Chapter 42: 44

In a time that was far better than the late spring, when the green willows filled the Imperial Capital, the Ministry of Rites selected an auspicious day to announce the whole country: The Fifth Prince has been given the title of King, name Su. The Seventh Prince has been given the title of King, name Xian.

Seven days later, Fu Ji’an, now known as King Xian, hosted a banquet at his Residence. All the Officials came to congratulate him.

Mu Zhiming went with his father to congratulate the King, but before the carriage could even reach King Xian’s Residence, it couldn’t move forward anymore. The streets were decorated with countless red lanterns, and the main gates of the Residence were packed with guests.

Wen Heyin, who had followed Mu Zhiming, was surprised to see this: “What a big banquet.”

Mu Zhiming said: “Everyone knows that His Highness King Xian has been favored by His Majesty since he was young. It’s not surprising that there are a lot of guests.”

King Xian’s Residence was a mess, filled with carriages and horses, but the interior of the Residence was in order. As soon as the Duke of Yan’s carriage reached the entrance of the Residence, a young servant immediately stepped forward to invite Mu Boren and Mu Zhiming into the Residence. On the other hand, since Wen Heyin was a bodyguard, he couldn’t follow them to the main hall and could only wait in the side courtyard.

Going through an elegant zigzag corridor, one could see the beautiful trees, lush greenery, a red lacquered Pavilion, as well as exotic flowers and stones. Finally, Mu Boren and Mu Zhiming met Fu Ji’an on the second floor of the Pavilion.

The young King was no longer the little doll that would scream ‘can’t you let me sleep a little longer?!’ as Mu Zhiming pulled on his ears early in the morning. Now, Fu Ji’an was a high-spirited young man, whose Imperial presence permeated his whole being, and whom everyone called a ‘Heavenly Official’.

“Duke of Yan! You’re here!” As soon as Fu Ji’an saw the father and son of the Mu Family, the young King immediately smiled.

“Your Highness, King Xian.” Mu Boren saluted, and after exchanging pleasantries, he sincerely congratulated Fu Ji’an.

Fu Ji’an politely answered every word and then called a servant to lead Mu Boren to the main banquet table to sit down, warning him not to neglect the Duke.

As soon as Mu Boren left, Mu Zhiming and Fu Ji’an were no longer bound by the rigid etiquette. Thus, the young King went forward and hugged Mu Zhiming happily: “Mu-gege! Long time no see! You finally came back from the border.”

“Now that you’re King Xian, it’s not appropriate to call me ‘Mu-gege’ anymore, right?” Mu Zhiming pretended to be serious.

“Alright, alright, alright. Then I should call you ‘Lord Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites’. Is that alright?” Fu Ji’an said with a mocking tone.

As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them looked at each other and laughed.

After joking a bit, Mu Zhiming remembered the main purpose of this trip: To remind Fu Ji’an of the ‘villains’.

In his previous life, after Fu Ji’an became King Xian, the Emperor ordered him to deal with the flood disaster in Qiongzhou, in order to help him gain fame and prestige.

After receiving the order, Fu Ji’an personally went to Qiongzhou in order to ease the burden faced by the common people to the best of his ability. However, when Fu Ji’an returned to the Capital to report his work, someone unexpectedly framed him for a crime. Someone had bribed Fu Ji’an’s men, tampered with the expense book, and had the expense book discovered by Ministry Officials. Had it not been for the fact that the Emperor trusted Fu Ji’an, sending people to Qiongzhou to carefully investigate the matter, the crime of corruption would have fallen on his head.

Mu Zhiming said: “I have something to tell you. Can you spare some time for me?”

When Fu Ji’an noticed Mu Zhiming’s seriousness, Fu Ji’an realized that it was about a very important matter. Thus, he immediately invited Mu Zhiming to a quiet tea room, and once there, Fu Ji’an dismissed the servants.

Once they sat face to face, Mu Zhiming opened his mouth and asked bluntly: “Did His Majesty give you the order to go to Qiongzhou to deliver disaster relief?”

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At first, Fu Ji’an was surprised, but then he laughed: “Mu-gege, how did you know? My Father just told me this morning. Nothing has been decided yet!!”

“His Majesty holds you in high esteem, so he will definitely send you to deliver disaster relief. Since ancient times, disaster relief has fed corrupt Officials, so you must personally verify the money and account expenditures! Moreover, the hearts of the people in the Imperial Court are complicated and dark. You should keep your eyes wide open and pay close attention to the villains around you, who are plotting to tear you apart.” Mu Zhiming said bitterly.

“Mu-gege, thank you for your advice. I will keep it in mind, and examine the account book thoroughly. I will not give others the opportunity to take advantage of the loopholes.” Fu Ji’an said with a smile. “But, this is really strange. Can there be such coincidences in this world? Mu-gege, you said the exact same thing someone else said to me today.”

Mu Zhiming was slightly stunned: “Who?”

Fu Ji’an smiled: “It was my Fifth Royal Brother. He also came to remind me to pay attention to the disaster relief money account. He told me that although I know people, I don’t know their true intentions, so I should watch and be careful with the Officials who accompany me.”

Mu Zhiming was completely stunned, and an idea popped into his mind. Due to the idea being so terrible, the blood in his body froze, and he even could feel as if a sword were stabbing him from behind.

‘Could….could Fu Yi really be reborn?’

“Mu-gege, what’s wrong?” When Fu Ji’an saw Mu Zhiming’s face had suddenly turned pale, Fu Ji’an asked confused: “What happened?”

“Nothing….I’m fine.” Mu Zhiming took a deep breath, suppressed the horror surging in his heart, and looked at Fu Ji’an with complicated eyes. After careful consideration, Mu Zhiming said: “Ji’an, His Majesty has favored you deeply since childhood, and the Noble Consort has devoted all of her efforts to protect you. Your heart is simple and honest, but you don’t know how the world works. People’s hearts are too complex to understand. The affairs of power, as well as conspiracies, are very treacherous. You must pay more attention, it’s essential that you protect yourself from others!”

Fu Ji’an sighed: “Mu-gege, I actually understand the words you’re saying to me…” Remembering the dusty past, his eyes darkened and his hands clenched into fists. “When I was 6 years old, at the Spring Festival, I witnessed how sinister people’s hearts can be. I will never forget that scene.”

Mu Zhiming whispered: “When you were 6 years old at the Spring Festival…. Ah, you mean when he fell into the water?”

“Yes!” Fu Ji’an raised his head. “It was the day when my Fifth Royal Brother fell into Qinxin Lake!”

Mu Zhiming had slightly heard about the incident that had taken place that year. In the Spring Festival, the Emperor had organized a great banquet in the Imperial Garden. At that time, the Princes and Princesses were still very young, so they were all playing near Qinxin Lake. Unexpectedly, Fu Yi, the Fifth Prince, had accidentally fallen into the water. Seeing this, Noble Consort Niangniang recklessly jumped into the cold lake to rescue him.

After that, Fu Yi became seriously ill, to the point where there was no way to make his high fever subside. Concubine Wu, Fu Yi’s mother, was treated with indifference when she asked for medical treatment, but later, the Noble Consort took the mother and son duo to live with her in Fengyi Palace. Thanks to the Noble Consort’s care, Fu Yi was able to recover.

”
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Speaking about this matter, Fu Ji’an angrily slammed the table: “I saw it all! My Fifth Brother didn’t fall into the water by accident! It was Crown Prince Fu Qi who pushed him into the water!”

These words shook heaven and earth, tearing apart the hypocrisy of his brother’s ‘humility’, and exposing his sinister, bloody heart.

“That day, the Imperial Guards were obviously there with us. But when they saw my Fifth Brother fall into the water, all they did was scream out as they stood by the lake, but they didn’t jump to rescue him at all. If my Consort Mother didn’t know how to swim, and hadn’t jumped into the lake, I’m afraid my Fifth Brother wouldn’t have survived….” Fu Ji’an shook his head and frowned. “I also know that on that day, the person Fu Qi really wanted to push was me! He simply pushed the wrong person by mistake!”

“After that, my Imperial Father clearly noticed the clues, but he didn’t want to delve into the matter, so I also buried it within my heart and never mentioned it again.” Fu Ji’an said each word with an uncanny calm. “Everyone thinks that I don’t understand anything, but in fact, I have always understood it all.”

Mu Zhiming looked at Fu Ji’an, only to realize that he had underestimated him. Now, Fu Ji’an was His Highness King Xian.

For Fu Ji’an, the favor of the Emperor had never been a blessing, but rather an iron prison. Since ancient times, the Imperial Family had always been ruthless. The Imperial Palace had always been a very deep and dark place, where all eyes have been stalking on him as well as the Noble Consort. Had it not been for her sharp, careful mind, the flames of hatred and jealousy would have burned them to death!

At that point, neither Fu Ji’an nor Mu Zhiming dared to delve into it anymore. They simply replaced the tea with wine, toasting to each other as they wished for a bright and prosperous future.

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