Chapter 5: The Prince Is Not a Dummy

"Liú, Liú Bówēn?" Zhū Zhēn's thick eyebrows shot up, his eyes wide as copper bells: "Aren't you still called Liú Jī?"

"Indeed, this old man is Liú Jī." The old man introduced himself, and it seemed as if he had transformed into a sage, though it might just be the fan filter. "I have been teaching the prince for a whole year now."

Although there haven't been more than two classes... Liú Bówēn silently added.

But I have worked hard and made great contributions. What's wrong with eating the Zhū family's idle meals for a few years?

"Was it the Emperor who sent the prince to see this old minister?" Liú Bówēn, thinking of how stingy the boss Zhū was, wondered if he was tired of keeping idle people.

"You're being too suspicious! I came to see you on my own." Zhū Zhēn felt the idol filter was starting to crack.

This suspicious old man, who seemed to have developed a persecution complex, could really be the legendary Liú Bówēn, known for his divine calculations and wisdom, a paragon of justice and intelligence?

How does he seem like a frightened bird that has been played with?

"You came to see me on your own?" Liú Bówēn sized up Zhū Zhēn. Having been kicked in the butt by Boss Zhū for half his life, he couldn't help but suspect that this was another of Boss Zhū's tricks.

"Yes, I have some questions." Zhū Zhēn said, walking to the window and looking out. His gaze indeed passed over the rockery and saw the lotus pond.

"Is the prince asking if this old man saw you fall into the water?" Liú Bówēn understood.

"Yes." Zhū Zhēn thought, this is the right level of intelligence.

"Does the prince suspect that this has something to do with Prince Qí?" Liú Bówēn asked again.

"Indeed." Zhū Zhēn nodded, turning to look at Liú Bówēn with anticipation: "If you saw anything, please tell me."

"Sorry, the wind was strong, and the window was closed." Liú Bówēn replied straightforwardly: "The Crown Prince has already asked, and I answered the same way."

"Mr. Liú, this side is sheltered from the wind, there's no need to close the window." Zhū Zhēn said.

"To prevent drafts." Liú Bówēn said coolly.

"But with the window closed, how do you read books?" Zhū Zhēn said, tiptoeing to close the window, making the room instantly darker.

"That was nap time, I was sleeping." Liú Bówēn said without changing his expression.

"There isn't even a bed here..." Zhū Zhēn said helplessly.

"I can sleep sitting, lying down, or standing. What's it to the prince?" Liú Bówēn felt that he was indeed not sent by Boss Zhū. His attitude became even more perfunctory.

"Prince, you should ask someone else. This old man's eyes are dim, and reading is already difficult, let alone looking outside."

"Mr. Liú, how old are you? You don't look that old." Zhū Zhēn seemed to be struggling in vain.

"I'll be sixty-five after the New Year. Isn't that old enough?" After saying this, Liú Bówēn ignored him and immersed himself in his book.

"Sixty-five..." Zhū Zhēn seemed to think of something, repeating it twice, and stopped pressing the issue.

~~

As night fell, the stars were sparse, and all was quiet.

At the hour of the dog, the sound of the patrol guards' rattles echoed on the West First Long Street.

The rattle sounds could be clearly heard in the Wàn'ān Palace. Upon hearing this signal, eunuchs without duties hurried out of the palace. After a moment, the palace gates would be locked, and no one would be allowed to enter or leave.

Outside the Wàn'ān Palace, there were patrol guards. Inside, the palace maids took turns on night duty.

There wasn't just Mùxiāng on night duty. There were two guards at the door, one outside the secondary room door, and one outside the warm chamber door, each with their own responsibilities. If the lady was present, the number of night-duty maids would double.

The one serving in the inner chamber was the head of the night-duty maids, a position reserved for the most trusted and favored. Doing well could even lead to a promotion to a female official. No wonder Mùxiāng begged the prince not to send her away.

Under the care of Mùxiāng and others, Zhū Zhēn took a bath, then lay on the bed, letting Mùxiāng dry his hair.

Mùxiāng first wrapped a strand of his hair in a cotton cloth, gently rubbing it up and down to absorb as much water as possible.

Then she used another piece of cotton to absorb the water from another strand of hair.

After all the hair had been dried once, she replaced it with a hollow gilded ball containing incense and charcoal to thoroughly dry it.

This was a skilled task, and if done poorly, it could damage the hair or even burn the scalp. But Mùxiāng's technique was very proficient, making Zhū Zhēn feel no heat, only warmth, which was very comfortable.

Hmm, this is what it feels like to be a prince... Zhū Zhēn finally felt that being a prince was worth it.

But thinking of his mother suffering in the cold palace, he sobered up and quietly reviewed the day's gains.

~~

The biggest gain was locking down the suspect who pushed him into the water!

Liú Bówēn helped narrow it down to his own brothers. He had a good grasp of his brothers.

First, he could rule out his older brothers. The youngest of them, the fifth brother, was already fourteen, much taller than him.

Among the younger brothers, only the seventh and eighth were studying in the main hall.

The eighth, though also from Dá Dìng Fēi, was only six years old and had just started school a few days ago.

So, the only one who fit the characteristics of the perpetrator was the seventh brother, who was only half a year younger—also ten years old—Prince Qí Zhū Fú!

Moreover, since his mother had beaten his mother, he had a motive to take revenge for her.

What should be the next step? Zhū Zhēn was a bit at a loss.

After the other maids left, leaving only Mùxiāng, he asked: "Have you found any leads on what I asked you to investigate?"

Although he felt that his mother's confidants might not be reliable, Zhū Zhēn had no one else to rely on and could only depend on Mùxiāng to gather information.

Mùxiāng first put the gilded ball back on the copper tray, then said softly: "I have investigated, and indeed, the palace has been catching spies recently. Those with questionable backgrounds or not of our kind have been taken away for questioning. No one has returned yet."

Actually, this had caused panic in the palace, and Mùxiāng had known about it for a while. But she deliberately waited a day to report, not wanting to give the prince the impression of being a gossipy woman.

"What about Chángyáng Palace? Has it been affected?" Zhū Zhēn asked again.

"Of course, Dá Fēi is a Tartar, and before, there were some issues. How many in her palace have a clear background?"

"I thought she was so favored and powerful that no one would dare to investigate her." Zhū Zhēn was surprised.

"She is only temporarily in charge of the six palaces. Once the Empress returns, she will be exposed." Mùxiāng looked at Zhū Zhēn, seeing a shadow of Boss Zhū, and involuntarily trembled: "Besides, with the Emperor's decree for a thorough investigation, who would dare to show favoritism?"

"Indeed, that makes sense." Zhū Zhēn nodded. Indeed, who in the palace would dare to fool Boss Zhū?

With the investigation almost complete, the next step was to formulate a plan of action.

Zhū Zhēn stopped talking and lay on the bed, silently calculating.

There were two options now: one was to report to his eldest brother or his father, the Emperor.

Although Liú Bówēn said he saw nothing and no other witnesses were found,

But the seventh brother, a mere ten-year-old child, could be intimidated and tricked into confessing the truth.

But the problem was, what if the seventh brother confessed? A tiger does not eat its own cubs, and the Emperor would not punish his ten-year-old son severely. He might even downplay the incident to avoid giving the seventh brother a charge of attempting to murder his brother!

The reason is simple—he's just a child... children don't have bad intentions...

At most, he might get a severe beating and be confined for a while.

He might even advise Zhū Zhēn to be magnanimous and not to hold a grudge against his brother.

That would be unbearable for Zhū Zhēn, worse than swallowing a thousand flies.

To hell with that, I... oh no, this prince is not magnanimous at all. I'm already a prince, and I'm still expected to be magnanimous? Pfft!

If being a prince means enduring humiliation and considering the bigger picture, what's the point of being a prince at all?!

And that might not even save his mother.

Because if the matter reached the Emperor, it would create a deep enmity with Dá Dìng Fēi. She would never let go and might even try to harm his mother.

Harming others is one thing, but it's not beneficial to oneself. So, this method is not feasible.

That leaves only the other option...

Please vote! Please favorite! Please review!