Chapter 0198: The Dizzy Emperor Jian, The Emperor Whose World Is Crumbling
Xie Chengze standing nearby let out a couple of sinister chuckles. The advantage of being the second son was that major matters were handled by the eldest brother, while minor tasks could be pushed onto the younger brothers.
Emperor Jian couldn’t stand seeing Xie Chengze so pleased with himself. He reached out and yanked the wolf-fur scarf completely off. “Then all three of you shall marry together. I’ll go arrange a Peach Blossom Banquet for you—hm?”
As Emperor Jian held the wolf-fur scarf, his gaze fell upon Xie Chengze’s neck, and his eyes instantly narrowed. “Ze’er, what is this on your neck? A mosquito bite?”
“Since when are there mosquitoes in winter?” Xie Chengze instinctively touched his neck. “What’s wrong? Is there something on my neck…”
He paused mid-sentence, a vague memory flashing through his mind.
Last night, it seemed…
“Probably bitten by Little Bai,” Xie Chengze said, feeling around his neck. “Is it broken? No bleeding, right? Do you have a bronze mirror?”
The battle-hardened Emperor Jian squinted, his eyes filled with suspicion as he stared at Xie Chengze. The mark on his neck was clearly a hickey—since when did tigers suck on people’s necks?
“Did you stay at Wu De Hall last night?” Emperor Jian probed, remembering that Xie Chengze had been lodging there these past few days, and the only others there were Xie Jinyu and Xie Shoujun.
Could it be…
No, impossible… right?
Emperor Jian felt dizzy, as if the sky were about to collapse.
“Yeah, why?” Xie Chengze glanced at Emperor Jian in confusion. “Why are you asking, Father?”
“Who did you sleep with at night?” Emperor Jian’s lips trembled as he spoke.
“Little Bai,” Xie Chengze replied, eyeing him suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
Emperor Jian was deeply unsatisfied with this answer. Although Xie Chengze shared a bed with the little white tiger at night, who could guarantee that no one had sneaked into the room to do something improper?
However, such questions were better directed at Wuhen and Wuji.
“Never mind,” Emperor Jian said with a benevolent smile, as if the topic were closed. But inwardly, he swore to himself: He would find out which audacious scoundrel dared to covet his own brother!
…
In the end, Emperor Jian’s world did collapse.
While the two brothers were busy reviewing memorials, Emperor Jian summoned Wuhen and Wuji. The answer he received, however, was that last night, Xie Shoujun, Xie Jinyu, Xie Zimiao, and Shen Yuan were all in the room with Xie Chengze.
Emperor Jian immediately ruled out Shen Yuan. He knew Shen Yuan to be upright and self-disciplined, always adhering to propriety. It was utterly impossible for him to commit such a transgression against Xie Chengze. Moreover, Shen Yuan had been forcibly assigned to stay by Ze’er’s side—how could he possibly sneak around and do something so absurd?
That meant the culprit was among the three brothers.
No matter which one it was, Emperor Jian felt utterly frantic.
Although Xie Chengze was not his biological son, he regarded Ze’er as his own. Thus, it was unimaginable that any of the three brothers could have committed such an outrageous act. To him, it was a devastating blow.
He needed to calm down.
Emperor Jian sat on the steps, his legs trembling unsteadily, his chin propped on his hands, his expression grave.
It probably wasn’t Xie Zimiao. This kid had been assigned outside with Ze’er for so long—if something were truly going on, the sharp-witted Ze’er would have noticed long ago. There was no way he could have taken advantage of the situation now.
It probably wasn’t Xie Jinyu either. Over the years, the two had been at odds with each other, and Jinyu had visited Cheng Huan Palace many times without any unusual signs appearing on Ze’er. Moreover, he understood his own son well—outwardly gentle and kind, but inwardly domineering and forceful. If Jinyu had wanted to act, he would have done so long ago, not waited until now.
That left only Xie Shoujun, whom he hadn’t seen in ten years.
Emperor Jian had heard some rumors about the military camp, especially about the wolf-fur neck scarf that concealed the marks on the neck, which Xie Shoujun had gifted. If it weren’t for a guilty conscience, why would he send a scarf on a day like today when it wasn’t even cold?
Thinking it over, Xie Shoujun was indeed the most suspicious.
“It must be him.” Emperor Jian abruptly stood up, feeling dizzy for a moment. He steadied himself, holding his head, and then roared, “Zhao Quan! Prepare the carriage to Wu De Hall!”
He was going to beat that scoundrel who dared to covet his imperial brother—!
In the main hall of Wu De Hall.
Emperor Jian sat solemnly in the central seat, watching Xie Shoujun, who stood silently and expressionlessly in the middle of the hall. He slammed his teacdown heavily and thundered with authority, “Xie Shoujun! Do you confess your crime?”
Xie Shoujun glanced up at Emperor Jian, his gaze falling on the wolf-fur neck scarf clutched in the emperor’s hand, then lowered his eyes again, replying calmly and without submission, “What crime has your son committed?”
“Hmph!” Emperor Jian snorted coldly and threw the wolf-fur neck scarf at him with force. “If you’re not guilty, why act with a guilty conscience and send this thing to cover it up!”
Xie Shoujun caught the falling scarf, his expression unperturbed. “Should I have let the entire palace know that the second imperial brother was bitten by someone?”
Emperor Jian: …
“So it wasn’t you?” Emperor Jian frowned. Judging by Xie Shoujun’s reaction, it didn’t seem like the guilty expression of someone caught red-handed. He softened his tone slightly. “Then who was it? From what I know, your alcohol tolerance isn’t small, right? How could you have gotten drunk along with Shen Yuan and the others last night?”
Xie Shoujun paused, clearly surprised that Emperor Jian knew about his drinking capacity.
It seemed he had inquired about it before.
He hadn’t expected Emperor Jian to concern himself with such trivial matters. Xie Shoujun inwardly scoffed and lowered his eyelids again, his tone still calm. “How does Father know that your son is the only one with a low alcohol tolerance?”
Last night, he had observed that Xie Jinyu, Xie Zimiao, and Shen Yuan all seemed to have considerable drinking capacity, and they had made quite a few trips to relieve themselves.
Cornered by the retort, Emperor Jian twitched the corner of his mouth, his fingers tapping restlessly on the table as he quickly pondered.
The Crown Prince and Xie Zimiao rarely drank, so he truly didn’t know their real alcohol tolerance. But if they both had high tolerance, why would they pretend to be drunk? It couldn’t be that they intentionally wanted to… No, no, that couldn’t be…
And then there was Shen Yuan—a minister known for his self-restraint and discipline. Would he really get drunk with the imperial princes?
If he wasn’t drunk, what was his purpose in pretending to be?
The “investigation” had returned to square one.
Emperor Jian rubbed his temples wearily, feeling a profound headache. “My reputation is going to be ruined.”
Xie Shoujun looked up at him in confusion.
Hadn’t Emperor Jian’s reputation already been ruined when he forcibly took another official’s wife?
With a father who seized and plundered, it was only natural for the sons to learn bad habits.
“Was it really not you?” Emperor Jian cast a tired glance at Xie Shoujun, making one final confirmation.
Xie Shoujun clasped his hands in a ceremonial salute and said calmly, “Your Majesty need not worry excessively. Since the other party only dares to offend in secret, it is clear they lack courage and fear being discovered by Second Imperial Brother. They likely won’t dare to act openly in the future, so Second Imperial Brother remains safe.”
Emperor Jian considered this and found it reasonable.
Someone who only dares to scheme in the shadows is nothing but a coward!
If they had any real capability, they would have openly seized what they wanted like he did in his youth, when he directly took a minister’s wife into the imperial harem~
After leaving Wu De Hall, Emperor Jian decided to stroll for relaxation rather than take the imperial carriage. As he walked, a sudden realization struck him.
Wait a moment…
When he had asked Xie Shoujun whether he was the one who offended Ze’er, hadn’t Xie Shoujun avoided giving a direct answer?