Chapter 74: The Fake Princess and His God of War Prince (Part 31)
Given Xiao Ji’s current status, returning to the capital without a summons was a capital offense.
Therefore, the first thing he had to do upon his return was to confess to the Emperor and legitimately remain in the palace with his identity as a Prince.
Given the current situation where the Northern Frontier army had just won a victory and was gathering at the border, the Emperor was bound to be furious.
But Xiao Ji had plenty of ways to deal with the Emperor.
“Who allowed you to return!!!”
Seeing Xiao Ji, travel-worn and dressed in black riding gear, kneeling before him, the Emperor was overcome with rage and coughed violently.
“Do you know that the Northern Prince has already gathered his forces and demands an explanation from We?”
Xiao Ji knelt in place, unruffled. He waited for the Emperor to catch his breath before speaking slowly:
“Xiang Yinnian wants to kill this son. If I didn’t return, was I supposed to stay in the Northern Frontier and wait for death?”
At these words, the Emperor was about to explode again, but Xiao Ji’s next words choked the Emperor’s anger back down.
“Father is wise. If this son were alone, my death would not be regrettable. But this son carries the fate of Great Yue and dares not die easily.”
“When the Northern Prince asked for marriage and Father personally handed this son over to Vice General Lin of the Northern Frontier, you should have expected that Xiang Yinnian would eventually discover this son’s identity. This day has not arrived suddenly.”
“Before capping, this son disguised as a woman to deceive the Heavenly Dao. After capping, I restore my male body to serve the country, ensuring Great Yue enjoys smooth winds and waters, and the nation is prosperous and the people at peace.”
“Before the Immortal passed away, he left only four words: ‘Let nature take its course.’ Now that this son has indeed returned, Father should see the crux of the matter more clearly than anyone.”
Hearing this, the Emperor indeed fell into deep thought.
To him, everything was about letting nature take its course without undue interference. Xiao Ji being sent to the Northern Frontier as a princess before his coming of age wasn’t deceiving Heaven and Earth; it was deceiving the Northern Prince.
The Northern Frontier was too far away, like a wall of copper and iron. The Imperial Family had sent spies, but the results were always unsatisfactory.
During his time in the Northern Frontier, Xiao Ji must have mastered many of the Northern Prince’s secrets, perhaps even more.
Now that he had returned to the Imperial City after his Capping Ceremony, he very likely became the key for Great Yue to deal with the Northern Frontier.
The logic made complete sense.
As for why Xiao Ji had stayed in the Northern Frontier for so long before having his identity discovered by Xiang Yinnian, it was very likely that Heaven had eyes and had been protecting Xiao Ji in the unseen realms.
The Emperor remained silent for a long time. “The Northern Prince demands an explanation from We. How can this be resolved?”
Xiao Ji looked at the Emperor. “You are the Son of Heaven. What is he? If he demands an explanation, must You give him one?”
The Emperor was stunned at first, then cursed, “Impudent! Xiang Yinnian’s troops are poised to strike. How can We sit idly by?”
Xiao Ji said indifferently, “In this matter, this son is innocent. Were You not also deceived by treacherous officials?”
This statement was telling the Emperor: If Xiang Yinnian wants an explanation, push out a scapegoat to give him that explanation.
As for whose head this shit-pot should be dumped on, and how to dump it, that was for the Emperor to decide.
The Emperor pondered for a long time before suddenly asking about business. “What did you gain from your trip to the Northern Frontier? If Xiang Yinnian truly intends to rebel, who should be sent to quell this matter?”
Xiao Ji lowered his eyes. “In this son’s humble opinion, no one.”
Hearing this, the old eunuch standing behind the screen felt his heart leap into his throat. He secretly thought Xiao Ji was courting death. mocking the court for having no capable men and praising Xiang Yinnian like this—wasn’t he just waiting for the Dragon’s wrath?
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He was just wondering if he should say a few words to help Xiao Ji when, unexpectedly, the Emperor did not fly into a rage. Instead, he said wearily to Xiao Ji:
“Return to your palace for now. Do not come out and flaunt yourself if there is no business.”
Xiao Ji accepted the order and left.
After the old eunuch saw Xiao Ji off, he returned to the bedside and carefully attended to the Emperor getting up.
Seeing the eunuch’s terrified appearance, the Emperor sneered. “This Old Nine is truly clever. He managed to extract himself completely from such a huge matter.”
The old eunuch didn’t understand but dared not ask.
However, while 037 didn’t understand, it could ask Xiao Ji directly: [You just blithely told the Emperor that his subordinates are all trash, inferior to the Little Phoenix, and you aren’t afraid he’ll get angry?]
As Xiao Ji walked toward the palace he had lived in before his ‘marriage,’ he said: [It is the truth. He knows it better than anyone. If I pointed out capable people in the court, and I didn’t help them, I would be intentionally sending them to their death. If I did help them, that would be intentionally recruiting them.]
[What the Emperor cares about now isn’t the fact that Xiang Yinnian’s achievements outshine the master, but that while he is bedridden, these princes are eyeing him like tigers.]
[He knows I likely possess many secrets of the Northern Frontier, but as long as he doesn’t say it himself and hand over military power to me to deal with Xiang Yinnian, I absolutely cannot ask him for it. The Emperor is suspicious. I was in the Northern Frontier for a long time. Although it looks like I escaped back, the Emperor doesn’t necessarily trust me completely.]
037 was most afraid of these incredibly complex twists and turns. [Then what happens next? My brain is already a paste.]
Xiao Ji said calmly: [Nothing happens. Just kill them all.]
Hearing this, 037 opened its mouth and suddenly asked uncertainly: [Does that follow the rules?]
Xiao Ji took it for granted: [Winner takes all, loser loses all. Isn’t that the rule of the struggle for imperial power in this world?]
037 was left speechless.
Xiao Ji was not one to joke; he always did what he said.
regarding the seizure of the throne, for Xiao Ji, there weren’t too many dark schemes to plot. Anyone attempting to participate in the succession battle was an enemy. As for who to kill first and who to kill later, it was decided by drawing lots.
Shake the lot container, one less brother.
Xiao Ji’s return to the palace after his identity was revealed caused quite a stir. Many people hinted overtly and covertly to the Emperor that Xiao Ji’s return at this time clearly harbored ill intentions.
But Xiao Ji kept a low profile. Because of the Emperor’s command not to flaunt himself, he put himself under house arrest in the Mingyue Palace, claiming illness and closing his doors to guests, not stepping a foot outside, refusing to see even the Empress and the Crown Prince.
But what was terrifying was that on the third night after Xiao Ji’s return, the Fifth Prince died suddenly and violently in his bed. When discovered, his eyes were wide open, and all the meridians in his body were shattered.
If the Fifth Prince’s incident was an accident, then on the fifth night, when the Fourth Prince accidentally drank poisoned wine and died bleeding from his seven orifices before the Imperial Physician could arrive, everyone in the palace went on high alert.
Not only were night patrols increased, but guards outside the sleeping quarters were multiplied several times over. They dared not even let a fly into their halls.
Everyone in the palace was in danger. The Night Watch Bureau conducted a massive investigation but found nothing.
Then, on the seventh day, in broad daylight under the clear sky, just as the Eighth Prince had finished meeting the Emperor and was preparing to leave the palace for business, he bumped into the Governor of the Night Watch Bureau who had just gotten off a carriage at the palace gates.
As the two exchanged pleasantries, a gyrfalcon descended from the sky, diving straight for the horse pulling the carriage.
The horse spooked, lifted its legs, and bolted forward with the carriage.
It knocked down both the Eighth Prince and the Night Watch Governor. The Governor reacted quickly, rolling away to dodge, but unfortunately, the Eighth Prince wasn’t as agile. The carriage wheels crushed right over his waist and abdomen on the spot.
And the gyrfalcon that caused all this vanished without a trace after the incident.
Before this, no culprit had been found for the sudden deaths of the two princes, but this time was different.
The Imperial City was not a habitat for gyrfalcons; ordinary people couldn’t afford to raise such arrogant birds of prey.
And in the Imperial City, there was only one noble family that kept gyrfalcons.
The maternal family of the Eleventh Prince, Concubine Cao’s family.
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