Chapter 8 Lives as Cheap as Grass

Chapter 8: Life as Cheap as Dirt

Inside the Hall of Luminous Glory, the Prince of Jin, now changed into dry clothes, stood in the center of the hall. Behind him, the palace servants who had accompanied him that day were prostrated, trembling, not daring to lift their heads.

A heavy silence filled the hall. Emperor Yonghe’s face was as dark as a storm cloud, a sign of impending rage.

A while later, Xiao Yunlang finally emerged from the side hall, escorting Jiang Yanzhou, who was leaning on him for support.

Jiang Yanzhou had changed into dry clothes and had used a warming brazier to dry his hair.

The clothes were old garments from Xiao Yunlang’s former residence in the palace; they didn’t fit him at all, and an outer cloak was draped over them, bundled up even more securely than before.

It was necessary. After emerging from the water, Jiang Yanzhou had been shivering violently. Several times, others thought he would faint, but he clenched his lips, closed his eyes, and tenaciously held on.

Even when Xiao Yunlang suggested he return to the residence first, he shook his head, insisting on staying.

The collar of the cloak was lined with a circle of soft, snow-white fur, framing Jiang Yanzhou’s face, which made him look heartbreakingly fragile.

The faint hint of color Jiang Yanzhou had managed to regain over the past two days vanished completely. His cheeks were pale, looking even more fragile than on his wedding day.

Wearing Xiao Yunlang’s old clothes, the belt had to be wrapped several extra times around his waist.

He was already frail to begin with, and now he had fallen into the water…

Xiao Yunlang’s expression was grim.

Although two people had fallen into the water, Jiang Yanzhou was unfamiliar with the palace. Anyone with eyes could see that the Prince of Jin was clearly to blame.

The attendant eunuch was from the emperor’s palace, and yet something had gone wrong… Did the emperor know beforehand?

Could he have had a hand in this as well?

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Xiao Yunlang’s mind.

His eyes swept coldly over the people in the hall, their expressions varied, especially the Prince of Jin.

Emperor Yonghe also noticed Jiang Yanzhou’s weakened state and ordered a eunuch, “Have a seat brought for the Crown Princess and bring some ginseng tea.”

Chief Eunuch Shuang Quan acknowledged the order. The guide eunuch was one of his men and was now implicated in the incident. Not daring to delegate, he personally went to serve the tea.

Jiang Yanzhou held a small hand warmer. After sitting down, he took a few sips of the ginseng tea, finally feeling a bit better.

Xiao Yunlang stood beside him, not sitting. He hadn’t brought his sword, but his gaze was sharper than any blade. From a distance, he locked eyes with the Prince of Jin, an undercurrent of tension flowing between them.

Once everyone was present and Jiang Yanzhou seemed to have recovered somewhat, the emperor finally asked in a deep voice, “What exactly happened? Prince of Jin, speak.”

Called upon, the Prince of Jin showed no sign of panic. He calmly cupped his hands and, under the watchful eyes of Jiang Yanzhou and Xiao Yunlang, said nonchalantly, “Your Majesty, I was feeding fish on the corridor bridge at Qionghua Terrace when I accidentally fell into the lake. The Crown Princess happened to be passing by and bravely came to my rescue. I am endlessly grateful and will surely visit to express my thanks another day!”

After speaking, he even smiled and bowed respectfully to Jiang Yanzhou with practiced grace. “The Crown Princess is truly noble and righteous.”

Jiang Yanzhou was speechless.

Could there really be someone in this world so shameless?

He hadn’t seen it before, but now he had.

In the ancient court, was the ability to speak human language to humans and ghost language to ghosts a necessary skill for everyone?

Seeing that both of them had fallen into the water, making it hard to pin the blame solely on the Prince, he simply decided to settle the matter quietly.

He heaped praise on Jiang Yanzhou, confident that Jiang Yanzhou would corroborate the “facts” he presented, especially since Jiang Yanzhou had indeed pulled him into the water.

Since neither side could gain any advantage, it was better to just drop the matter.

Emperor Yonghe glanced at the kneeling palace servants. “Were all the people following you dead? Could they just watch you fall into the water?”

“It happened suddenly,” the Prince of Jin continued his lie. “It was just a coincidence. The Crown Princess had just arrived when I fell in. He might not even have seen clearly who I was, only thinking of saving someone. Such a selfless and heroic spirit is truly admirable.”

“The palace servants quickly rescued both of us. Although they were negligent in their duty, they also performed a service. I beg Your Majesty to calm your anger and let a small punishment suffice.”

Although the Prince of Jin’s words were full of holes, the main point was that the emperor also didn’t want this matter to blow up. Some things he preferred to handle behind closed doors.

The Prince of Jin had provided a face-saving excuse. Emperor Yonghe’s expression softened slightly as he turned to Jiang Yanzhou. “Crown Princess, is it as the Prince of Jin says?”

He asked the Prince of Jin first and then Jiang Yanzhou, already indicating his stance, waiting for Jiang Yanzhou to show some tact so the matter could be handled lightly.

But Jiang Yanzhou was not tactful.

“He’s lying.” Jiang Yanzhou looked up, unwavering.

His face still showed weakness, but his eyes held no trace of timidity.

The Prince of Jin had tried to set a trap for him but failed. So why couldn’t he turn the tables and bury the Prince of Jin instead?

Just like that bullying bastard from middle school who thought Jiang Yanzhou had no temper and was easy to bully, only to end up beaten to a pulp by Jiang Yanzhou.

The Prince of Jin’s composed expression froze, his eyelids twitching.

“I don’t know how to swim. I couldn’t possibly have gone into the water to save someone.”

Jiang Yanzhou’s cold fingertips rested on the hand warmer. His voice was soft, but everyone in the hall heard it clearly. “It was clearly the Prince of Jin who pushed me into the water but lost his own footing and fell in as well.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the Hall of Luminous Glory was plunged into silence.

The Prince of Jin’s mind worked quickly in such matters. He immediately scoffed, looking smug. “If I really intended to push you into the water, why would the palace servants save you? You must know they are all m—”

The Prince of Jin suddenly jolted: Damn it!

Wrong thing to say!

Sometimes speaking too quickly isn’t a good thing, because what slips out might not be human speech.

He bit back his words swiftly, but Xiao Yunlang cut him off.

“All your people?” Xiao Yunlang finished for him. “What, is the eunuch guiding the Crown Princess also one of your people?”

The guide eunuch had come from the emperor’s own palace.

The emperor’s face instantly darkened.

Even if today’s matter was handled lightly, the guide eunuch would not escape punishment. But the emperor hadn’t planned to investigate openly, only intending to have Chief Eunuch Shuang Quan deal with it.

Handling matters within the inner court was entirely different from bringing them to the forefront of the court, with completely different consequences.

Both Jiang Yanzhou and the Prince of Jin were involved. The Jiang and Wei families could exploit this case. What was Xiao Yunlang doing? Wasn’t the situation chaotic enough already?

The emperor’s gaze pierced Xiao Yunlang. Xiao Yunlang pretended not to see it. The Prince of Jin hurriedly said, “Father, that’s not what I meant!”

The emperor’s fingers slowly tightened, his voice tinged with suppressed anger. “Then what did you mean?”

"What I meant was, there were more eunuchs around me at the time," the Prince of Jin quickly corrected himself, adopting a more humble tone. "If I truly intended to harm the Crown Princess, a single guiding eunuch before the several of us would be useless! Yet the Crown Princess stands here safe and sound, which proves your son harbored no ill intent. I beg Your Majesty to judge this fairly!"

He spoke as if genuinely aggrieved and deeply wronged, but Xiao Yunlang wasn't having it.

"The shortest route from the Brilliant Hall to the Empress's palace does not pass by the Qionghua Terrace. The Crown Princess is of delicate health, yet he deliberately led her on a detour—his behavior was suspicious. Moreover, this matter involves attempted harm against a royal."

Xiao Yunlang declared sternly, "According to the law, all these servants should be handed over to the Dali Temple for a joint investigation by the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple. We will surely get to the bottom of this!"

His words were forceful and resolute. The frail Crown Princess aptly raised her sleeve to cover her face and coughed softly twice.

It wasn't that Jiang Yanzhou was putting on an act; he was genuinely coughing. That he could still sit here now was solely due to sheer willpower.

For the Prince of Jin to say he was "safe and sound" was truly lying through his teeth.

Jiang Yanzhou's vision intermittently blurred white. He didn't know exactly when the Prince of Jin had colluded with the Northern Barbarians, but judging by the Emperor's attitude today, using this to punish the Prince severely was hopeless.

Xiao Yunlang had spoken up in court. Jiang Yanzhou wasn't naive enough to think the Crown Prince was doing this for him, a member of the Jiang family. He must be trying to gain leverage from the Emperor.

I have to help him.

Fighting off dizziness, Jiang Yanzhou pinched himself hard beneath his sleeve, struggling to maintain consciousness.

"Cough... the young eunuch was indeed acting strangely along the way," Jiang Yanzhou's voice grew increasingly weak and breathless, having to pause after a few words to catch his breath before continuing. "I couldn't walk fast, I could barely keep up, cough, cough... yet the eunuch never stopped, as if he was in a hurry to take me to meet someone."

Xiao Yunlang's sideways glance swept over Jiang Yanzhou, his fingers twitching unconsciously.

If Jiang Yanzhou could look in a mirror, he would see his own appearance at this moment: haggard and seemingly at death's door.

Wouldn't it have been better to listen to him and return to the residence? Why insist on staying, and then only speak up to support Xiao Yunlang's words...

Did he guess my plan? Did he stay just to help me?

But clearly, as long as the disaster relief matter was genuine, Jiang Yanzhou could live a stable, comfortable life in the Crown Prince's residence based on that merit alone.

He, an invalid who nearly died falling into the water—even for the sake of future prospects, this trip wasn't worth it, was it?

Xiao Yunlang couldn't understand.

The young eunuch was already terrified out of his wits, kowtowing frantically. "Wronged, Your Majesty! This slave... this slave thought the scenery at Qionghua Terrace was particularly fine. Taking that route would also allow the Crown Princess to enjoy the view. I harbored no other intentions whatsoever!"

The young eunuch, timid as a mouse to begin with, felt his legs go weak at the mention of facing imprisonment. In a panic, he cast a pleading look toward the Prince of Jin.

He blurted out desperately, "The Prince of Jin... His Highness the Prince of Jin was also there! He can testify for this slave!"

"Nonsense," the Prince of Jin refused to be associated with him, sneering contemptuously. "How would this prince know what route you intended to take the Crown Princess? Your Majesty, this dog slave is now wildly making false accusations!"

Seeing this, the Chief Eunuch Shuang Quan thought, *This is bad.*

He understood best the Emperor's desire to handle this internally. Moreover, the young eunuch was connected to his adopted son. If he were to go through the ordeal of prison, who knows how many others might be dragged down.

He acted decisively, sharply rebuking, "How dare you! You dog slave! To dare slander a prince before the Sage! Who gave you the gall!"

The young eunuch never imagined he would fall into such a predicament. He realized the Prince of Jin was abandoning him after using him. With no one to protect him now, he wailed and burst into loud sobs. "No, no! It was the Prince of Jin! Prince of Jin! Your Majesty, it was the Prince of Jin who threatened me to take the Crown Princess past Qionghua Terrace today, or else he would kill me! I... this slave only thought the Prince of Jin wanted to meet the Crown Princess. I didn't know what he intended to do, Your Majesty!"

For once, the young eunuch showed a spark of cleverness, not mentioning that he had actually accepted a hundred taels of silver from the Prince of Jin to assist.

He was timid and greedy for money, newly promoted to serve in the Emperor's palace. How could he have anticipated that serving the master was unlike other tasks, so perilous that his first assignment would involve a matter risking his head?

But it was too late. Whatever he said now was too late, only pushing himself further down the path to death.

"Aiyo!" Shuang Quan cried out in apparent anguish, dropping to his knees. "Your Majesty, this person was meticulously selected by this slave's son to better serve Your Majesty. Everyone around praised him as loyal, honest, and diligent. Who could have known he was such a base creature with no respect for his superiors? Everyone has been deceived by him!"

"This slave failed in teaching his son and deserves punishment, deserves punishment!"

As he spoke, Shuang Quan actually raised his hands and began slapping his own face, left and right.

No wonder he had reached the position of the Emperor's confidant. With this speech, he exonerated himself and his adopted son. As long as the Emperor was still willing to use them, any subsequent punishment would be light.

The sound of slaps and the eunuch's wailing created a chaotic din. The Emperor roared angrily, "Enough!"

Shuang Quan immediately fell silent, bowing and prostrating himself. The young eunuch, however, continued to cry.

"Slandering a prince, deceiving the sovereign! Guards! Drag this dog slave out and beat him to death!"

Xiao Yunlang objected, "Your Majesty."

A vein bulged on the Emperor's forehead as he cut him off sharply, "Crown Prince!"

Xiao Yunlang's eyes flashed coldly.

The Emperor commanded, "Do it right outside the Brilliant Hall!"

Guards from outside immediately stepped forward and dragged out the wailing young eunuch. His cries echoed through the courtyard, soon replaced by the dull thuds of the imperial rods striking.

Each blow landed on flesh. The eunuch's wails initially grew more piercing and ear-splitting, unbearable to hear.

But blow after blow, his cries gradually weakened.

The door was wide open, and the scent of blood drifted in with the wind.

Jiang Yanzhou felt as if the taste of blood filled his own mouth, his chilled stomach churning even more uncomfortably. He looked up somewhat dazedly.

When Jiang Yanzhou himself had dragged the Prince of Jin down with him, intending mutual destruction, he hadn't been afraid at all, nor had he overthought it. But now, a living human life was right before his eyes, being beaten to death, blow by blow...

This was imperial power.

Human life was as cheap as grass, and one could not afford a single misstep.

This was true for palace servants, and true for the Crown Prince as well.

Today's events were entirely his own doing. What if he had caused trouble for Xiao Yunlang instead, endangering him?

A sick mind is most prone to uncontrollable, chaotic thoughts. Jiang Yanzhou's head spun with dizziness. The more he thought, the more alarmed he became; the more he thought, the worse he felt.

Some seemingly insignificant matters could plant the seeds of future disaster, where a single spark can start a prairie fire.

For instance, the young eunuch was dead, but he had been recommended by Shuang Quan. What if Shuang Quan held a grudge against Xiao Yunlang over this?

Although Chief Eunuch Shuang Quan served the Emperor loyally, he was astute and had also discreetly shown goodwill to Xiao Yunlang. In the later period, he would be of help to the Crown Prince.

Even though Shuang Quan currently seemed indifferent to this young eunuch, you never can tell. Everyone acts. Who could say for sure?

What made Jiang Yanzhou think that just because he had read a few more history books, he could definitely help Xiao Yunlang in this treacherous place?

At least today, without him, Xiao Yunlang would have been safest.

A belated fear washed over him.

His low coughs grew worse. His expression blank, he lifted his eyes toward the hall's entrance, but when he looked, he couldn't make out anything in the courtyard.

—Xiao Yunlang stepped in his way without drawing attention, so he wouldn't see any of the gore.

Jiang Yanzhou gazed at Xiao Yunlang’s back, suppressing his coughs until the corners of his eyes reddened.

He had no idea how violently he was trembling at that moment.

After killing those he wanted dead, the Emperor proceeded to punish: “The Prince of Jin’s attendants failed in their duty to protect their master. Each shall receive thirty strokes and lose half a year's pay.”

As for Jiang Yanzhou, he was given compensation: “The Crown Princess accidentally fell into the water and was frightened. She is awarded a pair of jade Ruyi scepters and a century-old ginseng root, to be taken back when leaving the palace.”

The word “accidentally” was meant to wrap up the matter of the day.

But Xiao Yunlang would not have it.

He spoke to the Emperor, yet his gaze kept drifting uncontrollably toward the trembling Jiang Yanzhou: “If the Prince of Jin cannot even keep a few servants in line, how can we trust him to have a hand in the Spring Examinations?”

The Prince of Jin jerked his head up, about to say something, but was cut off by the Emperor's raised hand.

In the long, dead silence that followed, the Emperor finally said slowly, “The Prince of Jin is to return to his residence to reflect. The Spring Examinations… will be taken over by the Crown Prince.”

Prince of Jin: “Father! I—”

Emperor: “Silence!”

Xiao Yunlang: “I accept the command, Your Majesty!”

He gave a perfunctory bow and reached out to support Jiang Yanzhou, then remembered the Emperor was still watching them. As his hand paused, he saw Jiang Yanzhou pull his arm back slightly, actually taking the initiative to avoid him.

Jiang Yanzhou struggled to lift his gaze, trembling with coughs as he gave a barely perceptible shake of his head—

We cannot appear close to the Jiang family in front of the Emperor, Your Highness.

For a moment, Xiao Yunlang couldn't quite put his finger on the feeling in his heart.

He withdrew his hand, gradually clenching it into a fist beneath his sleeve: “The Crown Princess needs proper rest. We shall take our leave today.”

After the drowning incident, the Emperor was eager for Jiang Yanzhou not to see Empress Jiang and immediately permitted them to leave the palace.

Once helped into the sedan chair, as soon as Jiang Yanzhou touched the soft seat, the breath he had been forcing himself to hold relaxed. He coughed harder and harder, until his pale lips were stained with a bloody hue.

No, it was clearly blood.

It was a horrifying sight.

Xiao Yunlang shouted outside: “Pick up the pace!”

Are you moving like turtles!?

Jiang Yanzhou lay weakly in the sedan, dazed and with ringing ears. He couldn't clearly hear what was said later and didn't yet know that Xiao Yunlang had already secured the responsibility for the imperial examinations.

Even the hand warmer couldn't heat his fingertips. He let go, and the small brazier rolled to the floor.

“Jiang Yanzhou… Jiang Yanzhou!”

Jiang Yanzhou faintly heard Xiao Yunlang speaking, but the voice was too muffled, like an illusion. The world seemed to spin. Jiang Yanzhou reached out, unconsciously using two fingers to grasp the hem of Xiao Yunlang’s robe.

He held onto just a tiny bit, cautiously, as if using all his remaining strength.

“Your Highness…” Jiang Yanzhou’s voice was so light it could be carried away by the wind.

“…Did I cause trouble for you?”