Chapter 12: Playing Weak to Outsmart the Strong


The North Gate Pavilion was already arranged early in the morning, so there shouldn’t be any need to worry. However, for some reason, on this rare day off, Shen Zaiye didn’t go anywhere and simply lay on the recliner in the courtyard, lost in thought.

Zhan Lu stood to the side, glancing at his master’s absent gaze, and softly coughed. “The weather is rather pleasant today; perhaps you’d like to visit the palace for a look?”

His gaze sharpened into focus. Shen Zaiye turned his head, the loose strands of his dark hair obscuring half his eye, giving him an utterly languid appearance.

“I’m tired, I don’t want to move.”

From getting up until now, all I’ve done is escort someone to the Spring-Contending Pavilion. What’s so tiring about that? Zhanlu couldn’t understand and couldn’t help but reach out to feel his master’s forehead.

Are you alright…

Shen Zaifei frowned and pushed his hand away. “If you have time to stand there, you might as well go see how things are going.”

“Master, rest assured,” Zhan Lu replied. “Everything is proceeding according to plan. Lady Jiang is completely unsuspecting. Once she consumes the specially prepared meal at noon, it will be time for her to depart.”

“What if she doesn’t eat it?”

“It’s unlikely. The household deliberately didn’t prepare any breakfast for Lady Jiang, and with Prince Jing present at the table, even if just for appearances, she will certainly take a few bites. Even if she truly refuses, the maid standing nearby will feed it to her.” Zhan Lu pondered for a moment, then added, “But she should eat it on her own.”

“Is that so,” Shen Zaidi nodded, lying back down to gaze at the clouds in the sky, letting out a soft sigh.

To others, this sigh seemed unremarkable, but to Zhan Lu, it was startling. His pupils contracted slightly as he cast a suspicious glance at him.

Zhan Lu had been by Shen Zaiye’s side for so long that he could detect shifts in his emotions through the nuances of his tone. The last time he had sighed like this was two years ago, upon leaving that place. It was heavy, tinged with regret, but as the final note fell, it carried a resolute and unwavering resolve, as if he had made a difficult yet inevitable decision.

For two years, the master’s emotions had never again experienced such a profound fluctuation. How could today…

Frowning, Zhan Lu pursed his lips, took a few steps back, and gestured to the person standing at the courtyard gate. He asked, “How are things at the North Gate Pavilion?”

The servant looked panicked, hesitating for a long time before saying, “Just now, the Kyoto magistrate’s office sent word that the Prime Minister’s carriage was ambushed on the road… They are currently investigating the situation.”

What happened? Zhanlu was startled and quickly turned to report the situation but almost bumped into Shen Zaiye’s chin.

“If something happened, why didn’t you report it earlier?” Shen Zaiye stood right behind Zhanlu, his expression somewhat grim. “If I hadn’t asked, were you planning to keep it hidden all along?”

The servant’s face turned deathly pale, and he immediately knelt to the ground, saying, “Your Excellency, please understand—the news just arrived, and I was about to go in and report it…”

“How long has this been going on?” Shen Zaive impatiently cut him off and asked.

“About… half an hour.”

“Worthless!”

Angrily yanking his cloak, Shen Zaijie stormed out with a darkened expression: “When did the news within the Prime Minister’s residence become so slow?”

Zhanlu hurried after him, whispering, “You only shut down the Wind Catcher Hall two days ago.”

The people in the Wind Catcher Hall were responsible for relaying messages within the Prime Minister’s residence. However, due to the presence of a traitor, Shen Zaijie had furiously ordered its closure. For now, no one could deliver news back as swiftly as they once had.

With a cold snort, Shen Zaiye mounted his horse and, without a word, rode off toward the North Gate Pavilion.

The officers from the capital’s yamen were monitoring the situation at the street corner. Recognizing the carriage as belonging to the prime minister’s residence, none dared to act rashly. However, the three individuals lying nearby were all unconscious, and the carriage was empty. If someone of importance had been abducted, it could spell serious trouble. Thus, the city officials frantically deliberated on a course of action, yet hesitated to immediately inform the prime minister’s estate.

Traffic at this intersection was sparse, with no witnesses to shed light on the incident. Investigating the matter would prove exceedingly challenging.

The constable was lost in thought, staring blankly at the carriage, when he was abruptly startled by the whinny of a horse behind him. Before he could even turn around, he felt someone yank at the collar of his robe.

“Where is the person?”

Shen Zaive’s expression was relaxed, as if he had just casually asked the question, but the chill in his eyes made the young constable’s legs go weak. The constable hastily replied, “I don’t know, sir! It seems something happened here, the person in the carriage is gone…”

Frowning slightly, Shen Zaisong released him, gently patting his clothes: “If someone is missing, won’t you go look?”

“…Yes!” The chief constable shuddered and quickly waved his hand, sending the constables present scattering in all directions, dispatching people to chase down every street.

What could possibly be caught like this? Suppressing the anger in his heart, Shen Zaisong lifted the carriage curtain to look around, then glanced at the three people lying nearby.

“Zhanlu, wake them up.”

“Yes.”

Fetching a basin of water and splashing it onto the three faces, two of them immediately woke up.

“Prime Minister!” The two guards knelt in panic.

“What happened?” Shen Zaiju glanced down at them coldly. “Did you have no means to resist at all?”

Startled, the guards quickly explained, “It wasn’t that we didn’t resist, but we were caught off guard. Someone struck us from behind, knocking us unconscious before we could react.”

From behind? Shen Zaiji was stunned, then glanced around again: “How many people did you bring out?”

“Answering Your Excellency, four.”

Four? Tightening his lips, Shen Zaiji narrowed his eyes slightly.

There were no signs of a struggle in the carriage, and two guards were missing. Compared to being kidnapped, the possibility that the woman had taken people and run away on her own was greater, wasn’t it?

But why is she running? Could that silly, dull person actually have sensed danger ahead?

“Zhan Lu, you go first to calm Prince Jing.” After a moment of thought, Shen Zaicheng lowered his voice and instructed: “I will go back to change clothes and then keep the appointment. The rest of you, return to the Prime Minister’s residence to check the number of people. If two guards are missing, immediately search all parts of the capital. If none are missing… then have the Kyoto magistrate’s office look for them.”

“Yes!” Everyone present sprang into action, carrying out their assigned tasks according to the instructions.

Shen Zaizie remounted, holding the reins as he pondered for a moment, then gently shook his head before whipping his horse to gallop back at full speed.

I hope it’s not as he suspects, Jiang Taohua is already dangerous enough; if she’s also intelligent, then we’ll truly be in trouble.

It was not yet noon, yet the sky had inexplicably grown overcast. The sun vanished, and the wind picked up even more. The side gate of the Southern Prince’s manor was half-open, and before long, someone came running out.

“Lady Jiang?”

Gazing at the person leaning against the door, Mu Wuxia’s face was filled with shock: “You, how could you…”

Jiang Taohua’s plain skirt was stained with a gruesome amount of blood, leaving her complexion pale and ashen, as if she had suffered severe injuries.

“Your Highness.” At the sight of him, Peach Blossom’s eyes instantly reddened: “Could Your Highness possibly save my life?”

“What happened?” Mu Wuxia was extremely panicked, crouching down beside her with a furrowed brow: “Wounded like this, why didn’t you tell Prime Minister Shen?”

“Can’t tell him.” Peach Blossom shook her head, gasping for breath as she said: “For the full details, Your Highness can listen to me slowly once we’re inside the room. For now, I must ask you to think of a way to get me into your quarters without anyone noticing.”

Mu Wuxia was stunned for a moment, then quickly calmed down: “I understand.”

Since she sent her maid to secretly enter the manor and deliver a message, she naturally did not want to be discovered by others. Mu Wuxia immediately went inside and shooed all the servants to the backyard, claiming he would address them later. Then, wrapping Peach Blossom in a cloak, he had Qing Tai carry her inside.

“The people in this mansion are all shrewd, I must first go and attend to them for a moment.”

After settling her in the inner chamber of his own room, Mu Wuxia said, “Wait here for a moment.”

“Alright,” Jiang Taohua nodded, watching Mu Wuxia depart.

“Master,” Qingtai sat nervously by the bedside, “Will the prince believe us?”

“Other princes certainly would not,” Peach Blossom whispered, taking a soft breath and pressing a hand to her side, her lips pressed together. “But Prince Nan is different—he’s entirely youthful at heart, full of a sense of justice, and he already harbors doubts about Shen Zaijia.”

As long as she guessed and pieced together even half-truths, he would undoubtedly believe her.

Green Moss sighed, unable to help muttering under her breath, “I once thought marrying into Great Wei would be something good—never imagined it would be a matter of life and death like this. If only I’d known earlier…”

“Don’t talk about useless things,” Peach Blossom retorted with a curl of her lips. “Fate is set by heaven—no one has the right to know beforehand. Since we’re already here, better think about how to live well.”

She originally thought marrying the wrong person was a good thing, but she never expected to fall into an even bigger pit. Shen Zaiye was an utterly ruthless man, wasting his good looks for nothing. There was no need for her to hold any other expectations for him; it was time to resort to framing and plotting. Keeping her own life safe was what mattered most.

Moss remained silent, gazing at her with a look full of heartache. Peach Blossom, however, didn’t seem too bothered. She waited for the Southern Prince to return while still lost in her own thoughts.

Mu Wuxia truly didn’t stay away for long. Upon returning, he closed the door tightly, strode over to the bedside, and asked, “Are you alright?”

Jiang Taohua smiled, “It might not be great, but your trust in me truly surprises me. Aren’t you afraid I might be a bad person?”

“This prince’s judgment of people is quite accurate.” Pulling over a nearby stool and sitting down, the young prince raised his chin, speaking with great confidence, “From our last meeting, I already knew you couldn’t be a bad person.”

Where on earth did he get the idea that she wasn’t bad? Taohua froze for a moment, then glanced down at herself suspiciously.

“Your injuries—should you see a doctor first?” Mu Wuxia frowned.

“Wait until I finish speaking, Master. If you believe me, then you can call a doctor. If not, there’s no need to call one.” Peach Blossom took a few shallow breaths, her gaze burning as she looked at him.

Slightly pausing, Mu Wuxia nodded. “Go ahead, tell me what’s really going on.”

“Prime Minister Shen wants to kill me.”

“…” Taking a soft breath, the young master’s eyes widened. “Why?”

“Because he wanted the Prince of Jing to take the blame for killing the princess of Zhao, thereby deepening the rift between the emperor and the Prince of Jing. And at the same time, he could also get rid of me, lest I stay in the Prime Minister’s residence any longer and disturb his peace of mind.” Staring directly at the Prince of Nan, Jiang Taohua spoke word by word:

“The most important reason is likely because of you. Killing me would benefit you the most, Prince of Nan.”