Not long after Lai Song departed, Fang Hui knocked on the door and entered the great hall. He reported, “Your Highness, the dancers have been gathered in your private chambers.”
Joy instantly filled the Seventh Prince’s heart as he hurriedly left the great hall. Fang Hui silently followed behind, parting with the Seventh Prince only at the entrance of his private chambers. Fang Hui began to stand guard outside.
Watching the snowfall, Fang Hui slowly sank into his own thoughts. For him to stand guard outside whilst the Seventh Prince was partaking in an orgy that could make Di Xin himself blush meant that one of the Seventh Prince’s greatest secret was in his hands, however, he understood it was best to remain silent towards this matter. To begin with, his martial arts was rather poor, and his schemes were not all that profound. It was only because he was rather clever and understood how to present himself that he gave off the impression of being completely harmless, without any great ambition or capabilities.
Still, if he appears too docile, it would be impossible for him to wield any power in the Seventh Prince’s manor. It was due to his good nature when talking to others, that he had befriended much of the Seventh Prince’s personal guards, granting him some authority. Now that he had served in the Seventh Prince’s manor for a month, he was no different from a fish in water.
However, after so long, he was still afraid of that one person. Yesterday, when he had received news that the person had sustained a serious injury, and was struggling between the lines of life and death, he felt as though a great burden had been lifted from his mind.
However the next morning, he had found within his pillow a piece of cloth with the character ‘Jing’ written upon it. By the time of Jing Wen’s assassination, Fang Hui was already asleep. For it to appear so soon meant that someone subordinate to Jing Wen had infiltrated the Seventh Prince’s manor during the night, when Fang Hui was deep asleep and completely vulnerable!
The burden that was lifted off his shoulders seemed as though it had returned with ten times the weight. At that time, Fang Hui immediately broke out in cold sweat, secretly arranging some measure to hasten the Seventh Prince’s ‘blackening’.
When the proposal of an orgy reached the ears of the Seventh Prince, he was instantly ecstatic. Although he did not fear Jing Wen, he was well aware that he had lost favour with the Emperor over this matter. This, when combined with the possibility that the Crown Prince would succeed in his endeavours of quelling the Southern Wu rebels, caused a cloud of gloom to loom over him. The orgy, for the Seventh Prince, was like spring rain after a great drought, driving away his worries.
Fang Hui secretly plans to have the Seventh Prince develop a reliance on this method to drive away his worries and stress, then expand these ‘activities’ outside the walls of the Seventh Prince’s manor. Eventually, the Seventh Prince would probably anger the Emperor directly with his behaviour, deposing him of his chance to contend for the Imperial throne.
Even if that does not occur, Fang Hui could probably kill the Seventh Prince by exhausting his essence.
Plotting his future schemes, Fang Hui felt that being this sort of spy was really easy - he only needed to be himself. Soon, his mind began to turn towards his own future with Biyu. Biyu was a good girl, but unfortunately, her sales contract was with the Seventh Prince, leaving the matters of marriage and life out of her own hands. If the Seventh Prince falls, and his household falls with him, she would likely be implicated. Frowning, Fang Hui decided he should inform the Seventh Prince of their relationship, and see if he could help Biyu regain her freedom.
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Pinching his fingers, Fang Hui calculated that there should still be two hours before the Seventh Prince would conclude his ‘activities, and would probably be in an elevated mood at that time. As long as he could casually mention the matter regarding Biyu with him during that moment of haziness, it should not be difficult to convince the Seventh Prince. After rescuing Biyu, he could make the Seventh Prince completely fall, perhaps diverting him into truly court-shaking scandals.
Only, how was he meant to let the Seventh Prince completely let down his guards? The Seventh Prince was no fool and would not directly harm his position as the Seventh Prince. After all, unlike the Crown Prince, who can ascend through inaction, the Seventh Prince must actively scheme to sit on the dragon throne.
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Shockingly, Fang Hui’s worries were for naught. Before news of Hua Quanfu’s arrival at Lin’an could even warm its seat, rumours that the Crown Prince had encountered an assassination attempt under the forces of the Southern Wu rebels, and his life and death unknown.
Although the Great Zhu had taken two years to conquer the Southern Wu, it had only removed the Southern Wu royal family from the throne. Most of the officials and prominent figures were untouched, and popular sentiment among the peasantry remain indifferent towards the dragon throne in Lin’an.
In a way, the war between the Southern Wu and Great Zhu still continues to this day. The Southern Wu rebels are mostly professionally trained, equipped with good weapons, and has a coherent leadership. Although it was not said, a sizeable minority of the Southern Wu merchants are secretly financing these rebels. It is even rumoured that Nanwang had expressed military support if the rebellion were to take place.
Naturally, the Crown Prince was aware of this precarious situation, bringing an entourage that would make those accompanying the Prime Minister at the time of his assassination. Moreover, when he first arrived at Linnang, he was immediately attacked by the rebels, resulting in the death of six of his guards. This caused his vigilance to grow even greater.
Yet the Crown Prince did not expect his younger brother to have provided weapons and even his location to the Southern Wu rebels. Whilst he was investigating a suspected corrupt minister in incognito, and did not bring many guards, he was suddenly attacked by a dozen Southern Wu rebels at the Qi Manifestation state.
At the time, the Xiang Ji was besides the Crown Prince and single-handedly fended off half of the Southern Wu rebels that were besieging the Crown Prince. But though Xiang Ji is regarded as greatest martial artist in the secular world aside from General Xiahou and an expert at the perk of Qi Manifestation state, the other guards following the Crown Prince were unable to prevent the remaining half a dozen assailants from harming the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was an ordinary mortal without any skills in martial arts. For the first half of his life, he was protected by Jing Wen - his study partner and a cultivation genius. After Jing Wen lost his cultivation, Xiang Ji was responsible for protecting the heir to the dragon throne. Without either of these experts guarding him, his hands were tied, and he unable to act (束手无策 - Helpless in the face of a crisis).
It was at that time that a little snake spirit emerged and disappeared along with the Crown Prince. No one knew the snake spirit’s allegiance, and the brawl quickly ceased as the two parties searched for the Crown Prince. It took three days for the news to arrive at Lin’an, and the location of the Crown Prince is still unknown.
Whilst the imperial court remained silent; rumours spread that the Crown Prince had died. This topic immediately became popular in the taverns of Lin’an, and even some of the less prominent officials began to believe that the Crown Prince had indeed perished. Rumours about the Empress’s curse also reemerged in Lin’an became extremely popular in the past days after another one of her children ‘died’. This, when combined with the news that the news of Consort Li’s pregnancy, caused the superstitious of Lin’an population to quickly call for the removal of the Empress and the ascension of Consort Li as the Empress.
As though chicken blood had been shot up the arms of the already anxious inhabitants of Lin’an. Those visiting the Taoists in a single day surpassed the combined number of patrons for the past month! Even the silent officials seemed gloomier in the imperial court the next day. Although none of them believed the Crown Prince would have perished so easily, all of them were anxious for the elixir of immortality and lacked the heart to deal with the matters of appeasing the distressed commoners.
The heart of the officials and the commoners were not in the same place. Who is to know what will happen in Lin’an in the following days and months?
Perhaps the only person ‘positively’ affected by this matter is the Seventh Prince. Convinced that his elder brother had really died, the Seventh Prince felt that his position as the heir apparent was secured and untouchable. After all, what can the Thirteenth Prince, a little kid controlled by Consort Li do? From then all, the Seventh Prince began indulging in degenerate pleasures.
Not even a week after news of the Crown Prince’s ‘death’, the Seventh Prince’s manor became a deathtrap. None of the women that entered would leave.
Who knows how many beautiful girls will be buried beneath the seemingly elegant garden of the Seventh Prince in the future, leaving behind only white bones?