Chapter 14
The fourth prince never expected to be falsely accused. His mind went blank, and his face flushed red as he stammered, "You, you, I, I," before finally managing to utter a weak and feeble "I didn't! I didn't! I didn't hit you!"
“Okay, I’ve found these.” Upon hearing the key words, Xue Jin’an pointed methodically to the old wounds on his arm to help the Fourth Prince recall the events, “This was in the Imperial Garden in July, and this was last year…”
The guards' gazes toward the fourth prince became even more complex.
"I didn't do it this time. He hurt me. There's blood on my clothes. I really didn't do it!" The fourth prince was so angry that he jumped up and down, wishing he could tear his clothes open to show them the wound.
No one commented on the Fourth Prince's sophistry, but their eyes unanimously conveyed the same accusation: Doesn't "this time it wasn't there" mean it was there before? So those wounds were real? Such brutality, truly terrifying.
The fourth prince was speechless with guilt and grievance. His eyes were red, and in his anger, he forgot his fear and rushed to Xue Jin'an, grabbing his collar.
The fourth prince was already a few years older than Xue Jin'an and had been carefully raised. In addition, the original owner had not eaten or slept well for the past two years, resulting in malnutrition and a much thinner and weaker figure than children of the same age. The two of them together in this position looked as domineering as could be and as pitiful as could be.
As for who the bully is and who the pitiful one is, it's obvious and needs no further explanation.
The three members of Shunxin, Shunyi, and Shunde, who rushed over upon receiving the news, had the following first reaction upon seeing the scene: Oh no, the Fourth Prince is in a bad mood and might be about to beat up the Seventh Prince! Good heavens, in front of so many people, this is really going to be a disaster!
The three of them immediately realized something was wrong. Shunyi, who was the quickest to think, immediately arranged for Shunxin, who was the most skilled in martial arts, to stop the people and seize the opportunity to protect the Seventh Prince. If necessary, they could use a little force on the Fourth Prince. In short, they absolutely could not allow the Seventh Prince to be injured by the Fourth Prince in public, not even a little bit!
Then, Shunde should go to Yihe Palace as quickly as possible to find Consort Zhen to handle the aftermath, so that at least when the matter reaches His Majesty and is convicted, it will give the Fourth Prince some room to maneuver.
As for keeping it a secret from the emperor... eunuchs and palace maids might be able to, but the Imperial Guards were out of the question. If they actually did that, if they failed, there would be some explanation, but if they succeeded, it would be considered an attempt to seize military power, and it would be touching the emperor's sore spot.
The three men sighed with sorrow, and could only do their best to clean up the mess left by the Fourth Prince, trying to cover up the past when the Fourth Prince bullied the Seventh Prince. However, they did not know that with Xue Jin'an's self-exposure, the Fourth Prince had almost tacitly admitted his crimes.
If the three of them who served the Fourth Prince so closely were like this, let alone the Imperial Guards, who almost reflexively drew their swords when they saw the Fourth Prince rush over.
"Fourth Prince, don't be impulsive!" the deputy commander shouted, forcing himself to remain calm.
In short, they all had the same expression as if they were looking at a criminal caught in the act.
The Fourth Prince, who had initially been somewhat intimidated by Xue Jin'an's gaze, was suddenly enraged. He gritted his teeth and threatened, "Xue Jin'an, don't go too far! Explain to them clearly that you were the one who stabbed me with a knife!"
The Fourth Prince was truly wronged. He was stabbed and not only did he not receive any comfort, but he was also treated as a criminal. It was simply outrageous!
However, what he didn't know was that even worse bullying was yet to come.
He heard Xue Jin'an ask in a flat voice, "Fourth Brother, do you want to retaliate? Sure. Don't be afraid, I have a steady hand, nothing will happen."
Upon hearing the words "Don't be afraid," the fourth prince reacted with fear. Goosebumps rose all over his body, and he instinctively wanted to run away. However, his wrist was grabbed and something was stuffed into his hand.
The fourth prince looked down and saw the heart-ripping weapon that had been on his chest, its tip still stained with his blood.
The fourth prince felt a chill run down his spine, and his fingertips trembled.
Xue Jin'an grasped his hand, pointed the knife at his heart, and then stabbed it forcefully without blinking.
"Ah!" The tip of the knife pressed against his chest with swift force and precision, without penetrating any further. A scream came from the Fourth Prince's mouth.
Xue Jin'an loosened his grip, and the Fourth Prince immediately collapsed to the ground, his hands trembling, looking completely broken.
The moment Xue Jin'an moved, the Fourth Prince trembled and instinctively admitted his mistake, "I was wrong, Seventh Brother, I was wrong, I won't do it again..."
Xue Jin'an touched his chest, looking at his terrified and disheveled appearance, and clearly felt a continuous stream of emotional garbage being produced, which was—pleasure.
This emotion came suddenly, and before Xue Jin'an realized what it was, it quickly entered his brain. His human brain became lightheaded, as if it had been infected with a virus, and it even shouted that it wasn't enough.
Not enough, far from enough. Make him terrified, make him fearful, make him tremble at the mere thought of you in the future—only then can I quell the hatred in my heart! Xue Jin'an seemed to hear a voice from his soul. At the same time, he felt his connection with his body increase, and his magical power strengthened somewhat.
If he were to open a live streaming app now, the videos he would see wouldn't be limited to the capital. However, he couldn't completely control this sudden surge of magical power yet. It was like the antenna of a satellite dish; whatever signal it received depended entirely on luck. If he moved it even slightly, the signal wave might change again.
However, the number had increased nonetheless. Xue Jin'an's eyes lit up as he felt he was one step closer to the path of cultivation, as if he had seized some kind of opportunity.
He glanced thoughtfully at the fourth prince on the ground, then suddenly announced a number, "13%."
Xue Jin'an opened the charting software and quickly created a table listing all the bullying and harm the original owner had suffered in her memories, categorized by the frequency and severity.
Since stabbing the Fourth Prince and then scaring him can produce pleasure, increase physical compatibility and magical power, there's no reason why others wouldn't do the same.
Okay, that's settled then. We'll try each one according to the procedure. Although we didn't manage to find a battery, the trip wasn't a waste.
Xue Jin'an had made a plan and casually used a rocket to clear away his emotional baggage. However, perhaps because he had found a shortcut to increase his mana, the feeling of pleasure was still lingering in his mind, causing him to unconsciously curl his lips into a smile.
His smile was two degrees wider than the standard. Xue Jin'an adjusted it slightly, noticing the Fourth Prince looking at him blankly and conflictedly, as if he wanted to ask something but dared not.
Xue Jin'an tossed the kitchen knife into his arms. It was temporarily useless until a way to change the battery was found, so he decided to keep it for the Fourth Prince, since it would eventually be used on him anyway.
Xue Jin'an really liked his battery, and even after meeting the better Fifth Prince, he had no intention of changing it.
The fourth prince looked at the murder weapon that had fallen into his arms, his face turning pale and then red. He wanted to get angry but didn't dare, and just sat there stiffly.
Xue Jin'an nodded in satisfaction, but announced his score with an iron fist: "This time, 13% will be deducted."
"Fourth Brother, keep it up." I hope you can successfully solve the problem of unstable voltage affecting battery removal at its source before you reach 100% completion.
It's time to go back and recharge. Xue Jin'an turned and left, a standard faint smile on his face, which looked even more intimidating than when he had just expressionlessly grasped the Fourth Prince's hand and unhesitatingly stabbed himself.
Wherever he went, people made way for him, and no one spoke up or dared to stop him.
Only after the figure had disappeared into the distance, and someone let out a long sigh, breaking the eerie silence, did Shunxin and Shunyi snap out of their daze, "Young Master!"
The two rushed over in frustration to help the fourth prince up. The fourth prince stared blankly at the gleaming knife in his hand, then belatedly realized something: "What? This time? What does he mean? Could it be... could there be a next time?!"
The fourth prince could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
Xue Jin'an returned to Qifeng Courtyard. Xiao Luzi was relieved to see him. "I was so scared when you suddenly disappeared... I'm so glad you're alright."
Xiao Luzi should have kept to his duty and not asked about his master's whereabouts, but thinking about his constantly twitching eyelids, he hesitated for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "Master, are you alright?"
“No.” Xue Jin’an shook his head without any hesitation, then went straight to the point, “I’m hungry.”
Xiao Luzi believed his cryptic words, breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled as he brought over two plates of snacks. "Have a bite of these first. The main course will be served soon. The imperial kitchen made braised pork today, which is your favorite."
Ever since the master lost his temper last time, the imperial kitchen has never dared to skimp on their food again. Not only do they not skimp, but sometimes the head eunuch will even give them an extra dish, as was the case with the braised pork this time.
"My master is truly amazing. I must become stronger too, to protect him, and not to hold him back." Xiao Luzi made up his mind.
Xue Jin'an had expended a lot of energy today. His fitness app had already counted over 20,000 steps. He restrained himself from eating after the battery was fully charged and unplugged the device. Logically, he shouldn't be feeling sleepy, but the fatigue of his body suddenly overwhelmed him.
He lay back down on the bed and browsed the trending topics before going to sleep.
Today, the Imperial Guards were dispatched to search for the Fourth Prince, and he was prepared to be on the trending topics list. However, the trending topics list was completely clean and did not mention them at all. Instead, there was a topic related to the Fifth Prince.
#The Eunuch of Hanxiang Courtyard's One-Zhang Red Riding Hook (New)#
Hanxiang Courtyard is a large courtyard to the west of the prince's residence. It is named after the red plum blossoms that bloom in the cold and smell fragrant. It is the residence of the fifth prince.
Xue Jin'an clicked on it and saw that the most popular article was: "A first-class eunuch in Hanxiang Courtyard accidentally broke the imperial seven-treasure glass lamp. Consort Rong was furious and punished him with a severe beating. The fifth prince was confined to Minghua Palace to copy the Classic of Filial Piety, and was not allowed to eat during this period."
Xue Jin'an, who couldn't see any hint that the article was subtly trying to undermine Consort Rong, thought about the Fifth Prince's health, the number of words in the Classic of Filial Piety, and calculated the approximate time it would take to finish copying it.
He nodded. "It's alright, we won't starve to death in three days."
*
The next day, Xue Jin'an opened his eyes on time and met the gaze of the person lying on the roof beam.
"Fifth Brother." Xue Jin'an blinked twice. The staged accident program he had written into the code yesterday and hadn't had time to delete had automatically started. He said, "Stealing is illegal. You have to compensate me."
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