Chapter 5

### Chapter 5: A False Alarm

For half a day, the prince remained in the small study without coming out. He did not allow anyone to enter and disturb him. The two attendants guarding outside were on edge, as the sounds from inside did not seem like someone reading but rather like a disturbance. Suddenly, the room fell silent, and one of the attendants, a young eunuch, mustered the courage to ask, "Your Highness, are you still there?" If anything happened to the prince, they would all be buried alive.

"Hack, hack, I'm fine!" came the prince's coughing voice from inside.

"Oh, this servant is waiting outside!" The young eunuch was relieved. He was willing to let the prince do as he pleased; everyone knew the prince was not normal. As long as he was unharmed, the higher-ups would not blame them. A few curious heads in the courtyard quickly retreated back inside.

After a while, the prince, with a blackened face, disheveled hair, and dirty clothes, emerged from the study, holding a book box as if he were walking on clouds. "Go clean up the study. I'm going to wash up, hack, hack," he said, then turned and walked straight to his room.

"Yes, yes!" The two young eunuchs, who were used to the prince's unkempt appearance, were still startled today. It took them a while to react and remember to bow.

Once inside the study, the two young eunuchs turned and ran out, their legs trembling. "Quick, inform the chief eunuch! This is a big deal, and we can't handle it!" one said with a trembling voice, while the other nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. Upon receiving the report, the chief eunuch of the prince's residence, Huang Jingchen, hurried over. The smoke in the study had not yet dissipated. He ordered the young eunuchs to open all the windows to disperse the smoke before entering. He shook his head and smiled wryly. The once tidy study looked as if it had been struck by lightning. The fine zitan desk was dented and pitted, and the iron hammer on the ground looked like the culprit. The glass pen washer, the Duan inkstone given by the empress, and the set of imperial Jun porcelain teacups were all shattered. Two tattered copies of the *Analects* lay on the ground, and the 'Spring Hundred Flowers' painting by the emperor had several large holes. He couldn't imagine how the young prince had turned the study into such a mess.

"Sigh, clean it up and get a new set from the inner treasury!" Huang Jingchen sighed and said lightly, treating it as a child's mischief.

A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall. Oucheng understood his current situation and became more cautious. He no longer sneaked out of the residence to play but instead maintained a simple lifestyle, going from his room to the garden and back. In the morning, he no longer went to the garden but only walked around the courtyard, then went to the large study with Jianxi to attend class. After class, he immediately returned to his courtyard. In the afternoon, he stayed in his bedroom or the small study.

In the evening, Oucheng never left his bedroom. The inner courtyard was home to many people, including the chief eunuch, two lower-ranking eunuchs in charge of finances and procurement, and ten young eunuchs responsible for various tasks. There were also two female officials in their thirties, appointed by the palace, who led over a dozen maids and servants responsible for his daily life. In the entire courtyard, he was the only real man.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5" Oucheng's body rose and fell, sweat dripping like beans. "99, 100" After completing a hundred push-ups, he lay on the bed, panting heavily, too exhausted to even wipe the sweat from his face. After a while, Oucheng caught his breath, turned over, and started a hundred sit-ups, followed by a hundred wall squats. By the time he finished the physical training, it had been over half an hour, and the sound of the time-keeping gong outside indicated it was now the hour of Hai.

He dried his body, lay on the bed, and rubbed his sore abdomen, preparing to sleep. Suddenly, a light sound came from the roof. Oucheng pulled out a gun from under his pillow and rolled off the bed, hiding in the shadows. The footsteps stopped at the eaves, and a shadow appeared on the window. Oucheng held his breath, gun in hand, and watched the figure, waiting for its next move.

What happened next confused him. The figure observed for a moment, then suddenly pushed open the window and climbed in. "Damn, is he after me?" Oucheng quietly cocked the hammer, aiming the gun at the shadow, but soon lowered it, a smile forming on his lips.

"Assassin, there's an assassin!" The prince's room suddenly echoed with a shrill cry. The shadow, carrying a bundle, was startled by the sudden shout, tripped on the window curtain, and fell to the ground, spilling gold and silver objects everywhere, with coins rolling in all directions.

Oucheng shouted loudly and quickly closed and locked the window. If the intruder panicked and returned, taking him hostage, it would be a disaster. The shrill, terrifying child's voice carried far in the quiet night, and the night watchmen immediately sounded the alarm, shouting loudly.

Oucheng hid under the window, watching. Good, the shouts of "Catch the assassin!" echoed throughout the courtyard, followed by the sound of doors being pushed open. Dozens of men and women rushed out, the women with half-exposed chests and disheveled hair, the eunuchs with disheveled hair, barefoot, and in large pants. Their weapons were varied: some young eunuchs held flower pots, bricks, and brooms, while the maids carried laundry sticks and clotheslines. The kitchen staff had the most advanced weapons, with two wielding kitchen knives and the rest holding rolling pins.

The lanterns in the courtyard were quickly lit, illuminating the area. Oucheng watched with interest. Although many people had come out, they were hesitant to approach, creating a threatening but ineffective scene. The intruder, perhaps not expecting such a large response, was stunned, took a few steps back, and drew a dagger, standing against the wall, ready to fight. The intruder faced off against the disheveled crowd.

"Attack him!" The crowd heard the prince's long, drawn-out cry and realized the prince was still inside. If anything happened to him, they would all be executed.

Thud! A night pot thrown by a servant hit the "assassin" on the head. This was the start, and soon various projectiles rained down, creating a chaotic scene. The "assassin," likely a novice, was hit several times before regaining his senses and fleeing, climbing onto the roof and jumping over the low wall of the inner courtyard. The crowd watched as the "assassin" disappeared into the darkness.

"Thank goodness it was just a thief. If it had been a real assassin, I couldn't have counted on these people!" Oucheng muttered, watching the farcical rescue scene. From the moment the shadow entered the room and headed straight for the cabinet, he knew it was a thief, not an assassin, and there was no need to kill him and reveal his secret weapon prematurely. Now, he needed to be low-key.

"Your Highness, Your Highness!" Oucheng heard people rushing into the room, searching for him. He knew it was time to make his appearance. He slapped his nose, causing snot and tears to flow, and smeared his face, then collapsed on the ground, looking as if he were about to die.

"Your Highness!" The first to find Oucheng were Huahua and Guigui, who slept in the outer room. Seeing the prince with a bloody face crouched in the corner, Huahua's legs gave out, and she almost dropped the candlestick, trembling and unable to move. Guigui, being older, knelt down and checked Oucheng's breathing, finding he was still alive, and called for help.

"Quick, call the doctor!" Huang Jingchen lived in a separate house in the back courtyard and missed the "battle." He was experienced and immediately ordered someone to fetch the prince's dedicated doctor, who lived outside the courtyard.

Doctor Wang was unfortunate. He had just become the head of the imperial medical institute at the age of sixty when he was blamed for the second prince's illness, which he "cured" to death. He was waiting to be executed at the Meridian Gate when the second prince miraculously recovered. He was stripped of his position but spared his life and sent here to atone for his sins.

Hearing that the prince was in trouble, Doctor Wang rushed to the inner courtyard with his medical kit. Seeing Oucheng with a dirty face, closed eyes, and foaming at the mouth, he kneeled, his legs giving out. "Doctor Wang, quickly examine the prince!" Huang Jingchen, seeing Doctor Wang in a daze, pulled him over.

The old man steadied himself, had a young eunuch bring the candle closer, and crawled forward, trembling, to feel the prince's pulse. "Thank goodness, he's not dead!" He was terrified; the emperor had warned him that if anything happened to the second prince again, it would not just be his life but his entire family's. Now, he felt relieved as long as the prince was alive.

"The prince is not in mortal danger, but he has been severely shocked and needs to be properly treated!" Doctor Wang, with years of experience, carefully felt the prince's pulse. He found it steady and strong, healthier than himself, but he couldn't say that. After a moment's thought, he fabricated an illness for Oucheng.

"Why is the prince still unconscious?" Guigui, holding Oucheng and sobbing, asked.

"Let me apply acupuncture, and the prince will wake up!" Doctor Wang, feeling confident, took out his needle kit, selected the longest silver needle, and inserted it into Oucheng's philtrum.

"Ah!" The effect was immediate. The prince shouted, "Alive!" and started waving his arms and legs, shouting, "Assassin, catch the assassin!" "Your Highness, it wasn't an assassin, but a thief who stole things and has been driven away!" Guigui quickly comforted Oucheng, holding him in her arms.

"Back to the capital, I want to return to the palace, I won't stay here anymore!" Oucheng looked at the relieved crowd and cried out.