Chapter 0007: Diligent Second Prince, Salted Fish Master Xie Chengze
Eastern Palace.
Xie Jinyu shared Emperor Jian’s view that the official who landed in last place must be an impoverished yet honest one.
Having their six months’ salary deducted would only worsen their plight. Xie Jinyu sent someone to the treasury to fetch silver, intending to privately assist the official. Unexpectedly, the messenger returned immediately, bringing Eunuch Chen with him.
After hearing Eunuch Chen’s oral decree, Xie Jinyu nearly laughed in frustration.
Without even stepping out of his palace, a massive black pot had descended from the sky—the entire Eastern Palace staff had lost six months’ salary.
This was his father punishing him, warning him that if he couldn’t even counter his second brother’s simple tricks, how could he balance the court officials and work for the welfare of the people?
He had underestimated his opponent. He never expected his second brother to gift him such a “present.” His unusual behavior today wasn’t due to some impending doom but was meant to unsettle him and make him lose his composure.
His second brother knew full well that Xie Jinyu couldn’t bring himself to be ruthless against him.
Clenching his fist, Xie Jinyu smiled faintly, a sense of desolation growing in his heart. “Your son accepts the decree.”
“Your Highness, there’s no need to rush.” Eunuch Zhao smiled, flicking his horsetail whisk. The two young eunuchs behind him stepped forward, carrying a tray piled high with memorials.
“His Second Highness said that His Majesty has toiled for the state for years and his dragon body is precious, requiring proper rest. As the master of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince should share His Majesty’s burdens. His Majesty deeply agrees. These memorials shall be handled by Your Highness now.”
Xie Jinyu was taken aback.
When he recovered, he couldn’t help but glance up at the sky.
Eunuch Zhao teased, “Your Highness, the sun did not rise from the west today.”
If the sun hadn’t risen from the west, why would his second brother be so kind as to let him handle the memorials for the Emperor instead of recommending himself to share their father’s burdens?!
Could it be a trap to frame him for attempting to usurp the Emperor’s authority…
“This…” Xie Jinyu cautiously glanced at the memorials.
“Your Highness need not worry. These are just unimportant memorials,” Eunuch Zhao said with a smile.
Of course, a few important ones were mixed in. Now that the Crown Prince was of age, it was time for him to start handling memorials and sharing the burdens of the state and the Emperor.
Only then did Xie Jinyu accept them. After seeing Eunuch Zhao off, he couldn’t help but look in the direction of Cheng Huan Palace.
What exactly was his second brother planning?
Over at Cheng Huan Palace, Xie Chengze chuckled to himself at the thought of the Crown Prince suffering a setback and being forced to work without pay.
Taking off his shoes, he climbed onto the small jade couch in the pavilion, meant for enjoying the view. His pale feet rested on the soft pillow at the end of the couch, and he sprawled out like a salted fish.
Lying flat felt wonderful.
Sleeping felt wonderful.
The lazy kitten dozed on the couch for a while, then began shifting left and right. After a few turns, he finally sat up.
He called out, “Someone! Have the treasury manager bring the treasure ledger!”
Soon, the treasury manager hurried over and presented a ledger boldly titled “Treasure Ledger.”
Xie Chengze flipped through the ledger.
Emperor Jian had doted excessively on Consort Hua, sending batches upon batches of treasures to Cheng Huan Palace. After Consort Hua passed away from illness, the Emperor transferred this favor to the original owner of this body, doubling the rewards and making the other consorts grind their teeth in envy.
This precious inventory recorded the treasures bestowed by Emperor Jian over the years. The emperor had even declared that these were Xie Chengze’s private assets, to be disposed of entirely at his discretion.
After transmigrating here, Xie Chengze had inherited the original host’s memories. Though childhood recollections had grown hazy and nearly forgotten, memories from age nine onward remained remarkably clear.
He remembered how Rou Fei of Jade Lotus Palace had taken a fancy to the Yun Duan Jin and Cang Hai Zhu in Cheng Huan Palace. Unfortunately, the original host had been as greedy as a legendary glutton—taking everything in and never giving anything out. Despite Rou Fei’s repeated pleas and coaxing, she had never managed to obtain them.
He also recalled that although Rou Fei’s family background wasn’t prominent, her elder brother Jiang Henan was a renowned imperial merchant in Jiangnan. Doting on his sister excessively, Jiang Henan feared she might be bullied in the palace. Every year, he secretly sent her substantial sums of silver to help her curry favor with the palace staff…
“Come here,” Xie Chengze beckoned to the warehouse steward.
The steward hurried forward. Xie Chengze whispered a few words in his ear, leaving the steward visibly astonished. Though burning with curiosity, the steward dared not question the order and immediately withdrew to carry out the task.
Xie Chengze glanced at the receding precious inventory.
Lost in thought, he suddenly curved his lips into a smile.
He hoped the Ministry of Revenue would appreciate this “generous gift.”
With this matter settled, Xie Chengze collapsed back onto the small jade divan, wrapped himself in the Persian wool blanket, and soon drifted into a peaceful slumber.
——
Without the burden of court attendance, Xie Chengze’s life was utterly blissful.
He spent his days lounging in Cheng Huan Palace, reading novels and trivial books on his jade divan. As the emperor’s most favored son, he enjoyed the finest provisions in the palace. Even the lychees and grapes he consumed daily were delivered via express horse relays from distant Lingnan and Tibet—first to the emperor, then to Cheng Huan Palace.
Moreover, he commanded numerous death warriors privately trained by the original host, each fiercely loyal. Particularly notable were his two personal guards, Wuhen and Wuji, who had carried out countless unsavory deeds for the original host in the original storyline.
Though the original host hadn’t been particularly clever, his fear of death had driven him to build an formidable armed force. Even Xie Chengze had to admit that, in this regard, the original host had been right.
However, casting a sidelong glance at Wuhen peeling lychees and Wuji slicing grapes beside the jade divan, Xie Chengze guiltily averted his gaze.
Sorry, original host. Your followers seem somewhat underutilized with me.
“Your Highness.” Having finished peeling the lychees, Wuhen presented the crystal glass dish to Xie Chengze.
Wuhen possessed striking, heroic features marked by sharp, cold elegance. His sword-like eyebrows swept upward like blades, and his thin, pressed lips emitted a voice tinged with aloof detachment. His handsome face carried an icy, intimidating chill.
His most distinctive feature was his eyes, perpetually bound by a dark silk ribbon. Exceptionally skilled at locating targets by sound and assassination, many in the original story—including Shen Yuan—mistook him for blind. To eliminate Wuhen, Shen Yuan schemed to deafen him, unaware that Wuhen’s eyesight was perfectly normal. This miscalculation allowed the original host, then cornered in a life-or-death situation, to miraculously break through a hundred-strong encirclement and survive.
Xie Chengze then turned to look at Wuji.
In contrast, Wuji possessed far more delicate features, his gentle and refined scholarly aura making him seem utterly unlike a martial artist, rather resembling a strategist. He rarely made a move, and his lightness skill was exceptional; usually, he would only draw his sword when the entire family needed to be silenced, killing invisibly in the darkness without leaving a trace.
Xie Chengze couldn’t understand—what kind of life-saving grace could make two such capable and handsome young men remain unwaveringly loyal even when exploited by the original host, dedicating themselves wholeheartedly to his path of seizing the throne, only to end up meeting a tragic, fatal demise.
Xie Chengze felt it was somewhat unfair to them, but now things were better. He had no intention of contending for the throne, so these two young men could stay away from those dirty affairs and live leisurely, comfortable lives with him.
Xie Chengze took the crystal dish from Wuhen’s hand, his gaze falling upon the pyramid-like neat pile of lychee flesh arranged on it. He paused for a moment, then took the topmost piece into his mouth.
Wuhen and Wuji simultaneously turned their heads—one’s eyes flickered slightly, the other’s ears twitched faintly.
Chewing the fruit, Xie Chengze discreetly observed Wuhen and asked casually, “Wuhen, aren’t you curious why I didn’t attend court today?”
For a chosen workaholic like him to skip court without any illness or reason was somewhat suspicious. Xie Chengze wanted to test whether Wuhen and Wuji had noticed anything unusual.
Wuhen lowered his gaze, half-kneeling before the jade couch, and shook his head, his tone so flat it betrayed no emotion. “Your Highness may do as you wish.”
Xie Chengze looked at him in surprise, reminded of a scene in The Power Minister where the original host, in order to sever Shen Yuan’s right-hand men, schemed to kill a loyal court official. Back then, the original host had arrogantly asked Wuhen if he was ruthless, to which Wuhen had replied, “Your Highness may do as you wish.”
What kind of life-saving grace could make someone abandon their moral compass to this extent? It was as if their normal sense of right and wrong had been completely devoured!
The book hadn’t explained it, and Xie Chengze couldn’t very well ask. He could only say gloomily, “Well, you’re quite indulgent toward me.”
Wuhen looked up, tilting his head slightly with a hint of bewildered confusion.
Meanwhile, Wuji brought over a crystal plate, smiling as he said, “Your Highness~ If the ice isn’t curious, then I am!”
The crystal plate Wuji brought was nothing like Wuhen’s neatly arranged, almost obsessive-compulsive display. The crystal grapes on it were haphazardly placed, and not only that, they were unevenly peeled, with chunks missing here and there. Upon closer inspection, they looked as if they had been carved into limbless torsos, with remnants of tiny limbs still attached, and pale juice trickling across the crimson plate.
Xie Chengze couldn’t help but remark, “That’s so badass.”
Using a long blade to peel grapes was one thing, but managing to make them look both ugly and gruesome was another level entirely.
Wuji held the plate with both hands, his peach-blossom eyes filled with mild confusion. “Your Highness, what does ‘badass’ mean?”
Xie Chengze: “Uh, it means you’re one of a kind.”
Wuji: “Oh~ Then Your Highness is also badass~”
Xie Chengze: “…”
No, I’m not badass. You’re the one who’s badass.
Having confirmed that Wuhen and Wuji were nothing but two die-hard fans, Xie Chengze finally relaxed his slacker heart and unapologetically embraced the life of a freeloader.
He said to Wuji, “I just suddenly realized that being emperor is rather boring—getting up early and working late every day, likely to cause baldness and wrinkles.”
He touched his own cheek, his face full of lingering fear as he said, “When I looked in the bronze mirror this morning after waking up, I discovered I had actually gained a wrinkle. It was then that I suddenly realized the importance of beauty to me—far surpassing that of the imperial throne!”
Wuji carefully examined Xie Chengze’s face but didn’t find any new wrinkle.
“Your Highness is overthinking it,” Wuji said sincerely. “Even when you grow old, you will still be the most handsome old man in the world.”
Xie Chengze: “…”
Wow, you really know how to charm someone.
“Your Highness.” Wuji lifted the crystal plate, his eyes urging, “Have some grapes.”
Xie Chengze looked at the grape “corpses” and felt somewhat reluctant to eat them, but Wuji’s gaze was too expectant. Just as Xie Chengze finally steeled himself to reach out, a guard hurried in from the entrance and said, “Your Highness, many officials have arrived outside with numerous gifts, claiming they’re here to visit you due to your illness!”