Chapter 175

Xue Jin'an's second question was more practical, asking directly, "What do you plan to do with this ledger?"

Consort De gave an answer that surprised everyone, but was exactly what Xue Jin'an expected. She said firmly, "Please never hand it over."

"No matter who puts pressure on you, please do not hand it over." As Consort De spoke, she actually stood up and bowed solemnly to Xue Jin'an. The look in her eyes as she looked at the account book was a complex expression that Xue Jin'an could not fully understand.

"This ledger is both Little Stone's death warrant and his life-saving medicine. Only if it sinks into the sea will Little Stone have a glimmer of hope." After all, Consort De had served the Emperor for so many years, and she understood his thoughts to some extent.

“You’re very clear-headed.” Xue Jin’an glanced at her.

"It's only because we're in the thick of it." Consort De tugged at the corner of her lips, saying with a hint of self-mockery, "In truth, who in this palace isn't clear-headed? It's just that fate is not in our control at all. No matter how much we struggle and try to escape, in the end we can't hide or escape. There's always an invisible hand above us 'setting things right.' Deceiving ourselves is much less painful than being clear-headed and sinking into despair."

“I… am an unqualified mother. If I had tried harder, Little Stone wouldn’t have taken his own life.” Consort De knew very well that her fervent love for riding horses was actually a form of escapism.

Consort Min provided protection to the Second Prince, Consort Xian to the Third Prince, and even the deceased Chu Wenwan to the Fourth Prince and Xiao Shu to the Ninth Prince—they all provided protection to varying degrees.

There were no consorts like Consort Shu who were willing to give up the sixth prince's chance to seize the throne and protected him so closely that he developed a pure and kind appearance that was out of place with the royal family. But they had done their best.

Compared to them, Consort De felt she had done too little for the eldest prince. Even though she opposed his motives from the beginning, she still chose to let him do as he pleased and did not try to persuade him to give up, which ultimately led him down a path of no return.

She had many opportunities, but she did nothing.

And so now, she has reached a turning point in her destiny.

Consort De raised her eyes to look at Xue Jin'an, a glimmer of light suddenly appearing in her lifeless gaze, and her smile became more genuine. "Fortunately, not everyone here is a victim of fate."

Since the Seventh Prince left the Princes' Residence, Consort De has been paying close attention to him. It was because of this attention that she realized that when a person is forced to stand on the chessboard, there is a third way to go besides making a move or forfeiting: to simply overturn the chessboard.

The account book was linked to the life of the First Prince, and Consort De knew its importance. The reason she chose to leave the account book to Xue Jin'an for safekeeping was that she knew that in the entire palace, there was only the Seventh Prince who had the ability, courage, and courage to overturn the chessboard without hesitation.

The rest are slaves to power and interests.

"I understand," Xue Jin'an replied.

Consort De was extremely grateful and wanted to bow again, but Xue Jin'an stopped her, saying, "There's no need to thank me. The offer you've given is more than enough. This is just a transaction."

Consort De was astonished, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Xue Jin'an asked her, "We can sign a contract, find a witness, and make three copies. Do you need one?"

“No, there’s no time.” Consort De refused, gathering a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and said, “I believe you.”

Consort De left without lingering.

Cui Zui watched her retreating figure, then frowned.

"What's wrong?" Shouquan, who came to tidy up the tea set, noticed his expression and asked.

"It's nothing, I just can't figure it out." Cui Zui wasn't one to keep things bottled up, and since she had already spoken, she wouldn't hide it. She turned to Xue Jin'an and asked, "Master, the Emperor ordered the First Prince to be killed without even getting his hands on the account books. Can Consort De really save the First Prince's life with just the account books?"

Cui Zui couldn't help but feel that it was a bit risky.

"It can't be saved." Xue Jin'an gave him a definite answer directly, "So Consort De still has a bargaining chip."

"What?" Cui Zui asked immediately.

Xue Jin'an said, "It's her fate."

Don't forget, it wasn't just the eldest prince who had interests entangled with the emperor; there was also Consort De, who had raised warhorses for over a decade.

The Northwest Army and the Imperial Guard are both under Xue Jin'an's control. Lu Bingzhu knows everything about the Imperial Clothing Bureau. Even the news about the Southwest Army was leaked by the Third Prince. The Emperor's eight thousand warhorses are still missing. In other words, the Emperor has secretly trained a force of no less than eight thousand elite soldiers, who are most likely being kept near the capital.

Consort De had raised horses for the Emperor for so many years that even if she didn't know the exact location, she could still make some guesses. This was her bargaining chip in negotiations with the Emperor.

As she said, she had no time left, which meant not only the time it would take for the eldest prince to be executed, but also the time she could use this bargaining chip.

Moreover, she has only one chance, and once she uses it, she will surely die.

In order to make this bargaining chip work as intended, Consort De would not choose to negotiate with the Emperor in private, but would instead publicly take full responsibility for the crimes committed by the eldest prince, including the death sentence he was sentenced to. Naturally, the Emperor would not agree to this, and this was when Consort De would use this bargaining chip.

If the emperor didn't want to be exposed, he would definitely agree to Consort De's conditions and put on a show of deep affection, saying on the surface that the matter still needed to be investigated and that no action would be taken for the time being. As for what he might do behind the scenes, no one would know.

However, even if he really wanted to do something, he wouldn't have the chance.

Consort De will commit suicide; this is the final step in her plan, a perfect ending.

She would die a spectacular death, a death known to all, witnessed by court officials and common people, a death that would be recorded in history. Such a death would not only silence public opinion but also completely eliminate any possibility of the emperor going back on his word.

What is the most pressing concern in the entire capital right now?

"So she chose to do it when she was picking up the eldest prince from prison..." After figuring it out, Cui Zui was reluctant to say the answer.

Xue Jin'an did not deny it.

As Xue Jin'an had said, the next morning at court, Consort De used "moral blackmail" to force the emperor to rescind the imperial edict ordering the death of the eldest prince, thus temporarily postponing the entire matter.

Consort De ordered Li Hechun to accompany her to the Ministry of Justice prison to release the people. She dressed herself up neatly and rode her horse at full speed to the Ministry of Justice.

"Whoa—" She spurred the horse and brought it to a sudden stop. The horse neighed and its upper body was almost upright. The whip cracked in the air. She threw the token at her waist to a junior official from the Ministry of Justice who had rushed out after hearing the sound, and shouted, "I am Consort De. His Majesty has ordered the release of the First Prince!"

"This—" The official was speechless with bitterness. Holding the burning token in his hand, he broke out in a cold sweat and could only say, "This, without His Majesty's decree, I really dare not make this decision..."

"The chief eunuch of Qianyuan Palace, Li Hechun, came with me. Release him immediately!" Consort De's horse was running too fast, leaving Li Hechun, who was in a carriage, behind. It would probably be quite a while before they arrived.

In fact, although Consort De was concerned about the Crown Prince's situation, she was not so anxious as to not even want to wait for the carriage ride. This was just part of her plan, which was to use this matter to stir up trouble and make a big fuss so that more people would pay attention to this side.

Her strategy was simple and effective. Before long, some people overcame their fear of the Ministry of Justice and began to peek and watch the excitement. Once the first person took the first step, it quickly spread to two, four, and eight.

Soon a small group of people gathered, and the spies from all sides, who were hiding in the shadows, also squeezed into the crowd to get firsthand information.

"That makes things much easier. As soon as Eunuch Li arrives, I will immediately inform Your Highness. I will make sure Your Highness doesn't have to wait any longer." The official looked timid and cowardly, but he managed to speak flawlessly while wiping his sweat.

Zhou Yushu, disguised as Chu Wenjing, and Li Hechun arrived almost one after the other.

Zhou Yushu had barely stepped off the carriage and hadn't even stood up properly when his subordinate, sweating profusely, squeezed over and took the place of the coachman to help him down. "Sir, you've finally arrived! What should we do?"

"Go and inform the people below to release them." Zhou Yushu raised his chin.

The subordinate quickly waved to the people behind him, and the entire Ministry of Justice sprang into action.

The subordinate asked in a low voice, "Sir, what happened?"

Zhou Yushu didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced back at the ever-growing crowd and asked, "Tell me, how many of them hope the Crown Prince will come out, and how many regret that the Crown Prince didn't die?"

The subordinate official remained silent, even wanting to slap himself and say to himself: "Why did I have to ask so many questions?"

Zhou Yushu didn't make things difficult for anyone, he just chuckled and said, "Royal families have always been cold-hearted."

The subordinate official lowered his head, looking down at his nose and pretending not to hear anything.

With the arrival of Consort De and the high-ranking official (Minister of Justice), the efficiency of the Ministry of Justice was greatly improved, and the First Prince was seen shortly afterward.

The prison cell was cold and damp, devoid of sunlight and day and night. The eldest prince had only been inside for two days, yet he appeared to have lost a considerable amount of weight. He walked with a swaying gait, and as he emerged from the gate, he instinctively shielded his eyes with his hand, standing there for a while to adjust to the excessively bright sun.

He heard footsteps approaching. He squinted slightly, his eyes still not fully adjusted, and through the blurry vision, he saw a brightly colored riding outfit.

"...Eji?" the eldest prince murmured, not even realizing he was speaking in the southern Xinjiang dialect.

"Little Stone," Consort De asked him, "have you thought it through?"

"What? What should I understand?" The eldest prince felt that the sun was too strong today, making him dizzy and incoherent. He heard someone muttering to himself like a madman, "I don't understand, I really don't understand."

"Why can everyone else do it, but I can't? Mother, I don't understand, how can I understand? I am also Father's child, I have done so much for Father, why am I always the one who is abandoned? Why can't I do it?"

The eldest prince had expectations. He thought that he had done so much, and even if he hadn't made any great contributions, he had at least worked hard and would surely be appreciated. But when things came to light, everyone, including his father, abandoned him without hesitation.

What a failure, a complete failure. It turns out that everything he was so proud of was nothing but a joke.

—The world is bustling with activity, all for profit. How laughable that he actually took what was clearly an emotion bound by self-interest to heart.

The eldest prince gave a short, sharp laugh, tinged with madness, and said, "Stupid, I'm so stupid."

"..." Consort De looked at the eldest prince like this, her heart ached beyond measure, but she had no way to comfort him, nor could she offer any comfort.

From now on, she will be gone, and Little Stone will have no one to offer him any advice. She doesn't want anything, she only asks that Little Stone live well.

Only by severing ties with the struggle for the throne can Little Stone have any chance of continuing to eke out a living. Otherwise, even if she saves his life now, he will soon be gone to join her.

Consort De closed her eyes, her voice low and cold, "Stop being so stubborn. I've told you, you've never had a chance."

The eldest prince was stunned by these words for a long time, his mind spinning. He didn't know how much time had passed; perhaps only a breath, or perhaps an hour.

He finally heard his own voice again, and calmly but desperately continued Consort De's words, saying, "Yes, I knew it all along. Everyone's name contains the character for jade, but I am the only one who is stone."

I do not wish to be as mediocre as jade, nor as dull as stone. (Note: "珞" can refer to a necklace or grains of sand.)

"You also call me Little Stone, don't you?" The eldest prince laughed softly, but it sounded particularly sharp to Consort De.

Consort De's heart clenched. She wanted to say no, that her child was named Little Stone because she felt jade was too fragile and she hoped her child would be as indestructible as a rock.

But she couldn't say it. Not only could she not say it, she should also affirm his statement and completely extinguish his ambition to seize the throne.

However, Consort De opened her mouth but could not say anything, and could only remain silent.

With trembling hands, Consort De pulled a golden sphere from her sleeve.

"Was it the one I gave you? It's been polished so well that you can't even tell what it originally looked like." The eldest prince's vision cleared up considerably, but he didn't look up at Consort De's face.

He looked at the golden ball and thought: A rough gold nugget can be polished into a beautiful golden ball, but a stone is a stone, and no matter how you polish it, it will never become jade.

"Is this a farewell gift from my mother? I like it very much," the eldest prince said.

The eldest prince was unaware that he had been acquitted; he thought the meeting was a farewell.

Consort De did not answer, but simply looked up and stuffed the ball into her mouth, swallowing it as the First Prince looked on in disbelief.

Before anyone could react to what was happening, the First Prince cried out "Eji!" in a terrified voice and lunged at Consort De, shattering the peace. He immediately began pressing on Consort De's stomach, trying to make her vomit, his voice continuing to spiral out of control, "Vomit! Vomit it out now! Imperial Physician, Imperial Physician—"

The area in front of the government office was in complete chaos.

Consort De felt very uncomfortable with his hand pressing on her stomach. She tried to pry his hand off, and the two of them wrestled and struggled with each other. She shook her head and said, "Stop shouting, it's no use."

"I'm here to tell you that swallowing gold will only make you feel bad, but it won't help you kill yourself!" The eldest prince was furious and couldn't help but curse a couple of times. The low mood he had been under since entering the Ministry of Justice prison was instantly cured.

When Consort De heard him cursing in the southern Xinjiang dialect, she was not angry at all; instead, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The Crown Prince's rigid smile was completely gone, and his voice was no longer as gentle as before. He scolded, "What are you laughing at? From now on, no swallowing! Understand?!" The fact that the method of swallowing gold to commit suicide appeared in ancient books must mean that there was some reason for it.

He didn't know the purity of gold, how many impurities it contained, or what heavy metal poisoning was. He also didn't know that most deaths from swallowing gold are due to substances like mercury and lead in raw gold, while deaths from smelted gold are caused by irregular or sharp pieces that rupture the esophagus or intestines.

Since he didn't understand, he could only use the most foolish method: preventing the gold from entering his stomach.

Consort De shook her head gently again and said, "It's no use."

“I read in a book that someone swallowed gold and committed suicide but survived, so I smeared it with poison.” Consort De added as if showing off something precious, “You know, it’s a sacred medicine from the Southern Frontier, incurable.”

When she entered the palace in place of Lin Ruofu's daughter, she received a Gu poison during her last meeting with the Emperor.

Although it is called the Sacred Medicine of Nanjiang and is regarded as a treasure of the Holy Sect, it is actually not a very rare thing. On the contrary, it is the first Gu poison that every Gu master in the Southern Frontier learns, and it is extracted from the most basic Gu insects.

It has no strange variations; it has only one function: to kill. A person poisoned will die within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. It is so fast and efficient that even if an antidote is developed, it will not be available for the poison to take effect.

The purpose was so that when she needed to end her life, she could ascend to paradise as soon as possible.

As she spoke, black blood oozed from the corner of her smiling lips.

"Empress!" The eldest prince frantically reached out and caught the blood. He was completely panicked, his mind a complete mess, unable to speak, only repeatedly calling out "Empress."

Black blood flowed from between his fingers, soaking his sleeves and staining the hem of his clothes. He cried out, "Imperial Physician!" He desperately wanted to save his mother. He said many things, but he couldn't remember them all.

It seems like I talked about horses, about southern Xinjiang, about wanting to return to the grasslands, to the Tianshan Mountains, to that carefree time...

Because he heard his mother's last words, her eyes were unfocused, her voice barely audible, filled with helplessness as she said, "I said... as long as you're alright... why... won't you believe me..."

The eldest prince let out a shrill scream that was not human, each one louder than the last, like the desperate wail of a severely wounded beast.

"No! No! I don't want anything anymore, I beg you, please don't—"

No one heard any of the eldest prince's pleas anymore.

Consort De traded her life for another, ultimately allowing the eldest prince to survive. Although his princely status was not restored, his residence was not taken back.

The funeral for Consort De was held at the First Prince's residence seven days later. This was not because the Emperor was unwilling to give Consort De even this small amount of dignity, but because the First Prince was unwilling to let go.

At first, he held Consort De's body and stood motionless at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice for a whole day, driving away everyone who tried to approach her body. It wasn't until the eldest prince knocked himself unconscious that Li Hechun hurriedly prepared Consort De's body, tidied her appearance, and bought a good coffin to place her inside.

According to the rules, he should have immediately obeyed the emperor's decree and brought Consort De back to the palace for her coffin. However, considering the state of the eldest prince, Li Hechun hesitated for a moment and ultimately decided to let the eldest prince wake up and see her one last time before escorting the coffin back to the palace.

As a result of this waiting, Consort De was unable to return to the palace.

The first thing the eldest prince did upon waking was to open Consort De's coffin, and he almost tried to pull her out of it. It was Li Hechun who strongly dissuaded him, finally stopping him by saying, "Don't let the Empress leave in peace."

But that was all that was stopped. It couldn't stop the eldest prince from holding a funeral for Consort De, nor could it stop the eldest prince from carving the tombstone with the name Yue Nu instead of Consort De, Lin Shi. It also couldn't stop the eldest prince from placing Consort De in the tall tower in the mansion for a tower burial instead of including her in the imperial mausoleum.

Li Hechun's mouth was dry from trying to persuade him, but the eldest prince remained silent and continued working on his own.

"I can understand everything else, but why the tower burial?" Shouquan, who had witnessed Li Hechun's earnest persuasion, asked Xue Jin'an in a low voice at the funeral.

Xue Jin'an was still generating an answer when a young boy's voice interrupted, replying: "Southern Xinjiang culture is deeply influenced by religious sects, and part of the Southern Xinjiang Holy Religion originated from Buddhism. They believe that placing the body on the tower will allow the soul to be delivered."

Xue Jin'an recognized the person from the voice and turned around to see a young man in a Taoist robe.

Xue Jin'an subconsciously looked at the top of his head first, and accurately estimated his height. It was exactly the same as his data. The difference in the decimal point was entirely due to the different shoes the two were wearing.

The young Taoist priest wore cloth shoes with a thousand-layer sole, while Xue Jin'an wore shoes with a wooden base, giving them some height. The former had a thin insole made of layers of cloth, while the latter had a wooden base.

Although Xue Jin'an had heard Master Cen mention his "good-for-nothing disciple" before, knew many "tricks to annoy Master Cen", and had occasionally seen him in live broadcasts, he had never actually met him in person until his body celebrated its eighth birthday at Jiu Tian Yi.

What was supposed to be a private birthday celebration turned into a semi-public event by chance. Cui Pengfei ran into Master Cen and his apprentice on the way and took them along. It was quite a coincidence that the apprentice's birthday was the same as this body's.

Even more coincidentally, Xue Jin'an discovered that their height and weight were almost identical. If it weren't for the differences in other data, he would have thought he had been cloned.

"This humble Taoist greets Your Highness the Seventh Prince." Yuan Sheng performed a Taoist salute.

Xue Jin'an returned the courtesy in the standard way.

Shouquan quickly followed suit and bowed, unable to contain his curiosity, he asked in a low voice, "Daoist Master, aren't you a member of the Daoist sect? Do you know so much about Buddhism?"

Yuan Sheng froze, but what froze him even more was the faint voice coming from behind him: "I had the same question, my good disciple."

That day, the master and disciple, mindful of their reputation, didn't make a scene in public. What happened afterward, however, remains unknown.

Another noteworthy event at the funeral was that the eldest prince coughed up blood.

The fourth prince instinctively reached out to help, but stopped after taking a step and stood frozen in place.

The third, eighth, and ninth princes were all indifferent, but in the end, it was the sixth prince who cautiously offered a handkerchief and patted his shoulder, asking with concern, "Big brother, are you... alright?"

As for the Fifth Prince, he has not shown his face since he disappeared into the secret passage of the artificial hill in the abandoned palace that day.

The eldest prince coughed as he stopped the sixth prince's actions, and the imperial physician who had been waiting on the side wanted to come forward to take his pulse, but he refused.

"There's nothing to see, I won't die for now, cough cough—" The eldest prince continued coughing in a very unconvincing manner, his face turning red from coughing, but he simply wiped the blood from his lips and remained kneeling upright.

Upon hearing the news, the second prince came over with his arms crossed, looking down at him. "Is your elder brother alright? Now all that's left is his body, so please don't let it get damaged."

The eldest prince didn't even glance at him, his tone indifferent, "Don't worry, I'm waiting to see your end. You'll definitely die after me."

"You!" The second prince was so angry he was practically fuming.

However, the eldest prince remained kneeling there like a wooden stake, completely motionless.

The second prince, not wanting to do anything at Consort De's funeral, stormed off.

Xue Jin'an didn't linger. Before leaving, he saw the Fourth Prince standing in front of the First Prince.

Shunyi, who was behind the Fourth Prince, wanted to stop him. The Fourth Prince had almost been killed by the First Prince. The three of them had been sent away at the time, and by the time they heard the news, the Fourth Prince had already been safely rescued.

It's not that they were slow to react; ever since the Fourth Prince started settling accounts with the First Prince, he often stayed alone or went back and forth to the First Prince's residence, and even stayed there. It was normal that they occasionally didn't see him.

From then on, the three of them were wary of the eldest prince and stipulated that from then on, even if the fourth prince needed to use the restroom, one of them had to accompany him and watch him. They would also carry signal flares, especially the fourth prince, who stuffed two of them into his socks.

If you find something is wrong, release it immediately. Don't be afraid of releasing it incorrectly; be afraid of something going wrong.

Shunyi was stopped by the Fourth Prince, and immediately reached for the signal flare in his sleeve.

The fourth prince lingered in front of the first prince for a while, then lowered his eyes to conceal the complex emotions within them, and said in a low voice, "Brother, after the funeral, I have some questions I want to ask. I know you are very sad, and this is not the time to ask, but I really... really want an answer."

"I know what you want to ask. There's no need to wait. I can give you the answer now." The eldest prince looked at him, his tone completely flat. "Yes, all that money was used to cultivate Gu worms. The death of the tenth prince is related to me, and the death of your mother is also related to me. So, what do you plan to do?"

The Fourth Prince didn't believe it: "When the Tenth Prince died, you were only—"

"Even a three-year-old child can kill if he sets his mind to it," the eldest prince said.

The fourth prince was speechless for a long time before finally saying, "Brother, you know I'm stupid, don't lie to me."

"Lie to you? What's the point?" The eldest prince looked at the paper money being swallowed up by the flames in the brazier and said in a barely audible voice, "You want an answer, and I want an answer too."

He said, "We'll both perish. What do you think of this outcome?"

"...You're insane!" The fourth prince turned and left in a panic.

He didn't notice that the eldest prince's gaze as he watched his retreating figure was so calm, so chillingly calm.

Xue Jin'an noticed this look and even exchanged a glance with the eldest prince, who nonchalantly looked away.

"He's gone mad," Xue Jin'an commented.

After learning about the standoff between the four princes, Shouquan pondered and asked, "Your Highness, do you think the First Prince will really take such a risk? Or will the First Prince and the Fourth Prince really... leave together?"

“The eldest prince will, but the fourth prince…” Fu Lu said tactfully, “The fourth prince has a great sense of the big picture.”

To put it nicely, it's about having a broad perspective; to put it bluntly, it's about being a coward.

Lingzhi thought so too, but as the head steward, she still smoothed things over for the fourth prince who wasn't present, saying, "Everyone has things they're obsessed with, and even the most good-tempered person will pick up a butcher's knife to achieve their goal."

Cui Zui felt that everyone's points made sense, so he turned around and asked for the standard answer: "Master, what do you think?"

Xue Jin'an pointed them in the right direction: "The Fourth Prince is no match for the First Prince. If the First Prince is really determined, the Fourth Prince will be tricked into doing it even if he doesn't want to."

"The eldest prince is cautious and sensitive by nature. The fact that the account books were handed over to the fourth prince is not only because the fourth prince has a talent for accounting, but also because the fourth prince has been able to deceive himself for so long, which is not solely due to his own efforts."

There must be someone by the Fourth Prince's side who is willing to risk their life for the First Prince.

Xue Jin'an remembered that the Fifth Prince had said that the Fourth Prince's desk had been specially modified to have a cleverly concealed compartment for hiding account books.

The Fourth Prince isn't the type to think that much, so who designed this ingenious table? The Fourth Prince doesn't have many people he can rely on right now.

Shunxin, Shunyi, and Shunde—these three were people Chu Wenwan sent to the Fourth Prince's side, and they remained by his side even after Chu Wenwan's death. With these two states combined, the Fourth Prince had no defenses against these three people and was almost completely obedient to them.

So, who will ultimately trick him into dying?