Unwarranted Calamity?
Ban Qin’s heart gave a jump.
Was something wrong again?
The thought flashed through her mind, and then she paused – why had she thought “again”?
“Nothing strikes out of nowhere,” Cheng Jiao-niang said with a light laugh. “Everything follows a traceable cause.”
Qin Hu smiled.
“By saying that, you might become part of cause and effect,” he remarked.
“Words are casual from the speaker, but may weigh on the listener’s heart,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
Before, when her mistress spoke with the Duke, Ban Qin couldn’t understand. Now, why couldn’t she follow the conversation with Young Master Qin either?
Frowning, Ban Qin stood to the side, perplexed.
“Come in and talk,” said Cheng Jiao-niang, extending an invitation. “The weather is turning bad – it’s going to rain soon.”
Bad weather?
Both Ban Qin and Qin Hu instinctively glanced up at the sky.
The sun was blazing fiercely, without a hint of wind or a cloud in sight.
“Oh dear, I should go bring in the wedding gown that’s hanging out to dry,” Ban Qin quickly turned and hurried off.
If Miss said it would rain, then it would certainly rain.
Wedding gown…
Qin Hu was momentarily lost in thought before collecting himself and stepping into the hall.
“From the moment the Emperor mentioned ‘Taibai crossing the sky,’ you became entangled in this affair.”
Once seated in the hall, Qin Hu spoke, lifting his gaze to Cheng Jiao-niang. Since the day he had turned and walked away, he had thought things would be different when they met again – but they weren’t.
It was as if nothing had happened at all. They were still as they had been before. Yes, just as before.
Look, now there truly was trouble again.
“Before the lunar eclipse, did the Emperor have Duke Jin’an ask you something?”
“Yes, he asked me if there would be an eclipse,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied. “That’s hardly unusual. Eclipses can be calculated – it’s not something only I would know.”
Qin Hu nodded.
“The eclipse was never the issue,” he said. “The key now lies in the word ‘ask.’”
He looked at Cheng Jiao-niang.
“That he asked is known to all, but what was asked – that is not known to all. Only you and Duke Jin’an share that knowledge.”
…
“Her Majesty the Empress has taken full control of the entire inner court,” reported the man before them.
“His Majesty now follows the Empress’s advice in all matters. Even after the loss of the young prince, Consort An’s favor remains undiminished – the Emperor continues to rest in her palace nightly, a decision influenced by the Empress’s counsel.”
As the man spoke, the expressions of those seated grew increasingly grim. Only Gao Lingjun’s countenance remained unchanged.
The oppressive atmosphere in the room weighed heavily, making the speaker almost afraid to lift his head.
“…The inner court is now filled with the Empress’s people. Even within the Dowager Empress’s palace, it has become impossible to distinguish…”
“That woman moves swiftly indeed,” sneered Young Master Gao. “To replace personnel in such a short time – does she not fear arousing His Majesty’s suspicion?”
The speaker glanced up at him. “It was not done in a short time,” he said quietly. “They have been in place… since no one knows when.”
How could this be!
Young Master Gao was utterly stunned.
That ailing Empress from the Ministry of Rites – who had even prepared burial objects, waiting only for her last breath – had quietly taken control of the inner court!
What a joke!
How could this be possible!
Were the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Consort nothing but dead statues?
“Why should it be impossible?” Gao Lingjun said calmly. “The dog that bites hardest is often the one hiding quietly in the corner. To have concealed herself for so many years just to strike this one bite – Her Majesty the Empress truly commands admiration.”
“This could not have been accomplished by the Empress alone,” remarked a scholar-advisor. “Without sufficient benefit and an assurance of infallibility, Her Majesty would never have taken such action.”
“Benefit? The benefit is that with the Imperial Consort gone and the Empress Dowager fallen, she stands supreme in the palace. Once Prince Ping ascends the throne, she will be the only Dowager Empress left in the court,” Gao Lingjun replied.
Although she was not the rightful empress, as the biological mother of the Emperor, the Imperial Consort would naturally have been granted the title of Empress Dowager in the future.
With that status, backed by the Gao family and the support of the grown emperor, the Empress-turned-Dowager would have been better off dead sooner rather than later.
But now things were different. After what had happened, the Imperial Consort had absolutely no chance of being granted the title of Empress Dowager. It was even uncertain whether she would retain her consort title.
“So what? Even without the Imperial Consort, would Prince Ping honor her as his mother?” Young Master Gao exclaimed.
“Could Prince Ping afford not to honor her as his mother?” Gao Lingjun retorted sharply, glaring at him.
“Such a mother would be nothing but a figurehead at best. And with the great enmity of having framed his true mother, how could her life as Empress Dowager be anything but miserable…” Young Master Gao sneered dismissively.
Gao Lingjun cut him off with a scornful “Bah!”
“A figurehead? What’s wrong with a figurehead? There’s no shortage of figureheads sitting on the Dragon Throne either,” he said.
That much was true.
There had always been emperors governed from behind the curtain. The previous dynasty’s Empress Dowager had presided over court affairs for a full twenty years – the Emperor seated on the Dragon Throne then was little more than a figurehead.
“Miserable? With the great enmity of having harmed his true mother, would the Empress let Prince Ping off easily? With the principles of hierarchy, filial piety, and moral order laid out before him, even if she cannot hinder major affairs, she can still cause trouble for him at every turn,” Gao Lingjun said, eyebrows raised. “As for the assurance of infallibility – that, naturally, lies in the court of public opinion.”
“Now that the young prince has died, the common folk all say he was the true heir destined for the throne. Bearing that reputation, even if Prince Ping ascends, he will be seen as lesser in the eyes of the world – his legitimacy questionable, his claim unstable.”
With such an emperor, why would the Empress Dowager fear him?
With such an emperor, the Empress Dowager would surely live comfortably and freely.
“What is most feared, indeed, is the judgment of public opinion,” Gao Lingjun sighed, stroking his beard.
The Empress… ah, the Empress. She has truly played a masterful game.
“It’s all because of this accursed ‘Taibai traversing the sky’!” Young Master Gao shouted angrily. “It’s all because of this damned celestial omen!”
Gao Lingjun, however, smiled faintly.
“That may not necessarily be true,” he said. “The ‘Taibai traversing the sky’ might not be a bad thing after all.”
How could this possibly be a good thing? Things had already come to this.
Young Master Gao stared wide-eyed.
Had his father truly been driven mad this time?
“So what if things have reached this point? It’s merely a game of chess – the final outcome is yet to be decided,” Gao Lingjun said. “If the Empress, Duke Jin’an, and that girl could collude to use ‘Taibai traversing the sky’ against us, then we too can use ‘Taibai traversing the sky’ against them!”
“Father, are you saying this matter was orchestrated by the three of them together?” Young Master Gao asked. “What if they refuse to admit it?”
“Admit it?” Gao Lingjun laughed heartily. “Do things in this world only count as true if they are admitted?”
His laughter faded abruptly.
“Besides, didn’t that girl already confess before the emperor that she knew about ‘Taibai traversing the sky’ and understood it foretold danger for the Crown Prince?”
…
Qin Hu took a sip of tea.
“Is this tea from the tree in the courtyard?” he asked.
Cheng Jiao-niang nodded.
Qin Hu smiled, lowering his head for a moment.
“You truly shouldn’t have admitted on the hall that you knew about Taibai traversing the sky,” he said, not waiting for her to respond before continuing, “I know what you’re going to say – you knew, so you spoke.”
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him and fell silent.
“You knew, so you would certainly speak. To you, there is nothing that cannot be said. If someone asks, you answer; if someone seeks, you respond if you can,” Qin Hu said, watching her.
Yes, that was exactly the kind of person she was. It might seem frightening from one angle, but from another, it was almost pure – pure as an infant untouched by the ways of the world.
“That is why he used you,” Qin Hu said. “From the moment he came to ask about the lunar eclipse, he had already set this trap we face today.”
“He never asked me about Taibai traversing the sky,” Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head.
“Because what he needed wasn’t to ask you whether Taibai would traverse the sky,” Qin Hu also shook his head, his brows furrowing. “What he needed was simply that he had asked.”
He gave a cold laugh.
“That is where his cunning lies – because he knew you would not speak falsely.”
…
“Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!”
In the imperial court assembly at the palace, yet another minister stepped forward, holding his ceremonial tablet high as he spoke loudly.
Let them present it, let them.
In the coming days, memorials impeaching Gao Lingjun and demanding the demotion of the Imperial Consort were likely to flood in like snowflakes.
Let them, let them.
This time, it would also be an opportunity to see clearly just how many factions and allies Gao Lingjun truly commanded.
To see how many would mock him – an emperor with no choice but to allow the Gao family and the Imperial Consort to act recklessly, treating him like a fool to be toyed with.
If you’re so capable, why not kill Prince Ping in your rage to avenge the young prince?
Do you dare? Do you dare?
You don’t! Because you have no other sons! That’s why we dare!
The Emperor’s ears seemed to ring with countless voices – laughing, large and small, men and women…
His hands clenched involuntarily, trembling slightly, and his vision seemed to blur.
“Your Majesty…”
A eunuch’s voice, soft and tinged with anxiety, sounded by his ear.
The clamor of laughter faded, and his vision cleared once more. The Emperor took a deep breath, steadying his racing heart. He raised a hand to press against his forehead, then lifted his eyelids slightly.
“Granted,” he said.
“Your Majesty, I petition for a thorough investigation into the concealment of the Taibai Traversing the Sky omen,” the minister declared loudly.
Indeed – investigate thoroughly.
Investigate how the Imperial Consort, Gao Lingjun, and their allies conspired with the Bureau of Astronomy, using celestial omens, prophecies, or other means to harm the imperial heir.
The Emperor thought to himself.
“…and to investigate Duke Jin’an and the Cheng lady of Jiang-zhou for their crimes of harboring treacherous intent.” The minister’s voice continued to ring out.
What?
Duke Jin’an? The Cheng lady of Jiang–zhou?
Standing in the hall, Chen Shao’s expression shifted slightly, his heart stirred with complex emotions.
So, in the end, she has been drawn into this after all.
Sometimes, possessing too much knowledge becomes a burden, doesn’t it?
The Emperor also abruptly straightened in his seat. He watched the still-verbose minister, then suddenly gave a cold, faint smile.
So this is the counterattack from Gao Lingjun’s faction – it has indeed arrived.
Yet, the smile at the corner of his lips soon faded.
“…Since that Cheng lady could predict solar and lunar eclipses, how could she not have known about Taibai traversing the sky?”
“…Taibai traversing the sky occurred before the lunar eclipse. Prior to the eclipse, Your Majesty privately ordered Duke Jin’an to inquire with the Cheng lady. If she knew about Taibai before the eclipse, why did she not report it to Your Majesty? If she claims she did not know, then why did she admit before the hall the other day that she did know?”
“…Your Majesty stated that the Imperial Consort knew of Taibai traversing the sky, while Your Majesty and the people of the realm did not…”
“…I believe it was not that the people of the realm did not know, but that someone deliberately concealed it from them…”
“…It must be investigated whether the Imperial Consort knew first, or Duke Jin’an knew first, or whether the Cheng lady knew first…”
Whoever knew first – it ultimately meant that he, the Emperor, did not know at all!
The hall fell dead silent. The Emperor’s face turned ashen.
“Summon Duke Jin’an and Lady Cheng,” he said slowly.
…
“Speaking of which, we still have a sliver of hope in this matter – and for that, we should thank Chen Shao.”
Gao Lingjun spoke, a faint smile touching his lips.
“If he hadn’t stopped the Emperor from summoning Lady Cheng during the lunar eclipse affair, we wouldn’t have today’s opportunity.”
He then looked around at the others in the room.
“Also, has the message been conveyed to Prince Ping?” he asked. “Has the memorial been submitted yet?”
Young Master Gao quickly nodded.
“It has, it has. After today’s court session, His Highness will submit the memorial – he has already entered the palace.”
Gao Lingjun let out a slow breath.
“To think that the ones who laid out this game, who struck us so unprepared from above and below, were these three,” he said, a note of reflection in his voice.
“I’ve long said we should get rid of that Duke Jin’an,” Young Master Gao said bitterly.
“Nonsense! As if we haven’t tried?” Gao Lingjun shot him a glare, then gave a cold laugh. “We always thought it was just bad luck or coincidence. Now it’s clear – we were being countered at every step. It’s not that we didn’t want to eliminate him; it’s that we couldn’t!”
It seems that while we plot against others, others plot against us. No one should underestimate anyone.
“We still underestimated them,” he sighed, frustration evident.
Infuriating indeed, but it doesn’t matter.
“There’s still a chance,” he said. “This time, we must eliminate him for good.”
As he spoke, he set his teacup down with a heavy thud.
Young Master Gao nodded repeatedly.
“And that despicable girl too,” he said. “We really should have taken the chance to kill her amid the chaos at Desheng Pavilion back then.”
Gao Lingjun glanced at him.
“Don’t just stand here idle. Go to the palace and keep an eye on Prince Ping,” he said. “Make sure there are no more mishaps. Who knows what other hidden moves the Empress has prepared.”
Young Master Gao acknowledged the order with a respectful “Yes.”
“Then Mother and I will pay a visit to the Empress Dowager. Since the Empress has publicly declared her ill, she cannot very well bar us from visiting. If even we, the Gao family, are not allowed to see the Empress Dowager, then we might begin to suspect whether she too has been harmed.”
…
“Your Highness, Your Highness…”
Within the inner palace, Prince Ping walked swiftly ahead, the eunuch behind him calling out repeatedly.
“How tiresome!” Prince Ping suddenly halted and turned, his brows drawn together as he glared at the eunuch. “I said I’m not going, so I’m not going!”
“Your Highness, how can you not go?” the eunuch pressed, his face etched with worry and urgency. “After something like this has happened…”
“What does this have to do with me?” Prince Ping snapped. “What does it have to do with me? I am the victim! Just look at what I’ve become in the eyes of the world now!”
That dead little bastard was the true heir to the throne! And I’m the counterfeit! The fake!
Me!
I, who am so intelligent, so capable – a prince of the blood!
All because of the death of that half-formed little bastard, I’ve become a laughingstock to the entire realm!
“And now you want me to go and confess to a crime?” Prince Ping grabbed the eunuch by the collar, his voice low and seething with fury. “Do you think I haven’t been laughed at enough?”
“No, no, Your Highness – this is for the Imperial Consort, your birth mother…” the eunuch pleaded urgently.
“It’s precisely because she’s my birth mother that I’ve become a laughingstock! What was she doing, wandering idly around the palace for no reason? And constantly summoning me to see her – thank heaven I never went,” Prince Ping gritted out in a fierce whisper, spraying spittle onto the eunuch’s face. “If I had gone that day, I would have been the one framed!”
With that, he shoved the eunuch away hard.
The eunuch fell to the ground, grimacing in pain but not daring to utter a sound.
“…It’s all her fault – she never took me seriously since I was little… always thinking I was stupid… First comparing me to that fool… Now that the fool is gone, she goes and compares me to an unborn lump of flesh… In her eyes… am I even less than a mere fetus?”
Prince Ping gritted his teeth, seething with rage as he strode swiftly toward the outer quarters, while the other eunuchs hurried to catch up.
“Your Highness, you mustn’t – Your Highness, this is about filial piety,” another eunuch whispered urgently, stepping forward regardless to block Prince Ping’s path. “His Majesty places the utmost importance on filial piety. If the Imperial Consort has fallen from grace, His Majesty may despise her, not you. But if you show no concern for your birth mother, His Majesty will surely deem you unfilial!”
Filial piety…
Prince Ping halted.
“Your Highness, think back – Prince Qing won His Majesty’s favor precisely by serving medicine to the Empress, telling her stories, picking flowers for her…” the eunuch quickly added.
Prince Qing!
That fool!
Even now, I still have to be compared to that fool!
Prince Ping’s face shifted between shades of pale and dark, and his hands clenched tightly at his sides.
“…Brother, let’s go pick plum blossoms…”
It was as if someone had tugged at his sleeve, accompanied by the sound of a child’s carefree laughter ringing in his ears.
Prince Ping let out a low cry and violently shook his arm free.
“Get away!” he shouted.
The eunuch before him was startled, watching as Prince Ping made to stride off again.
“Your Highness!” he called out. “You must go, or else… His Majesty will harbor suspicion.”
Prince Ping stopped in his tracks. A sudden, unsettling smile spread across his gloomy face.
“Suspicion?” he said. “Fine. Then I shall go and confess my crimes to His Majesty!”
Why the sudden change of mind?
The eunuchs were taken aback, but Prince Ping had always been mercurial – it was hardly unusual for him to shift moods on a whim.
Once he had spoken, Prince Ping indeed showed no hesitation. He turned and hurried in the direction of the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Thank heavens – as long as he’s willing to go, that’s enough. The eunuchs breathed a collective sigh of relief and hurried after him.
As for the matter of paying a visit, Young Master Gao waited until his mother had seen the Empress Dowager before excusing himself to slip away.
“Has His Highness gone?”
Standing outside the Empress Dowager’s palace, Young Master Gao asked.
“His Highness has gone,” a eunuch replied quietly.
Young Master Gao suddenly frowned. Why did that phrasing sound so odd?
“Did His Highness go to the Hall of Diligent Governance?” he asked again.
“Yes, yes,” the eunuch nodded once more. “He left a while ago.”
That sounded better. Young Master Gao straightened his robes but still felt uneasy.
“I’ll go see for myself,” he said, lifting a foot to step forward. Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind swept through, almost blinding him.
“What a fierce wind!”
Eunuchs and palace maids standing under the eaves exclaimed, lowering their heads and covering their faces.
The wind soon passed. Young Master Gao straightened his robes again and looked up at the sky.
The once-blazing sun had disappeared, replaced by dark clouds gathering overhead.
“It’s going to rain,” he remarked, unconcerned, and continued on his way.
Meanwhile, inside the Hall of Diligent Governance, the gale rattled doors and windows loudly. Eunuchs swarmed to secure them, holding doors and pulling shutters closed. After the wind subsided, the hall fell into a heavy silence.
This silence, however, was not due to the interruption of the wind. It was because of Prince Ping.
The Emperor’s face was ashen, and his hand resting on the desk trembled once more. The eunuchs could keenly sense the Emperor’s anger gathering like the dark clouds outside.
A storm is coming…
They thought to themselves, unease tightening in their chests.
“What did he say?” the Emperor asked through gritted teeth.
The eunuch kneeling below trembled.
“His Highness Prince Ping… His Highness Prince Ping said that the tragedy of Consort An losing her child originated from him. Therefore, in order to uphold the Mandate of Heaven, he requests to be sent away from the capital.” With a clenched jaw, the eunuch kowtowed and spoke loudly.
The tragedy of losing her child… Requesting to be sent away…
Chen Shao frowned slightly, surprised.
Has Gao Lingjun lost his mind? Not only does he provoke and anger the Emperor himself, but he even incites Prince Ping to threaten the Emperor in this way?
Still, this could be a good thing. Whether Gao Lingjun is foolish or mad, it works to their advantage.
This time, we must have him dismissed and expelled. Setting everything else aside, just look at what Prince Ping has become under his influence!
So arrogant, so disrespectful…
Prince Ping was not like this before.
Chen Shao shook his head slightly, standing firm and steady among the ranks of officials.
“The tragedy originated from him? He requests to leave?” The Emperor repeated the words slowly, as if he wanted to laugh.
The tragedy… Requesting to leave…
He had waited a long time for Prince Ping to come.
Logically, Prince Ping should have come on the very day of the incident. But just as Duke Jin’an withdrew and avoided the matter, Prince Ping followed suit and stayed away.
Duke Jin’an is a duke, while Prince Ping is a first-rank prince – are they the same?
“Your Majesty, he is still young – he’s frightened.”
When he had complained to the Empress, she had said this with a light laugh.
“Don’t worry, he will come.”
Yes, Prince Ping would come – but he never expected Prince Ping to come and say this!
He had waited so long, only to be met with this slap in the face!
The tragedy of losing her child! Requesting to leave!
What? If his mother is not forgiven, he threatens to leave?
If you have the guts, kill me. If you have the guts, drive me away. If you have the guts, don’t acknowledge me as your son.
Do you dare? Can you? Do you want to cut off your own lineage?
The common people laugh, the court officials laugh – and now even his own son comes to mock him.
Regardless of how the outside world might whisper in private, on the surface, he had done everything to conceal this matter. The court officials, even when submitting memorials, carefully avoided mention of the inner palace affairs.
Yet he never imagined – never imagined – that this son would step forward and slap him right across the face!
Kneeling outside the Hall of Diligent Governance, before all the civil and military officials, before the eyes of the realm – a loud, resounding slap right across his face!
The Emperor’s hands trembled more and more violently.
“Tell him to get out!” he roared, slamming the table before him.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger.”
All the civil and military officials in the hall bowed in unison, their voices rising together.
With a rumble of thunder, heavy raindrops began to fall.
Duke Jin’an, who had just stepped through the palace gates, looked up.
“Your Highness, please come over here to take shelter,” the eunuchs urged anxiously.
“It’s fine. The rain isn’t heavy. Fetch an umbrella for yourselves – I’ll go ahead,” Duke Jin’an said, continuing forward without pause.
The eunuchs hurriedly grabbed umbrellas and rushed after him.
At that moment, Cheng Jiao-niang had also met the eunuch sent to summon her and was preparing to leave.
“You’ll still speak the truth, won’t you?” Qin Hu stood under the eaves, watching as Cheng Jiao-niang changed her clothes and emerged.
“Yes,” she replied.
“You know that sometimes, even when you speak the truth, not everyone will believe it, don’t you?” Qin Hu asked with a bitter smile.
“Yes,” Cheng Jiao-niang answered, a faint smile touching her lips. “Thank you. There’s no need to worry.”
Qin Hu nodded.
“Yes, no need to worry,” he said, stepping forward. “I’ll accompany you to the Imperial Avenue.”
Just as he took a step down the stairs, Cheng Jiao-niang reached out and grasped his wrist.
“Wait,” she said.
Summer clothing was thin, and the sudden touch of an unfamiliar yet gentle hand made Qin Hu’s body stiffen involuntarily.
Ever since his childhood leg injury, once he became sensible, he had never allowed others to touch his body. Even changing clothes and washing were tasks he managed alone as much as possible.
Aside from roughhousing with Zhou Fu, no one had ever held his hand like this – let alone a woman.
Is a woman’s hand like this?
Soft, yet carrying strength, with a slightly coarse texture.
That must be the thin calluses left by years of practicing archery.
What was she going to say?
What did she want to tell him?
Actually, she didn’t need to say anything. No matter what happened, he would always help and protect her.
Just as Qin Hu was about to turn around, he was pulled back forcefully by Cheng Jiao-niang.
At that very moment, a tremendous bolt of thunder suddenly struck, exploding in the sky.
In the courtyard, servants and maids screamed in shock, some even falling to the ground in fear.
Qin Hu was also momentarily dazed by the impact, his ears ringing.
“There’s thunder,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, releasing his hand.
There’s thunder…
“Your Highness, Your Highness, are you all right?”
In the palace, eunuchs who had nearly been frightened off their feet hurriedly grabbed their umbrellas again, looking anxiously at Duke Jin’an.
Duke Jin’an stood in the rain, his hair and robes soaked. He gazed up at the sky, a look of astonishment on his face.
“What a tremendous clap of thunder,” he remarked.
In the distance, thunder continued to rumble. The eunuchs quickly raised their umbrellas.
“Your Highness, please hurry. Let’s move quickly and take shelter inside the hall.”
The group quickened their pace. Not long after, Duke Jin’an stopped once more.
“Over there…”
He looked ahead with some surprise toward the elevated front of the hall.
In the curtain of rain, a figure knelt there.
“Your Highness Prince Ping, Your Highness,” the eunuchs were nearly in tears from anxiety. “It’s raining now. We beg you, please come inside. You cannot keep kneeling here – and there’s thunder.”
Prince Ping remained kneeling, his robes already soaked through. The earlier thunderclap had not frightened him. Instead, watching the panic and cries of those around him only seemed to excite him further.
His eyes gleamed, and a faint smile even touched his face.
“No. I am here to confess my crimes. Until His Majesty has reprimanded me, how can I rise and leave?” he declared loudly, raising his head toward the hall doors.
Because of the rain, the sky had grown dark and gloomy, and the hall was even more dimly lit. Only the vague silhouettes of those standing could be seen, their expressions unclear.
But he could imagine their expressions.
Shocked, furious, fearful.
Confess his crimes?
Confess what crimes?
Those who deserved to die – they died because it was their time. What did it have to do with him?
He was clearly diligent, studious, and intelligent. Everyone praised him. What right did that fool – or that mere lump of flesh – have to be compared to him?
Open your eyes and take a good look. See who is truly your best, unique, peerless son!
Stop seeing every stray cat or dog as something good, while seeing only fault in me!
Prince Ping gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to shout these words aloud, his face twisting slightly from the effort.
“I beg Father to calm your anger!” he cried out loudly.
“It is all my fault. Please allow me to be sent away from the capital!”
“Your Highness, if you have something to say, please go inside and speak with His Majesty,” the eunuchs pleaded, kneeling nearby. The umbrella they had been holding had been thrown aside by Prince Ping and now lay tilted in the rain. “But there will be thunder…”
Before the words had fully left their mouths, a rolling boom of thunder echoed from the sky, drowning out the eunuchs’ voices.
Inside the hall, the court officials could no longer hold back, exchanging glances in silent communication.
This won’t do.
What good will come of this deadlock? Someone must intervene.
Intervene? But whom?
The Emperor? What would that mean – saying the Emperor is wrong?
Then it could only be Prince Ping who must be persuaded.
Prince Ping’s behavior was utterly improper. Look at how the Emperor had been angered into silence.
Chen Shao straightened solemnly and stepped forward.
Seeing him move, several other court officials hurried to follow suit.
“No one is to go!” the Emperor shouted. “No one is to interfere! If he wants to kneel, let him kneel!”
The steps of several court officials halted. But Chen Shao bowed respectfully.
“Your Majesty, to act improperly before the hall – even for a prince – is unacceptable. I must go and order him to stop!” he declared solemnly, and without waiting for the emperor’s response, he strode forward once more toward the outside.
The Emperor’s lips twitched slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.
Seeing someone emerge, Prince Ping grew even more exhilarated.
Ha. Ha.
“Your Highness, cease this foolishness at once. Rise quickly and come inside to speak,” Chen Shao called out loudly as he advanced. The eunuchs under the eaves hurried to follow, holding umbrellas aloft.
“I am not being foolish!” Prince Ping shouted back, thrusting a hand toward the sky. “I sincerely confess my crime – I sincerely accept punishment. If there is even half a word of falsehood in what I say, may I be struck by thunder!”
The moment his words fell, a deafening crack tore through the air, as if the sky itself had been ripped open.
Chen Shao felt a tingling numbness shoot from his scalp down to the soles of his feet. With a thump, he collapsed to his knees. As he fell, the corner of his eye caught sight of another figure ahead also collapsing.
Screams erupted instantly.
Over Duke Jin’an’s head, no umbrella remained. The eunuchs on either side were screaming, kneeling on the ground trembling, several having already fainted.
He stood in the rain, stunned.
My heavens…
Meanwhile, on the other side, Young Master Gao was also dumbstruck.
“Is that His Highness?”
“Yes, His Highness is confessing his crimes to His Majesty. He’s been kneeling in the rain for half the day already.”
“Well, this kid really goes all out.”
The traces of that earlier conversation still lingered, but now, faced with this scene, his mind went completely blank.
Holy shit!
That was the only thought that remained.
Holy shit!
