Chapter 0051: Misunderstood Shen Yuan, Self-Mocking and Disappointed Xie Chengze
Shen Yuan gripped the soapbox tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. Suppressing his irritation, he tilted his head and asked, “So you bought sulfur powder just to make gunpowder?”
Xie Chengze: ? Why bring this up again?
With the atmosphere already tense, Xie Chengze simply admitted it, “Yes! I’m going to make gunpowder! So what?”
“Aren’t you afraid of dying?” Shen Yuan frowned, turning to look at him with a complicated expression.
“I already said I know how to make gunpowder—there’s no danger!” Xie Chengze suddenly realized how stubborn Shen Yuan was. “Are you incapable of understanding human speech? Someone as afraid of death as me wouldn’t touch something so dangerous unless I was absolutely confident. I’m not stupid!”
“Is that what I’m talking about?” Shen Yuan grew angry too. The soapbox in his hand fell to the ground as he pressed both hands against the wooden barrel, his gaze dark and fixed on Xie Chengze. “Xie Chengze, I find I understand you less and less. Are you making gunpowder for the people of Yi Province, or for yourself?”
“What?” At these words, Xie Chengze trembled, a chill rushing through him. He stared at Shen Yuan in disbelief. “What did you say?”
He had thought Shen Yuan had changed, that he was beginning to understand him. But what had he just said?
Did he still believe that everything Xie Chengze did was for power?
Noticing the hurt in Xie Chengze’s eyes, Shen Yuan’s heart ached. His tone softened slightly, but he remained firm. “I don’t believe you haven’t considered what would happen if His Majesty found out you can make gunpowder.”
The Second Prince, beloved by the people and in possession of destructive gunpowder, posed enough of a threat to challenge the Crown Prince’s position.
Did Xie Chengze truly believe that achieving the Land of Abundance and creating gunpowder would earn Emperor Jian’s favor and bring him closer to the Crown Prince’s position?
It would only bring him closer to death.
Shen Yuan was terrified—not because Xie Chengze might be unaware of the consequences. If he were ignorant, he would merely be foolish, foolish enough to deserve his fate. At least then, Shen Yuan could pull him back from the brink of destruction.
What terrified him was that Xie Chengze knew exactly what the outcome would be, yet he chose to make gunpowder anyway.
If it were for power, he could have secretly built his forces, stockpiled gunpowder in the shadows, and used such a weapon to storm the palace, seizing the entire imperial city and overthrowing the Jian’an Dynasty.
If this were the Xie Chengze of his past life, he would have done exactly that.
But he hadn’t. He was simply advancing the Land of Abundance plan, striving to make Yi Province prosperous sooner, to ensure its people could eat their fill—all while disregarding the risk of incurring Emperor Jian’s suspicion and wrath.
How could he have become so… benevolent?
Shen Yuan felt as if his insides were twisting in pain. He bent forward heavily, his fingers tangling in the injured young man’s hair, gripping half his head firmly in his palm. His voice was hoarse as he whispered, “Xie Chengze, do you want to die…”
Do you… not even care about dying peacefully?
Do I want to die? Are you threatening me now because you’re afraid I’ll stand in the Crown Prince’s way?
“Hah,” Xie Chengze, forced to tilt his head back by his movement, let out a cold laugh upon hearing this, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his lips. “What, are you afraid that if His Majesty learns I can make gunpowder, he’ll favor me more than your Crown Prince? Do you like Xie Jinyu so much, thinking he’s the best, that you won’t allow anyone to stand in his way? Even to the point of wanting my life?”
He raised his neck high, his pitch-black eyes fixed intently on Shen Yuan. His slender, wet index finger swept horizontally across his own throat, leaving a faint, transparent trail of water, as if hinting at something. “Lord Shen, I’ll give you a chance. Wuhen and Wuji have both been sent out on missions. Kill me now, and no one will know.”
After saying this, he let out another self-deprecating laugh. “Oh, I almost forgot. If I die, His Majesty will surely become suspicious. Whether it has anything to do with you or not, you’ll be guilty of dereliction of duty for failing to protect me. Given His Majesty’s favor toward me, the entire Shen family will be buried with me.”
The blood letter mistakenly sent earlier, which had spurred him to rush back, was likely out of fear of being buried with him rather than genuine concern for his safety.
He had thought they were friends by now, but it seemed he had been overthinking things.
Xie Chengze sneered, “No wonder Lord Shen just asked if I wanted to die, not if I should die.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Shen Yuan frowned, wanting to explain that his intention wasn’t like that, but Xie Chengze forcefully pushed his hand away, turning his back to him, his voice icy cold. “Get out. I don’t want to see you again.”
“Xie Chengze…” Shen Yuan took a step forward, intending to touch him, but saw him angrily raise his hand and slam it fiercely into the water, splashing it everywhere in the wooden tub.
Xie Chengze roared with almost all his strength, “How dare you! Who allowed you to address me by my name? Get out!”
Shen Yuan hesitated, withdrawing his hand after a moment of indecision.
Fine, he’s too angry right now. I’ll explain when he’s calmed down.
Shen Yuan turned and left the room. Passing by the Azure Sword stuck in the ground, he frowned slightly, pulling it out with a hint of irritation and sheathing it with a sharp, heavy shua sound before pushing the door open and stepping out.
In the wooden tub, hearing the sound of the sword being sheathed, Xie Chengze instinctively shrank back, cursing under his breath at the bastard for threatening him again.
Hadn’t he done enough? Why did Shen Yuan still think everything he did was for power and the throne?
He had thought that as long as he behaved honestly and dutifully, Shen Yuan would no longer fear him or want him dead.
He had thought Shen Yuan had already noticed the differences between him and the Second Prince, perhaps even gradually letting go of the grudges from their past life and willing to be friends.
But he was wrong. He had been too naive. How could he think that a powerful minister who had dominated the court for ten years would easily trust someone?
Especially when that someone was his former nemesis.
The water had grown cold at some point. Xie Chengze curled up, shrinking against the side of the tub, secretly cursing Shen Yuan for being as stupid as a pig while unknowingly feeling his eyes grow red.
He missed home.
But at home, no one was waiting for him either.
…
“Your Highness, Your Highness…”
A frantic whisper reached his ears. Xie Chengze slowly opened his eyes, only to realize he had unknowingly fallen asleep.
He was still in the wooden tub, but the water had somehow turned warm again.
Had the numbing cold disrupted his body’s temperature perception? Xie Chengze shifted slightly before remembering something and turned to look at the person who had woken him.
Zhu Xiaobiao was holding two ladles, scooping out two portions of cold water from the tub before adding one ladle of hot water from the heating bucket. He whispered, “Your Highness, you mustn’t sleep any longer. You’ll catch a cold.”
Xie Chengze rubbed his eyes and nodded. It seemed his loyal chubby attendant still cared for him best. “Fetch my robes—”
He paused, suddenly recalling that his old robes had been taken away by Shen Yuan. Only one spare set remained in the room. “Bring the other set of robes from the wooden cabinet.”
“But Lord Shen said you should wear the new ones…” Zhu Xiaobiao began, only to be silenced by Xie Chengze’s glare. “Are you my servant or his?”
Zhu Xiaobiao quietly retrieved the old robes and handed them to Xie Chengze. “Your Highness, did you quarrel with Lord Shen? Earlier he—”
“Don’t mention him to me! What rotten luck!” Xie Chengze snapped with disgust, his tone resembling someone whose close friend had suddenly brought up an ex-lover.
“Oh…” Zhu Xiaobiao responded, swallowing the words: “Lord Shen sent me to replenish your hot water because he feared you’d have no one to attend to you.”