The room grew quiet for a moment.
Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting dappled shadows on the floor. The shadows shifted slowly with the passage of time, like an invisible hand gently plucking the strings of time itself.
Pei Cijing and Shen Ninghuan exchanged a glance.
That glance stretched long.
Long enough for each to read clearly the emotions in the other’s eyes—shock, dawning realization, complexity, and a faint flicker of… just as we suspected.
“So…” Pei Cijing spoke slowly, his voice pitched very low. “The true purpose behind the Crown Prince’s coup is basically certain now.”
Shen Ninghuan gave a slight nod.
To put the Eighth Prince on the throne.
This conclusion had only been a guess moments ago, but the more they thought about it, the more it explained all the inconsistencies.
“No wonder he chose to strike during the palace banquet.” Pei Cijing’s gaze fell on some point outside the window, but his eyes were distant, as if replaying every detail of that night. “He wasn’t trying to be discreet—on the contrary, he wanted a spectacle. He needed everyone’s eyes on him. He needed the entire court to be present.”
He paused.
There was a note of analytical dissection in his voice.
“A hero needs a stage. And the palace banquet was the grandest stage the Crown Prince could build for the Eighth Prince.”
“At the most critical moment, the Eighth Prince descends like heaven-sent, turning the tide. Everyone present is both audience and witness to his merit in saving the emperor.”
“That debt of gratitude, they must acknowledge. That unspoken favor, they owe him.”
“As for how the old emperor would view a son who rescued him at the brink of death…” Pei Cijing shook his head slightly. “That goes without saying. It engraves gratitude and trust deep in his heart.”
Shen Ninghuan listened and nodded faintly.
She cross-referenced these analyses with what she had experienced at Huaqing Courtyard.
“The troop deployment follows the same logic,” Pei Cijing continued, frowning slightly before relaxing his brow. “At Hanyuan Hall, the goal was evenly matched forces—maybe even a slight upper hand for the Crown Prince’s side.”
“Otherwise, where would the Eighth Prince’s chance to step in come from? How would his intervention appear decisive?”
“If the Crown Prince had captured His Majesty outright, there’d be no rescue to perform. If the Crown Prince’s side were too weak and the Eighth Prince won too easily, how could he showcase his tide-turning prowess?”
“It had to be just right. It had to hang by a thread. Everyone had to be sweating in suspense, and at the most perilous moment—he appears.”
Shen Ninghuan recalled the hulking, weapon-proof assassin as she listened.
“That expert sent to Huaqing Courtyard…” she said softly. “I doubt his purpose was really to take the Empress Dowager hostage.”
Pei Cijing looked at her.
Their eyes met again.
“My lady, what do you mean?”
Shen Ninghuan’s voice dropped even lower, barely a whisper that could be scattered by the wind: “His true aim likely wasn’t coercion or blackmail… more likely, it was to kill Empress Qin.”
Her words hung in the air, and the room fell silent once more.
Pei Cijing’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Yes.
That made sense now.
Empress Qin was the birth mother of the Sixth Prince, Li Chengyu. After the Crown Prince’s death, by legal precedent, the Sixth Prince would be the eldest legitimate son.
If the Crown Prince failed and died, the strongest contender for the throne was the Sixth Prince.
But what if the Sixth Prince also died?
What if Empress Qin, too, died?
Among the remaining princes, the Eighth Prince’s position would be unmatched.
Pei Cijing’s mind raced through images from the previous night—the Sixth Prince had been surrounded and attacked. By the time the play ended, his body was covered in wounds, countless cuts all over.
He could only gasp for breath, leaning against a pillar.
“No wonder,” Pei Cijing murmured. “No wonder the Crown Prince sent so many people to gang up on the Sixth Prince—all experts, every strike aimed at vital spots. They truly meant to kill, not just make a show of it.”
“So at Hanyuan Hall, the Crown Prince also wanted him taken out.”
Shen Ninghuan was silent for a moment, then said softly, “That hulking man didn’t succeed either… because I raised a warning, and the Empress Dowager arranged her defenses in advance. My grandmother offered tactical guidance to slow him down until a mysterious black-clad figure subdued him.”
As she spoke, she fixed her gaze on Pei Cijing.
There was a complex mixture in her eyes—relief, lingering fear, and a deeply hidden trace of… tenderness.
If not for her grandmother’s experience guiding the imperial guards to strike at the assassin’s vital points; if not for a certain “black-clad figure” dropping from nowhere and taking him down using… less-than-graceful means…
At Huaqing Courtyard…
The outcome might have been far different.
If something had happened to Empress Qin…
Shen Ninghuan didn’t finish that thought.
Pei Cijing cleared his throat, looked away, and continued his analysis: “Judging by this, everything the Crown Prince did was to clear obstacles for the Eighth Prince—using his own death to cement the Eighth Prince’s merit of rescuing the emperor, and taking out the Sixth Prince and the Empress to pave the way for the Eighth Prince’s eventual ascension.”
“But why?”
He frowned.
“Given the Crown Prince’s urgency, it may be that he’s dying—that we can understand. He wants to arrange matters posthumously. But if he wants to elevate someone, why not his own son? Why the Eighth Prince?”
That was the key question.
Shen Ninghuan pondered for a moment, then said quietly, “Most likely because… the Grandson cannot inherit.”
She paused, explaining: “In the previous dynasty, the forced skipping of a generation in succession led to uncles and nephews tearing each other apart, the realm splintering and falling into chaos. Great Qian’s founding emperor rose from obscurity in that war-torn era and eventually united the land.”
“Taking history as a lesson, all subsequent Great Qian dynasties have had a rule—unless the middle generation is completely wiped out, or not a single qualified person can be found, the throne shall not skip a generation.”
She looked up at Pei Cijing.
“The Crown Prince knows very well that after he dies, the Grandson cannot sit on that throne. So he has to settle for the next best thing—choose among his brothers the one he most approves of and give him a push.”
Pei Cijing shook his head after listening.
“But that doesn’t add up either.”
He frowned deeper, his fingers drumming unconsciously on his knee.
“The cost is too great! Even if the Grandson can’t inherit the throne, he’d still get a princely title—a Prince of the Blood or a Commandery Prince, at least—with endless wealth and honor. But now, with the Crown Prince pulling this coup, the Grandson’s future is grim. Having a father who rebelled—what kind of life lies ahead?”
“He’d be lucky not to purged.”
“Worst case, he’d be stripped of his title, demoted to commoner, and placed under lifelong house arrest.”
“Can a half-brother really be dearer than a son of one’s own blood? Even a full-blooded brother wouldn’t go this far. Unless…”
He stopped abruptly.
Shen Ninghuan also stopped.
Their gazes collided midair in that instant, and something blazed forth like a lightning bolt, cutting through all the fog.
Unless…
Between the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince, the bond was not merely that of brothers.
It was closer. Much closer.
Pei Cijing's Adam's apple rolled. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but the speculation he had in mind was so bold that it even struck him as absurd.
But it seemed that only this speculation could explain everything.
"Unless..." His voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, as if he was afraid of disturbing something. "The Eighth Prince is the Crown Prince's... son."
Shen Ninghuan's expression changed slightly and then quickly returned to normal. However, the shock in her eyes was impossible to hide.
This speculation might seem a bit far - fetched at first glance, but it was actually quite reasonable!
Only in this way could it explain why the Crown Prince was willing to sacrifice his own life to pave the way for the Eighth Prince, and why he was willing to sacrifice the future of his own son just to support this so - called younger brother to the throne.
Because the Eighth Prince was not his younger brother; he was his son.
The room fell into a deathly silence.
Outside the window, the birds were still chirping, and the warm sunlight shone in, casting mottled shadows on the ground. Everything seemed normal, as calm as if nothing had happened.
However, in this room, a huge storm was raging in the hearts of the two people.
Just then -
A clear prompt sound exploded in Pei Cijing's mind, making him jump in fright.
[Ding! Successfully "ate the melon" (gossiped) about "Crown Prince: Eighth Brother, guess who I am? I'm your father!", 5318 melon - eating points gained!]
[Current melon - eating points: 25734]
Pei Cijing: "…………"
He stared at the line of words floating in the void in front of him, not knowing what to say for a moment.
System!
You really know how to summarize!
You really know how to come up with titles. You also know how to rub salt into the wound at the most shocking moment. Everything is confirmed, but this truth is really... hard to put into words.
The Crown Prince is really a "filial son".
He has given the old emperor a very "healthy", "environment - friendly" and "vibrant" cuckold.
Pei Cijing couldn't help but silently offer three imaginary incense sticks to the old emperor in his heart - Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the good son you've raised for so many years not only wants to usurp your throne, but also... well, actually, he already has.
If the old emperor knew the truth, what would he think?
Would he fly into a rage?
Would he be heart - broken?
Or would he spit out a mouthful of old blood and die on the spot?
Pei Cijing shook his head, trying to shake this dangerous thought out of his mind. Royal affairs were none of his business. However, he still thanked the Crown Prince and the old emperor for contributing a large number of melon - eating points.
Thank you very much!
To be honest, he didn't have much of a reaction to this kind of thing.
In his previous life's history, he had seen too many such royal secrets.
Take the famous Tang Dynasty for example. It was a prosperous era with a powerful national strength and was respected by other countries. However, there were many strange things in the royal family, such as sons marrying their fathers' wives and fathers taking their sons' wives. These things happened more than once.
It was really hard to tell whether to praise them for being open - minded or scold them for being absurd.
In comparison, the fact that the Crown Prince made the emperor an unwitting father, although quite explosive, was not unprecedented.
Pei Cijing even had the leisure to recall in his mind - well, according to some unofficial histories, there was an emperor who, after his death, found that several of his princes were not his own. That was a real "Green Giant".
Of course, he didn't dare to say this out loud.
He was afraid of polluting his wife's pure mind.
Now that the truth was clear, the tense string in Pei Cijing's heart finally relaxed.
After so much reasoning and analysis, and having "eaten" enough gossip, he finally realized that he hadn't slept all night. Sleepiness washed over him like a tide. His eyelids began to droop, and his head felt heavy.
He let out a big yawn.
The yawn was so big that tears came out of his eyes, and his eye sockets turned slightly red.
The wise and confident look he had just now instantly disappeared, and he reverted to his usual lazy self, preferring to lie down rather than sit.
"Wife," he said softly, his voice full of sleepy laziness. "What we just discussed are just our speculations. The truth doesn't really matter to us. How about... taking a nap first?"
He blinked his eyes and looked at Shen Ninghuan.
His eyes were watery because of sleepiness. Combined with his handsome face, he actually looked a bit... pitiful.
"I'm so sleepy. I haven't slept all night, and I've been fighting. I'm so tired that my bones are falling apart."
Seeing his appearance, Shen Ninghuan couldn't help but smile.
This husband of hers.
Just now, he looked so confident and in control, but in a blink of an eye, he became a lazy bug who loved to act coquettishly and stay in bed.
However, this appearance made her feel extremely at ease.
Outside, he could take on responsibilities; in front of her, he didn't have to pretend.
"Okay," she said gently, reaching out to smooth his messy hair. "Let's put this matter to rest. You've worked hard all night. You really need to have a good rest."
Pei Cijing stood up.
He pulled Shen Ninghuan's hand and walked towards the inner room.
"Let's go, let's go to sleep. There's nothing more important than sleeping. Forget about the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince, and forget about those royal secrets. We'll deal with them after we wake up." He kept muttering as he walked. "I've stayed up all night. I must have a good sleep, or I'll definitely have a headache tomorrow..."
Shen Ninghuan let him pull her.
They entered the inner room.
They took off their outer clothes and lay on the bed.
As soon as Pei Cijing touched the pillow, sleepiness completely engulfed him. He instinctively reached out and put his arm around Shen Ninghuan's waist, pulling her closer to him. Then he closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually became long and steady.
The action was so natural as if he had done it thousands of times.
Shen Ninghuan leaned in his arms, feeling the warmth from his body and listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat, but she didn't fall asleep immediately.
She opened her eyes and her gaze fell on the orchid embroidery on the bed curtain.
The orchids were embroidered very well, with their leaves spreading out and the flowers looking elegant. They were part of her dowry. The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the window lattice and cast thin light patterns on the bed curtain, which swayed gently with the breeze.
Her thoughts, however, drifted far away.
The two of them now knew a lot.
They not only knew the true identity of the Eighth Prince but also the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince. Any of these secrets, if spread, would be earth - shattering.
However, this wasn't a big problem as long as they kept their mouths shut.
There was actually one thing they needed to be on guard against - their performance at the palace banquet might have caught the attention of some people.
On the surface, except for her husband, all the people from the Marquis Mansion who attended the banquet had "the merit of protecting the emperor".
On the men's side, her uncle and the others fought bravely against the enemies, which was unproblematic.
But what about the women's side?
It was she who reminded the queen, allowing Huaqingyuan to be prepared in advance. It was the old lady who gave advice and held back the steps of the strong men, and she even executed three rebels with a cane, stabilizing the situation.
In the end, the queen was safe and sound.
The queen's safety meant that the Crown Prince's plan had been disrupted by them, and a cornerstone on the Eighth Prince's path to the throne had been removed.
What would the Eighth Prince do if he found out about this...
