Die of Anger

No one had expected Xiao Qianyu to return in this manner.

The former Crown Prince, who should have been beheaded before the public, died in humiliation, and ended up without even a whole corpse, had returned to the place of his birth beneath the halo of Divine Protection—while also taking down a whole slew of officials from Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Office of the Censor-General.

When Xiao Qianyu stood before them, his snow-and-ice eyes swept coolly across the crowd. All the officials shuddered, as though they faced some nameless monster, then lowered their heads in unison and offered him their knees, kneeling to the ground. "This subject welcomes His Highness the Crown Prince back to the palace."

Xiao Qianyu seemed to look over every one of them, yet it was also as though no one existed in his eyes. He calmly accepted their obeisance, as if those kneeling before him were not the foremost ministers of a nation, and their bowing their heads to submit to him was only natural.

The crowd fell into a daze. For a moment, they could not even recall what the Crown Prince had once been like. The Crown Prince who had been gentle, kind, easygoing, generous and wise, who respected worthy men and treated inferiors with courtesy, who possessed a compassionate heart and most hated seeing people kneel at every turn, who spoke softly even to palace servants who had made mistakes—he seemed to have vanished.

The Crown Prince who had returned now had eyes as cold as blades. Distant and ruthless, he regarded his ministers as mere grass and looked down upon all living things.

He was like an entirely different person.

Xiao Qianyu did not recognize a single one of them, but that did not prevent his mental fortitude from being monstrously strong. He said blandly, "Rise."

Only after hearing his words did the crowd dare rise trembling.

"I heard Father Emperor was angered into illness by incompetent and muddleheaded officials who had deceived the imperial ear. I feel this deeply and am anxious at heart. Why are you not quickly leading the way? Take this Crown Prince to visit Father Emperor!" Xiao Qianyu said.

"Yes. Crown Prince, please board the palanquin." The Minister of Personnel, head of the Six Ministries, stepped forward with great reluctance.

Strong eunuchs carried over the palanquin. Xiao Qianyu stepped in and sat down without the slightest hesitation. If he could be carried in comfort, who would willingly walk?

The Minister of Personnel could not help exchanging looks with his fellow officials, bitter smiles in their eyes. The Crown Prince had truly changed. In the past, he had greatly disliked being carried through the palace, his reason being that he pitied the eunuchs' labor and would rather walk himself.

He had even pursued matters to the end whenever he saw Imperial Princes or Princesses venting their anger on palace servants for no reason, abusing them, beating them, or even beating them to death. He had compiled a set of Palace Rules to punish masters who abused palace servants without cause, willing to offend all his brothers and sisters, as well as the consorts and their mothers, just to stand up for those lowly palace servants below.

Would the Crown Prince of today still be so tenderhearted and kind?

The atmosphere was strange and frozen. Xiao Qianyu pretended not to notice, observing the scenery along the way with interest and memorizing the route.

Before long, the palanquin reached Zhaode Hall, where Emperor Yongchang resided. Defu, the chief eunuch at the Emperor's side, came out to greet him and bowed respectfully and fearfully to Xiao Qianyu. "This old servant greets His Highness the Crown Prince."

As the chief eunuch trusted by the Emperor, he must have met the original owner many times. The two might even have spoken, perhaps sharing quite a close private relationship.

Unfortunately, Xiao Qianyu had no memories at all. Without even sparing him a glance, he strode straight into the hall. "How is Father Emperor? Has he awakened? Has he taken his medicine?"

Only after Xiao Qianyu's robes swept past him did Defu come back to himself. He hurried after him, but his heart was filled with shock—The Crown Prince had changed.

In the past, the Crown Prince would call him "Eunuch Defu." Knowing that he suffered from rheumatism in his knees, he had even had medicinal sachets made and personally brought them to him. He would greet him warmly, making him feel comforted inside despite being a eunuch who served others, never feeling as though he had no dignity at all.

Now, he was ignored so completely.

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Defu hurried after Xiao Qianyu and announced loudly, "Empress Dowager, Empress, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."

Inside the bedchamber, the Empress Dowager sat to one side, watching with concern as the Empress personally attended to the Emperor's medicine.

The imperial physicians, palace maids, and the Second Prince were all present as well.

Emperor Yongchang's face was pale with a bluish cast. His body lay weak and limp against the headboard, covered by a thin quilt.

The moment he heard the announcement, his eyelids twitched. His hand moved instinctively, knocking over the medicine bowl in the Empress's hand. The scalding black decoction immediately spilled over half her body.

The Empress cried out and jumped away, but no one paid attention to her disheveled state. Only the Second Prince rushed forward, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her clean, and cried out in distress, "Mother Empress!"

The Empress seized the Second Prince's hand holding the handkerchief, gripping so hard that the veins stood out on the back of her hand.

The Second Prince frowned in pain and was about to call the Empress back to her senses when he saw her staring fixedly ahead. His heart gave a violent thump, and he instinctively turned around as well.

With his back to the hall doors, Xiao Qianyu came against the light, walking step by step out of the shadows until his face was clearly revealed before everyone in the chamber.

He had grown haggard. His complexion was pale, his thin lips pressed into a faint line. The gentleness and refined handsomeness once present in his brows and eyes had faded, replaced by sharpness and chill indifference.

His frame had become leaner as well. His robes hung somewhat loose on him, lending him the appearance of fragile weakness.

Yet he walked with the stride of a dragon and tiger, calm and composed, as though he had not endured hardship and nearly been beheaded before returning from the Execution Grounds, that wretched place. It was as if he had merely taken a stroll among the common folk, serene and unhurried.

At that moment, Xiao Qianyu's gaze lightly swept over everyone in the room. Then a trace of delight appeared on his face. "Imperial Grandmother, Father Emperor, Mother Empress, I have had my wrongful grievances cleared. By Heaven's grace, my innocence was proven, and my life and reputation preserved so that I could return to see you. Is everyone happy?"