Chapter 70 [VIP]
If the magnetic needle remains motionless, it indicates the outcome of the divination.
Gu Zhizhuo looked at the compass needle, then at Prince Jin.
"Wow!" she said in a serious tone, "Your Highness, something bad has happened to you."
"Your Highness!"
Accompanied by hurried footsteps, more guards rushed in from all parts of the mansion.
Gu Yican pressed his knee down slightly and said with a smile, "Your Highness, that's not right. Are you trying to outnumber people? When it comes to outnumbering people, I've never lost."
His smugness reminded the Prince of Jin of the Thousand Machine Battalion outside the capital, and he coughed as he shouted, "Step back, step back."
The guards all stepped back a few paces, looking wary.
Gu Zhizhuo continued interpreting the divination as if no one else was around: "Your Highness, the divination indicates that you will go to the palace to file a complaint in a little while. As you walk out of this courtyard, a bird will fly over your head and drop a clump of feathers..."
Gu Yican interjected: "Bird droppings?"
“Mmm.” Gu Zhizhuo said slowly, “After you enter the palace, you will be scolded by the emperor, kicked out of the imperial study, and fall down the steps in a daze.”
"This is so unlucky. If I were you, I would never go to the palace today."
The Prince of Jin glared at him coldly and remained silent.
Believe it or not, it's up to you.
"However," Gu Zhizhuo paused deliberately, leaning forward, "I've done the calculations, and all your scheming will ultimately amount to nothing, and the extinction of your bloodline is just around the corner~"
The gentle voice seemed to come from a secluded valley, and the Prince of Jin felt his hands and feet go numb from listening to it.
Gu Zhizhuo looked away from the compass, her long eyelashes fluttering, and said in a seemingly serious tone, "Your Highness, would you like a talisman? It's only ten thousand taels of gold."
"You're kidding me?!"
The King of Jin was furious. Her image was reflected in his pupils, and his resentment almost consumed her.
"What are you looking at! Do you think you can just look at my sister like that?"
"Gu Yican, you siblings must not..."
Before he could finish his harsh words, the Prince of Jin suddenly felt a flash of cold light before his eyes, and a dagger was thrust straight at his eye.
The Prince of Jin's pupils suddenly contracted, his eyeballs trembled, and he was so frightened that he could not speak.
The knife tip stopped just above his eyelids.
The guards all turned pale, shouting "Your Highness!" as they rushed forward. After taking two steps, they stopped abruptly, fearing that Gu Yican's dagger might injure the prince, and were at a loss for what to do.
"If you don't want it, then forget it." Gu Zhizhuo stuffed the compass into his clothes and stood up nonchalantly. "Gu Cancan, let's go."
Gu Yican obeyed obediently, twirling the dagger on his finger before deftly sheathing it. He slowly stood up, turned around, and asked, "Finished?"
"It's over!"
Zheng Si's eyebrows danced with delight.
These past few days, Xie Sheng has been arguing with them over everything and competing with them for everything, and he has been holding back his anger for a long time.
That finally feels good.
"Let's go!"
Zheng Si ran over excitedly: "Brother Can, a new young lady has come to Tianxiang Pavilion to sing folk songs. She's from Jiangnan, and her voice is so soft and sweet. Let's go listen to her sing!"
Gu Yican slapped him on the back of the head.
Zheng Si froze, then suddenly remembered that Gu Zhizhuo was still there. He quickly explained, "Sister, Tianxiang Pavilion isn't a brothel... Ouch, Brother Can, hit me gently. It's really not a brothel, it's just a place to eat and listen to some music..."
The sound gradually faded into the distance.
With the help of his attendants, the Prince of Jin got up.
He was in pain all over his body, and his face was contorted with pain as he held his lower back.
Even though she knew perfectly well that Gu Zhizhuo was talking nonsense, that phrase still involuntarily floated into her mind—
From then on, all fame and fortune would be for naught, and the extinction of the bloodline was imminent.
“Father, Father King.”
Xie Sheng's tearful voice interrupted his thoughts. The Prince of Jin's eyes were swollen, and he could only squint to see. Through the blur, he saw a humanoid figure crawling towards him. There were several talismans pasted on the figure, all of them as red as blood.
"Wow!"
Prince Jin jumped up and kicked Xie Sheng away.
"Father, Father King!!"
Xie Sheng's tears stopped abruptly.
The Prince of Jin coughed awkwardly and said angrily, "Look at yourself! What kind of person are you!"
Without even glancing at him again, he flicked his sleeve and swiftly ordered, "Prepare the carriage, I am going to the palace!"
Prince Jin limped out of the courtyard gate, and suddenly, something landed on his forehead.
He instinctively touched it with his hand; it was a pile of bird droppings.
Prince of Jin: !
His heart skipped a beat, and before he could think further, his attendant rushed over and reported, "Your Highness, the carriage is ready."
When the attendant saw bird droppings on his forehead, he quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe them clean for him and helped him to the ceremonial gate.
The Prince of Jin boarded his carriage and headed straight for the palace.
Only the last ray of sunlight remained on the horizon, and the sky gradually darkened.
Prince Jin deliberately did not wash the blood off his face, and entered the palace in a disheveled state, covered in dust. As soon as he saw the emperor, he burst into tears.
The emperor was indeed startled and exclaimed, "Prince Jin, what's wrong with you...?"
The Prince of Jin wiped away his tears, knelt down with a thud, and recounted what had just happened, his face streaked with tears.
The emperor was stunned by these words and slammed his fist on the table, cursing, "Do these brother and sister have any sense of propriety at all?!"
Even though the Prince of Jin didn't say a word in court, she still beat and scolded him. Why did she want to go to the Prince of Jin's mansion to beat him again after court?
Does the Gu family consider the capital city to be theirs for the taking? Do they think they can disregard the entire court?
The emperor's murderous intent surged.
Shen Xu sat in a round-backed chair to the side, his slender fingers slowly arranging the folded documents. Hearing this, he asked without looking up, "Is it just the two of you, Prince Gu and his sister?"
The Prince of Jin's gaze darted away: "No, there are also a few young men from the Zheng family, the Zhou family, the Mo family...
Shen Xu slightly raised his eyes, his amorous peach blossom eyes sparkling: "These boys are all surrounding you, Your Highness, and beating you?"
Prince Jin suddenly turned his head, and Shen Xu was facing him with his face turned to the side. His fair skin made the red cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye even more dazzling.
He paused for a moment, then asked sternly, "What do you mean by that, Chief Supervisor?"
Shen Xu smiled faintly: "Your Highness, are all these young men from these families going with Young Master Gu to beat you up?"
The emperor also sensed something was amiss.
The emperor knew all about these young men; they were notorious playboys in the capital.
Apart from Zheng Si, they were all the youngest sons in their families, and also the eldest sons of the principal wife. With outstanding elder brothers supporting the family, they were pampered by their grandparents, parents, and brothers from a young age, spoiled rotten to the point of having no ambition. They liked to hang out together, mostly playing games like cockfighting, hunting, horse racing, and vying for the title of courtesan. Even the censors were too lazy to impeach them. Would they really follow Gu Yican to fight against the Prince of Jin? They were spoiled brats, not fools.
Unless it's a conflict between a few children that escalates into a group fight.
The emperor's face turned cold, and he asked the crucial question: "Did Gu Yican lead people to attack you, or to attack Xie Sheng?"
The Prince of Jin gritted his teeth secretly.
He didn't expect Shen Xu to meddle in other people's business.
At first, Prince Jin genuinely believed that Gu Yican was targeting him, and that Gu had gathered a group of纨绔 (wan ku, spoiled young men) to vent his anger on Xie Sheng because he was not in the manor. But now, as he calmed down from his anger, he realized something was amiss.
It seems... they really went there for Xie Sheng?
He mumbled, "Your Majesty, they broke into my residence, beat up Sheng'er, and plastered talismans all over the courtyard."
The thought of that scene sent a chill down the King of Jin's spine.
Although the latest message from the Western Frontier had not yet arrived, Prince Jin was already absolutely certain that Gu Yican and his sister knew about the Shangxu Temple. Then, could those talismans they had posted also be…? Just thinking about that possibility made him uneasy.
The emperor raised an eyebrow: "A talisman?"
Prince Jin pulled out several talismans from his robes, which reeked of blood, and emphasized, "Your Majesty, these are covered in blood! They must be a curse."
His lips trembled when he spoke the word "curse".
Li Deshun went down and took the document, presenting it to the emperor.
"Let Ah Xu take a look too."
Li Deshun presented several more documents to Shen Xu, bowing even lower than when facing the emperor.
Shen Xu picked it up and took a look, then couldn't help but chuckle.
He picked up the talisman with great interest, playing with it between his fingers: "Your Majesty, look what's written on the talisman."
The emperor was somewhat puzzled. He tried to ignore the smell of blood, spread out the talisman, and squinted to examine it carefully.
Wait, he actually understood it!
On the talisman were two large characters written in cursive script: Chicken Blood.
emperor:? ? ?
So, this talisman—no, this yellow paper—is filled with chicken blood?
Next to the words "chicken blood," there were many strange patterns drawn, each one different, clearly drawn casually.
"So?" The emperor laughed in anger. "Prince Jin, you said that Gu Yican covered your residence with chicken blood to curse you?"
The King of Jin was also stunned.
He took out a few more sheets of paper and looked at them over and over. Two of them had "chicken blood" written on them, and the other had "rolling, rolling, rolling" written on it.
Shen Xu rested his chin on his hand and calmly reminded the emperor, "Your Majesty, Princess Anhe visited the Empress Dowager three days ago."
Upon hearing this, the emperor remembered.
Zheng Jiuguang was the only son of Princess Anhe. Princess Anhe was the third daughter of the late emperor. Her birth mother was a concubine who died in childbirth, and she was raised by the Empress Dowager from a young age.
A few days ago, Princess Anhe went to the palace to complain to the Empress Dowager that Xie Sheng had Zheng Si beaten up and stripped naked and left at the entrance of the theater.
The Empress Dowager wanted him to intervene, but he ignored her. Anyway, these boys would fight one day and make up the next, causing trouble every few days.
Unexpectedly, instead of helping his nephew, he almost got tricked by the Prince of Jin into scolding his nephew.
He slammed his hand on the imperial desk and laughed angrily: "You still want to lie to me? They're clearly going to find Xie Sheng!"
“Those kids, how many days have they been without fighting and making a fuss since they were little? Your son got beaten up, and they came to complain, which led to Gu Yican being accused of a lot of crimes.”
"How is Xie Sheng now? Is his hand broken, his leg broken, or is he crippled?"
The emperor picked up the teacup on the imperial desk and took a few big gulps.
Shen Xu glanced at him casually: "His Majesty is busy with court affairs lately. Your Highness, don't bother His Majesty with your childish squabbles about who's right and who's wrong."
The emperor agreed wholeheartedly.
The Prince of Jin suddenly looked at Shen Xu.
Shen Xu was leaning back in his armchair, flipping through a folding book in his hand, his bright red Qilin robe shimmering in the glow of the setting sun.
It wasn't his imagination; Shen Xu was indeed targeting him!
Why?
Shen Xu is used to doing some underhanded things for the emperor and rarely interferes in court affairs. I shouldn't have any conflict with him. It wouldn't benefit him if he stepped on me!
Does a eunuch like him really want to stand in the imperial court and control the world?
Don't be so funny.
"Your Majesty, please listen to me. Gu Yican said it himself..."
Prince Jin wanted to explain that Gu Yican's actions on Zheng Si's behalf were merely a pretense; his true intention was to take revenge on him.
He wanted revenge for desecrating Gu Taotao's body!
He took revenge by casting a curse on Gu Taotao to suppress him.
As a result, when he looked up, he saw the emperor's impatient face, and even a faint look of disgust between his brows.
Is this aversion directed at oneself?
"Your Highness." Shen Xu tapped the tea table lightly with his fingertips, rhythmically tapping again and again, making people unconsciously listen to what he was saying, "You want the Emperor to help you regain the face you have lost, but you haven't considered the Emperor's face at all."
The emperor was struck by a sudden realization. Indeed! If he were to issue a grand decree reprimanding the princes simply because a few children were fighting, then in the eyes of the court officials, he would still be the favored and absolute Prince Jin. Ah, so this was a scheme against him.
"no!"
The Prince of Jin tried to explain that he didn't mean it that way, but the emperor was no longer interested in listening.
"Get down!"
Prince Jin opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed all his words. He knew the emperor too well; with the emperor's temper, no amount of explanation would be of any use now. He lowered his head and said, "It was my fault. I was too hasty. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."
The emperor waved his hand dismissively and said, "Go down."
Prince Jin bowed and withdrew, closing the door to the imperial study behind him. His lowered face showed no trace of fear.
Just as the Prince of Jin was about to step down, he suddenly pulled his foot back abruptly. He paced back and forth uneasily, carefully examining the footstool.
The white marble steps were clean, without water or oil. He tested the soles of his feet; they weren't slippery.
He probably didn't fall for no reason, right?
That's what he thought, but to be on the safe side, he still walked to the side, held onto the railing, and carefully took a step down.
Someone shouted from behind, "Your Highness, be careful!" But it was too late.
Just as his left foot stepped down, a stone slab suddenly lifted up, and he twisted his ankle and tumbled down the stone steps.
"Your Highness."
The eunuch rushed over and helped him up: "Are you alright?"
The eunuch was filled with unease. He had noticed the stone slab was warped that morning and had already informed the Palace Attendant, awaiting repairs. He had originally intended for the slab to be close to the balustrade, where no one would walk. After all, no one visiting the Imperial Study would sneak off to the very edge.
After the Prince of Jin came out of the imperial study, he looked left and right, seemingly lost in thought about something. There was such a large area in the middle, but he just wouldn't leave!
The eunuch tried to call out to stop him, but it was too late.
He was on the verge of tears, and cautiously said, "Your Highness, may I help you to the waiting area to sit down?"
The steps were only six steps high, so rolling down wouldn't cause serious injury, but Prince Jin was completely stunned. After using a bit of leverage to stand up, he seemed not to hear what the eunuch was saying at all, and limped out.
You were absolutely right!
Is she really able to predict the future?
“From now on, all fame and fortune will be for naught, and the extinction of my bloodline is imminent.” The Prince of Jin murmured silently, almost fleeing the palace.
As he walked out of that vermilion gate, the Prince of Jin suddenly stopped and silently looked back.
The Prince of Jin's mansion was once just an insignificant member of the imperial clan. It was only through his hard work that he achieved his current status.
He was able to put that unremarkable second prince, who was only ambitious, on the throne back then, so he wasn't afraid that the emperor would discard him after he had served his purpose!
The Prince of Jin's gaze softened, and he boarded the carriage.
He did not return to his residence, but went outside the city again. He did not return to the capital that night. At the first light of dawn, he sent a box to the emperor. After the eunuchs inspected it, they placed the box on the emperor's desk, and the emperor saw it as soon as he finished court.
The emperor did not see the Prince of Jin in court and was initially hesitant, wondering if he had spoken too harshly.
Seeing that the Prince of Jin had specially sent him gifts, his resentment lessened considerably. In the end, all the civil officials in the court only had eyes for the deposed crown prince, but only the Prince of Jin and Yongcheng saw him and wholeheartedly turned to him.
Thinking about it this way, even the last trace of resentment disappeared.
"What did the Prince of Jin send to me?"
"These newly presented seal stones seem quite good to me; take them to Jin..."
The sound stopped abruptly.
The emperor stared intently at the box, where half an inkstick lay quietly.
The tip of the ink stick is very smooth, and it's obvious at a glance that it's leftover from natural use.
The ink is of the finest Huizhou ink, and the front still bears the words "Twenty-one years" in gold, along with a line of smaller characters: "Paying homage to the Emperor, long live the Emperor."
He actually kept it!
"He..." the emperor murmured to himself, "He deliberately kept him around to threaten me."
Li Deshun, who was standing nearby, glanced at it and immediately remembered that this inkstick was a birthday gift presented by the emperor to the late emperor in the twenty-first year of the Taiyuan era.
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty!"
With Li Deshun's final cry, the emperor's vision went black and he collapsed.
The emperor is ill.
A note from the author:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
