Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Blind Prince

The setting sun cast its final rays.

Zhou Hao Chen, aboard a boat, leisurely returned to the Prince's residence.

"It's almost evening; even if there were any disasters, they should have passed by now," Zhou Hao Chen mused to himself.

But as the group arrived back at the Prince's residence, Zhou Hao Chen was dumbfounded.

Where was the Prince's residence?

Where was my Prince's residence?

Why was there only a giant pit?

Qin Qiu Lan's red lips parted wide, and the surprise in her almond-shaped eyes was extremely intense, like a spring about to overflow.

"Your Highness, the Prince's residence is gone! It's become a giant pit!"

"Your Highness, be careful; there are remnants of a battle between experts here."

He Lian Hai stepped forward, his tone grave.

He could still sense the residual aura of powerful figures clashing within the Prince's residence.

The aura was still extremely strong, indicating that the battle had not occurred long ago.

A demon hunter from the Town Demon Division, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed over upon seeing Zhou Hao Chen's return.

Even though it was already winter, he was covered in sweat due to nervousness.

"This humble one, a demon hunter from the Town Demon Division, greets Your Highness."

"What happened to my Prince's residence?" Zhou Hao Chen asked, his voice subdued.

But the words landed in the demon hunter's ears like thunder.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he trembled nervously.

"Your Highness, Chief He was investigating the White Lotus Sect case and fought with the villains, and he accidentally… turned Your Highness's Prince's residence into…"

"Really accidentally?"

"This… really… accidentally…"

The demon hunter wore a bitter expression, and cold sweat uncontrollably poured from his forehead.

"Humph—"

"I'll just assume that Chief He was being careless."

"Which villain did Chief He capture? Was it Zhao Wang's Chief Secretary, Tai Shu Qing?"

"This… it wasn't…"

"Then who was it?"

Under Zhou Hao Chen's almost interrogative tone, the demon hunter's voice turned bitter.

"It was the North Dipper Lord of Black Street."

"Humph— Chief He is truly handling the case well, not catching the White Lotus Sect members, but fighting wits and courage with Black Street all day long?"

Zhou Hao Chen's tone was extremely dissatisfied, like a volcano about to erupt.

Investigating the case was fine!

But destroying his Prince's residence, what was that all about?

If not for the divination, he would have truly been sitting at home when disaster struck from the sky.

"Where is Chief He? Doesn't he have an explanation for me?"

Just then, Grand Eunuch Wei, the Emperor Qian Yuan's attendant, hurriedly arrived, followed by He Shen Xing, who wore a solemn expression and carried a thorny branch on his back.

Grand Eunuch Wei said to Zhou Hao Chen in a fawning voice.

"Your Highness, Chief He knows he is guilty and has come to ask Your Highness for punishment."

"This subject begs Thirteenth Prince for punishment."

He Shen Xing knelt on one knee, lowering his head to plead guilty to Zhou Hao Chen.

Zhou Hao Chen's nose was almost crooked with anger.

For the dignified Chief of the Town Demon Division to carry thorns and beg for punishment from a powerless prince like him, if he still fussed over it, then he would be unreasonable and ungrateful.

Zhou Hao Chen didn't know what He Shen Xing was thinking in his heart or how sincere he was.

Moreover, Grand Eunuch Wei had accompanied him, and Grand Eunuch Wei represented the Emperor Qian Yuan's will.

Who would dare not give face to the Emperor Qian Yuan?

"Chief He, please rise quickly. You were also trying to capture the White Lotus Sect demons; how could I be unreasonable?"

Zhou Hao Chen made a gesture with both hands, and He Shen Xing took the opportunity to stand up.

"Chief He, I heard from the demon hunter that you were trying to capture the North Dipper Lord of Black Street. I wonder if you succeeded?"

He Shen Xing shook his head, revealing a regretful expression.

"Chen Bei Dou is cunning and treacherous; I was momentarily careless and let him escape."

The corners of Zhou Hao Chen's mouth twitched slightly.

He always felt that Chief He, the Chief of the Town Demon Division, was too unreliable.

Why would Father Emperor choose He Shen Xing to be the Chief of the Town Demon Division?

Just because He Shen Xing was loyal?

Just because He Shen Xing was a subordinate from his days in the hidden residence and had contributed to his rise to power?

Seeing that the atmosphere was about to freeze again, Grand Eunuch Wei quickly stepped forward to ease the tension.

"By imperial decree, the Thirteenth Prince captured White Lotus Sect demons during the Earth Mother Festival and made meritorious contributions to solving the case, so the Wu Prince's residence is bestowed upon you, by imperial order."

"This son thanks Father Emperor!"

Zhou Hao Chen bowed towards the direction of the palace.

What meritorious service in capturing White Lotus Sect demons, so the Wu Prince's residence was bestowed.

These were all excuses.

If it were because of the merits of the Earth Mother Festival, the reward of the Prince's residence would have been given long ago; why would it have been delayed until today?

The Emperor Qian Yuan was clearly helping He Shen Xing clean up the mess.

It was evident how highly the Emperor Qian Yuan regarded He Shen Xing.

Zhou Hao Chen even suspected that He Shen Xing was the Emperor Qian Yuan's illegitimate son.

Otherwise, how could he be so tolerant of him?

Taking action against Black Street and causing such a commotion, there were no signs of punishing He Shen Xing.

"Your Highness, His Majesty knows that your Prince's residence was destroyed in the battle and has specially bestowed the Wu Prince's residence upon you as a favor, and also bestowed one hundred taels of gold as compensation."

"Please, Your Highness, do not hold a grudge against Lord He."

Grand Eunuch Wei said to Zhou Hao Chen.

Zhou Hao Chen noncommittally nodded slightly.

The Emperor Qian Yuan's compensation plan could be said to be very sincere.

The residences of the princes differed in regulations, and the sizes varied greatly.

Among all the adult princes of the Emperor Qian Yuan, the Crown Prince's East Palace was undoubtedly the most magnificent.

Secondly, there were princes like the Second Prince and the Sixth Prince, who had deep backgrounds.

Princes like Zhou Hao Chen and the Fourteenth Prince, whose maternal families were declining and who were not favored by the Emperor Qian Yuan, had very ordinary residences, not considered luxurious and far inferior to the residences of the commandery princes and dukes.

As for the Wu Prince's residence that the Emperor Qian Yuan bestowed today, it was different.

The Wu Prince's residence was one of the top-tier Prince's residences in Jade Capital City.

The original owner was the former Wu Prince's residence. The former Wu Prince was a contemporary of the Emperor Qian Yuan and committed suicide after failing in the struggle for the throne.

Afterwards, the Wu Prince's residence had been vacant and had not been bestowed upon others by the Emperor Qian Yuan.

This could be considered a bargain for Zhou Hao Chen.

"To clean up the mess for He Shen Xing, Father Emperor actually bestowed the Wu Prince's residence upon me."

"Could there be any deeper meaning?"

Zhou Hao Chen thought for a long time but could not figure out any deeper meaning.

No matter how he looked at it, this action seemed like cleaning up the mess for an illegitimate son.

That night, Zhou Hao Chen moved into the Wu Prince's residence.

The Wu Prince's residence occupied more than five times the area of Zhou Hao Chen's previous Prince's residence, which was a considerable upgrade.

"Your Highness, the Wu Prince's residence has been uninhabited for many years. I'll have the servants clean up your bedroom first. Please make do tonight. The rest of the place will probably have to wait until tomorrow to be arranged," Qin Qiu Lan said softly.

Qin Qiu Lan was fully responsible for the move, and she was so busy that her feet barely touched the ground.

"Aunt Lan, thank you for your hard work."

… …

Hundred Herb Garden.

Located next to the Wu Prince's residence.

The owner of the Hundred Herb Garden was once a wealthy Qing Zhou merchant.

This merchant specially built the Hundred Herb Garden to please the Wu Prince.

At its peak, hundreds of flowers bloomed in the Hundred Herb Garden, like a fairyland, fragrant all year round.

After the Wu Prince fought for the throne, this merchant also did not have a good end.

His family was destroyed, all the male members were exiled, and the female members were sent to the Education Department.

This Hundred Herb Garden also became deserted and overgrown with weeds.

At this time, the Hundred Herb Garden, which should have been deserted for a long time and empty, lit up with a faint light.

A young girl with a cold temperament and delicate features sat in a wheelchair, holding a book in her hand, exuding a scholarly aura from the heart.

The girl's appearance was stunningly beautiful, unforgettable at a glance.

But what was even more impressive was the girl's skin.

Her skin was as white as snow, crystal clear, flawless, like the finest jade. The skin had a transparent luster, as if it naturally had a soft light.

Behind the wheelchair, a maid in blue clothes had bulging cheeks.

"Miss, someone has moved into the Wu Prince's residence next door."

"If they move in, they move in. Why are you paying attention to these things? It has nothing to do with us."

"Miss, how can it not matter? We are neighbors after all…"

"Eat your osmanthus cake."

"But… if the newcomers encounter the Rakshasa ghost of the Wu Prince's residence, wouldn't their lives be in danger…"

"Let them die!"

"If they die at the hands of the Rakshasa ghost, that is their fate."

The girl said calmly, her temperament as cold as a fairy in the Guanghan Palace.

The maid stuck out her tongue: "Miss, why do you have a sharp tongue and a soft heart?"

"You obviously care about the Rakshasa ghost in the Wu Prince's residence, and you are worried that the Rakshasa ghost will do evil, and you even deliberately added a formation…"

"Eat, keep eating, even osmanthus cake can't shut your mouth."

This jade-like person who seemed like a fairy in the Guanghan Palace was defeated by the maid's words, and glared angrily, stuffing all the remaining three pieces of osmanthus cake into the maid's mouth.

"Of course osmanthus cake can't shut it."

"How… it also needs three braised pork knuckles!"

"Hehe…"

The maid's Adam's apple rolled, and her mouth watered.