Chapter 82

Edited and Proofread by KitKat

Emperor An Qing’s face changed into shades of red and blue. He swept his gaze over the group of courtiers, trying to figure out who had touched the Shi Family’s wealth.

The courtiers who were barking loudly moments ago were lowering their heads and holding their breaths. There were also courtiers who had accepted beautiful girls enslaved by the Shi Family as concubines. They now glared at Xiao Zhige with both anger and fear.

It was not uncommon for the Southern businessmen to want to move to Yejing and amalgamate with the capitals’ nobles. However, the prestigious families of Yejing only had a rich background from decades ago. Their wealth was dwindling and they could not afford to keep up with their comfortable lifestyles depending solely on their salary. Therefore, they naturally had their eyes on the riches of the South. 

Emperor An Qing was well aware of this fatty piece of meat. The courtiers took their cut from the Southerners and of course, had sent the biggest slice to his personal vault. This was why he had turned a blind eye to their activities over the years.

Among the former Emperor’s sons, Emperor An Qing’s talent and qualifications could only be considered mediocre at best. It was all thanks to the Empress Dowager that he was handed the throne. In the beginning of his reign, Emperor An Qing actually had goals and still cared for the country but as he continued to indulge in fine wine and beauties, he gradually grew complacent and self-serving.

After all, he was the Emperor. Even if the sky fell, he’d still have the Empress Dowager and the Zhao family to take care of things. What’s wrong with indulging himself now?

Those were his thoughts during his twilight years which were now slowly turning into fear. For the Empress Dowager, she had always looked down on him but he was her only son, she had no choice but to support him. However, as the Crown Prince matured and he aged, he feared that eventually the Zhao family and the Empress Dowager would grow impatient and replace him with the Crown Prince.

Everyone is afraid of dying, especially people like Emperor An Qing. That was why he had sought out Taoists masters to research the path to immortality. He had not reached his time, he had not lived enough!

As he looked down at the silent courtiers, Emperor An Qing couldn’t help but feel a streak of panic. These courtiers who had always been obedient to him were gradually turning to support his sons while he was still breathing! The huge fortune of the Shi family which he had been drooling over had long been divided up by the Crown Prince and his associates, leaving him, the Emperor, with only leftover crumbs!

Thinking of the still healthy Empress Dowager and the glamorous Empress Zhao along with the Crown Prince who had begun spreading his wings, Emperor An Qing showed a twisted and malicious smile. His eyes swept grimly over the court as he swung his sleeve and said, “Well done, the whole lot of you!”

The horrified courtiers knelt down and said in unison, “Your Majesty, please forgive us!”

Emperor An Qing gave them one last glance and said, “Adjourn!”

The eunuch relayed his words and even after Emperor An Qing had left the hall, none of the courtiers dared to get up.

It was only a long while later that the courtiers hesitantly looked at each other before daring to get up. It was then that everyone began to look at Xiao Zhige, the central figure, with vigilance. Among the forces struggling for the throne, they have never regarded this Second Prince as a threat. Despite having immense military power and amassing impressive achievements, his ominous birth and notorious reputation had ascertained that he was not eligible for the throne!

Furthermore, he had married a man. A king with a male partner on the throne? It’s simply unthinkable. The only thing they had to worry about was whether he had the desire to rebel.

But never did they expect that the violence and recklessness was just the facade of a cunning and vicious wolf. His trip to the South this time not only maimed the Emperor’s trust in the Crown Prince and Third Prince but also created a good name for himself. 

This was a clear attempt at the throne!

The courtiers exchanged looks of tacit understanding – after this event, they had to revise their plans and come up with countermeasures.

Imperial Censor Officer Li An Min walked alongside Minister An Zhi Ke as they left the hall. Li An Min saw An Zhi Ke’s unconcealable frown but he still lifted his sleeves and congratulated, “The Northern Warlord has made considerable achievements this time. Congratulations to Minister An.”

Whoever did not know that An Zhi Ke was privately supporting the Crown Prince and that the Northern Warlord’s Wangfei had a rocky relationship with this father of his. Li An Ming’s compliment was choking him green and he could only try his hardest to squeeze out an ugly smile.

Li An Min feigned ignorance and bowed to him before walking away, leaving the pale-faced An Zhi Ke to deal with his predicament.

The Northern Warlord, who had once upon a time shown his disinterest in the throne, was now actively competing for it, even going so far as to show his aggressiveness in this matter. In this case, as his father-in-law, An Zhi Ke was going to have a hard time dealing with both factions.

An Chang Qing was the son he couldn’t wait to cut ties with and the Northern Warlord was the son-in-law who wouldn’t give him a second glance. Before, it would’ve been a no-brainer picking sides but now, he couldn’t help but be doubtful. Having sided with the Crown Prince for so long, naturally he couldn’t let the Crown Prince be suspicious of him. However, thinking of the Crown Prince’s situation, he was beginning to have second thoughts. If it was between the Third Prince and the Crown Prince, he definitely would’ve bet on the Crown Prince with no hesitation. But if Xiao Zhige was in the mix, then he wasn’t quite so sure.

The military power in his hands alone was enough for many to fear. And if an all-out war was to break out and Xiao Zhige managed to seize the throne, then the An family would utterly be annihilated…

The matter weighed heavily in An Zhi Ke’s mind and for a long time, he wasn’t able to make his decision.

If An Chang Qing were to know what his father was thinking, he would’ve told him that no matter what, he and the An Family had long gone their separate ways.

…

After leaving the Imperial Court, Emperor An Qing called for the Crown Prince.

These days, Emperor An Qing had stopped taking the pills and dared not indulge in earthly pleasures, as such, by his side were only eunuchs and maids in waiting.

The Crown Prince was aware of what had transpired in court. He was cursing Xiao Zhige vehemently in his heart but still had to keep up appearances as he hurried to the Emperor.

The Emperor leaned back on his bed and looked down at the seemingly docile prince kneeling in front of him.

After the civil unrest in the South had been resolved, the Crown Prince, due to his blunder in judgment, had taken the initiative to punish himself with closed-door meditation in the East Palace. Originally, Emperor An Qing was quite empathetic towards him, after all, he was supervising a whole nation in his stead. Even if the matter could not be settled, he had no intention to blame him since it was his first time making such paramount decisions – it was justifiable to fail.

However, now that doubts of the Prince pocketing the Shi Family’s fortunes had been planted, this fatherly support no longer existed.

Emperor An Qing did not let him rise. He looked at him with downcast eyes and said, “I heard that one of your concubines is a lady of the Shi Family?”

The Crown Prince’s heart thumped but he could only reply honestly, “Yes.” He thought that after Emperor An Qing questioned him, he would make up some excuses and then offer the fortune from the Shi Family and this ordeal would be solved.

However, Emperor An Qing did not pursue the matter. Instead, he asked, “The Crown Prince is twenty-six this year, isn’t he?”

The Crown Prince could not figure out what the Emperor was thinking and simply answered with a yes.

Emperor An Qing laughed for an unknown reason and said, “You’re not young anymore. You’ll have to be more thoughtful when doing things in the future.”

The Crown Prince responded, “Yes, I will honor Father’s teachings.”

Emperor An Qing waved his hand wearily and said, “I’m tired, you can take your leave.”

Being called inexplicably then sent away, the Crown Prince’s expression turned gloomy. He mulled over Emperor An Qing’s words as he saluted and left.

It seemed the Emperor was bitter with him over the Shi Family. He did not ask about the matter and hence, the Crown could not explain himself. 

“Xiao-Zhi-Ge!” The Crown Prince recited the name under his breath and angrily headed to the Empress’ Palace.

…..

Xiao Zhige had now headed back to the Wang Manor for the time being.

Wang Fu Gui has been taking care of the Wang Manor and everything was running smoothly. Ever since he was taught a lesson by An Chang Qing, his attitude had changed. Even with the absence of the household heads for the past year, he did not dare to do anything dishonest. On the contrary, he had become much more dependable and had kept the manor in good order.

Xiao Zhige was quite satisfied. Having reliable subordinates meant that An Chang Qing would have less to worry about when he returned to the manor.

Because Emperor An Qing had not given his verdict, Xiao Zhige could only stay in Yejing for the time being. That said, he doubted that he would be released back to Yanzhou anytime soon.

Surprisingly, the Emperor did not leave Xiao Zhige hanging for long. In five days, an eunuch came to deliver his rewards along with the decree.

In addition to the large number of rewards, Emperor An Qing had made sure to point out that the Northern Warlord had made great achievements in dealing with the conflicts in the South and commended his efforts. Now that the war with the North had ended, he should stay put in Yejing. As for the 20,000 soldiers outside the city, lieutenant Xie Ling is to take them back to Yanzhou to defend the city.

The eunuch handed the decree to Xiao Zhige and said with a smile, “Before, Wangye was always away fighting in the North and His Majesty rarely got to see you. Now that you’ll be staying in Yejing, Wangye should come to the palace more often to keep His Majesty company and help relieve his worries.”

Whatever others felt after hearing these words, Xiao Zhige did not know. He only knew that they made him feel revolting. Unable to muster up even a smile, he lowered his head and said, “I was born with powerful inauspiciousness, getting too close to His Majesty could harm his dragon body. It’s not that I’m unwilling, it’s that I’m unable to. Please explain to His Majesty so.”

The eunuch’s face stiffened. He did expect such straightforwardness from the Northern Warlord. Everyone knew that he was born with a great omen but no one dared to put it into words. Now that the man had said it himself, the eunuch had to keep quiet and accept his declination.

Xiao Zhige was well aware of what the Emperor was planning to do. Now that his health was deteriorating fast and the Shi family’s secrets had been exposed, he was concerned that the Crown Prince couldn’t wait to take his place. He wanted to support his other sons.

However, the Third Prince was also out of the question. Over the years, under his indulgence, the Crown Prince and Third Prince were freely allowed to expand their faction. The Crown Prince was young and powerful but so was the Third Prince with Shu Guifei’s backing. 

No matter who he chose to support, they would have the potential to replace him immediately. The only exception was the Northern Warlord. He had no supporters in court or in the harem and had command of a powerful army, a good countermeasure to the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. 

Emperor An Qing was content with his move and had deliberately called his personal eunuch to deliver the message. Unfortunately, Xiao Zhige did not fall for his trick.

Of course he wanted the throne but he refused to grovel under Emperor An Qing for it. He will rightfully take it through his own means.