In the imperial palace of Nan Min, the court was in session.
The Emperor of Nan Min sat upon his dragon throne, intricately carved from fine purple sandalwood, the dragons appearing lifelike. A layer of gold paint made the throne even more majestic. The assembled officials stood within the grand hall, a sea of glittering gold when viewed from the elevated platform.
It was this very dragon throne that fueled countless hidden, unseemly desires, and currents of intrigue surged beneath the placid surface of the court.
“Why is the Crown Prince absent today?”
As soon as the Nan Min Emperor spoke, the officials, clutching their jade *fu* tablets, exchanged glances with bowed heads, none daring to utter a word.
“Eunuch Li, go to the Eastern Palace and ascertain the situation.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Nan Min Emperor sighed and continued, “Nan Min has been suffering from drought for three months, with Huaian being the most severely affected. It is now the season for planting autumn vegetables, yet the land is parched and cracked, as hard as stone! Tell me, what will the common folk harvest in autumn?”
“Will they simply wait to die?”
Seeing the Emperor’s fury, the ministers prostrated themselves on the ground, their faces etched with distress, remaining silent.
Huaian was the closest county to the capital. In former times, Nan Min’s vegetables and wheat relied on Huaian for cultivation and supply. But since the beginning of autumn, Huaian had received no rain, and the riverbeds were dry and murky. For over three months of drought, they had relied solely on the capital’s water transport to Huaian to survive until today.
However, transporting water was a monumental undertaking that drained both resources and manpower. The meager amount of water that could be transported was barely enough for the populace to subsist, let alone to irrigate the land for planting.
These calamities, both natural and man-made, were beyond human control. Countless rain-praying rituals had been performed on the Fengshen Platform, all to no avail.
Just as the court fell into a suffocating silence, with no one daring to respond, the Fifth Prince, Shen Yu, knelt on the ground and hiccuped.
He was tipsy, reeking of alcohol.
The Nan Min Emperor’s expression darkened further. He picked up a memorial from his side and hurled it at Shen Yu, exclaiming, “Imbecile!”
“All my life, I have strived diligently, never daring to slacken. Yet, I have begotten you, a waste who knows only to drink and indulge.”
Fueled by the alcohol, Shen Yu staggered to his feet. “Father Emperor, you, *hic*—”
He let out another hiccup, his tongue thick. “Please, quell your anger.”
The Nan Min Emperor, torn between exasperation and anger, did not wish to argue further with him.
At this moment, the Crown Prince, Shen Qingyun, burst into the court, followed by his personal guards.
Upon entering, he immediately knelt. His four personal guards then surrounded Shen Muzhou.
The Nan Min Emperor rubbed his forehead. “What is this commotion? Are you leading your guards to rebellion by coming to court?”
Shen Qingyun knelt, looking directly at the Nan Min Emperor, and said earnestly, “This humble son would not dare. It is merely an urgent measure, a last resort out of necessity.”
“It is my own incompetence, my lack of strict vigilance, that resulted in the theft of the Eastern Palace’s Jade Talisman.”
The Moonshade Five Kingdoms each possessed their own Tiger Seals and Jade Talismans.
The Tiger Seals controlled the military power of each kingdom.
The Jade Talismans were symbols of authority.
In Nan Min, the Jade Talisman had historically been entrusted to the heir apparent for safekeeping. Upon succession, the throne required both the decree of abdication and the Jade Talisman; one could not be absent.
The Nan Min Emperor asked in disbelief, “Your Jade Talisman was stolen? Truly, I have spawned a brood of incompetents.”
Shen Qingyun bowed his head and continued, “It is my incompetence, but I have already identified the thief.”
Shen Muzhou’s eyes, dark and brooding, fixed on Shen Qingyun, a creeping suspicion forming that this incident was another plot aimed at him.
“Who is it?”
Shen Qingyun looked at Shen Muzhou and declared, “It is the Ninth Prince, Shen Muzhou.”
The Nan Min Emperor paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. He turned to Shen Muzhou and asked, “Little Ninth, is this true?”
Shen Muzhou took a step forward, bowed, and prepared to speak.
The Nan Min Emperor raised his hand, signaling him to remain silent. “This matter concerns the imperial family’s private affairs. All esteemed ministers shall withdraw for now.”
The ministers exchanged bewildered glances. None moved to leave the hall.
The Grand Tutor, Lin Ze, stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty, your words are mistaken. Anything that involves the imperial family is not a private affair. Furthermore, the loss of the Jade Talisman threatens the stability of our Nan Min court and should be publicly adjudicated.”
Lin Ze knew that the Emperor was deliberately showing leniency towards Shen Muzhou.
“I second this motion.”
“We, your humble servants, second this motion.”
The Nan Min Emperor sneered. “Hmph, when I asked you for solutions to govern the drought, you all remained as silent as cicadas. Now, you are all so eager.”
“Then, tell me, how do you presume this matter implicates your ninth brother?”
Shen Qingyun glanced at Shen Muzhou. “This is the daily register of entries and exits to the Eastern Palace, recorded by the guards. Two days ago, when I was away from the Eastern Palace, the Ninth Prince entered my Eastern Palace under the pretext of investigating the assassination attempt, to conduct a search.”
“I would like to ask Your Highness, did you find any useful clues in my Eastern Palace?”
Shen Muzhou met his gaze, his voice cold. “No.”
Shen Qingyun let out a cold laugh. “Naturally, Your Highness would find no clues. Your assassination in the capital was a staged event, intended to cause trouble for my Eastern Palace and frame me.”
“You claimed to be searching for clues, making a commotion in the Eastern Palace, but in reality, you used the chaos to infiltrate the place where the Jade Talisman was kept and steal it.”
“This is the evidence.”
He drew a piece of paper from his sleeve. On it was an ink footprint.
“This footprint was left in the Eastern Palace by the thief.”
Eunuch Li took the inked footprint and presented it to His Majesty.
The Nan Min Emperor frowned and asked, “Little Ninth, do you have any explanation?”
Shen Muzhou’s lips, against his fair skin, tightened. After a moment, he slowly spoke, “I did go to the Eastern Palace, solely to search for clues regarding the assassin. I did not take the Jade Talisman, nor did I see it.”
“Furthermore, to accuse me based solely on a footprint is too far-fetched.”
Shen Qingyun smiled. “As a prince, on what grounds do you suspect my Eastern Palace? What right do you have to search the Eastern Palace?”
At these words, the ministers standing on either side began to murmur amongst themselves.
“The Ninth Prince has always been domineering in his actions. Now he dares to search the Eastern Palace privately?”
“Searching the Eastern Palace is a disrespect to the Crown Prince, an act of disloyalty!”
“I fear his intentions can no longer be concealed. If Your Majesty does not severely punish him for searching the Eastern Palace and stealing the Jade Talisman, it may lead to great disaster.”
This was precisely the effect Shen Qingyun desired. He continued his interrogation. “Moreover, I wish to ask my ninth brother, where did you go after leaving the Eastern Palace that night?”
“Were you in a hurry to send the Jade Talisman out of the capital?”
After leaving the Eastern Palace that day, Shen Muzhou had gone to the Grand Tutor’s residence to see Lin Yanxi. His gaze was sharp and cold as he looked at the officials and the Crown Prince in the hall, who seemed eager to tear him limb from limb.
This matter, he suspected, had been meticulously planned. The Crown Prince was waiting for him to implicate Lin Yanxi, so that they could be convicted together. To save his daughter, the Grand Tutor would undoubtedly offer up the entire Grand Tutor’s residence.
Seeing that he could not answer, Shen Qingyun chuckled. “Father Emperor, whether it is true or false, it can be ascertained with a trial in the Court of Judicial Review.”
“Yes, he should be confined to the Court of Judicial Review. For the stability of Nan Min, we must ascertain the whereabouts of the Jade Talisman as soon as possible,” a minister stepped forward and agreed.
Lin Ze said, “Your Majesty, the Court of Judicial Review will provide an explanation to Nan Min.”
Shen Yu’s drunken haze vanished instantly. “Confine, confine him to the Court of Judicial Review?”
“You speak of Nan Min’s stability, yet how many victories has my ninth brother won for Nan Min? He was sent to the battlefield at twelve to fight against foreign enemies. Why would he steal the Jade Talisman?”
“When he was fighting for Nan Min across the land, where were you cowardly officials who didn’t suggest confining him to the Court of Judicial Review? Because if he were confined, no one would fight for Nan Min anymore!”
“Now, you are simply wary of Little Ninth’s ruthless methods and wish to see him dead. Why the pretense of righteousness?”
Lin Ze glared at Shen Yu. “Fifth Prince, mind your words.”
“Numerous military exploits are not an excuse for reckless behavior.”
The Nan Min Emperor slammed the table, and the ministers in the hall turned their gaze towards him.
“Little Ninth, I ask you, where did you go after leaving the Eastern Palace?”
Shen Muzhou tugged at his cloak, trying to ward off the chill that permeated his body. His dark, fierce eyes swept across the ministers, who immediately fell silent, a profound fear dawning in their eyes.
His voice was calm and firm, as if he were not discussing a matter of life and death.
“Where I went has absolutely no bearing on the theft of the Jade Talisman. In any case, I did not steal the Jade Talisman.”
Lin Ze sneered. “You say it wasn’t you, and therefore it wasn’t? You must provide proof!”
Shen Muzhou looked at him and, inexplicably, a smile appeared on his face, leaving Lin Ze uncertain of the meaning behind it.
The ministers again advised that Shen Muzhou be confined to the Court of Judicial Review.
The Nan Min Emperor shook his head helplessly. “Guards, take the Ninth Prince, Shen Muzhou… to the Court of Judicial Review. Let the Minister and Vice-Minister of the Court of Judicial Review preside over the trial and recover the Jade Talisman as soon as possible.”
Shen Yu was about to say something more in Shen Muzhou’s defense.
Shen Qingyun stepped forward, a gentle smile as always gracing his face. “It seems my Fifth Brother, the leisurely prince, has grown tired of his idleness and wishes to meddle in court affairs as well?”
Shen Yu and Shen Qingyun were both born to the Empress. Shen Yu understood too well the nature of his Crown Prince brother, whose gentle demeanor concealed a formidable resolve. This was why he had been close to the cold and reserved Shen Muzhou since childhood, and preferred not to interact much with Shen Qingyun.
He understood the implication behind Shen Qingyun’s words. He fell silent, only able to watch with anxious eyes as Shen Muzhou was led away.
---
The Grand Tutor’s Residence.
Outside the erected mourning hall, high-ranking officials and noblemen arrived one after another to pay their respects.
Lin Yanxi and Lin Ruoyan knelt together in the mourning hall, keeping vigil for Jiang Wan. Lin Ruoyan was still weeping uncontrollably.
The second branch’s concubine, Xu Xiaoniang, had been unusually quiet for a long time, steeped in melancholy. Today, however, she was a changed woman. Dressed in mourning attire, she busied herself with the myriad tasks of the funeral arrangements for the Grand Tutor’s residence.
Standing before the mourning hall, she presented herself with the airs of a legitimate wife, greeting and seeing off guests.
Lin Yanxi watched her flitting about with a chill in her heart. Her mother had always been good to the second branch, enduring much.
Yet now, barely had her mother passed, and someone was already harboring improper ambitions. Most heartless of all, her father tacitly approved of Xu Xiaoniang’s behavior.
“Yanxi, Sister Ruoyan.”
The Crown Prince, Shen Qingyun, arrived at the mourning hall with a few personal guards.
He turned to his guards. “You may wait outside the manor gates. Do not disturb the spirit of the Madam.”
The guards nodded and withdrew.
Lin Yanxi, seeing the undisguised triumph in his expression, knew that he had achieved what he set out to do. If Shen Muzhou was to be saved, the Eastern Palace must be dealt with.
She asked coldly, “What brings you here?”
Shen Qingyun’s eyebrows softened with feigned sorrow. “When I was young, I often came to this residence to seek knowledge from the Grand Tutor. Each time I visited, the Grand Tutor’s wife would always order tea and refreshments to be served to me.”
“I wish to bid farewell to the Madam as well. And I have matters to discuss with the Grand Tutor.”
Lin Yanxi ignored him further, her gaze cold as she watched him hypocritically offer incense to her mother.
Ruoyan, seeing him rise from his knees after offering incense, said, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern. Father is likely receiving guests in his study. I will take Your Highness to find him.”
The Crown Prince paused, glancing at Lin Yanxi, then nodded. “Very well.”