Chapter 75

Song Xinghai knew that the case of Pan Shijian and his son had once again become a political game between two powerful figures. The Loyal Prince would certainly negotiate with the Holy Emperor to protect his capable subordinate. The Holy Emperor would agree not to punish Pan Shijian, and in return, the Loyal Prince would give up his position as the Governor of the Imperial Capital. This might be the result of their compromise.

Since Song Xinghai truly entered the arena of power struggles, he found that the deceit and intrigue within were far beyond his imagination. This completely overturned his previous worldview. Whether he liked it or not, it was too late to back out now. He needed to quickly strengthen himself to protect his family's safety.

Fortunately, he had his son to help him. Song Xinghai always felt that Song Li was naturally suited for politics.

"Old Six, I want to see that little guy Song Li," Song Xinghai thought of his son, but unexpectedly, the Holy Emperor said this.

"Huh? Why is Your Majesty thinking of that little rascal? He's like a mischievous monkey, always causing trouble. I'm afraid he doesn't know proper etiquette and might upset Your Majesty."

"Who said that? The last time in the grand hall, I thought he was quite clever," Song Xingtian smiled. "Don't you think Song Li is a great lucky charm?"

Song Xinghai thought about it and realized it was true. Last time, he had coincidentally overheard the conspiracy of Prince Kang and others, which helped the Holy Emperor remove a thorn in his side. This time, due to the conflict with Pan Shaofeng, the Holy Emperor obtained evidence of Pan Shijian's crimes. Thinking about it, the kid really was a lucky charm.

"Summon him to the palace, I want to see him," Song Xingtian said with a smile.

Song Li was just about to go out when he saw Uncle Fu leading an eunuch towards his residence.

"Hey, Eunuch Gao, what wind blew you here?" Song Li smiled and greeted him.

The eunuch named Gao grinned. "Prince, your sweet talk is no wonder why the Holy Emperor likes you so much."

The Holy Emperor likes me? How did this happen? Song Li was taken aback. Although he admitted that he had made significant contributions in the recent struggles between the Holy Emperor and the Loyal Prince, he had always let his father take the credit. Could it be that his father, in a moment of happiness, let something slip to the Holy Emperor? The only time the Holy Emperor had shown any particular interest in him was when he and his mother played a trick on the ministers in the grand hall. That was just teamwork to outmaneuver their opponents, not a sign of affection.

"The Holy Emperor specifically sent me to summon you, Prince. With the Loyal Prince in high favor, you are also rising in status. This is truly a cause for celebration," Eunuch Gao smiled. In the Holy Lion Empire, the status of eunuchs was far from that of the powerful eunuchs in ancient times. They were merely servants of the Holy Emperor. When the Holy Emperor favored someone, they had to curry favor with that person. Now that Song Xinghai was getting everything he wanted from the Holy Emperor, he was considered the chief confidant and the most favored person. As the legitimate heir of the Ming王府, Song Li naturally received their utmost respect.

The Holy Emperor wants to see me? This was unexpected. He was planning to go to the market to buy materials for alchemy, but since the Holy Emperor summoned him, he had to postpone it.

"Is my father also with the Holy Emperor, Eunuch Gao?" Song Li bid farewell to Uncle Fu and followed Eunuch Gao into the palace carriage.

"Yes, the Holy Emperor and the Loyal Prince are having a heart-to-heart talk in the imperial study, and they seem to be getting along well."

Hearing this, Song Li felt relieved. If they were having a good talk, it was unlikely that he was in trouble. He thought carefully and was confident that he hadn't done anything to upset the Holy Emperor. He was also pleased that the Holy Emperor seemed to trust his father, inviting him to the imperial study, a private space, which was a rare honor.

With Eunuch Gao leading the way, they passed through the vast palace without any obstacles. Song Li, who had lived in the palace for a while as the study companion of the Fourth Prince in his childhood, still had some memories of the place.

Thinking of the Fourth Prince, that devious guy, Song Li still had some lingering shadows in his heart. That kid was full of malice, but he always pretended to be a good child in front of his parents. Whenever he caused trouble, he would subtly shift the blame to others, and because of his good behavior, the Holy Emperor and the Empress always believed it was someone else's fault. Song Li didn't get many benefits from being with him, but he did end up taking the blame for a lot of things. The reason he was eventually expelled from the palace was due to the Fourth Prince. In Song Li's childhood memories, the Fourth Prince was an unavoidable obstacle.

While recalling these unhappy memories, a palace maid walked towards him along the winding corridor. She was slender and beautiful, moving gracefully, clearly well-trained in etiquette. Song Li, being a young man with a fondness for beautiful women, couldn't help but look at her a few times.

As the maid passed a moon gate, a large hand suddenly reached out from behind it and pulled her in! The maid let out a short scream, which was quickly muffled, probably by a hand covering her mouth.

With his keen senses and excellent eyesight, Song Li clearly saw that the hand was large and rough, definitely a man's. Damn, someone dared to molest a palace maid in broad daylight? Palace maids were reserved for the Holy Emperor, and no one could touch them without risking their entire family's lives.

What surprised Song Li was that Eunuch Gao, who was walking in front, clearly saw this but pretended not to notice. What was going on?

Song Li's anger flared up. From the maid's scream, it was clear that she was terrified and resisting, proving that she was being forced. Song Li knew that the only men who could be in the palace were the Holy Emperor or the young princes, as the imperial guards always moved in groups. The Holy Emperor was in the imperial study with Song Xinghai, so it couldn't be him. Among the seven princes, the first three were already adults and had moved out of the palace, leaving four princes who were still receiving court education. The Fourth Prince, Song Sidao, was the same age as Song Li, both sixteen, with the Fourth Prince being a few days older. The Fifth Prince was only eleven, and the Sixth and Seventh Princes were still infants, too young to be involved in such activities. Therefore, the man who dared to molest the palace maid in broad daylight must be the Fourth Prince.

Damn, they always meet in the most unexpected places. Although Song Li was the heir of the Loyal Prince and one of the top figures among the young nobles in the capital, he was still a step below the princes. He could have chosen to ignore it like Eunuch Gao, but he couldn't do that. If Song Li were the kind of person who turned a blind eye to injustice, he wouldn't have formed the Justice Alliance to fight for justice when he was weaker.

There were too many injustices in the world, and he couldn't possibly handle them all, but he would never stand by when he saw injustice right in front of him, even if the perpetrator was a prince. His sense of justice compelled him to act!

Seeing Song Li about to rush into the moon gate, Eunuch Gao quickly pulled him back, panicking. "My dear, what are you doing? You can't get involved in palace affairs. It could cost you your head!"

"What's wrong with the palace? The palace can't be a den of iniquity!" Song Li shook off Eunuch Gao's grip and slipped past him like a fish.

"Do you know who that person is? You can't afford to offend him," Eunuch Gao whispered from behind.

Song Li pretended not to hear. Fortunately, Eunuch Gao didn't say the person's name; otherwise, it would have made things more complicated.

After entering the moon gate, he found himself in a large garden. Not far away was a rockery, and the bushes behind it were trembling. Song Li knew the two must be entangled there. He moved quickly and reached the bushes in one stride. He saw a man in a light yellow brocade robe, wearing a golden crown, pressing a palace maid to the ground, trying to kiss her forcefully. The maid's head was shaking violently, trying to avoid his advances. They were silent, but their movements were intense.

Song Li pounced, extending his left hand to grab the man's waistband and dragging him up. With his right hand, he delivered two resounding slaps! Song Li had become quite skilled at slapping, his movements fluid and graceful, without a hint of violence. Even the beautiful maid was stunned, her mouth forming an "O" in surprise, forgetting to get up.

"Who are you, daring to sneak into the palace to commit such a crime? Eunuch Gao, quickly call the imperial guards to arrest him!" Song Li saw Eunuch Gao peeking from outside and decided to drag him into the situation. He thought, "You can't stay out of this. If it comes to the Holy Emperor, I'll need you to testify."

The young man in the brocade robe was clearly stunned. No one had ever dared to slap him before, so he was momentarily speechless.

Although it had been years, Song Li still recognized the young man in the brocade robe as the Fourth Prince, Song Sidao. His features hadn't changed much since childhood.

"You scoundrel! How dare you hit me?" The Fourth Prince finally recovered, pointing at Song Li's forehead and shouting, "Guards, drag this rebel out and beat him to death!"

"Hey, I thought it was a pervert sneaking into the palace, but it's the Fourth Prince," Song Li feigned surprise. "What were you doing on top of that girl, Fourth Prince?"

The Fourth Prince was clearly taken aback, asking, "Do you know me?"

Song Li continued, "Of course, I recognize you. What were you doing to that girl just now?"