ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 103

The sky has turned dark, with a crescent moon hanging on the horizon, casting a chilly light. In the distant city of Louyang, houses and buildings are hidden in the night, their outlines barely visible. Amidst this, a group of people carrying several small green canopy sedan chairs approaches from the end of a long street.

Before long, the sedan chairs stop in front of a building. Both inside and outside the building are lit up with bright lights, candles, and lanterns, occasionally accompanied by the faint sound of string and wind instruments drifting out from within.

The attendants step forward, respectfully opening the sedan chair curtains and escorting out a young man. He is dressed in a robe of jade green, remarkably handsome with deep eyes and slightly narrowed phoenix-like gaze. With a faint glance around, he exudes an air of n.o.ble dignity that cannot be learned by ordinary people.

Someone had been waiting at the door and quickly approached, bowing respectfully. “Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Xiao Yan casually waved his hand, surveying the exquisite building before him. He smiled and said, “I never expected Louyang to have such a delightful place.”

The official bowed deeply, his face full of smiles. “Your Highness exaggerates. Louyang is a small place after all, with poor mountains and bad waters. How can it compare to the bustling and prosperous capital? Please come in, Your Highness, please come in.”

With that, he respectfully led Xiao Yan into the building, pa.s.sing through a courtyard and entering a garden where several middle-aged officials were conversing quietly. Upon seeing Xiao Yan, they all stood up and greeted him with respectful bows.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The voices rose and fell intermittently, and Xiao Yan glanced around briefly, estimating that there were about ten people present, all officials from the Louyang faction. Some he recognized, while others he did not. He smiled at the middle-aged official with a round figure and said, “Mr. Zheng, long time no see.”

Zheng Dechang was the governor of the Nanlong area. He had to report to the capital at the end of each year, so Xiao Yan had some impression of him. Zheng Dechang smiled warmly and said, “It’s been half a year since we last met in the capital, Your Highness. Upon hearing of Your Highness’s visit, we have prepared a modest feast to welcome you. If there is any inadequacy in our hospitality, please forgive us.”

With that, he ushered Xiao Yan to the main seat. This time, Xiao Yan was not alone in handling the case; he was accompanied by the Left Censor of the Imperial Supervisory Inst.i.tute, Xu Zhi, who had been reprimanded by Emperor Jingming before.

After everyone was seated in the hall, someone quickly brought fine wine and delicious dishes. The dishes were exquisite in appearance, aroma, and taste, clearly showing great effort had been put into them. Entertainers and musicians also joined, each with a beautiful and charming appearance, playing music and performing. For a moment, it felt like they were in a fairyland with golden strings, jade flutes, wax torches, and orchid lamps.

Occasionally, people glanced at the Crown Prince sitting above. He was relaxed, leaning against the table with one hand resting on it, lightly tapping his fingers as if enjoying the music.

Everyone relaxed, discreetly exchanging glances. Zheng Dechang raised his wine cup to toast Xiao Yan, and after a few cups, the atmosphere became livelier. The expressions on everyone’s faces began to lighten and relax.

It was not until Xiao Yan picked up his chopsticks and saw a dish of tender lotus roots with minced meat, fried to a golden crisp, sprinkled with green onions, that he smiled and asked Xu Zhi beside him, “Mr. Xu, what do you think this is?”

Xu Zhi answered honestly, although somewhat inexplicably, “In response to Your Highness, this is a lotus root.”

Xiao Yan raised the piece of lotus root, held it up to the candlelight, and said with confusion, “Is it? Why does this lotus root have so many holes?”

The officials sitting around chuckled to themselves; the crown prince couldn’t even recognize a lotus root, confirming the rumors that he was a useless individual.

Zheng Dechang chuckled amiably and explained, “Your Highness, lotus root looks like this. It’s supposed to have holes.”

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, clicked his tongue in amazement, and said, “How strange. I’ve been in the capital for so many years and never seen lotus roots with holes. Perhaps they only grow like this in Louyang?”

This remark left everyone momentarily at a loss for words; it seemed to carry some deep meaning, yet it also sounded like the idle talk of a spoiled n.o.ble who knew nothing of the people’s livelihoods.

Only Xu Zhi, sitting quietly on the side, murmured without much thought, “He’s just insulting all of you.”

Having accompanied Xiao Yan on this journey, Xu Zhi had come to understand the prince’s character to some extent. Although he appeared easygoing and carefree, he had a sharp tongue.

Zheng Dechang quickly chimed in with a smile, “Your Highness is right. Different regions have different specialties, just like how oranges are from Huainan and trifoliate oranges are from Huaibei. The lotus roots grown in different places are probably different too. I’ve never had a solid lotus root before.”

At these words, Xiao Yan burst into laughter and said, “After a while, when Mr. Zheng goes to the capital, I’ll invite you to taste it.”

Zheng Dechang readily agreed, and then he encouraged more drinking. Unbeknownst to them, the music of the silk and bamboo instruments changed, and they noticed that a red-clad female entertainer had appeared below the hall at some point. She had her arm linked lightly with a gauzy veil, her appearance charming and alluring, captivating the hearts of all who saw her. Her eyes were filled with seduction, and her gestures were extremely enticing.

Many officials were mesmerized, unconsciously putting down their utensils as their eyes showed a hint of infatuation. After the dance finished, Zheng Dechang asked Xiao Yan, “Your Highness, how do you find this woman’s dancing?”

Xiao Yan held his wine cup, and the purple sandalwood beads on his wrist emitted a soft glow. He appeared slightly intoxicated, but his eyes were clear. With a smile, he recited, “Behind the clouds, the light glows; in the snow, the posture returns to the palm.”

The red-clad female entertainer lowered her head shyly, her face showing a charming bashfulness. Zheng Dechang smiled and said to her, “His Highness praised your dance. Quickly express your grat.i.tude.”

The woman gracefully bowed and thanked him. Zheng Dechang then asked her to come over and pour wine for Xiao Yan. She lifted her wide sleeves, revealing arms as fair as snow and delicate, captivating beauty. She took the wine jug, preparing to pour for Xiao Yan, but unexpectedly, he blocked her with his chopsticks. There was still a smile on his lips, and the warm light from the silk lanterns above cast a soft glow on his face, highlighting his handsome features and n.o.ble demeanor.

Xiao Yan lightly smiled and said, “I never let others pour wine for me, for fear of being poisoned.”

The hall fell silent, and everyone’s expressions changed. Zheng Dechang became even more nervous, laughing awkwardly, “Your Highness is joking. How could this official…”

“Needless to say, it’s just a habit of mine, nothing to do with you all,” Xiao Yan casually picked up a wine pot from Xu Zhi’s table, poured himself a drink, and said leisurely, “If you gentlemen want to drink, want to watch singing and dancing, I’ll accompany you, but unfortunately, I have imperial duties now and cannot be too reckless.”

As he spoke, he stood up and looked around, saying, “I believe you all know why I’m here. After being Crown Prince for so long, this is the first time I’ve been tasked by the Emperor. I just want to do it splendidly, so that he will look at me differently. Regarding the Lan River dam breach incident, it’s been two or three months now. The dead are dead, the killers have been dealt with. I imagine you all must be exhausted by now.”

The hall was silent as death, everyone’s gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, their expressions filled with suspicion and uncertainty, yet no one dared to speak, only staring intently at this prince who had been entrusted with the Emperor’s mission to deal with them.

The July weather was stifling, candles were lit everywhere in the hall, even at night, making it difficult to endure. Xu Zhi sat on the side, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. He didn’t know what tricks this Crown Prince was going to play again. They didn’t discuss it this way when he arrived. They agreed to proceed cautiously and step by step. What kind of trouble was this now?

Only Xiao Yan remained calm. A faint smile graced his handsome face, looking somewhat indifferent. He twirled a jade cup in his slender fingers, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, taking in the expressions of everyone present, and continued, “Now that I’ve taken on this hot potato, it’s indeed a bit of a headache. I just want to finish the task quickly and go back. I’m sure you’re all eager for me to leave soon, right? In that case, let’s come to an agreement.”

A daring official cautiously asked, “May I ask Your Highness, what do you mean by ‘coming to an agreement’?”

Xiao Yan smiled faintly and said, “The court won’t rest until it gets a satisfactory number of people admitting guilt, with enough heads rolling to satisfy public outrage. So, if a few more people are handed over, won’t everything be settled? I guarantee that after returning to the capital, this matter will be completely swept under the rug.”

“This is quite astonishing,” everyone looked at each other in disbelief, as if they had heard something absurd. After a while, Zheng Dechang reacted and smiled, saying, “Your Highness, this is a bit ridiculous. All the gentlemen present here are innocent—”

“Oh?” Xiao Yan looked at him with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and said, “All innocent? Would Mr. Zheng be willing to vouch for them with his own head?”

Zheng Dechang was startled and quickly changed his tune, “I didn’t mean that, Your Highness.”

“In that case, be silent,” Xiao Yan waved his hand dismissively and said incredulously, “When I arrived, Father Emperor told me that if we don’t find the mastermind, all of your heads will roll. I thought, all of you have been officials for so many years, studied hard for a decade, making a fortune is not easy. There’s no need to dig too deep. So, I thought, using a few heads to save the rest is quite profitable, isn’t it? Harmony brings wealth, after all!”

The officials were shocked and horrified by these words. The Crown Prince seemed too willing to shed blood, treating human heads as if they were cabbages to be plucked at will.

He looked rather pleased with himself.

Xiao Yan smiled at Zheng Dechang and continued, “Someone is going to die on this trip anyway. Whether it’s a few of you or all of you together, think it over. You have two days left, I’ll be heading back to the capital after finishing my business.”

He paused for a moment and added, “But the journey back might be difficult and delay our return, leaving only one day. It’s been a tiring journey, so I’ll rest at the inn. You all can enjoy the performances and discuss who should die while you’re at it.”

At this point, Xiao Yan drank the wine in the cup in one gulp, placed the green jade cup on the table, and made a faint sound. However, it caused a inexplicable jump in the hearts of the people present, as if he had not put down a cup, but a killing blade, urging them to kill each other.

Xiao Yan was about to leave, pa.s.sing by the red-clad woman, he remembered something and smiled at her, saying, “You’re decent-looking enough, barely pa.s.sable. However, you’re far inferior to the little beauty I had in the capital, both in looks and temperament. No need to embarra.s.s yourself by coming here at night. Otherwise, you’ll be kicked out and look bad.”

After saying this, Xiao Yan walked away confidently. Xu Zhi, stunned, watched his figure disappear at the door, quickly stood up, and while chasing after him, called out, “Your Highness, wait for your servant…”

Inside the hall, it was quiet and you could hear a pin drop. The officials gradually regained their senses, looked at each other, and the previous ease had long disappeared. They all saw something unspeakable in each other’s eyes, whether it was danger or calculation.

Before Xiao Yan arrived, they had thousands of thoughts, but they never expected this situation. The Crown Prince had no intention of investigating the case himself; he just wanted to finish his task and leave.

Indeed, Xiao Yan was undoubtedly a useless waste, but a waste holding a butcher’s knife made them extremely wary.