The Traitor Crown Princess (Transmigration) - Chapter 14

“What are you doing acting so sneaky?” Chu Yun stood atop the high wall, looking down at him.

Shen Yi was speechless. “Big Brother, I’m trying to help you catch a ghost!”

Chu Yun leapt down from the wall and walked a few steps toward him, his expression arrogant. “I have my own methods.”

“You talk big, but if this matter isn’t resolved, not only will your position as Crown Prince be stripped, but your mother’s memorial tablet will also be thrown out of the ancestral hall. How can I not be anxious?”

Chu Yun asked, “Then, has your investigation made any progress?”

Shen Yi said dejectedly, “Not yet.”

Chu Yun raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think this is a waste of time?”

Shen Yi felt a sense of frustration at his lack of progress. “There are no other options.”

Worried that they might not encounter the ghost if they stayed put, he suggested, “I’ll go for a walk, and you keep watch. If the ghost appears, help me catch it.”

Chu Yun watched him with interest. “Suit yourself.”

Shen Yi lowered the brim of his hat and walked out of the palace gate. He deliberately slowed his pace until he reached the end of the long street, then turned around and retraced his steps.

About half an hour passed, and Shen Yi was exhausted. Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly heard a very faint, “Haha…”

Shen Yi froze. He instinctively looked up and saw the scene he least wanted to encounter in his life.

A white figure was drifting above his head. The person had disheveled hair, a pale face, and was wearing a tattered robe. Their eyes were fixed squarely on him. As the two locked eyes, the figure continued to let out a chilling, eerie laugh.

Shen Yi’s heart nearly stopped from terror, but he quickly reacted and shouted, “Quick, catch him!”

The ghost looked around in a panic and desperately flew toward the side. Curiously, just as the figure was about to land, they lightly tapped the eaves and darted away quickly.

It’s not a ghost; it’s a person.

Chu Yun had already caught up by this time. Fearing the ghost would escape, Shen Yi jumped up and grabbed the corner of the ghost’s robe, refusing to let go.

The ghost looked back, appearing extremely nervous, and struggled forward with force.

Rip,

The fabric tore. Furious, the ghost struck out with a palm. Shen Yi blocked it with his hand. As their internal energies collided, a blast occurred. Both Shen Yi and the ghost were knocked back. The immense turbulence prevented Shen Yi from opening his eyes. He thrashed his hands around in the air before falling into a warm embrace. Chu Yun steadied Shen Yi by the shoulders, and they landed smoothly on the ground.

Shen Yi opened his eyes and saw the ghost fall to the ground, leaning against a wall to slowly stand up, revealing white trousers underneath.

He gave a jolt and pushed Chu Yun away, hurriedly rushing forward to give chase. When the person saw Shen Yi charging at them, they scrambled on all fours into a bush.

Shen Yi pushed aside the bushes to find a dog hole. He immediately flipped over the wall, but the person had already vanished. He stamped his feet in frustration.

It was so close.

Chu Yun walked over with his hands behind his back. Without asking for the reason, Shen Yi began to accuse him: “Why didn’t you catch him just now?!”

Chu Yun looked at him with an inscrutable expression. “Do you want to end up crippled?”

Shen Yi said anxiously, “My body is sturdy; I won’t end up crippled! The point is catching the ghost!”

Being watched silently by Chu Yun made him even angrier. He walked straight past Chu Yun. “I’ll catch the ghost myself. I won’t trouble the Crown Prince anymore!”

After walking out of the palace gate, Shen Yi realized in retrospect that Chu Yun was no longer standing where he had been, and he inexplicably felt a pang of guilt.

No matter what, Chu Yun was the Crown Prince, and he was just a civil official. Crushing him would be as easy as crushing an ant…

Whatever. I’ll deal with the consequences later. Forget it.

Shen Yi accepted his fate. After reaching the gate of the Eastern Palace, he was stopped by two guards.

“Who are you? Why are you trespassing in the Eastern Palace at night!”

“I am…” Shen Yi then remembered that to avoid gossip, the Empress had arranged for two servants to guard the gate of the Eastern Palace to increase security—though it was less for protection and more for surveillance.

These two guards did not recognize him, so he could not enter.

After much hesitation, he decided to go to the Cold Palace to avoid the limelight.

Creak,

The gates of the Cold Palace were pushed open. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds. Walking further inside, he pushed open the door to a side hall. With the faint moonlight, he managed to make out the layout.

The beams and corners were covered in spiderwebs, and the floor was layered with thick dust. Even the bed was broken; it was propped up by two stools covered with a wooden board.

That wasn’t all there were even claw marks left by some unknown concubine, which looked quite terrifying.

There was no other choice. He went to the courtyard to fetch a bucket of water, then found a mop and broom in the utility room. He first swept away the dust and spiderwebs in the corners, then mopped the floor.

He threw the bed board and the mushroom-covered quilt into the corner of the courtyard. Adhering to the principle of not wanting to mistreat himself, he went to the nearby Imperial Household Department to “pilfer” two quilts and a pillow, spread them out on the floor, crawled into the quilts, and closed his eyes to sleep.

Rumble,

His stomach chose this inopportune moment to growl. He resisted the urge to eat and forced himself to sleep.

Suddenly, he smelled the fragrance of a chicken leg. He snapped his eyes open and saw a braised chicken leg dangling above his head. He snatched the leg.

“Hmm? Seems you’re hungry.”

Shen Yi followed the voice and saw Chu Yun squatting next to him. He jumped up. “Why are you here?”

Chu Yun replied, “It’s my palace; can’t I come here?”

So those items were his.

Shen Yi was speechless. “You have a perfectly fine Eastern Palace to live in, yet you stay in this haunted place?”

Chu Yun said, “Should I stay in the Eastern Palace and be murdered?”

Shen Yi fell silent and took the initiative to change the subject. “I treated you like that during the day. Aren’t you angry?”

Chu Yun sneered, “I was angry.”

Shen Yi said, “…Forget I said anything.”

Chu Yun tossed him a cloth-wrapped bundle. Shen Yi opened it to find some apples and peaches. He raised an eyebrow. “How did you get these?”

Chu Yun replied, “I figured you hadn’t eaten, so I picked them for you.”

Shen Yi was moved but didn’t say anything. He began eating the chicken leg in his hand and continued to gnaw on an apple without wiping his hands.

Chu Yun rested his chin on one hand, watching Shen Yi eat with relish, saying nothing.

Shen Yi felt unnerved by Chu Yun’s gaze. He reluctantly apologized, “Actually, I shouldn’t have been so fierce earlier…”

Chu Yun implied something, “I don’t blame you. As long as your anger has subsided, that is fine.”

Shen Yi was puzzled. “What was I angry about?”

He suddenly remembered how he had been fierce toward Chu Yun during the day and had a realization.

Chu Yun reached out to take Shen Yi’s hand and pushed up his sleeve. The skin where he had been struck was already red and swollen, but fortunately, it was not serious and did not require treatment.

Shen Yi could sense that Chu Yun was unhappy, so he pulled his hand back awkwardly. “I am already fine. It’s just that it feels a pity that we let that person go.”

Chu Yun took out a wooden token and tossed it to Shen Yi.

Shen Yi picked it up and examined it closely. The token was carved with a phoenix flying through peonies; one could tell at a glance that it belonged to the Empress’s palace.

Shen Yi said gravely, “Is it someone from the Empress’s side?”

“Yes.” A killing intent was visible on Chu Yun. “The Empress and the Emperor are colluding to strip me of my position as Crown Prince.”

Shen Yi said, “They have wanted to do that for a long time. What do you intend to do?”

Chu Yun said, “Naturally, I will take it one step at a time.”

Shen Yi nodded. “I will help you.”

Chu Yun said sarcastically, “It would be good enough if someone just didn’t get angry.”

Shen Yi’s face turned red instantly. He folded his arms and said speechlessly, “…That was just me venting because I was furious; it was nonsense.”

Chu Yun let out a snort of laughter. Shen Yi was embarrassed to the extreme and reached out to cover Chu Yun’s mouth, reprimanding him sternly, “Don’t laugh.”

Chu Yun suddenly stopped laughing. Those phoenix eyes looked at him quietly, and his face was reflected in the red pupils.

Shen Yi hurriedly withdrew his hand, harboring a strange feeling in his heart, and got up to walk out of the hall. “I’m leaving.”

The next day, at the Hour of the Bo (9:00 PM – 11:00 PM).

Feng Xi stroked the Persian cat in her arms, lying lazily on the chaise longue, and asked, “How is it going?”

Her maid, Mingyue, leaned over and whispered into Feng Xi’s ear, “We scared the Crown Prince and his guard badly yesterday. There has been no movement all day today.”

Feng Xi curled her lips. “Then continue. Go to his palace again today to scare him. Once we confirm he has gone mad, call the Emperor over later to see what his ‘good’ Crown Prince has been scared into.”

Mingyue lowered her eyes. “Yes.”

She then hurried out. A group of palace attendants entered carrying several peony pots and placed them on the tea table.

Feng Xi yawned. “This Empress is weary. Let us rest.”

Caixia lowered her eyes. “Yes.”

Just as Feng Xi was about to drop the cat on the floor, the cat—which had been docile—suddenly became irritable for some reason, hissed at her hand, jumped off, and ran away.

Feng Xi brushed the cat fur from her knees in disgust. “A beast is just a beast; they cannot be tamed. Find a time to get rid of the cat. Go and adopt one that is smaller and more obedient.”

Caixia said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Afterward, Feng Xi took off her palace robes and sat before the dressing mirror in her undergarments. The palace maids removed the phoenix coronet from his head. After styling his hair, he went to bed to rest.

A gust of wind blew out the candles in the corner. The room instantly fell into darkness, and a strange, shrill, and thin laughter erupted from the window.

“Feng Xi”

Feng Xi sat up at once. Looking at the pitch-black environment, he was very dissatisfied. “Caixia! What are you doing? Why is the candlelight in the room extinguished? Don’t you know I don’t like the dark?”

The surroundings were very quiet; there was not a single sound.

Feng Xi finally could not take it anymore. He pushed aside the quilt and walked toward the door of the bedchamber.

After taking a few steps, he felt a soft touch on his shoulder. He turned back and saw a strip of white silk hanging from the rafters—a silk strip that looked exactly like the one the Emperor had once used to bestow death upon Consort Mei.

Feng Xi’s eyes widened in rage. He pulled a long sword from the wall and slashed wildly at the silk. “The winner is the king, and the loser is the bandit. Since you have already lost, you shouldn’t have come back, you know that!”

Elsewhere.

Chu Chen stood on the empty long street and frowned. “Didn’t you say you saw the ghost of Consort Mei? Why is it that as soon as I arrive, there is nothing?”

Li Dequan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, bent his waist, and bowed. “Perhaps she was frightened by Your Majesty’s aura and did not dare to appear. Since Your Majesty did not see anything, you should return to the palace to rest. It is better to leave the Imperial Guards to keep watch here.”

Chu Chen said, “Let’s go.”

Just as he turned to leave, a young eunuch ran over from behind. He bowed and saluted. “Your Majesty, something has happened to the Empress. It concerns the ghost of Consort Mei. She wishes to invite Your Majesty to come and see.”

Li Dequan shouted angrily, “Shut your mouth! To trouble His Majesty with such a thing—do you not want your head anymore? You should have just called the Imperial Guards yourself! Why come here to report this!”

Chu Chen paused his step. “Forget it. This matter concerns the Empress; it is fine for Me to go and see. Lead the way.”

Li Dequan advised, “Your Majesty, it is late at night, and it is not appropriate for you to go. Why not let the Empress come to the study to see you tomorrow? Why trouble yourself to go now? Your dragon body is of the utmost importance.”

Chu Chen fell into a moment of hesitation. He had never had deep feelings for the Empress, so he didn’t really need to make this trip.

“Your Majesty,” the young eunuch continued, “Just now, the Empress seemed to say that Consort Mei was not granted death back then, but was murdered. This servant does not know if it is true.”

Li Dequan shouted, “Shut your mouth! What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and drag this servant who is spreading rumors away! Do not let him disturb His Majesty’s mood!”

Chu Chen raised a hand to stop them. “Lead the way!”

Just as Li Dequan wanted to say something, Chu Chen shot him a glare, frightening him into bowing his head quickly. “This servant deserves to die.”

Chu Chen snorted coldly and strode out.

After the Emperor had walked far away, Li Dequan went up to deliver a flying kick, but the young eunuch easily dodged it. Li Dequan fell to the ground, pointing at the young eunuch and cursing, “You dog of a servant, you’ve rebelled, haven’t you? See if I don’t make you pay for this!”

The young eunuch gave him an eerie smile, lowered his hat, and chased after the Emperor.

Li Dequan was stunned. Why does this guy look somewhat like the Crown Princess?

Fengxiang Palace.

“Your Majesty, it’s me! It’s Caixia!”

“Your Majesty, stop slashing! If you slash anymore, the pillar will snap!”

A group of palace maids stood at the door of Fengxiang Palace, shouting continuously. Inside, Feng Xi could not hear them at all; he kept using the long sword in his hand to slash a pillar. The pillar had already lost its shape, and wood chips were falling off. The small maids were too terrified to step forward.

A young eunuch ran in dejectedly and shouted, “It’s bad! His Majesty is coming!”

This sentence was like a thunderclap, exploding among the crowd.

Caixia said, “Stop shouting! Xiao Hong, Xiao Lv, hurry inside and hold the Empress down. I will administer a few needles to Her Majesty, and she will return to normal! Quickly!”

Xiao Hong and Xiao Lv nodded and entered to grab Feng Xi.

At this moment, Feng Xi turned his head, his crimson eyes staring at the people coming in.

To ordinary people, the group of maids were just normal people, but to Feng Xi, the group of maids at the door had turned into ghosts and demons. If they touched him, his safety would be at risk.

He raised the long sword in his hand and slashed wildly at them.

Xiao Hong and Xiao Lv turned pale with fright and ran away.

“Ahhh, Your Majesty, it’s me!”

“Quick, someone help! The Empress has gone mad!”

After a period of chaos, Chu Chen arrived. He stared in disbelief at the palace maid lying in a pool of blood and looked at the Empress, shouting in anger, “Empress, have you gone mad?”

Feng Xi smiled sinisterly, panting heavily as he said, “Consort Mei, do you think you can do whatever you want just because you are dead? I tell you, as long as I am alive, I am the most noble Empress in this capital!”

Chu Chen realized that the Empress had a hand in Consort Mei’s death back then. Suppressing his anger, he issued a decree: “Quick, seize her.”

The Imperial Guards accepted the decree. Two men stepped forward, seized the Empress’s arms with precision and speed, and pinned her to the ground from left and right. One of the Imperial Guards secretly used internal energy to press an acupuncture point on the Empress’s back.

Soon, the Empress regained her sanity. She looked at the palace maid who had stopped breathing on the ground and the furious Emperor, confused. “Your Majesty, why are you here? What on earth has happened? Why are you holding me down!”

At this moment, Chu Yun walked in unhurriedly from the palace gate. Behind him were two eunuchs who threw a woman wearing white clothes onto the ground.

Chu Chen suppressed his temper and asked, “What is this about?”

Chu Yun said, “This is the ‘ghost’ that has everyone in the palace living in fear.”

A eunuch removed the woman’s hair and gripped her chin, forcing her to look up, revealing the face of Mingyue.

Chu Chen recoiled in disgust. “Is this not one of the people by the Empress’s side? Why is she dressed like this?”

Mingyue refused to admit it stubbornly. “This servant was just wearing undergarments to go for a walk! I don’t know why I was captured by the Crown Prince’s men! I beg Your Majesty to preside over justice for me!”

The young eunuch took out the wooden token and threw it on the ground. “Then how do you explain this? Reporting to His Majesty, this is what I retrieved from the ‘female ghost.’ This person is clearly the one who usually plays ghost and plays deity!”

Mingyue’s eyes darted around, and she brazenly denied it. “Has anyone seen this token fall from me?!”

Feng Xi also spoke at this time. “Your Majesty, do not believe the one-sided words of this servant!”

Chu Chen was also prepared to let the matter rest, as he had his own suspicions in his heart.

“Then”

Shen Yi suddenly walked in and took out a tattered white robe and a mask, throwing them in front of Mingyue.

“These are pieces of evidence searched from the Empress’s palace. I request that His Majesty investigate thoroughly.”

Feng Xi cursed, “Who are you to dare slander me? Do you not want to live?”

Shen Yi said, “Whether you were wronged or not, Your Majesty knows in her heart.”

He had indeed planted the clothes himself. He was gambling on how the Emperor would dispose of this.

Chu Chen’s mask of hypocrisy cracked. He scolded angrily, “Presumptuous!”

Shen Yi and the group of guards and maids knelt down quickly. Chu Chen hated this young eunuch for ruining his plans, but he hated the Empress even more for not cleaning up the matter properly.

“Empress, you cannot manage your subordinates. Starting today, you are confined, fined three years’ salary, and stripped of the power to manage the six palaces. You are not allowed to leave without a decree. As for Mingyue, beat her to death.”

After saying these words, Chu Chen did not give the Empress a single look and turned to leave. Shen Yi hurriedly called out to Chu Chen, “Your Majesty, just now the Empress kept talking about Consort Mei. This servant believes there is something suspicious about it and requests that Your Majesty investigate thoroughly!”

Once these words were spoken, everyone lowered their waists even further.

Chu Chen stood still and slowly turned around. “Which palace are you from?”

Shen Yi said, “…Returning to His Majesty, this servant is from the Crown Prince’s palace.”

Chu Chen turned the prayer beads in his hand, his eyes cold. “Offending a superior; drag him away and give him fifty strikes of the paddle!”

Anyone with eyes knew that Shen Yi not only undermined the Empress but also touched the Emperor’s reverse scale, effectively undermining the Emperor himself. Therefore, the Emperor was using the excuse of “offending a superior” to beat Shen Yi to death.

“Father, he just helped you clear up the matter. If you make things difficult for him now, I fear it will chill the hearts of your subordinates.”

Chu Chen said, “Then according to the Crown Prince’s opinion?”

Chu Yun said, “The ignorant are innocent.”

Chu Chen’s gaze carried a sense of scrutiny. He looked at Chu Yun’s face, which was seventy percent similar to his mother’s. In the end, he did not say anything and turned to leave.

Once he was gone, more than half the people in the courtyard left with him. As soon as the guards by Feng Xi’s side let go of him, Feng Xi picked up his sword and walked toward Shen Yi. “A tiny little servant dares to bully me?”

Shen Yi lowered his head. “This servant was just speaking the truth.”

Feng Xi said, “Raise your head and let me look at you.”

“It is getting late,” Chu Yun interjected at the appropriate time. “We shall not disturb the Empress’s rest anymore.”

Shen Yi understood his intention, bowed to the Empress, and followed Chu Yun’s footsteps as they left.

The two of them arrived at the study of the Eastern Palace and let Leng Feng guard the door. When the two entered the study, Shen Yi finally let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, he was confused. “Why does the Emperor not want to mention your mother?”

Chu Yun sneered. “Does he dare?”

Shen Yi’s attention was drawn to the map on the wall.

The Chu Kingdom was in the center, bordered by the Yangtze River to the north, plains to the south, dense forests and canyons to the east, and the Yan Kingdom to the west.

Its territory was the largest among the nearby countries. However, due to the corruption of the government in recent years and the muddle-headed, incompetent Emperor, the people were living in misery. If there were no changes this year, the Chu Kingdom might be swallowed up by other countries and gradually forgotten by people.

Fresh mandarin oranges were placed next to the recliner. Shen Yi happened to be thirsty, so he sat down boldly and began to peel an orange to eat.

Chu Yun was not annoyed. He began to grind ink and write and draw on white paper.

Shen Yi took advantage of the relaxed atmosphere and asked, “What is the deal between your mother and the Emperor?”

The atmosphere suddenly fell into dead silence. Chu Yun did not speak for a long time. Shen Yi felt a bit apprehensive, so he found an excuse, “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it.”

Chu Yun picked up the paper on the table, put it into an envelope, then opened the birdcage, tied the envelope to the leg of a carrier pigeon, and walked to the window to release it.

The white dove leaped up and disappeared into the pitch-black night.

The breeze blew Chu Yun’s hair. He brushed his silver hair and stood by the window looking at the bleak moonlight in the sky.

“Do you know how Chu Chen ascended to the throne?”