Chapter 14

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The Fourth Prince had never imagined that the accusation would be turned back on him. His mind went blank, his face flushed crimson, and after stammering “You—you—I—I” for ages, all he managed was a feeble protest.

“I didn’t! I never did! I never hit you!”

“Right. I found these.” Having heard the key words, Xue Jin’an pointed solemnly at the old scars on his arm, helping the Fourth Prince recall them one by one. “This one was from July, in the Imperial Garden. This one was last year…”

The Imperial Guards looked at the Fourth Prince with even more complicated expressions.

“I didn’t do it this time! He was the one who injured me. There’s still blood on my clothes! I really didn’t do it!”

No one voiced an opinion about the Fourth Prince’s excuses, but their eyes unanimously accused him of the same thing:

So, when he says he didn’t do it this time, that means he did it every other time? Then all those wounds are real? He hit him that hard? How terrifying.

The Fourth Prince was unable to defend himself from every side. Ashamed and aggrieved, his eyes reddened. Anger overcame his fear, and he charged straight at Xue Jin’an, grabbing him by the collar.

The Fourth Prince was several years older than Xue Jin’an and had been raised with great care. Meanwhile, the original owner had spent the past two years half-starved and sleep-deprived, leaving him far thinner and more fragile than other children his age. With the two of them pressed together in that posture, one looked as much like a vicious bully as possible, while the other looked as pitiful as could be.

As for which was the bully and which was the victim, it was obvious at a glance.

The trio of Shunxin, Shunyi, and Shunde had rushed over in a panic after receiving the news. Their first thought upon seeing the scene was:

Oh no! The Fourth Prince is in a foul mood. Could he be about to hit the Seventh Prince? Ancestors above, in front of all these people? This could cost him his life!

The three of them silently cried out in alarm. Shunyi’s mind worked the fastest. He immediately ordered Shunxin, the best martial artist among them, to stop them. If an opportunity arose, he was to protect His Highness the Seventh Prince—and if necessary, he could use a little force against the Fourth Prince. In any case, the Seventh Prince absolutely could not be injured by the Fourth Prince in front of the entire court. Not even slightly.

Then he sent Shunde to Consort Zhen at Yihe Palace at top speed to clean up the aftermath. At the very least, if the matter reached the Emperor and the Fourth Prince was charged, there would be room to plead on his behalf.

As for silencing everyone so the Emperor would never hear of this… That might be possible with eunuchs and palace maids, but the Imperial Guards were another matter entirely. It was not even worth considering. If they failed, there was nothing to say. But if they succeeded, it would be tantamount to meddling with military power—an offense that touched the Emperor’s deepest taboo.

The three of them sighed inwardly, filled with worry, and could only do their utmost to clean up after the Fourth Prince, hoping to conceal his past bullying of the Seventh Prince. They did not know that, thanks to Xue Jin’an’s own confession, the Fourth Prince had practically admitted his guilt already.

If even the three men who served at the Fourth Prince’s side thought this way, the Imperial Guards were no exception. When they saw the Fourth Prince charge forward, they nearly drew their swords on reflex.

“Your Highness, Fourth Prince, please do not act rashly!” the Vice Commander shouted, forcing himself to speak.

All of them wore expressions reserved for a criminal caught in the act.

The Fourth Prince had already grown timid when he met Xue Jin’an’s eyes, but their looks instantly stoked his fury. Gritting his teeth, he threatened, “Xue Jin’an, don’t push me too far. Hurry up and explain to them that you stabbed me with a knife!”

The Fourth Prince truly felt wronged. He had been stabbed, yet instead of receiving sympathy, he was being treated like a criminal. This was simply intolerable bullying!

What he did not know was that the real bullying had yet to begin.

He heard Xue Jin’an ask in a toneless voice, “Fourth Brother, do you want to stab me back? Very well. Don’t be afraid. My hand is steady. Nothing will happen.”

The moment the Fourth Prince heard the words “Don’t be afraid,” he became frightened on instinct. Gooseflesh rose all over his body. He instinctively tried to flee, only to have his wrist seized from behind. Something was pressed into his palm, forcing his fingers to close around it.

The Fourth Prince looked down.

It was the murderous weapon that had once lingered against his chest, its tip still stained with his blood.

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The Fourth Prince’s scalp prickled, and his fingertips trembled.

Xue Jin’an gripped his hand, aimed the blade at his own heart, and thrust it forward without even blinking.

“Ah!”

The blade moved with swift, precise force and came to rest against his chest without penetrating even a fraction farther. The scream came from the Fourth Prince.

Xue Jin’an released his grip, and the Fourth Prince immediately collapsed to the floor, his hands shaking, looking utterly broken.

The moment Xue Jin’an moved, the Fourth Prince shuddered all over and instinctively admitted defeat.

“I was wrong! Seventh Brother, I was wrong! I won’t dare do it again…”

Xue Jin’an touched his chest. Looking at the Fourth Prince’s pathetic, thoroughly terrified state, he clearly sensed emotional refuse pouring forth in an endless stream.

It was delight.

The emotion arrived without warning. Before Xue Jin’an could even realize what it was, it rushed into his mind. His human brain began to float as though infected by a virus, loudly clamoring that it was not enough.

Not enough. Far from enough. Make him fear you. Make him tremble whenever he thinks of you in the future. Only then will the hatred in my heart be appeased!

Xue Jin’an seemed to hear a voice rising from his soul. At the same time, he sensed that his compatibility with his body had increased, and his magical power had grown a little stronger.

If he opened a livestreaming app now, the videos that appeared would no longer be limited to the capital. As for the magical power that had suddenly increased, he still could not control it completely. At present, it was like the antenna of a satellite dish: whatever signal he received depended entirely on luck, and the slightest movement might cause the signal wave to change.

Still, his power had increased. Feeling that he had taken another step toward the path of cultivation, Xue Jin’an’s eyes gleamed faintly. He felt as though he had seized an opportunity.

He gave the Fourth Prince on the ground a thoughtful look, then abruptly announced a number.

“Thirteen percent.”

Xue Jin’an opened a charting application and rapidly compiled a table listing every instance of bullying and injury the original owner had suffered, arranged according to frequency and severity.

If stabbing the Fourth Prince and frightening him could produce delight, increasing his bodily compatibility and magical power, then there was no reason it would not work on others.

Very well. That was what he would do. He would try the procedure on every one of them. Although he had failed to dig out a battery, this trip had not been a waste.

Having made his plan, Xue Jin’an casually sent up a rocket to clear away the emotional refuse. But perhaps because he had discovered a shortcut to increasing his magical power, the feeling of delight continued to reverberate through his mind, causing the corners of his lips to lift unconsciously.

His smile was two degrees wider than standard. Xue Jin’an adjusted it slightly and saw the Fourth Prince staring at him in bewilderment and conflict, clearly wanting to ask something but not daring to.

Xue Jin’an tossed the kitchen knife into his lap. Until he found a way to replace the battery, it was temporarily useless, so he might as well let the Fourth Prince keep it for him. In any case, it would ultimately be used on the Fourth Prince.

Xue Jin’an truly liked this battery of his. Even after meeting the superior Fifth Prince, he had no intention of switching.

The Fourth Prince stared at the murderous weapon that had fallen into his lap. His face turned pale and green by turns. He did not dare grow angry and could only sit there stiffly.

Xue Jin’an nodded in satisfaction, then announced the score with an air of impartial justice.

“This time, thirteen percent has been offset.”

“Fourth Brother, keep it up.”

Hopefully, before the progress reached one hundred percent, he would successfully solve the problem of unstable voltage at the source—the problem affecting battery extraction.

It was time to go back and recharge.

Xue Jin’an turned and left, a standard, faint smile on his face. Somehow, that smile was even more terrifying than the sight of him gripping the Fourth Prince’s hand with an expressionless face and stabbing himself without hesitation.

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Everywhere he passed, the crowd parted. No one spoke, and no one dared to stop him.

Only after his figure had disappeared into the distance did someone finally let out a long breath, breaking the strange silence. Shunxin and Shunyi suddenly came to themselves.

“Young Master!”

The two hurried over in frustration and helped the Fourth Prince to his feet. He stared blankly at the coldly gleaming knife in his hand, then belatedly realized something.

“What did he mean by ‘this time’? Does he mean—does he mean there’ll be a next time?!”

The Fourth Prince could hold back no longer. He burst into loud, sobbing tears.

Xue Jin’an returned to Qifeng Court. When Little Luko saw him, he visibly relaxed.

“You disappeared without warning, and this servant was scared half to death… Thank goodness you’re all right.”

Little Luko ought to have observed his place and refrained from asking where his master had gone. But when he recalled how violently his eyelid had been twitching earlier, he hesitated before asking despite himself, “Master, are you all right?”

“No.” Xue Jin’an shook his head without the slightest hesitation, then went straight to the point. “I’m hungry.”

Little Luko believed his master’s nonsense and sighed in relief. Smiling, he brought over two plates of pastries.

“Have some of these first. The meal will be served soon. The Imperial Kitchen made braised pork today, just the way you like it.”

Ever since his master’s last outburst, the Imperial Kitchen had never again dared short them on food. Not only did they refrain from cutting their portions, but sometimes the eunuch in charge even slipped them an extra dish. The braised pork was one such addition.

Master is amazing. I have to become stronger too, so I can protect him and never hold him back.

Little Luko made up his mind.

Xue Jin’an had expended considerable energy that day. The step counter on his exercise app had already surpassed twenty thousand. He had restrained himself from continuing to eat once his battery reached full charge and had “unplugged,” so in theory he should not have been sleepy.

Yet the exhaustion of his body swept over him at that very moment.

He lay back down on the bed and browsed the trending searches before falling asleep.

The Imperial Guards had been mobilized to search for the Fourth Prince that day, so he had been prepared to appear on the trending lists. Unexpectedly, they contained not a trace of the incident. Instead, there was a trending topic related to the Fifth Prince.

#Palace Eunuch at Cold Fragrance Court Receives the Red One-Zhang Punishment#

Cold Fragrance Court was the large compound west of the Princes’ Palace. It had been named for the courtyard filled with red plum blossoms that bloomed fearlessly in the cold and released a rich fragrance. It was the residence of the Fifth Prince.

Xue Jin’an opened the post. The most popular article was titled:

“First-Rank Eunuch at Cold Fragrance Court Accidentally Shatters Imperial Seven-Treasure Glazed Lamp; Consort Rong Enraged and Orders the Red One-Zhang Punishment. Fifth Prince Calls the Measure Cruel and Rebellious, Is Confined to Bright Glory Palace to Copy the Classic of Filial Piety, and Forbidden Food During His Confinement.”

Completely failing to see how the article was sarcastically criticizing Consort Rong and applying eye drops on her behalf, Xue Jin’an considered the Fifth Prince’s physical condition, then considered the length of the Classic of Filial Piety and calculated roughly how long it would take to finish copying it.

He nodded.

“Fortunately, three days without food won’t kill him.”

* * *

The next day, Xue Jin’an opened his eyes on schedule and immediately met the gaze of someone lying prone on the roof beam.

“Fifth Brother.”

Xue Jin’an blinked twice. The scam program he had written into his code the day before and had not yet deleted activated automatically.

“Stealing is against the law. You have to compensate me.”