Do Not Judge a Person Now for a Future Crime

Emperor Hongyao suddenly coughed up blood and fainted in court, throwing the hall into utter chaos.

Shen Anxin was badly frightened too. She had no idea what had happened. Hadn't Chacha just said Emperor Hongyao was in excellent health when they were chatting?

Xiao Yanchen reacted at once, rushing to Emperor Hongyao's side. "Imperial physician!"

Imperial physicians were waiting in a side hall, and one arrived quickly.

Xiao Yanchen entrusted Emperor Hongyao to Eunuch Chen and the physician, then turned and swept his gaze over the terrified, agitated officials below.

"My lords."

Xiao Yanchen's voice was not loud, but it was steady. His words were like the press of a volume button, and gradually, the noisy, chaotic hall fell silent.

"His Majesty is unwell, and this happened without warning. Everyone is to remain in the palace for the time being. No one may leave without permission. Attendants will escort you to Wenhua Hall, where you will await news and a summons. There is to be no clamor or idle speculation."

The officials' faces changed at once. If they were not allowed to leave the palace, who knew whether they would live or die?

Many could not help looking toward Shen Anxin, who had caused all this upheaval.

A single sentence from Xiao Yanchen drew everyone's attention back.

"Rest assured, my lords." Xiao Yanchen's tone softened, as though he meant to reassure them, and only then did the officials breathe a little easier.

Attendants came to lead the way, and everyone had to leave.

Shen Anxin had intended to obediently follow the others, but just as she took a step, a young eunuch came hurrying over.

"Lord Shen, please wait. His Highness the crown prince orders you to go to Mingzhao Hall and copy out the Heart Sutra once to pray for His Majesty's well-being. When you have finished, you may rest as you please. There is no need to stand on ceremony; just await your summons."

Shen Anxin stopped in her tracks, her face full of questions. "Me?"

The young eunuch looked just as puzzled. There had never been such a precedent before, but he nodded nonetheless. "Those are His Highness the crown prince's instructions?"

In a daze, Shen Anxin was led to the study in Mingzhao Hall. Everything was there: the four treasures of the study, an incense burner, a soft couch, tea, and pastries.

There was only one very thin copy of the Heart Sutra on the table. It would not be difficult to copy.

But when Shen Anxin sat down, she realized something was wrong.

Shen Anxin: [My handwriting isn't the same as Shen Anlan's! Chacha, help!]

Chacha: [Host, don't worry. That juicy gossip just now provided a great many points. A little thing like handwriting is no problem.]

After spending a few points to exchange for Shen Anlan's handwriting, Shen Anxin quickly finished copying the Heart Sutra, but no one came to collect it.

Shen Anxin grew hungry and sleepy from waiting, so she worked up the nerve to eat some tea and pastries. Once she had eaten and drunk her fill, she grew even sleepier. Finally, her courage well and truly plumped up, she flopped onto the soft couch and fell asleep.

After listening to the Brocade Guard's report, Xiao Yanchen nodded and waved the guard away.

The princes keeping watch beside him, waiting for Emperor Hongyao to wake, were all speechless.

This young woman really was carefree. Even with the secret that she was a woman disguised as a man, she dared to sleep in the imperial palace.

At last, there was movement behind the screen. Eunuch Chen hurried over to report that Emperor Hongyao had awakened.

Everyone rushed inside to see Emperor Hongyao's face filled with fury as he struggled to get out of bed. "Seventh! Someone, bring Seventh to me!"

Emperor Hongyao's voice already carried killing intent.

The princes knelt together by the bed, calling out to their imperial father.

Emperor Hongyao stopped. His eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead bulged as his gaze swept over his sons, full of grief.

They were all sons who made him proud! In the end, his second and third sons would die in battle, his fourth would fall ill, his fifth would be poisoned, and his sixth would be ambushed and killed.

Even in death, they had not brought shame upon Great Qi's imperial family. They had all done what they were supposed to do.

Especially the crown prince, who had dragged his sickly body along and held on for so many years. Like him, he had seen his loved ones off one by one, and seen off Great Qi's hope as well.

Only Seventh, Seventh...

"Imperial Father, Seventh Brother is only a child right now." Xiao Yanchen naturally knew what his father was thinking and spoke up at once to stop him.

How could Emperor Hongyao not know? But for Great Qi, for the great undertaking of unification left to him by generations of emperors, he absolutely could not leave such a danger in place.

Xiao Yanchen sighed and waved for Eunuch Chen to take all the servants away, then stepped forward and helped Emperor Hongyao sit up steadily.

"Please wait, Imperial Father, and hear me out. From what we heard in Shen Anxin's thoughts, the deaths of us brothers were all caused by people, not decreed by heaven. That means they can be changed."

Emperor Hongyao's gaze froze, and the brothers all looked toward Xiao Yanchen as well.

Xiao Yanchen continued, his expression resolute.

"Forewarned of natural disasters by Shen Anxin, we can reduce their impact on Great Qi. Then those barbarians would never dare launch a large-scale attack, and nothing would happen to Second and Third Brothers.

"I would not be gravely injured and weakened, and Sixth Brother would not go to Divine Physician Valley. Likewise, with advance warning of natural disasters, the chance of an epidemic breaking out would be very low, and Fourth Brother would not die.

"With Great Qi's strength not greatly weakened and all of us still here, no interest group beneath us would dare strike from the shadows, and Fifth Brother would not die either.

"If the six of us are all here, Seventh will be nothing more than an ordinary prince for the rest of his life."

Hearing this, the other princes nodded in agreement. Their eldest brother, the crown prince, was right.

If anyone was to blame, it was the six older brothers for failing to hold back the wind and waves. Otherwise, how could Seventh ever have had the chance to make trouble?

Emperor Hongyao was more decisive and ruthless than Xiao Yanchen, so even after Xiao Yanchen had said all this, he still hesitated.

Xiao Yanchen said, "Imperial Father, we cannot judge a person now for a crime he will commit in the future. Unless he already harbors treacherous intentions, the most we can do is guard against it.

"If we do not draw that line, and we hear from Shen Anxin about more people who will commit crimes in the future, must we deal with them now, even if they are utterly loyal and harbor no treacherous intentions?

"Such measures would only destabilize the court and unsettle the officials. They would be detrimental to Great Qi's stability and development.

"The officials have already heard those thoughts. If we are the first to grow wary and fall into disorder, Great Qi will collapse even faster than in Shen Anxin's thoughts."

At that, Emperor Hongyao finally abandoned the idea of strangling the second-generation tyrant before his time.

Only after calming down did Emperor Hongyao begin to consider the most important matter.

"Shen Anxin..."

While Emperor Hongyao was unconscious, Xiao Yanchen had already put his intelligence network to work.

"I have investigated thoroughly. Eighteen years ago, Madam Shen died in a difficult labor while giving birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Shen Anlan was born safely and in good health.

"But Shen Anxin came into the world in a soulless, foolish state. Her family did not reject her; they all felt they owed her and took very good care of her.

"Then, one day two years ago, she suddenly woke up normal."

Emperor Hongyao narrowed his eyes slightly. "When she spoke with that system, she mentioned a previous life, history, and so on..."

Xiao Yanchen nodded. "She complained about the poor quality of life here and said she had never knelt to anyone. She also knows a great deal that she considers commonplace but is far ahead of our time.

"I believe the world she came from once had a historical course much like ours, while she herself lived in a far more developed and advanced era.

"She only became Shen Anxin after she died in her own world."

Emperor Hongyao considered this, then nodded. "Reasonable."

Xiao Yanchen recalled what Shen Anxin was like.

"She is sensible and clear-minded, but her guard against others is as low as that of a child who knows nothing of the world. She has a natural sympathy for people struck by disaster and hardship.

"I had a brief encounter with her. Her sense of hierarchy is also very weak. For her to have developed such a nature, the environment of the country she once lived in must have given her a great sense of security and independence."

At this, Emperor Hongyao snorted. "She even thinks the emperor ought to work hard so that she can live better. Does she take me for someone who serves her?"

The princes had been listening quietly to their eldest brother's analysis, but when their imperial father said this, they nearly burst out laughing.

Indeed, even they, members of the imperial family, would never have such a notion. It was truly astonishing.