After personally escorting Empress Ye Yingwen out of the Crown Prince's mansion, Crown Prince Hua Tianli returned to the quiet, deserted back garden. As he reached a cluster of rockeries surrounded by a pond—a spot where he was certain no one could see him—he cautiously scanned his surroundings with his divine sense. Once he confirmed that he was truly alone, he reached beneath a hidden rock and gave a small stone a gentle twist. A massive section of the rockery slowly shifted aside, revealing a tunnel entrance tall enough for a man to walk through. Hua Tianli stepped inside without hesitation, and the rockery slid seamlessly back into place behind him.
Inside the secret passage, Hua Tianli walked for about ten meters before reaching a corner. Guided by a row of luminous lights, he descended a ten-meter flight of stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, he turned another corner and descended another ten-meter flight. After navigating five such staircases, he finally arrived at a hundred-meter-long corridor. As he walked through it, a triumphant smile spread across his face. "Does Mother really think I’m that foolish?" he mused. "How could I possibly entrust my entire future to an Emperor who doesn’t even like me? And how could I rely entirely on a grandfather who might rebel at any moment? If a man doesn't look out for himself, he is doomed. I will not be a puppet emperor. I will be the most accomplished emperor the Great Qin Empire has ever known. I will be the most powerful emper…
Chapter 185