Chapter 56: Jealousy

Chapter 56: Jealousy

Ran Qinggu was stunned for a moment before immediately hiding behind Shang Rongyu. "Heir, the Crown Prince wants... wants to kill me!"

Shang Rongyu tightened his hold around his waist. "Don't be afraid, stand behind me."

The act was convincing; if not for the blood-soaked temple and the Crown Prince hiding under the altar, he might have believed it.

"Shang Rongyu, look who this is?" The Crown Prince's left commander escorted the Consort into the side hall.

Behind the Consort stood a row of women from the Wang Palace, including concubines and maidservants.

Jian Zuihuan, seeing Ran Qinggu covered in blood, exclaimed in shock and concern, "Yu'er, what happened to you?"

Ran Qinggu, frightened and scared, replied, "Mother, I'm fine. The Crown Prince... suddenly went mad..."

Following Ran Qinggu's gaze, the left commander's eyes fell on the Crown Prince in the temple.

The sunset was breathtakingly beautiful, its afterglow casting over the center of the temple. It illuminated the bronze mirror before the Crown Prince, reflecting an eerie and enchanting light.

The Crown Prince was drenched in blood, with ten corpses strewn about haphazardly on the ground. Some were cut in half, others blackened with burst veins, having died from poison... there was even a severed head hanging from the Buddha's hand, its black hair entwined around the deity's fingers, dangling the half-skull above, dripping blood and yellowish brain matter...

The entire temple had become a hellish bloodbath, while the Crown Prince hid under the altar, his rotund body lifting it up. Like a child hiding from demons and ghosts, he desperately sought some form of protection, crawling further under the altar, shrinking himself as small as possible...

The left commander cried out, "Your Highness?"

Unaware of his surroundings, the Crown Prince trembled, blood mixing with saliva, snot, and tears streaming down his face. He muttered, "I won't look, won't look... don't come near..."

The left commander exchanged glances with several other generals, utterly baffled by the situation.

The Crown Prince and the Heir's Consort had been in the temple for so long, how did he end up like this?

Deputy General Yang angrily pointed at Ran Qinggu. "What did you do to His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Ran Qinggu feigned fear, his voice trembling. "I didn't do anything. The Crown Prince suddenly picked up a sword and started attacking people..."

Holding a sharp sword, Shang Rongyu's eyes swept over the battle-hardened generals, his voice stern. "The Crown Prince plotted rebellion, attempting to murder his father and seize the throne. Even the gods couldn't bear to witness it, and he received retribution. You traitorous scoundrels still refuse to surrender?"

Confused and terrified, the soldiers' morale plummeted. Frightened by Shang Rongyu's words, they could barely hold onto their weapons.

With a clang, someone's weapon fell to the ground. Soon after, several more weapons dropped, clattering against the floor in a series of metallic sounds.

The left commander drew his sword and decapitated the nearest soldier who had dropped his weapon. Holding the bleeding head aloft, he bellowed, "The Crown Prince will always be our master. As long as he lives, he remains the Crown Prince. I'll show no mercy to anyone who dares to discard their weapon. Follow me, take up your swords, and slay these power-hungry traitors. Purify the court, support loyal ministers, and eliminate the wicked, ensuring the prosperity of our Da Su dynasty for generations to come, with a reign that lasts forever!"

The soldiers who had dropped their weapons hastily picked them back up.

Ran Qinggu raised his voice in accusation. "Left Commander, the Crown Prince has already reached this state, delusional and insane. Are you planning to prop up such a puppet on the throne, controlling the emperor to command the vassals?"

Pointing his bloodied sword at Ran Qinggu, the left commander retorted, "You shameless woman, cease your slander. The Crown Prince merely lost his mind temporarily. I suspect it was you, this shameless woman, who caused him to become this way."

Ran Qinggu laughed coldly. "Left Commander, you're quick to blame. If a weak woman like me had the ability to drive the Crown Prince to this state, I wouldn't have been dragged into the temple, and..."

His voice paused, carrying a sob, as if struggling to suppress his tears. "...and you tried to find some lowly, filthy beggars to humiliate me."

Upon hearing this, Jian Zuihuan erupted in fury. "Madness! No wonder even heaven couldn't bear to watch."

Shang Rongyu rebuked, "Left Commander, are you prepared to completely sever ties with our Wang Palace by using such methods to disgrace my Heir's Consort?"

The left commander's expression darkened. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Shang Rongyu gave a sly smile, wrapping his arm around Ran Qinggu's waist and retreating into the temple.

Seeing the gleaming sword in Shang Rongyu's hand, the Crown Prince was startled again, scrambling away. "Don't come near, no, I won't look..."

With a crash, the altar was overturned by his frantic movements. Terrified, the Crown Prince attempted to flee but slipped in a pool of blood, falling face-first into the mud.

Shang Rongyu stomped on the Crown Prince's plump back, raising his sword to sever his head.

The left commander cried out, "Shang Rongyu, he's the Crown Prince."

Shang Rongyu smiled. "He's also a traitorous scoundrel."

As Shang Rongyu prepared to strike, Deputy General Yang shouted, "Shang Rongyu, don't forget that the Consort is still in our hands."

Shang Rongyu raised an eyebrow. "So, we're trading hostages?"

The commanders exchanged glances.

Shang Rongyu harshly stepped on the Crown Prince, forcing his face into the blood. The Crown Prince's features contorted, his eyes squeezed shut.

Shang Rongyu warned sternly, "Think carefully. If the Crown Prince dies, you truly lose all leverage. With him alive, you still have a chance to negotiate..."

Indeed, the left commander and the others harbored such thoughts.

Rebellion was a capital offense, but with the Crown Prince in their grasp, they held valuable leverage. Without him, they would truly become traitorous scoundrels without a leader.

Moreover, Shang Rongyu had charged in alone. Although skilled in martial arts, he was accompanied by his mother and wife. With these two women as liabilities, escaping amidst thousands of troops would be more difficult than ascending to heaven.

Deputy General Yang gritted his teeth. "Let's trade."

Shang Rongyu responded, "Send my mother over first."

The left commander countered, "Release the prisoners simultaneously."

Shang Rongyu agreed. "Fine."

The left commander escorted the Consort toward the temple.

Shang Rongyu, dragging the Crown Prince along, also moved toward the temple.

When they were extremely close, the left commander pushed the queen, and Shang Rongyu immediately went to catch her. The left commander pulled over the crown prince.

The crown prince was shaking all over, panicking, mumbling something incomprehensible.

The left commander said with concern: "Your Highness, you've suffered..."

But unexpectedly at this moment, Ran Qinggu suddenly laughed out loud: "Hahaha, fat pig."

The crown prince went mad, covering his ears: "I'm not, you are... I am the crown prince, I am the heir apparent, you are pigs... I will kill you..."

The left commander shouted in confusion: "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"

The crown prince's eyes were bloodshot as he drew the left commander's sword, piercing him through. He gritted his teeth fiercely: "I am not... Why force me, why do you all force me..."

The left commander was shocked and disbelieving, opening his mouth as if to say something, but blood gushed out first. He grabbed the crown prince's clothes: "Your... Your Highness... How could you..."

He spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to his knees stiffly.

Deputy General Yang did not dare to step forward, for fear of ending up like the left commander.

The soldiers were all dumbfounded, never expecting such an outcome.

"Report - General Wu has already led his troops up here." A guard reported.

Deputy General Yang looked hesitantly at the crown prince, who was in a daze, muttering: "Why force me? No, I am not..."

With fierce generals and pursuers behind them, and the current madness of the crown prince, morale was lost.

Everyone felt that this was actually a farce, and yet they had all played their parts to the fullest.

In the autumn of the thirty-second year of Emperor Xianyuan's reign, Crown Prince Shang Jue besieged the Nan Shan hunting grounds, inciting a rebellion, capturing countless imperial concubines and family members of court officials. He was defeated at Zhongming Temple, his followers were all executed, the crown prince was deposed, and he was imprisoned in the Royal Clan Temple, never to be released.

==

At the foot of Nan Shan, thousands of troops were spread out in a fan formation, torches illuminating the dark night as bright as day.

Emperor Xianyuan stood with his hands behind his back, his hair, which had been blown into disarray by the autumn wind, was almost half white. His face was somber and sad, his turbid eyes burning with the heat of the torches, but also burning away the hope in his eyes.

"Bring him forward," his voice was steady, but with a slight tremor, his lips quivering.

After a long while, he managed to close his trembling lips.

The guards escorted Shang Jue before the emperor. The blood on the crown prince's black armor had dried, leaving blotchy, thick bloodstains, like an ancient wall covered in rust.

As soon as the guards let go of the crown prince, he fell to his knees, mumbling: "Don't look, I am the crown prince, hahahaha..."

The emperor's gaze was fixed tightly on the laughing and crying crown prince.

After a long while, as if unable to accept such a foolish crown prince, he roared: "Crown Prince!"

Shang Jue suddenly roared back as if he had gone mad: "Don't call me that, I am not the crown prince, I am Shang Jue, Shang Jue... It's all because of you..."

He stood up, pointing at Emperor Xianyuan, staring him down: "It's you, it's all because of you, the emperor, you wanted me to be the crown prince, I couldn't do it well, so you scolded me, the court officials impeached me, when my jade ornament on my robe was crooked, you scolded me for being untidy, when I couldn't answer a question in my policy essay, you scolded me for being incompetent, when I couldn't shoot straight, you scolded me for being useless... When I ate too quickly, you scolded me for lacking decorum, when I gained a little weight, you said I lacked bearing, when I killed one or two palace servants, you said I treated life lightly, when I punished a small consort of a prince, you said I lacked virtue, and stripped me of my regency duties... You always scolded me, because I was the crown prince, I had to be perfect in everything, I had to set an example for the world, I had to be a role model for my brothers... I had to do so much... None of you understood me, you only scolded me for being incompetent, you thought I was ugly and fat, I couldn't compare to Shang Rongyu's handsome appearance, Shang Zhi's strategic acumen, or Shang Yuzhou's warm amiability..."

"Only..." his tears fell, "only Jiaojiao understood me, but you..."

He angrily pointed at the emperor: "You beat her to death."

Emperor Xianyuan watched quietly. After a long while, he said: "From the moment you were born, you were the crown prince. If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. I wanted to groom you into an emperor... So many things happened when Cang Jiaojiao entered the palace, so many people targeted you... I had no choice but to eliminate the dangers for you!"

Shang Jue argued: "Yes, I am the crown prince, the most common thing you did was to say, I am the crown prince, for that sentence, I..."

He patted his round belly: "I forced myself to become a ball, because I am the crown prince, I can't make mistakes, once I make a mistake, everyone comes to blame me, I have to be supervised by the whole world, I have to endure your scolding... just because I am the crown prince... even if you praised me once... just once, it would be good..."

He broke down in hysterical sobs, mumbling something, slowly squatting down.

His body was covered in blood, he didn't mind getting dirtier.

Shang Qianxian walked forward, reaching out, his weathered palm open, wanting to caress him like a father.

When this child was born, he couldn't have been happier.

He named him crown prince while he was still in swaddling clothes, giving him what he thought was the most fitting name for an emperor - Jue.

To be an emperor, one must be ruthless and decisive.

He had high hopes, hoping he would become talented, hoping he would take over the country, he had paved the way for him for so many years, but in the end, it couldn't match the understanding of a courtesan.

Shang Qianxian reached halfway, then trembled and pulled his hand back.

In the warm glow of the torches, his spine straightened again. Only the white hair that had been dyed from black danced wildly in the air.

"I am not a fat pig, I am not... Don't force me..." The crown prince suddenly went mad, laughing loudly, then sobbing...

"Don't come over, I don't want to see, get away..." He pushed at the air, as if afraid of something.

Shang Qianxian was heartbroken.

The eunuch who had served him for many years sighed: "Your Majesty, the crown prince has been lucid one moment and foolish the next for these hours... This..."

For some reason, the crown prince was lucid at times, after which he remembered nothing, only blaming the emperor for forcing him, and at other times he was foolish, mumbling nonsense intermittently.

The eunuch had always known that the emperor loved the crown prince very much, and now he must be heartbroken.

Shang Qianxian waved his hand: "Take him away."

The guards stepped forward and lifted the crown prince.

Suddenly, the crown prince pushed the guards away: "Get away, don't come over, I don't want to see, don't laugh, you are the pig, I will kill you..."

Saying this, he crazily tried to grab the blade from the guard's hand.

The guards, seeing this, hurriedly twisted Shang Jue's arms behind his back and pressed him onto the cold, muddy ground of the hunting ground's supermarket.

Shang Qianxian opened his mouth to intervene, but ultimately waved his hand indifferently. "Take the Crown Prince away."

As an emperor, he could not show weakness; this child had disappointed him too much.

The guard replied, "Yes."

Shang Jue was dragged away by the guards, ranting wildly, "I won't look, don't come near... I won't look, no laughing, I'll kill you all..."

Suddenly, he summoned all his strength, shook off two guards, and desperately rushed towards Emperor Xianyuan.

The guards, thinking he intended to assassinate the emperor, kicked him in the back. He rolled on the ground like a pumpkin, and the guards ruthlessly restrained him.

Shang Jue did not give up. One hand reached out desperately, the yellow dragon robe before his eyes so close, yet he grasped nothing.

Just a little more...

A little more and he would have grabbed it.

He must move forward...

He gritted his teeth fiercely, reaching for that dragon robe, but it was as if he were a monkey trapped under five fingers. No matter how hard he tried, he could not budge an inch.

That yellow dragon robe was right there, his father standing just within reach...

But he couldn't reach it.

Who would help him?

The Crown Prince spat out a mouthful of blood, the metallic smell mixing with the stench of rotting leaves rising suddenly.

He had no strength left.

He was desperate.

The Crown Prince's hand fell, his grip loosening.

Something dropped into the grass.

Shang Qianxian saw something in the Crown Prince's hand.

He slowly squatted down. The eunuch, understanding his intentions, immediately picked up the object and handed it to Shang Qianxian.

It was a crumpled paper ball.

Stained with many bloodstains, the paper was frayed and blackened, indicating that the paper ball was quite old.

Shang Qianxian slowly unfolded the paper ball.

On it was a single character, seemingly neat but poorly written and crooked – 'Jue'.

When Shang Jue was three years old, just beginning to learn to write, Shang Qianxian taught him to write his name. After teaching him many times, Shang Jue finally learned and wrote this character on the paper.

Shang Qianxian remembered how he stroked Shang Jue's head at the time, smiling broadly and lovingly. "Juer is really amazing."

He vaguely recalled that it was the first time he praised him, and also the last.

He called him Juer, not the later cold and formal title – Crown Prince.

Shang Jue's gaze was locked on the emperor.

His eyes were filled with tears, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth, his plump face covered in tears.

Shang Qianxian looked at the paper, his eyes misty, as if transported back to many years ago, under candlelight, a father gently teaching his son to write.

The child wrote one character, and he nodded. Wrote another, and he nodded again...

Looking at his son, now bound before him, covered in blood and disheveled, Shang Qianxian suddenly smiled, lovingly and warmly, praising, "Juer is very good, very... diligent, the character... the character... is also... very beautiful."

A tear slid down his weathered, wrinkled eye, flowing along the corner of his smiling lips into his mouth.

The Crown Prince's eyes suddenly lit up.

And just like that, he was dragged away by the guards.

Rain poured down, soaking the paper in Shang Qianxian's hands. Water droplets spread, thoroughly wetting the paper.

The paper was from two or three decades ago, already fragile after the ravages of time. Now, struck by the rain, it instantly broke apart.

The eunuch held an umbrella for Shang Qianxian. "Your Majesty, go inside the tent to avoid the rain."

Shang Qianxian stood up, seeming to age ten years overnight. "Go and proclaim the decree: the Crown Prince is crazed and deranged, his behavior immoral. He will spend the rest of his life in the Royal Clan Temple, never to leave again."

The eunuch sighed and nodded. "Yes."

In the end, the emperor did not want the Crown Prince to be known as a traitorous villain in the annals of history, wanting to preserve the Crown Prince's life.

Shang Qianxian staggered towards the tent, spitting out a mouthful of blood after only a few steps.

The eunuch cried out in terror, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Call the imperial physician, quickly call the imperial physician..."

Shang Qianxian waved his hand to stop him, asking General Wu sternly, "Why did the Crown Prince go mad? Why did he say 'I won't look, don't come near, I'm not a pig, no laughing'? Who showed him what, who was laughing at him..."

General Wu respectfully replied, "According to those present, the Crown Prince wanted those beggars to humiliate the Heir's Consort. Later, the door was opened, and the Heir's Consort came out covered in blood, shouting that the Crown Prince had killed someone. But what they saw was the Crown Prince cowering under the table, trembling! As if afraid of something..."

Shang Qianxian said calmly, "So only the Heir's Consort was unharmed among those present?"

General Wu nodded. "Yes. Your subject remembers, there was also a bronze mirror on the ground."

Shang Qianxian: "A bronze mirror?"

General Wu nodded. "The bronze mirror in the hands of the Thunder Mother."

Shang Qianxian's lips trembled.

The Crown Prince was most afraid of looking in the mirror; he even needed to cover his washing water with flower petals. He didn't want to see himself. He was most sensitive about others saying he was fat, and the word he hated most was 'pig'. Over these years, because of these words, he hadn't spared many lives...

Why would there be a mirror? Why did the Crown Prince go mad?

All of this was likely inseparable from that Heir's Consort.

He clenched his teeth inwardly.

It was Bai Yu again.

==

In the tent, the Princess Consort wiped her tears with a handkerchief. "Yu'er, you mustn't be so rash next time. If something really happened to you, how could I spend the rest of my life without being consumed by guilt?"

At that time, Shang Jue had intended to find trouble with her, but Ran Qinggu intentionally directed the blame towards herself.

Jian Zuihuan wasn't an unreasonable person or one who forgot kindness. At this moment, she was deeply grateful to Ran Qinggu.

Ran Qinggu smiled. "Mother, I'm fine. The Heir gave me a ring. As long as I turn it, poisonous needles will shoot out, so I won't have any problems."

King Cheng comforted the Princess Consort. "Well, aren't we all safe now?"

The Princess Consort thought of something and asked, "What happened later? Why did the Crown Prince suddenly go mad?"

Ran Qinggu lied. "Later, when the Crown Prince saw that I wouldn't yield to death, I used the poison needles to kill two beggars. He came over to pull me, and I was scared, so I pushed him. He hit the statue of the Thunder Mother and saw the mirror, then he went mad, saying he didn't want to look and that he wasn't a pig. Then he started slashing people with a sharp sword... Blood splattered all over me, probably because of the blood, he mistook me for Cang Jiaojiao... That's why I survived. Later, whenever he saw me, he was afraid and said I was a ghost, hiding and shouting at me not to come closer."

The Duke considered. "Yu'er, when you report back to the Emperor, change your story to say that during the scuffle, the Crown Prince accidentally hit the divine statue himself. I understand His Majesty; he never asks for reasons, only making judgments in his heart. If you say this, he will surely believe that the Crown Prince's madness is related to you."

Ran Qinggu nodded. "Yes."

Shang Rongyu put his arm around Ran Qinggu's shoulders. "Don't be afraid, we're here for you."

Ran Qinggu nodded obediently. "Yes."

Not long after, the Emperor's chief eunuch summoned Ran Qinggu to meet the Emperor, who had questions to ask.

Ran Qinggu had no choice but to follow the eunuch out.

Upon seeing the Emperor, Ran Qinggu recounted the prepared statements according to the questions asked.

As for the Crown Prince's delirious ramblings—

Why did he shout, "I don't want to look, I'm not a pig, don't laugh!"?

It was because he accidentally bumped into the divine statue and saw himself, saying he didn't want to look, muttering that he wasn't a pig, and telling the statue not to laugh...

Why did he cower under the table, trembling and babbling, "Don't come closer"?

That was because when he tried to kill him and saw him covered in blood, he mistook him for Cang Jiaojiao, since she also liked to dress flamboyantly... He thought the ghost of Cang Jiaojiao had returned, so he was afraid and hid!

After answering the questions, the officials of the Royal Clan Temple took notes and dismissed Ran Qinggu.

When Ran Qinggu came out, they coincidentally met the Third Prince.

They exchanged glances under the dim candlelight and bowed to each other.

Shang Yuzhou couldn't contain his joy. "Qinggu, it's truly wonderful that you're unharmed. You don't know how frightened I was, fearing that I'd lose the last one... Are you injured anywhere?"

Ran Qinggu smiled. "No, Your Highness needn't worry."

Shang Yuzhou nodded. "Good, whatever you say, I'll agree to anything."

Ran Qinggu: "The Crown Prince has fallen. My promise has been fulfilled. His life is yours to take whenever you wish. If you want, I can do it for you."

Shang Yuzhou was taken aback.

Ran Qinggu hesitated before saying, "I've thought about it for a long time. I want to stay in the Duke's Mansion."

Shang Yuzhou was astonished. "You want to stay and accompany Shang Rongyu? Aren't you going to avenge yourself? Qinggu, we still have much to do..."

Ran Qinggu smiled. "I know what I'm doing. I just want to do something I want to do. We can still communicate as before; I just want to temporarily stay in the Duke's Mansion."

Shang Yuzhou was stunned.

Ran Qinggu had never said "I want"; there was only "I live to do."

This was the first time Ran Qinggu had ever said "I want" since Shang Yuzhou rescued him from Beipogang.

But the object of his desire wasn't him.

It was Shang Rongyu.

Shang Rongyu was hiding behind a tent, unable to hear their conversation clearly.

But he thought that Qinggu might leave him.

He was going to leave to accompany his savior.

He had never felt such jealousy for someone before.

Born a son of heaven, there was nothing in the world he dared not conquer. In his eyes, everyone else was beneath him, and he was the unparalleled and solitary genius, waking up every day either by his own beauty or intelligence.

Now, however, he envied Shang Yuzhou for saving Ran Qinggu's life and for accompanying him through the darkest and most difficult five or six years of his life.

Thank you to the little angel who launched the rocket: 39,647,200 for one.

Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: White Cat Meow Meow Meow 4; There is Wind Coming South, I am Buddha, I am Merciful, Duan Youdui, Fluffy, I am a Shabi, (.w.)yan, Cub 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: gou oh, fat again and unhappy 20 bottles; Yunxi 10 bottles; did you drink milk tea today 5 bottles; (.w.)yan, someone. 3 bottles; I am a idiot, Lanxi, Xiaoxiao, Xunzi, Shengwang 1 bottle;

I am deeply grateful for the support everyone has given me, and I will continue to work hard!