Sorcery—a subject the imperial family shunned like the plague.
Once this matter came to light, court officials were terrified into silence. Those who had accepted favors from Ye Shi and promised to speak up for Xiao Changtai—to restore his princely title and grant him a grand burial—were practically cursing under their breaths. How could such a monumental affair be kept from them while they were bribed into compliance?
During the court assembly, the Youning Emperor sat upon the Dragon Throne, holding a needle-studded doll. The doll was dressed in imperial robes and crown reserved solely for the emperor, with Xiao Changtai's handwriting on its back clearly displaying the sovereign's birth characters. The Emperor's face was dark with fury.
The birth characters of an emperor had always been a forbidden secret, known to extremely few. The Imperial Observatory certainly possessed this knowledge, but only its director and vice-directors were privy to it. This meant that across the entire realm, including the Empress Dowager, no more than five people knew the emperor's birth characters.
Now it had been leaked and used for sorcery! Even if he suffered no illness or pain, this alone was enough to enrage the Son of Heaven, enough to leave corpses strewn for miles.
Ye Qi desperately wanted to plead his son-in-law's innocence, but the implications were far too grave. If he spoke up and failed to clear the accusation, the entire Ye clan would be doomed alongside them.
According to the dynasty's laws: Those who cohabitate with poisoners but are unaware of the poisoning plot—including parents, wives, concubines, and descendants of the poisoned—shall not be punished.
Ignorance may spare one from blame, but once he opened his mouth, who would believe he knew nothing?
The court was enveloped in dead silence, every official bowing their heads meekly, not daring to utter a word.
The Youning Emperor wanted them to hear every detail clearly. Since the sorcery doll bore the emperor's birth characters, it couldn't be passed around for others to see. Upon obtaining the doll, he immediately dispatched Liu Sanzhi to investigate the Imperial Observatory's director and vice-directors. One vice-director was dragged into the court by guards.
"To whom did you disclose Our birth characters?" the Youning Emperor's voice was icy.
Tears welled in the vice-director's eyes. He choked on sobs, filled with grievances but too afraid to speak. His mind echoed with the words the Twelfth Prince had spoken to him two days prior: "One man's death, or the extermination of your entire clan. Consider carefully, Vice-Director."
With tear-streaked cheeks, he scanned the room, his gaze brushing past where the princes stood, and let out another sob, but didn't dare linger.
Xiao Changgeng lowered his gaze. Why look at him? He was merely following orders.
His eyes grew distant, realizing he might never escape the control of that elder brother standing ahead of him.
The vice-director of the Imperial Observatory kowtowed deeply. "This guilty official deserves death for drinking too freely. I once shared drinks with the Fourth Prince, and he tricked me into revealing the information."
"Execute him." That was the Emperor's only word.
No imprisonment, no waiting for autumn—this was an immediate order to be dragged out of the palace and beheaded.
With both evidence and testimony secured, the Youning Emperor swept a cold gaze across the court. "The Fourth Prince is unfilial as a son, disloyal as a subject, and unrighteous as a man. Such a person, devoid of filial piety, loyalty, and integrity, is unworthy of being a member of the imperial family. He is hereby expelled from the clan and stripped of his name."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qi shut his eyes deeply. He knew Xiao Changtai wasn't dead yet—Xiao Changtai had rarely kept major affairs hidden from him.
But what did it matter now that he wasn't dead? Expelled and disgraced with the charge of sorcery, even if he appeared alive, it would only mean certain death.
They had lost. In this game of power, Xiao Changtai was completely eliminated, forever barred from the throne.
With this sorcery conviction, the Emperor would inevitably hold a grudge against the Ye clan. Though nothing might happen immediately, within three years, the Emperor would seize every opportunity to quietly push the Ye clan out of the capital, leaving them without a foothold.Xiao Changgeng also closed his eyes. His Crown Prince brother could execute such matters flawlessly—from the imperial mausoleum to the Imperial Observatory, from material evidence to witnesses, not a single loophole remained. This was the fate of those who opposed him!
The death of Changling and Fourth Brother’s outcome were both heart-stopping. He could only feel grateful that before he could even bare his fangs, he had been subdued and utilized by him. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise.
He firmly believed that in this world, including Your Majesty, no one could be a match for the Crown Prince.
Sooner or later, this empire would fall into his hands. Could this be considered a merit of supporting the true dragon?
"Brother, did Fourth Brother truly engage in sorcery?" Back at Prince Xin's Residence, Xiao Changying couldn’t help but ask.
"Fourth Brother isn’t dead at all. The Crown Prince forced him into a feigned death, thinking he could escape by shedding his skin like a cicada. Without evidence, he believed he could break free and later use the excuse that the burned body wasn’t his to legitimately reclaim his princely title and challenge the Crown Prince." Xiao Changqing shook his head lightly and sighed. "Younger brother, we should be thankful we withdrew in time..."
The Crown Prince’s methods were truly chilling.
In all his years, Xiao Changqing had never feared anyone so deeply. Just thinking about how Xiao Huayong could orchestrate a sorcery case so seamlessly—it was a sure-kill trap for anyone.
He even knew Your Majesty’s birth date!
They considered themselves well-informed with eyes and ears everywhere, but to uncover Your Majesty’s birth date was something they dared not even dream of.
"The Crown Prince..." Fear also surfaced in Xiao Changying’s eyes.
"The Crown Prince has his own intelligence network. He knows too many secrets and holds too many people’s weaknesses." Xiao Changqing had finally grasped this point clearly. The previous two times, Xiao Huayong had already used his vulnerabilities against him.
The first time, he thought it was because he had acted hastily and failed to cover his tracks thoroughly, allowing the Crown Prince to find out.
The second time, he suspected the Crown Prince had sent skilled agents to shadow him, evading his Hidden Guards, thus discovering Gu Qingshu’s whereabouts.
Only after witnessing the Vice-Director of the Imperial Observatory willingly die for him did Xiao Changqing realize that the Crown Prince held the weaknesses of every official in court. He was deeply curious about how the Crown Prince had grown into such a formidable figure over the past twelve years.
A perfectly executed sorcery case, flawless and airtight, left everyone in fear and avoidance.
Upon hearing the news, Xiao Changtai was so enraged he spat blood and fainted on the spot.
Xiao Huayong’s move not only cut off his escape route but also shattered all his power. Why did these people follow him? Wasn’t it for future wealth and status?
Now that he had been stripped of his lineage and completely lost any chance to compete, why would they continue to pledge their loyalty unto death?
After all his painstaking efforts and enduring humiliation, he never expected Xiao Huayong to crush him completely overnight.
Wrong, wrong—he should have let Xiao Huayong discover his feigned death rather than using Munuha to provoke him.
He had thought his strength was substantial enough to compete with Xiao Huayong, but for the first time, he realized his own overestimation and paid such a heavy price for it.
Xiao Changtai’s regrets remained unknown to anyone.
After hearing about the court affairs, Shen Xihe fell into deep thought as she looked at Xiao Huayong, who came to see her as if nothing had happened.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Youyou?" Having dealt with one person, Xiao Huayong was in high spirits."I am reflecting on myself," Shen Xihe said earnestly. "I still underestimated Your Highness."
"It's all Old Fourth's fault for forcing me to get serious, frightening Youyou." Xiao Huayong gently soothed.
Shen Xihe: ...
So you mean you've never been serious before?
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