Chapter 6 Entering the Game

Chapter 6: Putting Himself on the Line

A hazy mist hung in the air under the faint morning light.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards who had gone to search the homes of various ministers had not yet returned, so the ministers in the hall had to remain under the watch of the Imperial Guards.

They had never endured such treatment before and were already exhausted, slumped in disarray.

Suddenly, a clamor of footsteps tore through the heavy drowsiness.

Several Imperial Guards pushed open the heavy hall doors with Embroidered Uniform Guards in tow, striding directly toward one of the ministers.

A pair of large hands dragged Ni Lishen up from his sleep, pulling him outside regardless of whether he was awake or not.

Many were startled awake by the noise, secretly watching the drama unfold.

It seemed something had been found in the search—the Minister of Revenue was in danger.

Jiang Wang rubbed his sleepy eyes, watching as Ni Lishen was dragged away by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

This was the second person dragged from this hall.

The fate of the previous one remained unknown, and this one’s life seemed even more precarious.

Perhaps recalling Wu Zhong’s miserable state, Ni Lishen’s initial panic suddenly turned into shouting and screaming.

“Your Majesty! I’ve been wronged, Your Majesty! I am innocent!”

He was thrown onto the ground at the entrance of the hall by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, his official cap wobbling as it fell, his clothes already torn.

As a civil official, he was no match for the strength of the Embroidered Uniform Guards and could only be handled as they pleased.

When he stood up to straighten his clothes and tried to pull rank, the Imperial Guards threw a man in front of him.

The man had been beaten until his face was swollen like a pig’s head. If not for the familiar clothing, Ni Lishen would never have recognized him as his personal attendant.

“You… you…”

Ni Lishen forgot what he had intended to do, trembling as he pointed at the man on the ground, a look of utter exasperation.

Though the Embroidered Uniform Guards were ruthless, they would not arrest someone without evidence—they must have uncovered something.

“Did you steal the thumb ring?”

“Master, you must save me, Master…”

The man on the ground wept and begged, not denying the accusation. Tears streamed from his swollen eyes, mixed with faint traces of blood.

Seeing this, Ni Lishen understood the situation. He slumped to the ground in despair and said nothing more.

He knew he could not save him.

Given Xiao Yan’s temperament, even he himself would not escape blame.

The charge of “failing to discipline subordinates” was one he would inevitably bear.

Meanwhile, in the Cangwu Hall, Xiao Yan knew exactly what was happening.

Though he had been confident about the matter, he finally breathed a sigh of relief now that the culprit had been caught.

Xiao Yan gently rubbed the emerald-green ring in his palm, stood up, and placed it in a small box within a hidden compartment in the wall.

The one in his hand was the real one; the stolen one was merely a replica.

Unless one was a trained expert, an ordinary person would never be able to tell the difference.

He would not risk his brother’s belongings.

Fang Fengshi was still here, having not left. The two of them had barely slept all night.

Watching Xiao Yan’s actions, Fang Fengshi felt a stir of emotion.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu had shared a genuinely close bond. Fang Fengshi had witnessed Xiao Yan’s grief when Xiao Yu passed away.

But one day, not long after Xiao Yan ascended the throne, he revealed a shocking secret to him.

Xiao Yu had been murdered.

Someone had added an undetectable slow-acting poison to his daily meals, which was why Xiao Yu’s health had deteriorated so severely. Even the finest medicinal soups had been ineffective, leading to his premature death.

They had all believed that Xiao Yu’s poor health was due to the immense strain of governing the country. Now, it seemed his death had a hidden cause.

It was a premeditated murder.

Suppressing his shock, Fang Fengshi asked in a low voice, “Do you know what you’re saying?! How did you find out about this?”

Xiao Yan stood there in a daze, taking a moment to collect himself.

He had merely been trying to sneak out to play, hiding in a corner to avoid the guards, when he overheard someone mentioning “Xiao Yu” and “slow poisoning.”

By the time he went to see who it was, the person had already vanished.

At that time, Xiao Yan didn’t know who to trust or who was the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Though he had read in books that power often came with conspiracy and death throughout history, he never imagined that, despite never intending to compete with his brother for the throne, conspiracy would still unfold around him.

Such a heavy secret weighed on him, making it hard to breathe.

After careful consideration, he confided in Fang Fengshi, his childhood friend.

He knew Fang Fengshi inside and out, and Fang Fengshi had no reason whatsoever to harm Xiao Yu—he was someone he could trust.

It was from that day onward that Xiao Yan changed.

Before, one could say he was young and playful, unsure of how to be a good emperor.

But from then on, he began to play the part of an emperor.

He used the privileges of the throne to pursue pleasure, caring only for himself and neglecting state affairs.

Gradually, discontent grew, and the ministers became increasingly dissatisfied with Xiao Yan.

But only Fang Fengshi knew that this was merely an illusion.

Xiao Yan cloaked himself in the guise of a Foolish Emperor, trying to uncover the murderer of his elder brother.

Wasn't this the ultimate act of putting himself on the line?

Unable to bear watching his brother fight alone, Fang Fengshi pressed Xiao Yan to just make him the Imperial Guard Commander.

Xiao Yan was searching for the killer—someone he could trust as his armor, someone to whom he could entrust his back.

Even if his future reputation might suffer, Fang Fengshi didn’t care.

They had picked up a faint trail of the poison, which led them directly to Ni Lishen.

However, they couldn’t arrest Ni Lishen over the poison.

First, too much time had passed, and there was no solid evidence left. Second, they didn’t believe Ni Lishen had the audacity to target the emperor.

Perhaps the true mastermind was someone else.

They couldn’t risk tipping their hand.

Today’s “inviting the enemy into a trap” tactic was specifically designed by Xiao Yan for Ni Lishen.

Ni Lishen’s personal attendant was stingy, greedy for wealth, and had sticky fingers.

So today, Wu Zhong led the ministers into Yaoguang Hall through a small path near the treasure pavilion.

Seeing the treasure pavilion unattended, the attendant naturally couldn’t resist the temptation.

Just as Xiao Yan had predicted, he stole the counterfeit.

Given the special significance of the treasure itself, Xiao Yan’s intense anger was entirely justified.

The personal attendant and Ni Lishen were taken away by the imperial guards, and the ministers in Yaoguang Hall were finally free to go home.

Jiang Wang sighed with regret.

A perfectly good Minister of Revenue had his career ruined by his servant’s petty actions—what a pity.

Jiang Wang rubbed his numb thighs and used the table to help himself stand up.

He had been sitting for far too long.

As he walked out of the hall, he seemed to remember something and turned back.

A moment later, Jiang Wang left, looking rather pleased with himself.

*

Ling Shan hurried into Cangwu Hall to report back to Xiao Yan.

“Your Majesty, all the ministers have returned home, but Lord Jiang left the hall and then came back in.”

“Oh?”

Xiao Yan responded, intrigued.

Indeed, Jiang Wang wasn’t as foolish as he seemed.

Amid the chaos of the ministers' departure, Jiang Wang would surely take the opportunity to exchange a few more words with Chang Wenji.

“What did he say to Chang Wenji?”

Ling Shan hesitated. “Lord Jiang did not speak with the Prime Minister.”

“Lord Jiang returned to his own desk and took two pieces of fruit with him.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s mouth twitched involuntarily, and he frowned—a rare expression for him.

*

Jiang Wang returned home through the thick fog, his clothes already damp.

Thinking Changle was still asleep, he entered the house only to find him already sitting at the table.

Perfect timing. Jiang Wang took out the pears he had brought for him.

“Changle, come eat these. I secretly brought them back for you—they’re really sweet.”

He had originally wanted to bring beef, but after waiting all night, it was no longer fresh.

Fortunately, there were still two pears on the table, so he just took them home.

However, Changle didn’t eat them. Instead, he looked at him with deep concern.

This was very unusual. Normally, whenever he brought food back, Changle would pounce on it immediately. What was going on today?

“What’s wrong? Don’t you like them?”

Changle shook his head, bent down, and pulled something out from his shoe.

It was a piece of paper.

But Changle had folded it into a small square to hide it.

Jiang Wang took it and, under Changle’s worried gaze, hesitantly unfolded it.

It was an incomplete secret report, with burn marks on the edges and its contents partially missing.

Yet, even these few remaining lines were enough to drain all color from his face.

“Strictly adhere to… your duties, do not reveal your actions.”

“If the Emperor takes any unusual measures,… report immediately in secret.”

“Generous rewards will be given.”

The signature was just the character “Chang.”

And on the back of this secret report were written these words:

“Our paths… do not align.”

Cold sweat had already begun to trickle down Jiang Wang’s forehead.

He lowered his voice and tightly grasped Changle’s hand, asking, “Where did you find this letter?”

Changle was frightened by Jiang Wang’s serious expression.

He hadn’t read many books but recognized some characters. He only knew this paper was important but hadn’t expected Jiang Wang to react so intensely.

He stammered in reply, “In… in your old bundle.”

Learning that Jiang Wang would return late from the palace banquet today, Changle had decided to take the opportunity to thoroughly clean the house.

He noticed the bundle in the corner—the one his master had never opened since they moved here.

While organizing the clothes inside, a piece of paper fluttered down from the very bottom of the bundle.

He picked it up and unintentionally saw a few words.

"Secret denunciation," "handsome reward."

In that instant, Changle didn't stop to consider whether Jiang Wang was a good person or a bad person.

His first reaction was to hide this letter, so that no one else could see it.

Just after he had hidden the letter in his shoe, the gate was kicked open with a bang, and a group of men stormed into the courtyard to begin a search.

Changle recognized them—they were the Imperial Guards.

But I thought the Imperial Guards only went after criminals? Why would they come here?

Suddenly, Changle's gaze dropped, fixing on his own shoes.

Inside was the letter he had just hidden.

Was that why the Imperial Guards were here?

No, he had to hide this letter well to protect his master. He couldn't let the Imperial Guards find it.

The Imperial Guards ransacked the small courtyard and the interior of the house but found nothing suspicious.

As for the tearful, frightened little servant cowering in the corner, they felt a bit sorry for him and only gave him a cursory pat-down.

In truth, the Imperial Guards were also puzzled. They hadn't even needed to search this place, but the Emperor had specifically mentioned it.

Oh well, at least once the search was done, they could report back.

After the Imperial Guards left, the tension finally left Changle's body.

He started putting the ransacked room back in order and sat at the table, waiting for Jiang Wang to return.

Looking at the incomplete letter and considering recent events, Jiang Wang had already pieced together what had happened.

Though he couldn't verify the specifics, one thing was certain.

He was finished.

The heavens themselves were against him!

Author's Note:

Jiang Wang: A calamity fell from the sky—a life-threatening one.