Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 363: The Fourth Prince Has an Unspeakable Quirk

Chapter 363: Chapter 363: The Fourth Prince Has an Unspeakable Quirk

"It’s a big deal. The iron mine at Lixin Mountain was exhausted years ago, yet today my scouts tell me that Laosi has bought Lixin Mountain, which has become his private domain. I hear they are secretly transporting many heavy objects out, the carriages leave deep tracks. What else could it be, if not a newly opened iron mine?"

Second Prince was originally reluctant to share this secret with Jun Yuyan.

Iron ore can be used for many things, such as casting weapons and making ironware for sale, all of which are of great use.

But, wanting to form an alliance with Jun Yuyan, he had to show some sincerity.

Moreover, his current strength probably isn’t enough to swallow the Lixin Mountain iron mine. If he worked with Jun Yuyan, there was a chance to get a share of it.

Although he had been mistaken about the Third and Fourth Prince, he never underestimated Jun Yuyan. He had always seen Jun Yuyan as the biggest threat, which was indeed true. He just hadn’t expected the Third and Fourth Prince to emerge out of nowhere.

One was the emperor’s most cherished son, and the other was dark and skilled at deception, hiding his motives for many years without showing a trace.

He even started to suspect that when Divine Doctor Miao cut off his leg, the Third Prince and possibly the Fourth Prince had a hand in it.

Besides the Third Prince, he now had another to resent, the Fourth Prince.

It goes without saying how important his two aides were; the talents at his disposal were dwindling, and the Fourth Prince’s move had been extremely ruthless, essentially cutting off his left and right arms.

Murong Jiu suddenly laughed and said, "Second Prince knows how cunning and deceitful the Fourth Prince is, haven’t you considered that the covered wagon might not be carrying iron ore, but stones instead? Creating an illusion, aren’t they inviting you into a trap?"

"That’s impossible!" the Second Prince said without thinking: "Lixin Mountain is five or six days’ journey from the Capital City, not close. Why would he bother with such a scheme?"

"Then you might as well report him to our father the emperor and see how that goes," Jun Yuyan said indifferently.

Seeing the expressions on the two of them, neither surprised nor anxious, with their eyebrows tightly furrowed, the Second Prince did not understand why they were so confident, just like he didn’t understand where their tacit understanding came from.

He said, "I wouldn’t dare to make a move without full confidence."

By this point, it was clear that the Second Prince didn’t actually have any leverage over the Fourth Prince.

This was normal, after all, since the Fourth Prince had hidden himself too deeply, making it hard to catch him by the tail.

Murong Jiu turned to Jun Yuyan, who nodded to her; she then looked at the Second Prince and said:

"The Second Prince, what you know poses no threat to the Fourth Prince. On the other hand, what we know here at Prince Mansion is far more substantial."

The Second Prince said suspiciously, "What else do you know?"

"Since we are forming an alliance, there is one thing we can reveal to the Second Prince. If you can use this information to turn the situation around impressively, then there’s a possibility our alliance can continue. You need to prove your utility, right?"

Her words made the Second Prince uncomfortable, as they indeed sounded quite demeaning, implying he was useless.

She truly spared no feelings for the past.

What a ruthless woman.

Yet the Second Prince had no choice but to ally with Prince Ling’s Mansion, he simply had to appear all ears.

Murong Jiu then softened her voice:

"The Fourth Prince has a strange obsession, similar to that of Duke Uncle Yun back then."

Upon hearing this, the Second Prince almost crushed the armrest in his hands.

The scandal involving the Yun Family had caused a huge uproar in the Capital City, plunging the extensive Yun Family into disrepute, and he lost his greatest support.

The Second Prince was well aware that the Yun Family’s issues had inseparable ties to Prince Ling’s Mansion. Murong Jiu dared to mention the Yun Family in his presence!

"Why should you be angry, my brother? Duke Uncle Yun specialized in stealing other men’s wives, destroying numerous families, harming countless individuals. Many women died by his hand, and the whole Yun Family were accomplices. Could it be that you still wish to argue the Yun Family’s innocence?" Prince Yu Yan said coldly.

"Brother, you are too harsh. I was merely recalling other innocent members of the Yun Family. What exactly did Imperial Sister-in-Law mean by her words? Please enlighten your younger brother."

The Second Prince quickly showed a humble attitude of repentance.

Murong Jiu said no more and began eating the orange she had previously ignored. The following words were articulated by Jun Yuyan.

Indeed, the affairs managed by the Fourth Prince were much more covert and clever than those of Duke Uncle Yun. He didn’t abduct someone directly like Duke Uncle Yun did, nor did he silence their family members.

What he did was appear before that woman, subtly enticing her to cheat.

He didn’t bring her out nor took her back to his residence; what he relished was the thrill and madness of the secrecy.

Murong Jiu had long forgotten about Duke Uncle Yun, but upon her mention, Jun Yuyan was reminded of him and he related the misfortune of the Yun Family to her.

Jun Yuyan revealed to the Second Prince a scandal involving a hunter’s stunning wife and the Fourth Prince from the outskirts of town.

This hunter’s wife, Lady Chen, was known for her striking beauty and refreshing charm, famous in the surrounding area. She and her husband, Zhou Haisheng, had been childhood sweethearts, and she married Zhou Haisheng because he offered the highest bride price—her parents arranged the marriage.

The first few years of their marriage were peaceful. Zhou Haisheng was an excellent hunter who often returned from the mountains with plenty of game and sometimes even precious herbs, which allowed Lady Chen to live a life akin to that of a young mistress, complete with her own maid to serve her.

The Fourth Prince first saw Lady Chen in the city as Zhou Haisheng accompanied her to purchase rouge. Her playful smile, full of allure, exuded a scent of maturity unlike a young maiden, like a ripened peach ready to burst with juice.

Zhou Haisheng was handsome but overly burly. The Fourth Prince, unapproachable in his air and handsomely refined, merely appeared before Lady Chen a few times unintentionally, causing her to blush shyly.

What followed could only be described as both resisted yet unavoidable and natural.

However, the affair did not last long. Soon, Lady Chen unexpectedly became pregnant and wrote a secret letter to the Fourth Prince asking him not to entangle her anymore, as she had decided to dedicate her life to her husband and children henceforth.

The Fourth Prince, who harbored no real affection for her, was only after momentary pleasures. Upon receiving the letter, he burned it expressionlessly and never thought of Lady Chen again.

But he didn’t foresee that the letter wasn’t voluntarily written by Lady Chen. The hunter had felt something was amiss and had accidentally spotted the Fourth Prince once. Considering that he had been unable to impregnate Lady Chen for years and she had suddenly conceived, the hunter suspected the child wasn’t his and forced Lady Chen to drink a miscarriage potion.

Lady Chen, unwilling to drink the potion, insisted on giving birth. The hunter, torn with mixed emotions, finally agreed but only on the condition that Lady Chen cut off all ties with the Fourth Prince, resulting in that letter.

Unfortunately, Lady Chen was not fated to have a smooth delivery. An accident occurred during childbirth, and she passed away after giving birth.

The hunter, with the child in tow, moved away to distant lands.

But, of course, the story didn’t end there.