Chapter 82
Chapter 82
After some thought, Xie Chengze decided not to reveal that he had already taken both approaches at once.
He was afraid Hu Lai would use the knowledge to launch some reckless scheme.
He had originally worried that getting too close to Shen Yuan would make that man suspect him of siding with Shen and the Crown Prince. Yet now the man had taken the initiative and ordered him to recruit Shen Yuan…
Presumably, Shen Yuan was moving too aggressively in this life, so that man wanted the Second Prince, who was fishing for advantage in muddy waters, to keep the hostile Crown Prince in check.
The development resembled the later plot of the original novel. Unable to defeat Shen Yuan and the Crown Prince once they held immense power, that man eventually decided to cooperate with the Second Prince, prolonging the political struggle.
Xie Chengze rubbed his chin.
Since Emperor Jian believed he liked Shen Yuan, while that man wanted him to establish contact with Shen Yuan…
Why not go with the flow?
His eyes turning, Xie Chengze placed a hand on Hu Lai’s shoulder and asked with a bright smile, “Hu Lai, if I wanted to approach Vice Minister Shen openly without causing Father to misunderstand, what should I do?”
Hu Lai immediately answered with enthusiasm, “What could be easier? Simply tell His Majesty that you are in love with Vice Minister Shen! Besides, does Your Highness not already hold Vice Minister Shen in your heart? That gives this subordinate an answer for the other side, while Your Highness kills two birds with one stone – three birds with one arrow!”
You said it! Not me!!!
Xie Chengze instantly gave him a thumbs-up. “Hu Lai! You truly are my personal mouthpiece!”
Hu Lai: Hm?
What was a personal mouthpiece?
And why did his back suddenly feel so cold?
Watching Xie Chengze rush into his bedchamber and then rush out again, apparently preparing to handle some momentous affair, Hu Lai stroked his little mustache.
Mm, no great problem~ As long as the Second Prince stayed rich and kept paying his monthly salary, everything was fine~
He did, after all, have a huge family to support~
…
Xie Chengze had meant to go to the Imperial Study. But halfway there in his palanquin, he spoke up. “Change course. Go to the Imperial Observatory.”
The Imperial Observatory was an institution devoted to observing the heavens, clouds, and stars. Eccentric talents from across the realm gathered there. Ordinarily, its members conducted themselves with exceptional humility and avoided the turmoil of court. Only when they deciphered the stars and received a celestial pronouncement would they gently open their vermilion gates, walk by moonlight, and seek an audience with His Majesty for the security of the state.
During Emperor Jian’s reign, the Imperial Observatory had issued three celestial pronouncements in all.
The first came on the day the Second Prince was born. Just as night and day were about to trade places, the Imperial Observatory detected a golden-red meteor streaking eastward. At the point where it vanished, the red sun slowly rose. Even the koi in the observatory’s pond had uncharacteristically surged eastward, leaping and thrashing with life.
Then the Director of the Imperial Observatory personally emerged from seclusion, and the celestial pronouncement “A lucky star descends; Heaven blesses Jian’an” was delivered into Emperor Jian’s hands.
The second came at the end of Jian’an’s seventy-eighth year – in other words, this very year. The Director of the Imperial Observatory observed the stars at night and predicted a catastrophic snowstorm. His abilities were limited, however. He could only determine that the north would suffer a great snow disaster, not its precise location.
By the time Liaozhou’s plea for help reached the capital, it was already too late. Snow had sealed the roads and made further travel impossible. When Emperor Jian finally sent relief grain to Liaozhou, frozen corpses already littered the land.
Xie Chengze might only want to enjoy the discreet luxury of an imperial nepo baby, but he could hardly know where the snow disaster would strike and deliberately conceal it.
He would never avoid a matter requiring no more than a little talking and thought. Besides, a privileged imperial life stained with blood would reek beyond endurance!
“Your Highness, we are about to ascend the stairs.”
The palanquin dipped slightly, and Xie Chengze looked up.
A tall, imposing tower of black and red stood above the monumental staircase. Its tiers rose one above another, and the upturned eaves at each of its four corners swept into the air like phoenixes spreading their wings. Blue-black tiles reflected a glazed sheen beneath the sunlight, both ancient and magnificent.
At the gates of the Imperial Observatory, two men in dark-blue robes embroidered with stars were splashing water over the red doors to wash them. When they saw Xie Chengze, they calmly inclined their bodies in a perfunctory bow, then returned to their work.
The Imperial Observatory interpreted celestial phenomena and delivered celestial pronouncements. As Heaven’s emissaries, its officials possessed the privilege of meeting the sovereign without kneeling.
The palanquin stopped, and one of the bearers said to Xie Chengze, “Your Highness, apart from its officials, the Imperial Observatory permits only members of the imperial family to enter.”
They could take him no farther.
“All right. Wait here.” Xie Chengze stepped down and entered the Imperial Observatory.
The tower’s interior was vast, its decoration simple and solemn. Looking up, one could see straight to the roof. The walls of every floor were lined with miscellaneous records and astronomical classics from past dynasties. Only the first floor was different: it contained a pond of carp, two yellow dogs, several cats, and even a collection of birds from different species.
Officials moved through the hall from time to time. Some were absorbed in ancient texts; others lost themselves tinkering with worn instruments. Not one noticed him enter.
Xie Chengze wandered around and occasionally leaned closer for a look. Their research was surprisingly interesting. Someone attempting to reproduce an astronomical instrument was even studying mathematics and geometry and currently frowning over a geometry problem in a book.
Xie Chengze stood behind him and watched for a while, then pointed at the problem. “I’ll teach you.”
“You know how?” The man turned as he spoke, only for the delight on his face to freeze when he saw Xie Chengze dressed in red.
Everyone knew outsiders could not enter the Imperial Observatory. Any unfamiliar face must belong either to His Majesty or to one of the princes.
And the only prince who wore red was His Highness the Second Prince.
But why would the Second Prince possibly be here?!
Guo Tianheng, now Director of the Imperial Observatory, last remembered seeing the Second Prince on the day Noble Consort Hua died.
On that snowy night, the Second Prince had climbed the hundred-step staircase alone. With reddened eyes, he had asked Guo Tianheng, who then still held the post of Astronomer, “My lord, am I truly a lucky star? Look again. Am I truly a lucky star?”
But dense clouds and heavy snow had already veiled the heavens, leaving him unable to give the Second Prince an answer. He could only soothe him. “Your Highness, of course you are a lucky star. There can be no mistake.”
“Birth, aging, illness, and death are the common fate of all. Your Highness must not grieve too deeply.”
That day, the Second Prince had flown into a rage. He smashed numerous astronomical instruments and tore apart many astronomical classics, roaring that everyone in the Imperial Observatory was a fraud.
He had never returned after that.
Now he had appeared without warning… Could he have come to smash the hall again?!
Should Guo Tianheng first find a way to send the Second Prince away, or order everyone to protect the books and instruments?!
Seeing the panic and fear on Guo Tianheng’s face, Xie Chengze rubbed his chin and asked in puzzlement, “My dear minister, are you afraid of me?”
Guo Tianheng hurriedly shook his head and forced out a smile. “Your Highness has paid a sudden visit to the Imperial Observatory. May I ask what brings you here?”
“Oh, I came to wander around and ask a few questions.”
At the words *ask a few questions*, Guo Tianheng’s head throbbed even harder. “Your Highness, perhaps we should move to the side reception hall…”
“Ah, no need for all that trouble.” Xie Chengze gave his shoulder an exceptionally friendly pat. “I only wanted to ask…”
Hearing those familiar and dangerous words, Guo Tianheng swallowed hard. His hands, hidden behind his back, began secretly stuffing the components on the table into his sleeves.
“Have your recent observations of the night sky detected the possibility of a catastrophic snowstorm in the north?” Xie Chengze asked with a beaming smile.
“Oh?” The hand secretly tucking the parts into his sleeve paused. Guo Tianheng looked at Xie Chengze in incomprehension. “Why does Your Highness say that?”