Chapter 533: Pretending Cordiality

Chapter 533: Playing the Game

Prince Chengxuan's presence was overwhelming, and he stood a full head taller than the Imperial Diviner. Just standing in front of him left the Imperial Diviner breathless.

To buy time, he had no choice but to tough it out and say, "Your Highness overstates it. This is no small matter. I need to report to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager first before I can give you an answer."

Yuan Jiuan said calmly, "Very well, I'll wait right here."

When he first arrived, he'd tried to enter the palace, but the guards at the gate had turned him away, so he was stuck waiting outside.

Yuan Jiuan also feared that if he left even for a moment, these people would spirit the Crown Prince's remains away and bury them!

He'd come to the capital in person because he'd caught wind of some troubling rumors and wanted to test the waters.

Empress Dowager Yuan had seized power, intending to install a new Crown Prince and usher in a new dynasty.

At first, Yuan Jiuan had thought the information he received might be false, but when he saw that Empress Dowager Yuan was having the Crown Prince's remains buried without so much as a heads-up, he figured those rumors were now more than half true.

And now, seeing Ji Yuntang here as well, he got the sense things were far more complicated than they appeared.

Ji Yuntang, a Princess Ye from the Dongchen Kingdom, showing up in the Xishu Kingdom's imperial palace—what did that mean?

It meant the Xishu Kingdom's court was about to be turned upside down!

The Imperial Diviner hurried back into the palace, rushing straight to Cining Palace where Empress Dowager Yuan resided, without even bothering to announce himself.

The servants of Cining Palace knew of his relationship with the Empress Dowager and had long since gotten used to it.

But when Empress Dowager Yuan saw the Imperial Diviner enter, her heart lurched. She hurried over and shut the door.

"Cousin, weren't you supposed to be handling the Crown Prince's funeral on my behalf? Why are you back?"

The Imperial Diviner walked over, took her hand, and said in a hushed, urgent tone, "Cousin, something terrible has happened. Prince Chengxuan has arrived in the capital and is sitting at the palace gate right now."

Empress Dowager Yuan's face went pale. She gasped in disbelief, "What? Prince Chengxuan has come to the palace?"

"Wasn't he always staying in his own fiefdom? What's he doing in the capital?"

The Imperial Diviner narrowed his dark eyes and said in a low voice, "He stopped the funeral procession and insisted that I open the coffin, demanding to see the Crown Prince one last time."

"I suspect our plan has gotten out. His visit to the capital must be related to the matter of installing a new Crown Prince."

"The real question is, how many men has Prince Chengxuan brought with him?"

The knot of unease in Empress Dowager Yuan's stomach tightened, but she quickly steadied herself.

With a dark, calculating look, she said, "If he wants to see the Crown Prince's body, then let him see it. He rarely comes to the capital anyway—even if he sees the corpse, what's the worst that could happen?"

The Imperial Diviner was taken aback and asked, "Cousin, you mean... open the coffin and let him take a look?"

Empress Dowager Yuan said, "Exactly. Prince Chengxuan has been holed up in his fiefdom for years, and his title is hereditary. He probably doesn't even know what the Crown Prince looked like."

"Not to mention, that corpse is burned beyond recognition. Even the servants who have attended Chu Yi for years couldn't tell the difference. How could an outsider possibly tell it was a fake?"

Empress Dowager Yuan was well aware that such an act was a huge disrespect to the deceased, especially when the body belonged to the current Crown Prince.

Agreeing to open the coffin was tantamount to slapping the royal family across the face.

But if she butted heads with Prince Chengxuan right now, at best it would be a lose-lose, and at worst, it would be a thankless hassle.

Only by putting his doubts to rest could things go smoothly from here.

Empress Dowager Yuan glanced at the Imperial Diviner, knowing she'd have to deal with this one herself.

After all, Prince Chengxuan was the most powerful Feudal Prince in the northwest. Even though there was bad blood between them, now that he'd come all this way to the capital, she had to keep up proper decorum.

At the very least, she needed to keep up appearances so that things wouldn't turn into an all-out falling out later.

Empress Dowager Yuan went inside to change into a plain outfit and then had her palanquin carried out.

When she arrived at the palace gate, she saw a crowd of ministers standing there, and across from them sat a very unassuming carriage.

Standing in front of the carriage was a young man in white brocade embroidered with cloud patterns, radiating an otherworldly air.

He stood tall and graceful, his posture as graceful as drifting clouds—gentle, refined, composed, and calm.

Empress Dowager Yuan was a bit taken aback. So this was the current Prince Chengxuan, Yuan Jiuan?

He didn't look anything like the rumors suggested.

As Empress Dowager Yuan looked over, Yuan Jiuan also looked back, and their eyes locked, tension crackling in the air.

Empress Dowager Yuan realized then that Yuan Jiuan only seemed gentle on the surface—underneath, he was a cold-blooded bastard.

That made sense. Someone who could kill her nephew and send back a severed hand—how could he be someone with a conscience?

At that thought, Empress Dowager Yuan's expression immediately turned cold. She had her servants lower the palanquin and, with the support of Nanny An, climbed down herself.

Yuan Jiuan stepped forward to offer his greetings.

"Yuan Jiuan, Prince Cheng'an of Jizhou, pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. Wishing Her Majesty good fortune."

Though he called it paying respects, it was just a slight nod of the head.

Throughout history, every Prince Chengxuan had the privilege of not kneeling before the emperor, and naturally, they didn't have to kneel before the Empress Dowager either.

Moreover, with his prosthetic leg, Yuan Jiuan couldn't kneel even if he wanted to.

Empress Dowager Yuan looked him up and down and said with forced politeness, "Prince Chengxuan, why didn't you send someone ahead to notify me of your arrival in the capital?"

"I could've made preparations and thrown you a welcome banquet."

Yuan Jiuan's voice was clear and gentle as he said slowly, "I only arrived an hour ago. Jizhou is far from the capital—sending word ahead would take at least ten days to two weeks."

"Her Majesty is swamped with state affairs and has no time to spare. I was also worried about disturbing you, so I took the liberty of entering the capital without notifying you. Her Majesty won't hold that against me, will she?"

When the Imperial Diviner heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched hard.

Wasn't this the exact excuse he had used to brush off Yuan Jiuan earlier? How had the guy flipped it around to use against Empress Dowager Yuan?

He was at a loss for words, and his disgust for Yuan Jiuan ticked up another notch.

Empress Dowager Yuan, though, didn't catch the shift in the Imperial Diviner's expression. She said, "I'm delighted that you've come to the capital—how could I possibly blame you for it?"

"You've kept Jizhou in perfect order and solved a lot of problems for me. I've been wanting to meet you for ages!"

"How about this—why don't you come into the palace with me for a chat? Let me play the good host."

She had her own scheme in mind. If she could lure Yuan Jiuan away, she wouldn't have to open the coffin in public. She could just have the Imperial Diviner cart the body off and bury the False Crown Prince, settling it all in one fell swoop!

Yuan Jiuan, of course, knew exactly what she was up to. If he left, he would be walking straight into her trap. He declined directly, saying, "I thank Her Majesty for her kind offer, but as for entering the palace to catch up, there's no hurry for now."

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