Chapter 55: The Best Soulmate Under Heaven
“A dam across the river?”
In the court hall, the officials looked at one another. Yet the memorial was written in a clear and logical manner. There were parts they could not understand, but the parts they could understand were truly astonishing.
Someone suddenly slapped his thigh. “What a pity. Truly a pity. If only Great Qian had enough financial strength, we really should try and see whether this dam would work.”
“Exactly. This is a way to solve the flood disaster completely. If it has even the slightest effect, Great Qian’s grain output may increase by several tenths.”
Sighs filled the hall, along with a few people beating their chests in regret. Poverty was truly the root of all evil.
It was such a pity. Such a good strategy, yet it could not be implemented.
“May the king please have this memorial stored away. When Great Qian has the financial strength one day, perhaps it will still be useful.”
The atmosphere became somewhat heavy. Such a fine proposal, yet it could not be used.
“Although Prince Zheng and the others have not yet resolved the flood disaster, this official believes they deserve credit for proposing this plan.”
But as soon as his words fell, Crown Prince Jiao stepped forward. “Let us set aside whether this armchair strategy is useful or not. It is merely a plan that has not yet been put into practice. If rewards are granted so easily, what should be done if problems arise later? It will not be too late to discuss rewards once the matter has been carried out.”
Heh. Want a reward? Absolutely impossible. This dam across the river could not be built at all.
Everyone: “…”
What he said was not entirely unreasonable. After all, this was something that had never appeared before. No matter how impressive it looked on paper, without actual implementation, no one knew whether it would truly work.
In the end, the first memorial was merely stored away, leaving countless sighs behind.
The king looked at the smiling crown prince, and for some reason, his brows furrowed slightly.
At a time when floods were breaking out everywhere, he was still thinking of suppressing the other party. To be honest, if Great Qian was handed over to someone like this, it would probably have to endure quite a period of turmoil.
But…
The king sighed inwardly. Then he looked at the remaining memorial in his hands, his expression unreadable.
At this moment, a minister asked, “Is the memorial in Your Majesty’s hands also from Prince Zheng and Grand Scholar Zhaoxue?”
Because a memorial that listed data and cited facts like this had never been seen before. It was clearly in the same style as the previous memorial, and with the first memorial as precedent, everyone was rather curious about the remaining one.
The king pondered for a long while, glanced at the crown prince, then had the memorial distributed. He said, “It is an analysis of the cause behind this flood disaster.”
Hearing this, the officials could not help but be stunned. Was the flood not a natural disaster? Could the cause actually be found?
The king did not speak. He simply waited in silence for the officials to finish reading the memorial.
“Tree cutting? Soil erosion? Destruction of vegetation?”
There were many novel terms. Although they could not fully understand them, they could understand what the memorial was trying to express.
They could not help looking at one another. Could it be that the so-called natural disaster was not entirely a natural disaster?
“The memorial says this is the result of the mighty power of nature. It is a profound field of knowledge. If this knowledge is mastered well, it may be possible to prevent natural disasters from occurring.”
To be honest, it overturned their previous understanding.
The king suddenly said, “Bring the map.”
When a map was laid out before everyone, the king circled the areas where floods frequently occurred with a brush. “Everyone, take a look. Are these places lacking in trees?”
Everyone froze. The circled areas were indeed mostly sandy lands.
“Could it really be as the memorial says? Because the vegetation was destroyed, the flood occurred? Is this actually a man-made disaster?”
Hiss. If that was true, then all the disasters they had once blamed on heaven were… were things they had brought upon themselves.
For a moment, they could not even speak.
But it was indeed so. All the places where floods occurred frequently shared these traits without exception.
“The memorial also says that what soil erosion washes away is not only soil, but also the fertility of the land. If that is truly the case, Your Majesty must pay great attention to it. Ye City and the other two cities of Great Qian have always had abundant harvests. If soil erosion causes the land to lose its fertility, would that not bring disaster upon future generations?”
The king did not speak. As always, he sat on the dragon throne with dignity and solemnity, as if the discussions of everyone in the hall had nothing to do with him.
Not only the king, even the Three Dukes were the same. They had even begun to close their eyes and rest, because what these people were discussing was not the key point. The key point was the content at the back of the memorial.
Because they had been the first to receive the memorial, they had already read the latter portion.
So no matter how excited everyone was now, it was merely the prelude before the storm.
The front part of the memorial analyzed the fundamental cause of the flood disaster, and it was so well argued that it left no room for doubt. But all of that was merely paving the way for the latter part.
And the latter part pointed, with irrefutable evidence, directly at the culprit behind this flood disaster.
The Three Dukes drooped their eyelids and glanced sideways at Crown Prince Jiao, because Crown Prince Jiao was still occasionally adding with a smile, “Even so, it can still be counted as a natural disaster, no? Otherwise, why did floods not occur elsewhere, yet happen in that particular place? Prince Zheng is greedy for great achievements and has brought these strange ideas into the court. He is merely sensationalizing things.”
The Three Dukes shook their heads. All along, the crown prince had suppressed the other princes. They had not expected that Prince Zheng would either not strike back at all, or once he did, strike directly at Crown Prince Jiao’s vital point. What this memorial hid was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
However, the Three Dukes exchanged glances. What did the king mean? The king had been the first to read this memorial, which meant he knew what the consequences of making it public would be.
Recently, there had been rumors that the king and Prince Zhuo were getting along very well…
Sure enough, the officials, who had originally been discussing heatedly, gradually fell silent. Their gazes toward Crown Prince Jiao became somewhat strange.
Crown Prince Jiao had also glanced through the memorial earlier. Yet he could still act as if nothing had happened, smiling as he nitpicked Prince Zheng in a mild, painless manner?
Compared to the contents of this memorial, the things Crown Prince Jiao had used to accuse Prince Zheng were indeed nothing at all.
In the end, only Crown Prince Jiao’s voice remained in the hall.
After a long while, the king finally said without any emotion, “Why has everyone stopped speaking?”
Everyone’s hearts trembled. Speak about what?
If they continued, then it would be…
But since the king had asked this question, did he want to hear what they were thinking now, or did he not?
The king had always been like this. No one could guess what he was truly thinking.
No one in the hall spoke, and the king did not utter a sound either.
Crown Prince Jiao still found it odd. What was going on?
It was also because the moment he saw something from Qi Zheng and Chen Bai, disgust rose in his heart, so he had not even read the full memorial.
Of course, the memorial was indeed not just a little long. Who would have thought that a memorial that began so seriously about flood disasters would suddenly change direction at the end and become an arrow aimed at someone, so sharp it was unstoppable?
In the end, Shang Wangshu opened his eyes. Having served as monarch and minister with the king for so many years, he actually understood some things in his heart.
The moment the king distributed this memorial, he had already made his attitude clear. He was merely waiting for someone to start.
And as the maker and defender of Great Qian’s laws, even if no one else dared to speak, he had to speak in accordance with the king’s will. After all, Great Qian belonged to the king, not to Crown Prince Jiao.
Shang Wangshu’s voice rang out in the hall. Generally, the Three Dukes rarely spoke. Once they did, all the officials were bound to pay attention.
Shang Wangshu looked at Crown Prince Jiao. “May I ask Your Highness, was it Your Highness who sent people to cut down trees on a large scale near the river channel above Ye City?”
Crown Prince Jiao froze. For some reason, his expression became extremely unnatural. Then he said, “Is Lord Shang preparing to accuse me? It is true that I cut down some trees to expand the Eastern Palace. Does Lord Shang believe that because I cut down some trees, this flood disaster was caused? Prince Zheng and Grand Scholar Zhaoxue’s heretical claims have yet to be proven accurate by anyone.”
It was indeed as he said. Although the memorial’s analysis was already convincing enough that people had no choice but to believe it, it was still a new viewpoint. To make a final judgment was not so easy, especially when using such a viewpoint to suppress the current crown prince.
In short, it could not hammer him to death. At most, it could disgust him a little.
But… Shang Wangshu sighed inwardly. If only it were truly that simple.
The final part of the memorial did not say much, but all the previous data pointed in one direction.
Shang Wangshu glanced at the king on the dragon throne, then continued, “According to the numbers counted in this memorial, the trees cut down by the crown prince far exceeded what was needed to expand the Eastern Palace. The memorial says that the surplus quantity is enough to build two military camps…”
Those few inconspicuous words in the memorial were the true key.
“May Your Highness please explain where these trees went? That way, we may return Your Highness’s innocence and prevent estrangement from forming in His Majesty’s heart.”
The hall fell silent.
Everyone had still been wondering how the felling of trees for the expansion of the Eastern Palace could cause such a massive flood disaster.
So the root of it was here.
The few sheets attached to the back of the memorial were filled entirely with data on the felled trees. Even the age of the large trees had been recorded. Something so detailed would be difficult to forge even if one wanted to.
Prince Zheng’s attack had come very abruptly. No, calling it an attack was not quite right. He truly was merely analyzing the flood disaster.
But it was precisely something so evidence-based, something that seemed to point straight at the vital point unintentionally, that was the deadliest.
Crown Prince Jiao’s expression became spectacular.
He had probably never imagined that such faint traces could actually point directly to his private construction of camps and his raising of private soldiers. If this was confirmed, his position as crown prince would probably come to an end.
What he had not expected was that the secret he believed to be the best hidden had long since been placed on the king’s desk for who knew how long.
Panic flashed through his heart.
He gritted his teeth. “Lord Shang suspects that I privately built military camps?”
Lord Shang lowered his eyelids. “It is not that I suspect it. Rather, all the evidence shows that there are indeed many suspicious points.”
“The matter of expanding the Eastern Palace has always been supervised and managed by Meng Huanchao, the chief retainer of my residence. I know nothing else.”
Crown Prince Jiao was indeed panicking, but at least he still had his final reliance. Meng Huanchao was so clever. He would definitely be able to think of a way to resolve this.
In the past, his nature had been vicious and violent. It was Meng Huanchao who told him that this would not do. As crown prince, he had to possess both virtue and worth.
So before others, he had imitated Meng Huanchao in every way, and it had indeed earned him a rather virtuous reputation and secured his position as crown prince.
In the past, he had not known how to get closer to that position. It was Meng Huanchao who told him what he should do.
In the past, Meng Huanchao…
Thinking about it now, it seemed he had always lived according to Meng Huanchao’s requirements. But he did not think there was anything wrong with that, because Meng Huanchao was the only person who would never betray him.
Shang Wangshu was just about to say something when the king spoke. “Since Meng Huanchao was responsible for this matter, after court is dismissed, summon Meng Huanchao to the palace for questioning.”
Shang Wangshu froze. After court was dismissed, summon him into the palace for questioning?
What did the king mean by this? He had thought that by distributing that memorial, the king had already made his attitude clear. But now…
However, this matter involved the crown prince and shook the foundation of the state. It was indeed up to the king’s will. None of them could make the decision.
The court discussion ended there. Crown Prince Jiao was directly kept in the palace.
When the officials left the hall after court, only then did they realize that their backs were soaked in sweat.
Though it was only a small memorial, it could shake heaven and earth, and even change Great Qian’s future.
They looked at one another, and not a single person dared to speak.
Where exactly had those extra felled trees gone? Had they been used to privately build military camps, or had they gone somewhere else?
Everyone had their own guesses, but no one dared say what they were thinking. One careless word, and they would offend either the king or the crown prince.
No one dared converse at all. They hurried back home and shut their gates. At the very least, now was not the time for mutual visits—especially for those who had once been close to the crown prince. If they were lumped together with the faction accused of forming cliques and pursuing private interests, the road ahead would be perilous.
For a time, the atmosphere in Shangjing became strange. Who could have thought that the person who had caused such a change was not even in Shangjing?
Crown Prince Jiao had been kept in the palace. He was clearly waiting for Meng Huanchao to be summoned for questioning.
The king sat there quietly, reviewing memorials. He said nothing and asked nothing.
Crown Prince Jiao stood in the middle of the hall, his entire body stiff.
The king was still as frightening as ever, making people tremble uncontrollably from head to toe.
Only when Meng Huanchao arrived did Crown Prince Jiao realize he had nearly gone limp.
Facing Great Qian’s king, he felt as if he might suffocate at any moment. This was what a king was. No one dared resist him, no one dared make irresponsible remarks about him. He could do whatever he wanted. Unlike him, who had to wear a hypocritical mask just to reach this point. That was why he longed for that position so much. Only once he reached that position could he truly be himself.
Meng Huanchao’s arrival instead made Crown Prince Jiao breathe a sigh of relief. Normally, this should have been an even more nerve-racking moment, like waiting for a sentence to be passed. But Meng Huanchao was different. Only when he arrived could Crown Prince Jiao feel at ease.
Only…
The king lifted his head, yet he did not look at Meng Huanchao. He did not even question him. Instead, he looked at Crown Prince Jiao. “I gave you so much time to admit your mistake and reflect, yet in the end, you remain stubbornly unrepentant.”
“There is nothing wrong with wanting to become Great Qian’s king. But you should never, ever have forgotten who gave you all this glory and rank. You forgot that without me, you are nothing.”
“I originally thought that though you were somewhat mediocre, and even somewhat lacking in virtue, you were still Great Qian’s legitimate eldest son, Great Qian’s crown prince. One day, you would grow. Now it seems you have truly disappointed me.”
“My tolerance toward you, again and again, only nourished your rebellious bones. In the end, you actually did something like this…”
Crown Prince Jiao’s body, which had only just relaxed, tensed again. “What does Your Majesty mean? I truly did not privately build military camps. If you do not believe me, ask Meng Huanchao.”
Crown Prince Jiao looked anxiously toward Meng Huanchao. Before Meng Huanchao came, he must have received the news. On the way here, he must already have thought of a way to deal with it.
Yet Meng Huanchao merely stood there quietly, wearing the same spring-breeze smile as always. The smile of Meng Huanchao, Great Qian’s foremost gentleman, was his signature.
But he did not open his mouth to explain.
And when Meng Huanchao finally spoke, Crown Prince Jiao staggered several steps backward with a thud, nearly unable to stand. His whole face had gone deathly pale.
“This official advised the crown prince more than once, but the crown prince insisted on establishing private troops…”
Crown Prince Jiao’s expression became incredulous. What was Meng Huanchao saying?
Clearly… clearly, it had been Meng Huanchao who told him to establish private troops in preparation for every contingency…
Yet now, before the king, he actually said he had advised him, and that he had insisted…
“No, I did not…” Crown Prince Jiao’s appearance was somewhat terrified, a terror that came from the depths of his heart. “Meng Huanchao, you clearly know…”
Before he could finish, the king interrupted him. “Enough. Do you wish to make me believe that Meng Huanchao is lying?”
Crown Prince Jiao opened his mouth. “…”
The king sighed. “Stubbornly unrepentant. Then I shall let you know where you went wrong, and just how absurdly wrong you were.”
The king’s gaze turned to Meng Huanchao.
Meng Huanchao knelt on one knee. “Great Qian’s hidden guard, Mei Che, has come to report completion of duty. Mei Che’s mission has been completed.”
Mei Che?
Crown Prince Jiao’s eyes nearly bulged out. The four great hidden guards by the king’s side: Plum (Mei Che), Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum. Mei Che, the leader of the four great hidden guards?
No one knew who these four were, whether they were men or women, what they looked like. They only knew that they were loyal to the king and did things ordinary people could not.
“Are you the foremost hidden guard, Mei Che, or Meng Huanchao, one of Great Qian’s Four Gentlemen?” Crown Prince Jiao’s voice was difficult.
“I have many other identities as well. Your Highness probably does not wish to know them.”
Crown Prince Jiao’s face was full of bitterness. He felt as if his heart were being twisted by a knife. He was selfish by nature and had never been willing to trust anyone—except Meng Huanchao.
Yet the only person he had ever trusted in this life had been a lie from beginning to end, through and through.
“Everyone says Zuo Qiu of Lu is as cunning as a fox. In my eyes, he merely uses some deceptive tricks. But Lord Mei has deceived a person down to the soul itself. You are no less than him.”
Crown Prince Jiao’s heart was like dead ash. Any argument had already lost all meaning.
After a long while, the king spoke. “Take Crown Prince Jiao away. Without my order, he is not to take half a step out of the Eastern Palace. All matters of state are also to cease being handled by the Eastern Palace.”
“As for those private soldiers, disperse them into the various military camps as vanguard troops.”
A crown prince—though he had not yet been deposed—had been confined and stripped of all power. It was not much different from being deposed.
When the crown prince walked out the door, he glanced at Meng Huanchao beside him, sunlight falling over his body. “I shall call you Lord Meng one last time. I have one unresolved doubt. May Lord Meng explain it to me? Was the king dissatisfied with me as crown prince, so he had you incite me into establishing private troops? There is no need for you to quibble. There are only the two of us here. But if the king truly disliked me, there was no need for such a roundabout method. He could have deposed me directly.”
“So why did you keep guiding me to build private troops?”
The smile on Meng Huanchao’s face was still so gentle, like a warm spring breeze melting into rain.
A gentleman he was; once seen, never forgotten. Anyone who met Lord Meng wished to take him as a kindred spirit. These words described Meng Huanchao, Great Qian’s foremost gentleman.
Only now, in Crown Prince Jiao’s eyes, Meng Huanchao’s gentle smile was so piercing. He had deceived a person utterly and completely, yet he could still smile so amiably. Was this still a person?
Meng Huanchao bowed as he always had. He did not answer directly, only saying, “Does Your Highness believe I deceived you?”
Crown Prince Jiao said, “Did you not? Do you dare say you were not a spy sent by the king to lurk by my side?”
Meng Huanchao shook his head. “I have never deceived Your Highness. From the first day we met, I never deceived you, not even once.”
Crown Prince Jiao frowned.
“Your Highness may think back. Of the matters Your Highness entrusted to me, which one did I not handle according to Your Highness’s instructions?”
“Your Highness is my master. Naturally, I would not dare neglect anything Your Highness commanded me to do. It is merely that Your Highness is not my only master. Whatever my masters command me to do, I will do my utmost to complete.”
“The title ‘greatest kindred spirit under heaven’ refers to Meng Huanchao. But I, Mei Che, have no heart, nor do I know to whom I should entrust it. So… as long as it is something my master commands, I do it. As long as it is something my master asks, I answer truthfully.”
No matter how many masters there were, no matter… which one of them the master was.
From the moment he was born, he had been raised into an obedient person. No matter how many abilities and techniques he learned, he was someone without a self. He needed others to tell him what to do. That was the meaning of his existence.
The world’s greatest kindred spirit, one who drove people mad with longing, was nothing but a joke.
A shared kindred spirit could sometimes be… terrifying.
Crown Prince Jiao suddenly laughed, laughing until tears streamed down his face.
“This is fine too. This is fine too. At least I am not the only one who was deceived. The one deceived is the whole world. Meng Huanchao—no, Mei Che—you actually fooled the entire world.”
“Why did you not keep deceiving me? Why did you tell me all this?”
Meng Huanchao looked at Crown Prince Jiao seriously. “Because… you asked. If you ask, I answer. I have never lied. It is merely that none of you were ever willing to ask.”
Just as no one had ever asked, not even once, about his past or origins.
Crown Prince Jiao laughed again. “I will keep your secret for you. I want everyone to taste the pain I have suffered.”
“One last question. You definitely will not return to the Crown Prince’s residence, will you? The king certainly will not let someone like you stay in a crown prince’s residence that has already lost its usefulness. Then where will you go next?”
Meng Huanchao’s eyes turned toward the faintly visible magic tower outside Shangjing. He answered, “Cloudtop Academy.”
Crown Prince Jiao said, “That is the best news I have heard.”
“Everyone says that Mountain Lord has the momentum to surpass Great Qian’s Four Gentlemen. No. He is still far from it.”
Meng Huanchao made no comment. If it was about playing with human hearts in this cold world, compared with the Four Gentlemen, Mountain Lord was indeed still lacking.
