Chapter 100 |
The bloodstains were thick and difficult to wash off. Qu Dubian scrubbed until his hands were red before they were completely clean, even digging out every trace from under his fingernails.
He braced his hands on the edge of the water vat, staring at the rippling surface, and began to regret.
The sour orange candy Liuliu had stuffed into his mouth had completely melted. He wished he had taken an extra one from Liuliu for later; the kid had plenty anyway.
Even though he was clean now, a faint scent still clung to his clothes.
Yu Ruo: "Where exactly are you feeling unwell? I have a physician at my residence."
Although he often heard things like 'The Seventh Prince is taking sick leave again today' or 'The Seventh Prince can't get up again,' because Qu Dubian always fell ill within the palace and was lively and energetic whenever he went out, actively avoiding him, this was actually the first time Yu Ruo had seen his face so pale.
Agumudo felt it even more clearly. Just moments ago, when Qu Dubian had grabbed his hair, his strength had been astonishing. But now, his face was so pale he seemed unable to catch his breath.
He tried to walk over. "Hey, you..."
Qu Dubian: "Stay right there."
Qu Dubian said faintly, "Have the physician tend to him. I need a bath."
Yu Ruo: "?"
"Now?"
Qu Dubian nodded. "He's too filthy. I find it repulsive."
Agumudo: "I'm filthy?"
Qu Dubian: "It's your blood I'm covered in. It disgusts me."
Agumudo: "..."
Looking at Qu Dubian's awful complexion, he ultimately held his tongue—this man's brother said he was frail. Could it actually be true?
The contrast with his demeanor on the grassland was rather stark.
Yu Ruo quickly summoned the physician from his residence to bandage Agumudo's wounds. Fortunately, they were all superficial injuries, mostly not reaching the bones or tendons.
He also ordered someone to heat water immediately.
Qu Dubian moved to a corner and crouched down. Once the water was hot, he headed straight for the side room's bathing chamber.
Yu Ruo: "My residence doesn't have clothes for someone your age. Would you wear some of mine later? I have new ones."
Qu Dubian: "Anything's fine. I'll return them later."
He entered the bathing chamber and slammed the door shut with a bang.
Yu Ruo was thoughtful.
Was it fastidiousness, or did he find human blood dirty?
A while later, Yi Shier and Gu Xin returned together.
Yi Shier scanned the courtyard, finding only Agumudo, shirtless and having his wounds treated, but no sign of Qu Dubian.
Yu Ruo: "How did it go?"
Gu Xin: "The Seventh Prince's guard and I joined forces. We killed five and kept one alive, but these men were likely death warriors. The captive swallowed poison and died as soon as we captured him."
"However, we brought all the bodies back. They're outside the residence now. The news has already been sent out. Presumably, the Emperor of Great Zhou will receive word before long."
Yu Ruo: "That's fine. It's best we don't get too involved. Let the people of Great Zhou handle it."
Yi Shier walked up to him. "Where is he?"
Yu Ruo pointed. "Taking a bath."
Yi Shier hurried to the side room's bathing chamber. A light was indeed on inside, with the sound of water and steam seeping out. He tapped on the window with a knuckle. "Your Highness?"
A lazy, weak voice came from inside. "Hmm, I'm here."
Yi Shier breathed a sigh of relief.
Qu Dubian: "Are you injured?"
Yi Shier: "No."
"Liuliu, do you have any more orange candy?"
"Yes."
Yi Shier took out another piece of candy, slightly opened the window, listened to pinpoint the location, and tossed it in.
Qu Dubian raised his hand and caught it.
"Alright, got it. Thanks, Liuliu."
Yi Shier closed the window properly and stood guard by the door.
-
News of the assassination attempt on Agumudo quickly reached the imperial palace.
Princess Axiang, who had been accompanying Consort Zhou in the Palace of Compassionate Peace, rushed to the Purple Aurora Hall upon hearing the news.
"Imperial Brother."
Emperor Chongzhao's expression was grim. "You've heard?"
Princess Axiang: "I only know there were assassins trying to kill him, but I don't know the details or how he is."
Emperor Chongzhao: "He's at the residence of the Nanning hostage prince now. He should be fine, just superficial wounds. Little Seven happened to pass by and witnessed the assassination. He has a hidden guard who intercepted the assassins, so nothing serious happened."
Princess Axiang felt a wave of relief, then frowned. "Imperial Brother, I'll go out of the palace to see him."
Emperor Chongzhao: "It's not appropriate. Stay in the palace. Tomorrow, return to your princess' residence to comfort Agumudo."
Princess Axiang: "What about Prince Yu Ruo's place?"
Emperor Chongzhao: "Little Seven is still at his residence. I've already sent people over."
-
The Fourth Prince led a squad of Imperial Guards, who carried the assassins' bodies from outside Yu Ruo's residence into the courtyard.
Fourth Prince: "I come by imperial decree. Apologies for the disturbance so late at night."
Yu Ruo: "It's no trouble. But why are you bringing the bodies inside, Fourth Prince? I assumed you would take them away directly."
Fourth Prince: "Because bodies can be easily tampered with. To avoid any future issues where marks might appear or disappear from them, it's better for everything to be witnessed by all parties present."
The corner of Yu Ruo's mouth twitched slightly.
It couldn't be what he was thinking, could it?
Fourth Prince: "Strip them."
The Imperial Guards worked swiftly, stripping all six assassins completely naked.
Agumudo came forward, using his foot to turn them over for inspection one by one. "Not faces from the Northern Frontier. No marks on their bodies either."
Yu Ruo glanced at the Fourth Prince, curious. "What if they had fake marks? For example, if they were all branded with your Great Zhou's national flower, the cold orchid? Wouldn't you have a hard time explaining yourself once you stripped them?"
The Fourth Prince lifted his eyelids slightly. "Then that would be a matter for His Majesty to explain. I'm handling this properly to avoid endless trouble later."
Yu Ruo: "......"
Did the Great Zhou Emperor know his son was setting him up like this?
The Imperial Guards carried away the naked corpses, and all the clothes on the ground were collected as well.
The Fourth Prince looked at Agumudo. "Great Zhou will give you an account of today's events. If you can still walk, the Imperial Guards will escort you back to the princess' residence."
Agumudo nodded.
The Fourth Prince said to the small squad leader of the Imperial Guards: "I won't be going to the palace to report. You return and inform His Majesty that it's too late, I'm going home to sleep, and please don't assign me night duties in the future."
Squad Leader: "...Yes."
He escorted Agumudo away.
Now, only the Fourth Prince, Yu Ruo, and Qu Dubian, who was still soaking in the bath, remained in the residence.
Qu Dubian had been listening to the commotion outside and shouted, "Fourth Brother! Is that you?"
The Fourth Prince, whose eyes were perpetually half-closed with weariness, opened them slightly, visibly showing a hint of pleasure. He walked quickly to the door of the bathing chamber.
Yi Shier reached out a hand to block him slightly.
The Fourth Prince didn't mind. "It's me, Little Seven. It's so late, going back to the palace is inconvenient. Come to my residence instead."
Yu Ruo: "Going out right after a bath might not be ideal. My residence still has vacant rooms."
The Fourth Prince glanced at him.
He remembered Little Seven didn't like staying with this fellow for long periods.
Qu Dubian stepped out of the bathtub, dried himself, and put on the new clothes of Yu Ruo's that Yi Shier had brought in.
They were much too big; he could practically mop the floor with them.
Qu Dubian didn't bother dressing properly. He tied the belt, pulled on his boots, roughly towel-dried his hair, and went out. There was still a faint residual smell of blood outside, but it was far more tolerable than before.
"I'm returning to the palace. I told Ye Banban I'd be back tonight. He'll worry if I don't."
The Fourth Prince said, "Then we're heading the same way. Let's go together."
Qu Dubian nodded and left with the Fourth Prince.
Yu Ruo watched their retreating figures and called out, "Don't forget, you owe me a meal."
Qu Dubian replied, "I remember."
Yu Ruo smiled, her sleepiness gone. She sat in the pavilion and poured herself a cup of tea.
A moment later, Gu Xin returned. "They've left."
Yu Ruo nodded. "Today's affair was quite interesting."
She was certain it wasn't Nanning who had made the move, and Great Zhou was even less likely to have sent someone to kill Agumudo.
"Between the Northern Frontier and Great Zhou, the peace is only superficial after all."
-
The Fourth Prince accompanied Qu Dubian a good distance along the road towards the imperial palace.
"When Father Emperor summoned me to handle this matter, I was just about to sleep."
Qu Dubian said, "Fourth Brother, you didn't handle this assignment very well, did you? You left it all to the minor captain of the Imperial Guard and didn't even return to the palace to report."
The Fourth Prince replied, "If I handle it too well, I'll just be given more and more assignments afterward."
"Father Emperor called me to handle this duty, Little Seven. You can guess why."
Qu Dubian fell silent for a moment.
Indeed.
Currently, the fiercest struggle at court was between the Eldest Prince and the Third Prince.
The Second Prince didn't involve himself with them, but he was still caught in the vortex of the political center, having to mediate between the Eldest and Third Princes from time to time.
Since establishing his own residence, the Fourth Prince had been keeping a low profile. By assigning him duties, the Emperor was clearly trying to force him to join the game at the table.
By deliberately handling the assignment poorly, the Fourth Prince was making it plain to the Emperor that he had no interest in the throne and didn't want to be dragged onto that stage.
Qu Dubian said, "Father Emperor has actually reached the time when he should be selecting an heir apparent."
The Fourth Prince replied, "So he wants to observe and evaluate all of us, sometimes even forcing the issue. Perhaps he's also selecting capable brothers for the future heir apparent, to become his right-hand men, just like Imperial Uncle Ming."
"From Father Emperor's perspective, evaluating us isn't wrong. But people aren't stones. If this state of constant testing continues, trouble is bound to arise sooner or later."
Qu Dubian stopped and asked earnestly, "Fourth Brother, do you really not want that position?"
The Fourth Prince also stopped, looking down slightly at his younger brother.
After a moment, he raised his hand to straighten the younger boy's messy collar and smoothed his half-dry, half-damp hair.
The Fourth Prince replied with equal seriousness, "Little Seven, not everyone desires that position."
Who can count all the bones buried beneath the imperial throne? Who can measure the thickness of the bloodstains upon it?
Who can calculate the immense price one must pay to reach that position, or weigh how much of one's humanity must be discarded?
He was quite content as he was.
Qu Dubian said, "Can't be too capable, can't be too useless. So you handled the assignment, Fourth Brother, but not too well."
The Fourth Prince blinked. "Being utterly useless would make one a disposable pawn. One must always retain some value."
Qu Dubian said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely keep your secret!"
"Fourth Brother, you can stop here. I'll walk the rest of the way myself."
The Fourth Prince nodded. "Alright."
Watching Qu Dubian's retreating back, the Fourth Prince said, "If you have the ambition, Fourth Brother will help you."
Qu Dubian didn't turn around. He raised a hand and waved it dismissively. "Power is precious indeed, but life has higher worth. If freedom is the cause, then both can be cast forth."
The Fourth Prince smiled.
He watched as the small youth, his robes dragging unsuitably on the ground, swayed along lazily and leisurely, disappearing into the dark, towering silhouette of the imperial city ahead.
-
Qu Dubian strolled slowly along the palace pathway.
"Walking alone is a bit lonely. Liuliu, come out and chat."
Yi Shier replied, "Mm."
Though he said 'chat,' for a long while he couldn't muster a single word.
Qu Dubian was exasperated. "All those storybooks you read were wasted! Being this dull, how will you ever find a wife in the future?"
Yi Shier said, "Won't look."
Qu Dubian said, "You need to have your own life. You can't stay by my side forever."
Yi Shier replied, "I'll accompany you, until you no longer need me. If you always need me, I'll always be here."
If he was no longer needed, once the Three-Day Drunkenness took effect, he would find a place to die.
Qu Dubian patted his shoulder. "You still need to think about the future, you know. I'm not an unreasonable employer. But if you're truly set on staying single and have no desire to leave, I'll give you a pension."
"Alright," Yi Shier fell silent for a moment, then looked up at the moon's position to estimate the time.
"Your Highness, if you don't return soon, Xiao Yuan will be angry."
Qu Dubian's smile froze. "Oh no!"
He grabbed Yi Shier's arm and broke into a run.