Chang'an stiffened her neck and stared at him: "Don't try to be mysterious, I'm not afraid of you!"
Xue Shen glanced at him with disdain and slowly reminded him, "You'd better be careful of the Empress. There are quite a few people inside and outside the palace who want you dead. I hope you live a few more days, and don't die before you issue an edict of self-reproach."
Emperor Cheng'an glared at him: "What? You've failed to intimidate me, so you're trying to sow discord between me and the Empress?"
Xue Shen was too lazy to say anything more to him. He had entered the palace today for two reasons: first, to get what he wanted; and second, just as he had told Emperor Cheng'an, to give Emperor Cheng'an one last chance out of consideration for Xue Heng.
But since Emperor Cheng'an himself didn't want it, he can't be blamed.
Xue Shen ignored Emperor Cheng'an and turned to leave.
Chun'an watched his back as he swaggered in and out of her palace, her teeth clenched with hatred, yet she was helpless.
When Xue Shen was around, he could still put on a fearless and confident appearance, but only he knew how weak he was inside.
With the resurfacing of the late empress's death, doubts about the legitimacy of his succession have arisen not only among the common people but also in the imperial court. However, these old matters are from a long time ago and lack evidence, so no one dares to speak to him about them yet.
But once the words Qi Zhong uttered at the Dali Temple today spread, there will soon be calls in the court to thoroughly investigate the death of the late emperor.
His health was deteriorating, the Crown Prince was missing, and the Empress, though pregnant, was still several months away from giving birth, and it was unknown whether the child in her womb was a boy or a girl.
Many officials who once supported the crown prince have begun to waver and side with Xue Shen.
He watched all this from inside the palace, powerless to do anything about it.
A surge of powerlessness and panic welled up in Emperor Cheng'an's heart, and he suddenly remembered Xue Shen's words that had just reminded him.
There are indeed many people inside and outside the palace who want him dead, and Xue Shen is one of them, Qi Zhong.
But Xue Shen told him, "Be careful of the Empress?"
Emperor Cheng'an's expression was unpredictable. He couldn't understand why the Empress would turn against him now that they were on the same boat and their interests were aligned.
He tried to comfort himself by saying that this was just Xue Shen trying to sow discord between him and the Empress, but his intense suspicion prevented him from letting the words go.
Emperor Cheng'an's face turned pale and then flushed, his expression shifting several times. In the end, he could not suppress his suspicions and ordered, "Guards, prepare the carriage!"
*
After leaving the palace, Xue Shen went to the Daxiangguo Temple to find Prince Duan.
Prince Duan had been practicing asceticism at Daxiangguo Temple for many years, and Xue Shen, in order to avoid arousing suspicion in Chang'an, almost never went to Daxiangguo Temple to see him. The two only corresponded by letter.
This was the first time Xue Shen had openly and legitimately gone to Xiangguo Temple to see Prince Duan.
Prince Duan was meditating and chanting scriptures in the Buddhist hall. He was dressed in a gray monk's robe, his long hair was casually tied up with a wooden hairpin, and he held a string of sandalwood prayer beads in his right hand. Although he was old, one could still see the handsome features he had when he was young.
Xue Shen stood at the door watching him until the Prince of Duan finished reciting the scriptures before stepping in, bowing respectfully and addressing him as "Imperial Uncle".
Prince Duan opened his eyes and looked him over. When he saw the familiar shadow on the man's face, a complex look of nostalgia appeared on his face: "You've come."
He observed Xue Shen's complexion and spoke with the calm and gentle tone characteristic of a monk: "I heard that Princess Qin is pregnant. It seems you are doing well. I was just worrying for nothing."
Xue Shen sat down on the futon opposite him: "Thank you for your concern, Imperial Uncle. I am fine. I came here today to give you this."
He took out an old, worn-out imperial edict and placed it in front of Prince Duan.
Prince Duan's eyes trembled, and his movements froze for a long time before he reached out and picked up the imperial edict. The long-sealed edict slowly unfolded, revealing its contents—this was the last edict from the late emperor to pass the throne to Emperor Cheng'an before his death.
This imperial edict was only read aloud when Emperor Cheng'an ascended the throne. Afterward, Emperor Cheng'an carefully hid it away, claiming it was his elder brother's last handwriting, and no one knew where he hid it.
Over the years, Xue Shen has been searching for this imperial edict.
The fire that broke out in Emperor Cheng'an's palace was deliberately set by him in order to find the whereabouts of the imperial edict in Emperor Cheng'an's palace.
And his guess was right. Given Emperor Cheng'an's deep-seated suspicion, he would never trust such an important item to be placed elsewhere; he must have carefully stored it in his own palace.
Xue Shen found the imperial edict during the arson incident, but at the time he was keeping a low profile and did not want to break ties with Emperor Cheng'an. To ensure that nothing unexpected happened, he hid the edict in another secluded place in the palace.
He only went to the palace to retrieve it when he needed it.
Prince Duan carefully examined the edict, running his fingers over each character. After a long while, he pointed to a spot and said, "There is blood here, but it was cleaned up later."
Xue Shen's eyes darkened. Although he had long suspected that his father had been forced to write the edict by Emperor Cheng'an, now that he had found conclusive evidence, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
He couldn't imagine under what circumstances his usually valiant father had been forced to write this will to pass on the throne.
"Is there any way to restore the bloodstains?" Xue Shen asked in a hoarse voice.
Prince Duan nodded: "Leave it to me, I may give it a try."
He carefully put away the will before looking up at Xue Shen: "I heard that Qi Zhong has already spoken up. When do you plan to have me make my appearance?"
Xue Shen lowered his eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a long while, he slowly said, "It shouldn't be too long. Uncle, you can start making some preparations."
Prince Duan nodded, tucked the edict into his sleeve, and then asked, "After this matter, when do you plan to bring Princess Qin to see me?"
Thinking of the Princess of Qin, whom he had never met, his smile became even gentler: "I heard that her temperament is very similar to my sister-in-law's. She must be a gentle and kind woman. No wonder she can be called 'the steel that can be melted by a finger.'"
His words carried a hint of mockery, and Xue Shen's expression softened as he thought of Shen Youying: "Zhaozhao is about to give birth and it is inconvenient for her to travel around. Once this matter is settled, if you are willing, Uncle, you can come to the Prince of Qin's residence to see her and her child."
Prince Duan naturally wouldn't refuse. He took out three amulets from his sleeve and handed them to Xue Shen: "These are peace charms that I specially obtained. I suppose my niece-in-law doesn't lack anything valuable, so I won't give them to her. These peace charms have been offered to the Buddha for forty-nine days, which is a way to put my mind at ease."
Xue Shen accepted the blessing and solemnly thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Imperial Uncle."
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