Chapter 16#

Kill That Emperor (16)#

Shen Jue only hesitated for a moment before saying, “Your Majesty, this servant entered the palace at a young age and has long forgotten even where his hometown was.”

Murong Xiu looked at him, his anger not subsiding. “Then why do you know You Congxuan?”

Shen Jue was silent for a while before he spoke, “Ever since Your Majesty personally reviewed the imperial examination papers, people privately approached this servant, wanting me to put in a good word before Your Majesty. You Congxuan was one of them. He had a eunuch from his hometown contact me. This servant did not intend to do such a thing, but after seeing You Congxuan’s face, I knew that this person would surely be useful to Your Majesty. That’s why I deliberately wet the examination paper.”

Murong Xiu furrowed his brows, listening carefully to Shen Jue’s words before asking, “You knew what he looked like? Why did you do that?”

Shen Jue lifted his head, his gaze fixed steadily on Murong Xiu. “It’s precisely because he bears some resemblance to Your Majesty. This servant thought that the Regent, upon seeing You Congxuan, would certainly take action. And since You Congxuan dared to buy an official post, from this matter alone, I knew his character. Keeping such a person by the Regent’s side would greatly benefit Your Majesty. That is why this servant took the bold step of doing this.”

He paused, then took out a small embroidered pouch from his sleeve and, with both hands, respectfully offered it to Murong Xiu.

“The money this servant accepted is also here—not a single copper coin was embezzled.”

Murong Xiu lowered his eyes.

Although his face had been ruined, his eyes remained beautiful, even more so because of the ugly scars that accentuated them. He looked down at Shen Jue, his expression complicated. After a moment, he gently took the pouch Shen Jue held out. “Are you not deceiving me?”

Shen Jue, seeing that he seemed to have calmed down, put on a fawning smile. “How could this servant ever deceive Your Majesty? Everything I do is for Your Majesty.”

Is that so?

But why did he feel uneasy?

Are you truly not deceiving me?

Is everything truly for my sake?

Murong Xiu looked at Shen Jue, who was smiling obediently, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask these questions. He mocked himself inwardly. Having come this far, he almost dared not probe deeply into Shen Jue’s intentions. It was Shen Jue who had disfigured his face, and it was also Shen Jue who had protected him in front of the Regent. If Shen Jue’s kindness were false, what would he do?

He trusted Shen Jue so much, yet he was gradually discovering that Shen Jue seemed far from ordinary.

It was as if Shen Jue harbored a massive secret, and Murong Xiu instinctively felt that secret would be dangerous.

Murong Xiu put away his angry expression and smiled at Shen Jue. “I believe you.”

If you are going to deceive me, please do so for a lifetime; otherwise, I will not let you off.

…

You Congxuan successfully passed the provincial exam, and Murong Xiu gave him a sinecure in the Hanlin Academy. And You Congxuan was indeed ambitious. In just a month, he had managed to ingratiate himself with the Regent. Having never seen Murong Xiu’s true face before his disfigurement, he noticed that the Regent kept staring at his face intentionally or unintentionally, so he began to scheme.

The Regent’s feelings toward this counterfeit, You Congxuan, were complicated. On one hand, he wanted to use the other’s face to reminisce about Murong Xiu’s appearance. On the other hand, he felt You Congxuan’s character was inferior to Murong Xiu’s. Seeing You Congxuan fawn over him irritated him, yet he couldn’t bring himself to drive him away.

And You Congxuan, seeing the Regent’s mood swinging between hot and cold, was utterly confused.

Among those who had passed the provincial exam, there was a man who served alongside him in the Hanlin Academy, named Yu Junwei. Since they had passed together and been assigned to the Hanlin Academy together, they were fairly close. One night after drinking, You Congxuan couldn’t help confiding his confusion to Yu Junwei.

Yu Junwei held his wine cup, smiling mysteriously. “Master You, how am I supposed to answer such a question?”

You Congxuan looked at him, puzzled. “Do you know what’s really going on?”

Yu Junwei glanced around before lowering his voice. “Master You is from out of town, so you wouldn’t know, but I’m a native of the capital and know a thing or two about that gentleman. That gentleman happens to be fond of men.” He mumbled the last few words vaguely. “Master You has an immortal-like appearance, like a golden child by the Queen Mother’s side. Seeing you, that gentleman’s heart would surely flutter. But since Master You knows nothing about it, that gentleman behaves this way.”

Hearing Yu Junwei’s words, You Congxuan’s half-drunk mind suddenly cleared a great deal.

Yu Junwei was suggesting that the Regent had taken a fancy to him.

At that time, homosexuality was already a common trend. Many high officials and nobles favored male companions, so the male brothels in the capital were thriving.

You Congxuan was not one for male companionship, but he was one for money and power. Working now in the Hanlin Academy, his monthly salary was meager, and after social expenses, what little remained barely covered his meals. When someone had secretly told him he could buy an official post before, he had spent almost all his money. Now he had almost nothing left.

If he could latch onto the Regent, wouldn’t his future be bright?

Drunk, You Congxuan swallowed hard, feeling that sacrificing his body was well worth it for his career. Besides, the Regent was genuinely handsome. Being with him would be no loss.

Yu Junwei, who was drinking beside him, saw You Congxuan’s lecherous smile and sneered to himself.

A man like this becoming an official? Truly laughable.

Over here, You Congxuan was rubbing his hands in anticipation of climbing into the Regent’s bed. Over there, Murong Xiu was secretly cultivating his own power. Having discovered that Shen Jue was far smarter than he had imagined, he began consulting Shen Jue on almost everything. And Shen Jue never disappointed him.

Unbeknownst to him, Murong Xiu grew increasingly trustful of Shen Jue, even to the point of feeling uncomfortable if he didn’t see Shen Jue for long periods.

Meanwhile, the Regent, having acquired You Congxuan as his substitute, grew a bit smug. Whatever he couldn’t get from Murong Xiu, he could get from You Congxuan. You Congxuan never gave him a cold face; he would call him “Prince” softly and sweetly, and even in bed, he would say anything, no matter how obscene.

As a result, when the Regent attended the morning court, he now looked at Murong Xiu with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

There really was no one in the world whom you couldn’t do without.

Since Murong Xiu didn’t know his place, of course there were others who did.

But You Congxuan was not so comfortable. He had indeed made it into the Regent’s bed, but the Regent was a sadist who beat him in bed. Now his body was covered in bruises. Every time, the Regent wouldn’t stop until he made You Congxuan cry.

Unhappy in bed, You Congxuan sought comfort elsewhere. As the Regent’s current favorite, he was naturally wined and dined by everyone. So You Congxuan began to extract money from these people. Those who wanted an audience with the Regent but had no connections started approaching him.

The Regent liked You Congxuan’s face and couldn’t bear to let him go for the time being, so he turned a blind eye to his actions.

…

Murong Xiu looked at the letter that had been presented and couldn’t help glancing at Shen Jue beside him. “From Shi Jian’an?”

Shen Jue nodded. “Yes. It was sent in this morning. Shi Jian’an’s man specifically found this servant.”

The letter detailed the deeds You Congxuan had recently committed under the Regent’s name. An eighth-rank official in the Hanlin Academy like You Congxuan had even dared to meddle with the official salt trade—truly audacious beyond belief.

After reading it, Murong Xiu couldn’t help but rage. “Those two scoundrels are birds of a feather.”

Hearing this, Shen Jue walked behind Murong Xiu and began massaging his shoulders with moderate pressure. “Your Majesty, there’s no need to be angry first. You Congxuan is nothing but a festering sore. If Your Majesty were to hastily remove this sore, the person it clings to would get off lightly.”

Murong Xiu, soothed by the massage, relaxed a little. “What do you mean?”

“Your Majesty may be better off watching from the sidelines. There are others more anxious than Your Majesty.”

In previous years, the official salt trade was controlled by a few families. If You Congxuan wanted to let other families in for a share, how could those original families agree? They would naturally turn to their backers. These people were deferential to the Regent only because he held high authority and had not yet affected their interests. But when their vested interests were threatened, they would no longer stay silent.

Thus, as the year drew to a close, several high-ranking ministers jointly submitted a memorial denouncing You Congxuan for privately selling official salt quotas.

And how could an eighth-rank official like You Congxuan have done such a thing?

So Murong Xiu directly raised the matter at the morning court.

Upon hearing this, the Regent looked toward You Congxuan at the back of the line. He knew You Congxuan had done many things in his name, but he hadn’t expected him to dare touch the salt trade.

You Congxuan saw the Regent looking at him and trembled, dropping to his knees.

“Your Majesty, this servant is wronged! How would I dare to privately sell official salt quotas?”

Murong Xiu looked at him coldly. “But Master You, this memorial clearly states the details. I’m just curious—how did you manage it?”

You Congxuan stammered, unable to answer. Then Shi Jian’an stepped forward from the line and said, “Your subject has a memorial to present.”

…

Shen Jue never accompanied Murong Xiu to the morning court. While Murong Xiu was at court, he generally stayed in Murong Xiu’s palace.

That memorial had been delivered late at night, and he had read its contents. He knew that today’s morning court would be a bloody storm. But to overthrow the Regent, this was far from enough. The Regent could control the court only because he held military power.

Shen Jue frowned involuntarily. His current abilities were far too limited. Being confined to the inner palace, it was very difficult to interfere with state affairs.

Just as he was planning his next move, someone rushed into the palace with hurried steps. Shen Jue barely had time to react before he was pulled into a tight embrace.