Chapter 49
The emperor intended to conceal the outcome of the trial at Qian Yuan Palace, since whether it was the seventh prince killing someone on the spot to avenge his mother, the former imperial concubine being beaten to death with sticks, or the Empress Dowager's request to "attend the ceremony"... any of these would cause a stir in the court and the public if they were to get out.
The emperor was genuinely having a headache and wanted to take a good rest.
—You should know that the night before the Third Prince fell from his horse, the Emperor was so angry with Xue Jin'an that he couldn't sleep. He got up in the middle of the night and caught a cold, so he skipped half of the morning court session. It wasn't until after lunch that he felt much better and called officials of the third rank and above into the palace for a short meeting. However, before he could finish reading the memorials, one bad news after another came in.
However, the emperor had a good plan. Since that purge, Qian Yuan Palace had become much cleaner, and no news had leaked out. Unfortunately, this matter had caused too much of a stir, and everyone in the palace, whether they should or shouldn't know, had heard about it. There were plenty of ways to find out more.
When the emperor ordered the imprisonment of all the princes, the officials at the small meeting had not yet all left. They were very concerned about the matter, and thus learned the outcome against the emperor's wishes.
Then, to the emperor's dismay, they immediately wanted to enter the palace to meet him. Even imperial relatives and clansmen came to join in the fun. When the emperor refused to see them, they were forced to kneel at the Meridian Gate. However, the emperor stopped them with a verbal order: "We'll talk about it at the morning court session." Afterward, the imperial guards were ordered to forcibly send them home.
After the people were sent away, the emperor felt no relief whatsoever, because those ministers and relatives had left behind memorials, which were delivered to him by the Imperial Guards.
The emperor said he would ignore it, but he tossed and turned on his dragon bed. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Xiao Shu pointing her finger at him and scolding him for being incompetent, and the Empress Dowager's words implied dissatisfaction and reprimands... In an instant, it was as if he had returned to his childhood.
The late emperor favored Consort Hui and wanted to make her empress and her son crown prince. However, the Empress Dowager harbored resentment towards Consort Hui because of the empress's death in the womb, and strongly opposed the marriage. As a result, the mother and son fought for power, which once led to a situation where the court was divided.
In the end, the Empress Dowager was victorious. Consort Hui's two sons with her ex-husband were both strangled due to the defeat in battle. Consort Hui fell ill and never recovered, and she also lost her unborn child.
The Empress Dowager selected Xue Sheng, whose birth mother had died young, from among the many princes and made him the crown prince, raising him by her side. He is the current emperor.
For this reason, the late emperor was quite cold and harsh towards him, often summoning him to the imperial study to reprimand him, and the Empress Dowager was also strict with him, rarely showing him praise or affirmation.
Since he officially took power, he had not experienced anything like this for a long time. However, what truly kept him awake at night was his worry that the Empress Dowager would interfere in the matter of choosing an heir.
—After all, this isn't the first time something like this has happened.
The emperor was very grateful to the Empress Dowager. Without her, he would have always been that little prince who lost his mother and was ignored by everyone. Perhaps he would be made a king when he grew up, or perhaps he would die in a corner one day and no one would notice.
When the Empress Dowager relinquished power and confined herself to Cining Palace, his reluctance to let her stay was genuine.
However, he was no longer the boy he once was, and the powerless Empress Dowager was the most respected imperial grandmother in his heart.
The emperor stared intently at the tent ceiling, his mind a jumble of thoughts, unable to sleep. He called out, "Li Hechun, light the lamps!"
The emperor got out of bed, and the lights in Qianyuan Palace remained on until late at night.
"A long, rambling treatise, it's either saying that arbitrarily beating and killing palace concubines violates etiquette and patriarchal laws, or criticizing Bao Ning's actions as cruel and vicious, deserving severe punishment... Do you think I don't know that?" The emperor slammed down the memorial in annoyance and paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back.
He glanced at the sky and, thinking that he would have to face those ministers and listen to them talk about these things again in an hour, the emperor simply decided to arbitrarily announce that court would be suspended for another two days.
"If they want to make trouble, then let them make trouble after Consort Zhen's body is burned, so it won't go on forever." The emperor decided to give up.
Li Hechun glanced at the emperor's face, then tiptoed forward to massage his temples to relieve his headache. "Your Majesty, this old servant has obtained a calming incense. Using it will ensure a peaceful and dreamless sleep all night. Would you like to use it? Please take a nap."
"It's past the appointed time; a short rest will suffice." The emperor waved his hand with his eyes closed, then suddenly asked, "How is the situation at the Cold Palace?"
Li Hechun replied in a low voice, "He's still breathing, but he seems a bit delirious. I'm afraid we won't be able to get anything out of him..."
"She's just pretending to be crazy." The emperor said indifferently, his eyes clear and cold. "Since she won't listen to reason, then summon the people from the Imperial Prison. Treat her the way they interrogate people in the palace. No matter what means you use, you must pry her mouth open for me."
"Yes." Li Hechun suppressed the chill in his heart and replied. With a single glance, two eunuchs quietly retreated.
The emperor closed his eyes again, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "How is the situation at the side hall?"
After the event concluded yesterday, the other princes returned home with their mothers, but the fourth and fifth princes, who had lost their mothers, looked distraught. So the emperor asked them to stay overnight in a side hall.
“This…” Li Hechun looked somewhat embarrassed, “It seems that the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince… had a fight.”
"A fight?!" The emperor opened his eyes in surprise. "What happened?"
"It seems to be because of the Seventh Prince..." Li Hechun briefly recounted, "The Fourth Prince was heartbroken and wanted to take revenge on the Seventh Prince. When the Fifth Prince found out, they started arguing. The Fifth Prince scolded the Fourth Prince until he cried. The Fourth Prince then tried to hit the Fifth Prince, but the Fifth Prince pinned him to the ground and scolded him... scolded him as a good-for-nothing."
The emperor twitched his lips and couldn't help but rub his forehead. For a moment, he didn't know whether to say that Xiao Si, as the older brother, was scolded and made to cry by the sickly Xiao Wu and pinned to the ground, or whether Xiao Si was too weak in martial arts or Xiao Wu had strong explosive power.
"Did anything else happen after that?" the emperor asked.
Li Hechun shook his head. "After that, the two went back to their rooms. The Fourth Prince cried all night and fell asleep when he was tired. The Fifth Prince seemed to have a nightmare and woke up and fell asleep several times."
The emperor nodded and then asked no further questions.
Seeing that the emperor did not continue to question him, Li Hechun breathed a sigh of relief and quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Don't be fooled by how casually he described the argument between the fourth and fifth princes; their conversation was far more deadly in reality.
At that time, the Fifth Prince ordered water to take a bath and came out to dry his hair, ignoring the Fourth Prince who was sitting in the corner, covered in dirt.
Suddenly, the fourth prince stood up, grabbed a dagger, and rushed out.
The Fifth Prince looked over and asked, "What are you going to do?"
The fourth prince said fiercely, "I'm going to kill Xue Jin'an. He said it was a life for a life, and I'm going to avenge my mother."
"You?" The Fifth Prince seemed to chuckle, nodded perfunctorily, and turned his gaze away. "Go, go."
The fourth prince stopped in his tracks, turned around, and glared at the fifth prince with his swollen, red eyes. "Why didn't you stop me?"
"It's your business if you go to your death." The Fifth Prince looked indifferent, as if he didn't really want to talk to him.
However, the Fourth Prince became somewhat stubborn, grabbing a dagger and charging towards the Fifth Prince. "Why do you think I can't kill him? It's just Xue Jin'an. If I can't kill him once, I'll kill him twice. If I can't kill him twice, I'll kill him three times! One day I will be able to kill him. I can, I can..."
The fourth prince couldn't continue speaking.
"You can't even fool yourself." The Fifth Prince scoffed, mercilessly exposing his words and shoving his face away. "You're blocking the light."
The fourth prince choked back tears as he roared, "I will start practicing martial arts diligently from now on. If I can't kill him now, I will definitely be able to kill him in the future!"
"It's impossible, give up," the Fifth Prince said truthfully.
The fourth prince was so angry at his casual remark that he burst into tears.
The Fifth Prince, annoyed by what he heard, began to speak venomously, "Xue Xuanyue, if you want to die, then hurry up and go. Stop crying and whining here, you coward! You want to kill Xue Jin'an? If that's really what you're thinking, you won't be asking me why I didn't stop you. Don't fool yourself."
"You already knew how the Tenth Prince died, didn't you? You even asked Xue Jin'an about it back then, didn't you?" Seeing the Fourth Prince's suddenly pale face, the Fifth Prince raised an eyebrow and slowly let out a laugh, "—Ha, so it really is like that?"
So even though he knew that Xue Jin'an was right to kill Consort Zhen; even though he knew that his past actions of bullying Xue Jin'an were wrong... he was just cowardly finding an excuse to allow himself to give up revenge with a clear conscience.
"That's why I say Xue Jin'an is truly a living bodhisattva." The Fifth Prince smiled and gently patted the Fourth Prince's face. "Fourth Brother, it's not shameful to be a cowardly good-for-nothing."
These words completely broke the fourth prince's defenses. He didn't know where he got the strength, but he lunged through the window to try and beat up the fifth prince.
The Fifth Prince was caught off guard and pushed, staggering and swaying precariously. He looked disheveled, yet he always managed to dodge the Fourth Prince's attacks by sheer luck.
"Yes, that's right, you're right. I'm a good-for-nothing. I couldn't even protect my mother's body, and I have no way to avenge her. I can never beat Xue Jin'an in this lifetime. I feel guilty, I feel panicked, I'm scared. I'm just a good-for-nothing!"
The fourth prince stopped his wildly swinging fists and stood there exhausted. Just as the fifth prince subconsciously stopped, he suddenly rushed up and grabbed the fifth prince by the collar.
"And what about you? Xue Junjue, what about you? How noble are you? Your mother is dead, yet you don't even show the slightest sign of grief or sorrow. You cough—"
Before the fourth prince could finish speaking, he was punched hard in the stomach. His eyes bulged out like fish eyes from the pain, and he almost vomited when he opened his mouth.
Then, he felt dizzy and was slammed to the ground with a hand covering his face. The fourth prince struggled helplessly like a fish on a chopping board, his cheeks scraping against the ground, leaving a burning mark.
The Fifth Prince looked down at him, his voice sinister and filled with malice, "Xue Xuanyue, let me tell you the truth, my mother has always wanted me dead, and I want her dead too. Not everyone is as lucky as you. Your lucky mother, although a vicious woman, still has some humanity towards you."
"Xue Xuanyue, I can point you in the right direction. Xue Jin'an's status will be different from today. He is now the only legitimate prince and the most rightful candidate for crown prince. There are many people who want Xue Jin'an dead. You can go to them and gamble your life on his death. Do you dare?"
"Useless trash. If you don't dare, don't act crazy here." The Fifth Prince released his hand, stood up, and turned back into the inner room without looking at him again.
The Fourth Prince lay on the ground for a long time. When even the eavesdropping spies in the Imperial Wardrobe thought he might have fallen asleep, he finally stood up shakily and staggered, dragging his feet slowly across the dark courtyard and into his room.
*
Xue Jin'an, who always wakes up on time, slept until noon for once. The first thing he did was open the health app to check his body. Seeing that the data was fine and even a little better than before, he didn't pay any attention to it.
Although Xue Jin'an said that cleaning his residence was enough, after he fell asleep, Su Mama still directed people to clean up the entire Zhaoyang Palace. She even brought in an offering table and a Buddhist shrine and placed them in the main hall, and took out the memorial tablets from the bedroom and placed them on them properly.
The main hall doors opened, revealing the buildings in a position that allowed sunlight to stream into the room without obstruction, while the autumn wind swirled and blew in fallen leaves and flowers.
Seeing Xue Jin'an looking in that direction, Lingzhi smiled and said, "Granny said the scenery outside is beautiful, you can look at it as much as you like."
After cleaning and tidying up Zhaoyang Palace, Granny Su took most of the people away, leaving only two palace maids who knew martial arts: one was Lingzhi, and the other was Fuling.
Lingzhi also possesses a jade seal belonging to the Empress Dowager. In case of any unforeseen circumstances, she can act expediently. This jade seal can even command about twenty spies from the Imperial Clothing Bureau—after all, the Imperial Clothing Bureau was founded by the Empress Dowager, and its first supervisor was Lu Bingzhu. Even though he has been retired for many years, he still retains this power.
However, the Empress Dowager felt that Xue Jin'an was too young and his temperament was not yet stable, so she temporarily entrusted the jade seal to Lingzhi for safekeeping.
Xue Jin'an didn't care. To him, the jade seal was something he got for free. It was good to have it, but it didn't matter if he didn't.
As usual, Xue Jin'an opened the fitness app to work out with Helian Cheng, while also watching videos on a live streaming app.
Upon opening the page, the first thing Xue Jin'an saw was Chu Wenjing's face. He then looked at the name of the live stream room, which was Shenxingsi.
Chu Wenjing must have come to claim the body of Consort Zhen.
Xue Jin'an opened the app, and Chu Wenjing silently stared at Consort Zhen's corpse. The old lady of the Chu family almost fainted from crying.
She pounded her chest and cried to Master Chu, "I told you we couldn't be so good to his family! Back then, there was irrefutable evidence that Zhou Yuting poisoned the Tenth Prince, but you insisted she wasn't that kind of person. Now look what's happened, her son killed your daughter! Are you happy now? Are you satisfied?!"
Old Master Chu had a head of white hair, and his hand holding the cane trembled. He looked at Chu Wenjing and opened his mouth several times but could not utter a word. Suddenly, his eyes rolled back and he was about to fall to the ground.
"Master!" Old Madam Chu gasped in shock.
Fortunately, Chu Wenjing caught him quickly, and the imperial physician who was waiting nearby rushed forward to take him away. He pinched his philtrum and saw that he slowly woke up. He told someone to help him to the side to rest and then took his pulse. Old Madam Chu quickly followed.
Chu Wenjing then called a palace maid out for questioning. The maid was dressed in the uniform of a first-class palace maid. Xue Jin'an did not know her name, but he had seen her before.
He saw her with Ziyun when he came out of Yihe Palace; they seemed to have a good relationship. At the time, she was dressed as an ordinary palace maid, but she had unexpectedly been promoted in just a few days—quite fast.
However, it's understandable when you think about it. With the death of Cuiyun, a first-class palace maid, there was a vacancy. And those who could play with Ziyun must be her confidants, so it was only natural for them to rise in rank.
Chu Wenjing and the palace maid left the Shenxing Division, and the live broadcast camera could only see Chu Wenjing's back.
The two talked for a long time. After the palace maid left, Chu Wenjing stood there for a while and took out a piece of... ginger from his sleeve.
Xue Jin'an watched as he wiped the ginger on his sleeve, then used the sleeve to wipe the corner of his eye. Instantly, his eyes turned blood red, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
Xue Jin'an: "..."
It's confirmed, this is Zhou Yushu.
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