After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 17

“Mufeng, why are we going to see the Crown Prince?”

Lu Mufeng hooked his arm around his companion’s shoulder as they swayed out of the tavern, saying warmly: “Imperial Brother Crown Prince is the most intelligent person I have ever met. Though it is a pity now, if we go to him later and ask for his help looking into the case, we will surely gain something.”

“It is indeed as you say. Since childhood, the Crown Prince has been kind and brilliant, and in his early years, he was exceptionally brave and skilled in battle.”

Shen Heng recalled the Crown Prince he had met in his youth; the regret in his tone was palpable.

The two boarded the carriage. Recalling what Shen Heng had just said, Lu Mufeng couldn’t help but ask: “You said earlier that Lord Shen wants you to marry the youngest daughter of Vice Minister Liu—is that true?”

“My father spoke to me about it the day before yesterday. The youngest daughter of the Liu family has just reached the age of fifteen and has not yet been betrothed.”

“Then… Shen Heng, what do you think?”

“How can a matter as grand as marriage be decided by me? It has always been the command of parents and the words of matchmakers. However…”

Lu Mufeng’s mood grew increasingly somber as he listened, but hearing the pause, he immediately asked: “However what?”

“However, as Miss Liu is the biological younger sister of Concubine Liu, if I were to marry into the Liu family, I would be standing behind the Sixth Prince.”

Seeing that the other man didn’t speak, Shen Heng continued:

“Mufeng, now that the Crown Prince’s leg injury is difficult to cure, the court calls him the Crown Prince, but in private, everyone is secretly speculating. I have no right to interfere with my father’s decision, but to speak from my heart, if possible, I do not wish to marry Miss Liu, nor do I wish to stand behind the Sixth Prince.”

“Why?”

Shen Heng let out a helpless sigh. “Since it is only the two of us here, I need not hide it from you. The court is in turmoil. Aside from you and the Fifth Prince who have no heart for the throne, it is difficult to guess the intentions of either the Second Prince or the Sixth Prince. If I were to stand behind the Sixth Prince, I would be in opposition to you in the future which is something I naturally do not wish to see.”

Lu Mufeng’s spirits rose: “Then you should simply reject this marriage. When we are both free, we can go out and travel to see the mountains and rivers. We are in our prime; how can we let marriage shackle our footsteps?”

Shen Heng couldn’t help but chuckle. “I imagine Her Majesty the Empress is also pressuring you quite hard.”

Lu Mufeng turned his head to look out the window and curled his lip. “So what? Mother Empress’s primary concern is still my Second Brother.”

Lu Mufeng was certainly not lying. The Empress was currently busy gathering information on the daughters of noble families. If she could select a good match for Lu Youqi, it would naturally yield twice the result with half the effort.

“Your Highness, Lord Shen. We have arrived at the General’s Manor.”

Hearing this, the two immediately descended from the carriage.

The old butler had received Lu Mufeng’s message and had been waiting outside the manor early on. Seeing them, he quickly welcomed them inside.

Shen Heng had never been to this General’s Manor before. Seeing it now, he felt a sense of poignancy; although the Emperor did not favor the Crown Prince, his superficial efforts were enough to keep people from gossiping.

The trees he saw as he was led inside were all precious species transported at great expense from Jiangnan, and it must have taken considerable effort to maintain them. The layers of bricks and tiles were arranged in an orderly fashion, and the magnificent pavilions were surrounded by pond water duckweed covered the surface, creating a mirror of emerald green.

Though it was called a “General’s Manor,” it would be more appropriate to call it the Crown Prince’s Villa. It did not fall short of the Eastern Palace in the slightest.

“How is it? This General’s Manor is quite beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It is indeed beautiful. I did not realize His Majesty was so thoughtful.”

Lu Mufeng glanced at the old butler leading the way and lowered his voice to explain: “That’s not it at all. When I first came here, it was a wasteland. The weeds were so tall you couldn’t find a single good spot. Some rooms even leaked when it rained. All the beautiful scenery you see now was arranged by Imperial Brother Crown Prince himself.”

“I see. The Crown Prince’s character is truly admirable.”

“Your Highness, the Fourth Prince and Lord Shen have arrived.”

As the two entered the main courtyard, they could clearly feel that the layout here was simpler and sharper compared to the luxury of the front courtyard, which was more in line with Lu Shiyan’s style.

At this time, Lu Shiyan was sitting under a tree reading a book. An Yu had not left after finishing lunch; he was sitting to the side, writing and drawing on some paper.

“Imperial Brother greets Brother Crown Prince and Brother-in-law.” “This official greets the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.”

Lu Shiyan was as gentle as ever. “Rise. Come, sit.”

An Yu shifted slightly toward Lu Shiyan, clearing a large space for the two.

Lu Mufeng was not at all formal. After sitting down, he didn’t wait for the servants to pour tea; he poured two cups for himself and Shen Heng, took a sip, and said:

“Brother, what tea is this? It’s sweet and sour, very refreshing.”

“This is a cold-brew tea Xiao Yu prepared; he calls it lemonade.”

“It does indeed taste like lemon. Brother-in-law is truly capable.”

An Yu gave an unabashedly proud smile and looked at the two.

He had never met the Lord Shen sitting beside Lu Mufeng, but the novel seemed to have mentioned him once. After Lu Shiyan was imprisoned in the original text, Emperor Hongchang had wanted to give the case to the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, but he was stopped by the male lead. An Yu vaguely remembered that the Minister’s surname was Shen.

“This humble official is Shen Heng, serving in the Court of State Ceremonies.”

Hearing this, Lu Mufeng set down his cup. “That’s right, Brother. Shen Heng has been investigating Father Emperor’s assassination attempt and traced the clues to King Xiao, but the man used his silver tongue to escape. Even Father Emperor doesn’t believe us. Does Brother have any good ideas?”

This was somewhat surprising to An Yu; he didn’t remember the Fourth Prince ever meddling in palace affairs.

“What exactly happened?”

Shen Heng recounted the events of the morning in great detail once more.

After listening, An Yu understood. Lu Youqi had hidden the murder weapon in the General’s Manor at some point so he could rush over to search this morning. However, Lu Shiyan had someone deliver it to King Xiao’s guest house last night and sent a message to the Court of State Ceremonies, leading to the subsequent events.

After Lu Shiyan finished listening, he said leisurely: “How could Father Emperor not know that King Xiao is the mastermind? It is simply that Father Emperor cannot do without Beiming’s celestial items right now.”

Lu Mufeng also understood the connection. He turned and asked: “So it is true. Shen Heng, do we still need to continue the investigation?”

Shen Heng remained silent for a long time, his expression growing more serious. The matter was much more complicated than he had thought. “We must investigate. We all know the true nature of Beiming’s celestial items. His Majesty is currently blinded by this matter; we as subjects cannot allow a villain like King Xiao to have his way.”

In the bright afternoon sun, the persistence in Shen Heng’s eyes and the sense of justice radiating from him reminded An Yu of the incorruptible officials and scholars mentioned in history books.

Lu Shiyan sighed and murmured: “To have a loyal subject like Lord Shen is a blessing for Great Shang.”

“Your Highness flatters me.”

The wind blew past, carrying a rustling sound, and Lu Shiyan’s low voice drifted into everyone’s ears: “Father Emperor currently intends to favor King Xiao, even at the risk of antagonizing Xiliang, all because he covets Beiming’s celestial items. But what if those items… were to vanish from Beiming?”

Lu Mufeng and Shen Heng’s expressions turned solemn upon hearing this, and they exchanged a glance.

Lu Shiyan took a sip of tea. “A hundred years ago, Beiming rose as a secluded tribe. At that time, the Divine Maiden of the tribe served as the representative who prayed for the people during major festivals.

As the Kingdom of Beiming was established and grew stronger, the Divine Maiden was renamed the ‘Holy Mother,’ symbolizing the nurturing of all living beings. After Beiming expanded and built its palace and capital, it gradually adopted the customs of the Central Plains. Only the successive Holy Mothers have continued to live in the secluded mountains, where the Heavenly Spring Water is referred to as the ‘Celestial Lake Water’.”

“So, the so-called celestial arts of Beiming are nothing but nonsense. Otherwise, why would the Holy Mothers die?”

“According to the people of Beiming, the Holy Mother dies because she has taken on too many of the world’s sins and has gone to atone for them.”

Shen Heng said: “For nearly a hundred years, Beiming has been broadcasting the Holy Mother’s celestial arts to the outside world, to the point where successive emperors of our dynasty and Xiliang have wished to be on good terms with them. This is why wars have only ever existed between Great Shang and Xiliang, while Beiming maintains close relations with both.”

Listening to them describe the origin of Beiming, An Yu finally understood completely. So, the celestial arts of Beiming were just a tradition of sacrificial rites—to put it bluntly, they were superstitions.

“Then as long as we debunk these legends of Beiming, it will eliminate the bias the two emperors have toward them.”

An Yu suddenly spoke up from the side: “There is another way: if our dynasty also had a miraculous ‘Holy Person,’ one even more convincing than the one in Beiming.”

Lu Mufeng: “?”

“Brother-in-law, this…”

Lu Shiyan lowered his head with a helpless smile. “Though Xiao Yu’s idea is a bit novel, it makes a great deal of sense.”

Calming his emotions, Lu Shiyan continued: “Yesterday, my manor’s physician learned that Beiming has a type of medicine that mimics the early symptoms of the ‘Three Severings’ but is not fatal. It merely leaves a person weak for a few days and even helps the body expel impurities.”

Lu Mufeng leaned on the table with his hands indifferently, drinking his tea sip by sip, looking somewhat bored. “The Holy Mother of Beiming has existed since the founding of their nation. How could she be so easily discredited?”

Just as he let out a sigh, Lu Mufeng suddenly froze. It was as if he had thought of something; he snapped his head up. “Yesterday, after Father Emperor woke up, Physician Yang took his pulse. He said the toxins in Father Emperor’s body were gone but some had not been expelled—and then he said that, logically, the ‘Three Severings’ shouldn’t linger in the body.”

“Then what Father Emperor was struck with… might not have been the ‘Three Severings’ at all.”

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Lu Shiyan’s eyes, though his tone remained calm. “Then why could the Imperial Physician not figure it out, yet an ‘Immortal Pill’ was wasted for no reason?”

“What does the Crown Prince mean?”

“The ‘Immortal Pill’ is likely not real either.”

Shen Heng’s deep eyes darkened. “This matter is far more complex than I imagined. I wonder if Your Highness could allow your physician to accompany me to the palace to take His Majesty’s pulse?”

Lu Shiyan did not rush to speak. Instead, An Yu said: “Lord Shen, if you claim this physician comes from His Highness, it will give King Xiao another opportunity. He will claim it is a frame-up by His Highness, which will in turn implicate His Highness’s relationship with Xi Chen.”

“Is there no solution to this cycle then?”

An Yu’s eyes sparkled. “It’s the same method as before: make the celestial arts of Beiming vanish in public, or have a deity appear who is even more powerful than the Holy Mother of Beiming.”

“Then can the Crown Princess tell us how we are to find such a figure more miraculous than the Holy Mother?”

Having just taken a bite of a Xuemeiniang (snow skin mooncake) the butler had brought, the cool sensation was very refreshing. An Yu narrowed his eyes, his casual tone making Shen Heng and the other man feel like he was joking: “Did I not appear divine enough yesterday?”

“…This.”

On the day of the banquet, if the assassination hadn’t occurred, the Crown Princess’s words indeed would have carried a sense of the mystical.

“Brother, rest assured. You and Lord Shen can look for more clues over the next few days. You will hear news soon.”

These words sounded like a fantasy. How could a person suddenly become a revered figure of the mystical arts? The two of them felt An Yu was joking and turned their gazes simultaneously to Lu Shiyan.

“Brother?”

The man smiled slightly. “I do not know either. We might as well trust your Brother-in-law this once.”

“Try these cakes; you will surely like them.”

The two were helpless, and even as they left the manor, they were somewhat distracted.

However, in comparison, Lu Mufeng’s spirits were higher. Clearly, investigating a case with Shen Heng was much more interesting than reading books in his own manor.

The Next Day.

The two had stayed up all night in the Fourth Prince’s Manor searching through historical records of Beiming. By morning, their eyes were not quite clear.

They had planned to continue searching after breakfast, but they overheard the maidservants chatting outside the door:

“Have you heard? The Crown Princess had another dream last night. He says a flood is about to occur in Jiangnan soon, and a deity appeared in his dream to tell him so he could relay it to the Emperor.”

The other maid’s voice couldn’t hide her shock: “Is this really true?”

“Of course. I heard the Emperor has already summoned the Crown Princess to the palace.”