Sickly Jade - Chapter 18

Ye Shaoyun looked at him coldly. At this point, there was no denying it, so he could only echo, “That is indeed so.”

A hint of a smile appeared on Qi Chu’s face. He then looked at Qi Wei, his expression turning cold once again. “Could it be that the ‘renowned masters’ the Imperial Brother spoke of were nothing more than a group of mountain bandits?”

“So, those people were killed by you?” A sharp glint flashed in Qi Wei’s eyes. He pointed at the Crown Prince and raised his voice in accusation: “Why did the Crown Prince kill them? To care so little for human life this is truly not the conduct of an enlightened monarch!”

Once these words were out, the impact seemed even greater than before; even the Emperor looked over in surprise. “There is such a thing?”

Seeing that he was on the verge of success, Qi Wei pressed his advantage: “How exactly did these people offend the Crown Prince, to warrant being wiped out entirely!”

Faced with the chatter of the court officials and vassal kings, the Emperor was also moved. With a stern face, he asked Qi Chu, “Did you truly kill those people? I entrusted the affairs of the capital to you; is this how you put my mind at ease?”

Seeing that the Emperor was on the verge of rage, Qi Chu knelt calmly and bowed with both hands. “Imperial Father, please calm your anger.”

“So, did you kill them or not?”

Qi Chu: “Yes.”

The hall erupted in an uproar.

Before the Emperor could explode in anger, Qi Chu added: “Your subject killed mountain bandits, eradicating evil for the sake of the people. I have done nothing wrong.”

Qi Wei put on a look of utter outrage: “You!”

Qi Chu continued, unhurriedly, to address the Emperor: “Your subject did not carelessly dispose of human life. This band of bandits was running amok outside the city, oppressing the surrounding commoners, extorting grain and money, and occupying the roadside inns. When the commoners sought help from the capital’s prefectural office, they were ignored. Eventually, the matter was presented to your subject. Your subject and the National Preceptor personally went to investigate and confirmed the facts before having them executed.”

Qi Wei: “How is that possible?!”

Qi Chu: “Imperial Father, every word your subject has said is the truth. The surrounding commoners can all bear witness.”

The Emperor nodded, his expression not improving much as he turned his gaze to Qi Wei: “Is this the person you brought?”

Seeing that the situation was turning against him, Qi Wei switched his angle: “Forget it. Even without them, there are others. Imperial Father, there are others who can testify. The Crown Prince’s actions are contrary to human ethics this is undeniable!”

The Emperor was running out of patience with this son. “If you have something to say, speak quickly.”

At that, Qi Wei signaled his attendants to lead in a group of people dressed in various Daoist robes. When these people saw the Emperor, they did not kneel, merely offering a shallow bow, their eyes filled with arrogance.

“Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty.”

The Emperor sat back, a look of dissatisfaction on his face. “Who are these people?”

“We are all renowned Daoists of this land, invited by the Third Prince to calculate the destiny of the nation.”

Whether they had any ability was unknown, but their arrogance was unmistakable. Ye Shaoyun watched these people coldly, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile. The Third Prince had found a group of rude, useless fools. They had better actually have some ability, otherwise, this play wouldn’t be worth watching.

The Emperor asked: “Calculating the nation’s destiny? And what have you divined?”

One of them, dressed slightly more elaborately, stepped forward. Before bowing, he spoke: “The Third Prince has likely already spoken to Your Majesty. We have surveyed the celestial phenomena and divined that our Great Yang will face catastrophe the Jiangnan floods are merely the beginning. All of this is because the succession is unstable, because the national destiny is not strong, because Your Majesty’s health is declining, because there is no auspicious omen shining upon us. With weak national destiny and divided hearts among the people, how can such a nation prosper?”

Qi Wei looked at the speaker and realized that several people were missing; the most renowned one had not come.

The Emperor listened to their rhetoric which was identical to the Third Prince’s and frowned, especially when he heard about his declining health and his “Dragon Year” displeasure. “Who are you? Did the Third Prince teach you these words?”

“Why are some people missing?” Qi Wei hurriedly opened his mouth to say to the Emperor: “Your subject did not teach them. Imperial Father, please wait a moment; one Master is missing that Master is Elder Chang Feng of the Huangshan School.”

The Emperor: “Elder Chang Feng? I have heard of this person. Is he here today as well?”

“Yes, Imperial Father. Please wait a moment.” Qi Wei.

Watching such a grand spectacle, most of the vassal kings were enjoying the drama, pretending to be concerned on the surface: “I did not expect that after not coming to the capital for so long, so many things would have happened. If Your Majesty has any difficulties, you must tell us; we are all willing to exert our utmost efforts to serve Your Majesty.”

The Emperor forced a smile. “You flatter me.”

The group waited for a long time, but no one appeared.

Just as the crowd grew restless, Qi Chu stepped forward: “Your subject is young and does not know who the Imperial Brother is waiting for. However, the capital’s prefectural office captured a criminal some days ago. According to him, he is also a Daoist. I do not know if this is the person you are looking for?”

Qi Wei frowned, not knowing what Qi Chu was planning. “What are you talking about?”

Qi Chu looked at the Emperor: “It is not proper for Imperial Father to wait here with us. Should we take a look?”

The Emperor, also irritable from waiting, waved his hand. “Bring him up for me to see.”

Before long, several imperial guards brought up a middle-aged man in Daoist robes. The man was disheveled, his eyes flashing with panicked, greedy glints. He muttered nonsensically, “Where is this? Where am I?! I want to go home, I want to go home!”

Hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Qi Wei hurried forward to check, his eyes slowly widening. “You! You are Elder Chang Feng?! What happened to you? Speak! Look at me!”

Qi Chu stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the two with a cold expression. “Imperial Brother, do not misidentify him. This man is a criminal from the capital’s prefectural office.”

Qi Wei turned to Qi Chu in a rage: “What did you say? What criminal?! This is clearly Elder Chang Feng! Imperial Father, look, you have met him before!”

He was a famous Daoist from the Huangshan School; he had once entered the palace.

The Emperor glanced down and recognized the man, frowning in disgust. “It truly is him, but how did he end up in this state?”

Qi Chu: “Is that so? Your subject does not know him. Your subject captured a criminal. If this person is the Elder Chang Feng that the Third Imperial Brother speaks of, I do not know what to say.”

Seeing this, Ye Shaoyun already saw Qi Chu’s brilliance. Qi Chu would win this round he just hadn’t expected him to be so meticulously prepared, as if he were walking exactly according to someone else’s planning.

Qi Wei wore a look of sudden realization: “You did this on purpose! Qi Chu, your heart is truly ruthless!”

“Imperial Father, your subject has been framed.” Qi Wei spoke like a wronged child; with his plot failing, he pinned his last hope on his father.

But there is no fatherly love in the royal family. The Emperor merely looked at the people below coldly, having already reached his conclusion.

At this moment, the First Prince, who had been silent, stepped forward and asked: “Crown Prince, may I ask what crime this Elder Chang Feng actually committed?”

This question hit the mark. Qi Wei instantly sobered up, seeing a glimmer of hope, and interrogated Qi Chu: “Indeed! What is his crime? The Crown Prince cannot simply arrest people at will!”

Qi Chu’s expression became grave. He immediately stepped forward and exchanged a look with the Emperor on the high platform: “The crime this person has committed is of the utmost importance. I fear… it cannot be spoken of here.”

Qi Wei became agitated, as if he had caught a handle on his opponent, pressing hard: “What is this about ‘cannot be spoken of’? Are you just trying to confuse the public here?!”

Qi Chu looked at him coldly, arching a brow as his tone grew icy and deep:

“Your subject guarantees that you will be the first person to regret it.”