Chapter 191 [VIP]
There were many carriages leaving the mansion, and when they passed by, others would definitely have to make way. Gu Zhizhuo thought it would be troublesome, so he told Chongjiu not to leave yet.
She lowered the carriage curtains, shutting out the noise outside.
Xie Yingchen stared at the imperial edict, his heart beating slightly faster.
In the very beginning, he also harbored resentment, resenting his grandfather for not believing his father and for driving his parents to their deaths.
Later, the emperor's grandfather also died, grieving the loss of his parents.
Xie Yingchen's resentment turned into suspicion at that time, wondering if his grandfather had other reasons and that forcing his parents to their deaths was not his original intention.
"My grandfather designated Prince Rong as his successor, based on a will and oral instructions; everything was perfectly legitimate."
Prince Rong was the successor.
He, on the contrary, became an awkward figure.
“A country cannot establish a young ruler. I was not yet of age at the time, and my father was the deposed crown prince. It would not be enough to appease the people if I were to be established. Among my uncles, only Prince Rong is the most suitable.”
Xie Yingchen's fingers tightened slightly, causing a faint crease to appear on the imperial edict.
It wasn't until the Changfeng Rebellion failed that Xie Yingchen realized the truth.
Since the Emperor's grandfather was forced into this situation, he would surely leave himself a way to save his life once he regained consciousness.
Prince Jin is cautious; he even managed to hide that broken piece of ink for so many years. If his grandfather truly had another edict, it must be in Prince Jin's hands.
“Young Master.” Gu Zhizhu moved to sit next to him, raising an eyebrow. “See, see.”
The lighthearted voice dispelled the gloom in his heart, and Xie Yingchen responded with an "okay," his eyes almost overflowing with warmth. He slowly unfolded the imperial edict, holding both ends with his hands, and placed it on his lap so that Gu Zhizhuo could read it as well.
His gaze swept across the first line. The imperial edict was written by the late emperor himself. When he wrote this edict, he was already at his limit, and his brushstrokes were weak. There were also some bloodstains on the front of the edict. One could almost imagine that he was coughing up blood, or even spitting blood, as he wrote it, and he finished writing the edict with great difficulty.
Xie Yingchen felt relieved.
"Grandfather..."
He closed his eyes briefly, then rolled up the imperial edict. Looking at the scattered bloodstains on it, he shared the same thought as Gu Zhizhuo—it couldn't be hidden.
Given the King of Jin's cautious nature, he would definitely return to the estate once he learned that Xie Jing had been there.
No matter how thoroughly the cleanup is done, he will definitely notice if something so important is missing.
Xie Yingchen slowly stroked the dragon pattern on the surface of the imperial edict with his thumb, pondering.
“Young Master,” Gu Zhizhuo said, grabbing his sleeve and her phoenix eyes sparkling, “tell me again, is Prince Jin still alive?”
"Alive".
Xie Yingchen devoted a portion of his attention to how to handle the will, leaving the rest entirely on her. Hearing her question, he replied, "The doctor the Prince of Jin invited is quite capable; the bleeding has stopped."
"Most of Xie Qiyun's flesh and blood had melted away, and when they were put to their final resting place, he was already half a skeleton."
Xie Yingchen understood her inner turmoil and carefully recounted Xie Qiyun's miserable state to her. Gu Zhizhuo listened with great interest and said with delight, "Serves him right." It was just a pity that she hadn't witnessed it herself.
"I won't look, it's disgusting to my eyes, it's horribly ugly."
Gu Zhizhuo leaned on his shoulder and laughed: "Master is right. Heaven is fair. No one can escape cause and effect."
She looked up at him and said, "Young Master, tell me, how much ambition does the Prince of Jin still have?"
She was very close to him, so close that he could clearly see the fine downy hairs on her cheeks.
Their breaths mingled, and their thoughts were in sync.
Xie Yingchen put down the imperial edict: "Chongjiu, go inside and summon the Prince of Jin."
Chongjiu went to obey the order.
Gu Zhizhuo had personally arranged the carriage. She familiarly opened a small cabinet, inside which was a small red clay stove with a small pot of porridge simmering on it.
Xie Yingchen has a weak spleen and stomach, so Gu Zhizhuo specifically instructed that porridge be kept simmering in the carriage. She also specially prepared a medicine packet to cook with the porridge, just in case there was no time to eat like today.
We've been waiting for hours on empty stomachs, and the feast still hasn't started. Even a healthy person would have a stomachache from hunger, let alone the young master. The Prince of Jin's family is truly unethical.
Gu Zhizhuo served him a bowl: "Young master, please eat."
She divided two bowls and gave them to Chongjiu and Qingmei outside. The last bowl was for herself, and the small clay pot was empty.
The porridge simmered all morning, and its warm warmth soothed my slightly tight stomach and intestines.
Xie Yingchen praised, "It's delicious."
"I didn't simmer it."
"You served it."
Gu Zhizhu smiled and said cheerfully, "Next time, have them make red date porridge; it'll taste sweet too."
Xie Yingchen put down the bowl and fed her a candied jujube.
With a jujube pressed against his lips, Gu Zhizhuo opened his mouth and took a bite, the sweet, floral scent filling his mouth.
"sweet."
Xie Yingchen used his fingertips to wipe away the remaining sugar frosting from the corner of her mouth, and placed a kiss on her lips, as light as a feather, touching and leaving just as quickly, as if still carrying the sweet fragrance of jujubes.
"Mmm, sweet." His eyes seemed to hold honey, with a hint of seduction. "Very sweet."
It's so sweet, I want to have another bite.
Gu Zhizhuo picked up a candied date and gave it to him. The date was still in his mouth and he hadn't swallowed it when Chongjiu arrived with the Prince of Jin.
The Prince of Jin was pale, his hands were bound with white cotton cloth, and his legs were weak and unsteady, making it seem as if he were floating on water when he walked.
"My lord, the Prince of Jin has arrived."
After Chongjiu finished speaking, he waited a moment, then lifted the carriage curtain and gestured for him to enter.
"Your Highness, please."
A rich aroma of herbs wafted over.
The two people inside the carriage were eating porridge, each with a bowl, eating at a leisurely pace. Even when Xie Yingchen saw him get into the carriage, he only slightly raised his eyes and nodded to indicate that he should sit down.
The medicinal aroma comes from the porridge; it's not unpleasant, but rather has a faint, pleasant fragrance.
The Prince of Jin felt a deep ache in his heart, a dull pain throbbing in his internal organs, but the aroma of the medicine that filled his nostrils eased even the most intense pain. He glanced at Gu Zhizhuo, assuming the medicine must have been her doing as well.
Upon reflection, Xie Yingchen would never have reached this point without her.
Before the carriage curtain was lowered, Gu Zhizhuo called out, "Chongjiu, this bowl is yours."
Chongjiu naturally picked up a bowl of porridge from the small table and sat on the carriage rafters to eat it.
With the curtains drawn, the carriage was still quite spacious even with three people inside.
"It is your subject's fault for not providing adequate hospitality."
Prince Jin sat down, forcing a smile, and said, "If Your Highness is invited to my residence, you must bring your own porridge."
After finishing the last mouthful of porridge, Xie Yingchen skillfully tidied up the two bowls and put them back in the second drawer of the small table. He then took out a tea canister and slowly added tea leaves and dried flower petals to the teacups, three parts tea leaves and one part flower petals.
The Prince of Jin stared intently at him, and seeing that he ignored his sarcastic remarks, he finally took the initiative to ask, "I wonder what Your Highness has summoned me for?"
"I still need to prepare for my son's funeral. If there is nothing else, I would like to take my leave."
"Uncle Wang, please wait."
Xie Yingchen said calmly, "I have acquired a little trinket today and would like to ask Uncle Wang to appraise it for me."
A gadget?
The King of Jin was puzzled.
Gu Zhizhuo placed the rolled-up imperial edict on the small table.
This is it! Prince Jin's pupils shrank suddenly, and he subconsciously reached out to snatch it, but Gu Zhizhuo slapped his hand directly.
Snap!
The crisp sound sent a chill down the spine of the Prince of Jin, instantly clearing his mind. He felt as if he were standing in a frozen wasteland, a shiver of cold rising up his back.
There's no mistake. This imperial edict has been with him for so many years; he remembers even the distribution of the bloodstains on it clearly. There can't be any error.
Why did it end up in Xie Yingchen's hands?
What happened to Zhuangzi? Why didn't anyone report it to him?
His mind was racing with thoughts, and he couldn't make sense of them all. For a moment, a single thought even popped into his head—to get rid of Xie Yingchen.
Xie Yingchen is currently in his residence; he can kill him without anyone knowing.
However, this thought had barely formed in my mind when it was interrupted by a faint, almost imperceptible snort.
He looked up and met a pair of phoenix eyes filled with murderous intent.
Suppressing his racing heartbeat, the Prince of Jin feigned composure and said, "Your Highness, I do not know your meaning."
"Your Highness is a wise man; there's no need for you to beat around the bush with me here."
"This isn't a courtroom, Your Highness. There's no need for you to bother clarifying anything. No matter how much you say, you don't even believe it yourself, so how can I believe it?"
Prince of Jin: "..."
The water on the small stove boiled. Xie Yingchen picked up the small silver teapot, filled the teacup with water, and a delicate floral fragrance wafted out.
"Your Highness," Gu Zhizhuo asked with a smile, resting his chin on his hand, "Are you wondering why it's here?"
The King of Jin remained silent.
Gu Zhizhuo continued, "Ji Nanke ran away, and His Highness the Third Prince was extremely anxious and chased her back to the capital."
"The two of them, one ran and the other chased. They accidentally ran into a small village, and the two of them started arguing, which terrified the village manager." She exaggerated, "Chongjiu saw that no one was in the house and was afraid that a thief might go in, so he kindly went to help watch the house. He accidentally discovered a secret room, and then he accidentally found this."
"oops."
"Your Highness, do you think this is good luck?"
The Prince of Jin felt a tightness in his chest.
She was always worried about petty thieves, about watching his house, about accidentally discovering something… The Prince of Jin was almost laughing in exasperation at her.
He could almost recreate the scene from that time.
It's Xie Jing's fault for being useless. He's always acting like he's going to die for a woman, and he can't even tell what's important, which gave Xie Yingchen an opportunity to take advantage of him!
This pushed him and the Prince of Jin's mansion to their doom.
He felt a nameless sadness.
Gu Zhizhuo sighed, "Alas, Your Highness, what's the point of all this striving and worrying? I truly feel exhausted for you."
This sigh was like a sharp thorn piercing the heart of the King of Jin.
Xie Jing is hopeless; not only is he lacking in talent, but he also lacks ambition.
That scoundrel Cheng'en Gong! Even tearing him to pieces wouldn't be enough to satisfy my hatred. Why should I waste my energy worrying about his family's wealth and luxury? Bah!
As for the emperor... he was weak and incompetent, and after six years he still couldn't hold onto the throne. As soon as Xie Yingchen returned, he was forced to the point of almost being placed under house arrest.
Who else could he be doing this for?!
princess?
The princess only had one son, Yun'er. After Yun'er passed away, the princess suffered from heart palpitations, and Doctor Hua said that she might not survive.
For a title?
He wasn't stupid. Xie Sheng pushed Yun'er, which caused her to fall. Yun'er was already so ill; how long could she live? Xie Sheng couldn't even wait a month before acting in front of everyone. He was ruthless, yet incredibly stupid. Even if this title fell into his hands, he couldn't keep it. Those old foxes in court—who could this fool Xie Sheng outmaneuver?
Thinking about these things, a wave of despondency washed over me, stronger than ever before.
"Cough cough cough."
"Is there any hope for me?" Prince Jin asked, stroking the wound on the back of his hand.
"There's no hope," Gu Zhizhuo said frankly. "Your Highness, you are doomed."
"Since I'm going to die anyway, why should I go through all this trouble? It's such a waste of time and energy."
The Prince of Jin chuckled.
He understood Xie Yingchen's purpose in contacting him.
It boils down to two words—orthodoxy.
The will is in Xie Yingchen's hands, but it would be a very bad idea for Xie Yingchen to take it out in court and make it public.
Now sitting on the throne is his own uncle. He forced his uncle to abdicate by relying on a will, which may inevitably lead to accusations of treachery.
The deposed crown prince was deposed because he usurped the throne.
Therefore, Xie Yingchen not only wanted the throne, but also wanted to proclaim to the world that the line of the deposed crown prince was the legitimate one.
“Not all deaths are the same.” Gu Zhizhuo lightly touched the wound on the back of his hand with the pad of his hand, and the Prince of Jin was so frightened that he withdrew his hand.
Gu Zhizhuo: "Changfeng died of old age and decay. Xie Qiyun died with his skin torn open and his flesh and bones gone..."
The Prince of Jin clenched his sleeves tightly.
"As for you, Your Highness, you will bleed every last drop of blood from your body."
The Prince of Jin's hand was taut, and the unhealed wound burst open again, with fresh blood spreading on the white cotton cloth.
"You will live on until you die as a dried-up corpse."
The Prince of Jin had witnessed the horrific state of Changfeng and Yun'er before their deaths, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.
After a while, he said, "If it's just for a quick and satisfying experience, I can do it myself."
It's not that hard to stab yourself in the back.
Gu Zhizhuo leaned back, picked up the teacup, and gently blew away the floating rose petals, blending the aroma of tea and flowers together.
Xie Yingchen spoke gently, as if chatting casually: "Your Highness is a member of the imperial family, so this crime will not bring disaster upon your entire clan. I heard that Your Highness's Princess Anyang just gave birth to a granddaughter for you last month."
He'll fight tooth and nail if he gets a beating followed by a sweet treat.
“If Princess Anyang cannot survive in her husband’s family in the future, I can grant her a divorce and allow her to set up her own household with her children and dowry.”
The Prince of Jin looked up suddenly. One unpleasant thing after another had been piling up in recent days, and he had aged nearly ten years in vain. His well-maintained face was full of signs of aging.
He had few children, only one daughter, who was already married.
According to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, the crime does not extend to married women. But if the bride's family is guilty, how many married women can have a good ending in their husband's family? If he can get a divorce in Anyang, his dowry alone will be enough to support her for the rest of her life.
Xie Yingchen had his weakness firmly in his grasp.
Xie Yingchen smiled and said, "Your Highness can think about it some more. I'm not in a hurry."
He's not in a hurry.
Whether I agree or not is not important; I am just one of his choices, not his only choice.
Taking one step forward means death.
Taking one step back also means death.
Having received this imperial edict, Xie Yingchen knew that death was the only outcome awaiting him.
He stood up.
Because of the limited height of the carriage, the Prince of Jin could only bend slightly at the waist.
He adjusted his position, knelt in the carriage, and bent down deeply, his forehead resting at Xie Yingchen's feet.
This kneeling signifies that he has completely lost.
The entire family lost.
"minister."
"As you command."
Xie Yingchen looked down at him.
No one was called.
Fifteen minutes later, the Prince of Jin got off the carriage. His back was soaked, and his undergarments were clinging to his body.
He was really scared.
He pressed his hand to his forehead, and after a while, let out a bitter laugh and slowly walked back.
A note from the author:
Happy New Year! Wishing all the girls a prosperous and auspicious new year!
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