Chapter 187 Guilt

Mei Dai covered her eyes and cried, while peeking at the situation inside the house through her fingers.

After Emperor Yongde stabbed Prince Jing, he seemed to be stunned. He just stood there holding the sword, like a clay sculpture. Prince Jing knelt on the ground, holding the blade on his chest with both hands, with a look of disbelief in his eyes.

As if he suddenly understood something, he raised his finger and pointed at her behind Emperor Yongde. His lips moved a few times, and as soon as he opened his mouth, blood gushed out of his mouth, staining his clothes red.

The sword that Emperor Yongde stabbed in anger only pierced Prince Jing's chest, and Prince Jing did not die immediately.

He was struggling there, looking like he was trying to get something out before he died.

That won’t do. We can’t let him talk any more.

Mei Dai sat up and looked around. When Prince Jing rushed out of the door and tore off his clothes, she happened to fall beside a table and immediately picked up an empty bowl.

Prince Jing was trembling as he pointed at her and said to Emperor Yongde with difficulty, "She...she is trapped..."

He had barely uttered two words when a bowl flew over and hit Prince Jing right in the face, causing him to stumble backwards. The sword then flew out, and the servant died.

Mei Dai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She was about to speak when Emperor Yongde, furious, came quickly towards her, holding a bloody sword. Before she could react, Emperor Yongde had already grabbed her hair:

"You...you bitch, how dare you..."

"Your Majesty!" Mei Dai had just been crying for a show, but now she was crying out of genuine pain, "I am wronged..."

"What injustice are you accusing me of?" Emperor Yongde stared at her with gritted teeth, "How dare you have an affair with Prince Jing behind my back!"

Mei Dai knew that Emperor Yongde was furious, completely blinded by anger. Prince Jing was dead, and her goal had been achieved. Now she had to calm Emperor Yongde down.

She shouted, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Prince Jing is old enough to be my grandfather, why would I have an affair with him?"

Emperor Yongde was stunned, then released his hand and said, "Yes, yes."

Mei Dai cried, "Your Majesty, Prince Jing came to the capital and first presented me with a generous gift. Then he lied to me and said he and Your Majesty were drinking here. I didn't suspect anything and didn't investigate further, so I came directly here. I didn't expect that after Prince Jing said a few words, he actually... actually..."

She was crying with her hair disheveled. Emperor Yongde put down his sword, put his arm around her shoulders and said:

"My beloved, I was too impulsive just now."

Mei Dai saw that the situation had calmed down, and the pressure in her heart was immediately relieved. She simply leaned into Emperor Yongde's arms and burst into tears:

"Fortunately, His Majesty arrived in time. I never thought that Prince Jing, at such an old age, would actually be such a lecher!"

While comforting Mei Dai, Emperor Yongde asked people to carry Prince Jing's body away temporarily.

Amidst the chaos, Duke Shen and several other ministers learned of the death and rushed to the scene. Everyone was horrified to see Prince Jing dead. With much shoving and pushing, it was Duke Shen who finally stepped forward to confront Emperor Yongde.

When Emperor Yongde saw that everyone had arrived, he ordered Mei Dai to go to the inner room to rest first.

"Your Majesty, I wonder what crime Prince Jing committed?" Duke Shen asked carefully.

"He teased my beloved concubine, and I lost my temper." Emperor Yongde coughed.

He was filled with regret. Just moments ago, he had said not to act rashly, yet in the blink of an eye, he had acted impulsively again.

Thinking back calmly, it was too unrealistic for Prince Jing, who was so old, to come all the way to Beijing just to tease Consort Xian. Besides, Prince Jing had never had a reputation for being a lecher in his life.

But Prince Jing had secretly come to the capital without telling him. He had presented Mei Dai with a generous gift and begged for an audience. These things were all true. Whether he was lustful or not, it was probably something he hid so well that outsiders didn't know.

There are so many suspicious points in this matter. If only I hadn't been so impulsive just now. If I carefully questioned Prince Jing, I would definitely understand the reason. Now that Prince Jing is dead, the only one who knows the truth is Mei Dai. Mei Dai said that Prince Jing molested her, and there was no third person present to corroborate it.

He was lost in thought when Duke Shen's flustered words interrupted him.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. You've made a grave mistake." Duke Shen beat his chest and stamped his feet. "Prince Jing molested Consort Xian, so killing him is understandable. But have you ever considered the troops and horses of Jingzhou? Prince Jing's son, Xiao Kai, is a rough and tumble man with a fondness for force. If he knew you killed his father, he would surely rebel!"

"ah……"

Emperor Yongde's expression changed drastically. He took two steps back and sat down on the chair.

"Jingzhou has been recruiting soldiers for the past few years. Rumor has it that they already have an army of 200,000," Duke Shen said. "If 200,000 troops attack us, the world will be in chaos."

Emperor Yongde looked pale, but things had come to this point and there was no room for maneuver.

"Then according to your opinion...what should we do?"

Duke Shen whispered, "Your Majesty, I have a plan, but I dare not tell you."

Emperor Yongde waved his hand and said, "It's just you and me here, but feel free to speak. I'm in turmoil right now, and I rely entirely on you, my dear."

"Your Majesty, Prince Jing will not survive, but we can give this news to..." Duke Shen lowered his palm and made a slow downward motion, "hold it down."

"Suppress it?"

"Yes, suppress it," said Duke Shen. "A man without ruthlessness is not a man of integrity, and a man without magnanimity is not a gentleman. If Jingzhou learns of this, they will surely rise in rebellion. Let's strike first and gain the upper hand! Send a message to Jingzhou saying that His Majesty is hosting Prince Jing and that he will be returning soon. In secret... isn't the border general Zhao Mu stationed in Xiaogang Village? It's a good opportunity for him to lead his troops to Xiliang..."

Emperor Yongde's eyes lit up. "Then, in the name of conquering the Western Rong, let Xiao Kai send troops to help, and then take the opportunity to kill him?"

"Right, right, right." Duke Shen nodded repeatedly, "As long as Xiao Kai is executed, Jingzhou will be safe."

"No," Emperor Yongde said, looking pleased at first, but then he shook his head. "If Xiao Kai doesn't fall for it, he has an army of 200,000 men and the Yanque Sword. Zhao Mu should not be his match."

The King of Qi was capable enough to fight against the Jingzhou army, but firstly, he was busy fighting against the Northern Di and could not spare any effort. Secondly, the King of Qi would definitely not let him watch the fight between the two Jingzhou army. This matter still needed to rely on his own talents.

Duke Shen smiled calmly and said, "Your Majesty, even if Zhao Mu is no match for Xiao Kai, there are still people who can deal with him."

Emperor Yongde was startled and stood up suddenly: "Zhuo'er!"

Duke Shen bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Crown Prince Xiao Zhuo is a skilled warrior who has fought countless battles. If he can lead his army to attack Xiao Kai, he will surely return victorious soon!"

With Xiao Zhuo fighting for Emperor Yongde, Emperor Yongde can just watch the show and will definitely not lose!

"But Xiao Zhuo used witchcraft to murder me... I deposed him from the crown prince position," Emperor Yongde sighed in annoyance and slowly sat down. "If I were to restore his crown prince status, I'd be ridiculed by the world."

"Your Majesty, if Jingzhou sends troops, your throne will be in jeopardy, let alone the ridicule you're causing." Duke Shen leaned closer to Emperor Yongde and lowered his voice. "Regarding the witchcraft allegations... Your Majesty can announce to the world that they are false accusations, clearing the Crown Prince's name. At the same time, send a secret decree to the Crown Prince, ordering him to lead his army to attack Jingzhou. Once Jingzhou is pacified, his position as Crown Prince will be officially restored."

Emperor Yongde had this intention, which coincided with Duke Shen's idea.

He finally understood, looked up at Duke Shen, and said with a smile, "My dear, you are so dedicated, but is there any selfish motive behind this?"

Duke Shen knelt on the ground and said, "This old minister has been thinking of Your Majesty with all his heart. I only hope that Your Majesty will remember my loyalty. If you recover Jingzhou, will you show me your grace... and grant Jingzhou to me?"

"Oh, so you, my dear minister, also want a fiefdom," Emperor Yongde said with a smile, patting Duke Shen on the back. "You have relieved me of a great worry today, so I agree to your request."

He was referring to what Duke Shen had said before about the fake and the real thing. Duke Shen was referring to the murder of Prince Jing. The two of them had different ideas.

Duke Shen was overjoyed when he received Emperor Yongde's promise. He knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, my Lord, for your grace."

Speaking of selfish motives, Duke Shen does have some.

The older people get, the more they regret the wrong things they did, and they always have the urge to atone for their sins.

In order to protect himself, he sent his two granddaughters away and now regrets it.

Shen Yuexi and Xiao Zhuo's homeless life was undoubtedly unhappy. Meanwhile, Shen Lan, suffering abuse at the hands of Prince Jing's son, Xiao Kai, had privately sent several letters begging the Duke's Mansion to take her back. Duke Shen, lacking both military power and authority, was so terrified of Prince Jing that he dared not even speak a word.

Now, with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not only can he rescue his granddaughter Shen Lan, but he can also obtain the fiefdom of Jingzhou. And if Xiao Zhuo can truly regain the throne of Crown Prince, then everything he did to his granddaughter Shen Yuexi will be compensated. At that time, Shen Yuexi will be the Crown Princess and the future Queen.

This way he could at least make up for his guilt towards his two granddaughters.

It’s a pity that he is too old and probably won’t see the day when these things come true.