Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law-Chapter 470: Prince Huai Coughs Up Blood Yet Again

Chapter 470: Chapter 470: Prince Huai Coughs Up Blood Yet Again

Hearing the Prince’s harsh shout, the steward’s expression changed slightly, and he walked into the study slowly.

"Tell me, what’s wrong?" Prince Huai took out a sheet of rice paper again and spread it out, preparing to rewrite.

The steward tried to keep his voice calm and said, "Prince, General Gan... has returned."

"Oh?" Prince Huai put down his brush upon hearing that Gan Yao and the others had already taken Yi County, he said with joy, "They took Yi County so quickly, faster than I expected. Quickly prepare a feast, I want to celebrate their victory tonight."

The steward saw the Prince’s joyful expression and hesitated, unsure whether to speak.

Prince Huai noticed the change in the steward’s expression and frowned, "What’s wrong?"

The steward hesitated for a moment but decided to speak, "General Gan has returned, but in defeat. Generals Li Mingfan and Li Mingzhong defected to the enemy. The news from before was a trap by the Chen Army; the ten thousand troops led by General Xiao and General Gan to attack Yi County were almost entirely wiped out, only General Gan and over a hundred others escaped."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Huai was thunderstruck, looking incredulously at the steward. He staggered from behind the desk to the steward, grabbing his collar and lifting him up, "Who did you say defected?"

"Generals Li Mingfan and Li Mingzhong defected, it’s what General Gan personally... said."

"Ugh..." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

After confirming he hadn’t misheard, Prince Huai released his grip on the steward’s collar, staggered backward two steps, then blood surged up, and a mouthful of fresh blood spewed out from his mouth. Prince Huai’s vision went black, and he fainted on the ground.

After suffering betrayal from Xiao Yunxi and the Xiao Family, those who stayed by Prince Huai’s side were few.

Generals Li, Xiao, and Gan were his few remaining trusted confidants.

The reason for delaying the decision of the Crown Prince’s position was to keep them in check.

Because once the Crown Prince’s position was decided, the remaining two families would definitely be unwilling to give their full support.

But he never expected Li Mingfan and Li Mingzhong to defect.

This was like stabbing a knife into Prince Huai’s heart, making it difficult for him to accept.

"Prince, Prince, what’s wrong?"

Seeing the Prince vomit blood and faint, the steward was also terrified and quickly called for a doctor.

...

In Madam Gan’s backyard.

Madam Gan was in the courtyard watering flowers.

Ever since returning from Wuguan, Prince Huai had become increasingly cold towards her. Madam Gan understood; Prince Huai surely believed she had been defiled by Chen Mo, and despite her defense, Prince Huai clearly didn’t believe her.

To pass the boring time, Madam Gan began to raise some flowers and grass, finding joy in hardship.

She wore a light yellow sheer gauze top, revealing graceful lines and a visible collarbone, paired with a white crepe skirt. As she bent over to water the flowers, her full hips outlined a semicircular shape, showcasing her mature beauty.

The weather was unbearably hot, and even though the flowers were potted under the eaves, sweat still appeared on Madam Gan’s forehead.

Madam Gan put down the watering can, gently rolling up her long sleeves, and used the back of her hand to wipe her forehead. A breeze blew, causing a few locks of hair on her forehead to flutter, adding a touch of pure beauty.

Just then, a maid ran in, saying that General Gan had come and wanted to see Madam.

Madam Gan was taken aback; the maid referred to General Gan as her elder brother. Although he was her brother, this was the backyard of the Prince’s Mansion, and after all, he was a man, so there was some taboo about it. Normally, her brother would send his wife when he needed to see her, but this time he came himself.

Moreover, wasn’t her brother supposed to be attacking Yi County?

Could it be that he was victorious?

Madam Gan’s face lit up with joy; after all, the more achievements her brother made, the greater the hope for her son to become the Crown Prince.

"Please let him in quickly," Madam Gan said.

Inside the room.

"General Gan, have some tea." The maid poured a cup of tea for Gan Yao.

"Brother, have you returned triumphant?" Madam Gan asked, somewhat impatient.

Gan Yao glanced at the maid and remained silent.

Madam Gan understood and had the maid leave.

After the maid left, Gan Yao even opened the door to check, ensuring no one was eavesdropping, before speaking to Madam Gan.

However, he never expected that after confirming and closing the door, the maid who left earlier returned and stealthily listened outside.

"Sister, terrible news, something’s happened." Gan Yao said frantically to Madam Gan.

Madam Gan furrowed her brows, "What’s wrong?"

Gan Yao explained the happenings at Yi County to Madam Gan.

He returned to find his sister first instead of seeing Prince Huai because he knew how important this battle was to Prince Huai.

And despite the main reason for the defeat not being his fault, he was not blameless. So when he saw the steward at the Prince’s Mansion, he desperately shifted blame onto the Li and Xiao families. But even so, he wasn’t reassured, so he planned to have Madam Gan accompany him to see Prince Huai.

In this way, if Prince Huai got angry, Madam Gan could shield him or plead for him.

"What?!"

After hearing her brother’s words, Madam Gan was shocked, "Li Mingzhong and Li Mingfan have defected, even Xiao Yi was left behind?"

"Indeed, the city had long been set up with an ambush by the Chen Army. If Xiao Yi hadn’t tried to claim credit and gone ahead of me, I would have been the one left behind." Just thinking about it made Gan Yao feel a sense of fear.

Then he thought further, if he went to inform Prince Huai of this news, the latter would definitely vent his anger on him.

"Brother, that’s not right; you told me before Yi County is just a small city. It’s quite good to have a Middle-Grade Martial Artist defending it. Why would Li Mingfan and Li Mingfan defect for no reason?" Madam Gan couldn’t understand.

Gan Yao also didn’t understand, as he hadn’t entered the city this time and didn’t know Wu Yanqing was already stationed in Huai State.

To him, Li Mingfan and Li Mingzhong’s defection was nothing more than the result of a discovered surprise attack; but given their strength, they shouldn’t have been captured. So why defect?

"I can’t understand it either. Do you think there could have been secret collusion between the Li Family and Chen Mo back when we were at Wuguan? After all, Chu Juan has become a concubine for Chen Mo." Gan Yao said softly.

Upon hearing this, Madam Gan felt a bit uneasy, remembering how close she was to becoming a plaything at Wuguan.

But Madam Gan didn’t dwell on this; her eyes brightened, "Now that Li Mingfan and Li Mingzhong have defected, and Xiao Yi’s fate is unknown, doesn’t that mean the position of Crown Prince belongs to us."

"Oh, my silly sister." Gan Yao’s vision was not as short-sighted as Madam Gan’s, he said, "The Prince attacked Huai State while Chen Mo was resisting external foes, losing the people’s support; that’s bad enough. And now he’s defeated.

We can only pray that Chen Mo will lose in the battle against Jin Xia. If Chen Mo wins, we will certainly bear his immense wrath, and perhaps we won’t even be able to protect Fengzhou. What’s the point of coveting the Crown Prince’s position."