Chapter Twelve: The Eldest Prince

“Your Highness, Your Highness, you must not go in!”
A guard’s voice echoed in the distance.
“Step aside. I heard your master was in trouble, so I came with my troops to check on him. Why won’t you let me show concern for my brother?”
The voice was full and commanding, carrying with it an air of authority. Yet, rather than genuine concern for his kin, it brimmed with a sense of triumph.
“Why is the Crown Prince here?” Long Yu muttered, suspicion clouding his gaze. The presence of so many soldiers suggested ill intentions.
Still, however bold the Crown Prince might be, surely he wouldn’t dare to storm the prince’s residence in broad daylight to kill him?
Long Yu knew his elder brother didn’t come with goodwill, but he stepped forward to meet him nonetheless. There was no place left to hide now; the confrontation was inevitable.
He doubted that his brother would be so reckless as to march an armed force into the prince’s residence and murder him outright.
In Song, strength was honored, and the princes were encouraged to compete—even assassinations were tacitly accepted. But such brazen violence, invading another prince’s estate with troops to kill, was strictly forbidden.
Unless his brother had lost his senses, Long Yu believed himself safe.
Before Long Yu could take more than a few steps, his brother, still out of sight, issued another command, “Surround the entire estate. No one is to leave. Find the culprit who tried to kill my brother.”
The chorus of assent rang throughout the residence.
Soldiers moved swiftly, chaos erupted, and the estate was thrown into utter disarray.
Yet the guards at Long Yu’s side remained steadfast, gripping their swords, their faces grave, ready to lay down their lives for their master.
“Your Highness, you must flee! We old servants will hold the Crown Prince at bay!” the elderly eunuch pleaded desperately, seeing Long Yu had no intention of escaping.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry. He wouldn’t dare do anything to me in broad daylight.”
Though he spoke reassuringly, Long Yu’s heart had already unraveled the truth: his “brother” was behind his recent collapse.
He wanted to kill Long Yu and seize his position, and nearly succeeded. But he never anticipated Long Yu would arrive and inhabit his brother’s body.
As these thoughts raced through Long Yu’s mind, the Crown Prince appeared before him.
His previously triumphant expression froze in place.

He stared for a long moment before forcing out a sentence, “Fourth Brother, y-you’re all right! I feared you’d been harmed by villains, so I came to avenge you.”
“Brother, your concern is touching. I am perfectly fine. But isn’t it improper for you to bring troops into my residence without cause? What would Father say if he found out…”
Long Yu threatened him with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
A flicker of malice passed over the Crown Prince’s face, but he quickly composed himself, masking it with a false smile.
“Fourth Brother, you jest. I was merely worried for you. I’m sure Father would understand.”
“Oh? Then tell me, Crown Prince, how did you learn I was in trouble? If you were truly concerned, why bring so many soldiers? What do you suppose Father will think?”
“You—” The Crown Prince was momentarily speechless under Long Yu’s pointed questions.
His excuses were flimsy; he didn’t believe them himself, so how could anyone else?
He never expected his Fourth Brother to be unharmed. His men had poisoned the tea, and his spies reported seeing Long Yu collapse—so how was he alive?
Had his men deceived him?
Or had Long Yu discovered his plot and acted in advance?
His mind raced, but the more he pondered, the more confused he became.
“Fourth Brother, it seems I was careless. I’ll take my leave now, sorry to disturb you.” The Crown Prince departed sullenly.
He certainly kept Long Yu busy—barely arrived, and already an attempt on his life.
There was no hope of lying low now.
Long Yu knew the Crown Prince would not give up after one failed attempt; those in power either did nothing or went to extremes.
“Idiots!” In the Crown Prince’s estate, he was berating two men in anger.
“Didn’t you say you saw the Fourth Prince drink the poison yourself?”
“And you, didn’t you witness him collapse?”
What on earth happened?
You fools, how am I supposed to explain this to Father?
And what will the other princes think now?

The Crown Prince’s scolding raged on for a while before he managed to calm himself.
This failed operation had ruined all his plans; worse, every prince now knew he’d made a move, and his situation would only worsen.
The two men knelt, trembling, enduring his wrath without daring to move.
“Enough, leave now!” At length, the Crown Prince cooled and addressed the men on the floor.
“Thank you, Your Highness, for sparing us!” they kowtowed, then scrambled out, barely regaining composure as they reached the door.
Only after steadying themselves did they realize their trousers were damp.
Inside, the Crown Prince frowned at the puddle on the ground and beckoned a guard. “Take care of this. I never want to see those two again. Failures don’t deserve to live.”
Meanwhile, Long Yu had grown busy as well. He ordered his servants to find skilled martial artists—he wanted to gauge the level of martial prowess in this world, to determine if he could rival the Crown Prince.
He was preparing to deal with the Crown Prince himself; anyone who dared to kill him had better be ready to face death.
After making arrangements, Long Yu drew the old eunuch close and whispered, “Go to the kitchens and tell them to prepare bear’s paw and deer antler for me. And all the rare birds and beasts—bring out whatever they can. I want a sumptuous meal.”
“Your Highness…” The old eunuch was startled—this was unlike his master.
He had been glad to see Long Yu face the Crown Prince so boldly after awakening.
But now he worried—could Long Yu have lost hope and decided to indulge himself?
Escaped danger only to concern himself with food?
Previously, Long Yu never cared about his meals, always needing to be coaxed to eat.
Still, the eunuch said nothing—his duty was to obey, not question.
Long Yu waited eagerly for the feast. Back in his old world, such animals were protected and forbidden to eat; now, he could finally use his privilege to taste them.
After all these trials, Long Yu’s perspective had shifted. What good was fearing death? If it was meant to be, so be it.
Better to find some joy. With this newfound privilege, he would savor it—who knew if he could survive the next ordeal?