Chapter 27: Playing Dumb

The sky was cloudless for miles. The dust kicked up grew heavier, and the clatter of hooves grew louder as the carriage approached.

A carriage stopped outside the Ten-Li Pavilion. Upon hearing the hooves, two people who had been parked at the pavilion climbed down from their carriage: a woman and a boy of seven or eight.

After getting down, they watched the approaching carriage intently. The little boy’s eyes were full of hope.

When he saw someone dismount from the arrival carriage, his eyes lit up. He immediately broke free of his mother, ran to the newcomer, and cried out excitedly, “Father!”

The man was none other than Chen Chi, who should have killed himself in the dungeon out of shame. Seeing his son rush over, Chen Chi’s eyes filled with tears and he began to wail.

In that moment Chen Chi finally came to his senses: all the wealth and power in the world were no match for his life, nor for the importance of reuniting with his family.

He led his son to the pavilion and, with a thud, knelt before Fang Rui.

“Your servant Chen Chi is ashamed before Your Majesty.”

The woman stepped up beside Chen Chi, took the child’s hand, and knelt with them.

Fang Rui looked at the family of three and said calmly, “Chen Chi, your crimes are such that a hundred deaths would not suffice.”

Hearing this, Chen Chi struck his forehead heavily on the ground and cried, “Your servant truly deserves a death that no one will mourn for!”

Fang Rui glanced at the carriage that had been parked at the Ten-Li Pavilion and said, “Once you leave the gate, never come back. And do not let anyone know you are still alive.”

Chen Chi’s face was soaked with tears. The three rose and turned to their son. “Zhen’er, give Father the longevity lock you were wearing.”

With that the woman unclasped the longevity lock that was missing three small bells from the child’s neck and handed it to Chen Chi.

Chen Chi took the lock and told his wife and child, “You get into the carriage first. I have words to speak with His Majesty.”

The woman led the child back to the carriage. Chen Chi, holding the longevity lock, stepped into the pavilion and pried it open. Inside lay a thumb-nail-sized thin piece of jade. Small though it was, it was carved with intricate patterns: birds and beasts, figures and mountains. On close inspection the craftsmanship was astonishing.

When Fang Rui saw the tiny jade carving he asked, “A jade token from the Tianxia Silver Bank?”

Chen Chi was surprised. “Your Majesty, you know this jade token?”

Fang Rui merely knew of the token. Before he ascended the throne in his previous life, he had met Shen Yu because of such a token. That year while traveling, he encountered a boy being pursued. He and Rong Tai were young and passionate then, so naturally they rescued the boy, who looked only thirteen or fourteen.

No matter how skilled they were, they knew they were no match for their pursuers. They grabbed the boy and fled. By chance Shen Yu had a boat at the riverbank that was about to set off. Seeing them chased by men in black, Shen Yu let them aboard without question, and that was how they were saved.

Later he asked Shen Yu why she let them board so easily. What if they were villains? Shen Yu replied, “People wearing all black and masks in broad daylight and such a large group chasing three of you? Have you ever seen such ferocious and murderous ‘good’ people?”

At that time Shen Yu didn’t know that the one she had snapped at was the current Crown Prince. Youth made her bold, and she spoke freely then.

The boy they had saved was grateful to them and gave them two jade tokens of the same size but with different patterns, saying they were jade tokens from the Tianxia Silver Bank. If ever in trouble, one could take them to any branch to seek assistance. But at the time, as Crown Prince he had no worries and kept the jade as a trinket.

“I have only seen this token, I did not know it had any great power.”

Chen Chi handed the jade token to Fang Rui. Rong Tai took it and Chen Chi explained, “Tianxia Silver Bank is the largest bank in Great Qi. When Emperor Cheng rose in righteous rebellion, Wen Guyuan, an ancestor of the Wen family, provided financial backing, enabling the overthrow of the decadent and tyrannical Emperor Tongren. Thus the bank received imperial protection and grew ever larger, until today it is wealthier than many states and no one dares offend it. These jade tokens are specially made by the bank. Each is uniquely carved and corresponds to a cipher, so they cannot be imitated, and they can also keep secrets for the bearer.”

Hearing this, Fang Rui took the tiny token from Rong Tai’s hand, examined it closely, then looked up at Chen Chi. “So if, as you say, only esteemed guests can possess such a token, how much have you deposited?”

Chen Chi lowered his head, shameful, and answered truthfully, “All that I have greedily amassed over the years, none of it has been touched. It’s all deposited in the Tianxia Silver Bank in hopes of aiding Your Majesty. The cipher used there is Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger.”

Though Chen Chi could never set foot in Great Qi again, such a large fortune could still be retrieved by someone else and delivered to himself, but he had handed it all over to Fang Rui.

Suddenly Chen Chi raised his head and looked earnestly at Fang Rui. “Your Majesty, this outlaw has one last truthful sentence.”

Fang Rui responded with a soft, “Mm.”

Chen Chi said, “Your Majesty, you are a good emperor. Now, and you will be in the future.”

That was the last thing Chen Chi said to Fang Rui.

Rong Tai ordered two covert guards to escort Chen Chi and his family out of the gate, and he and Fang Rui watched the carriage grow more distant.

Fang Rui handed the jade token to Rong Tai and said, “Have someone trustworthy check how much Chen Chi has deposited at Tianxia Silver Bank.”

Rong Tai replied, “Yes,” then his expression tightened as he asked Fang Rui, “Your Majesty, the matter has been settled. Will you return to the palace today?”

Fang Rui turned to Rong Tai and shook his head. “I’ll return with Shen Yu. Tomorrow Shen Yu should go back to the capital to report.”

Rong Tai’s face looked odd as he said, “Your Majesty, you must return to the palace tomorrow. I fear I cannot hold them off any longer.”

Fang Rui, curious, asked Rong Tai, “Why can’t you hold them off?”

Rong Tai showed a slight pained expression. “During the days Your Majesty has been absent, the three ladies of the harem have come to the Zichen Hall three times a day asking to see you. Even the Empress Dowager has come twice.”

Even when he was gravely ill they were so eager to visit. He needed no imagination to know what those three women wanted. They feared he would not survive and were doing their utmost to seduce him while he was delirious, hoping to conceive at once. After all, there could be only one Empress. Who wouldn’t want that position?

But…

They could only dream. That position had been left vacant for eight years originally because he had never imagined Shen Yu was a woman and there was no precedent for a male empress in history. Even if he were willing to appoint a male empress, Shen Yu would never agree, so better to leave the seat empty than cause strife. But now things were different: aside from Shen Yu there was no one else fit for the position. If Shen Yu did not take it in the future, then he himself did not want to be on the throne.

Rong Tai’s expression grew more embarrassed as he continued, “Princess De’an has returned as well and is clamoring to see Your Majesty. I could barely restrain her.”

Upon hearing De’an’s name, Fang Rui was slightly taken aback. De’an, like him, was not the former Empress’s biological child but was raised under her care. De’an’s mother died in childbirth, and the infant was given to the Empress to raise.

De’an was five years younger than him and mischievous by nature. From childhood she and Prince Zhan followed him about constantly, those two little rascals always trailing after him and calling, ‘Brother Crown Prince!’ They even fought for his favor repeatedly.

Thinking back, it was a fond memory. Time passed. Prince Zhan drifted farther from him as they grew older, and at eighteen De’an’s marriage was arranged by the Empress Dowager, and she married into Dali. Since then he had not seen De’an and had no idea how she fared. He only remembered that when she was married off she cried and resisted.

In this life he vowed not to let De’an marry so far away. She could remarry within the capital and choose someone to her liking.

Snapping back from his memories, he sighed.

He raised his hand and patted Rong Tai’s shoulder. “Rong Tai, I have always held you in high regard.”

Rong Tai was afraid of what His Majesty was going to say next.

“Your Majesty, may your servant now retire and return home?”

Fang Rui clicked his tongue playfully. “Rong Tai, you’re young and yet you want to retire. Is it because you find me annoying?”

“I wouldn’t dare to.” How could he? If he had dared, he would have thrown in the towel years ago in the decade-plus serving the Emperor.

Which master thinks their servant is omnipotent and can solve everything?!

There was one now: His Majesty.

Not to go too far back, starting from when His Majesty was seventeen and first left the palace, he was brimming with zeal and dragged Rong Tai along. Whenever trouble arose he had to meddle.

Rong Tai didn’t care if he got hurt. He worried about the Crown Prince getting injured.

In the end Fang Rui told Rong Tai earnestly, “Work well. Once the situation stabilizes, I will allow you to settle and have a home outside the palace.”

Rong Tai was taken aback and after a moment shook his head. “Your servant will follow Your Majesty in the palace for the rest of his life.”

Fang Rui looked at Rong Tai and teased, “Are you afraid that once you settle outside the palace you’ll never have another chance to retire?”

Rong Tai thought, there’s actually a bit of that too*.*

He briefly instructed Rong Tai: under no circumstances must anyone know he was absent from the palace. If word leaked, his feigned illness would be exposed and the Empress Dowager would likely suspect he had discovered the tonic contained chronic poison.

By the time they rushed back to the Court of Judicial Review it was sunset. The officers sent back to the capital to collect evidence had not yet returned. Cui Hao had put on a show, stationing men near Lu Shangqing’s residence to prevent his escape.

When Fang Rui returned to the small room, he almost thought he had the wrong place. Upon opening the door he saw that a table which had been dusty was now clean, spotlessly so, and laid with a full spread of delicious dishes.

Fang Rui squinted at the banquet on the table, inhaling the aroma. His foot, having already stepped into the room, withdrew and he stepped back out the door.

He smelled more than food. He smelled a plot. Something explosive must be hidden in it.

Just as he was about to close the door, he noticed someone at his side. He turned left in a flash and saw Shen Yu standing beside him, her hands placed behind her waist.

Her eyes swept into the room and she asked Fang Rui with a look, “Why aren’t you going in?”

Fang Rui glanced at the dishes in the room and asked, “Did you prepare this?”

Shen Yu shook her head. “I had someone else prepare it.”

Fang Rui thought, d**oes that make a difference?

He pushed the half-closed door fully open, entered, approached the table, inspected the dishes closely, circled the table once, then stopped beside Shen Yu and said in a suspicious tone, “Tell me, what poison did you put in it?”

Shen Yu rolled her eyes at him and sat down.

When Shen Yu sat, Fang Rui sat as well. He picked up his chopsticks, poked the roast chicken, and said as he poked, “After all these days you’ve been itching to hate me, but because you couldn’t beat me you bottled it up. You had someone prepare this entire feast…it’s hard not to suspect there isn’t a single thing added to it.”

Shen Yu sneered, “It seems you know just how annoying you are.”

Fang Rui feigned innocence, “I don’t know that, but I do know that Xiaoyu’er is lovable, and that’s enough.”

At the sound of “Xiaoyu’er,” Shen Yu jumped up and began to walk out. Fang Rui asked, “Where are you going?”

Shen Yu gritted her teeth and snapped, “I’m going to the steward to borrow some rat poison.”

Hearing that, Fang Rui chuckled quietly, pulled her back, poured a cup of wine, downed it in front of Shen Yu, and then drank three more cups in succession. He told Shen Yu, “I was only joking. With a nose like mine, how could I not smell if anything were drugged?”

Shen Yu inhaled sharply and gave Fang Rui another roll of the eyes. “You deserve to be taught a lesson.”

“What, Xiao—”

Before he could finish saying her nickname, Shen Yu covered Fang Rui’s mouth with her hand. “If you say those three words again, don’t expect me to speak to you.”

As for what Shen Yu had said, Fang Rui didn’t catch a single word. He only felt the soft hand over his lips and a faint pleasant scent.

Seeing Fang Rui not responding, Shen Yu’s gaze fell to the hand that covered his mouth. She abruptly withdrew it and ground her teeth. “Pervert.”

The hand seemed like a charm. Once removed, Fang Rui came to his senses. As soon as he did, he heard Shen Yu say “pervert” and silently swallowed the thought, “I’ve done worse,” back down.

The dream he had last night was indecent enough. He decided to leave any further indecency for another time.

Thinking of last night’s dream, Fang Rui’s gaze drifted down. When he found nothing there, he withdrew his eyes disappointedly.

“What did you just say?” With Shen Yu’s soft, fragrant hand over his mouth his brain was useless. How could his ears function? He heard Shen Yu speak but couldn’t make out what she had said.

Shen Yu, furious, snapped, “If you shout those three words again, don’t expect me to pay you any mind!”

Fang Rui pretended to be dumb. “Which three words? If you don’t say them, how would I know?”

Shen Yu stared at him without expression. “I’m not so stupid as to fall for your tricks all the time. If you dare say it again, I won’t care whether you reveal my secret or not.”

After the matter with the Poison Scorpion Lady, Shen Yu felt he was covering for her. She sensed he didn’t want others to know she was female.

People like that mustn’t be indulged too much. Pamper them and their boldness grows.

Fang Rui and Shen Yu were exactly such an example.

They indulged one another, and as a result Shen Yu now walked around with some measure of impunity.

After warning Fang Rui, Shen Yu calmed her temper, looked at him, and narrowed her eyes slightly.

Shen Yu asked, “Where did you take the man?”

Fang Rui paused and continued his act. “Take who to where?”

Shen Yu’s gaze seemed to see through everything; she slowly spoke a name, “Chen Chi.”

For a moment Fang Rui was stunned, then he laughed and said, “Wasn’t Chen Chi’s body already examined by the coroner and buried?”

Shen Yu snorted and laughed. “Don’t you dare think I’m stupid.”

Hearing this, Fang Rui thought inwardly: I wanted to make you a bit dumb to fool you more easily. Who knew you would remain as clever as ever.