Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Zhu Xiaobiao climbed into the carriage and untied Jing Ze and the others.

“My lord, you’re unharmed?” Seeing Zhu Xiaobiao alive, Jing Ze and the others instantly relaxed, shaken by lingering fear.

“I’m fine. His Highness and I merely put on an act.” Perhaps because of the heat, Zhu Xiaobiao was drenched in sweat. As he freed everyone, he explained, “His Highness feared that after taking me away, he would leave all of you inside the county yamen to be sold. He therefore intends to bring you along. Taking everyone away at once would have looked suspicious, so we had no choice but to use this scheme and first rescue those of you willing to stand up for me.”

“As for the others, His Highness has already assigned people to find an opportunity to get them out of the county yamen.” Zhu Xiaobiao scratched his neck. He scratched so hard that several conspicuous abrasions appeared.

“My lord…” Jing Ze looked distressed and caught his wrist. “Stop scratching.”

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Zhu Xiaobiao panted heavily, appearing to endure some agony with all his strength. Between broken breaths, he said, “We escaped. Things will keep getting better.”

Would they get better? Jing Ze was unconvinced.

He had heard that the Second Prince was temperamental. Two years ago, the third-ranked scholar had composed a single poem praising his beauty, and the prince ordered him put to death.

The scholars of Jian’an paid particular attention to the futures and circumstances of the top-ranked, third-ranked, and second-ranked scholars. Whenever a third-ranked scholar was executed immediately after attending the Qionglin Banquet, someone would inevitably leak the gossip. The scholars would then return to their hometowns, spreading the news along every road throughout the dynasty.

Now, they had very likely leaped from one firepit into another.

This new firepit might burn hotter and fiercer, killing them even faster.

“I know what worries you.” Trembling, Zhu Xiaobiao took several coin purses from his sleeve and placed them in Jing Ze’s hand. He said solemnly, “My stepmother used your lives to control me before. Now that we’ve escaped the Zhu residence, take this money and find your own paths. You need not remain here and die with me.”

“My lord!” Jing Ze flung the purses hard onto the floor and snapped in a low voice, “What are you saying? You suffer from an addiction. When it seizes you, you cannot care for yourself at all, much less remain constantly at His Highness the Second Prince’s side to serve him. And there may be no one willing to search secretly for an antidote on your behalf. If I leave, you will certainly die!”

With that, he turned toward the beautiful concubines behind him. “If any of you wish to leave, take the money and go. Life is difficult enough for women. There is no need to force yourselves to remain and die for nothing. I alone am enough to care for our lord!”

The concubines shook their heads. “In life, we are my lord’s people; in death, we will be my lord’s ghosts. Since we dared risk our lives, we have decided to follow my lord!”

“Why put yourselves through this?” Zhu Xiaobiao smiled bitterly. “When you followed me before, your lives may have been threatened, but at least you ate and drank well. Now that we’re going to Yizhou with the Second Prince, do you understand how difficult the journey will be?”

“If my lord can endure such hardship, why would lowly people like us be unable to? Since the road will be difficult, all the more reason for us to serve my lord!”

“That’s right. We all want to follow my lord!”

“My lord is the one who has never suffered hardship. Without us, what will you do if you grow thin from hunger?” One beautiful concubine wiped away her tears. “Even if this humble woman must beg, I will make sure my lord’s stomach is full.”

Zhu Xiaobiao: “…That really won’t be necessary~”

“Very well.” Zhu Xiaobiao sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Since you are willing to remain, I will not force you to leave. You may change your minds at any time.”

Then, as though all strength had deserted him, he collapsed onto the floor of the carriage.

“My lord!” The beautiful concubines cried out softly.

Holding the table seat for support, Zhu Xiaobiao waved a hand with difficulty. “Don’t make a sound. I’ll endure a little longer. Once it passes, I’ll be fine…”

His Highness had given him plenty of time to reminisce with them – enough time to survive the episode.

…

Zhu Xiaobiao returned to Xie Chengze’s side.

“They all chose to stay?” Like a limp little salted fish, Xie Chengze lay draped over the carriage window, enjoying the faint breeze that passed outside.

“Yes, Your Highness. They were all unfortunate people once. Even if they leave, they likely have no homes to return to.” Zhu Xiaobiao sighed with helpless exasperation at their refusal to listen.

“You have already done very well.” Xie Chengze spoke lazily. “Many people in this world fail to do even what lies within their power.”

Zhu Xiaobiao smiled bitterly. “Is this place with me not simply another firepit?”

The salted fish Xie flipped over on the windowsill and said mildly, “This prince will find a physician to cure your addiction. There is no need to worry.”

Zhu Xiaobiao froze. The moment he understood, he dropped to his knees in alarm. “Your Highness!”

But the carriage was moving. The instant he knelt, he fell behind Xie Chengze inside. He could only stand again and hurry to catch up with the carriage.

All the while, shock churned within him. How could His Highness know about his addiction…?

“This prince wandered through the county yamen’s small courtyard in his spare time. Someone had deliberately planted opium poppies among corn poppies, clearly to disguise them and secretly poison a certain person.”
Xie Chengze glanced at the scratches on Zhu Xiaobiao’s neck. “It appears someone dislikes your continued existence.”

Zhu Xiaobiao smiled bitterly. “My lord must already know. My life may look comfortable, but my stepmother spoiled me deliberately to ruin me, while my father indulged everything I did. By the time I realized the truth and tried to resist, I had already been dosed with opium poison. With lives held over my head, I could only submit to her control.”

His father had not always been corrupt. Once, he and Zhu Xiaobiao’s mother – the foremost talented woman of Jizhou – had shared a harmonious marriage. Then, ten years ago, Zhu Xiaobiao’s younger maternal aunt, a concubine-born daughter, murdered his mother and installed his stepmother in her place. His father gradually changed, refusing to hear a single explanation from him and dismissing everything he did as an unreasonable tantrum.

His stepmother controlled the entire county yamen. Now, he could only endure his addiction and live in a haze within the Zhu residence, forever guarding against her schemes. Just yesterday, when the Second Prince pressed his father to accept the punishment in his place, that “joyous announcement” had arrived at precisely the right moment.

She had gone ten years without conceiving. How could it be such a coincidence that she became pregnant just as the Second Prince set his sights on him and he was likely to be executed?

She was clearly forcing his father to abandon him, the supposedly “only” heir.

Fortunately, the Second Prince had observed everything closely and taken him away. Otherwise, in another two years, when he could no longer withstand the control of his addiction, he might have dismissed the beautiful concubines in his household, invoked the names of County Magistrate Zhu and the Prefect’s wife, and provoked some powerful figure into exterminating his nine clans.

Even if he died, he would drag those people to death with him.

Xie Chengze could not help recalling the scant few lines in the original novel that described Zhu Xiaobiao accosting someone in the street.

What had Zhu Xiaobiao been thinking then?

No one knew.

After all, Xie Chengze was not the reborn original Xie Chengze, and the person who truly had been reborn was not present at the time.

Xie Chengze glanced involuntarily at Shen Yuan, who rode a black horse nearby.

Noticing his gaze, Shen Yuan immediately asked warily, “What does Your Highness want?”

What trouble was he planning now?

Xie Chengze narrowed his eyes in a smile. “Lord Shen, have you washed this prince’s robe?”

Shen Yuan: “…”

“I’ll wash it after dinner!” Slightly embarrassed into anger, Shen Yuan flicked his reins and rode to the front, plainly unwilling to remain in the same space as Xie Chengze.

That night, because the nearest county town remained far away, the Yizhou convoy camped in the woods beside the official road. A stream ran nearby. After dinner, Shen Yuan crouched by the water and resignedly scrubbed the red princely robe in his hands.

Lord Shen Yuan, whose power would one day dominate the court, had not personally washed clothing in a very long time. He therefore had no idea that the princely robe had been finely sewn from the finest cooling silk and could not touch water. After only a few scrubs, his hands proved too rough and tore an enormous hole in it.

Shen Yuan: “…”

At that moment, Shen Yuan felt more despair than if Xie Chengze had slashed him with a blade.

He could practically imagine Xie Chengze’s reaction upon seeing the hole. The man would surely say something teasing like, “Oh my~ You tore it~ It seems Lord Shen owes this prince a new robe~”

Hmm? Wait.

Why had the words in his mind been spoken aloud?

Only after hearing the voice did Shen Yuan belatedly realize something was wrong. He shot to his feet and slammed directly into Xie Chengze’s chin behind him.

“Hiss – ” Xie Chengze clutched his chin, tears springing from the pain. “Shen! Yuan!”

“You…” Holding the wet robe, Shen Yuan stared at Xie Chengze in shock. “Why were you standing behind me?”

“I came to remind you that this silk robe can’t be washed in water or dried in direct sunlight!” Xie Chengze glared furiously. The crest of Shen Yuan’s headpiece had left a bloodied scrape on his delicate chin. “You’re a martial artist, yet you didn’t even hear this prince’s footsteps? Did you do that deliberately?”

Indeed. Xie Chengze did not practice martial arts. Why had Shen Yuan failed to hear his footsteps?

Shen Yuan was puzzled as well, but the fact remained that he had injured Xie Chengze. No matter what, he owed the prince an apology.

“It was this Shen’s fault. How does His Highness the Second Prince wish to punish me?” Shen Yuan withdrew his entire aura, his tone returning to its customary cold distance.

“Hmph! Think of something yourself!” Xie Chengze flung both sleeves and swept away.

For a time, Shen Yuan had no idea what to do. He could not guess what sort of apology Xie Chengze wanted.

The reborn Xie Chengze was becoming increasingly difficult to fathom.

Shen Yuan nearly lost another night’s sleep. At first light, while tilting back his head and rinsing his mouth with a twig clenched between his fingers, he suddenly caught sight of Wuhen in a tree.

Shen Yuan: “…”

Shen Yuan: “!”

He thought he knew why he had not heard Xie Chengze’s footsteps when the man approached.

That bastard had never walked over at all!!!

Damn it! That brat had tricked him again!

Furious, Shen Yuan snapped the twig in his hand.