Chapter 0072: Su Qinghe’s Heart Aches Bitterly, Xie Chengze Struggles to Attend Court

“Is this truly feasible?” Su Qinghe frowned slightly, his elegant face clouded with lingering worry. He always felt this matter wouldn’t end so simply.

He lifted his gaze gently to Shen Yuan’s face, “Brother Shen, do you know why the Second Prince suddenly sought me out?”

Shen Yuan’s expression faltered momentarily before he slowly shook his head, “I don’t know.”

“Your relationship with the Second Prince doesn’t seem very good,” Su Qinghe ventured cautiously, secretly observing the shifts in Shen Yuan’s expression. “Did some misunderstanding arise during your time in Yi Province?”

A misunderstanding…

Shen Yuan lowered his eyes, lost in thought. After a long pause, he murmured in response, almost as if speaking to himself, “Does my relationship with His Highness appear that strained?”

In truth, he could sense it—ever since that day he advised Xie Chengze to surrender the gunpowder formula, Xie Chengze had begun distancing himself. Beyond necessary official discussions, they hardly had any additional contact.

Even on the journey back to Yi Province, Xie Chengze had preferred enduring back pain in the carriage rather than asking him for help.

It wasn’t that Shen Yuan hadn’t tried to reconcile, but repeated attempts at appeasement only met with unwavering coldness. He too felt hurt, and he too grew resentful.

Moreover, with countless eyes in the court watching him closely, it was indeed unwise to appear too intimate with Xie Chengze, lest it bring fatal danger upon him.

Thus, he could only let their relationship drift further apart.

After weighing his words carefully, Su Qinghe spoke with subtle nuance, “The Second Prince indeed seems… to dislike you quite a bit. And you were too aggressive earlier, pressing him step by step like that. After all, the Second Prince is of imperial lineage—how could he tolerate such provocation?”

“That’s because you don’t understand…” Shen Yuan instinctively retorted, then paused and shook his head. “It’s a long story, and not something outsiders should know. In any case, the Second Prince is an excellent person who won’t hold grudges over this. He just occasionally engages in peculiar behavior that ordinary people might find hard to comprehend. If he offended you earlier, I apologize on his behalf.”

Outsiders…

An excellent person…

Apologize on his behalf…

Su Qinghe pressed his lips together lightly, a sudden bitterness welling in his heart.

Every word from Shen Yuan seemed to exclude him completely—not only failing to inquire about what had transpired in the hall earlier but even downplaying the Second Prince’s actions, attempting to resolve the conflict through their bond, as if the humiliation he had suffered in Cheng Huan Palace could simply be erased.

Brother Shen had never been like this before. He had always cared for his feelings and would never let him suffer grievances—unlike now, when every word served to justify the Second Prince’s conduct.

Yet even so, he who couldn’t bring himself to reject or dislike Shen Yuan was likely the more pitiable one.

“I understand,” he said, his voice trembling slightly. “After returning to my residence, I will immediately claim illness and refrain from going out.”

Shen Yuan noticed nothing amiss, assuming Su Qinghe’s emotional instability stemmed from the pressure of the forced marriage proposal earlier. He accompanied him all the way to the palace gates before turning back.

Once seated in the carriage, Su Qinghe slowly lowered his head and realized his palms were marked with deep indentations from his nails.

“Young master!”His attendant noticed and exclaimed sadly, ‘Lord Shen is truly unreasonable!'” How could he speak up for that useless Second Prince and completely disregard the bullying you endured!”

Everyone in the Su Family knew that the Second Prince was an ambitious man whose virtues did not match his position. Previously, he had even gone so far as to have the Emperor send delicacies from the Imperial Study all the way to the remote Yi Province with great extravagance and lavishness. Had it not been for Lord Shen’s efforts in resolving the floods in Yi Province, the Second Prince would have long been condemned by the scholars of the Hanlin Academy!

From the family head to the clansmen, from the servants to the stable hands, not a single person in the Su Family held the Second Prince in high regard!

“Jingmo, watch your words,” Su Qinghe shook his head. “Brother Shen is only trying to avoid unnecessary trouble. I have no power or influence, so it’s truly unwise for me to provoke the Second Prince.”

“I understand, young master. I just feel sorry for you and am upset that Lord Shen isn’t siding with you,” Jingmo sighed. “But why must you have feelings for…”

“Jingmo!” Su Qinghe’s tone sharpened, causing Jingmo to shrink his neck and slap his own mouth. “Understood, young master. I won’t say anymore.”

His young master was such a coward!

…

The next day, as expected, Cheng Huan Palace sent an invitation to the Su Family.

Su Qinghe claimed to have caught a cold, and the invitations stopped. Instead, they were replaced by expensive tonics, delivered daily to the Su residence.

Cheng Huan Palace was insistent, making it difficult for Su Qinghe to refuse. After seven days of distress, another invitation arrived, inquiring about his health and whether he could enter the palace for a conversation.

After much hesitation, Su Qinghe sought Shen Yuan’s advice and subsequently declined the palace invitation, citing a worsening illness.

He had expected the master of Cheng Huan Palace to be furious, but to his surprise, no further invitations arrived, and the daily delivery of tonics ceased, as if they had given up.

Only then did Su Qinghe breathe a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, in Cheng Huan Palace, Xie Chengze wore a tearful, unhappy expression.

Because he had to attend morning court again.

Shen Yuan had uncovered the mastermind behind the assassination attempt, and all clues pointed to Yang Qinghui, the Minister of Revenue, being involved in the corruption case in Yi Province. The Yi Province case was merely the tip of the iceberg, and it undoubtedly implicated more corruption scandals. Therefore, Shen Yuan petitioned the Emperor, requesting a thorough investigation into the corruption within the Ministry of Revenue.

However, Yang Qinghui’s influence in the court was deeply entrenched. As soon as the petition was submitted, numerous officials spoke up in his defense during court sessions. Yang Qinghui himself cried injustice, detailing his diligent service under two reigns and lamenting how he was now being sidelined and slandered by petty individuals. Not only had he lost the Emperor’s trust, but he was also falsely accused. His words, filled with grief and indignation, stirred empathy among the civil and military officials while also filling them with anxiety.

It was clear that the Emperor intended to purge the court. Would they face the same fate someday?

If they stood by and did nothing while the Minister of Revenue suffered, once this great tree fell, those who relied on it for survival—like monkeys clinging to branches or foxes mourning the death of a hare—would likely be uprooted one by one. At best, they would never rise again; at worst, their entire clans would lose their heads.

They had to pressure Emperor Jian to handle the matter lightly.

The court was in an uproar, and Emperor Jian, overwhelmed by headaches, dragged Xie Chengze out of his cozy slumber in Cheng Huan Palace.

Xie Chengze had no choice but to grumble his way to court.

On that particular morning court session, all officials had taken their places. The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince were also present. Shen Yuan, clad in his purple official robe, stood in the court hall, surrounded by an aura of righteous authority that cleared the space around him—no one dared approach his vicinity.

Emperor Jian emerged from the rear curtain at the appointed hour and took his seat upon the dragon throne, yet remained silent for a long while without giving the signal to commence the court session.

The ministers couldn’t help but exchange sidelong glances, communicating with their eyes.

Why hasn’t the court session started yet?

What is he waiting for?

An official, nudged gently by a colleague beside him, stepped forward cautiously and ventured to ask, “Your Majesty, the hour has arrived. Shall we not begin the court session?”

Emperor Jian lifted his eyelids to glance at him and replied irritably, “What’s the rush? Can’t you see my Chengze hasn’t arrived yet?”

The Second Prince?

The ministers suddenly understood. It had been half a year since the Second Prince left the capital, and they had grown accustomed to his absence from court. Hearing that he was expected to attend now gave them a surreal sense of time having stretched endlessly.

However…

They had heard that the Second Prince had suffered stab wounds to both his hands and feet. For him to still attend court in such a state—truly, he remained as dutiful as ever!

Just as the ministers were silently marveling at this, they suddenly heard the sound of limping footsteps at the palace entrance, accompanied by a familiar, grumbling voice. In the silent hall with its natural acoustics, the words carried with unusual clarity:

“Ah, court duty is bitter, court duty is exhausting, court duty makes me want to doze off. Court duty is annoying, court duty is difficult, court duty makes me want to escape the palace and play. Empty-handed, penniless, single and wretchedly toiling away! Affairs hollow, achievements void, thinking it over drives me insane! Alas! With eyes open, dreams shattered, busy court affairs must be faced!”

The tone was remarkably melodious and mournful, like a lament set to music.

The ministers: …

The ministers: !!!

Second Prince, you speak the truth!