Chapter 0009: The Cunning Second Prince, the Dissipated Wastrel Xie Chengze
The gale carrying rumors ultimately swept toward the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace.
“He donated ten thousand taels of silver? And earned it by selling the Emperor’s rewards to the palace consorts?”
Xie Jinyu, seated behind his desk, paused his brush while reviewing memorials and glanced at the secret guard reporting to him.
The desk was piled high with memorials sent from the Imperial Study. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, clear evidence of having slept little through the night, attending court early in the morning, and being forced to review memorials immediately after.
“Yes, and the Second Prince has been confined to his bed reading, not leaving Cheng Huan Palace for a single moment,” the secret guard reported.
Xie Jinyu pinched the bridge of his nose. “What about his two guards?”
“The one named Wuhen hasn’t left the palace, but the one called Wuji comes and goes without a trace. It’s difficult for me to determine if he has left or not.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Jinyu raised his brush again. The ink-dipped tip left a single character—”Reviewed”—on the memorial praising the Second Prince’s benevolent nature. The bold, sweeping strokes carried a sharpness that hinted at imperial authority.
He asked calmly, “Jiang Yi, what do you think he’s actually scheming?”
In just one night, the Second Prince’s reputation had completely reversed. Some officials even distorted right and wrong in court, claiming that the Second Prince’s usual stinginess was actually diligence and frugality, and that his donation for Yi Province’s disaster victims showed he only spent money where it mattered…
Utterly ridiculous.
If Xie Chengze truly only spent money where it mattered, why hadn’t he taken action during previous disasters?
Jiang Yi, recalling recent palace rumors, ventured, “Perhaps the Second Prince truly is nearing his end?”
Xie Jinyu shot him a cool glance, and Jiang Yi promptly closed his mouth, answering seriously, “The Ministry of Revenue publicly sent the Second Prince’s donated silver to Yi Province. At the very least, regarding aid for the disaster victims, it probably can’t be faked.”
Xie Jinyu remained unconvinced. “You still don’t understand my second brother. Though reckless and impulsive in his actions, his goals remain consistent. That silver will inevitably find its way back into his own pockets after winding through Yi Province.”
“Selling the Emperor’s rewards to make donations, rebuilding his reputation both in court and among the people, and then simply asking the Emperor to retrieve those rare treasures from the consorts… Without spending a single coin, he achieves his desired outcome and gains ten thousand taels of private silver…”
Xie Jinyu sneered. “His brain couldn’t have conceived such a scheme that kills two birds with one stone. Someone must be advising him behind the scenes.”
Who could it be?
Settling his mind, he reviewed a few more memorials but ultimately couldn’t remain seated. Xie Jinyu set down his brush and walked toward the door.
“Fetch some aged ginseng from the treasury. Since Second Brother is ‘ill,’ I, as his imperial younger brother, should pay him a visit.”
“But Your Highness, didn’t you have an appointment with Young Master Shen today? He’s likely to arrive soon.”
Xie Jinyu paused briefly before replying evenly, “Then we’ll take him along.”
…
When the Crown Prince barged into Cheng Huan Palace, he saw Xie Chengze, clad in lavish red robes, sprawled carelessly on a green jade couch by the koi pond’s pavilion. No thin blanket shielded him from the wind, his snow-white feet resting on a soft footstool, slightly reddened by the cool breeze blowing from the pavilion’s edge.
Discarded folk storybooks lay scattered across the daybed, writing desk, and floor, with only one receiving favor—draped over its owner’s peerless face to block the harsh midday sun.
Hearing footsteps, Xie Chengze didn’t move. A lazy voice emerged from beneath the book, “Back so soon? What’s the outcome?”
“What outcome?”
A slightly deep, magnetic voice sounded from above. The next moment, Xie Chengze felt the book covering his face being lifted away by a hand, replaced by Xie Jinyu’s elegantly handsome face casting a faint shadow over him against the light.
Xie Chengze: (=^A^=)!?
Xie Jinyu clearly saw the crimson-clad figure beneath him—his dark round pupils contracting into slits like a startled cat.
Yet that flicker of panic vanished in an instant. When Xie Chengze regained his composure, he was already propping himself up on an elbow, resting his temple against his hand, gazing at him with the playful demeanor of a dissipated fop. “Well~ What a rare guest! What brings my Crown Prince brother here?”
Xie Jinyu narrowed his eyes.
Had he… been afraid of him just now?
“I have some matters I can’t quite figure out. Thinking that Second Brother is widely read, I came to seek your advice. Unexpectedly, the guards outside obstinately tried to prevent me from entering.” Xie Jinyu straightened up, glancing at the flustered gate guards behind him who dared not make a sound.
“They’re just wage laborers—why give them a hard time?” Xie Chengze patted the empty space beside him on the jade daybed, enthusiastically inviting, “Come, sit~”
Accustomed to maintaining surface courtesy with him, Xie Jinyu unceremoniously sat close against him and immediately asked, “Wage laborers? What does that mean?”
“It means they work for their masters in exchange for money.” Xie Chengze shifted slightly aside, and only after Xie Jinyu sat down did he notice another person standing behind him.
“Shen-lang?” Upon seeing Shen Yuan, Xie Chengze’s eyes instantly widened again, eagerly asking, “Have you come to collect the storybook from me?”
He immediately began rummaging through the scattered books on the daybed. “Wait a moment~ I’ve misplaced these books quite chaotically, so it might take some time to find it.”
Shen Yuan looked at him, the corner of his lips curling into a faint smile that said “I’ll quietly watch you pretend.” “No rush, Second Highness. Take your time searching.”
While Xie Jinyu was speaking with him, his gaze had already swiftly scanned the storybooks littering the floor. They were all adaptations of common romantic tales between men and women, with only one exception—the book about a lowly soldier’s rise to fame through life-and-death struggles on the frontier, which had been on his face.
There were no storybooks about Long Yang’s Preference whatsoever.
It hadn’t been in vain that he had Sheng Yiren bring all the popular storybooks from the capital, studying each plot summary precisely for this moment—to reclaim the advantage he’d lost previously against Xie Chengze.
Xie Chengze hadn’t expected Shen Yuan to actually make him search, especially since he’d never sent Wuhen and Wuji to buy that kind of book!
Fortunately, Xie Jinyu spoke up from beside him, “What storybook is Shen Shilang looking for?”
Yesterday at court, Shen Yuan had already been appointed by Emperor Jian as the Vice Minister of Rites.
Ahem, it’s nothing—just a secret between Shen-lang and me.” Xie Chengze put on a mysteriously secretive air, deliberately winking at Shen Yuan, then soberly added, “By the way, Third Brother, what was it you wanted to ask me earlier?”
Seeing Xie Chengze change the subject, Shen Yuan snorted inwardly.
Xie Jinyu glanced at Shen Yuan, his eyes darkening slightly.
A secret… Who would have thought that Shen Yuan, having just returned to the capital, would already share an undisclosed secret with Second Brother.
Xie Jinyu still remembered the first time Shen Taifu brought Shen Yuan to the Eastern Palace. After the lessons ended, Shen Taifu was summoned by the Emperor. Eager to play with Second Brother in his childhood, he brought along the abandoned Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan was two years older than Second Brother. Unlike the dull-witted Eldest Brother, Shen Yuan was lively and energetic back then, and he knew many amusing games from outside the palace, charming Second Brother so much that he even called him “Brother Shen.”
At that time, Second Brother seemed to adore Shen Yuan. Even the sweet orange Xie Jinyu had painstakingly peeled for Second Brother was shared with Shen Yuan, and the two happily agreed to meet again the next day.
But Xie Jinyu knew they would never meet again.