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| Rebirth: Back to Zero Author: 祎庭沫瞳 (Yi Ting Mo Tong) |
Chapter 16 Chess is a Gamble (Part 1/3)
The
ghostly happenings of the Four Prince's Mansion took the Capital by storm. With
each reiteration of the event, it became more and more exaggerated. Some
claimed that the Fourth Prince's disrespect for human life and the blood of
countless on his hands had attracted the evil spirits. Some speculated that the
women raped and humiliated by the Fourth Prince had turned into evil spirits to
avenge themselves after death. Some even more severe allegations included
claims of the Fourth Prince's brutality, and how Hades sent the ghost as a
warning...
Moreover,
the concubine who went crazy was indisputable evidence of his unforgivable
crimes.
Initially,
Ling Qiyang felt very guilty of involving innocent people. However, after
hearing about the insidious methods this concubine used to gain favour, his
guilt vapourised. According to rumours, anyone serving this concubine, be it a
woman or Omega, incurred an explosive rage from her when Fourth Prince looked
at them. Her jealousy led to an array of severe repercussions, from beatings
and scolding to torture, ruining appearances, and even selling her servants as
prostitutes. Due to her strong family background, everyone
closed an eye to her absurdities. She probably thought that the person she
killed turned into a ghost to avenge her, and her fear drove her crazy.
As for
the rescued woman, the shadow guard had sent her out of the city directly. He
left her with the antidote and had untangled her. After removing the disguise
on her face, she thanked him and left without probing further.
The
chilly snow sparkled like stardust in the moonlight. As the coupled warmed up
by the charcoal fire in Ling Qiyang's pharmacy, they listened to Ming Li's
report on the outside situation. By the side, Ling Qiyang weighed the herbs to
prepare some herbal and nourishing meal.
After
hearing Ming Li talk about the Fourth Prince's hullabaloo, Jun Lixuan waved his
hand and got Ming Li to retire.
"Fortunately,
you don't know martial arts. Otherwise, you will be a sneaky one."
Thinking of the haunted scene that day, even he felt a little sick. He could
only imagine how horrified Jun Chengyan and the concubine, who were so close to
the "ghost", must have felt.
"I
was born feeble and with poor physical coordination. Master said that I was not
suitable to practice martial arts." Ling Qiyang chuckled when thinking of
his stupid self as a child. "However, for self-defence, Master taught me
to use poison. My abilities are definitely not less than you martial
artist."
"Your
master is thoughtful." Jun Lixuan said. Although his Master taught the use
of poison, Jun Lixuan still felt about letting Ling Qiyang leave the manor
alone.
The Fourth
Prince's Mansion’s ghostly event razed through the Capital and reached Emperor
Yanxi's ears. The informant was none other than the father of the concubine.
The father of the concubine's was an official of the Ministry of Law
Enforcement. In the ministry, he wielded substantial influence. Seeing his
daughter go maniacal from fear and left both him and his wife distressed. Alas,
when he went to visit Four Prince's Mansion, he was sent away. Jun Chengyan claimed
that allowing "the maternal family of the concubine to visit harmed his
image as a Royal Prince".
Indeed,
it was true that a married lady could not go home without reason. However,
situations should be judged on a case by case basis. Knowing the sorry state of
their daughter yet disallowing her parents to visit unjustifiable. After
visiting the mansion on several days to no avail, the exasperated father sent
Emperor Yanxi an official letter. With this, the incident circulated in the
Imperial Harem.
Hearing
this, Emperor Yanxi was fuming mad. The Tarmar War had just passed and Jun
Chengyan caused Emperor Yanxi another round of headache. Emperor Yanxi slapped the
letter on the table and hollered, "Get that rebellious son here to see
me!"
The
next moment, Jun Chengyan was kneeling in the Imperial Study. For the next
hour, the Emperor neither spoke nor let him get up. Instead, he silently went
through the proposals and letters that officials sent to him, with a
surprisingly calm face. Technically, the incident happened in Jun Chengyan's
mansion, and the rumours were regarding Jun Chengyan's household. However, he
was a prince, and his affairs had tarnished the name of the royal family.
After
going through a stack of documents, Emperor Yanxi finally put down his pen. He
took a sip of hot tea and looked at his kneeling son with frost-filled eyes. He
said softly, "Tell me, what's with the rumour about your house being
haunted?"
"Emperor
Father, I went to the temple on the fifteenth to pray. On the way back, I met a
woman who fainted by the roadside, so I rescued her. However, the woman seemed
to have lost her mind. She woke up in the middle of the night, screaming and
shouting manically. She even fell down and broke her skull. Her blood dripped
all over her face, looking as if she was murdered. Hearing the ruckus, my
concubine came over to take a look. When she saw that terrifying face, my
concubine, unfortunately, could not manage her emotions and got shocked
badly." Evidently, Jun Chengyan had thought of a perfect excuse and
answered without flinching. "The madwoman took advantage of the chaos and
escaped from the mansion. I did send people to search for her, but there was no
news. Initially, it was a small matter. Somehow, this incident spread outside
and ballooned into a case of ghostly haunting."
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Translator's Notes:
Last update for the week! Read till the last part! There's a cute scene in this chapter! <3
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