Chapter 307 - 244: Less Talk, More Substance

Chapter 307: Chapter 244: Less Talk, More Substance

The man shook his head with a bitter smile. "Great Yan is no more. There are no princes anymore."

That was correct.

The man sitting in the carriage was indeed the long-missing Prince Yu, Yan Rui.

But today, his clothes were plain and his procession modest. Aside from his skin being a bit fairer than the average person’s, he looked nothing like a scion of the imperial family.

Upon hearing his words, the old eunuch became agitated.

"No! As long as you are here, Great Yan has not fallen."

Yan Rui didn’t respond. Instead, he turned to look out the window, muttering to himself, ’Distributing all the silver from the national treasury to the poor... what is this Wu Liangchen planning?’

"Prince, you needn’t concern yourself with that treacherous usurper. The man is clearly bringing ruin to our Great Yan! To think he’d give the treasury’s silver to the poor—if that isn’t a sin, what is!" the old eunuch said through gritted teeth.

Yan Rui sighed. "Even if he is a treacherous usurper, what can you do about it?"

The old eunuch faltered at his words and said no more.

Because what Yan Rui said was true. Even if you knew he was a treacherous usurper, what could you do?

Never mind Yan Rui, who was now all alone; even warlords with powerful armies wouldn’t dare to lightly provoke a top-tier Martial Artist like Wu Liangchen.

Hadn’t Zhang Pengcheng, the very man Yan Rui had persuaded to march on Kyoto and "protect the king," fled in the middle of the night without so much as a word after hearing what had happened in the capital?

"What kind of damn world is this? A bunch of dirt-poor peasants getting ideas above their station!" the old eunuch muttered resentfully, glaring at the cheerful crowds outside.

"Let’s go," Yan Rui said wearily, letting the curtain fall.

"Master, where are we going?" the old eunuch immediately asked in a hushed voice.

"To find Wu Liangchen!"

"Of course... What?" The old eunuch started to agree before the words registered, and he turned to stare at Yan Rui in astonishment.

"Master, you mustn’t do anything foolish! We may be at a disadvantage now, but if we bide our time and plan carefully, we can certainly eradicate the traitors and restore Great Yan..."

Yan Rui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Enough, enough. I’m not an idiot; I don’t need you to remind me. I have my reasons for seeking out Wu Liangchen."

The old eunuch finally breathed a sigh of relief, then said with a sheepish smile, "Master is wise. That sets my mind at ease."

The carriage then headed toward Cannon Factory Alley.

By now, everyone in Kyoto knew that Wu Liangchen was staying with the Xu family in Cannon Factory Alley, so finding him was easy.

However, the carriage couldn’t even reach the mouth of the alley.

The path ahead was blocked by a dense crowd of people who had come to express their gratitude.

But despite the sheer number of people, the crowd was perfectly orderly. No one was even speaking loudly.

After all, everyone knew that Master Wu preferred peace and quiet, so no one dared to cause a disturbance.

The old eunuch went ahead to scout the path, then returned with a worried expression.

"Master, there are too many people up ahead. We can’t get through at all."

"Then we’ll wait," Yan Rui said coolly.

Gazing at the surrounding crowd—a mob of ragged, stinking commoners—and then at the solidly frozen road, the old eunuch’s face was a mask of distress.

"But, Master..."

"No ’buts.’ If others can wait, so can I," Yan Rui said evenly.

Resigned, the old eunuch squeezed back through the crowd and returned, having procured a folding stool from somewhere.

"Master, please sit while you wait."

"There’s no need. I’m not tired," Yan Rui said flatly.

The old eunuch didn’t dare say another word. He knew Yan Rui’s temperament. Once his master’s tone turned like this, it meant his mind was made up, and nothing anyone said would be of any use.

He could only stand beside him, folding stool in hand, and wait.

Time ticked by. Soon, the sun began to dip toward the west. Winter days were short, and before long, the sky grew dark.

Pinpricks of light appeared in the distance. A wind had kicked up at some point, chilling them to the bone.

A few scattered snowflakes began to fall, adding to the bitter cold.

Yet the waiting crowd did not disperse; on the contrary, it grew even larger.

Just then, however, Jiang Feng arrived and called out in a loud voice, "Friends, good people, please return home! Master Wu says he appreciates the sentiment, but it’s freezing out here. It’s no use for you to wait, so please, go home."

Other Martial Artists beside him echoed the sentiment, shouting, "Hurry on home now! It’s getting late! Go have dinner!"

With constables helping to maintain order, the crowd finally began to disperse.

But Yan Rui did not leave.

By now, his face was a pale blue from the cold, and his body was trembling slightly.

Even so, he did not retreat, but continued to hold his ground.

The old eunuch was also so cold he was grimacing, the snot in his nose frozen solid.

He said, his voice trembling, "Master, why don’t you return to the carriage and rest for a while? I can keep watch here."

"That’s not necessary. I’m fine," Yan Rui replied, his gaze more resolute than ever.

By this point, the crowd had mostly dispersed, making Yan Rui and the eunuch, who hadn’t moved from their spot, stand out conspicuously.

Seeing this, Jiang Feng couldn’t help but frown.

He was too far away to make out their faces or clothing clearly, but they looked like a master and his servant.

’What could they want, waiting to see Wu Liangchen?’

’Could they have some business with him?’

With that thought, Jiang Feng strode toward them.

"You two should head home. Master Wu said he’s not seeing..."

Jiang Feng froze mid-sentence, because he recognized the two men.

The man in the lead was dressed plainly and his face was pale blue with cold, but Jiang Feng’s impression of him was far too profound. He recognized him in an instant.