Chapter 97#

The moment things took a turn, Shen Chen couldn’t help but wonder if Wen Zhuo had secretly set some trap behind the scenes.

He urgently needed to discuss this with Xie Langyang, but how could an outer minister easily enter the palace? Xie Langyang was most likely still anxiously awaiting news in the Grand Secretariat’s office.

Shen Chen had to seize this fleeting opportunity and make a decision as quickly as possible.

He rapidly analyzed the situation in his mind: if Wen Zhuo truly preferred to harm others without benefiting himself and had informed Shen Ting of the inside information in advance, then today’s soul-summoning ceremony should never have existed in the first place.

After all, Shen Ting had recommended Zhang Deyuan to Emperor Shunyuan; if something went wrong, Shen Ting would also bear joint responsibility.

But if Wen Zhuo was merely standing by and watching the fight from a safe distance, then it meant this plan was still worth trying.

Having lived a second life, many things had already changed. Perhaps Emperor Shunyuan’s outing today differed from his previous life. Perhaps someone had discussed other matters with him before the soul-summoning, altering his state of mind.

Or perhaps the spring plague had vanished out of nowhere, sparing the capital a great disaster, and Emperor Shunyuan’s physical decline had not progressed as rapidly as in the previous life, making his mood much calmer.

In short, there were too many factors that could have calmed his father today. He couldn’t rashly conclude that Wen Zhuo was the one acting in the shadows.

Just as Zhang Deyuan closed his eyes to “listen” to the shadow figure speak, the silhouette on the curtain slowly raised its arms and made a deferential bow toward Emperor Shunyuan.

Shen Chen finally made up his mind.

Even if he exposed Zhang Deyuan’s trick in public, what responsibility could he possibly bear? As long as he could bring down Shen Ting through this, everything would be worth it!

Zhang Deyuan seemed to have truly heard something from the spirit’s mouth. He suddenly opened his eyes wide, took a deep breath, then turned and deeply bowed to Emperor Shunyuan.

His long beard fluttered, and tears even glistened in his eyes. His expression was most sincere: “She asked me to relay this to Your Majesty’s ears: she only wishes for Your Majesty to treasure your dragon body, follow your heart’s desires, and from this year onward, enjoy complete freedom, free from fear and worry, with boundless fortune and longevity.”

Zhang Deyuan performed with extreme effort. As he poured his emotions into the act, he immediately fell to both knees and kowtowed repeatedly in Emperor Shunyuan’s direction, his voice loud and clear: “Long live Your Majesty! Ten thousand years!”

In the previous life, the plot had never reached this point, so Shen Chen didn’t find anything wrong with Zhang Deyuan’s words or actions.

A deceased consort appearing to offer blessings to her husband—this was perfectly reasonable.

The only oversight was that Shen Chen had assumed Emperor Shunyuan would be furious from the start, so he hadn’t arranged for anyone to expose the trick. Now, he had to do it himself.

The surrounding consorts, palace maids, and eunuchs, not understanding what was happening, truly believed some mystical event was unfolding—a spirit appearing to bestow blessings upon the True Dragon Son of Heaven. They all followed Zhang Deyuan in bowing and chanting: “Long live Your Majesty! Ten thousand years, ten thousand years!”

Although the trick was somewhat crude and full of mystification, the blessing itself was quite thoughtful. The weariness on Emperor Shunyuan’s face faded somewhat, and he raised his hand to call everyone to rise.

Seeing the opportunity slipping away, Shen Chen grew anxious. Without waiting any longer, he hurried forward on his knees!

But Shen Zhi, beside him, suddenly reached out and grabbed him by the collar. Lowering his voice, he asked with great curiosity: “Sixth Brother, where are you rushing to in such a hurry?”

In Shen Chen’s eyes, this action was clearly an attempt to stop him.

He had no time to argue with Shen Zhi now. He fiercely shook himself free of Shen Zhi’s grip and shot him a sharp glare. Then, he scrambled out of the crowd and knelt before Emperor Shunyuan.

Lifting a seemingly innocent face, his cheeks flushed red, he spoke with righteous indignation: “Father, wait! This man is deceiving you!”

His words instantly silenced the lingering sounds in the imperial garden. Shen Ting’s snake-like, icy gaze immediately locked onto him. Emperor Shunyuan slowly turned his head, studying this inconspicuous son by the flickering candlelight.

Shen Chen pointed angrily at Zhang Deyuan: “Father, please have someone examine his toes! Several silk threads are wrapped around them, all connected into the curtain, controlling a glass disc and a paper-cut figure! This is how he manipulated the shadow just now, making the spirit appear. I once heard traveling scholars at the East Pavilion talk about this kind of trick. Today is the first time I’ve seen it. I cannot bear to see Father deceived by this charlatan!”

As soon as Shen Chen’s voice rang out, Zhang Deyuan recognized it—the person who had called himself the “Fifth Prince” that day.

It turned out that soaring to success was a lie, a life of comfort was a lie. He had been offered as a sacrifice to frame a brother!

A cold sweat instantly soaked Zhang Deyuan’s back. Then, a searing hatred gushed from the depths of his heart.

In all his years wandering the jianghu, he had seen every kind of deceit and intrigue. But only today did he realize that petty squabbles among commoners were nothing compared to the ultimate poison within the imperial court!

Fortunately, the remonstrating official had timely revealed the truth tonight, saving him from the catastrophic disaster of deceiving the emperor and losing his head.

He remembered Shen Ting had called that man “President Wen”—could it be Wen Zhuo, Wen Wanshan, who had once benefited the people of Bozhou?

Zhang Deyuan was also a vengeful man who knew how to dig for multiple escape routes. Hastily bending down, he untied the silk threads around his toes. Then, he reached behind the curtain and pulled out the glass disc and the paper-cut figure.

Holding the items high, his face was full of grievance and panic: “This is indeed my livelihood’s secret skill! I practiced for years to control the paper figure with my toes before daring to present this skill for Your Majesty’s entertainment! I truly don’t know where this crime of deceiving the emperor comes from!”

With the trick exposed on the spot, the magic was gone. The watching crowd finally understood—it wasn’t some divine sorcerer, but just a performer brought in from outside the palace by the Third Prince to amuse the emperor.

Seeing Emperor Shunyuan remain silent, his gaze fixed on him, Shen Chen’s face flickered with confusion.

Just then, Shen Ting rose with a cold, insincere smile and walked over slowly. Looking down at Shen Chen, still kneeling and fully immersed in his performance, he said: “Sixth Brother, what’s the rush? Who said that shadow on the curtain was a spirit?”

Shen Chen looked up sharply, meeting Shen Ting’s gaze. The moment their eyes locked, cold sweat trickled from his temples.

Shen Ting’s calm demeanor made him realize instantly—today, he had been utterly defeated!

Emperor Shunyuan’s face darkened: “Your Third Brother specially invited someone to perform a trick for me, so that the entire rear palace could enjoy it together. He took great care to keep the details hidden. Now you jump out to expose it—what do you want me to do?”

Shen Chen finally understood completely. This was a trap set for him all along, turning his own plan against him!

Shen Ting had long told Emperor Shunyuan the truth, just waiting for him to leap out and leave a bad impression of ulterior motives in his father’s mind!

Thus, the meager goodwill he had painstakingly accumulated over the past few months would soon turn into the emperor’s suspicion.

Only someone as vicious as Wen Zhuo could have devised such a poisonous scheme!

“Your son… your son didn’t know Father already knew. I was just being too clever…” Shen Chen’s voice trembled with tears. Forcing out a few tears, he stumbled forward and clung to Emperor Shunyuan’s leg, looking up with a pleading expression, “I was just worried that Father might be deceived! I blurted out the trick’s secret in a moment of impulse. I had no other intentions!”

Emperor Shunyuan remained unmoved.

He had just discovered that this always cautious, ever-smiling Sixth Son was not as simple and harmless as he had thought.

At the special grace banquet, Shen Chen had publicly provoked him, leading to the game of Go against Nanping. If not for Shen Zhi’s extraordinary talent and his victorious fame overnight, the prestige of the Great Qian Dynasty might have been shattered.

Today, he had publicly exposed the sorcerer Shen Ting had brought. If Shen Ting hadn’t already explained the reason, and if it had been a case of mystifying to curry favor, Shen Ting might not have escaped today.

It seemed that power was truly seductive, capable of turning blood ties so ugly.

“Get out of my sight.” Emperor Shunyuan’s voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.

A twisted heart, but fortunately no great disaster had yet occurred. Such ugly fraternal strife was best kept within the inner court. Otherwise, in the annals of history, his generation would repeat the mistakes of Emperor Zhaoxi, earning the infamy of an unsettled palace.

Elsewhere, outside the Donghua Gate, Wen Zhuo had deliberately come to watch the excitement. At a glance, he saw Xie Langyang still arguing fiercely with the imperial guards.

One guard had already run to report, asking the Directorate of Ceremonial whether Minister Xie was permitted to send a message into the inner court. The other guard remained politely dissuading him, steadfastly refusing to let Xie Langyang step through the palace gate.

The man who was usually the most dignified and self-possessed was now like a brawler on the street—red-faced, veins bulging, utterly lacking in decorum.

Wen Zhuo stood aside watching for a while. Only when Xie Langyang was left with no choice but to give up did he unhurriedly walk over. A smile curled at the corner of his lips as he mercilessly mocked: “Minister Xie, don’t you think getting anxious now is a bit too late?”

Xie Langyang had already worked himself into a sweat, his eyes red with urgency. He abruptly turned his head, only to meet Wen Zhuo’s calm, smiling face—a smile that made his insides churn with bitterness.

Wen Zhuo leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice, and explained slowly: “By now, Shen Chen has surely jumped out to expose Zhang Deyuan’s trick as planned. But he doesn’t know that His Majesty already knew it was just a trick from the start. Shen Ting never once mentioned to His Majesty anything about summoning Consort Chen’s spirit.”

Xie Langyang felt like he had been struck by lightning. A sudden epiphany hit him, and his voice trembled: “You intended to lure the Sixth Prince into exposing himself, to be suspected by His Majesty. That way, he can no longer secretly recruit court officials and expand his influence!”

Wen Zhuo smiled brilliantly, his voice clear as a flowing spring, piercing straight to the heart: “Not only that. I told Shen Ting that whoever was the first to jump out and attack tonight was the one who wanted him dead. Guess what? After surviving this ordeal, will Shen Ting hate Shen Chen to the bone and want to destroy him? Then, you’ll be so exhausted dealing with Shen Ting’s revenge that you won’t have any energy left to thwart the Fifth Prince’s path to the throne!”

“Wen Wanshan! Your plan is truly vicious!” Xie Langyang’s arms trembled uncontrollably, his palms clutching so tightly they had lost all sensation.

Wen Zhuo sneered: “Why is it that I’m the vicious one again? Weren’t you always kind-hearted, thinking Shen Ting and Zhang Deyuan dying too miserably wasn’t deserved? Isn’t this life exactly what you wished for?”

“You—” Xie Langyang was choked silent. The grief and indignation in his chest burst forth. He pointed at Wen Zhuo and demanded with anguish: “You are cutting off the path of the one destined by Heaven! Aren’t you afraid of heavenly retribution?”

Wen Zhuo replied faintly: “Minister Xie truly has a short memory. Wasn’t I struck by heavenly retribution and sent back to this moment from a rain of arrows?”

“Then…” Thinking back to the day of the execution, Xie Langyang could no longer maintain his righteous stance. He could only stand there stiffly, his eyes red, as if all his strength had been drained away.

Just as Wen Zhuo had said, it was already too late for Xie Langyang to seek an audience now.

Inside the inner court, Shen Chen’s knees ached from the cobblestones. His chest was full of pent-up rage, but with no outlet, he could only slump his shoulders and walk dejectedly toward the Donghua Gate.

He knew in his heart that Emperor Shunyuan had not forgiven him, nor trusted him. He simply didn’t want the matter to blow up and damage the royal family’s reputation.

Today, in front of everyone, he had acted like a complete buffoon—losing both his wife and his army. If word of this spread to the outer court, Gong Zhiyuan would surely hold him in even lower regard.

Shen Chen was lost in these bitter thoughts. Just as he reached the Qianying Gate, he suddenly felt a tremendous force slam into his lower back. Before he could react, his entire body was sent lurching forward uncontrollably.

It all happened too fast. The tip of his shoe caught on the gap between the bricks, leaving him no chance to even stumble and break his fall. He crashed hard onto the cold ground.

“Ah!” He cried out in shock. His teeth hit the ground first, sending a sharp, excruciating pain through him. Instantly, the taste of rust flooded his mouth.

Then, something inside his mouth wobbled and fell onto his tongue with a soft pat.

He instinctively curled his tongue—and was horrified to find that it was his front tooth!

In two lifetimes, he had never suffered such a serious injury, nor such humiliation!

He was the future Emperor Shengde, the sovereign of an entire nation!

Shen Chen was mad with rage. He scrambled up from the ground, his eyes bloodshot, and roared: “What kind of dog or pig—vile scoundrel—would dare to ambush a prince inside the inner court! Get the hell out here!”

He could no longer maintain his usual ingratiating, smiling facade. The cruelty and ruthlessness he had shown after ascending the throne now completely revealed themselves on his face. The fury in his eyes seemed ready to burn through the palace walls.

“I’ll skin you alive! I’ll rip out your tendons! You dare scheme against your father?!” Shen Ting hobbled out from the shadows on his lame leg, a vicious sneer twisting his face.

Before his words died out, he swung the cane in his hand and brought it down fiercely on Shen Chen’s head and face.

Seeing Shen Ting’s ferocious appearance, Shen Chen’s courage instantly withered. With no weapon at hand, he could only dodge clumsily—but he still took several hits, the pain making him grimace.

“Third Brother! How dare you lay hands on me inside the palace! Where are your manners? Aren’t you afraid Father will punish you?!” Shen Chen dodged while shrewdly timing his moves, striking hard at Shen Ting’s lame leg.

“I don’t give a damn anymore!” Shen Ting’s roar echoed between the palace walls. “I’m not competing for anything! A barefoot man fears no one with shoes! Today, I’m going to beat you, this treacherous bastard, to death!”

Shen Ting’s temper had always been erratic. Once he lost control, no one could restrain him. The servants in his household had long suffered from it. Now, he had completely lost his mind, without any caution, single-mindedly set on killing Shen Chen.

“I don’t want to die with you!” Shen Chen gritted his teeth and turned to run.

But Shen Ting, in his emotional frenzy, had somehow burst with brute strength. He lunged forward and grabbed Shen Chen by the back of his collar. With a loud riiiip, Shen Chen’s robe tore open in a long gash. The edge of the belt also cut Shen Ting’s fingers, and blood immediately streamed out.

But Shen Ting had long forgotten the pain. Seizing the moment Shen Chen’s steps faltered, he threw himself forward and pinned Shen Chen to the ground. Then, he raised his fist and punched Shen Chen’s face again and again—each blow drawing blood, hitting with deadly force.

“You tried to destroy me!”

“You motherfucker tried to destroy me!”

“You bastard’s spawn—how dare you covet the throne! Ptooey!”

“A bastard is always a bastard! You think no one knows? How your mother pretended to be Noble Consort Liang and crawled into Father’s dragon bed!”

Shen Chen was soon beaten black and blue. He could no longer care about princely dignity. He fought back desperately.

“Let go! No one’s here to go crazy with you!”

“Ah—!”

The sounds of scuffling quickly alerted the nearby young eunuchs. Several of them hurriedly brought lanterns over. When they saw the two princes wrestling on the ground, they were so terrified their souls nearly left their bodies, and the lanterns almost fell from their hands.

“What’s going on, Your Highnesses? Oh dear me—please stop at once!”

The Consort Yi had also gone to the imperial garden for the excitement today. Seeing Shen Chen lose face in front of everyone, she had wanted to stay by Emperor Shunyuan’s side and put in a few good words for her son. But she hadn’t pestered him long before he impatiently dismissed her.

On Consort Chen’s death anniversary, he didn’t want to see any consorts.

So Consort Yi’s steps were delayed. When she reached the Qianying Gate, leaning on a palace maid’s arm, she happened to hear Shen Ting’s venomous curses. She felt as if a thousand knives had pierced her heart, and she could hardly breathe.

Looking closer, she saw Shen Chen rolling all over the ground, his clothes torn, his topknot flying, and his face smeared with blood and dirt.

Consort Yi let out a shriek and rushed over unsteadily, crying: “What’s happened? Pull the Third Prince away! Save the Sixth Prince! My son!”

Cries, shouts, and curses mingled together. The crowd grew larger and larger. Finally, seven or eight strong eunuchs came forward together and barely managed to separate the two princes.

Shen Ting was still swinging his fists and kicking his feet furiously, held back by several men, like a madman, wishing he could stretch his arms several zhang long to land a few more punches on Shen Chen.

Shen Chen, finally rescued, had lost all resemblance to a human face. Blood streamed from his mouth and nose. His eye sockets were swollen into two huge lumps. His forehead was a patch of purple from the blows. Even his ear had been torn a small cut.

Trembling, he raised his hand and pointed at Shen Ting. His chest heaved violently as he cried out in grief and rage: “My teeth! My teeth!”