Chapter 43: Death of the Third Prince

Chapter 43: The Third Prince's Demise

That night, the Emperor's wrath was thunderous.

The Third Prince was thrown into the imperial dungeon, Consort Chen was placed under house arrest, and the Third Prince's Faction was thrown into disarray.

Immediately after, the Court of Judicial Review raided the Third Prince's residence at night, and soon found Duan Hongguang, who had been treated as an honored guest there.

Xiao Quan, without a moment's delay, hauled Duan Hongguang into the Court of Judicial Review's dungeon.

The interrogation stretched through the night.

At dawn the next day, Xiao Quan reported the night's findings to the Emperor.

This was meant to be kept secret, yet somehow, at the same time Xiao Quan entered the palace to see the Emperor, news of the Third Prince using several hundred children to refine pills was already spreading like wildfire.

In just one night, the whole capital knew of what happened at the palace banquet.

Not only that, the shocking events at the Third Prince's residence the night before were also the talk of the town.

First, during the nighttime raid on the Third Prince's residence, they really did find the demonic priest Duan Hongguang, the one who used children to refine pills.

Second, during the search, investigators discovered a secret chamber in the Third Prince's residence, where a dozen or so gaunt, sallow-faced children were found locked up—they were exactly the children who had gone missing recently.

Third, under the lotus pond, beneath the rockeries, and in the bamboo groves of the Third Prince's residence... investigators had unexpectedly dug up more than thirty skeletons.

These three rumors seemed to grow wings, reaching everyone in no time, becoming more twisted and outrageous with every retelling.

Some said the Third Prince was a sick, sadistic freak who regularly tortured and killed his concubines, claiming half of those thirty-plus skeletons were people from his own household—women, male consorts, and even minors.

Others whispered that the Third Prince was a killing addict, that all three hundred children had died at his hands, that he not only used the children's heart blood to refine pills but also ate their hearts, livers, spleens, and lungs.

They even said he was so cruel he'd cut out their hearts and livers while they were still alive—absolutely insane and inhuman.

The rumors got wilder and wilder, yet no one doubted them, because the Third Prince's residence had been sealed off, and everyone knew about the palace banquet incident.

Meanwhile, Xiao Quan was reporting to the Emperor. Neither of them had any idea what was happening outside.

The Emperor looked displeased.

Xiao Quan first confirmed that the three hundred missing children had indeed been killed, all used by that demonic priest to refine pills, with methods so cruel and so inhuman it was absolutely horrifying.

What's more, all three hundred children had been handed over to Duan Hongguang by the Third Prince himself.

In other words, Duan Hongguang was only in charge of refining the pills; the Third Prince did all the kidnapping.

Also, more than thirty skeletons had been unexpectedly dug up at the Third Prince's residence the night before.

After interrogating many of the Third Prince's servants, it was clear those people had all died at his hands.

As Xiao Quan reported all this, he kept a careful eye on the Emperor's expression.

He watched the Emperor's already grim face grow even darker.

"This beast! Absolutely lawless!"

Xiao Quan still held a faint glimmer of hope, but the Emperor immediately asked about Duan Hongguang.

"How did the interrogation of that demonic priest go? Does he actually know how to refine pills?"

A chill ran through Xiao Quan's heart, and a wave of sorrow welled up and engulfed him.

He couldn't help but think of Cheng Yi's mocking sneer.

Xiao Quan took a deep breath before presenting Duan Hongguang's statement.

"Your Majesty, this demonic priest has indeed spent years researching pill refinement, but he's obsessed with alchemy and has absolutely no principles or humanity. To refine pills, he experimented on hundreds of children—truly a monster."

The Emperor's face was dark, but a cunning glint clearly flashed in his eyes.

Xiao Quan had been head of the Court of Judicial Review for years and had interrogated no fewer than a thousand criminals of every kind, so even the slightest change couldn't escape his notice.

His heart grew heavier, and what was even more tragic was that this was the sovereign he had sworn to serve.

Remembering Cheng Yi's words, Xiao Quan seemed to have made up his mind.

He suddenly knelt. "Your Majesty, according to Duan Hongguang, the Longevity Pill really does have a problem."

"The Third Prince approached him on his own, demanding he refine a pill for Your Majesty. In the short term, taking this pill would not only make your skin glow with youthful radiance but also invigorate your spirit and give you boundless energy, almost like restoring your youth."

"However, the Third Prince also gave Duan Hongguang a colorless, odorless chronic poison called—Ember Bone."

"This poison comes from the northern frontier. A tiny amount can't be detected at all. With each dose, the toxin sinks into the meridians and builds up. Over time, it corrodes the internal organs. By the time it's noticed, you're already at death's door—even immortals couldn't save you."

"The Third Prince specifically ordered Duan Hongguang to mix 'Ember Bone' into the Longevity Pill."

"Outrageous! What a fine Longevity Pill!"

The Emperor finally erupted in fury.

He angrily swept the memorials off his desk, his whole body trembling with rage.

"Rebellious son! He really intended to kill his own father, to take my life!"

Xiao Quan added, "Duan Hongguang also said a rare ingredient was added to the Longevity Pill—a substance that easily causes addiction and creates a strong dependency. Once dependent, if you stop taking it abruptly, you'd lose control of your mind, going mad, raving, unable to restrain yourself."

"Fine, fine, fine. Good old Xie Yulan. Not only does he want my life, but he also seeks to control me," the Emperor raged, his eyes bloodshot. "He simply cannot wait to sit on this throne."

"Guards! The Third Prince, addicted to killing, slaughtering the innocent, treating human life with utter disregard, and plotting regicide and rebellion—an act of high treason. Sentence him—poisoned wine."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Xiao Quan prostrated himself on the ground, yet felt nothing but irony in his heart.

The three hundred slaughtered children meant nothing, the dozens of skeletons meant nothing—but once the Emperor's own life was threatened, once his throne was imperiled, then it became a capital crime, even for his own son.

Thus, on the third day, the entire capital learned that the Third Prince was dead.

The Third Prince, having treated human life with utter disregard, used several hundred children to refine pills, and was addicted to killing, cruelly murdering many lives—therefore, the Emperor sentenced him to poisoned wine.

For a time, the whole nation rejoiced, proclaiming the Emperor's wisdom.

As for the Third Prince's death, ordinary people merely felt the Emperor was wise and justice had been served.

The Second Prince and the Fifth Prince, however, felt that the Third Prince's death required the perfect alignment of time, place, and opportunity—it was heaven's will to take him.

Thus, from their scheming, to the incident unfolding, to the Third Prince being sentenced to death, the entire process went as smoothly as flowing water, so smooth they could hardly believe it themselves.

In just three short days, they were almost in a daze.

Everything fell into place so seamlessly.

Yet they had no time to dwell on it. With the Third Prince dead, his faction's power was up for grabs. Not to mention, the Third Prince's maternal grandfather, the Minister of Works, was sure to be caught up in it. Even if he dodged that bullet, the Ministry of Works was still a juicy prize.

Besides, the Third Prince's loyalists would have to find new backers, so their main focus now was scooping up his power base.

For a while, the Second Prince's and Fifth Prince's factions were going at each other tooth and nail.

No one knew an invisible hand was behind it all—except Xiao Quan.

He knew exactly how much Cheng Yi had done to make the whole thing go off without a hitch.

The proof that the Third Prince had snatched kids came from Cheng Yi. Every bit of evidence about Duan Hongguang's pill-making came from Cheng Yi. Even the hidden room in the Third Prince's mansion and those dozens of skeletons—that was all Cheng Yi's doing.

And nobody knew the testimony that really did the Third Prince in was—fake.

Right, the Third Prince had no clue about "Jin Gu," and he never told Duan Hongguang to cook up some pill to off the emperor.

Xiao Quan remembered it clearly: when he was grilling Duan Hongguang, the Third Prince was standing right there. He saw the shock and disbelief on the Third Prince's face when he heard what Duan Hongguang said, and then the guy just lost it.

Xiao Quan had grilled so many people that he could easily tell if the Third Prince's reaction was real or put on.

So he was dead sure—the Third Prince knew jack about this "Jin Gu" business.

But why the hell would Duan Hongguang lie?

That was what freaked Xiao Quan out and piqued his curiosity at the same time.

Cheng Yi had just handed him a little book and told him to give it to Duan Hongguang when he questioned him.

Cheng Yi said, "Duan Hongguang will know the drill."

Turns out, Cheng Yi's foresight was almost scary—or rather, he already had the whole thing in the palm of his hand.

That stubborn sorcerer, who wouldn't budge no matter what, went completely nuts the second he saw the booklet. Xiao Quan didn't even have to break out the torture—the guy just spilled everything on his own.

Well, to be exact, he made it all up.

That so-called "testimony" from Duan Hongguang was what really sealed the Third Prince's doom.

How the hell did Cheng Yi pull all this off?

But what really blew Xiao Quan's mind was that Cheng Yi's scheming wasn't done yet.

The night the Third Prince was put to death, the emperor didn't do anything about that despicable sorcerer.

Late that night, the emperor called Xiao Quan in and demanded to see Duan Hongguang by himself.

Xiao Quan knew what the emperor was after, but that sorcerer deserved to die a thousand times over. Even if he could whip up some immortality pills, he still deserved to die for his crimes, right?

At that moment, Xiao Quan wavered.

But what the hell could he do even if he didn't want to?

But just as he stepped out of the palace gates, about to head to the Dali Temple to grab the prisoner, one of his men came running up with urgent news.

Duan Hongguang was already dead.

Xiao Quan was stunned at first, then hit with a wave of uncontrollable joy.

He rushed back to the Dali Temple and sure enough, Duan Hongguang was dead—his throat slit in one clean cut.

Xiao Quan suddenly remembered what Cheng Yi had told him a few days back.

Cheng Yi had told him that after he nabbed Duan Hongguang, he had to deliberately slack off on the guards.

He hadn't gotten it back then, but now it all clicked.

He figured Cheng Yi had ordered the hit, and his heart clenched with worry.

When the emperor found out Duan Hongguang had been killed in jail, he flew off the handle. But just as Xiao Quan was trying to figure out how to spin the truth, the emperor's secret guard came back.

That's when Xiao Quan found out the emperor had already sent his secret guard to the Dali Temple to bring in the prisoner.

As luck would have it, the secret guard ran into two groups of assassins attacking the Dali Temple to kill Duan Hongguang.

Outnumbered, the secret guard could only stand by and watch as Duan Hongguang got killed.

He then tailed both groups of assassins until he figured out where they came from, and only then went back to the palace.

"Worthless! Worthless! You can't even keep one man alive—what good are you to me!"

"Talk! Who the hell dared to kill someone in the Dali Temple!"

The emperor was absolutely livid. One after another, these bastards were so lawless—did they have any respect for him as the Son of Heaven?!

"The two groups of assassins were sent by the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince."

"Good, good, good. Traitors, every last one of them!"

The emperor finally slumped back into his seat, completely defeated.

That's just how the fight for the throne worked—he'd walked that road himself, and nobody knew it better.

The Second and Fifth Princes didn't want to give the Third Prince even a sliver of a chance to come back, so they risked getting caught to kill Duan Hongguang. They still had no idea the Third Prince had already been put to death that very night.

At that moment, Xiao Quan's shock hit its peak. What blew him away was how a kid as young as Cheng Yi could be so damn cunning.

It was like every move had been planned out by him, with everyone caught in his web.

The scariest part—from start to finish, he never showed his hand. Whether it was the Third Prince he'd taken out or the Second and Fifth Princes he'd played, not one of them ever knew Cheng Yi was even in the picture.

And so, the missing kids case was closed with the Third Prince's death, but the fight between the Second and Fifth Princes' factions was just getting started.

Cheng Yi, though, wanted nothing to do with it. He just stayed home and doted on his young husband.

During this time, Shen Yichen would either go to Duke Zhenguo's place to see Cheng Zhao or hole up in Yuxiu Pavilion at the marquis's estate, where Cheng Yi would teach him sword fighting.

The two were head over heels, and their interactions were getting more and more intimate and easygoing.

When Cheng Lang came to find them, he walked in on Cheng Yi's tall frame wrapped around Shen Yichen.

One hand on his young husband's slim waist, the other holding his hand, Cheng Yi was totally focused on teaching his sweetheart some sword moves.

The young couple was dripping with affection, and every now and then they'd lock eyes with all this unspoken tenderness—enough to make Cheng Lang blush just watching them.

All grown up, all grown up. That little rascal had finally grown up.

But then...

"Cough, cough..."

Can't you see a big living person right here?!

Cheng Yi couldn't help but laugh, while Shen Yichen, embarrassed, quickly pulled away from the embrace, blushing as he greeted Cheng Yi.

"Brother."

Knowing the brothers needed to talk, Shen Yichen excused himself and stepped away.

Cheng Lang looked at his unflappable younger brother, inwardly sighing and feeling a spark of curiosity.

What exactly had changed his brother so much? And what part had his brother played in the Third Prince's case?

Why had he been so certain back then that the case would wrap up in days? And what about the matters involving the Third Prince and Duan Hongguang?

Did his brother know about all this? And was he involved?

Cheng Lang was genuinely curious.

He knew exactly what he'd brought back from Jingzhou, and in such a short time, his teacher couldn't have found out that much.

And his younger brother had met with his teacher before all this happened.

After that, it all clicked into place.

Most importantly, the Third Prince's death had gone too smoothly.

His gut told him this was no coincidence.

His brother seemed to be hiding a lot.

Especially when he asked and his brother gave vague answers, Cheng Lang was almost sure his brother was involved.

However, since Cheng Yi didn't elaborate, he didn't press further, thinking it wasn't the right time yet.

And that was exactly what Cheng Yi was thinking.

So he quickly changed the subject, steering the conversation to his elder brother's marriage.

As expected, at the mention of marriage, even the ever-composed Cheng Lang couldn't help but blush.

Cheng Yi couldn't help but recall his elder brother and sister-in-law from the previous life, who were meant for each other but never got the chance.

He sighed inwardly, hoping that in this life they'd live happily and peacefully together.

The Zhou family shouldn't have ended up like that.

Fortunately, with the Third Prince dead, the fates of his brother and his future in-laws had all been changed.

"Brother, I'm planning to give my future sister-in-law a generous gift."

Cheng Lang couldn't help asking, "What is it?"

Cheng Yi just smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out soon enough, big brother."

The more he held back, the more curious Cheng Lang became.

Until two days later, when his fiancé came to him, face flushed, and excitedly told him the good news.

"Brother Lang, my father got a promotion! He finally got what he deserved—His Majesty finally recognized all these years of hard work."

Zhou Wenjin was overjoyed. He was Zhou Boqian's late-in-life child and his only son, so he'd been doted on since childhood.

Zhou Boqian had spent over a decade as Vice Minister of Works, diligent and devoted, often skipping sleep and meals. But because he was too honest, didn't know how to play the game, and lacked flexibility, he never gained the emperor's favor. Worse, every time he accomplished something, the Minister of Works would take the credit.

Over the years, he'd repeatedly been used as a stepping stone for others.

Although his father always said he was content as long as his research was put to use, Zhou Wenjin couldn't help but feel it was unfair to his dad.

But now, the former Minister of Works had been implicated in the Third Prince's case, and after a thorough investigation, he'd been thrown in prison for embezzling huge sums of silver. Word was he'd be executed soon.

It was satisfying to see justice served, and the best surprise was that the emperor had promoted his father to the new Minister of Works.

"That's wonderful, Brother Lang."

Overwhelmed with joy, even the usually calm and gentle Zhou Wenjin couldn't contain himself.

And Cheng Lang was even more stunned, recalling what Cheng Yi had said earlier.

So his brother's generous gift was to get his future father-in-law promoted to Minister of Works?

Don't ask why he was so sure—ask, and he'd say his brother could do anything.

That was just how much faith he had in his brother.

==========Author's Note:==========

Wishing everyone a happy Dragon Boat Festival in advance (in case I don't update tomorrow, so here's my early blessing).