2290 Illegitimately Conferred

Even though Rong Li did not show anything, veins were popping out from his hands as he gripped his reins.

Ever since this fourth brother of his had returned, he felt that his status in his imperial father's eyes was plunging rapidly.

It felt like everything his imperial father said revolved around this fourth brother. Look at how people were mocking him, the crown prince?

It truly was abominable!

He really wanted to personally destroy that arrogant young man's handsome face.

The caravan moved toward the ferry crossing.

Once they arrived, they would switch to proceeding to the artic, the icebound snow territory, by ferry.

This journey would take from 10 to 15 days.

The crown prince, Rong Li, gripped his reins tightly to suppress his foul mood.

…

The Nether Province's Great Harmony City, the imperial palace.

"Ahahahahaha!"

"Your, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" Several personal palace attendants were looking at the black-clothed man laughing uproariously with a distorted expression. They averted their gazes and shrunk back.

Did His Highness the Crown Prince go crazy?

"Hahahahahaha!" Ming Lung was practically crying from lauther. "Look, just look. Mister Zhuang, you also heard it today. Hahahahaha! That good imperial father of mine personally told me to give up the position of crown prince! To give it to my good third brother, hahahahaha!"

"I just knew that nothing good would come out of bringing him back!" Crown Prince Ming Lung gritted his teeth and berated, "Hahahaha! Look, this is my father, the father I revere the most!

"He is going to depose this crown prince for a favored consort's son. Hahahaha!"

"Crown Prince, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Please calm down." The old gentleman in his fifties whom Crown Prince Ming Lung had called Mister Zhuang sighed while stroking his beard.

"It is an immutable truth that the emperor deeply favors the imperial noble consort." Mister Zhuang exhorted, "The most important task right now is to unite with the court officials to push back this matter!"

"And then what? What happens after we push it back? I'll still have to abdicate my position! Hahaha!" Crown Prince Ming Lung slumped in a big wooden armchair in despair. "Teacher, the situation is hopeless. We cannot save it."

"No! We can save the situation." Mister Zhuang calmly analyzed, "Everyone within and without the court has witnessed Your Highness the Crown Prince's accomplishments during these past three years! Your Highness cannot give up so easily. Heed this old official's words. You only need to do one thing during this period of time: pay visits to all the court officials."

"Will that do anything?"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, you will lose if you don't do anything at all. If you strive to make an attempt, perhaps you will be able to reverse the situation!"

Crown Prince Ming Lung lay spiritlessly on the chair. He suddenly covered his face and wept, "Father said that third brother is extremely talented. Whether it be his intelligence, strategizing, and even cultivation, he is the most outstanding of us all."

"So what?" Mister Zhuang flung his sleeves and declared, "How can he occupy this position of crown prince when it is illegitimately conferred. Your Highness, you must pull yourself together. You are the late queen's child and have assisted the emperor in taking care of state affairs during the past three years. You performed your tasks methodically and did an excellent job."

"Yes." Crown Prince Ming Lung propped himself up and shouted with clenched fists, "I, I am the legitimate crown prince! How can that son of a favored consort compete against me."

"I, I won't lose. I won't lose!"

"Your Highness! Your Highness the Crown Prince!" The crown prince consort's voice came from the door.