Prince Huai was startled by Fang Zhiyi's blunt criticism. He glanced furtively at the Old Emperor above, who was currently chatting amiably with his sons, appearing benevolent and kind.
"With your attitude, you’ll end up dead by imperial decree one day and still be clueless about why," Fang Zhiyi said, exasperated. "What the Emperor fears most are capable officials who show no ambition. If you don’t ask for rewards, what else could you want? The throne beneath him?"
Prince Huai paled. "Don’t say such reckless things!"
"At least you still have some sense of fear."
Standing in his newly granted estate—a far grander residence than his previous one—Prince Huai felt uneasy amid the maids and servants the Emperor had also bestowed upon him.
"Prince Huai, Prince Huai!" A gatekeeper hurried in.
"Yes?"
"There’s a man at the gate claiming to be Feng Yusheng’s attendant, asking to see you," the servant reported.
"Oh, I see—" Prince Huai began to move, but Fang Zhiyi cut in sharply, "Tell him to get lost. No audience."
Prince Huai froze.
Fang Zhiyi pressed, "Do you still want to be with your dear Luo Luo or not?"
Without hesitation, Prince Huai ordered, "Tell him to get lost! No audience!" Not that he had any fondness for Feng Yusheng to begin with.
The servant bowed and left.
Outside, the haughty page boy, upon hearing the dismissive reply, was stunned. "What? Did you even deliver my message properly? My master is Feng Yusheng!"
"Who cares about your ‘wind and rain’ nonsense? Get lost!" the servant snapped.
Humiliated, the page boy clenched his fists. Even the princes treated him with courtesy—how dare this Prince Huai dismiss him so rudely? One military victory and he forgets his place?
When the page boy didn’t move, the servant shoved him. "Scram!" Enraged, the boy lashed out with a punch, sending the servant flying, blood spurting from his mouth.
"Oh no, I overdid it… Master will scold me for sure!" Panicked, the page boy turned to flee.
Hearing the commotion outside, Prince Huai grew restless, but before he could act, another servant rushed in. "That visitor attacked and killed the gatekeeper!"
"What?!" Prince Huai was aghast. He’d merely refused an audience, and the man resorted to murder?
"Isn’t the City Patrol under your command? Order his arrest!" Fang Zhiyi urged, equally shocked. Anyone who killed so casually was no ordinary troublemaker.
"Right!" On matters like this, Prince Huai didn’t hesitate. Murder was murder.
A chaotic scene unfolded in the marketplace as officers chased a slender young man, who overturned vendor stalls to slow his pursuers. Whether it worked or not, he infuriated half the street in the process.
With the crowd joining the chase, the boy injured several more people in his desperation.
As he dashed into an alley, a metal rod suddenly swung at his face. He ducked—only to tumble straight into a large bird-catching net. Thrashing was useless; a few hard strikes to his limbs forced him to shield his head and submit.
"Murder, public disturbance, resisting arrest, and injuring multiple people—you’ve got quite the nerve, brat!" a patrol soldier sneered. The boy spat curses, but the soldiers, unlike the cautious officers, responded with brutal efficiency. One struck his knee with a sickening crack, leaving him pale and writhing as they dragged him away.
In the Shuntian Prefecture hall, the portly Prefect glared at the sweat-drenched, defiant youth. "So you’re the one who turned the city upside down today?"
The boy stayed silent.
"Fine, keep quiet. The evidence is overwhelming—you’re sentenced to immediate execution!" the Prefect roared. Mishandling this case could cost him his job.
By the time Feng Yusheng rushed over upon hearing the news, his attendant Xu Man'er was already locked in the dungeon.
"How could this happen?!" He stood frozen. Prince Huai’s recent actions had baffled him, prompting this visit—only to lose his most trusted aide.
"Master, should we seek help from the princes?" an elderly servant whispered.
Feng Yusheng shook his head after a pause. "Too late." The Prefect had already closed the case and forwarded the documents.
He needed to reassess. How had things spiraled so far? First, Fang Zhiyi didn’t return to the capital alone. Then, Prince Huai bypassed Princess Xialuo to see the Emperor first. Now he was accepting rewards—everything had veered from Feng Yusheng’s plans.
That same day, imperial enforcers arrived at his doorstep. The Emperor, furious that violence had erupted at Prince Huai’s newly gifted estate, demanded a full investigation. The princes intervened, and Feng Yusheng barely smoothed things over with hefty compensation—though it left him seething.
Late that night, Princess Xialuo whispered, "System, is Prince Huai a reincarnator?"
"Scanning… No anomalies detected. Prince Huai remains Prince Huai," the voice in her head replied.
"I wanted to help Brother Yusheng clear his family’s name, but now Xu Man'er is dead…" She bit her lip. Xu Man'er had always been kind, guarding her shop from prying eyes.
"Don’t worry, Host! With me here, nothing will go wrong!" the system chirped.
"Prince Huai is a complete fool! Handsome, yes, but brainless. I considered keeping him as a backup, but he’s not even worth that now!" she fumed.
Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyi watched Prince Huai’s excitement with amusement. The prince could barely sleep, thrilled at the prospect of seeing Princess Xialuo the next day—though he oddly struggled to recall her face.
At the soap shop the following afternoon, Prince Huai gazed tenderly at the figure he’d longed for.
Fang Zhiyi’s eyes, however, locked onto the eyeball-like object perched on Princess Xialuo’s shoulder.
"A system?" he mused.
At the same moment, alerted by her system, Princess Xialuo spotted Prince Huai. Her expression shifted instantly. "Brother Zhiyi!" she cried, dashing toward him.
"I missed you so much! Did you bring me any gifts?"
Fang Zhiyi echoed the words in Prince Huai’s mind verbatim, freezing the prince in place.
"Nothing? Hmph, I’m upset now."
Again, the exact same script.
"Look at you, so silly! I’m just teasing—having you back is gift enough."
Prince Huai nearly lost his composure. If not for Princess Xialuo’s presence, he’d have demanded if Fang Zhiyi could read minds.
"Basic stuff, really. You haven’t seen true mastery," Fang Zhiyi replied modestly, anticipating the question.
This instantly dampened much of Prince Huai's excitement.
He couldn't help but recall the stories about "backup options" and "simping" that the other version of himself had recounted during the journey back to the capital—was he really acting like a simp?