Таking a deер brеаth, Yin Gеzhi lowered his gаzе, stepрed forwаrd tо stаnd bеfоrе him, but did not aрproach. Instead, hе slоwly knеlt and реrfоrmеd a рrореr grеeting сeremonу: "It hаs beеn over a уear sinсe we lаst mеt. Мау I аsk if Yоur Majеstу is in goоd hеаlth?"
Thе outstrеtсhed hand fеlt sоmewhаt awkward, but upоn hearing this greеting, Еmрerоr Wen of Wei withdrеw his hаnd аnd smiled. "Аll is wеll. Тhis timе, mу sоn went tо thе Wu Kingdоm as а hostagе and brоught bасk a lеttеr оf intеnt to form an аlliance. You arе truly a greаt contributоr to thе Wеi Kingdоm."
"Indeed," echoed Grand Academician Hang Hanyi. "However, Your Majesty, perhaps we should first allow the First Prince to complete his ceremony, then move to the welcoming banquet to discuss matters in detail."
"Good, good," Emperor Wen of Wei nodded. Returning to sit on the dragon throne, he watched Yin Gezhi perform his rites, a broad smile on his face. "Let us proceed to Fulugong Palace. All ministers of the third rank and above shall accompany me."
"Thank you for Your Majesty's grace—"
Yin Gezhi had imagined many times what his return would be like—how lively the welcoming banquet would be. Yet now, sitting at the head of the table and looking at the people around him smiling cautiously, he suddenly felt it was all rather meaningless. He would rather go back and eat a bowl of noodles cooked by Feng Yue.
The newly appointed Crown Prince of Wei, Yin Chenjue, raised his cup and said to him, "Elder Brother has suffered. Now that you have returned, you should enjoy a life of comfort."
"Indeed," Emperor Wen of Wei on the main seat smiled kindly. "As soon as I heard you were returning, I immediately ordered the Construction Department to renovate the Prince's residence. After the banquet, Jue'er can take you to see it."
The Eastern Palace had already changed hands. Naturally, he would now have to reside in the Prince's residence. Yin Gezhi raised his eyes and calmly asked, "What title does Father intend to bestow upon me as a prince?"
"Prince Xiao!" Emperor Wen of Wei slapped his thigh with admiration. "You are the most filial of my children, worthy of this title."
What a heavy burden to bear. Yin Gezhi inwardly scoffed, "Thank you, Father."
Seeing his displeased expression, Emperor Wen of Wei felt somewhat awkward. He knew his actions would inevitably disappoint, but there was no other way. Someone like Chenbi—if he were to occupy the position of Crown Prince, who would still regard the emperor with respect? He had tried before, allowing Yin Chenbi to participate in governance for just seven days. In that short span, the entire court praised him endlessly, and when reporting matters, they would even ask, "What does the Crown Prince think?" If he were truly the Crown Prince, with the legitimate right to participate in governance, wouldn't that turn the world upside down?
Yin Chenjue was a reassuring Crown Prince—mediocre in ability and lacking ambition. Establishing him as heir would give the court a successor, reassure the ministers, and ensure that the emperor's power would not be diluted. The world would still revolve around him alone.
How perfect.
As for Chenbi, he possessed the talent of a great general, so let him be a prince. Serve as a general, defend the borders of Wei, and make the best use of his abilities.
His smile grew even gentler as Emperor Wen of Wei looked at Yin Gezhi and asked kindly, "Previously, you dismissed your concubines out of consideration for their well-being. But now that you have returned, a few of them have not remarried. Would you like to bring them back? It would also prevent your Prince's residence from feeling too empty."
"I have matters to attend to and cannot spare time for romantic affairs at the moment," Yin Gezhi replied expressionlessly, setting down his wine cup.
"Oh?" Emperor Wen of Wei asked, "What matters are so pressing that you must attend to them?"
"There is one," Yin Gezhi raised his eyes to look at his father and said word by word, "To investigate the matter of Guan Canghai's treason and collusion with the enemy from years ago, and to restore justice to the entire Guan family."The ancient zither played by the court musician suddenly hit a wrong note, a sharp sound that silenced the entire Fulu Palace.
Yin Chenjue nearly dropped his cup in fright. The smile on Emperor Wen of Wei's face slowly faded as he glanced at the ministers below, each with varying expressions. He pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "This celebration is meant to welcome you back joyfully. Why bring up such an unpleasant old case? The Guan family’s crime of colluding with the enemy was proven beyond doubt, the verdict was passed, and they were already executed to the last member. What good would reopening the case do now?"
What good? Yin Gezhi clenched his hand tightly. "In my childhood, it was Your Majesty who taught me: Heaven’s justice is clear—it will not spare a single wrongdoer, nor will it wrong a single innocent person. Why is it that now, when I wish to reopen the case, Your Majesty does not ask about right or wrong, but about the benefits?"
Slightly impatient, Emperor Wen of Wei thought to himself, I taught you these things so you could use them on others. Why are you turning them against me now? And asking about right or wrong? I am always right, and anyone who opposes me is wrong!
However, he could not afford to offend this prince, so he suppressed his imperial anger and spoke as gently as possible. "Even if we speak of right or wrong, my son, was Guan Canghai’s collusion with the enemy right?"
"Exactly!" General Chu Jingyuan, the Mighty and Martial General, spoke up. "The Guan family’s case was indeed decided based on solid evidence. It has been three years now—how many witnesses and pieces of evidence no longer exist? On what grounds should the case be reopened?"
The ministers below nodded in agreement one after another.
Yin Gezhi let out a low laugh, though the mirth did not reach his eyes. His entire demeanor was cold and rigid as he slowly rose from his seat.
The people around him instinctively moved aside.
"The evidence of General Guan’s collusion with the enemy back then was sent by me to Lidu and handed over to Your Majesty for judgment," Yin Gezhi spoke, his deep voice echoing throughout the palace. "At the time, Your Majesty seemed to trust me greatly, and without further investigation, General Guan’s guilt was determined. Now, I bring the words I heard directly from General Yi of the Wu Kingdom and present them to Your Majesty, hoping Your Majesty will trust me as before."
"Yi Guoru said he never had any private dealings with General Guan. Instead, he bribed my former deputy, Helan Changde, to learn of our military deployment in advance, deduce the plan I had secretly devised with General Guan, and set an ambush to defeat me at Shangui Valley. Afterward, taking advantage of my furious state of mind, he employed a counterintelligence scheme, having someone imitate General Guan’s handwriting to forge the so-called letters of collusion and treason."
Uproar erupted around them. Emperor Wen of Wei’s face turned exceptionally grim. Yin Gezhi stood tall and composed, continuing unhurriedly, "Failing to see through such a trick was my own foolishness. But who is at fault for failing to conduct a thorough investigation before condemning the Guan family?"
"You are insolent!" These words pointed directly at him. Emperor Wen of Wei could not restrain himself and slammed the table as he stood up. "Chenbi, your words are an affront to your sovereign!"
"If Your Majesty has a clear conscience, why would you think I am being insolent?"
Yin Gezhi curled his lips, his eyes filled with a chilling mist that made Emperor Wen of Wei tremble slightly."Father!" Seeing conflict about to erupt, Yin Chenjue quickly rose and said, "Today is a joyous occasion, why argue over such a trivial matter? Elder Brother, you too—how can you believe General Yi's words so easily? He was the one who colluded with Guan Canghai, so naturally he would try to exonerate him. Only someone as foolish as you would believe it and come back to anger Father."
"If I dare to convey these words, I have a way to guarantee their truth," Yin Gezhi said calmly. "It's just that Father seems unwilling to believe them."
As long as he was unwilling to believe, even if ironclad evidence were placed before him, he likely wouldn't accept it.
"The Guan family's name as traitors has already been decided!" Emperor Wen of Wei thundered angrily. "Guards, deliver the decree! From today onward, anyone in the court who mentions this matter shall be executed!"
A single word—"executed"—chilled Yin Gezhi to the core.
This decree was aimed directly at him; no one else needed to receive it. Emperor Wen of Wei, shamed and enraged, meant: if you investigate, you will die. No one is allowed to bring up this matter to upset me. I hold the power of life and death; I am supreme!
The ministers knelt on the ground. A tempestuous surge of emotions swept through Yin Gezhi's eyes, but in the end, it settled into a deathly stillness.
Brushing off his robe, he turned and walked out.
"Insolence!" Emperor Wen of Wei shouted. "The welcoming banquet isn't over yet. Where are you going?"
"The execution platform," a cold voice drifted in with the wind, yet it seemed to transform into a massive iron hammer, striking Emperor Wen of Wei squarely on the head.
Slamming the table in fury, Emperor Wen of Wei roared, "Ungrateful child, return to me at once!"
The snow-white hem of his robe swept over the palace threshold, the delicate fabric fluttering gracefully in the wind like an immortal's garment. Yin Gezhi did not look back. The rebelliousness that had accumulated in his youth seemed to erupt all at once, leaving the entire court pale with shock.
"Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Shi Hongwei hurriedly stepped forward and knelt on the ground. "The First Prince carries the Wu Kingdom's state letter and is crucial to the peace between our two nations, Your Majesty. He cannot be executed! He must not be executed!"
Of course, he knew the prince couldn't be executed. But why had this child returned from the Wu Kingdom only to oppose him? Emperor Wen of Wei was furious. Previously, he could still threaten and intimidate him, but now, even such a stern imperial decree couldn't frighten him?
How was he to handle this now? If the prince truly went to the execution platform, who would dare to behead him?
Chaos erupted in the palace. Yin Gezhi, accompanied by Guan Zhi, strode gracefully out of the palace gates.
He wasn't foolish enough to actually go to the execution platform; naturally, he had somewhere else to be.
Feng Yue had already settled into a large mansion and enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Aunt Zheng.
"Ah, it's been such a long journey. It's been ages since I've eaten such delicious food!" Leaning into Aunt Zheng's embrace and acting coquettishly, Feng Yue smiled brightly. "Aunt Zheng's cooking is still the best."
Madam Qiu, sitting across from her, shook her head. "Young Mistress, you know how to cook yourself. Seeing how much the First Prince enjoyed your dishes, they must have tasted wonderful."
Mentioning Yin Gezhi, Feng Yue paused, sat up straight, and waved her hand dismissively. "Let's not talk about him for now."
"Why?" Luo Hao leaned in and asked, "Doesn't the Young Mistress quite like the First Prince?"
"...I like his grandmother's leg!" Feng Yue scowled angrily. "You have no idea what I've been through. The First Prince is picky, troublesome, and loves to torment people, always treating me like a maid! If it weren't for our smooth return, I wouldn't have wanted to travel with him! Isn't that right, Gan Jiang?"Ganjiang sat in the corner gnawing on a bone, looking guilty and nodding perfunctorily.
Madam Qiu raised an eyebrow. "I think the First Prince treats you quite well—much better than he treats us. Earlier, when I tried to take his white robe to wash, his glare was terrifying! Goodness, anyone would think I was trying to steal his clothes!"
Lingshu, who was eating meat, looked up and asked, "Is it that very light white robe?"
"Yes."
"Oh." Lingshu nodded, speaking with a serious expression. "That was sewn for him by our mistress."
Feng Yue wanted to cover the girl's mouth, but her arm wasn't long enough, and she didn't make it in time.
Instantly, the room erupted in a chorus of teasing voices: "Oh—so that's how it is—"
Her face flushed red, Feng Yue slapped the table. "So what? Even if Yin Gezhi secretly harbors affection for me, I still wouldn't fancy him!"
OpenNovel