Big Show

“I didn’t know anything about that! I was just trying to find something nice! I just wanted to be a good son! How would I know there was a problem with the merchant!”

Prince Ling immediately denied everything, his eyes bulging and his saliva flying. He was very agitated.

“Sometimes, the mistakes you make unknowingly prove to be the most fatal. Because you yourself didn’t know what sort of person that merchant really was, you might have let slip something classified without realizing…” the crown prince turned to look at Prince Ling and spoke patiently, “People like us ought to be more careful. We can’t afford to make mistakes.”

Prince Ling glared back at the crown prince. This was a major accusation!

He had no idea whether Zhao Zhi was telling the truth or not or how serious this matter was, so he wasn’t sure how to fight back. He was worried that if he used the wrong method, it might backfire on him.

After pausing to think, he turned to look pitifully at the emperor. “Your Majesty…”

But the emperor ignored him. In fact, the emperor didn’t pay anybody at the table attention. He leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed and looked like he had fallen asleep.

As he grew older, his health worsened, so there were many times when he just dozed off in the middle of something. This had happened very often both in front of other officials as well as in the harem, so it had become expected behavior from the emperor. Prince Ling couldn’t tell if the emperor was pretending or if he had seriously fallen asleep.

Either way, he couldn’t get the result he wanted.

He had no choice but to look pitifully at the empress instead. “Your Majesty…”

Empress Chen was placing a thin blanket very carefully over the emperor’s chest and shoulders. She was focused on what she was doing and didn’t even turn to look at Prince Ling, as though she hadn’t heard him at all.

Just like how she always was, attending to the emperor was her number one priority.

But someone else at the table spoke up.

“I hate the Liao people the most.”

A woman in her forties with no gold or jade jewelry, who had faint lines around her eyes but possessed a calm gaze that looked like they could understand all things. It was Princess Changning.

She was the younger sister of the emperor and married General Wang, a general who fought along the border. The couple was deeply in love, so even after General Wang had died in battle and she had lost her son, she refused to remarry. Unlike most other princesses, she had been a tomboyish child who enjoyed playing with swords and spears, and had a fiery temper. She probably wanted to tone all of that down, so after she finished grieving over the loss of her son, she chose a small mountainside to build a temple and lived there permanently. She did not entertain visitors and did not come down the mountain either.

If this wasn’t a banquet arranged a long time ago, she wouldn’t have turned up either.

Because she lived far from the palace and did not have any political or business ties, but was also someone of high status, she could do or say anything she wanted without affecting anybody else, so the people around her let her be as well.

And so, regardless of where she was, she was able to say anything she liked without having to worry about how her words might affect or even embarrass someone else.

“If not for the Liao people, I would not have lost my child. I think you’d better take this thing away!”

As she spoke, a rarely seen viciousness shone in her eyes.

Prince Ling nearly fainted. Wasn’t she meditating on Buddhist scriptures all day long in the temple? Why was she still so full of hatred?

The fur, the mention of Liao – he groaned inwardly. He had seriously walked right into the crown prince and Zhao Zhi’s trap!

Perhaps this was a trap right from the start, including the people who had recommended this as a present. Someone else had planned for this to happen a long time ago!

“Your Majesty…” His lips were terse and his voice was pleading, his gaze emanating a nervousness he didn’t even realize he had.

Empress Chen sighed and called a servant over. “Put this away.”

Prince Ling immediately perked up again. He just knew his mother would protect hm!

But would that…seem like she was siding with him? Would that upset the crown prince?

He carefully turned to look at the crown prince.

The crown prince had no reaction, but Zhao Zhi threw in a sarcastic remark, “What a loving mother and son.”

Prince Ling glared Zhao Zhi like he was about to bite him.

That’s right, we’re a loving mother and son! So what? Attack me if you dare!

The crown prince immediately chastised Zhao Zhi, “Watch your words! You’ve been made a prince, so you have to take matters seriously and focus on the issue at hand. Getting emotional or speaking carelessly will do you no good. Of course the empress is the mother to all people.”

Zhao Zhi immediately fell to his knees and bowed to Empress Chen. “I have spoken rudely, please punish me, Your Majesty.”

This exchange made Prince Ling’s heart nearly leap out of his mouth.

All of this was nerve-wracking to watch!

Princess Changning held up her teacup, glanced at Empress Chen, then chuckled. “Of course. The one who’s empress would naturally be the mother to all people.”

The emperor opened his eyes just a little and tapped his knuckles against the side of his chair as he said the first words of the day, “Changning.”

He did not raise his voice but he was certainly chastising her. He was reminding her to watch her attitude and was clearly trying to protect Empress Chen.

Princess Changning didn’t respond and slowly sipped her tea.

Empress Chen sighed quietly, then casually glanced past Prince Ling and everyone else, before looking at Zhao Zhi. “Get up. It was just the slip of the tongue, it wasn’t really rude.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Zhao Zhi stood up.

He stood up, but this wasn’t the end of the matter. Not at all. He bowed toward the emperor and asked for his opinion, “Since the crown prince has told me to focus on the issue at hand…”

The emperor replied, “Go ahead.”

Those words plunged the banquet hall into silence immediately.

Prince Ling got it now.

The crown prince and Zhao Zhi had purposely played these respective roles as part of a trap! They had deliberately chosen today to frame him in front of the emperor and the empress, and even triggered Princess Changning. Their aim was to make him everyone’s enemy and ensure he couldn’t defend himself at all. They wanted to corner him and make sure nobody would protect him!

Once he figured that out, he started to really panic.

What should he do now? What should he do now?

If he couldn’t get through today, how was he going to get through the future?

“Your Majesty—Mother! Mother, save me!” His first instinct was to fall on his knees before Empress Chen. “This is all a misunderstanding! I really don’t know anything!”

His reaction nearly made Zhao Zhi burst out laughing.

He wished all of his opponents caved as easily as Prince Ling!

“How very strange,” Zhao Zhi dragged his words out in a mocking manner. “We haven’t clarified what happened yet and you’re suddenly begging for mercy? And the person you turn to isn’t the emperor – is it because you’re certain that the empress would interfere with politics for your sake, or is it because you’re feeling embarrassed to beg the emperor because you’ve decided someone else is your father?”

He spoke very slowly, ensuring that everyone could see and hear what he was insinuating.

At the same time, he looked in Empress Chen’s direction to observe if she had any change in expression.

Empress Chen wasn’t really the prettiest woman in the world, or rather, beauty wasn’t the thing that made everyone admire her. Her aura came with an elegance and steadiness that shone brighter than her beauty. Her clothes were always neat, without a single wrinkle. Her hair and makeup were immaculate and never messy in any way. Her words and mannerisms seemed to have been measured with a ruler. She was always within the boundary and was always exemplary.

Even now, she remained as exemplary as ever. Her expression did not flinch and nobody could tell if she had any change in emotions. It was as if she was completely unaffected.

Zhao Zhi did not give up and continued, “Or could it be that Prince Ling…started his rebellion a long time ago?”

He was speaking to Prince Ling, but his attention was still focused on Empress Chen.

Empress Chen lowered her gaze and her sleeve slid down to her wrist as she put her teacup down.

A person’s eyes could not lie, as all of one’s emotions were contained within. But she looked downward and Zhao Zhi was unable to observe much. Her movement was natural and she looked like she was just trying to put her teacup down, so that couldn’t be considered suspicious.

Zhao Zhi sighed inwardly. He had fought along the border and had been a scout in the enemy camp before, so he knew exactly how to behave so that he could observe others secretly without anyone noticing. He was certain that the empress had not noticed him looking at her, but the way she behaved at this point…

He turned to look toward the crown prince. The crown prince did not speak, but shook his head very slightly at Zhao Zhi.

“You…you…that’s nonsense!” Prince Ling was really panicking now. His gaze was frantic and he could barely piece a response together. “He’s just spouting nonsense! He has no proof of anything! I didn’t do anything and I don’t know anything! Your Majesty, you have to believe me!”

He didn’t know what else to do besides claim repeatedly that he was innocent.

Princess Changning sighed quietly and didn’t say anything, but her expression said it all: this was one pitiful prince.

Prince Ling really felt like he was running out of brain cells. Things should not have turned out like this at all…why was everyone driving into a corner? He expected this from Zhao Zhi, since Zhao Zhi had never liked him and he had confronted Zhao Zhi not too long ago as well. Princess Changning often said whatever she wanted, so that was normal behavior too. But the crown prince! He was nothing like his impression of him! The crown prince was suddenly so harsh and nasty! Wasn’t he always so focused on creating a kind ruler image? An image that he refused to let go of despite Prince Ling’s multiple attacks on him?

The emperor and empress seemed different too…

What he didn’t know was that while he kept making trouble for the crown prince, the crown prince didn’t fight back not because he was a pushover, but because he just couldn’t be bothered to. This country was definitely going to the crown prince no matter what happened, even if Prince Ling turned out to be the empress’ son. But Prince Ling couldn’t seem to see this at all. The crown prince did not see any need to paint himself as a vicious and scheming man. The emperor was also pleased to have Prince Ling train his successor’s patience and help him to grow.

Prince Ling had put in so much effort to make trouble for the crown prince and was very serious about all of it, but everyone else was just playing along. He was the only one taking this game seriously.

He had been bullied by the crown prince and Zhao Zhi earlier on, so he got angry and wanted to complain about them at the family banquet. But before he could even get there, he was trapped by his own words and was even accused of treason. That was punishable by death! Of course the prince was panicking!

He couldn’t really think very far now and just knew that if he couldn’t explain himself now, things would only get worse! What was that about acknowledging someone else as his father! Had the crown prince and Zhao Zhi dug another hole filled with crimes they came up with and were just waiting for him to walk into it? Was he going to perish if he made the wrong move?

“What’s wrong with begging my real mother for help!” yelled Prince Ling suddenly.

This was the only thing he could prove. The only path he could take!

Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes. The prince had finally walked into the trap. “Your real mother?”

“That’s right, my real mother! She gave birth to me! We’re mother and son, so what’s wrong with me being close to her?”

As Prince Ling spoke, he quietly glanced at Empress Chen.

Empress Chen looked solemn. “Do not spout nonsense like that.”

Prince Ling started to cry. “Mother! Mother, you have to save your son! You can’t hide this any longer! What’s wrong with just telling the truth? Don’t worry, I won’t fight with the crown prince for anything!”

The crown prince let out a long sigh. “How could you say that? Who is Maid Mei to you then?”

Maid Mei was the palace maid back then who was officially recorded as Prince Ling’s biological mother. Because she had given birth to the emperor’s son, she was promoted to the position of concubine. Unfortunately, she was eventually found to be behind a wicked scheme and was stripped of her position. She eventually died from an illness.

Prince Ling was certain that he was the empress’ biological son, so that was the last thing he wanted to hear. His eyes reddened as he yelled, “What does she have to do with me!”

Zhao Zhi interjected, “You’re saying Maid Mei has no relation to you?”

“That’s right!” Prince Ling spoke loudly and confidently. “She was just a lowly and despicable maid, so how could she compare to my mother? She’s not even fit to carry my mother’s shoes!”

He was very confident of this matter and even felt aggrieved all these years because of this. He had been labeled a lowly palace maid’s son and had given everything he should have had to someone else. That thought made him immediately glare at the crown prince.

Before the crown prince could say anything, Princess Changning expressed her curiosity first, “You think Maid Mei isn’t your mother? Where did you hear that from?”

“It was from—” Prince Ling suddenly stopped himself because he felt that putting it this way was not appropriate. He turned toward Empress Chen and said, “Her Majesty said so herself!”

These words made the room even quieter.

The emperor opened his eyes and looked at Empress Chen. “What did you tell him?”

The empress glanced at Prince Ling with pity in her eyes. “He came to ask me if I was his mother and I said I was.”

Prince Ling immediately puffed his chest out.

“In this palace, as long as they’re your children, then they’re mine too, aren’t they? Even the children of the people living outside this palace are my children too.”

She didn’t say much, but everyone immediately realized that a terrible misunderstanding must have occurred.

Prince Ling wasn’t that stupid. He realized this too and his expression fell.

Was she…denying it?

“No! I don’t believe it!”

At this point, whether he believed it or not didn’t matter. It was time for Zhao Zhi to continue with his plan.

He immediately bowed toward the emperor and said, “Not acknowledging his actual mother and twisting the truth are things that could cast doubts on Prince Ling’s morals and values, so I believe we should not brush this aside. If we are unable to get to the bottom of this and clarify the truth, we may attract gossip and other false rumors.”

The emperor paused to think, then said, “Have you thought of a way to handle this matter?”

“Yes,” Zhao Zhi looked up with a bright gleam in his eyes. “I know of a way to conduct a paternity test through a bone sample.”