"Chapter 35"

"A death in Song Garden could be a major or minor issue, depending entirely on who the deceased was."

"If it had been a noble lady, the Jin Wu guards would have surrounded the estate on the very first day, with Mu Jingshu immediately taking charge of the investigation to determine if it was an accident or foul play, needing to provide an explanation."

"But if the deceased was just a nanny, especially one not favored by a prince, then... there’s little need to delve further."

"Under feudal privilege, the gap between people can be greater than that between people and dogs."

"The death of Yue Rong in itself was less impactful than the disturbance it caused to the young lady of the He Shangshu family."

"The next day, while Rong Tang strolled in the garden, he coincidentally met Rong Zheng who mentioned that Rong Ying and Rong Ning were now in Miss He's courtyard, being consoled by several ladies of high status."

"Su Huaijing casually asked, 'Are they friends?'"

"Rong Zheng nodded, saying, 'Yesterday, it was Ning Ning and Ying Ying who went to the pond with Miss He and found the body.'"

Rong Tang was observing a bug climbing on an early-blooming gardenia when he heard this, furrowing his brow and asking, "Then why haven't I heard about their involvement too?"

In the morning, Ke Hongxue invited Rong Tang to Lake Heart Island, but Rong Tang was reluctant to go again. They split up, and he coincidentally met Rong Zheng. Now, in this corner of Song Garden, only the three of them were present, each accompanied by their own attendants.

Rong Zheng spoke in a hushed voice, not needing to avoid others, "Second Uncle is cautious, and so are the cousins from his side. Though both of them belong to the Ningxuan Prince's family, one is a concubine's daughter, and the other is the eldest daughter of the second wife. In terms of status, they don't carry as much weight as the legitimate daughter of the Minister of War."

When he mentioned 'concubine's daughter', Rong Tang glanced at him, surprised to see no resentment on his face. Rong Tang thought this step-brother of his was sometimes inscrutable.

Rong Tang had thought him complicated, yet naively frightening; he seemed bent on causing the demise of their eldest brother, but after being reprimanded a few times, he turned into a model of national virtue, the perfect younger brother.

But this had little to do with him. Rong Tang withdrew his gaze, touched the gardenia flower, and a nameless bug crawled onto his fingernail.

Rong Tang didn't shake it off, listening to Rong Zheng's explanation without changing his expression, "Though everyone is focused on Miss He's fright, the deceased was an old servant from the palace, having served the Fifth Prince since childhood. The Emperor's mind is unfathomable. His Majesty favors Consort Hui greatly and holds the Third Prince in high regard, but this matter is not as simple as it seems."

The bug crawled to where his index and middle finger met, paused, and spun around, seemingly unsure of which direction to go. Rong Tang first curved his lips in amusement but then quickly suppressed the smile, a coldness creeping into his eyes.

Su Huaijing stepped forward, resting his finger on the back of Rong Tang's hand, patiently waiting for the bug to crawl onto his own hand, and said leisurely, "Such a clever mind, Second Brother has."

Rong Zheng, suddenly praised, scratched his head shyly and modestly said, "It wasn't me who figured it out; it was the Second Prince who pointed it out to me last night."

Su Huaijing then looked down and smiled faintly, "Is that so?"

The bug aimlessly circled on the finger, finally noticing the finger in front of it, hesitated for a moment, and then eventually crawled onto it.

Su Huaijing lowered his gaze, waiting until the bug was stable before lifting his hand from Rong Tang's, gently bent over to touch the gardenia again, tenderly returning the bug to its original place.

Then he stood up, took a handkerchief, dipped it in the water provided in the garden corner for guests to clean their hands, and slowly began wiping the back of Rong Tang's hand.

He treated the task with utmost seriousness, wiping over and over the spot where the black bug had crawled on Rong Tang's hand, as if handling a precious porcelain piece. His voice, soft and melodious like a heavenly melody, casually commented on state affairs, "It seems that Minister Zhang is planning to impeach Marshal Xia."

His voice was low, speaking with certainty about significant political matters. Rong Zheng's expression changed upon hearing this, shocked, he asked, "How did sister-in-law know about this?"

Su Huaijing laughed softly, finally finishing wiping Rong Tang's hand, and handed the handkerchief to Shuangshou. His phoenix eyes lazily shifted to Rong Zheng, saying, "I don't know. Second Brother should be more careful with his words in the future."

Rong Zheng was momentarily stunned, a chill crawling up his spine despite the warm weather of late spring and early summer, feeling an unparalleled coldness.

A strong sense of fear enveloped him.

It was not until Rong Tang moved, bending down to pick flowers.

"I like gardenias; they're fragrant and perfect for the study room, but it's a pity there isn't one in the yard," he said to Su Huaijing.

Su Huaijing followed his lead, suggesting, "Why not grow them with peonies?"

Rong Tang thought for a moment, "Let's find another pot for them; they should look good together."

White and pale yellow, both clean and light colors, would likely make a delightful combination.

Su Huaijing naturally agreed, "Alright."

Then, they silently started picking flowers together.

Only when Shuangfu held a whole bunch of gardenias did Rong Tang stand up, as if he had just noticed Rong Zheng, slightly surprised, "Why are you still here, Second Brother? Didn't you say you were going to Lan Yue Pavilion to meet the Second Prince? Your sister-in-law and I don’t need your company."

Rong Zheng, momentarily dazed, felt the coldness dissipate like being drenched in ice water, and as the morning sun warmed his body, he swallowed hard, unable to look at Su Huaijing, and hoarsely said, "Then, I shall take my leave first."

Rong Tang nodded, "Yes, go ahead."

Only when Rong Zheng's figure disappeared among the gardenia bushes did Su Huaijing uncontrollably let out a light laugh, his gaze towards Rong Tang filled with indulgence, "This time, it wasn't me who wanted Tangtang to save him."

Rong Tang gave him a sideways glance, saying, "Don't bully him."

Su Huaijing, still smiling, asked, "Why not?"

Rong Tang fell silent for a moment, then softly commented, "He's a bit slow."

It seemed somewhat unethical to bully him.

——Although Rong Tang himself had always been bullying him.

Su Huaijing paused for an instant, his smile deepening, "Alright then." He said, "But, smart brother Tangtang, can you tell me what he was just afraid of?"

Rong Tang was about to turn and head to the next location, having heard that peacocks were kept in Song Garden and hoping to see one displaying its feathers today. He stopped in his tracks at these words, turned back, and with an unclear emotion, gave Su Huaijing a sidelong glance, quietly saying, "Do you think I'm a fool too?"

As foolish as Rong Zheng, or as big a fool as Sheng Chengming?

Su Huaijing paused briefly, then burst into laughter, "Of course not, Tangtang is the smartest."

His praise for Rong Tang sounded insincere yet paradoxically sincere. Thus, the subtle emotions of Young Master Rong dispersed, and he huffed lightly, "That's more like it."

Walking side by side with Su Huaijing, with Shuangfu and Shuangshou following behind at a distance, unable to hear their conversation.

Rong Tang then said, "Sheng Chengming intentionally gave Rong Zheng a heads-up, most likely because he's planning to make a move and wanted to inform Rong Zheng in advance to avoid any mishaps."

Su Huaijing nodded, "Hmm, sounds reasonable."

Rong Tang continued, "The Second Prince recently made several significant achievements and is in the Emperor's good graces. Minister Zhang, with his deep experience and numerous followers, was in high spirits. However, for the sake of appeasing Consort Hui and her son, the Emperor's favor shown during the flower picking event was excessively generous, exceeding the standard for a non-legitimate prince."

"Marshal Xia, a man of military life and fiery temperament, who is known for his blunt and bullish nature in the court, has little respect for scholars. This time, Sheng Chengxing, who hasn't made any notable achievements, received such an honor, only fueling his arrogance. It's likely this has already caused dissatisfaction among the Second Prince's faction." Rong Tang spoke leisurely, strolling unhurriedly, pausing to watch a kitten dart through the flowers, wondering if there was a nest nearby.

Su Huaijing didn't rush him, but his eyes brightened as he listened, unsatisfiedly fiddling with his waist token, he stepped forward and grabbed Rong Tang's hand, "And then?"

Rong Tang looked down at their hands but didn't pull away, letting him hold it as if they were kids crossing the street together.

Rong Tang continued, "If someone else had died, be it a noble's son or a high-born lady, even a poor student from Linyuan Academy, with so many officials present, they wouldn't have let it go easily. Even if they found a trivial reason for the accident, Sheng Chengxing would have had to give some excuse to gloss over it. After that, whether it's pacification or compensation, it could all be handled privately without much impact."

Su Huaijing held Rong Tang's hand, but it seemed to itch, and he couldn't resist rubbing it against his back. Rong Tang frowned and glared at him, and the big villain immediately behaved, "I won't rub anymore."

Rong Tang stared at him for two seconds, then looked away, still letting him hold his hand, "If it were some other servant, it wouldn’t be hard to handle, just pay some money to..." He frowned, trying to think like Sheng Chengxing, and then found the words, "to get rid of the problem."

He didn’t like to regard human life so cheaply, but it was an undeniable fact, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

Rong Tang was somewhat irritated, saying, "So, the incident itself isn't complicated, just a death. In the eyes of Sheng Chengxing and Sheng Chengming, it's a trivial matter, something Sheng Chengxing would only find bothersome, spoiling his and his friends' leisurely time."

Su Huaijing soothingly squeezed his hand, "Tangtang, you don't need to empathize with him, you're not like him."

Rong Tang, originally frowning, fell silent for a moment, then softly hummed in agreement, and then said, "But, it was Sheng Chengli's maidservant who died, and that changes everything."

"The Fifth Prince is the least noticeable in the palace. His brothers, one and all, look down on him. They don't see him as a contender for the throne, nor do they sincerely regard him as a brother. Strictly speaking, to Sheng Chengxing, he's less important than a little eunuch who's been by his side since childhood, so Sheng Chengxing wouldn't care about a death in his estate."

"He wouldn't investigate the cause, nor offer compensation, not even pretend to express grief. He would just order the maidservant to be buried in a nearby grave. It’s a matter that can’t be faulted, and Sheng Chengli, lacking both background and courage to contend, would most likely have to swallow his resentment silently."

Rong Tang sneered, seemingly finding the idea of Sheng Chengli swallowing his resentment ironic, but he didn’t want to burden Su Huaijing with these emotions, so he didn’t dwell on it and continued, "But the Second Prince is here, and Minister Zhang, as Sheng Chengming's maternal grandfather, naturally aligns with the Second Prince’s faction. The final winner of this flower picking event, who will enter his sphere of influence in the Hanlin Academy, means Zhang will surely use this incident to accuse the Third Prince for some reason."

He paused, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, glancing subtly at Su Huaijing, as if he wanted to lightly skip over this topic.

But Su Huaijing unusually pursued the matter, asking, "On what grounds?"

Rong Tang: "……"

With no choice, he honestly replied, "Siblings at odds."

Su Huaijing's lips curled into a sarcastic smile.

Rong Tang subconsciously tightened his grip on the interlocked hands, snuggling his hand into Su Huaijing's palm in an obedient manner, his voice soft, trying not to displease Su Huaijing.

"The current Emperor ascended the throne illegitimately, yet he is extremely concerned about his reputation. He killed the former Emperor... To avoid being impeached by the people for fratricide, he adorned his actions with numerous righteous reasons. Naturally, he wouldn’t allow his subjects to speak of his sons being at odds, to prevent any suggestion that his bloodline is prone to fraternal murder."

Rong Tang's voice was very soft, dissipating in the early summer air, audible only to Su Huaijing.

What he said was highly disrespectful, a serious offense punishable by death, yet he spoke so candidly with Su Huaijing in the garden, clearly indicating that the former Emperor was unjustly killed.

Su Huaijing knew this was no illusion, yet... he couldn’t shake off the feeling that the person before him was like a mirage.

Otherwise, it was inexplicable that he, the son of Rong Mingyu, was siding with the former Emperor in his words.

Su Huaijing's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice lowered as if afraid to burst a bubble, "And then?"

Rong Tang said, "I heard the Fifth Prince’s mother died early, and it was this maidservant who raised him. To him, Maidservant Yue was like a foster mother, especially since she recently survived a crisis at the Imperial Medical Bureau and left an impression on the Emperor. The death of such a person, if not investigated, won't cause a stir, but if it is—"

He paused, turning to look at Su Huaijing, who caught on and continued, "If they want to make a case, Minister Zhang, with his skillful writing, can certainly portray it as a debt of gratitude greater than heaven, a life-saving grace that cannot be repaid. The Fifth Prince, out of respect for his elder brother, wouldn't dare to act rashly in front of Sheng Chengxing, but as an elder brother, Sheng Chengxing cannot simply gloss over the death of his younger brother's benefactor without giving any explanation. Is that what Tangtang is suggesting?"

Rong Tang nodded, "Exactly. Moreover, the one who found Maidservant Yue’s body was the legitimate daughter of the Minister of War. The Minister of War is close to Marquis Wukang, whose heir Qin Pengxun openly supports the Second Prince. It feels like a trap laid out for Sheng Chengxing to fall into."

Su Huaijing: "Does Tangtang think Sheng Chengxing will fall for it?"

"He has no choice but to," Rong Tang blinked, "Do you see anyone in the garden concerned about who died yesterday?"

No, they cared about what play was being performed at the Lan Yue Pavilion today, the theme of today's flower festival, whether they could use Miss He's fright to show kindness and further gain the support of the Minister of War.

No one cared about a maidservant drowning in the pond, or the Fifth Prince, who was so sick yesterday he almost fainted from crying...

Once the flower festival is over and Minister Zhang submits his memorial, Sheng Chengxing will be pinned down with the accusation of neglecting his brother.

Finally seeing the shadow of the animal garden, Su Huaijing looked down at Rong Tang's profile, his voice as gentle as coaxing, yet somehow enticing, "Since Tangtang sees it so clearly, why were you unhappy just now? You don't want to see this outcome?"

Rong Tang shook his head, "It has nothing to do with me."

Whether it's the Second Prince trying to impeach the Third Prince, or the Third Prince trying to suppress the Second Prince, it has nothing to do with Rong Tang. It's just a dog-eat-dog world, where nobody wins.

"The real winner, if there is one, is what makes me unhappy," Rong Tang said coldly.

"I'm just wondering who orchestrated this trap," he continued.

Mu Jingshu was not the kind to sacrifice innocents to achieve his goals, and Sheng Chengli lacked other strategists. Ke Hongxue, following his senior in everything, was too indifferent to care what Sheng Chengli wanted to do, content with just surviving, without expending extra effort.

No one would offer him such a sinister strategy.

Except himself.

A fifteen-year-old, raised in the cold palace, freshly enrolled in school, originally like a blank slate – the main character of this celestial tale.

Only he would have the cunning to set up this trap, waiting to reap the benefits like a fisherman.