This place was already very close to Bu Xun Tian. It was only about two hundred meters away on foot.
Meng Xizhao walked beside the Fifth Prince and led him to the main entrance, entering openly through the front door.
Yinliu was sitting in the small room reserved for the shopkeeper. When she heard that Meng Xizhao had arrived together with the Prince of Linjiang, she froze for a moment.
Didn’t the young master dislike the Prince of Linjiang the most? How had the two of them come together today?
Qingfu had the same question. Once they reached the upper floor, he habitually headed toward Meng Xizhao’s private room. But Meng Xizhao stuck out a foot and tripped him, nearly sending him sprawling face-first.
Qingfu: “……”
Steadying himself, he turned around and saw that the young master had lifted the curtain of an ordinary private room and was respectfully inviting the Fifth Prince to enter first.
The Fifth Prince had originally held quite a few complaints about Meng Xizhao. After all, he had failed to see him for two straight months. Even a dull person would eventually realize what was going on. Yet at this moment, seeing how attentive and sincere Meng Xizhao was being, he could not help but think that perhaps he truly had been busy during that time. Otherwise, even with ten times the courage, he would not dare deliberately avoid the prince.
This was probably a common flaw of the feudal royal family. People constantly praised them with words like “long live forever,” and after hearing it enough, they began to believe they were born to rule and naturally superior to others.
Sitting face to face, Meng Xizhao personally poured wine for the Fifth Prince. After serving him so attentively that the prince felt thoroughly comfortable, their conversation gradually shifted from harmless greetings to more serious questions.
“What does Deputy Minister Meng think of your duties at Honglu Temple?”
Meng Xizhao smiled modestly. “It is nothing more than enjoying the ruler’s salary and loyally carrying out the ruler’s work—simply doing my duty.”
The Fifth Prince said, “From the sound of it, Deputy Minister Meng does not seem very satisfied with the post at Honglu Temple.”
Meng Xizhao hurriedly shook his head. “Not at all, Your Highness. You misunderstand.”
Seeing his nervous expression, the Fifth Prince instead laughed and leaned a little closer to him.
“Deputy Minister Meng need not worry. I have always admired Chief Councilor Meng. I have long heard of you as well, and of your elder brother, the well-read Young Master Meng. I have only regretted that we could not become acquainted sooner. In my view, the fact that you can manage Bu Xun Tian so successfully shows that your abilities extend far beyond a mere post in Honglu Temple. If Deputy Minister Meng wishes to advance himself, I value talent. Perhaps I could help you move upward.”
After hearing this, Meng Xizhao merely lowered his head and drank cup after cup of wine, refusing to follow up on the hint.
The Fifth Prince took this as hesitation. Since he had not refused outright, there was hope. As expected, even a spoiled young noble who had entered officialdom still hoped to take shortcuts.
Of course, he had no right to judge others—because he himself intended to use Meng Xizhao as a shortcut.
The Fifth Prince lowered his voice, his tone growing even gentler.
“I have heard that the young lady of the Meng family from the Chief Councilor’s residence went with several close friends to Xuanwu Lake today to boat upon the water. She must be having great fun at the moment.”
Meng Xizhao immediately looked up at him, his face full of shock.
The last time he had merely mentioned Zhan Hui in front of Zhan Buxiu, it had immediately set off alarm bells. There was a reason for that. In truth, even mentioning a young lady’s name could be dangerous. Once you brought her up, it meant you were interested in her. If such talk spread, her reputation would be ruined.
Yet the Fifth Prince had not only mentioned Meng Jiaojiao—he had even shown that he knew her whereabouts. It was practically a blatant declaration: I have my eye on your sister. Will you be sensible and quickly thank me for being willing to become your brother-in-law?
A trace of delight appeared in Meng Xizhao’s expression as well. But the delight quickly faded, replaced by deep hesitation.
“Your Highness may not know… my younger sister… my younger sister has been spoiled since childhood. She is especially bold by nature. Even I cannot control her. Only our parents can make her obey from time to time.”
In other words: I cannot stand on the same side as you. Even if I were willing for you to marry my sister, my parents would never agree.
The Fifth Prince grew somewhat displeased. At last he decided to speak plainly.
“Deputy Minister Meng—do you think I am not worthy of your sister?”
Meng Xizhao gave a bitter smile. “Your Highness, you give me far too much credit. Your Highness is a dragon among men. For my Meng family to receive Your Highness’s favor must be the blessing we accumulated over several lifetimes. However, Your Highness must have heard about what happened a few months ago—my elder brother being poisoned in a tavern…”
The incident of Meng Xi’ang’s poisoning had spread everywhere, yet the real culprit being Consort Lin was known only to the Emperor, the Meng family, and a few high ministers. The Court of Judicial Review had already closed the case, and at this time it was not customary to reveal the truth to the public.
In theory, the Fifth Prince should not know what truly happened. But someone who harbored ambitions for the throne would hardly lack informants inside the palace.
The moment Meng Xizhao mentioned the matter, the Fifth Prince immediately showed sympathy. “I have also heard something of this.”
Meng Xizhao sighed. “Just because my brother and I gained a little attention, we attracted such a murderous calamity. Your Highness may not know—the poison was meant to kill. If my elder brother had not been blessed with great fortune, he might already be buried in the Meng family ancestral graveyard by now. After this incident, our entire family has become like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. As for great wealth and high status… we no longer dare to dream of such things.”
The Fifth Prince understood at once. The Third Prince must have frightened them out of their wits.
So now the entire Meng family trembled at the mere thought of the imperial clan and no longer dared have any connection with the royal family.
But that would never do! Wouldn’t all his careful scheming go to waste then?
The Fifth Prince looked at Meng Xizhao firmly. “Poisoning is the most despicable of methods. I despise it as well. What happened before caused you much suffering. But from now on, with me here, I will never again allow you to face such helpless isolation.”
Meng Xizhao: “……”
Shouldn’t a normal person say something like, I won’t let something like this happen again? So the benefit he was offering was merely a twisted version of I’ll stand behind you and support you silently?
No wonder Great Qi seemed doomed. The imperial family certainly produced many sons, but those with ability lacked health, and those with good health lacked brains.
After a moment of silence, Meng Xizhao still looked at him with gratitude. “With Your Highness’s words, my father and mother will surely feel much more at ease. I will also give Your Highness my assurance—after I return, I will certainly do my best to persuade my parents!”
The Fifth Prince: “……”
Just persuade them? And if persuasion failed?
Meng Xizhao: Then of course it would no longer be my problem.
…
The two of them each gave a vague, open-ended promise. When the Fifth Prince left Bu Xun Tian, his mood felt strangely complicated, as if he had run around for nothing and only ended up giving himself more trouble. Meng Xizhao, however, was in an excellent mood. He personally escorted the prince to the entrance before turning back.
Once inside, he waved his hand and told the servants to clean up the private room they had used. Then he returned to his own exclusive room, sat down, had Yinliu bring him extra dishes, and summoned several singing girls to perform for him.
He had heard that the Fifth Prince’s mother had once been a singing girl. She had been trained within the imperial palace and had an extremely respectable background. When she was elevated to the rank of Beauty, no one dared gossip about it.
But this singing girl had rather poor luck. Not long after she gained the Emperor’s favor, Noble Consort Gan entered the palace. Because the Emperor fell in love with her at first sight, he did not even bother with gradual promotions—he directly bestowed upon her the position of Noble Consort, the highest rank below the Empress.
From that moment onward, the Emperor never again visited the residence of that Beauty. Until the day she died, he never promoted her even once.
As a result, among all the princes, the Fifth Prince had the lowest birth status. Children from poor families grow up early. No wonder he had always kept such a low profile and so desperately needed the support of his future wife’s family.
That said, Meng Xizhao had always been curious about one thing: how exactly had the Emperor fallen in love with Noble Consort Gan at first sight? One was the Emperor, the other a minister’s daughter. Unless it happened during the imperial selection of women, the Emperor would normally have no opportunity to see young ladies raised in secluded households.
Could it have been something like today—when all the young ladies happened to go out into the streets for entertainment, and the Emperor, bored, came out to mingle with the people and happened to catch sight of her?
Unable to figure it out, Meng Xizhao shook his head. After dismissing the singing girls who had finished their performance, he turned over on the couch and quickly fell asleep.
＊
Meng Xizhao and the Fifth Prince had both entered and exited through the front gate, and many people had witnessed them walking together. Naturally, news of it soon reached the desks of those who cared.
The Third Prince had long kept an eye on this seemingly low-key but actually quite calculating younger brother. He had already noticed that the Fifth Prince frequently visited Yongjin Tower—and that the young lady of the Meng family often went there as well. Previously he had no proof and could only speculate, but now there was no need to guess anymore. It seemed everything had been confirmed.
Hmph. Old Fifth’s intelligence really was nothing impressive!
Knowing that Grand Preceptor Gan would not support him, that the Right Chancellor kept his distance from the struggle among the princes, and that the Left Chancellor’s family had no daughters of marriageable age, the Fifth Prince had settled for the next best option—trying to form a marriage alliance with the Assistant Chief Councilor’s family.
Little did he realize that the situation of the Meng household was even more precarious than his own. They were already like oil boiling over a raging fire—one push from anyone and the whole thing would collapse.
Originally the Third Prince had planned to wait until he gathered solid evidence before going to see the Emperor. But after being provoked by his foolish younger brother, he decided that choosing a day was worse than simply taking the present one.
Tomorrow it would be.
Early the next morning, the Third Prince left his Prince Ning residence and entered the palace to see his “beloved” father, the Emperor.
The palace had recently granted princely titles to four imperial sons all at once, keeping the Ministry of Works extremely busy. They were both suffering and delighted at the same time.
After all, where there were construction projects, there was profit to be made. And the building of princely mansions was not funded by the national treasury but by the Left Treasury—the imperial household’s own accounts. As the Emperor’s most trusted steward, Qin Feimang naturally took on the role of chief engineer without hesitation.
No wonder this Grand Steward Qin had been smiling at everyone lately. It seemed he had made quite a sum.
There was no regular court assembly today. The Third Prince knew his father’s habits fairly well, so he waited until after the Hour of Chen. Only at the second quarter of the Hour of Si did he leave the palace of his mother, Consort Lin, and go to see the Emperor.
By coincidence, quite a few people were standing in Kunyu Hall today: Grand Preceptor Gan, Privy Councilor Geng, General Shang, and Assistant Chief Councilor Meng were all present. Chancellor Yan and Chancellor Situ were absent, but there was an unfamiliar face among those standing below.
At first glance, this man was clearly a military officer. His complexion was weathered by wind and sun. Though only in his twenties, he already carried the air of someone much older.
It was not that he looked old—rather, he simply did not seem young. Especially his eyes, which resembled those of someone in the twilight of life.
He had removed his armor, yet arm guards and leg wrappings still remained on him. Now he knelt before the Emperor of Tianshou, staring silently at the floor.
This was the ill-fated commanding general—Ding Chun.
The Third Prince had not expected so many people to be present, nor had he expected that in such a gathering of high-ranking figures the Emperor of Tianshou would actually allow him to enter. For a moment he was overjoyed, wondering whether it meant the Emperor had already forgiven him. But when he saw Ding Chun kneeling on the ground, he suddenly understood.
Oh. So it was not forgiveness. The Emperor simply wanted him inside to serve as yet another audience member listening to the scolding.
The Emperor of Tianshou’s philosophy when it came to berating someone: gather as many spectators as possible and grind the victim’s dignity into the floor. That way the person being scolded would feel maximum humiliation, and he himself would feel even more satisfied.
In truth, the Third Prince had not needed to be this thoughtful today. Late the previous night, around midnight, the Emperor of Tianshou had already learned that Ding Chun had returned. But at the time the Emperor had taken off his robes and was lying on the imperial bed, sighing over and over as he reminisced about his one true love. He had no desire to get up and start scolding people, so he instructed Qin Feimang to wake him early the next day—he would vent his anger then.
…
When the Third Prince entered, Ding Chun had already endured the first wave of scolding. Had he not noticed that the four treacherous ministers standing to the side were all silent? That was because there would still be a second wave, and a third.
The others were managing well enough, but Grand Preceptor Gan was secretly miserable.
He was the oldest among them. In his younger days he had often thrown himself to the ground weeping during court sessions. Now his knees were no longer in good shape; he could barely stand for long. If he had known earlier, he would not have come today. It would have been far better to imitate Situ Huan and Yan Shunying—claim there were pressing matters of public welfare and stay comfortably seated at home.
But regretting it now was useless. With no other option, he quietly slapped his own palm.
In the future he must not personally involve himself in everything like this anymore! If he wanted information, he should simply send subordinates to inquire.
…
The Emperor of Tianshou did not notice the little movements of his father-in-law below. Leisurely taking a sip of tea to moisten his throat, he acted as though Ding Chun kneeling on the floor did not exist and instead addressed the Third Prince who had just entered.
“Third son, what do you want?”
His tone was stiff. Partly because he was still in the mood for scolding and could not soften his voice, and partly because he still disliked this third son of his. Just like his mother, the boy’s face was simply not pleasing to him.
…Not like the time he had once praised the Third Prince for looking the most like himself.
Meng Jiuyu was also present. The Third Prince felt somewhat hesitant. Anyone who had grown up in the palace knew how formidable Meng Jiuyu was—only the Right Chancellor had the ability to contend with him. Still, the Third Prince rolled his eyes and glanced again at Ding Chun kneeling on the ground.
He felt a little nervous.
His father must be extremely angry right now. If he were to reveal that Meng Xizhao had dealings with the Crown Prince, his father’s fury would certainly surge even higher. Meng Xizhao would be finished for sure. The problem was that when the Emperor truly became enraged, he did not distinguish between friend and foe. If he lashed out indiscriminately and ended up hating him as well…
Meng Jiuyu watched the Third Prince suspiciously. The man’s eyeballs were trembling so much they looked ready to develop into localized Parkinson’s disease.
Regarding the poisoning incident, the Emperor believed Consort Lin had done it. But Meng Jiuyu was not nearly so foolish. He had quickly deduced that Consort Lin must have been made the scapegoat. The real mastermind was very likely her son—the Third Prince.
At the time, chaos had reigned in the Office of the Assistant Chief Councilor. Madam Meng had nearly rushed straight into the palace. Meng Jiuyu held her upper body, Meng Xi’ang grabbed her legs, while Meng Jiaojiao and Meng Xizhao guarded the door desperately. Only then had they managed to stop her.
When Madam Meng realized she could not move at all, she broke free from her husband and sons’ grasp and said fiercely, “I was not planning to die together with the Third Prince! I only wanted to go slap Consort Lin twice, so His Majesty could see that although I accepted his attempt to smooth things over, I will not swallow this grievance silently!”
Meng Jiuyu had nearly burst into tears. “My dear, His Majesty is not your father-in-law, nor some noble lady you deal with in daily life. If you make him lose face like that, he will bear a grudge—against you, against our entire family, even against the Duke’s household!”
Meng Xi’ang had been so frightened he could only nod repeatedly. “M-Mother, I am truly fine. Please calm down, calm down. Do not act impulsively again.”
Madam Meng bit her lip, her chest rising and falling with anger. She stared at Meng Xi’ang for two seconds, then suddenly turned her head toward Meng Xizhao, who was pressed flat against the door, blocking it with his back.
Her gaze made Meng Xizhao’s heart skip.
Madam Meng frowned, and an uncontrollable trace of heartache appeared in her eyes.
Suddenly Meng Xizhao felt terribly guilty.
If it had not been for the loophole in his own scheme, the Third Prince would never have thought of poisoning as a tactic. Although Meng Xizhao had prepared everything in advance and knew that Meng Xi’ang would definitely survive, his mother did not know that. She did not even know that the accident that day had also been part of Meng Xizhao’s arrangement. In her mind, she had nearly lost her son.
That was why she had been so determined to take Meng Xizhao to see that master—to check whether the fate written in his fortune had truly been broken.
Meng Xizhao did not dare meet her eyes again.
Madam Meng took a deep breath, walked to the back of the room herself, and sat down angrily.
“Today we endure, tomorrow we endure—how long must we keep enduring? Others hold the knife while we are the fish on the chopping board. Is this fate never going to change for the rest of my life? Must I simply watch as my own children are trampled like this?!”
At the time, Meng Jiuyu had merely patted her back and tried to calm her down. He had made no promises. Later, in his dealings with the Third Prince, he also showed no change—still avoiding when he could, still yielding when necessary.
But at this moment, watching the Third Prince’s expression—clearly tangled in thought and full of hesitation—Meng Jiuyu’s heart stirred. Suddenly he spoke, prompting him.
“Prince Ning, do you have something you wish to say?”
When a person is deep in thought, the worst thing is to be interrupted. Once interrupted, the earlier train of thought cannot be picked up again. Especially since the Emperor was still waiting for his answer—under such circumstances, blurting something out was the instinctive reaction of most people.
The Third Prince instinctively looked at Meng Jiuyu, then toward the Emperor of Tianshou ahead. Seeing the Emperor already frowning at him, he made a snap decision.
Forget it. Since he had already come this far, he might as well say it.
And just like that, he missed the last sliver of opportunity…
The Third Prince bowed to the Emperor Tianshou.
“Father Emperor, I have come today to inform you that there are people in the court forming factions for private gain. On the surface they claim loyalty to you, but behind your back they are secretly colluding with the Crown Prince—while you remain completely unaware.”
The moment the words Crown Prince were spoken, not only the four treacherous ministers standing to the side, but even Ding Chun, kneeling on the ground, all snapped their heads toward Emperor Tianshou.
The emperor’s expression did not seem to change.
He merely asked calmly, “Oh? And who would that be?”
The Third Prince smiled inwardly. His gaze shifted to Meng Jiuyu, and the look immediately set off alarm bells in Meng Jiuyu’s mind.
With a bow, the prince replied,
“It is none other than the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial—Meng Xizhao.”
…
It felt as though the Palace Guard had only come not long ago, and now they were here again.
But this time, Meng Xizhao looked even more innocent than before—because he genuinely had no idea what he had done this time.
However, the palace guards were in far more of a hurry than last time. One look was enough to tell that this was serious business. They clearly meant trouble.
Meng Xizhao did not panic. He simply set down his brush and followed them out. When he reached the entrance of the Court of State Ceremonial, Qingfu was standing there again, looking at him anxiously.
This time, Meng Xizhao did not bother with eye contact. He had discovered earlier that Qingfu was terrible at reading expressions anyway. Instead, he lightly traced a line across his sleeve with his finger.
Qingfu saw the gesture, his eyes widened, and he immediately turned and ran off.
When Meng Xizhao entered the Kunyu Hall, the first thing he saw was the four treacherous ministers standing to the side. Even his own father was among them, which startled him on the spot.
With a lineup like this… did they think he had betrayed the country?
Then he noticed Ding Chun kneeling on the ground and paused again.
Uh… who is that?
Taking a few more steps forward, he saw the malicious look on the Third Prince’s face. Only then did Meng Xizhao finally realize that today’s incident was probably the prince’s doing.
Instinctively, Meng Xizhao glanced toward Meng Jiuyu at the side. To his astonishment, he saw faint beads of sweat on Meng Jiuyu’s forehead. He looked tense to the extreme.
As for the other three ministers, they all lowered their heads and tucked their hands into their sleeves, pretending they did not exist.
That was strange.
Meng Jiuyu was something of a lone minister in court. He did not belong to any faction. If someone like that ran into trouble, normally everyone would rush to kick him while he was down.
Yet none of them said a word.
That could only mean one thing—today’s matter was no small affair. If they spoke carelessly and tried to stomp on the Meng family, they might twist their ankle and fall into the pit themselves.
There were only a few kinds of matters that could make even these corrupt ministers so wary.
Very soon, Meng Xizhao figured out what was going on.
Lowering his eyelids, he stepped forward properly and bowed to Emperor Tianshou.
“Your servant Meng Xizhao greets Your Majesty.”
The emperor asked, “Where have you come from?”
Meng Xizhao: “…”
For a brief moment he almost replied, This humble monk has come from the Great Tang of the Eastern Lands—like in Journey to the West—but clearly this was not the time for jokes.
He lowered his head again and answered honestly.
“From the Court of State Ceremonial. The Xiongnu are sending their Left Worthy King as an envoy to Great Qi. Considering his high status, I felt it would be inappropriate for him to stay in the old courier station. It would also fail to demonstrate the prestige of our nation. So I drafted a construction request, hoping the Ministry of Works might build a special residence for foreign envoys. In the future, when emissaries from other nations come to Great Qi, they could stay there as well.”
His explanation distracted Emperor Tianshou for a moment.
The emperor knew Meng Xizhao had always been diligent in his duties. That knowledge slightly reduced the anger in his heart.
Only slightly.
It was nowhere near enough.
The emperor continued, “Tell me—when did you first become acquainted with the Crown Prince?”
Meng Xizhao lowered his head again. “Your servant—”
Suddenly he seemed to realize something and abruptly lifted his head in shock.
“The Crown Prince?”
For some reason, that reaction triggered something in Emperor Tianshou.
The emperor flew into a rage and even stood up.
“You still dare pretend to be ignorant before me?!”
“For two full months, the Third Prince has seen you behaving intimately with the Crown Prince! And this is what you call loyalty to me? Your loyalty is less useful than that of a dog!”
Well… that was true.
When it came to loyalty, humans really could not compete with dogs.
Meng Xizhao continued staring blankly at the emperor. When he finally processed what Emperor Tianshou had said, he became so anxious he looked ready to jump onto the roof.
“Me? Close with the Crown Prince?! Your Majesty, I do not even know what the Crown Prince looks like! Aside from the day of the enfeoffment ceremony—when I saw a distant red figure from below—I have had no other interaction whatsoever! Third—no, Prince Ning, how can you make such a baseless accusation?!”
The Third Prince merely watched him act and gave a mocking laugh.
“You think I would say such things without evidence? At the Qionglin Banquet you painted a portrait for the Crown Prince’s cousin, Xie Yuan. Later, a guard from the Crown Prince’s side even went to your residence to pick you up. I saw it with my own eyes. How could that possibly be false?”
Meng Xizhao paused.
Then he suddenly asked, “Prince Ning, did you truly see it with your own eyes?”
“Of course.”
Meng Xizhao looked puzzled.
“But… you did not attend the Qionglin Banquet, did you? I remember only the Second Prince, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, and Sixth Prince were present. Since Your Majesty was seated at the head table, I paid special attention to that side. You were not there.”
The Third Prince: “…I misspoke. That day was witnessed by others. What I personally saw was the Crown Prince’s guard coming to fetch you.”
Meng Xizhao’s expression grew even stranger.
“Then may I trouble Your Highness to tell us which day that was?”
The Third Prince answered firmly, “It was the first day of this month!”
Not wanting to be questioned endlessly by Meng Xizhao, he quickly turned the tables.
“Now tell us—where did you go that day?”
Today was the eighth. Seven days had passed.
Meng Xizhao pretended to think for a moment.
Then he turned around, ignoring the Third Prince completely, and addressed Emperor Tianshou.
“Your Majesty, on the first day of the month…”
He hesitated briefly.
“…your servant first went to Jiming Temple to burn incense. After that, I went to the Court of State Ceremonial for work.”
The Third Prince seized upon what he believed was a flaw.
Everyone knew the Crown Prince visited Jiming Temple to worship on the first day of each month.
“You see?” the prince pressed. “Everyone knows the Crown Prince goes to Jiming Temple on the first day. You went there on the same day—how could that possibly be a coincidence? In my opinion, you went there specifically to meet him!”
Meng Jiuyu suddenly stepped forward.
“Impossible! Your Majesty, Erlang would never do such a thing!”
Emperor Tianshou glanced at the Third Prince, then at Meng Jiuyu, and finally fixed his gaze on Meng Xizhao.
The latter had his lips tightly pressed together. He was no longer jumping in agitation like before, yet he did not look guilty either. Instead, he frowned slightly, as though there were something difficult for him to say.
Meng Xizhao had previously flattered Emperor Tianshou into an excellent mood, and the emperor did not wish to wrong him if it could be avoided. So he decided to give him a chance.
“Speak honestly. That day you went to Jiming Temple—what exactly were you doing there?”
Hearing this, Meng Xizhao lifted his head. First he cast a pitiful look toward the emperor, then another toward Meng Jiuyu.
Finally he wiped his face, as if bracing himself to reveal something he had no choice but to say.
“Fine! I will tell the truth!”
The Third Prince waited excitedly for him to confess.
But what Meng Xizhao said next left him completely stunned.
“I went to Jiming Temple to request a Longevity Tablet for Your Majesty!”
“Three months ago I had already visited Jiming Temple once. At that time my mother forced me to go. I never believed in all this talk of Buddhism and Daoism. But the moment I entered Jiming Temple and heard the sound of the temple bells, I do not know what happened—I wandered around and somehow ended up in the rear hall. Passing the Rakshasa Wall, I arrived before the Great Deity Naga.”
“At the time I did not know which deity it was. After returning home, I searched through many books.”
Meng Xizhao lowered his head, his voice suddenly filled with embarrassment.
“I could not understand most of those books. It took me a long time before I finally realized that the Great Deity Naga is one of the attendants who protect the Buddha, shielding him from calamity with his own body. After learning that, I thought—if such a deity exists, surely he could also protect Your Majesty. I even asked my mother whether it would be better to copy sutras or donate incense money. She told me both were necessary, but the best thing would be to request a Longevity Tablet.”
Meng Jiuyu had been standing there in confusion like everyone else, listening to the story. When his wife was suddenly mentioned, he froze, then abruptly remembered something.
“No wonder some time ago you asked your mother for a large amount of silver. I thought you had spent it all at Hongchun House—”
He immediately clamped his mouth shut, realizing he might have said something he should not have.
Emperor Tianshou shot him a glance but did not comment. He simply asked Meng Xizhao, “And then?”
“Then on the first day of the month I went up the mountain to Jiming Temple. The books said that praying with sincere devotion on the first and fifteenth days brings greater blessings. I donated three thousand taels of incense money to the abbot and requested a Longevity Tablet.”
“However, because I feared others finding out, I did not write Your Majesty’s name on it. When I left, I also purchased two rolls of scriptures. One I gave to my superior, Lord Han—after all, the last time he borrowed my scriptures his health seemed to improve. The other I took home to copy.”
He hesitated.
“My handwriting is truly ugly. Sometimes after finishing, it feels almost like I have desecrated the Buddha instead…”
He fell silent for a moment before speaking again timidly.
“But I have already improved. Soon I should be able to copy sutras properly and pray for Your Majesty’s blessings.”
When he finished speaking, he suddenly lowered his head and wiped his eyes.
He did not make a sound.
Yet that single motion was enough for anyone to imagine just how red his eyes must be at this moment.
The Third Prince: “…………”
“Bullshit!!!”
The Third Prince was practically exploding with rage.
“You clearly went there to meet Cui Ye!”
At the sound of the Crown Prince’s name spoken outright, Emperor Tianshou flew into a fury.
“Cui Lin! Did I permit you to speak?!”
The Third Prince was startled by the emperor’s roar and immediately lowered his head, not daring to utter another word.
Meanwhile, Meng Xizhao continued silently weeping. Only when Emperor Tianshou addressed him did he look up again, revealing a face streaked with two lines of tears.
“…If you requested a Longevity Tablet for me, why hide it? Why act so secretive?”
Meng Xizhao’s voice had changed, tinged with a faint sob.
“Because it must not be spoken aloud. Once spoken, it loses its efficacy! If Your Majesty had not asked today, I intended never to mention it in my entire life!”
“Your Majesty, I truly never met the Crown Prince. Prince Ning said the Crown Prince’s guard came to fetch me—but why would a guard come for me? I left my residence at the hour of chen. I was even late to work because of the Longevity Tablet. What urgent matter could the Crown Prince possibly have that required finding me at that exact moment?”
Emperor Tianshou considered this.
He realized it made sense.
The Crown Prince had always been tactful. Even if he harbored other intentions, he would not openly summon Meng Xizhao away on a workday like that.
At this moment, Meng Xizhao wiped his tears and suddenly looked toward the Third Prince, suppressing his anger.
“Prince Ning, you said you saw it with your own eyes. Then please explain now—how exactly did you see it with your own eyes?”
“That day I left the Secretariat Office at the hour of chen and went directly to Jiming Temple. After leaving the temple I went to the Court of State Ceremonial to work. The envoy from the Yuezhi Kingdom had business with me and even kept me for a meal at the Yuezhi embassy. It was only when the moon had risen high that I finally had time to return to the Secretariat Office.”
“You said you saw me—then when exactly did you see me? Prince Ning’s residence is four streets away from the Secretariat Office. None of your routes pass by it. Why would you happen to see me there? Could it be that you neither ate nor drank nor slept, but spent the entire time watching me?!”
The Third Prince: “…………”
Damn it.
One careless step, and now he was doomed.
Why had he insisted earlier that he personally saw it? He could have just said a servant witnessed it!
Actually… even that might not have worked. Meng Xizhao probably would have had an answer for that too.
The Third Prince could not respond.
And Meng Xizhao was not finished yet. Now he began piling praise upon him in a way that was clearly meant to sting.
“I truly do not understand. The first time Your Highness met me at Buxuntian, you already called me a treacherous villain. You dislike how close I am to His Majesty, and you dislike the entertainments I arrange for him.”
“If you disapproved, could you not simply have told me directly? Why must you force me into this situation—using the Crown Prince as an excuse…”
“Do you hate me that much?”
Though Meng Xizhao appeared to be questioning the Third Prince, every word was meant for Emperor Tianshou to hear.
Until now, the emperor had not known the Third Prince disapproved of his excursions outside the palace. He had just begun to frown when he heard the rest.
If Meng Xizhao truly had no contact with the Crown Prince, then the nature of this matter changed entirely.
It meant the Third Prince had exploited the emperor’s hatred of the Crown Prince in order to eliminate a political opponent.
The moment Emperor Tianshou realized this possibility, his face darkened instantly.
Because this angered him even more than the idea of Meng Xizhao being close to the Crown Prince.
After all, Meng Xizhao was merely an outsider.
But his own son… had used the one thing he hated most as a weapon to manipulate him.
Just then, Meng Jiuyu suddenly dropped to his knees with a loud thud.
But the direction he faced was not toward Emperor Tianshou—it was toward the Third Prince.
“Your Highness Prince Ning, please spare my son! As for what happened before, I beg you to show mercy and let bygones be bygones!”
What happened before?
What past matter?
Aside from what Meng Xizhao had just mentioned about their first meeting at Buxuntian, what else was there?
Ah—right.
There was also the poisoning incident involving Consort Lin.
Yes… that explained it.
The emperor had been so angry before that he almost forgot that Consort Lin had once tried to poison Meng Xizhao—only to poison the wrong person and hit Meng Xi’ang instead. Emperor Tianshou had long since decided he never wanted to see that vicious woman again for the rest of his life.
And the Third Prince had always seemed obedient.
So it turned out he had been dissatisfied with the emperor’s handling of the matter all along—and now he was using this method to harm Meng Xizhao.
If he hated Meng Xizhao…
Did that mean he hated the emperor too?
The way Emperor Tianshou looked at the Third Prince suddenly changed.
Before, he had been looking at someone familiar.
Now, he was looking at an ungrateful wretch.
I gave you life. I raised you. And yet in your heart there is only that poisonous mother of yours.
Well… you are her son. Of course the two of you are cut from the same cloth.
Inside the great hall, everything suddenly became deathly silent.
The Third Prince, who had been raging moments ago, Meng Jiuyu kneeling in pitiful supplication, and Meng Xizhao trying to pull his father up—all of them fell quiet.
They all felt that instinctive warning of danger.
Meng Jiuyu immediately stopped acting miserable and allowed his son to help him to his feet. The two of them lowered their heads and said nothing.
Emperor Tianshou silently looked down at the people before him.
Behind him, the ice sculpture continued to release faint threads of cold air—but it was unnecessary now. Even without the ice, Kunyu Hall felt like the Arctic, freezing everyone’s limbs stiff.
“Qin Feimang.”
The emperor spoke.
Holding his whisk, Qin Feimang stepped forward. “Your Majesty.”
“Summon Wen Shiji. Have Prince Ning escorted to his fief. Without my decree, he is not to leave his residence. As for Consort Lin, send her along as well. I never want to see the faces of those two again.”
Qin Feimang bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Third Prince stared at Emperor Tianshou as if struck by lightning.
He simply could not accept that the father he revered most would treat him like this.
Meng Xizhao watched the prince stand there like a lost soul. When the Commander of the Palace Guards entered the hall, the prince did not even utter a sound before being dragged away.
Meng Xizhao was still stunned when suddenly he heard the emperor call his name.
“Meng Xizhao.”