She thought of this and quickly shook her head.
Doing so wouldn't sever the engagement, as it had already been agreed upon by both dynasties and couldn't be violated.
Even if the Twelfth Princess were to be punished, it wouldn't cancel his status as a consort.
If not the Twelfth Princess's consort, he would be a consort to another princess of the Phoenix Dynasty.
Chu Zhiyuan looked at Youlan: "For the next few days, I don't want to see any outside guests."
"Yes," Youlan agreed.
Chu Zhiyuan scoffed, "These days, they'll definitely want to come knocking, trying to gain some advantage."
"Your Highness, actually…"
"Don't bother with them," Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand. "Even if we give them something, they won't be grateful."
"Yes," Youlan understood his meaning and didn't try to persuade him further.
She originally wanted to advise Chu Zhiyuan to take the opportunity to use these exotic flowers and fruits to improve his relationship with the other princes and improve his own situation.
Chu Zhiyuan said, "Aunt, there's no need to think too much about them. I'm leaving anyway."
"Your Highness, our roots are still here, after all."
"You may feel your roots are here, but they don't think so," Chu Zhiyuan said indifferently.
"…And there's Consort Gui," Youlan said softly.
She stared blankly at Chu Zhiyuan's calm and indifferent expression, feeling inexplicably sad.
His Highness was truly pitiful.
The only people who truly cared about him were Consort Gui, Chu Zhen, and Chu Qiao.
The Emperor's dislike for His Highness was never concealed; it came from the bone.
The Emperor's attitude also influenced the attitude of those around him, leading everyone to dislike His Highness.
"Mother Consort…" Chu Zhiyuan raised his head and glanced in the direction of the palace, saying faintly, "There's Zhen'er, Qiao'er, and also Tenth Brother."
The Tenth Prince was her true son.
Moreover, he had remarkable talent. Although he wouldn't become the Emperor, he wouldn't be too bad off.
"Your Highness…"
"Aunt, don't worry, I'm fine," Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand. "It's good to close the door and live our own little lives."
"Yes."
Youlan knew he was stubborn and hated being pitied by others, so she suppressed her sadness and retreated.
…
Chu Zhiyuan first practiced the Spirit Abyss Body Cleansing Record for half a day, then practiced the Immeasurable Brightness Sutra.
Exhausted, he still fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
At the same time, a small flying knife floated slowly in the night sky above the imperial city, blending into the darkness.
The next morning, after washing up and eating breakfast with Youlan and others attending to him, he went directly to the Great Brightness Peak.
Upon arriving at the Great Brightness Peak, the two middle-aged inner court guards were nowhere to be seen.
Now, he no longer needed to be monitored and could go directly to the True Martial Courtyard.
As he walked towards the True Martial Courtyard, he encountered several princes.
They greeted him one after another, curiously sizing him up as if they were looking at a stranger.
Chu Zhiyuan's expression was indifferent, and he simply nodded without speaking, putting on an arrogant demeanor.
This caused the princes to discuss amongst themselves, feeling that he was still the same and hadn't changed much.
Chu Zhiyuan opened his eyes and looked at him: "Third Brother has also been to the Heavenly Intent Pavilion?"
"Yes, it's profound and unpredictable, miraculous and divine."
"What about First Brother?"
"First Brother didn't say, but I guess he's been in there too, otherwise, with his talent, he wouldn't have evolved his intent so quickly."
"What about Second Brother?"
"Second Brother has also been in."
"So, we've all been in the Heavenly Intent Pavilion? Is that why we were able to evolve our intent at such a young age?"
"Yes."
"I heard that outside, there are quite a few people of our age with similar cultivation levels!"
"From the Four Great Sects, right?"
"I don't know about that."
"The Four Great Sects are all ancient sects, and they also have cultivation holy lands similar to our Heavenly Intent Pavilion."
"I see…" Chu Zhiyuan suddenly understood.
"People of our age with this level of cultivation, apart from the Four Great Sects, are impossible to find."
"What about the Spirit Guards?"
"There are a thousand Spirit Guards in total, of course, not all of them are disciples of the Four Great Sects, they are all top geniuses from various sects and factions… The world is vast, and there are still many geniuses."
"Does Third Brother want to join the Spirit Guards?"
"Of course, don't you want to join the Spirit Guards?"
"I want to join, but it's impossible."
"…" The Third Prince, Chu Lieyang, immediately fell silent, unable to respond.
He knew Chu Zhiyuan's situation and that he really couldn't become a Spirit Guard.
Chu Zhiyuan closed his eyes: "Third Brother, let's continue cultivating."
"If you don't want to be this consort, it's not like there's no way."
"Self-harm? There's no need for that."
"You can commit suicide."
"Hmm—?"
"Your mother consort is the Emperor's most beloved woman, didn't you know that?"
Chu Zhiyuan's face darkened, and he glared coldly at the other party.
Chu Lieyang said calmly: "No one has told you this, right?"
"…"
"Few people know about this matter, and those who do are afraid to speak out because they are wary of the Emperor. Everyone thinks that you are disliked by the Emperor because the Emperor hates your mother consort, but they don't know that the opposite is true."
Chu Zhiyuan said coldly: "How does Third Brother know?"
"I accidentally heard it once when my mother consort was arguing with the Emperor. My mother consort resented the Emperor for always thinking about your mother consort and not being able to let go."
"…" Chu Zhiyuan frowned.
"When you were a child, you suffered a fatal injury. It was your mother consort who used a secret technique, sacrificing her lifespan to save you, but she died."
"Who injured me?"
"…I don't know. They said it was a demon, but who can say for sure."
"The Emperor dislikes me because I caused my mother consort's death?"
"Yes… but your life was exchanged for your mother consort's life. The Emperor will never allow you to commit suicide."
"…Third Brother, that's a terrible idea," Chu Zhiyuan scoffed.
Did he really want to rely on suicide to threaten the Emperor and make him change his mind?
This was just Third Prince's one-sided statement; what if it was false?
If he threatened suicide, he would definitely enrage the Emperor, who might directly depose him.
This risk could not be taken.
Even if this matter was true, it couldn't be done this way; it would still anger the Emperor and lead to his deposition.
Chu Lieyang said faintly: "I think this is a clear path."
Chu Zhiyuan could see that what he said was true, that he really thought so, and said, "What is First Brother busy with?"
"The miscellaneous affairs of the Ministry of War," Chu Lieyang said. "Involving the transportation of military rations, a bunch of chaos."
Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly: "It seems that the throne should belong to First Brother."
Chu Lieyang snorted and closed his eyes.
Chu Zhiyuan said: "Third Brother, you have no hope. Who told you to be born later?"
Chu Lieyang said coldly: "You should worry about your own affairs!"
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head: "Even if First Brother doesn't become the Emperor, it won't be Third Brother's turn. There's still Second Brother."
Chu Lieyang sneered: "Am I that much worse?"
"We're about the same. I'm hated by everyone, but Third Brother, you are avoided by everyone," Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "No one wants to be close to you."
Chu Lieyang snorted, closed his mouth, and was too lazy to say more.
