Chapter 143
“Well, I have a friend,” Xie Chengze said, clearing his throat. “His family holds a hereditary office. His younger brother is the son of their father’s principal wife, so by rights, he should inherit it when their father dies.”
“But the steward’s son wants to help my friend inherit the office instead, so he’s planning to knock the principal wife’s son out of the running…”
“My friend doesn’t want to go along with him, so he’d like to…” Xie Chengze raised a hand and viciously drew it across his own throat. “But if he simply kills him, the steward is bound to notice, and that would lead to all sorts of trouble. So my friend doesn’t want an obvious assassination…”
Hu Lai blinked, puzzled. “Your Highness, why not just say you’re the friend, and the steward’s son is the master of the man who bribed me with gold discs? Why go around in circles? You’re not asking for relationship advice. There’s no need to confuse me with this friend of yours.”
Xie Chengze: …
Right. He wasn’t asking about a relationship. Why was he hiding behind a friend?
“Fine, it’s me,” Xie Chengze readily admitted.
“If he wants to put you on the throne, he must want you as a puppet emperor!” After a moment’s consideration, Hu Lai analyzed the matter seriously. “After all, you used to be terribly vulgar and shallow, and very easy to manipulate. Not like the Crown Prince, who’s cunning and difficult to deal with.”
Xie Chengze said, “…Could you get to the point?”
“Of course. He wants to enthrone you either to gain power and high office or to take your place. Which does this steward’s son want?” Hu Lai asked.
“To take my place,” Xie Chengze said with absolute certainty.
“And does he have any children?”
“No.” Xie Chengze shook his head.
“Then it’s simple.” Hu Lai had expected a serious, difficult problem. Who knew it would be so easy? “If he wants the throne, he’ll have to keep himself intact so he can father children of his own to inherit it…”
“All we have to do is secretly…” Hu Lai glanced down at a certain part of Xie Chengze, his eyes turning vicious. “Castrate him. Then he’ll be a eunuch for life. What use would becoming emperor be? He’d still have no offspring to inherit the throne!”
Xie Chengze: ???
Xie Chengze opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Is there another way…? His martial arts are unfathomable. I’m afraid of losing my people, and of him recognizing them.”
“I see…” Hu Lai stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Is he obsessed with martial arts, then? I happen to have a peerless martial arts manual. To practice its techniques, one must first castrate oneself.”
Xie Chengze was about to ask why someone who wanted to rebel would ever castrate himself when a sinister smile spread across Hu Lai’s face. “We can tear out the first page, the one about castration, and let him practice the secret techniques. At first, he won’t notice anything wrong. But over time, his internal energy will go out of control. By the time he realizes, it’ll be too late to fix it. Then we can cut it off for him -”
Xie Chengze: …
You’re really fixated on castration, aren’t you?!
“I never should’ve asked you. I must be out of my mind!”
Xie Chengze stormed off, leaving Hu Lai standing there, scratching his head innocently.
Why was he getting angry? Hu Lai had several more nasty tricks he hadn’t even mentioned!
Are you sure you don’t want to hear them, Your Highness? They really would work wonderfully, Your Highness~
…
Shenzhou wasn’t far from Liaozhou. By the time they reached Liaozhou, the main road had been cleared enough to travel. The army quickened its pace and arrived in Tianshui City, where Xie Chengze was staying, within two days.
Learning that Shen Yuan had brought people back, Xie Chengze eagerly went to the city gate to meet him. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected Shen Yuan to bring an army!
Looking at the mass of soldiers in the distance, Xie Chengze swallowed hard, his eyes filled with excitement.
Shen Yuan!
You absolute fucking genius!
Who could follow orders and endure hard work better than soldiers? They would work tirelessly without complaint, wouldn’t cause trouble or curse Heaven and earth, and were stronger than ordinary people when it came to cutting and hauling ice blocks!
With these soldiers helping, the Ice Sculpture Festival would definitely open on schedule. They could even act as security and maintain order at the venue –
And that wasn’t all…
Xie Chengze turned and ran down from the city wall toward the approaching troops.
Shen Yuan spotted him from a long way off. Against the snowy white road, that streak of red stood out like a little rabbit racing toward him. Usually, he looked as indolent as a lazy cat, but he could certainly run when he wanted to. His red fur coat was almost flying behind him.
Shen Yuan couldn’t help smiling. Then, apparently dissatisfied with his running speed, the young man ran a short distance before letting his feet slide, skimming rapidly toward them across the slippery snow.
In an instant, he had covered most of the distance. He was fast, but every time he stopped, he swayed and wobbled dangerously.
“Reckless,” Shen Yuan murmured, urging his horse ahead toward him. Sure enough, the young man got carried away. Something suddenly caught his foot as he slid, and he pitched headfirst forward!
“Oh, fuck -” Xie Chengze instinctively covered his precious face. The expected pain never came. A warhorse neighed, and a man sprang through the air to scoop that streak of red into his arms. Then came a steady, resigned voice. “Do you love running wild that much?”
“Ahem.” Xie Chengze gave a guilty little cough, then looked past the man’s waist at another rider approaching behind him. The man looked very familiar. “Could that be…?”
“Yes. The Eldest Prince.” Shen Yuan set him upright. “You were close to him as a child.”
Suddenly, a figure appeared in Xie Chengze’s mind. He seemed to be looking up from behind a composed teenage boy, tugging the corner of his sleeve and calling him Big Brother.
A childhood memory?
Xie Chengze remembered that when he first arrived, his memories of childhood had been very hazy. By contrast, those from the age of nine onward were very…
Very… very what?
He suddenly clutched his head.
Strange… he vaguely remembered inheriting the original owner’s memories. When had he suddenly stopped remembering them?
Meanwhile, his childhood memories were becoming clear.
“What’s wrong?” Noticing something unusual about him, Shen Yuan asked in concern.
“Nothing.” Xie Chengze shook his head and looked at the armored man dismounting.
His features did indeed resemble Xie Jinyu’s and Xie Zimiao’s, confirming that he was Emperor Jian’s eldest son, Xie Shoujun. Gradually, that face merged with the composed boy’s face in his childhood memories, stirring an inexplicable desire to lean on him.
Yet this was their first meeting…
Was it because the Eldest Prince was steady and straightforward, rarely took part in political struggles in the original novel, and wouldn’t ruthlessly kill him? Was that why he trusted him for no apparent reason?
Xie Chengze stared blankly as the man strode toward them, never once looking away. As Shen Yuan’s expression beside him grew increasingly dark, Xie Chengze suddenly struck his palm with his fist, remembering the matter at hand.
He flung himself at the approaching Xie Shoujun and wrapped his arms tightly around his back. “Big Brother! I’ve missed you so much!” he cried excitedly.
The unexpected embrace made Xie Shoujun go rigid. The young man in his arms lifted his head and smiled at him. Even his gorgeous looks couldn’t overshadow the clean, pure smile. Xie Shoujun’s heart softened, but he was also at a loss.
On the journey, he had prepared himself for all sorts of reactions from his second brother. If he was cold and unhappy to see him, how should he respond? If he was indifferent and distant, what should he do?
The one possibility he had never imagined was that his brother would fling himself at him so warmly, still as soft and clingy as a little kitten, just as he had been in childhood.