Crown Prince: It’s over…
Not only was Xiao Yu in the scene stunned.
Many officials in Jinling City who could see the Celestial Screen and shared Xiao Yu’s thoughts were also stunned.
They had considered that the Sixth Prince would not sit idly by, or that the other faction among the Two Factions would not remain passive, but they never expected that the person who arrived at a gallop on horseback instead of a carriage, throwing a waist saber to cleanly and skillfully stop the two attendants, would be the Sixth Prince himself.
How was this any different from hearing the long-lost sound of marching troops amidst the swirling yellow sands during the Qian-Severing Rebellion, only to look up and find that the one arriving was none other than Emperor Yunqi from back then?
The one who should have remained lofty and revered, the one to whom loyalty was sworn, had descended to the ground to personally save you.
Who would dare to imagine such a thing?
The Crown Prince in Yunxing Hall was also stunned: What? Isn’t Old Sixth a fool? He’s clearly a fool!
Could it be that this guy actually possesses such willpower, enduring humiliation and hardship while pretending to be a fool for nineteen years?
The Crown Prince gritted his teeth—this was the crime of deceiving the emperor! Just wait, he would make sure to impeach this bastard thoroughly!
At this thought, he almost wanted to burst into laughter.
Donghuang Taiyi bless me, the Crown Prince thought. What use is enduring humiliation and hardship for nineteen years? If the Sixth Prince had kept up the act, it would have been worth being wary of, but now, as seen on the Celestial Screen, hadn’t he forgotten his own limitations the moment he left Jinling City, becoming complacent and revealing his edge?
What a pity. Old Sixth still doesn’t understand their father, the emperor.
The crime of deceiving the emperor—nineteen years of deceiving the emperor—what good outcome could there be? The Crown Prince could almost see Xiao Chuan, after handling matters in Jiangnan, being used by Emperor Yunqi as a bargaining chip to appease the noble families, only to be discarded like a bow after the birds are gone—a miserable end.
Old Sixth, Old Sixth, you’re not a fool, but it would have been better if you truly were one… unless… unless you possess means that surpass even our father, who emerged from the Qian-Severing Rebellion.
But how could that be possible? Xiao Chuan is just an incompetent prince who has been confined to the deep palace since birth, and not long ago, he was even thrown into the Imperial Prison by that scheming mother of Third Prince.
The Crown Prince felt reassured.
[“Your Highness!”
Gu Yue, the young captain familiar to everyone in Jinling City, rushed in right behind the Sixth Prince. The place on his waist where his saber should have been hanging was now empty, with only the scabbard remaining—clearly, he was the owner of the Military and Horse Command Department waist saber that had just been thrown.
Everyone in Jinling City knew that the Sixth Prince, born foolish and intellectually impaired, had rushed in so swiftly this time that even Gu Yue, who grew up in the military, couldn’t keep up. And his purpose was to save two officials he had never met before.
It was absurd.
The Circuit Intendant thought, how could such an absurd thing happen? But there was no time for hesitation.
Because the Sixth Prince had already arrived before him. As the newly appointed Jiangnan Inspector, even disregarding his royal bloodline, the Sixth Prince was his superior. The Circuit Intendant could only rise resentfully and yield the main seat.
And the supposedly foolish Sixth Prince sat down boldly, as if he rightfully belonged there, showing no trace of having just emerged from the Imperial Prison.
“Everyone… if you have anything to say, now’s the time to speak up properly in front of me.”
Xiao Jingchuan sat in the main seat with his legs crossed, as if it were just an ordinary stool and not the highest seat of power in the Jiangnan region.
“After all… no matter what, isn’t our goal to resolve this matter in Jiangnan?”]
(LMAO Old Six, your sitting posture is exactly like my grandpa fanning himself at the village entrance in summer.)
(That’s just the Taizu style, Qian Taizu’s style… It’s all Xiao Jingchuan’s fault. Emperor Yunqi was a perfectly good kid at nineteen, fresh and inexperienced, but once he cosplayed you, he turned into a street punk.)
(Setting that aside, the current AI restoration technology is truly advanced. The restored historical scenes look incredibly real, especially the Sixth Prince—this is exactly how I imagined the Sixth Prince should look.)
(If I were Xiao Yu, I’d already be head over heels. How old is Emperor Yunqi now? Not even crowned yet, right? I think he should be nineteen.)
(Exactly. Who would have thought the worst choice would suddenly become a pleasant surprise? It’s like your own dumb kid who usually scores 20 or 30 suddenly getting a perfect 100.)
…
No one cared about Xiao Yu’s fate or what the danmaku said afterward.
Everyone was struck to the soul by those two light, floating words: “Martial Emperor.” For a moment, even the wind in Jinling City seemed to hold its breath, not daring to blow.
“It’s over!”
In the State Preceptor’s Mansion, the State Preceptor, playing chess with Chen Su, stroked his white beard and smiled faintly: “Who would have thought, Old Chen? After all our years of rivalry, it’s this obscure Sixth Prince who ends up winning the game.”
Chen Su showed no obvious reaction. For a family like his, which had endured for generations, supporting which prince to the throne made little difference. He quickly shifted his gaze from the Celestial Screen to the chessboard before him: “State Preceptor, you jest. When have we ever been rivals? Aren’t all the court officials destined to be the Sixth Prince’s loyal ministers in the future?”
The State Preceptor laughed heartily: “Old Chen, you really know how to talk.”
With a single sentence, everything that had happened before was swept away, as if nothing had ever occurred.
It’s just… a pity about Jun Youcheng, whom he had prepared in advance.
Chen Su thought.
“How is this possible… How is this possible…”
In Yunxing Hall, the Crown Prince, who had just knelt down intending to accuse the Sixth Prince of deceiving the emperor, saw the words “Martial Emperor” flooding the Celestial Screen.
He had celebrated too soon!
If he hadn’t misunderstood, the people on the Celestial Screen meant—the Sixth Prince, his younger brother who had been considered foolish for nineteen years, was the Qianwu Emperor mentioned by the Fusang Envoy? The one who rebuilt Da Qian and accomplished the great deeds even Emperor Yunqi couldn’t achieve?
It’s over. The title of Crown Prince is slipping away from me after all.
The Crown Prince thought, what’s there to fight for now? Old Six is truly more capable than even Father, comparable to Taizu himself. What’s the point of struggling anymore?
At this thought, the First Prince, Xiao Ze, suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of relief, as if a heavy burden he had been carrying on his shoulders had finally been lifted. He no longer had to lie awake night after night, thinking about how to contend with the Third Prince’s faction, how to win his father’s favor, or how to satisfy the emperor.
Early retirement, here I come!
Xiao Ze even felt somewhat happy.
The Third Prince, Xiao Huan, however, looked extremely grim. Unlike the foolish First Prince, he knew that the reason he had been able to contend with his elder brother, who held both seniority and legitimacy, was entirely due to their father’s deliberate indulgence.
Among the so-called Third Prince faction, the only heavyweight figure, the State Preceptor, was directly under Emperor Yunqi’s control. He clearly knew that without the support of noble families, he had no hope of inheriting the throne. At best, he was merely a whetstone prepared by Emperor Yunqi for the Crown Prince—a perfectly crafted enemy on the Crown Prince’s path forward, meticulously shaped by Emperor Yunqi.
However, Xiao Huan thought further ahead than the Crown Prince. Having fought against the Crown Prince for so many years, what if the Crown Prince ultimately failed, and instead, this suddenly emerging Sixth Prince ascended to the throne? In that case, wouldn’t he be doomed?!
His mother had just thrown the Sixth Prince into the Imperial Prison and even hired assassins to kill him!
The Third Prince had already begun contemplating how he could fake his death and escape unnoticed.
Unlike the shock or despair of the two princes, Emperor Yunqi watched the Celestial Screen with an almost chilling calm. His fingers traced the lid of his teacup, his face so serene that no emotion could be discerned.
“Father—!”
The Crown Prince’s first reaction, as always, was to look toward Emperor Yunqi. Even after becoming Crown Prince, this habit remained unchanged. In moments of confusion and helplessness, he always turned to his father, hoping for guidance.
Under normal circumstances, Emperor Yunqi would typically offer a reassuring glance. But this time, he did not. He didn’t even look at his Crown Prince.
“Xiao Ze.”
For the first time, he directly called the Crown Prince by his name.
“Can you achieve a higher evaluation in later generations than the Sixth Prince?”
Xiao Ze felt a pang of grievance. His father was being too pragmatic—already calling him by his full name and referring to Xiao Chuan as “the Sixth Prince.”
Nevertheless, he bowed his head. “Your son is incapable.”
The Martial Emperor’s achievements were on par with those of the founding emperor. As a mere mortal caught in a battle of gods, he had the self-awareness to know he would only become cannon fodder.
Xiao Ze had completely lost any desire to contend for the throne.
“Make the arrangements.”
Emperor Yunqi stood up, and Eunuch Lu nodded in acknowledgment.
Nan Qian was about to change its heir—at least for now.
“One more thing.”
As Emperor Yunqi prepared to leave, he suddenly remembered something. “Tell the Black Dragon Guards to deal with that Circuit Intendant directly. No need to go through the Ministry of Justice.”
**
Outside Lin’an City.
Xiao Jingchuan and his three companions did not travel by carriage but instead galloped on horseback. In fact, the moment Xiao Yu and Wu Nao appeared on the Celestial Screen, they each took a horse from their group and raced toward Lin’an at full speed.
These two individuals had been mentioned by the Fusang Envoy, clearly marking them as key figures in the Jiangnan Corruption Case. They had to be protected as quickly as possible.
While Dian Cui and Gu Yue were overjoyed at Xiao Jingchuan’s unmasking, Jun Youcheng was deeply troubled. He sped up to catch up with Xiao Jingchuan, who was leading the way, and rode half a length behind him, cautioning, “Do you really have no intention of pretending at all?”
Xiao Jingchuan couldn’t care less. “What a joke. When I, Yan Mo, faced the Yan army or confronted King Chu Wu during the Three Kings’ Conflict, I never pretended. Why should I play the obedient son for this father and grandson?”
He couldn’t pretend at all.
“Moreover…” Xiao Jingchuan cracked his whip to speed up, his voice nearly dissolving in the wind. “You, of all people, should understand, Right Minister—we have no time to waste in Nan Qian.”
The situation in Nan Qian was even worse than he had imagined. Official positions were up for sale, and officials covering for each other had become an old custom. That Circuit Intendant, relying on his powerful backers in Jinling, actually dared to force a court-appointed official to sign a false confession statement. Nan Qian appeared more stable and prosperous than Northern Qian, but inside it was completely a rotten, hollow shell that would shatter with just a gentle push.
And now, the Six Ministries were still fighting among themselves.
Jun Youcheng fell silent. He understood the root of Xiao Jingchuan’s actions, carried out so openly and without concealment through the Celestial Screen.
It was anger.
**
Lin’an City.
Xiao Yu and Wu Nao failed to escape.
As soon as the Celestial Screen finished playing, the two were pinned down in the Court Hall by the Circuit Intendant, perfectly recreating the scene from the Celestial Screen.
The old man shed his kindly facade, revealing the coldness beneath. The Circuit Intendant walked past his two subordinates pressed to the ground, wearing a faint, mocking smile.
Wu Nao, as always, spoke words that could make anyone explode: “Commissioner, you’re going to die.”
Xiao Yu knelt on the ground, wanting only to cry. It was happening again, all of it was happening again! Even with the Celestial Screen foretelling the future, he had still ended up at this point!
He no longer bothered to cover Wu Nao’s mouth, because he wasn’t worried about his own fate now.
Instead of getting angry, the Circuit Intendant laughed: “Hahahaha—die, yes, I’m going to die. Jinling won’t let me go. Are you satisfied now?”
Wu Nao remained defiant, coldly staring at his superior: “You brought this upon yourself.”
“You brought this upon yourself… what a fine phrase. Since I’m going to die, don’t think you’ll fare any better. If it weren’t for you two, my future wouldn’t have been exposed by the Fusang Envoy’s Celestial Screen. In that case—you’ll die with me!”
Hysterical, the Circuit Intendant suddenly waved his hand: “Kill them! Kill them!”
“Clang—”
A moonbeam-like waist saber flashed once more, following its familiar trajectory to repel the two attendants pinning down Xiao Yu and Wu Nao—the scene from the Celestial Screen was perfectly reenacted in reality.
Xiao Yu, his heart filled with hope, thought:
He’s here! He’s really here!
Xiao Yu was nearly moved to tears. Instinctively, he lifted his neck, ignoring the dizziness from kneeling for so long, and gazed toward the source of the chaos.
Against the light.
A flood of golden light poured in through the wide-open doors, illuminating the entire dim hall as brightly as a palace throne room. It stung his eyes, long accustomed to darkness.
Dust particles shimmered like gold powder in the light, as if a deity were stepping through the radiance.
At the center of that dizzying brilliance stood a figure.
“Tsk tsk, why don’t you learn your lesson? Once was enough, but you’re doing it a second time. Old uncle, even I know this principle, but it seems you don’t understand.”
Xiao Jingchuan leaned against the doorframe with a smile, his arms crossed. He appeared even more clear-eyed than in the Celestial Screen, his silver-gray eyes tinged with gold glowing brilliantly against the light, like the sun rising from Fusang.
The Sixth Prince turned and winked at the two.
“Prefect Xiao, Deputy Commissioner Wu, this time I came without you having to ask for help. Timely, isn’t it?”
Just as in the Celestial Screen, the rumored foolish Sixth Prince appeared in a devastating manner, pulling them back from the brink of despair once again.
Exactly like the future.