Chapter 14: She Is a Thief
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This is sheer disrespect! The Retired Emperor had just passed away; his body was still warm, lying on the bed. Yet, Prince Jin was right there by the bedside, holding a young lady closely, whispering sweet nothings! Such filial piety! Even the Emperor, who had long wished for the Retired Emperor to find peace in the afterlife, now felt a pang of injustice on his behalf.
“Father, this is your most cherished youngest son! Open your eyes and see how devoted he is!”
The Emperor issued an edict, attended to urgent matters, and then went to see the fainted Empress Dowager before deciding to return for one last look at the Retired Emperor. That was when he witnessed the scene before him.
“Zhou Shiyue, aren’t you afraid that Father might come looking for you in the middle of the night?”
The Emperor was furious to see Prince Jin still clutching the girl without letting go.
“Release her. Let me see who this shameless woman is, daring to throw herself into your arms at such a time and place!”
His first thought was that she must be from the palace’s harem, and one who had actively sought out Prince Jin. After all, as far as he knew, Prince Jin had a solitary nature and was not fond of women. Though he disliked Prince Jin, the Emperor had to admit that he was not the type to fool around with women casually.
Standing by was Qing Feng, helpless and anxious. At a time like this, a Miss Lu had absolutely no right to be in the palace, let alone here in the imperial chamber. If the Emperor saw her, it would bring no good—indeed, it might even mean a death sentence. What Miss Lu had just done could never be revealed to the Emperor; otherwise, there would be no way to explain why she was here.
Fortunately, Miss Lu had fainted, and her face was buried in the prince’s arms, so the Emperor could only see the back of her head, not her face.
Qing Feng nervously looked at the prince. What were they to do now?
“Who is she?” The Emperor narrowed his eyes. No matter who the girl was, she had no business being here.
She was not wearing the attire of a palace maid or any noblewoman’s court dress.
“No matter who she is, intruding into the Palace of Eternal Longevity and disturbing the Retired Emperor’s repose is an unforgivable crime!”
The Retired Emperor had just passed; for a stranger to break in and possibly disturb his soul was the gravest of disrespect—a crime worthy of death.
“Guards—”
“She is already dead. I’ll have Qing Feng throw her out.” Prince Jin cut off the Emperor’s words with a single sentence.
“Qing Feng.”
Qing Feng immediately snapped to attention and stepped forward.
“I will carry her out myself!”
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Prince Jin grunted, lifted the fainted woman from his arms, and laid her over Qing Feng’s shoulder.
“Throw her out.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Qing Feng immediately hoisted her up as if she were a sack of grain and ran off.
“Stop!”
The Emperor stomped his foot.
“Probably just a petty thief, taking advantage of Father’s death to sneak into the bedchamber and steal something,” Prince Jin said, blocking the Emperor.
The Emperor’s face darkened; he almost raised his hand to slap him.
“Zhou Shiyue, do you realize what you’re saying? This is the imperial palace—what brazen little thief dares to sneak into the Palace of Eternal Longevity? Order your men to stop her! I want to see who is so bold!”
“Perhaps just a guilty maid?” Prince Jin said, then secretly struck a nearby guard with a finger wind attack.
“Ouch!” The guard, struck in the knee pit, suddenly collapsed forward, knocking down two comrades.
By the time the commotion was over, Qing Feng and the woman had vanished without a trace.
The Emperor’s anger flared to red, glaring at Prince Jin.
“Who is that woman? Zhou Shiyue, I am not joking with you—”
“Does Your Majesty not see that the woman is already dead? Did you see any movement from her?” Prince Jin said indifferently, completely ignoring his rage.
The Emperor was speechless.
He recalled how the woman had indeed gone limp in Prince Jin’s arms. Even under the Emperor’s thunderous reprimand, she hadn’t moved a finger. Could she truly be dead?
“Wasn’t she just fainted?” The Emperor wondered if he had nearly been led astray.
“I caught her myself. How could she just faint?” Prince Jin extended his hands from behind his back and produced a spirit tablet. “Brother, look at this first.”
With that, he shifted the topic, leaving the Emperor momentarily stunned.
But the distraction worked. Seeing the spirit tablet made the Emperor’s eyes widen.
“How did you manage to make this?”
“Father once told me that when he passed, he hoped to have a spirit tablet carved and placed in the ancestral temple so he could watch over the palace and the capital every day, since the imperial tomb was too far away.”
(Hmm, Father, let me take the blame for you—whether you said it or not, I’m treating it as if you did.)
The Emperor’s eyes grew even wider. “Nonsense!”
Wasn’t the Retired Emperor supposed to be buried in the imperial tomb? Why carve a simple spirit tablet just to place it in the ancestral temple? And to crudely inscribe ‘Spirit Tablet of Zhou Changxi’ on it—what nonsense was this?
“This was Father’s wish,” Prince Jin said calmly. “Brother, do you not even agree with such a simple last wish from Father?”
The last wish had been spoken aloud!
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The Emperor was again at a loss for words. How could he possibly disagree?
The Retired Emperor’s spirit tablet placed in the ancestral temple outside the palace wasn’t unacceptable.
He studied Prince Jin, thinking this might be his way of holding on to some memory. After all, the ancestral temple was in the capital, where Prince Jin could occasionally offer incense.
Beyond that, there was nothing else he could do. From now on, all that remained was the spirit tablet of the Retired Emperor; there would be no more protection from Father!
The Great Zhou Dynasty was finally under his sole command!
Thinking of this, the Emperor’s mood improved. The frail woman from before and the spirit tablet did not seem so troubling now. He even found Prince Jin somewhat agreeable.
“I agree,” the Emperor said, patting Prince Jin’s shoulder. “Leave this matter to you.”
He glanced at the spirit tablet, suddenly sensing a flicker in the inscription. But when he looked again, there was no change.
The Emperor rubbed his eyes.
He thought perhaps it was just a trick of his sight.
“I will first go to the ancestral temple, then return to keep vigil,” Prince Jin said, looking back at the Retired Emperor on the bed, suppressing the surge of sorrow.
“Farewell, Father. Rest well.”
“Go ahead. Rest assured, I will see to Father’s funeral with all due grandeur.”
Prince Jin stopped at the threshold.
“Brother, Father was still concerned about my marriage before he left.”
The Emperor heard this too.
“Didn’t Father mention that Miss Shen from the Shen family…” The Emperor recalled something about Shen Xiangjun having some kind of fortune or destiny.
Prince Jin’s eyes flickered, then he said calmly, “Yes, it seems Father hoped I would marry Miss Shen.”
The Emperor’s heart immediately tightened.
He must never let Prince Jin marry Shen Xiangjun!
Father had chosen her for Prince Jin, undoubtedly the most advantageous match. He must not let them succeed!
“Ayue, Father really hoped you would marry a woman you love. I know you don’t like Shen Xiangjun.”
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