Published at 8th of June 2025 10:42 am

Chapter 1489: Second Watch

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After leaving the Qilin Hall, the monarch went to find the Little Princess, while the Crown Prince said goodbye to the monarch and boarded the carriage to return to his residence.

The carriage had traveled far from the National Master Hall before he changed his impulsive and irritable expression, becoming solemn and restrained.

The carriage moved along the spacious street.

He spoke in a deep voice, “Do you know whom I saw just now in the National Master Hall?”

Seated beside him on the bench was a man dressed in the official uniform of the Duwei Prefecture, surnamed Shao, named Xueyi, holding the position of Fengche Duwei, in charge of all the carriages and ceremonial guards of the Dayan Imperial Palace.

The powers of the various Duwei were not set in stone and sometimes permeated each other’s domains.

Shao Xueyi had previously been responsible for investigating an assassination attempt on the Crown Prince’s residence.

Everyone thought he was a confidant of the Wang Family, but little did they know that he had long been serving the Crown Prince, and had even accompanied the Crown Prince in disguise to Tianqiong Academy to watch a cuju match.

“Who did Your Highness see?” Shao Xueyi asked.

The Crown Prince said, “I saw the Imperial Grandson.”

“The Imperial Grandson has returned to Shengdu?” Shao Xueyi exclaimed in surprise.

The Crown Prince smiled faintly, “Surprised, aren’t you? I didn’t receive the slightest bit of news. I suspect he isn’t the real Shangguan Qing; he is Xiao Hen.”

Shao Xueyi asked, “That… Xiao Liulang?”

The Crown Prince nodded, “Yes, him.”

As a confidant of the Crown Prince, Shao Xueyi naturally knew about Xiao Hen’s arrival in Shengdu; he asked, “Did he reveal his true identity, or is he pretending to be Shangguan Qing?”

“Pretending to be Shangguan Qing,” the Crown Prince said, frowning slightly, “I’m not certain either.”

Shao Xueyi looked puzzledly at the Crown Prince, “What is Your Highness uncertain about?”

The Crown Prince sighed, “Uncertain whether that person is actually Xiao Hen or Shangguan Qing. Their appearances are too similar, almost identical; I can’t tell them apart.”

The Crown Prince had not seen Shangguan Qing for more than ten years. He only sneaked a peek near the National Master Hall when Shangguan Qing returned to Shengdu, or he looked at portraits. He didn’t understand the grown-up Shangguan Qing and couldn’t differentiate between the two based on their behavior, demeanor, or voice.

The Crown Prince said, “Even the Emperor can’t recognize him, let alone me.”

Shao Xueyi said, “This is the brilliance of deposing the Princess; she kept Shangguan Qing away from Shengdu, making no contact with anyone, thus greatly reducing the identifying traits beyond appearance. Once Shangguan Qing passed away, she could bring Xiao Hen back to her side, and no one would know that a switch had occurred.”

The Crown Prince paused, then said, “Although the commoners all speculate that the Emperor’s affection for Shangguan Qing is merely due to his limited lifespan, what if the Imperial Grandson’s ‘illness’ were to improve, and the Emperor continued to love him so? I can’t bet on that possibility.”

Shao Xueyi said, “That’s true. The monarch is getting older and has lost the ruthless decisiveness of his youth. He killed the entire Xuanyuan Empress’s family, and it’s hard to ensure that he won’t compensate in his later years for the guilt he feels towards the descendants of the Xuanyuan Empress.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes sharpened, “Therefore, Xiao Hen must die!”

If Xiao Hen were to die, Shangguan Yan would inevitably not survive either.

Shao Xueyi pondered for a moment, then said, “Actually, it’s not difficult to identify whether the person is Xiao Hen, there are two people who must have had dealings with Shangguan Qing.”

The Crown Prince thought for a while, “You mean the National Master? He might not help me. That guy is impervious, not swayed by any power.”

Shao Xueyi thought to himself that this was because no power could surpass the Ling Family in the National Master Hall; simply put, no one was qualified to recruit him.

The Crown Prince shook his head, “Moreover, he only meets Shangguan Qing once every two years; they are not particularly familiar with one another. As for subtle differences in voice, it can easily be claimed his voice has changed.”

Xiao Hen is a man; could his voice as a youth remain the same as it is now?

Shao Xueyi hinted, “Isn’t there another person Your Highness is forgetting?”

The Crown Prince, “Who?”

Shao Xueyi, “Wang Xu.”

The Crown Prince was slightly taken aback, “Him?”

“He was stationed at the Imperial Mausoleum for several years and personally taught Shangguan Qing martial arts. If anyone can recognize the real Shangguan Qing, he is the one!” Shao Xueyi said, “The Emperor despises being deceived the most. If the person Your Highness saw today is indeed Xiao Hen, then Xiao Hen has committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign.”

“You are right,” the Crown Prince agreed wholeheartedly, “But there is one thing I can’t figure out, why didn’t Xiao Hen simply recognize the monarch directly, instead of using Shangguan Qing’s identity?”

Shao Xueyi said, “Because using Shangguan Qing’s identity is much simpler.”

If Xiao Hen used his own identity, it would involve questions like who Shangguan Qing was, what the Princess’s intentions were, and how much deception the monarch had suffered over the years.

The Princess could of course claim that she did so because someone was out to harm Xiao Hen, but the problem is she has no proof. Without evidence, would the monarch believe her?

Given the monarch’s suspicious nature, he would only assume that the mother and son were scheming something behind his back.

Therefore, for safety’s sake, it would be safest for Xiao Hen to impersonate Shangguan Qing directly.

Not only would that avoid unnecessary complications, but it would also allow him to receive all of the monarch’s favor.

Moreover, there was another point that Shao Xueyi faintly felt—perhaps Xiao Hen did not aspire to become a member of the Dayan royal family. If he used Shangguan Qing’s identity, he could leave without any burden once the task was accomplished.

However, Shao Xueyi quickly dismissed this speculation.

After all, that was the honorable identity of the Imperial Grandson of the most powerful Shang Country—who wouldn’t want such a status?

Better not overestimate Xiao Hen’s indifference to fame and fortune; it’s all just a matter of weighing the pros and cons.

The Crown Prince, at his wits’ end, said, “What you said is all true, but what if he really is Shangguan Qing?”

Shao Xueyi sneered, “Then it will be even easier to deal with. Exposing Shangguan Qing is much easier than exposing Xiao Hen. We didn’t expose him before because there was no need to; after all, Shangguan Qing wasn’t going to live long, and he didn’t cause any trouble in Shengdu. As long as he stayed quietly in the Imperial Mausoleum, we could pretend he didn’t exist. Our target has always been Xiao Hen from the beginning. But if… Shangguan Qing foolishly comes to Shengdu to stir up trouble, then don’t blame us for not being courteous!”

The Crown Prince smiled approvingly, “I really can’t do without you by my side.”

Shao Xueyi bowed, “Your Highness flatters me.”

The Crown Prince understood all these reasons, didn’t he? He was just speaking through Shao Xueyi.

Though the Crown Prince appeared to be guileless, in reality, his strategems were deeper than anyone’s.

The Crown Prince said, “There’s another problem—the Wang Family only serves my father, the emperor. If I ask Wang Xu to serve me, he probably won’t agree.”

Shao Xueyi smiled, “Your Highness just needs to cater to his interests. I’ve heard that Wang Xu has his eye on an antique, which is currently in the hands of Han Family’s elder.”

The Crown Prince laughed, “In the hands of my uncle? Then it will be much easier.”

…

In the ward of the Qilin Palace’s National Master Hall, Xiao Hen again took out Shangguan Qing’s portrait to examine it carefully.

Gu Chengfeng used his light-footedness to arrive in the courtyard, opened the window to its widest, and flipped in from the windowsill.

“How is the progress? You haven’t exposed yourself, have you?”

“No,” answered Xiao Hen.

Gu Chengfeng sat down beside Xiao Hen, glanced at the unconscious Shangguan Yan, and then at the sleeping Gu Jiao, stretching out his hand to Xiao Hen.

Xiao Hen looked at him queerly, “What?”

Gu Chengfeng raised his hand, “Two taels of silver. Did I give you the clothes for free? One tael for the clothes, one tael for travel expenses. Have you ever thought about how much these clothes have contributed to your success? People rely on clothes, just like the Buddha relies on gold adornments. You’re like an actor today; without this costume, you couldn’t put on your play! Do you know how hard it was to find an outfit that resembles the one in the portrait?”

Xiao Hen replied, “I didn’t bring any silver with me. When Jiaojiao wakes up, I’ll have her give it to you.”

Gu Chengfeng choked, “Then, never mind.”

Asking that girl for silver? That’s like begging for death. He’d do well not to end up completely picked clean by her.

Gu Chengfeng’s gaze fell on the portrait, “Is the person in this portrait really the Imperial Grandson? Why do I feel the more I look at it, the more it resembles you? Could you two be twins?”

“No,” said Xiao Hen.

“How do you know you’re not?” asked Gu Chengfeng.

“The birthdays are different; his is more than ten days earlier than mine.” He had inquired about this with Ye Qing in the Book Pavilion.

Gu Chengfeng then said, “Birthdays can be fabricated. Isn’t it that, if his birthday is just over ten days before, he would manage to surpass Wang Xu to become the Imperial Grandson?”

Xiao Hen looked confused, “Is that so?”

“Yeah!” Gu Chengfeng was so convincing he believed it himself.

“Let’s not worry about this for now.” Everything would come to light once Shangguan Yun woke up. There were more important matters at hand that they needed to attend to.

Xiao Hen said, “There is someone who might see through my ruse and recognize that I am not Shangguan Qing.”

Gu Chengfeng paused in the act of pouring tea, “Who?”

Xiao Hen looked out the window at a green leaf on a tree branch, his eyes chilling as he said, “Duwei Prefecture’s Wang Xu.”

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