AMBTMS Chapter 17

‘Prince Qin? Isn’t he the male protagonist, Qi Mingxuan?’

Li Shu turned around and indeed saw Qi Mingxuan, dressed in dark court attire, emerging from the shadows. The darkness provided the best concealment, and as he approached, Li Shu could clearly see the expression on Qi Mingxuan’s face.

It felt somewhat different.

How to put it?

In the previous encounters with Qi Mingxuan, he was either in the aftermath of being chased or currently in pursuit, always in a disadvantaged position. But now, it is different. At this moment, Qi Mingxuan was the powerful prince, and the oppressive aura and undeniable momentum made Li Shu fully aware that this person was the Prince Qin who would ascend to the throne, the future emperor of Great Zhou.

He was the male protagonist of this world, the future Emperor Wu who will sweep the north and unify the world.

Li Shu was momentarily dazed, and when he snapped back, Qi Mingxuan was already standing beside him.

“Prince Qin.”

Li Shu turned around and was about to bow when Qi Mingxuan took hold of his arm and helped him up. “No need for excessive courtesy.”

The man who initially wanted to trouble Li Shu was frightened to the core, and amid fear, a sense of resentment grew. Why didn’t anyone inform him that Li Shu had a connection with Prince Qin? He came to cause trouble, not to find trouble for himself!

Rong Xiao came from a well-off family, and his biological eldest sister was Concubine Rong, who was favored by the emperor. In their family, he was the only legitimate son, and was spoiled since childhood. Relying on his sister’s favor, he dared to do anything. After his sister gained favor, it became even more outrageous. Anyone who offended him in the slightest would face retaliation for various reasons.

If they suffered some injuries, it would be considered mild. In severe cases, families could be ruined. Last year, Rong Xiao fell in love with a farmer’s daughter and planned to take her by force. However, she was already engaged to her childhood sweetheart, and their affection ran deep. So, she resolutely refused to yield. Rong Xiao felt that he had lost face, so he concocted a false accusation on the girl’s fiancé, causing the two families to break apart.

The girl’s fiancé was tortured to death in prison. With no one to turn to for help, the girl bumped her head onto a pillar outside the county yamen and died. In contrast, the perpetrator remained unpunished. Although he was arrogant in his actions, Rong Xiao knew how to measure his provocations, never bothering those he shouldn’t. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lived carefree until now. This time, coming to trouble Li Shu was entirely instigated by someone else. That person told him that Li Shu wasn’t favored at home. Moreover, he had suffered a blow in that place. What Rong Xiao least wanted was for more people to know about it.

If not for that, he wouldn’t have the courage to pick a fight with the new top scholar.

But now?

Wasn’t it said that Li Shu rarely left his residence and had minimal contact with the outside world? How could he have a connection with Prince Qin?

Various thoughts ran through his mind, and Rong Xiao prostrated on the ground, hoping that Prince Qin would let him go because he didn’t have time to do anything.

At this moment, it felt like countless centuries had passed, and finally, he heard Prince Qin’s cold voice ringing above him.

“Zi Shu is the top scholar appointed by the emperor. By finding trouble with him, are you dissatisfied with the emperor’s decision?”

Qi Mingxuan’s voice wasn’t loud, but it exploded like thunder in Rong Xiao’s mind. Having such a massive label slapped on him, no matter how favored his sister was, it wouldn’t save him.

“The commoner doesn’t dare, the commoner doesn’t dare…”

Rong Xiao kept kowtowing, repeatedly saying, “The commoner doesn’t dare.” The underlings he brought along cowered before Qi Mingxuan. They all knelt in place, hoping Prince Qin wouldn’t notice them. They wouldn’t dare to intercede for Rong Xiao in such a situation.

That was Prince Qin!

Prince Qin grew up in the military, and was known for his iron-fisted methods. It’s said that those who offended him had to face the consequences, and it was useless to plead for mercy. Before the new year, the younger brother of Concubine Hua rode a horse in the street and hurt someone, and was detained by Prince Qin. Concubine Hua rushed to beg the Emperor for mercy. She knelt outside Yangxin Hall for half the night, but His Majesty never showed up.

This was Concubine Hua, who was even more favored by the Emperor than the current Concubine Rong. In the end, she fell out of favor, and even her maternal family declined. This incident made everyone realize that the recently returned Prince Qin held considerable weight in the Emperor’s heart.

Consequently, warnings were made to the younger generations in the capital: never provoke Prince Qin. Under the strict orders, the dandies of the capital actively avoided him.

No one expected to encounter Prince Qin this time. They came to trouble Li Shu just to please Rong Xiao, and even so, they did not dare to target Li Shu alone.

No one was filled with more regret than these dandies. Li Shu had no grievances with them, no connections whatsoever. Why did they choose to target him?

Li Shu watched them in amusement. Before Qi Mingxuan appeared, all of them were extremely arrogant. Now they all wanted to shrink their heads into their necks for fear of being noticed by Qi Mingxuan.

Rong Xiao knocked his head for quite some time, and blood was seeping from his forehead. However, Prince Qin remained silent, which made his heart go cold.

He quietly raised his head and glanced at Prince Qin. Prince Qin did not look at them, but was looking sideways at the young man in scarlet clothes with an unclear expression.

A certain thought passed through his mind, and Rong Xiao was shocked. Could it be that Prince Qin was interested in Li Shu…

Quickly expelling this disrespectful thought from his mind, he turned his head and knelt down in front of Li Shu, kowtowing continuously. “It’s my fault, Young Master Li, I kowtow in apology. You are a person of high status, and considering I haven’t caused you any harm, please spare me this time!”

In Rong Xiao’s view, since Prince Qin intervened to speak up for Li Shu, regardless of their relationship, as long as Li Shu agreed not to pursue this matter further, Prince Qin would likely let him off.

“It’s true that you didn’t cause me any harm, but you said something rude. Under the emperor’s feet, people must be accountable for their words and actions, right?”

Li Shu’s casually spoken words shattered any hopes of leniency in Rong Xiao’s heart. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

‘How dare he!!!’

Rong Xiao was filled with hatred, but Li Shu only added fuel to the fire.

“Just now, as soon as you met me, you belittled me, saying my status as the top scholar is nothing much. However, this appointment has been made by His Majesty himself. Furthermore, the decree has been issued, and I am now an official of the court. You haven’t taken any official post yet, who gave you the audacity to show disrespect to an appointed official of the court?”

While Rong Xiao currently held no official position, arrangements had already been made by his family. Once this current turmoil subsided, he would be ready to take on an official role. If the accusations Li Shu made were proven, his official career would be ruined.

He thought that by humbling himself and kowtowing quietly, Li Shu would spare him for the sake of his reputation. Unexpectedly, Li Shu would be so merciless. Wasn’t he afraid that such aggressive behavior would create a negative impression?

Honestly, Li Shu didn’t care about anyone’s opinions, nor did it concern him. Anyway, what he was going to do next would offend a lot of people. Who would show mercy because of a favorable impression when it involved personal interests?

No one would.

As the commotion grew, people began gathering, but due to Prince Qin’s presence, no one dared to inquire openly.

Rong Xiao’s face was burning with embarrassment. He had never suffered such humiliation before. He was kneeling on the ground, with all kinds of eyes coming from all directions. Rong Xiao lowered his head, and there was so much hatred on his face that it almost overflowed

‘Li Shu!’

Rong Xiao vowed to remember this grudge, and the insult he faced today would be repaid a hundredfold in the future!

Although seething with hatred internally, Rong Xiao couldn’t openly confront the situation. Suppressing his hatred, he raised his head, and his face showed no trace of resentment.

“I acknowledge my offense. I shouldn’t have offended Young Master Li.”

He admitted to offending Li Shu but denied all the charges Li Shu had listed against him. This strategic response preserved his dignity, and if Li Shu continued to pursue the matter, it would make him appear petty and intolerable.

Li Shu remained silent, and looked at him with a half-smile.

This look sent a chill down Rong Xiao’s spine. Meeting those eyes, he realized that regardless of his actions or words, Li Shu maintained a calm demeanor throughout. Even when he approached aggressively, Li Shu remained composed; when he was in a pitiable state, Li Shu’s expression remained indifferent.

From the beginning of this confrontation, he had lost thoroughly.

Seeing that more and more people were gathering, not wanting to disrupt the normal commencement of the Lu Ming Banquet, Prince Qin gestured, and the guards responsible for maintaining order took this group away.

When Rong Xiao and his group first came over, Yu Rongxiu had initially intended to intervene, but the sudden appearance of Prince Qin caught him off guard. Was Li Shu on good terms with Prince Qin?

At this time, more than one person had this question at the moment.

However, seeing Prince Qin’s imposing figure, no one dared to come forward and court death. They hurriedly bowed in greeting and dispersed.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Rongxiu decided not to approach rashly. Li Shu’s situation in the court was undoubtedly destined to be difficult, and it was unclear what role Prince Qin played in the situation. It would be better not to expose himself prematurely.

After a distant bow, Yu Rongxiu left with the others.

In the blink of an eye, the surrounding people vanished, leaving only Li Shu and Prince Qin.

After the incident at the ruined temple, Li Shu fell ill. This matter wasn’t deliberately concealed, and Prince Qin was well aware of it. He wanted to ask something but, looking at Li Shu’s indifferent face, suddenly found it difficult to formulate a question.

That day, Li Shu wore a mask and deliberately lowered his voice. He clearly didn’t want to reveal his identity. Moreover, this wasn’t an ideal place for a conversation…

In the end, he suppressed the unspoken doubts deep in his heart.

“Thank you, Your Highness Prince Qin for helping me out of this predicament,” Feeling the faint emotional fluctuations coming from the person beside him, Li Shu took the initiative to break the silence.

Qi Mingxuan, who was lost in his own thoughts, suddenly woke up. After a brief pause, he replied, “This matter was originally Rong Xiao’s fault. I just happened to pass by. With your talent, you shouldn’t be subjected to insults from such people.”

‘Is that so? But this doesn’t align with your violent character in the plot.’ Why would the male protagonist suddenly help him out? Li Shu could guess to some extent, but if Qi Mingxuan didn’t reveal it, he wouldn’t proactively bring up those matters.

If he did, all the things he did might be labeled as having ulterior motives, right?

Although, his intentions were indeed impure.

Thinking about this, Li Shu smiled lightly. It was fleeting but not unnoticed by Qi Mingxuan, who had been observing him.

It seemed that Li Shu rarely smiled in front of him. Qi Mingxuan couldn’t help but wonder: How can one keep a young man smiling all the time?