Lin Yanxi toyed with the dagger, its tip slowly tracing his wound. Shen Qingyun gritted his teeth against the pain, suppressing a groan. He trembled, his gaze falling as the blade tip edged downwards, finally resting on his heart.
His clothes were stained with thick blood, his consciousness fading, his body growing colder.
Just as the fear of death threatened to consume him, Lin Yanxi unhurriedly withdrew the dagger and spoke in a measured tone, "I want you to tell me who is behind the black cloaks?"
"If you tell me who that person is, I will immediately help you stop the bleeding."
Shen Qingyun's eyelids drooped. Upon hearing her question, his muddled consciousness gradually returned, like a dying man grasping at the last straw.
But hope was quickly extinguished.
Mustering his last ounce of strength, he said, "I don't know."
Lin Yanxi exchanged a glance with Shen Muzhou. Neither believed his words.
Shen Muzhou took the dagger from Lin Yanxi and pressed it directly against Shen Qingyun's throat. The sharp blade immediately drew a shallow cut on his neck. The piercing pain brought him back to a clearer state.
Cold sweat trickled down Shen Qingyun's forehead. His hands and feet were bound, rendering him helpless. His voice rose slightly, "I truly don't know. I have never met a true sorcerer."
"He, he always sent a man in black to contact me. That person, that person occasionally wore the clothes of a eunuch. I honestly don't know anything else."
"They always sent people to find me. This is true, believe me, believe me!"
Lin Yanxi asked, "How did he find you?"
Her hand rested on Shen Muzhou's arm. He glanced back at her, coldly withdrew his arm, and frowned slightly.
His reaction made Lin Yanxi feel somewhat awkward.
With the threat removed from his throat, Shen Qingyun's breathing eased. "My... although my father enfeoffed me as Crown Prince, I know I am not the one he truly favors."
"Do you think the position of Crown Prince has been easy to hold all these years? I've been cautious in everything, kind to everyone, fearing anyone would find fault. The position of being above one person and below ten thousand, isn't it all as difficult as walking on thin ice?"
"Just as I was exhausted by the Western Continent's foreign affairs, a short eunuch, whose appearance I couldn't discern, blocked my path. He said his master wanted to help me. I asked who his master was, but he wouldn't answer. I thought it was a mischievous eunuch who wanted to trick me, and I intended to have him arrested and punished. But he presented me with the Jade Bone Flute, which Western Continent desperately desired at the time, solving my urgent need."
"It was much the same after that. He would always appear when I needed him. Later, exchanges began."
"The weapons stockpiled in the pit prison this time were also their doing."
Shen Muzhou scoffed and questioned, "You, as the Crown Prince, actually committed treason! Stockpiling weapons for others?"
Shen Qingyun met his gaze for a moment, then averted his eyes, sighing, "Did I have a choice? My father's orders had to be carried out flawlessly. Any mistake would cost me the position of Crown Prince. I had no other way but to rely on the sorcerer's help. At first, they only wanted gold and silver, then they wanted tokens to leave the palace, and later, it became increasingly out of control."
"Shen Muzhou, do you want the position of Crown Prince very much?"
Shen Muzhou stood not far from him, his back straight, his posture magnificent. His perfectly sculpted face was a stark contrast to the squalor of this water prison. He said gravely, "The position of Crown Prince should not fall into the hands of someone like you. I only know that if I were to become Crown Prince in the future, I would prioritize Nanmin and its people in all matters."
Shen Qingyun looked at him and smiled enigmatically, it was unclear whether he was mocking him or himself.
Lin Yanxi turned and walked to a small square table with brush, ink, and paper. She wrote for a while, then picked up the paper and examined it. "This is a confession of guilt, admitting to colluding with the enemy, treason, illicit manufacturing of weapons, harming the people, and selling official positions."
"The other one, you will write yourself, abdicating the position of Crown Prince."
Shen Muzhou stared at her with a stern face, remaining silent.
Shen Qingyun said, "I will not sign it."
Lin Yanxi smiled. "Then that's perfect. You can wait here to die."
The wound on Shen Qingyun's chest continued to ooze blood. His face grew paler, his limbs numb and cold.
He knew he couldn't hold on much longer.
Lin Yanxi casually put down the confession and said to Shen Muzhou, "That's fine too. If he dies, it will be less troublesome."
"In any case, His Majesty had this intention long ago, but he was hesitant due to the Empress."
Shen Muzhou was displeased with her unilateral decision, but he still cooperated, saying, "Mm, let it be so."
With that, the two walked towards the place where small wooden sticks were laid out, intending to leave.
Shen Qingyun could no longer hold back. Already weak, he somehow found the strength to shout, "I'll write it, I'll write it!"
"I can't die here!"
As long as he was alive, there was still hope. If he died, everything would be lost!
Lin Yanxi turned back and smiled at him, her smile blooming like a flower, yet terrifyingly cold.
Shen Muzhou unbound Shen Qingyun from the wooden frame and let him down. Shen Qingyun, having recognized his predicament, picked up the brush without hesitation.
Lin Yanxi looked at the documents in her hand with satisfaction. Shen Qingyun asked, "When can I leave here?"
She shook the confession, "Leave here? With these charges, will His Majesty let you go? At best, you will be exiled to a barren land."
Shen Qingyun was not a fool. After writing the two papers, he calmly sat there and said, "You will not hand these charges over."
Lin Yanxi frowned and said, "That depends on how you treat my sister."
With that, Shen Muzhou put his arm around her shoulder and lifted her to the other side of the high platform, preventing her from having to cross the wooden sticks herself.
The door of the water prison opened, and the imperial physician was already waiting outside. Shen Muzhou ordered, "Help him stop the bleeding."
The imperial physician bowed and said, "Yes, Your Highness."
Lin Yanxi clutched Shen Qingyun's confession and handed the other paper, the abdication of the Crown Prince, to Shen Muzhou. She thought for a moment and decided to explain, "I wanted to discuss it with you earlier, but you... were always busy."
Shen Muzhou's gaze was fixed in the distance, not looking at her. "This was a transaction from the start. Whether you want to kill him or let him go, I don't care."
His expression was indifferent, yet he did not leave, still standing by her side as they walked out together. "Do you have nothing else to say to me?"
"Huh?"
Lin Yanxi looked up at him and immediately understood what he meant, but she truly had nothing to explain. She hadn't intended to stay anyway.
There was no need to give others false hope.
Walking beside him, she lowered her gaze and said softly, "I might go to Cong'an. I've heard it's very beautiful there, with spring-like weather all year round and simple folk. By then, you will be the esteemed Crown Prince, and I will still have to rely on you."
"Given our past acquaintance, I will send you letters."
Shen Muzhou walked ahead, about half a step in front of her, and continued forward without looking back.
---
In Nanmin Imperial Palace, at Fu'an Hall.
Since Shen Qingyun's imprisonment, the Emperor had frequently summoned not Shen Muzhou, but Shen Yu.
The Emperor always had a particular fondness for Shen Yu, his most untalented son, which led to speculation that the position of Crown Prince might fall to him.
He sat on the throne, while Shen Muzhou and Shen Yu stood in the center of the hall.
The Emperor of Nanmin rubbed the jade thumb ring on his finger, his gaze falling on a blood-written document on the table – the Crown Prince Shen Qingyun's abdication.
"Absurd! Nanmin only has deposed heirs, not self-abdications!" The Emperor of Nanmin's dark eyes fell unhappily on Shen Muzhou. "Is this an idea you came up with?"
"I heard that the second daughter of your estate is quite skillful. After a visit to the Dark Night Division, the Crown Prince voluntarily resigned."
Shen Muzhou knelt on the ground and said, "Lin Yanxi is not involved in this matter. It was all my idea."
"Your idea? I asked you to investigate the case, not to resort to torture! How Shen Qingyun is dealt with is up to me. Little Nine, this is the first time you've acted without restraint."
The Emperor of Nanmin picked up the memorial on the table and threw it down.
Shen Yu stepped forward and blocked the memorial, saying with a grin, "Father Emperor, since Brother Huang is unwilling to be the Crown Prince anymore, then let him not be. This conveniently solves your dilemma and also silences the public's gossip."
The Emperor had been troubled by Shen Qingyun's affairs for days. Deposing him as Crown Prince seemed like the best solution.
The Emperor of Nanmin glared at him and angrily cursed, "You heartless wretch."
Shen Yu, with his usual carefree demeanor, turned his eyes and said, "Father Emperor, don't rush to scold me. I do have an idea that can allow Little Nine to atone for his mistakes."
The Emperor of Nanmin did not believe he could come up with any good ideas and directly refused, "Forget it, what good ideas could you possibly have?"
Shen Yu said earnestly, "Why not punish Little Nine by having him personally escort Princess Chaoyang back to the manor? Since Father Emperor has decreed your marriage, you should not always quarrel."
The Emperor of Nanmin twirled the ring on his finger and looked at Shen Muzhou. "Mm, let's do as your fifth brother suggests."
Fearing that Shen Muzhou might refuse, he said with more seriousness, "Little Nine, you must remember what I told you that day. If you want to be Crown Prince, you must prioritize Nanmin's interests above all else."
"If I discover anyone, or anything, interfering with your choices, then..."
"Yes, this son understands."
Shen Muzhou knelt on the ground and bowed.
The Emperor of Nanmin's expression softened. "Little Nine, you may rise."
"In two days, it will be time for the royal hunt. Little Nine, this matter will be entrusted to you. Do not make any mistakes."
Shen Muzhou nodded. "Father Emperor, rest assured."
Since returning from the Dark Night Division yesterday, Lin Yanxi had not seen Shen Muzhou. He seemed not to have returned to the manor, busy with unknown matters.
In the past two days, she had repeatedly recalled Shen Muzhou's cold expression in the prison.
"Lizi, I think I have an ailment of the heart," she said, lying on the bed and covering her chest with her hand.
Lizi leaned over anxiously and said, "Miss, are you feeling unwell? Shall I call the imperial physician?"
Seeing that Lizi was about to run off to call the imperial physician, she quickly stopped her. "Oh, no, no, no need."
"My heart is just in turmoil. I don't know why, but I keep thinking of Shen Muzhou. When I close my eyes, it's him."
After saying that, she closed her eyes and then opened them again, sighing. "It's no use. Now, even when I open my eyes, it's him."
Hearing her say this, Lizi immediately understood. She smiled and said, "Miss, I think you've fallen in love."
"What are you talking about! How could I... how could I possibly like Shen Muzhou?"
Lizi said, "Then, Miss, since you miss His Highness, why don't you go see him?"
"I saw Sixth Master just now. I heard His Highness has returned to the manor."