Chapter 39: The Secret

The events of this day were steeped in strangeness.

The man was about twenty years old, dressed in brocade robes with a Coiled Dragon Hidden Pattern embroidered on his shoulders. Several attendants followed behind him.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.” Shen Ji’s heart tightened, and he immediately clasped his hands in a salute.

He recognized this person. He had seen him once during the Palace Examination and knew this was the Crown Prince, Xiao Chengze.

The Crown Prince’s gaze lingered on the Golden Flower for a moment, his expression peculiar. “I was wondering who it was. So, it’s the new Number One Scholar. The Qionglin Banquet is today. Why are you here, Scholar Shen, instead of attending the feast?”

“Your Highness, I carelessly stained my clothes and feared I would be indecorous before the Emperor, so I came here to wash them.”

“I see.” The Crown Prince nodded, then asked, “But how can you wash it clean with just water? Why not use a Soap Pod?”

Shen Ji was surprised. Is it common to use Soap Pods in the palace? he wondered. The young eunuch suggested it, and now the Crown Prince is asking too? He had thought such trees were only grown among the common folk.

But this was no time for deep thought. He lowered his gaze and replied, “Your Highness, there are no Soap Pods nearby. I fear I will be late for the Qionglin Banquet and dare not delay too long, so I did not search for any.”

The Crown Prince stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “Is that so? Then I won’t disturb you. Scholar Shen, you should hurry back to the banquet.”

“I will take my leave.” Shen Ji bowed to the Crown Prince with clasped hands, then hurried back to the Qionglin Banquet.

After he left, the Crown Prince led his attendants several hundred paces south until he saw a pavilion. Not far from it stood a stout Soap Pod Tree.

Ordering his attendants to retreat to a distance, the Crown Prince strode into the pavilion.

Inside, a beautifully dressed palace lady was leaning against the railing, her face etched with anxiety. Seeing the Crown Prince approach, she quickly asked in a low voice, “How was it? Did you get a clear look at who that person was?”

A moment ago, there had been someone behind the Soap Pod Tree. But that person had slipped away too quickly. It was dusk, and the Imperial Garden was dense with foliage. They had only seen the plants rustle, but couldn’t make out who it was.

The Crown Prince shook his head. “I led my men in pursuit, chasing them all the way to the Imperial Spring. I only saw the new Number One Scholar.”

He slapped the railing in frustration and resentment. “I shouldn’t have made the attendants retreat so far just now.”

“The new Number One Scholar?” The palace lady was startled. “Was that him just now?”

“I’m not sure. I tested him with a few questions, and he seemed fine. But besides him, there was no one else nearby.”

The palace lady’s face was filled with worry. “Then what should we do? What if he saw us and heard what we said? If he speaks of it, we’ll all be finished.”

The Crown Prince’s expression was grim, his tone sinister. “Then we’ll make it so he can’t speak.”

“But… but what if it wasn’t him? If he saw nothing, wouldn’t we be killing an innocent man? Imperial Brother, let’s not commit any more sins.”

As twilight enveloped them, the Crown Prince’s face was devoid of expression. “Then we’ll test him first.”

But in his heart, he thought: Whether Shen Ji heard anything or not, since he’s suspicious, I’d rather kill the wrong person than let him go.

It was just that this Shen Ji was, after all, the new Number One Scholar, which made things a little difficult.

When Shen Ji returned to his seat, the Qionglin Banquet had not yet officially begun.

As soon as he approached, the second and third-place scholars both looked at the Deep Blue Silk Robe he was wearing. The stain, having been washed with water, was no longer conspicuous, but that spot was clearly a much deeper color than the rest.

The third-place scholar, Xie Lanxiu, was full of shame and apologized repeatedly. “Brother Shen, I am truly sorry.”

Zhou Anguo asked with some concern, “Can this be hidden?”

By now, the sky was gradually darkening. Palace lanterns were lit, illuminating the Imperial Garden as if it were daytime.

Shen Ji said, “The silk robe is light and soft, so it will dry quickly. It should be concealable.”

“Mm, let’s hope so,” Zhou Anguo nodded.

Indeed, just as Shen Ji had predicted, the Deep Blue Silk Robe was soon half-dry after being blown by the wind. Although the color was slightly darker, it was not very noticeable under the cover of night.

However, he did not see the young eunuch who had led him to the Imperial Spring to wash his clothes.

Shen Ji just assumed he had gone to busy himself elsewhere and didn’t give it much thought.

Besides, time did not permit him to think much.

The Qionglin Banquet was about to officially begin. The new scholars grew tense, their earlier playful mannerisms gone, each sitting upright and proper.

After another quarter of an hour, a eunuch suddenly announced in a loud voice, “His Majesty, the Emperor, has arrived—”

Everyone’s spirits lifted, and they scrambled to their feet to bow.

“You may all rise,” the Emperor said from his high seat, his voice not very loud. “This is the Qionglin Banquet. There is no need for formalities.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” The crowd bowed again, shouting “Long live the Emperor.”

As he rose, Zhou Anguo secretly sized up the Emperor. He had seen the Emperor during the Palace Examination, but he had been too nervous then to look closely. Now, it seemed the Emperor did not quite match his image of a “True Dragon, Son of Heaven,” but rather looked more like a dignified yet somewhat weary middle-aged man.

Today’s Qionglin Banquet was a feast hosted by the Son of Heaven for his disciples. Besides the Emperor, the empress, imperial consorts, princes, and princesses had all come to join the festivities.

Xie Lanxiu was young and still had a childish disposition. Seeing that the abnormality on Shen Ji’s robe was basically unnoticeable, he gradually put the matter aside.

He glanced toward the princesses, lowered his voice, and asked curiously, “I heard that the Crown Prince and Princess Zhaoyang are fraternal twins. Do they look exactly alike?”

“I’m not sure,” Shen Ji answered casually.

He had only ever seen the twins from the Jing An Marquis Estate; he had never seen a boy-girl twin pair before.

As the royal family’s rare boy-girl twins, and born to the Empress of the Central Palace, Princess Zhaoyang was extremely favored by the Emperor. At this moment, she was seated beside the Emperor and Empress, her attire magnificent, her bearing noble and graceful.

But Shen Ji had little interest in this.

He had promised his fiancée to be careful and cautious today. He would pay no attention to anything other than official matters.

At the Qionglin Banquet today, facing the newly acquired talents, the Emperor was in an excellent mood. After a few simple words, he began the “bestowal of books.”

This was an old custom from the previous dynasty: the Emperor would bestow Confucian classics like the Book of Rites and the Analects upon the new scholars, followed by a few simple words of encouragement to show the Son of Heaven’s regard for his “disciples.”

Starting with the ordinary scholars, the last to be called were the highlight of the day—the top three of the first-class honors.

The head eunuch called out the names one by one. The first of the three to be called was the third-place scholar, Xie Lanxiu.

Xie Lanxiu hurried forward.

The Emperor bestowed upon him a copy of the Analects and offered a few gentle words of encouragement.

After thanking the Emperor, Xie Lanxiu returned to his seat, his cheeks flushed and his eyes shining. He whispered to Shen Ji beside him, “Brother Shen, I just stole a glance. That Princess Zhaoyang and the Crown Prince don’t look alike at all.”

He had long heard of the royal family’s boy-girl twins and had thought they would look identical.

Young people always have some strange points of interest.

Shen Ji did not speak, because after the second-place scholar, Zhou Anguo, it would be his turn.

A moment later, Shen Ji was called and stepped forward.

Fortunately, the Emperor did not notice the impropriety of his robe. He reached out to help him straighten the Golden Flower on his head, bestowed upon him a new copy of the Book of Songs, and spoke the customary words of encouragement.

Shen Ji expressed his thanks and was about to withdraw when the Crown Prince’s voice suddenly rang out:

“Imperial Father, the Number One Scholar is young, handsome, and exceptionally talented. How about we keep him for Zhaoyang as her consort?”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned.

Shen Ji’s heart gave a lurch. He had been so careful all day, yet he never expected such a turn of events.

But he quickly calmed himself. Why panic? It’s just a jest from the Crown Prince, not a direct imperial decree of marriage. There’s still room for maneuver.

He was already engaged. Even the royal family had no right to forcibly break up a betrothal.

With this thought, Shen Ji felt a little more at ease.

Just as he was about to speak, Princess Zhaoyang had already cried out, “Imperial Brother!”

The Crown Prince gave her an almost imperceptible look.

Princess Zhaoyang hesitated for a moment, then pointed a delicate finger and chimed in sweetly, “Yes, Imperial Father. I wish to have this new Number One Scholar as my consort.”

“Excellent! It’s rare for Zhaoyang to have such a thought.” The Emperor clapped his hands and laughed, turning to look at Shen Ji. “Shen Qing, what do you think?””

This precious daughter of his was already twenty but not yet betrothed. He had tried to find a consort for her several times before, but she always refused. When pressed, she would even threaten to kill herself. This was the first time his daughter had shown any interest in taking a husband, so the Emperor was naturally eager to make it happen.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Shen Ji replied respectfully, “Your Majesty, I am already engaged. I dare not aspire to marry the Princess.”

Hearing this, the Emperor couldn’t help but show his disappointment.

His daughter had finally taken a liking to a man, so why did he have to be one with a betrothal?

However, the Crown Prince laughed. “What’s so difficult about that? It’s just an engagement, it’s not as if he’s already married with children. Just break the engagement, give the woman some extra compensation, and let her find another good match.”

The Emperor secretly nodded, thinking that made sense. Although it was a bit dishonorable, how could he not let his precious daughter have her way when she had taken a liking to someone for the first time?

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the new scholars present changed slightly. Many began to whisper amongst themselves.

Although it was true that some men in this world would cast aside their wives for wealth and status, it was ultimately something to be looked down upon. For the dignified Crown Prince to openly encourage such a thing was rather unbecoming.

Shen Ji said tactfully, “Your Highness jests. A person cannot stand without integrity. Since I am already engaged, I should honor my commitment. I am unwilling to break the engagement.”

The Crown Prince’s voice grew heavy. “Are you truly unwilling?”

“I am unwilling.”

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

For some unknown reason, Princess Zhaoyang slammed her head into the Emperor’s chair, and her head was instantly covered in blood.

The situation escalated at once.

Shen Ji’s heart sank. Refusing the marriage was one thing, but with the princess injured, today’s matter would likely not end well.

The Crown Prince reacted with extreme speed, sweeping the princess into his arms and roaring, “Insolent Shen Ji! For humiliating the princess and showing contempt for the Emperor, what crime do you deserve?!” He then turned to the Emperor. “Imperial Father, your son requests that you execute Shen Ji to seek justice for Zhaoyang!”

The Empress at the side, forgetting her dignified demeanor, wept, “Zhaoyang, Zhaoyang, don’t scare your mother!”

Seeing his precious daughter’s face streaked with blood as she fainted, the Emperor was both heartbroken and furious, losing all reason for a moment. “Guards—”

“Your Majesty!” Many of the new scholars present cried out in unison. “We beg Your Majesty to show mercy.”

No one had expected a Qionglin Banquet to take such a turn.

The second-place scholar, Zhou Anguo, stepped out from the crowd. “Your Majesty, the sage said, ‘A man without trustworthiness, I do not know how he can get on.’ Brother Shen is honoring his promise, what crime has he committed? If he is punished for this, I fear it will dishearten all the scholars in the realm.”

The third-place scholar, Xie Lanxiu, immediately chimed in, “Your Majesty, Brother Shen values his promise. How can that be considered humiliating the princess? If he were to truly break his engagement to marry another, that would be faithless and unjust, and that would be the greatest disrespect to Your Majesty and the princess!”

The Emperor sneered, “So you’re saying it’s the princess’s fault, and my fault? Should my princess be treated this way?!”

Towards the end, his tone had become incomparably cold.

Xie Lanxiu hastily said he wouldn’t dare.

Amidst the clamor, Shen Ji, by contrast, calmed down. Various details flashed through his mind.

The events of this day were inexplicably strange, even absurd.

Fortunately, although Princess Zhaoyang was injured, she had not lost much blood, and her breathing and pulse were stable. She had been moved into the hall, and an imperial physician had been summoned. The Empress and several consorts, unable to rest easy, had followed.

The Emperor did not leave his seat immediately.

His expression was extremely ugly. He didn’t blame his son for meddling, nor his daughter for being stubborn. He only blamed Shen Ji for being inflexible and embarrassing the princess in public. Zhaoyang was the pearl in his palm, cherished and pampered for twenty years. When had she ever suffered such humiliation? And in front of so many people.

A Number One Scholar could be found every three years, but he didn’t have many precious daughters.

The Emperor looked coldly at the new scholars pleading below, knowing he couldn’t kill Shen Ji for this as the Crown Prince had suggested and dishearten the scholars of the realm. Moreover, this was the Number One Scholar he had personally appointed just days ago. If he were truly executed, the Emperor himself would lose face.

But he absolutely could not let him off.

If Shen Ji remained in the capital, wouldn’t he be a constant knife twisting in Zhaoyang’s heart? If he wasn’t severely punished, how could the royal authority be demonstrated?

“The events of today involve the face of the royal family. No one is to breathe a single word of this to the outside,” the Emperor said coldly. Then, his gaze fell on Shen Ji. “Shen Ji is young and still needs tempering. He is not fit for the position of Hanlin Academy Compiler. Let him go to Anle County and serve as a county magistrate.”

The Emperor paid no more heed to the crowd and left directly.

Shen Ji remained standing in place. For the first time in his life, a trace of doubt about his years of study and examinations arose within him.

This is the Emperor and the next Emperor? These are the monarchs I am to serve?

In the bedchamber.

Princess Zhaoyang had woken up. Her forehead was wrapped in white cloth, with a faint trace of blood seeping through. Her face was pale, and her lips were completely colorless.

The imperial physician carefully examined her and reported to the Emperor and Empress that the princess was not in any serious danger and just needed to rest quietly for a time.

The Emperor was heartbroken. “Rest assured, I have already punished him severely. There are plenty of good men in the world. You can just choose another.”

The Empress had cried herself into a mess, only wiping her tears silently.

Princess Zhaoyang looked weary and said in a low voice, “Imperial Father, I am very tired and wish to rest.”

“Alright, alright, I will leave now. You rest well,” the Emperor agreed repeatedly and led the consorts away.

Princess Zhaoyang closed her eyes, and tears fell silently.

After more than a quarter of an hour, a figure quietly appeared before the princess’s bed.

He was dressed in brocade robes, with a Coiled Dragon Hidden Pattern embroidered on his shoulders.

It was the Crown Prince, Xiao Chengze.

He leaned down to wipe the tears from the corner of the princess’s eyes and asked in a low voice, “Why are you crying? Does it hurt badly?”

Princess Zhaoyang slapped his hand away and sat up. “Why did you do that today?”

The Crown Prince nonchalantly withdrew his hand and sat on the edge of the bed. “Didn’t I say? We’d test him first to see if he was the one.”

“And did your test find anything?”

“It’s possible.”

Princess Zhaoyang sneered, “Test? I think you wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of me, didn’t you?”

The Crown Prince frowned. “Sister!”

“Am I wrong? In the past, you couldn’t bear for me to suffer even the slightest harm. But today, not only did you push me forward, you secretly tripped me.” Princess Zhaoyang’s eyes were red.

She had never intended to slam her head into the dragon throne. It was the Crown Prince who had secretly tripped her. Caught completely off guard, she had been knocked into it, her head bleeding, but she had still played along.

The Crown Prince’s expression darkened slightly as he explained, “I did this to eliminate Shen Ji. You know as well as I do that he very likely overheard our conversation today. I cannot let him live in this world.”

If their secret was exposed, it wouldn’t just be him; Zhaoyang and their mother would have no way to live either.

“Is that so? Are you sure it wasn’t to take the opportunity to kill me?”

The Crown Prince frowned. “Sister, how could you think that? Don’t you know my feelings for you?”

“Then did you eliminate him?”

“No.” The Crown Prince choked on his words. “But Imperial Father has already issued a decree, banishing him from the capital. The road to Anle County is long and far. It will be as easy as turning my hand to eliminate him.”

Princess Zhaoyang snorted coldly and said no more.

The Crown Prince slowly moved closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and said gently, “The two of us are one. Today wasn’t entirely a bad thing, was it? I made the first move. Even if that Shen Ji really saw something and wants to expose it, we can claim he’s making a desperate, retaliatory accusation out of spite. Besides, with what happened today, you can use the excuse of being heartbroken to stay in the palace for a few more years, can’t you?”

The princess sneered, “What if Shen Ji had directly agreed to the marriage at the Qionglin Banquet today?”

“Then… then that would mean he didn’t hear anything. Or that he heard but didn’t dare to speak up. And we could both rest easy.”

The princess’s eyes were red. “If he had agreed, you would have really let me marry him, wouldn’t you?”

The Crown Prince’s brow furrowed even tighter. “If you were to truly take him as your consort, it would only be a temporary measure. You are the ruler, he is the subject. If you are unwilling, how would he dare to approach you?”

The princess just looked at him quietly.

“I know you were wronged today.” The Crown Prince grabbed the princess’s hand and slapped himself hard across the face. “Here, hit me to vent your anger.”

Princess Zhaoyang said nothing, only pulling her hand away, lying back down, and turning to face the inside of the bed.

The Crown Prince sighed and went to take her hand again, but she impatiently brushed it away.

After sitting by the bed for a while longer, the Crown Prince stood up and said gently, “It’s late, I can’t stay long. You should rest well.”

Princess Zhaoyang remained with her back to him, motionless.

The Crown Prince sighed again and finally left.

The night was heavy. He couldn’t help but press his temples.

At the age of seven, the Crown Prince learned the secret of his birth. His “twin” sister was a real princess, but he was a fake prince. Back then, the Noble Consort was powerful. To secure her position, the Empress, while the Emperor was away on an autumn hunt, had used a “swapping a dragon for a phoenix” trick, replacing one of the twin baby girls who had died at birth with a healthy baby boy.

Born to the Empress of the Central Palace, and as rare, auspicious boy-girl twins, they were greatly favored by the Emperor.

Later, as they grew older, the Crown Prince and his nominal twin sister became entangled. He was both addicted to it and terrified by it.

The Crown Prince indeed had multiple motives for today’s events. If Shen Ji had agreed, regardless of whether he knew their secret, they would all be in the same boat, and perhaps he could use the opportunity to end his incestuous relationship with Zhaoyang. If Shen Ji refused, he could amplify Zhaoyang’s reaction and use the Emperor’s hand to eliminate a hidden threat.

It was a plan that could achieve several goals with one stroke. Why not do it?

Unfortunately, it had fallen short.

The Emperor, in the end, had been soft-hearted. Concerned for his reputation, he had spared Shen Ji’s life.

But it didn’t matter. As the heir apparent, he had capable men at his disposal. Just as he had told Zhaoyang, eliminating a person was by no means a difficult task.

After the Emperor left, the Qionglin Banquet dispersed.

The scholars discussed in low voices, many of them gaining a clearer understanding of imperial power for the first time.

Ten years of arduous study, success in a single day. They had thought that after their names appeared on the golden list, a splendid future awaited them. They never imagined that their path forward could be decided by a single sentence from the Emperor.

So what if they were the Son of Heaven’s disciples? So what if he was the new Number One Scholar?

Merely for refusing a marriage, he had angered the Emperor.

The third-place scholar, Xie Lanxiu, had red-rimmed eyes. He suppressed his emotions and tried to comfort Shen Ji. “The ups and downs of an official career are common. I’ve heard that many wise ministers of previous dynasties were also demoted. Brother Shen, don’t lose heart. As long as you can achieve political results, it’s still possible to be transferred back to the capital after three years.”

He had originally thought that the top three scholars, having a good relationship, could be colleagues in the Hanlin Academy.

The second-place scholar, Zhou Anguo, sighed. “Worthy Brother Xie, you may not know, but that Anle County is no good place.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a remote place with harsh conditions. I heard it hasn’t had a proper county magistrate for several years. Brother Shen has the talent to govern the world and should be displaying his skills in the court. But instead…” Zhou Anguo sighed again, unable to help feeling a sense of shared sorrow.

As they spoke, many scholars gathered around, offering tactful words of comfort and encouragement.

The scholars, who had not yet truly entered the officialdom, had witnessed the entire event tonight and couldn’t help but sympathize with Shen Ji’s plight.

Shen Ji did not speak, only raising his head to look at the sky.

It was gloomy and overcast.

Just like his mood at this moment.