Rebirth of the Unloved, Sickly Prince - Chapter 5

Lu Shiting was tall and slender. As he held Mu Jue’s hand, his jaw rested right beside the youth’s loosely tied hair, and his warm breath fanned out in a fine mist against the shell of Mu Jue’s ear.

There seemed to be a ghost of a laugh hidden in that low, cold voice.

Mu Jue’s palms broke into a damp, feverish sweat. Lu Shiting’s grip on the back of his hand wasn’t particularly heavy; it felt as though if he struggled even slightly, he could easily pull away. Yet, the way the man guided his hand, forcing the tip of the blade inch by inch toward Wang Baoping’s chest was utterly irresistible.

Behind them, Mu Jue heard the Crown Prince’s voice, sharp with shock and anger.

“Director? What is the meaning of this?!”

Before the blade could fully pierce Wang Baoping’s flesh, Mu Jue turned his face away and closed his eyes. A spray of hot, metallic blood splattered across his brow, slowly sliding down his elegant brow bone and leaving a winding red trail across his cheek.

Lu Shiting released his hand. The hilt of the saber remained in Mu Jue’s palm.

Wang Baoping’s eyes bulged as he collapsed to the ground, a pool of dark blood spreading beneath him.

“The Sixth Prince is quite suited for killing.”

Mu Jue opened his eyes to see that Lu Shiting had already stepped back, his expression blank. The Crown Prince’s face had also smoothed over, though it remained significantly more somber than before.

Mu Jue listened to the frantic thumping of his own heart. Blood clung to his eyelashes; he couldn’t tell if the blood was blurring his vision or if his heartbeat was simply too deafening, but the faces of the people in the distance seemed to warp and twist.

“…Forget it. Since the Director believes this eunuch deserved death, let it be. I am weary. Ready the palanquin for the Eastern Palace.”

As the Crown Prince passed him, he patted Mu Jue on the shoulder. His tone was full of concern: “I shall come to see you on the day you begin your studies at the Hall of Literary Brilliance, Sixth Brother.”

The Crown Prince’s silhouette vanished at the end of the corridor. Eastern Depot agents silently dragged Wang Baoping’s corpse away and brought a bucket of water to wash the blood from the stone floor.

Mu Jue asked the agents for a little water to wash the stains from his face. Though the blood was gone from his eyes, his vision did not clear. Lu Shiting’s handsome face, once twisted in his perception, now looked like a sinister deity revealing its fangs to devour a believer.

“Someone, escort the Sixth Prince back to the side hall.”

Mu Jue snapped back to reality. The saber slipped from his fingers, hitting the ground with a sharp, resonant clang.

A carriage traveled along the wide palace road.

The curfew hour had long since passed. The patrolling guards who saw the carriage pass all bowed their heads respectfully; none dared to step forward and stop it.

Inside the carriage, thick cashmere rugs were laid out. Lu Shiting held a long sword, wiping the blade with a piece of silk.

An Eastern Depot agent knelt inside the carriage, asking in a low voice, “Director, regarding the Sixth Prince going to the Hall of Literary Brilliance to study… should we intervene?”

“No need. Since the Crown Prince promised it publicly today, he will naturally petition His Majesty for approval.”

“Understood. Additionally, your subordinate has discovered that the majority of the officials advocating for peace talks with the Northern Di have met privately with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince has also hosted the Northern Di envoys at the Eastern Palace several times.”

Lu Shiting narrowed his phoenix eyes, watching the cold glint of the sword’s edge with a measured gaze. “Our Crown Prince of Great Ning, he is truly cut from the same cloth as his Imperial Father.”

The agent lowered his head. “Director, you killed that eunuch for the Sixth Prince today. I fear if word gets out, the other princes and ministers will become suspicious, thinking you intend to support the Sixth Prince…”

“The Crown Prince has been too restless lately. The death of the Third Prince and the Minister of War made him think his position as heir is secure enough to play out a scene of ‘brotherly love’ in front of me.”

Lu Shiting returned the sword to its scabbard, his voice flat and emotionless.

“The Sixth Prince is a mere pawn—a hostage soon to be sent to the Northern Di. There is no harm in propping him up a little for now.”

“Director, if the Crown Prince insists on peace talks, perhaps…” The agent gripped his saber, making a throat-slitting motion. “I guarantee the job will be done cleanly, so the Crown Prince dies without a sound.”

Lu Shiting’s lips curled. His pale, distant eyes reflected the flickering candlelight in the carriage, cold and devoid of warmth. “No. That would be too easy for him.”

The Mu imperial family did not deserve a good name in the history books. They were hypocritical beasts who covered up their filthy deeds with music and dance, leading the court to believe they were benevolent sovereigns.

They must die bearing the weight of infamy, branded with the crimes of manipulating power and harming their own kin, cursed by ten thousand people… leaving a stench that lasts for eternity.

Mu Jue lay on his side in bed, knees pulled up, staring at the tree shadows outside his window. A fine cold sweat covered his brow.

The sound of the night watchman’s clapper drifted in from outside. Two hours had passed, yet he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, his mind flickered between the image of that dry well—Wang Baoping suspended in mid-air, purple-faced and flailing—and the metallic stench of blood spraying as the blade pierced flesh.

Or it was Lu Shiting’s indifferent, tea-colored eyes, watching him from a distance like a cat playing with its prey.

“Your Highness? Your Highness?”

Hearing Xia Ming’s voice, Mu Jue gave a soft “Mm.”

“Your Highness, can’t you sleep either? When Director Lu suddenly walked toward us with that sword earlier, I was scared to death. I thought he wanted to…” Xia Ming lowered his voice, his tone growing excited. “Director Lu helped you kill Wang Baoping today. What do you think he’s up to? Could it be…?”

“I’ve heard rumors that Director Lu and the Crown Prince don’t get along. With His Majesty’s health failing lately, many princes are trying to curry favor with the Director, wanting that seat.”

Mu Jue looked at his hand resting on the quilt. It had been remeditated and wrapped in fresh white cloth, but it still throbbed. His palm seemed to have memorized the shape of the sword hilt, fingers slightly curled.

When he killed Wang Baoping, had Lu Shiting truly controlled his hand, forcing him to pierce the man’s chest? Or had he simply used Lu Shiting as a shield to commit a killing he had long desired?

The youth’s dark eyes merged with the night. “If Director Lu wants to prop up a puppet, there are so many princes. Why would he pick me?”

“The other princes have maternal clans behind them. Your Highness, you…” Xia Ming slapped his own mouth. “Forgive my loose tongue.”

Mu Jue remained silent. If the Crown Prince was truly as humble and benevolent as the rumors suggested, and aimed to be a brilliant ruler, he would certainly not tolerate the eunuch faction or Lu Shiting once he ascended the throne. It would be normal for Lu Shiting to want a powerless, easily manipulated prince to replace the heir.

But… he thought in confusion. The man could kill the Third Prince and raid the Minister of War’s house with a flick of his wrist. With the countless experts in the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guard, if he wanted to kill the Crown Prince, surely it wouldn’t be that difficult.

“I have never thought of being Emperor. I haven’t even finished reading the Four Books and Five Classics. I don’t know the laws of Great Ning or how to handle state affairs. Even if Director Lu threw me onto the throne, I would only be a tyrant.”

He looked at Xia Ming. “…If there is a tyrant, even more families will have to sell their sons into the palace as eunuchs. Better not.”

Xia Ming was amused. “Your Highness, you really… Your Highness has a good heart. You wouldn’t be a tyrant.”

Mu Jue changed the subject. “The Crown Prince promised to beg the Emperor for me today, so I can study at the Hall of Literary Brilliance. Did you hear him?”

“I heard, I heard! The Crown Prince is truly a good person… Once you go there, those snobs at the Internal Affairs Department won’t dare neglect you again.” Xia Ming smiled. “I remember when Your Highness was small, Consort Li used to hold you and read the Classic of Poetry to you.”

Mu Jue’s lips curved slightly. “You’re only a few years older than me. How do you remember things from back then?”

“Of course, I remember! I was six years old then. When Consort Li held you, you looked like a child attendant from beneath the Goddess of Mercy’s seat. All the little eunuchs in my group wanted to work in Consort Li’s palace just to be your personal attendant.”

“Did Mother… like reading poetry very much?”

“Yes. She would set poems to music. She used to sing them to you every night to coax you to sleep. I was by your side and got to enjoy it too.”

Mu Jue rolled over, murmuring, “Why don’t I remember any of it?”

“How could you remember things from when you were two or three? If Consort Li knew you were going to the Hall of Literary Brilliance to study, she would surely be very happy.”

“Do you think if I come back every day and read poetry to her, her madness might improve?”

“Maybe it will.” Xia Ming yawned. “Your Highness… it’s late. You should rest.”

Mu Jue fell into a heavy, fitful sleep for a few hours, only to be startled awake by a nightmare at dawn.

After washing up, he heard someone from the Imperial Kitchen speaking to Xia Ming outside. It seemed they had brought breakfast. When the food box was opened, it actually contained several plates of steaming jujube paste cakes and two bowls of bird’s nest congee with rock sugar.

The young eunuchs delivering the meal seemed to have learned “face-changing” overnight. Gone were their cold, mocking expressions.

“Sixth Prince, if there is anything you wish to eat in the future, just have Eunuch Xia Ming come and tell us. We will prepare it early. This bird’s nest congee was just brewed this morning. Please taste it and see if it suits your palate.”

Xia Ming happily brought him a bowl, taking the other portion to Consort Li’s room. Mu Jue stirred the congee with a spoon. It was thick and fragrant, filled with ingredients he had never eaten—or even seen—before.

“These…”

“Sixth Prince, we truly didn’t realize that dog Wang Baoping would dare feed you spoiled rice. Such a thing will never happen again.” The delivery eunuch wore a fawning smile. “We only ask that the Sixth Prince might say a few good words for us in front of Director Lu.”

After the kitchen staff left, a stream of people from the Internal Affairs Department and the Clothing Bureau arrived. Their dilapidated bed was replaced with a wide, warm pearwood bed. The bedding was all new cashmere. The charcoal was silver-thread charcoal that didn’t smoke. There were screens, tables, chairs, warmers, and fine tableware…

Xia Ming watched the eunuchs scurry back and forth, moving things in. He was overjoyed, whispering to Mu Jue:

“Your Highness, Your Highness, what did I tell you? Word of last night must have spread. Now the whole palace knows Your Highness is being protected by Director Lu.”