Chapter 0067: The Supreme One Speaks Through Xie Chengze, The Scummy Emperor’s Test
Xie Jinyu had finally left.
Xie Chengze opened his eyes, his nostrils filled with the sweet and sour scent of fruit peels. Turning his head, he discovered that all the tribute fruits on the display stand had been peeled—even the cluster of crystal grapes hadn’t been spared, peeled to a perfectly round and glossy finish.
Xie Chengze: Hmm…
The Crown Prince’s preferences are quite unique, aren’t they?
Well, as a well-educated university student of the modern era, he couldn’t laugh and had to respect others’ quirks.
Xie Chengze rolled over and was about to reach for one to taste when Zhu Xiaobiao, along with Wuhen and Wuji, hurried in.
Seeing Xie Chengze’s hand reaching for the fruit on the stand, Wuji couldn’t help but gasp, warning, “Your Highness, aren’t you afraid of being poisoned?”
Xie Chengze quickly retracted his hand, suddenly struck by fear. “You’re right.”
Although Xie Jinyu valued brotherly bonds, he himself wasn’t the real Xie Chengze. What if the other noticed something off and secretly decided to eliminate him?
For instance, just moments ago, Xie Jinyu had choked him—something the original Xie Jinyu had never done so ruthlessly!
Tsk!
Xie Chengze inwardly scolded his wretched hand for moving faster than his brain.
Wuhen stood before the display stand, frowning slightly at the completely peeled fruits. Wuji, noticing this, asked, “Wuhen, did you just roll your eyes?”
Xie Chengze’s attention was immediately diverted to Wuhen’s eyes, wrapped in black cloth.
Could he really tell? Was that even possible?
Wuhen: “…You’re too noisy.”
Xie Chengze: Ah, no denial—so he admitted it.
Xie Chengze was curious about what Wuhen looked like when rolling his eyes. According to the original novel’s setting, Wuhen was an extremely taciturn and stoic figure, making it hard to imagine him making such an expressive gesture.
Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get to see it, nor could he force Wuhen to roll his eyes just for him.
Wuhen handed Xie Chengze a meticulously peeled orange and watched quietly as he ate it. Only then did he and Wuji begin to gather the fruits from the stand and head toward the door.
Zhu Xiaobiao, ever diligent, quickly stepped forward, picked up the remaining fruit platter, and followed them out.
Once they reached a secluded spot, Wuji overturned his fruit platter, sending the gleaming, perfectly peeled crystal grapes tumbling to the ground, where they were crushed underfoot, bursting with juice.
Wuji said coldly, “It seems he discovered His Highness was pretending to be unconscious.”
Zhu Xiaobiao mimicked the action, throwing the fruits to the ground, then suddenly realized, “He found out?”
Wuhen crouched down, methodically burying the fruits one by one in neat holes, and remarked calmly, “As long as he doesn’t harm His Highness, it’s fine.”
“How can you be sure he won’t harm him!” Wuji retorted discontentedly. “Others might not know, but you and I are well aware of his intentions! His Highness has no one by his side. If it weren’t for Consort Hua’s dying wish, even we wouldn’t have the chance to stay with him!”
Zhu Xiaobiao looked up in confusion: What intentions?
Wuhen also looked up, his tone puzzled. “Would such intentions count as harm?”
Wuji was momentarily speechless. “You—you haven’t forgotten, have you? That thing is painful! Everyone said so back then! So how could it not be harmful?”
Zhu Xiaobiao: ??? What pain? What harm???
Wuhen fell silent for a moment. “Then you also wish to harm His Highness.”
Wuji: ?
Wuji angrily kicked him. “Aren’t you the same? Why don’t you just go kill yourself!”
Wuhen dodged the kick and continued burying fruit pits with his head lowered. “Save your energy. You’ve splashed grape juice all over my clothes. You’re washing my outer robe later.”
Wuji: “No! I’ll tear it all to shreds! Use your monthly salary to buy a new one yourself!”
Zhu Xiaobiao anxiously interjected from the side: “I’ll wash it! Colleagues, what exactly did you mean by ‘those feelings’ you mentioned earlier?”
Wuhen remained silent while Wuji glanced at Zhu Xiaobiao, his handsome peach-blossom eyes suddenly narrowing with a mischievous smile. “You know~ The kind of feelings you have for Jing Ze~”
……
……
Moments later, Zhu Xiaobiao covered his blazing red face: Ah—! It’s definitely not that kind of feeling!
——
After Shen Yuan was transferred to become Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he handled affairs with swift decisiveness, purging many officials involved in the Yi Province corruption case. This left all officials trembling with fear while secretly resenting this newcomer for being ungrateful and arrogant.
This resulted in their hostile gazes becoming entirely focused on Shen Yuan, momentarily forgetting about the still unconscious Second Prince.
And this was exactly the outcome Xie Chengze wanted.
Shen Yuan made an excellent shield. As long as he later insisted in court that he had nothing to do with the Yi Province matters and that he had merely taken credit for Liang Wan Da and Shen Yuan’s achievements, these ministers wouldn’t be able to touch him.
After all~
The Second Prince’s persona of mediocrity and credit-stealing was already deeply ingrained. Rather than believing the Tianfu Plan was his idea, ministers preferred to believe Xie Chengze was glory-seeking and had deliberately stolen the accomplishments from Liang Wan Da and Shen Yuan.
Having “lain” in bed for half a month while Shen Yuan cleaned house, Xie Chengze finally “gradually regained consciousness.”
Upon hearing Xie Chengze had awakened, Emperor Jian immediately had his carriage prepared for Cheng Huan Palace to visit him.
“My son Zeze!” Emperor Jian exclaimed heartbrokenly, embracing him as if his most treasured possession had nearly been lost, tears streaming down his face. “You’ve suffered! Does your wound still hurt? Should your father blow on it for you?”
Xie Chengze burst into exaggerated sobs, his expression even more theatrical than the Emperor’s. “Father! It hurts so much! At that time, the sword was only 0.01 feet from my throat, but soon its wielder spared me because I decided to tell a lie. Although I’ve told countless lies in my life, this one I consider the most perfect!”
“I said: You should do this, and I should die. Once there was genuine affection placed before me that I didn’t cherish, only regretting it when lost. Nothing in this world is more painful than this. If heaven would give me another chance, I would say four words to you who I fell for at first sight: My heart adores you!”
Xie Chengze wiped nonexistent tears from the corners of his eyes, hoarsely wailing. “The assassin was clearly stunned by my beauty and lies, deciding to spare my life. But he still needed to report to his master, so he stabbed my arm and right leg twice!”
“Father! It’s all thanks to the devastating beauty you and Mother bestowed upon me! Otherwise you would never have seen your son again, wuuu—” Xie Chengza howled mournfully.
Emperor Jian: …
Emperor Jian nearly lost the sentimental mood he’d built up. This wretched child’s talent for spouting nonsense remained as formidable as ever, leaving even him at a loss for words.
Eunuch Zhao pursed his lips lightly beside them and teased, “Your Majesty, it seems the Second Prince truly fears being apart from you.”
“Ahem.” Emperor Jian cleared his throat softly. “Indeed, and how could I feel otherwise? Chengze, you’ve suffered greatly during your assignment in Yi Province. Speak now—what would you have? I shall grant anything you desire!”
As he finished speaking, he cast a discreet glance at Xie Chengze.
Currently, Shen Yuan was making bold reforms at court, and the ministers could easily discern the emperor’s tacit approval behind these actions. However, only minor corrupt officials were being purged thus far. The true parasites infesting the court could not yet be touched, lest instability reign and the people suffer immeasurable harm.
Yet this respite inadvertently allowed these corrupt elements to catch their breath. To avoid future reckoning, they would inevitably seek new patronage and entertain thoughts of switching allegiances.
His earlier miscalculation had already made Xie Chengze widely celebrated among the people of Yi Province and scholars across the land. Combined with the prince’s arrogant and easily manipulated nature, propping him up as a puppet emperor for the Jian’an Dynasty seemed the perfect scheme.
But… Emperor Jian knew full well that the current Xie Chengze was far from the mediocrity he appeared to be.
If the prince ever genuinely coveted the throne…
As these thoughts crossed the emperor’s mind, he saw Xie Chengze lower his head with a bashful smile. “Imperial Father, can I truly request any reward?”
The emperor’s eyelid twitched with sudden foreboding, but he forced a warm smile. “Of course. Even if you desired this very empire, your father would gladly give it to you.”
Xie Chengze lifted his small face, eyes sparkling with hopeful innocence. “Then may this son never attend morning court again? Waking at dawn is so exhausting—it’s making me grow ugly.”
Emperor Jian: “…”
The emperor roared: “Absolutely not!”
Xie Chengze: Tch (;￢＿￢) You old scoundrel. Weren’t you just boasting you’d grant anything?