Chapter 3: Utterly Unlucky

After a brief moment of surprise, the old Taoist priest was the first to regain his composure. He stepped forward and grabbed the imperial physician Wang, who was standing by the bed. "When did the prince wake up?"

"At the first hour of the night!" Wang thought for a moment before answering. The old Taoist priest began to count on his fingers, and the young Taoist priest muttered incantations.

"Master Zhang, Master Liu, is something wrong?" The emperor, seeing the two Taoist priests lose their composure, quickly asked.

"Your Majesty, the time when the prince woke up coincides with the appearance of the comet, which is an ominous sign!" The old Taoist priest bowed and replied. His identity was not simple; he was the 25th generation master of the Shangqing Sect, Liu Hunkang, who was nearly ninety years old. He was not only skilled in music but also proficient in the study of yin and yang and numerology. After a quick calculation, he determined that the prince's life force had been exhausted, yet he had returned to life, changing his destiny. He could not predict the future.

"Your Majesty, please look!" The young Taoist priest pointed to the comet, which was as large as a cup in the western sky. "This star signifies misfortune, a sign of heavenly anger. It is formed by evil energy, and wherever its light reaches, disaster will follow. The prince's return to life at this moment may have tainted him with malevolent energy, which is an ominous sign!"

"Is there a way to resolve this, Master?" The emperor asked urgently. Despite the young Taoist priest's age, he was the 36th generation Celestial Master of the Zhengyi Sect, skilled in performing rituals for rain and clear weather, and exorcising demons. He was often invited by the emperor to travel between the capital and Dragon Tiger Mountain.

"This, this!" Master Zhang and Liu Hunkang exchanged glances, both feeling the difficulty of the situation.

"Your Majesty, the prince is tainted with malevolent energy, which could be harmful to those in the palace. If we find a secluded place for him to cultivate his mind and spirit, it will naturally ensure peace both inside and outside the palace!" Liu Hunkang glanced at the empress and steeled himself to speak. Everyone in the palace knew that the emperor favored Consort Zheng, and if he spoke too harshly, the empress might say a few bad words to the emperor, which could cost him and his disciples their lives. However, he could not disobey the emperor's command, so he gently kicked Master Zhang, thinking, "You can't have all the good things; you have to take some of the bad as well."

"Master Liu's words are very wise. As long as the prince stays away from the capital, at least a hundred miles away, and lives in seclusion, he can focus on his cultivation. When he comes of age, he can return to serve Your Majesty and the empress!" Master Zhang, a shrewd person, understood the hint and immediately grasped the meaning.

"Who are you people? You decide my fate just by looking at me!" Zhao Cheng muttered to himself, assessing his situation. From the room's decor and the attire of the others, he realized he was in the palace of an unknown dynasty, possessing the body of a child around seven or eight years old. This child was not just any child but a prince. The woman by his side was his mother, likely a high-ranking concubine. The man who entered later was undoubtedly the emperor. The two old Taoist priests were also favored, or they wouldn't have free access to the palace.

"Oh, Cheng'er has always been frail, just a bit of a chill, it has nothing to do with the evil star!" The empress, hearing the connection between her child and the comet, quickly defended him, as this was no small matter.

"Empress, I have calculated that the prince's soul left his body just now. Master and I performed a ritual to bring his soul back, but the evil star suddenly appeared, and malevolent spirits took the opportunity to invade the prince's body. This could be harmful to Your Majesty and the empress!" Liu Hunkang explained in detail.

"Master, is there no way to resolve this?" The empress asked, tears welling up in her eyes. "The prince is a dragon's son. Although the malevolent spirits are powerful, they cannot harm his life. As long as the prince cultivates for a while outside, and with the help of my elixirs and holy water, he will be able to expel the malevolent spirits when his yang energy is fully restored!" Liu Hunkang replied with a smile.

"Dear, don't worry. The master has said that Cheng'er will only be cultivating outside for a while and will be fine!" The emperor gently patted the empress's back, comforting her. It was clear that they were deeply in love. "I worked hard for several days to save the second prince, and you two come in and take all the credit with your nonsense. Is there any justice in heaven?" The imperial physician, who had been standing aside, felt redundant. Although he was indignant and wanted to defend himself, he saw that the emperor fully trusted the two old Taoist priests and shook his head, deciding against it.

"Damn, what kind of demons and spirits are those? They're all superstitious nonsense!" Zhao Cheng thought, but then his mind went blank. Without ghosts and spirits, how did he end up in this young boy's body? It was truly bizarre. Zhao Cheng, feeling frustrated, caused his frail body to shut down again, and he rebooted the next day.

When Zhao Cheng woke up, he carefully "played dumb" while using his keen insight to understand his situation: he was now in the Song Dynasty, nine hundred years ago. His "father" was the current emperor, the infamous Zhao Ji, a historical figure known for his indulgence and eventual capture by the Jin people, who died in the north as Emperor Huizong. His "mother" was the most favored concubine, Zheng Hongmei, and he was their love child, the second prince, Prince Yanzheng, who died young in history.

The two old Taoist priests' words convinced the superstitious Zhao Ji. After some arrangements, on the 18th day of the first month of the fifth year of Chongning (1106), the second prince, Zhao Cheng, the Prince of Yingtian, and the Bao De Jiedushi, was ordered to leave the palace and go to Gongzhou (Xiangyi) to convalesce due to a strange illness. This event did not cause much of a stir, as the prince was only six years old. People were suspicious about why such a young child was sent so far away, whether it was due to Consort Zheng's loss of favor or a change in the palace. However, before the rumors could spread, they were overshadowed by larger events. The emperor ordered the destruction of the Yuan You party members' stele in front of the palace, followed by the dismissal of Chancellor Cai Jing and the change of the era name to Daguan. The capital was in turmoil, and everyone was on edge, with no one caring about a prince who had been expelled from the palace.

It was now the first year of Daguan, the hottest season of the year. Despite the ice basins in the room, the heat was still intense. Zhao Cheng, wide awake, turned over and looked through the slightly undulating curtains at the stars outside. After some time of recuperation, combined with his resilient spirit, he had gradually recovered from the brink of death.

He had been in this world for some time. In his previous life, he was used to solitude but had trustworthy comrades and brothers. Now, he lived a life of luxury, with everything provided for him, and everyone treated him with respect, but there was no one he could confide in. Living in isolation every day was truly unbearable.

"Although Liangyuan is beautiful, it is not my home!" Zhao Cheng turned over and lay on his back, sighing softly. He was fortunate to be sent here; if he had stayed in the palace longer, he might have been exposed. Even here, his efforts to adapt made him stand out, feeling out of place in this era.

"Who was following me today?" Everyone has a sixth sense, but its sensitivity varies. Zhao Cheng, trained in special skills, had an exceptionally developed sixth sense. If someone spied on him for too long, he would notice. From the moment he left, he sensed someone monitoring his every move. He tried to confront them several times but managed to evade them. This was not the first time he felt someone following him. Previously, he thought it was protection from Huang Jingchen, but today's feeling was different. He sensed a killing intent, a cold and bloodthirsty aura.

"Wanting me dead won't be that easy!" A cold smile appeared on his lips. He had a second chance at life and would not let them have their way.

He now understood why the survival rate of princes throughout history was so low. Each prince was a potential "supreme leader," with a chance to sit on the throne and rule the empire. In the Song Dynasty, where a younger brother could succeed an older one, every living prince had a chance, and the fewer brothers, the better the odds. The support of powerful ministers, who would do anything to back a prince, only added to the intrigue.

"Who is behind the repeated attempts to harm me?" Zhao Cheng pondered. The incident in the palace, where he fell into the water, seemed not to be an accident. His expulsion from the palace was likely orchestrated to remove him from the palace's watch and place him in danger. It seemed that his recovery was making some people uncomfortable.

"Could it be the empress?" Zhao Cheng turned over again, frowning. Empress Wang had given birth to the crown prince, Zhao Dan (later Emperor Qinzong), but her position was unstable. His mother, although a concubine, was the de facto head of the harem and the emperor's favorite, making him a strong contender for the throne.

"She is the most likely!" Zhao Cheng concluded. He had seven or eight younger brothers, and it could be one of them or their supporters. As the saying goes, "Eliminate the panda, and I become the national treasure." With the crown prince position vacant, eliminating the princes ahead of him could secure his position, though this was uncertain.

The palace was a complex web of intrigue. Those with few wits did not last long. Zhao Cheng's head ached from the complexity, and he lacked the necessary information to make a decision. He did not even know how many concubines his father had. Finding the true culprit would not be easy. For now, he needed to survive and eliminate his immediate enemies. Thinking about this made his head hurt even more. His body was still weak, and in a direct confrontation, even a normal old lady could strangle him. He had no one to trust, and his security was minimal. The palace had not provided him with any guards, and the only protection was a few strong servants and eunuchs, who might be able to handle petty thieves but not a skilled assassin.

"Hmm? How could this be?" Zhao Cheng added another layer of doubt. A prince's safety should not be neglected, and someone must have tampered with the arrangements. Zhao Cheng shuddered, realizing he needed to be more cautious.