Sun if you have brought any evidence."

"Here’s the token."

Sun Shaozong then took out a golden arrow from his sleeve and showed it to the two generals for inspection. It was specially sent by Dai Quan before he left the palace.

He didn't take the initiative to reveal it just now, nor did he deliberately pretend to be a pig and eat a tiger. Instead, he followed Dai Quan's instructions that this golden arrow must wait until someone asked about it before it could be revealed as a token.

If he didn’t know what was inside and took the initiative to reveal this golden arrow, not only would it fail to serve as a token, but he would also be seen as a thief, directly being shot with arrows into a hedgehog and pulling him down.

The two of them took turns checking the situation and respectfully returned it with both hands, then let out a whistle and led their soldiers back into the alleys on both sides.

Sun Shaozong knew that there must be more than one outpost on this street, so he did not mount his horse again and only strode forward with the reins.

As expected, after passing through two secret sentries and massaging three times, he finally arrived at the entrance of the residence.

The soldier who was guarding the gate explained his intention, and soon, a Thousand Households welcomed Sun Shaozong directly into the royal residence.

However, this was not so much a royal residence but a large military camp, with three steps, one post, five steps, one sentry, all of whom were armored officers and soldiers. On the contrary, none of the servants and maids who were supposed to be in the royal residence were seen.

Passing through the house all the way, he arrived at the fourth courtyard and saw three people standing in front of the moonlit door. In the middle was a eunuch in a robe, while on the left and right were two Hundred Households Dragon Guard.

As Sun Shaozong approached, one of the Hundred Households Dragon Guard on the right quickly took a few steps and knelt on one knee, saying, "I’m Liu Yihu, I have seen the Thousand Households."

Although the eunuch in the robe did not greet him, he still greeted him with a smile on his face.

On the contrary, the Hundred Households on the left only bowed their hands loosely and urged with a calm face, "Since the Imperial Decree is in hand, let's first verify the arrow."

Needless to say, this guy must be from the Southern Governor!

This was the insurance that the Supreme Emperor had added to Prince Yizhong to prevent his Eldest Son from being accused.

Of course, given Emperor Guangde's level of fear towards Prince Yizhong, no one knew that once the Supreme Emperor died, Prince Yizhong would definitely be buried with him. However, at least while the old man was still alive, he would never let a white-haired man mourn for a black-haired man away.

After undergoing unprecedented meticulous searching and even rummaging through his socks several times, Sun Shaozong was finally able to enter the inner courtyard.

Although there were fewer guards in this inner courtyard, there were still no servants or maids present.

Liu Yihu, on the other hand, was quite insightful. He probably noticed Sun Shaozong's doubts and explained in a low voice beside him, "I heard that after the hot air balloon flew out last year, the heads of the people killed in this courtyard were rolling, and it was only after that I was transferred."

Tch!

It was estimated that the guards at that time were also among the crowds.

The four of them walked and stopped to deal with the secret sentry, and finally arrived at a quiet courtyard. The leading Eunuch in the Imperial robe summoned a group of five secret sentries, confirming that Prince Yizhong was inside the house. Only then did they tidy up their clothes and prepare to knock on the door.

However, just as he was about to tap, the door suddenly creaked and someone opened it from inside.

Immediately, an elderly man with a white beard and hair walked out of the room, swaying leisurely.

"Greetings to the Prince."

Liu Yihu and the other three were all busy bowing.

But Sun Shaozong was stunned on the spot as he looked at his ugly, hunchbacked appearance.

This was Prince Yizhong?!

Was this the adventurer senior with a charming temperament and a love for dressing up?!

The image that was previously outlined in his mind has collapsed completely. Was there anything wrong with it?!

However, upon careful consideration, this might be due to over two years of confinement, which has put too much pressure on him.

After all, not everyone could be indifferent to life or death.

Just as he was sighing, he saw Prince Yizhong hunched down the stairs, but he ran straight towards him.

Sun Shaozong suddenly realized that he was about to bow and pay his respects when his waist had just bent downwards, and a wrinkled hand had already spread out in front of him.

"Bring it over."

The dry and hoarse voice, as if the roar had just been exhausted, complemented the image perfectly.

However…

What did his phrase 'bring it' meant?

Could it be that when Prince Yizhong was about to celebrate his birthday, Emperor Guangde would send gifts, so as soon as he saw him, he guessed his purpose?

Sun Shaozong was arranging a suitable reason in his mind, and Prince Yizhong gave him a head-on stick, urging him, "Hurry up, it's just a Supernatural Jade. Why are you delaying?"

His words might seem impatient on the surface, but they contained both pleasure and pride.

However, Sun Shaozong was unable to distinguish these details at all because he was completely stunned by this sentence!

How could Prince Yizhong know that he was here to deliver the Supernatural Jade?

Was there someone leaking secrets in the palace?

At that time, besides himself, the only person around the Emperor was Dai Quan. Dai Quan couldn't have been loyal to Prince Yizhong, could he?!

Besides, just looking at the densely packed sentries. If it weren't for the arrows ordered by Emperor Guangde, who could have rushed in front of them to deliver the message?

Did he use a messenger pigeon?

Not to mention those bow hunters who were not vegetarians, even if a message pigeon fell near Prince Yizhong in the blue and white sky, it might have been discovered by someone long ago!

The explanation didn’t make sense!

All of this was completely inexplicable!

Sun Shaozong stared blankly at Prince Yizhong, his disdain and pity turned into surprise.

At the same time, he was also somewhat incredulous. If he had such a profound and unpredictable intelligence ability, how did the senior traveler in front of him had gotten overruled by Emperor Guangde?

It wasn't until Prince Yizhong urged him a few more times that Sun Shaozong, like a sleepwalker, took out the Supernatural Jade from his pocket.

Prince Yizhong calmly took it in his hand, flipped it around a few times, and suddenly threw it back to Sun Shaozong, shaking his head and saying, "I'm afraid it's disappointing for you. Zhou Xi is not my son, and I can't have any offspring in this life."

The f*ck!

He even knew about Zhou Xi's death, and some even speculated that Zhou Xi was his illegitimate son!

And…

What did this resolute conviction meant that he would inevitably end up with no children or grandchildren in this lifetime?

Wasn’t he too certain about what he said?

And there was a hint of pride in the tone; was it still a good thing to cut off children and have no future generations?

Sun Shaozong's doubts had not yet been resolved, and Prince Yizhong hoarsely said, "It's really difficult for me. When I was a child, I coaxed him to play and casually talked about trivial matters from the Dream of the Red Chamber. I still remember it so clearly for decades."

"If I had known earlier, I shouldn't have given this jade to Zhou Xi. Although he is not my son, his mother has had a romantic relationship with me before... Sigh~"

As he spoke, he let out a heavy sigh, then shook his robe sleeve and said calmly, "Stop, this century-long Dream of the Red Chamber is finally about to finish up. What do I have to do with life and death in this world?"

"You go back and tell my brother that I'm leaving. If he still has a trace of brotherhood in his heart, why don't he come with his father to see me off? I can only wait until my 60th birthday at most."

Before Sun Shaozong could respond, he put his hands behind his back and stumbled along the cobblestone road, feeling somewhat at ease.

As he walked, he hoarsely sang, "Everyone knows that immortals are good, but only fame and achievements can’t be forgotten! Where are the generals from ancient and modern times? The mound of grass is gone. Everyone knows that immortals are good, but only gold and silver can’t be forgotten! The whole dynasty only hates to gather without many, and eventually closes its eyes. People all say that immortals are good, only beautiful wives..."

This…

Ready to commit suicide?!

But he didn’t seem like a dying person.

He was really heartbroken. How could he show that kind of smug expression just now?

This felt a bit like preparing to travel back to modern times!

Sun Shaozong watched as the figure of Prince Yizhong gradually faded away, and his singing voice gradually became inaudible. However, his restlessness not only did not diminish but also grew louder and louder.

Although he might not be willing to travel back now, if Prince Yizhong really found a way to travel back, he would never want to miss it!

Furthermore…

Through what channels did Prince Yizhong learn that he was ordered to deliver the Supernatural Jade?

This huge mystery must be solved by finding a way; otherwise, when he goes back to hand over the task, how should he face Emperor Guangde?!

Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong didn't hesitate any longer and stepped up the stairs, then directly broke into Prince Yizhong's study!