They were nearing Gambling City.
The Third Prince said to his guards, "Hide the prisoners and the bandits' bodies for now."
His men immediately hid the prisoners and the bodies.
Jiang Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
'It seems the conflict between the three princes never stops,' he thought.
He simply smiled and didn't dwell on it.
The Third Prince was clearly setting his two older brothers up for a fall.
Soon, the group arrived at the South City Gate of Gambling City.
"Hahaha..."
The moment they appeared, several loud laughs echoed from the city gate.
The Crown Prince, Wen Shixuan, and the Second Prince, Wen Shixi, both emerged from within the city.
They headed straight for the Third Prince.
They spoke in unison, "Third Brother, congratulations on your great victory."
"Did you manage to wipe out the Nanming Mountain bandits in one fell swoop?"
The two of them immediately looked around but saw no spoils of war or any bodies of the Nanming Mountain bandits.
Wen Shixuan smiled smugly. "Third Brother, don't tell me you've come back empty-handed this time?"
"You used to at least catch one or two small fry. Why is there nothing at all this time?"
Wen Shixi also burst out laughing, pointing at the Third Prince. "Third Brother, you didn't really fail to catch anyone, did you? Don't tell me you were defeated by the Nanming Mountain brigands again?"
The Third Prince put on a look of great distress.
Crestfallen, he said, "First Brother, Second Brother, I've failed again."
"Sigh!"
He let out a frustrated sigh as he spoke.
If Jiang Chen hadn't known the truth, he might have actually believed the Third Prince's act.
The performance was spot-on.
"Hahahahaha..."
Wen Shixuan immediately roared with laughter.
"See? I knew you'd fail again."
"It's fine. You're still young and inexperienced, so failure is nothing to be surprised about. If you need help in the future, just come find your big brother. I'll definitely do everything in my power to help you."
Wen Shixi also chimed in with a laugh, "Third Brother, if you beg me, I could also lead some men to help you wipe out those Nanming Mountain bandits. If you need me, don't be too proud to ask. Your second brother here will definitely help you."
"I'll even let you take all the credit."
They made it seem as if they genuinely cared about their third brother.
The Third Prince, Wen Shiren, could finally bear it no longer.
With a grand wave of his hand, he commanded, "Bring them out."
At his command, the Third Prince's guards immediately brought out the bodies of the Nanming Mountain bandits and the prisoners they had taken.
Da Pao even held up a long pole, from which hung the body of Xuan Zhiyong.
A sign was attached, which read: "The Body of Xuan Zhiyong, Leader of the Nanming Mountain Bandits."
This sudden reversal left Wen Shixuan and Wen Shixi completely stunned.
They couldn't quite process what was happening.
The Third Prince laughed. "First Brother, Second Brother, no need to trouble yourselves. This time, I've wiped out the Nanming Mountain bandits in one clean sweep. My apologies, I might have held back a little earlier."
As he spoke, he let out a hearty, triumphant laugh.
Seeing the ashen-faced expressions on his two brothers was especially satisfying.
Wen Shixuan and Wen Shixi's expressions were incredibly ugly.
They had come to mock the Third Prince, but instead, they were the ones being mocked.
It was a complete and utter humiliation.
This was clearly a deliberate act by the Third Prince to make fools of them.
For the first time, the two older brothers had been played by their "useless" younger brother and humiliated on the spot.
They were seething with rage.
Wen Shixuan said angrily, "Third Brother, you've gone too far!"
"You're making a mockery of our dignity."
Wen Shixi was so angry his beard bristled. "Third Brother, you'll regret making us look like fools on purpose."
They had always been the ones to laugh at the Third Prince; now it was his turn to mock them.
They had walked by the river so often, and now their own shoes were wet.
The Third Prince laughed heartily. "My two dear brothers, my apologies."
"I've disappointed you both."
"From now on, who will dare call me useless? I will wash away my past shame."
"Haha, farewell. I'm off to report to our royal father."
With that, he turned and left with his men.
Wen Shixuan and Wen Shixi were furious, but there was nothing they could do.
After all, the Third Prince had truly achieved a great merit this time.
However, at that moment, both of them turned their gazes to one person beside the Third Prince.
That's right—Jiang Chen.
Wen Shixuan stared at Jiang Chen, gritting his teeth.
'It must have been his doing.'
He was certain that Jiang Chen was the reason for all of this.
Before Jiang Chen started assisting the Third Prince, the prince had failed repeatedly. But as soon as Jiang Chen joined him, he suddenly managed to exterminate the bandits of Nanming Mountain.
Therefore, he had no doubt that Jiang Chen played the most crucial role.
A murderous glint flashed in Wen Shixi's eyes as he glanced at Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen could feel all of this.
He knew that both the Crown Prince, Wen Shixuan, and the Second Prince, Wen Shixi, were surely protected by the Protective Golden Light. He didn't want to waste his energy by making a pointless move.
However, he now shared a deep-seated hatred with both Wen Shixuan and Wen Shixi. There was no possibility of reconciliation between them.
This was also the reason he had chosen to side with the Third Prince.
At the same time, the look he gave Wen Shixuan and Wen Shixi was just as cold and merciless.
"Haha..."
The Third Prince laughed as he led the prisoners and carried the bodies straight toward the Royal Palace.
Watching the Third Prince's procession disappear down the street, bursts of killing intent erupted from the eyes of Wen Shixuan and Wen Shixi.
"It seems our third brother is finally showing his true colors."
"Second Brother, he's provoking the two of us."
It was Wen Shixuan who broke the silence.
He was stating a fact: the Third Prince was suddenly on the rise.
He had started to challenge them, no longer the minor character content to live in their shadow.
Of course, it was undeniable that the Third Prince had always been striving to be on equal footing with his two older brothers, or even to surpass them.
It seemed that day had finally come.
Wen Shixi sneered, "First Brother, are we really going to let our third brother rise?"
After a quick discussion, the two of them left the South City Gate.
「In a secret chamber」
The two brothers sat facing each other.
Wen Shixuan said, "Second Brother, the position of the Sovereign's heir is for you and I to contend for. Our third brother is not qualified."
"We must find a way to stop him from earning more merits."
Wen Shixi nodded. "That's right. Third Brother has no right to compete with us."
"We have to suppress him."
"The best way to do that is to kill everyone by his side. Then he will lose his qualifications."
Wen Shixuan wholeheartedly agreed.
He said coldly, "That's exactly what I was thinking."
"Especially that Jiang Chen at our third brother's side. If we don't eliminate him, he will become an endless source of trouble."
"Right now, our third brother is reporting his achievements to our royal father, which will certainly earn him some credit."
"Why don't we invite him out tomorrow? We can challenge him to a few games in Gambling City and make him lose his entire fortune."
"At the same time, we'll put up some of our own men to gamble with their lives against his people. We'll kill his supporters one by one."
"What do you think?"
The Second Prince laughed heartily. "An excellent plan, First Brother! Why didn't I think of that?"
"Alright. We'll invite him to Gambling City tomorrow."
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