Chapter 0161: Emperor Jian Holding Him Back, Xie Chengze Asking for a House
He felt a pair of hands gently cupping his feigning-sleep face, whispering repeatedly in his ear that they couldn’t live without him, almost obsessively vowing to keep him forever in Jingcheng, forever by their side, promising to protect him eternally…
But the voice, seemingly in the midst of changing, was unrecognizable to Xie Chengze.
Yet he sensed the endless fear emanating from the Second Prince’s heart.
It was a fear that pierced deep into the soul, so abrupt it stirred doubt.
Why was this so?
Even if confined in Jingcheng by the other party, he was still provided with fine food, clothing, and comfort. Moreover, the Second Prince in his youth wasn’t particularly outgoing; he preferred solitude over social outings. The notion of “staying forever in Jingcheng” shouldn’t have terrified him to this extent, right?
Or perhaps it wasn’t “staying” he feared, but the person speaking?
Who exactly was this speaker?
He felt certain this concerned a crucial secret of the Second Prince. If only he could see who was speaking, he could unravel more of the mysteries surrounding the Second Prince…
Xie Chengze struggled to open his eyes, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t. He refused to give up. Just as the hands left his face and he felt on the verge of succeeding, a cold gust swept into the room, and in the next moment, someone burst in.
“My son! Ze’er! How tragically you’ve died! Wuwu… How could you leave your father behind!”
Xie Chengze jolted awake.
The dream faded, and Xie Chengze: …
Damn emperor!
Couldn’t you have chosen any other time to barge in? Did it have to be now?
You good-for-nothing bastard!
Fuming, Xie Chengze wanted to slam the table, but before he could open his eyes to curse, a cold body embraced him. The person, enraged, yelled, “Who put my son’s corpse on the heated kang?! Are they trying to make Ze’er rot faster?! Wuwu… My Ze’er, you cared so much about your appearance—how heartbroken you’d be if you started to stink and decay—”
Xie Chengze: …
You lunatic!
Xie Chengze kicked him away. “Who’s dead?! Didn’t you even bother to check? Or are you, Father, hoping I die so you can pocket the silver I’m about to earn?”
“Huh? Ze’er, you’re not dead?” Emperor Jian wiped his tears, surprised.
When he entered the county office, he had clearly asked the Yamen Runner… Oh, wait, he had only asked where Xie Chengze’s body was placed, nothing else.
No wonder that Yamen Runner had given him a strange look.
“Ahem, ahem.” Emperor Jian covered his mouth, guiltily averting his gaze. “Blame the people of Tianshui City for hanging white mourning cloth for no reason. I thought…”
They say rumors spread easily but are hard to dispel. Overnight, the entire Tianshui City learned that the Second Prince had died suddenly, but the news that he had merely fainted took three days to circulate—and even then, some citizens believed it was just the government’s way of comforting them, insisting Xie Chengze had truly died.
Some even portrayed Xie Chengze as a bodhisattva who had tirelessly served the people, ascending to heaven upon achieving enlightenment.
Absolutely absurd.
But…
Seeing Emperor Jian’s reddened eyes, overflowing tears, and seemingly genuine sorrow, Xie Chengze felt a complex, indescribable emotion stir within him.
In the Second Prince’s memories, he had already learned that he was not the true “Xie Chengze” – he had suddenly crossed over into this body when the original was nine years old, and seemed to have come from another ancient world.
As for the real Xie Chengze… could that be himself?
Was he truly Xie Chengze, or just another wandering soul who had possessed the Second Prince’s body?
If it was the former…
Then the Emperor Jian before him could be considered his foster father.
If it was the latter… what was the trigger for this possession?
In the future, would he too be replaced by a third soul? If possessed, would he return to his original world?
Countless new mysteries weighed heavily on Xie Chengze’s mind, making him restless. He wanted something to comfort himself, so he directly reached out to Emperor Jian and said, “Your son’s heart is troubled, Father Emperor. Grant me an outer residence in Liaozhou, the extra large kind.”
Emperor Jian: ?
Asking for a residence right after meeting? Why not praise me for traveling thousands of miles to Liaozhou to support you?
“Why do you suddenly want an outer residence in Liaozhou?” Emperor Jian asked curiously.
“Your son is about to reach the age of capping ceremony and should be enfeoffed as a prince, residing in the outer city,” Xie Chengze stated matter-of-factly.
“That’s true…” Emperor Jian pondered slightly. “You have made contributions in both Yi Province and Liaozhou, so you should indeed be enfeoffed as a prince. Ah, what title should I give you~ What title would you like, Ze’er?”
Xie Chengze: ?
Don’t think I can’t tell you’re changing the subject. “So what about my prince’s residence?”
“Forget about the residence in Liaozhou. I can arrange a luxurious prince’s residence for you within Jingcheng, making it convenient for your daily court attendance,” Emperor Jian said with a tight-lipped smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “As for court attendance – don’t even think about skipping it.”
Xie Chengze: …
He had almost forgotten that Emperor Jian would never allow him to be lazy and skip court sessions, especially since the dynasty was still poor.
It seemed he would have to wait longer.
Xie Chengze contemplated that sooner or later, he would lure out the person from his dreams who wanted to imprison him.
——
The New Year Festival was finally approaching.
On New Year’s Eve, as the sunset faded, countless lanterns were hung high, illuminating the entire ice field area. Local residents from nearby Liaozhou sat on the wooden platforms built around the ice field, watching the interior alongside merchants from various regions.
Below the platforms, numerous merchant stalls were set up featuring many northern specialties like small ice lanterns, wooden tops, fur coats, and more, attracting the interest of both common people and wealthy merchants.
Emperor Jian, along with officials, concubines, and the merchants who had participated in donation silver for disaster relief, stood at the entrance to the ice field, preparing to be the first to enter and admire the ice sculptures.
Upon entering the ice field, they saw life-sized ice sculptures of Xie Chengze and Li Dongyao standing on either side. One wore court robes while the other wore official garments, complementing each other perfectly. One smiled as warmly as the spring breeze, the other with hearty generosity, as if welcoming the visiting common people, putting hearts at ease and dispelling much anxiety.
Further inside stood numerous ice sculptures of human figures, each as tall as a person. Wooden plaques at their bases identified them as merchants who had donated silver for disaster relief in various regions. Their kind and restrained expressions naturally evoked gratitude. Beside them stood a huge wooden board equipped with writing implements, allowing scholars to compose poems on the spot. The Vice Minister of Rites would personally judge the best poem and award prizes.
This arrangement greatly satisfied the vanity of those merchants who had contributed money.
Passing by the ice sculpture figures, the interior was even more dazzling, as if one had inadvertently stumbled into a frosty animal kingdom. Ice sculpture wild tigers, ice sculpture white rabbits, ice sculpture fawns, ice sculpture yellow dogs, and many others all leaped harmoniously across the icy grounds, tinted by the glow of candles and lanterns, as if brought to life.
Moreover, numerous painting tools were set up here, provided for wealthy merchants to pay silver and have artists create portraits of themselves alongside the ice sculptures.