Minister Wang of the Court of Judicial Review worked through the night to investigate this case. When the Son of Heaven rages, millions of corpses fall – and this time it concerned the Crown Prince’s life. If the mastermind couldn’t be apprehended, heads would roll. However, hard work pays off. Finally, someone revealed that when Minister Wang was examining evidence, he had discovered some clues in the arrow that injured the Crown Prince.
The arrow was forged from fine black iron, its head covered with dense barbs. Such arrows were far more lethal than ordinary ones. And such arrows were precisely the type commonly used by the guards of Prince Jinying’s manor in the capital. Once this news broke, the palace erupted like a pot of boiling water. Word spread that the Emperor had personally gone to the Court of Judicial Review to oversee the case – this time, Prince Jinying and his wife would likely not escape disaster.
The palace rumors included not only Prince Jinying and his wife, but also the recently influential Thirteenth Prince Xuan Pei. The story went that Prince Jinying and his wife had plotted against the Crown Prince because they had colluded with the Thirteenth Prince, hoping to take advantage of the situation to elevate him to power. Though the reasoning seemed sound – after all, the current court situation was tense – acting so boldly and recklessly was extreme even for Prince Jinying, who had always been fearless, while Princess Hong’an had never been so arrogant. This made the matter even more mysterious. But regardless of what people thought privately, the evidence on that arrow was indisputable. Anyone connected to this affair would find it impossible for Prince Jinying and his wife to escape unscathed. As for the Thirteenth Prince, once suspected, he would likely lose the Emperor’s favor forever.
In Cining Palace, Empress Dowager Yide gripped her prayer beads tightly, slowly frowning: “Arrows from Prince Jinying’s manor?”
“Precisely.” Nanny Yang carefully massaged the Empress Dowager’s legs. “I heard His Majesty was extremely furious and went to the Court of Judicial Review with his men an hour ago. He hasn’t returned yet. The palace is buzzing with excitement right now.”
“There are more and more demons and monsters in this palace now.” Empress Dowager Yide sneered coldly, a cruel smile appearing on her face. “Since they want to make trouble, let them. I want to see what becomes of them in the end.”
“What does the Empress Dowager mean?” Nanny Yang asked in surprise. “You’re not going to intervene in this matter?”
“What are you worried about?” Empress Dowager Yide lifted her eyelids to glance at her. “Do you think Prince Jinying’s manor is easy to provoke? I’m afraid before they even get a bite, they’ll be swallowed whole.”
Before Liu Min lay open scrolls, but his lecture was disjointed. Finally, even Xuan Pei couldn’t stand it anymore, lazily leaning back and saying, “Grand Tutor Liu, you’ve misstated the law again.”
Liu Min suddenly came to his senses, somewhat embarrassed. “This humble minister is guilty. Please punish me, Your Highness.”
“You are my teacher after all. A teacher for a day is a father for life – how could I commit such an unfilial act?” Xuan Pei casually lifted the teacup before him and took a sip, turning to look at Liu Min’s distracted appearance with a smile. “What’s wrong? Still worried about Prince Jinying’s consort?”
He used “Prince Jinying’s consort” rather than “Prince Jinying’s manor.” Liu Min immediately felt a shameful sensation, as if his secret thoughts had been exposed. Yet even so, he couldn’t help but worry. The charge of murdering the Crown Prince was no small matter. Even as a rising court favorite, he couldn’t randomly plead for mercy before the Emperor – it would only make things worse. His gaze fell on Xuan Pei nearby. Since learning of this news, Xuan Pei had remained consistently calm, conducting affairs as usual. Though this matter also implicated him, he remained so composed. Liu Min couldn’t quite read this young man, but he understood this youth was no ordinary person – given time, he would surely soar like a dragon.
He said, “Isn’t Your Highness worried this matter might implicate yourself?”
“The pure are naturally pure, the corrupt naturally corrupt.” Xuan Pei smiled. “Grand Tutor often says not to let external things disturb one’s true heart – how can you not understand this principle? Didn’t you teach me this?” He toyed with the white jade paperweight in his hand. “Moreover, I’ve always believed that the gods watch from three feet above our heads. Good deeds bring good rewards, evil deeds bring evil retribution. In this world, there will always be consequences. Whatever anyone has done, Heaven sees clearly. One day, the truth will come to light.”
His words carried an ethereal quality that sent chills down one’s spine, seeming to contain some special emotion. Liu Min felt Xuan Pei seemed to be hinting at something, but couldn’t quite grasp what it was.
…
In the Buddhist hall, incense smoke curled upward. Hui Jue wore robes of red and yellow. Even in his high position, he still dressed simply, always in plain robes, which made people hold even greater respect for him. He seemed truly like a worldly sage untouched by earthly dust, his mortal body unstained by any worldly concerns. He instructed his disciples to clean the Buddha statues while personally entering each meditation room to sweep. Though he was a generation’s Imperial Preceptor, Hui Jue showed no discomfort in performing such menial tasks, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The disciples nearby and the palace maids and eunuchs outside all remarked: truly a worldly sage, not bound by external status or identity.
Gaining a group’s fear and respect was easy, but earning their heartfelt reverence was difficult. The title of Imperial Preceptor was merely a hollow name that would eventually disappear with changing imperial attitudes. Only by implanting the image of Buddha in people’s hearts – this was both great wisdom and great cunning. Once people thought of Buddha, they would first think of this enlightened master. This was the highest realm of deception – belief.
Hui Jue slowly walked through each meditation room. The rooms were quiet and profound, with curtains blocking the noisy daylight outside, creating a peaceful atmosphere. Chess boards held pieces and wooden fish, while sandalwood burned slowly in niches, bringing tranquility. Each small meditation room was clean and tidy – a perfect place for guests to discuss Buddhist teachings and scriptures. Normally, no one would disturb them, so they could talk all afternoon without interruption.
Hui Jue walked into the last meditation room, looked around for a moment, then moved a pot of flowers from the windowsill to a corner of the room. The flowers were pure as orchids, appearing elegant and noble. Hui Jue then looked down at the niche where sandalwood burned, sweeping his sleeve as if adding something to it. After a while, he withdrew his sleeve, fingered his prayer beads, and slowly retreated, his expression unchanged, as if he had merely tidied the meditation room.
Just as he exited the meditation room, he saw someone already standing in the hall – richly dressed and proudly arrogant, who gave him only a perfunctory greeting upon seeing him. It was Xuan Hua.
Xuan Hua had never believed in ghosts or gods, and had considerable criticism for Hui Jue’s ability to reach the position of Imperial Preceptor through small tricks. However, since the Emperor was determined to believe in Hui Jue, he couldn’t go against the grain. Still, he looked down on Hui Jue in his heart, and his attitude could hardly be called respectful.
“Amitabha Buddha. The benefactor has come to worship Buddha again,” Hui Jue said blandly.
“Fifth Prince, what a coincidence.” A clear female voice chimed in at just the right moment – it was Jiang Dan. Seeing Xuan Hua, she appeared extremely delighted. “I came to light incense and pray for His Highness the Crown Prince, but didn’t expect to encounter Your Highness again. Meeting Your Highness here so often – this must be what Buddhists call having affinity.”
Hui Jue lowered his head in silence. Jiang Dan wore a light pink twelve-panel flowing immortal dress that accentuated her graceful figure, barely filling one’s grasp, while her chest revealed a large expanse of snow-white skin that was quite eye-catching. She smiled charmingly and also bowed to Hui Jue with hands pressed together. “Since this is the case, I’d like to finish that game of chess with Your Highness that we didn’t complete last time. I apologize for troubling you again, Master, and occupying your meditation room.”
“The benefactor causes no trouble. Under Buddha’s feet, all beings are equal. Buddhist teachings are the original heart – all phenomena have no form,” Hui Jue spoke in Buddhist riddles. Xuan Hua’s face showed some impatience, and Hui Jue’s young monk led the two into the innermost meditation room.
After the two entered the meditation room, they closed the door behind them. The meditation room was quite far from the main hall of the Buddhist temple. In fact, these meditation rooms were empty every day. Everyone could burn incense and pray, but to sit in meditation rooms discussing Buddhist scriptures – the palace people were busy with other schemes and intrigues daily, where would they find such leisure time? And Hui Jue wouldn’t actively mention who was in the meditation rooms to others. Only here in the palace could they act as they pleased.
“Why did you call me here?” Xuan Hua pinched Jiang Dan’s face. The smooth cheek made him reluctant to let go, and his touch grew heavier, leaving a rosy mark on Jiang Dan’s snow-white face. Jiang Dan pushed his hand away with feigned annoyance. “Don’t move. Didn’t I ask you to come discuss what happens after today?”
“Discuss what?” Xuan Hua felt restless inside. Jiang Dan looked truly enchanting in this state. He couldn’t help but remember their passionate nights together. This woman appeared delicate and pure on the surface, but was actually quite experienced, captivating even someone as well-versed in women as himself. She was a natural seductress – no wonder the Emperor favored her.
Jiang Dan noticed Xuan Hua’s expression and felt somewhat pleased, deliberately batting her bright eyes at him. “Naturally to discuss how to bring down Prince Jinying’s manor. The palace is buzzing with talk now. Those arrows definitely belong to Prince Jinying’s manor. From now on, we just need to pile all the blame on the Xiao family. Your Highness must put in some effort – this is a golden opportunity to eliminate both the Thirteenth Prince and Prince Jinying’s manor together.”
Her words were enticing. Xuan Hua laughed heartily. “I’ve had this matter well in hand for a long time. What are you worried about? But the ancients were right – the most venomous are women’s hearts. I see you truly hate your sister to the bone, so eager to use my hands to eliminate her.”
Having her thoughts exposed, Jiang Dan wasn’t angry. Though Xuan Hua was impetuous, he wasn’t a fool. She used Xuan Hua, but he wasn’t willingly being used either – it was all because he could gain what he wanted from it. Rather than exploitation, it was more like an equal transaction. She smiled sweetly. “Would Your Highness not want me anymore just because I’m vicious?”
She smiled charmingly with seductive eyes. Having specially dressed up today, she was truly blood-stirring to behold. Xuan Hua’s Adam’s apple bobbed. For some reason, today’s sandalwood incense seemed particularly intoxicating.
Jiang Dan also felt restless. Discussing future matters with Xuan Hua today was false – secretly meeting was the real purpose. Desire was like water breaking through ice – once started, unstoppable. Jiang Dan was infatuated with the storm-like intensity Xuan Hua brought her, and had also fallen in love with this stolen pleasure. When human desires become too heavy, reason fails. Jiang Dan had already lost her rationality. Even under normal circumstances, she would never do such bold things. But one thing led to another, and she had become completely confident about the meditation rooms in the Buddhist hall. Additionally, with the Emperor recently leaving the palace for the Court of Judicial Review and Jiang Ruan likely facing more misfortune than fortune, in her reckless state, she had for the first time actually initiated a meeting with Xuan Hua. At this moment, the relatively spacious meditation room suddenly felt cramped, with a hot, sultry atmosphere brewing in the air. Jiang Dan understood the predatory wildness in Xuan Hua’s eyes. She slowly approached, her soft waist swaying like a willow in the wind, every step gracefully alluring.
She slowly extended her arms to embrace Xuan Hua’s neck.
…
However, at this moment outside the Buddhist hall, the Emperor’s party appeared in the main hall like divine soldiers descending from heaven. Xiao Shao and Jiang Ruan stood together, with Xuan Li not far away. Wang Lian’er followed carefully behind, clearly very fearful of the Emperor’s current expression.
Hui Jue set down his wooden fish and approached them. “Amitabha Buddha. Has Your Majesty come to worship Buddha?”
The Emperor waved his hand dismissively. Seeing Hui Jue, his expression softened slightly. “Today I’m not here to worship Buddha. I’m looking for Fifth Prince. I heard he’s here with you – where is he?”
“The Fifth Prince happened to encounter Zhaoyi when worshipping Buddha. They are currently in the meditation room discussing scriptures,” Hui Jue answered neither humbly nor arrogantly, but his words made the Emperor pause. A prince and the Emperor’s consort discussing scriptures – everyone present wasn’t foolish, and the Emperor had experienced such things before. He immediately thought in that direction. Yet it seemed incredible – after all, this was a sacred Buddhist place. Probably he was just overthinking. Moreover, Hui Jue usually remained untainted by worldly concerns, so it wouldn’t do to let him see such thoughts.
So the Emperor only hesitated for a moment before saying, “Take me to see them.”
Hui Jue bowed and agreed, and the group walked toward the meditation rooms. Xuan Li fell behind, walking alongside Jiang Ruan. He smiled at her. “Princess Consort has excellent methods. Is there about to be a good show?”
“The feeling is mutual,” Jiang Ruan returned his smile. “Isn’t this show precisely Your Highness’s arrangement? Why ask me?”
Xiao Shao unobtrusively protected Jiang Ruan at his side, blocking Xuan Li’s gaze toward her. Xuan Li wasn’t angry, smiled slightly, and followed the Emperor’s steps.
When they reached the last meditation room, the leading young monk knocked on the door. “Benefactors, His Majesty has arrived.”
There was no response from inside, as if no one had heard the knocking. The young monk panicked, saying in a childish voice, “Master, this is definitely the right room.”
Indeed, there was no sound of anyone answering the door from inside, but faint, suppressed gasping could be heard, seemingly extremely painful and repressed sounds. Several people present understood the situation. Wang Lian’er’s heart jumped, and she instinctively looked at the Emperor’s expression. Sure enough, the Emperor’s face was livid, the veins on his forehead almost ready to burst. Someone had to push open this door. With schadenfreude, Wang Lian’er softly said, “Perhaps they’re so absorbed in discussing Buddhism that they haven’t heard. Why don’t we go in and take a look?” Having said this, she reached out and pushed open the door herself.
A shriek of “Ah!” was heard as Wang Lian’er covered her face and stepped back, accidentally stepping on her own dress hem and nearly falling. Jiang Ruan steadied her, and Wang Lian’er thanked her before tremblingly pointing toward the meditation room. “Simply… simply too absurd!”
Everyone looked into the meditation room, and indeed it was exactly as expected in their hearts – no, even more lewd. The chess board on the small table had been overturned, pieces scattered across the floor. Clothing lay in disarray on the ground. Two people were embracing on the small table in an extremely shameful state before everyone’s eyes. They had obviously been lost in passion, seeming not to hear everyone’s footsteps. Only when the strange cold air invaded and the fishy smell in the air gradually dissipated did the person on top seem to realize, suddenly turning around. Upon seeing everyone, their face instantly turned deathly pale.
The Emperor looked at them coldly. At this moment, this gentle and charming woman, who unlike other favored consorts had always seemed as natural as a mountain maiden rather than deliberately fawning, had become hideous and shameless. The Emperor had experienced favored consorts having affairs with princes before, but never anything so excessive – actually engaging in such sordid acts in a meditation room, shameless to such a degree!
“Your Majesty… Your Majesty…” Jiang Dan suddenly came to her senses. The coldness in the Emperor’s eyes terrified her. Not only that, she also caught a glimpse of the cruelty belonging to one in supreme power. She knew that even in ordinary families, unfaithful wives would be drowned in pig cages. How much more so for the supreme ruler of a nation? Jiang Dan’s body couldn’t help but tremble, her entire heart almost leaping out of her throat.
The satisfied afterglow following their indulgence hadn’t yet faded when Jiang Dan hurriedly left. Xuan Hua was very displeased, but when the cold wind from outside blew in, his heated body finally sobered somewhat. Hearing Jiang Dan’s words like a slap in the face, his heart went cold. In disbelief, he turned around and indeed saw the group before him, each with wonderfully expressive faces, watching them like a monkey show.
Shame, shock, fear, and anger all surged up at once. Xuan Hua, who had always relied on Noble Consort De to accomplish things, was at a loss, standing frozen in place. He mumbled “Father Emperor” once and then fell silent.
The Emperor finally couldn’t contain himself. He strode forward and kicked Xuan Hua aside with force, roaring, “Unfilial son!” His gaze slowly moved to the naked Jiang Dan, and he suddenly sneered coldly. “Beat this woman who has defiled the rear palace to death with clubs!”
“Your Majesty… Your Majesty!” Jiang Dan was so frightened her whole body shook. She regretted how she could have engaged in such intimate acts with Xuan Hua at this time. Even if they wanted to meet, they should have found a hidden place. If not for losing control today, even if the Emperor had come looking, they could have pretended to be discussing scriptures. How had they ended up caught red-handed? How had she lost control so suddenly?
In that flash of lightning thought, Jiang Dan suddenly remembered the intoxicating sandalwood scent she had smelled upon entering, which had now completely disappeared. She looked at Jiang Ruan standing beside the Emperor. Jiang Ruan’s lips held a slight smile, seemingly the same polite and gentle smile as always, but Jiang Dan clearly saw contempt and mockery in it. Her mind went blank as she suddenly rushed toward Jiang Ruan. “Your Majesty, she framed me, she framed me! The Fifth Prince and I are innocent!”
“Jiang Zhaoyi,” Xiao Shao spoke, his voice cold as ice. “My wife doesn’t have the ability to frame you onto the Fifth Prince’s bed.”
“Xiao Shao, you watch your mouth!” Hearing Xiao Shao’s mocking words, Xuan Hua became angry with shame.
“Shut up!” The Emperor roared again, and this time Xuan Hua dared not say another word. Jiang Dan’s body shrank back. She looked at Xiao Shao – the black-clothed youth stood tall and jade-like, incomparably handsome. Though Xuan Hua was also handsome, compared to Xiao Shao he was inferior by more than just a bit. His eyes were calm, but when looking at Jiang Ruan they held hidden tenderness, especially in how he constantly protected her. This suddenly pierced Jiang Dan’s heart. She suddenly felt this scene before her was so jarring – why should Jiang Ruan be cherished and loved by her young husband? What was better about her than herself? How could people’s circumstances differ so greatly? The more jealous Jiang Dan became, the more unwilling her tone grew. She fell at the Emperor’s feet, crying piteously, “It’s not like that, Your Majesty. She framed me. She drugged this place. This concubine and the Fifth Prince are innocent – we were just playing chess here when we fell into the trap. Your Majesty, you must believe this concubine. This concubine’s heart toward you is completely true… It was the incense! That incense was problematic!” She suddenly looked at Hui Jue standing quietly to one side. “You actually bribed the Imperial Preceptor! What benefit did you give him?”
Jiang Ruan almost couldn’t help but laugh. Jiang Dan’s words were actually logical and well-reasoned – she had quickly thought of the key point. In normal circumstances, perhaps the Emperor would seriously consider her words, and might even harbor some suspicion toward Hui Jue. Unfortunately, Jiang Dan chose to say this at this moment, when everyone would only think she was desperately making wild accusations in her desperate situation. To the Emperor, this would only make him angrier, thinking she was toying with imperial authority.
To accomplish anything, one must first have sufficient understanding of it. Jiang Dan thought that becoming the Emperor’s favored consort meant she could completely understand the Emperor’s thoughts through his affection for her – this was far too simple. Accompanying the ruler is like accompanying a tiger; imperial thoughts are unfathomably deep. Even in her previous life, she had only managed to grasp about seventy to eighty percent despite hearing Xuan Li say so much.
This Emperor was arbitrary and never changed his mind once decided. Even if Jiang Dan now explained things however convincingly, the Emperor would never believe her. Taking it a step further, even if she truly produced some compelling evidence, a favored consort whose body was defiled, a favored consort who had affairs with princes – even if wrongly accused, how could she remain in the palace? Regardless, from the moment Jiang Dan was caught by the Emperor in intimate acts with Xuan Hua, her life had already passed into the hands of the King of Hell.
But this wasn’t the end yet. Merely the charge of defiling the rear palace was obviously insufficient. What Jiang Dan deserved was perhaps much more. Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, slowly drawing her fingers into her sleeves, a strange light flashing in her eyes.