Chapter 42: Undercurrents Surging

Someone shouted loudly, "His Royal Highness the Sixth Prince has arrived!"

This immediately captured the attention of everyone present.

The Third Prince, Li Ruiming, stepped forward with a radiant smile on his face.

He grabbed Li Ye by the arm the moment he approached, his attitude exceedingly warm and familiar, "Sixth Brother, I am the host of this tea party. Using Princess Ruyue's name to send you the invitation card really worked, and you actually came."

It was a well-known fact throughout the imperial court that the Third Prince was also contending for the throne.

The Crown Prince enjoyed the support of the majority of the civil officials, while the Third Prince held immense prestige among the military generals.

The two of them had already locked horns in a fierce, life-or-death struggle.

Li Ye had always distanced himself from political struggles. Whether the Crown Prince or the Third Prince extended an olive branch multiple times, Li Ye had always found excuses to decline.

However, since Li Ye merely engaged in commerce and had never possessed a good reputation to begin with, neither of them had ever truly taken him seriously.

They had never expended much effort to win him over.

Now that Li Ye suddenly held military command, the Third Prince had begun resorting to every available means to secure his support.

Realizing that this tea party had been organized primarily for his benefit, Li Ye smiled and replied, "Third Brother misunderstands. Your gatherings are far too refined; even if I came, I wouldn't be able to insert myself into your conversations."

"There is no need for such modesty. The bandits on Bald Eagle Mountain had been entrenched there for years, yet no one could ever conquer them. You led your troops into battle for the very first time and wiped out the bandits completely. You can truly be called the number one contributor."

To win Li Ye over, the Third Prince praised him to the high heavens, sparing no effort.

Yet Li Ye was no fool. With the entire capital mocking him, how could he possibly be considered the top contributor?

"Third Brother jests. I merely did everything I could to fulfill my assignment. Asking me to lead troops in combat—I am truly not cut out for that material."

"Yet His Majesty bestowed upon you five thousand troops and even allowed you to remain in the capital. Such trust is unprecedented."

"They are merely a band of old, weak, and disabled soldiers. I suppose His Majesty simply could not bear to watch me remain decadent and idle day after day, and thus gave me such a chore."

Li Ye refused to fall for the bait, every word demonstrating that he harbored no ambitions for the throne.

Princess Ruyue stepped forward and offered a slight curtsy.

In an instant, it was as though a hundred flowers were blooming in unison, leaving everyone utterly breathtakingly stunned.

Princess Ruyue truly lived up to her reputation as the peerless beauty of the Great Yuan.

Her skin was white as snow, her brows and eyes delicate and refined, and her large eyes shimmered with a charming, expressive depth as if they could speak.

Clad in a long white dress, she looked precisely like an immortal fairy descended from the heavens.

Let alone the men, even Xiaocui and Linyue felt an incomparable sense of astonishment.

"Ruyue pays her respects to the Sixth Highness!"

"Princess Ruyue need not stand on ceremony. Indeed, hearing of you a hundred times does not compare to seeing you once; I never imagined there could be such a beauty in this world."

"The Sixth Highness is far too kind. Just the two maidservants by your side are already one-in-a-million beauties. Ruyue is merely someone flattered by others."

"On this matter, I must scold you. Princess Ruyue is no outsider. For an imperial prince to act so distant, that is your fault."

Li Ye smiled and said, "I have always preferred commerce and only ever engage in coarse, vulgar matters. How would I ever dare to approach a celestial being like Princess Ruyue?"

"The Sixth Highness flatters people far too much! Ruyue has heard that the Sixth Highness frequently opens his purse to generously aid disaster-stricken commoners. Just this alone fills Ruyue with immense admiration."

Li Ye was immensely surprised.

The relief efforts for the commoners had all been conducted in secret, and only a few high-ranking officials of the imperial court were aware of them.

He had never publicized the matter outwardly.

He had not expected Princess Ruyue to be privy to these affairs as well.

Clearly, the Third Prince had been entirely unaware of this, and he froze slightly upon hearing her words.

A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, though he quickly masked it.

"I truly never imagined that Sixth Brother had even done such things."

Li Ye smiled and replied, "It was simply that the managers of my outer branch houses saw the disaster victims were too pitiful and used funds to purchase grain for relief. These are just ordinary trifles done to save face, not worth mentioning at all."

The Third Prince, Li Ruiming, did not see it that way at all.

Spending money to rescue the commoners—in his eyes, this was nothing less than buying the hearts of the people.

What kind of person would bother to buy the hearts of the people?

Only someone who harbored designs on the imperial throne.

Otherwise, no one would ever waste wealth on such thankless and unprofitable tasks.

This made him attach even greater importance to Li Ye, while also adding a layer of warfulness and caution.

"Come, come, come. Let us not stand here talking; let us sit down together and chat. I must tell you, I specifically requested Princess Ruyue to play a tune for us. Today, you are in for a wonderful feast for your ears."

"Wonderful. Folk legend says that Princess Ruyue's zither skills exist only in the heavens; to be able to listen to them today is truly my immense fortune accumulated over three lifetimes."

Li Ye said with a beaming smile.

Suddenly, an ill-timed voice rang out from behind him.

"Third Brother! You are making such a lively commotion here, why didn't you notify this Crown Prince? This Crown Prince also greatly appreciates Princess Ruyue's zither skills."

Li Ye turned his head to look, and the newcomer was none other than the Crown Prince, Li Zheng.

As it turned out, upon hearing that the Third Prince had invited Li Ye to a tea party, Li Zheng had rushed over immediately.

With his status, no one dared to block his path.

The expression on the Third Prince, Li Ruiming, shifted, but he quickly plastered a hypocritical smile across his face.

He offered a bow of respect: "Greetings, Crown Prince!"

Only then did he continue to explain, "His Highness the Crown Prince is burdened with affairs of state, and I assumed you would have no leisure for such idle matters, which is why I did not send an invitation. It seems I was mistaken; I shall certainly penalize myself with three cups of wine later."

Li Zheng ignored him entirely and instead looked directly at Li Ye.

"I must first congratulate Sixth Brother for winning His Majesty's favor and becoming the first prince among us brothers to command troops. I originally intended to go to your residence to celebrate, but upon hearing from the servants that you had come here to attend a tea party, I rushed right over. Third Brother won't mind my crashing this uninvited, will he?"

"What are you saying? The Crown Prince gracing this tea party brings immense splendor to my humble gathering; how could I possibly mind?"

No matter how displeased Li Ruiming felt, he could never show it on the surface.

Their primary objective today was to win over Li Ye.

It all depended on who could offer the higher price and pull Li Ye to their side.

In the future struggle for the throne, these five thousand troops would undoubtedly become a supremely critical asset.

Not a single person was willing to let go.

Even Li Zheng, who had previously experienced considerable friction and conflict with Li Ye, still put on a smiling face and feigned deep fraternal affection.

Qin Qingxue and Shi Wushuang also stepped forward, offering bows to both Li Ye and the Crown Prince simultaneously.

Their attitudes showed a stark contrast, and they pointedly targeted Li Ye.

Li Ye had arrived long before, yet the two women had ignored him entirely and pretended not to notice.

The moment the Crown Prince arrived and offered a greeting, the two of them hurried over to pay their respects.

This was a blatant display of contempt for Li Ye.

How could the Crown Prince, Li Zheng, fail to notice this?

A smile he could not contain spread across his face.

He had already regarded Shi Wushuang as his steadfast ally.

"For Third Brother to be able to invite Young Master Wushuang and General Changying, your prestige is truly not small."

"Not at all, not at all. I cannot compare to His Highness the Crown Prince! It is entirely thanks to Princess Ruyue's prestige. Today's gathering is mainly to converse on the arts of the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. With just a single word from Princess Ruyue, I daresay every young talent in the entire capital would flock here instantly."

Li Ruiming effortlessly deflected Li Zheng's sarcastic and cynical remarks.