There Will Always Be Protagonists With Delusions of Starting a Harem

Part 3.3

Inside the hall of Yong Yan Palace, imperial physicians and palace maids bustled around. Ye Zhizhou stood away from the crowd, standing crouched between the hall and the corridor. Looking at the corner of the room, he analysed the black-robed imperial guards that were stationed there. Madly poking the system, he spoke. "Tong Tian! Are you sure you didn't overlook any information? How could the eighth prince have the Zijin Imperial Guards?"

{T/N: Name of the residence of the eighth prince.}

These were the personal soldiers of the emperor, who had the privilege of standing outside the imperial system. They only recognised one master in their lifetime, and were the best swordsmen utilised by the Emperor.

In the original plot, the seventh prince wanted to subdue them after he ascended to the throne. Unfortunately, the group of soldiers resisted; committing suicide by poison to protect the emperor in the afterlife.

[System has given all the necessary information.]

In his heart, Ye Zhizhou rolled his eyes - accepting his misfortune. Information on the sickly and short-lived eighth prince was not much in the original plot - and his existence seemed to only be there as a springboard to launch An Chengjie into the imperial circle. Particularly because of his physical state and age, he seemed very plain among the many outstanding princes; only having few lines of description before he died.

In the original, only the emperor had grieved for the death of his eighth son - causing his body to be sick for a month. The seventh prince, following An Chengjie's advice, took the opportunity to gain the emperor's favour - polishing his solid foundation in the imperial court.

Turning off the data, Ye Zhizhou frowned; in the morning, An Chengsheng had said that the eighth prince was not a simple person. Afterwards, the eighth prince had mentioned information not recorded in the system data - and in addition to the presence of the Zijin Imperial Guards...... the eighth prince he met and the eighth prince he was meant to meet were completely different! Ah, it really was suspicious!

"The emperor has arrived!"

The sharp voice alerted everyone to the presence of their monarch. Ye Zhizhou looked toward the source, spying upon a bright yellow figure within a group of people; the crowd quickly rushed forward, anxious to greet the emperor. All the servants and guards began to kneel in a show of respect.

He had almost forgotten that there were these kinds of ancient ceremonies in this world...... and to minimalise his presence, he had no choice but to bow his head and kneel to the ground with the crowd. However, heaven was not willing, and the yellow-dressed figure suddenly stopped in front of him. A majestic but heavy voice sounded from not far above his head, "You are An Chengle?"

Ye Zhizhou moved - wanting to look up, but being afraid of provoking the taboo of 'no eye contact with the emperor'. As such, he only straightened his back, and answered the question. "Answering the emperor, An Chengle is indeed this humble servant."

"Get up, and follow me in." Without a second glance, the monarch continued to walk forward.

A small eunuch stepped out from behind the emperor, bending over to make a gesture of sincere respect. Ye Zhizhou, unable to refuse, straightened his back and stared after the emperor who had rushed into the inner palace, sighing in his heart. The ancient times were not good - the imperial power too great, and no human rights for the civilians. Kneeling down was so annoying, and though he wanted to resist this type of imperial decree, it was completely oppressive.

Entering the palace, Emperor Yan Di first went to see the unconscious Yan Mingyong. After sitting for a while, he called the imperial doctor to ask of his son's current situation. He learnt that Yan Mingyong had suddenly collapsed due to his emotional excitement, causing him to cough up blood. After hearing of this, the emperor's expression changed - and a thoughtful stare focused itself on Ye Zhizhou, who was standing in the corner.