Sickly Jade - Chapter 17

At that very moment, Qi Chu stood up from his seat. “Imperial Father, I see that the National Preceptor has no such interest. It would be best not to force him.”

The Emperor furrowed his brows and looked toward Ye Shaoyun: “Is that so?”

Ye Shaoyun: “Your Majesty, your subject is a Daoist; it is indeed somewhat inappropriate.”

The Emperor sighed, a hint of displeasure between his brows, but he did not insist. “So that is how it is? That is a pity. The Crown Prince understands the National Preceptor well. It was my oversight.”

Ye Shaoyun hurriedly signaled Qi Chu with his eyes to apologize, but Qi Chu remained indifferent.

“This must be the National Preceptor, then? I heard back in my fiefdom that there was a National Preceptor in the capital who was both learned and virtuous. Now that I see you, you are indeed unique. You look young, yet why the white hair? Just how old are you?”

A vassal king, somewhat intoxicated, spoke up.

Ye Shaoyun bowed. “This humble Daoist is twenty-nine this year.”

“Indeed young. This must be the youngest National Preceptor in generations, right?”

Ye Shaoyun smiled and offered no reply. The Emperor waved his hand, signaling him to sit. “The National Preceptor is indeed young, yet he is worthy of the description ‘virtuous and talented.'”

Though there was a hint of “killing with praise” in those words, Ye Shaoyun was truly worthy of them. Before transmigrating here, he had just finished his postgraduate studies in the 21st century, majoring in ancient literature it was a good match.

But paper talk is shallow in the end; implementing it in reality brought other kinds of difficulties.

Seeing the start of the proceedings, the Third Prince, Qi Wei, also suddenly spoke up: “National Preceptor, are you aware of the Jiangnan floods?”

“I have heard a little.”

Ye Shaoyun knew what was coming. He spoke a sentence in advance, “Jiangnan is known as the Water Village. It is not strange for it to be rainy this season. One need only ensure the waterways are cleared, and it can be resolved quickly.”

Qi Wei, however, did not intend to let it go. His gaze swept across the crowd, lingering pointedly on the Crown Prince, before finally turning to the Emperor. “This year’s flooding is different. Many have already suffered. Your Majesty, what do you believe is the cause?”

It was fortunate that Ye Shaoyun knew what he was going to say; otherwise, he would be equally puzzled. To connect such an event to a person was not only pedantic but also far-fetched.

The Emperor: “General Ye recommended the National Preceptor to Jiangnan to pray regarding the floods. Since the National Preceptor is here now, what does he think?”

Ye Shaoyun: “Your subject…”

Before he could finish, Qi Wei interrupted again, attempting to switch concepts: “Your subject believes the matter is not as simple as mere flooding. There must be a hidden agenda.”

The Emperor’s attention was caught. “Oh? What agenda?”

Seeing that Qi Wei was about to utter Qi Chu’s name, Ye Shaoyun looked subconsciously at Qi Chu, only to find his expression as usual there wasn’t even a flicker of panic. Could he really not know?

Qi Wei turned to face the crowd, looking like he was about to unleash his trump card. He raised his voice: “Your Majesty, do you still remember how the Second Imperial Brother’s legs were injured? Who is the source of the current turmoil in the imperial court?”

Once these words were out, everyone naturally knew who he was referring to. Whispers erupted among the guests, and the Emperor’s weathered face changed, his brows knitting together. He was already dissatisfied with the infighting among his sons.

Now, in front of the vassal kings, being questioned about court affairs, he did not follow Qi Wei’s lead, but instead retorted: “What does this mean?”

“Some days ago, I discussed matters with various Daoist practitioners and observed the celestial phenomena at night. I learned that our Great Yang will face a catastrophe. The Jiangnan floods are just the beginning. All of this is due to an unstable succession!”

As his words fell, the discussions grew more heated. With this, the meaning was clear.

The Emperor’s face turned ugly. He asked Qi Wei again: “What evidence do you have? Why say such things? One must not speak nonsense regarding this matter.”

As National Preceptor, Ye Shaoyun had the right to voice a reasonable doubt: “Is this the Third Prince’s own opinion?”

As an independent practitioner, the Third Prince’s words did not carry much weight.

Qi Wei looked determined. “Naturally not. How could such an important matter be merely my own opinion?”

“Your subject has invited renowned masters from various regions; they can all act as guarantors. The current Crown Prince is vicious and cruel, maiming his own siblings he is truly not fit to be an enlightened monarch! It has provoked heaven’s wrath, bringing down natural disasters!”

The Emperor: “Presumptuous! Publicly discussing the Crown Prince you had better have evidence.”

Qi Wei knelt immediately. “Your Majesty, how can you listen to only one person’s words regarding what happened to the Second Imperial Brother? Now that the omens are clear, I hope Your Majesty will think thrice.”

At this moment, most people turned their eyes toward the Crown Prince, Qi Chu. The Emperor also looked over: “Crown Prince, do you wish to defend yourself?”

The Crown Prince’s expression remained unusually calm. At these words, he simply bowed. “Imperial Father, are you willing to trust me?”

The Emperor nodded. “I trust the facts, and I trust that you would not provoke heaven.”

The Emperor was not only protecting the Crown Prince, but his own dignity after all, this was the heir he had personally chosen.

Qi Wei looked at the Crown Prince, his eyes sharp. “I have also heard of the things the Crown Prince has done over the years his methods are far too ruthless. Is Your Majesty truly satisfied with him?”

The Emperor’s gaze toward Qi Wei turned cold. “Are you questioning my decision?”

Seeing the situation turning against him, the Second Prince, Qi Cheng, hurriedly came forward in his wheelchair. “Imperial Father, your subject speaks nothing but the truth. Crown Prince Qi Chu has lost his virtue. He was the one who crippled me years ago. Now that heaven has sent disasters, it must be to remind you, Imperial Father, to uphold justice for me!”

Qi Kun, sitting below the platform, was the most relaxed, cracking melon seeds while watching the play. His gaze swept toward Ye Shaoyun intentionally or unintentionally. “The Crown Prince is being besieged; why are you not helping him speak?”

Ye Shaoyun simply looked at Qi Chu’s calm demeanor, knowing he was already prepared. He only wanted to know how Qi Chu would settle this. His state of mind was much the same as Qi Kun’s.

“What are you thinking? Not taking advantage of the chaos to kick him while he’s down?” Ye Shaoyun asked tentatively.

Qi Kun waved his hand. “I wouldn’t dare. You should know this younger brother of mine better than I do. I’m afraid of him more than anything.”

“Then shouldn’t you take action? What if they succeed in their accusations?”

“Then I’ll just sit back and enjoy the spoils.”

As long as the princes had witnessed Qi Chu’s methods, they feared him. Qi Kun naturally did not want Qi Chu to be Emperor, but he dared not do anything overtly.

The Emperor looked at his two sons on the platform with annoyance, unable to refute or calm the situation in front of the vassal kings and envoys.

He could only look at Qi Chu again. “Crown Prince, what do you think?”

Qi Chu’s expression remained as usual. He looked at Qi Wei, his gaze cold. “Then may I ask, Imperial Brother, where are these so-called ‘renowned masters’ you speak of?”

At this, Qi Wei glared at Qi Chu in anger. “It is strange to say, but some time ago, I placed them outside the city. I never expected them to be slaughtered in a single night.”

Qi Chu let out a cold laugh. “Is that so? So Imperial Brother placed those people outside the city? Your younger brother only heard that there were mountain bandits outside the city; I never heard of any ‘renowned masters’.”

“You! How do you know there were mountain bandits?” Qi Wei questioned aggressively.

Qi Chu: “Because I saw them. I was with the National Preceptor that day, and the National Preceptor saw them, too. Isn’t that right?”

With that, he cast an expectant gaze toward Ye Shaoyun, waiting for his answer.