Chapter 215: The Third Prince’s Inference
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Killing was not a big deal in this world.
However, the murder of Xu Qiao still shocked the two women!
The strength that Su Wen displayed was too powerful.
After all, Xu Qiao was once a top expert of Great Zhou.
However, in Su Wen’s hands, it was as if he could not resist at all.
Wu Muyu walked to Su Wen’s side and exclaimed, “Brother Su, how strong are you now? Don’t tell me you’re already at the Heaven Rank?”
“Peak 9th Grade Earth Rank,” Su Wen said honestly. He frowned. “Unfortunately, I still have no idea how to break through to the Heaven Rank.”
At this point, he smiled and said, “But I think your father’s reputation as the number one person in the 9th Grade of the Earth Rank shouldn’t be a problem if I want to s.n.a.t.c.h it!”
Su Wen was still quite confident in this aspect.
His current state had completely exceeded the battle prowess of a 9th Grade Earth Rank cultivator.
However, it was still incomparable to the destructive power of a Heaven Rank cultivator.
After killing someone, they should have some fun and relaxation. The two beauties was his only companions in the wilderness.
However, Su Wen still instructed the two of them not to leak his whereabouts and Xu Qiao’s death.
The two women naturally agreed.
They played for the entire day and only returned to the city in the evening.
After escorting the two of them home, Su Wen turned around and went to Su Changqing.
When father and son met, Su Wen explained everything that happened in Great Chu.
Su Changqing tilted his head and looked at Su Wen in surprise.
“I didn’t expect you to come up with such a plan! Unfortunately, I didn’t have an opponent like you back then. It was very boring!” Old Su started to humble brag about himself once more.
He smiled and said, “There shouldn’t be any problems with this move of yours. That Emperor Chu can’t be sure. It’s too similar to what the Crown Prince did. You even gave Wei Song poison, right? In my opinion, there’s an 80% chance that he will choose to kill himself and not bite you back, because he knows too well that if he bites you back, Emperor Chu won’t keep him alive either. No matter what the Emperor promises, Wei Song won’t believe it.”
“As for the Crown Prince, he’s probably going to die. However, according to what you said, the Third Prince is quite a character. For the Fourth Prince to be able to compete with him, he must be quite extraordinary as well.”
“What do you plan to do next?”
Su Wen smiled and said, “Of course it’s the same two words. One is accusation and the other is harm! Just use all kinds of methods to call these two up. Since ancient times, the succession has always been the same. In the end, they are just harming others.”
Su Changqing sighed and said, “You’re still young, still young. You forgot something!”
“What is it?”
“You should let that Xiang Feiyan plead with Emperor Chu and the Crown Prince!” Su Changqing smiled. “Since you’ve already set up the impression that Xiang Feiyan values relations.h.i.+ps in front of Emperor Chu, this is a good opportunity!”
“Let her properly display her brother-sister relations.h.i.+p and plead for the Crown Prince to spare his life! Firstly, continue to deepen her magnanimity and bearings in front of Emperor Chu. Secondly, it just happens to juxtapose against the coldness of others.”
Su Wen smiled. “Father, you’re still the one who thought it through. Even if the Crown Prince survives, as long as he loses his position as the Crown Prince, he will still be a toothless tiger. Even if Emperor Chu returns to heaven and the new Emperor ascends to the throne, he will still die.”
“That’s the logic.”
“And… you have to find a way to befriend the eunuchs, especially those around Emperor Chu.”
Su Wen frowned. “Isn’t it too risky?”
Su Changqing sneered. “You even dare to compete for the throne, so why are you afraid of the risks?”
He explained, “Those eunuchs are all smart. They even know the situation better than those princes because they are the people around Emperor Chu. They will definitely sense some of his emotions.”
“Once the Crown Prince is deposed, Emperor Chu will definitely not decide on the next Crown Prince’s position immediately. However, Xiang Feiyan has the privilege of entering the palace and has already established herself in the royal court. These eunuchs will definitely be shaken.”
“They are all afraid of losing favor. In the royal palace, there are many despicable things that they have done. Once they lose favor, their end will be incomparably miserable. If you go and make friends with them now, they will definitely accept the benefits, but they will definitely not help you.
However, when the time comes for Emperor Chu to return to the heavens, things will be completely different. Small characters can sometimes decide great matters! You have good intentions, but the other princes don’t. When that time comes, the difference will be like the gap between the heavens and earth!”
Su Wen smiled. This old fellow was still farsighted.
“Got it!”
Su Changqing pondered for a moment before saying, “If the position of Crown Prince is not decided, then the civil officials will definitely kick up a fuss and force him to elect a new Crown Prince. This is a must. Didn’t Emperor Chu ask Xiang Feiyan to go to the Royal Censor’s Office? When the time comes, if they file a memorial as usual, Emperor Chu will most likely not bother with it.
Xiang Feiyan doesn’t need to express her stance, but if anyone over does anything at that time, such as playing with some death remonstration, kneeling down, and surrounding the palace gates, you can let Xiang Feiyan capture them and impeach them one by one. However, remember this! The crime cannot be too serious, or it will be disrespectful to the officials!”
Su Wen frowned. “Why is there such a thing?”
Su Changqing said with a serious expression, “Since Emperor Chu removed the Crown Prince, he naturally has to choose someone that suits his intentions. He still has to observe the inheritor of this country. If he rashly establishes another Crown Prince, it will not be in line with his intentions. He can’t possibly elect a new Crown Prince and remove him the next day. That would be too much of a joke.”
“But those civil officials are different. These fellows all have deep thoughts, especially those who have already chosen a side. How can they not be anxious? They will try to use their influence to let Emperor Chu appoint the ones they serve!”
“There are also some people who might be wholeheartedly loyal to justice. They will feel that Emperor Chu might die soon, thus not establis.h.i.+ng a Crown Prince is a path to disaster.”
“But do you know how annoying it is for emperors to see these guys at this time? Because in their eyes, Emperor Chu is nothing but a dead man!
No one likes to be seen as dead!”
“But at the same time, Emperor Chu might not be willing to make a big fuss and wantonly slaughter them. After all, those who had quite a bit of merit when they were alive, and thus would naturally be placed into the historical records after they die. Moreover, many of them are truly dedicated to justice, so they cannot kill all of them. But, letting them do as they please is being too lenient on them. If Xiang Feiyan impeaches them for being rude, it must be in line with Emperor Chu’s wishes. Emperor Chu can lock them up but not punish them. He can leave them to the future emperor to mete out punishment. Forgiven crimes can gather the hearts of others, and punishments can establish prestige.”
“This way, Xiang Feiyan can be a little more important to Emperor Chu…”
Su Changqing looked at Su Wen and said, “You have to be careful when it comes to seizing the throne, but you also have to be bold! You have to do what you have to do and not do what you shouldn’t do. This is like a bottomless abyss on both sides. You have to grasp the scale by yourself.”
“Got it!” Su Wen cupped his hands and agreed. He could not help but praise, “This old man has some skills. As expected of the person who accompanied His Majesty to obtain the throne back then.”
Su Changqing glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “Who are you calling an old man? There’s no problem for me to live for at least a few more decades! Do you believe that I’ll give birth to a younger brother for you and give you fewer a.s.sets?”
Su Wen laughed loudly. “You’re old but vigorous. All the best!”
The capital of Great Chu… the Crown Prince’s residence.
At this moment, the Crown Prince’s residence was as deserted as a haunted house.
There was no one in the s.p.a.cious courtyard.
Everything had been turned upside down.
Su Wen stepped out of the void, but did not close the portal. Instead, he carefully released his perception.
After confirming that there was no one around, he then closed the portal.
With a leap, he dashed out of the Crown Prince’s residence.
Su Wen very quickly returned to the Eldest Princess’ residence.
Just like before, he was in no hurry to enter, simply observing the situation outside first.
The lights in the courtyard were all dark. Only the Eldest Princess’s room was still lit with candles!
Su Wen went over and saw the Eldest Princess seated in front of a bronze mirror with a frown. It was obvious that she had something on her mind.
He flashed in and covered the Princess’ mouth in one go.
The Eldest Princess widened her eyes in fear. However, when she saw that it was Su Wen in the bronze mirror, she relaxed.
Only then did Su Wen let go of her.
“Dumba.s.s! You still know how to come back?”
The Eldest Princess said resentfully, “Sheng’er has already been captured, the Crown Prince has also been crippled, and Royal Father still wants to exterminate his entire family! In addition, he has sent people to investigate Third and Fourth Brother’s residence. If we had known earlier, we might as well have implicated a few more children and settled everything in one move!”
Su Wen rolled his eyes and said, “Are you crazy?! If we implicate a few more, it might serve to clear his mind instead, and he won’t punish anyone anymore. Do you really think your father is a fool? How is Sheng’er now?”
At the mention of Xiang Sheng, the Eldest Princess felt even more aggrieved. After all, he was her biological son.
“I’ve sent people to investigate the past few days and received quite a bit of punishment! I’ve already explained everything I can…”
Just as Su Wen expected, it would be strange if a child could withstand the torture.
Su Wen laid on the bed and said, “Come here, I have something to tell you…”
In the palace, the Crown Prince knelt in front of Emperor Chu again.
However, at this moment, he was already in an extremely sorry state.
His hair was disheveled and his body was covered in wounds.
Emperor Chu looked at him before indifferently speaking, “You… have disappointed me.”
“I didn’t do it…” the Crown Prince said weakly.
Emperor Chu sighed and said, “Whether or not it is no longer important… You shouldn’t have let that thing appear in your residence! Especially under your pillow! This is a matter of ability. Furthermore, no matter who it is, as long as they kneel in front of me, I don’t think they will admit that they did it.”
“We’re father and son after all… In a while, I’ll get someone to arrange some dishes and food for you to have a good meal. Go in peace.”
In the dim hall, Emperor Chu gave his ultimatum.
A trace of madness flashed across the crown prince’s eyes. He suddenly stood up and pointed at Emperor Chu as he cursed, “You old fart! You never wanted to sincerely pa.s.s the throne to me! So what if it’s me who did it? I now am wis.h.i.+ng for you to die early, I wish for you to be hacked into a thousand pieces. Even if I enter h.e.l.l, I want to eat your flesh and sleep!”
No one, including Su Changqing, had expected that the Crown Prince would actually suffer from a mental collapse at this moment and pull such a stunt.
Emperor Chu’s face turned red from anger!
This was how humans were. Even the Crown Prince felt aggrieved at what had happened to him. You made me the Crown Prince, and then? I’ve waited for decades, but in the end, you’re still f*cking testing me!
Then, I was framed and now even set to be killed!
However, from the perspective of Emperor Chu, he gave the Crown Prince decades of time, but in the end, he still amounted to nothing. You can’t convince your brothers, and there’s nothing special about you. What right do you have to request that I hand the country over to you? Then, you created a witchcraft curse to kill me, and you still think you’re innocent?
At this moment, a report came from outside the hall!
“Eldest Princess Xiang Feiyan requests an audience!”
Emperor Chu calculated the date. Today was the day Xiang Feiyan would enter the palace to visit him.
“Let Feiyan in! Seal this fellow’s mouth first, I’ll deal with him later!”
The Crown Prince was pressed to the side and his mouth was sealed.
Xiang Feiyan entered, still carrying a food box as usual.
However, her eyes were red and swollen. Clearly, she had been crying before.
Xiang Feiyan also saw the Crown Prince, but she did not say anything. She only bowed and said to Emperor Chu, “Royal Father, I know that you have been in a bad mood these past few days, so I made some Pure Heart Lotus Seed Soup.”
Compared to the Crown Prince’s unruly behavior, Xiang Feiyan was much more obedient.
Emperor Chu felt his spirits raise, but he was not in the mood to eat. He only said, “Leave it there.”
Xiang Feiyan handed the food box to the eunuch.
She bowed and said, “I have a request today. Even if Royal Father punishes me, I will still speak!”
Emperor Chu said, “Are you pleading on behalf of Xiang Sheng? That child has already been interrogated enough. He can return home tomorrow and has only suffered some injuries. He will recover after a few days.”
Xiang Feiyan shook her head. “That’s not the case. I want to plead for leniency for Boshan!”
Xiang Feiyan knelt on the ground and wailed, “Boshan is a good child. Even if he wants to ascend to the throne, he definitely won’t harm Royal Father! There must be something fishy about this matter! Royal Father, please spare his life on account of him being conscientious for decades! After all, he is also my younger brother!”
Emperor Chu looked at Xiang Feiyan. He really did not expect this.
He had also come from the position of a prince, hence he knew that the more one wished to ascend the throne, the more they would wish for the Crown Prince to be gone.
There was no other reason than that the Crown Prince and the Emperor were still father and son.
So long as a Crown Prince was not killed, even if he was stripped off his position, who knew when he would remember the good things about the Crown Prince one day and maybe reinstate his t.i.tle on a whim?
But Xiang Feiyan actually pleaded for the Crown Prince?
“You don’t want to be Emperor?” Emperor Chu asked.
“I do!” Xiang Feiyan said honestly. Every time Emperor Chu asked her, she would never say no.
“But even if your daughter wants to be the Emperor, can’t she tolerate her own younger brother? Royal Father, please show mercy and spare Boshan’s life!”
Emperor Chu closed his eyes.
The difference between the two was obvious.
“You must know that the a.s.sa.s.sination of Sheng’er was done by your good brother.”
Xiang Feiyan said, “I know, but Boshan didn’t try to kill him, or else Sheng’er would have died a long time ago. He just wanted to warn me. Now I know my mistake, so I strengthened Sheng’er’s guards. From the looks of it, it’s actually a good thing.”
At this moment, Emperor Chu even felt that even his own magnanimity could not compare to Xiang Feiyan’s.
“Sigh….”
Emperor Chu sighed and said, “Go down! Go down…”
If the Crown Prince had not cursed him earlier, he might have listened to Xiang Feiyan and shown mercy.
But now….
Xiang Feiyan seemed a little unwilling, but Emperor Chu glanced at her and said, “Do you want me to be angry?”
Xiang Feiyan shook her head and obediently left.
Seeing Xiang Feiyan leave, Emperor Chu waved his hand and brought the Crown Prince back!
“Did you see that! Did you see that! If you had half of your sister’s breadth of mind! How could you have come to this point? If your sister didn’t plead for leniency, I would definitely hack you into pieces! Now, go down and have a good meal! I’ll give you three feet of white silk, leave you with an intact corpse!”
(TL Note: White silk is what Emperors used to confer upon criminals to make into a noose and hang themselves.)
The Crown Prince was brought away.
“Bring me the lotus seed soup,” Emperor Chu said softly after this.
The eunuch opened the lid and picked up the lotus seed soup. His eyes immediately widened as he saw a banknote folded at the bottom of the bowl and placed there…
He quietly handed the lotus seed soup to Emperor Chu without any outward change in his expression…
When he turned around to pack the meal box, the banknote was already in his sleeve.
Talk? Sometimes, there was no need.
People had a tacit understanding.
Especially those who could become Emperor Chu’s personal attendants, which one of them wasn’t smart?
Xiang Sheng was freed from the prison.
It felt good to have the sunlight s.h.i.+ne on him again.
He felt like he was about to collapse at this point.
These past few days had really made him feel fear and anxiety.
Su Wen stood at the entrance with some servants.
The servants immediately helped Xiang Sheng into the carriage.
Su Wen also sat down.
“How do you feel?” Su Wen asked with a smile.
“Very bad…” Xiang Sheng was very depressed.” I’ve said everything that grandfather told me. Will it affect my mother? “
Su Wen smiled and said, “That won’t happen… House Wei is already dead. Moreover, there’s more than one type of bloodline flowing in each human. Otherwise, how can it be pa.s.sed down? As long as your surname is Xiang, your royal grandfather won’t care. What he wants to investigate isn’t this matter either.”
Right at this moment, Zhao Jin’s voice came from outside the carriage.
“Young Master, look at the east side. There’s a top-grade one there!”
Su Wen immediately opened the car window!
“F*ck! It’s huge!”
Xiang Sheng asked curiously, “What’s huge?”
“It’s none of your business. Child, lie down!”
Everything went according to Su Changqing’s expectations!
In the next few days, there were indeed voices in the royal court asking the Emperor to appoint a Crown Prince.
All sorts of memorials were presented.
The other memorials could be handled by Prime Minister Zhang Yong and the others, but such memorials could only be sent to the palace.
At the Third Prince’s residence, the Third Prince was feeling extremely pleased.
After the Crown Prince died, his voice became the loudest.
A group of ministers gathered at the Third Prince’s residence. Many of them were even former retainers of the Crown Prince.
The Third Prince did not reject anyone!
As long as it was someone who showed kindness, he would also treat them with kindness.
As the officials gathered, at the banquet, someone said, “Right now, Your Highness is the most outstanding among all the princes of Great Chu in terms of reputation and ability. His Majesty has been ill for many days, so he should establish the position of Crown Prince. Tomorrow, we will go to the palace gates to meditate! We must let His Majesty make a decision early.”
“That’s right! The appointment of the Crown Prince is an important matter of the country. We cannot delay it. His Majesty has yet to make a decision, so we must speak frankly!”
“Everyone hopes that His Highness will become the Crown Prince!”
At the banquet, everyone enjoyed themselves greatly.
The Third Prince also ensured that everyone was well taken care of. Finally, the banquet ended.
When the Third Prince returned to his room, a bright and cheerful woman walked over and carried a basin of water. She smiled and said, “Your Highness is now expected by everyone. Fourth Brother is definitely not Your Highness’s match.”
The Third Prince took the hot towel and wiped his face.
He sneered. “How can it be that easy?”
His eyes gradually turned sharp as he said, “The eldest has fallen! But who did this? This method is so vicious, yet it doesn’t leave any traces. I’m afraid the eldest won’t even know who did it even in his death.”
“Even if it was me, just thinking about it, would I be able to escape this calamity?”
He sighed and said, “As long as I don’t ascend the throne, I won’t be able to rest easy! Furthermore, I haven’t even obtained the position of Crown Prince yet!”
“Those fellows are nothing more than fence sitters, falling wherever the wind blows. They might sound loud and powerful now, but if we really rely on them to succeed, we won’t even know how we died!”
The woman said, “Perhaps the Eldest Prince really cursed His Majesty himself!”
The Third Prince said in a low voice, “We can’t rule out this possibility! But I still feel that something is wrong. Even if he really cursed His Majesty, why would he tell Wei Song? Although Wei Song did indeed have the intention to side with the Crown Prince some time ago, I feel that Boss will definitely not dig his heart and lungs out and say everything. The way Wei Song died after that is even more fishy. It’s obvious that he wants to die without any evidence.”
“The problem is that when Royal Father sent the Royal Guards, there was a Heaven Rank expert with him! How did that person secretly stuff the Witchcraft doll under the pillow? That’s the biggest reason why he was punished!”
At this point, fear flashed in the Third Prince’s eyes as he said, “The s.h.i.+t has landed on the eldest, and he can’t escape punishment, so he will naturally suffer. However, it doesn’t mean that this matter was really done by the eldest. If it really wasn’t, then our opponents would be terrifying!”
The woman smiled and said, “Then it’s the Fourth Prince. Other than the Crown Prince, it’s this person! No one else has the ability to compete anymore, right?”
The Third Prince sneered, “You’re wrong. The person I suspect is not the Fourth Brother!”
The woman asked curiously, “Eldest Princess?”
“Yes, and no. If I had to state where this whole matter began, it probably started when my eldest sister played Wei Song!”
“But the strange thing about this matter is why Xiang Sheng went to see Wei Song. If it was eldest sister who did it, she shouldn’t have let Xiang Sheng go to see Wei Song. Otherwise, wouldn’t she be inviting trouble to herself?”
“And Wei Song’s punishment was clearly Royal Father’s intention!”
The woman said in a low voice, “You mean… His Majesty and the Eldest Princess conspired together?”
The Third Prince nodded. “That’s the only way to explain why someone could place a doll under Boss’s pillow when a Heaven Rank expert was present!”
At this point, he sighed and said, “If Father and Sister conspire together, then it’s very simple. Father must have already made a promise to Sister.”
“But the Eldest Princess… in the court… her power is not strong…”
The Third Prince said with a bitter smile, “What does the power in the court count as? The Prime Minister has yet to express his stance, and the other important ministers are all keeping their mouths shut. The people who are truly shouting are those who want to use the ascension as an achievement to promote themselves.”
The woman was a little worried by his words as well.
After all, the Crown Prince’s fate was already shown to them.
“Then what does Your Highness plan to do?” The woman asked.
The Third Prince narrowed his eyes and said, “Firstly, we have to use these people to force Father to appoint a Crown Prince! If he wants to appoint Eldest Sister, At that time, even if I don’t object, many important ministers in the royal court will also object. We can also probe Father’s thoughts. Secondly, I have to rope in one person!”
“Who?”
“Su Daqiang!” The Third Prince said in a deep voice,” Although my sister has tried to involve herself in the royal court’s affairs several times, she has never succeeded. Furthermore, her actions did not exceed my expectations. However, this time, after my sister returned, she brought this Su Daqiang with her.
Her actions have become more profound since then. I did not see any effect when I tried to sow discord between the two of them last time, thus it’s obvious that Su Daqiang has already guessed my intentions!”
The woman smiled and said, “But the entire city is talking about the relations.h.i.+p between Su Daqiang and the Eldest Princess… If you want to rope him in… I’m afraid it’ll take a lot of effort.”
The Third Prince turned to look at the woman and said, “How would you know if you won’t succeed if you don’t do it? Men are all people who like the new and hate the old. Could it be that we can’t even work around this?”
“However, if the Eldest Princess ascends the throne, he will be above everyone.”
“Hehe, can he guarantee that my eldest sister will never tire of him? I can give him whatever my sister can give him!”