Chapter 101: Qishan Fengshan 8: The Prince's Past
As the prince finished speaking, everyone in the hall had different expressions.
Xun Shu blinked, looking at the complete stranger before him, unable to recall where or when they had met before. Li Xuanhe was stunned, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind. He took a half step to the side, completely blocking Xun Shu's presence, his eyes becoming defensive.
The Crown Prince waved his hand, dismissing the attendants from the palace, and ushered the two to a nearby tea table. Xun Shu, aware that this time she was to impersonate Li Xuanhe's maidservant, hesitated at the table, unsure whether to take a seat. The Crown Prince noticed her hesitation, looked at him, and smiled gently, "I've heard for a long time that Ah He brought back a girl from Chaozhou, and even my aunt is very fond of her. Is this that girl?"
Xun Shu took this opportunity to scrutinize the Crown Prince's face, her gaze sweeping over every bone, but her feet remained motionless. Li Xuanhe grabbed her hand and gently tugged, bringing her back to her senses. She hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, please forgive me. Ah Shu is timid and was frightened."
Li Xuanhe pulled Xun Shu over to the table, placing his hands on her shoulders and exerting a little pressure, forcing her to sit. He sat beside her, picked up the teapot beside her, poured three cups of tea, and then asked cautiously, "My cousin said he saw Ah Shu before. When did that happen?"
Xun Shu followed Li Xuanhe's gaze and looked at the prince curiously again.
The hall was thick with the aroma of tea. The Crown Prince sat at his desk and spoke leisurely, "That day in the palace, you said that the disciple of the Si Tian Pavilion found by the Changsheng Palace was the owner of the coffin shop who saved you in Chaozhou. You also said that the owner was a man around forty years old. You spent many days with him and confirmed that he had no connection with the Si Tian Pavilion. It was the Changsheng Palace that had arrested the wrong person, so you told me not to worry. At that time, I felt something was amiss. The Changsheng Palace had been searching for someone from the Si Tian Pavilion for a long time. How could they make such a mistake if they weren't absolutely sure? You have always been cautious, so why were you so decisive in this matter, not even suspecting that the person had concealed his identity and deceived you? Now that I think about it, you clearly knew that the Changsheng Palace had not found the wrong place, but just the wrong person. You hid the real Si Tian Pavilion disciple with you and didn't tell me, which really chilled me."
Li Xuanhe's heart tightened, but he showed a somewhat silly smile on his face: "What do you mean, cousin?"
The prince smiled and said, "Ahe, there's no need to be so nervous. I just saw an old friend and chatted with her for a while. I won't eat her. Even if I really wanted to eat her, you and your aunt wouldn't agree, right?" He looked at Xun Shu gently, "Miss, I have seen you before. But you were only about two or three years old at that time, still a child, so you may not remember."
Two or three years old? Xun Shu pursed his lips, lost in thought.
When she was still a babe, she was picked up by her master and brought to the Sitian Pavilion, where she was raised. She had been there for as long as she could remember, never even leaving the mountain before she was five. If she had seen her when she was two or three, it would have been in the Sitian Pavilion. But the man before her was the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. How could he have suddenly appeared in the Sitian Pavilion?
As if he knew what Xun Shu was wondering, the Crown Prince took the initiative to answer her, "That was during the reign of our Royal Grandfather. That year, my father stayed in the capital, and our Royal Grandfather took me on a southern tour to the Jiangnan Road. One day, our Royal Grandfather suddenly left the group and took me with him, traveling incognito to a mountain forest with only a few guards. At the end of the forest, a white-haired old man was waiting for us. Our Royal Grandfather ordered the guards to stay at the foot of the mountain, and then followed the old man up the mountain.
"That year, I was only a teenager, curious about everything on the mountain. The white-haired old man and the emperor's grandfather went to the temple to talk, leaving me to wander around. Then I saw a group of children, the youngest of whom was only two or three years old, and that was you. Back then, you were a delicate little kid, more obedient and quiet than your brothers and sisters, so I took a few more glances at you. When I first saw you, I felt a sense of familiarity, and then I remembered that although your facial features had grown, you still retained a bit of childishness, exactly like the little kid back then. You must be that little kid from back then, right?"
The Crown Prince and the late Emperor had been to the Sitian Pavilion and even met her master, the Pavilion Master? Why didn't she and her fellow apprentices know about this? Why hadn't Li Xuanhe, who often walked around the palace, heard of it either?
Li Xuanhe had the same doubts: "Cousin, you must be talking about the Sitian Pavilion and the deceased Sitian Pavilion Master, right? Then why—"
The Crown Prince waved his hand, signaling him to calm down, before continuing, "At the time, I didn't know it was the Sitian Pavilion. I simply thought I was visiting an old friend of my royal grandfather. We didn't stay long that day, just an incense stick's worth of time, before my royal grandfather emerged from his room, and one of your senior brothers escorted us down the mountain. On our way back, I asked my royal grandfather what that place was, and he told me it was the Sitian Pavilion."
"He said that the Sitian Pavilion had long been in seclusion, and he was not sure he could meet the Pavilion Master, so he just came to try his luck. However, he did not expect that the old Pavilion Master was waiting for him at the foot of the mountain. I asked my grandfather why he came here. My royal grandfather told me that he wanted to ask the Pavilion Master to come out of seclusion to help the then crown prince, who was also my father, to eliminate the evil spirits around him and become a wise ruler." The crown prince sighed and said slowly, "A long time later, when I recalled what happened that day, I realized that my royal grandfather had the idea of changing the crown prince. But after that day, he did nothing, but took me with him and raised me personally until he left.
"I still remember that my royal grandfather once asked the old Pavilion Master to read my face and predict my fate, but only my royal grandfather knows what the old Pavilion Master said. Miss, I wonder if you can help me solve this problem today?"
The prince looked at Xun Shu with a smile, as if he was really waiting for her answer. Li Xuanhe sat on the side, anxious, afraid that Xun Shu would say something earth-shattering and anger the person opposite.
Xun Shu stared at the person across from him silently, not saying a word for a long while. Li Xuanhe held his breath, and there was a subtle hint of anticipation, perhaps even apprehension, in the Crown Prince's eyes.
One moment, two moments, three moments.
Xun Shu spoke, still in that slow tone: "Your Highness, this is not important."
The prince was stunned.
"If I tell you that Your Highness is destined to be a wise ruler, will you become complacent and lazy? If I tell you that Your Highness is unfit to be a king, but only a wise minister assisting the king, will you give up?" Xun Shu's eyes were as clear as autumn water in the mountains, allowing the person across from him to see clearly into his heart. "No matter what I say, or what Master said back then, it won't shake Your Highness's heart. So why would you need to know the answer?"
The sound of bells came from afar, one after another, passing through the quiet Buddhist incense of the temple, through the hustle and bustle of the market, and fell into the ears of the prince in the main hall of the Qing Palace, knocking on his heart, awakening his thoughts, and resolving the doubts that had accumulated in his heart for so many years.
Everything suddenly became clear.
The prince raised his teacup towards Xun Shu and said with a smile, "Thank you for your advice."
Xun Shu waved his hand: "In fact, Your Highness already knew the answer a long time ago, and I didn't teach you."
The prince laughed. "It was the young lady who showed me the way out of this mystery. I have one more thing I want to ask you. I wonder if you could help me clear it up again. I have heard that there is a precious mirror in the Sitian Pavilion that has the power to see through the heavens and know the past. I wonder where that mirror is now?"
The Crown Prince asked directly, so Xun Shu naturally didn't dare to hide anything. Moreover, if she could clarify the matter with the Crown Prince, it might help her and her fellow seniors get out of trouble.
"Your Highness, there has never been such a thing as a magic mirror in this world." Xun Shu spoke each word with extreme seriousness. "After all, the Sitian Pavilion is just an ordinary sect. Its disciples are ordinary people from all corners of the country. They learn common knowledge such as arithmetic and divination, just like ordinary Xuanmen sects. There is no treasure in the sect worth fighting for. Your Highness, everything I said today is true. The rumors in the martial arts world are not to be believed. They are all fabricated by people with ulterior motives. As for the reason, I don't know."
"So that's how it is." The prince sighed, not knowing whether he believed Xun Shu's words. "When my royal grandfather was alive, he respected the Sitian Pavilion very much. I have actually been there, so I have always believed that there are such magical objects in the Sitian Pavilion. But if these are really fabricated, they must have some ulterior motive. You need to be careful in the future." He paused, and when he looked at Li Xuanhe who was standing aside with a thoughtful look, he changed the subject, "Did you go to the place where the royal uncle's body was found? Did you find anything?"
Li Xuanhe had been immersed in the affairs of the Sitian Pavilion. He was stunned for a moment before replying, "I have indeed made a discovery, and it is related to you, Your Highness. Please allow my guard Chi Xiao to enter the palace."
The prince agreed, and a moment later Chi Xiao opened the door and walked in, holding a wooden tray. On the tray was a sword, covered in blood. It was the sword that had just been pulled from King Chen's body.
Chi Xiao put the tray on the table and retreated to the corner.
Li Xuanhe pointed at the brand on the hilt and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, if I remember correctly, this brand is a unique mark of the Eastern Palace guards."
Li Xuanhe didn't elaborate, but the prince understood. He called his two closest guards into the palace and ordered them to investigate the sword's origins. One of them saw it and immediately said, "Your Highness, I may know where this sword came from. A few months ago, an incident occurred in the palace. The Seventh Prince accidentally fell into a pond. Qingyang happened to be passing by and immediately jumped in to save him. His sword fell into the water and disappeared. Later, several of us secretly went to the pond to fish for the sword, but we couldn't find it. We thought it might be covered by the mud at the bottom of the pond, so we didn't pay much attention to it." The man knelt on the ground, clasped his fists and said, "It is my fault. I should have informed Your Highness of this matter in a timely manner. Please punish me."
The prince waved his hand and said gently, "You deserve to be punished for losing your sword. However, this must have been orchestrated by someone behind the scenes, so it's not entirely Qingyang's fault."
The guard asked, "Your Highness, what should we do now? This sword has become a murder weapon, and suspicion will inevitably arise." He looked at Li Xuanhe on the other side and said, "Sir Li, the murder weapon is now in your hands. Can you replace it to avoid suspicion? Sir Li, I guarantee with my life that Qingyang did not kill this man, and it has nothing to do with our Highness!"
Before Li Xuanhe could speak, the Crown Prince rebuffed him, "No. This sword was placed there deliberately, so there must be a ulterior motive. If we rashly replace it, it will only give us a pretext for accusations. They might even use this as an excuse to take the case away from Ah He and hand it over to someone else." He pushed the wooden tray toward Li Xuanhe and said, "I'll leave this sword in your hands. I believe you can uncover the truth and clear my name."
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