Chapter 46

46 RUN, BAI CHEN! RUN!

Ma Qiao could babble like a vegetable seller in the market when he explained about the Rongyao Imperial Palace, but the male servant suddenly stopped being a chatterbox and hid behind Bai Chen when they finally arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace.

“What are you doing?” Bai Chen whispered to the servant because what the servant did was quite embarrassing.

Several imperial guards were guarding the Crown Prince’s palace, and they were frowning at him because his servant was behaving strangely. Those guards probably would mistake the two of them for some lunatics, and maybe they would kick their butt if Ma Qiao didn’t stop his weird action.

“Aiyah! The Crown Prince is so scary, Your Highness! He doesn’t like you, and he doesn’t like me either. The last time we met, he kept glaring at me! He’s so scary, Your Highness!”

Bai Chen facepalmed when he heard his servant’s words. Even an annoying servant like Ma Qiao was afraid of the Crown Prince, so the Crown Prince must be really intimidating.

‘I have met the Crown Prince once, and even if he didn’t say anything, he did look scary. What will happen when he opens his mouth? Will fire emit from it instead of words?’ Bai Chen stupidly thought as he suppressed his laughter.

Ignoring his silly thoughts, he then focused his blue eyes on the palace in front of him. It was a palace within a palace, and there was also a tall gate guarded by several imperial guards. From the outside, Bai Chen could see that the palace was much bigger than his own, and every corner of it screamed luxury even if he was still outside the palace right now.

The palace looked terrifying to a Prince who had lived outside the palace like Bai Chen, and he even wondered if the real Bai Chen in this world had visited this palace or not.

‘Ma Qiao had confirmed that the Crown Prince did not like Prince Bai Chen, so perhaps Prince Bai Chen had never bothered to visit this place. Why should he visit someone who didn’t like him?’ Bai Chen thought. If it was him, he would definitely avoid those who hated him at all costs.

.....

It was like his principles when he was still living in his previous life, but he knew that he couldn’t be like that now. He was already in front of the palace, and there was no way he could back down after walking so far from his palace. Moreover, the imperial guards guarding the gates had seen him, so he would be like a loser if he retreated.

“Just wait for me here,” Bai Chen spoke to his servant like a gentleman, and his servant widened his dark eyes.

“Are you sure, Your Highness?” The servant asked in a worried tone.

However, Bai Chen didn’t bother to answer and just started to carry his long legs towards the gate guarded by several imperial guards. Stopping in front of the gate, the young guards did not immediately open the gate for him, and instead, they seemed to have increased their vigilance upon his arrival.

‘Do I look like a robber about to rob the Crown Prince’s palace?’ He pitifully thought to himself, but then he shook his head as he opened his lips to speak to the young guards. “I would like to see His Highness the Crown Prince today. Can you inform him that his brother has come for him?”

Bai Chen elegantly spoke to the imperial guards, and he even admired the grace that he had just shown to the two guards just now. He felt that he managed to emulate those actors in the historical dramas he used to watch in his previous life, and he thought he was pretty cool now.

???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.????????????

But, instead of feeling weighed down by his grace, the two guards simply stared at each other before one of them replied, “You are Prince Bai Chen, right? Do you have an appointment with His Highness the Crown Prince to meet in the palace today?”

Bai Chen had gone to great lengths to speak like the royal family he had seen in several plays, but the guard answered him with no respect at all. The guard did not salute him, and instead, he looked straight into his blue eyes without the slightest bit of respect in his eyes.

Bai Chen had guessed that the people in this empire were indeed biased against him, but he was still shocked when he even received such treatment from a mere imperial guard.

‘Even if the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the officials looked down on me, I didn’t expect that such a lowly guard would dare to look down on me too. Just, what kind of person was Bai Chen before I transmigrated into this world?’ Bai Chen gritted his teeth furiously.

“I don’t have an appointment with His Highness the Crown Prince, but I’m the Prince of this kingdom, and I’m also the younger brother of the Crown Prince. I have something important to discuss with His Highness, so please allow me to see His Highness.”

Bai Chen couldn’t believe it at all. Just to meet his brother, he had to argue with the guards, and he even had to beg. ‘Thankfully, my sister in my previous life wasn’t a Crown Princess,’ he lamented helplessly.

“If you don’t have an appointment with His Highness the Crown Prince, then you cannot meet him today. I’ll let His Highness know that you requested an audience with him, so maybe you can come back tomorrow after I make an appointment for you.”

Bai Chen almost lost his temper. ‘Is the Crown Prince a doctor or what? Why should I make an appointment just to talk to him?’

But before he shouted angrily and might accidentally trigger the system, he kept chanting “Enduring humiliations in line of duty[1]” in his head so he could pretend that the humiliation was like a blessing.

“I came here from my palace, and I will only speak with His Highness for a moment. I promise it won’t take long. Can you let me in?”

“Sorry, But His Highness has told us not to accept anyone without an appointment.”

“...” Bai Chen was enraged. He knew that this conversation was pointless, and he immediately tugged on his white robes slightly to get ready for the thing he should have done a few minutes ago.

‘Maybe my body is not as big as them, but I’m a good runner,’ Bai Chen smirked as he glared at the two guards.

He was ready to run past the guards so he could meet the Crown Prince, but an unfamiliar voice suddenly greeted his ears.

“What’s going on here?”

Bai Chen was still lifting his robes, exposing his ankles and a small portion of his shins, and he froze as he cast his gaze on the person who had just asked the question.

Long white hair and a pair of blue eyes. It was the younger version of the Emperor. It was none other than the Crown Prince of this empire.

Bai Chen hastily let go of his robes before raising his hands to salute the older man. “Greetings, Your Highness. I came here because I have something I want to discuss with you, so please give me a chance. It won’t take long. I promise,” ignoring the two guards who suddenly looked polite and docile when the Crown Prince finally appeared, Bai Chen went straight to the point to voice his intentions.

The Crown Prince’s face was firm and unfazed, and even after he saw the younger Prince pleading in front of him, he showed no sign of hospitality at all. Even his chin lifted slightly to show that he had a higher status than the younger Prince, and the sight was very disturbing in Bai Chen’s eyes.

“Follow me.”

Only two words were spoken by the Crown Prince before he turned his body, but they were enough to bring light to Bai Chen’s face. Turning to the two guards before sticking out his tongue, he then walked after the Crown Prince.

It was his first time in Siyuan Palace, and Bai Chen couldn’t help but cast his eyes to scan his surroundings. Even if Siyuan Palace was inside the Rongyao Imperial Palace, the area was indeed larger than his palace. There were more trees and gardens, and even the buildings looked more beautiful.

Bai Chen grumbled in his heart, but he continued walking without complaining. It turned out that the Crown Prince took him to the garden pavilion, and the two stopped walking upon arrival.

The Crown Prince still had his back to Bai Chen as he said, “What is your purpose in coming here? You only have five minutes to talk to me because I’m not like you who has nothing to do but play around.”

—

Footnote:

[1] Enduring humiliations in line of duty: a Chinese proverb that means “Willing to put up with disgrace and humiliation so that work can be done.”