When the Deposed Crown Prince Was Reborn as Troublemaker - Chapter 100

Eunuch An Hai looked at You Fengyun, who seemed very pleased with his own idea, and could not help but speak up. “Your Majesty, are you not afraid that His Highness the Crown Prince will be angry?”

You Fengyun said dismissively, “What is there for him to be angry about? If Zhen were to arrange a marriage for him, that would truly make him angry — he might even go on a hunger strike to make a scene.”

Upon hearing this, An Hai thought inwardly: His Highness the Crown Prince is not quite that childish.

“But where in this world has anyone ever adopted their own biological brother as their son?” An Hai could not help but say. “Even if Your Majesty agrees, I fear the entire court of civil and military officials would not.”

You Fengyun, seated on the dragon throne, let out a cold snort and said, “Do they not know whose realm this is? Zhen is the Son of Heaven — if Zhen says it is permitted, then it is permitted.”

In that moment, An Hai lowered his head. His Majesty was forever supremely imperious. He was the sky itself, and all beneath it had to obey him.

But… what if Consort Hui were carrying a little princess?

The domineering You Fengyun fell silent for a moment, then said, “How adorable would a daughter be? The Crown Prince could use a sweet little companion.”

Eunuch An Hai: ……

So Eunuch An Hai asked again, “What if His Highness does not wish to raise the child?”

You Fengyun said, “What need is there for him to raise the child himself? What are wet nurses and palace servants for? Such matters could not possibly require the Crown Prince to do everything personally.”

An Hai glanced at the emperor, who had already begun to envision a wonderful future, and thought inwardly: You have quite made up your mind to give the child to the Crown Prince to raise, haven’t you.

At this moment, You Yusui still had no idea that he was about to become an unwitting father. He was busy playing ghost with Huo Xiling.

White robes, a pallid face, and blood-red lips — terrifying to behold.

You Yusui, dressed in white with his hair loose and disheveled, opened his mouth and stuck out a vivid red tongue.

Huo Xiling, meanwhile, produced a ghost mask — blue-faced with protruding fangs, utterly horrifying.

You Yusui snatched the mask from Huo Xiling’s hands and said, “Where did you get this ghost mask? It is so exquisitely crafted.”

Huo Xiling did not mention that it had been made in imitation of the ghost-faced general’s mask from his dreams, and simply said, “If His Highness likes it, then it is yours.”

Upon hearing this, You Yusui gave a light laugh, then placed the ghost mask on Huo Xiling’s face and said, “In the past, there was the Prince of Lanling who wore a ghost mask into battle. Though Young General Huo is not blessed with the delicate looks of a beautiful woman, his features are nonetheless of the finest and most handsome refinement — he ought rightly to wear a ghost mask.”

Huo Xiling curved his lips into a smile. Though in his dreams the ghost mask had been worn to conceal the scars that covered his face, hearing You Yusui speak of it this way, he found himself growing rather fond of it.

Just at that moment, Eunuch Fubao pushed open the door and had barely called out “Your Highness the Crown Prince” when he was so startled by Huo Xiling and You Yusui’s costumes that he nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Good heavens, my Crown Prince, whatever are you and Young General Huo doing?” Eunuch Fubao said, clutching his chest — he had very nearly been frightened to death.

Seeing this, You Yusui and Huo Xiling exchanged a glance. Their disguises were quite a success.

Eunuch Fubao then produced a boshan incense burner that had been used in the former Empress’s quarters over a decade ago, along with a box of Spring’s Message in the Snow, and handed them to Huo Xiling and You Yusui, saying, “Your Highness, I have found what you requested.”

You Yusui curved the corner of his mouth. Everything was now prepared — he only had to wait for nightfall.

When the moon had risen to the center of the sky and the night had grown still and deep, You Yusui and Huo Xiling left the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace together and made their way toward Jujiu Palace, where the Imperial Noble Consort resided.

Inside Jujiu Palace, the Imperial Noble Consort’s face was filled with joy. She had finally managed to secure a princess consort for her son — one she approved of and who would bring him powerful backing.

Once that despicable Li Xiyue was dead, she could immediately elevate the Yang family’s daughter to principal consort, and the child born of the Yang girl would become the eldest legitimate son.

And so, attended by her palace servants, the Imperial Noble Consort fell contentedly into sleep.

Huo Xiling, upon arriving at Jujiu Palace, rendered all of the night-watch palace servants unconscious, then led You Yusui into the Imperial Noble Consort’s bedchamber.

The moment they entered Jujiu Palace, You Yusui was nearly overwhelmed — the mingled fragrances of several rare incenses made his head swim.

“Put it out,” You Yusui said, pointing to the incense burner inside Jujiu Palace.

Huo Xiling immediately extinguished the overpowering incense, then used a burst of palm wind to push open the windows and disperse the scent.

You Yusui breathed in a lungful of fresh air and felt his mind instantly clear. He then produced the incense burner and lit the Spring’s Message in the Snow.

Once the scent of the Spring’s Message in the Snow had spread throughout the entire room, You Yusui began whispering outside the Imperial Noble Consort’s window. “Return my life to me, return my life to me.”

A cold wind swept through. The Imperial Noble Consort opened her eyes, and the very first thing she saw was Huo Xiling’s ghost mask — she screamed in terror.

When she turned around, a female ghost with hair hanging loose appeared before her. Those bleeding eyes and that hauntingly familiar face sent the Imperial Noble Consort into a screaming frenzy.

“Don’t come near me! Don’t come near me!” the Imperial Noble Consort cried, flailing wildly as she ran out.

But in the next instant, Huo Xiling — possessed of exceptional lightness skill — blocked her path, materializing before the Imperial Noble Consort as if he had drifted there like a specter.

The Imperial Noble Consort stumbled back two steps in fright, then hid behind a pillar, trembling as she said, “Don’t come near me — I didn’t harm you, I didn’t harm you!”

Upon hearing this, You Yusui and Huo Xiling exchanged a glance. You Yusui then walked up to Su Hewan and demanded, “Who am I? Who am I?”

His voice was mournful and wretched, like the weeping of a ghost. Those eyes streaming with blood suddenly met hers, and she was on the verge of breaking entirely.

At this moment, Huo Xiling called out sternly. “Criminal of the Su family — do you know your crime!”

That single cry of rebuke sent Su Hewan crumpling to her knees. She said over and over. “Your Majesty the Empress, it was not I who killed you — not I who killed you.”

She only knew that the manner of the Empress’s death had been wrong. She had not raised her hand against the Empress. She had not!

You Yusui had never imagined that his imperial mother had not simply died from a difficult labor alone — that there was another reason behind it.

“Who killed me! Who!” You Yusui’s voice grew sharp and shrill.

“Criminal of the Su family, confess at once!” Huo Xiling called out in concert.

Su Hewan had been frightened into a state of weeping and wailing. She knocked her head against the floor and said, “I truly do not know who it was — truly do not know. I only caught one glimpse of the Empress’s body and knew that she had been poisoned to death. Beyond that, I know nothing — nothing at all!”

At the time, there had been so many people in the rear palace who bore grudges against the Empress — any one of them could have been the culprit. Not only could it have been Consort Xian, it could also have been those consorts who had long since died — Consort De, Consort Liang, Consort Shu — any one of them was possible!

You Yusui heard these words and had never imagined that his imperial mother had been poisoned to death by someone.

“Then what do you have to say about your attempt to harm my child?” You Yusui called out loudly.

“I did not — I did not — I know nothing, nothing!”

In the end, the Imperial Noble Consort could not withstand the fright any longer and fell completely unconscious.

You Yusui looked at the Imperial Noble Consort, who had fainted dead away, and said, “I never imagined that my imperial mother was actually poisoned to death by someone.”

His voice was filled with helplessness. This truth left him in great sorrow.

“Your Highness, let us go,” Huo Xiling said, taking You Yusui’s hand. “I will accompany you in searching for the truth. Not a single person who deserves punishment will be spared.”

You Yusui gave a nod, gathered their things, and left together with Huo Xiling.

Early the next morning, the palace servants of Jujiu Palace — finding that the Imperial Noble Consort had gone a long while without calling anyone in to attend to her — discovered the Imperial Noble Consort collapsed on the floor in her sleeping robes.

“My Lady, my Lady!” The senior palace maid Ruqiu rushed in and gathered Su Hewan into her arms, then sternly rebuked the palace servants. “What are you standing there for? Go and fetch the imperial physician at once!”

The palace servants of Jujiu Palace immediately and deftly carried the Imperial Noble Consort to her bed, then went to summon an imperial physician.

By the time the Imperial Noble Consort awoke, the imperial physician had already administered a full treatment of acupuncture.

Ruqiu, seeing Su Hewan come around, was so overcome with relief that tears streamed down her face. “My Lady, you have finally awakened.”

“Ghosts — there are ghosts!” Su Hewan cried out in a panic.

Ruqiu immediately soothed Su Hewan and said, “My Lady, it is I — I am right here. It is broad daylight now — where could there be any ghosts?”

Su Hewan cast a dazed glance around. The day had fully broken, and she let out a sudden breath of relief.

But Ruqiu said, “My Lady, there are no ghosts in this world.”

Suddenly, Su Hewan’s expression changed: “No — no — no — she came. I smelled it — I smelled the Spring’s Message in the Snow! I smelled it!”

Seventeen years had passed — had she finally come to take her revenge upon them?

Su Hewan’s face went white with terror as she said, “I did not kill the Empress. I did not.”

The Empress’s funeral rites all those years ago had been conducted in great haste, presided over personally by the Empress Dowager. At the time, as the consort of highest rank, she had gone to take one look at the Empress’s body before the coffin was sealed, and by then the body had already changed greatly from how it had appeared at the moment of death — the entire body was mottled with a dark bluish-purple color.

She had taken one look and retreated in fright, and had never dared to speak of it to anyone.

“My Lady, calm yourself!” Ruqiu called out loudly. “The Empress is not here!”

But Su Hewan was gripped by terror. She had not been the one to kill the Empress — so why had the Empress’s wronged spirit come to find her?

“My Lady, you cannot afford to collapse right now. What of the secondary consort for His Highness Prince Yan — do you still wish to secure her? What of the succession rights — do you still intend to fight for them?” Ruqiu asked in a low voice.

Su Hewan appeared to grow calm once more and said, “I understand. I understand.”

No matter what, she had to secure the Yang family’s daughter for her son.

Very soon, word spread through the palace that Prince Yan was to take the Yang family’s daughter as a new secondary consort.

In the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace, You Yusui was astonished. He looked at Huo Xiling and said, “After being frightened half to death last night, she still has the energy to cause trouble?”

Truly, none of the women in the rear palace were simple.

In Prince Yan’s residence, Li Xiyue quickly learned of the news that You Yuyi was soon to take a new secondary consort. She knew that the time left to her was running short.

And so, Li Xiyue took a deep breath, placed a Zhufang Pill into her navel, and turned to face her reflection in the mirror with an alluring smile before going to find You Yuyi to draw out his tenderness and pity.

Meanwhile, the Yang family’s daughter, upon learning this news, nearly fainted on the spot. What was she to do? She had already secretly pledged herself to her cousin!