Chapter 77
"His Highness the Third Prince has gone mad!" One shrill cry after another echoed throughout the Qian Yuan Palace, like a drop of water thrown into a pot of boiling oil, instantly igniting a commotion.
When Xue Jin'an first heard this, he didn't think much of it. But now that the truth has come out, it's hard not to notice such an obvious scheme.
Clearly, someone is deliberately trying to make the Third Prince's madness a widely known and public spectacle. It's easy to imagine that from today onwards, the entire Great Qi will be filled with the news that the Third Prince is mad. Even if it is proven that he was drugged, there will always be people spreading rumors. As the saying goes, "three men make a tiger," and if too many people say it, even someone without madness will become mad. Not to mention that the Third Prince is inherently violent and has a history of killing palace maids and eunuchs several times, so he is not clean to begin with.
The Third Prince's path to the throne has come to an end. Unless all of the Emperor's other sons are killed, there is basically no way for him to turn the tide.
As for whether those shouting are the same group that attacked the Third Prince, that's a matter of opinion. Again, the Third Prince and Consort Xian have made too many enemies, and many people want to take advantage of their misfortune.
Xue Jin'an and the Fifth Prince had only been out for a short time and were not far from the scene of the incident. Xue Jin'an turned around to walk back, but the Fifth Prince grabbed his arm and led him away in the opposite direction.
"You don't actually want to be a saint who saves people from suffering, do you?" The Fifth Prince looked at him with a half-smile. "Wasn't being attacked by the mob just now enough?"
Xue Jin'an didn't take those court officials seriously at all, so he was naturally unmoved by the Fifth Prince's words.
The Fifth Prince frowned and suddenly said, "I thought you wouldn't come here today."
“You don’t care about family ties or sibling affection at all. Compared to so-called ‘reunion,’ you would rather stay in Zhaoyang Palace and have a meal with your maids and eunuchs than sit here idly. You don’t care about people and things you don’t care about, so you must have come here because someone told you something that you would be interested in.”
After giving Xue Jin'an his analysis, the Fifth Prince said, "Since you're here to watch a show, why not just be a spectator? Why insist on going on stage and performing?"
"Seventh Brother, you've already experienced how those ministers treat you. You've already taken Chu Wenwan and Xiao Shu's lives on your shoulders. If you were still there when this incident happened, how would they attack you? Have you thought about it? A single 'harmful' omen could condemn you to eternal confinement in Zhaoyang Palace, never to emerge again." The Fifth Prince deliberately lowered his voice to the last sentence, which, combined with the cold winter wind, sounded particularly sinister.
The Fifth Prince tried to reason with him for a long time, but Xue Jin'an just stared at him without saying a word. His face was as expressionless as ever, and his dark eyes were like a lake at night, where only silence could be seen.
The Fifth Prince couldn't help but tug at Xue Jin'an, but the latter didn't budge. He immediately became somewhat exasperated and said, "Xue Jin'an, I'm talking to you, didn't you hear me!"
"Yes, I'm here," Xue Jin'an replied as if a smart voice had been activated, then paused before asking, "Are you done talking?"
The Fifth Prince was amused by his sarcastic remark and looked at him leisurely, "I've finished speaking, so what do you mean?"
What could Xue Jin'an possibly mean? He simply nodded to indicate that he had heard, and then prepared to leave.
At this moment, the Fifth Prince was of course not going to let go. He tightened his grip on Xue Jin'an's arm and said seriously with a frown, "Seventh Brother, I'm not joking with you. If something happens to you again this time, even the Empress Dowager won't be able to protect you. You'll be doomed in Zhaoyang Palace for the rest of your life."
Xue Jin'an said expressionlessly, "I can't be kept here."
When Xue Jin'an spoke of "here," he was not only referring to Zhaoyang Palace, but also to the imperial palace, the Great Qi Dynasty, and even the entire world.
Xue Jin'an's goal has always been clear: he will eliminate all his rivals, including the emperor, before the original owner's death, ascend the throne, and then diligently cultivate the "Code Technique." Once the human lifespan of a hundred years ends, if his magical power is sufficient, he can reshape a body and finally break through the void to find Long Aotian, the dead machine slave.
The whole world was just a stepping stone in his eyes; how could a small palace like Zhaoyang Palace possibly confine him? To be honest, if he wanted to get out, he could do it now, but there was no need for him to.
"What do you plan to do?" The Fifth Prince looked him up and down and sneered.
It wasn't that the Fifth Prince looked down on Xue Jin'an; on the contrary, he highly recognized Xue Jin'an's abilities, even though he hadn't detected any internal energy from him so far.
“Your unconventional methods are indeed quite bizarre, but you can’t walk the unconventional path forever. You have to stand in front of others and realize your ambitions openly and honestly, don’t you?” The Fifth Prince thought Xue Jin’an’s confidence was based on the map of wickedness, so he said earnestly, “I know you don’t want to be hypocritical with those noble families. No one knows better than me how corrupt and disgusting they are.”
“However, in every dynasty, the emperor and the scholar-officials jointly govern the country. No matter how capable you are, you can't run the whole country by yourself. I don't doubt your ability, but I doubt your fate. If you offend them all, you're destined not to go far,” the Fifth Prince said. “Water that is too clear has no fish, and a person who is too discerning has no followers. I know these principles, don't you? If you want to reach that position, you are destined to give up some things.”
“You and Third Brother have only met two or three times, and you don’t have any real feelings for each other. Why bother getting involved in this mess?” The Fifth Prince spoke with utmost sincerity, his words clearly showing his concern for Xue Jin’an.
However, Xue Jin'an has a barrier when it comes to human emotional perception. He has always believed only in data and will not be misled by these appearances.
After Xue Jin'an entered these words into the data-driven character model of the Fifth Prince, he concluded that there was an 89% chance that the Fifth Prince was deceiving him; a 10% chance that he had a special mental disorder, which could be simply described as "brain damage"; and the remaining 1% was that the Fifth Prince was speaking to him without any ulterior motive.
The character model was directly identified as being out of character (OOC) based on the original character.
In terms of the most direct purpose, the other party said so much simply because they didn't want him to get involved in the Third Prince's affair.
"You've reached a cooperation agreement with the person behind the scenes," Xue Jin'an concluded with absolute certainty.
Upon hearing this, the Fifth Prince's eyes widened slowly, revealing an expression as if he had heard something unbelievable. He paused, then spoke again, his tone tinged with annoyance at being doubted, "Seventh Brother, we've known each other for so long, and among all our brothers, we've spent the most time together. I thought you knew me, but is this how you see me? You think that I'm telling you all this from the bottom of my heart because I want to harm you? Ha!"
The Fifth Prince sneered, his eyes filled with disappointment as he looked at Xue Jin'an, his whole being exuding a sense of despondency.
Seeing his expression only made Xue Jin'an more certain that he was lying.
The Fifth Prince was right about one thing: although he wasn't the first prince Xue Jin'an knew, he was the one he had the most contact with. And the more contact he had, the more complete the data he could collect, and the more comprehensive his analysis would be.
The Fifth Prince has a very obvious characteristic: he doesn't like to talk, and once he starts talking, he always has an ulterior motive. The more he talks, the more impure his motives are. Even if what he says is true, you can only believe half of it.
"The more you talk, the less believable you become," Xue Jin'an bluntly exposed.
"...Tsk, as if you know me so well." Having said that, the Fifth Prince couldn't keep up the act any longer. He completely suppressed his unusually expressive face, released his grip on Xue Jin'an's hand, and his entire being radiated boredom. Even his tone became lazy. "Although I do have ulterior motives, whether you believe it or not, everything I just said came from the bottom of my heart. Your involvement is not good for anyone."
As for who exactly he was bad to, the Fifth Prince certainly wouldn't say. He simply said slowly, "You were instrumental in my breaking free from the Gu worms' control. I won't harm you now. I'm not as heartless as you think."
Xue Jin'an, however, picked up on his words: "He won't harm me now, but he definitely will in the future."
"...Who knows what will happen in the future?" The Fifth Prince suddenly smiled at him and said, half-jokingly, "Bodhisattva, as the saying goes, if you don't go to hell, who will? If you are willing to sacrifice yourself to save me, I, Xue Lübu, will do whatever you ask me to do."
He spoke words of loyalty, yet he called himself Lü Bu, clearly remembering Xue Jin'an's refusal to cooperate with him last time, saying that he was Lü Bu who was unwilling to be subordinate to others and would rebel sooner or later.
Sure enough, the Fifth Prince then chuckled and said meaningfully, "Bodhisattva, do you dare?"
"I am neither Ding Yuan nor Dong Zhuo." Xue Jin'an, facing the traitor Lu Bu, would only resort to a hanging at the White Gate Tower. He wore the same expression as the Fifth Prince and retorted, "Do you dare?"
The Fifth Prince choked.
Would the Fifth Prince dare? Of course not. He claimed he wanted to cooperate with Xue Jin'an, but only he knew how much sincerity and scheming he truly harbored.
Just as Xue Jin'an understood the Fifth Prince, the Fifth Prince understood Xue Jin'an just as well. He knew all too well how sharp Xue Jin'an's mind was; he could analyze countless things from a single word, expression, or action. This alone was enough to make the Fifth Prince keep his distance.
Not to mention Xue Jin'an's desire for control. He doesn't act unless he's absolutely sure of it, but once he does, he'll have calculated every possible outcome of the plan. He doesn't like any unexpected events, and the Fifth Prince, on the other hand, loves nothing more than unexpected events.
The two people are fundamentally incompatible; cooperation is impossible, and they can only be enemies.
"This is boring." The Fifth Prince curled his lip, changing his previous attitude of desperately trying to persuade him to stay. He waved his hand with an expression that said, "You'd better leave and stop getting in my way."
Xue Jin'an didn't leave, but instead asked him, "What is the meaning of twin lotus blossoms?"
"...So the lotus flower in the flower room was delivered to you." The Fifth Prince looked at him with a cryptic expression, a half-smile on his face. "You already had a guess about that lotus sword, so why ask when you already know the answer?"
When Xue Jin'an heard him mention the lotus sword, he realized that the Fifth Prince also knew nothing about the lotus. He nodded and directly pushed out the person most likely behind him: "It's Prince An. He's gathered so many people to rebel and become a traitor."
The commotion at the Third Prince's place drew everyone's attention. The Fifth Prince was able to discuss these matters with Xue Jin'an in public, so he was naturally confident that no one would overhear. He chuckled and said ambiguously, "Defeat makes one a traitor, victory makes one a return to orthodoxy. History is always written by the victors."
Although Xue Jin'an thought the emperor was incompetent and constantly urged him to step down, that didn't mean he believed Prince An could ascend the throne. Frankly, he genuinely felt that with such a mediocre emperor, the fact that Prince An hadn't been able to remove him after all these years was truly a case of two weaklings fighting each other.
In the original novel, there is no mention of Prince An rebelling. Prince An remained quiet until the end of the book. However, if Prince An is behind the Fifth Prince, it is very likely that he made contact through his mother, Consort Xiao Shu. This means that, at least since the Zhou Yuting incident two years ago, Prince An's power in the harem has not been to be underestimated.
It's unclear what exactly caused Prince An to ultimately hold back his troops.
Surely the Emperor and Prince An aren't actually actors hired by the protagonist, the Eighth Prince, to stage fake matches every day, their purpose being to eliminate other threatening princes along with their mothers before the Eighth Prince grows up.
Indeed, it's more likely that both the emperor and Prince An were incompetent.
Xue Jin'an muttered to himself, while simultaneously sorting through all the things in his mind about the Fifth Prince. Suddenly, he realized that Xiao Shu's "death by anger" might not just be due to the Fifth Prince's harsh words. After all, the bond between the two mother and son was so thin. Xiao Shu was a selfish person. To defeat a selfish person, one needed to strip her of everything and make her utterly desperate, not just through simple harsh words.
What did Xiao Shu care about most? In her outburst at Qian Yuan Palace, she repeatedly mentioned… “a substitute.” She was a substitute for Empress Xiao Jingyi, and her son was also a substitute for the Empress’s son—that was her value.
In truth, given the ruthless nature of that interest group, who wouldn't let go until they'd squeezed someone dry, Zhou Yuting was already dead, and Xiao Shu, the ninth prince born to Consort Rong, was favored by the emperor and still had value to be exploited. She shouldn't have met such a swift end. After much thought, there's only one possibility: someone has replaced Xiao Shu, or perhaps this person is capable of doing even more than Xiao Shu.
Xue Jin'an used to think that the replacement would be Chu Wenwan, but now it seems that it is the Fifth Prince.
When the Imperial Guards searched Hanxiang Courtyard and dug up the floorboards to find those pieces of evidence, Hongling's expression clearly showed shock. It's hard to lie about a person's subconscious reaction, which means that the evidence was suspicious and had been hidden by someone else.
Xue Jin'an initially analyzed that Consort Shu was responsible, since she would step in to harm Xiao Shu because the Sixth Prince was injured and frightened by the assassination attempt in the Imperial Study, making her the most likely culprit. Now, it seems the evidence in Hanxiang Courtyard was most likely hidden by the Fifth Prince.
It makes sense. Hanxiang Courtyard is the Fifth Prince's territory. Who could be more convenient than the Fifth Prince, the owner of Hanxiang Courtyard, to hide things in such a secluded place without anyone's notice?
If it weren't for the overwhelming evidence that Chu Wenwan was the mastermind, Xue Jin'an would have even suspected that the Fifth Prince orchestrated the whole scheme to bring down Xiao Shu.
However, even if the Fifth Prince didn't orchestrate the whole thing, he certainly played a significant role in making it happen, such as increasing his own leverage and persuading the interest groups behind him to abandon Xiao Shu.
Following this clue, Xue Jin'an reviewed the Fifth Prince's actions and quickly noticed something unusual. He immediately asked, "What's in your secret base?"
The Fifth Prince couldn't help but take a deep breath. At the same time, he knew that no matter how softly he breathed, Xue Jin'an must have noticed it and made a judgment immediately.
Even though he already knew how perceptive Xue Jin'an was, he still couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine when faced with this ability. The smile on his face was finally shattered, and his eyes revealed undisguised fear. He even felt his heart startle for the first time in a long time and wanted to press a piece of ginseng under his tongue to calm it down.
However, he quickly adjusted his expression, hiding the deep fear in his eyes, and turned it into a soft laugh, "Xue Jin'an, I have to admit that you are a terrifying opponent, and it really takes courage to be your enemy."
"If you want to know about that place, go and check it yourself. Although it has been thoroughly cleaned up and there's a good chance you won't find anything there, you never know," the Fifth Prince said meaningfully.
Xue Jin'an gave an "oh" and didn't care about what he said. The reason he listened to the Fifth Prince's nonsense even though he knew that the Fifth Prince had ill intentions was simply to extract more information from his words. Everyone's words and actions, even if they are false, have their own meaning.
Xue Jin'an had already gotten the answer he wanted from the Fifth Prince's reaction; he no longer needed to stay there.
Xue Jin'an turned and left.
"Xue Jin'an!" The Fifth Prince looked at his retreating figure and couldn't help but call out to him again. This time, his voice sounded much more serious and earnest. "I'm asking you one last time, is it really impossible to cooperate?"
"I will not seek revenge against a tiger, nor will I recognize a thief as my father." Zhou Yuting's death may not have been caused by Prince An, but Prince An was a member of that interest group, an accomplice who provided protection for Xiao Shu and Chu Wenwan, and also a member of his death list.
Xue Jin'an left without looking back.
"I am not you! I am caught in the middle, and I have no choice but to go along with it!" The Fifth Prince seemed to have been hit where it hurt by Xue Jin'an, and his voice and expression broke down.
Until Xue Jin'an's figure completely disappeared, he silently lowered his head, his shoulders trembling, and a wide, silent, and manic laugh spread across his face, his features slightly distorted.
The silent laughter quickly came to an abrupt end. When the Fifth Prince's face was expressionless, the coldness in his eyes and brows was fully revealed. He muttered to himself with self-mockery, "I've told too many lies, and I almost fooled myself."
*
The Third Prince's outburst had been going on for a while, naturally alarming the Emperor and his entourage. The Imperial Guards surrounded the area, blocking the view of outsiders, but they couldn't stop the sounds from escaping.
Amidst the resounding thuds of fists striking flesh, the Third Prince's furious voice roared, "Are my legs ruined? Are they ruined? Huh? -- Didn't you say my legs were ruined? I'll take you down with me today!"
"Huan'er, no!" Consort Xian's voice, rising to a shrill pitch, pierced the night sky.
A loud crash followed by a piercing scream.
Although the voice was somewhat distorted due to external forces, Xue Jin'an still recognized it. Surprisingly, it was a voice he had heard before, belonging to the heir of Prince An.
Xue Jin'an paused slightly. He had reached the outer perimeter of the Imperial Guards. The high-definition cameras easily penetrated the crowd and captured everything inside.
The Third Prince was dragging Prince An's son like a dead dog. His blood-stained cane was broken, and he was standing on the ground with his injured leg covered in blood and flesh. His leg was trembling uncontrollably, but he seemed to feel no pain at all. He just kept beating Prince An's son in a fit of rage, and blood and flesh were even splattered on his face. He looked very fierce and menacing.
Besides the Prince of An's heir, there were two eunuchs lying on the ground, both covered in blood and barely breathing, but no one paid any attention to them.
"You mistress, why aren't you letting go of the prince!" The emperor's voice came from inside, tinged with anger.
"Huan'er, stop, please stop hitting me..." Consort Xian's voice trembled, tinged with tears.
The Third Prince had clearly lost his mind and was not listening to anything. Veins bulged on his forehead, neck, and arms, and his eyes were bloodshot. He was in a state of rage and had high combat power, so the Imperial Guards did not dare to use force against him, and for a time they were deadlocked.
...This state is just like those horses that went berserk at the Defei Horse Ranch back then.
Xue Jin'an sniffed, trying to discern the scent in the air, whether it was the pheromone that attracted the Gu worms. However, the Third Prince had gone too far, and his nose was enveloped in the bloody smell, so he couldn't distinguish any scent for a moment.
Xue Jin'an wanted to go in, but the Imperial Guards dutifully blocked him at the outside, saying, "Seventh Prince, His Majesty has ordered that no one is allowed to enter."
Just as Xue Jin'an was about to use the momentum to flip onto his head and step on the head of the Imperial Guard, he heard three hurried footsteps approaching from behind. One of the footsteps was so light that it was almost inaudible, clearly indicating that he was a top expert.
Before Xue Jin'an could even see the person, she heard a shout: "Get out of my way!"
"Grand Empress Dowager!" The Imperial Guards were startled. Before they could even hesitate, Lu Bingzhu appeared before them, placing his whisk between two Imperial Guards. He said, "Excuse me," and with a burst of powerful internal energy, he forcefully cleared a path for them.
"Grand Empress Dowager, why have you come? The smell of blood here is too strong, you should—" The Emperor was about to come over, but the Empress Dowager raised her hand to stop him.
The Empress Dowager looked at the chaotic and violent scene inside with a frosty expression, and ordered the Imperial Guards next to the Third Prince in a deep voice, "What are you all standing there for? Breaking their arms and legs is fine, just leave them with a breath."
"Yes!" The Imperial Guards felt reassured upon receiving the order.
"No!" Consort Xian shouted sharply, pleading, "No, Grandmother, no! Huan'er's leg already had little hope; if it's broken again, he'll be truly crippled!"
"Do you think his legs won't be crippled like this?" The Empress Dowager's voice was cold. "Since they're going to be crippled anyway, why waste a few lives for nothing?"
"No, no—Your Majesty!" Consort Xian knelt down and grabbed the emperor's robe. The emperor, however, turned his head away, unable to bear it. Just as the Imperial Guards were about to pounce on the Third Prince, Consort Xian suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She pointed her finger and said, "Seventh Prince, Seventh Prince can save Huan'er, Seventh Prince definitely can!"
Xiaoqi has saved so many runaway horses at the horse farm, she can definitely save people too!
"Please, I beg you, save your third brother! For the sake of him speaking up for you, I beg you..." Consort Xian could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.
Xue Jin'an, whose name was called out, tilted his head under the watchful eyes of everyone, his tone so calm it was strangely eerie: "Are you sure?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
