Chapter 7 Rebirth Too Early
Upon waking for the fifth time, Qi Jingxuan snatched the hairpin from Shen Yan's hand and grabbed her hand. Before he could speak, his eyes were already red.
He felt wronged, he really felt wronged!
He knew he was a bit of a spoiled brat and got into a lot of trouble, but it was all minor mischief; he had never killed anyone or set fires...
Oh no, he set fires.
But it was just a small fire; it was put out before it even reached the roof beams. It shouldn't have cost him so many lives for something so trivial.
What heinous crime did Qi Jingxuan commit to deserve such punishment? Even breaking the laws of heaven wouldn't be enough to warrant this level of punishment.
Qi Jingxuan looked at Shen Yan, whom he had pinned beneath him, and choked out, "Please don't die, I beg you, don't die, you really can't die! What will I do if you die?"
Xu Jinyu pushed open the door and heard just that sentence. When she saw the scene before her, her heart skipped a beat and she almost fainted.
"Your Highness, how...how could you do this?"
Qi Jingxuan turned around: "What do you know? If she dies, I can't live!"
Five times already! He's died five times! Each time he's been shot by that archer, but each time the arrow hits a different spot!
He has a headache, eye pain, chest pain, back pain, belly button pain, ankle pain, and his testicles... are even more painful.
He really didn't want to die anymore; he wanted to live a good life!
He didn't even want revenge anymore, nor did he want to find the person behind it all. He accepted being demoted to a county prince; could he just settle down and live a quiet, idle life as a county prince in his fiefdom?
"I... what can I do to stop you from dying? Tell me, tell me..."
He looked at Shen Yan, tears streaming down his face. This sight terrified Xu Jinyu and the others, who quickly sent someone to invite the Marquis of Cheng'an and his wife, as well as Madam Su, over.
………………
"No, I didn't!"
Faced with accusations from his ministers that he coveted Shen Mingshan's daughter and had humiliated Shen Yan while drunk, Qi Jingxuan once again refuted them.
However, his "sincere" remarks at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence were taken as evidence, and Lin Chengfeng used this to question his inconsistent words and actions, suspecting that he was trying to escape punishment.
Qi Jingxuan said those things only because he knew that his life and Shen Yan's life were intertwined, and because he had been shot into a pincushion and died a terrible death last time, he couldn't help but speak up.
However, the officials present were unaware of these matters and had no reason to believe him. After a heated argument, the emperor once again issued an edict to confine him to the Prince of Jin's residence.
Qi Jingxuan, who was seventeen or eighteen years old, actually rushed over and hugged the emperor's leg in public, refusing to leave no matter what. He even shouted that if he entered the Prince of Jin's mansion, he would be waiting to die. He absolutely could not go. He wanted to stay and find out for himself who was harming him.
The emperor usually indulged him, but now, in this situation, how could he let him run wild? He immediately rebuked him, "I have already shown you extraordinary mercy by confining you to the Prince's residence. Do not be ungrateful!"
He then said to the guards on duty outside the hall, "Men, take him away and send him back to the Prince's residence! Without my permission, he is not to step out of the Prince's residence!"
The guards agreed and stepped forward to drag the man away.
Seeing that throwing a tantrum was useless, Qi Jingxuan had no choice but to grab the emperor's robe tightly and cry out, "Father, Father, promise me one thing, promise me and I'll leave immediately."
Qi Jingxuan has always been a rule-breaker, often throwing tantrums in front of the emperor, but in the past, that was always in private, and even when he was disrespectful, the emperor just took it as a joke between father and son.
However, with so many officials in the hall, it would be quite undignified for Qi Jingxuan to tear his dragon robe to shreds.
The emperor felt utterly humiliated and wanted nothing more than to kick the man out, but since he was his own son and Consort Shu's only child, he could only lean down, grit his teeth, and whisper, "What do you want? You've completely disgraced me!"
Qi Jingxuan said, "Father has sent troops to protect Miss Shen. Keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn't commit suicide!"
"I beg you, Father, I have only one request: you must protect her and not let her die!"
Everyone was surprised to find that the Prince of Jin's request was to protect Shen Yan.
Someone secretly scoffed: At a time like this, you're still thinking about Miss Shen, and you still say you haven't fallen for anyone, and you still say you weren't drunk and used force on someone—you're a fool.
After a commotion, Qi Jingxuan was finally dragged away by the guards and locked up in the Prince of Jin's residence.
Although the emperor did not take his words about "returning to the palace is just waiting to die" to heart, he was worried that someone might take the opportunity to assassinate Shen Yan and then make it look like a suicide, pinning the crime on Prince Jin and saying that he forced the daughter of an official to death. So after thinking it over, he still arranged for some people to secretly guard the vicinity of the Shen family.
The reason for not openly sending people there was the fear that officials in the court would say that he was doing this to protect the Prince of Jin, using the guise of protection to monitor the Shen family, put pressure on the Shen family, and silence them.
They thought everything would be fine, but that very night, the Shen family received devastating news. Madam Su, worried about her daughter, went to check on her in the middle of the night, only to find that she had hanged herself.
From this point on, things spiraled out of control. Students from impoverished families took to the streets to protest for the Shen family, clashing with the Imperial Guards and resulting in deaths. Several major academies went on strike, demanding justice for the Shen family and the deceased students.
Not long after, news somehow spread that the emperor had sent people to guard the vicinity of the Shen family. People in the capital accused him of forcing the Shen family's daughter to death in order to protect the Prince of Jin, and the royal family's reputation plummeted.
Amidst public outrage, the Prince of Jin was eventually demoted to a county prince, banished from the capital, and sent to his fiefdom.
………………
"Your Highness, be careful! There's an assassin!"
The battle cries rang out again, and the "experienced" Qi Jingxuan immediately turned around and ran towards the carriage.
But this time, in addition to his original guards, a squad of well-trained shield-bearing infantry followed him.
This was what he asked the emperor for before leaving the capital. For this, he risked being considered a madman and told the emperor about his many rebirths.
As he expected, the emperor thought he was delirious from a shock and immediately summoned the imperial physician to treat him.
The Prince of Jin was not ill, so the imperial physicians could not diagnose anything. They simply said it was due to the dryness and heat of spring, prescribed a medicine to reduce internal heat, and that was it.
The emperor, however, felt that his son was truly ill, but that the illness was in his brain, which was why the imperial physicians could not diagnose it.
He really wanted to keep Prince Jin to "cure his illness," but the capital city was no longer a place for him. He also felt that the illness might be caused by his mental illness, and that it might be better for him to leave the capital city, a place of trouble and conflict. So he reluctantly let him go.
However, this incident was clearly orchestrated by someone who was very well hidden. He was worried that the Prince of Jin might encounter some misfortune on the way, so he finally agreed to his request and sent more troops to escort him, including the shield-bearing infantry that he had strongly requested.
As soon as the assassin appeared, the infantrymen who had been guarding Qi Jingxuan closely at his request immediately raised their shields and protected him.
"Quick, quick, get me into the car!"
Qi Jingxuan shouted.
The infantrymen maintained their formation, following closely beside him, and escorted him to the carriage.
The sound of something cutting through the air rang out again. Qi Jingxuan thought that the defenses were so tight this time that he wouldn't give the archer another chance.
No matter how he shoots, he doesn't believe his arrows can penetrate a shield.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his ankle, and his body swayed as he fell to the side.
The archer accurately spotted him among the dense mass of infantry legs and feet, and shot an arrow through his ankle.
Seeing that he was injured, the infantrymen quickly helped him up and continued to move forward, but this brief movement caused their formation to break slightly, and gaps briefly appeared between their shields.
In that brief instant, an arrow flew swiftly through the gap and struck Qi Jingxuan squarely in the lower abdomen.
Qi Jingxuan cried out in pain, but ignoring the agony, he clutched his stomach wound and gritted his teeth, saying, "Go, go quickly!"
As they drew closer to the carriage, the archer who had always been shooting at him seemed to lose patience and finally shot an arrow at the soldier guarding him.
Several infantrymen were shot in the calves, fell to the ground screaming, and dropped their shields.
Qi Jingxuan was exposed to the public, and just like in his previous life, three arrows shot at him simultaneously, piercing him through once again...
………………
The sixth time, Qi Jingxuan brought Shen Yan into the palace as soon as he woke up, insisting on speaking a few words to the emperor alone despite the objections of many officials.
The emperor, ultimately trusting his son and believing he wouldn't do something like bullying a court official's daughter, disregarded the objections of his ministers and went with him to a side hall to hear what he had to say.
When they arrived at the side hall, Qi Jingxuan said that he had died six times already. This was his sixth time being reborn back to this time, and his seventh time experiencing these things.
The emperor was so angry his nose almost twisted. Remembering there were people outside and fearing overhearing, he lowered his voice and roared, "Is this all you wanted to say to me?"
Qi Jingxuan knew he definitely wouldn't believe him, but he still insisted on recounting what would happen next, including what Lin Chengfeng and the other officials would say later.
The emperor naturally still refused, thinking it was absurd. But when he went out of the side hall to deal with the ministers, he gradually realized that something was wrong.
What these people said was almost exactly the same as what Qi Jingxuan had just said.
Could it be that what that kid said was actually true?
The emperor found it hard to believe, and when everyone demanded that Prince Jin be imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, he remained silent for a long time.
"Your Majesty!"
Lin Chengfeng called out twice before the emperor regained consciousness.
He looked at Lin Chengfeng with a strange expression, then at the others in the hall, and finally his gaze fell on Prince Jin.
Qi Jingxuan was also looking at him, his eyes red and his lips pursed, with an expression that said, "See, I didn't lie to you."
Given that Qi Jingxuan's words had come true, the emperor, though still harboring doubts, believed him to some extent. He ordered Prince Jin to return to his residence and remain under house arrest, while also proposing to send a royal physician from the palace and select two other nannies to accompany Shen Yan back to the residence to take care of her, in case she felt unwell.
Not only did they arrange for an imperial physician, but they also sent two maids. This wasn't just to look after her; it was clearly to monitor her!
Not only did Shen Mingshan and his wife disagree, but Lin Chengfeng and others also disagreed, saying that the emperor was protecting Prince Jin and threatening the Shen family.
The emperor, adept at dealing with these ministers, changed his tune, saying, "Then why don't you trouble Minister Lin to select two maids from your residence?"
"After all, Physician Zhou is a man, and it is inconvenient for him to stay by Miss Shen's side all the time. Madam Shen is also pregnant and does not have the energy to take care of Miss Shen all the time."
"Sending two maids over there, Lin Qing, would not only help take care of Miss Shen, but also relieve Madam Shen's burdens. Wouldn't that be perfect?"
Not long after entering the palace, Lady Su fainted. The imperial physician examined her pulse and said she was pregnant, but the sudden shock had affected the fetus, and she needed to rest.
Lin Chengfeng has always been dissatisfied with Prince Jin and is one of the least likely people to side with him. The people he arranged would certainly not help the emperor and Prince Jin threaten or intimidate the Shen family.
This request was not unreasonable, and the Lin family did not lack these two maids. Lin Chengfeng thought about it and agreed.
Shen Mingshan initially wanted to refuse, but considering the current situation of his daughter and wife, he ultimately did not object.
Seeing that the Emperor had successfully arranged for the person to be placed in the Shen family, allowing him to keep a close watch on Shen Yan day and night, Qi Jingxuan finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although he was still very worried, he didn't have a better solution for the time being, so he could only return to the Prince of Jin's residence and stay at home, trying his best to find out what was going on outside and find out who was behind it all as soon as possible.
If even the three departments combined couldn't find someone, how could he possibly find them?
After three days of such efforts, when they still had no clue about the truth, they received news of Shen Yan's suicide.
With Physician Zhou and two maids from the Lin family watching over her day and night, Shen Yan failed to hang herself this time. Instead, after leaving the Dali Temple, she bumped her head against the stone lion at the entrance.
Qi Jingxuan was stunned for a long time before asking blankly, "Why did the Dali Temple summon her?"
The chief clerk said, "They said the case hasn't made any progress, and they wanted to ask Miss Shen again about what happened that day, to see if she could remember anything else."
"Then why not go to the Shen family to ask, instead of sending Miss Shen to the Dali Temple?"
Shen Yan was not a suspect, but a victim, and the daughter of a court official. Although it was customary for the Dali Temple to summon witnesses to the government office, it was not always necessary. Especially in matters involving a young woman's reputation, any reasonable course of action would have been to send someone to the Shen family for questioning, rather than summoning Shen Yan.
The chief clerk sighed helplessly and said, "If it were any other aristocratic family or noble family, the Court of Judicial Review would certainly not dare to summon their daughters for trial so casually, but the Shen family... as you know, how could the Court of Judicial Review possibly take them seriously?"
"Besides, there are all sorts of conflicting accounts of this matter. Some say you're wrong, while others say Miss Shen is wrong. In the eyes of those who say Miss Shen is wrong, she's just a social climber. Why would they make a special trip to the Shen family? They'd probably be eager to call her out and humiliate her properly."
"I heard that Miss Shen was being pointed at and talked about on her way to the Dali Temple. Although many people expressed their belief in her and the Shen family and told her not to be afraid, quite a few others said..."
The chief clerk found it difficult to speak, and only said, "They said some very unpleasant things, and the two sides even started fighting in the street."
"Miss Shen went to Dali Temple despite all the gossip. She looked quite calm and didn't seem to have anything wrong when she was questioned, but as soon as she came out, she ran into a stone lion."
"Shen Shi said he went with her, right beside her, but he couldn't stop her and watched helplessly as his daughter died in front of him..."
Qi Jingxuan slowly clenched his fist, then gradually relaxed it, and slumped into the chair.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, the chief clerk said, "Your Highness has not slept well these past few days. Why don't you go and rest for a while? I will send someone to find out what's going on outside."
Qi Jingxuan shook his head and said, "No need."
Shen Yan is dead, and he's going to die too. What's the point of trying to find out anything? It's all in vain.
………………
Sure enough, even though everything that happened later came true, and the emperor completely believed the Prince of Jin's words, he could not stop the situation in the capital. In the end, he was forced by the court officials to issue an edict to banish the Prince of Jin from the capital.
However, knowing from the Prince of Jin that he would be assassinated on his way to his fief, the emperor arranged for a full three thousand soldiers to escort him.
There was widespread opposition in the court, but the emperor only sent these three thousand soldiers to escort Qi Jingxuan to his fiefdom. They would return after the mission was completed, not to be assigned to him for his own use. After some debate between the court officials and the emperor, they finally agreed under his insistence.
Qi Jingxuan did not express any opinion on this, because in his view, if Shen Yan died, he would die too, and it would make no difference how many soldiers were sent to escort her.
But to his surprise, nothing happened on the way, and he arrived at his fiefdom safely.
Even as he stepped into the Prince's mansion, Qi Jingxuan still found it unbelievable.
"I...I'm still alive."
He stood in the Prince's mansion and looked himself up and down.
His head was intact, his chest and abdomen were intact, his legs and feet were intact—his entire body was perfectly fine, without a single bloody hole!
"I'm alive... I'm really still alive! Hahahaha, I'm still alive!"
Qi Jingxuan was so excited that he almost flew up on the spot, jumping up and down under the astonished gazes of everyone in the Prince's Mansion, until he was so tired that he could no longer run.
He leaned against a pillar with one hand and his leg with the other, muttering, "So it turns out my life isn't tied to hers. As long as the defenses along the way are tight enough that no one can find an opportunity to strike, I can still get away with it."
"I dodged it! I dodged it this time!"
Qi Jingxuan was extremely grateful that he had told the emperor the truth, which resulted in the acquisition of these three thousand soldiers. Otherwise, he would probably be a dead body again.
However, given that he had already died six times, Qi Jingxuan did not immediately lower his guard and become ostentatious. After arriving at the Prince's Mansion, he did not step out of the mansion for a full half month. Only after confirming that there were many troops stationed in the city and that the defenses were tight did he cautiously leave the mansion accompanied by the guards.
The sky outside the mansion was exceptionally clear, the air exceptionally fresh, and the air everywhere exuded a sense of "freedom".
Qi Jingxuan couldn't help but open his arms, close his eyes, take a deep breath, and sigh, "I finally..."
The sound of something cutting through the air came as an arrow, carrying a strong gust of wind, pierced his throat, silencing the rest of his words.
"Your Highness, be careful, there's an assassin."
As the familiar words rang out, he fell heavily backward, a trembling arrow still lodged in his throat.
Qi Jingxuan didn't understand; he really didn't understand.
With the city so heavily guarded, the archer had no chance of escaping after assassinating him.
With the crown prince already established, he was merely a prince with no real power, and now he'd even been demoted to a county prince. Was it worth it for such a sharpshooting archer, whose aim was impeccable, to perish here trying to assassinate him?
What exactly did he do to make the other side willing to sacrifice such a rare talent to eliminate him?
Why... why... why is that?
A note from the author:
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I'm going to kneel down in the next chapter~
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