Seventh Prince's Manor.
Qu Dubian returned from the banquet.
Someone he hadn't expected was waiting for him in the manor.
Wen Xiaochun, dressed in the maple-blue uniform of the Eastern Depot, was standing in the courtyard.
Wen Xiaochun's eyes curved into a smile: "Your Highness."
Qu Dubian exclaimed with delight, "Xiaochun?!"
He ran over a couple of steps and hugged Wen Xiaochun tightly. "I've missed you so much. It's been ages since we last met."
Wen Xiaochun staggered from the impact, instinctively steadying him. After hesitating for a few seconds, his palm finally settled lightly on Qu Dubian's back, giving it a couple of pats.
"Your Highness, I've missed you too."
Ye Xiaoyuan said, "Alright now, isn't it cold outside? Come inside."
Really, Xiaochun, insisting on waiting in the courtyard. It's not like you're a stranger.
Qu Dubian grabbed his wrist. "Come on, let's go in."
The chill on Wen Xiaochun's person dissipated in the warmth of the room. He was gently pushed to sit down and had a cup of hot water practically forced into his hands.
He watched his prince fetching things for Ye Xiaoyuan to give to him.
That tiny little bundle from childhood had already grown into the person before him.
Wen Xiaochun wasn't without regret at having missed witnessing his growth. But having chosen a different path, he couldn't stay by his side constantly like Xiaoyuan could.
He would have liked to visit occasionally, but he was often on missions, frequently getting injured, which made it inconvenient to come.
Qu Dubian asked, "Xiaochun, it's so late. Did you come because you missed me, or is there business here?"
"I missed you," Wen Xiaochun replied, snapping back to the present. "But there is also a matter. It should be something Your Highness is concerned about—what His Majesty mentioned at the banquet earlier."
The Shu family affair was handled by people from the Eastern Depot. Although the lead investigator was Chen Jian, Wen Xiaochun had his own ways of obtaining first-hand information.
Qu Dubian: "Actually, I'm quite curious too. Did the Shu family really embezzle?"
Wen Xiaochun pondered: "The witnesses and material evidence are all complete and genuine. But... Vice Minister Shu likely truly didn't know." However, investigations aren't based on what should be, but on the chain of evidence.
Qu Dubian remembered what his fifth brother had told him before he went to suppress the bandits.
He said the second brother was going to make a move against the eldest brother, a scheme prepared for two years. Could this be what he meant?
If they had patiently lain in wait for two years to strike a fatal blow now, then the chances of the Shu family's case being overturned were probably almost nonexistent, unless someone with inside knowledge came forward.
"If the Shu family is convicted, what will their fate be?"
Wen Xiaochun: "Vice Minister Shu was originally sentenced to death by a thousand cuts, later changed to beheading. Beyond that, the entire clan is to be tattooed and exiled to the northern frontier. The women will serve as prostitutes there, the men as slaves. Shu Wenxin is stripped of her position as Crown Princess and demoted to a concubine."
Qu Dubian couldn't help but frown.
"Your Highness, I came today actually to ask you one more thing."
"What is it?"
"At the banquet, how was His Majesty's attitude towards the Crown Prince?"
Qu Dubian: "Father gave elder brother two chances."
Withholding the imperial edict, bearing such immense pressure, calling them for dinner—all to achieve a reconciliation. For the old man, that was probably the absolute limit.
Perhaps it was for the sake of balance, or perhaps there was a different kind of feeling for his first child.
"Why do you ask?"
Wen Xiaochun stated frankly: "I want to compete with Chen Jian for the position of Depot Chief. Your Highness's information is useful to me."
"Good Xiaochun, impressive," Qu Dubian thought for a moment. "Can you tell who Chen Jian serves?"
Wen Xiaochun: "Well... he seems to have dealings with both the Second Prince and the Sixth Prince. His associations are too mixed, making it hard to discern. This man has both ability and skill. If not for his somewhat ugly appearance, which the current Depot Chief dislikes, he would have a better chance than I do to become the next Depot Chief."
Qu Dubian leaned closer, stroking his chin. "Our Xiaochun is indeed quite handsome." In his past life, he had relied on his looks too.
Wen Xiaochun: "..."
Ye Xiaoyuan silently rolled his eyes. After all these years in the Eastern Depot, and he still can't handle a single compliment from His Highness? His ears are red as can be.
Wen Xiaochun cleared his throat lightly. "However, Your Highness, the main reason I came was to tell you not to get involved in the Crown Prince's affairs. His Majesty has his own calculations. Otherwise, you might end up getting burned."
Qu Dubian: "I know."
He wondered inwardly why everyone was telling him not to get involved, as if instructing a child.
Did he seem like the type who loved meddling in other people's business? He had his own sense of measure.
Only then did Wen Xiaochun take his leave.
He came in a hurry and left in a hurry, not even wearing civilian clothes. He probably still had to return to the Eastern Depot for duty.
Ye Xiaoyuan said, "If the Crown Prince is going to make a move, it has to be soon."
Qu Dubian: "Yes."
Once the imperial edict is issued, everything will be settled, with no room left for maneuver.
The next day.
The Crown Prince did not attend court.
The Shu family was imprisoned. The specific punishment measures hadn't been announced yet, but everyone was locked up.
The Crown Princess went to the inner palace, heading straight to the quarters of Concubine Ruan, the Second Prince's mother, and Concubine Lan, the Sixth Prince's mother.
She stayed for the entire morning before leaving.
Not long after the Crown Princess left, Concubine Ruan summoned the Second Prince to Weiyang Palace.
Inside Concubine Ruan's Weiyang Palace, besides various flowers and plants, there was also a cat and a dog.
The palace was exquisitely decorated yet full of vitality.
A kitten jumped down from a high place, leaped over the stone steps, curled its tail, and sat at the entrance to the main hall, letting out a meow.
The Second Prince stood outside the main hall, not entering directly.
After a while, a maid came out. "Second Highness, Her Ladyship summons you."
Only then did the Second Prince enter the main hall. The kitten let out a sharp meow and quickly ran off.
The Second Prince glanced at it briefly before looking away.
Inside the hall.
Only Concubine Ruan was present.
Concubine Ruan sat behind a tea table, with a cushion placed opposite her.
Her features were not particularly stunning, but there was a gentle, water-like quality between her brows, reminiscent of an orchid in a secluded valley.
The Second Prince's face had completely inherited her non-threatening appearance.
"Sit."
The Second Prince sat opposite her, smiling as he said, "Mother rarely sees me. Calling me here today, and even having me enter the main hall—do you have instructions for me?"
Concubine Ruan: "There are only the two of us in the hall."
At her words, the Second Prince's face still wore a smile, but a slight change flickered in his expression. The gentle facade he wore slowly began to peel away.
Second Prince: "I've practiced this smiling face thousands of times in the mirror. However, it seems Mother doesn't quite like it."
Concubine Ruan poured herself a cup of tea.
"The Shu family affair, it was you, wasn't it?"
Second Prince: "Mother, you jest. I have always been brotherly and respectful towards elder brother—all things you and Father taught me." He also took a teacup for himself. "Apart from the unavoidable factional struggles in court, being gentle, humble, and benevolent—I believe I have fulfilled every point."
"The Shu family incident. On the court, the faction of the sixth brother and Concubine Lan, along with my own followers, encircling and attacking elder brother—isn't that the most normal thing? Even Father hasn't intervened much. Are you going to intervene, Mother?"
The Second Prince shook his head with a light laugh.
"Mother, how did the Crown Princess beg you in tears, asking me to let them off?"
He skirted around the issue, never directly answering Concubine Ruan's question.
The Crown Princess had indeed come to plead with Concubine Ruan.
She just didn't know who was behind the framing of the Shu family, so she not only sought Concubine Ruan's intercession but also went to Concubine Lan.
Concubine Ruan stared intently at him. "If there truly was brotherly goodwill, and you had pleaded for the Shu family, the fate of the rest of the Shu clan would have been much better."
Second Prince: "Is that so."
He lifted his eyes. "What does that have to do with me?"
Concubine Ruan frowned. "What, in your eyes, does human life even amount to?"
The Second Prince said patiently, "Mother, this isn't a matter of human life. It's a matter of who wins and who loses," he added, sounding puzzled. "Why do you always blame me because of other people? Are they your child, or am I?"
"Have I done anything wrong?"
Concubine Ruan stared at the smile on his face and turned away. "Those who do evil will face retribution one day. Don't sink deeper into it."
Their mode of interaction was completely unlike that of an ordinary mother and son.
Second Prince: "Evil? Retribution? I don't think so."
He pondered for a moment. "Oh, when I was five, I thought your personal maid was too noisy, so I pushed her into the river. Mother, you were the one who helped me dispose of her body. If I did evil, didn't Mother also do evil?"
The Second Prince smiled gently and uttered two words: "Accomplice."
Concubine Ruan slapped him across the face.
A crisp crack echoed.
In that instant, she was transported back to the autumn pond years ago. When the maid was fished out, she was already breathless. Holding her seemingly terrified son, she tried to soothe him, only for the boy to say with a giggle: Mother, after I pushed her down, she finally stopped bothering me.
In that second, all the blood in her body seemed to freeze. She felt as if she were holding not a child, but...
"A cold-blooded monster."
As he grew older, she realized more and more that the child she had given birth to lacked empathy, as if he were born missing something.
The Second Prince raised a hand to touch his cheek. "Nothing I do satisfies you. Once you've decided someone is guilty, everything they do is wrong."
He slowly stood up, straightening his posture.
"Mother, you think I'm a monster. You detest me, but you only detest me. Even when you try to stop me, it's only with words. You agreed to the Crown Princess's request to come and plead with me, using benevolence to pressure me. If I don't agree, I'm evil. Then where is your own 'goodness'?"
"When I first sought to secure my position at court and asked for Grandfather's help, Mother, you did not refuse. My journey to this point has also had your assistance."
With each sentence he spoke, Concubine Ruan's fingers clenched tighter.
Second Prince: "Mother, you are merely hypocritical. The two of us, mother and son, are connected by blood. It cannot be severed."
Concubine Ruan closed her eyes. "You truly cannot feel my concern for you."
Second Prince: "I can feel it. But Mother, can you not wholeheartedly stand by your son?"
Concubine Ruan: "All these years, I have tried countless times to correct your nature!"
"I don't believe there's anything wrong with me."
The Second Prince sighed. "If that's the case, then in the future when I come to visit you, I shall simply offer my greetings from outside the main hall." Just like usual, maintaining the surface appearance of maternal affection and filial piety.
"You may stay within your halls, raising your animals, reading your books," he said, lowering his hands. "I pay my respects to Mother. Your son takes his leave."
Concubine Ruan sat alone in the hall.
A small kitten quietly landed on the floor, meowed, and settled on her lap.
Only then did Concubine Ruan snap back to reality, her fingers gently stroking the kitten's back.
A maid entered. "Your Ladyship, will you still go out to see the plum blossoms today?"
Concubine Ruan said wearily, "No. Close the palace gates."
Crown Prince's Residence.
The Crown Prince had shut himself in his study all night and the entire morning.
His hair was slightly disheveled, his eyes bloodshot. Holding a book, he sat leaning against a bookshelf with his knees bent, surrounded by scattered volumes of the "Zhou Legal Code" on the floor.
After noting down what Little Seven had said yesterday, he returned to his study and began searching.
He found it easily.
Article 134, Chapter Six of the "Officials" section of the Great Zhou Legal Code: "When an official forms a marital alliance with the imperial family, the main lineage of his clan may be termed 'imperial relatives'. If they commit a crime, should the Emperor permit, circumstances may be considered, and relatives may invoke 'official substitution'."
"Official substitution." The Crown Prince didn't understand its meaning immediately and had to search through earlier sections to find it.
"Official substitution" meant that an official who committed a crime could use a demotion in rank to reduce or offset the punishment, excluding crimes of treason and other specially stipulated offenses.
However, the crime of embezzlement was not on that exclusion list.
Originally, "official substitution" applied to all officials, but this dynasty had amended the law, so it now only applied to officials who had married into the direct imperial line.
But this clause was also quite thought-provoking. It required the consent of the relative and the Emperor's permission to invoke this law and reduce the sentence.
If either one disagreed, this clause was meaningless.
The Crown Prince pondered for a long time. He was thinking about who in the Shu family now had the status and position to withstand such a heavy sentence through "official substitution."
A servant knocked on the study door from outside. "Your Highness, a eunuch from the palace has arrived."
The Crown Prince finally stood up and opened the door.
Eunuch Bao was in the courtyard. He bowed. "Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince said hoarsely, "What brings you here? Does His Majesty have instructions?"
Eunuch Bao stepped closer and said in a low voice, "To inquire after you. His Majesty asked me to tell you that in half an hour, the imperial edict dealing with the Shu family will reach the Eastern Depot. His Majesty also said that since you have already made your choice, you should not retreat."
Crown Prince: "When did I make a choice?"
Eunuch Bao was stunned for a moment. "Didn't you... miss the morning court today...?"
Moreover, the Crown Princess had run to the palace today to plead for mercy. Anyone would think the Crown Prince had completely abandoned the Shu family.
The Crown Prince gritted his teeth. "I was researching!"
Eunuch Bao stamped his foot. "Oh dear, you... Once the imperial edict leaves the palace gates, it cannot be changed!"
The Crown Prince whirled around and rushed towards the gate, but after a few steps, he stopped abruptly, a pained struggle flashing in his eyes.
Shu Wenxin walked over. It was unclear how long she had been watching from the corridor. She spoke politely to Eunuch Bao, "Please return first."
After Eunuch Bao left, she walked up to the Crown Prince.
They were silent for a long time.
Shu Wenxin, her eyes red, said, "There's no way, is there? You don't, and I don't either." She had sought out everyone she could.
The Shu family had no value left.
Abandoning the Shu family now was the best choice for the Crown Prince.
"I..."
The Crown Prince wanted to say he might have found a way to possibly save Vice Minister Shu, but the words stuck in his throat, and he didn't know how to say them.
Shu Wenxin lowered her head, tears falling. It was the first time since their marriage she had cried with such despair.
The Crown Prince bit his tongue hard, the taste of blood filling his mouth. His slightly rough thumb brushed across Shu Wenxin's cheek.
Perhaps one of the couple had to remain steady. The Crown Prince instantly became composed. "Wenxin, don't be afraid. Wait for me to return."
With that, he rushed out of the Crown Prince's residence without looking back, galloping on horseback towards the imperial city.
He whipped the horse so fiercely the whip left afterimages, the horse straining with all its might to run forward.
After dismounting, he didn't stop at all, dashing towards the Zichen Hall. The cold wind of February whipped his face, his lungs burning as if on fire. This was likely the fastest he had ever run in his life.
He ran past the majestic palace buildings, along the palace pathways. Palace servants looked at him in astonishment, only lowering their heads and standing against the wall to make way for him several seconds later.
The eldest prince thought that the expression on his face right now must be extremely ferocious.
He recalled those years of rivalry with the third prince; after the third prince's incident, he hadn't been happy, but bewildered. He thought of the moments when he was high-spirited and triumphant, when he too had felt so bold and heroic.
He thought of his gradually warming and lively home, his wife, and his child.
The eldest prince, panting heavily, stopped outside the Zichen Hall and looked up at the cold, gleaming gold light encircling the plaque above.
The sky was overcast, making the golden light appear somewhat dim.
He swept aside the hem of his robe and knelt: "Your son, Qu Ducang, requests an audience with the Emperor—"
To choose power, or to choose loyalty and affection.
He kowtowed heavily, his voice hoarse and cracking: "Article 134, Chapter Six of the 'Official' section of the Great Zhou Code, your son is willing to serve as the official guarantor for the Shu family!!"
"Your son is willing to serve as the official guarantor for the Shu family!"
"Your son is willing to serve as the official guarantor for the Shu family!"
He shouted this several times before Emperor Chongzhao finally emerged from the Zichen Hall.
Eunuch Yu, seeing the Emperor's expression, knew it was not good and swiftly cleared the area around Zichen Hall of all personnel, leaving only the guards.
Emperor Chongzhao said coldly, "What status do you hold that you can serve as the Shu family's official guarantor!"
The eldest prince: "The Shu family is intermarried with the imperial direct lineage. Your son is the Shu family's son-in-law, counted as half a member of the Shu family."
Emperor Chongzhao: "Even if I agreed, with your official rank in the court, it would not be enough to offset his capital crime."
The eldest prince slowly straightened his body. The blood from his forehead, bruised from kowtowing, streamed down the bridge of his nose, seemingly splitting his face in two.
He said: "Ruler and subject, father and son, your son is both your son and your subject. In official guaranty, noble titles can offset official ranks—"
Emperor Chongzhao roared angrily: "Hold your tongue!"
The eldest prince quickened his words: "A prince is a noble title, a marquis is a noble title, and an imperial prince is also a noble title. Your son is willing to use his status as an imperial prince to offset the Shu family's crimes!"
Emperor Chongzhao kicked him squarely in the shoulder.
"You disloyal, unfilial thing! For whom are you betraying your Emperor Father!"
The eldest prince scrambled up and knelt properly again. "I beg the Emperor Father to grant this!"
Emperor Chongzhao: "Get out!"
He turned to leave. The eldest prince suddenly grabbed the hem of his robe, pleading bitterly: "Father… I beg of you..."
Emperor Chongzhao: "You worthless thing, release me at once."
The eldest prince: "Father, I have never been promising since childhood. Why did you still use me to maintain balance?" He recalled the words the third prince had once said to him.
The third prince had said that the Emperor Father only saw him as a whetstone.
Emperor Chongzhao abruptly looked down: "What do you mean."
The eldest prince: "During school days, I was always the one who made the most mistakes, the one who disappointed you the most. I tried hard. I wanted Father to praise me, but you always praised the second and third brothers. I was never the smartest. Father, why didn't you just give up on me?"
Emperor Chongzhao: "For the sake of the Shu family, you say such things to me?"
He said: "What disappoints me most about you is this time."
He broke free from the eldest prince's grip and returned to the Zichen Hall.
Watching his retreating back, the eldest prince said: "Father, have you ever truly cared for me, hoped for me, like… like you truly care for the seventh brother, genuinely seeing me as your son, and not just a pawn for balancing the court?"
Emperor Chongzhao's figure paused for a second but did not turn back.
He returned inside the hall.
Emperor Chongzhao patted his chest over and over, a continuous, sharp pain throbbing.
He took out a pill given by the imperial physician and swallowed one.
Eunuch Yu hurriedly poured water for him.
After a moment, when the sharp pain had subsided, he could still hear from outside the eldest prince's repeated pleas of 'official guaranty' and the sound of kowtowing.
Emperor Chongzhao lifted a corner of the window curtain and saw the blood on the ground.
The eldest prince kowtowed with utmost sincerity.
Just as he was about to faint, Eunuch Yu passed by him holding an imperial edict, whispering: "Your Highness, stop kowtowing. His Majesty has agreed."
The eldest prince was stunned.
Eunuch Yu: "Here, this is the edict that was recalled. It was a close call; a moment slower and it would have left the palace."
Ah, to mitigate punishment, not to pardon it. The eldest prince had gone to such lengths that he lost his noble title, truly... Eunuch Yu inwardly found it indescribable.
Fighting dizziness, the eldest prince moved forward on his knees a few steps and finally bowed his head to the ground: "I thank the Emperor Father for his grace!"
A cup was hurled from the window, shattering with a crash right in front of the eldest prince.
Emperor Chongzhao's cold voice came from inside.
"You have no right to call me Emperor Father."
The eldest prince's lips trembled slightly. Two drops of hot tears fell to the ground. He kowtowed once more. "Your son is leaving."
He staggered to his feet.
He had come running frantically; he left walking slowly.
Step by step, he descended the high steps in front of the Zichen Hall. Halfway down, he raised a hand to cover his face. A string of laughter escaped his throat, part laugh, part sob, mingled sorrow and joy.
Tears and blood mixed together, a wretched and terrifying sight.
The sun gazed down upon the mortal world from behind dark clouds. The roof beasts atop the palace of power had indistinct faces.
The eldest prince returned to his residence and stood at the gate wiping the blood and grime from his face.
Shu Wenxin rushed out upon hearing the news. Seeing him in this state, her heart ached terribly. She grabbed the eldest prince's wrist. "Come home first. Let me clean you up. It's unseemly to be like this outside."
She thought the eldest prince's plea at the palace had been in vain.
But the eldest prince remained silent for a long time. "Wenxin, we might have to live a hard life from now on. It's not even certain we can stay in the capital."
Shu Wenxin froze. "You… did you say something wrong at the palace just now?"
The eldest prince lowered his head: "I exchanged some things."
Before long, Shu Wenxin learned what he had exchanged.
Eunuch Yu arrived holding a freshly issued imperial edict.
"Upon the plea of the eldest prince, His Majesty permits official guaranty. Qu Ducang is stripped of his status as an imperial prince to offset the death sentence of Vice Minister Shu. Vice Minister Shu is sentenced to life imprisonment. The Shu clansmen are still exiled to Lingbei, with special decree that women shall not become prostitutes, nor men slaves.
The eldest prince is appointed Centurion of the Chuanfeng unit in Lingbei. He is to depart for Lingbei on an appointed date without delay."
From imperial prince to centurion, from the capital to Lingbei.
A world of difference.
But at least a life was saved.
The eldest prince: "Your subject receives the decree."
Eunuch Yu sighed softly. Having watched these children grow up, seeing twenty years turn into this, he couldn't help but feel wistful inside.
"Your Highness, take care on your journey."
The eldest prince: "I am no longer 'Your Highness.' Please do not address me incorrectly in the future, Eunuch." After a pause, he added, "Once in Lingbei, we may not even have the chance to meet again."
Eunuch Yu: "His Majesty is just angry. Ultimately, you are still the Emperor's son. Moreover, a person's fate is unpredictable. Who's to say you won't return in the future?"
The Shu clansmen were exiled to Lingbei; the eldest prince going there as a centurion would surely make life a bit easier for the Shu family.
The eldest prince: "Farewell, Eunuch."
Only after Eunuch Yu and his attendants had left did the eldest prince look at Shu Wenxin, the edict in his hand.
"I didn't discuss it with you before making the exchange."
Shu Wenxin: "All the planning and accumulation over the years, the status of imperial prince, power and position… you just gave it up, just like that?"
The eldest prince: "It pains me like cutting off my own flesh. But if I didn't cut, our family would be gone. It's just that the revenge for your elder brother will likely have to wait for now."
Shu Wenxin embraced him and burst into tears.
"Why are you still so foolish."
When Qu Dubian learned of this outcome, he was washing his dog.
He was not surprised by the eldest prince's choice.
"When will your elder brother and his family be leaving?"
Ye Xiaoyuan: "Soon, within the next few days."
Qu Dubian: "When the time comes, I'll go see them off."
Leaving, getting away from the capital—it could be considered a good thing.
After he finished bathing the second dog, Sun Sun, a pigeon flew over the courtyard wall. Ye Xiaoyuan whistled, and the pigeon landed on his arm.
Ye Xiaoyuan unfolded a note encrypted with the highest-level cipher.
Qu Dubian had taught Ye Xiaoyuan how to decipher the highest-level encryption, but he hadn't mastered it thoroughly. He could only recognize the first few words: "Your Highness, from the north..."
He spread the note out before Qu Dubian.
Qu Dubian looked over, his fingers pausing slightly as he washed the dog.
Then he shook the water from his hands and gazed toward the north.
"The Second Royal Court is about to fall. Chaos is coming to that region."