HXC Chapter25

The Ji family has fallen.

 

The furious emperor in the court slammed a stack of memorials onto the kneeling young man, allowing for no rebuttal. “Minister Ji Jue of the Ministry of Personnel colluded with officials, formed factions, and disrespected the Holy Lord. From this day forth, he is stripped of his position, and he is to be taken to the Ministry of Justice prison to await his sentence.”

 

Then he looked coldly at his pale-faced eldest son, Li Muwei. “The Crown Prince has wantonly spread rumors, acted without propriety, and is no longer worthy to inherit the throne. Zhen has been remiss in teaching him and feels deep shame before the late Emperor and Empress. Zhen now announces to the world that the Crown Prince is deposed to rectify the court’s integrity.”

 

The entire court knelt and shouted, “Your Majesty, please reconsider.”

 

“Zhen has made up his mind. Anyone who petitioned on this matter shall be executed without mercy.”

 

Ji Jue knelt with his back straight, showing no joy or sorrow. Unhurriedly, he took off his official hat and kowtowed to the emperor, stating with powerful force, “This minister obeys the decree.”

 

The Crown Prince, who was always composed and dignified, staggered to his feet, lowered his head, and let out a quiet laugh before the gathered civil and military officials. Lifting his gaze to his father seated upon the dragon throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he spoke in a tone filled with sorrow, “Imperial Father, if guilt can be imposed with false charges, then what need is there for justification? Erchen will not submit to this.”

 

The Emperor, Li Shanghui, sat on the dragon throne, looking coldly at his eldest son.

 

Li Muwei stumbled back two steps and looked at the kneeling Li Muhui, bursting into loud laughter. “Third Brother, my dear Third Brother, we have fought for many years, and in the end, I have lost.” He shook his head and laughed bitterly until tears flowed. “I was destined to lose from the very beginning…”

 

If a ruler wants a subject to die, the subject must die. The Crown Prince’s cries echoed through the Hall of Supreme Harmony, “Imperial Father, Erchen will obey the decree—”

 

Ji Jue slowly closed his eyes, hiding the sorrow within them. This outcome had been foreseen. The Crown Prince’s faction did not lose to the Third Prince but to the Holy Lord of the dynasty.

 

It turned out that from the very day the Ji family aligned themselves with the Crown Prince, their downfall had already been destined.

 

Upon hearing that the Crown Prince had been deposed, Empress Xue fell to her knees outside the Imperial Study, kowtowing as she pleaded for mercy. The hairpins on her head fell off one by one as she kowtowed, no longer possessing her former dignity. Every word she spoke was full of bloody sorrow. “May Your Majesty, in consideration of the bond of over thirty years as husband and wife, forgive the Crown Prince and refrain from imposing further punishment. The Xue family has rendered many years of service; I beg Your Majesty not to vent Your anger upon them…”

 

An inner court eunuch pushed the door open, and the emperor, with a solemn face, looked down at his wife.

 

The common folk said the emperor and empress were a harmonious and loving couple, but now there was not a trace of affection in the emperor’s eyes at all.

 

Empress Xue crawled on the ground with her face bathed in tears. “Your Majesty, Muwei’s character is upright. The people all say he is honest and gentle and would never do such a foolish thing. May Your Majesty discern the truth with clarity.”

 

The emperor looked into the distance. “Someone, escort the Empress back to her palace.”

 

There was no room for negotiation.

 

“Your Majesty is so heartless.” Empress Xue slumped to the ground, her eyes filled with sorrow and hatred, and she wailed, “You truly discard the bird when the bow is no longer needed.”

 

When the cunning rabbit is dead, the good hound will be cooked—

 

“The Empress has spoken improperly. She is to be confined to the central palace and is not to leave without a decree.”

 

“The Xue family, as an imperial in-law clan, has not upheld their duty and has meddled in politics for many years. The Dali Court is ordered to investigate their crimes and punish them accordingly.”

 

“The deposed Crown Prince is demoted to a commoner and will be imprisoned with his wife and child in the Chengqian Palace for life.”

 

His family is by nature devoid of affection, like things that drift south and north with no will but their own.

 

The dramatic change in the capital left everyone feeling unsafe.

 

The Crown Prince’s faction was doomed, and the court officials were left restless and deeply troubled.

 

At the same time, a rumor, like a harsh winter wind, swept through the city. An old woman, after the fall of the Ji family, revealed a secret, accusing the Ji family of stealing a child born to a cook twenty-one years ago to comfort their wife, who had lost her son. This child was none other than the Second Young Master of the Ji Mansion—Ji Zhen.

 

“Impossible!” Ji Zhen fell onto the soft bed, his hand shaking violently as he clutched the letter. In a low but resolute voice, he muttered, “Absolutely impossible.”

 

How could the Crown Prince, so beloved by the people, be deposed?

 

How could his elder brother be imprisoned?

 

How could the Ji family fall?

 

And how could he not be of the Ji family bloodline?

 

And what about Shen Yanqing… Ji Zhen shut his eyes tightly, forcing himself to believe it was only a hallucination, yet the words on the white paper stood out with undeniable clarity.

 

“With so many eyes and ears in the capital, only someone close to your elder brother could have sent you this letter.”

 

“Shen Yanqing is a strategist for the Third Prince, and the assassination in the long street that year was also his doing. He is not your destined one.”

 

“His Royal Highness’s power is gone. Zhen Zhen, your elder brother is now useless, he couldn’t protect you. Jiang Yunyu will soon return to the capital in secret. Given his military achievements, and the fact that you are not of the Ji family, he will undoubtedly protect you. Go and meet him at the dilapidated temple where you two used to hide and play on the 15th day at sunset. Go with him to the northern desert, and never return to the capital.”

 

Hanshan Temple was silent and secluded from the world.

 

For the past half-month, Ji Zhen had been eating vegetarian meals and chanting sutras in the deep mountains, completely unaware of the world-shaking turmoil. The letter, delivered by Xiao Moli and penned by Ji Jue himself, completely shattered his normally tranquil world.

 

He absorbed every word, every stroke, his fingertips following the familiar contours of his elder brother’s handwriting. It struck him like lightning, scattering his very soul.

 

Ji Zhen knew that no matter how absurd and unbelievable the contents of the letter were, his elder brother would never lie to him.

 

Seeing his dazed and foolish expression, Xiao Moli choked out, “On the third day you arrived at Hanshan Temple, Lord Ji secretly asked to meet me and entrusted me to deliver this letter to you no matter what. At the time, I wondered why Lord Ji didn’t hand it to you himself. It turns out he had already foreseen his own fate. Lord Ji had the best intentions. Ji Zhen, leave with me quickly. When the Young Marquis returns to the capital…”

 

“Leave?” Ji Zhen squeezed out two hoarse words from his throat, suddenly regaining his senses. He propped himself up from the bed and stood, shaking his head. “I can’t leave. My elder brother is still in prison. How can I abandon him and leave?”

 

He roughly wiped his eyes and stumbled out. “Ji An, let’s go down the mountain.”

 

Xiao Moli grabbed him. “Lord Shen is a subordinate of the Third Prince. If you go down the mountain now, he will definitely not let you off.”

 

Ji Zhen froze, suddenly recalling the sharp arrow that had been shot an inch from his ear in the dark alley four years ago. Another inch, and the arrowhead would have pierced his head, killing him on the spot. He had thought it was a test from the heavens, but the one who wanted his life was actually Shen Yanqing.

 

For the past four years, they had slept in the same bed countless nights. Every time he pressed against Shen Yanqing’s chest and listened to his beating heart, he wished that a small corner of that heart could be occupied by a tiny Ji Zhen. But it turned out that what flowed inside wasn’t just vigorous blood but also a murderous intent toward him.

 

On the wooden table lay the family letter Shen Yanqing had sent him, each one bearing the strong, reassuring words: “All is well, don’t worry.” Because of these four repeated words, he had willingly stayed in the secluded Hanshan Temple. But now, looking at them again, no matter how foolish he was, he could figure out that Shen Yanqing was doing it to stall him.

 

“Master Fakong and my mother have known each other for many years. I asked him to chant and pray for Lord Ji, which is also… my way of fulfilling my duty as a son-in-law of the Ji family.”

 

It was all a lie.

 

Ji Zhen stumbled to the table, his hands trembling as he picked up the several letters. He turned to look at the worried Xiao Moli, and his eyes welled up, tears silently rolling down his cheeks. His voice carried the same deep sorrow as that of a child torn from their family. “He lied to me, Shen Yanqing lied to me…”

 

Xiao Moli held up the swaying Ji Zhen, heartbroken.

 

Ji An stood outside the door while wiping away his tears. “Young Master, are we still leaving?”

 

Ji Zhen took a few deep breaths and stuffed the letters into his robe. “Yes!”

 

He had to see Shen Yanqing.

 

They hurried out of the room and ran into Mother Shen in the corridor.

 

Mother Shen held a string of prayer beads, her eyes full of pity. “I heard what happened down the mountain…”

 

Ji Zhen was choked with emotion and couldn’t speak. He bowed to Mother Shen in farewell and quickly walked out of Hanshan Temple.

 

Outside the temple, a carriage was parked. The coachman was from the Shen Mansion, and there were also two mounted guards. When the coachman saw Ji Zhen, he stepped forward and said, “This humble one has been ordered by my lord to bring the Young Madam back to the mansion.”

 

Ji Zhen was stunned. “When did you get here?”

 

The coachman replied, “This humble one has been waiting down the mountain for the past few days.”

 

Ji Zhen looked at the two expressionless guards. “And them?”

 

The coachman replied respectfully, “My lord was worried about the Young Madam, and these two have been standing guard here every day.”

 

Ji An’s mind worked quickly. He said angrily, “How dare you monitor the Young Master?”

 

Ji Zhen looked back at the slowly rising smoke from the incense burner. Even within this hallowed Buddhist sanctuary, a malevolent wind swept through. He shivered, belatedly realizing that even if he had tried to leave with Xiao Moli, he probably wouldn’t have been able to either.

 

His elder brother was still in prison, and he hadn’t planned on leaving anyway. So why did Shen Yanqing have to go to such lengths?

 

Ji Zhen’s heart was in excruciating pain. His legs felt weak as he stepped onto the carriage’s footboard, but the coachman would not let Xiao Moli follow.

 

Xiao Moli insisted on getting in. “You are going too far!”

 

The two guards instantly drew their swords.

 

Ji Zhen urgently yelled, “Stop!” He clenched his fists and looked down at the ground. “Xiao Moli, the Ji family is gone. From now on, I probably won’t be able to be your support anymore. I don’t want to implicate you. You should leave.”

 

Xiao Moli said with deep emotion, “Aren’t you insulting me by saying this? What do you mean by ‘implicate’ or ‘not implicate’…”

 

Ji Zhen forced a smile. “Don’t worry, I will definitely find a way to save my elder brother.”

 

Having been through a sudden disaster, in less than half a day, Ji Zhen seemed to have grown up in an instant. He was no longer the naive young master of the Ji family.

 

But the moment he put down the bamboo curtain, his forced composure instantly collapsed. His legs gave out, and he fell to the ground, staring blankly at the tips of his shoes.

 

Ji An said in alarm, “Young Master, don’t scare me.”

 

After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a few hoarse, unrecognizable words from his throat: “Ji An, I’m scared…”

 

The carriage had been stopped for nearly fifteen minutes, but Ji Zhen still hid, not daring to get out and face it. Not until he heard the coachman’s greeting, “Lord Shen.”

 

Ji Zhen held his breath. The carriage curtain was lifted, and bright, silver moonlight poured in. He slowly raised his eyes. Under the moonlight, Shen Yanqing’s beautiful and otherworldly features were like a divine being untouched by human emotions, making people feel a sense of awe and retreat.

 

Ji An stood in front of Ji Zhen like a hen protecting her chick.

 

Shen Yanqing rolled up the bamboo curtain and didn’t urge him, simply saying, “We can talk inside the mansion.”

 

Having been kneeling for too long, his legs were both sore and numb. Ji Zhen clenched his teeth, stared at Shen Yanqing standing in front of the carriage, and, with unsteady steps, climbed out.

 

Shen Yanqing raised his hand to help him, and Ji Zhen’s body trembled as he tried to dodge, but he ultimately couldn’t stop the other party from seizing his left arm and lifting him into his arms.

 

He stared at Shen Yanqing’s smooth jaw. His face was still as beautiful as the moon and still made his heart flutter, yet now it also stirred a deep sense of foreboding.

 

“I can walk by myself…”

 

Shen Yanqing ignored him, and carried him through the gate and straight to the main courtyard, under the varied gazes of the servants.

 

Cuddled in Shen Yanqing’s arms, Ji Zhen’s body still held an indelible sense of reliance on him. Yet, the idea that the person he had shared a bed with for years could harbor so many hidden thoughts he could not fathom sent a chill down his spine.

 

Before arriving at Hanshan Temple, Ji Zhen had believed that he and Shen Yanqing were finally destined for a happy ending. He had not expected it to be just a fleeting dream.

 

Now, waking from the dream, he was drenched in a cold sweat.

 

The main courtyard was brightly lit and warmly inviting. In the half-month he was away from the Shen Mansion, the main room had been renovated overnight and a floor heating system had been installed, but Ji Zhen was too preoccupied to notice.

 

Shen Yanqing placed the person in his arms on a fragrant wooden stool. Before he could do anything else, Ji Zhen suddenly fell to his knees beside his legs with a thud.

 

Shen Yanqing’s brows furrowed slightly as he took a step back and looked down.

 

Kneeling on the ground, Ji Zhen placed his hands on the floor and knocked his head loudly. He then raised his tearful eyes and choked out, “Lord Shen, I beg you to save my elder brother.”

 

The author has something to say:

Lord Shen (pupils quaking): What did my wife call me? What did he call me?!