Ashes to Crown

Chapter 144: Chapter 98: The Mountain Moves

The lights of Wangchun Garden were brilliant, but unlike the Hunting Ground, the clamor here was far more refined.

Melodies drifted through the air and dancers twirled, their forms appearing and disappearing between pavilions, towers, and waterside gazebos, creating a scene like a paradise on earth.

Before the main hall, a hundred mats were laid out for the scholars. Food and wine flowed freely, and many faces were already flushed with drink. But these drunken scholars didn’t brawl or cause a ruckus. They remained cultured, at most letting their hair down and their robes hang loose. Some brandished brushes to paint with bold strokes, while others raised their wine flasks to loudly recite poetry and compose couplets.

Under the eaves of the hall’s porch, the Third Prince also sat on the floor, showing none of a prince’s typical arrogance as he joined the others in painting and composing poetry.

”The Third Prince is a model for all us scholars!” many shouted in unison.

The Third Prince laughed heartily and raised his brush. ”I wish to study alongside all the people of the world.”

A eunuch approached with a beaming smile to refill the Third Prince’s wine, whispering, ”The road has been cut off. We can make our move.”

The Third Prince raised his cup, nodding with a smile to a scholar who was toasting him. He drained it in one gulp, then stood up, tossed the cup aside, and began to move gracefully through the crowd, his wide sleeves swaying as he chanted a poem.

The scholars laughed and joined his chant, their voices drowning out the music and dancing, soaring to the heavens. All who witnessed it, whether participating or merely observing, were intoxicated by the scene. Such an elegant and magnificent spectacle was a rare sight.

Chanting, the Third Prince made his way to the back of the hall, where his uncle, Lord Zhao, waited with a smile.

”Your Highness composed that poem exceptionally well,” he praised, then asked, ”Do we make our move now?”

The Third Prince smiled and looked up at the night sky. There was no moon, no stars; it was as black as ink.

”A moonless night, perfect for murder,” he remarked, turning to Lord Zhao. ”The Crown Prince will surely feast and make merry all night. He’s certainly enjoying himself before his death.”

Lord Zhao chuckled in agreement. ”For Your Highness to be so considerate, your brotherhood will not have been in vain.”

The Third Prince tied up his sleeves. ”Let’s go. I will personally see my Imperial Brother off on his final journey.”

A nearby eunuch stepped forward and fastened a belt around the Third Prince’s waist.

Uncle Zhao stood by, his hands tucked in his sleeves, and said with a smile, ”After this parting, may you never meet again in the next life.”

The Third Prince laughed loudly.

Uncle Zhao added, ”But not everyone is with the Crown Prince. A good number of people remain in the city.”

According to the original plan, the attack was to take place in the city. Once their gates were shut, they would be surrounded by crossbows, and a great fire would ensure that no one escaped.

But with the Crown Prince and his family at the Hunting Ground, they had to split their forces. This meant they could only eliminate the key supporters.

For example, the Yang Family and the Xie family.

”That’s enough,” the Third Prince said, unconcerned. ”Once the Crown Prince is dealt with, what do the rest of them matter?”

’It’s the only way,’ Uncle Zhao thought. After considering it, he decided one more person needed to be added to the list.

”Remember to set a fire at Chu Garden while you’re at it,” he ordered an attendant.

’It was all that little wench’s fault. If not for her meddling, there would have been no Chu Garden Literary Meeting, the Crown Prince wouldn’t have found an excuse to arrest people at will, and he wouldn’t have seized the opportunity to show off his might with this hunting event, disrupting all our plans.’

With his long-held wish about to be fulfilled, the Third Prince was in high spirits and no longer felt so angry at the girl.

He smiled, his pale, sharp chin jutting out. ”Don’t be hasty, Uncle. In the future, I’ll make that little wench wish for death. Letting her die now would be letting her off too easy.”

With that, he took a cloak from a eunuch and flung it over his shoulders.

The cloak had a large hood that concealed his head and face.

In an instant, his entire figure melted into the night.

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The night was deep, but the clamor outside was even deeper, too loud for the thick tent walls to block.

Fortunately, the child was exhausted from a full day of play and slept soundly.

The Crown Princess Consort tucked the thin blanket her son had kicked off back over him. Her gaze fell to something inside the bedding and saw the bamboo tube was there too. ’I wonder what precious thing he’s put inside,’ she mused. The eunuchs had quietly told her the young prince had intended to give it to the Crown Prince.

Even though the Crown Prince neglected their son, the boy was still very attached to his father. The Crown Princess Consort could understand that. It was how she had always raised him—after all, this father was not just a father, but also his sovereign lord.

She didn’t touch the bamboo tube, instead gazing at her son’s sleeping face, her eyes filled with adoration.

A Palace Maid beside her laughed softly. ”The young prince still resembles you more.”

The Crown Princess Consort smiled. ”The Crown Prince is not unattractive, you know.”

The Palace Maid pursed her lips in a smile. Free from the prying eyes of the palace, the mistress and servant could speak a little more freely.

”Let the young prince sleep,” she said softly, helping the Crown Princess Consort to her feet.

The two of them stepped out of the tent, and the noise crashed over them. Seeing the firelight and dancing figures ahead, the Crown Princess Consort couldn’t help but press a hand to her forehead.

”Your Highness,” the Palace Maid said in a low voice, ”you should go rest. The Crown Prince’s party will surely go on all night.”

’This hunting event is three days long. An all-nighter the first day, a day of rest on the second, and another banquet on the third. Perhaps the two of us will get to exchange a word or two.’

’What difference is there between being in the palace and being outside it?’

A flicker of sorrow passed through the Crown Princess Consort’s eyes. Though she was long used to this, she had held on to a sliver of hope for this trip, a hope that the three of them could spend some time talking together as a family.

’I shouldn’t have indulged in such extravagant hopes.’

The Crown Princess Consort lowered her gaze and turned to leave, but the next moment, a thought struck her and she turned back.

”Why haven’t the messengers I sent to Yanfang returned yet?” she asked.

Although Yanfang didn’t visit her often, he always sent a reply whenever she sent someone to him.

The Palace Maid said, ”It’s so late. Perhaps he had them stay the night. They’ll probably all come over in the morning.”

’That’s fine too.’ As long as she had entrusted the matter to Xie Yanfang, she had nothing to worry about. The Crown Princess Consort smiled, her spirits lifting. It didn’t matter whether the Crown Prince accompanied her, but if Yanfang came, the Crown Prince would definitely not ignore him.

’That’s enough for me.’

The Crown Princess Consort didn’t spare another glance in the Crown Prince’s direction and entered her tent with a smile.

Although Xie Yanfang wasn’t present, the Crown Prince was, at that very moment, speaking of him.

The Crown Prince was telling the men around him a story from the past.

”Back then, Xie Yanfang was just a child in my eyes, but when he loosed that arrow, his strength was truly impressive,” he said with a laugh.

The strongmen around him shouted their praises: ”The Crown Prince truly cherishes talent!” ”The Crown Prince is magnanimous enough to embrace the entire world!” ”As long as you have real skill, the Crown Prince will treat you generously!” ”With a Crown Prince like this, our Great Xia has nothing to fear!”

The Crown Prince waved his hand. He’d heard too much of this flattery. ’Everyone must think this way, right?’ His gaze swept over the crowd, his eyes hazy with drink, yet holding a deeper clarity.

”Actually, when I was a child, no one praised my strength,” he said with a small laugh. ”Especially not the Father Emperor. Whenever someone remarked on my strength, he would say, ’Ha! I’ve raised a Young Master Dang!’”

Most of the strongmen were uneducated brutes. One of them asked curiously, ”What’s a Young Master Dang?”

The person next to him quickly motioned for him to be quiet and whispered an explanation of who Young Master Dang was.

The Crown Prince continued to laugh heartily.

”The Father Emperor spent his days waiting to see me get crushed to death,” he said, standing up. ”Today, my third brother holds a literary meeting to show the Father Emperor his scholarly pursuits. Well, I am holding a hunting event to show the Father Emperor that I will *not* be crushed to death.”

With that, he raised his hand and bellowed, ”Men! Bring it in!”

Everyone scrambled to their feet and saw four strongmen carrying a bronze ding cauldron into the center of the field.

This—he’s going to—

The field instantly erupted in an uproar.

Eunuch Qi started to rush toward the Crown Prince. As the Emperor’s personal Eunuch, he was the one most qualified to stop him.

”Crown Prince, you mustn’t—”

But Eunuch Zhu stopped him, chuckling. ”Don’t worry, His Highness knows his limits.” He lowered his voice. ”His Highness has been training for over a year. This ding was carefully selected as the most suitable one—absolutely liftable and perfectly safe—”

”But it’s still a ding that took four men to carry!” Eunuch Qi frowned. ”This is reckless!”

Eunuch Zhu held him back, whispering, ”How can you not understand? Using more men to carry it makes it look heavier. In reality, it only takes two men to lift.”

”But—” Eunuch Qi’s face was still etched with worry, while cheers had already started to rise from the crowd.

”The Crown Prince is mighty!” everyone was cheering. ”The Crown Prince is mighty!”

Eunuch Zhu chuckled softly. ”Everyone knows. This has all been rehearsed before.”

’So, this is all a show for my benefit?’ Eunuch Qi seemed to understand.

Just then, the Crown Prince looked toward Eunuch Qi and shouted, ”Eunuch Qi, watch closely! Go back and tell the Father Emperor that I am not Young Master Dang, and Great Xia will not have a King Qin Wu!”

’Sigh, this child,’ Eunuch Qi thought with resignation. ’He’s a grown man, and he’s still holding onto this resentment.’

The Crown Prince was already standing before the ding. He untied his upper garment, revealing a bare, muscular torso. He bent his knees, reached out to grip the ding, and the crowd fell silent. The next instant, with a furious roar, the ding was lifted by the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince held the ding aloft with both hands, standing as firm and steady as a mountain.

There was a moment of silence, followed by a tsunami of cheers.

”The Crown Prince is mighty!” ”The Crown Prince is mighty!”

Eunuch Qi gave a helpless smile, then quickly raised his hands and shouted, ”This old servant has seen it! I’ve seen it! Your Highness, put it down quickly!”

His voice was completely lost in the thunderous cheers.

The Crown Prince held the ding, but not indefinitely. He tensed his muscles with a grunt and began to pivot, preparing to set it down.

But at that exact moment, in the cheering crowd, one of the strongmen crouched down. With a flick of his finger, a pebble shot across the ground toward the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince slightly lifted his foot to turn. There seemed to be no sound, and yet there was a soft THUD as the pebble struck the sole of his foot.

A jolt shot through the Crown Prince as if his heart had been pierced. His foot twisted instinctively. In an instant, it felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and everything came undone.

’Damn it, I’ve twisted my ankle!’

’No, that’s not the worst of it. The worst part is—’

The Crown Prince looked up, and the sky seemed to be crashing down upon him.

’It’s over!’

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Eunuch Qi stood frozen, watching the scene unfold before his very eyes. It was like a mountain collapsing, the earth splitting apart. In that instant, he couldn’t hear a thing.

Only a single thought remained in his mind.

’Who is to blame for this? The Emperor, for provoking the Crown Prince’s pride with his venomous words? Or the Crown Prince himself, for his narrow-minded arrogance?’