Prince Ying opened his mouth as if to speak, but Qi Junmu looked at him gently and continued, "Prince Ying, all these years—whenever you close your eyes, do you think of your deceased brothers? Whenever you see Imperial Father, are you afraid? And deep in your heart, have you always hated him?"
Prince Ying's expression grew dazed. He thought to himself, How could I not be afraid? To put the late emperor at ease, he had not dared to have more than one child over the years—fearing that the late emperor would suspect him of having ulterior motives.
He had witnessed the late emperor seated on the throne, his feet stained with blood, looking at him with cold, emotionless eyes and a mocking smile: "Since you are the only one left, I will grant you a title in my name. Never do anything out of line in the future—otherwise, I will show no mercy, nor will I have any regard for brotherly ties."
Prince Su was his elder brother, and Prince Su had many followers. During the late emperor's reign, there were always a few who slipped through the net.
Some of them had approached Prince Ying. He naturally did not dare to shelter them, but he still gave them money and helped them leave the capital.
These people later tried again and again to assassinate the late emperor, but none succeeded. Eventually, the appearances of Prince Su's remnants in the palace grew rare—whether because they had been cowed by the late emperor's ruthlessness or because there were simply no more left.
Later, when the late emperor became obsessed with alchemical elixirs, Prince Ying, seeking certain advantages, sent men to commit deeds disguised as Prince Su's remnants. The scheme went smoothly, and he repeated it several times before finally stopping, afraid that the late emperor would discover the truth.
Prince Ying felt that living under the late emperor was a joke. He had so many people in his inner courtyard, yet he dared not let them bear his children—he could not even have a child without first considering whether the late emperor would approve.
He was afraid—afraid of the late emperor's paranoia, and even more afraid that one day the late emperor's blade would fall upon his own neck.
After the late emperor's death, the mountain that had weighed on Prince Ying's head was suddenly lifted. Sometimes he felt it was all a dream—but eventually he came to accept that the late emperor was truly gone.
After Qi Junmu ascended the throne, dark thoughts began to fester in Prince Ying's heart.
He had grown used to staying in the shadows. No one thought much of him, which both pleased him and left him discontented. He knew such thoughts were wrong, but he could not help himself.
Life without the late emperor was simply too comfortable. If only he had a little more power.
Prince Ying was of the imperial clan, and no one understood the innate paranoia of the royal house better than he did — especially that of the emperor. Late at night he would lie awake, turning it over in his mind: If several of Qi Junmu's brothers were gone, would he and Qi Fan then have a chance to sit on that throne?
This thought had arisen after the late emperor's death—or perhaps it was provoked by that very death.
He had been oppressed by the late emperor for so long—was he to let his own son live the same kind of life? The thought made his heart bitter.
As for Chang Sheng—he was just an unremarkable prince, and who would pay him any attention?
Occasionally, ministers would say careless things right in front of him, looking down on him completely, thinking it did not matter if he heard. After all, in their eyes, he was nothing but a dull-witted prince—kept around by the late emperor merely for show.
Qi Junmu had caught wind of Chang Sheng's embezzlement of military funds not long after ascending the throne.
Chang Sheng had bribed Wen Zhuo with silver, yet those in power still held Wen Zhuo in contempt. Chang Sheng was an ambitious man—he longed for the same honor as Shen Yi—to be enfeoffed as a marquis. To achieve that, he needed money, he needed beautiful women, and above all, he needed backers who would stand behind his aspirations.
Prince Ying thought: if they joined forces, perhaps there would still be a chance for a turn of events.
Human desire is indeed endless. Prince Ying wanted the throne; Chang Sheng wanted rank and fame. In Chang Sheng's view, Prince Ying was foolish—even if he were installed as emperor, he could later be used as a puppet to command the nobles. In Prince Ying's view, Chang Sheng was a tool to be used—once he ascended the throne, he could eliminate Chang Sheng.
Under the late emperor's oppression, Prince Ying had not built much power. He had neither men nor authority. The only thing he could use was the banner of Prince Su's remnants. He stirred up trouble in the palace, trying to throw the emperor's rear palace into chaos.
Yet he was powerless—the emperor had no taste for beauty and kept only the Empress in the rear palace. Many schemes could not be carried out, which frustrated him greatly.
Fortunately, Qi Fan and Wen Yao were on good terms, and from Wen Yao, he could learn much about the emperor's affairs.
Colluding with Western Di was a last resort for Prince Ying and Chang Sheng. If there had been any other way, Prince Ying would not have taken this step.
But then again, compared to the throne, what did the West Frontier matter? Even if they gave it to Western Di, so what?
In Prince Ying's mind, he and Chang Sheng could plot slowly—wait a few years until the time was ripe, when the emperor had fallen out with his brothers. Then they would coordinate with Western Di from both inside and outside, and Da Qi would be theirs.
But human plans can never keep up with the changes of the world. Chang Sheng was transferred away from the West Frontier and then went missing. During that time, Prince Ying lived in constant fear, terrified that the emperor would discover their secret.
Later, Chang Sheng died and was found to have colluded with Western Di. Prince Ying's heart was in his throat—but the investigation never implicated him. He breathed a sigh of relief. Whether someone had secretly helped him or not, at least he had passed this trial.
Only today did he realize that he had breathed that sigh far too soon. The emperor had seized the moment to strike, clearly having long suspected his intentions.
At that thought, Prince Ying's legs nearly gave way beneath him. Even though the late emperor was gone, the terror he had once felt in his presence came flooding back.
He felt humiliated and utterly helpless.
Qi Junmu looked at Arlie and said, "Tell me, does my speculation hold any truth?"
Arlie did not speak, his face turning pale.
Qi Junmu clapped his hands and said, "Guards, escort Arlie and his men back for now. The alliance between Western Di and Da Qi is not fit to be discussed today."
Imperial guards appeared at once, and those who were observant noticed that the guards who entered were all the ones who usually served by Shen Nian's side—men like Wang Jun and Hu Ze.
After Arlie and his party withdrew, the emperor ordered Prince Ying to be taken away as well.
He did not immediately pronounce Prince Ying guilty, but from the expression on his face, everyone could tell that Prince Ying's days ahead would not be easy.
The banquet could hardly continue at this point.
Qi Junmu clapped his hands and had the imperial guards bring in jars of wine, announcing that he would drink freely with everyone.
Lin Xiao's expression was grim. He said, "Your Majesty, today's banquet was meant to entertain the Western Di envoys. Since Prince Ying's conspiracy with them has been uncovered, it would be better to proceed with interrogation first."
From his expression, it was clear that he had known nothing of the emperor's plans beforehand.
Lin Xiao had always been close to the emperor, and for the emperor to keep this from him meant he was being guarded against. With that thought, how could his expression possibly be pleasant?
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