As Jiang Huaijin learned that Su Qingli had been taken into custody by the emperor and imprisoned in the heavenly prison, his hand trembled while holding a cup of tea.
Crash—
The freshly poured cup of tea he had just prepared splashed over his hand and was knocked onto the floor.
Upon witnessing this scene, all the eunuchs and palace maids turned pale and fell to their knees in fright.
“This slave deserves to die, this slave deserves to die…”
Ignoring the scald on his hand, Jiang Huaijin swiftly moved forward, grabbing the collar of the eunuch who had just reported the news, and asked anxiously, “What did you just say? What happened to Su Qingli?”
The eunuch, trembling and chattering his teeth with a pale face said, “The Emperor… this morning decreed that Prince Su… was involved in the rebellion, and ordered the Imperial Guards to imprison Prince Su… in the heavenly prison.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaijin’s face suddenly changed.
Within the dark and imposing walls of the lofty palace, Jiang Huaijin, dressed in his usual attire, walked briskly along the winding corridors, heading straight for the Yangxin Hall.
Inside the Yangxin Hall, the paralyzed Emperor was reading memorials when he suddenly heard a voice from outside the door.
‘Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince requests an audience.'”
With a frown on his face, Jiang Lianfeng initially didn’t want to see anyone and intended to dismiss the visitor, but when he heard it was this son of his, the motion of flipping through the memorial in his hand paused, and he looked towards the door.
Jiang Lianfeng was very fond of this son of his, which was an open secret in the entire palace. As for the reason, some say it’s because of the Imperial Concubine Fan, his childhood sweetheart; some say it’s because Jiang Huaijin was intelligent from a young age; others say it’s because Jiang Huaijin was frail and sickly since childhood…
There were numerous such rumors, but no one knew the real reason.
Since Jiang Huaijin was the smaller of the twins, he was on the brink of death at birth. To avoid upsetting Fan, who was dearly loved by Jiang Lianfeng at the time, Jiang Lianfeng, then a prince, had knelt and asked the Imperial Astronomers to do divinations on the future of the newborn Jiang Huaijin.
The Imperial Astronomers predicted that Jiang Huaijin would hardly live past five years. If he survived, he would carry great fortune and bring blessings to those around him.
Jiang Huaijin, who was predicted to die, survived through various medicines and struggled through five years. After the spring of the fifth year, Jiang Lianfeng, who was not the direct heir, unexpectedly became the emperor.
The moment he sat on the throne, Jiang Lianfeng naturally thought of the words of the Imperial Astronomers from years ago.
Blessings and fortune.
For someone who always placed interests above all else in life, it was only natural for him to cherish Jiang Huaijin like a treasure from that moment.
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.
Mgbw atfc bc, Aljcu Lejlplc’r rajaer lc atf qjijmf mtjcufv vgjwjalmjiis, jcv yfmjwf ageis rfmbcv bcis ab bcf qfgrbc.
Coafg gfmflnlcu atf jqqgbnji, Aljcu Lejlplc ragbvf lc, jcv, jr rbbc jr tf fcafgfv, tf rtbeafv abkjgvr Aljcu Oljcofcu bc atf mbemt. “Mjatfg Swqfgbg, sbe wera yf wlrajxfc. Lbk mbeiv Ve Hlcuil qbrrlyis mbiievf klat batfgr jcv yf lcnbinfv lc atf gfyfiilbc? Pa wera yf rbwfbcf rijcvfglcu tlw…”
Jiang Lianfeng, who initially thought his son had come to pay respects to him, was in a good mood, but this quickly changed when he heard what was said.
Su Qingli = Jiang Jingyue = Jiang Lianbi
The mere mention of Jiang Lianbi’s name instantly enraged Jiang Lianfeng.
Crash—
Amidst the crisp sound of porcelain shattering, an explosive shout erupted, “Silence!”
Jiang Huaiyu, who had hurried to the Yangxin Hall upon receiving the news, had not yet had the chance to announce his arrival when he heard the angry shout and the sound of something breaking inside.
The moment the sound reached his ears, his eyes flickered imperceptibly. Had they already started arguing?
“I don’t care, Father Emperor, you must not imprison Su Qingli, you can’t do that,”
Such defiant words could only be dared by Jiang Huaijin in the entire imperial palace, and indeed, in the entire Da Ao.
Jiang Huaijin, standing firm with his neck stiffened, faced Jiang Lianfeng, who was visibly seething on the dragon bed. “Su Qingli wouldn’t do such a thing, he must have been framed!”
Looking at Jiang Huaijin not far away, a tumult of anger churned in Jiang Lianfeng’s heart. Over the years, Jiang Huaijin had become increasingly arrogant due to his favoritism. If it weren’t for the blessings and fortune this son could bring him, he would have long issued an order to execute him, rather than tolerating such backtalk.
Despite his anger, Jiang Lianfeng, after all, was still Jiang Lianfeng. After huffing in fury, his face became red and his neck swollen, but he still managed to suppress his irritation and said, “I have already ascertained the truth. Are you suggesting that I am wrongly accusing the innocent by saying this now?”
Although Jiang Huaijin was favored and arrogant, he was raised in the imperial palace and knew the severity of certain matters. Hearing his father’s words, he immediately bowed and apologized, “This son dares not. I only thought this matter to be quite peculiar and was worried that Father Emperor might be misled by those with ulterior motives. In my urgency, I spoke out of turn. Please do not take offense, Father Emperor.”
Suppressing his frustration, Jiang Lianfeng forced a smile and said, “Huaijin, you are considerate.”
Outside the door, Jiang Huaiyu, who had overheard the entire conversation, concealed a mocking sneer.
As expected, anything Jiang Huaijin does can be forgiven, even if it is a direct and treasonous confrontation.
While the two inside the hall were talking, another announcement came.
“Your Majesty, the Third Prince requests an audience.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Lianfeng’s expression darkened. If it wasn’t for the plan proposed by Jiang Huaiyu, he wouldn’t be in this situation. He thought of sending the person away but then caught sight of Jiang Huaijin nearby.
Thinking of Huaijin’s recent defense of Su Qingli and recalling how Huaiyu had once inadvertently mentioned Huaijin’s special fondness for Su Qingli, his eyes flickered with a thought. Could it be…
Suppressing the darkness in his eyes, he said, “Let him in.”
Moments later, Jiang Huaiyu entered neatly dressed, stopping at the lower end of the hall, and respectfully saluted, “This son pays respects to Father Emperor.”
Glancing at him indifferently, Jiang Lianfeng said, “Rise.”
“Thank you, Father Emperor.” Standing up straight, Jiang Huaiyu seemed to notice Jiang Huaijin beside him only then, his expression changing slightly. “Fourth Brother is here too?”
Upon seeing his elder brother, Jiang Huaijin immediately grabbed his sleeve, pleading pitifully, “Third Brother, please ask Father Emperor to release Su Qingli. The heavenly prison is so dirty. What if he gets sick in there?”
Hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu’s eyes flickered slightly, but…
“Huaijin, you mustn’t be disrespectful. If the Father Emperor has imprisoned someone, there must be a reason. Although this Su Qingli is important to you, it doesn’t mean he can be released just because you say so.”
Seeing that his brother didn’t seem inclined to help him, Jiang Huaijin became anxious and turned to the Emperor, saying, “Su Qingli really isn’t a traitor. He stays with me every day; how could he have time to be a traitor?”
Jiang Lianfeng’s eyes grew colder. “With you every day?”
“Yes, he’s with me every day. In the morning, we paint, in the afternoon, we play the zither, and occasionally play chess…” As he spoke, a blissful expression spread across Jiang Huaijin’s face, as if he was completely immersed in happiness.
Emperor Jiang Lianfeng’s gaze turned colder with each word, while Jiang Huaiyu’s eyes beside him deepened, becoming more inscrutable.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Huaiyu suddenly interrupted, “Huaijin seems very attentive to him, knowing his schedule so well.”
Jiang Huaijin’s face flushed slightly, and he said defiantly, “Of course, I… I’m going to marry him as my Imperial Concubine…”
“What did you say!” An angry shout echoed.
Startled by the shout, Jiang Huaijin looked up and saw Jiang Lianfeng on the couch with his eyes bloodshot and fixed on him. Suddenly, he felt afraid.
From childhood, Jiang Lianfeng had always been indulgent and loving towards Jiang Huaijin. Even if he made big mistakes, it was the same. He had never seen such a terrifying look in his eyes before.
Seemingly aware that he had touched upon a taboo, Jiang Huaijin, frightened and hesitant to speak, shrank his neck. However, thinking of Su Qingli suffering in the heavenly prison and realizing that if he didn’t help, Su Qingli might die, he steeled his heart and insisted, “I… I want to marry Su Qingli as my concubine, so he can’t possibly…”
Crash—
“Silence!” The Emperor’s voice thundered as a porcelain cup was violently thrown to the ground.
Fortunately, Jiang Huaijin dodged quickly, narrowly avoiding being hit by the cup. Seeing Jiang Lianfeng on the couch, gasping for breath in anger, he wanted to keep quiet but couldn’t bear it. Gritting his teeth, he said again, “Father Emperor, you can’t kill Su Qingli. If… if… if you dare to kill Su Qingli, I will die with him!”
I will die with him!
Hearing these words, Jiang Lianfeng gasped for air, his eyes rolling back as he collapsed backward. The two brothers nearby immediately panicked.
“Father Emperor—!”
Jiang Huaiyu, who was closer, rushed forward in a flash, supporting the person on the couch and pressing on his philtrum with his hand. Seeing Jiang Huaijin’s face turn pale with fright and about to come forward, he quickly turned his head and urgently ordered, “Quick, go fetch the Imperial Physician!”
Jiang Huaijin who was so startled that his hands and feet turned cold, snapped back to reality upon hearing this. “Okay… okay… okay,” he stammered, turning pale as he ran out.
As Jiang Huaiyu pinched the philtrum a few times, he saw the person who had fainted from anger slowly open his eyes. While patting Jiang Lianfeng’s chest, he said, “Father Emperor, don’t be angry. Huaijin didn’t mean it. That Su Qingli is just a plaything. It’s not worth damaging the father-son relationship you’ve built with Huaijin over many years for such a trifle. If he wants him, just let him have him…”
With Jiang Huaiyu’s calming words, the anger in Jiang Lianfeng’s chest eased somewhat.
However, thinking of Jiang Huaijin’s words, his eyes filled with fierce determination, and he said through gritted teeth, “He must marry and have children for me, any woman will do!”
Jiang Huaijin must produce heirs to continue the blessings and fortune; only then would his dynasty and Da Ao be secure!
It didn’t matter who the woman was, but it absolutely couldn’t be a man!
Jiang Huaiyu’s eyes flickered as he heard these words, but he didn’t contradict them.
It can’t be a man?
As he pondered the deeper meaning behind these words, Jiang Huaiyu suddenly felt a sharp gaze piercingly fixed on his face.
As Jiang Huaiyu slowly lifted his gaze, he met Jiang Lianfeng’s eyes. Though aged, they were still sharply ruthless, filled with malice and murderous intent.
With such coldness, like a knife that had its rust removed to reveal its imposing edge, drenched in fresh blood.
In the next second, as Jiang Huaiyu’s pupils involuntarily trembled and shrank, Jiang Lianfeng, with fierce determination in his eyes, uttered slowly and deliberately, “I want you to kill Su Qingli tonight…”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu’s fingers resting on his knees tightened suddenly.
Kill… Su Qingli…?
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Thank you for the translation! ❤