Infinite Power Over The World

It was already late at night when Shen Ci sat by Murong Heng’s bedside. He waited for Murong Heng’s breathing to grow steady, then he got up and walked towards his own room. When he arrived inside, he lay on the bed fully dressed. His eyes were wide open, and he didn’t feel sleepy at all.

On the other side, Murong Heng lay on the bed and slowly opened his eyes after Shen Ci had left. His gaze was so clear that he didn’t appear drunk at all. In fact, he wasn’t drunk. He turned over and glanced at the side of the bed. It seemed that Shen Ci’s temperature still remained on the bedding.

He felt it when Shen Ci held his hand, and he hadn’t rejected Murong Heng’s deliberate actions. It proved that Shen Ci’s heart wasn’t completely devoid of feelings for him. Murong Heng was extremely happy when he thought of it.

If it wasn’t because the timing at the moment wasn’t right, he wanted very much to express his feelings like this. If it weren’t for the blood feuds that they both carried, he truly wished to leave the tumultuous capital with him, find a tranquil place, and live in peace for a lifetime.

However, they were destined to walk this path now. Nevertheless, Murong Heng firmly believed that before long he would be able to eradicate these antagonists and avenge everyone.

A few days later, Murong Heng went to attend morning court. He looked around, and sure enough, Murong Cheng was nowhere to be seen. He inwardly laughed. Emperor Chongde had actually confined Murong Cheng. It wasn’t possible for him to cover for Murong Cheng this time, even if he wanted to.

Just as he was contemplating it, the voice rang abruptly from outside the hall: “Report!” A guard ran in and kneeled before the emperor and said loudly, “Reporting to Your Majesty, there is an emergency at the border!”

It was only then that everyone learned that the foreign tribes in the neighbouring country had directly launched war at the border after causing trouble on many occasions. Right now, they had broken through the strategic pass and were approaching the interior.

Emperor Chongde was shocked when he heard. He quickly sat upright and listened carefully to the report by the guard below the platform. Without delay, he deployed General Qi Xiu to lead fifty thousand troops to the border in order to repel the foreigners.

Murong Heng stood below the platform without saying a word. After the court had adjourned, he returned to the mansion and told Shen Ci about the matter. As he spoke, he observed Shen Ci’s expression, not missing a single reaction.

Shen Ci listened attentively to him, pondered for a moment, then gave an answer. “This is an excellent opportunity to get rid of the crown prince.” Based on the crown prince’s temperament, there’s no way he would remain obediently in the crown prince’s palace for six months. As such, he would definitely seek out any possible means to extract himself from his predicament. And this battle was undoubtedly the best advantage.

He surmised that Murong Cheng would take advantage of this battle and request that Emperor Chongde deploy him to the battlefield to wipe out the foreigners. But this was only an excuse to deceive Emperor Chongde. He guessed that the crown prince’s real purpose was to wrest control of the military and send the troops north in a direct rebellion to seize the throne!

Once he finished his analysis, Murong Heng nodded in agreement. His and Shen Ci’s suppositions were more or less the same. These were not groundless conjectures but were based on lessons he’d gained from his previous life.

He remembered from his past life that there was a time when foreign tribes invaded the country. Back then, the crown prince had already obtained Emperor Chongde’s consent to head onto the battlefield to confront the enemy. Murong Heng had accidentally caught the crown prince discussing the mission with his confidant, and what he heard was just that.

Therefore, he was confident that Murong Cheng would repeat his old tricks in this life and make this risky move again. If Emperor Chongde disagreed, he would just continue to wait for other opportunities. But if Emperor Chongde consented, he would command the troops to march towards the north and all the way into the imperial palace.

As a matter of fact, Murong Cheng was thinking likewise. Just then, in the crown prince’s palace, Murong Cheng had also caught wind of the matter of the foreign invasion. He instantly formulated a plan in preparation to invite Emperor Chongde over, as well as the empress at the same time. With his own empress mother assisting on the sidelines, the chance of success was much higher.

When Emperor Chongde arrived at the crown prince’s palace, Murong Cheng knelt down with a plop, first kowtowed several times, and said in a pitiful voice, “Er Chen begs Imperial Father’s forgiveness. Although Er Chen is unsure who is secretly framing me, Er Chen emphatically does not possess any disloyalty. Requesting for Imperial Father’s brilliant judgement!”

As soon as the words were spoken, Emperor Chongde cast a suspicious look at him. He didn’t know whether or not to believe this son’s words.

“For the sake of proving my innocence, Er Chen asks Imperial Father permission for me to follow General Qi Xiu into battle to resist the foreigners, as well as to clear Er Chen’s name.” After he finished speaking, he kowtowed several more times; his voice sounded pathetic and moving.

Once he heard what was said, Emperor Chongde didn’t say anything. He was already terribly perturbed by the issue of the foreign invasion, and the crown prince’s appearance like this made him even more irritated. He was about to refuse, but the empress, who was beside him, said softly, “Your Majesty, this is Cheng’er’s act of filial piety. If he can’t prove his innocence, won’t he be unable to rest in peace even in death?”

When he heard what she said, Emperor Chongde recalled the previous incidents and suddenly felt it was somewhat logical. The facts of the previous incidents had not yet been determined. As for the recent witchcraft incident, although the evidence was irrefutable, he was in the depths of ambiguity and also sensed that things were not as simple as he supposed. He always had the impression that someone was stealthily manipulating everything, as if all of this was under that person’s control and the rest of them were merely pawns.

As he thought this way, Emperor Chongde’s suspicions faded slightly, and Empress Xu at his side made great efforts to impress on him the idea of Murong Cheng wishing to clear his name. After a while, he was compelled to give a small nod and say in a deep voice, “Fine, if you are able to emerge victorious, This Emperor shall believe that you are innocent.” However, precautions couldn’t be abandoned. He still needed to find a trustworthy officer to be planted at the crown prince’s side in order to monitor him in case he had any ill intentions.

Upon receiving Emperor Chongde’s consent, Murong Cheng discreetly revealed a smug smile. After everyone left, he remained by himself in the hall and contemplated his tactics. Then he sat down and wrote a few letters before getting someone to covertly deliver them.

It could be said that Murong Cheng had gone to great lengths in order to obtain this throne. A few years ago, he paid a huge price to finally gain the loyalty of several vassal kings and clans. He’d also racked his brains to subdue the Northern Gate’s General Qin Tian. The purpose was that when he infiltrated the imperial palace, he could immediately arrive and open the way for himself to the emperor’s bedroom. This way, he could seize the imperial palace without expanding any physical force.

Moreover, this foreign invasion had been single-handedly planned by him. After he reconvened with the foreign tribes, he would use their force to seize the throne. Once the throne was his, these foreign tribes would no longer have any use, and they would also die!

Having calculated everything so well, Murong Cheng was fully confident in his plan. He clenched his fists, made his way to a secret place, and pressed a hidden compartment. Immediately afterwards, a concealed door slowly opened.

Advancing into the secret passage, Murong Cheng arrived at a stone wall. After touching a few spots, a small box slowly emerged. He reached inside and took something out, carefully looking over it with the help of a fire stick.

It appeared to be a glittering imperial jade seal! Many years ago, Murong Cheng spent a lot of gold and silver to have it made. When the craftsman completed it, he had him killed and silenced everyone who knew about it. He then stashed it away so that one day, after he became the emperor, he would be able to use it immediately!

He’d spent a lot for the sake of this throne, and the current war was his opportunity to turn the tide in his favour. The winner becomes king, and the loser takes the blame. In order to obtain the throne, he would do whatever it took—even if he was destroyed by heaven and earth!

A few days later, Prince Murong Cheng followed General Qi Xiu and led fifty thousand soldiers to the border to defend against foreign invaders. Murong Heng stood in the crowd, watching Murong Cheng’s vigorous appearance from a distance and continuously sneering on the inside.

You can still laugh now, but when you’re faced with imminent death, let’s see if you can still smile so proudly.

Once the crowd dispersed, he hurried over to the Iron Halberd Army’s camp to discuss strategies with the officers. He ultimately decided to send people into the battlefield to take advantage of the chaos and obtain Murong Cheng’s life in one fell swoop. This way, Murong Cheng’s death could be implicated on the foreigners, saying that the crown prince had died on the battlefield. Subsequently, he would spread some rumours to make everyone think that the crown prince was trying to submit to the foreigners, but he was silenced. If this happened , Murong Cheng would suffer disgrace for an eternity!

After concluding discussions, Murong Heng rushed back to his mansion. When he arrived, he noticed a familiar figure standing outside, as if he were waiting for someone. When he turned around, Murong Heng clearly saw—who else could it be but Feng Nan?

Dubiously, he leapt off the horse and walked towards Feng Nan. Both of them looked at each other for a moment. There was an extended silence until they reached the courtyard. Then Feng Nan said in a hoarse voice, “Your Highness, Feng Nan was lacking in manners that day. Please don’t take umbrage with Feng Nan.”

“It’s alright.” Murong Heng replied indifferently. It wasn’t that he didn’t mind, because not only was he Shen Ci’s attendant, but more so, he was his only family now. He couldn’t bear to make Shen Ci sad, so he wouldn’t act on Feng Nan.

Feng Nan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing him say that. He’d thought a lot about his relationship with his young master and their future in the past few days. He’d already made preparations to leave once the matter was completed. But when the thought of leaving the young master one day in the future came to mind, his heart still ached so much that he couldn’t breathe.

“Your Highness was right. I do like Young Master, but now…” Feng Nan said it hoarsely. He lifted his head to look at Murong Heng and suddenly dropped to one knee with a plop, tears in his eyes. “Feng Nan boldly requests for Your Highness to promise one thing. Feng Nan knows that in Your Highness’ heart, Young Master isn’t like others. As such, I request that Your Highness treat Young Master well and don’t break his heart.”

It turned out to be this matter, and Murong Heng couldn’t help feeling a little moved just then. It was a good thing for Shen Ci to have such a loyal attendant. After pondering for a moment, he said, “You don’t need to speak of this. This Prince is also aware. This Prince will definitely take good care of your young master.”

“This subordinate thanks Your Highness.” Feng Nan lowered his head, and after some time, he slowly stood up from the ground. When he realised that the person in front of him liked his young master, he understood that being with his young master was impossible. Particularly when he witnessed his young master’s happy expression when he was together with Murong Heng, how could Feng Nan, who’d served Shen Ci for many years, not see it? Although Young Master didn’t say it out loud, he wasn’t entirely indifferent towards Murong Heng. Young Master was as handsome as an immortal, and Murong Heng was stunning and outstanding. No matter how you saw them, they were extremely well-suited. How could such an insignificant attendant like him have a chance?

After comprehending what was said, Feng Nan left silently, while Murong Heng stood there watching his retreating form. All of a sudden, he had a burning desire to see that person in white, so he quickly walked to the next room, opened the door, and entered.

Walking into the room, he saw Shen Ci, who was sitting in front of the qin, turn his head in his direction and emit a light smile. Murong Heng strode over, took the jade flute from his waist, and said softly, “Ah Ci, come.”

With merely a word, Shen Ci understood his meaning. He lightly plucked the strings with his fingers, and then the flute began to sound. The melodies of the jiaowei qin and the jade flute merged harmoniously to linger on.