The Loyal Dead Soldier Did Not Plan to Run with a Bun (Pregnant) - Chapter 20

The Prince of Xian had been ill for several days without showing signs of improvement. The outside world speculated that this foolish prince would surely not recover, waiting only to see which day he would breathe his last. Yet, after waiting and waiting, what they received instead was the spirit tablet of the disgraced official’s daughter, Imperial Consort Xu, being ceremoniously delivered to the Prince of Xian’s manor, accompanied by a steady stream of the Emperor’s rewards.

The treasure chests, carried by porters, spanned an entire street, elevating the public’s estimation of the Prince of Xian’s favored status to a new height.

“Your Highness, the spies in the Prince’s manor have sent word: the Prince of Xian has not only regained consciousness, but his brain illness has also miraculously recovered.”

Inside Lingtai Temple, Cheng Lan could no longer sit still. He paced back and forth, anxious and restless, unable to devise a countermeasure no matter how he thought about it.

The Crown Prince, who was currently teasing a bird in a cage—its wings clipped and its spirit listless paused. “Recovered? It is likely he never had this brain illness from the beginning; we have all been deceived by him.”

Ten years how profound must one’s scheming be to endure with such forbearance for ten years?

If this conjecture were true, then this Wei Zheng, who no longer pretended to be foolish, would certainly be a more troublesome existence than that blockhead Wei Heng.

“Your Highness.” Cheng Lan stopped pacing, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. “Why don’t we take advantage of the fact that the Prince of Xian has not yet fully recovered and kill him with poison, leaving no trace?”

The Crown Prince was noncommittal, flicking his fingers against the birdcage, but the bird refused even to let out a fawning chirp, pressing itself against the inner side of the cage to keep as far away from him as possible.

Feeling bored, he covered the birdcage with a black cloth. The sudden darkness caused the bird in the cage to shriek in terror, but he acted as if he heard nothing, waving his hand for the attending servant to take the cage away.

“Your Highness?”

Cheng Lan was still waiting for his reply. The Crown Prince tucked his hands into his sleeves and said in a flat tone, “If you were to poison the Prince of Xian at this time, do you think I could stay out of it?”

“Your subordinate could frame the Fifth Prince for this; I will ensure no one perceives any clues.”

Cheng Lan was brimming with confidence, but Wei Heng sneered. “Fool! Have you not seen how much Father values the Seventh now? He even sent him the spirit tablet of Imperial Consort Xu. If something happens to him at this critical juncture, regardless of whether it has anything to do with me, I will be stripped of a layer of skin.”

“The Seventh must not only be unharmed, but he must also be healthy and vigorous.”

Cheng Lan lowered his head, scolded, and dared not offer any more reckless suggestions. However, he knew very well that if they could not deal with the Prince of Xian now, he would surely become the greatest obstacle to the Crown Prince’s ascension to the throne in the future.

“Are we truly to do nothing?”

Since the Prince of Xian fell into the water, the Crown Prince’s faction had been lying low. They could only watch the situation develop helplessly without being able to intervene. Even though Cheng Lan knew this was the Crown Prince planning for the future, he was fundamentally unwilling.

The Fifth Prince had a reckless and irritable personality; he was brave but had no strategy, and thus was not worth fearing. The old Emperor’s health was much worse than before, his life sustained daily by medicinal soups. Just as it looked like the Crown Prince was about to outlive the old Emperor and smoothly inherit the throne, the Prince of Xian suddenly appeared halfway, disrupting what had been a near-certain outcome. How could anyone be satisfied with this?

He clenched his fist and struck the wall, leaving it stained with blood.

“Cheng Lan, you are thinking about this the wrong way. We cannot move against the Prince of Xian, but if he leaps out to court death himself, then who can save him?”

The Crown Prince’s smile did not reach his eyes. He pulled a secret letter from the pile of scriptures on the desk and pushed it forward gently with his fingertip.

“The drought in Quanzhou has lasted for over half a year. The prefect has been suppressing the news, reporting only the good and hiding the bad. Those refugees fleeing the disaster will reach Yucheng in less than ten days. By then, the news of the drought will be impossible to suppress.”

At that time, the Emperor will surely be furious. While ordering a thorough investigation, he will also need to send an imperial envoy to appease the people and resolve the drought. If the Prince of Xian wants to develop his own influence, he will not let go of this opportunity to seek merit and showcase himself.

Yet, the situation in Quanzhou is complex. As a prince who has never left the ivory tower of the capital, how much ability could he possibly have to handle it properly? Even if he could handle it well, it would be perfectly reasonable for him to accidentally die at the hands of those rebellious refugees.

Cheng Lan understood instantly and smiled knowingly with him. “Your Highness, this move is brilliant.”

The Crown Prince took back the letter and nodded slightly at him. “Go and do it.”

.

Wei Zheng’s illness could not be fully recovered in a short time. He lay in bed for a few more days before he began to slowly walk out of the bedroom.

Having been confined to the side hall for nearly half a month, Wei Zheng felt as though his bones were rusting from lying down for so long.

The Prince’s manor was located on the outskirts of the capital. Behind it was a vast lake stretching across several mountains a wonderful place for leisure with excellent scenery.

In the early morning, the lake surface was filled with a layer of water mist, which rolled with the wind and spread toward the distant mountain peaks; the clouds and smoke curled, as if in a fairyland.

At this time, the morning sun had not yet risen, but one beam of golden light after another had broken through the clouds and fallen onto the dense fog, spreading out and dyeing the surface with layers of golden scales.

“Master, the morning air is chilly. You should put on your cloak.”

Wei Zheng had dragged Wei San here before dawn. Wei San followed behind him, clutching a black cloak, his heart and eyes entirely focused on him. He didn’t even notice that his boots had been soaked through by the dew on the grass.

Wei Zheng stopped and turned around. When he met those peach-blossom eyes filled with worry, the words of refusal couldn’t be spoken.

Although his illness was fake, he had indeed taken so many days of medicinal soup, and the side effects were quite numerous. It was inevitable for a death-sworn guard to want him to pay more attention to his health, and he didn’t want to disappoint him.

He had no choice but to helplessly reach out. “Bring it here.”

The beautiful peach-blossom eyes brightened instantly. As if afraid that he might change his mind, he reached out and draped the cloak over his shoulders himself.

The death-sworn guard meticulously smoothed out the wrinkles on the cloak, never realizing that his previous actions were a transgression regarding their identities as master and servant.

Wei Zheng smiled quietly, not reminding him.

Although it was an unconscious behavior, this was indeed a positive change, was it not?

The death-sworn guard was very disciplined. Once the cloak was straightened, he immediately took two steps back, as if he would suffocate if he stayed close to Wei Zheng for a few more moments. If Wei Zheng didn’t know his personality, he would have thought he was so frightening that he made people recoil three舍.

Wei Zheng felt sullen inside. Before he could find an excuse to vent, he saw the court lady, who had been sent back to the palace by the old Emperor for punishment after he fell ill, walking toward them from afar.

Having their world for two the master and his guard interrupted, the smile on Wei Zheng’s face vanished instantly.

The court lady walked up to the two and first bowed to Wei Zheng. When it was Wei San’s turn, she paused, yet still performed a standard curtsy.

The court lady held an official rank; logically speaking, she did not need to bow to a commoner. She was merely doing so for the sake of the Prince of Xian.

Wei Zheng saw this and could clearly see the contempt and arrogance she held for Wei San beneath her respectful exterior.

“What are you here for?”

His tone of inquiry was cold and hard. Since he no longer needed to pretend to be foolish, he naturally did not need to maintain a good attitude toward the court lady.

The court lady’s expression stiffened, but she barely maintained her smile as she stated her purpose.

“Your Highness, the palace is holding a banquet tomorrow to welcome good fortune and ward off misfortune for you. His Majesty ordered this servant to convey a message: you are to enter the palace tomorrow at the hour of the Sheep (1:00 PM – 3:00 PM).”

Halfway through her words, her gaze swept over Wei San, and she continued, “His Majesty said to let Young Master Sui Yun also enter the palace together.”

Let him enter the palace too? Wei San, who had always thought that this had nothing to do with him, was stunned.

He couldn’t help but think: This setup is it not a Hongmen Banquet?