His wrist ached fiercely from the several loops of heavy iron chains, yet Nan Rongchen not only felt no annoyance but actually let out a soft laugh. Why had he never realized in his past life that the chain linking these shackles could serve such a purpose?
Xue Xuan had already been maintaining the highest level of vigilance. Seeing this, he stepped forward a few paces, raising a hand to summon several jailers to ensure nothing went wrong, only to be stopped by Nan Rongchen’s voice.
He already harbored some doubts regarding the Pei family’s alleged treason and wished to carve out a path of survival for Pei Zhou. Raising a hand to halt the summoned jailers, he spoke in a deep voice: “Pei Zhou, do not act rashly. If you harbor any grievances, you are free to state them clearly before His Majesty.”
It would have been better had Xue Xuan not offered advice. Upon hearing the phrase about stating them clearly before His Majesty, a grim, ferocious smile surfaced at the corners of Pei Zhou’s lips, and the force in his hands increased by several notches. It was as if his hatred had reached its absolute peak, and he wished to crush the tyrant’s wrist to vent his fury.
Naturally aloof in demeanor, such a smile only made him appear all the more desolate and chilling. Nan Rongchen acted as though he felt no pain at all, for he had something far more interesting to attend to. Reaching out with his other hand, he continued to brush aside Pei Zhou’s hair, leaning in closely to meticulously scrutinize the eyes that glared at him with such bitter hatred: “Not a bad appearance. How would you like to return to the palace with Gu?”
“Li Changyuan, and the entire Imperial Guard, so long as you have the capability, you may slaughter them at will.”
It was only natural for Pei Zhou to hate him. In his past life, who knew how many wrongful cases like this had been pressed down by absolute power? He truly was a muddle-headed tyrant.
Since he was still alive and sitting upon this throne, he might as well put on a hypocritical front and afford the Pei Zhou of his past life an opportunity for vengeance, though he certainly had his conditions as well.
Constantly sparring with the Empress Dowager was utterly tedious, so he might as well toss another log onto the fire and use her cousin Li Changyuan as the fuse.
There was also another reason: Pei Zhou’s face happened to be the type Chen Ping enjoyed looking at, so he might as well bring him back and let Chen Ping feast his eyes to his heart’s content.
Pei Zhou burst into laughter, leaning forward slightly: “If I ever get the chance, you will be the first one I kill!”
Nan Rongchen reached out to brush away the bits of straw clinging to Pei Zhou’s hair, answering with absolute earnestness: “That part is easy. Once you wipe out Li Changyuan, a certain degree of upheaval will naturally follow within the palace.”
“There is also a guard named Qi Yan by Gu’s side. The two of you can hash out a plan. He wields a sword while you deal in poison; wouldn’t that be foolproof?”
“As for an escape route, once we return to the palace, I will have Qi Yan act as an intermediary and lead you to pledge allegiance to an enlightened master.”
Pei Zhou had already prepared himself to be dragged out and decapitated, never expecting to receive such a raving, unhinged response. The force in his hands slackened slightly as he stared dead ahead into the pair of eyes inches from his own, yet all he found within them was sheer, unadulterated frankness and sincerity.
Nan Rongchen was not afraid of death; in fact, whenever he uttered the word death, a trace of relieved excitement clung to his tone, as if this mortal world were slowly grinding away the Son of Heaven’s remaining years.
Taking advantage of the moment, Nan Rongchen pulled his wrist free, massaged the red welt left by the bindings, and could not be bothered to say any more: “Xue Xuan, release him.”
Xue Xuan had never anticipated that the situation would develop along such lines, yet adjudicating cases naturally required adherence to state laws: “Your Majesty, Pei Zhou cannot be released just yet. This subject will dispatch trusted subordinates to investigate the truth behind the Pei family’s treason as swiftly as possible.”
Nan Rongchen asked this guardian of justice in Lin Yue: “Then perhaps Imperial Censor Xue can tell me for what reason the Pei family was exterminated, and how long it will take to overturn the verdict?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, Yezhou is adjacent to the former territories of Southern Liang. According to the case files submitted by the Imperial Guard, the Pei family colluded with remnants of Southern Liang and, a year ago, they were brought entirely to justice.”
The remnants of Southern Liang had already been eliminated, leaving no living witnesses, and a full year had passed. This case would likely remain an unsolved mystery forever.
Realizing this, Xue Xuan finally understood why Nan Rongchen had come to the inner prison, prompting him to speak again: “So Your Majesty was already aware of this case.”
Hearing this, Pei Zhou’s gaze shifted, and he raised his head once more, though he could no longer meet Nan Rongchen’s eyes, his gaze falling instead upon those dark robes.
He had never cared much for classical texts and sage wisdom, wishing only to spend his life playing the zither, writing poetry, and living as a free spirit amidst the clouds and cranes, which was how he had managed to survive by a stroke of luck until now.
Yet now, the burden of avenging his exterminated family fell entirely upon his shoulders. Nan Rongchen was his only chance. What did it matter if he was used as a pawn? So long as he could send the Imperial Guard straight down to hell, he was willing to cast away his life entirely.
He had never harbored any grand ambitions of saving the world, especially now that Lin Yue had wrongfully murdered over a dozen members of his entire family.
Whether this muddle-headed tyrant Nan Rongchen lived or died had nothing to do with him either.
He wrapped the chains around the bright red finger marks on his wrists, and amidst the bone-crushing agony of tearing flesh, he swore his first oath of this lifetime: he would make Li Changyuan die!
In truth, it was the first time Nan Rongchen had ever heard of this case. As for Li Changyuan, he appeared upright, loyal, and courageous on the surface. Since he dared to fabricate such a wrongful case, even if he couldn’t make it completely foolproof, it was more than enough to deceive Lin Yue’s legal system and the eyes of a muddle-headed tyrant like himself.
Using Southern Liang as a smokescreen was a trick he truly would not have suspected in his past life.
Although Grand Chancellor Xue Xuan made plenty of enemies, he was an upright official. Nan Rongchen considered himself to still possess a shred of conscience, hoping to pull Xue Xuan out of this muddy partisan struggle purely to accumulate good karma: “Imperial Censor Xue, can we release him now?”
Xue Xuan hesitated for a moment, still pulling out Lin Yue’s legal code: “Your Majesty, this matter is still improper. This subject will send trusted agents covertly to Yezhou and also assign men to protect Young Master Pei’s safety.”
He truly lived up to the title of a just official. Nan Rongchen lacked the confidence to turn Xue Xuan into a sycophant with just a few words, so he chose an alternative route, reaching out once more to press his jade ring against Pei Zhou’s jaw: “Gu cannot wait any longer. Pei Zhou’s appearance suits Gu’s fancy entirely.”
Pei Zhou felt a wave of absolute disgust, gripping the hand hooked under his jaw with fierce intensity, his brow furrowed tightly and his starry eyes colder than the depths of winter.
With hatred this deep, he might genuinely try to poison him. Nan Rongchen raised his phoenix eyes slightly at this unexpected bonus: “Gu does not like to force people, so let us conclude the case today. Pei Zhou was captured and brought to justice by Lord Li, so he shall be handed back to the Imperial Guard for disposal.”
What difference was there between death and faking death? Perhaps dying would bring even greater freedom.
Maintaining a smile, he swept his gaze across Xue Xuan, putting on the act of a ruler blinded by lust and ready to flip tables instantly: “Does Lord Xue need Gu to remind you? Defying an imperial decree is punishable by death under the law.”
If he wanted Xue Xuan to stand firmly and safely in the imperial court, he could not let Xue Xuan be tied too closely to a tyrant like himself, so he instructed the jailers standing behind Xue Xuan in a calm voice: “Fetch the keys and remove the shackles for Lord Pei.”
An emperor’s wrath leaves a million corpses in its wake, and the jailer quickly made his decision, stepping past Xue Xuan with the keys in hand.
Pei Zhou watched the tyrant’s absurd behavior with cold eyes, suppressing his anger as he allowed the jailer to unlock the shackles on his hands and feet. Ringing in his ears was Nan Rongchen’s breezy threat: “Once the shackles are removed, whether you return to the palace or head to the execution ground, at least it will be much more convenient.”
If revenge was truly hopeless, he naturally would not cling to life, but Nan Rongchen had handed him both hope and a choice, forcing him to comply through these means.
Once the heavy irons were removed from his hands and feet, Pei Zhou tried to move his broken lower leg on the wooden couch, nearly slipping off in ungraceful failure. The suppression and hatred of many days suddenly found an outlet, and he clenched his fist to strike fiercely against his injured calf.
Yet as a prisoner, he could not even govern his own body freely. Stopped mid-action, he raised his gaze to look at Nan Rongchen, remaining utterly silent.
Nan Rongchen ignored this entirely, merely pulling away from his wrist and raising a hand to cover those reddened, sword-like eyes: “Even if you die, do not die in such a cowardly manner.”
With his vision blocked, the calluses on the palm of that hand grazed against the outer corner of his eye. Pei Zhou did not dodge, maintaining that posture as he spoke in a cold voice: “This subject requests a name from Your Majesty.”
A name? Nan Rongchen lacked such hobbies, casually asking this newly acquired beauty: “Where do you wish to serve? Aside from Grand Tutor Zhou’s seat, Gu will arrange it immediately.”
Pei Zhou had no intention of sinking deep into the political mire of the court; he feared he might inevitably resort to sordid, filthy means, climbing upward over the corpses of Lin Yue’s common folk.
Seeking revenge required power, and in this world, what power could be faster to acquire than becoming the favorite sycophant of the Son of Heaven? “This subject is willing to return to the palace with Your Majesty.”
Consider it self-deception; once his vengeance was fulfilled, he would naturally descend to the underworld to confess his sins to his father.
Nan Rongchen removed the jade ring from his thumb and slid it onto Pei Zhou’s finger: “Someone, escort Chief Pei back to the palace.”
Having given these instructions, he cast a glance at Xue Xuan: “Imperial Censor Xue openly defied an imperial decree, his salary is docked for three months.”
“Your Highness Prince Su, trespassing in the inner prison is a capital offense…”
Nanrong Xian kicked aside a troublesome jailer behind him, speaking words of supreme audacity: “I do not necessarily have to obey the king’s orders. If you do not want to die, get out of my way!”
Tsk, Nan Rongchen twirled the crimson glass bead in his hand. He had expected Xie Chen to possess far greater competence; to think he couldn’t even keep a single Nanrong Xian in check, what a useless creature. “What is Prince Su up to this time?”
Prince Su again? Without even performing the formal court greeting between ruler and subject, Nanrong Xian grabbed Nan Rongchen by the wrist, though his tone was noticeably restrained: “A-Chen, are you treating me like a fool and toying with me again?”
The entire group of unlucky jailers swept up in this confrontation dropped to their knees in trembling unison.
Hearing Prince Su speak in such unbridled, audacious terms and daring to address the Son of Heaven directly by his given name in public, they pressed their heads even lower against the ground.
Nan Rongchen did not pull his hand away, speaking with unconcealed impatience: “What madness has seized Prince Su now? Did I not just help you protect the Ministry of Justice?”
Madness? He should have gone mad long ago. Nanrong Xian pointed toward Pei Zhou, who was still seated properly on the couch, that seductive vixen who had bewitched the sovereign, speaking with vicious malice: “You went behind my back, planning this trip to the inner prison just to bring him back to the palace? How did you make your promise to me?”
He ultimately refrained from shouting out the complete phrase about promising to always be by his side alone, pinning his hopes on Nan Rongchen still retaining a shred of conscience. Nan Rongchen needed to win him over now, so he dared not, should not, and could not deceive him again!
Nan Rongchen finally understood. It turned out Nanrong Xian still wanted to reduce him to a puppet emperor who had to report every single action, likely harboring some lingering sympathy for Xue Xuan as well. Unfortunately, he possessed zero hobby of being kept under anyone’s thumb.
Gripping the tightly clenched fingers around his wrist, Nan Rongchen spoke coldly: “If Prince Su does not want this Ministry of Justice, Gu will simply hand it over to Prince Xiang.”
The flames of fury inside Nanrong Xian raged higher. Was there also the matter of that good-for-nothing Nan Rongchen? Nan Rongchen must truly be blind!
With a fierce yank, he pulled the distance between them down to absolute zero, clearly seeing Nan Rongchen wince in pain with a furrowed brow. At this particular moment, this younger brother of his never knew how to put on a false front, and that raging fire within Nanrong Xian instantly extinguished by half, his grip loosening slightly as well.
Before he could utter another word, however, he heard Nan Rongchen launch into a counter-accusation: “I said before that I valued Prince Su’s genuine sincerity toward me, but looking at it now, Prince Su possesses not a single redeeming quality.”
Nan Rongchen calmed down slightly, a feat attributable to that red welt on his wrist. While he felt a faint trace of regret for using too much strength, a trace of frenzied excitement also surged within him: Nan Rongchen now bore a mark that belonged exclusively to him.
Coupled with those words about genuine sincerity, Nan Rongchen evidently still believed in him after all.
Within the span of a few breaths, Nanrong Xian extinguished the remaining embers in his heart on his own, choosing to yield once more: “Your Majesty knows best. However, such a person of unknown background cannot be brought back to the palace.”
Nan Rongchen had no idea what he was supposed to know, nor did he care to ponder this raving nonsense, stepping aside by half a step: “I climbed from crown prince to sovereign of a realm; even without great merits, I have put in hard labor. I have found affection for Pei Zhou, is it really forbidden to bring him back to the palace?”
Affection? Nanrong Xian felt as though he had been struck by lightning in broad daylight, right through the layers of bricks and tiles within the inner prison.