Just after Maoshi1, the heavy iron gate of Dali Temple Prison in the north of the city was pushed open with a creak. Two or three low-ranking prison guards came out yawning and stretching their waists, and began to clear the snow in front of the gate.
It had snowed heavily last night, and now it was already the coldest winter in Jiulong. The prison guards were casually sweeping away the snow with their brooms, occasionally stopping from time to time to rub their hands and stomp their feet, cursing and complaining.
In the distance, there was the sound of a carriage approaching. The luxuriously decorated carriage, pulled by two strong and shiny black horses, stopped in front of the Dali Temple Prison gate. Two strong and vigorous young men dressed in imperial guard attire jumped out of the carriage. There was an awe-inspiring aura surrounding them as they looked straight ahead.
Prison guards jostled each other and probed their heads. The carriage door opened a crack, and a man looking like a eunuch got out of the carriage. He raised his eyebrows, and shouted in a shrill voice: “His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived. Hurry up and receive him!”
The guards fell to their knees tremblingly, and the officials who heard the news also knelt down on the ground. The handsome young man who was helped out of the carriage by the eunuch was tall and slender. He was dressed in a fiery red imperial robe. The hem and cuffs of his clothes were outlined with gold thread embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns. The outer cover was a silver fox fur cloak and a dash of coquettishness was added to the luxury and arrogance.
His phoenix eyes were slightly slanted and charming. His eyebrows were picturesque, and there was a tear mole under his left eye that made his eyes watery and alluring, which could almost give birth to some coquettish eyes like silk.
But no one dared look at him, let alone talk about him.
The eunuch Wang Jiu cleared his throat, and asked the people kneeling on the ground, “Is Xu Hanlin here?”
The prison warden trembled and replied: “Yes… yes, Xu Hanlin has been detained in Dali Temple Prison.”
Zhu Yunjing said indifferently: “Take Gu2 to him.”
The Dali Temple Prison held only the most important prisoners of the imperial court. Xu Shixian, a Bianxiu3 of the Hanlin Academy, who was implicated in the anti-poetry case in Jingzhou, had been detained here for more than a month.
The dungeon was dark and damp, and a mold smell filled the air. The prisoners’ cries and curses could be heard from time to time. Zhu Yunjing frowned slightly, and the prison warden, who led the way carefully, observed his expression, and apologized with a smile: “This place is filthy and it has surely offended Your Highness’s eyes and ears…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Wang Jiu raised his voice and questioned the officials who followed him: “What’s going on here? Why isn’t there even a brazier on such a cold day? Do you want to freeze people to death?!”
The prison warden hurriedly pleaded guilty: “Your Highness is kind and merciful. It was this servant who was negligent. I ask Your Highness to forgive the sin!”
Not long after, two hot charcoal braziers were brought in. The prison warden brought Zhu Yunjing a seat padded with a thick fur mattress to sit on.
Zhu Yunjing’s eyes swept towards Wang Jiu. Wang Jiu hurriedly drove out everyone who wanted to flatter him, leaving only Zhu Yunjing and Xu Shixian, who still had no reaction.
After leaving, the prison warden flattered Wang Jiu: “Wang Gonggong, Your Highness the Crown Prince, is this…?”
Wang Jiu didn’t even bother to raise his eyelids: “From now on, I’ll take care of the person inside. Don’t let him be hungry or cold, and don’t ask about anything else that shouldn’t be asked.”
In the cell, Zhu Yunjing lazily reclined on the padded seat, narrowing his phoenix eyes, and looking at the man in front of him.
Xu Shixian was last year’s top scholar, named on the golden list at the age of twenty-one. He was outstanding in both his looks and studies, like Pan’an. Back then when he rode horses through Chang’an Street, he attracted countless noblewomen who threw flowers and fragrances at him. This made him the center of attention. However, it only took a year for good fortune to trick people. The former handsome and talented top scholar, Tanhualang4 had already been reduced to the status of a prisoner, which was a pity.
“Xu Shixian, in the past, Gu treated you kindly and indulged you in every possible way, but you didn’t appreciate it. Now that you are in this position. Didn’t you regret it? If you had a solitary shelter, you wouldn’t have to enter this filthy place and wait for death.” Zhu Yunjing’s voice rose, with a hint of ridicule and condescension.
Xu Shixian slowly raised his eyes, full of indifference. His face was as cold and stern as before, and he replied indifferently: “Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I can’t afford it.”
Zhu Yunjing “tsked” in annoyance and couldn’t help but feel frustrated. He was the Crown Prince above ten thousand people. This Xu Shixian was just a seventh-rank Bianxiu of Hanlin Academy. Now he was in a desperate situation, yet he still treated him honestly and didn’t flatter him as he imagined, crying and begging on his knees.
“Are you really not afraid of death?”
“If His Majesty wants this subject to die, then this subject has to die.”
At this moment, Xu Shixian’s hair was disheveled and his clothes were in disarray, but he still had the same elegance as the former top scholar, Tanhualang who had haunted countless people’s dreams. It was precisely because of this that Zhu Yunjing wanted to get him into his hands at all costs.
Zhu Yunjing was a true nobleman, the legitimate son of the Empress Yuan and also the eldest son of the Emperor. He was established as the Crown Prince from birth. He had everything going his way. There was nothing that Zhu Yunjing couldn’t ask for, except for Xu Shixian, whom he had tried and failed to flatter several times.
Zhu Yunjing coldly reminded the man in front of him: “Xu Shixian, do you really think you don’t owe Gu anything? If it weren’t for Gu helping you speak well in front of your father, do you think you could have entered the Hanlin Academy so smoothly and lived a comfortable life in the capital? Even the top scorer5 and Bangyan6 were sent to barren and remote counties to serve as county officials. Who do you think you are?”
Xu Shixian remained unmoved and said: “Your Highness’s good intentions are not this servant’s original wish. This servant took the imperial examination not for the sake of a high official and a rich salary, but to serve the people and make a small contribution to the country, rather than coveting pleasure and comfort, and staying in a prosperous place in the capital.”
Zhu Yunjing slammed his palm on the seat armrest, angry and annoyed. He had never seen such a stubborn and ignorant person. It seemed that his good intentions were wasted on a villain!
In fact, there were already rumors about this matter in the capital for a long time.
The Dayan Dynasty was now in a period of turmoil, with frequent wars, as well as natural and man-made disasters. Everywhere, people needed to be employed. After several consecutive imperial examinations, except for the high-ranking scholars from influential families, most of the candidates were sent to various places to serve the people. In the previous year, only Xu Shixian, the Tanhualang, remained in the capital. Soon after, rumors began to spread that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had taken a liking to him and deliberately kept him in the capital.
The rumors first came out of the Hanlin Academy. Xu Shixian was envied because of his natural good looks and entry into high school at a young age. Since his personality was too upright and he didn’t want to change, he was at odds with his colleagues and was ostracized not long after entering the Hanlin Academy. The group of self-proclaimed sour scholars in the Hanlin Academy were not afraid of offending the Crown Prince at all. When they fabricated those romantic affairs about him, the rumors were so vivid and detailed that they soon spread all over the city and everyone knew it.
Of course, not all of those stories were false. At least Zhu Yunjing really had feelings for Xu Shixian, and he was indeed behind those rumors. Zhu Yunjing, who had participated in the original Jinluan palace examination, fell in love with this Tanhualang at first glance. After that, he made several attempts to show his affection, but repeatedly failed. It was impossible to say that Zhu Yunjing didn’t care, and those rumors in the capital were also deliberately indulged in by him, in order to force Xu Shixian to give in.
Zhu Yunjing had been arrogant and domineering since childhood. The most outrageous thing he ever did was to kick the seventy-year-old Minister of Rites down the steps of the imperial court. The poor old Minister passed away in less than half a month after being rescued. Because of this, Zhu Yunjing was involved in the book of the imperial bookcase by the officials, but what did that matter? The Emperor favored him, and eventually let the matter go. As for him falling in love with a seventh-rank official, it was nothing at all.
Because the founding emperor of the Dayan Dynasty appointed a male queen, it had become a legend through the ages. In the Dayan Dynasty, Nanfeng was particularly prosperous, and it was also reasonable and legal to marry a male wife. The Crown Prince was seventeen years old, and he had not yet taken a concubine. Xu Shixian had not yet married either. If Zhu Yunjing really loved Xu Shixian and Xu Shixian was also attached to him, it would be a good story for Hanlin Tanhua to enter the East Palace one day. However, unfortunately, the relationship between the two was not mutual. Now that Xu Shixian had committed a heinous crime, which ruined his future, everyone avoided him. Only Zhu Yunjing came to this gloomy prison of Dali Temple to see him on this cold morning, but he still didn’t appreciate it!
Zhu Yunjing suppressed his anger and sneered: “What you said is right. You don’t want to be a close minister of the Son of Heaven and want to go to a local place to be a magistrate, and serve the people. Are you afraid that the Hanlin Academy’s income is too low? If you are so loyal to the emperor and love the people, you and that magistrate of Jingzhou wouldn’t write poems criticizing His Majesty. As a person who was imprisoned for attempting rebellion, don’t you think it’s ridiculous to say you did your best for the people and the country?”
Xu Shixian’s expression finally changed, and he was eager to argue: “My teacher didn’t have any rebellious thoughts. He was framed by someone! My teacher has always been honest and upright all his life, and it is absolutely impossible to criticize His Majesty! Not to mention rebellion! I beg Your Highness to investigate this matter!”
“Tsk, you’re on the brink of death and still worried about others? You can’t even save your own life, why bother thinking about him?”
Xu Shixian knelt down and kowtowed vigorously to Zhu Yunjing: “Your Highness, you are the current Crown Prince. How can you watch loyal and righteous people being framed and remain indifferent? Teacher, he was really falsely accused! This servant is not afraid of death, but my teacher can’t bear infamy and die innocently! I ask Your Highness to find out the truth and clear the teacher’s name. In my next life, I am willing to be a cow or a horse to repay Your Highness!”
Zhu Yunjing smiled and pouted: “That is the right attitude, but what do you want to do as a cow or a horse in your next life? There are too many people who want to be slaves and maids for Gu. Your teacher and you committed major crimes that implicated your entire family. There is an emperor above the crown prince. Gu can’t do anything even if you want to. If you want Gu to take such a big risk to help you, you must show some sincerity.”
In the flickering light of the charcoal fire, Zhu Yunjing’s smile seemed to reveal a chilling evil. Xu Shixian slowly clenched his fists, as if he struggled with hesitation.
Both he and Zhu Yunjing understood what this “sincerity” meant without spelling it out. What Xu Shixian despised the most in his life was flattering the lucky people. But now he had to use this method to exchange for his teacher’s life.
Zhu Yunjing casually turned the jade wrench on his thumb, and reminded him: “Think about it clearly. Gu is not forcing you. No one will care about your life except Gu. As long as you can fulfill Gu’s wish, Gu can promise you that Gu will help you to keep his family alive, regardless of whether Gu can overturn the case for you and the prefectural magistrate of Jingzhou.”
Xu Shixian slowly closed his eyes and kowtowed again: “Thank you for your great graciousness, Your Highness.”
this cocky brat- boy, how will the romance develop if you’re like that! Fuck I already feel bad for our xu shixian
+1 so vexing!
I’m in
I guess it makes sense for an Emperor-in-training to find a person’s price even if it seems like they’re too virtuous to violate their principles.
Such a messy case… :/ I feel so bad for XSX already… But it seems interesing! Can’t wait to read more ^^ Thank You for Your hard work ❤
PS. I love Bokuto, so I’m smiling extra hard seeing Your pfp and name, haha!