To Confess on One’s Own Initiative1
Led by Hai Gonggong, the group stepped into Qinzheng Hall.2 But standing below the throne were not only the Old Duke Cheng and the Prime Minister, Jiang Heng, but two other men as well: Murong Chun, his eyes filled with hatred, and Meng Xia,3 the Prefect of Luzhou, who had been on the run for so long that at thirty, he looked fifty.
The moment he saw Meng Xia, Murong Qing knew this was bad. But he was always able to suppress his panic. How could Murong Chun have thrown himself into the net4 like this? Even if Meng Xia defies his own family to identify me, there’s no proof. With the Old Duke Cheng to protect me, I should be fine.
I’ll be fine.
Comforting himself with this thought, Murong Qing quickly calmed down, his expression returning to normal. He walked to the center of the hall and performed a deep bow. “Your Child-Subject5 greets Father-Emperor.”6
Jiang Yao, Song Muyun, and Li Xiting all followed suit.
The Emperor’s face was a mixture of complex emotions when he saw Jiang Yao, but he seemed to have been expecting her. He tapped the dragon throne, the sound crisp. “Zhen7 guessed you would come.”
Though the people of the capital were slightly more open-minded than elsewhere, Jiang Yao was still the first person to make the matter of Rubbing Mirrors8 known throughout the city.
The Emperor had always been wary of the Prime Minister and disliked him; whenever he recalled the green-tinged face the Prime Minister had worn at court for those few days, he wanted to laugh.
Because of this, his attitude toward Jiang Yao was surprisingly warm and pleasant.
Jiang Yao looked up, met the Emperor’s gaze for a moment, and then lowered her head. Just as Li Xiting was wondering if the Emperor was speaking to her, a voice rose from beside her. “Replying to the Emperor, Miss Song has not entered the palace in a long time. Your female subject9 was worried she wouldn’t know the rules and might offend one of the nobles, so I came to accompany her.”
Song Muyun’s cheeks flushed scarlet. That Jiang Yao! Of all the excuses she could have used, she had to pick that one? How could I possibly not know the rules? Clearly, Jiang Yao herself is the one…
The Emperor also felt Jiang Yao was talking nonsense, but he had no intention of exposing her. His gaze, however, turned cold as it swept over Murong Qing.
Kneeling on the floor, Murong Qing couldn’t see the Emperor’s expression, but his heart was pounding with unease.
After rising, Li Xiting went to stand beside the Old Duke Cheng. Her grandfather, who had not left his residence in a long time, wore a grim expression. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but in the Emperor’s presence, she didn’t dare. She could only hold it in, her eyes occasionally stealing glances at Murong Qing, the adoration within them impossible to miss.
Soon, a eunuch at the door announced the arrival of the Song family. Song Muyun’s Second Uncle and Third Uncle entered, paid their respects, and then stood obediently to the side to listen to the proceedings of the Song family case.10
Song Muyun’s eyes lit up, but Murong Qing’s unease only deepened. Soon, the Emperor called for them to rise.
As they all stood in the hall, Murong Chun glared viciously at Murong Qing.
Murong Qing pretended not to notice, his demeanor as placid as ever. He appeared exceptionally elegant and self-possessed, as if today’s events had absolutely nothing to do with him.
It was only when everyone had arrived that the Emperor waved a hand and looked at Murong Chun, who was supposed to be in confinement, his face a mask of cold fury. “First Prince, you may speak first.”
As for why the First Prince, who was clearly under house arrest, had appeared here, it was all thanks to Murong Qing’s repeated attempts to frame him.
The more Murong Chun stewed in his residence, the angrier he became. He had finally realized the gap in intelligence between them; he was just being led around in circles by Murong Qing’s schemes!
Just as he was fuming in his powerless fury,11 the Meng family delivered Meng Xia to him.
It was Meng Xia who had strongly requested to see the First Prince, claiming he had something to tell him. He warned that if they didn’t take him, it could affect the entire Meng family. This threat had scared them into rushing Meng Xia over.
Only then did the First Prince learn that the Meng family had found Meng Xia.
His first demand was for Meng Xia to go before the Emperor and identify Murong Qing, pushing all the blame onto him. After all, to ensure he could wash his hands of the affair should it ever come to light, he had made Murong Qing do everything. The only one who had left a trail was Murong Qing.
And then, Meng Xia delivered news that felt like a thunderclap on a clear day.12
Every single token belonging to the death-sworn soldiers13 Murong Qing had been training was engraved with the character ‘Chun’.14 Every soldier knew their true master was named Murong Chun. They obeyed the face of Murong Qing, yet all claimed their master was Murong Chun.
At that moment, Murong Chun’s face had changed drastically. He spent a full quarter of an hour in his residence cursing Murong Qing before collapsing into a chair, yelling, “It’s over! It’s all over!”
Meng Xia, his hair completely white, wore a look of sorrow. Murong Qing’s scheming was so profound; they had all been played by him!
Though Meng Xia was a coward who had fled alone when death was imminent, he hadn’t been able to sleep a single night since escaping. His thoughts were filled with his loving wife, his young daughter, and his talented son who had made him so proud. He couldn’t just live for himself.
The Prime Minister had promised that if he could persuade the First Prince to confess on his own initiative and drag Murong Qing down, he would ensure the safety of his family.
He had no other choice. In truth, besides the two of them confessing together to make the Emperor believe them, there was no other way. If they waited any longer, all the dirty water would be poured solely on the First Prince!
Murong Chun was not particularly clever to begin with. With just a little guidance from Meng Xia, his hatred for Murong Qing reached its peak. He absolutely refused to let Murong Qing sit back and reap the fisherman’s benefit.15
He immediately wrote a blood letter16—using Meng Xia’s blood, of course—and had it sent to the palace.
When the Emperor saw the blood letter stating his intent to confess on his own initiative, he grudgingly allowed Murong Chun to be brought to the palace. He never imagined that the first words out of Murong Chun’s mouth would be about the Song family’s case, much less that he would claim the entire affair was a conspiracy between him and the Seventh Prince, Murong Qing!
No matter how he thought about it, the Emperor could never have predicted such an outcome. His expression immediately turned frigid, and he ordered his men to summon everyone involved in the case to the palace.
That was what had led to the current scene.
Now, the Emperor sat enthroned above them, his aura majestic as he looked down. Inwardly, however, he was already cursing them. A bunch of fools! Making such a huge mess, so many people dead… not even the King of Heaven could save you now!
Murong Qing froze, not understanding why Murong Chun was being allowed to speak first. A bad premonition instantly took root in his heart, and in the next moment, that premonition was confirmed.
Murong Chun bowed his head to the Emperor, his eyes wide with fury. He declared, “Your Child-Subject has committed a monstrous crime and has come to confess to Father-Emperor on my own initiative!”
At that moment, Murong Qing felt as if he’d been struck by a thunderclap on a clear day. What? Murong Chun came to confess? Why? Doesn’t he want to live?! Does he think he can escape death just because his mother is a Noble Consort?17
A chill ran through Murong Qing’s entire body. The Emperor saw his shocked expression, and his eyes darkened.
“For what matter do you wish to confess?” the Emperor asked.
Murong Chun gritted his teeth and looked up sharply. “The collapse of the river embankment in Luzhou, which caused numerous deaths and injuries, was a crime committed by Your Child-Subject and Seventh Imperial Brother together! I beg Father-Emperor to spare my life! Your Child-Subject is willing to do everything in my power to compensate the victims of the Luzhou disaster!”
Murong Qing’s face turned deathly pale. He had calculated a thousand possibilities, but he had never calculated that Murong Chun would come to confess.
Why? Just to drag me down with him? But wasn’t his original plan to push all of this onto me? Why would he suddenly be willing to sacrifice himself just to expose me?
When these words fell, the hall was utterly silent. The first person to speak was, surprisingly, the Old Duke Cheng’s granddaughter, Li Xiting.
She stared at Murong Chun in disbelief and immediately retorted, “Impossible! How could His Seventh Highness do such a thing? First Prince, you mustn’t randomly bite at people!”18
The Old Duke Cheng’s head was throbbing with pain. It was true that he had saved the Emperor’s life, but that was a favor meant to one day save the lives of his Li family descendants, not for Li Xiting to squander so recklessly.
Didn’t the Emperor specifically summon him here precisely because of the imperial edict granting a marriage between his granddaughter and Murong Qing?
The Old Duke Cheng was filled with regret. He never should have let his heart soften when this granddaughter of his cried, agreeing to let her marry Murong Qing. The main problem was that back then, Murong Qing had projected such an air of a gentleman. Who could have known he would do something like this?
As for whether this was the First Prince slandering Murong Qing, no one present would think so. When it came down to it, the First Prince’s status was far more honorable than Murong Qing’s. Would he really risk his own life just to frame Murong Qing?
Certainly not.
The Old Duke Cheng roared, “The Emperor is present! Is there any room for you to speak? Shut your mouth at once!”
“Grandfather!” Li Xiting stomped her foot, her face full of unwillingness. Tears welled in her eyes as she said, almost sobbing, “His Seventh Highness would never do such a thing! Someone must be trying to frame him!”
As for who that “someone” was, she didn’t say, but everyone else could guess who she was pointing at.
Murong Chun almost sneered. “I’m framing Murong Qing? A man with such a deep and calculating mind—you could find a whole basket of evidence against him with a single search. Why would This Prince19 need to personally frame him?!”
Li Xiting was silenced by a look from the Old Duke Cheng. She glanced fearfully at her beloved fiancé. Murong Qing was never one to resign himself to fate. Even if Murong Chun had come out to identify him, and even if everyone believed it was him, as long as the evidence was insufficient, he would never confess.
Murong Qing kowtowed heavily to the Emperor. The sound was so crisp that even Jiang Yao could hear it. That was a real kowtow. She heard Murong Qing’s unwilling voice, heard his denial, heard a clever tongue like a reed pipe.20
Tears couldn’t help but well up in Song Muyun’s eyes. She had waited for this day for far too long. In her past life, when Murong Qing became Emperor, she had no way to let everyone know that he was the one who had killed her family. All she could do was attempt to assassinate him to avenge them, but even that had failed.
In this life, she finally had a chance to avenge her family.
As Song Muyun’s eyes reddened, an arm wrapped around her, pulling her into a comforting embrace. Jiang Heng glanced over and couldn’t help but pull the two of them behind him to hide, lest they defile the Emperor’s eyes, and more importantly, lest he himself be disgraced.
Can’t bear to look.21 I really can’t bear to look.
Held by Jiang Yao, Song Muyun looked over her shoulder at the Emperor on the dragon throne.
The Emperor’s face was a cold mask, showing no sign of softening. He knew the First Prince had some ambition. In this matter, he was determined to expose Murong Qing no matter what, so he wouldn’t be speaking lies. As for Murong Qing’s denial, in his mind, it was weightless, lacking any force. There had already been several incidents related to Murong Qing. Though there was no conclusive evidence, it was all too much of a coincidence.
How is it that it’s always someone else’s crime?
Murong Qing finished his passionate and sincere speech, looking up at the Emperor with reddened eyes, only to meet a gaze that was sharp enough to see through a person’s soul. He faltered for a moment, then turned to Murong Chun. “Imperial Brother, you and I have always been on good terms. Why would you frame me and sentence me to death?!”
Murong Chun laughed. “We’re on good terms? If we were really on good terms, you wouldn’t have pushed the blame for kidnapping Song Muyun onto me alone. I was the fool to be used by you!”
Before entering the palace, he had told Meng Xia about the two times he had been framed by Murong Qing. After Meng Xia’s analysis, he admitted that the first time was his own stupidity. He had assumed, based on his own crude understanding of Murong Qing, that he wouldn’t dare betray him.
That matter was long past, but Murong Chun brought it up again, clearly unwilling to carry that pot22 alone.
A flicker of panic crossed Murong Qing’s eyes, but he still gritted his teeth and denied it. “I did not do that. Everything requires evidence. If Imperial Brother makes such a claim, do you have any proof?!”
“Hah! Eldest Miss Song is standing right here. Are you still going to be stubborn?”
The Emperor hadn’t said a word, but the two of them were already at each other’s throats below.
Murong Qing only said, “There is some misunderstanding between Miss Song and me. She has always disliked me and never given me a pleasant look. Her words naturally cannot be taken as evidence!”
“That’s because you went to Yueshang House every day to bully her! Anyone can find that out just by asking around. I never bullied Song Muyun, so why would I kidnap her?!”
At that moment, Murong Chun’s mind suddenly seemed to sharpen, and Murong Qing was momentarily unable to refute his words. His face turned grim as he stared at his brother, then he suddenly turned and kowtowed once more, leaving a bloody mark on the floor. “Father-Emperor, Your Child-Subject has absolutely not done these things! I beg you to believe me!”
Seeing the blood on Murong Qing’s forehead, Li Xiting’s heart ached so much she could barely stand it. If her grandfather hadn’t been holding her back, she would have rushed over long ago.
Only Jiang Yao and Song Muyun found it immensely satisfying. Jiang Yao almost laughed out loud, unable to suppress the upward curve of her lips.
And then… she was discovered by the Emperor.
The Emperor stared straight at her, ignoring the kowtowing Murong Qing. After a moment, he suddenly called out, “Jiang Yao.”
“Hm? Ah?” Jiang Yao looked left and right, and finally, with a reminder from her dad, she turned back to see the aging Emperor looking at her with eyes like a hawk’s. “Emperor, you were looking for me?”
Jiang Heng took the opportunity to kick her. “Behave yourself.”
“Oh,” Jiang Yao whispered, her spine silently straightening, making her look much more alert.
Seeing the Emperor speak, Murong Qing and Murong Chun stopped arguing and knelt properly on the floor, each with their head bowed. One was thinking about how to drag Murong Qing down to his death, the other about how to escape. Murong Qing couldn’t help but look at Li Xiting, his face pale.
Li Xiting’s heart ached, but before she could open her mouth, she was silenced by a glare from her imposing grandfather and dared not speak again.
The Old Duke Cheng’s sharp eyes landed on Murong Qing, his gaze clearly saying, As long as I’m here, don’t even think about making my granddaughter take any risks.
Murong Qing gritted his teeth, finally understanding that today, he could only rely on himself. He lowered his head, his expression cold and grim.
The Emperor asked Jiang Yao, “Zhen has heard that you used to frequent Yueshang House to find Song Muyun?”
“Replying to the Emperor, yes.”
Hearing their conversation, Song Muyun’s heart skipped a beat. Her brow twitched with a bad premonition.
What does the Emperor mean by this? We didn’t meet after Murong Qing brought me to the Jiang Residence, but when I was still trapped in Yueshang House?
She remembered Jiang Yao asking her when they had first met… Her answer had been wrong, so why did Jiang Yao say it was right? And even praise her for it?
Song Muyun’s thoughts suddenly plunged deeper, and her face filled with shock and uncertainty.
“When did you meet Song Muyun? Did you know her from long ago?”
“No. Your female subject unintentionally followed His Seventh Highness into Yueshang House. When I saw him spend money to call for Muyun, I brazenly asked to join him. That was when I first met Muyun.”
“Oh, is that so? Then, the First Prince says the Seventh Prince bullied Song Muyun. Do you know about that?”
Half of Murong Qing’s heart went cold. His relationship with Jiang Yao was also terrible; there was no way Jiang Yao would side with him.
Sure enough, the next second, Jiang Yao’s resonant voice filled the hall. “Of course your female subject knows! If His Seventh Highness didn’t completely lack the bearing of a gentleman, bullying a weak woman and even inviting me to bully her with him—which I flatly refused—your female subject would not have deliberately opposed him. Nor would I have felt a heart of compassion23 for Muyun, protecting her day after day until we developed feelings over time.”24
The Emperor: …
Everyone else: …
Thanks, you could have left out that last sentence. No one cared.
Jiang Heng felt like he had been disgraced all the way to his ancestral graves. This was the first time he had ever seen someone not only engage in Rubbing Mirrors but also proclaim it so loudly. It was truly…
Sigh!
Misfortune upon the family! A great misfortune!
Jiang Heng wished he could bury his head in the ground to avoid the Emperor’s teasing gaze.
Song Muyun stared blankly at Jiang Yao. She finally understood where everything had started to be different.
So they had met that early.
She really envied that version of herself, taken under Jiang Yao’s wing so soon, carefully sheltered. She probably hadn’t suffered much at all. How nice.
As Song Muyun thought this, she lowered her head.
She didn’t say anything, but the suppressed sorrow around her was impossible to ignore. In the Emperor’s eyes, this was her remembering the days when she was bullied by a prince and unable to fight back!
When the Song family’s case first broke, although he was disgusted with Song Yunqian, he never intended to take it out on a young girl. What the Seventh Prince did was not right.
If he could do something like that, then the other things…
He hardly needed any proof. The Emperor had already decided that Murong Qing was inextricably linked to those matters.
He looked coolly at Murong Qing. “Do you have anything else you wish to say?”
“Your Child-Subject… Your Child-Subject…” He couldn’t get a single word out, his pale lips trembling.
Jiang Yao’s gaze swept over him with disdain before she looked away, unerringly grabbing Song Muyun’s hand and lowering her voice to comfort her. “Don’t be afraid. Today will surely bring you your wish.”
She thought Song Muyun’s wish was for the truth to come out and for Murong Qing to fall from the clouds.
But she didn’t know that what Song Muyun wanted most of all was to kill Murong Qing with her own hands…
A trace of worry appeared on the young woman’s face. She was thinking about how she could possibly kill Murong Qing without anyone knowing, without exposing herself, to get revenge for herself, for her parents, for her family.
Her heart was filled with the hatred of the past, but her body was honest, leaning against Jiang Yao’s shoulder, relying on her completely.
Jiang Yao’s heart softened inch by inch. She raised a hand to Song Muyun’s rounded shoulder and began to knead it, again and again.
Like kneading dough.
Song Muyun’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. She silently straightened up and pushed Jiang Yao away. There are so many people here…
The Emperor’s Chief Eunuch25 had long been accustomed to keeping his eyes to watch eight roads and his ears to listen in all four directions.26 He caught a glimpse of their small movements and first blinked hard in disbelief. When he looked again, hey, they were still at it.
Truly, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger.27 What incredible nerve, daring to pull these little tricks right in front of the Son of Heaven.
But he had no intention of exposing them. He just gave them a smiling glance before lowering his head to focus on serving the Emperor.
Murong Qing was still stammering in the middle of the hall, unable to give an answer. Murong Chun lost his patience and waved a hand. “Your Child-Subject has evidence! The women of Yueshang House can all testify for Miss Song. Whether Murong Qing bullied Miss Song or not will be clear with a single question!”
Murong Qing gritted his teeth. “That Yueshang House is your property. They will naturally side with you.”
“Are you saying Father-Emperor cannot tell if they are speaking the truth or not? The Minister of the Dali Temple28 is an expert at interrogating criminals. Father-Emperor, Your Child-Subject requests that you summon the Minister of the Dali Temple!”
The corner of the Emperor’s mouth twitched. He hadn’t expected Murong Chun to be so eager to convict Murong Qing. He hadn’t even thought of summoning the Minister of the Dali Temple himself.
Since it had been mentioned, he did indeed summon him. But it wasn’t just the Minister who came. The guards at the door reported that Consort Meng29 and Consort Ning30 had also arrived.
Consort Meng was Murong Chun’s mother, and Consort Ning was Murong Qing’s. They had likely come to plead for their sons.
The Emperor didn’t let them in, only summoning the Minister of the Dali Temple. Then he sent for the women of Yueshang House. As it happened, the women who came were the very ones who shared a courtyard with Song Muyun. Yan Jin was there too, a seductive smile on her face, her posture so graceful and slender31 that she nearly stole the Emperor’s soul away. It took a heavy cough from Jiang Heng to bring him back to his senses. He straightened his expression and began to question the women.
The result was that Murong Qing had indeed frequently beaten and berated Song Muyun at Yueshang House. It was as if there was a deep hatred like a sea of blood32 between them. They often heard the sound of a whip from Song Muyun’s room. Sometimes it was so severe that Song Muyun couldn’t even walk.
The Emperor had never imagined that his seventh son, who appeared so gentle and warm like jade on the surface, could be capable of such cruelty in private. Li Xiting also couldn’t believe it, staring at Murong Qing, dazed and numb.
The Old Duke Cheng snorted coldly, angry at Li Xiting’s poor judgment and angry at himself for having eaten decades more rice than his granddaughter and still being so blind. He had really thought Murong Qing was some kind of gentleman. If the Emperor hadn’t specifically summoned him, he feared he would have been kept in the dark as well.
After rigorous questioning, the Minister of the Dali Temple finally determined that the women of Yueshang House had not lied. Every one of them was telling the truth.
The Emperor’s finger, adorned with a jadeite archer’s thumb ring,33 tapped against the dragon throne, making a dull sound. He frowned and asked Murong Qing in a cold voice, “What else do you have to say?”
Murong Qing perhaps knew that the situation was lost.34 Of all the people standing in this great hall today, not a single one was on his side.
His face instantly grew haggard.
After a moment, he lifted his eyes, but he looked at Song Muyun beside Jiang Yao.
Song Muyun’s gaze met his, and she couldn’t help but show her disgust, hiding behind Jiang Yao as if to avoid him. Jiang Yao immediately stepped forward, shielding her like a precious treasure, covering her completely.
Murong Qing didn’t know what was wrong with him, to still be concerned with Song Muyun at a time like this. The woman who had cast his sincere feelings aside like a worn-out shoe.35 The woman who would rather be with another woman than give him a single glance.
It was a long while before he knelt up straight, cold sweat sliding down his temple. He spoke, but he only confessed to this one crime.
“Your Child-Subject did indeed act out of love turning to hate36 toward Miss Song and committed many wrongdoings. But Your Child-Subject absolutely did not participate in the matter of the Luzhou embankment collapse! I ask Father-Emperor to investigate clearly!”
“What?!”
A woman’s sharp shriek suddenly rang out in the hall. It was Li Xiting, whom even the Old Duke Cheng could not restrain. In tears and disbelief, she rushed forward and fell to her knees beside Murong Qing, looking at him with a twisted expression. “Your love for Song Muyun turned to hate?!”
The author has something to say:
Murong Qing: I confess my love for you.
Yunyun: I refuse.
Murong Qing: How could you cast my sincere feelings aside like a worn-out shoe!
Today’s update is late because I wrote a total of nine thousand characters! Oof, I’m so tired.
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