Chapter 19 : Trust Collapses

Shen Ci was in a heavy sleep; he kept having this undulating feeling that his body couldn’t settle anywhere, and there was an excruciating pain in his shoulder. It was as if his entire body was on fire, and it made him want to struggle, but he couldn’t move despite his attempts.

Shen Ci opened his eyes in a dazed state and saw an empty void, but his keen intuition allowed him to sense that there was someone beside him watching over him. Sure enough, the second he opened his eyes, his right hand was firmly grabbed, and then a surprised voice called out, “Ah Ci, you’re awake!”

Murong Heng had kept watch at the bedside for the whole night. Yesterday, Shen Ci had a fever, and his entire body continued to exude cold sweat, as if he’d been dredged out of water. From time to time, he uttered a few nonsensical words. Murong Heng personally tended to him, not daring to take even a single step away. It wasn’t until dawn was nearly upon them that Shen Ci’s high fever gradually subsided. Murong Heng helped change him into a clean set of clothes and then had time to sit by the bed and rest for a while.

He didn’t know that when he was having a high fever, Murong Heng was extremely worried and fearful that, at this stage, he would never wake again. He would never be able to discuss with him matters of the world or play the qin and flute harmoniously together. If it weren’t for Feng Nan’s inadvertent guidance, perhaps he wouldn’t have been able to realise that he’d developed such intense feelings for Shen Ci. He wants to keep him by his side and never let go of him for the rest of his life.

“Do you want some water?” Murong Heng asked softly, quelling his excitement. He went to pour a cup of warm water himself, then carefully supported Shen Ci to sit up and allowed him to lean against his chest. He manoeuvred around Shen Ci’s injured right shoulder to convey the cup of water to his lips.

As he watched him slowly drink the water from the cup, Murong Heng inhaled deeply, but he still couldn’t mask his happiness. Fortunately, Shen Ci was alright; otherwise, his conscience would never be at ease for the rest of his life.

Once the man in his arms had finished the water, Murong Heng propped up a soft pillow behind him so that he could recline at the side of the bed. Then he pulled the quilt up and carefully covered his waist. Once he was done, Murong Heng recounted to him in detail what happened after he was injured—leaving out Feng Nan’s portion, of course.

Given that he was conscious of his feelings, he certainly doesn’t want other men coveting his beloved. Although now still wasn’t the time to confess to him what was in his heart, he would never allow any chance for others to interfere.

After hearing what he said, Shen Ci spoke softly: “It appears that the crown prince is not the only one who wants to kill me; the fifth prince is also ready to act.” He hadn’t spoken for a long time, so his voice was low, hoarse, and somewhat sluggish. It tickled and stirred Murong Heng’s heart.

“Yes.” Murong Heng nodded. He hadn’t anticipated that Murong Chong would send troops over. However, he was too anxious at that time and wasn’t cognisant that the two groups had different goals. Now that he’d calmed down and thought about it, the one targeted by the crown prince was probably Shen Ci, but Murong Chong was targeting two people. He wanted to kill both him and Shen Ci.

Therefore, Murong Chong’s good idea was to sit back and reap the benefits of others. If he, Murong Heng, had unfortunately died in that assassination, he would push all blame onto the crown prince, and it would have no connection whatsoever with him. What a good way to kill someone by using a stand-in!

Thus, Murong Chong also wasn’t anything good. Once the crown prince had been dealt with, this would be the first person to tackle. Murong Heng thought so.

Shen Ci couldn’t help feeling tired after having chatted with him for a while. Murong Heng understood that he’d just awoken and that his body still required rest, so he ceased talking. He supported Shen Ci to lie down, tucked him in the bedding, and went out after that to allow him to have a good rest.

Once he was outside, Murong Heng had a plan in mind, so he summoned his trusted guards and ordered them to complete a number of tasks. As long as these tasks were successful, they would continue to erode Emperor Chongde’s trust in the crown prince.

A couple of days later, many rumours about the crown prince circulated from within the palace. Murong Heng got wind of this news. He wasn’t convinced that Emperor Chongde would always condone the crown prince. Of course, this wouldn’t be the last of their moves. The crown prince had hurt his people like that. There was no way he would let him off so easily.

It was nighttime in the imperial study room. Emperor Chongde had just finished reading the last memorial slip, and he rubbed his eyes tiredly. He turned around to glance out into the night, which was steadily growing darker. He released a light sigh before getting up and walking outside.

Wen Lin hurriedly fetched a fur coat and draped it over Emperor Chongde before following him. The two arrived at the imperial garden together. No sound could be heard in the tranquil garden except for their footsteps.

As they walked, Emperor Chongde abruptly stopped. He turned around and threw a look at Wen Lin, who’d been following him, and said, “Wen Lin aaa, you’ve followed This Emperor for many, many years. Tell me, has the crown prince changed a lot recently?”

Wen Lin trembled all over when he heard what was said. Lately, he’d dared not bring up the topic of the crown prince in Emperor Chongde’s presence. If the crown prince truly intended to usurp the throne, he, a mere palace staffer, would not be able to change anything. If the crown prince did not plan to usurp the throne and he’d uttered unsolicited remarks, wouldn’t he be seeking a guilty charge against himself to get beheaded?

Seeing that Wen Lin hadn’t spoken for sometime, Emperor Chongde also discerned what he was thinking, so he said to himself, “This Emperor feels that the crown prince has changed a lot compared to before. He’s no longer the crown prince he used to be.” He had observed all the recent incidences, and his trust in the crown prince was slowly dwindling.

Initially, he was utterly certain that among all the princes, the crown prince was the most qualified one to inherit the throne. But now he sensed that the crown prince was not entirely suitable.

It wasn’t known from where Empress Xu caught wind of the news that Emperor Chongde was in the imperial garden, for just as he was in the midst of contemplating, she rushed out towards him. Dismissing everyone, she walked to Emperor Chongde and said softly, “Your Majesty! If you have any worries, do discuss them with Qie Shen, so that Qie Shen can assist Your Majesty in sharing your concerns and burdens.”

She’d spoken these words flawlessly, but in fact, she was becoming restless in the palace. In recent days, she’d continued to hear negative news about the crown prince. Fearing that these matters would result in an unfavourable impression of the him, she’d hastened over to Emperor Chongde in order to canvass for information.

“This Emperor is fine; I merely wished to go out for a stroll.” Needless to say, Emperor Chongde could guess the purpose of the empress’ visit. At the moment, the crown prince was being castigated, and as the crown prince’s biological mother, the empress was naturally biassed towards him. She wouldn’t speak too severely; after all, the matter had not yet revealed itself, and it wouldn’t be prudent to make unwarranted comments about the crown prince. Thus, it was still better not to say anything.

Empress Xu was exceedingly annoyed upon hearing that, but she didn’t dare show it on her face. She loathed it very much. According to the crown prince, all this was inevitably connected to Murong Heng. Back when she entered the palace, the favour she received was not as considerable compared to that insignificant imperial concubine. That concubine was Murong Heng’s biological mother; therefore, she did her utmost to beguile Emperor Chongde, who finally eradicated Murong Heng’s mother and she won Emperor Chongde’s affection. She didn’t expect that over ten years later, her son’s position would be threatened because of that bitch’s son. She could never have predicted any of this.

Xu displayed a light smile on her face but clenched her fists beneath her sleeves and discreetly gritted her teeth.

A few days later, Shen Ci’s injury had been slowly improving, and the sizeable wound had begun to scab, causing him to feel a little itchy. He often wanted to reach out and scratch. Each time he couldn’t resist and moved to his hand to scratch, there would be someone next to him who would smack his hand away and say to him in all seriousness, “Don’t scratch; it will leave a scar.”

After speaking, Murong Heng took the ointment and came to his side. He removed the clothing from his right shoulder and applied the ointment to his wound. The ointment substance was smooth and cool. The wound would no longer itch, and it felt much better after applying it.

When he placed the bottle down, Shen Ci blushed as he straightened his clothing, cleared his throat, and said, “Da Ge, now that the crown prince and the fifth prince are aiming at you, what kind of plan do you have to retaliate? Being in a standoff like this is not the way to go. It would be even better if we had a formidable force as a backing.”

Murong Heng gave a light smile when he asked about this: “Why do you want to know this all of a sudden?”

Shen Ci didn’t say anything, but his expression exposed his curiosity.

Seeing that he wanted to know so much, Murong Heng directly walked over to the side, took a piece of clothing for him to put on, then assisted him out of bed and said, “Since Ah Ci is so inquisitive, then Da Ge will answer it for you.”

Shen Ci walked forward, supported by him, and asked uncertainly. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to get you the answer you’re looking for.” Murong Heng replied like this, and he led many guards to protect them during their trip. Then he helped Shen Ci sit beside him in the carriage, and they made their way to the outskirts.

Upon arriving at their destination, Murong Heng brought Shen Ci out of the carriage. Before they’d managed to walk a few steps, Shen Ci heard people running in their direction. He instinctually became tense and subconsciously clutched Murong Heng’s hand beside him.

“Don’t be anxious; they’re our people.” Murong Heng was clearly satisfied that Shen Ci had reacted this way and sneakily squeezed his palm, holding his hand without letting go. Then he turned to look at his fellow comrades from the Iron Halberd Army, who were running towards him, and smoothed his lips into a smile.

“Your Highness, you’ve come at last!” Several officers of the Iron Halberd Army led the way and sprinted over. Ever since Murong Heng had come previously, their morale had vastly improved. They trained every day without disruption, regardless of the wind and rain, for the sake of increasing their strength as the days went by. It was better to eliminate Emperor Chongde and the others as soon as possible. After speaking, he noticed a fine-looking man standing beside his highness; however, his eyes were a little cloudy, and it seemed like he was unable to see. He couldn’t help but ask uncertainly, “Your Highness, this is?”

“This is Gentleman Wan Ting, Shen Ci, This Prince’s military adviser.” When he spoke of Ah Ci, Murong Heng raised his head and introduced him with great pride. Surprisingly, after these men heard his introduction, they were all grinning from ear to ear as they looked back at him and Shen Ci. “I understand” was written all over their expressions. He couldn’t help narrowing his eyes somewhat helplessly. Could it be that even the Iron Halberd Army could discern the exceptional way he treated Shen Ci?

The officers of the Iron Halberd Army gazed at the tall and imposing prince in front of them and the elegant man beside him, especially at both of their hands, which were still clasped together. It wasn’t difficult for them to comprehend the relationship between the two; in particular, after hearing of this person’s reputation, they were even more astonished. Despite being an unrefined lot, they’d still heard of the renowned Gentleman Wan Ting. They never expected that such a person would be able to be recruited by the prince. It was truly a boon.

The grinning officers of the Iron Halberd Army then came forward to chat with Shen Ci. Their words carried hints of flirtation, and were met with the prince’s glares as soon as they were uttered. Murong Heng threw them a glance before tugging Shen Ci back to his side.

This group of troops dared to hit on his Shen Ci right in front of him! Such guts! Murong Heng drew Shen Ci into the barracks and signalled to his fellow troops, who were trailing behind him, warning them with a look not to speak nonsense.

After all, he hadn’t intended to confess yet. What would he do if his Ah Ci was scared off? He wouldn’t be able to cry even if he wanted to!

At the same time, Murong Cheng returned from the imperial study room in a huff. He’d requested an audience with his imperial father but was declined. He immediately realised that his imperial father still had an estrangement with him that had manifested, and he couldn’t stop himself from being indignant and rankled.

On his way back to his palace, he chanced upon Fourth Prince Murong Yu admiring the flowers in the imperial garden and instantly vented his anger on him, punching and scolding him. When he finally calmed down, he let out a cold snort before leaving.

No, he can’t continue to sit around and wait for death. Since imperial father no longer trusts him, there was no need for him to retain any sentiment. This situation can only be concluded by obtaining the throne as soon as possible!

Imperial Father, I am cruel because you are heartless. Don’t blame me!