Chapter 25

Ah, so that wasn't what they were worried about.

Although Xue Jin'an was not adept at reading the room, his intelligence remained sharp. From the blank expressions and speechless state of the two men, he immediately sensed something was amiss. However, he merely paused, and instead of correcting himself, he leaned into the moment. "Think carefully: what was the Xue Jin'an of the past like, and what am I like now?"

In truth, Xue Jin'an did not feel he was any different from the original owner of this body. In his own data analysis, everything he had done so far was consistent with the original's behavioral logic. Yes, whether it was stabbing the Fourth Prince or the Fifth Prince, in his view, these were things the original owner would absolutely do—after all, the original was the same person who had once bitten the Fourth Prince so hard he had to be sent to the Imperial Hospital, earning him the label of a "mad dog" from the prince himself.

On the very first day Xue Jin'an merged with this body, he had encountered the Fourth Prince coming to stir up trouble. He had watched as the prince hopped about in frustration at Shun De's "betrayal," not daring to even step down from the garden wall. This scene was strikingly similar to the present: this morning, the Fifth Prince, who had been missing for several days, had suddenly reappeared to present him with a sword and lure him to the technology exhibition with a brochure—and before Xue Jin'an agreed, the prince had spent the entire time sitting on that same wall.

It was a classic reenactment. Xue Jin'an felt his actions were flawless, but he knew well that humans were creatures of rich imagination, especially skilled at frightening themselves. He didn't need to provide any starkly contrasting examples; he only needed to say something ambiguous, and they would inevitably let their minds run wild. Not to mention, after Consort Zhen's fall, everyone in the palace had tacitly agreed to render the original owner transparent and marginalized. They knew he lived a miserable life where any stray dog could step on him, possessing none of the prestige a prince should have.

Everyone believed the Seventh Prince to be a weak, incompetent little wretch who could be bullied at will. Even Consort Zhen of Yihe Palace could not help but harbor such thoughts; even when her son was bitten and sent to the Imperial Hospital, or returned injured and plagued by nightmares, she merely assumed the Fourth Prince was timid. Of course, the biggest reason Consort Zhen held onto this deep-rooted idea was that the Fourth Prince had a mouth that never relented—he was the type to keep a stiff upper lip even in death. The Fourth Prince had been genuinely terrified by the stabbing incident; he had fallen ill with a high fever upon returning, suffering from nightmares and wasting away, yet he insisted it was only the pain of his wounds, never admitting he was afraid of Xue Jin'an.

In summary, everyone held a "frailty filter" regarding the Seventh Prince, which conflicted with the decisiveness and cruelty Xue Jin'an had displayed lately. This had become a thought-provoking and deeply unsettling detail.

Sure enough, Xue Jin'an saw Li Hechun and the Fifth Prince unconsciously following his lead, their eyes and expressions trembling violently for a moment, filled with a horror as if they had seen a ghost. Xue Jin'an, for once, felt a flicker of curiosity; he wanted to activate his Bluetooth to connect to them and see exactly what they were imagining.

With a mere thought, the Bluetooth interface popped up before his eyes, attempting to connect to devices labeled "Li Hechun" and "Xue Junjue." Then, two dialog boxes appeared:
[Please pay the fee]
[Please enter password]

Xue Jin'an: "..." So, the fact that the Fourth Prince connected so easily was indeed his own fault—his anti-theft awareness was simply too poor. Also, what would happen if he connected to others? Xue Jin'an looked at the list of available devices nearby, his fingers itching to try. Unfortunately, Bluetooth consumed too much power, and his battery level was already flashing red. Since the cloth bag had been handed to Shou Quan by Cui Zui after the Fifth Prince used it to hide the medicine, he had no power bank. Given the uncertain situation ahead, he had to conserve energy.

Xue Jin'an regretfully closed the Bluetooth interface.

In the half-minute it took for his thoughts to shift, Li Hechun and the Fifth Prince had quickly pulled themselves back from their reverie. Li Hechun’s chrysanthemum-like smile revealed a touch of helplessness. "Your Seventh Highness, please do not make such jokes. This old servant is faint of heart and finds it frightening."

The Fifth Prince simply rolled his eyes. "Who are you trying to scare? Boring."

It was clear neither of them believed Xue Jin'an; their previous distraction had merely been the result of being caught off guard by his sudden remark.

Xue Jin'an spoke the truth: "The Xue Jin'an of the past is already dead." He had merged with this body without the slightest resistance, which spoke for itself: either the original soul had long since departed, leaving only an empty shell, or the original had no will to live, willingly abandoning the body to accept assimilation by an outsider. Xue Jin'an leaned toward the former. After all, he was an artifact spirit who had lost his original form—an artifact spirit was the soul of the object—and he was sensitive to such things. Yet, he had detected no traces of soul assimilation.

"If the old you is dead, then what are you now? A vengeful spirit from hell? Does your wrist feel a burning sensation? Do you feel like you are about to be purified?" The Fifth Prince pointed sarcastically at his wrist. "This premium blood-dragon wood is a tribute from the Southern Yue Kingdom, blessed personally by the former abbot of Wanfu Temple, who attained arhatship upon his passing."

Xue Jin'an looked down at his wrist and turned the beads. "I don't feel anything."

He only felt that the beads were worn smooth and round, with a crystal-clear, deep luster. When Consort Zhen died, the original had taken these from her hands to wear; they must have been freshly oiled and maintained at the time. The original novel had also described this strand of prayer beads—beads stained with fresh blood scattered like blood-tears around the original's corpse, while in his palm, he had clutched a single, lusterless, dull bead, as if it were his own "innocent heart." In the end, at Consort Zhen's suggestion and with the Emperor's nod, that "innocent heart" had been encased in gold and jade, fashioned into a cicada, and buried with the original.

"Don't be so ridiculous when trying to scare people; it's childish," remarked the Fifth Prince, who felt he had some authority on the matter.

"Mm, I learned it from you," Xue Jin'an thought. His skill at "lying with eyes wide open" had undergone a reverse evolution; now, no one believed him even when he told the truth.

The Fifth Prince felt insulted and wanted to snap back, but as he lifted his gaze and saw Li Hechun standing quietly to the side, a bucket of cold water seemed to douse him, and he suddenly calmed down. "The Master said: 'The Superior Man does not talk of wonders, feats of strength, rebellions, or spirits.' This is the Imperial Study." Saying whatever came to mind would only harm you.

The Fifth Prince glanced covertly toward the main hall; his words were less a warning to Xue Jin'an and more a reminder to himself. A reminder not to show any flaws before his Imperial Father.

*So, you suddenly started making these jokes to change the subject because you realized Father was testing us. As expected of you, Seventh Brother.*

"And I, too, shall not lose," the Fifth Prince whispered to Xue Jin'an.

Xue Jin'an had no idea what this human was imagining, so he tilted his head and blinked, looking blank. The Fifth Prince composed his outward emotions. "Grand Eunuch Li, Father is waiting to see us. Let us go."

"Your Highnesses, please follow me." Li Hechun moved again, leading them into the main hall.

The main hall of the Imperial Study was where the tutors usually chatted, drank tea, and received guests. It was not large, but it was elegantly decorated, and now it was packed with people.

The Emperor, dressed in a dark red dragon robe, sat at the head of the table with an elderly man in a green Confucian robe, the two of them engaged in a game of chess. There were eight seats below, but the princes were all standing to the side, unable to sit. Even the Sixth Prince, who had been startled earlier and had a cloth wrapped around his neck, could only stand closer to the princes, tasked with pouring tea and water for the two chess players.

On the left, the man in the official robes of a prince, holding an jade-boned fan and possessing the heroic spirit of a wandering knight, was surely Prince An, Xue Xian. Standing behind him was a youth in python robes; at first glance, one might mistake him for the Heir of Prince An, but a closer look revealed the color of his robes was reserved for princes. Unsurprisingly, it was the only prince currently attending court, the Eldest Prince, Xue Luowen. Behind Prince An sat a row of officials in crimson robes—at least third-rank officials—who must have accompanied the Emperor after the morning court session.

On the right side, the seat of honor was occupied by the lame Grand Tutor Li. Behind him was Tutor Cen, dressed in Taoist robes with white eyebrows and a long beard, exuding an ethereal air, alongside another tutor Xue Jin'an had never seen before. Behind Tutor Cen stood a Taoist boy of about seven or eight years old, whom Xue Jin'an had glimpsed on a screen; he found the boy familiar and couldn't help but look twice.

Sitting in the last seat was, surprisingly, Chu Wenjing. Ever since he had requested a reinvestigation of the Consort Zhen case during the morning court session, the Emperor had suspended him from duty, and he had been resting at home since. Thus, wearing the commoner's robes of a scholar and mixed in with the ranks on the right, he appeared surprisingly harmonious. The princes' attendants had no place to stand and were squeezed in with the guards, eunuchs, and maids. Xue Jin'an spotted the young eunuch who had come in to announce them earlier.

"Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince have arrived." Li Hechun moved forward with light, swift steps to wait by the Emperor's side, even taking over the Sixth Prince's duties, earning a grateful, puppy-like look from the latter.

Xue Jin'an and the Fifth Prince walked to the center together. Before they could lift their robes to kneel, the Emperor stopped them. He remained focused on the chessboard without looking up, waving his hand casually. "No need to kneel. Sit."

Li Hechun signaled, and eunuchs immediately brought over two stools, placing them in the very center. It was a strange sight; among all the princes, only the two of them were seated. Yet, sitting there felt as if they were standing—everyone's gaze converged upon them, filled with scrutiny, making them feel as if they were sitting on pins and needles.

The Emperor told them to sit, yet said nothing further. He seemed entirely engrossed in the chessboard. In the silence of the room, the occasional crisp sound of a chess piece being placed felt like a drum beating against their hearts. *Tap, tap, tap...* Before they knew it, the rhythm influenced their own heart rates.

Even an emotion-insensitive machine like Xue Jin'an felt the suffocating pressure, to say nothing of the Fifth Prince. The Fifth Prince's lips were pressed tight, his face pale, sweat dampening his temples. His hands, placed on his knees, were clenched white—he was clearly unable to sit still.

It was then that the Emperor spoke. "Have you both seen the two corpses?" He picked up his teacup, the lid clinking lightly against the rim. He spoke in a flat tone, "Do you have anything to say?"

"It is all this son's fault." The Fifth Prince knelt down with practiced grace. Everyone else who was seated, save for the two at the head, stood up in unison to avoid the grandeur of his obeisance, including Prince An.

The Emperor did not look up, as if he hadn't heard the sudden movement, merely uttering an ambiguous, "Oh?"

The Fifth Prince immediately recounted the sequence of events. During this time, Xue Jin'an remained unmoved, sitting steadily, leaving everyone to glance at each other in confusion.