Chapter 416 - 402 Stressed Out (3)
“Third Brother…”
“Let’s not talk about that. We shall head to the Yuan clan first.”
The Third Prince stopped the conversation.
Qiao Heting heaved a sigh of relief.
The Yuan Clan was completely unaware that the Third Prince and Qiao Heting had arrived.
Upon finding out who he was, Old Mrs. Yuan was flabbergasted. She hurriedly instructed the entire clan to treat the Third Prince with the utmost respect.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“There’s no need for that, madam. I’m sorry for visiting so suddenly and disturbing your family.”
The Third Prince was exceptionally polite.
“No, no. This is no trouble at all. It is the Yuan clan’s honor to receive you.
Please, Your Highness, come in.”
“Alright.”
The Third Prince led the way and walked into the Yuan clan.
No one could tell that the Third Prince was ill or weak in any way.
Old Mrs. Yuan was quite nervous.
After all, the Third Prince was a completely different kind of guest compared to the merchants that usually visited her. The prince was a member of the royal family!
If he wanted, he could destroy the entire Yuan clan with a single command.
Old Mrs. Yuan was extremely nervous and cautious. She couldn’t afford to make a single mistake.
The Third Prince said, “Old Mrs. Yuan, there’s no need to be so nervous. My visit today doesn’t carry any purpose or intent. I just thought I could come here to meet you and the others. If you are so afraid of me, I won’t dare to come into the Yuan clan anymore in the future. You’re grandson-in-law calls me Third Brother, so you can just treat me as a kid from a younger generation.”
“I can’t do something so disrespectful.”
“Sigh. It seems like I’m not welcome here. In that case, I shall take my leave now.”
“Your Highness, please stay. Since you’ve said so, I shall not insist on the etiquettes. Please, don’t get angry at me for it.”
“Why would I get angry? The Yuan clan is morally upright and often does good deeds for the people. I’ve heard about you all the way from the Imperial City. I admire Old Mrs. Yuan a lot for being able to manage the Yuan clan so well. I
think even the first lady of the biggest clan in the Imperial city might not be able to do something like this.”
“That’s too much of a praise, Your Highness. I haven’t done anything special.’
The conversation between the two of them was so polite that Qiao Heting almost fell asleep.
He didn’t know that his Third Brother could be so talkative!
The Third Prince didn’t stay in the Yuan clan for too long. He left after less than an hour.
Mrs. Yuan asked, “Mom, did the Third Prince visit suddenly because of the whole Xia clan incident?”
“Yes. I don’t think we can touch the Xia clan anymore. Tell everyone to be careful. Don’t go against the Xia clan anymore,” Old Mrs. Yuan said with a serious expression.
“Is His Highness…”
“Shush, don’t say anything that you shouldn’t say.”
Old Mrs. Yuan warned her daughter-in-law.
The Third Prince had his eyes on the Xia clan. So, the Yuan clan could not fight against the Third Prince for it.
If they accidentally offended the Third Prince, they would be the next in line to get dealt with.
Old Mrs. Yuan had been the chief of the Yuan clan for so many years. She had been through all kinds of challenging situations. Although the appearance of the Third Prince made her feel a little nervous, it wasn’t enough to make her paranoid.
At the very least, she was certain that the Third Prince didn’t intend to acquire the Yuan clan yet.
“Yes.
“You can leave now. I need to think about this.”
“Okay.”
Mrs. Yuan left the room, Old Mrs. Yuan was alone now.
Old Mrs. Yuan didn’t tell Mrs. Yuan that the Third Prince’s visit to Guangqing Province was probably related to the crown prince.
The emperor hadn’t decided on who would be the crown prince yet.
Although rumors had it that the Third Prince was ill and frail, he looked completely normal today. There was a good chance that he intended to fight for that position as well.
Old Mrs. Yuan didn’t want the Yuan clan to be involved in such a convoluted conflict.
All she wanted was for the Yuan clan to continue prospering in peace.
If they got involved in a conflict like that, even if they stood on the right side, there was a good chance that they would end up like the Xia clan.
Old Mrs. Yuan wasn’t a greedy person. She was fine with maintaining the status quo.
Her priority right now was coming up with a way to distance themselves from the Third Prince.
Old Mrs. Yuan was extremely stressed right now. She couldn’t help but sigh.
There wasn’t much planning she could do. They would have to play it by ear!
She hoped that Xie Heng would be successful enough in the future to be able to protect the Yuan clan.
Xie Heng wasn’t surprised at all when he saw the Third Prince.
The Third Prince came because of the message he sent.
Zhao Chuchu didn’t want the Xia Clan, so the Third Prince could take it over.
Although the Xia clan was on a downward spiral, one could not deny the sheer size of the clan. The Third Prince had many capable individuals under his command. It might not be a bad thing for the Xia clan to be acquired by the Third Prince.
“Zizhao, we meet again. How are you?” the Third Prince asked with a smile.
“Your Highness,” Xie Heng bowed and greeted him. “I’m great. Thank you for asking.”
The Third Prince held Xie Heng’s arm and stopped him from bowing. “There is no one else here, Zizhao. There’s no need for all the formalities. I’ve wanted to see you for a long time time. I didn’t expect this day to come so quickly. Let me thank you for the big gift first.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it. Zizhao, why are you studying at the Qingyang Academy? Wouldn’t the
Jiuli Academy be better?”
“I’m not sure. It feels better.”
“Hahaha.”
It’s rare to see the Third Prince laugh so heartily.
“Zizhao, as always, you do things differently from other people.”
“Perhaps it’s better to follow our hearts.”
“Yeah, right, follow our hearts. But I wonder what kind of heart Zizhao is following?”