RCDSA 09

Chapter – 09

Killing Two Birds with One Stone.

Xiao Fuzi confessed everything in minute detail.

To ensure there was no falsehood in his testimony, Bai Qi applied several different forms of torture, repeatedly verifying that Xiao Fuzi’s confession contained not a single lie, before finally going to report to Xie Linchao.

“As we previously speculated, Xiao Fuzi is one of the First Prince’s men. He initially used the ruse of suffering to win your sympathy. If it hadn’t been for Xiao Fuzi’s scheming this time, no one would have imagined that someone who kept claiming to repay a debt of gratitude was actually a spy planted by another.”

Those who could survive in the imperial palace were all full of twists and turns.

The moment Xiao Fuzi was sent back to the Internal Affairs Bureau, he eagerly sought contact with the Fourth Prince’s people. This clearly did not fit the persona of someone who valued loyalty and gratitude, practically shouting that there was something suspicious about him.

Moreover, the Fourth Prince was a year and a half younger than Xie Linchao. Most of his time was spent studying in the Imperial Academy, and he had not yet established a residence outside the palace to recruit advisors. On his own, he did not possess the capability to plant such an important pawn beside Xie Linchao—unless he had the help of his birth mother, Consort Shu.

But the First Prince was several years older than Xie Linchao, now twenty-two, already married, and his birth mother, Noble Consort, could rival the Empress Dowager in the harem. It would have been far simpler for him to place a spy beside Xie Linchao.

Xie Linchao was not particularly concerned about all this—it was all within expectations.

However, when Bai Qi mentioned that Orchid Talent’s lover was the Fourth Prince, Xie Linchao’s eyes suddenly blazed with sharp interest: “The child in Orchid Talent’s womb is really the Fourth Prince’s?”

Bai Qi: “It is the Fourth Prince’s. After Xiao Fuzi discovered the clues, he reported them to the First Prince. Then Xiao Fuzi deliberately ‘exposed’ to the Fourth Prince that you might already know about the affair between him and Orchid Talent, leading the two of them to set up a scheme against you.”

“They originally planned to frame you for defiling Orchid Talent, hoping to use that to blackmail you in private. But the First Prince intervened from the shadows, bringing the Emperor and the ministers ahead of time to blow the matter wide open. Orchid Talent, who hadn’t yet had time to do anything and was desperate to save herself, had no choice but to change her plan midway… You already know how things developed after that.”

“After Xiao Fuzi was sent back to the Internal Affairs Bureau, the First Prince believed you were no longer a threat, so he quickly assigned Xiao Fuzi his next task: to infiltrate the Fourth Prince’s or Orchid Talent’s circle, wait until you had left for your fief, and then expose the affair between the two, eliminating the Fourth Prince from the succession race as well.”

Xie Linchao let out a cold laugh: “Killing two birds with one stone? Big Brother truly knows how to calculate.”

“Even if Orchid Talent’s pregnancy is later exposed, I will already be a feudal prince. Even if I am proven innocent, aside from a few words of sympathy, there will be no way for me to return to the capital.”

“That foolish Fourth Brother of mine is probably still rejoicing right now, completely unaware that disaster is about to befall him.”

Xie Linchao lay back in the reclining chair, rocking gently, his fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest.

The autumn breeze brushed past his face. He narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at the sunset on the horizon.

“Bai Qi.”

“Here.”

Xie Linchao clicked his tongue softly, grinding his teeth: “I’m feeling a bit dissatisfied.”

Bai Qi listened quietly for his young master’s next words.

“Exposing the affair between the Fourth Prince and Orchid Talent would avenge their scheming against me at the Golden Autumn Palace Banquet, but it would let the First Prince’s ‘kill two birds with one stone’ plan succeed perfectly—he would remain perfectly hidden in the shadows.”

“If I don’t expose it, the First Prince will find another opportunity to do so anyway. That way, it wouldn’t be as satisfying as striking with my own hand, and the First Prince would still get what he wants.”

“Compared to the Fourth Prince, I despise the First Prince more.”

“He wants to stay perfectly hidden behind the scenes—but I refuse to give him that chance! I’ll infuriate him!”

“Bai Qi, don’t you agree?” Xie Linchao tilted his head to look at Bai Qi.

The last glimmer of light faded from the sky, and even the eyes of the brilliantly robed young beauty in the recliner were veiled in shadow.

Beneath that shadow, those usually sparkling eyes appeared even deeper and more radiant.

Bai Qi was speechless: “…Yes.”

At this moment, his young master was like a fierce child snatching away a piece of candy, only to ask with feigned dignity at the end, “You wanted to give it to me, right?”

Bai Qi found it hard to disagree.

Whatever his young master said was right.

**

The greatest joy of doing something wicked was not succeeding at it, but having someone there to applaud and cheer you on.

Xie Linchao slept soundly and contentedly. The next morning, after breakfast, he picked two letters of introduction from the stack of visiting cards, then had Linlang grind ink while he wrote two letters and handed them to Steward Wu to be sent out.

After calculating that the timing was about right, Xie Linchao sat in his wheelchair and entered the palace.

It happened to be the time when the civil and military officials were leaving the morning court session. The carriage of the Second Prince’s residence arrived at the palace gate. The driver stopped the carriage steadily, and Bai Qi, who had been riding alongside, dismounted, set up the wheelchair, and carried Xie Linchao from the carriage into the wheelchair in full public view—perfectly reinforcing the rumor that the Prince of An was gravely ill and slow to recover.

Since he had already submitted his entry request the day before and received permission to enter the palace, the imperial guards at the gate merely conducted a routine check for dangerous items before allowing him in.

Gazing at the grand and magnificent imperial palace, Xie Linchao suddenly had a whimsical thought and asked the system if it could “sell” the entire palace—

[Ding… Unable to convert!]

[System detection: The Great Qi imperial palace complex does not currently belong to the host, and cannot be converted. Please continue your efforts!]

Xie Linchao: …

“Continue your efforts” = start a rebellion as soon as possible?

Xie Linchao felt a little regretful. If he could convert the entire palace… the look on Emperor Xuanhe’s face when the palace vanished into thin air would surely be spectacular!

Along the walkway, the civil and military officials coming and going all showed surprise upon seeing the Second Prince—now the Prince of An—who had not left his residence for a long time.

Some murmured to themselves: Could it be that the Prince of An is entering the palace to plead with His Majesty? It’s been so many days since the decree—isn’t it a bit late to beg for mercy now?

Regardless, upon seeing the Prince of An, the officials came forward one by one to pay their respects.

“We pay our respects to the Prince of An. May His Highness enjoy golden peace.”

Xie Linchao was about to speak when he suddenly broke into a violent fit of coughing: “Cough, cough, cough… Ladies and gentlemen… no need for such formalities… cough, cough, cough…”

Seeing this, the officials could not help but fix their eyes on Xie Linchao’s unnaturally pale face—the sickly look of one not yet recovered. Even those officials who had not originally supported Xie Linchao as the crown prince could not help but sigh inwardly.

Once a brilliant prospect with a bright future, the top contender in the succession race, the Second Prince had now fallen from imperial favor and been demoted to a desolate frontier fief because of a mere Talent. With his frail constitution, he would likely die on the road before even reaching Shuo County.

His Majesty’s punishment was too harsh.

After all, he was the legitimate son of the former Empress.

Even two Dukes and the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court had successively pleaded for mercy, yet none could move His Majesty to change his mind.

As Bai Qi pushed him all the way to the Hall of Diligent Governance, Xie Linchao received many sympathetic glances. His face, painted with white powder, appeared sickly and woeful, but inside he was thoroughly amused.

Feel sorry for me, do you?

Soon, there will be someone else who needs your “sympathy” even more!