A Bitter Heart (Part 5)

After autumn began, the evening winds grew fierce. The farther north they traveled, the deeper the sense of autumn became. As the boat sailed on the river, one had to don a padded jacket at night to slightly resist the biting chill wafting from the water's surface.

His Highness, Prince Duan's party returned to the Capital from Liang Continent. The journey by water would take over half a month. On the way there, Wei Ming could only pass the time by reading case files or chatting about the case with the two young accompanying officials. On the return trip, there was no one left to discuss official matters with, but his days were far more interesting. The Grand Preceptor, for the life of him, couldn't learn the teleportation formation, so Wei Ming could only reluctantly agree, accept the favor, and personally draw one for him in the Secret Realm, which he gave him to take back to Zixiao Academy.

From then on, Chi Lian dealt with The Emperor in the palace during the day, and dealt with The Emperor's son on the boat at night. He felt he must have owed their entire family a debt from a past life.

In the Secret Realm, it was spring all year round, far more comfortable than on the boat. The bedroom was elegant and the bed spacious. The candlelight passed through the mist-like gauze curtains, transforming into a gentle, dim halo. The cool, crisp scent of lotus filling the canopy also carried a slight warmth.

With his long hair unbound, Wei Ming wore a simple robe over a white satin undergarment, dressed for bed. He leaned against the headboard, holding a drowsy Chi Lian, and listened to him murmur about matters in the palace: "The red box has already been opened before The Emperor. Inside are indeed documents, ledgers, and correspondence. Part of it is in the handwriting of Fang Tianchong and his subordinates, and a small part is in the Qiyun script. The Emperor doesn't trust his court officials, so he secretly dispatched the Jinwu Guard to find a translator. It won't be long before there are results."

Wei Ming flipped through some of the transcribed manuscripts Chi Lian had brought, saying thoughtfully, "The West Sea has always been the backyard of Prince Kang's faction. With such a major incident, The Emperor finally knows what it is to be afraid."

Chi Lian said, "This box was presented directly before The Emperor by my hand; I'm afraid he's even more suspicious now. One has Fang Tianchong behind him, the other has Zixiao Academy. Neither is a cause for comfort. He won't turn to supporting Prince Yue, will he?"

Wei Ming scoffed, "Fang Tianchong is already a drowning dog, what is there to compare? Although The Emperor is always thinking about checks and balances, he isn't a fool. To forcibly promote Prince Yue would be to hand Prince Kang a ready-made excuse for rebellion. Choosing a crown prince and a ruler is no laughing matter. How can one be a sovereign if they can't command public support? The court officials would never agree."

Chi Lian said, "That is for the best. I only fear that being too deeply involved in this case will instead make The Emperor suspicious of Your Highness."

"It's fine. He's suspicious of everyone right now. As long as one enters the fray, no one can expect to remain completely untainted," Wei Ming said nonchalantly. "This case was the work of a demon to begin with; there's nothing wrong with me asking Zixiao Academy for help. Since he already knows that demons exist in this world, he must rely on whoever can subdue them. If you want to advance further, you should use this opportunity to firmly seize the power to handle all such cases. When that time comes, forget about contending for the throne; even if you were to proclaim yourself emperor, he wouldn't dare do a thing to you."

"Forget it. Your Highness, don't even think of teaching me." Chi Lian's head ached just from listening to these convoluted schemes, and he quickly added, "I'll just stick to being a peaceful charlatan."

Wei Ming sighed. He poked him in exasperation. "Gui Heng absolutely refuses to return to the Heavenly Court and wants to stay behind as a guard. And you? You pass up the chance to be a powerful, sought-after minister, only wanting to be a charlatan. Can the two of you show a little more ambition?"

Chi Lian rolled over to hug his waist, mumbling as he employed his old trick, "It's enough that Your Highness is ambitious."

If His Highness actually had a way to handle him, Chi Lian wouldn't still only know the Golden Coffer and Jade Lock Formation. The great Prince Duan didn't even have a single advisor and had to painstakingly plot everything himself. After a moment's thought, he added another instruction: "Calculating the days, He Guan and the others should be arriving in the Capital soon. Prince Kang will likely become restless. The key is whether Zhao Tingying can survive until he has an audience with His Majesty. Although He Guan and Shen Yunshan have the Prime Minister's backing, just in case, you should still keep an extra eye on them for me."

"Your Highness, rest assured." Chi Lian felt like laughing as he spoke of this. "Right now, the Prince's Manor is raising an auspicious beast to guard the residence. I think Prince Kang is a bit intimidated as well, afraid of tempting bad luck, so he doesn't dare to oppose Your Highness directly."

That night, the assassins who attacked Prince Duan's Manor were turned on by the Chestnut Tiger and tragically annihilated. The deaths of more than a dozen men could not be concealed. Yi Dayou hastily reported it to the authorities, which directly alerted the palace. Although Emperor Qiansheng was somewhat muddled when it came to immortals and gods, he was, after all, the monarch of a nation, and he possessed all the suspicion he ought to have. He vaguely understood that Wei Ming had struck a nerve with certain people, so he issued a special decree to thoroughly investigate the case, determined not to dishearten Prince Duan while he was away on official business.

But whether it was Wei Ming, Prince Kang, or even Emperor Qiansheng, they all knew perfectly well: these men who dared to raid a Prince's Manor right under the Emperor's nose were prepared for their identities to remain hidden. Moreover, their cause of death was not of human hands, and everyone in the manor, from top to bottom, feigned ignorance, making it an utterly muddled case. The so-called "thorough investigation" was merely Emperor Qiansheng's tactic of appeasement and suppression—placating Wei Ming on one hand while rapping Prince Kang's knuckles on the other.

After the Crown Prince's downfall, Prince Kang saw a glimmer of hope and was in high spirits. Then, Wei Ming suddenly appeared, blocking his path. The hatred he felt was far more intense than his initial jealousy toward the Crown Prince. However, aside from The Emperor and a very select few in the Capital, no one knew how deep the waters surrounding Wei Ming ran. Prince Kang still saw him as a pitiful creature he could easily crush, only to bite into a hard bone—all the assassins he sent had perished inside the Prince's Manor, their deaths inexplicable. The lookouts posted outside the gates couldn't make sense of it either; when questioned, all they could say was, "A demonic wind suddenly rose, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and what looked like a golden dragon was coiled on the roof."

It was common knowledge that Wei Ming was a cultivator. If he could prove the incident was related to demons, Prince Kang wouldn't have minded publicizing the truth. But the creature on the roof just had to be a golden dragon. Even if Prince Kang lost his mind, he would never utter a single word about it. Never mind what Emperor Qiansheng and the court officials would think; even his own men who had been on lookout that day grew restless upon their return, nearly starting an incredible rumor.

That was a genuine golden dragon!

If His Highness, Prince Duan, was truly the Son of Heaven's Mandate, then what was the point of everyone fighting to the death? Who would be foolish enough to defy destiny? They might as well just bow their heads and submit.

Wei Ming rarely had the experience of reaping what he didn't sow. He mused, "I thought all that talk of a 'noble fate' and the 'makings of an emperor' was just you being polite and saying auspicious things. I never expected it to come true like this. A golden dragon falls from the sky and crashes right into my backyard. This auspicious beast certainly doesn't act like a stranger."

Chi Lian, nestled in the small space between Wei Ming's arm and waist, gave a lazy yawn. "It's a shame Your Highness's identity can't be revealed to the Heavenly Court. Otherwise, we could bring Yingling over to form an auspicious 'dragon and phoenix' pair. Then let's see who would dare oppose Your Highness's ascension to the throne."

Wei Ming: "...Alright then. Yingling is very ambitious too."

In the White Jade Capital, though there were all kinds of difficult immortals to deal with, the master of Jiangxiao Palace was Emperor Cangze. Chi Lian had never actually worried about things like competing for favor, let alone being mutually suspicious with his senior brothers. Thus, he sometimes felt ill-suited for the Mortal Realm. Recalling the hardships of the past few months, he began to whine endlessly, "Your Highness, please hurry up and become The Emperor. I don't want to spend my days scheming and plotting anymore."

Wei Ming casually set the papers on the small bedside table, putting business matters completely aside. He hooked a strand of Chi Lian's long hair with his fingertip and laughed. "Who was it that swore to support me and help me ascend the throne, coaxing me to give up cultivation and stay in the Capital to board your pirate ship? Now that you've swindled both my body and heart, you want to wipe your mouth clean and shirk all responsibility?"

Chi Lian: "..."

Though he was reluctant to admit it, the truth was that ever since Wei Ming began to look more and more like the Emperor, his own mindset had grown increasingly lax. Those days of walking a lonely path suddenly felt like a distant dream. When he was on his own, he could walk on through storm and upheaval without batting an eye, but once he was back under that person's wing, he no longer had the will to struggle against destiny.

All his life, he had either been beaten down by fate or been fighting against it. Now that he finally had a moment of peace, even knowing the sweet dream was fleeting and that in a few decades he would once again have to walk the desolate world alone—since he had stolen this half-day of leisure in a transient life, it would be a true waste of good fortune not to indulge himself for once.

Chi Lian snatched his hair back from Wei Ming's hand and used the ends to brush against his chin. "Who's the one who was truly devoured, body and soul? Your Highness is far too good at making false accusations."

Wei Ming caught his mischievous hand, pulled it over, and placed a soft kiss on the inside of his wrist. From that position, he scooped him up into his arms. "I have long since lost my heart and pledged my body to you. Has the Grand Preceptor not received it?"

Chi Lian: "And also devou... Mmph..."

Before he could finish his words, Wei Ming silenced him. For a time, the only sounds within the bed curtains were soft, wet noises and ragged breaths. When their lips parted, Wei Ming rested his forehead against his, their breaths mingling as they nuzzled intimately. He asked in a low voice, "Is there anything else the Grand Preceptor doesn't understand?"

Chi Lian: "I don't understand how you still have the gall to ask me..."

Wei Ming gave a light laugh. This time, there was no fierce, fiery urgency, only a series of soft pecks on the corner of his lips. "Well, in that case, I do have a few questions about cultivation that I'd like to ask the Immortal Lord for his guidance on."

"Aren't we going to sleep?" Chi Lian's entire body felt weak from his kisses. He met them haphazardly with half-closed eyes. "I'm sleepy."

"Are you the immortal or am I? How can you be sleepy earlier than me?" Wei Ming mercilessly called him out. "Besides, I recall we agreed last time that you'd come sleep with me every day. Someone even tried to bargain, saying immortals don't need sleep. Are you going back on your word now? If this isn't devouring everything and wiping your mouth clean, what is?"

Knowing there was no escape, Chi Lian could only reach out and wrap his arms around his neck. He nodded in agreement. "Yes. Your Highness doesn't just want to devour me, you also want to have the upper hand and make people willingly offer themselves up for you to devour."

With Chi Lian's arms around him, Wei Ming could only see the flushed, glistening tips of his ears. Beneath the thin, soft undergarment, the lines of his shoulders and back were lean and fluid, like the supple, slender branches of a tree. His posture was relaxed and open as he leaned in his embrace, his whole person like a flower in full, glorious bloom. It made one abandon any thought of picking it, wanting only for it to forever blossom and sway within one's sight.

A mischievous thought suddenly surfaced. He leaned close to Chi Lian's ear and said tenderly, "If you feel wronged... then this time, let's let the Immortal Lord take the upper hand, shall we?"