Chapter 76 Exile
Shinju's astonishment and silence were tantamount to giving Zhao Kelin an answer that couldn't be clearer.
His barely maintained spirit crumbled in an instant, a bitter smile curving his lips. "I thought... Ah Qing would escape this cannibalistic palace with me, I thought you were going to take me away from the capital..."
Zhao Kelin almost questioned Zhen Su: If you didn't intend to travel with me, why did you save me? Without you, what's the point of me fleeing to the ends of the earth alone?!
But that's just the kind of person Aqing is... He knew it, he knew it all along.
The reason they rescued him was probably just out of consideration for their close friendship.
Love is something that even a true lover doesn't understand.
All of this was merely a dream of his own, a solitary longing for his own dreams.
Zhao Kelin suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He quickly pinched the acupoint between his thumb and index finger, forcefully suppressing the churning blood in his throat.
He looked up at Masakatsu, who, though much more mature, still seemed lost, and suddenly laughed. Then he said, "A-Qing, take me back."
Masakatsu hesitated and asked, "Should we go back to...the Zhao residence?"
But the Zhao residence was already sealed off, and the money would soon be deposited into the national treasury. Going back there now, even if they weren't discovered by the guards, wouldn't allow them to stay long.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Kelin whispered, "Back to the prison."
"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Qing."
The word "Lord Qing" caused Shinsuke to stiffen slightly.
The Silver Scorpion Guards suddenly received a secret order—to remain in place and not to search. Then they watched helplessly as the Poison King, who exuded a low-pressure aura, changed into a black outfit and strode out of the Zhengren Hall.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a giant scorpion was silently following someone's scent from the shadows.
The sweet fragrance abruptly ceased; it had clearly been there just moments before, but now the area outside the palace walls was deserted.
"Besides Qing'er, there's another person's aura... Who is it?!"
The King of Poison clenched his fist on the hilt of the Miao sword, his brow furrowed, and he suppressed his almost violent outburst. He turned and urged the giant scorpion toward the direction where the aura was extending.
By the time they reached the Ministry of Justice prison, the Poison King had a pretty good idea of what was going on. However, this didn't improve his mood; in fact, it made it worse.
The prison guards, still trying to understand the situation, were stunned to see that it was none other than the Emperor himself who had come to their door. Given the recent ruthless purges by the Prince of Zhen, they dared not conceal anything and could only report the situation in trembling voices: "The five guards were all immobilized, unable to move or see, and only recently regained their mobility. Once they could move again, we searched all the cells, except for one that seemed unusual..."
The King of Poison then followed them to the prison cell.
Zhao Kelin was also brought before the King of Zhen, his head bowed, and he remained silent.
Without the need for the jailers' analysis, the King of Zhen, staring at the broken locks, shackles, and cangues that could not be restored to their original state, could not possibly be unaware of who was responsible. Furthermore, the faint, incredibly familiar sweet scent emanating from Zhao Kelin was irrefutable proof.
The King of Zhen was furious. It was because someone had sworn that they would not object to his decision, but who knew that someone would still do such a thing behind his back.
But for some reason, he was sent back. The Poison King looked at Zhao Kelin's dejected and lifeless expression, as if he had lost all sense of his surroundings. Perhaps even the guardian stone statues at the prison gate looked more vibrant than him.
With his agitation subsiding slightly, the Prince of Zhen said in a deep voice, "I will ask you one last time—do you still insist on being exiled to the borderlands?" Previously, both the Grand Princess and Consort Shao had pleaded for him, and it had been confirmed that Zhao Kelin had indeed not abused his power for personal gain. Therefore, he had already granted him permission to leave the capital and open a medical clinic in the provinces. It was Zhao Kelin himself who refused.
He is now allowing the other party to make another choice.
Zhao Kelin remained silent for a long time. Just as the jailer was about to lash out, the Poison King coldly stopped him.
After a short while, Zhao Kelin seemed to wake up and replied calmly, "Yes."
It seems the two of them did not reach an agreement. In short, since Shinjuku sent the person back, he had absolutely no intention of escaping from his side.
After a moment of contemplation, the murderous aura between the King of Poison's brows finally dissipated. He glanced at Zhao Kelin one last time, then turned to warn the jailers not to mistreat him, and strictly ordered that the matter be kept secret tonight, before turning and leaving.
Shinju, who had been secretly observing from the shadows, noticed the Poison King's movements and hurriedly fled back to the Scorpion Shadow Palace.
The following day, under the blazing sun, the members of the Zhao family, their faces ashen, embarked on the arduous journey of exile to the frontier. Their former glory was left behind in the capital, and all they could take with them were their own bodies.
Zhao Qianheng's wife had noticed the unusual activity in Zhao Kelin's cell last night. Seeing him still walking in the exile procession, her expression shifted several times, but she ultimately said nothing. Dragging her heavy iron chains, with her hand on the shoulder of the person in front of her, she walked unsteadily towards the endless distance.
Shinju was worried that the King of Poison would investigate further, but no further complications arose. Perhaps exile was already enough to torment him, and no further punishment was needed. And he could not change this outcome.
In a daze, Zhen Su couldn't help but recall the scene when he first met Zhao Kelin—the man's hair was tied up with feather ornaments, the feathers fluttering slightly as he walked. He carried a medicine box and walked gracefully, like a fairy from the Beast Taming Sect, proud and elegant, yet not lacking in liveliness.
The King of Poison noticed that Shinju had been absent-minded all day. He tried to place his palm on the back of Shinju's neck, but Shinju dodged it at the right moment. The golden eyes that were looking at him had an eerie red color, as if they contained anger.
The King of Poison felt as if a demon had gnawed a hole in his heart, his breathing became labored, and his hand froze in mid-air, showing a rare moment of disarray.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Shinju's eyes, but he quickly blinked it away. He lowered his gaze, stood by the table, neither looking to the side nor speaking.
The King of Zhen thought that Zhen Su was just still upset about Zhao Kelin's exile. Although he was depressed, he thought that he would be fine in a couple of days, so he withdrew his hand and did not say a harsh word. He just let Zhen Su sit aside and rest, while he continued to review the memorials.
Having finally eliminated the biggest obstacle that had been deeply rooted in the court for many years, Nian Kingdom is now thriving in both border trade and trade with the Northern Kingdom, thanks to the capture of three border cities. Nian Kingdom is a vibrant and prosperous place, which makes other countries that are exhausted from fighting with Feng Kingdom, as well as the vast and resource-rich Feng Kingdom, extremely envious.
The courtiers of Nian Kingdom also believed that with the crown prince established, the powerful families in decline, Consort Yan being given poisoned wine, and the third prince completely losing power, the court was unusually stable. Naturally, the courtiers did not understand why the King of Zhen seemed even more chilling and tyrannical than when he was previously controlled by various forces.
Those who favored the Crown Prince secretly believed that the Prince of Zhen was dissatisfied because he was in his prime but had been forced to establish an heir apparent, and feared that the Crown Prince would threaten his throne. Therefore, they advised the Crown Prince to avoid showing off in front of the Prince of Zhen, to conceal his abilities, and to avoid his sharp edge.
The Crown Prince may seem taciturn, but he's actually adept at reading people's expressions and his shrewdness isn't much less than that of the Poison King. He certainly wouldn't risk offending him. However, as long as he doesn't help his father appease those around him, the court and the harem will be in turmoil.
Therefore, the Crown Prince would rather bear the stigma of being jealous than stop the court officials from submitting their memorials to the Emperor regarding the selection of imperial concubines.
"They've really gone mad... They're all as anxious as dogs seeing something warm—"
Before the Crown Prince could finish speaking, the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, who was in charge of managing the affairs of the Eastern Palace, hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Your Highness, please be careful with your words! Do not utter such vulgar language again!"
"Alright, alright." The Crown Prince had no choice but to change the subject. "Then, in your opinion, how can we stop Father Emperor from having such a stern face every day?"
The Imperial Censor Song rolled his eyes, thinking the words were rather crude, yet he couldn't help but find them brilliant, a description that couldn't be more accurate. The Prince of Zhen, every day in court, exuded such a chilling aura that one felt as if they had stumbled into a battlefield strewn with millions of corpses, rather than a court where only verbal battles raged. The Imperial Censor Song suppressed his inner grumbling, cleared his throat, and said, "The Emperor commands respect without anger. If Your Highness could achieve the same level of authority as His Majesty, you would truly possess the countenance of an emperor."
"...Father was clearly furious." He just didn't dare to direct his anger at that person.
Raised outside the palace with a secret, he was well aware of his father's deep cunning. Coupled with the fact that he had very few opportunities to spend time with him, and had heard nothing but the ruthless methods and "tyrannical" behavior of the Prince of Zhen over the years, the Prince of Zhen was always a figure in his eyes that he both feared and respected.
Unexpectedly, upon returning to the palace, he realized that his years of caution had been unnecessary—his father was actually "henpecked."
He stayed at Zhengren Hall for lunch twice.
It was almost impossible to tell who the king was and who the one to serve was.
On one occasion, there was a dish of lotus seedpod fish dumplings on the table. Fish meat pieces were stuffed into the small holes of the lotus seedpod, and had to be picked out with a bamboo skewer to eat.
It was unclear whether Attendant Qing was unaware of the proper way to eat, as he hesitated to make a move. Instead, his father, the Emperor, used a skewer to pick out the fish pieces one by one, placing them in a jade bowl and gently pushing it towards Attendant Qing.
Qing, the attendant, pursed his lips and remained silent, still refusing to pick up his chopsticks.
Seeing this, his father picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, frowning as he said, "So-so." He then casually pushed the jade bowl aside.
Finally, Qing, not wanting to waste anything, glanced at his father and ate all the tender fish balls in the jade bowl.
On another occasion, it was autumn, the season when hairy crabs were at their fattest and most delicious. As was customary, the imperial kitchen would have prepared the crab meat and roe, and served them as various delicacies.
On that day, however, a whole hairy crab was served, along with eight special tools for dismantling the crab.
I don't know how Qing became a servant, he can't even dissect a crab. This person is about the same age as me, but he has already reached such a high position, so he must be very skilled.
The Crown Prince stared intently as his father picked up the silver scissors and deftly slicing out the snow-white, plump crab meat. As for the golden crab roe, he poured it over the steaming rice, mixed it well, and then turned the silver spoon toward the servant Qing.
He clearly said he would teach the other person how to dismantle a crab, but in the end, he didn't let Qing's attendant do it even once.
The Crown Prince was completely speechless. He looked down at his empty bowl, and compared it to the mountain of delicious crab meat and fragrant crab roe rice in front of Attendant Qing, only one thought remained in his mind: he should not be here.
No wonder the Emperor looked so displeased when he heard Qing's suggestion that he stay for the meal. His phoenix eyes narrowed, filled with impatience and disdain.
After that incident, he never again stayed behind so inconsiderately.
Of course, there is another reason why I can't stay there.
That is, compared to his dragon-like father, he felt that the guy who always exuded charm without realizing it was more dangerous.
He didn't know how others could remain unmoved under that person's gaze. Even a casual glance from that person seemed to convey deep affection, and the way their eyes moved was full of intimacy, making one feel that not responding would be unfaithful. The saying that "even when looking at a dog, one's eyes are full of affection" probably refers to this kind of beautiful gaze.
However, after just one glance, he was so captivated by her presence that he had to ask the imperial physician to bring him several doses of calming medicine. He practically wanted to drug himself, and he swallowed all the medicine to drive away those unconventional and erotic thoughts.
This caused him to be terrified every time he caught a glimpse of that figure beside his father. Fortunately, he eventually got used to it and stopped feeling inexplicably anxious and no longer afraid to meet his gaze.
He felt relieved to learn that he was not alone. Many ministers in the court were either following the trend to flatter their father, or were genuinely bewitched by Qing Sui, just like him. In any case, for a time, there were quite a few ministers who openly or secretly kept male lovers, and some even turned their homes into chaos because of it, making it the top topic of conversation among everyone.
After waiting for a long time without the Crown Prince speaking, the Imperial Chamberlain called out to him, pulling his wandering thoughts back to reality.
"Your Highness?"
"Sir," the Crown Prince coughed, "I have a plan that can change Father's mood."
"Oh, I'd like to hear the details." Master Song cast a curious glance his way.
"The autumn hunt," the Crown Prince pondered. "I've heard that Father is skilled in riding and archery. Perhaps he can demonstrate his abilities on the hunting grounds—"
He won the heart of a beautiful woman.
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