Chapter 0063: Lord Shen’s Secret Jealousy, the Dog Emperor Harms Me Xie Chengze

Shen Yuan clearly remembered how intensely possessive Xie Chengze had been toward Wuhen and Wuji in their previous life. He never lent them out to others, yet frequently subjected them to beatings, insults, and humiliation—almost as if training animals with ruthless cruelty.

Shen Yuan had once tested whether he could turn Wuhen and Wuji against their master, but to his surprise, the two would rather endure all kinds of humiliation than pledge their unwavering loyalty to Xie Chengze.

Their eyes and behavior seemed perfectly normal, nothing like individuals who had lost their reason after being tamed.

Unable to figure it out, Shen Yuan stopped dwelling on it. He carried the drunken, sleeping Xie Chengze back to his room, removed the young man’s shoes and white socks, wiped the smell of alcohol from his face with a damp cloth, and then tucked him into bed.

“Who knows how much he drank.”

Gazing at Xie Chengze’s flushed, sleeping face, Shen Yuan couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch his cheek—applying a force that seemed both venting and reluctant to hurt him.

The skin was soft, with a faint warmth, as smooth and tender as a boiled egg white, making it hard not to rub it a few more times.

The drunken young man furrowed his brows slightly from the rubbing. Perhaps dreaming of something, he lifted his hand to grasp Shen Yuan’s fingers on his face and murmured softly, “Sisi… is that you?”

Sisi?

Shen Yuan frowned, a strange emotion flickering through his heart.

Who was Sisi?

Was this someone Xie Chengze loved? A man or a woman?

Seeing Xie Chengze holding his hand and gently nuzzling against it, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but recall that ambiguous dream from two months ago. His feelings grew complicated, mixed with an inexplicable jealousy.

He asked aloud, “Who is Sisi?”

“Sisi, I miss you so much…” Whether or not he heard the question in his sleep, Xie Chengze continued rubbing against Shen Yuan’s palm. But his expression grew increasingly distressed, as if he were deeply aggrieved and sorrowful. Finally, at one point, a single tear escaped from the corner of his tightly closed eye and landed lightly on Shen Yuan’s palm.

It was warm at first, then quickly turned cold.

Shen Yuan felt as if a needle had pricked his heart—not painful, yet impossible to ignore.

Xie Chengze… seemed to really like that person named Sisi.

Why had he never heard of this in their previous life?

Was it because of that person that Xie Chengze never showed interest in women?

Who exactly was that person…

Just as Shen Yuan was racking his memories, he suddenly heard Xie Chengze whimper in a tearful voice, murmuring in his sleep, “I told you it was dangerous outside… You insisted on running out to find a female dog. Now look what happened—you got hit by a cart, flattened into a pancake…”

“How could you die so tragically… I can’t even pick you up anymore, wu wu…”

Shen Yuan: …

He really was… Shen Yuan almost laughed in sheer frustration.

To mistake him for a male dog—Shen Yuan even wondered if Xie Chengze was pretending to be asleep just to mock him.

Pulling his hand away, Shen Yuan gave Xie Chengze’s cheek another hard pinch. Satisfied, he stood up and left the room.

Inside the room, Xie Chengze soon relaxed his brow and sank into another dream.

—

The next day, the scholars sobered up and rose at dawn, packing their belongings to prepare for the journey back to their hometowns.

Xie Chengze also woke up early and went to the city gate of Jiangdu Xian to see them off.

“Brother Cheng, you really don’t need to escort us any further.”

The scholars gathered at the city gate, watching Xie Chengze yawning and looking utterly sleep-deprived, and expressed their concern, “You stayed until the very end last night and drank quite a lot. How can your body endure that? You should go back and get more rest.”

“No worries, no worries!” Xie Chengze waved his hand dismissively, speaking with unshakable confidence. “Why sleep long in life? Eternal rest awaits in death!”

The scholars: “…”

The scholars: “???”

Brother Cheng, poetry isn’t written like that!

But considering Xie Chengze was a pleasure-seeking young noble who loved traveling and sightseeing, his unconventional poetic style wasn’t entirely surprising. Moreover, these two short lines were quite amusing, and some even discerned profound metaphorical meanings in them.

For instance, Bian Yangchun, inspired by the moment, composed a poem on the spot and proclaimed loudly among the crowd:

“The Emperor inquires of the Min River’s floods,

Wise talents rush to Shu’s lands.

How to mend the west’s collapse and east’s desolation?

Hear me detail my plans.

Cleave the river, tame the waves, redirect its course,

Nature’s power stands in view.

With Yugong’s resolve to move mountains and streams,

Humans conquering heaven proves true!

No need for lengthy slumber in this life,

In boundless learning, diligence prevails.

For the people’s cause, take the lead with strife,

Then in death, peaceful rest never fails!”

The poem’s fervent spirit stirred the crowd, earning cheers from many scholars. Ouyang Jiu sighed in admiration, “This deserves the accompaniment of pipa and zheng, playing an impassioned tune in harmony!””

No sooner had he spoken than a prolonged, resonant melody arose, seemingly from beyond the city walls. Everyone turned to look and saw a man in black court robes riding a tall horse, emerging first into view along the winding path.

Following closely behind him, a procession of ornate, towering carriages—unlike any used by commoners—gradually came into sight, moving in time with the lingering zheng melody. Red silk ribbons adorned the rosewood chests on the carriages, though their costly contents remained unknown, as they steadily approached the gates of Jiangdu Xian.

“Who is that? Such grand pomp!”

The scholars gazed curiously, speculating about which high-ranking official had come to inspect Yi Province. Xie Chengze, equally intrigued, pushed forward and craned his neck to get a better look.

As the procession drew nearer, he studied the man on horseback, finding the official robes somewhat familiar. He racked his brains, trying to recall where he had seen them before, when suddenly his mind went blank with realization.

Damn! It came back to him!

These were the imperial guards of that damned emperor!

Xie Chengze immediately turned to flee, but unexpectedly, someone in the lead carriage had sharper eyes than his. Leaping down from the carriage and hiking up his robe, the man sprinted after Xie Chengze.

At the same time, he shouted, “Your Highness! Second Prince! Please don’t run—!”

The scholars: “?”

Second Prince? What second prince?

The little eunuch in eunuch attire hurried over with quick steps, grabbing hold of Xie Chengze, who was frantically trying to slip through the crowd. Panting heavily, the eunuch exclaimed, “Oh, my Second Prince! Why are you running? I’ve come by imperial decree to deliver all the delicacies from the imperial kitchen to you!”

Due to the long journey and scorching weather, many of the fresh provisions had spoiled along the way. Thus, they had been purchasing and replacing items as they traveled, which delayed them for over two months until they finally reached Jiangdu Xian today.

Following the emperor’s orders, he was to publicly reward the Second Prince to demonstrate Emperor Jian’s affection for him.

Xie Chengze was utterly stunned.

He never imagined that Emperor Jian would actually move the imperial kitchen here.

Emperor Jian’s motivation for doing this was only thirty percent favoritism, while seventy percent was undoubtedly to tarnish his reputation, making the people of Yi Province believe he was an extravagant prince who only knew how to indulge in pleasure, thus leaving them with a poor impression of him.

But unfortunately…

Zhu Xiaobiao, who spoke of splitting mountains and rivers, was his man; Jing Ze, who infiltrated the scholars, was his man; Governor Liang, who resolved the refugees’ famine, was also his man; and even he himself, who drank and mingled with the scholars—

Every single detail indicated that the Tianfu Plan was intricately connected to him!

As long as he did not admit it, no one could confirm his actual involvement. By the time he returned to the capital, all the good reputation would fall upon Liang Wan Da and Shen Yuan, while he would remain that mediocre and somewhat flawed Second Prince, untargeted and undisturbed by corrupt officials and jackals.

But now, that damned Emperor Jian had exposed his true identity in front of everyone!

As everyone knew, the common people held a mysterious reverence for the emperor and princes—for instance, they assumed that emperors and princes must possess far greater knowledge than ordinary people or officials.

Before the Second Prince arrived in Yi Province, no one had thought of the method to split mountains and rivers. Yet, as soon as the Second Prince came, the Min River floods were easily resolved. If it wasn’t his idea, whose could it possibly be?

Delving deeper, Emperor Jian’s favoritism toward the Second Prince was known throughout the land. It was highly likely that Emperor Jian had specifically announced this year’s Open-book Examination topic as flood control in Yi Province to make the Second Prince famous, drawing scholars from all over to study there and, in the process, witness the Second Prince’s talents…

Moreover, the Second Prince himself had mentioned his love for traveling and sightseeing. Wasn’t it precisely those who enjoyed such pursuits who could perceive the natural principles within landscapes and better understand how to manage floods and disasters?

It could be said that the little eunuch’s shout had thoroughly confirmed Xie Chengze as “Li Bing”—the true mastermind behind resolving the refugees’ famine, the droughts in the east and breaches in the west, and transforming Yi Province into the Land of Abundance!

So, what did mere imperial kitchen delicacies matter? The Second Prince deserved it all!!!

Xie Chengze stiffly turned his head and, as expected, saw the scholars’ expressions completely transformed, their gazes burning fervently as they fixed on him. A large crowd knelt and bowed, chanting, “We pay homage to the Second Prince! May the Second Prince live a thousand, thousand years!”

Xie Chengze: …

That damned emperor has ruined me!!!