Chapter 35 The Queen's Acting Failed
The Queen Mother stared at Li Chengyun, who had already put down his hands, with a gentle smile still on her face.

"Yun'er, I haven't seen you for a long time. You look a little thinner."

Facing the queen's intimacy, Li Chengyun's expression was as calm as a lake, without any ripples:
"Your Majesty, you may have seen it wrong. I have been able to eat and sleep well recently, and I have actually gained a lot of weight."

There was a barely perceptible chill in the Queen's eyes.

She thought to herself, you eat well and sleep well, but my beloved Qian'er has not eaten for a whole day.

However, the smile on her face became brighter:

"That's great! I have always hoped that you, the younger generation, will be in good health so that you can shoulder the heavy responsibility of my royal family."

Li Chengyun knew that the queen was not really interested in chatting with him, so he did not beat around the bush:

"Mother, I am always in good health, so don't worry."

"You summoned me today to discuss something important. Please speak frankly."

The Queen Mother had not expected Li Chengyun to be so direct. She had originally wanted to chat with him for a while to enhance their relationship.

But since Li Chengyun had already pointed it out, she didn't say any more polite words.

She looked serious and said softly, "Yun'er, put it down."

Li Chengyun looked puzzled when he heard this:
"I don't know what you want me to put down, mother?"

The Queen looked directly into Li Chengyun's eyes and said firmly:
"Your brother has lost his appetite since yesterday. He has realized his mistake."

"Yun'er, for the sake of brotherhood, please forgive him."

Li Chengyun raised the corners of his mouth slightly and couldn't help but sneer contemptuously.

Although the queen was asking him for help, her words were filled with unquestionable authority, as if she was giving an order.

He bowed slightly, with a hint of joking in his tone:

"Mother, I am a stupid person. I don't know how to forgive my brother who wanted to kill me."

The Queen did not seem to notice the sarcasm in his words and continued:
"Your brother is no longer as powerful as before and is surrounded by enemies. I hope you can give him a helping hand and save him from the dire situation for the sake of brotherhood."

Li Chengyun sneered even more when he heard this:
"Mother, please remember that it was my brother who wanted to kill me yesterday, not me who wanted to harm him."

"The predicament he is in today is his own fault. If I can stay out of it, I have done my best. Why should I help him?"

Upon hearing this, the Queen trembled slightly, and a look of sorrow appeared on her face:
"Yun'er, he is your royal brother after all."

Li Chengyun sneered repeatedly, his voice becoming colder and colder:

"Yes, he is indeed my royal brother, but so what? I will never forget his intention to kill me."

"Mother, I am here to make it clear today that this matter has nothing to do with me and I will not interfere! You don't have to bother trying to persuade me anymore. I will not save him."

Seeing Li Chengyun's firm attitude, the Queen knew that ordinary persuasion was useless and she had to find another way.

There was a flash of determination in her eyes, and in the blink of an eye, two lines of tears slid down the corners of her eyes and fell on her luxurious clothes.

In a moment, tears welled up in the queen's eyes.

She was so grief-stricken that she cried:
"Yun'er, that was your third brother. How could you forget him? When you were young, your third brother played with you in this palace."

"Your mother passed away early. I also sent you things and took care of your daily life. How could you be so cruel and leave her alone?"

The Queen wept and continued to plead:
"If you don't lend a helping hand, your third brother will really be in danger! You may not know how dangerous the court is, but your second brother is eyeing your third brother covetously and will never let him go!"

"Do you really have the heart to push your third brother into an abyss of no return?"

Li Chengyun remained cold and unmoved in the face of the Queen's acting.

He responded calmly:

"Mother, I have made it clear many times. If he had not had ulterior motives and wanted to kill me, how could he have ended up like this today?"

"I save him? That's impossible. He can only rely on himself."

No matter how miserable the queen appeared, she could not shake Li Chengyun's heart that was as hard as iron.

He sneered in his heart. How dare the Queen mention her childhood kindness?

He was raised by palace servants since he was young and did not have much affection for his nominal mother.

Moreover, the prince had wanted to kill him and had three thousand guards surround and kill him. If it weren't for Old Huang's risking his life to protect him, he would have died long ago. He was able to spare the prince's life, which was already a consideration for their brotherly love.

If he had not wanted to see the prince's miserable future, he would have asked Old Huang to take the prince's head long ago.

After saying this, he bowed deeply and said respectfully:
"Mother, I have said all I can. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

The queen was still there weeping, her words choked with sobs, not knowing how to respond.

Li Chengyun inadvertently glanced at the screen behind the queen.

I could faintly hear the increasingly heavy breathing coming from behind the screen.

Apparently, the prince is hiding here.

He already knew it in his heart, but he didn't want to meddle in other people's business, so he turned around and was about to leave.

When the queen saw him leave, she was furious and shouted at him:
"Li Chengyun, you are such a cold-hearted person who doesn't care about family affection. You are such a ruthless person! Apart from this time, when has your third brother ever done you wrong?!"

Li Chengyun turned a deaf ear to her and walked even faster, disappearing from the Queen's sight in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Li Chengyun walking away, the queen stopped crying instantly and the tears in her eyes disappeared without a trace.

She whispered to the screen:

"Qian'er, come out and discuss the next countermeasures with mother."

Behind the screen, the prince walked out in a daze and sat down on the ground.

His eyes were dull, his face was filled with exhaustion and despair, and he muttered to himself:
"It's over, everything is over..."

Seeing the prince's dejected state, the queen felt distressed and quickly stood up and hugged him tightly, saying softly:

"Qian'er, how can you torture yourself like this?"

"You are the crown prince of the dynasty. You should behave like a king. How can you lose your composure so easily?"

"Don't worry. If His Majesty really wants to depose you, I am willing to commit suicide by taking poison in front of him to serve as a warning to him."

With the Queen's gentle words and comfort, the prince gradually calmed down.

He stared fiercely in the direction where Li Chengyun left, with an indescribable murderous intent surging in his heart.

This incident was undoubtedly like the sky falling down for the prince.

Upon learning that Li Chengyun was actually protected by a great master, the prince knew that the matter would not end well.

The network of relationships that had been painstakingly built over the years collapsed overnight.

But a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. The strength he has accumulated over the years has not completely dissipated, and he still has the ability to launch a temporary counterattack.

The prince thought that as long as he could get rid of Li Chengyun or bribe the great master groom beside him, he would be able to turn danger into safety and regain his life.

Although Emperor Qing is cold-blooded and ruthless, as long as he does these things, his father will not easily depose him because of a prince who has lost his value.

Because the prince is confident, he is still an indispensable force in the court, able to check and balance the forces of all parties and maintain the stability of the court.

But the weight of the grandmaster around Li Chengyun is too heavy.

The power of a grandmaster is enough to resist an army of 100,000 men.

If one wants to grasp this glimmer of hope, killing Li Chengyun will be extremely difficult.

However, this matter concerns life and death, so he has to do it!
A hint of determination flashed across the prince's eyes, and his expression gradually became firm.

Li Chengyun must be killed.

However, he is protected by a great master, and his own cultivation has reached the ninth level.

With the prince's current strength, trying to confront it head-on is like hitting a rock with an egg.

After the death of his three thousand guards, he no longer had enough frontal force at his disposal.

Therefore, he could only find another way to kill someone with a borrowed knife.

So, whose knife should I borrow?
The prince was in deep thought, and suddenly a light bulb went off in his head. Two words popped into his mind - Northern Qi.

(End of this chapter)