Chapter 0251: What Secrets Lie Within the Sealed Memories of the Previous Life
In the Imperial Hospital.
On the bed within the inner chamber, the unconscious Shen Yuan furrowed his brows deeply, his temples covered in fine beads of cold sweat.
On the floor, a bronze incense burner emitted medicinal fumes, white smoke curling upward and enveloping the bed. In his dazed state, Shen Yuan had a dream—or perhaps it was not merely a dream, but forgotten memories of his past life, resurfacing due to severe trauma.
After slaying the Second Prince in the Golden Luan Hall, he had thought the decade-long power struggle was finally over. Yet, Xie Jinyu, as if gone mad, ordered the Imperial Guards to throw him into prison.
He had believed that Xie Jinyu, who had always upheld brotherly affection, was merely unable to accept the Second Prince’s death in the heat of the moment. Once calmed, he would realize the Second Prince’s influence had crumbled, and no one could stop him from ascending the throne. He would ultimately become the ruler of the realm.
He expected to be released once Xie Jinyu’s anger subsided, so he could assist him in turning Jian’an into a peaceful and prosperous era.
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince personally descended into the prison and slipped a muscle-weakening drug into his meal.
The once gentle and kind young man had, at some point, transformed into a man filled with malice. With crimson eyes, Xie Jinyu brutally thrust the Azure Sword, known to the world as the Jian’an Sword, into his heart.
“Who gave you the right to kill Second Brother!”
“You killed him! How could you kill him! I guarded this vessel for twenty years, and you destroyed it! He was about to return, he was so close to returning, yet you killed him!”
“Shen Yuan, you deserve to die! I wish I could slice you into a thousand pieces!”
At that time, Shen Yuan did not understand the meaning behind those words.
He was only filled with profound disappointment. He had devoted all his efforts to assisting the Crown Prince, hoping he would become a wise ruler who could lead the court and the people to make Jian’an a better place. Yet, he never imagined the Crown Prince would kill a loyal minister who had stood by him for years—all for the sake of a malicious and ruthless elder brother, one who shared no blood ties.
Overwhelmed by intense sorrow and fury, his blood surged, and he spat out a mouthful of blood before falling unconscious.
Perhaps this memory was too painful, so much so that after his rebirth, he forgot the Crown Prince’s act of killing him.
It was only when the Azure Sword pierced his chest once more, pushing him to the brink of death, that this lost memory flooded back into his mind. In the dream, the Crown Prince’s crimson, hate-filled eyes radiated murderous intent, intertwining with his own emotions of disappointment and rage. This caused the real Shen Yuan to shake his head restlessly and gasp for breath, his slender fingers clutching the edge of the bedsheet, crumpling it beyond recognition.
“What does the Second Prince mean to you, Your Highness?”
“He is my salvation, my very life,” Xie Jinyu looked down at him, his expression unreadable to Shen Yuan’s dazed consciousness. “Had I known about the Soul Incense twenty years ago, even without you, Shen Yuan, I would have ascended the throne long ago.”
“But you destroyed any chance of his return.”
“I am willing to guard this realm only to protect Second Brother. The people, the peace and prosperity—I never cared for any of it.”
“I will destroy the world you love.”
Shen Yuan’s eyes snapped open, and he gasped for air, the movement tugging at the wound on his chest, sending sharp pains through him.
He remembered. He remembered everything.
During the campaign against the Second Prince, Xie Jinyu had finally relented and launched a palace coup on the day the Second Prince was to ascend the throne. At that time, the Crown Prince’s elite troops had long been depleted in the war against the Xiongnu, and the military power in his hands consisted only of the imperial guards, who had already been infiltrated by the Second Prince and Sheng Shihai.
The reason he had been confident of overcoming the then-dominant Second Prince was that the Empress had suddenly sought him out, providing him with a secretly maintained army from the Cao family and command over the Dragon Guards.
Shen Yuan had never expected that the Empress, who never interfered in politics from the inner court, could so easily overturn the Cao family’s control and even persuade certain ministers to switch sides. It was then that he realized her political acumen far surpassed ordinary people’s. Yet, for some unknown reason, the Empress had never extended her help to the Crown Prince.
However, the Empress had said one thing at the time.
She stated that the Crown Prince had expressed deep disappointment that the Second Prince had killed the Eldest Prince, but he still could not bring himself to personally kill the Second Prince. In the Golden Luan Hall, it would be Shen Yuan who would strike down the Second Prince.
Shen Yuan had been skeptical of the Empress’s words at the time.
Because he knew that the Crown Prince had played a role in the Eldest Prince’s death. The Crown Prince had discovered that the Eldest Prince was not truly on his side; he had long harbored resentment over the court’s failure to provide reinforcements, which led to his elite troops being annihilated on the battlefield. The Eldest Prince was merely waiting for an opportune moment to overthrow the Crown Prince and install the Second Prince in his place.
The Eldest Prince did not want the Xie family’s bloodline to hold power.
Coincidentally, the Second Prince had publicly declared his intent to kill the Eldest Prince at court. Seizing this opportunity, the Crown Prince manipulated the Second Prince into acting, resulting in the accidental killing of the Eldest Prince. This incident provoked the already critically ill Emperor Jian into a rage, worsening his condition, and he passed away not long after.
What followed was the Second Prince’s attempt to kill the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince’s feigned death to escape, and the Second Prince’s imminent ascension.
At that time, Shen Yuan did not question the Empress. He even tacitly accepted that she might be lying. Because he believed that the Crown Prince was far too soft-hearted toward the Second Prince. As long as the Second Prince lived, the Crown Prince would remain under his control.
The Second Prince had to die.
Even if the Crown Prince questioned him in the future, he could shift the blame onto the Empress.
It was all for the Crown Prince’s own good, for the stability of the nation, for the welfare of the people—the Second Prince must die.
But he never expected the Crown Prince to be so enraged that he would go so far as to kill him and even threaten to destroy the world.
Why was Xie Jinyu so fixated on Xie Chengze?
What was this Soul Incense he spoke of?
What did he mean by “he’s coming back”?
Was the former Second Prince not Xie Chengze?
Thinking of the malicious and ruthless Second Prince from his previous life and comparing him to the kind yet cunning Xie Chengze of this life, Shen Yuan felt as if he had grasped something, yet something was still missing, preventing him from connecting all the clues to uncover the truth.
Was it related to that Soul Incense?
He struggled to sit up, intending to check his wounds, when suddenly the curtain of the inner chamber was drawn aside, revealing Xie Chengze’s beautiful but exhausted face.
Upon seeing him, those dull gray eyes widened abruptly, and a joyful smile instantly swept away all traces of fatigue. Like a bird freed from its cage, he rushed toward the bed, “Shen Yuan! You’re awake!”
He touched here and there, afraid he was dreaming, his moist eyes fixed intently on Shen Yuan. Then he pinched Shen Yuan’s thigh hard, “Does it hurt?!”
Shen Yuan: …
Xie Chengze, you still haven’t broken that damned habit of ruining the atmosphere.
“It doesn’t hurt.” Shen Yuan pinched his cheek. “So you’re dreaming.”
Xie Chengze let out a light humph, plopping down on the edge of the bed as he muttered, “With such severe injuries, yet waking up so quickly… as expected of a man… a man.”
Shen Yuan, however, misunderstood his meaning and nodded in agreement. “Indeed, men do have greater resilience to injuries than women.”
Xie Chengze rolled his eyes at him.
Shen Yuan watched as the young man lowered his head, fiddling with the corner of his robe as if he had no desire to converse. For some reason, the rims of his eyes were strikingly red, like they had been brushed with crimson flower juice, making it impossible to ignore.
“Has Your Highness been crying?” He reached out, gently tracing the redness at the corner of the young man’s eye, teasing, “You didn’t think I would die and got scared into tears, did you?”
Xie Chengze rolled his eyes again. “Man, you sure have quite the ego.”
He whispered, “Father… has passed away.”
Shen Yuan froze, his lips parting slightly. “Didn’t His Majesty take the Life-Preserving Pill?”
As if suddenly realizing something, his heart tightened.
Logically speaking, given the severity of his injuries at the time, even he knew survival was impossible—yet here he was, alive…
Could it be…
“He didn’t take it,” the young man said, his head still lowered, emotions unreadable in his eyes. “You took it.”
Shen Yuan trembled all over. He wanted to say something but felt he had no right to speak. All he could do was pull the young man into a tight embrace.
“From now on, this subject will protect you in His Majesty’s stead.”
This subject will be your second life.
The young man’s eyes instantly reddened. He silently sniffled, holding back his tears, before raising a hand to punch Shen Yuan lightly, joking, “Just don’t someday choose to kill me for the Crown Prince’s sake—I’ll consider myself blessed and thank you for sparing my life.”
Shen Yuan felt somewhat helpless. Xie Chengze wasn’t the Second Prince—why would he ever kill him? Besides, in their previous life, if not for the Empress’s command, he might not have personally killed the Second Prince either.
But speaking of that…