Volume 1, Chapter 25: Tending the Wounds (1)

In Shen Jianheng’s room.

Shen Jianheng dismissed everyone, keeping only Shen Zheng by his side. The mask of carefree indifference had been torn away, and his expression turned sinister. "Did you see it clearly?"

Shen Zheng hurriedly replied, "I saw it clearly, absolutely clearly. Every stroke was delivered in earnest, without a hint of mercy. That body was covered in blood!"

After a brief pause, he added, "My Lord, it seems that although His Majesty came to borrow money, this incident regarding Shen Gang being sent to the Music Bureau was not his deliberate doing. Furthermore, he still cares about you, his uncle, deep down and does not want to cause any rift between you. See? You said to beat him, and he did it without hesitation."

Shen Jianheng’s expression softened slightly at these words. "Hmph, that’s more like it. So what if he is the Emperor? I am a true member of the Imperial family, his elder. Our Great Zhou governs the world through benevolence and filial piety; throughout the ages, no Emperor has dared to openly doubt or mistreat his elders or kin. Even the late Emperor treated me with respect. I refuse to believe he would truly disregard his own uncle! However..."

At this point, Shen Jianheng felt a pang of regret. "The 150,000 taels spent on the Music Bureau, plus the 300,000 taels handed over later—I didn't get to enjoy that alluring little beauty, and all I got was a beating for that insolent brat. No matter how heavy the punishment, I’ve lost out. The life of a disgraced official’s son isn't worth 450,000 taels."

Shen Zheng soothed him, saying, "He is merely an ungrateful dog of a servant. If you tell him to laugh, he must laugh; if you tell him to cry, he must cry. Fifty strokes of the cane will leave him half-dead, if not worse. Your status is noble, my Lord; why bother lowering yourself to the level of such a cur?"

"That is indeed true." Shen Jianheng nodded with a smile. "Given my status, how could I lower myself to bicker with a servant? I shall spare his wretched life for now."

He then complained, "Really, if I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have been so impulsive just because Prince Chen mentioned it. Not only did I fail to get the beauty, but I also ended up smeared with scandal and was extorted for such a huge sum by Shen Ran."

"And..." Suddenly remembering something, a look of suspicion flashed across Shen Jianheng’s face. "Shen Zheng, why do you think Shen Ran suddenly cares about the disaster victims in Changzhou? He never paid any attention to such matters before, leaving everything to Liu Shizhuang."

Shen Zheng lowered his head. "This old servant dare not guess, but perhaps..." After a pause, he continued, "My Lord, could it be that His Majesty has had a change of heart and suddenly wants to be an enlightened monarch?"

"Hahahaha!" Shen Jianheng laughed loudly and patted Shen Zheng’s shoulder with his chubby hand. "Shen Zheng, you are an old man now, how can you still have such naive thoughts?"

"You know what Shen Ran’s background is. As the son of a dancing girl, he bore the responsibilities of a prince, but he never enjoyed any of the benefits. He reached where he is today—and secured this throne—entirely on his own."

"A person like that... if he truly wanted to be an enlightened monarch, he would have been one from the moment he ascended the throne. Since he hasn't been one until now, it means he has no such intention. How could he possibly have a change of heart at this late hour?"

Shen Zheng shook his head. "Then this old servant truly cannot fathom the reason."

"Neither can I," Shen Jianheng said. "How about this: go and invite Prince Chen to my residence. Tell him my household has recently choreographed some new songs and dances and I would like to invite him to watch them together."

***

By the time he returned to the palace, Zhao Yuanzhuo was already running a high fever.

He was so delirious that his mind was clouded. In his dreams, he saw scenes of the Zhao family home being raided, alternating with memories of laughing and playing with his older brothers.

His second brother held a long sword, effortlessly performing a clean flourish. He reached out a hand to Zhao Yuanzhuo, saying, "Come on, let’s go hunting in the countryside with me!"

Just as Zhao Yuanzhuo was about to say "Yes, let's go," a low voice sounded from not far away: "Hunting? Do you have any idea what time it is? Mother told me to call you back for dinner! She made dumplings herself!"

"Huh?" The second brother yawned lightly. "Big brother, you go ahead. I'm not hungry yet."

With that, he made a face at Zhao Yuanzhuo. "Go eat first! I'll take you out to play next time!"

Then, with graceful agility, he vaulted over a waist-high railing and vanished before the eldest brother could reach him.

The eldest brother stomped his feet in frustration. "You lot run faster than monkeys! Yuanzhuo, you go back first; I’m going to the small drill ground to get your third brother—"

Zhao Yuanzhuo also jumped down from the railing. "Big brother, let me go instead. You’re finally on leave, you should spend more time with your wife."

The eldest brother froze, his expression turning unnatural for a moment. "Has the second one been saying nonsense to you again?"

"No, no!" Seeing the eldest brother’s reaction, Zhao Yuanzhuo couldn't help but laugh. He waved at him, "Big brother, I’m going to get the third brother for dinner!"

With that, he ran off in a hurry.

He went to find his third brother.

But he couldn't find him.

He was nowhere to be found.

Zhao Yuanzhuo began to panic. He shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Third brother, come back for dinner!"

But there was no answer.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats echoed from a distance. As they drew nearer, Zhao Yuanzhuo instinctively looked toward the sound and saw countless government officials holding torches and iron chains.

What were these people doing?

Why were they breaking into his home?

Before he could process it, the sound of women crying erupted around him.

Hearing these cries, Zhao Yuanzhuo felt an inexplicable, urgent anxiety. As he grew restless and tried to find the source of the wailing, he suddenly saw a guard grab his sister-in-law by the hair and drag her out without mercy.

She was already three months pregnant.

Zhao Yuanzhuo’s heart skipped a beat. His first instinct was to rush forward to stop them, but the guard holding her suddenly drew his blade and slashed down ruthlessly.

Fresh blood splattered, looking like a sudden, driving rain in mid-air.

The slightly metallic-smelling liquid trickled down his neck. Amidst his thundering heartbeat, he froze in place.

He finally understood what those officials were doing.

Zhao Yuanzhuo woke up with a jolt. His entire body trembled uncontrollably as he lay on the bed, gasping for breath like a fish stranded on dry land.

At that moment—

A very light sound of footsteps came from behind him.

A moment later, a slender, pale hand reached out from behind him, holding a cup of tea.