Chapter 40: The One Who Climbed the Window in the Dead of Night

Night had fallen.

Huo Renli suddenly felt the urge to go out for a stroll to gather some intelligence. However, no sooner had he stepped out of the palace gates than he noticed several young eunuchs lurking about, watching him with suspicious intent. When he caught them in the act, they did not flinch; instead, one spat on the ground and walked away with a look of utter disgust.

He took a quick count: there were five of them. They hailed from the palaces of the Emperor, the Empress, Consort Lin, the Crown Prince, and the Empress Dowager. It was no wonder they dared to be so brazen.

Huo Renli had no choice but to retreat, intending to confess to the Fourth Prince and beg for his protection. But upon arriving at the Fourth Prince’s bedchamber, he found it empty. Even the sachet that usually lay on the bed was gone. Huo Renli’s heart tightened, and he retreated to his own room in a state of agitation. He wondered if the Fourth Prince had begun to suspect him as well. If that were the case, he would have no choice but to gamble everything.

Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince had climbed to the top of Yunshui Tower as he often did. The moment he pushed open the window, he was startled to find Lin Yue standing directly before it, standing stiffly as if she had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing his reaction, Lin Yue mocked him, "You’re a window-climber in the dead of night, yet you’re easily frightened?"

The Fourth Prince blushed, answering sheepishly, "You knew I would come?"

Lin Yue replied, "Huo Renli is your man. After he committed such a grave act, it was impossible for you not to show up."

"But didn't you say in public that it wasn't him?" the Fourth Prince asked.

"I was saving face for you," Lin Yue retorted. "You don't appreciate kindness."

[Otherwise, if I had exposed him on the spot, how would you have been able to investigate further? And if you don't investigate, how would you know he is an impostor? Not to mention, the deaths of your mother and sister are inextricably linked to him.]

The Fourth Prince’s heart tightened, followed immediately by a surge of violent, murderous rage. To think that his final suspicion had been confirmed: the deaths of his mother and sister were truly the work of that old beast, Huo Renli.

The Fourth Prince smiled in a twisted manner. "I really should thank you, Imperial Aunt."

Seeing that dark, sinister smile—a gaze that seemed capable of tearing someone limb from limb—Lin Yue’s system alarm began to blare.

"Enough. Now that you know he isn't a good person, keep your guard up and leave."

[If you don't leave, my system is going to overheat.]

The Fourth Prince: "..."

***

When the Fourth Prince returned to his palace, Huo Renli, who had been waiting, observed him from the shadows. Seeing that the Prince had returned alone, he put on a facade of concern. "Where have you been, Your Highness? You didn't even let anyone know. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"Your mother is gone, and she entrusted you to me with her dying breath. It is my duty to take care of you."

The Fourth Prince felt a crushing weight in his chest. He longed to tear off the man’s mask right then and there, to trample him into the dirt and grind his corpse to dust. Yet, he held back, sneering instead, "You ask where I went?"

"The Empress Dowager summoned me privately and told me to be wary of you. She said they found a mask in my room."

"If I hadn't been afraid of being implicated, do you think this would have blown over so quickly?"

"It was just a little palace maid in the Imperial Garden. If you wanted her, you could have just found a way to bring her back. Why did you have to cause such a scene?"

Huo Renli turned pale with shock. The mask had been confiscated by the Empress Dowager’s people in secret! He immediately knelt, his face grave. "You must trust your uncle. I did not do this."

"They are trying to sow discord between us, to get rid of me so they can deal with you."

"Huaizheng, you cannot be fooled by them. Think about it: we have relied on each other for years. How could I ever deceive you?"

Xiao Huaizheng sneered, "Indeed, why would you deceive me? So, I lied to them and said the mask was mine, and that I was the one who harmed the palace maid. You were merely my scapegoat."

"They won't come looking for you anymore, but I have been cast aside by them. They call me a madman and a bad seed."

"Uncle, do you think I am a bad seed?"

Huo Renli looked at Xiao Huaizheng in astonishment, stunned that the boy had reacted so quickly and taken all the blame upon himself. Things were going even more smoothly than he had imagined, yet he felt no joy—only a suffocating pressure. A sense of encroaching darkness loomed over him, like the eerie silence before a violent storm, and he found himself completely at a loss.

"Huaizheng, no, how could you be a bad seed?"

"You are of dragon blood, the Emperor's son. You are true imperial nobility!"

Hearing this, Xiao Huaizheng smiled with a sense of relief. "I knew it. I am not."

"Don't worry, Uncle. We have been despised by others for so many years; one more time won't make a difference."

"When I turn sixteen and am granted a title, we will leave the capital. I will make sure to take good care of you."

Leave the capital? Huo Renli had never considered this.

***

After racking his brains to raise Xiao Huaizheng into a state of total reliance, why would he ever want to leave the capital?

No! He wanted to be above ten thousand, beneath only one. He wanted to be the Inner Chancellor, the great eunuch who could wield the pen on behalf of the Son of Heaven!

Huo Renli gripped the Fourth Prince’s shoulders tightly, enunciating each word: "They treat you this way—why must we tolerate them?"

"Huaizheng, do not be afraid. Even if I have to sacrifice this life of mine, I will seek justice for you."

The Fourth Prince was neither surprised nor excited. He looked at Huo Renli calmly, his dark eyes devoid of ripples, yet so deep they were chilling.

"Is that true?"

Huo Renli asked suspiciously, "What?"

Xiao Huaizheng recounted, "Uncle said you would sacrifice your life for me. Is that true?"

Huo Renli replied firmly, "Of course."

Xiao Huaizheng smiled, his expression softening like a gentle spring breeze.

"That is good."

He embraced Huo Renli, as if clinging to the last straw of his life. Huo Renli was stunned for a moment, then squinted with satisfaction, thinking to himself: so what if he is a prince of the royal house? Isn't he still being played in the palm of my hand?

Just as he wanted to sink into the moment, Xiao Huaizheng suddenly pulled away and walked into the palace. Huo Renli scanned his surroundings cautiously, finding nothing amiss. He dismissed it, assuming the boy was simply being overly sensitive.

Little did he know that their every move had been reported to the Emperor by his secret guards.

When Xiao Jinxian heard that his son had voluntarily confessed to Huo Renli that he had committed those acts, he was deeply skeptical. It sounded as if his son was baiting Huo Renli. Furthermore, to his knowledge, the Empress Dowager had never summoned the boy for questioning—which meant his son was lying to Huo Renli.

Xiao Jinxian’s eyes brightened slightly. Perhaps this son of his could truly change after all.

"Very well," he thought. "Let us wait and see. If he cannot be brought back to the right path by then, it will not be too late to take action."