Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 395 - 273: Underground Palace

Chapter 395: Chapter 273: Underground Palace

"Heh... Like Father Emperor?"

A sigh-like chuckle softly echoed in the silent cave as Li Qingyan’s eyes, deep and dark, stared at Xu Yuan:

"Are you implying that Father Emperor intends to cut down our Prime Minister’s Mansion and then have Second Brother start from scratch, following the same path they took?"

"A good question, I do not know."

"....." Li Qingyan.

Hands relaxed, propped behind him, Xu Yuan smiled saying, "From my childhood to adulthood, I’ve only encountered His Majesty a few times, hardly understanding anything of his character; those things I just mentioned were all analyzed from Li Zhaoyuan’s perspective."

A mysterious smile crossed Li Qingyan’s lips:

"So you believe that Second Brother is staking his life and status on Father Emperor’s whims?

"Moreover, when it comes to dealing with the Sects, it seems my eldest brother has a better advantage. After all, the State Preceptor is his sworn Sword Mentor and even spent three years within the Sword Sect’s gates long ago."

Xu Yuan slightly nodded, asking:

"You make sense, but apart from that, does Li Zhaoyuan have other options?"

"...."

After a moment of silence,

Li Qingyan shook her head disinterestedly.

Xu Yuan then murmured in a soft, deep voice:

"Mother was a palace maid, and he is not the eldest son. Your Second Brother seeks the throne, every step he climbs is a gamble with his life, and this time he’s betting on Father Emperor’s changing attitude towards our Prime Minister’s Mansion.

"Now it seems highly likely he has bet correctly. Next, we’ll see how my father responds."

Establishing a connection with the Sects is not an overnight task.

In other words, Li Zhaoyuan most likely began laying his groundwork more than a decade ago, if not two decades earlier.

Considering this,

Xu Yuan composed himself, a laugh escaping him:

"However personally, I’d rather see our Father Emperor and his peers walk this path to the end together, rather than passing it on to the next generation."

After a brief pause in his voice, Xu Yuan spoke softly:

"And then, to realize the romance they once dreamed of."

"Romance?" Li Qingyan murmured with interest.

In the dimness of the cave, Xu Yuan’s eyes shimmered with a blood-like glow:

"The romance of dying for a common ideal, unwavering until the end."

"......"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan remained silent, slowly rising from the cold stone floor, leaning on her knees.

Her tall, slender figure clad in a red robe appeared blood-like and somber in the dim cave, her voice calm:

"This cave seems quite large; I shall explore the surroundings.

"But such romance... Prince Consort, perhaps you should seek it in the pages of a book, where plenty of such tales exist."

"...."

There was a moment of silence before Xu Yuan clicked his tongue slightly dissatisfied with the Wrapped Chest Princess’s atmosphere-spoiling words.

However, after a moment’s pause, Xu Yuan touched his chin and looked at her graceful departing figure, laughing:

"You... have so little confidence in your Father Emperor?"

"........"

Li Qingyan did not stop, her figure gradually disappearing into the darkness of the cave.

After a while,

a faint, enigmatic chuckle echoed from afar, followed by her soft voice:

"As Minister Xu’s child, I believe you, Prince Consort, should be quite familiar with the taste of power."

Afterward, only her retreating footsteps could be heard growing more distant.

"......."

Xu Yuan frowned, but upon seeing the Sumeru Ring on his fingertip, he let out a sigh.

Girls, after all, are cuter when they’re a bit more sentimental.

In his past life, Xu Yuan hadn’t experienced much limelight, but even in a trivial department of a dozen people, bureaucratic politics raged over minute powers; coworkers were constantly at each other’s throats, setting traps, even sending someone to jail over trivial matters.

If such pettiness could happen within the section of a small private company, what of the supreme imperial authority present here?

Emperors throughout history, if given even the slightest chance, would never tolerate the imperial power slipping from their grasp.

To forgo such power for an ideal... that would make Li Yaoxuan no longer an Emperor, but a saint transcendent of earthly roles.

However, as it stands, both old men have yet to achieve this.

Li Yaoxuan needs the royal lineage to continue, unwilling to let Li Xingtian’s line end with him.

And behind his father lies a cohort that has followed him for most of their lives.

When all was minor, they shared common aspirations.

At the pinnacle of success,

the surrounding landscape had already changed.

This kind of romance,

indeed seems likely to exist only within the pages of a book.

...

...

...

Li Qingyan went out to search for an exit, while Xu Yuan stayed behind to recover his Origin Qi.

The Origin Qi that Li Qingyan infused into Xu Yuan served a protective purpose, but the depletion of his own Origin Qi still left his body feeling somewhat weak and hollow.

But Xu Yuan didn’t mind,

I’m rich.

The power that came with his responsibility for the Prime Minister’s Mansion in the Northern Frontier allowed him to indulge without restraint.

Elixir Medicines that he would never deign to use in games in his past life were now counted by the bottle in his Sumeru Ring.

Time passed in the cave, marked only by the occasional drip of water from stalactites...

Upon opening his eyes, Xu Yuan saw that at some moment, the figure in the red robe had already returned to his side, silent and traceless in both arrival and departure.

Perhaps in the future, if he married and wandered into a Hook Bar, he’d play inside while this princess sat by, watching unnoticed.

Hiss... The thought was somewhat terrifying.

Gathering his thoughts, Xu Yuan asked with a low chuckle:

"Back so soon, did you find a way out?"

"No."

Li Qingyan shook her head, her eyes holding a certain gravity: "This place seems not to be a cave, but an Underground Palace."

"Underground Palace?"

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, murmuring under his breath before asking, "You’ve been gone for two hours, even if this Underground Palace is enormous, with your strength of Will-spirit, you should have found an exit, right?"