《Granting you Sovereignty of the Nation》 CH 1 Imperial city, Qixiang Palace. Dawn is gradually sinking as the chilly breeze outside the window unceasingly blow against the withered weeds. The accumulated snow resting on branches rustle downwards, soundlessly fused into snowy mist all over the sky. It¡¯s already mid-way through You1 period at this point, the eunuchs departed while carrying away the already cold yet untouched dishes. From the beginning, Zhu Yunxuan had stood before the wooden desk and stared persistently upon the map of Dayan laying out on it. A dim yellow flickering candle was lit next to the desk, the flame of the candle is reflecting within his dark irises, along with constant flickers. [1]: Also referred as unitary time, the period between 5pm to 7pm Abrupt echoing of footsteps sounded within the dimly lit palace without any warning, Zhu Yunxuan raise his gaze and directed a dull glance towards arriver. With clear showcase of estrangement between his eyebrows: ¡°Why didn¡¯t King Zhao2 ask someone to pass on a word beforehand upon entering?¡± [2]: Title granted to the royals and monarchies in the eastern part of Asia. Liang Zhen chuckled without further commenting, then he waved his hand and gestured for the remainder of maids in the palace to withdraw. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s expression chilled, yet he did not object. Liang Zhen walk beside his desk at a slow pace and swept a glance across it. He paused for awhile, saying: ¡°Your highness seems to be in a rather good mood, actually examining the map as such.¡± ¡°Merely giving it a casual glance.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s tone sounded indifferently as he uses his fingertips to slowly trace across the map from underneath. Starting from south to north then from east to west, the territory of Dayan is entirely displayed upon this small-sized map, yet it bears the weight of thousand burdens behind it. ¡°This is the capital city,¡± Liang Zhen move towards Zhu Yunxuan, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, and almost gluing himself beside Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s ear and whispered. He used his figure tips to slightly tap on landmark which is especially tinted using red. After a pause, he traces towards the northwestern boarder once again and spoke in an even deeper tone, ¡°and there¡¯s the solitary confinement.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze flickered, yet he also heard Liang Zhen spoke smilingly at a slow pace: ¡°He Huailing is a capable individual and has finally put a thorough end to northern barbarians this time around. His majesty the emperor is pleased, and he even lessens the amount of medicine he took in the past two days.¡± Zhu Yunxuan reply with an unfaltering tone: ¡°If his majesty the emperor is in good health, then that¡¯s naturally good news.¡± ¡°Your highness,¡± Liang Zhen softly called out to him, the warmth from his exhale cause Zhu Yunxuan to feel a bit uncomfortable, so he avoids it unnoticeably. The delightment on Liang Zhen¡¯s lip intensified, ¡°Aren¡¯t you not gonna pay a visit to his majesty the emperor¡¯s chamber? Imperial consort Chen together with the ninth prince has been remaining by his majesty the emperor¡¯s sickbed day and night, yet you only pay your courtesies once in a couple of weeks. Aren¡¯t you afraid that his majesty the emperor will blame you for your unfilial act?¡± Zhu Yunxuan indifferently said: ¡°You already know that imperial consort Chen and the ninth prince is remaining on a standby there. So there¡¯s no room for me to barge in, further more, aren¡¯t you present? Compared to me, his majesty the emperor should be more inclined for you to stay there instead.¡± Paying no mind to the mockery in Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s words, Liang Zhen kept the smile on his lip: ¡°How can that be the same, you are his descendant, and I am merely a foreign official.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± How can he be bestowed with the status of nobility if he is just an ordinary foreign official, and how can he also walk around freely within the inner palace at a time like this. There¡¯s a distinctive difference between him and others from the beginning. ¡°As the imperial physician mentioned, I am afraid that his majesty the emperor may not be able to endure through this winter.¡± The hand which Zhu Yunxuan is using currently to tap the map paused a bit, a complex discoloration flash before his gaze. Liang Zhen move even closer towards him, then a tone containing some deep implications sounded beside Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s ear: ¡°A few days ago, Zhang Shoufu and two elders were summoned into the palace. Take a guess, what exactly are they intending to do?¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze deepen: ¡°Why must you feign ignorance and purposefully ask?¡± ¡°Is your highness really not curious at all?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I am afraid that his majesty the emperor already had a final foresight in mind which cannot be changed, so what¡¯s the use of being curious?¡± Liang Zhen let out a soft chuckle: ¡°It may not be true, since anything isn¡¯t absolute till the end. Even if it escalates to that point, human effort is a decisive factor in this matter. Zhu Yunxuan directed a cold gaze at him: ¡°Why don¡¯t Zhaowang get straight to the point?¡± Liang Zhen beamingly looked at him: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if your highness take a guess at whether the name written on it3 is yours or is it the ninth prince¡¯s?¡± [3]: The imperial decree acknowledging the ascension of the crowned prince. Zhu Yunxuan fire a question back with an unfaltering tone as a reply: ¡°Why does it must have to be between me and ninth brother? Don¡¯t neglect the fact that his majesty the emperor still has six other heirs available.¡± ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s such a pity that the former crowned prince in the past got wrongly sentenced to death and the second prince was executed for the crime of treason. If they are still here, I am afraid that there will be no opportunities for you. As of presently, the third prince is rather slow-witted, the fourth prince is born with physical disability and the sixth prince passed away at an early age. The rest are still young, the only capable heir his majesty the emperor has left is you, and those individuals who has good perception will all understand that this throne will be granted to either the fifth prince, you, who is an illegitimate child, or the Imperial consort Chen¡¯s cherished ninth prince who is favoured by thousands. There¡¯s no need to take a third party into consideration, furthermore, your highness, you are the son of the emperor''s first wife and has already involve in politics, while the ninth prince is still drinking breast milk. It seems to me that the probability your victory is way greater.¡± Liang Zhen dragged his tone while speaking, even making eye contact with Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s alerting gaze and winked as if he is currently talking about some amusing matter. Zhu Yunxuan coldly sneered, with the intention of gnash his teeth in anger: ¡°Liang, Zheng, get straight to the point, why bother with beating around the bush and being so secretive? There¡¯s no need to take a third party into consideration? Assuming that the name written on it is yours, isn¡¯t this regarded as a consideration for a third party?¡± Liang Zhen shook his head in bemusement: ¡°Could it be that your highness is confused, I am surnamed Liang and it¡¯s only thanks to the courtesy of his majesty the emperor which has granted me a status of nobility, but I am still not apart of the Zhu clan after all, so how can I claim the territory owned by the Zhu clan?¡± Zhu Yunxuan amusingly said: ¡°Sure, if you say so, then I¡¯ll assume that you don¡¯t have the intention of obtaining of it. Isn¡¯t your only purpose of showing up here today is to inform whose name exactly is written upon it? What is your implication behind human effort is a decisive factor in this matter and what is it that you wish to obtain from me this time around?¡± Liang Zhen slightly squinted his eyes, stared deeply into Zhu Yunxuan as his gaze gradually darkens. His finger lightly tapped on the map, seemingly to be deep in thought. A moment later, he extended out his hand to wrap Zhu Yunxuan around the waist and pull him towards the front of his body. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s complexion instantly changed, and due to his late reaction, he was thus restrained on top of the desk by Liang Zhen. The paperweight affix on top of the map was swept down to the floor, and with a crispy shattering sound, it was split apart into pieces. Zhu Yunxuan furiously glared towards Liang Zhen: ¡°What are you intending to do?!¡± The other¡¯s tall stature pressed down on him, and conveniently untied his waistband along the way. Warm exhales gushed downwards to the side of his pale neck, Zhu Yunxuan embarrassingly tilt his head to the side with his eyes redden instantaneously: ¡°¡­¡­Why must you once again humiliate me as such?¡± Liang Zhen planted a soft kiss onto the side of his neck, with his moist lips sticking beside his ears, he stretch out his hand to grasp his lower jaw, refraining him from turning away: ¡°Your highness, how can you consider this as humiliation? This is evidently a paradisiacal matter in the mortal realm, didn¡¯t you enjoy it every single time?¡± After a pause, he added: ¡°Your highness, do you desire obtaining this territory? I can assist you, but you must trade yourself for it in return, deal?¡± It was so quiet within the large palace that even a pin drop could be heard, after a long period of silence, Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes and muffled: ¡°Not here.¡± Lustful kisses descended upon Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s cheek and neck one after another. Liang Zhen did not take in his words, and unhurriedly extends out his hands to torn off the clothing he had on layer by layer. In this split second, even if it¡¯s not his first time, Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s face is drain of blood in agony. He tightly bite is lower lip so as to prevent himself from crying out involuntarily. The flame of the candle flickered, as Zhu Yunxuan quivered all over with his tears descending like a rainfall. Broken strings of teardrops continuously fall onto his loosen jet-black hair, dripping upon the map of the nation beneath him. This is the territory of Dayan, a power within his reach, yet it¡¯s also seems unattainable. Liang Zhen lean forward and use his lips to sweep across his tightly sealed pair of eyes. The quivering eyelashes dampen with tears fall upon his bloodstained red lip from his bite marks. He uses the tip of his tongue to haughtily pry open Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s firmly bitten lip, and dive straight in, stirring about in the lithe cavity of his mouth, unyieldingly entangling with him. Liang Zhen could taste the bloodstained aroma between Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s lip which aroused his suppressed sadism even more. It¡¯s already deep into the night, the final flame of the candle has already been extinguished within the large palace. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s legs lost all its strength and slumped down weakly. A bloody-like blossom is adorned on top of his snow-white body, with his silky hair largely covering over half of his features. He just lay there motionlessly on top of the desk, appearing as if lifeless. Liang Zhen adjusted his own attire which he hasn¡¯t taken off, and after seeing Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s current appearance, his pupil shrank slightly. Leaning forward once again, he spread apart the strands of his hair, then he picked him up, settling him on the lounge, and help him drape on his outer layer coat. Later, he finally grasps his hands slightly, and said slowly, ¡°Your highness, request someone to bring along a set of spare clothing as well as preparation for a bath, then have an early rest ba.¡± Zhu Yunxuan never once open his eyelid during the process, with the crimson rim of his eyes complete dampen. The gate of palace is once again opened and closed, bring along a wave of chilling breeze. As the sound of footsteps gradually faded away, Zhu Yunxuan slide down onto the floor, settling the palm of his hand on the fragmented paperweight, causing large gushes of blood to ooze out. Yet he seems to be unaware of it, and just lay there in a absent minded manner. The palace gate is once again opened in a small gap, then the hunched back eunuch Gao-An enter tremblingly. After witnessing Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s disorderly clothes piled up on the floor without a care, and his palms which is still bleeding. He knelt down all the sudden and supported him up. With a whimpering tone he cries out: ¡°Your highness¡­¡­¡± Zhu Yunxuan open his eyelids slowly, there¡¯s only a void of indescribable hostility displayed within his crimson red eyes. After witnessing his personal eunuch who is endlessly weeping at a loss before him, he raised his bloodstained hands and forcefully grasp the other party¡¯s neck. ¡°Your, your highness¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you dare to say anything about the matter regarding today,¡± Zhu Yunxuan gritted his teeth and paused between each word, ¡°I held the most hostility towards subordinates who back stab their master, you better remember it clearly for me.¡± ¡°This servant dares not¡­¡­cough, this servant truly¡­¡­ won¡¯t dare¡­¡­ cough¡­¡­¡± Back in the days, both Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s blood related elder brother Zhu Yunjing the abolished prince was betrayed by an internal official and was sentenced to death in prison. Everyone within Qixiang palace knows that this matter is Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s deepest taboo. After a long moment has pasted did Zhu Yunxuan closed his eye and finally loosen his grasp. Gao-An wipe away his tears and got up to help Zhu Yunxuan settle down within the inner palace, then he request someone to fetch some hot water in. Without asking others to handle his own affairs, he carries backet of water into the inner palace himself, pouring it into the bathtub and wait upon Zhu Yunxuan to have a bath. Seeing irregular patches of bite marks on Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s body, Gao-An whimpered once again: ¡°Your highness, you are the prince of emperor¡¯s first wife after all4, why must you bother as such¡­¡­¡± [4]: µÕ means the legal wife or the son of the first wife Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes while leaning against the bathtub, with a frown is display on his eye-browns. Why must bother as such, why must bother as such¡­¡­ He knew from very beginning that his exchange with Liang Zhen will be equivalent to requesting a tiger for its pelt5, yet he had no other choice. Since he has already embark upon this path, he can only continue forward, cause there¡¯s no turning back anymore [5]: A common idiom used to describe someone who is requesting another to do something out of their own interest/willingness CH 2.1 *Note: There are two parts to this Chinese idiom above ÈËÖ®½«ËÀ is the first part and ÆäÑÔÒ²ÉÆ is the second part, but the title only contains the first part. So basically, with the whole idiom group together, it means: Morals will speak truthfully in the presence of death. Ganlin Palace, the emperor¡¯s chamber. Before entering, Liang Zhen slip off his outer garment and toss it to the steward behind him. Eunuch Feng Sheng stood respectfully to side in attendance while speaking to him in a whisper: ¡°His majesty is not feeling well today, he even lose his consciousness just a moment ago. Both Imperial Consort Chen and the ninth prince are also present.¡± Liang Zhen nodded his head slightly, then he entered. All the imperial physicians in the chamber gathered in a group to exchange views on the method of treatment in a whisper, a frown showcased on each one of their faces. On the sickbed, Emperor Zhaoyang tightly closed his eyelids, with an ill expression displayed on his face, as well as sunken cheeks. He is evidently in his early forties, yet he is already in his declining year with one foot in the grave. Imperial consort Chen is leaning beside lounge with a medicine bowl in hand, she attentively brought the medicine closer to Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s mouth and wipes the corner of his lips using the napkin in her hand continuously. Although her eyes are vividly red with display of weariness, her natural beauty is still unparallel in her early twenties, compared to the decrepit and diseased emperor, she looks much better off. The ninth prince Zhu Yunqiong who has merely turn a bit over three is obediently couching on the floor, staring at his parents ignorantly, not daring to say a word. Liang Zhen walk to the side of the lounge in a slow pace. Imperial consort Chen straightens up her back and exchanged a nod with him: ¡°Zhaowang.¡± Liang Zhen lay his eyes on Emperor Zhaoyang who is lying on his deathbed without any change in his expression. Yet as soon as the emperor who has been unconscious all long overheard Imperial consort Chen addressing him, his fingers show some movement, as he slowly blinked open his eyes, and muffled: ¡°Zhen¡¯er1¡­¡­ cough¡­¡­ has Zhen¡¯er arrived¡­¡­ cough¡­¡­cough¡­¡­¡± [1]: An affectionate way to call someone who is either a family member of yours or someone who you are closed with Imperial consort Chen got up and offer her seat to Liang Zhen. Liang Zhen sat down beside the lounge and gave a light pat on the back of Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s hand: ¡°Your Majesty, this one2 is here.¡± [2]: ³¼ means official or someone who¡¯s in a lower rank then the emperor. ³¼is a respectful and polite way to refer oneself during the ancient Chinese era. In sort terms, ³¼ is similar to ÎÒ, the same goes for ¹Â (Monarchies) and ëÞ (Emperors) Emperor Zhaoyang turn around with great difficulty, and as he stares toward Liang Zhen with a pair of turbid eyes, a glimmer of light is finally visible within: ¡°Order all of them to¡­¡­ cough¡­¡­to leave, my humble self would like to¡­¡­have a word with you.¡± All the imperial physicians waited in side-palace on a standby, as Feng Sheng guide all the maids within the palace to withdraw one by one in sequence. Imperial consort Chen is the last one to depart while leading Zhu Yunqiong along. Before departing, she directed a complicated glance towards Liang Zheng, yet Liang Zhen seems to be unaware of it and simply ignored her. There are no more bystanders within the main palace at the moment. Emperor Zhaoyang gesture for Liang Zhen to prop him up. While leaning against the bedside cupboard, he stares attentively at the delicate features of Liang Zhen¡¯s before him as his eyes gradually redden: ¡°My humble self knows that my days are numbered, Zhen¡¯er, could you perhaps, address me as ¡­¡­ your father for once?¡± Liang Zhen indifferently replied: ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s your majesty who is confused, this one is the prince of An Le, so how can I refer to your majesty as my father.¡± ¡°You evidently knows that ¡­¡­ cough ¡­¡­ knows that you¡¯re my descendant, it¡¯s my humble self who has given birth to you ah!¡± Liang Zhen said: ¡°This one can¡¯t make sense of your majesty¡¯s words. My parents are still alive, so how can this one be given birth to by your majesty?¡± Emperor Zhaoyang distressingly closed his eyelids: ¡°My humble self has only met you once before you were taken away by your father3 when you were born. For all those years, my humble self has always had the assumption that you were long gone, yet never had this humble one expects that you will eventually return to my side one day. This humble one will designate you as a royalty and bestow the title of emperor upon you, so how can you not realize¡­¡­ This humble one understands that you refuse to acknowledge me, and it¡¯s my humble self who has wronged both you and your father. But this humble one only wishes to recompose you with best of things. This status of mine is also offered for you, if you wish to have it, then my humble self is able restore your identity and modify the imperial edict. [3]: A occurrence of male pregnancy (Liang Zhen has two biological fathers) ¡°But this one only fears that,¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s expression chilled, he is not at all swayed by the absolute authority presented in front of him, ¡°perhap your majesty have the intention to get rid of this one and have myself to become the target of the public.¡± ¡°You truly¡­¡­ don¡¯t desire of obtaining it for even one bit?¡± Liang Zhen coldly sneered: ¡°Your majesty is simply over-analysing it, it¡¯s myself who cannot afford to do so.¡± A long period of silence later, Emperor Zhaoyang heave out a deep sigh: ¡°Neverminded then, this humble one won¡¯t force you.¡± He reach into his hidden compartment located at bedside cupboard and pull-out an imperial decree scroll which he has already written in advance. He then hand it over to Liang Zhen: ¡°This is a scroll containing some confidential information, you can keep it. This humble one has already placed an imperial order among the elders to reassign the position to your ninth brother. He is born from your blood-related cousin, and my humble self has already planned for you in advance. Although you¡¯ve decided that you don¡¯t want my position, in that case, you are still able to be the prince regent instead. If one day you regret your decision, you can pull out this confidential edict and claim back the throne.¡± Liang Zhen open up the confidential edict on the spot. This edict not only could help him to restore his title as emperor, but it could also allow him to depose the new emperor and succeed over the throne at will. Liang Zhen raised his eyebrows slightly, then he unhurriedly put the imperial decree into his sleeves and softly smiled: ¡°Your majesty, aren¡¯t you afraid that you will brough disorder upon the land and unable to guarantee the safety of Dayan''s territory if you do as such? Emperor Zhaoyang said in a stammer: ¡°This humble one has done a great deal of wrong deeds during the prime of my life in pursuance of the throne, thus unable to even protect my most beloved ones. As for the remainder part of my life, my humble self has always been carrying the burdens of Dayan. But when my time finally came, this humble one only wishes to make up for past regrets, so how can this humble one take that much into consideration¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± CH 2.2 Liang Zhen mumbled softly with a tone which seemed to contain some unobvious implications. Emperor Zhaoyang who has been sighing incessantly while engrossed in his own emotions was taken aback for a moment when look towards him once again. Liang Zhen has always been respectful towards him but unwilling to be on good terms with him due to the grievances in his heart. Yet he has always obeyed his words and has always done everything according to his likings. But he¡¯s never been like today, both modesty and respect were no longer visible in his eyes, apart from distantness there¡¯s only contempt and repulsion. ¡°Zhen¡¯er¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your majesty should stop addressing this one as such,¡± Liang Zhen got up and crossed his arms within his wide sleeves. Arrogantly gazed down on Emperor Zhaoyang from above, while the look in his eyes gradually got colder: ¡°This one is afraid that this will only upset your majesty.¡± Emperor Zhaoyang froze for a moment and asked him with a sorrowful expression on his face: ¡°Do you truly loathe this humble one so much? It¡¯s my humble self who has wronged your father, but in consideration of you, this humble one has executed the crowned prince whom myself raised with my own hands. What else do have you ask from this humble one¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your majesty, please do not say it as such,¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s mouth twitched, and he said in disdain, ¡°How is it any my concern that your majesty decides to get rid of the abolished prince? And what benefits will I obtain from it? My initials has never been Zhu, so I won¡¯t dare to cast my greedy eyes on the things that doesn¡¯t belong to me in the first place.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­ cough¡­¡­¡± Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s face reddens as he leans downwards and starts coughing violently. Unlike in the past, Liang Zhen didn¡¯t take the initiative to support him up to give a pat on his back, he merely stood to the side and coldly observed. It wasn¡¯t until he finished coughing did he continued: ¡°Is your majesty truly aware of how you¡¯ve wronged my father?¡± Emperor Zhaoyang distressingly said: ¡°For the sake of claiming the throne, this humble one has given up your father to marry the daughters of the Xie and the He clan. But this humble one is actually forced to act out of my own will, at the time, this humble one will face death even if I wasn¡¯t able to claim the throne, so this humble one is unable to prevent the Xie clan from executing him. However, Xie Chongming pass away during the execution, and this humble one has already bestowed death upon the son born from the daughter of the Xie clan, my humble self¡­¡­¡± ¡°You are still oblivious of it,¡± Liang Zhen coldly interrupted him, ¡°No, it¡¯s not that you are oblivious, it¡¯s just that you are refusing to accept it. My father has never been abandoned by you, he simply pays no mind to you, yet you were actually the one who has been coercing him all along!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you sprout nonsense!¡± Emperor Zhaoyang dropped his fa?ade as a benevolent father once his sore spot has been hit. And in that instant, his expression morphed into a ferocious one. ¡°I am sprouting nonsense?¡± Liang Zhen coldly sneered as the hostility gradually becomes more visible in his eyes, ¡°My father and his cousin are childhood sweethearts, and were originally a match made in heaven, yet you just have to interfere into their love affair. Not only did you deliver my father¡¯s cousin to fill the pirates¡¯ stomach-aches5 then told him that he had little chance of returning back unscathed, but also imprison my father in your palace forcefully and urge him to feed on those so-called hallucination drugs. You think that you are so courageous just because you took the initiative to put your life on the line while use your identity as the emperor and took the pregnancy drug because you assumed that he will definitely be swayed by your actions. Yet it¡¯s such a pity he still resents you in his last moments, you¡¯ve always known by heart but never dare to mention it. You disguise yourself as some kind of affectionate saint, but in fact, you are the filthiest one of all!¡± [5]: This is not an idiom since I¡¯ve checked on the internet¡­ (but this is truly in the raws) ¡°You shut up! Shut up! Cough¡­¡­¡± Unsightly scars were completely unconcealed. Emperor Zhaoyang is both enraged and offended, as he unexpectedly coughed out blood due to his extreme agitation and rebuked him in a hoarse tone, ¡°you can¡¯t change the fact that it¡¯s this humble one whom has given birth to you no matter what this humble one has done in the past! You are the son of mine! So you aren¡¯t allowed to speak of this humble one like this!¡± Seeing him completely exposing his unsightly behaviors, Liang Zhen cast his eyes downwards, and a long moment later, he was enraged into smirking. His smiling expression appears to be rather ghastly behind the candlelight. After a pause, he uttered three words softly: ¡°I, am, not.¡± Emperor Zhaoyang was seized with terror and was immediately enraged: ¡°How dare you say such absurdity before me! You only were born through the ten months of my arduous pregnancy! So how could you deliberately infuriate this humble one with such impoliteness¡­¡­ You moron! Liang Zhen took a step forward, and allowed Emperor Zhaoyang to get a clear view of himself as he enunciated each word with sarcasm: ¡°Your majesty can have a good look at me, is there any similarity between your majesty and this face of mine? Under the flickering candlelight, Liang Zhen¡¯s facial features have been distinctively imprinted into Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s eyes. This is indeed a formidable face of a young man, which is at least seventy percent similar to the second son of the Liang clan during the formal years. The reason that Emperor Zhaoyang never harbored suspicion was because there¡¯s only Liang Zhen and his father who look alike within the entire Liang clan. Furthermore, the scarlet birthmark under Liang Zhen¡¯s soles looks the exact same as his own child whom he had the pleasure of only meeting once in the past. But it¡¯s just that Liang Zhen looks overly confident at this moment without a single doubt displayed on his expression. Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s limbs went numb, and started to suddenly doubt himself. What if this person truly wasn¡¯t his own son¡­¡­ ¡°Do your majesty regret your decision of mercilessly bestow death upon the abolished crowned prince at this moment?¡± Liang Zhen smirked viciously as if he is currently listening to some amusing matter. Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s clenched fists trembled uncontrollably. In the past¡­¡­ he never suspected that the former crowned prince would conspire to commit an offense. That child was brought up in his own hands, so he clearly understands what nature he had. Although the crowned prince is both credulous and stubborn, he is still the most obedient one of all. Even if the civilians and military officers in court all wanted the crowned prince to be exiled for an offense he committed, he still wanted to do all he is able to in order to keep the prince. It wasn¡¯t until later that cases of witchcraft6 started appearing which just so happens to coincide with Liang Zhen¡¯s arrival. When he is most disappointed with the crowned prince, the son who he yearn for most has appeared once again. Then, he also discovered that it was the Xie clan who executed his most beloved one back then, causing them both father and son to be separated for ten years. And so, there is no reason for him to not be resentful. Thus, he decided to push the boat along the current and bestow death upon the crowned prince due to both resentment and the fact that he desired to grant the throne to Liang Zhen. Yet right now, Liang Zhen said that he simply was not his son. [6]: The literal translation of Î×¹Æ is witchcraft, but there¡¯s a whole ass long story behind it: https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B7%AB%E8%9B%8A%E4%B9%8B%E7%A5%B8 ¡°You moron¡­.. you are deceiving this humble one, you¡¯re deliberately saying this so you could mislead me, and to infuriate me¡­¡­¡± Emperor Zhaoyang once again coughed out a mouth full of fresh blood, while speaking incoherently. Liang Zhen let out a ¡°tsk¡±: ¡°There¡¯s no need for your majesty to be so infuriated, although we don¡¯t have a father son relationship, I still pick up quite a lot of your majesty¡¯s despicable ways. So my relationship with your majesty is not entirely in vain.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­ What¡¯s your implication behind this?!¡± Liang Zhen squinted his eyes while the corners of his lips curled up into a tender smile: ¡°The fifth prince is clever and well-behaved¡­¡­ a dutiful son is obliged to pay his father¡¯s debts. Furthermore, he still has the blood of the Xie clan flowing in his veins.¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Emperor Zhaoyang stretched out his hands with the intention of grabbing onto Liang Zhen garment, yet with only one shove from Liang Zhen, he easily clasped backwards without any strength to resist. While coughing out blood constantly, he shouted for help. Yet no one responded as his hoarse cry constantly reverberated within the inner palace. Liang Zhen stood beside the lounge, coldly glaring at him: ¡°Why does your majesty have to be so agitated? There¡¯s no blood relation between me and the fifth prince in the first place, so what¡¯s the matter?¡± Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s eyes redden, as he spoke through his clenched teeth: ¡°Who¡­¡­ exactly are you¡­¡­¡± Liang Zhen indifferently said: ¡°I am naturally the descendant of my father, otherwise where did your majesty expect the birthmark on me originated from? That is because I am also my father¡¯s son.¡± ¡°This humble one isn¡¯t convinced!¡± Emperor Zhaoyang is provoked once again, ¡°How could he have another offspring! That is impossible! He¡¯s never been engaged, so there¡¯s no way that he would commit such an adultery deed with others considering this personality of his.¡± Liang Zhen closed his eyes: ¡°It¡¯s not possible in the first place, but it¡¯s all due to your majesty¡¯s threats ah. Since your majesty wish to send my father to hell, my father only wish to leave a blood lineage for another father of mine.¡± T/N: I am having a god damn headache translating this sentence: ÎÒµùÖ»ÊÇÏë¸ø¸¸Ç×ÁôÏÂÒ»µãѪÂö¶øÒÑ. Astonishment is written all over Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s expression as he spoke in a quivering tone: ¡°You are the offspring whom he gave birth to for Xiao Junpo, he could even go so far as to bear an infant with that person, how could he dare to¡­¡­ Then what about my own son¡­¡­ Where is my son then¡­¡­¡± Liang Zhen glared towards Emperor Zhaoyang with a frigid gaze as he uttered two words with indifference: ¡°Already, dead.¡± CH 3.1 As the night gradually sunken, the interior of the main palace becomes increasingly chilly and grim. In the silence, there¡¯s only the sound of the flickering and crackling flame of the candlelight shrouded in the darkness. As he gazed upon Emperor Zhaoyang who is worn down by grief and agony, Liang Zhen coldly sneered in silence: ¡°Empress dowager Qinghui was sure that my father will bring calamity to the nation after she discovered that you use your title as the emperor to bear an offspring for him. She is afraid that it will also harm the parental relationship between you and her after she executed him. Thus, she conveniently brought my father to a shrine outside of the palace, and that¡¯s exactly where I was secretly given birth to by my father. My father was found by your men and was brought back to palace not even a few days after I was born. You intend to have him witness your child delivery with his own eyes, assuming that you are able to change his mind for this reason, but it¡¯s a pity that he was not tempted at all. The empress showed up when you lost your consciousness after giving birth and told my father to bring away the infant together with him because she feared that this infant will be able to strip the throne away from her son. But not long after my father return to the shrine, the empress¡¯s elder brother Xie Chongming and his men has already chased up to him.¡± Emperor Zhaoyang clenched his teeth together tightly as his expression contorted into a ferocious one. Liang Zhen was indifferent toward it and continued: ¡°My father is aware since a long time ago that he couldn¡¯t escape from his fate, but he still couldn¡¯t bear to have that child seeking death together with him. So, he requested a little monk from the shrine to deliver a letter to the Estate of AnLe Hou asking them to take the child away. Yet it¡¯s quite unfortunate that Xie Chongming and his men arrived first before someone from the estate could show up. During the chaos, my father advance towards the summit of the mountain with the child in his arms, but he was eventually force to die by leaping off the edge of the cliff.¡± A few years prior to when Liang Zhen was brought before Emperor Zhaoyang, AnLe Hou has already clarified this matter to him. Back then, the emperor has always had the assumption that it¡¯s his legitimate mother, Empress dowager Qinghui who has also released others out of the palace for a second assassination attempt. Thus, the Empress dowager ¡°died due to illness¡± after only two years. He only made up his mind to get rid of the crowned prince for the sake of his so-thought previously lost biological son after witnessing the evidence left from the previous years and heard from AnLe Hou that this matter is carried out by the Xie Clan but that it¡¯s also related to the empress as an addition. But who knew that all of this will turn out to be in naught from the beginning. As an emperor, he is able to toy with others as he pleased, but in the end, he become the one who was toyed with instead. Emperor Zhaoyang was so enraged that he almost lost his sanity. While glaring at Liang Zhen who is right in front of him, he just hate the fact that he couldn¡¯t torn him into smithereens. Liang Zhen smirked scornfully: ¡°It was only later that the people from AnLe Hou arrived. The old Taoist from the shrine learn of my father¡¯s incident and has been hiding me away all along, so that¡¯s how I wasn¡¯t discovered by your men. He couldn¡¯t tolerate to let me undergo suffering in the shrine, so he hand me over to the Estate of AnLe Hou instead. The people from Hou Estate assume that I am the son of the emperor who my father has given birth to for you, and so they brough me back. But it just so happens that Madam Hou¡¯s son who is only a few days old pass away, thus I become there son instead.¡± ¡°Therefore, I am truly not your son. Your son already lose his life twenty years ago along with my father when they leap off the edge of the cliff. Or perhaps this is just your fate.¡± As the last word has yet to subside, Emperor Zhaoyang hollered and pounced upward, getting into position which seems as though he is ready to risk his life to confront Liang Zhen. Liang Zhen unhurriedly dodged to side, and he gazed upon the emperor who has already collapse onto the floor in an awkward manner, letting out a sneer: ¡°Your majesty should reserve some energy for later, those are the matters of the past after all, why must you be so fluster about it.¡± Both Emperor Zhaoyang face and body are stained entirely with blood, as he glared toward Liang Zhen with hostility, clear showcase of bloodthirstiness animosity were visible in his pair of sluggish eyes: ¡°This humble one will murder¡­¡­ you ¡­¡­ kill¡­¡­¡± ¡°You still didn¡¯t come to a realization up until now?¡± Liang Zhen shook his head slightly, ¡°Your majesty is really getting more muddle-headed as you aged. Weren¡¯t you making a ruckus for quite a while just now, but did anyone pay attention to you?¡± Emperor Zhaoyang was overwhelmed for a moment, as he shouted to the top of his lungs: ¡°Guards come in! Guards come in! Somebody come in for me!¡± The only answer he received is the sound of the howling breeze that is unceasingly swirling pass from outside the window. Liang Zhen stood against the light source as he calmly watched the emperor who is currently huddled up on the floor in a frenzy with no demeanor to speak of. The emotions within his eyes were indistinguishable. Only after a long period of time has past did he faintly whispered: ¡°Your majesty¡¯s showcase of heartfelt paternal affection is truly touching, since you bestow me the authority to control all the military power around the capital of the imperial city, I will naturally make good use of it. It¡¯s such a pity that I truly don¡¯t harbor any interest towards the throne which belongs to the Zhu clan, but you can rest assured, it will nevertheless be your own son who ascends to that position. But as for who it is, it will be up for me to decide.¡± ¡°Bastar¡­¡­¡± Emperor Zhaoyang fly into a rage, and he finally lost his consciousness after spiting out another mouthful of blood once again. The palace gate was pushed open as Liang Zhen exited. Eunuch Feng Sheng is currently standing beside the gate in attendance while bowing his head, Liang Zhen exchanged a nod with him: ¡°Your majesty¡¯s mentality is unstable and has been in a state of confusion for a long period of time, you guys should serve him properly.¡± A glint of light flashed pass Feng Sheng¡¯s eyes, before he showed a submissive expression and responded in a respectful manner: ¡°Yes.¡± CH 3.2 Outside of Ganlin Palace, Zhu Yunxuan is currently draped in his fox fur coat while holding a hand-heater and strolling around at a slow pace. The palace lantern in the hand of eunuch behind him illuminated the accumulated snow from beneath, manifesting a vague dusky glow. Liang Zhen stopped in his tracks, and after seeing him gradually approaching, the corner of his lips raised unnoticeably. Zhu Yunxuan walked closer, and as their eyes met, he nodded in an indifferent manner. Liang Zhen beamingly asked him: ¡°Why has your highness come to visit his majesty the emperor at this hour?¡± Zhu Yunxuan said: ¡°Just overheard from the others that imperial father isn¡¯t feeling well again, so I came for a visit.¡± ¡°Then I am afraid that you made this trip in vain, your highness, his majesty the emperor has lost his consciousness just now after coughing out gulps of blood for a while. Thus, he won¡¯t so much as be aware that you even showed up.¡± Zhu Yunxuan glance towards the direction of the brightly lit palace chamber which is packed full of people and replied with an unperturbed tone: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll visit another day instead.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll accompany your highness on the way back.¡± Liang Zhen also has a temporary residence that¡¯s not quite far from Qixiang Hall within the palace, so the two of them walk towards the same direction on their way back. They rarely had moment of peace in which they would get along with each other such as this one. In the darkness of the night, the image of them walking shoulder to shoulder stretched out two long silhouettes onto the snow as they inadvertently blended together. After arriving outside of Qixiang Palace, Zhu Yunxuan once again exchanged a nod with Liang Zhen before heading in. Yet Liang Zhen called out to him all of the sudden: ¡°Your Highness.¡± Zhu Yunxuan turns back and habitually glances towards Liang Zhen with caution in his eyes. Within the darkness of the night, Liang Zhen displays a subtle smile in his eyes as he extends out his hands. Zhu Yunxuan instantly turn away with an awkward expression on his face, yet Liang Zhen¡¯s hand merely settled on his shoulder as he flick away the snowflakes accumulated on top of it for him, and chuckled softly: ¡°What is it that your highness is being so nervous for?¡± Zhu Yunxuan unnoticeably subpress the unwillingness that instinctively rose in his heart and replied in an indifferent manner: ¡°Zhaowang is too apprehensive.¡± He has nothing more to add, but just as he was about to head in, Liang Zhen once again called out to him then took a step forward and stood opposite to him while leaning in closer. Zhu Yunxuan tried his best to subpress the urge to reach out and shove the other person away as his complexion becomes extra distasteful: ¡°What exactly are you intending to do?¡± Liang Zhen beamingly looked at him: ¡°What intentions does your highness think I have?¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s expression chilled, and after a long period of silence later, he added: ¡°May Zhaowang be the someone who abide by their words.¡± Liang Zhen spoke in a composed manner: ¡°Of course.¡± Zhu Yunxuan has nothing else to say, so he turned around and left. Watching as his back profile gradually fades away, the smile shown on the corner of Liang Zhen¡¯s lips slowly vanished, and the sentiments hidden within his abstruse eyes were unfathomable. From that night onward, Emperor Zhaoyang had been in an unconscious state all along, and the imperial physicians were at a loss of what to do. The whole palace is shrouded in an almost inexplicable, yet silent atmosphere with all the eyes fixed towards the direction of Ganlin Palace. It was especially at this critical moment that no one dared to act out of impulse. It wasn¡¯t until late at night on the third day did someone suddenly wake Zhu Yunxuan up while he was in a half sober state. Gao-an knelt beside his bed and restlessly reminded him: ¡°Quickly wake up your highness, someone showed up from Ganlin Palace, so I am afraid that his majesty isn¡¯t doing well right now.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s drowsiness was instantly swept away as he hurriedly get dress and headed straight towards the direction of Ganlin Palace after exiting out the door. The rushing footsteps of palace men could be heard along the way, creating a clamorous commotion, whilst the number of palace guards on patrol also increased compared to the usual amount. Zhu Yunxuan couldn¡¯t calm down his restless heart until he bumped into Liang Zhen at a place where there¡¯s only a wall separating the Ganlin Palace. Liang Zhen nevertheless had a nonchalant attitude of someone who seemingly had everything under control. Seeing this, Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s agitated mood became inexplicably more restless as he opened his mouth and directly inquired: ¡°What exactly had you mentioned to imperial father that day? And why has he been in an unconscious state up until now?¡± Liang Zhen narrowed his gaze, quietly watching as the corner of Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s eyes reddened with disintegration and spoke in a deep voice: ¡°Your highness still has the time to worry about trivial matters such as this one at a time like this? Shouldn¡¯t you be like others who are currently rushing to Ganlin Palace in order to send off his majesty the emperor one last time and wait for the testamentary edict?¡± Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes. How could he not understand that he is supposed to rush to the Ganlin Palace right now to prevent others from snatching away his opportunity. Yet at this moment, it doesn¡¯t matter how much resentment and hatred he had towards the emperor in the past, all that it¡¯s left now is an indescribable complexity. He doesn''t even have the will to see him, but that person is still his imperial father after all. ¡°In the end¡­¡­ Just what exactly did he told you?¡± Liang Zhen curls up his lip ambiguously: ¡°Your highness wouldn¡¯t wish to know, those filthy matters shouldn''t dirty your ears.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for your highness to be so agonised, this isn¡¯t the right time to be worried over those things.¡± Liang Zhen step forward and extended out his hand whilst Zhu Yunxuan cast his gaze downwards as a handkerchief was handed over to him.¡± After seeing him refused to receive it, Liang Zhen gave him a reminder: ¡°Wipe yourself beforehand, it isn¡¯t time for the mourning yet.¡± Zhu Yunxuan sneered: ¡°What about you? With that unperturbed manner of yours, aren¡¯t you afraid that others will pick you out for the blame?¡± Liang Zhen nonchalantly said: ¡°Me and your highness aren¡¯t the same, you are his majesty the emperor¡¯s descendent while I am merely a foreign official.¡± Zhu Yunxuan raised his gaze to glance at him, he hesitated for a moment as the words rushed to the tip of his tongue, but he ultimately didn¡¯t say anything in the end and received the handkerchief. At the present, there were hoards of people on their knees in and out of Ganlin Palace, as the scuffling sound of weeping resonated in the surroundings. On the floor within the interior of the palace, there were full male and female monarchies on their knees along with concubines from the harem as well as the imperial clansmen. The few esteemed governing eunuchs who were summon into palace yesterday are also present. Imperial consort Chen brought along the ninth prince to kneeled at the foremost position, while leaning beside the couch and hopelessly wept for Emperor Zhaoyang. The emperor who is lying on the lounge while tightly closing his eyes is already on a shortage of breath. Zhu Yunxuan didn¡¯t make an appearance, he restlessly walked towards the assembling of royalty and knelt down. On the other hand, Liang Zhen lifted up the hem of his clothes and knelt behind the assembling of imperial clansmen in a solemn manner. Emperor Zhaoyang who is lying on the lounge seems to have sensed something as he slowly opens his eyelids, turning his gaze around with great difficulty and settling it on Liang Zhen who is hiding behind the crowd. He appeared as though he intend to extend out his hands, while his lips also showed movement, yet all that was heard is a hoarse mumble. He stretched out his neck slightly and struggles to keep his eyes open. Yet in the end, he dejectedly collapsed backwards onto the bed, with his eyelid dropping. The leading imperial physician who is kneeling before the lounge, prostrated after taking the pulse for awhile, with his forehead touching the floor. Imperial consort Chen let out a whimper along with countless cries which sounded throughout the palace simultaneously. Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyelids, as his tears soundless descended. CH 4 The night is so dark that even a trace of light can not be leaked through, during the gloomiest hour before daybreak, the sudden sound of Yunban1 cut through the pitch-black fog and endlessly resonated throughout the imperial city. [1]: ÔÆ°å: An instrument or a tool used to convey the masses of the time, the reason why it¡¯s called ÔÆ°å is because the tool shapes like a cloud (There¡¯s no clock during the ancient eras so that¡¯s the only way people get to know the time) The emperor has ascended to heaven2. [2]: éëÌì: A fancy term used to describe an individual with a high status has passed away Hundreds of eunuchs got onto their knees outside of the palace gate, prostrating on the ground, while weeping aloud. Within the Ganlin Palace, the grand secretary Zhang Nianling presented forth the brocade box containing the imperial decree with a quivering hand, and slowly opened it under the countless attentive gazes of the crowd. Imperial Consort Chen, who originally almost lost her consciousness due to the amount of crying, held out her handkerchief to cover her face, her whimpers became quieter, while her glistening gaze was eagerly observing Zhang Nianling¡¯s every movement. Zhu Yunxuan cast his gaze downwards as the corners of his eye gradually redden. His stiff expression appears to be particularly solemn, yet his hands were clenched into a fist under the sleeves of his over-sized garment. Zhang Nianling slowly spread open the imperial decree and recited it in a deep tone: ¡°I, while lacking ability, am fortunate to inherit this great country from my ancestors. It has been twenty-four years since I became the emperor and during this period of time, I desire to develop this nation while working day and night without rest. So I am afraid something unforeseen may happen to me. The ninth prince ... Has outstanding talent, and great fortune bestowed by heaven, is best suited to be crown Prince. However, he is still young, and should concentrate on his studies. Zhaowang ... Is mature and skilled beyond the norm, should be granted the title of prince regent, taking care of this country¡¯s governing, as well as teaching the Crown Prince in leading the nation. I¡¯ll make it known to the people here and over in the foreign nations, so everyone can be aware of my intentions.¡± Zhu Yunxuan sunk his fingertips deep into his palms and tightly clenched his teeth together. As Zhang Nianling¡¯s last word subsided, the entire palace was temporarily shrouded in silence. The next moment, the ignorant nineth prince who only has the ability to wail aloud was supported up by someone. A group of governing officials in the lead of Zhang Nianling is already on their knees in front of the prince, preparing to pay their respects to the new emperor. Yet Liang Zhen who had been hiding behind the crown suddenly stated: ¡°Hold on a moment.¡± Zhang Nianling instantly furrowed his brow and reminded him using a deep voice: ¡°If there¡¯s anything that Zhaowang wishes to add, it would be better to save it for later.¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be enough time afterwards.¡± Liang Zhen unhurriedly stood up and strolled beside Zhang Nianling. Imperial Consort Chen furiously glared at him who happened to interrupt at this moment, yet Liang Zhen paid no mind to it and solely questioned Zhang Nianling: ¡°Could I be allowed to examine the Imperial decree?¡± Zhang Nianling¡¯s brows knitted together: ¡°What is Zhaowang¡¯s implication behind this? Is it possible to suspect the falsification of the imperial decree?!¡± Liang Zhen spoke in an indifferent manner: ¡°Fake or not, I¡¯ll only know after examining it. There¡¯s no need for Elder Zhang to be so anxious as such, this only makes it seem like you have a guilty conscience.¡± Zhang Nianling was seized with surprise for a moment before turning furious: ¡°Ostentatious! How dare you youngsters slander this old fellow! ¡°Then why don¡¯t you present the imperial decree forth in order to let everyone examine it.¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s tone wasn¡¯t harsh, yet his attitude is utterly unyielding, not giving any chance to let others interfere. Not only Zhang Nianling, but the other two elders who were also ordered to keep the imperial decree under watch turned red. Feudal officials were most concerned about their own reputation, whether it¡¯s about Liang Zhen harboring suspicion towards them, or involving themselves in the slaughter of the nine generations3 punishment. [3]: The slaughter of nine generation punishment is executed upon someone who has committed a major crime such as usurping the throne. (In short terms, it basically means wiping out their entire next generations of lineage) The expressions of crowd within the palace changed without an exception as various kinds of gazes which contained suspicion settled upon Zhang Nianling. Among the assembling of the imperial clansmen, somebody took the lead and shouted: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why don¡¯t the elders allow us to take a look at this imperial decree!¡± Zhu Yunxuan swept a glance at the speaker in a composed manner, he is one of Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s cousins, granted the title of King Xian. All the royalties of the Zhu clan, not including the ones who has been granted a portion of land, none of Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s blood-related siblings were still residing in the capital nowadays. So, King Xian can only be regarded as Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s most intimate relative in this generation and is also someone who has been kindly treated by him. Even if the assembling of the princes encountered him, they would still need to formally acknowledge him as imperial uncle. Zhang Nianling is greatly offended, yet he had no choice but the offer up the imperial decree to Liang Zhen: ¡°Zhaowang should clearly examine it with your eyes wide open! This imperial decree was written by his majesty the emperor himself when he was still alive, so is there any evidence of fabrication!¡± Liang Zhen received it in a nonchalant manner, swept a quick glance at it once, then casted his gaze downward: ¡°Such a coincidence, it just so happens that I also have a copy of the imperial decree which is written by his majesty the emperor himself when he is still alive as well. But regarding the contents¡­¡­ I am not sure whether it will be identical or not. Eunuch Feng is present when his majesty the emperor is writing down the imperial decree, he is also a witness like me. If not, then allow Eunuch Feng to give us a testimony.¡± Zhang Nianling is overwhelmed: ¡°How is it possible that there¡¯s another copy of the imperial decree! And how can an old fellow like me not be informed of it! What exactly are you intending to achieve?!¡± Liang Zhen indifferently fired a question back at him: ¡°By what means does elder must be obliged to know that another imperial decree does not exist? You haven¡¯t even scanned through it yet, so what is it that elder is being so anxious about?¡± ¡°You!¡± The entire palace was in an uproar, and a group of people started to exchange whispers with one another. Imperial Consort Chen clutched the handkerchief in her palm, while fixedly glaring at Liang Zhen. Yet Liang Zhen pay none of his concern to it and once again reminded Zhang Nianling whose expression has already darkened: ¡°Hurry up and scan through the imperial decree, for the sake of letting the emperor to be reassured as well as bringing relief to the land.¡± King Xian exclaimed: ¡°Read, read, read! We must read it of course!¡± It doesn¡¯t matter what thoughts the other may have on it, they all chime in to express their agreement: ¡°Considering that there¡¯s another copy of the imperial decree, then we naturally have to skim through it of course.¡± ¡°Precisely, this imperial decree is also from his majesty after all ah.¡± ¡°Hurry up and skim through it, what are you being so skeptical about¡­¡­¡± Feng Sheng spread open the imperial and unhurriedly recited it aloud. The contents in the first part are identical, but it changed completely from the middle portion and onwards. ¡°The fifth son of the emperor, Yunxuan, titled King of Rui has shown selfless devotion to duty and is a virtuous talent that has been long-recognised. In consideration of our ancestral traditions and in accordance to the hearts of civilians, the title of emperor should thus be granted to¡­¡­¡± Before the reciting of the imperial decree had concluded, Imperial Consort Chen lost her voice and exclaimed aloud: ¡°This can¡¯t be!¡± She stumbled up onto her feet, attempting to snatch the imperial decree away from Feng Sheng¡¯s hand as she lost her composure and shouted: ¡°This is fake! This must be fake! You guys got some balls! Even daring to wear the pretense of acting on an imperial order in an effort to conspire for the throne!¡± Feng Sheng knitted his brows and stepped backwards, complaining of an injustice: ¡°Madam, please be more understanding ah! This servant won¡¯t dare to commit such a treacherous crime even if you grant this servant ten thousand guts!¡± The commotion made by Imperial Consort Chen also startled Zhu Yunqiong which caused him to start wailing aloud. Zhu Yunxuan firmly pursed his lip without saying a word, he could sense that a great deal of eyes were turned towards his direction that contained awe, suspicion as well as scrutiny. Zhang Nianling¡¯s whole body is shivering in anger: ¡°Preposterous! Preposterous! You¡­¡­ you guys have got some balls.¡± Liang Zhen nevertheless has a nonchalant appearance on his face: ¡°Then that¡¯s quite unusual, the contents on both of the imperial decrees differentiate from each other to such a degree¡­¡­¡± ¡°The one you have is definitely a fabrication!¡± Several governing officials exclaimed in unison from behind, each with their faces turning crimson due to anger. Liang Zhen turned a deaf ear to them and merely said: ¡°Considering that there are two completely separate imperial decrees, then let¡¯s hear what the spectators have to say.¡± Both copies of the imperial decree were circulated around in the hands of the crowd. The handwriting on them appears to be the same on surface, since all of them originated from the hands of the emperor and were imprinted with the imperial jade seal as well, but it¡¯s only due to the difference in the contents that truly made it difficult for others to arrive at a conclusion. Another governing official from behind Zhang Nianling refuted: ¡°The day when his majesty summoned us to the palace, the three of us were present when he wrote down the imperial decree with his own hands! So how is it possible that it¡¯s a falsification! It¡¯s obvious that you, Zhaowang, have hidden motives, thus attempting to create another decree with the intention of usurping the throne!¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s expression chilled: ¡°Conspiring and usurping the throne? Is there any reason for me to do so? The fifth prince, titled as King of Rui, has been chosen to ascend the throne according to the decree. The King of Rui and I never crossed paths with each other before, so why would I risk committing a crime which results in receiving the slaughtering of nine generations in order to help him?¡± Without waiting for the other party to refute, he added: ¡°The ninth prince is my nephew nonetheless, while his mother Imperial Consort Chen is my cousin, and not to mention that she also shared the surname Liang with me. On the topic of offering help, it should only be appropriate for me the offer them help instead. Furthermore, the imperial decree in your hands states that the position of prince regent is granted to me, so why would I bother giving up the position of regency if I truly am conspiring to usurp the throne, and instead put my life on the line for the fifth prince whom has no ties of kinship with me whatsoever?¡± Imperial Consort Chen is furious to a degree: ¡°Liang Zhen! You did this on purpose! How could you commit such an act! You ¡ª¡ª¡± Liang Zhen directed a cold glance towards her direction and reminded her in a deep voice: ¡°Madam Imperial Consort Chen, be careful with your manners.¡± Sensing his gaze which was dripping with frostiness, Imperial Consort Chen was seized with terror as cold sweat broke out from her back for no apparent reason. After reminding herself of certain incidents, her lips slightly trembled and she lost the guts to speak up again.¡± Zhang Nianling cursed in anger: ¡°How dare you!¡± Liang Zhen retorted with sarcasm: ¡°Don¡¯t rely on the fact that you elders have the highest rank among the officials, so decided to act in collusion for the sake of deceiving the emperor and neglecting the superiors while disrupting the imperial system. Falsifying the decree of succession is tantamount to a crime of treason. You guys are being so firmly determined for the sake of letting an infant become a puppet emperor, so what exactly are you guy¡¯s intentions? Is it that the position of a governing official is not enough to satisfy you, so you wish to substitute a new regime for the old?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡ª!¡± Zhang Nianling was so enraged by Liang Zhen¡¯s aggressive attitude that he was unable to breathe properly, and almost lost consciousness. He is barely able to stand up straight even by relying on the support of his fellow associates. The crowd within the main palace exchanged glances with one another, nobody had the guts to speak up at this moment. Liang Zhen observed with a cold gaze, and once again asked the crowd: ¡°Now that both of the imperial decrees are on display, what judgments does everyone have regarding this?¡± Nobody dared to speak up, Zhu Yunxuan looked towards Liang Zhen, who is still able to keep his composure even during a time like this, with a complicated expression on his face as well as some particularly incomprehensible mixed feelings in his heart. However, Liang Zhen did not look in his direction, and merely confronted the governing officials before him. Zhang Nianling prostrated himself before Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s corpse, and lamented aloud in agitation: ¡°His majesty ah! Throughout the three dynasties, this old fellow has diligently done my duties and pledged my loyalty to you! Thus, I have nothing to be ashamed of before the heavens! But now¡­¡­ now I am unable to reserve the territory of Dayan for you anymore! I am not qualified to live on in this world, so why don¡¯t I accompany you instead ah!¡± Liang Zhen spoke with indifference: ¡°Elder Zhang¡¯s statement is rather overstepping the boundary, are you currently wishing misfortune upon the Nation of Dayan?¡± This remark is truly a penetrating criticism, Zhang Nianling is angered to the point of vomiting out a mouth full of blood on the spot, causing the entire palace to be engulfed into chaos at once. During the mess, an abrupt series of footsteps which is rapid as a torrential downpour sounded from outside. The imperial palace guards has sieged the Ganlin Palace inside and out, even the moving silhouettes as well as fire torches are visible through the blurred glazed windows inside the palace. The vague swishing sound of swords leaving their sheaths is also particularly fear-inducing. Then, the general of the imperial guards enter the palace, swept a glance at the situation inside and request orders from Liang Zhen in a solemn manner: ¡°Due the demise of the emperor, I feared that disorder will occur within the inner palace, so I¡¯ve already placed an order to strengthen the patrols and guards within the palace, and now requesting for your instructions sir.¡± The expressions of the crowd in the palace became extremely complicated at this moment, they all seems to have a vague recollection that during the time when Emperor Zhaoyang seriously ill, all the soldiers of entire imperial city even including the palace guards had been under unified orders of a domineering leader who has a different surname. If he truly intends to conspire against the throne, he may as well just claim the throne for himself. Zhang Nianling, who is already in an awkward predicament, became extra furious when he witnessed this and angrily rebuked: ¡°You order them to siege Ganlin palace¡­¡­ You¡­¡­ are attempting to threaten me into submission! Don¡¯t you dare to even think about it! Even if this old fellow were to die, I will never allow a traitorous rebel such as you to have your way!¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s eyes narrowed, the last trace of patience within his gaze finally exhausted itself. CH 5 The atmosphere in the palace became increasingly intense, nobody was paying any of their concern to Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s corpse lying on the lounge anymore as their attention was instead directed towards the two distinctively separate decrees of succession. Zhang Nianling is truly worthy of being an official who has been serving through three dynasties since he is still not backing down despite being angered to the point of coughing out several mouthfuls of blood and was soon back to cussing about with vitality. Liang Zhen did not pay any of his attention to him anymore as he received the two imperial decrees which has been circulated around in the hands of crowd. Casting down his gaze, he suddenly spoke up and ask a female among the concubines who was whimpering with her head bowed down: ¡°Madam Zhaoyi, is the booklet that you received when you were promoted to the position of a consort ten days ago still in your chamber?¡± Fang Zhaoyi was startled after her name was mentioned, and she only mumbled after quite a long while has past: ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡­¡± Liang Zhen nodded slightly: ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble Madam Zhaoyi to ask someone to fetch the booklet from your chamber.¡± Fang Zhaoyi timidly said: ¡°Zhao, Zhaowang¡­¡­ what are you intending to do?¡± Zhang Nianling and the others spoke with impatience: ¡°What kind of tricks are you playing up at your sleeves again! We are now dealing with his majesty¡¯s imperial decree! So what are you intending to do by requesting Madam Zhaoyi to bring in her booklet?!¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s line of sight turn towards those people, as a faintly discernible glimpse of sarcasm flash before his eyes: ¡°Half a month ago, a corner of his majesty¡¯s precious jade seal was accidentally broken by the ninth prince, although the seal was mended by gold, there will still be a slight difference in the imprint of the seal at the corner if you examine it closely. His majesty has been seriously ill over the past half month, and wasn¡¯t able to manage court affairs, thus all the imperial edicts has halted production. Elders may not know this, but only ten days ago, his majesty is grateful of Madam Zhaoyi¡¯s meritorious deed of successfully giving birth to the third prince and he thus promoted Madam Zhaoyi to her current position. Both the seal imprints on the imperial decree in my hands and her booklet should be identical, but as for the one that the several elders have¡­¡­¡± The entire palace is engulfed into an uproar, Zhang Nianling stared in disbelief: ¡°How dare you sprout such absurdity, the jade seal is still perfectly intact when his majesty summoned us to the palace that day! It couldn¡¯t have been damaged in any way! So, it¡¯s obvious that you are making misleading remarks!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Liang Zhen indifferently replied and turn towards Imperial Consort Chen, ¡°If not, then let¡¯s hear what Madam Imperial Consort Chen has to say, didn¡¯t you witness it yourself when the ninth prince naughtily broke his majesty¡¯s jade seal?¡± Imperial Consort Chen¡¯s gaze flickered as she clutched her handkerchief, biting her lips tightly and refusing to say anything. After hearing no response, Liang Zhen nonchalantly ordered: ¡°Then let¡¯s bring in the servants who were by the ninth prince¡¯s side for a clarification, there are definitely more then a few witnesses who were on the scene that day.¡± Several nurserymaids and stewards were brought in, and they confessed everything due to panic after merely kneeling for awhile. On that day, the ninth prince did indeed damage the jade seal on accident, Imperial Consort Chen also forbade them spread the news, and merely push the blame onto another eunuch in the end. Imperial Consort Chen rebuked due to panic: ¡°But his majesty has been in a severe condition, thus he is unable to learn of this matter ah! He assume that the jade seal was still intact, so it must be you who had created a fabrication of the jade seal in order to deceive him!¡± ¡°Such absurdities,¡± Liang Zhen coldly sneered, ¡°How is it possible for his majesty to not notice that the jade seal has been damaged? The eunuch who took the blame is still suffering from torture up till this day, don¡¯t you think that your remark is overly ridiculous Madam Chen?¡± Feng Sheng also added: ¡°At that time, his majesty threw a huge tantrum over this and requested this servant to mend the jade seal with gold. So, allow this servant to fetch the jade seal right now.¡± The three elder officials finally fell into a panic as Zhang Nianling glared at Liang Zhen with animosity: ¡°This is totally absurd! How is it possible that¡­¡­ It must be your own deed! It¡¯s obvious that your traitor has planned this out in advance!¡± Liang Zhen paid none of his concern to them anymore since the underlings from Fang Zhaoyi¡¯s palace had already retrieved and brought in the booklet. After a comparison, it was apparent to the eye that the shade of imprint on the imperial decree that Liang Zhen presented forth is indeed identical, and the jade seal that Feng Sheng has brought in is truly mended by gold in the corner. The way that the crowd looked at Zhang Nianling totally changed without an exception. Technically speaking, they naturally place more trust onto several governing officials compared to Liang Zhen, but now that the evidence is place in front of them and with imperial guards intently keeping a watch outside as an addition¡­¡­ King Xian is the first one to take the initiative: ¡°Damn you Zhang Nianling, can it be that you old pimps have the guts to conspire against the nation ruled over by our Zhu clan?¡± Once this statement has been made, those families who were particularly hesitant to ponder over this matter lowered their heads in succession. Although they didn¡¯t express their stance in the same way as King Xian did, they still subconsciously moved a little farther away from Zhang Nianling, evidently drawing a clear line by expressing their attitude. Zhang Nianling once again vomited a mouthful of blood due to frustration as another elder rebuked in a fluster: ¡°You! You people intend to gang up for the sake of renouncing the throne after the emperor has merely ascended to heaven! You unfaithful bastards! This imperial decree of succession is undoubtedly written by his majesty the day when he summoned me into the palace! By doing this, you people aren¡¯t allowing his majesty to rest in peace!¡± King Xian glared with rage: ¡°How dare you old pimps make such slanderous statements against others! It¡¯s obvious that you guys are colluding with each other and pretending to act on an imperial order for the sake of conspiring for the throne! You are unable to explain yourselves once again now that the evidence is so conclusive!¡± Feng Sheng added: ¡°His majesty indeed summon the three elders into the palace that day, but this servant dismissed all the maids and others during your private discussion. Apart from the three elders, no one knows what exactly his majesty told you guys¡­¡­ whether or not did he really pass an imperial order to you ¡­¡­ is also¡­¡­¡± ¡°You lowly servant! How dare you sprout such absurdities!¡± Zhang Nianling furiously interrupted him, as Feng Sheng slightly shrank back his neck and did not speak further. King Xian rolled his eyes then walk towards Zhu Yunxuan and courteously supported him up. Apart from Zhang Nianling and several others who are still in frustration, everyone else¡¯s eyes have already settled onto Zhu Yunxuan. Zhu Yunxuan furrowed his brows and swept a glance at the crowd in attendance with a solemn expression as King Xian took the initiative to get onto his knees: ¡°This humble one will thus pay my courtesies to our new emperor, may the lord be long lived!¡± Kowtowing with their foreheads touching the ground, the heartbeats of the crowd instantly jumped up to their throats. Liang Zhen glanced towards the three governing officials aside from Zhang Nianling. The few of them haven¡¯t spoken up much just now and have only been on their knees with their heads lowered as if they weren¡¯t involved in any of this: ¡°What thoughts do you have regarding this Elder Liu, Elder Li, and Elder Deng?¡± The three of them shiver with fear, the one in the lead raised his head slowly and avoided the cannibalistic-like gazes which Zhang Nianling and several others directed at them. After hesitating, he turn towards Zhu Yunxuan and got onto his knees while gritting his teeth. The other two immediately follow his lead and pay their courtesies to the new emperor together. Imperial Consort Chen completely slumped onto the floor, knowing that the situation was hopeless. In addition to Zhang Nianling and three others who were still conspicuously standing amidst the crowd, everyone from the assembling of clansmen to the concubines and even the male monarchies was already on their knees in front of Zhu Yunxuan. Liang Zhen gave a glance at the general of imperial guards, and Zhang Nianling as well as several others were captured in an instant while they were still persistent to put up a fight. But Liang Zhen no longer give the opportunity for them to do so and spoke with indifference: ¡°Zhang Nianling, Wang Ci and Cao Xinrui, all three of them harbored ulterior motives and wear the pretense of acting on an imperial order for the sake of plotting mischief. And thus, they shall be imprisoned without any delay and await their punishment.¡± Zhang Nianling only had enough time to cry out ¡°the heaven has no mercy¡± before he was dragged away by the imperial guards after being silenced. The crowd within the palace is shrouded in silence like cicadas during late autumn. Liang Zhen turned towards Zhu Yunxuan and frankly got onto his knees under the complicated gaze of the other party. Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes slightly, after calming down his overly unrestrained emotions, he placed an order in a deep voice: ¡°According to the decree of the imperial examination, officials of the clan is required to be dressed in mourning clothes for the next twenty-seven days starting from today without slacking off.¡± ¡°As you command!¡± The crowd responded in unison. The imperial order was passed throughout the palace while all the officials got down on their knees to pay their respect to the new emperor. For now, the dust is settled. It¡¯s already deep into the night as the commotion during the daytime has dissipated. Only Zhu Yunxuan remained in the mourning hall by himself after nightfall, quietly kneeling before the emperor¡¯s coffin as the dim flickering candlelight reflected his unwavering features. The echoing of footsteps sounded from behind, there¡¯s no need for him to turn around in order to know who it is. Liang Zhen strolled beside Zhu Yunxuan and sat down on his knees while whispering: ¡°How many days had passed since your highness remained here? You haven¡¯t even had two hours of rest each day, it couldn¡¯t be that you are intending to exhaust yourself to death after merely ascending to the throne, right?¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze flickered, and he asked after a moment of silence: ¡°How is the situation out there?¡± ¡°How else could it be, those who should be captured have already been captured, and those who should be silenced have already been silenced.¡± The controversy of ascension has been widely publicized, even if Zhu Yunxuan ascended to the throne successfully, skeptical opinions nevertheless cannot be reduced. With the imprisonment of Zhang Nianling alone is enough to make the literary officials of the imperial court as well as all the scholars to harbor suspicion towards their new emperor. It¡¯s merely because of the fact that Liang Zhen has authority in his grasp so nobody has the guts to speak up. ¡°Minister Zhang, they¡­¡­¡± Liang Zhen spoke with apathy: ¡°The crime they committed will implicate the next nine generations of their lineage. Your highness has shown mercy, in consideration of the merits they¡¯ve committed in the past, and you thus only just exterminate their families without involving others.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze dimmed slightly, Liang Zhen caught a glimpse as he curled up the corner of his lip: ¡°Huh, is it that your highness is reluctant? And felt sympathetic by doing so?¡± ¡°What¡¯s done is done.¡± Liang Zhen semi-smiled: ¡°It¡¯s truly quite a pity, those elder officials are rare exceptional scholars, as well as the supporting pillars of the nation. But it¡¯s merely that they are overly pedantic, and just so happens to get on your highness¡¯s bad side. It¡¯s a good thing that they¡¯ve lost their integrity at the end of the day, but also implicated your highness when you first ascended to the throne. Without the trusted aides of those several officials, it seems that no one is available now.¡± Zhu Yunxuan directed an apathetic glance towards Liang Zhen: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be exactly what you wished for.¡± He indeed felt rather ashamed about it, although Zhang Nianling was overly pedantic and unconventional, he is nevertheless a true loyalist as well as the role model of all the literary officials under the heaven. If he had their support, he would appear to be less impotent and unlikely to be trampled by others. But it¡¯s such a pity that he wasn''t chosen by Emperor Zhaoyang, and thus, Zhang Nianling¡¯s loyalty naturally won¡¯t belong to him. So for the sake of ascending to the throne, he could only stain his hands with fresh blood. The smile in Liang Zhen¡¯s eyes gradually became deeper: ¡°Does your highness truly don¡¯t place any trust in me? I risk going against the will of the people in order to help you ascend to the throne, but you turn your back on me in a blink of an eye and be on your guard with me all the time, suspecting that I have some ulterior motives. You¡¯ve truly made me rather disappointed.¡± Zhu Yunxuan did not wish to continue this argument, and indifferently spoke: ¡°Then what about King Xian, did you also persuade him?¡± ¡°How could that be possible, perhaps your highness thought too highly of me. What sort of person is King Xian, and how do I have the ability to persuade him.¡± Liang Zhen smiled while shaking his head. There¡¯s nothing more to it than the fact that others changed their views according to the circumstances, so there¡¯s naturally no need to especially persuade him. Zhu Yunxuan stare at the ashes from the fire basin that was blown away by a breeze from nowhere as his gaze deepens: ¡°That jade seal¡­¡­ you already knew that Zhu Yunqiong is the one he had on mind?¡± Liang Zhen raised his eyebrows slightly: ¡°What assumptions does your highness have?¡± ¡°Heh.¡± From beginning till end, his imperial father has never taken him into consideration, it¡¯s him who has persisted until the end all along. Both he and his brother are merely steppingstones that Emperor Zhaoyang has left behind for others to use. How pathetic. CH 6.1 Note: The original idiom from goes like this: ºéË®ÃÍÊÞ The literal translation to this idiom is supposed to be ¡°fierce floods and savage beasts¡±. This idiom is also used to describe a great threat or a hidden danger. Huaqing Palace, Imperial Consort Chen¡¯s chamber. Liang Zhen advanced up the flight of steps, but before entering through the gate, an imperial guard who had been ordered to stay behind reported to him in a whisper: ¡°A few days prior, madam kept demanding for a leave. Her wordings¡­¡­ are somewhat indecent, but during the past two days, she seems to have stopped herself on the contrary. Yet she still appeared to be in a daze, and would giggle for a moment then weep in the next¡­¡­¡± A glimpse of sarcasm flashes through Liang Zhen¡¯s gaze as he pushes open the gate and enters. Imperial Consort Chen is ludicrously huddle up on the floor with her hair dishevelled as not a meager her stunning and alluring elegance from the previous day was seen. Liang Zhen apathetically observed and thought back to the words she has spoken back in the day when she insist on entering the palace as his gaze chilled further ¡°The members of my family all claim that I had a similar appearance as my second uncle, so his majesty may also take an interest in me even if I am a female ba¡±. Imperial Consort Chen slowly lift her head after hearing the commotion and made eye contact with Liang Zhen¡¯s gaze which lacked any warmth. After a slight pause, she raised the corners of her lip and coldly sneered: ¡°How long is Zhaowang planning to place me under a house arrest? Why is it that I am not even allow to attend the funeral session after the death his majesty?¡± ¡°After the demise of the emperor, madam has been grief-stricken and thus unable to get out of bed to keep vigil beside the bier,¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s tone is fridge, and after a pause, he once again continued, ¡°Madam has lost interest in anything else in life because you¡¯ve been single-mindedly commemorating the emperor, so why don¡¯t you go accompany him if that¡¯s the case.¡± Imperial Consort Chen was flabbergasted, her body trembled all over as she reacted in a fury of grief: ¡°You are intending to get rid of me, you are actually intending to put me to death¡­¡­ how exactly did that Zhu Yunxuan lead you astray?! For his sake, you pretended to act on an imperial order to stripped away the throne which belong to Qiong¡¯er, and now you even want us dead! We clearly had a deal previously, since you and I are both surnamed Liang, is it not satisfying enough to be a regency?! So why would you commit such an act that will put yourself at a disadvantage?!¡± Liang Zhen denied: ¡°Madam is mistaken, you are the only one who has to be dead. Since the ninth prince is still minor, he doesn¡¯t understand much. You are the one who imbedded poison into the emperor¡¯s incense which caused him to be bedridden with a lingering disease. Do you still need me to continue?¡± Imperial Consort Chen¡¯s teeth shuddered as she fixedly glared at Liang Zhen: ¡°You¡¯re aware of it all along, yet you still tolerate it, you¡­¡­¡± ¡°How is it that I am able to be aware of it?¡± Liang Zhen unceremoniously interrupted her, and coldly reminded: ¡°Madam should stop sprouting nonsense, since you are already aware that you are a part of the Liang clan, so in order to prevent the clan from undergoing a complete annihilation because of you, then you should obediently embark onto your journey to hell.¡± Imperial Consort Chen¡¯s eyes are crimson. She just hate the fact that she doesn¡¯t have the ability to pounce over and torn apart Liang Zhen as she start giggling once again due to anger: ¡°For the sake of Liang clan? Hahaha, you basically don¡¯t care about Liang clan at all, you won¡¯t even bat an eyelid even if the Liang clan was annihilated. Why didn¡¯t you simply publicise this matter in front of crowd in order to further justify the new emperor, Zhu Yunxuan? You essentially didn¡¯t do it for the sake of Liang clan! You merely intends to have everyone under the heaven to suspect that Zhu Yunxuan used underhanded methods for the sake of ascending to the throne, so he would have no choice but to rely on you! The reason that you¡¯ve kept Qiong¡¯er is merely for the purpose of reminding him! I¡¯ve thought of how invulnerable the relationship between you and him is, since you are so desperate to help him out yet are so wary of him at the same time, isn¡¯t that interesting of you?! If my Qiong¡¯er claim the throne, won¡¯t it be nice to having the heaven in your grasp? Liang Zhen smirked contemptuously: ¡°You aren¡¯t slow-witted, yet you are still wrong about it. If I indeed wish to obtain authority, there¡¯s nothing wrong with me claiming the territory ruled over by the Zhu clan, right? This position was reserved for me by the emperor in the first place, and your son is merely a puppet left for me by him. You¡¯re aware of it by heart yet you are still dreaming about your fantasy of being an empress dowager without hesitation. I originally can allow you to do as you wish, but it¡¯s just so happens that you are out of luck. Rather then gaining control over the imperial court, certain people and matters caught my attention instead, so I naturally follow my own will.¡± ¡°You lunatic!¡± A single sentence of ¡°follow my own will¡± was the whole reason that he stirred up this entire controversy. Imperial Consort Chen cursed in a frenzy, it¡¯s unknown as to who exactly is the actual psycho between her and Liang Zhen. Liang Zhen frigidly glared at her: ¡°As a person who was about to face an imminent death, you should stay quiet in order to reserve some energy for later. You are the one who gave birth to Zhu Yunqiong after all, so he could be left alive if you were the one to die. But if you are persistent on dragging him down to hell with you, I won¡¯t mind sending off both of you.¡± Imperial Consort Chen limply closed her eyes in agony. Ganlin Palace. The ceremony of enthronement will be conducted after three days, the ministry of rites is currently reporting the proceedings and matters regarding the ceremony to Zhu Yunxuan who stood there silently and listened without furthering commenting. Liang Zhen stood to the side in attendance after entering and didn¡¯t interrupt them as he also listened along with interest. Those few ministers of rites were uneased, since they were extra cautious towards Liang Zhen compared to Zhu Yunxuan, whilst even their words are spoken tentatively. After listening mid-way through, Liang Zhen suddenly spoke up and questioned: ¡°The chief minister is the one who is responsible for presenting forth the imperial decree during the enthronement ceremony of the emperors in our past dynasties and submit the new emperor. But now that Zhang Nianling has already been executed due to committing treason, how are you planning to deal with this part?¡± Scholar Yan, the director of the board of rites responded dutifully: ¡°I¡¯ve tentatively decided to allow Elder Liu to act on his behalf regarding this matter, but whether it¡¯s feasible or not, is for your highness to decide. CH 6.2 Elder Liu is the only one who has the highest rank among the governing officials, and there won¡¯t be room for the situation to take a turn that day if it wasn¡¯t for him who bowed down first which finally led everyone else to acknowledge Zhu Yunxuan as the new emperor. So, it¡¯s reasonable to say that it will be his turn after the fall of Zhang Nianling, and not to mention that he also committed a meritorious deed of providing support for the new emperor, but¡­¡­¡± Zhu Yunxuan decided in an unperturbed manner: ¡°Let¡¯s follow the old custom in the previous dynasty, the ministry of rites will take on the responsibility, and Secretary Yan can be in charge of this matter instead.¡± Scholar Yan was stunned as he suppressed his excitement and skeptically asked: ¡°But such a case did not occur during our dynasty, since it has always been the responsibility of the governing officials, so will it be against the rulers if it was done by me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all good, you can take up the job.¡± Scholar Yan not longer denied it and emphatically responded: ¡°Your humble servant has received your highness¡¯s order.¡± Liang Zhen narrowed his eye slightly, a glimpse of speculation flash before his gaze as he subtly curl up the corner of his lip. Once all the officials withdrew, Liang Zhen glance towards Zhu Yunxuan and lightly smiled: ¡°Is your highness planning to raise the rank of Mister Yan?¡± Zhu Yunxuan spoke with an unperturbed tone: ¡°The inner parliament is desolated and urgently requires newcomers to fill it up. Scholar Yan is the director of the boards of rites, and him joining the inner parliament is a logical matter of course.¡± Liang Zhen smiled meaningfully: ¡°Is that so? How come your highness didn¡¯t mention that he will also be the father of your future fianc¨¦e as well as the elder statesman?¡± An arranged marriage has already been set for Zhu Yunxuan four years ago when he was granted the title of King Rui, and the one who Emperor Zhaoyang has arranged for him is the illegitimate daughter of Scholar Yan. During that time, Scholar Yan is still a vice official in the ministry of rites, and he only raised to the rank of a governing minister two years later. Originally, Zhu Yunxuan should¡¯ve gotten engaged a long time ago, but it¡¯s merely because the mother of that young lady has pass away as well as the demise of Emperor Zhaoyang¡¯s birth mother empress dowager Qingren which caused Emperor Zhaoyang to be no longer interested in this matter of his anymore, thus it was delayed back and forth. Zhu Yunxuan deepen his gaze: ¡°So what if it is?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± The smile at the corner of Liang Zhen¡¯s lip faded away as he directed glance towards him, ¡°I am merely reminding your highness that you shouldn¡¯t place too much trust onto relatives for the sake of preventing mishaps from occurring in the future.¡± ¡°Zhaowang is overly apprehensive,¡± Zhu Yunxuan frigidly spoke, ¡°these shouldn¡¯t be matters that Zhaowang needs to contemplate about.¡± How could it be unknown to him those influential relatives couldn¡¯t be consider a good thing. Xie clan is precisely a clear example from the previous year of how much Xie Guogong caused havoc due to his bold and recklessness, but what is he able to do. Nowadays, the ones remaining in the imperial court are all involved with the person in front of him, so how could he able trust them? Does he even have the guts to? If you take in a broad view of the imperial court, how many people does he have available? Their gazes locked, as there¡¯s no need to conceal the suspicion and temptation in each of other¡¯s eyes, and after a brief stalemate, Liang Zhen shook his head slightly: ¡°Is this truly how your highness thinks of me?¡± ¡°Where have you been just now?¡± Liang Zhen unperturbedly replied: ¡°Huaqing Palace.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s pupils shrink slightly: ¡°How is Imperial Consort Chen?¡± ¡°Madam missed the late emperor overly much and she thus lost all interest in life and asked to be a sacrificial offering out of her own will.¡± ¡°What about ninth brother?¡± ¡°The ninth prince is currently staying in his bedchamber of course. It¡¯s just that the kid is too young and received quite a fright, but there¡¯s no big deal.¡± Zhu Yunxuan suppress the overwhelming anger that raised in his heart, and questioned him: ¡°What thoughts will others have of you who has such a conduct of doing things?¡± Liang Zhen let out a ¡°tsk¡±: ¡°What conduct? Can it be that your highness is intending to commit infanticide? How come I haven¡¯t notice that your highness is such a vicious person? ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to put on an act for me! You only kept Zhu Yunqiong for the purpose of threatening me, why do you even bother making it sounds nicer than it is?!¡± Liang Zhen took a step forward, and suddenly extend his hand to pull Zhu Yunxuan in front of himself by wrap around his waist. Zhu Yunxuan was alarmed for a moment before glared at him with indignation as he enunciates each word: ¡°Let, me, go.¡± Liang Zhen glued himself beside Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s ear and murmured in a deep voice: ¡°Is your highness planning to cast me aside when I¡¯ve served my purpose after merely ascended to the throne?¡± [1] ¹ýºÓ²ðÇÅ: The literal translation is supposed to be ¡®Demolish the bridge after crossing it¡± and this idiom is used for describing someone who is ungrateful to their own benefactor There are no more standbys within the palace anymore since Gao-An has already taken a great number of people to withdraw when they¡¯ve just started arguing. Zhu Yunxuan sneered with his eyes red: ¡°Liang Zhen, are you assuming that you¡¯re still able to coerce me? I never am able to satisfy your nasty inclinations anymore!¡± ¡°What intentions does your highness think I have?¡± The light laughter penetrated Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s ears, along with an exhaling hot breath that made his hair stand on end. After a pause, Liang Zhen added: ¡°Who else does your highness want except for me? The daughter of the Yan clan? Can your highness even satisfy that young maiden with the current state of yours?¡± ¡°Behave yourself!¡± Zhu Yunxuan is restrained between the desk from behind and Liang Zhen embrace, he is unable to advance forward nor retreat, which caused him to quiver due to anger. Liang Zhen¡¯s body pressed forward a little further, as the hand on his waist gradually starts caressing in an ambiguous and erotic way. Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes and indifferently spoke: ¡°There are still clansmen as well as courtiers who came to pay their respects within the palace, if you insist on doing as such, I¡¯ll immediately request them to come and take a look at how you¡¯re committing such a treacherous thing to me in broad daylight during the funeral of the emperor.¡± ¡°Can your highness really disregard your dignity to do as such?¡± ¡°Then you could give it a try if you don¡¯t believe me!¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s laughter intensified: ¡°Now that your highness has ascended to the throne, this temper of yours has grown as well ah.¡± Zhu Yunxuan repeats himself once again: ¡°Let go of me.¡± Liang Zhen tilted his head sideways to plant a kiss that is light as a feather beside Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s temple, then he back away without waiting for him to get angry and stood to the side in a solemn manner: ¡°There¡¯s no need for your highness to be flustered, the ninth prince must be kept safe at a time like this or else the rumors out there would be much more difficult to be silenced.¡± Zhu Yunxuan direct a cold glance towards him: ¡°It couldn¡¯t be that you are afraid of those rumors right?¡± ¡°I am merely taking your highness¡¯s needs into consideration.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Liang Zhen heaves out a sigh with a smile: ¡°Your highness, is it worth the trouble to regard me as a great threat to you. Since I¡¯ve already mentioned that I¡¯ll assist you, then I¡¯ll naturally do as such, so how come you are unable to trust me?¡± Zhu Yunxuan blanked out as he averted his gaze: ¡°I am tired, Zhaowang should take your leave.¡± CH 7 Ganlin Palace. After having the midday meal, Zhu Yunxuan lean onto the lounge and closed his eyes to recuperate. During the state of being half-awake and half-unconscious, several whimpers of the stewards as well as Gao-An¡¯s soft rebuke transmitted from outside the palace: ¡°The mourning period of the grand emperor has not yet passed, thus his highness has not taken off the mourning garment and had been mentally and physically exhausted each day. You people are stirring up a ruckus over such trivial matters, do each of you still want to keep your lives anymore by disturbing his highness? Quickly retreat!¡± Zhu Yunxuan furrows his brow, then opened his eyes and spoke up: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? All of you come in.¡± Moments later, Gao-An led seven to eight stewards with their eyes red inside and got onto his knees to humbly apologize: ¡°Please forgive me your highness, these useless scums don¡¯t understand the rules and disturbed you. This servant will now send them away after they¡¯ve received their punishment. Zhu Yunxuan swept a glance at the people who were kneeling on the floor, all of them were low-ranked eunuchs who followed him here from Qixiang palace: ¡°What exactly is the matter? Speak with detail.¡± The eunuchs kneel onto the floor and complain tearfully. These folks of the Ganlin palace have truly gone too far! The ones who were initially from the Qixiang palace showed up here to serve the new emperor, while the old folk in the Ganlin palace were the ones who served the former emperor. So even if there is actual conflict between the two sides, it will still be tolerable. It doesn¡¯t matter how much these people rely on their seniority, they still would not have the guts to offend the individuals who are serving the new emperor. Yet Feng Sheng, who as the chief eunuch of the former emperor relied on his meritorious contribution in supporting the new heir to expel all dissidents within the Ganlin Palace while paying no heed to others. He doesn¡¯t have the guts to provoke the personal eunuchs who served Zhu Yunxuan, so he could only take advantage of these low-ranked eunuchs instead. Hence, all of the low-ranked eunuchs have suffered countless unspeakable grievances after staying in the Ganlin Palace no more than ten days. Zhu Yunxuan has always given respect to the elders, so they wouldn¡¯t dare mentioning this to him if it had been tolerable. Gao-an awkwardly said: ¡°It''s this servant¡¯s negligence of duty to unforeseen this, which results in these underlings to trouble you with such trifling matters. This servant will once again ask for your highness¡¯ forgiveness. Zhu Yunxuan inquired in a deep tone: ¡°Were all of their statements true? Is Feng Sheng truly that bold?¡± Gao-An lowered his head: ¡°¡­¡­Eunuch Feng is regarded as an elder within the palace who has served the former emperor for numerous years, hence each person here must yield to him. After the demise of the emperor, everyone has received much more tasks to handle compared to the usual. These useless scums are merely unwilling to comply, and even has the guts to complain about it. There¡¯s no need to listen to their nonsense your highness, perhaps the increasingly strict Eunuch Feng is grief-stricken by the recent demise of the emperor. This is human nature after all.¡± Zhu Yunxuan swept another glance at the low-rank eunuchs who were still sobbing, his brows tighten once more as he dismissed all of them. His gaze dimed once again after Gao-An was the only one left within the palace: ¡°Tell me, what exactly is going on?¡± Gao-An was left with no choice and explained to him in a whisper: ¡°Your highness, Eunuch Feng indeed has the intention of making things difficult for the individuals who were originally from the Qixiang Palace. He was especially enraged at the fact that you¡¯ve chosen me to recite the imperial edict. The meaning of his actions is nothing more than to keep the rules in place and maintain his position as the head of the eunuchs. This servant believe that there¡¯s no need for you to inquire further about it, since this is a conflict among the low ranks after all, so you really don¡¯t have to bother. When it¡¯s all said and done, Eunuch Feng is¡­¡­ an underling of Zhao Wang¡¯s.¡± After hearing this, the gloom slowly surfaced from the bottom of Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze as he spoke with disregard: ¡°Summon them here.¡± ¡°Your highness¡­¡­¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Feng Sheng soon arrives and paid his curtsies in an orderly manner. The look in eyes appears to be rather presumptuous because this the first time that Zhu Yunxuan has summoned him for inquiry ever since he moved to the Ganlin Palace. ¡°Eunuch Feng, you¡¯ve been keeping yourself occupied with managing the funeral for the former emperor, it must¡¯ve been tough for you.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s tone sounded rather gloomy, as Feng Sheng immediately put on an appearance and use his hands to slightly wipe off his non-existence tears: ¡°This is part of my responsibility, there¡¯s no need to mention the laborious work behind it. This servant has followed the former emperor for more than forty year, now that he has ascend to heaven, this servant merely despise the fact that I cannot follow after him in order to continue serving him.¡± No matter how pleasant he made it sounds, Zhu Yunxuan believe none of it. Although there are no rules in the Dayan dynasty which states that they have to bury living being as a sacrificial offering, but if anyone were to actually have such an intention, nobody would stop them, wasn¡¯t Imperial Consort Chen a great example? Feng Sheng should¡¯ve never been able to receive a high rank from Emperor Zhaoyang if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he assisted An-Li Estate in delivering a message a few years ago to Emperor Zhaoyang which informed him that his biological son is still alive. From then on, he has been acknowledged by the emperor, and if it wasn¡¯t for Liang Zhen, he wouldn¡¯t be able to have this position today. Zhu Yunxuan apathetically spoke: ¡°Eunuch Feng, you¡¯re an elder within the Ganlin Palace who has made tons of contributions, so the emperor will forever remember you even though he is no longer in this world anymore. But now, you¡¯ve advanced in age and should enjoy your retirement period, it was me who was not considerate enough to take this in account which caused you to run errands for the late emperor¡¯s funeral even though you are in your declining years, resulting in an overwhelming amount of stress for you. Thus, why don¡¯t you relieved all the tasks at hand for today and take some time off to recuperate?¡± Feng Sheng fell onto his knees and lamented: ¡°Your Highness! This is the only value remaining in this weary old body of mine! The late emperor specifically instructed this servant to follow the new emperor even at the risk of my well being when he created the imperial decree, so this servant dare not to disobey! This servant ask for your charity, please let me stay and serve you no matter the consequence! Otherwise, this servant will have no choice but to face death.¡± Then why don¡¯t you just go to hell. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze increasingly chilled as his killing intent is now completely visible. But Feng Sheng, who is currently kneeling on the didn¡¯t notice it at all. Despite him being in tears, there¡¯s not an ounce of uneasiness within him. He purposely mentioned the imperial edict in order to remind Zhu Yunxuan of the replica. Zhu Yunxuan was enraged to the core, even a mere eunuch has the guts to threaten him. Despite this, there¡¯s no way to get rid of Feng Sheng, even if he successes in doing so, he wouldn¡¯t be able to rashly predict how Liang Zhen respond to this. At least for now, he completely doesn¡¯t have an upper hand when he¡¯s up against Liang Zhen. ¡°Very well, very well¡­¡­ so you¡¯ve chosen to willingly stay behind huh? Then obediently remain here for me!¡± Outside the palace, Liang Zhen advances up to the steps and encounter Feng Sheng prior entering the gate. The other party greeted him with extreme flattery, then lowered his voice and quickly convert to him all of those who Zhu Yunxuan has summoned in private for the last two days. Finally, he clenched his teeth and spoke with anguish, ¡°His Highness intends for me to withdraw from my duties and live out the rest of my life in retirement. This is because he considers me as worthless, thus looking down upon me.¡± Liang Zhen narrowed his eyes at him, then straddle into the palace without saying anything. Gao-An is currently assisting Zhu Yunxuan in trying on the ceremonial robe which he would wear at the rite of enthronement tomorrow. The pitch-back brocade set him out to be particularly elegant and ethereal. Liang Zhen place both of his hand into his sleeves and glanced at him with a smile: ¡°Your highness appears to be much more formal with the ceremonial robe adorn on you.¡± Gao-An swept a glance at Zhu Yunxuan, then bowed down to withdraw after seeing that he has no objection. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze that is hidden behind a broad pendant was chilled to the brim: ¡°It was said that Zhao Wang had quite a lengthy conversation with Feng Sheng prior entering?¡± Liang Zhen slightly curl his lips: ¡°The dirty words of a servant aren¡¯t worthy to be spoken to His Highness.¡± He then steps forward, raising his hands to gently stroke the pattern of the sun, moon as well as the dragon on the sides of the garment. Zhu Yunxuan stayed still, while staring at him with a frosty gaze: ¡°You truly have quite the guts to spy on my private affairs within the Ganlin Palace.¡± Liang Zhen retorted: ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood me your highness, I am not the one who is intending to pry, it is that eunuch who is determined to tell me.¡± Zhu Yunxuan coldly snarled: ¡°That servant threatens others by fostering one¡¯s personal influence, what if this one intends to execute him?¡± Liang Zhen laughingly said: ¡°They are merely a servant, if they¡¯ve offended your highness in anyway, just execute them then so be it. As long as you are content your highness.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t Zhao Wang blame me for being ungrateful to one¡¯s benefactor this time around?¡± Zhu Yunxuan was momentary speechless, Liang Zhen glanced at him as his line of sight wandered to the somewhat visible scar on his forehead, then narrowed his eyes: ¡°Is there a reason why your highness still hasn¡¯t gotten rid of that scar on your forehead?¡± This scar has been there for several years, a very shallow trace of it could only be seen if you inspected closely. Supposed that you rub ointment on the it daily when the scar first appeared, it would be removed over a period of time. Yet obviously, Zhu Yunxuan haven¡¯t done so. Zhu Yunxuan said dismissively: ¡°It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m a female, why would I care about my appearance so much? Is there a problem with me deciding to keep the scar?¡± The smile in Liang Zhen¡¯s eyes intensified: ¡°Your Highness doesn¡¯t take this to heart, but I do¡­¡­ unfortunately.¡± He nevertheless remember the day when he was brought into the palace for the first time and the scene of encountering Zhu Yunxuan on the imperial street. The tearful young prince rushed out and embrace the abolished royal who was sent to cold palace under the escort of the imperial guards, as he wept bitterly. Inspecting from a distance, he inquired the imperial guard who was leading the way for him and came to realization that they are the two legitimate sons of Xie Clan. The second time around was outside the study of Ganlin Palace, when Emperor Zhaoyang ordered the execution of the abolished crowned prince. Zhu Yunxuan show up to plea for mercy, yet he was obstructed outside and was not allowed to be summoned in. He can only kneel on the floor as he tearfully kowtows with desperation, fresh blood covering over the entirety of his face. At that time, he only felt that the young prince was overly simple-minded, pitiful yet also pathetic. And he scoffed at the brotherly affection within the imperial court with contempt. That blemish on his forehand was the result from the past, Zhu Yunxuan deliberately leave behind it for the purpose of reminding Emperor Zhaoyang that he personally executed his eldest son. Zhu Yunxuan furrowed his brows, he couldn¡¯t tolerate the ambiguous way that Liang Zhen has spoken these words. Yet Liang Zhen has always been like this, intentionally humiliating him with a calmly paced tone. Liang Zhen lifted up the string of jade pendants in front of Zhu Yunxuan, intending to get a clearer view of him, then he suddenly smiled as if recalling something. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s brow tightly knitted further: ¡°What¡¯s so amusing?¡± The gaze that Liang Zhen directed at him is full of mischief: ¡°If I were to reveal it, your highness surely will get offended again¡­¡­ Don¡¯t you think this is covering over you?¡± Zhu Yunxuan was momentarily stunned and his eyes turned crimson with anger: ¡°Why must you humiliate me as such?¡± Liang Zhen sighed: ¡°My heart is full of affection towards your highness yet you nevertheless insist that I am humiliating you. I¡¯ve been place in an utterly difficult position with the way that you are feeling your highness.¡± Zhu Yunxuan don¡¯t want to argue with him any longer: ¡°You should take your leave if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Liang Zhen squinted his eyes: ¡°Every time I showed up, your highness will eagerly drive me away. Are you really that unwilling to encounter me and are intending on avoiding me?¡± Zhu Yunxuan spoke indifferently: ¡°It¡¯s forbidden to enter the palace at will without an imperial edict. Yet not only does Zhaowang have the freedom of entering and exiting the palace, yet also Ganlin hall. How can I possibly avoid you? If I really have the intention to do so, a single imperial decree is enough for me to send you away, but will you leave?¡± Liang Zhen could only stare at him calmly, after awhile, he deeply scoffed: ¡°As long as your highness has the ability to do so.¡± CH 8 A-A+ As the horizon gradually brightens, flags flutter upon the Gate of Tribute, covering the sky all over. When the first glimmer of daylight descended, Zhu Yunxuan was already cloaked in his ceremonial garment, strolling step by step towards the gateway to perform the rite of ascension under the continuous clamor of bells and drums. On the main street of the imperial gateway, countless officials were split into two fractions while kowtowing with their knees bent. At this moment, the newly crowned emperor entered the Gateway of Tribute to inherit the throne, and the imperial officials of different classes were divided up into groups to pay their respect successively. The Minister of Rites, Yan Shixue, took the imperial edict of enthronement and passes it onward to the chief eunuch Gao¡¯an, who then recited it out in a loud voice: ¡°This one bears the will of the late emperor by relying on the blessings of holy beings. In accordance with the imperial edict of the deceased emperor, and the order of sequence in the enshrine family bloodline¡­¡­¡± The vivid speech echoed in the palace for quite awhile, by the time the last word faded away, bells and drums rang out once again as all the officials knelt down to kowtow. Zhu Yunxuan sat lofty upon the imperial throne, his line of sight gradually swept through each individual below, and settling onto Liang Zhen who knelt amidst the military officers. Liang Zhen seemed to sense something as he abruptly raised his eyes and slightly smiled towards Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s line of sight, yet Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s expression was indistinguishable behind the twelve tassels hanging from his headpiece. [T/N: This head accessory is apparently wore by individuals with high status during rites and ceremonies ] A new emperor has ascended to the throne, signifying the first month establishment of the new era, Jing Rui. The removal of mourning garments will be on the 27th as the coffin of the late emperor was transported into another palace. By the time everything has settled in and the coffin has been carried to the burial ground on the 49th, it should be the arrival of spring during the first year of the new Jing Rui era. On the day when Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s letter arrived, there was a chill in the spring air of the imperial city. When Gao¡¯an stretched out both of his hands to offer the letter, Zhu Yunxuan, who was in the process of reviewing the memorials, shifted slightly. He then halted the matters in his own hands to receive it. Zhu Yunjing is Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s blood related brother born out of the same parents, as well as the former crowned prince who was abolished due to cases of voodooism in the East Palace and was later sentenced to execution. He later escaped after feigning death with the help of General Dingyuan, He Huailing, and has been staying at the Northwest Continent for the past four years. After Zhu Yunxuan ascended to the throne, this is the first ever letter that he has sent to him. [T/N: For those of you who don¡¯t know, He Huailing is the ML featured in Bai Jieji¡¯s other novel »Ê¶÷ºÆµ´ and shares the same universe as ½­É½ÐíÄã] Zhu Yunjin repeatedly advised him about a lot of things with apprehension and even worryingly inquired as to why Liang Zhen would be so willingly to assist him. Yet from beginning till the end, he used the title of ¡°Your Highness¡± as all the others do, instead of the familiar address ¡°Ah-Xuan¡± from the past which he no longer used. Zhu Yunxuan stared at the letter in his hand for a long period of time while remaining silent. Gao¡¯an swapt his cup for hot tea, and inquired with a whisper after seeing that he was staying motionless and had an expression of dejectedness: ¡°Your Highness, after the arrival of His Excellency¡¯s letter¡­¡­ for what reason are you still in such low spirits?¡± Zhu Yunxuan had a touch of self-mockery in his watery-moisted eyes, and he whispered after putting down the letter: ¡°It¡¯s no wonder that our predecessors said that it¡¯s desolated at the very apex. From today forth, this solitary one will truly become a loner. ¡°Your Highness¡­¡­¡± Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes: ¡°Forget it, since this solitary one has chosen this route, I can¡¯t afford to blame others.¡± AnLe Estate. The carriage came to a halt outside the estate¡¯s entrance, and Liang Zhen went in with leisure strides. Within the foyer, all the elders of the Liang clan, including Nobleman AnLe were present with tensed expressions. The old madame in the lead coldly spoke up: ¡°You truly have quite a lot of guts, only willing to return this one time after numerous invitations, keeping this old madame as well as the seniors in your family all waiting.¡± Liang Zhen remained unmoving and said nonchalantly: ¡°Why must you put it that way, grandma. After the demise of the former emperor, as well as the ascension of the new emperor, there are a lot of matters within the palace that I don¡¯t have spare time to deal with. I must prioritize my work above everything else after all.¡± ¡°What sort of business do you even have?¡± Nobleman AnLe, Liang Feng, stared at him with gloominess and scolded him angrily, ¡°You are unwilling to properly take up the prince regent position, and resolutely decided to assist King Rui in seizing the ninth prince¡¯s throne. Are you out of your mind?¡± [T/N: The official imperial title in which Zhu Yunxuan is referred to as] As soon as his voice faded away, a delicate lady dressed in luxurious robe from the side rushed up to question Liang Zhen: ¡°Explain to me by what means has our Xin¡¯er died? Why would she choose to be buried alive with the dead? You must be the one who coerced her into doing so right? Right?! [T/N: The Xin¡¯er in question is Imperial Consort Chen who died back in Ch6 ] Just as the other party was about to grasp his outer garment, Liang Zhen nonchalantly took a step backwards as the sword in the bodyguard¡¯s hand beside him left its scabbard. That woman was frightened into shrieking, and was shakily supported back up by a servant. The old madame in the lead became exceedingly infuriated after witnessing this and harshly questioned Liang Zhen: ¡°What exactly are you planning to do?! Are you intending to raise a hand against your family with those people that you¡¯ve brought in?¡± Liang Feng also berated him with anger: ¡°You rascal! Don¡¯t you forget that you are still my son in name!¡± Liang Zhen indifferently scanned at the sullen people around the room and spoke up with disdain: ¡°Grandma, father, you did say that the reason you invited me over was for some domestic affairs, yet now we are continuously prating about matters of the deceased, and even going as far as to question His Majesty. Aren¡¯t you afraid that this will bring a great calamity upon the entire Liang Clan once the word gets out?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡ª!¡± Liang Feng is angered to the point where his eyes were about to bulge out and he merely despised the fact that he couldn¡¯t enforce domestic discipline onto this unfilial son of his. Liang Zhen stared at his entire family without any warmth present in his eyes, and suppressed his impatience prior to giving that lady who is still endlessly sobbing a reminder: ¡°Third Aunty, Imperial Consort Chen was the one who requested to be buried alive with the dead herself, and this is on account of her profound devotion to the former emperor. That is naturally a good thing, and you ought to feel honored instead, so save your comments to yourself, lest disaster emanates from your careless words. Then he turned towards Liang Feng: ¡°Father, there are matters that both you and I know well, so there¡¯s no need to make your stance so clear. Since we are father and son by name, I won¡¯t cause an open break in our relationship. It¡¯s just that from today onwards, you people better stop making indiscreet remarks on my affairs, Or else¡­¡­ Don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless.¡± ¡°Unfaithful rascal! The Liang family has brought you up for twenty years at any rate, you¡­¡­¡± Liang Zhen interrupted him impolitely: ¡°Father, I am sure that you clearly know the reason why the Liang family has raised me. Otherwise, how can I, an illegitimate son ignorantly given to birth by a concubine of the Liang clan enter the gate of your family? You¡¯ve already brought ruin to my birth father, don¡¯t you ever think about bringing me down!¡± ¡°You¡­¡­ What nonsense are you sprouting?! We tirelessly brought you up on the contrary, didn¡¯t we?!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Liang Zhen repeatedly murmured in a soft voice, as his eyes were filled to the brim with contempt and indifference. Liang Feng was flabbergasted for a second the moment he met this gaze, and his momentum was involuntary weakened by a few degrees, even his words held less confidence when he spoke up: ¡°That¡¯s naturally the truth¡­¡­ You¡¯re revolting and rebellious, surely you don¡¯t have any logical reasoning right?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The Xie Clan held a great deal of influence in the past, and Empress Xie¡¯s father was the chief assistant of the former dynasty, so the crowned prince was deeply favored by the emperor. Not only do the members of the Liang Clan intend to have this ¡°prince¡± , which is himself, to prosper in his official career, but they are also afraid of being targeted by the Xie clan. From the beginning till the end, this whole entire family merely wished to exchange him for the sake of gaining larger profits. They could only deceive a three-year-old child by making it sound that pleasant. The old madame was torn by grief as she rebuked: ¡°You are truly ungrateful, after being the prince of the AnLe Estate for so many years, has any of us ever treated you unfairly? So how can you be like this, how can you be like this ah!¡± ¡°Why must you pressure me into revealing these dirty affairs, grandma?¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s gaze was chilled down to an additional few degrees, as he took a step forward. Facing his sinister eyes, the old madame¡¯s gaze flickered as she suddenly lost her voice and stepped away in a guilty manner. Liang Zhen stopped paying any heed to her, and glanced towards a woman who wore an expression of indifference beside Liang Feng: ¡°Nobody knows what sort of life I, this prince, am living in this family better than you do, mother. So there¡¯s no need to ask me about it.¡± The woman had an unpleasant expression on her face and did not look towards him, yet the guilt in her eyes cannot be concealed. Liang Zhen smiled, deciding that he does not intend to have further entanglements with this family, he calmly reminded everyone in the room with a deep voice: ¡°Don¡¯t any of you ever attempt to manipulate me again, I am able to abandon the surname Liang at will. The present isn¡¯t the same as the past anymore, I suggest you all better make peace with this reality as soon as possible.¡± After exiting out of the estate and settling down in the carriage, a young lad from outside asked him whether he wished to return to his residence or the palace. Liang Zhen wearily closed his eyelids and ordered: ¡°To the outskirts of the city.¡± The Yuanji Temple located in the southern suburb was constructed during the previous dynasty with a history of five hundred years, and it has always been an imperial temple full of worshipers. Liang Zhen¡¯s carriage came to a halt at the temple¡¯s side entrance on the rear end of the mountain. A little monk welcomed him in, and guided him into the back palace where ordinary visitors were prohibited to go any further. Within the tranquil palace, Liang Zhen personally poured sesame oil into the two altar lamps which have been burning day in and day out for the last twenty years, as the flaring glow of the fire reflected on his deep pupils. A gentle faced old abbot came in through the door, and Liang Zhen came forth to pay his respects. ¡°Take a seat.¡± Sitting on a cushion, the old abbot began to chant Buddhist Scriptures as usual with his deep voice resonating in the palace. Liang Zhen listened in silence and gently fiddled with the buddha beads on his wrist. His restless state of mind gradually simmered down. After the sky darkens, the old abbot stopped reciting his scriptures and slowly opened his eyelids, sighing softly as he looked at Liang Zhen who was in front of him: ¡°Over all these years, this old abbot has countless regrets for not allowing you to remain here.¡± It¡¯s better off staying in the temple and endure through a difficult life rather than to undergo torment in the territory of the estate. His mother in name assumed that he was the one who had robbed of her biological son¡¯s life, so even though the Liang clan considers him as a royalty, Liang Zhen has never lived a single day in peace before the age of seventeen, since that woman has used various shady methods to torture him in private. And so it¡¯s not easy for him to grow up safely. Liang Zhen smiled bitterly: ¡°If I have remained within this temple, there won¡¯t be a King Zhao today who has the capability of overturning the court. ¡°Mister Liang doesn¡¯t necessarily wish to see you in this state.¡± Liang Zhen closed his eyes: ¡°My father¡­ Does he truly not bear a grudge? AnLe Estate handed him over to the emperor for the sake of a bright future, and brutally separated him from my dad. Does he truly not bear a single grudge at all?¡± The old abbot softly spoke up: ¡°What¡¯s the use of bearing a grudge, and when will such retribution come to an end.¡± ¡°That bastard emperor has already met his demise, so the AnLe estate has no future ahead of them and will sooner or later become corrupted, Mister Xie¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s all due to your support that the descendant of Empress Xie became the new emperor of the current dynasty, but why must you insist on doing as such? The sin lies in Empress Xie¡¯s elder brother, and it¡¯s not the empress herself. At that time she genuinely wanted to release your father, but it was Minister Xie who made the decision without any consent and forced him to a dead end. When Empress Xie was still alive, she had always felt ashamed about this matter, and repented her sins to the buddha countless times, assuming that it was her who brought harm onto your father as well as that child. She is a genuinely benevolent individual, if Benefactor Liang wished to settle scores, it¡¯s best to not involve her descendant. The bygone past has come to a conclusion, there¡¯s no need to keep on persisting, you are merely torturing yourself.¡± Liang Zhen was slightly stunned: ¡°Since I¡¯ve already assisted him in ascending to the throne, why would I want to settle accounts with him? He is merely the one who is unwilling to have any trust in me.¡± ¡°The weight behind the word trust is tantamount to a thousand pieces of gold, and it is by no means a simple matter. You don¡¯t bear any trust towards him either.¡± Liang Zhen sighed: ¡°¡­¡­Both of us are the same, bounded by helplessness and are unable to easily have trust in others.¡± The old abbot went silent, and after a while had passed, he closed his eyelids and began reciting the scripture once again. CH 9 A-A+ Prior to daybreak, the carriage halted outside of a thatched cottage in the countryside, and Zhu Yunxuan disembarked from it with the help of Gao¡¯an. As soon as the young lad who was currently tidying the yard spotted them, he let out an ¡°Ah¡± before throwing down the broom in his hands, turning around hurriedly, and going back inside the house with a sprint. Moments later, an gray-haired elder led his entire family outside and knelt before Zhu Yunxuan with utter solemnity: ¡°This peasant has come to pay his courtesies, may our emperor be long lived!¡± ¡°Please raise, lao shi.¡± Zhu Yunxuan stride forward, and bend over to personally support the man up himself. After a quarter of an hour had passed, they sat opposite to each other in the study room with two cups of green tea before them. Zhu Yunxuan swept a glance at the crude yet elegant furnishing sets inside the room and faintly smiled: ¡°How has your days been in the countryside, lao shi?¡± The elder sighed: ¡°I am merely a recluse that has no fixed place of abode and is already content with myself. At present, having a carefree life at retirement age and spending time gardening is rather my pleasure.¡± ¡°This indeed sounds not bad,¡± Zhu Yunxuan nodded slightly, and took a sip from his tea cup. After remaining silent for a while, he said: ¡°Would lao shi be willing to return¡­¡­ and lend a helping hand to me?¡± ¡°Does your majesty have any adversities?¡± Zhu Yunxuan smiled bitterly: ¡°This solitary one was pushed around by others in all aspects at the beginning of my career. The council of ministers is presently deserted, all the officials in court are two-faced, and very few are able to provide service to this solitary one.¡± Zhu Yunxuan reminisced about the past with helplessness in his speech, and the elder listened on with mixed feelings: ¡°After years of not meeting, your majesty has grown up quite a lot.¡± ¡°Maturing is an obligation.¡± This elder was once a mentor for the crowned prince of the eastern palace, surname Zeng Huai, as well as the initial teacher of Zhu Yunjin, the abolished prince. Zhu Yunxuan would clinged onto his elder brother everyday during his childhood and would study under this old mentor for several years. But five years ago, all the officials in the Eastern Palace were investigated and managed accordingly due to their involvement in the cases of voodooism. Zeng Huai was also discharged from his position as well, so he brought his family back to the countryside and has never inquired about domestic matters from then on. In Zeng Huai¡¯s memories, the young prince who often adhered to the heir apparent has always been clever, perverse and full of vitality. Yet in the face of the gloomy looking emperor who is laden with anxiety, both of them were completely discriminated against. Since it has already come to this point, it is honestly the god of destiny who is making a fool out of people. Zhu Yunxuan pleaded: ¡°Lao shi, please return and provide this solitary one some assistance, there¡¯s genuinely no one that can be of service to me and I am truly powerless¡­¡­¡± Zeng Huai is uncertain: ¡°This peasant¡¯s governing position was demoted by the former emperor, so I am afraid that if I were to return now, it would only provoke criticisms and implicate your majesty.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be concerned, the cases of voodooism have long been justified. So naturally, Lao shi doesn¡¯t need to be troubled by this prejudiced case anymore and should¡¯ve made peace with it long ago.¡± The eastern palace was given justification as earlier on as when Lord Yu, Zhu Yunxun, was executed for plotting rebellion. Yet Emperor Zhaoyang refused to allow Zhu Yunjing to return from the dead and undoubtedly would not appoint any former subordinate officials from the eastern palace ever again. So at present, there¡¯s no one available for Zhu Yunxuan to use. [T/N: Zhu Yunxun is the Second Prince mentioned in ch1 by Liang Zhen] Zeng Huai was someone that has been mentioned in Zhu Yunjin¡¯s letter to him. This old gentleman is indeed a capable individual with a mind concealing more knowledge than five cartloads of books and possesses both political integrity as well as ability. He also has a wide range of connections and is highly respected among civil officials, so his presence can likewise reduce the disputes and skepticism caused by the execution of Zhang Nianling as well as the others. Seeing that the old man was still hesitant, Zhu Yunxuan pleaded again: ¡°Lao shi, for the sake of my elder brother, please lend me your assistance for once.¡± Zeng Huai heaved out a sigh. He and Zhu Yunjin shared a relationship as masters and disciples for more than ten years. Even if Zhu Yunjin may not be a student that he is incredibly satisfied with, it is nevertheless a matter of regret in his heart after he is wrongfully executed in the end. But if serving the new emperor can pacify his regrets, then let it be. After thinking up to this point, Zeng Huai formally knelt down to express his gratitude: ¡°This old minister will deeply remember your majesty¡¯s generosity and is willing to do everything in my power to serve you!¡± Zhu Yunxuan supported the man up with both arms: ¡°Please get on your feet Lao shi, I should be the one who is obligated to give you my thanks.¡± After conversing with Zeng Huai for an hour, Zhu Yunxuan bid farewell and departed. On the trip back, a slight rain started drizzling down from the perpetually clouded sky. Zhu Yunxuan urged the others to pick up the speed, with the intention of returning to the palace before noon. Yet things turn out to be unexpected. The density of the rain heightened as soon as they entered the city, and overcasted sky became increasingly bleak. Vendors on both sides of the street put away their stalls in succession and quite a few even closed their stalls directly. Followed by the first clap of thunder in spring, the torrential rain drizzled down and the last glimmer of light from the sky was concealed by the dense black clouds. It was so dim outside that one couldn¡¯t even see their five fingers. There was a burst of irritation in Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s heart without any rhyme or reason. As the carriage suddenly came to a halt, Gao¡¯an¡¯s voice transmitted inside: ¡°Your Majesty, Lord Zhao¡¯s residence is up ahead. He has sent someone over to invite you for a rest in his residence.¡± Zhu Yunxuan opened the carriage window and took a glance outside. Today, he was traveling in casual clothing, with a total of ten imperial bodyguards accompanying him. And at present, they were all drenched in an awkward predicament. In front of the carriage, the person who was sent over from Lord Zhao¡¯s residence was kneeling on the ground, waiting for him to make up his mind. After a brief moment of hesitation, Zhu Yunxuan gave his consent: ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble Lord Zhao.¡± The gate of Lord Zhao¡¯s residence was wide open, dozens of retainers rushed out together with Liang Zhen while carrying lanterns as the light from their hands illuminated the dim street. Liang Zhen strolled to the side of the carriage and smiled as he watched Zhu Yunxuan disembark from it: ¡°Please pardon my lack of hospitality your majesty, for I do not know of your arrival.¡± Zhu Yunxuan nodded his head slightly: ¡°Lord Zhao shouldn¡¯t prattle on about something so trivial.¡± Liang Zhen received the umbrella from Gao¡¯an and held it up for Zhu Yunxuan personally. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s footsteps paused for a moment, after meeting Liang Zhen¡¯s gaze, the other party winked at him with a smile. Zhu Yunxuan ultimately didn¡¯t say the words on the tip of his tongue and entered the estate¡¯s gate together with Liang Zhen. This estate was bestowed to Liang Zhen by Emperor Zhaoyang himself, so the feng shui here is both abundant and utterly lavish, a complete contrast to Zhu Yunxuan when he first acquired his title as a prince and has to live in the palace because he didn¡¯t have his own residence considering that he is unmarried. It was too dim to see the surrounding scenery clearly, and Zhu Yunxuan wasn¡¯t curious about it either. He remained silent the whole way as he followed Liang Zhen to his main courtyard. An attendant prepared them tea as Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze inadvertently swept over a couple of delicately curvaceous maidservants. He was met with Liang Zhen¡¯s eyes that carried a hint of a smile after retracting his gaze. Letting out a faint cough, he asked: ¡°How did Lord Zhao know that this solitary one will just so happen to pass by your residence?¡± ¡°I will know as long as I am aware,¡± Liang Zhen smiled as he asked Zhu Yunxuan a question in return, ¡°Where have you been after departing from the palace in disguise, your majesty?¡± ¡°Since you are already aware of it, there¡¯s no need to ask.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s tone was both distant and harsh. No emperor would be delighted if their subordinates are able to track down their whereabouts completely. Liang Zhen wisely shifted the topic: ¡°I¡¯ve requested someone to make lunch preparations, why don¡¯t your majesty stay for a meal?¡± Zhu Yunxuan raised his eyes to cast a look at the perpetual murky sky outside and did not object. The cuisine in Lord Zhao¡¯s residence is particularly abundant, yet Zhu Yunxuan doesn¡¯t really have much appetite, so he settles down his chopsticks after having a taste at everything. Liang Zhen once again requested someone to serve him a bowl of soup: ¡°Is your majesty not accustomed to the cuisines at my residence? This chef was invited from Jiangnan, are these dishes not to your majesty¡¯s liking?¡± ¡°Lord Zhao seems to be enjoying yourself.¡± Zhu Yunxuan spoke with indifference. In the past, he was also someone who enjoys feasting on fine cuisines, wine and idling away in other sorts of entertainment. Yet ever since his elder brother was abolished and sentenced to execution, he has been in a constant state of uneasiness everyday, not daring to let his guard down for a moment. Even in the days after his ascension to the throne, he often feels like he is sitting on pins and needles, so he isn¡¯t in the mood at all to indulge in amusement like Liang Zhen. ¡°If your majesty has taken a liking to it, then I¡¯ll send these two chefs over to the palace tomorrow for you.¡± Liang Zhen looked at him beamingly, yet Zhu Yunxuan did not respond as he quietly lowered his head to finish the soup. After having the midday meal, Liang Zhen invited Zhu Yunxuan over to his study. Upon entering, Zhu Yunxuan casually swept a glance around. The study has gone through a meticulous revision and it is very spacious as well as exquisite, a complete contrast to the cottage in the countryside he visited this morning. He strolled to a wall full of bookshelves, and casually pulled one out to flip through it. The book is actually an ancient record of marine warfare. Despite Liang Zhen being a military general, he had never been on the battlefield, let alone a warfare at sea. Zhu Yunxuan didn¡¯t expect that he would look at this type of stuff during his leisure time, so he quietly muttered to himself for a moment. Just as he was in a state of confusion, the man from behind advanced closer to him and whispered beside his ear: ¡°Your Majesty, how about I accompany you for a game of chess?¡± Zhu Yunxuan placed the book in his hand back onto the shelf, and gave him a noncommittal sideways glance which can be considered his tacit consent. The chessboard is placed onto a small counter of the lounge, and the two of them are seated on the couch. When a female servant brought in the hot tea, Zhu Yunxuan swept a glance at the meeky young maiden with a slight fluctuation in his heart. After they departed, he suddenly asked Liang Zhen: ¡°You are already in your twenties, yet you still haven¡¯t taken in a bride, Lord Zhao?¡± The hand in which Liang Zhen is currently using to fiddle with a chess piece paused, and the corners of his lip curled up: ¡°Just when has your majesty become so concerned and curious about an important event in my life such as marriage?¡± Zhu Yunxuan placed down his tea cup: ¡°I am just casually asking. Lord Zhao is a capable young talent in court that bears a great deal of political authority. Various females from a multitude of clans are keeping their eyes on you, so it is time for you to get engaged the sooner the better¡­¡­¡± Liang Zhen leaned forward, closing in on Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s face as the tips of their noses were practically touching. Their breaths interlaced, and he stared at him with a beaming smile contained in his eyes. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s unfinished sentence interrupted, and his eyes widened slightly as a flash of panic flashed before his gaze. Yet he regained his composure quickly, his eyes covered with frost: ¡°What is the meaning of this Lord Zhao?¡± Liang Zhen smiled as he raised his hand to gently stroke his cheeks, whispering: ¡°What do you think, your majesty?¡± Zhu Yunxuan coldly sneered: ¡°Are all the beauties in your estate still not enough to satisfy you? If Lord Zhao genuinely has no place to vent, it should only be reasonable for you to soon get engaged and establish a family.¡± His warm breaths approached Zhu Yunxuan, as a tone carrying a chuckle sounded beside his ear: ¡°Since your majesty is so curious as to whether or not I¡¯ll get engaged, why don¡¯t you take my hand in marriage and become my spouse instead? Zhu Yunxuan turned his face away and ordered with his teeth clenched: ¡°Back off.¡± Liang Zhen let out a soft chuckle, and planted a kiss on his lip that is akin to a dragonfly skimming over the surface of the water, then he stepped back. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s eyes turned crimson, as he furiously glared at Liang Zhen. Liang Zhen softly let out a ¡°tsk¡±, this little emperor has always been unable to even stand a bit of teasing, and it¡¯s rather amusing. After placing a piece on the chessboard, he unhurriedly spoke up: ¡°Your majesty doesn¡¯t have to be concerned over these matters, and you also don¡¯t have to bother yourself with feigning ignorance. I am not interested in these females, so there¡¯s no need for you to waste your efforts for nothing.¡± Zhu Yunxuan indifferently gave him a reminder: ¡°Aren¡¯t you also wasting your efforts over nothing Lord Zhao.¡± Liang Zhen didn¡¯t move a muscle in his countenance, and simply smiled: ¡°That may not be the case.¡± CH 10 A-A+ The rainfall has yet to cease, and the interior of the study gradually grew dimmer, as the flare on top of the candlestick became particularly sparse and bleak. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s state of mind was not at ease as if he was currently sitting on pins and needles: ¡°When has this solidary one ever treated Lord Zhao so harshly that you couldn¡¯t bear to even light up two more candles for me?¡± Liang Zhen chuckled softly: ¡°I¡¯ve grown accustomed to such a dark room ever since I was a kid, and have forgotten that your majesty is present. The neglectfulness is mine.¡± After all the lights in the entire room had been illuminated, Liang Zhen¡¯s beamful gaze evidently turned warmer behind the flickering candles, which caused Zhu Yunxuan to become even more baffled: ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s your indication behind saying that you¡¯ve already grown accustomed to such a dark room ever since you were a kid?¡± Liang Zhen shook his head softly: ¡°That mother of mine has a malicious heart that is comparable to snakes and scorpions. At the age of two to three, she would often lock me up in an unlit room all by myself for at least an hour, so I am already used to it afterwards.¡± Zhu Yunxuan frowned upon hearing this: ¡°She is your mother afterall, why does she have to act this way?¡± Liang Zhen offhandedly fiddled with a chess piece: ¡°She naturally wouldn¡¯t be distressed over somebody that¡¯s not biologically her own.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s heart sank. For the first time ever, Liang Zhen has openly admitted to him that he actually isn¡¯t Mademe AnLe¡¯s offspring: ¡°¡­¡­ you aren¡¯t their biological son?¡± Liang Zhen looked up at him, and smiled suggestively: ¡°Aren¡¯t you already aware of it, your majesty? Aside from Mademe AnLe who isn¡¯t my biological mother, AnLe Hou isn¡¯t my biological father either.¡± Zhu Yunxuan clenched his fist with great force. Being aware of it is one thing, but personally hearing Liang Zhen admitting it is another. If he can hide the fact that he¡¯s deceiving himself with his own lies, and is genuinely someone with royal blood, then the fraternal adultery act they committed in the past is the actually humiliation in which Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s unwilling to face the most. Liang Zhen didn¡¯t seem to be a least bit flustered at all, and he still has that pair of cheekily grin on his face: ¡°Your majesty, why don¡¯t you inquire further about matters related to my past?¡± Zhu Yunxuan nonchalantly spoke up: ¡°What¡¯s there to even ask about?¡± ¡°If I reveal even more to you, then perhaps I can at least receive your majesty¡¯s concern.¡± Zhu Yunxuan was almost enraged into smirking: ¡°Why would I be concerned about you?¡± ¡°Your majesty has such an amiable nature, so you will of course be concerned about me even if you feel a little sorry on my behalf.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Liang Zhen continued speaking to himself: ¡°It was rare for me to have a full meal when I was young. My mother always thought that kids will easily suffer from indigestion if they consume too much food, so I am only allowed to have a single taste at each dish. These dishes cause my mouth to water everytime I look at it, yet I am not permitted to touch them, so that¡¯s rather unfortunate for me. But now that I have my own estate, I am naturally able to discover renowned chefs everywhere that can satisfy my appetite.¡± ¡°The foster-nurses and attendants who served me understood my mother¡¯s intentions, and utilized all kinds of methods to deal with me. Before the age of ten, there were all sorts of scars on my body that were not visible to outsiders from my foster nurses. Even if I inform my father about it, they will only say that it¡¯s an accident caused by my carelessness, and later on, they will torment me even further.¡± ¡°When I didn¡¯t finish my assignments, my mother would force me to copy the scripture by hand repeatedly under the pretext of teaching. I am not allowed to stop even if my hands are shaking to the extent where I cannot hold my pen up properly, or else I am not permitted to rest until I finish. She likewise assumed that I was stubborn to the point of not willing to make progress, and would whip my palm with a ruler till my flesh has torn open, so as to make sure that I am conscious of my ¡®wrongdoings¡¯.¡± Liang Zhen carried sarcasm in his words. Despite trying to receive sympathy, not a slight trace of resentment can be heard at all as if he is currently talking about matters that are irrelevant to him. While listening, Zhu Yunxuan also felt an explicit discomfort in his heart. It was perhaps a feeling of mutual struggle, since his childhood isn¡¯t any better off either. But the imperial servants daren¡¯t to offend him no matter how excess he is, and what¡¯s more, he also had an elder brother who would keep him safe. ¡°¡­¡­ Why would they have the guts to treat you as such while being fully aware of your identity?¡± The corner of Liang Zhen¡¯s lip faintly twitched: ¡°Identity? I am merely an illegitimate child that is not cherished by my own family and was secretly given birth by a bastard, and it¡¯s unclear as to whether or not he still acknowledges his origins. There¡¯s still a trace of lingering fear in AnLe Hou, but as for that mentally unsound woman, she firmly believes that it was me who caused her son¡¯s premature death and seized his royal status, so she naturally wishes to retaliate.¡± Zhu Yunxuan was momentary speechless, and Liang Zhen let out another laugh: ¡°Right after I turned ten, that mother of mine filled my bedroom with seven to eight alluring young maidens in order educate me on sexual affairs, but how could I not be aware that she has the intention of rendering my body invalidated at an young age? These young maidens were also her eyes and ears, so I would naturally not set my fingers on them. But later on, a rumor of me possessing an unmentionable infection started to circulate around the estate, and this rumor soon spread so far to the point where even the emperor had heard of it.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s face went stiff, because no one knows better than him as to whether or not Liang Zhen has any unmentionable infections in that area. But it¡¯s still rather absurd¡­¡­ how he could have such guts to offhandedly state this aloud. Liang Zhen continued in an unperturbed manner: ¡°The former emperor was unsettled about this and had originally intended to request an imperial physician to give me treatment, but I turned him down. Even up to this day, there are still private discussions regarding this matter of mine, so I am afraid that I¡¯ll have to trouble your majesty to clear up my name, because I am pretty sure that you know fairly well as to whether there¡¯s something wrong with me or not¡­¡­¡± Zhu Yunxuan fiercely interrupted him: ¡°Lord Zhao, aren¡¯t you not afraid that your reputation will be tarnished if you were being heard speaking such absurdity?!¡± The smile on the corner of Liang Zhen¡¯s lip intensified: ¡°There¡¯s only me and you here, could it be that you will speak about this matter to outsiders?¡± Zhu Yunxuan simply stopped speaking, and after Liang Zhen had his laugh, he become solemn at last as his gaze darkens: ¡°Therefore your majesty, even though the Liang clan wanted my assistance in allowing their daughter to take up the position of Empress Dowager by ascending the ninth prince to the throne, and so they can later on soar towards a better future after becoming excess family of the emperor. But why would I fulfill their wish with the way they are treating me?¡± Zhu Yunxuan was slightly bewildered, and chuckled to himself a moment later: ¡°If we put it that way, then I should be thankful to your fortunate presence since it is me who has picked up a great bargain.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for your majesty to overthink it. This position is already yours, and no one will be allowed to offer their opinion on anything.¡± The sudden downpour came to a cease in the afternoon and light from the sky appeared once again. Zhu Yunxuan placed down the chess piece in his hand, and after glancing out the window, he softly sighed: ¡°The weather has cleared up, let¡¯s return to the palace.¡± Liang Zhen curved his lip slightly and requested someone to prepare for carriage before sending him out of the estate: ¡°I¡¯ll keep your majesty company for the returning trip to the palace.¡± Zhu Yunxuan did not refuse and simply embarked onto the carriage, because after all, he couldn¡¯t prevent Liang Zhen no matter what. Liang Zhen mounted the horse and turned back to take a glance at the carriage behind him. The smile in his eyes deepened as he gave out the order to depart. After returning to the palace, the two sat down, and while Feng Sheng politely offered them tea, Liang Zhen smiled upon witnessing this: ¡°Since when does Eunuch Feng have to personally handle such tasks?¡± Feng Shen flatteringly said: ¡°It is an honor for me to serve your majesty and the lord.¡± He remained on the sidelines and refused to leave, as if he was prepared to provide them service at any given moment. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s complexion chilled and gave him the cold shoulder, while Liang Zhen narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked Zhu Yunxuan: ¡°I was told that your majesty has departed from the city this morning to personally visit the grand mentor of the former crowned prince, was it because you are intending to compensate him?¡± Before Zhu Yunxuan could say anything, Feng Sheng¡¯s complexion turned pale as a hint of panic was visible within his eyes. He probably didn¡¯t expect Liang Zhen would reveal the matters in which he had reported to him right in front of Zhu Yunxuan. Yet Liang Zhen feigned ignorance and merely looked at Zhu Yunxuan with a smile, waiting for his response. Zhu Yunxuan directed a glance at him as his gaze slowly darkened: ¡°So what? The case of voodooism in the eastern palace has long been justified and my master is persecuted with groundless charges. He is a capable official, and considering that the imperial court is presently in need of hands, what¡¯s wrong with me summoning him back?¡± Liang Zhen smiled as he shook his head: ¡°There¡¯s no way that I can refuse your majesty if you are so insistent on accepting him. But is your majesty intending to have this elder Zeng Huai join the council of ministers?¡± ¡°Based on his qualifications, it is more than enough for him to enter the council of ministers. Apart from that, I am also intending to have him become the leading member of the council,¡± After a pause, Zhu Yunxuan spoke up with indifference: ¡°But asides from this, I am actually more curious as to why Lord Zhao is aware of my whereabouts like the back of your hand? Just who has informed you about my temporary decision to depart from the palace this morning?¡± Cold sweat slid down from Feng Sheng¡¯s forehand, and even the muscles in his legs started trembling. Liang Zhen glanced at him and feigned surprise: ¡°Eunuch Feng has especially sent someone out to pass the word onto me and I even assume that it was your majesty who allowed him to do as such.¡± Zhu Yunxuan coldly swept a glance at Feng Sheng: ¡°Since when did I instruct you to inform Lord Zhao of this matter?¡± Feng Sheng¡¯s knee shakingly fell onto the floor as Zhu Yunxuan inquired him with a deep voice: ¡°Just who exactly has instructed you to do this? Or are you acting on your own initiative?¡± ¡°This servant is wrongly accused, this servant did not ah, this servant¡­¡­¡± Once Feng Sheng started speaking, all he did was complain, and so Zhu Yunxuan impatiently interrupted him: ¡°Wrongfully accused? Am I the one who has misunderstood or is Lord Zhao the one?¡± ¡°This servant¡­¡­this servant¡­¡­¡± Feng Sheng fiercely raised his head and crawled in front of Liang Zhen on his knees : ¡°Please save me Lord Zhao! This servant has been nothing but loyal to you, and I am doing this all for your sake!¡± Zhu Yunxuan narrowed his eyes at Liang Zhen while waiting for his explanation. Liang Zhen shoved away the person who was about to leap onto him and said with distaste: ¡°Eunuch Feng, let¡¯s just say that the one who you should be loyal to is your majesty, so why must you implicate this lord? Your motive is indeed quite execrable.¡± Then he turned towards Zhu Yunxuan: ¡°Your majesty is wise and should be aware that I have no connections with him whatsoever, so please don¡¯t misunderstand me.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Zhu Yunxuan softly replied, ¡°Does that mean he is cunning enough to sell you out together with him, Lord Zhao?¡± Liang Zhen objected: ¡°I daren¡¯t answer your majesty, but no matter what Eunuch Feng is plotting, it has nothing to do with me.¡± Feng Sheng shouted in panic: ¡°Why must you treat me as such Lord Zhao! This servant has done a great deal for you on your behalf¡­¡­¡± ¡°Drag him away.¡± Zhu Yunxuan coldly instructed. Imperial guards have already entered with swords in their grip. After seeing that Liang Zhen remained completely indifferent to this, Feng Sheng became utter terror-stricken at last as he cried out incoherently: ¡°Your majesty mustn¡¯t treat this servant like this! This servant is the former emperor¡¯s attendant! And he has entrusted me to pass on the imperial decree¡­¡­ mmmmhhh¡­¡­¡± The latter portion of his sentence was forced back in. While Feng Sheng was still attempting to put up a fight, the imperial guards chopped off his arms, making his eyeballs bulge out. He couldn¡¯t speak a single word this entire time because his mouth was muffled as he was later dragged away in this predicament. Once the palace has quieted down, Liang Zhen casually smooths out the portion of his clothing which has been wrinkled by that eunuch, and lets out a soft laugh: ¡°Are you satisfied now your majesty?¡± Zhu Yunxuan hesitantly glanced towards him: ¡°He is putting his life on the line for your sake yet you didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid when agreeing with me to dispose of him. Aren¡¯t you afraid that the hearts of your fellow trusted followers will falter because of this?¡± Liang Zhen was unfazed as he spoke up: ¡°Then so be it, he is the cause of your majesty¡¯s displeasure after all, just blame it on him for having too much of a cunning mindset. Besides, his death is well deserved considering that he has totally no respect towards your majesty¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze slightly flickered as his words came to a pause. Liang Zhen smiled and raised his teacup again without further commentating. CH 11 A-A+ During the first month of the Jingrui, the new emperor sent out a decree, requesting Zeng Huai, the crowned prince¡¯s former mentor, as well as Yan Shixue, Minister of Rites to join the council and become a chief administrator. When Liang Zhen first encountered this newly appointed chief administrator who is advancing towards his seventies within the imperial study of Ganlin Palace, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in his heart despite having an outwardly reserved attitude. He has been tolerating it ever since this spoiled little emperor ascended to the throne. Now with the arrival of an old-fashioned elder who is constantly giving him orders, he is afraid that he would be imperceptibly influenced, and become one with his surroundings. Zhu Yunxuan and Zeng Huai are currently in the process of discussing business, yet Liang Zhen showed up without invitation. Only after listening in from the sidelines did he become aware that Zhu Yunxuan is intending to draft an imperial edict promoting Madame Hou¡¯s rank up to the duchess of the nation. After listening to an earful of their discussion , he finally spoke up with eagerness to seek the spotlight: ¡°General Dingyuan has earned himself this rank due to his great achievements in the battlefield, but now your majesty is unexpectedly granting his wife the position of duchess by a mere stroke of your brush?¡± Zhu Yunxuan dismissively provided him an explanation: ¡°Madame Hou had the credit of defending the solitary pass during the previous years, so he should¡¯ve been rewarded for his merit long ago.¡± [T/N: The Madame Hou in question is apparently Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s elder brother, Zhu Yunjin¡­] ¡°This is nothing compared to General Dingyuan. Aren¡¯t your majesty afraid of provoking public criticisms after doing as such?¡± Zhu Yunxuan sneered: ¡°What meritorious achievements do you even have, Lord Zhao? And on what basis are you allowed to be granted the title of a monarchy after merely surpassing your twenties?¡± Liang Zhen smiled and unperturbingly said: ¡°It¡¯s natural for your majesty to inherit the biases of the former emperor and be indifferent towards public criticisms.¡± Zeng Huai furrowed his eyebrows and reminded him from the sidelines: ¡°Please be careful with your words, Lord Zhao.¡± ¡°I am doing this for your own good,¡± Liang Zhen stared at Zhu Yunxuan, ¡°because I am afraid that your majesty¡¯s impulsiveness would be subjected to ridicule.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already made up my mind, there¡¯s no need for Lord Zhao to waste your words.¡± Zhu Yunxuan interrupted him with indifference. Liang Zhen simply muted himself. General Dingyuan¡¯s wife is a male, let alone raising a rank, it¡¯s only a matter of Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s consent. As long as he is willing, he could even pass on his royal title to the formerly abolished prince who has feigned his death to escape. Zhu Yunxuan no longer paid any heed to him, and moved on to discussing other matters with Zeng Huai. In recent years, a group of bandits has been running rampant along the southern shores. It was mainly after lifting the ban on overseas trading three years ago that they started to act more excessive, even going as far as to committing all sorts of crimes. Therefore the presence of the navy has become extremely vital. Half a month ago, the former chief of the navy resigned due to his old age, so Zhu Yunxuan intends to have General Dingyuan, He Huailing, return back to Guangdong province and take over the position as the commander of the navy. Zeng Huai contemplated for a moment and hesitantly said: ¡°General Dingyuan has been guarding solitary pass for many years. Now that northern barbarians have been annihilated, there¡¯s no problem with allocating him to the south, but it¡¯s just that he doesn¡¯t have much experience with navigating at sea, so I am afraid that he won¡¯t be the proper candidate.¡± Zhu Yunxuan slightly shook his head: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, General Dingyuan is a versatile individual. Even without any background knowledge, I believe that he has the ability to adapt quickly.¡± ¡°This old minister has no objections against your majesty¡¯s decision.¡± Liang Zhen interrupted them once again: ¡°It seems like our majesty trusts General Dingyuan quite a lot, even to the point of personally bestowing him authority over the entire navy.¡± Zhu Yunxuan directed a cold glare at him: ¡°Does Lord Zhao have any objections? Or a better candidate?¡± ¡°Your majesty has the final say,¡± Liang Zhen let out a quiet chuckle, ¡°I have no objections, but regarding candidates who are going to take over the position as the commander of the solitary pass¡­¡­¡± Zhu Yunxuan said: ¡°General Dingyuan and I have already considered the current deputy general of the solitary pass, Ding Yang. That man is skilled at warfare, with wisdoms that surpass ordinary individuals and have made great contributions in annihilating the northern barbarians. Therefore I am planning to promote him to the rank of a general.¡± ¡°Ding Yang?¡± Liang Zhen slightly narrowed his eyes, ¡°He is the candidate which was recommended by General Dingyuan?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I assume that the new commander of the Solitary Pass must be dispatched from central Beijing. So if it were up to me, I would say that the deputy general of the Jingnan Encampment, Xu Sen, is suitable.¡± Zhu Yunxuan deepened his tone: ¡°Why should he be specially dispatched from the capital? Ding Yang has been leading troops at the solitary pass for many years, so no one understands what the situation is like over there better than him.¡± Liang Zhen argued: ¡°I recalled that back when General Dingyuan was leading his army to attack the northern barbarians, due to Deputy Commander Ding¡¯s reckless advance, he almost made a miscalculation at that time which would have cost tens and thousands of soldiers from our troops.¡± Zeng Huai objected: ¡°These are matters of the past. Later on, I heard it was all because of a strategic plan provided by Deputy General Ding that our Dayan Army was able to annihilate the entire Northern barbarians in such a short period of time.¡± ¡°It is as I¡¯ve said. Our merits balances out our faults,¡± Liang Zhen raised his eyebrows, ¡°General Dingyuan was there to look out for him in the past, but if he is the one who has all the authority now, what would you do if he counters every situation with an impulsive attitude again? The solitary pass plays a critical role in the northwest of Danyan, can Elder Zeng really be rest assured if it was handed over to such a person?¡± Zeng Huai countered his argument: ¡°Lord Zhao, the individual you mentioned is even less suitable. Although Xu Sen is Deputy Commander of Jingnan Encampment, he has never been on the battlefield before. So what¡¯s the use of dispatching such an inexperienced general who only engages in idle theorizing on paper?¡± ¡°Perhaps not even Elder Zeng knows how to engage in strategic planning on paper. In my opinion, it would be better if Elder Zeng doesn¡¯t take the matter of you joining the council for granted,¡± Liang Zhen scornfully laughed, ¡°The North has completely restored its peace and there probably won¡¯t be a occurance of war anytime soon. As long as we keep the border secure, there wouldn¡¯t be many casualties even if we recklessly charge into battle. Stability is Xu Sen¡¯s greatest advantage, so it¡¯s best suited for him to guard the pass. Furthermore, there¡¯s nothing wrong with him being inexperienced right? Since General Dingyuan is able to navigate at sea, there naturally wouldn¡¯t be a problem for Deputy Commander Xu to guard the border either.¡± After being impolitely ridiculed by Liang Zhen, Zeng Huai¡¯s expression turned unsightly, even his tone has grown rigid: ¡°Lord Zhao is so insistent on dispatching people from the capital to solitary pass. What exactly is your purpose in doing so?¡± Not a lot of people are aware that Liang Zhen comes from Jingnan. Even though he has now left his post as the chief commander of the Jingnan Encampment, he is still in charge of the entire capital¡¯s defense, including two squadrons; all the capital and imperial guards; with a total of approximately twenty-five thousand troops under his unified command. Despite all of this, he still insists on dispatching one of his men to guard the border, so how can anyone with a discerning eye not recognize that he has the intention of controlling all the troops and horses under the heaven in his grasp? Liang Zhen did not respond and looked towards Zhu Yunxuan who was in a state of confusion: ¡°Does your majesty also believe that I have ulterior motives?¡± Zhu Yunxuan nonchalantly asked him a question in return: ¡°Isn¡¯t it true though?¡± Liang Zhen smiled as he shook his head: ¡°Of course not. I am merely looking out for your majesty.¡± Zhu Yunxuan motionlessly stared at him in an attempt to distinguish the truthfulness of his words from the expression on his face. Zeng Huai suddenly spoke up: ¡°Since Lord Zhao claims that you don¡¯t have any other intentions and is single-mindedly devoted to your majesty. Why don¡¯t you show some sincerity by returning the military insignia as well as handing your military authority back to our majesty?¡± With these words, the atmosphere in the imperial study gradually became strange. Zhu Yunxuan stayed silent, as if acquiescing with Zeng Huai¡¯s proposal, and waiting for Liang Zhen¡¯s response. Liang Zhen looked at him with a semi-smile: ¡°Does your majesty think so too?¡± Zeng Huai continued: ¡°Since the beginning of our dynasty, the capital¡¯s military authority has always been personally handled by the emperor in charge. It was only because the previous emperor was seriously ill that he entrusted this important task to Lord Zhao. But now that his majesty has ascended to the throne, it should be time for you to return him authority of the military.¡± Liang Zhen lets out a sneer: ¡°It is said that a glass of wine could dismiss military hierarchy, yet at the present, your majesty doesn¡¯t even have a serving of tea.¡± [T/N: To simplify, Liang Zhen is basically saying that Zhu Yunxuan doesn¡¯t have what it takes to seize the military authority back.] Zeng Huai¡¯s expresion instantly changed: ¡°Presumptuous¡ª¡ª!¡± Liang Zhen smirked and gave him the cold shoulder as he focused his eyes on Zhu Yunxuan: ¡°What assumptions does your majesty have?¡± Zhu Yunxuan stayed silent and directed a gaze filled with cold intent back at him. Liang Zhen spoke up once again: ¡°There¡¯s something that I would like to discuss with your majesty in private.¡± It seems as if Zeng Huai has more to add but Zhu Yunxuan frowned and interrupted him: ¡°Lao shi should go back. We will continue our discussion regarding suitable candidates tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Your majesty!¡± ¡°I know what I am doing.¡± Zeng Huai¡¯s eyes showed concern as his line of sight darted from Zhu Yunxuan to Liang Zhen, before retreating with gritted teeth. After all the servants are dismissed, and only two of them were left in the palace, Zhu Yunxuan coldly spoke up: ¡°Lord Zhao should get straight to the point if you have something to say.¡± ¡°Is your majesty genuinely intending to seize back the military authority?¡± ¡°Are you willing to hand it over even if that is the case?¡± As they meet each other¡¯s gaze, wariness and skepticism is apparent in both of their eyes. After a while has passed, Liang Zhen softly heaves out a sigh: ¡°Your majesty, with you protecting the nation and me looking out for you, don¡¯t you agree that it¡¯s for the best?¡± Zhu Yunxuan remained motionless: ¡°I have no intention of being a puppet emperor. Is your insistence on not handing over his military authority a lust for power or a desire to oppress me?¡± ¡°Do you trust me, your majesty?¡± Liang Zhen questioned him all of the sudden. Zhu Yunxuan was slightly stunned and seemed to hesitate for a moment as his gaze darted away. Liang Zhen shook his head: ¡°It hurts me quite a lot considering the fact that you are able to place so much trust in General Dingyuan but refuse to believe me.¡± ¡°General Dingyuan has the ability to expand the territory for me, but what can you do? What aspect of you is worthy of my trust?¡± Liang Zhen whispered: ¡°I naturally won¡¯t have faith in you if you aren¡¯t willing to believe me.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s face darken: ¡°What¡¯s your implication behind this?¡± ¡°If your majesty doesn¡¯t trust me and decides to get rid of me one day, it¡¯s natural for me to store a keepsake that will preserve my life. If I were to obediently return all my military authority back to you now, perhaps I¡¯ll be locked behind bars after today,¡± While speaking, Liang Zhen approached Zhu Yunxuan step by step and stopped only after being inches away from him. He then leaned forward until their breaths were almost intervening, ¡°Your majesty, are you intending to get rid of me?¡± Zhu Yunxuan didn¡¯t want to lose his composure, so he refused to step back and only coldly glared at Liang Zhen: ¡°Do I have the ability to do so?¡± ¡°You indeed have that intention.¡± Liang Zhen confirmed Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s silence can also be considered as his acquiescence. Of course he does have the intention of disposing Liang Zhen. As someone that will cast their benefactor aside and return their kindness with ingratitude, it¡¯s obvious that he must get rid of that impudent fellow who exhibits no respect in front of him. He currently has all the authority under the heaven. Just who exactly has the ability and the guts to pressure him? And on what basis is Liang Zhen worthy to do so?! ¡°Since you are unwilling to trust me, and have the intention of disposing me, then I¡¯d rather be the treacherous fellow that you¡¯ve envisioned me as till the very end. It all depends on your majesty¡¯s capability if you want to seize my military authority for your own. I don¡¯t mind dying under your majesty¡¯s hands. But there is an alternative,¡± He nearly glued himself beside Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s ears as he softly finishes murmuring latter portion of his sentence, ¡°As long as your majesty is willing to take my hand in marriage and announce it to the world, then I can consider returning my military authority to you as a bridal gift.¡± ¡°Absurd! Do you actually believe that I am unable to get rid of you?!¡± Liang Zhen softly lets out a peculiar chuckle: ¡°At least you don¡¯t have the ability to do so now, but as for the future¡­¡­the days ahead of us are immeasurable, I¡¯ll simply be waiting for you.¡± CH 12 The court meeting in Xuande Palace. Up until now, Zhu Yunxuan has been listening to Liang Zhen and Zeng Huai arguing for thirty minutes straight over suitable candidates who can assume the position as the new chief commander. They each adhere to yesterday¡¯s viewpoints and refuse to give in. A red flush spread from Zeng Huai¡¯s face up to his neck as he became increasingly worked-up the more he spoke. Liang Zhen on the other hand appeared to be unfazed and only replied to the other party once in a while, yet each of his sentences was laced with malice, giving no respect for the newly appointed chief administrator. Yan Shixue provided Zeng Huai assistance in the sidelines, yet even with the two of them combined, they still cannot go up against Liang Zhen, who is both shameless and unpredictable in his words, so they fall back in defeat. The spectators stood idly by and no one was willing to voice out their opinion. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s brow gradually furrowed as his eyes slowly swept through the crowd before landing on Liang Zhen, and interrupted their endless dispute after pausing for a moment: ¡°Let¡¯s allow the Ministry of Affairs to select the suitable candidates, there won¡¯t be a final conclusion to this argument. They can submit the list of names to me for inspection after coming to a consensus.¡± All the officials from the Ministry of Affairs rushed out from the line and respectfully accepted the order. Liang Zhen glanced towards Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s direction and gently raised his lip, yet Zhu Yunxuan retracted his gaze and was no longer staring at him. Two days later, both sides reached an agreement and presented the nomination list to the imperial court. There were a total of three individuals, and two of whom were generals from Beijing. Xu Sen, the deputy general of the capital southern camp had his name majestically listed after being promoted by Liang Zhen. The Minister of Affairs lowered his head and reported in trepidation: ¡°Deputy general Ding of the solitary pass is obstinate and has the tendency of acting too aggressively, so he is not suitable to be promoted as the new commander-in-chief. Deputy commander Jiang is still young, and we all agree to dispatch someone from central Beijing instead. These three men are all veterans with stable characteristics and many years of experience in leading the army, so they will be able to shoulder this important task. Please make your decision majesty.¡± Zhu Yunxuan indifferently glared at the large assemble of officials who showed up reporting him of this matter with each of their heads lowered in a cautious and respectful attitude. But as to whether or not they are actually loyal to him, perhaps only they themselves are aware. ¡°Are these candidates formulated after all your discussions?¡± The Minister of Military Affairs replied: ¡°They were chosen by me after several deliberations.¡± A moment of silence has passed, before Zhu Yunxuan suppressed his anger and said: ¡°Allow me to reconsider this, all of you can now be dismissed.¡± After the crowd departed, Zhu Yunxuan raised his hand and swept off all the brushes, inkstones and paperweights on the table in front of him. Immediately afterwards, the servants in the palace knelt down as Gao¡¯an advised him with a bitter expression: ¡°Your majesty, please take it easy.¡± ¡°Take it easy?¡± Zhu Yunxuan was enraged into smirking, ¡°Does anyone truly care as to whether or not I was displeased? Each of you appear to comply but are secretly opposing me, and no one is willing to take me seriously. Do any of you still remember that I am supposed to be emperor?¡± After his words subsided, Liang Zhen just so happens to walk through the entrance. Upon witnessing this scene, he raised his eyebrows and said: ¡°Just which insensible bastard has provoked you and caused you to be this furious, your majesty?¡± Zhu Yunxuan lifted his gaze and directed a stern look towards Liang Zhen as he gnashed his teeth in anger: ¡°You are truly capable, Lord Zhao. In this entire court room, are there still any officials who aren¡¯t bribed by you?¡± Liang Zhen softly chuckled: ¡°I don¡¯t understand what your majesty is trying to imply.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you feign ignorance in front of me! I allowed the Ministry of Affairs to select suitable candidates to assume the position as the new commander of the Solitary Pass. Yet the ones mentioned by them are all your fellow confidants from the Encampment of Beijing?!¡± Liang Zhen lightly shook his head: ¡°Your majesty, as I¡¯ve mentioned before, I do not have any selfish motives regarding this matter. The reason why Ding Yang is unsuitable is not only because of his inherently irresponsible nature, but also¡­¡­¡± ¡°But also what?!¡± ¡°Why must you force me to make my words clear, your majesty?¡± Liang stared directly towards Zhu Yunxuan and spoke in a profound tone: ¡°Furthermore, both him and the other deputy commander of the solitary pass, Jiang Yan, are trusted subordinates of General Dingyuan, they pledge their loyalty and are willing to risk anything for him. But now that you are dead-set on dispatching General Dingyuan to the south, and leaving his confidants to guard the northwest border. Are you not the least bit concerned about him handling such a massive army with a formerly abolished crown prince by his side?¡± Zhu Yunxuan was stunned for a while before his expression gradually turned unsightly as anger completely tainted his dark irises: ¡°There¡¯s no need for Lord Zhao to stir up conflict on the spot. I don¡¯t have faith in anyone else, but General Dingyuan has gained my absolute trust. I don¡¯t want you to make a subjective assumption about the intention of others.¡± Liang Zhen smiled: ¡°If General Dingyuan is the one being criticized, then what about me? People¡¯s hearts are changeable, have your majesty heard of this saying? After fleeing under the guise of death, does the abolished prince genuinely have no difficulties with getting a hold of himself? The throne in which you are seated on should¡¯ve been his. What would you do if he truly is harboring ill intentions with General Dingyuan now aiding him?¡± Zhu Yunxuan snapped: ¡°Keep your mouth shut! I am well aware of what my elder brother is like, I will not allow you to slander him so wantonly!¡± Taking a step forward, Liang Zhen stubbornly kept speaking, as his words gradually became more bold and aggressive: ¡°I understand that the brotherly affection between your majesty and the abolished prince are deep-rooted, but how much can this affection amount to before the throne? Supposing that the abolished crown prince is the one occupying this position today, and your majesty is willing to assist him in governing the nation, I¡¯m sure that he will be lenient towards you. Yet on contrary of what is to be expected, you are the one who became the emperor instead, and he has fallen from being a crowned prince to a fugitive who cannot see the light of day that must rely on changing his name to live a miserable life. Do you genuinely believe that he will let go of this grudge after falling from grace? You trust him and General Dingyuan without a doubt, if he is able to take advantage of the occasion, can you be certain that he won¡¯t seize the opportunity to shift the blame onto you and develop ill intentions?¡± ¡°Keep your mouth shut for me! Shut up!¡± Zhu Yunxuan is enraged to the point where he has to place his hands on the table for support. He clenched his teeth and stared at Liang Zhen with crimson eyes: ¡°Hear me out, I obtained this throne for my elder brother¡¯s sake, and if he wants it back, then so be it, there¡¯s no need for you to intervene!¡± After Zhu Yunxuan finished speaking, his knees went weak and fainted. Liang Zhen¡¯s pupils fiercely contrasted before rushing over and catching him in his arms. Gao¡¯an instantly went into a panic before instructing someone to summon the imperial physician in a hurry. He looked at Zhu Yunxuan who is currently within Liang Zhen¡¯s embrace with a sorrowful expression, and whiningly explained: ¡°Our majesty spent less than two hours per day resting ever since ascending to throne, and has dedicated himself to managing national affairs. Two days ago, he suffered from a fever and refused to inform the imperial physician, only saying that it¡¯s not a big deal to be fussed about, so this servant genuinely cannot urge him¡­¡­¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s gaze darken before hauling the person in his arms towards the bedchambers. The imperial physician showed up in a hurry, and explained that Zhu Yunxuan had merely caught a fever by checking his pulse and would be fine after taking two doses of medicine. Leaning against the couch, Liang Zhen furrowed his eyebrows and asked: ¡°Why hasn¡¯t our majesty woken up yet?¡± The imperial physician lowered his head, and didn¡¯t even dare to breathe heavily before answering with caution: ¡°Your majesty¡¯s mind is clouded by fury just now, and has lost consciousness due to the fact that he didn¡¯t manage to inhale his breath properly. During the next few days, if his body doesn¡¯t undergo any more stress or simulation, he will surely sober up after a while.¡± ¡°There¡¯s actually not a problem?¡± ¡°Our majesty can handle this because he has a great fortitude due to his young age, but such behaviors cannot be continued. The health of the emperor is vital, so that is why he must take care of his own body. I¡¯ll write down a few more prescriptions, our majesty will be able to safely recuperate for a period of time as long as he is willing to take occasional rests and corporate by consuming the prescribed medicine.¡± Liang Zhen nodded: ¡°You can go ahead and write down the prescription.¡± Zhu Yunxuan cuddled himself in bed with his eyelids shut tight, seemingly unable to find peace even in his sleep. Tucking in his quilt, Liang Zhen focused his eyes on him while remaining on the sidelines. Gan¡¯an¡¯s constant sobbing got onto Liang Zhen¡¯s nerves, causing him to rebuke in a whisper: ¡°Get lost if you are unable to stop whining. See it for yourself, do you even have the slight appearance of a chief eunuch? And is this the way in which you serve our majesty?¡± He suddenly felt a surge of regret, thinking that he should¡¯ve kept that geezer Feng Sheng alive, because he could at least keep an eye out for Zhu Yunxuan on his behalf. Gao¡¯an wiped the tears off his face and was about to leave before Liang Zhen called out for him to stop once again: ¡°Let me ask you. Is your majesty genuinely concerned about selecting a suitable candidate to take up the position as the commander of the solitary pass?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­ of course¡­¡­¡± ¡°What exactly did that Court Elder Zeng say to him?¡± Gao¡¯an is hesitant to speak as Liang Zhen narrowed his eyes: ¡°What, are you not allowed to reveal anything?¡± ¡°¡­¡­. This servant does not dare to make presumptions regarding these matters, so please forgive me, my lord.¡± Gao¡¯an stiffly finished speaking and refused to say another word before retreating after giving a bow. Liang Zhen sneered. There¡¯s no need for him to even guess that the old geezer must¡¯ve warned Zhu Yunxuan about him harboring ulterior motives of potentially controlling the military power of solitary pass because he insisted on dispatching people from the capital. With the guidance of that old geezer, he is afraid that Zhu Yunxuan would avoid him from a thousand miles away. After a while, Liang Zhen lowered his head and planted a kiss on Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s lips before sighing softly. Nevermind, I won¡¯t go against you this time. It was nearly dusk by the time Zhu Yunxuan woke up, and when he caught sight of Liang Zhen sitting beside his bed, the look on his face was immediately darkened by several degrees before he silently gestured for Gao¡¯an: ¡°Prop me up.¡± Gao¡¯an braced him, Zhu Yunxuan received the freshly delivered medicine, and finished it all in one go without batting an eyelid. Liang Zhen observed his movements closely before hooking his lip once Zhu Yunxuan was done: Soon after ascending to the throne your majesty has already fallen ill. With such a delicate constitution, just how long are you able to maintain your position without the exploitation of others?¡± Zhu Yunxuan sullenly glanced towards him: ¡°Have you had enough?¡± Liang Zhen lightly shook his head: ¡°Your majesty, it¡¯s not as if I am intentionally provoking you, so why do you have to act like this towards me?¡± Zhu Yunxuan wearily closed his eyes: ¡°Dismissed.¡± ¡°In the future, make sure you rest everyday before midnight, I¡¯ll be paying a daily visit to your living quarters.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡ª !¡± ¡°According to the imperial physician, it is for the best if your majesty can restrain your temper and value your health.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t make me lose my temper with you!¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s eyes reddened. Seeing as tears blurred his vision, Liang Zhen had the urge to laugh. In the past, he has overheard the palace elders discussing how lively and brilliant this fifth prince once was, even though he now has the authority of an emperor, his inner temperament hasn¡¯t changed at all. His inability to cope with unjustness caused his eyes to water up each time after being teased, truly the definition of a sheep in a wolf¡¯s clothing. Suppressing the urge to laugh, he said: ¡°Your majesty, if outsiders were to see you in such a state, you will no longer have the majestic presence of an emperor.¡± Zhu Yunxuan spoke with indifference: ¡°Do you not consider yourself as an outsider, Lord Zhao?¡± Liang Zhen smiled meaningfully and did not continue the conversation. CH 13 Ganlin Palace. Zhu Yunxuan had been ill for several days, and seeing as he was in a stressful state of mind with his brows tightly furrowed together, Zeng Huai persuaded him in a whisper: ¡°Your majesty¡¯s health is the number one priority, there¡¯s really no need to be overly concern about this matter. You are already aware that they all had ulterior motives, so why bother yourself with losing your temper at them? Patience is the long term solution.¡± Zhu Yunxuan sighed: ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect that he managed to bribe all six of the high ranking officials in the ministries.¡± ¡°All of them are sailing based on the current, so it may not be true that they have all yielded to Lord Zhao. Your majesty, there¡¯s no need to be overly concerned about the situation at hand, in my opinion, it¡¯s no good to continue carrying such a burden, it¡¯d be for the best if you can give-in to him for now.¡± ¡°Give in to him?¡± Zeng Huai said: ¡°That¡¯s right, if Lord Zhao wishes to be in charge of the troops in the solitary pass, then allow him to do as he pleases, it¡¯s not as if his success is guaranteed after all. The two deputy commanders of the solitary pass will always be loyal to your majesty, they¡¯ve been operating in that place for many years, as long as they have the same intentions, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for them to dispose of the newly appointed chief. Your majesty needn¡¯t concern yourself with this matter, and should direct your focus towards the capital city instead. Once Deputy Commander Xu is sent off, his position in the south encampment of the capital will be left vacant.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s pupils shrunk slightly before letting out a laugh: ¡°Lao shi, you are right, I am the one who¡¯s got the wrong idea. The capital city is indeed our priority, he isn¡¯t in charge of everyone from the two encampments, so there¡¯s no way that I¡¯ll refuse this opportunity that he has presented to me personally.¡± Zhu Yunxuan was still talking to Zeng Huai when Liang Zhen entered with a rare display of relaxation on his face. ¡°I overheard your majesty¡¯s laughter before entering, what¡¯s the occasion?¡± Although Zhu Yunxuan was unhappy to see him, he nevertheless put on a respectful facade and nonchalantly said: ¡°We were just chatting about the birth of my teacher¡¯s grandson yesterday, so I am currently preparing a congratulatory gift to be sent out.¡± ¡°This is indeed a joyful occasion,¡± Liang Zhen smiled as he congratulated Zeng Huai, ¡°I will also have someone send gifts to Elder Zeng on my behalf as a token of blessing for the birth of your grandson.¡± Zeng Huai quietly expressed his gratitude without much warmth in his words and it¡¯s obvious that the previous incident has caused him to be quite dissatisfied with Liang Zhen, yet Liang Zhen doesn¡¯t take it personally since he has always been indifferent towards the opinions of others. Once Zeng Huai left after he was done reporting the necessary matters, the smile on Zhu Yunxuan faded away as he gave Liang Zhen the cold shoulder while reviewing memorials. Liang Zhen walked over to the side of the table, and flipped through the booklets before suddenly asking: ¡°Your majesty, has the new commander of the solitary pass been chosen yet?¡± Zhu Yunxuan spoke with disregard: ¡°Xu Sen it is. The Ministries of Affairs will naturally approve since he is Lord Zhao¡¯s recommended candidate. Make sure to give him a reminder if you have the chance so that he can make early preparations before the Ministries of Affairs place down the official transfer order.¡± Liang Zhen raised his eyebrows in a slightly unexpected way. He originally planned to back off so as to not make things difficult for Zhu Yunxuan, but he did not expect that Zhu Yunxuan would be the one to compromise him first: ¡°What¡¯s the reason for your majesty¡¯s sudden change of mind?¡± Zhu Yunxuan sneered: ¡°What else can I do other than to change my mind? Waiting to make a joke out of myself in front of the entire court?¡± Liang Zhen leaned against the edge of the table and acutely narrowed his eyes and at him for a while before raising the corners of his lip: ¡°Your majesty doesn¡¯t have to.¡± Zhu Yunxuan did not intend to dwell on this matter any longer: ¡°Then it is settled. I will request the Ministry of Affairs to select a candidate to fill the position as a deputy general of the southern camp in the capital, and Lord Zhao can also make a few recommendations if you have anyone that¡¯s suitable.¡± Seeing that he has made up his mind, Liang Zhen simply did not kept pursuing and shifted the topic: ¡°I noticed that your majesty is unable to contain your joy after hearing the news of Elder Zeng¡¯s new born grandson, could it be that you are also hoping for an heir?¡± Zhu Yunxuan causally answered: ¡°Children bring greater prosperity. It¡¯s natural for me to have such aspirations.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Zhu Yunxuan lifted his gaze towards Liang Zhen, and only averted his line of sight away after noticing a trace of malicious intention flash before his eyes and unperturbed spoke up: ¡°A year haven¡¯t even passed since the demise of the late emperor, base on our current situation, it¡¯s not the optimal time to take such matters into consideration.¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s gaze darken slightly, and did not continue the conversation. He casually received the simmered medicine from a little eunuch and glanced at the bitter murky liquor before handing it over to Zhu Yunxuan: ¡°How many more days do you still have to consume this for?¡± Zhu Yunxuan furrowed his brows and accepted the bowl of medicine before finishing it in one swift motion. As soon as the bowl of medicine was placed back on the tray held by the eunuch, Liang Zhen reached over and wiped the corner of the other party¡¯s lip with his thumb. Zhu Yunxuan was slightly stunned before subconsciously turning away which caused Liang Zhen to let out a soft laugh: ¡°There are still residues on your lip.¡± Zhu Yunxuan accepted a handkerchief from the eunuch before gesturing towards Liang Zhen after he finished wiping it clean: ¡°Lord Zhao should take your leave if you don¡¯t have any urgent matters for me, I must focus on reviewing all the memorials.¡± Liang Zhen stayed motionless before delivering a piece of candy covered with wrapping paper which magically appeared in his hand towards Zhu Yunxuan: ¡°Wash away the sourness in your mouth.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze slightly flickers as he pauses after wandering past the hand which Liang Zhen had held the candy and ultimately did not accept it. Liang Zhen raised his chin and smiled: ¡°Can¡¯t your majesty detect the bitterness of medicine after drinking it?¡± Zhu Yunxuan unconsciously pursed his lips and did not answer. The smile in Liang Zhen intensified before he threw the piece of candy into his mouth and swallowed it after chewing: ¡°It¡¯s not poisonous.¡± A trace of astonishment flashed before Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze because he naturally believed that Liang Zhen wouldn¡¯t poison him in such a grand fashion. But if Liang Zhen genuinely had such intentions, he would not waste his efforts in raising his rank as he might¡¯ve enjoyed having the pleasure of all the authority under the heaven alone.¡± After a moment of silence, Zhu Yunxuan pinched a piece of candy and placed it into his mouth. Zhu Yunxuan became somewhat drowsy not long after consuming the medicine and the speed in which he flipped through the memorials has slowed down significantly. Liang Zhen still hasn¡¯t left as he leaned over to remind Zhu Yunxuan in a whisper after noticing that his droopy eyelids: ¡°Your majesty should take a nap on the couch, leave the rest of it for me to handle okay?¡± Zhu Yunxuan looked towards him as his gaze flickered: ¡°You can handle it for me?¡± Liang Zhen blinked: ¡°Other than imitating the handwriting of others, I can barely do anything else, so why don¡¯t you give me this opportunity your majesty?¡± That¡¯s right, he couldn¡¯t conceal the truth from the world if it wasn¡¯t for that fabricated imperial decree of succession. Zhu Yunxuan contemplated for a while and did not decline the offer since this pile of memorials are mostly about trivial issues, and the urgent ones have long been singled out by the council. The most critical matters are usually discussed during court meetings, so even if Liang Zhen were to review them on his behalf, he wouldn¡¯t be able to play any tricks. Since Liang Zhen wanted to become ¡°the prince regent¡±, there¡¯s nothing wrong with allowing him to put in extra effort. After leaving a single ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you then¡±, Zhu Yunxuan delightfully stood up and fell asleep soon after laying down on the couch. There¡¯s a bit of astonishment mixed within Liang Zhen¡¯s helplessness since he was merely making an off-handed statement and didn¡¯t expect that Zhu Yunxuan would actually agree. It is rare to see Zhu Yunxuan sleeping so peacefully in front of even though he may only be treating him as a hired laborer. Liang Zhen sat down on the couch as his fingers traced over Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s cheeks which finally had a trace of crimsoness, and he let out a soft sigh after staring at him in silence. Without any disturbances, Zhu Yunxuan had an extremely satisfying sleep tonight. By the time he opened his eyes, it was already dawn and all the candles in the palace were lit up. After arousing from his sleep, Zhu Yunxuan was in trance for a moment before shrinking himself into the overcoat which was draped over his body. Smelling the familiar scent of tea leaves, only then did he realize that this was the exact cloak which Liang Zhen had taken off prior to entering his bedchamber. Zhu Yunxuan noticed that Liang Zhen often fumigated his mansion with the scent of misty tea leaves when he paid a visit as a guest, therefore he can easily recognize this aroma since his clothes were always scented with a faint fragrance of tea leaves. Hearing the commotion, Liang Zhen stopped writing and looked towards him with a smile in his eyes after turning around: ¡°Are you awake your majesty?¡± Zhu Yunxuan was momentarily irritated at the fact that he had slept unconsciously beside Liang Zhen for almost two hours. After sitting up, he returned the overcoat to Liang Zhen before accepting the cup of tea which was offered by the other party in order to moisten his throat. Taking a glance at the memorials that had been piled up beside the couch, Zhu Yunxuan had rather mixed emotions because he never thought that Liang Zhen would actually finish approving all of them on his behalf. ¡°¡­¡­ Thanks for your hard work, Lord Zhao.¡± The corner of Liang Zhen¡¯s lip softly hooks up: ¡°Your majesty, if you have the intention of expressing your gratitude, a single sentence won¡¯t be enough. You should at least allow me to stay for supper right?¡± Zhu Yunxuan gave him a reminder: ¡°The palace gates will be closing in a moment.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to fret, didn¡¯t the former emperor provide me a temporary residence in the palace? I¡¯ll just make do for the night.¡± Zhu Yunxuan no longer continued the conversation and instructed Gao¡¯an to add a few extra dishes for supper in the imperial dining room. After taking a seat at the table, Liang Zhen expressed his desire for a drink, so Zhu Yunxuan requested someone to bring out the bottle of wine which was sent here from the border by Zhu Yunjing a few days ago. Liang Zhen smiled as he dangled the cup in his hands: ¡°Isn¡¯t your majesty afraid of getting tipsy after consuming such a strong liquor?¡± Zhu Yunxuan dismissively said: ¡°I rarely drink. Please help yourself, Lord Zhao.¡± Liang Zhen poured him a cup: ¡°Your majesty, do me a favor by accompanying me for a drink would you?¡± Zhu Yunxuan did not decline the offer, and directed a glance at him: ¡°Why does it seem to me that Lord Zhao is in a rather foul mood today?¡± ¡°Looks like your majesty has noticed, I am genuinely flattered to receive your concern.¡± Liang Zhen shook his head while speaking: ¡°It¡¯s nothing much really. Today is the anniversary of my father¡¯s death, I am merely a bit sentimental at the moment.¡± Zhu Yunxuan was speechless for a while and ultimately held back the urge to curse him out as he picked up the wine glass in silence. His appetite has improved during the last few days, and as of now, the imperial kitchen prepared a serving of fish which had no foul smell and was extraordinarily sweet. Zhu Yunxuan moved his chopsticks diligently, and upon witnessing this scene, Liang Zhen asked him with a smile: ¡°Are my two chefs any of a service to your majesty?¡± ¡°They are fair enough.¡± Liang Zhen has attempted to please him by using various means, yet Zhu Yunxuan has never appreciated it in the first place, so he did not make use of the two people who were sent forth to the imperial kitchen at all. He has been unable to consume any food due to his fever for the past few days, but one of the cooks prepared a bowl of bitter soup which was quite effective in stimulating his appetite. It has to be said that there¡¯s no way of declining anyone that was sent over by Liang Zhen, yet Zhu Yunxuan has no objections against it. Zhu Yunxuan had a pretty decent appetite today so he was greedy for a drink. He took the initiative to pour himself a cup in front of Liang Zhen, whilst totally failing to remember what he said earlier about ¡°drinking less¡±. With a smile, Liang Zhen gave him a reminder: ¡°Be careful of falling under the influence of alcohol your majesty.¡± ¡°Go ahead, I know what I am doing.¡± They are unable to restrain themselves once they start drinking, and both of them become tipsy only after three rounds. Zhu Yunxuan, who has been on edge for awhile finally had a rare chance to relax. He lazily leaned on the table with his head propped up, while listening to Liang Zhen chat about various novelties outside the palace. It seems like he is aware of all of everyone¡¯s preferences and nature, including mutual acquaintances, and marriages of the royal family, noblemen as well as all the civil officials in court. Zhu Yunxuan narrowed his eyes, thinking that it¡¯s actually not a surprise for him to gain the favor of everyone since he can see through them easily, and people who have such abilities are by no means a mediocre individual. Instead of having a good laugh at the end of their conversation, Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s mood became increasingly disorientated. While he is experiencing an emotional turmoil, Liang Zhen suddenly leaned in closer after he stopped chatting and stared into his eyes: ¡°You¡¯ve drank too much, your majesty.¡± Zhu Yunxuan nodded: ¡°Then you should take your leave, I need to rest, Lord Zhao.¡± Seemingly oblivious to his words, Liang Zhen lets out a soft chuckle: ¡°I¡¯ll escort your majesty back to the bedchamber.¡± CH 14 There was a flash of confusion in Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s eyes as if he didn¡¯t quite get the indication behind Liang Zhen¡¯s words. Liang Zhen leaned closer to him and repeated softly beside his ears: ¡°Your majesty, allow me to escort you back to the bedchamber.¡± ¡°No need¡­¡­no need¡­¡­¡± Zhu Yunxuan shook his head in disorientation before unsteadily standing up only for his legs to lose their strength as he sat back into the chair again. Gao¡¯an rushed forward to support him but was pushed aside by Liang Zhen. Liang Zhen stared at the slightly drunk Zhu Yunxuan in front of him with attentiveness. His gaze darkened before ordering Gao¡¯an in a deep voice: ¡°Leave with everybody else, no one is allowed to enter unless they are summoned.¡± Gao¡¯an refused and unsettlingly looked towards Zhu Yunxuan: ¡°Your majesty¡­¡­¡± ¡°Leave.¡± Liang Zhen repeated himself. ¡°My lord you mustn¡¯t¡­¡­¡± Liang Zhen shot him a cold glare and cut off his unspoken words before bending forward and lifted Zhu Yunxuan with his arms. Zhu Yunxuan was startled and was on the verge of instinctively putting up a fight. Liang Zhen grasped his hand and walked into the bedchamber with large strides while carrying him in his embrace. After being tossed into the bed, Liang Zhen¡¯s body has already pressed down on him from above before he had time to process what¡¯s happening. Zhu Yunxuan was imprisoned beneath him with his hands held high and legs weighted down. Searing kisses descended one after another. This gave him a huge shock as the tipsiness he felt from earlier vanished in an instant and he desperately started protesting: ¡°Let go of me¡­¡­Let go!¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s scorching breaths gushed onto his neck, causing him to sweat: ¡°You have no shame! wu ¡ª¡ª!¡± With their lips sealed, a slippery tongue pried open his teeth and viciously entered before stirring inside his mouth, forcing his tongue to corporate as well. The tip of his tongue probed in and repeatedly searched every corner and crevices between their lips. After being forced to endure such an intense kiss, Zhu Yunxuan suffered from a lack of oxygen as tears nearly poured out from his eyes. The actions of the man above became increasingly rough, nibbling on him with fierceness as if trying to tear him apart before eating him in a whole. The sound of heavy breathing echoed beside Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s ears before forcing him to lose consciousness. A while later, Liang Zhen¡¯s movements finally came to a halt. After their lips parted, they met each other¡¯s gaze as bitter hatred filled Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s moisty eyes. Liang Zhen was slightly stunned before lowering his gaze and asking him in a murmur: ¡°Does your majesty resent me to such a degree?¡± ¡°Let go of me.¡± Zhu Yunxuan gritted his teeth. ¡°What if I am unwilling?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve mentioned before, if you ever dare to have the intention of forcing me again¡­¡­¡± The corners of Liang Zhen¡¯s lip slowly curved upwards: ¡°Your majesty, do you have any qualifications to refuse me at the moment?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡ª !¡± ¡°This throne of yours was bestowed to you by my own hands, and as long as I have the intention, I am able to reclaim it anytime, don¡¯t you believe me? Haven¡¯t you always wanted to know what the late emperor said to me before he fell into a coma that day? How about I tell you right now?¡± The candle flame behind Liang Zhen reflected the smile at the corner of his lips, which was inexplicably bizarre. Zhu Yunxuan stared at him with fierceness and Liang Zhen¡¯s gaze darkened even further before he used his hands to gently caressing the other party¡¯s cheeks: ¡°The late emperor said that as long as I wanted the throne, he would have put down a decree to restore my authority and modified the legacy.¡± Zhu Yunxuan clenched his fist with great force. Liang Zhen looked at him with a smile and softened his tone before continuing: ¡°I refused, so that old geezer had no choice but to give me a confidential decree, stating that I could use it to restore my identity and dispose of the new emperor at will.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s eyes widened incredulously and the smile in Liang Zhen¡¯s gaze deepened: ¡°Don¡¯t you believe me?¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s heart gradually submerged into the void. Of course he believed it, how could he not? His imperial father has long lost his sanity. As long as Liang Zhen¡¯s involved, even the most bizarre accusations are likely to be true. As the new emperor, his position wasn¡¯t stable in the first place, with an exception to a few who genuinely supported him, the majority did not treat him with conscience. Liang Zhen is already in possession of a strong military force, once he brings out the secret decree and starts a rebellion, just how many people would be loyal to him afterwards? His elder brother in a distant place, no one would be able to save him. No one¡­¡­ ¡°Your majesty, are you stricken with panic?¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s hand rubbed on Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s lips, repeatedly tracing his beautiful and attractive lip outline. Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes and murmured: ¡°Is there any use to panic? You¡¯ve been keeping a trick up your sleeves all along not only for this occasion.¡± Liang Zhen lowered his head and leaned closer towards Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s ear before whispering softly: ¡°Your majesty, what about me? Why are you still concerning yourself with getting married and having children? Am I not good enough for you?¡± ¡°How laughable! Who do you think you are¡­¡­¡± ¡°What do you prioritize? Your throne? The nation? Or¡­¡­ is it the formally abolished crown prince?¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s pupils abruptly shrank: ¡°What are you intending to do?!¡± Liang Zhen lets out a low chuckle: ¡°The abolished prince had a son that¡¯s at least over four years old by now right? That¡¯s certainly enviable, I heard that he is quite a lively and clever little rascal¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you have the nerve to lay your hands on them, I¡¯ll drag you down to hell with me even in my death!¡± Liang Zhen was unfazed: ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s considered an honor for me to receive such hostility from your majesty.¡± Zhu Yunxuan stared at him with a pair of crimson eyes before sneering: ¡°You are only able to flaunt your status in the capital. Do you actually think that you can lay your hands on them when General Dingyuan is around?¡± Liang Zhen shook his head with disapproval: ¡°Your majesty is well aware of how despicable and shameless I can be. At present, they are the ones in the light and I am the one in the dark. No matter how capable General Dingyuan is, he can¡¯t keep his spouse and children under his protection all the time. If I truly do have such an intention, there would certainly be an opportunity in the future. After all, I have no lingering attachments, although I don¡¯t want to lose my life that easily, I am not afraid of death either.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s resentment reached its peak: ¡°I am going to get rid of you! I will¡­¡­.¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s lip pressed downwards once more, blocking all his unspoken words. Zhu Yunxuan gave him a bite, causing Liang Zhen to taste blood which had manifested amidst his agony. After retreating away, he licked his bitten tongue and lightly laughed: ¡°Your majesty is sure becoming capable.¡± While staring at him with persistence, the tears in Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s eyes continued to gush out. Liang Zhen wiped away all the tears accumulated on his face drop by drop: ¡°Behave¡­¡­¡± Zhu Yunxuan closed his tearful eyes and stopped struggling. Liang Zhen¡¯s kisses descend upon his lips once again, becoming much more tender and affectionate. After a while had passed, a seemingly absent sigh sounded beside Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s ears: ¡°No need to fret, I won¡¯t do anything to them.¡± Zhu Yunxuan bit his lip with force which nearly left blood marks in its wake, but Liang Zhen was extremely gentle and tried every means to please him. Resentment encroaches on logic, but his body is dominated by instinctive feelings, tearing his soul into two halves, one of which is extreme agony and the other is irresistible degradation. Liang Zhen embraced Zhu Yunxuan with their hands interlocked, and called out to him in a whisper: ¡°Your majesty¡­¡­¡± Zhu Yunxuan sobbed as he shook his head and dug his fingers deep into the flesh of the other party¡¯s shoulder, refusing to open his eyes till the end. Liang Zhen¡¯s gaze darkened even further before hugging him tighter in his arms. Once the last candle flame in the bedchamber had been extinguished, there¡¯s only an ambiguous resonance which was deliberately suppressed for a long time. During sunrise, Gao¡¯an shouted in a trembling tone from outside of the palace: ¡°Your majesty, my lord, it¡¯s time to wake up or else we will miss the morning court if we are late.¡± Zhu Yunxuan seems to be fast asleep without moving an inch. Liang Zhen, who is holding him tightly in his embrace raises his hand before making contact with the other party¡¯s forehead and discovers that he is having a low fever. Liang Zhen¡¯s mood worsened as he stood up and instructed Gao¡¯an after handily draping on his coat: ¡°Summon the imperial physician before asking someone to deliver a message that the court will be adjourned for today since the emperor is unwell.¡± A quarter of an hour later, Zhu Yunxuan was still asleep even after Gao¡¯an had led the imperial physician inside. Liang Zhen sat by the bedside and embraced him before asking the old imperial physician named Fang in a frown: ¡°Why is our majesty¡¯s fever acting up again when he is obviously fine yesterday?¡± The imperial physician lowered his head, with how intimate both of them are, anyone can tell what¡¯s going on. A shock wave reverberated in his heart, he no longer dared to take another glance. After taking his pulse, the old imperial physician cautiously replied: ¡°Your majesty hasn¡¯t fully recovered, and suffered a cold last light. I¡¯ll write down two additional medical prescriptions.¡± ¡°Would two prescriptions be enough?¡± The imperial physician steeled his heart and gritted his teeth before falling onto his knees, pleading with him: ¡°My lord, our majesty still hasn¡¯t recovered from a serious illness, therefore such acts¡­¡­ must not be committed ah!¡± Liang Zhen narrowed his eyes and coldly spoke up after a moment of silence: ¡°There are matters that you should keep to yourself, being a blind and mute may not be without benefit.¡± A shiver ran down the old imperial physician¡¯s body as he answered: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t¡­¡­ dare.¡± The imperial physician was sent away to prescribe the medication and Gao¡¯an was also dismissed while holding back his tears. Liang Zhen bowed down and rubbed his dry lip against Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s forehead with a trace of lingering fear in his heart. CH 15 Zhu Yunxuan did not show up at court for three days straight, and Zeng Huai made a special request to visit him. After witnessing his pale complexion and furrowed eyebrows, he became extra unsettled. Zhu Yunxuan casually waved his hand: ¡°No need to worry about me.¡± Zeng Huai was forced to swallow his consoling words back into his stomach before staying quiet and presented him with the newly proposed candidates that were suitable to become the deputy general of the southern capital army. A large portion of the participants on the list are generals from the capital¡¯s two main forces. Zhu Yunxuan swept a glance at it and paused at a certain name before asking Zeng Huai: ¡°Does Lord Zhao know about these candidates?¡± ¡°From what the ministry of affairs has mentioned, it seems like this was decided through his suggestions.¡± ¡°Then so be it.¡± Zhu Yunxuan softly sighed and marked a circle on that name with his brush. After Zeng Huai departed, Gao¡¯an came forward and reported to Zhu Yunxuan with profound respect: ¡°Lord Zhao recently delivered a message, saying that he has invited your majesty to visit his manor for a stroll tomorrow.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s expression chilled as he closed his eyes for a while before instructing: ¡°Have someone make the preparations.¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s estate was bestowed to him by the former emperor and was located northwest of the capital, away from where the other residences were. It was a favorable location with unique views despite being extremely peaceful. In springtime, the blossoms and trees are sparse and green, so it is a decent place to enjoy the scenery. Zhu Yunxuan was traveling in casual clothing. After leaving the palace gate, he got onto a carriage which was arranged by Lord Zhao to pick him up and rode out of the city for more than an hour before arriving at the destination where Liang Zhen had been waiting for him. Zhu Yunxuan disembarked from the carriage with the help of Gao¡¯an while wearing a light silk robe which made him appear seemingly thin. Liang Zhen went forward and received the cloak from a eunuch before draping it on his body: ¡°The weather hasn¡¯t warmed up. Your majesty is recovering from a serious illness and should wear extra layers.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s eyes were silently downcast with a trace of arrogance and estrangement between his brows. Liang Zhen lets out a laugh: ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll accompany your majesty for a stroll.¡± Liang Zhen¡¯s estate is considerably large and has great living conditions. Walking along the pond, all the way past the blooming spring flowers, there were tender green willows and large lotus leaves on the lake, along with budding flowers that were waiting the arrival of summer to flourish. Liang Zhen wore a smile on his lips before saying to Zhu Yunxuan: ¡°Once the lotus seeds are in season during the next two months, your majesty could have a taste after I sent someone to deliver them over to the palace.¡± Zhu Yunxuan dismissively nodded but Liang Zhen didn¡¯t mind and asked him: ¡°Would your majesty like to have a trip on the lake?¡± Zhu Yunxuan did not decline his offer so Liang Zhen assumed it was a yes. The boat came to a halt at the shore, and during the process of getting on board, Liang Zhen extended his hand towards Zhu Yunxuan who appears to be slightly puzzled before accepting his help. The boat sailed away from the shallow waters and paddled into the depths of the lake. In the cabin, Zhu Yunxuan sat by the window while gazing at the view of the lake without much appreciation or joy in his eyes. Liang Zhen handed him a cup of hot tea: ¡°Why is your majesty so preoccupied today? Zhu Yunxuan retracted his gaze and shot a glance towards him before making a cold remark: ¡°Nothing, I just didn¡¯t expect the scenery at Lord Zhao¡¯s estate would be so decent, it¡¯s indeed the ideal place for a spring outing.¡± Liang Zhen softly laughed: ¡°Your majesty is welcome to visit anytime if you are fond of it.¡± Zhu Yunxuan no longer continued the conversation and gazed into the distance once more while holding his teacup. For a moment, Liang Zhen¡¯s eyes lingered on Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s side profile, as the look of Zhu Yunxuan whimpering and sobbing beneath him that day was still vivid in his mind. The more this young emperor succumbed, the more the indefinable emotions stirring in his heart boiled over, desperately craving for a release. ¡°Are you getting better now your majesty?¡± Liang Zhen inquired him with concern and Zhu Yunxuan was slightly stunned before replying in a calm voice: ¡°I am already doing very well, thanks for your thoughtfulness, Lord Zhao.¡± Liang Zhen suddenly raised his hand and embraced him from behind, Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s eyelashes trembled lightly and he was about to close his eyes, but Liang Zhen did nothing else other than plant a light kiss on his cheek before murmuring: ¡°Why is your majesty so well-behaved today?¡± Zhu Yunxuan said with indifference: ¡°Would you concede if I don¡¯t obey?¡± Without saying anything, Liang Zhen tighten the hold around his waist and Zhu Yunxuan fell back into his embrace, but his barren gaze nevertheless remained to stare in the direction of the window. Liang Zhen frowned as his heart is stretched taut for no reason before he raised his hand and covered the other party¡¯s eyes. The fluttering feather eyelashes swept through the palm of his hand, and after a moment, he sensed slight wetness from it. Liang Zhen sighed and heard Zhu Yunxuan asking him in a choke that is almost inaudible: ¡°Why does it have to be me?¡± ¡°Your majesty¡­¡­¡± ¡°No matter male or female, I can bestow you all the beauties under heaven. But why does it have to be me?¡± Liang Zhen withdrew his hand before lowering his head and skimming his lip over the other party¡¯s face: ¡°Your majesty¡­¡­¡± ¡°What will it take for you to leave to me?¡± With scarlet eyes, Zhu Yunxuan questioned him and his gaze even carry a hint of pleading. Liang Zhen was silent for a long time before helplessly saying: ¡°Why can you not believe that I¡¯ve genuinely taken an interest in you?¡± Zhu Yunxuan sobbed as he shook his head: ¡°¡­¡­It can¡¯t be.¡± ¡°Why not? It is because you are assuming that we are siblings related by blood?¡± Zhu Yunxuan was overly consumed by dejectedness and didn¡¯t notice the implication behind his words as he continued sobbing. Liang Zhen sighed once more: ¡°With such a sensitive temperament, how are you able to secure your spot on the throne? Without me, I am afraid that you wouldn¡¯t be aware even if you are being skinned alive by these wild beasts.¡± Tears continuously poured out from Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s eyes as he looked at him in a daze: ¡°Wild beasts? Aren¡¯t you one yourself?¡± The corners of Liang Zhen¡¯s lip slightly curved upwards: ¡°Am I?¡± Zhu Yunxuan unconsciously blinked his eyes a few times, and his mouth twitched, unable to say much as Liang Zhen¡¯s fingers gently rubbed over his lips: ¡°Your majesty, is it true that I have no weight in your heart at all? Are you willing to accommodate me because of the abolished crown prince or are you fearful of the confidential decree?¡± Zhu Yunxuan was stunned for a while before saying: ¡°Throughout history¡­¡­ just how many officials have the guts to act like you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being like this? Do you really wish to become the loner who stands at the apex and refuses to let anyone in?¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze stagnated for a moment as Liang Zhen tilted his body forward before leaning close to his ear and murmured, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ll be satisfied even if you could share half of the affection you had for the former abolished prince with me. ¡°He is my blood-related brother.¡± Zhu Yunxuan reminded him in a deep voice. Liang Zhen disproved: ¡°In this palace, what deep-rooted affection is there to even speak of?¡± Zhu Yunxuan is unwilling to explain any further because there¡¯s no way that someone like Liang Zhen could understand. His mother passed away in childbirth, he should be the one indebted to his elder brother. It was rumoured that he was an ill omen that caused his mother¡¯s death and his father never had a favorable impression of him. The palace staff was neglectful, and his days passed by with difficulty. His elder brother wasn¡¯t actually fond of him at first, but he cannot bear the sight of him receiving ridicule therefore he brought him back to the eastern palace. Ever since then, his days have been gradually improving, and for many years, it was his elder brother who sheltered him and ensured that he could grow up safely in this palace. Even if he was asked to offer up his own life when his elder brother is trouble, will there be any harm in doing so?¡± At the age of five, his elder brother caressed his head and told him, ¡°You are my little brother, no one can bully you when I¡¯m around.¡± Throughout the next ten years, his elder brother has been using practical actions to fulfill this promise. After his elder brother feigned his death and fled, he vowed in his heart that he would seize the throne and protect his brother for the rest of his life. Liang Zhen wouldn¡¯t understand, he could never. After being stared at by Liang Zhen¡¯s blatant gaze, Zhu Yunxuan, who was sobbing earlier, was very self-conscious. Seeing his evasive eyes, Liang Zhen laughed softly before lowering his voice: ¡°Your majesty is mistaken. I have no need for any other beauties, you alone is already enough for me.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­¡± Liang Zhen cut his words off: ¡°Does your majesty still have any recollections of our first encounter?¡± Although Zhu Yunxuan remained silent, he undoubtedly remembers. At that time, his elder brother has already departed from the capital, leaving him all alone as the Second Prince Zhu Yunxun purposely made things difficult for him. Even though he wasn¡¯t implicated by the abolishment of the crown prince, his situation is gradually becoming trickier, and it was at this precise moment that Liang Zhen showed up. He has been hostile towards this rumored illegitimate son of the emperor since the beginning, but after he was framed by Zhu Yunxun, and almost made a public spectacle of himself when he failed to complete the mission that was assigned by the emperor, it was Liang Zhen, who he has never had any interactions with before, that got him out of this predicament. Later on, he had occasional visits with Liang Zhen in private. Although he couldn¡¯t figure out Liang Zhen¡¯s intentions, he is nevertheless grateful for Liang Zhen¡¯s assistance on numerous occasions until Liang Zhen asked for him as an exchange. The first time was when Liang Zhen discover that Zhu Yunxun had colluded with the He family to intercept the military saralry, providing him and his brother the chance to overthrown Zhu Yunxun. It was from this point onwards that Zhu Yunxuan has become aware of Liang Zhen¡¯s expertise in trickery, therefore even if he did ascend to the throne in the future, they would never be on good terms with each other. Liang Zhen is overly capable and has countless needs, but what he desire is something in which Zhu Yunxuan couldn¡¯t afford nor give. Zhu Yunxuan does not deny that he is equally despicable and will do anything to achieve his goal, even to the extent of selling his own body. Liang Zhen does not owe him anything, but he is unable to get rid of his resentment for him. Liang Zhen¡¯s eyes narrowed, seemingly immersed in memories as an absented smile appeared on the corners of his lip: ¡°Your majesty, it doesn¡¯t matter if you believe it or not but I genuinely wish to aid you from the very the beginning.¡± Zhu Yunxuan was unmoved by this phrase since he has never been able to see through Liang Zhen. His intentions or desires aren¡¯t something that could be easily discern by outsiders, and as for whether his words are false or genuine, Zhu Yunxuan doesn¡¯t even bother wasting his efforts to figure it out. Liang Zhen let out a soft laugh: ¡°There¡¯s no need for your majesty to be this stubborn. On that day¡­¡­ It couldn¡¯t be that you did not enjoy it at all, right?¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s reaction could not fool him. The fact that they have been physically entangled on many occasions, every subtle change in Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s expression beneath his body could not escape his eyes, and his intoxicated state of mind in the midst the climax was something he could not hide even if he tried his best to conceal it. ¡°Why do you have to be like this?¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s heart froze all over and he resented his previous cowardly actions. He is aware from the very beginning that he must learn to be tolerant no matter in the future or the present, but he momentary overlooked this today and revealed his cowardly attitude in front of the other party, allowing him to become extra pleased. He couldn¡¯t do anything else other than to tolerate, because sooner or later, one of them will emerge victorious while the other in defeat. Liang Zhen grasped Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s jaw with his hand before lower his head and kissed him on the lips. As their lips and teeth intimately made contact, Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes in numbness. CH 16 A-A+ Spring transitioned into summer as the departure of autumn is followed by the arrival of winter. When the first heavy snowfall descended on the new era of Jingrui, it was already late December. Today, the emperor will be performing a ritual to worship the heavens, and it was an important occasion for Zhu Yunxuan because this is the first year that he ascended to the throne. Zhu Yunxuan woke up during the darkest hours of the night. All the candles in his bed-chamber were lit while dozens of eunuchs were helping him to wash up and get dressed. Zhu Yunxuan appeared to be exhausted and his entire body felt rather sluggish since he only slept a wink due to the frigid condition from last night. Even if there were antispasmodic herbs and several braziers in his bed-chamber, it¡¯s still cold to the extent where he is unable to fall asleep despite tossing around. It¡¯s possible that he caught a cold again as he felt excruciating pain in his throat as soon as he drowsily got up. Gao¡¯an knelt on the ground to tie his waist belt and spoke with concern after he heard Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s faint coughs: ¡°Your majesty, why don¡¯t you summon the imperial physician for an inspection and drink a bowl of medicine before departing?¡± ¡°No need. Today is the worshipping ritual, we mustn¡¯t be late.¡± In the early morning, the emperor¡¯s royal carriage was surrounded by a vast number of convoys as they marched towards the Heavenly Temple of Huanqiu in the southern city. As the assembly of convoys exited the palace gate, Liang Zhen embarked on the imperial carriage under the cover of the dark night. Zhu Yunxuan was resting his eyes inside and didn¡¯t even bother to open them when he heard the commotion because there can only be one person who has the nerve to climb onto the imperial carriage without being summoned. Liang Zhen gave him the brazier in his hands and casually asked: ¡°Your majesty has a pale complexion and dark circles under the eye, is it because you are unable to have a proper sleep last night?¡± Zhu Yunxuan did not respond, so Liang Zhen reach over and clutch his palm which turned out to be entirely frigid: ¡°Do the palace attendances not know how to serve you? It¡¯s quite fortunate that I brought a hand-warming brazier along with me.¡± He spoke as he went over and grasped Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s lap, causing the other party to finally open his eyes before glaring at him with an impatient frown: ¡°What are you intending to do, Lord Zhao?¡± Liang Zhen smiled before he strap a pair of kneepads on him and covered his body with an imperial robe: ¡°It¡¯s cold out there and the ritual is estimated to take serval hours, I am afraid that your majesty¡¯s knees wouldn¡¯t be able to outlast for long.¡± ¡°Take it off.¡± Zhu Yunxuan coldly ordered. ¡°Why should I? I am doing this for your majesty¡¯s sake.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s eyebrows were tightly knitted together: ¡°Worshipping the heaven is a matter of sincerity, how can I evade such responsibility?¡± Liang Zhen objected: ¡°How is this considered slacking off? Has anyone indicated that wearing kneepads are insincere? When did your majesty become so persistent in adhering to the old customs?¡± That Grand Secretary Zeng probably taught him all of this. Liang Zhen shook his head; This old geezer is never up to any good. Seeing that Zhu Yunxuan is still in a distressed state, Liang Zhen spoke up once more: ¡°Your majesty should relax, you are the emperor after all, and God definitely cannot bear to see you suffering from the cold. Not to mention, the officials out there are all wearing kneepads, you are the only one who is being so sincere.¡± Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes, he of course is aware of that. During the reign of the former emperor, all nobles who tagged along would be fully armed to the brim and slack off by using all means possible; this is what he used to be best at. But today¡¯s different, the one sitting on the throne is him and he will also be the one worshipping the gods. His position as the emperor doesn¡¯t belong to him in the first place, and he has never felt at ease in the past year ever since his ascension with so many pairs of eyes watching from the sidelines. He merely thought that he can receive a bit of divine blessing from heaven by having sincerity, Liang Zhen saw through his thoughts with a single glance and nonchalantly spoke up while strapping on the pair of kneepads for him: ¡°It¡¯s better to rely on ourselves than to rely on heaven. There¡¯s no need for your majesty to hold gods in such a high regard.¡± Zhu Yunxuan furiously interrupted him: ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too excessive to the extent of not even acknowledging the gods, Lord Zhao?¡± Liang Zhen raised his gaze towards him with a hidden smile: ¡°I don¡¯t acknowledge heaven or ghost spirits, I only have faith in myself. Likewise, your majesty can have faith in me if you are willing.¡± Zhu Yunxuan was stunned for a moment and closed his eyes once more before remaining silent. Liang Zhen no longer bothered him and disembark from the carriage after keeping him company for a while. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s mood is rather complicated, and he hesitated for a long a time before ultimately calling someone up to untie that pair of kneepads for him. The bell of Taihe rang at dawn. Zhu Yunxuan dismounted from his carriage and walked through the Temple of Heaven¡¯s southern gate and stride step by step up the Huanqiu altar. As soon as the clamor of the bell came to a halt and the beats of drums rang out, the ceremony will officially begin. On the altar, the lanterns were suspended high above, and the burnt wood stove was filled with smoke. In the mist, the emperor led the royal family and the officials to worship the memorial tablet of Hao Tian God before arriving at the ancestral tomb to offer incense and perform the ritual after returning to their worship position. The cold wind was penetrating to the bones and the snowfall descended at a constant pace. Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s coronet, clothes and shoulders were covered with snowflakes, but his body was tense as he meticulously completed each movement. This is just the opening stage. The ceremony is a solemn matter, repeatedly kowtowing with dedication is required and not even a single mistake can be forsaken. Liang Zhen is kneeling among the noblemen, and he can not help but slightly frown after spotting his thin figure on the altar repeatedly bowing down. When he stood up once again to offer the gods his cup, Liang Zhen, who had been watching him with attentiveness, clearly saw that Zhu Yunxuan stumbled as he walked and spilled half of the wine in his cup. But the ministers were all kneeling on the ground with their heads lowered, therefore, no one else noticed. This worshipping ceremony took a total of two hours before finally coming to an end at noon, and on his returning trip, Zhu Yunxuan was cold to the extent of losing all sensations in his body. After arriving at Ganlin Palace, he fainted as soon as he entered the gate with others propping him up. The imperial physician rushed over and Zhu Yunxuan only restored his consciousness after an acupuncture treatment. Once he opened his eyes, he spotted Liang Zhen who was sitting to the side while staring at him with a frown on his face. Zhu Yunxuan asked him in a murmur: ¡°Why are you here, Lord Zhao?¡± ¡°I cannot rest assured about your majesty so I decided to pay a visit and ended up overhearing that you¡¯ve fainted. The imperial physician mentioned that you suffered from a cold and must remain in bed to recuperate.¡± Liang Zhen shook his head as he spoke. Prior to becoming an emperor, Zhu Yunxuan was not as delicate, but now he would fall ill once in a while because his health is seemingly deteriorating. Zhu Yunxuan gestured for Gao¡¯an to prop him up before he lean against the headboard and warily said: ¡°I am fine.¡± ¡°Your majesty does not need to overexert yourself, if you are genuinely doing fine then you would not have fainted upon returning.¡± It seems that Zhu Yunxuan still had something else to add but a few underlings came to inform him that Lord Xian was waiting outside with a assemble of noblemen, urging his majesty to take action as soon as possible. Zhu Yunxuan furrow his eyebrows: ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already evening.¡± He surprisingly slept for almost a whole hour and it¡¯s almost time for him to lead the noblemen to an ancestral statue of the imperial temple for performing the worshipping ritual in the afternoon. Zhu Yunxuan immediately instructed in a serene tone: ¡°Help me get dressed.¡± Liang Zhen leaned over and stopped his movements: ¡°Your majesty, are you sure that you wanted to show up at the imperial temple under such a condition? How about we change it to some other day?¡± Zhu Yunxuan refused but Liang Zhen advised him: ¡°With your sickly appearance, I am sure that your ancestor will not be happy to see you. It would do no harm if you were to go there after you finished recovering in two days. Furthermore, are you even capable of walking on foot right now?¡± A trace of hesitation appeared on Zhu Yuxuan¡¯s face, and Liang Zhen lowered his voice before adding: ¡°In any case, that old emperor probably does not want to see you either.¡± Upon hearing these words, Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment and he instructed Gao¡¯an with a dark expression: ¡°Go ahead and inform them that they should go by themselves because I am not feeling well and will be performing the ceremony on another day.¡± Gao¡¯an received his instructions and showed up at the outer palace. The noise of commotions can be heard transmitting from the outside, and Lord Xian¡¯s voice was particularly prominent as he shouted: ¡°Your Majesty, worshipping the ancestral temple and offering sacrifices to heaven was a rule set by Emperor Taizu, you are bounded to follow the custom.¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gaze darkened immediately and Liang Zhen raised his eyebrows. A eunuch entered with an embarrassed look on their face before reporting that Lord xian was the one taking the lead among the imperial officials who were kneeling outside to beg for his majesty to arrive at the scene so as to not break the ancestral rules.¡± ¡°Lord Xian said¡­¡­ said that the way you are defying your ancestors is disrespectful. He even mentioned that he will continue to kneel outside if you do not show up, and eunuch Gao is currently pacifying them¡­¡­¡± Once that eunuch finished speaking, the beads of sweat on his temple came dripping down, and he lowered his head without the guts to look at Zhu Yunxuan. Liang Zhen snickered: ¡°This old geezer has taken his seniority as an advantage, but is he even worthy to pressure his majesty by relying on the ancestral customs?¡± Zhu Yunxuan restrained his temper before asking: ¡°Are you certain that he said that?¡± ¡°Of course, the entire crowd has taken Lord Xian¡¯s lead in prostrating, us underlings cannot pacify them.¡± Liang Zhen wasn¡¯t bothered: ¡°Your majesty, there¡¯s no need for you to pay any heed to them. Those old geezers are just showing off their eloquence with the intention of seeking your favor. They are used to receiving extravagant treatment, so even if they were to kneel, how long can they persist? Perhaps they will lose interest after less than two hours and get up on their own without your persuasion.¡± Zhu Yunxuan did not say anything as his eyes were downcast and filled with indiscernible emotions. Liang Zhen frowned: ¡°There¡¯s no need for your majesty to show up if you are unwilling. Is there any use for you to nurse a grievance after being pressured?¡± Zhu Yunxuan said: ¡°Have I not suffered from any less pressure? It won¡¯t hurt additionally more if I were to fall in the same pit multiple times.¡± His underlings waited for him to change into his ceremony robe, and Liang Zhen watched from the sidelines with his sleeves rolled up before going forward to accept a leather belt in the eunuch¡¯s grasp: ¡°This lord will do it myself.¡± He personally fastens the belt for Zhu Yunxuan, yet the other party appears to be calm and allowed him to move as he pleased by staying motionless. After smoothing out the outer garment, Liang Zhen looked at the submissive emperor in front of him and raised his hands to caress the other party¡¯s face: ¡°You are going to the Imperial Temple without having supper?¡± Zhu Yunxuan shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s too late, we can¡¯t allow the crowd to remain kneeling outside. Once word gets out tomorrow, the entire court will become aware that I am someone who has dishonored my ancestors.¡± Liang Zhen scoffed: ¡°Those gossipy individuals can be directly disposed of. Why bother wasting your concern on them? Zhu Yunxuan said with a smile: ¡°If you were me, you would be a true tyrant that throttles the freedom of his nation.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being a tyrant? Being a righteous ruler must¡¯ve been exhausting.¡± There are rarely any emperors in this world who is not concerned about their reputation or the way in which future generations will judge them. He is not an unrestrained individual like Liang Zhen, so he naturally cannot act according to his wishes. Seeing Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s gloomy expression, Liang Zhen leaned close to his ear and whispered: ¡°Don¡¯t worry your majesty. For those who have wronged you in the past ¡ª Just you wait as I give each one of them the same treatment on your behalf.¡±