When the Deposed Crown Prince Was Reborn as Troublemaker - Chapter 84

You Yusui regained consciousness on the fifth day of his coma. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Huo Xiling sitting by the bedside, looking somewhat haggard.
He had been unconscious for five days, and Huo Xiling had endured those same five days, staying by his side and caring for him throughout.

“Your Highness, you’re awake.” The moment Huo Xiling saw You Yusui come to, he gripped his hand tightly.

You Yusui lay on the bed, his gaze drifting up toward the canopy above as he said, “Xiling, I had such a long, long dream.”

“I dreamed that I was walking down a road, so dark, so terribly dark. I knew that my imperial mother was waiting for me somewhere ahead, but I couldn’t find her.”

Huo Xiling understood — the road You Yusui spoke of was the road to the underworld.

“It was I who caused her death. Does she no longer want me? Is that why she refused to see me?”

By the time he finished speaking, tears were already streaming down You Yusui’s face.

“How could the late Empress not love you? She didn’t appear before you because she wanted Your Highness to come back.” Huo Xiling held You Yusui’s hand and said in a hoarse voice.

“Later, I heard my maternal grandfather’s voice. He told me to go back.” You Yusui turned his head to look at Huo Xiling and said, “Maternal grandfather had aged so much — I almost didn’t recognize him.”

“But why did he tell me to go back, yet walk forward himself?”

Huo Xiling fell silent. He suddenly recalled the birth and death years inscribed on the two tombstones he had seen in the dream — Lord Xie had departed half a year after laying the Crown Prince’s burial mound to rest.

“Your Highness, Lord Xie is doing very well right now. When he received word of your coma, he set out from Chang’an to come see you — he should arrive in Dayang County tonight.” Huo Xiling said, trying to comfort him.

You Yusui’s expression was dazed for a moment, then he said, “Right, things are different now.”

Huo Xiling quietly noted the Crown Prince’s expression and tone. Though a bold conjecture had taken shape in his heart, he still did not dare voice it lightly or seek confirmation from You Yusui.

“Your Highness should drink your medicine first. You can eat something in a little while — you’ve barely eaten anything in five days.” Huo Xiling said.

“Alright.” You Yusui gave a small nod, then, with Huo Xiling’s support, sat up.

The medicine Cui Yan had decocted had been kept warm all this time, and was just right for You Yusui to drink now.

The warm dark medicinal liquid slid down his throat without a trace of bitterness — only the clean sweetness of fruit. Cui Yan had done as he promised and reformulated his medicine into a fruity flavor.

Shortly after, the small kitchen sent over plain congee and light side dishes. Huo Xiling fed You Yusui a little before finally letting him drift back to sleep.

When Huo Xiling stepped out of the room, he found that Cui Yan had already been waiting for him outside.

“Now that His Highness the Crown Prince has awakened, Young General Huo may go and rest,” Cui Yan said, trying to persuade him.

Caring for a patient alone for five days — even someone made of iron would not be able to hold up.

Huo Xiling was just about to open his mouth to decline when he heard Cui Yan say, “Besides, if His Highness the Crown Prince were to find out that you’ve fallen ill too, he would worry himself to death.”

And most importantly, as the imperial physician responsible, he himself would be run absolutely ragged.

Fortunately, Huo Xiling heeded the advice and went to the outer room of You Yusui’s chamber, where he found a reclining couch and lay down.

Seeing this, Cui Yan let out a quiet sigh of relief. As an imperial physician, he had truly been driven to his wit’s end by this pair of young lovebirds — not only did he have to treat illness and decoct medicine, he also had to handle the case and record the prisoners’ testimonies. It was a good thing that Xie Tan would be arriving tonight, otherwise he really would have gone mad.

That night, the savior Cui Yan had been longing for finally arrived. Xie Tan swung down from his white steed and strode straight to Cui Yan, asking at once, “How is the Crown Prince?”

“He only just woke up not long ago. He drank his medicine, ate a little, and has gone back to sleep,” Cui Yan replied.

Upon hearing that You Yusui had regained consciousness, the tension that had been holding Xie Tan’s face taut eased slightly. Then he heard Cui Yan say, “I pride myself on my exceptional medical skill, yet I have still failed in my charge.”

Before departing, Xie Tan had entrusted Cui Yan with looking after the Crown Prince — yet no one could have anticipated that the Crown Prince’s illness would come on so severely and so suddenly. Every bit of weight they had painstakingly helped him put on was gone. The Crown Prince now looked even more pitiful than a newborn kitten.

“I know. This is not your fault,” Xie Tan said. The Crown Prince’s sudden serious illness and loss of consciousness must have been caused by something beyond anyone’s control.

“And Lord Xie?” Cui Yan couldn’t help but ask.

“My grandfather is getting on in years. The road is rough and jolting, so I asked him to travel at a slower pace. He should arrive by early tomorrow morning,” Xie Tan replied. “Tomorrow, once the Crown Prince is awake, I’ll go visit together with my grandfather.”

Having heard that You Yusui had only just fallen asleep a short while ago, Xie Tan could not bear to disturb him, and had already decided to wait until the next day to pay his visit.

Hearing this, Cui Yan nodded and said, “Fair enough.”

Then he spoke up, “You’ve finally arrived. Since the Crown Prince fell ill, I’ve been the one treating the patient, and I’ve been the one presiding over the case. If you’d come any later, I wouldn’t have been able to hold on.”

Xie Tan glanced at the dark circles beneath Cui Yan’s eyes and understood at once that these past few days had not been easy for him either. He then asked, “Do you need me to begin the review proceedings now?”

“Don’t!” Cui Yan refused immediately. “It’s a two-day journey from Chang’an to Dayang County — you must have been traveling day and night.”

Xie Tan fell silent at that. On the way here, he had ridden several horses to their deaths.

“Go and rest quickly. If you collapse too, I really will go mad.”

With that, Cui Yan sent Xie Tan off to rest.

Early the next morning, Lord Xie’s carriage and horses had just arrived at Dayang County. The journey had taken a visible toll on him — he had grown considerably more haggard — and he made his way into the residence where the Crown Prince’s party was temporarily lodging, supported by a loyal attendant.

“How is the Crown Prince?” Lord Xie asked eagerly the moment he stepped down from the carriage.

“His Highness the Crown Prince regained consciousness yesterday,” the young eunuch who had been asked replied at once.

The weight Lord Xie had been carrying in his heart finally lifted. “That’s good. That’s good.”

At that moment, Xie Tan also came out. Seeing his grandfather, he said, “His Highness is already awake. Why don’t you come with me to pay a visit, Grandfather?”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Lord Xie’s steps were brisk as the wind, betraying no sign of the many days of exhausting travel. He only wanted to see his suffering grandchild as quickly as possible.

The door was pushed open. You Yusui was leaning against Huo Xiling’s chest, having just finished his medicine. The moment he caught sight of his maternal grandfather and elder cousin standing in the doorway, tears fell uncontrollably, as though he meant to cry out every ounce of grievance he had carried through his dream.

“Maternal grandfather. Elder cousin,” You Yusui called out.

Upon hearing him, Xie Yi immediately went to You Yusui’s side, reached out, and cupped his face in his hands, his expression full of anguish. “How have you grown so thin?”

You Yusui’s chin had still carried a little flesh before — now it was entirely gone. The sight of it filled Xie Yi with heartache. His whole body had grown much thinner as well, and the clothes that had once fit him reasonably well now hung loose and wide on his frame.

“Suisui, it’s alright now. Maternal grandfather is here.” As Xie Yi spoke, he tenderly wiped away You Yusui’s tears.

Hearing those words, You Yusui felt a deep calm settle over him. With his maternal grandfather here, there was nothing left to fear.

The more Xie Yi looked at You Yusui, the more his heart ached. He harbored a profound hatred for the Emperor — how could any parent be so cruel-hearted? And he hated himself for having allowed his daughter to be married into those high palace walls.

If she had married into a noble family instead — even one of the main lines of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans — what of it? With his abilities, helping his daughter obtain a divorce would have been the easiest thing in the world, and bringing You Yusui to be raised in the Xie household would have been just as simple.

“My dear Suisui, your maternal grandfather is right here. Whatever grievances you carry, tell them all to me,” Xie Yi said, his voice soothing.

You Yusui looked at Xie Yi — there was so much he wanted to say, yet nothing he could say. In the end, he simply reached out and held him, weeping in silence.

Everyone in the room ached at the sight.

Afterward, You Yusui’s strength gave out and he drifted back to sleep. There was nothing the others could do but quietly withdraw from the room so he could rest in peace.

Once outside, Xie Tan turned to Cui Yan and asked, “How is His Highness the Crown Prince’s condition?”

“Overwhelmed by grief. With slow and careful recuperation, he will be fine,” Cui Yan said.

You Yusui’s constitution was sound — as long as he was nursed with care, there would be nothing to worry about.

Xie Tan looked up at the sky and then said, “Who in this world could cause His Highness such sorrow?”

Standing at the back of the group, Huo Xiling also wanted to ask — who in this world could cause His Highness the Crown Prince such sorrow? The difference was that, unlike Xie Tan, a vague answer had already begun to take shape in his heart.

“Let’s go. There is still a great deal to be handled. Once these matters are properly settled, His Highness the Crown Prince will have nothing left to trouble over,” Cui Yan said.

And so, with Lord Xie presiding over everything, Xie Tan and Huo Xiling worked in coordination.

One was steady and seasoned in his methods; the other was ruthless and merciless. Together, they made this band of powerful local magnates spill every last thing they knew — and nearly half of Hedong Commandery was found to be implicated.

Just as Xie Tan and Huo Xiling were in the process of sentencing this group, word came from the prison that County Magistrate Li’s wife and daughter had taken their own lives.

You Yusui, who retained a faint impression of that sharp-tongued wife and that withdrawn young lady, fell silent for a moment, then said, “Find a decent place and bury them.”

“Your Highness is most benevolent,” the runner who had come to report said.

You Yusui closed his eyes. Benevolent? Hardly. I simply have no wish to hear talk of corpses being discarded in a mass grave.

Xie Tan and Huo Xiling spent half a month bringing this far-reaching corruption case to a close. All officials and powerful local magnates implicated were put to death, their entire family assets confiscated, and the women of their households sold into servitude.

It was only when the bodies of County Magistrate Li and the rest of the corrupt officials and local magnates were hung on the city walls for public display that the common people of Dayang County finally believed — the court had truly sent someone to stand up for them.

His Highness the Crown Prince had come to save them — not to shield one official from another.

In that moment, the people wept.

What followed was the work of appeasing the populace, as well as the task of amending the household registers for those commoners who had been forcibly reduced to field serfs, restoring them to the status of free citizens. It was an enormous undertaking — but once the newly appointed county magistrate of Dayang County arrived, he would naturally take over these affairs.

By the time You Yusui had rested for a while longer and they were preparing to return to the capital, he suddenly turned to Huo Xiling beside him and asked, “Have we forgotten something?”

Huo Xiling looked at You Yusui blankly. What could it be?

You Yusui looked around at everyone present — they all wore expressions that said, “Nothing comes to mind. We’ve done our jobs splendidly.”

In the end, You Yusui drew a deep breath and said, “This prince’s eldest imperial brother has still not been found.”

The man was gone — but surely they had to bring back a body at the very least.

At those words, everyone came to a sudden realization. The First Prince — indeed, no one had given him a second thought.

Just then, the shadow guard who had been sent to search returned.

“Your Highness, His Highness the Prince of Yan has been found.”

“Oh.” Everyone responded with complete indifference. How is it that he didn’t end up dead out there?

“However, he has lost his memory — and has married into a farming family as a live-in son-in-law,” the shadow guard said quietly.

You Yusui, who had been in the middle of drinking his tea, nearly failed to hold it in and almost sprayed it out.