TRBDM -Chapter 176 Replace Who?

Zhao Jingyan angrily flicked his sleeve, deliberately striking Jiang Yuelin’s left arm.

A sharp pain shot through him. Jiang Yuelin’s brows knit slightly, and he swallowed the groan that nearly escaped his lips.

Zhao Jingyan strode out first. Jiang Yuelin closed his eyes for a moment to steady himself. Only after the initial wave of pain subsided did he follow.

The two arrived at the Court of Judicial Review. Minister Feng Yun immediately came out to greet them.

“Your Highness the Third Prince, you’ve arrived. Please, come in.”

Zhao Jingyan cast Feng Yun a sidelong glance, thinking to himself that the old fox truly put on a convincing show.

The Court of Judicial Review supported the Crown Prince and constantly opposed Zhao Jingyan. He had long hated Feng Yun to the core.

Zhao Jingyan took the seat of honor without ceremony and tapped the table impatiently.

“I hear the culprit in the Qingfeng Palace poisoning case is Fifth Brother. Where is his confession? Bring it to me.”

Feng Yun shot Jiang Yuelin a meaningful look. Jiang Yuelin said, “Please wait a moment, Your Highness. I will have someone fetch it at once.”

Soon, the confession was delivered.

Zhao Jingyan skimmed through it at a glance, uninterested in the details of the process. His gaze stopped on the final line: All of it was ordered by the Third Prince.

His fists clenched, and he crushed the confession in his hand.

“Your Highness, please calm your anger. This is the only copy. If it’s destroyed, it will be gone,” Feng Yun hurried forward and carefully retrieved the crumpled document from Zhao Jingyan’s hand.

He unfolded it and checked. Fortunately, it wasn’t damaged—the words were still legible, though the paper was wrinkled beyond recognition.

Feng Yun handed the confession to a subordinate and instructed him to keep it safe.

“Your Highness, please quell your anger. The Fifth Prince’s confession is only half true and half false. Until we obtain solid evidence, the Court of Judicial Review will never wrongfully accuse you.”

The implication was clear: once they found evidence, Zhao Jingyan would not be able to clear his name.

Zhao Jingyan stared at Feng Yun and let out a cold snort. As expected, old ginger was indeed spicier.

With Feng Yun, that smiling tiger, in charge, the Court of Judicial Review would undoubtedly become the greatest obstacle to his succession to the throne.

The anger Zhao Jingyan had swallowed at the Princess’s residence churned in his chest, already on the verge of exploding, and now Feng Yun had foolishly collided head-on with it.

If Zhao Jingyan had a blade in his hand at this moment, he would have plunged it into Feng Yun’s neck.

Zhao Jingrui, the Court of Judicial Review—since none of them would let him live in peace, he would show them just how ruthless he could be.

He didn’t care why Zhao Jingrui had administered the poison or how he had done it. As long as Zhao Jingrui knew his secret, he had to die.

For now, Zhao Jingrui was in the hands of the Eldest Princess, beyond his reach. But Liuxiao Palace still stood—his fury had to find an outlet somewhere.

As for Feng Yun—at his age, after serving so long as Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, it was about time.

If he refused to walk the broad and sunny road, then Zhao Jingrui would help pave his path to the Yellow Springs and send him on his way early.

“Minister Feng, you’d better weigh carefully the consequences of slandering me.”

Zhao Jingyan jabbed Feng Yun’s shoulder twice with force so great it nearly pierced through bone.

“Rest assured, Your Highness. The Court of Judicial Review will never wrongfully accuse you.”

Zhao Jingyan gave a cold snort. “Is that so? We shall see.”

After Zhao Jingyan left, Jiang Yuelin immediately asked, “My lord, are you injured?”

Feng Yun covered his shoulder and slowly found a chair to sit down. “No. But the Third Prince’s strength is formidable. These old bones of mine were nearly poked apart.”

Jiang Yuelin looked worried. “My lord, I don’t think the Third Prince will let this go.”

Feng Yun sighed. “How could I not know?”

He continued, rubbing his shoulder, “His Majesty’s health has been declining more and more lately. Who knows which day…”

Jiang Yuelin frowned.

If His Majesty were to pass away, the Third Prince, no longer restrained, would certainly wage open war against the Crown Prince.

At that time, the officials of the Court of Judicial Review would become thorns in the Third Prince’s eyes.

“And the Crown Prince? Has he made any moves?”

Feng Yun replied as he kneaded his shoulder, “The Crown Prince is soft by nature, a man without firm resolve. The Empress’s natal family is weak and cannot compare to the vast power of the Noble Consort’s faction. If the Crown Princess were to give birth to a royal heir and His Majesty passed on the throne, we would have both reason and legitimacy to support him. But the Eastern Palace remains without issue. Even with an imperial edict from His Majesty, if the Third Prince forces his way into the palace, the Crown Prince’s throne would not remain secure for long.”

A sudden thought flashed through Jiang Yuelin’s mind.

The idea was far too bold. If he weren’t speaking to Feng Yun, he would never have dared to voice it.

“Why doesn’t His Majesty replace the heir with another prince?”

Feng Yun looked up. “Replace him with whom? You and I both know the ten princes in the palace. Most are mediocre in ability, and many have already been won over by the Third Prince or the Crown Prince. For the sake of self-preservation, none of them would dare compete for the throne.”

Jiang Yuelin pondered. “What about the Tenth Prince?”

“The Tenth Prince? Him? Impossible.” Feng Yun waved his hand dismissively. “Yuelin, have you lost your senses? If you had said the Ninth Prince, I might have understood. But why the Tenth Prince of all people?”

The Tenth Prince, Zhao Jingheng, was the least noticeable among all the imperial sons. His birth mother had died early, he was not favored by the Emperor, and he had been sent out of the palace to study at the Imperial Academy for three years.

How could such a prince possibly become the new emperor of the Dachong Dynasty?

But Jiang Yuelin held a different view. Precisely because the Tenth Prince had kept such a low profile, many people had overlooked his true abilities.

At the Princess Royal’s residence yesterday, he had clearly sensed that the Princess Royal treated the Tenth Prince differently.

If the Tenth Prince had the Princess Royal’s support, contending for the throne would not be impossible.

Still, Jiang Yuelin had no intention of arguing with Feng Yun. “You are right, sir.”

“By the way, has the Fifth Prince regained consciousness?”

“Not yet.”

“It seems today’s interrogation will have to be postponed. Yuelin, you’re injured—go back and rest.”

Jiang Yuelin had been running around all morning and was indeed exhausted. His arm throbbed with pain and numbness.

He had not returned to the Jiang residence these past days, afraid his parents would worry if they saw him like this. Instead, he had been staying at the Court of Judicial Review.

Returning to his room, he lay down. Beside his pillow was the sachet gifted by Xie Wanrou. Its faint, bitter fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose. Closing his eyes, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

At Xiang Mountain—

Xie Lan and Xie Yu had just reached the summit.

In the highest pavilion on the mountain, Xie Yu leaned against the railing and shouted, “Ah—ah—ah—!”

The cool wind at the peak whipped his robes into the air. The young man’s black hair, glossy as dark silk, danced in graceful arcs in the breeze.

“Third Brother, I’m so happy!”

His chest vibrated with the force of his voice. At this moment, he felt happiness to the extreme.

A faint smile curved Xie Lan’s lips as he quietly watched Xie Yu revel in his joy.

But before long, a trace of sorrow flickered in his eyes.

One day, Xie Yu would change his surname. The days when they both bore the name Xie were numbered.

“Third Brother, let’s go pray to the Buddha. I want to pray for everyone.”

“Alright.”

Xie Lan had come out today simply to accompany Xie Yu. Whatever he wanted to do was fine.

The two of them went to the largest hall on Xiang Mountain.

Xie Yu requested three sticks of incense and knelt devoutly before the Buddha.

First, he prayed for his family’s peace and good health.

Second, he prayed that the unspoken hardship weighing on his mother’s heart would soon be resolved.

Third, he prayed that his Third Brother would achieve top honors in the imperial examination.

After three bows, he placed the incense into the burner.

Xie Lan also requested three sticks of incense. Each one was a prayer for his Fourth Brother’s lifelong safety and smooth path.

After leaving the main hall, the two of them headed to the vegetarian hall for a meal.

“Third Brother, I’ve heard the Guanyin noodles at Xiang Mountain are especially delicious. Shall we have that today?”

“Alright. I’ll follow your lead.”

Before they could step inside the vegetarian hall, they unexpectedly ran into Nangong Hai.