After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 16

The man’s gaze as he watched the group walk out of the manor was deathly still, without a ripple of emotion. When he turned back, his expression softened: “Xiao Yu, would you like to return and have breakfast with me?”

Inside King Xiao’s guest house, two middle-aged men sat on opposite sides of a tea table. Steam rose slowly from the teapot.

“In the Military Advisor’s opinion, after this imprisonment, will the Crown Prince be completely deposed by the Great Shang Emperor?”

The man sitting on the wooden chair across from King Xiao showed visible signs of the weariness of age, his presence steeped in the marks of worldly experience. His hands were covered in wrinkles, and his index finger tapped the chair’s surface rhythmically. He made no attempt to hide the disdain in his eyes as he looked at King Xiao.

“King Xiao, you are being a bit too hasty. Since the day the entire clan of the late Empress’s family, the Duke of Zhenguo’s manor, was executed, one can see that the Emperor has deliberately preserved the Crown Prince’s status. Even if he doesn’t care if the boy goes to his death, he certainly will not abolish his title.”

King Xiao seemed indifferent to Yuwen Qing’s attitude. “Why?”

“Hmph. Who doesn’t know that the Emperor of Great Shang is obsessed with seeking deities and the Way? Has there been a single famous scholar with rumors of mystical powers who hasn’t entered the palace to receive a title? The Crown Prince is merely a placeholder. As long as he is there, no one else can take the position of heir. Emperor Hongchang is unwilling to hand over the throne—the position above ten thousand people—to anyone else, even if that person is his own son.”

“Immortality is nothing but nonsense. Even my tribe’s Holy Mother has only lived to be a little over a hundred. The Great Shang Emperor has been coveting our tribe’s secret arts for years. Now that the Second Prince has presented the ‘Immortal Pill,’ it can be considered a wish fulfilled for him.”

Yuwen Qing looked up, his eyes full of mockery: “Hmph. What exactly is that ‘Immortal Pill,’ and what exactly is the ‘Holy Mother’? Does King Xiao not know better than anyone?”

“Yuwen Qing!”

With a warning growl, the previously calm atmosphere froze. King Xiao’s chest heaved with fury as his recent frustrations boiled over into a single, angry roar.

The wrinkled finger continued its rhythmic tapping: “If King Xiao has nothing else, you might as well return to your room and wait for the good news.”

King Xiao stood up abruptly, his rage suppressed in his chest to the point where he was on the verge of exploding. He walked quickly to the door. Just as he was about to leave, he glared viciously at Yuwen Qing, who was leisurely sipping tea in his wooden chair, like a wolf staring at its prey.

At that moment, the door was pushed open from the outside. A handsome young man with a lean, powerful build stood at the entrance leading a group of constables. Judging by their uniforms, they were clearly from the Great Shang Court of State Ceremonies.

“King Xiao, please come with me.”

King Xiao retracted the violence in his gaze but could not hide his irritation. “Who are you?”

“This official is Shen Heng, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies.” Shen Heng appeared to be only about twenty-five years old, but he displayed a level of composure far beyond that of most noble young masters his age.

Scanning the room, Shen Heng maintained a polite and kind attitude, making one think he was merely there to invite someone for tea. “If King Xiao has any questions, it would be better to look at these. They were all discovered during a search of Your Highness’s room.”

As Shen Heng spoke, he stepped aside. Two constables behind him each held dozens of arrows. They were identical to the arrow that had struck Emperor Hongchang, right down to the Xiliang Imperial seal on the tail. Clearly, they were from the same batch.

“This—”

King Xiao’s eyes widened. Just as he was about to defend himself, he was interrupted by the young man. Having never been treated this way in Beiming, King Xiao momentarily forgot the rest of what he wanted to say.

“There is no need for King Xiao to be in a hurry to deny it. This official also found this object in Your Highness’s room. Will Your Highness come to the palace with me now?”

Shen Heng spoke with the gentle manner of a scholar. Had the content of his words not been so contrary to King Xiao’s wishes, he might have actually found the young man quite agreeable.

However, when King Xiao saw the Xiliang Imperial seal in Shen Heng’s hand, he froze in shock. It took a moment for him to react, his voice sharp with indignation: “Official of Great Shang, This King shall go with you. The Great Shang Emperor will surely prove This King’s innocence.”

King Xiao strode forward. The doorway was not wide enough for two people to stand side-by-side, and King Xiao’s movement forced Shen Heng to take a step back. The young man did not take offense; he even reached out to restrain a constable who was about to step forward to protest. “Let us go.”

Yuwen Qing watched all of this silently from the room. He did not say a word, even as King Xiao was led away.

The streets in the early morning were not as bustling as at other hours, but there was no shortage of vendors coming and going. Many people looked over when the Minister emerged from the guest house, but upon seeing the middle-aged man in black robes beside him, they quickly averted their eyes in fear.

“King Xiao, the carriage is ready. Please.”

King Xiao snorted coldly and climbed into the carriage with agile movements.

“Lord Shen.”

Just as Shen Heng was about to board the carriage, the sound of hoofbeats stopped behind him. Lu Youqi’s voice came from behind, and Shen Heng immediately stopped to turn and salute.

“This humble official greets the Second Highness.”

“What is the meaning of this, Lord Shen? King Xiao has come to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday. Is this how the Court of State Ceremonies treats an honored guest?”

“Second Highness, this official received a secret letter last night. It claimed that King Xiao was the mastermind behind the assassination attempt, and that Second Prince Xi Chen was framed. Naturally, this official did not believe it, so I thought to search the guest house today to clear King Xiao’s name.”

Shen Heng remained bowed, his voice showing no sign of fatigue. He gave a light laugh and continued: “To my surprise, every word in the secret letter was true. This official even found a seal used to forge the Xiliang Imperial mark in King Xiao’s room.”

Lu Youqi, sitting inside his carriage, lifted a corner of the curtain. Half of his face was blurred by the rising sun, but the part hidden by the curtain was seen even more clearly; his dark, hawk-like eyes narrowed slightly. “Lord Shen is indeed a brilliant official of our dynasty.”

“I thank the Second Highness for the compliment.”

“Lord Shen wouldn’t mind if This Prince comes along to witness your judgment of the case?”

“Naturally. Your Highness, please.”

Under the deep blue sky, the golden glazed tiles of the Forbidden City’s double-eaved roofs appeared exceptionally magnificent. In the slightly sweltering weather, three carriages stood before the vermilion gates. Palace attendants fanned themselves while following closely behind Lu Youqi, fearing their Prince might feel even a hint of discomfort.

Although Emperor Hongchang had bled profusely after being struck by the arrow during the banquet, it had not hit a vital organ. After a night of recuperation, he was already able to eat some nourishing meals.

The three men stopped outside the Emperor’s bedchamber. Seeing them, the head eunuch Meng Hai immediately offered a fawning smile. “This servant greets the Second Highness, King Xiao, and Lord Shen. Have the three of you come to visit the Emperor?”

“Eunuch Meng.”

Among the three, only Shen Heng nodded in acknowledgement; King Xiao even let out a disdainful huff.

“Is His Majesty’s dragon body well?”

“The three of you have come at the perfect time. His Majesty has just finished breakfast and is currently reading.”

Shen Heng said softly: “I trouble Eunuch Meng to go in and report. This official has urgent news regarding the events of the birthday banquet.”

Upon hearing this, the head eunuch’s expression turned serious, putting on a look of great indignation. “This matter is indeed critical. Please wait a moment, this old servant will go in to report.”

Meng Hai turned and jogged into the bedchamber. Within moments, he returned to lead the three inside.

“Your son greets Father Emperor.” “This official greets Your Majesty.”

The Emperor was half-reclining on the dragon bed reading a book. The bed curtains were not drawn back, so the three could only see Emperor Hongchang’s silhouette.

The Emperor did not look up when they entered. His voice drifted out from behind the curtains, sounding somewhat weak: “Old Second, did I not tell you to act as Regent? You should handle the matter of Xi Chen yourself; why have you come to see me again?”

“Your son has no urgent business, but Lord Shen does. I heard that Lord Shen found the real culprit behind the attempt on Father Emperor’s life, so I naturally came to assist.”

“The real culprit? Shen, my dear subject, tell me about it.”

Perhaps Emperor Hongchang finally felt a spark of interest, as he set down his book. He sat up slightly straighter behind the curtains and looked toward them.

“King Xiao has come as well?”

King Xiao heard Emperor Hongchang’s slightly puzzled call but only gave a cold snort.

Shen Heng took the cue: “Your Majesty, this official received a secret letter last night stating that King Xiao was the mastermind. This official went to search the guest house early this morning and indeed found dozens of arrows in King Xiao’s room.”

As expected, Emperor Hongchang’s expression darkened immediately.

“Yun Xiao, how bold of you!”

Yet King Xiao remained unhurried: “Is this how the Emperor of Great Shang judges cases?”

Lu Youqi hurried to speak: “Father Emperor, your son believes there is something suspicious about this. The source of the secret letter is unknown; it seems someone is trying to shift the blame onto King Xiao. Furthermore, our dynasty has been on friendly terms with Beiming for nearly a hundred years. How could King Xiao possibly plot against Father Emperor?”

Emperor Hongchang remained silent for a long time, then said slowly:

“Shen Heng, did you come to see me having found only this much?”

His tone was eerie, and his attitude had clearly shifted toward King Xiao and Lu Youqi.

“In response to Your Majesty, this official also found a seal in King Xiao’s room that was used to forge the Xiliang mark identical to the one on the arrows.”

“How can Lord Shen be certain that these things belong to King Xiao? For years, Beiming has provided Father Emperor with various celestial medicines and delicacies. At the banquet, he even presented the ‘Celestial Lake Water’ to Father Emperor. How could he have treasonous intent?”

Lu Youqi’s words left Shen Heng speechless; even Emperor Hongchang, who had been about to speak, swallowed his words back.

King Xiao’s face was now full of mockery and triumph. “Your country’s officials are mediocre at best. Speaking of the Celestial Lake Water, now is the perfect time for Your Majesty to drink it.”

Emperor Hongchang’s interest was immediately piqued. “Why does King Xiao say so?”

“The Celestial Lake is the sacred place where the ‘Immortal Pill’ was nurtured. My tribe’s Holy Mother cultivates celestial items there. Since the Immortal Pill neutralized Your Majesty’s poison, the lake water that nurtured it is naturally an excellent tonic.”

Emperor Hongchang was delighted upon hearing this, seemingly forgetting about the arrows and the seal found in King Xiao’s room.

“Very good. King Xiao is most thoughtful.”

Shen Heng, watching this scene from the side, could no longer sit still: “Your Majesty!”

“Enough, Shen, my dear subject. I know you are anxious to solve the case. Since that is the case, go and investigate this matter thoroughly before coming to speak with me again.”

Without waiting for anyone to say more, Emperor Hongchang reclined again. “I am tired. You may all leave.”

King Xiao was the first to walk out. As he passed Shen Heng, the corners of his mouth quirked up in a provocative look. “Minister of the Court, please return.”

Shen Heng walked along the seemingly endless palace paths, mulling over every detail since receiving the secret letter. He felt more and more that there was something strange about King Xiao’s final attitude. He was so focused that he didn’t even notice the hurried footsteps behind him.

“Shen Heng!”

His shoulder was suddenly slapped. When Shen Heng turned around, the person had already jumped to the other side.

Shen Heng was helpless, but not the least bit angry. “Fourth Prince, why are you in the palace?”

Lu Mufeng feigned anger: “How many times have I told you to call me Mufeng? Originally, you called me ‘Fourth Highness’ every day, and now it’s ‘Fourth Prince’.”

This made Shen Heng’s mood much lighter. “It was my mistake. Why has Mufeng come to the palace?”

“To see Mother Empress and Shuyu.” As soon as he finished, Lu Mufeng put an arm around Shen Heng’s shoulder as if forgiving him. “You haven’t had a drink with me in a long time. Come, come, today is my treat.”

Shen Heng could only sigh. “Mufeng, I still have to investigate the case of the attempt on His Majesty’s life. How about next time? I promise to drink until we both fall over.”

“Hasn’t Xi Chen already been caught? Why continue to investigate?”

“New clues have pointed to someone else. Naturally, I must investigate.”

Lu Mufeng leaned in closer and whispered in Shen Heng’s ear: “How about this: if you come drink with me today, I’ll help you investigate this case. Then we can go find Imperial Brother Crown Prince together.”

Shen Heng’s ear felt a bit itchy, so he backed away slightly. “This… I’m afraid it’s not according to the rules.”

“Shen Heng, Lord Shen. If you follow the rules, I’m afraid you’ll never solve the case.” Seeing that the other man’s attitude was no longer so firm, Lu Mufeng dragged Shen Heng away without waiting for an answer.