Shen Zaiye was quite displeased that Prince Nan’s relationship with Taohua seemed close enough for him to share such information with her. After all, what he had done was underhanded, and being reminded of it made him feel somewhat guilty. However, the carefree Taohua showed no other emotion as she pounced on him, her eyes shining brightly:
“So today’s wolf siege was also his doing? How impressive!”
Impressive? Shen Zaiye pressed his lips together, glancing sideways at Jiang Taohua and rolling his eyes twice, at a loss for words. Her wedding had been ruined by wolves, after all – couldn’t she at least pretend to be a little angry?
Taohua felt there was nothing to be angry about. On the contrary, she was rather excited, feeling that Shen Zaiye seemed to be playing a grand game of chess, and she was happily watching from the sidelines as he eliminated others.
However…
“Did Noble Consort Lan used to have feelings for you?” Recalling the words she had overheard earlier, Taohua looked at Shen Zaiye teasingly. “She seemed a bit jealous of me.”
Shen Zaiye’s body stiffened, his expression instantly darkening. “Don’t ask about things that aren’t your business.”
His tone was rather harsh. Taohua was slightly taken aback. After looking at him for a moment, she released her hold and lay back down beside him, responding coolly, “I understand.”
Shen Zaiye frowned, turning his head to look at her. “Are you sulking now?”
“How could this concubine sulk?” Taohua closed her eyes wearily. “I’m just tired and want to sleep. The wolves won’t come here anyway. If you go out, remember to close the door.”
Not sulking, yet suddenly so quiet? Shen Zaiye felt irritated. He turned to his side and pinched her cheek. “I’m not going out. I’ll stay right here.”
“Oh.” Taohua nodded, placing her hands on her abdomen, truly appearing ready to sleep.
“Jiang Taohua,” Shen Zaiye narrowed his eyes, “Don’t try to pry into my past.”
“Mm.”
“What you need to know, I’ll tell you. What I haven’t told you is what you don’t need to know.”
“Mm.”
She said nothing more beyond that one syllable, yet Shen Zaiye felt increasingly annoyed. He had never experienced such emotions before – urgent, angry, and a bit at a loss.
But regarding Noble Consort Lan… It was something he couldn’t bring himself to explain to others. Debts must be repaid; it was the cycle of cause and effect, all karmic obstacles.
He lifted her clothes to check her wound. Shen Zaiye fell silent as well, pulling her close as he continued to wait for developments outside.
As the wolf pack rampaged, the Emperor and Noble Consort were quite shaken. The palace doors were struck twice, causing dust to fall from the rafters. Everyone cried out in alarm, thinking the palace might not hold for long.
“Father Emperor!” At this critical moment, Prince Jing knelt with Qin Sheng, saying earnestly, “One of my retainers can tame wolves. Given the dire situation, why not let him try?”
“Tame wolves?” The Emperor frowned. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Qin Sheng quickly knelt, trembling as he spoke, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This humble one’s wolf-taming skills cannot control so many wolves at once. I can only try my best. If there were any other options, His Highness wouldn’t risk Your Majesty’s safety.”
After looking at him for a moment, the Emperor waved his hand. “Go and try. If you can resolve today’s crisis, I will reward you generously!”
“Yes!” Qin Sheng stood up and turned to open the door. The crowd of officials gasped as they watched the wolves pounce on him outside.
The doors quickly closed again. The Emperor couldn’t contain his curiosity and hurried to peer through the carved openings in the door. The other officials followed suit, all straining to look outside.
Qin Sheng stood alone amidst the wolf pack. A leaping wolf bit his arm, but he quickly regained his composure. Taking out a bone flute, he blew it gently.
Surprisingly, the surrounding wolves immediately stopped their attack, their green eyes all turning towards him.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Sheng began walking outwards while imitating wolf howls. Everyone watched in terror, certain he would be devoured by the wolves.
But a miracle occurred – not a single wolf in the dense pack continued to bite him. Instead, they obediently followed as he walked away. Wolves in the distance responded to his howls, the sound carrying farther and farther.
“This is truly incredible!” the old eunuch cried in his shrill voice. “The wolves are listening to him!”
Only then did everyone snap out of their daze, breaking into exclamations of praise. The Emperor was especially delighted, watching outside and repeatedly calling out “Excellent!”
Prince Jing smiled, glancing at the pale-faced Prince Yu beside him before cupping his hands to address the Emperor: “Father Emperor can sleep peacefully tonight.”
Emperor Mingde turned around, about to praise him, when he caught sight of Prince Yu again. His expression immediately soured as he frowned and said, “After tonight, we’ll set out to return to the palace tomorrow. How can anyone stay in this dilapidated residence?”
Prince Yu fell to his knees with a thud, lowering his head to admit fault. With an extremely sincere attitude, he said, “This son will certainly reflect deeply on his mistakes!”
Seeing him like this, the Emperor opened his mouth but only angrily swept his sleeve. Unable to continue scolding him, he turned and ordered everyone to return to rest.
The wolf pack outside had dispersed. The guards re-secured the imperial residence, planning to keep watch through the night. The Emperor waited in the main hall until Qin Sheng returned, then lavished praise on both him and Prince Jing.
“Since Qin Sheng is so skilled at taming animals, he seems more suited for the position of Chief Stable Master,” the Emperor said. “Once we return to the capital and investigate Minister Meng’s crimes thoroughly, punishing him for multiple offenses, the position of Chief Stable Master should be filled by someone more capable.”
“This humble one thanks Your Majesty for the recognition!” Qin Sheng hurriedly bowed, kowtowing to the ground. Prince Jing also cupped his hands and smiled, quite pleased.
Prince Yu had been on the rise at court, but with this incident at the stables, he would certainly lose Minister Meng and face punishment from the Emperor. His influence would plummet, instantly trampled back into the mud.
Prince Jing was overjoyed. Upon leaving the Emperor’s presence, he immediately went to see Shen Zaiye.
“What does the Chancellor think this prince should do next?”
Shen Zaiye glanced at the sleeping figure beside him, carefully getting out of bed and pulling Prince Jing aside. “Haven’t I already given Your Highness everything you need?”
Prince Jing’s eyes lit up as he remembered the box of evidence. He nodded, “Then this prince will directly accuse Prince Yu of embezzlement behind the scenes and request Father Emperor to deal with him.”
“Don’t rush,” Shen Zaiye said. “The Emperor favors his sons and values them highly. For just this matter, at most he’ll seize Minister Meng. To drag Prince Yu down, you’ll have to wait until we return to the capital.”
Still, wait? Prince Jing frowned. He felt the evidence was already quite complete. Even if Father Emperor wouldn’t punish too severely, Prince Yu would at least lose some face.
However, since it was Shen Zaiye’s suggestion, he still had to listen. After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded: “This prince understands.”
After seeing Prince Jing off, Shen Zaiye turned back to look at the person on the bed and said softly, “When we return to the city tomorrow, you should rest well at the residence. I’ll find doctors to see if we can remove this scar.”
Taohua rolled over and said drowsily, “No need. The chances of removing it are slim. Anyway, only you will see this body. You can just remember that you owe this concubine a favor.”
Shen Zaiye pressed his lips together. “You’d give up so easily on something with little chance of success?”
“It’s something unnecessary. I’m giving up to save myself the trouble,” Taohua half-opened her eyes to look at the man beside the bed. “Anyway, you won’t fall in love with a woman like me. Scar or no scar makes no difference.”
“Oh?” Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow, looking at her with some surprise. “You want my heart?”
“Isn’t that normal?” Taohua pouted. “If you truly fell in love with this concubine, how could I worry about my life being in danger?”
Shen Zaiye was the type to fiercely protect what was his. He was extremely cold towards other things, but particularly loving and protective of what he liked.
That was why she always ended up covered in wounds – her seduction skills weren’t good enough to even knock on the door to his heart! She deserved to get hurt out there. Look at Noble Consort Lan, living in luxury in the palace, favored by the Emperor. She was living the life Taohua could only dream of!
Sighing, Taohua rolled back into bed to continue sleeping.
Shen Zaiye’s eyes were deep and unfathomable as he stood by the bed with his arms crossed, watching her for a good while. In the end, he let out a derisive laugh and turned to rest on the couch.
They were both scheming individuals. Who would be foolish enough to give their heart to the other? Wasn’t that just courting death? She wasn’t stupid, and neither was he. Neither should expect special treatment from the other.
The imperial residence fell quiet. Some had a sleepless night, while others slept soundly. When dawn broke the next day, people packed their luggage in low spirits and set out on the journey home.
“This trip was not fun at all,” Noble Consort Lan leaned against the Emperor, watching the scenery retreat on both sides of the imperial carriage. “We came all this way, barely had any enjoyment, and now have to go back.”
“Don’t be upset,” the Emperor said in a deep voice. “I’ll deal with them properly when we return.”
Noble Consort Lan pressed her lips together, lifting the curtain to look at Shen Zaiye riding his horse at the front of the procession.
He was doing well for himself, even bringing Lady Jiang along on his horse, not caring if people gossiped.
Taohua was still half-asleep, nodding off against Shen Zaiye’s chest. He simply extended a hand to support her head, letting her sleep peacefully.
However, halfway through the journey, Taohua was woken up by a commotion.
“This commoner has a complaint to file against the current Chief Stable Master Meng! We request an audience with Your Majesty!”
A group of people blocked the main road, completely obstructing the way, their emotions running high. The guards quickly moved to action, fearing a mob.
Shen Zaiye watched and called out, “It’s rare for the voice of the people to reach the emperor’s ears. Bring someone to speak before His Majesty.”
“Yes,” the guards complied, grabbing a commoner clutching a written complaint, and bringing him before the imperial carriage.
Just as the Emperor was about to ask what was happening, an old man knelt before the carriage, holding up the complaint and shouting, “Chief Stable Master Meng has embezzled funds and caused deaths! We beg Your Majesty to investigate!”
Chief Stable Master Meng again? The Emperor’s face darkened as he slapped the carriage rail, saying sternly, “Whatever grievances you have, speak them all at once!”
The old man kowtowed on the ground, crying as he spoke, “Chief Stable Master Meng built the stables but withheld wages, even causing my son to die from overwork at the construction site! When my brother heard that Prince Yu was overseeing the project, he went to Prince Yu’s residence to complain. Unexpectedly, Prince Yu was even more brutal than Chief Stable Master Meng and directly beat my brother to death! We beg Your Majesty to uphold justice!”
(End of Chapter)