Boom!
Those words exploded like thunder above Mei Zhili and the Crown Prince's heads!
Mei Zhili's vision went black. He shuddered and hurried to explain, "Your Highness! You mustn't say such things! I am innocent! I had no such intention!"
As the Capital Prefect whom Emperor Qing had personally favored and promoted beyond the usual rules, Mei Zhili knew all too well what that sovereign could tolerate-and what lines must never be crossed!
He had thought his secret allegiance to the Crown Prince was well concealed. Never had he imagined that Teng Zijing would expose him today, much less that he would be unmasked right here in court.
With Eunuch Hou present, every word of this conversation would inevitably reach Emperor Qing's ears. At the thought of the emperor's fathomless, still gaze, he could not stop trembling.
The Crown Prince, Li Chengqian, also changed color in an instant, his hands clenching inside his sleeves.
He knew just as well what thunderous wrath awaited him if his secret recruitment of Mei Zhili came to light.
He could only steel himself and speak in Mei Zhili's defense. "Third Brother, do not make reckless accusations. The Capital Prefect serves the public faithfully and is loyal to His Majesty. He arrested Teng Zijing solely because of this case. As Lord Mei said, he had no other intention."
Zhou Cheng turned to the Crown Prince, his tone as calm as ever.
"Your Highness, telling us that is useless. Whether we believe you is irrelevant. What matters is whether His Majesty believes you. You may be able to fool me, but can you fool His Majesty?"
He looked at Mei Zhili. "Disloyal and dishonorable. Your crimes are unforgivable. If I were you, I would find a pillar and dash my head against it right now, rather than drag my family down with me."
Mei Zhili collapsed to the floor in terror, his face drained of color.
The Crown Prince clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling slightly.
The others watching finally understood why Zhou Cheng had said the Crown Prince would have his hands full saving himself.
Compared with Zhou Cheng slapping his elder brother and defying his superior, winning over powerful officials while harboring ulterior motives was probably far less tolerable in Emperor Qing's eyes!
In the original plot, Mei Zhili had fallen precisely because his secret allegiance to the Crown Prince was exposed.
Emperor Qing had initially wanted to execute him with a cup of poisoned wine. Unwilling to acquire a reputation for cruelty and ingratitude, however, he had allowed Mei Zhili to retire to his hometown, then arranged for "bandits" to silence his entire family on the journey.
The last glimmer in Mei Zhili's clouded eyes went out, leaving only boundless regret and despair.
The Crown Prince closed his eyes in anguish. He knew that Mei Zhili... was beyond saving.
He did not even dare promise Mei Zhili anything. All he could do was watch.
The anger and humiliation on Li Chengze's face had long since given way to a complicated shock and a trace of... peculiar relief.
Compared with the towering wrath and harsh scrutiny their imperial father was about to turn upon the Crown Prince, the "family disgrace" of being slapped by his brother truly seemed... insignificant.
Even the burning pain in his cheek seemed to ease considerably.
Eunuch Hou, who had watched in silence like a carved wooden statue, now wore a remarkably varied expression-from his initial astonishment to solemn concern, and finally understanding and profound wariness. He gave Zhou Cheng a searching look. This supposedly "absurd" Prince Cheng had truly... turned the entire situation upside down with a flick of his hand today.
Zhou Cheng stopped looking at Mei Zhili, who lay on the floor as though mourning his own parents, and the utterly distraught Crown Prince. He straightened his sleeves, walked slowly over to Eunuch Hou, and bowed formally.
"Eunuch Hou," Zhou Cheng said evenly, "what happened in court today concerns the dignity of the imperial family and the loyalty of court officials. These are matters of grave importance. Sorry for the trouble, but once you return to the palace, please report everything that happened here to Father exactly as it occurred, down to the smallest detail."
The Crown Prince jerked his head up at those words, instinctively raising a hand to stop him. His lips moved several times, but in the end, he did not dare make a sound.
He knew that any attempt to interfere now would only make him look guilty and render the situation even more irretrievable.
He could only watch helplessly, his face contorted with resentment.
Eunuch Hou hastily returned the bow. His usual respectful, affable expression had already returned, though a new gravity lay deep in his eyes. "Rest assured, Your Highness. It is this old servant's duty. I shall naturally... report the truth."
During a pause in Zhou Cheng and Eunuch Hou's conversation, Mei Zhili, still sprawled on the floor, seemed to muster the last of his strength to turn his eyes toward the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince noticed his gaze and gave an almost imperceptible, exceedingly slight... shake of his head. His eyes were cold and resolute.
The last spark of hope in Mei Zhili's eyes went out completely. In its place lay a gray, deathly emptiness.
Trembling, he summoned all his strength to raise his hands and shakily remove the official hat that symbolized his authority as Capital Prefect.
Zhou Cheng and Eunuch Hou had just finished speaking. Both turned to look at him.
Holding his official hat, Mei Zhili forced a miserable smile uglier than tears and looked at Zhou Cheng.
"Your Third Highness... you were right."
"I... truly forgot my original purpose and abandoned my duty."
"I, Mei Zhili... have betrayed His Majesty's grace! I have no face... to see him again!"
Before his words had faded, a terrifying burst of strength surged from somewhere within that aged body. He charged toward the thickest vermilion pillar at the side of the courtroom and hurled himself against it with every ounce of strength he possessed!
Thud!!!
After a dull impact that made everyone's scalp prickle, Mei Zhili slumped limply to the floor.
Blood spread through his graying temples. Fear and release froze in his wide-open eyes. His body twitched twice, then lay utterly still.
Zhou Cheng stood quietly where he was and watched. He did not intervene, nor did he so much as blink more than usual.
Compared with having his entire household silenced later, dying alone now was already a decent ending for Mei Zhili.
Chapter 22: Squeezing Fan Xian Dry
The warm smell of blood mingled with medicinal fragrances and the fumes of wine. Though the scent was hardly strong, it was especially suffocating inside the solemn, spacious courtroom.
The Capital Prefect ranked among the Nine Ministers and oversaw criminal affairs in the capital region-a court official of immense prestige and authority! Even in the Capital, where high officials were everywhere and princes and nobles were a dime a dozen, he was unquestionably someone of consequence.
Yet this powerful old minister, seasoned and shrewd after years of navigating officialdom, had been driven by a few devastating words from Zhou Cheng to dash himself to death in court, not even daring to face Emperor Qing and explain himself.
For a moment, a chill rose in everyone's hearts. They could not tell whether Prince Cheng's methods were simply that terrifying, capable of turning everything on its head, or whether... the sovereign seated high upon the dragon throne inspired such dread that his subjects would rather kill themselves than face him.
The Crown Prince, Li Chengqian, closed his eyes, his tightly clenched fingers relaxing slightly inside his sleeves.
Mei Zhili's death had, ultimately, allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
Zhou Cheng's question about whether they "thought His Majesty had occupied the throne too long" had been so damning that even he, the heir apparent, had felt chilled to the bone.
Now that Mei Zhili was dead, many matters could no longer be corroborated.
Regret was naturally unavoidable. He had, after all, spent considerable effort winning over such an important pawn. At present, however, relief outweighed everything else.
Frowning deeply, Fan Xian strode to Mei Zhili's collapsed body and crouched beside it. He checked the pulse in his neck, then examined the horrifying wound on his head. Soon, he straightened and shook his head at the others.
He had certainly despised Mei Zhili's servility before the powerful, and even his willingness to abet their wrongdoing.
But seeing the man end his own life in such a brutal way, that resolve and... final attempt to protect his family stirred a complicated respect in Fan Xian, softening some of his earlier contempt.
"Lord Mei is dead." Fan Xian hesitated. "But this case... still hasn't been concluded!"
Eunuch Hou gave a light cough and stepped forward. Looking at the body on the floor, he sighed deeply. "The presiding official is dead. What is there left to try? We can all disperse shortly and return to our homes."
He paused, then turned to Zhou Cheng with a carefully measured hint of helplessness. "His Majesty also gave an oral command. I was to tell Lord Mei privately to enter the palace and seek an audience immediately after concluding this case. Now... those few words of yours, Your Third Highness, have made it quite impossible for me to complete my assignment."
"There was a secret instruction too?!"
Hearing this, the Crown Prince's heart tightened, then filled with even greater relief.
Why would Emperor Qing secretly summon Mei Zhili? He must have discovered our dealings.
Thank goodness I cut off Mei Zhili's last hope with that look. If he had actually entered the palace to face His Majesty, the consequences would have been unthinkable!
Mei Zhili dying here-what a fortunate death!
Though Mei Zhili was dead, the Crown Prince still had plenty of trouble awaiting him.
At this point, there was no longer any need to keep the courtroom sealed. Zhou Cheng raised his voice and called outside.
"Chen Quan, open the doors!"
The heavy courtroom doors creaked open from outside, and Chen Quan walked briskly in. Close behind him came Xie Bi'an, the Second Prince Li Chengze's personal bodyguard!
Xie Bi'an's expression was exceedingly grim. When the courtroom had been sealed, he had wanted to force his way inside, only for Chen Quan to stop him.
Both were eighth-rank experts, so deciding a winner would have been difficult. Moreover, this was the Capital Prefecture, where fighting was inappropriate. They had remained outside in a standoff until now.
The moment Xie Bi'an entered the courtroom, his sharp gaze swept across it. First, he saw Mei Zhili on the floor, his head bloody and his life already extinguished. Then his pupils abruptly contracted, his stare fixing on the unmistakable scarlet handprint on Li Chengze's face!
His head buzzed, almost ready to explode!
His first thought was that the old bastard Mei Zhili had been brazen enough to attack a prince and had been killed on the spot! Almost immediately, however, that seemed wrong.
But he had no time to consider it.
As the Second Prince's personal guard, he had failed to be at his lord's side when danger threatened him. That was a potentially fatal dereliction of duty.
His face livid, Xie Bi'an instinctively pressed his right hand to the sword hilt at his waist. He was just about to ask what had happened when Li Chengze shook his head at him.
Li Chengze had now calmed down completely. Being slapped was already a terrible humiliation. He truly did not want it brought up again in front of everyone.
Thinking it through calmly, although he was the one who had been struck and publicly humiliated... a careful reckoning suggested that his losses were not necessarily the greatest.
Not only had the Crown Prince lost the important pawn Mei Zhili, but he could hardly escape blame for colluding with court officials and laying his plans in advance. Once he returned, Emperor Qing alone would give him more than enough trouble.
Then there was Zhou Cheng, who had slapped his elder brother and defied his superior. That was a grave offense of disrespect. Their imperial father would hold him accountable no matter what, and his punishment would certainly not be light.
As for Li Chengze himself, so long as the slap was kept tightly under wraps and word did not spread, his supposed "loss" amounted to nothing more than pain in his cheek.
If possible, he truly would not mind trading a slap in every clash for devastating losses on the Crown Prince's part...
It would not take many. Two or three such exchanges, and he reckoned he could become the unassailable heir apparent without lifting a finger.
"Your Highness," Fan Xian said, hastily saluting Zhou Cheng when he saw the doors open. He did not want to spend another second in this vortex of blood and imperial intrigue. "May this commoner... leave now?"
With so many imperial princes gathered here, overt attacks and hidden schemes surrounded him, and murderous danger lurked everywhere. He felt a peril greater than any he had ever known.
It was not malice aimed directly at him as an individual. Rather, merely standing on the edge of this vortex and "hearing," "seeing," or "knowing" things he should not know could bring death upon him.
All Fan Xian wanted was a carefree life. He truly had neither the ambition nor the interest to meddle in the ruthless affairs of the imperial family.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, Young Master Fan. Isn't there something you ought to explain?" Zhou Cheng's face hardened as he feigned coldness.
He had already squeezed the Crown Prince and Li Chengze dry of negative emotions. Now Fan Xian was the richest prize left. How could he let him go so easily?
Fan Xian's eyelid twitched sharply, and he groaned inwardly. He had not managed to escape this ordeal after all.
He desperately wanted to play dumb and bluff his way through. But recalling how effortlessly Zhou Cheng had manipulated everything earlier, he did not dare try any petty cleverness.
He could only brace himself and offer an ingratiating smile. "Your Highness... there has been a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?" Zhou Cheng snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping meaningfully over Si Lili, who stood to one side with her head lowered in silence.
"Some misunderstanding! One moment, you were asking me to inquire about the 'Drumstick Girl,' and the next, you were delivering a poem to the woman I had taken a fancy to... Young Master Fan, you've got quite the nerve!"
"Please see the truth, Your Highness! This really is an enormous misunderstanding! Someone set me up!" Fan Xian hurriedly protested his innocence. "I had absolutely no idea beforehand that Miss Si Lili and Your Highness... that she had that sort of relationship with you! Besides, I swear to heaven that there is nothing improper between Miss Si and me. All we did that night was share some wine and recite a poem. Nothing... nothing else happened!"
Li Hongcheng, who had been hiding behind the others, instinctively shrank his neck.
Before you continue