Chapter 108 The bolder a person is, the crazier they become.
Back at the Jia residence, Shang Yuji closed her eyes, not watching how the extracted Breath-Concealing Gu left her body. Only after Jiang Xi said "okay" did she tentatively open one eye.
Jiang Xi carefully tied a knot in a thin white cloth strip around the wound. She remembered that the wound was not big, but she did not object to his serious attitude. She secretly threatened, "You can keep that Gu worm as usual, but you can't add it to your 'treasures'."
Once the Breath-Concealing Gu left the body, the slightly cool body temperature rose, and the heart beat strongly. At least it was no longer that half-dead state that had been wandering around the gates of the underworld.
"After it dies, can I store it as a quadrat?"
"It's up to you." Shang Yuji was very accepting of the insects being turned into specimens, and casually added, "Let it die naturally, don't interfere."
Thinking of the Secret Word Gu that obeyed orders and perished in the sea of fire tonight, with Jiang Xi's abilities, there are plenty of Gu worms willing to go through fire and water for him... Could it be that he ordered the Breath-Concealing Gu, which had entered her body, to die immediately and be made into a specimen?
Jiang Xi quickly replied, "I won't do that."
He wouldn't take the life of the Gu worm that had entered Aji's body. If nothing unexpected happened, it wouldn't be sent to do anything else. In short, once a Gu worm entered Aji's body, it couldn't enter a second person. If it was mixed with other people's auras, it would be difficult to handle. He only wanted Aji's aura.
Despite his serious demeanor, when it comes to matters concerning her, he is the one with the most unconventional ideas.
...While part of the reason is that she's willing to spoil them, if we really have to talk about who's right and who's wrong, she also has to share half the responsibility.
She rubbed his head to comfort him after a long day. Jiang Xi bent down blankly, beaming as he accepted her merciless rub.
It was late at night. Exhausted from the whole day, Shang Yuji yawned, changed into her nightgown, tidied herself up casually, and climbed into bed. She moved over to make room for him, and Jiang Xi quickly followed. They fell asleep in each other's arms, finally ending their day's activities.
A fire killed an insignificant person. Zhou Ao cursed his bad luck inwardly and left the steward to handle the aftermath. He would only come to take a look when necessary.
This caused a ripple effect, which quickly subsided, and the capital city returned to its usual bustling state.
Upon receiving the news, Consort Shu abruptly stopped what she was doing. A moment later, the ink saturated the paper, leaving a dark blot. She didn't hear the maid's exclamation. She lowered her head and sighed softly, "What a pity."
I wonder if this regrettable statement is lamenting the passing of orchids and irises, or about having to start all over again with calligraphy practice.
...
When she woke up, she heard the patter of rain outside the window. Jiang Xi put on her outer robe and got out of bed, her long, flowing hair cascading down her back. She opened the window, and a cool breeze carrying dampness and the scent of grass and trees entered the room. She stretched out a hand from under the bulging blankets, made a gesture, and then slammed it onto the pillow with a thud, followed by a muffled sound: "It's ready."
Jiang Xi, his white sleeves hanging down to his elbows, knelt on one knee at the edge of the bed, leaned closer, pulled up his sleeves to cover his exposed wrist, gently grasped her wrist with his five fingers, pulled it behind him, and when he released it, it rested lightly on his arm, looking as if he were embracing him. Jiang Xi moved closer, surrounded by her familiar scent, and they went back to sleep together.
Accompanied by the patter of rain, the two slept soundly under the warm covers until it was too late.
The sun was high in the sky, and it was still raining outside. Realizing something was wrong, Shang Yuji sprang from the bed, only to be stopped by a hand pressing down on her waist. Pulling at his disheveled hair, Shang Yuji forcibly woke him. Still half-asleep, Jiang Xi whimpered and clung to her for a while before finally getting up.
Knowing that they had gone to steal last night and returned late, Yi Sha noticed that the two were still alive outside the house, so she didn't wake them up and let them oversleep.
A small fire simmered in the kitchen, and she ate two bowls to warm her stomach. Shang Yuji sat idly in the lobby, her attention drawn to the sounds of wind, rain, and trees outside. She simply spread out her travelogue on the table, propped her cheek on her hand, and looked out at the drizzling rain.
Spring arrives later in the capital than in Yangzhou, so while it is already late spring in Yangzhou, spring is in full bloom in the capital.
Xuanming, carrying a book, came to the main hall and found a good seat. As soon as he sat down, Shang Yuji seemed to have found a topic to talk about and asked, "Uncle, why didn't you go to find my senior brother, but stayed in the manor with us?"
"My senior brother is busy and has little time to entertain me, so I'd rather not go and annoy him."
Actually, it's more because their identities are too sensitive. The eldest princess has covered up Xuanqing's identity, so if they go there, they'll have to tell more lies, and it'll be hard to cover up too many lies. It's better to just go with Miss Shang, which is easier and less troublesome.
Shang Yuji's gaze drifted, her tone as calm as if she were talking about everyday matters: "Uncle, if there were something that undoubtedly belonged to you, would you still be so cautious and fight over it?"
Despite his doubts, he thought it over and replied, "If it's mine, why should I fight for it? It'll end up in my hands sooner or later anyway."
"Then tell me, under what circumstances would people be so cautious about something they already know they will get?"
"Unless this item is very important? Or perhaps you're uneasy until you actually have it in your hands, fearing something might go wrong along the way?"
Yes, she once thought so too.
Undoubtedly, the throne is the most precious treasure in the entire Da'an. Everyone fights tooth and nail, turns against each other, and lives and dies for it... They never regret it, even if they shed their last drop of blood and burn their last tear.
However, unlike others, Zhou Ao's maternal clan was powerful, and he also had the emperor's favor and the support of most of the court's forces, so the throne was undoubtedly within his grasp.
Shang Yuji once thought that the Second Prince's efforts in forging weapons and building alliances with various factions were all because the throne had not truly been passed to him. He was making these efforts out of concern that the throne might be snatched away by a rising royal relative.
Apart from the eldest princess, the other members of the imperial clan were insignificant and did not require him to go to such lengths—to harbor a royal uncle who had failed in his bid for the throne in his residence.
An "enemy" with a special identity, who even wants to compete with him for the throne.
Under what circumstances would a legitimate and popular heir be willing to take risks to protect someone who poses a threat to him?
Unless, of course, the will of the people is genuine, and his legitimacy is a lie. Therefore, he needs to make two preparations. First, he must continue to conceal the fact that his legitimacy is questionable, securing the throne smoothly before the truth is discovered. Once the truth is revealed, the throne will be firmly established, and everything will be settled, leaving no room for regret. Second, he must win over loyal ministers or those who know the truth in advance, so that even if the truth is revealed and others oppose him, they will still support his ascension to the throne. Tian Mu is naturally allied with the Second Prince due to marriage; their fates are intertwined. The Prince of Qi in the Lotus Garden is someone who knows the truth and is also a major ally of the Second Prince.
Why would the Second Prince have contact with the Prince of Qi? While it's not fair to say the two are completely unrelated, why skip other more reliable and useful options and choose the Prince of Qi, whose status is awkward?
It can't be that we're just envious of the other party's failed experience in the struggle for the throne, and want to learn from their failures and find another way to succeed, avoiding the lessons of the former's failures.
Thinking of this, Shang Yuji recalled yesterday when she saw the Second Prince and remarked on how different he looked from the Eldest Princess. Upon closer inspection, the two indeed bore no resemblance. This was natural; they shared the same father but different mothers, and even twins don't necessarily look alike.
But her suspicions surged upon seeing the man in the waterside pavilion, because she was surprised to find that, from a distance, he seemed to bear a slight resemblance to the Second Prince…? At that time, she was busy eavesdropping and sending the Gu, and had not had time to analyze the situation. Now that she had some free time, her doubts couldn't help but well up.
Sometimes you have to think in the boldest and most absurd directions, and maybe the answer will be unexpected.
How daring do you have to be?
You can't just assume they're father and son based on their slightly similar faces and suspect the emperor has been betrayed, can you?
Haha, this is hilarious! Even if you're going to make a bold guess, it doesn't have to be this absurd!
Could it be that the Second Prince is not only a fake prince who was switched at birth, but also wants to seize the real throne while posing as a fake prince?
What's the difference between this and him leading his entire clan to jump around in front of his grave? No, if we're talking about it, the emperor is also part of his clan. The emperor can't very well issue an edict to kill himself, can he? Haha.
"..." Hahaha... Shang Yuji chuckled inwardly, admiring the absurdity of her own guess, but the more she read, the more guilty she felt.
Really? She's probably just imagining things.
Xuanming noticed that she had stopped asking questions and a thoughtful expression slowly appeared on her face. In order not to disturb her thoughts, he remained silent.
When the young lady looked up from her book again, her expression had changed drastically; it was as if her soul had left her body.
Shang Yuji's face grew increasingly grim. In her panic, she crumpled the travelogue beside her, and her breathing became rapid.
Perhaps she guessed wrong. Maybe they just look alike. The King of Qi and the Emperor are brothers, and a nephew can even resemble his uncle! It's normal for relatives to look alike!
But she's not normal!
Even if she hasn't reached the point where her words become law, she's at the level of "good luck" where there are mines everywhere she goes... She herself wouldn't believe that this conjecture is nothing.
Based on the above speculations, if they have a relationship, then everything makes sense.
Zhou Ao knew his origins were illegitimate, and even with a lot of support, he feared that if the truth were exposed, his situation would be turned upside down, and anyone could take a bite out of him. So, while maintaining his outward identity, he and the Prince of Qi were making preparations to seize the throne.
The blood ties between uncle and nephew are sufficient, but the connection between them is still fragile. The relationship between father and son is not much better, but it is closer than that between uncle and nephew. At least it is enough for the second prince to trust that they are on the same side, and then he tries to help them cover up their whereabouts.
Unfortunately, this is the royal family, the royal family under the emperor. If it were for the sake of stability, the emperor should have appointed a new crown prince long ago after the death of the eldest prince. Otherwise, the princes below are fighting amongst themselves and killing each other, and the lack of a designated successor is also the reason for the chaos in the court.
Does the emperor not know that establishing a crown prince can stabilize the country?
No, he certainly knew that the emperor himself had seized the throne through fierce fighting, and no one understood better than him how much fratricide could be reduced by a stable crown prince.
Instead of the current situation, where the emperor, in order to appease the court officials, befriends Zhou Ao and his favor is obvious to all, even though the crown prince has not been established yet, the example set by the emperor has to some extent appeased some voices who want to establish an heir.
When ministers see the emperor's example, most will assume that the next emperor will be the second prince. In order to ensure the continuation of their family's status, they will naturally try to win over the future emperor. Therefore, the faction of the second prince is the most powerful in the court.
But the emperor just won't make a crown prince, giving some princes and relatives with ambitions a sliver of hope. What if, in the end, the emperor doesn't want the second prince to be the crown prince? If he did, he would have made a crown prince long ago. Why has it dragged on until now without any definite news?
Where there are illusions, there will be people who dare to act; once they act, they will inevitably face fratricide and bloodshed... The emperor knew all of this, but he did nothing and maintained a facade of calm and peace.
He watched them fight, their precarious brotherly affection, while he remained calm and collected.
There was no crown prince and ministers joining forces to sideline him, and no young emperor dissatisfied with his clinging to power, thus turning him into a figurehead emperor!
No one dared to question his overwhelming authority, and no one dared to oppose his golden words!
From beginning to end, he was nothing more than a madman who clung tightly to the power in his hands.
The emperor thought he could control the situation, but unbeknownst to him, in a hidden corner, desire and craving twisted and surged into a hideous monster. In the end, this insatiable monster grew bigger and bigger until it swallowed him whole and buried him in the abyss of desire.
No one can remain seated on the fishing platform for long, not even an emperor.
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