VGAB Chapter 23

Qi Shao’s attempt to slip out of the palace under Wei Chao’s watchful eyes was caught, and to his surprise, Emperor Wei agreed to let the Crown Prince accompany them for a tour of the capital city.

The three of them were in a private room of the largest restaurant in the capital city of Wei.

“Crown Prince,” Wei Chao was the first to speak, indicating the tea cups. “Please.”

“Your Highness,” Qi Shao held the teacup, smiling nervously. After some internal struggle, he continued, “I apologize for deceiving you when we were in Fufeng City.”

“No need. I concealed my identity at the time too, and you concealed yours. So, all things considered, we’re even,” Wei Chao shook his head. He then added with a hint of admiration, “I never expected that you would be a prince of Jin.”

A royal prince who dared to venture into enemy territory to gather intelligence, under those circumstances, was something Wei Chao found quite impressive.

At least Qi Shao would not recklessly jeopardize his own safety.

Wei Chao remembered his own actions when he had brought the group to the military camp and couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. It turned out that some of Sun Hua’s suspicions were correct. However, Wei Chao couldn’t blame anyone else. It was he who wholeheartedly trusted Qi Shao and the others, unwittingly inviting them into his home and allowing the burning of the grain depot.

The defeat in the Battle of Anling ultimately fell on him and Sun Hua. If Sun Hua had been more cautious and discovered the hidden oil barrels buried underground, fewer soldiers would have been killed and wounded. If Wei Chao hadn’t taken Qi Shao and the others to the military camp’s sensitive areas, it wouldn’t have been so easy for Jin to find the grain depot. If the depot hadn’t been burned, their losses would not have been as severe. With ample supplies, they could have held out longer and potentially captured Anling City.

Only, the world’s greatest shortage was the elixir of regret.

At the moment he learned Qi Shao’s identity, Wei Chao might not have shown anger, but he couldn’t shake a lingering sense of regret.

“I have only one more question?” Wei Chao’s gaze was cold. “On the day we met in Fufeng City, did you already know my identity in advance?”

Qi Shao hesitated for a moment and then shook his head honestly, “No, I only found out you were the third prince of Wei when you were attacked.”

“Is that so…” The coldness in Wei Chao’s eyes dissipated. It turned out that when they first met, they didn’t know his identity, which meant they hadn’t approached him intentionally with ulterior motives.

Knock, knock, knock.

The two turned to look at the entrance where a server with a white towel draped over his shoulder was smiling politely.

“Guests, your ordered dishes have arrived.”

He finished speaking and walked into the private room, followed by four young servers carrying dishes.

The servers placed the dishes on the table and then left.

“Last time I didn’t properly treat you, so today, I’m making up for it,” Wei Chao said, looking at Zheng Er who stood by the window. “Mister Zheng, please join us.”

“No, thank you for the kind offer, Your Highness,” Zheng Er replied, politely declining. “There are distinctions between master and servant, and while we had to do it before due to circumstances, now it’s best not to overstep.”

“Consider it a chance for you and me to sit down as old friends, or is Mister Zheng still concerned about our differences in status?”

“Zheng Er, the Crown Prince has said so. You should sit down,” Qi Shao added.

“Now that we’re outside, there’s no need to keep addressing me as Crown Prince,” Wei Chao’s eyes flickered. “Both of you can call me Wei Chao, just like in the past.”

With no other choice, Zheng Er took a seat to the right of Qi Shao.

Wei Chao showed a satisfied smile. He raised his glass and made a toast to Qi Shao, saying, “This is a toast for the kindness you showed me with the antidote back then.”

Seeing that Wei Chao still remembered the incident with the antidote, Qi Shao felt more at ease. It seemed he hadn’t misjudged Wei Chao. The Crown Prince of Wei was indeed someone who distinguished between gratitude and grievances. With this connection in place, he shouldn’t be in immediate danger.

In a cheerful mood, Qi Shao had a few more drinks. With Wei Chao’s encouragement, they began addressing each other as “brother,” leaving others to wonder who was the elder brother and who was the younger one.

As Qi Shao downed another glass of wine, Wei Chao sighed softly, almost imperceptibly, but it was a sigh that couldn’t be ignored.

“Wei Chao, Wei Chao, why the sigh?” Qi Shao playfully placed his hand on Wei Chao’s shoulder, tongue slightly tied.

“I was just thinking of that banquet on the cruise ship,” Wei Chao appeared nonchalant. “That day, Young Master Wang was also present. But unfortunately, I had to leave due to some business. Today, we finally meet again, but Young Master Wang isn’t here.”

“Young Master Wang?” Qi Shao mumbled somewhat indistinctly. “Who’s Young Master Wang? I don’t know any Wang…”

Ahem.” Zheng Er clenched his fist, brushing his lips. “Crown Prince, Crown Prince Jin is quite intoxicated. Allow me to accompany him back to the inn for some rest.”

Wei Chao’s faint smile faded, and he glanced at Zheng Er, his voice gentle. “Are you guarding against me?”

“I dare not,” Zheng Er stood up and bowed apologetically.

“When I was pouring wine for the Crown Prince, you didn’t stop me,” Wei Chao spoke with composure, simultaneously refilling his own cup from a silver pitcher. 

“When I was deliberately drawing him into conversation, you didn’t stop me either.”

Wei Chao lifted and set down the wine pitcher. “So, what is your purpose in this act now? I was merely inquiring about the well-being of a lifesaver.”

Zheng Er remained silent, responding with silence to divert the conversation.

“It’s your Regent, isn’t it?” Wei Chao lightly chuckled. Because Young Master Wang’s true identity was the ‘county princess’ raised as a girl in Prince Chen’s Mansion since childhood. When he inquired about ‘Young Master Wang’, Zheng Er, acting on Prince Chen’s orders, would interrupt his leading questions.

Zheng Er’s expression shifted slightly. “Since the Crown Prince is already aware, there’s no need to go to such lengths to extract information from Crown Prince Jin.”

Wei Chao couldn’t help but see a different meaning in Zheng Er’s words. From his perspective, it seemed like Zheng Er straightforwardly admitted that he was acting under Prince Chen’s orders to block any information about Young Master Wang.

“Wang… Young Master Wang…” Qi Shao slumped onto the table, his gaze unfocused. He mumbled for a while, then suddenly stood up from the table.

“I remember now… I remember who Young Master Wang is.” Qi Shao’s body swayed, and Zheng Er, feeling exasperated, moved forward to support his arm.

“Crown Prince, you’re drunk.”

“Nonsense, I… I can’t get drunk after a thousand cups.” Qi Shao belched and his cheeks flushed due to the alcohol. “I remember now. Young Master Wang is not… is not just…”

“What is it?” Wei Chao was momentarily surprised, then asked with great anticipation.

“He is my uncle…” his fake identity.

Qi Shao hadn’t finished speaking when he collapsed onto Zheng Er’s shoulder and fell asleep.

Wei Chao’s expression confirmed his suspicion. He mentally filled in the unfinished sentence from Qi Shao.

The Uncle mentioned by Qi Shao could only be the Regent King.

Qi Shao reeked of alcohol, which Zheng Er found unpleasant. He supported Qi Shao and said to Wei Chao, “The Crown Prince is drunk. I’ll take him back to the inn first.”

“I’ve reserved this private room for the entire day. Let him sleep it off here,” Wei Chao replied as he stood up and walked to the door. “You can wait for him to wake up, and I’ll head back to the palace.”

Zheng Er nodded, “Safe travels, Your Highness.”

Wei Chao opened the door and stepped out.

“Is there anything you need, sir?” The waiter in the corridor hurriedly approached him.

“Clean up the room inside,” Wei Chao took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and tossed it into the waiter’s arms. “Tell your manager that I’ve reserved this private room for the entire day. No one is allowed in until those two guests inside come out.”

The waiter held the silver, grinning from ear to ear. “Of course, I will take care of it.”

He swiftly ran downstairs to hand the silver to the inn’s manager. Then, he followed the instructions to tidy up the tables and chairs in the private room.

After Wei Chao left, the waiter entered and promptly cleared the table, then left the room, leaving it in peaceful silence, with only the sound of Qi Shao sleeping soundly.

…

The mansion of Prince Chen raised white banners.

This was because the Consort, Lady Qin, was assassinated by an assassin while she was on her way to burn incense a couple of days ago.

The news came suddenly and urgently, leaving the people in the capital in shock. It seemed like just a moment ago, Prince Chen had taken over the authority in court, and now, the Princess Regent was killed.

Could it be that there’s some hidden conspiracy behind this?

Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance, it was still before the morning court, and people gathered in small groups, whispering to each other.

“I heard the assassin spared no one, even the bearers of the palanquin. The scene was truly horrifying,” one person shook their head in sorrow.

“It’s fortunate that on that day, the Queen Dowager suddenly summoned the County Princess into the palace. Otherwise, if the Prince’s Consort had taken the princess with her to burn incense, it would have been…”

“The Regent and the Consort have always been affectionate. But now with this incident, I heard that the Regent’s personal guards arrested a group of people in the capital yesterday…”

“The Consort was attacked and killed, of course, the Regent would be furious and determined to investigate thoroughly.”

“At the morning court, do you think I should still submit that accusation against the Crown Prince?” 

“Enough. The Crown Prince has been a guest of the State of Wei for a while now. Even if he dallied with someone, that was months ago,” his colleague waved his sleeve dismissively. “I suggest we both tread carefully for a while and avoid drawing the Regent’s wrath.”

“Cough, cough.” Suddenly, Lin Dahai’s coughing echoed from the upper corner, and everyone fell silent, returning to their seats.

Lin Dahai, looking satisfied, shifted his gaze toward the corner and reached out his hand to help someone walk out. “Your Majesty, take your time.”

When the courtiers saw the newcomer, they were all taken aback because the person was Emperor Jin Yuan, who had been absent from the court for a long time due to illness.

“Please, Your Majesty, sit carefully,” Lin Dahai carefully assisted Emperor Jin Yuan to his seat on the Dragon Throne. After the Emperor was seated, he instinctively placed his hand on the armrest of the throne. However, when his gaze touched the thin, pale skin of his hand, he changed his mind.

“We pay our respects to Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty.”

“What ‘long live Your Majesty,’ I won’t live much longer in this life.” The Emperor Jin Yuan coughed, his voice was extremely hoarse due to the spread of toxins in his body.

“You may rise.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” The courtiers bowed again, then stood upright together.

“Today, I have come to make an important announcement,” Emperor Jin Yuan’s gaze swept across the faces of the courtiers as he began to speak slowly.

“Ever since my serious illness, I have known that I won’t live much longer in this world. It’s regrettable that my heart carries a deep concern, for I have no heir to carry on my legacy.”

In the Hall of Diligence, silence reigned so profoundly that only the sound of breaths could be heard.

“Bring it here,” Emperor Jin Yuan commanded, and a palace attendant stepped forward, holding a box. Lin Dahai retrieved a parchment of the royal decree from inside.

Emperor Jin Yuan slowly unfurled the royal decree, took a breath, and then began to read aloud, “My younger brother, Qi Heng, possesses both literary and martial talents, exhibiting qualities of a wise ruler in governing the state. After deep contemplation, for the stability of the nation and to uphold our ancestors’ legacy, I have decided to proceed to the ancestral temple to seek approval from our forefathers.”

“Your Majesty!” Some of the courtiers had already guessed what Emperor Jin Yuan was about to say and knelt down in supplication.

“Your Majesty, please reconsider!”

“…I have decided. Three days from now, I will abdicate the throne in favor of Prince Chen. The Ministry of Rites will arrange the necessary rituals,” Emperor Jin Yuan continued without paying heed to their pleas. He received the imperial seal from Lin Dahai, and with determination, he pressed the seal onto the decree.

“Your Majesty!”

…

In the dimly lit dungeon, a woman clad in a white prisoner’s uniform no longer resembled the elegant and regal figure she once was. Her hair was disheveled, and she appeared almost like a madwoman.

“Your Majesty, you are so heartless!” she sobbed, sitting on the ground. “I did all of this for you…”

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