Troublemaker Prince Chapter 7
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 7
In the Sixth Prince's memory, his Second Brother the Crown Prince was naturally kind and benevolent. If falsely accused, the Crown Prince would surely rush to explain himself. At that point, the Sixth Prince planned to bring people to the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace to find the coffin. With both witness testimony and physical evidence, no matter how the Crown Prince tried to defend himself, the Emperor would grow disgusted with him and ultimately punish him.
But now! The plot wasn't following the Sixth Prince's imagination at all. The Crown Prince didn't rush to defend himself—instead, he took the initiative and redirected the question to the Sixth Prince himself, completely elevating the severity of the matter!
The accusation had transformed from spying on the Eastern Palace to spying on the Emperor, directly pointing to what the Emperor feared most.
Hearing this, the Sixth Prince couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat. Just as he was about to defend himself, he met the Crown Prince's eyes, which carried a hint of amusement.
To You Yusui, the Sixth Prince was an existence that didn't deserve any fear—his maternal family held no power, and he was foolish and impulsive. If today he had told the Noble Consort and the Third Prince about the coffin hidden in the Eastern Palace, perhaps today's situation in Xuande Hall would have been different.
The next moment, under the Emperor's cold gaze, the Sixth Prince knelt down and swore to heaven, "This son absolutely did not spy on the Eastern Palace, much less harbor any intention of spying on Father Emperor!"
Wearing the imperial crown and dragon robe, You Fengyun remained silent. He sat high above, as if watching a ridiculous farce.
"If you didn't spy on the Eastern Palace, then how does Sixth Imperial Brother know there's a coffin hidden in my Eastern Palace?" You Yusui walked to You Yulin's side and asked softly. "Surely it wasn't someone from my palace who went out and told you."
"It was," You Yulin answered through gritted teeth, keeping his head lowered.
"Really? Really? Who would believe such an obvious lie?" You Yusui replied with an expression of surprise.
"If you weren't spying on the Eastern Palace, how would you know about its affairs?" You Yusui coldly smiled. "If you dare spy on the Eastern Palace, wouldn't your next step be to spy on the Emperor, coveting the imperial throne?"
When You Yusui openly spoke the four words "coveting the imperial throne," everyone's eyelids twitched involuntarily. How daring—he actually brought up the matter of imperial brothers fighting for the throne.
Huo Xiling, who had followed You Yusui into Xuande Hall, felt heartache. The position of Crown Prince appeared glamorous and splendid, but the person who truly possessed it lived as if cooking in blazing oil—one small mistake meant death with no burial. Not to mention his own brothers were constantly plotting against him.
After watching this scene unfold, You Fengyun finally spoke, "Crown Prince, is it true that there is a coffin hidden in the Eastern Palace?"
"It is true," You Yusui admitted frankly.
As soon as he spoke, You Yulin, who was kneeling nearby, became excited. Just as he was about to stand up and accuse You Yusui of harboring sinister intentions by hiding a coffin in the Eastern Palace—perhaps even hoping for the Emperor's death—making him disloyal, unrighteous, and unfilial, unworthy of being Crown Prince.
But before You Yulin could begin his indignant performance, You Yusui held him back and preemptively shed tears and began to lament.
"There is indeed a coffin in the Eastern Palace, but that coffin was prepared by this son for himself!"
A step too late is a thousand miles too late—You Yulin could only watch as You Yusui cried like a bamboo swaying in the wind, his expression sorrowful yet his posture dignified, somehow crying with aesthetic grace.
At this moment, You Yulin suspected the Crown Prince had practiced beforehand.
"Since the day this son was gravely ill and nearly died, this son has felt the impermanence of life, how it can be extinguished like a candle flame at any moment. So after this son awoke, this son prepared for his afterlife early. If something unexpected were to happen, the people of the Eastern Palace wouldn't be thrown into confusion," You Yusui lowered his eyes as tears fell, then continued with immense heartache, "This son never imagined Sixth Imperial Brother would bring this matter before Father Emperor."
Upon hearing this, You Yulin quickly said, "Even if the coffin was prepared for yourself, what of it? A coffin placed within the imperial palace is inauspicious regardless."
You Yusui coughed once, his complexion growing increasingly pale. He stared at You Yulin with profound hurt. "I am your elder brother. When I was gravely ill, you never once came to see me. Now that I've recovered and wish to prepare a coffin for myself in advance, you tell me it's inauspicious."
"Spying on the Eastern Palace, disrespecting your elder brother—you truly are my good younger brother." After speaking, You Yusui's steps faltered, and Huo Xiling beside him quickly reached out to support him.
You Yulin, repeatedly questioned by You Yusui, could not utter a single word in rebuttal. Indeed, he had not visited the Crown Prince during his serious illness, and had even been drinking and making merry in private.
At this moment, You Yusui broke free from Huo Xiling's support and knelt heavily before You Fengyun, who was watching the drama unfold. "Although Sixth Imperial Brother does not cherish our brotherly bond and even spies on the Eastern Palace coveting the position of Crown Prince, he is still my younger brother by blood. This son begs Father Emperor to punish him lightly."
As these words fell, You Yulin felt a lump in his throat. Huo Xiling began to wonder, looking at You Yusui kneeling on the ground, whether he was doing this deliberately.
In fact, You Yusui was indeed doing it deliberately. This move was called retreating to advance—a tactic he had learned from his good father's delicate concubines.
The Emperor sitting above suddenly smiled. He looked at You Yusui kneeling on the ground and said, "Anhai, what are you waiting for? Quickly help the Crown Prince up."
Eunuch Anhai immediately stepped forward to help You Yusui stand, while simultaneously arranging his clothes, saying, "Your Highness, please rise. The floor is cold, and you have only recently recovered from illness."
Hearing this, You Yusui followed Anhai's guidance and stood up, then met the Emperor's eyes above.
"This time the Crown Prince has been wronged. Let the Crown Prince decide what punishment Sixth should receive," You Fengyun said with a smile, passing the question to You Yusui.
You Yusui's eyelashes trembled slightly, then he bowed to You Fengyun and said, "I have only two wishes that I hope Father Emperor will grant."
"Let’s hear it," You Fengyun said, looking down at everyone before him.
"First, after my death, I hope to lie in the coffin I prepared for myself," You Yusui said softly. "Second, I hope Father Emperor will completely replace all the palace servants and guards in the Eastern Palace."
His Eastern Palace leaked like a sieve, full of spies from the court and imperial harem. It would be better to replace them all with the Emperor's people, which would be less troublesome. After all, was there anything these princes did that their father didn't know about?
Although You Fengyun found You Yusui's first request strange, it was not unacceptable, so he granted both requests.
"Words leave no trace. This son requests Father Emperor to issue an imperial edict permitting this son to use the coffin he has prepared after his death," You Yusui pushed further, since these people had gone back on their word before. What if after he died, they threw him into a thin coffin and buried him carelessly?
You Fengyun looked at the seemingly obedient You Yusui before him. He began to wonder if the recent severe illness had caused too great an impact on the Crown Prince, making him so concerned with matters after death.
However, curious to see what You Yusui would do next, You Fengyun agreed to his request and wrote an imperial edict for him.
"Father Emperor truly pities and loves me," You Yusui promptly said upon seeing this.
You Fengyun sitting above: ............
After You Fengyun had someone write the imperial edict, everyone watched as You Yusui took it like a treasure, then carefully handed it to the Crown Prince's attendant beside him.
"Hold it carefully. If it's damaged, you'll be expelled from the Eastern Palace," You Yusui said to Huo Xiling.
At this moment, Huo Xiling felt as if he was holding something worth thousands of gold pieces.
You Yusui then turned to look at You Yulin and said, "As for Sixth Imperial Brother's punishment, I request that Sixth Imperial Brother pay for the cost of my coffin."
After speaking, You Yusui gave a glance to Fubao standing nearby.
Fubao immediately understood and walked to Prince You Yulin's front, saying, "Your Highness the Sixth Prince, a total of eighty-eight thousand taels of silver, please settle the payment."
High-quality coffin, Nanmu wood with gold thread, elaborately crafted—not cheap. Please pay eighty-eight thousand.
When You Yulin heard this figure, he nearly fainted. He was neither the heir apparent nor an enfeoffed prince, and his maternal family wasn't a prestigious one. Relying solely on his monthly allowance, he could never produce eighty-eight thousand taels of silver.
Just as You Yulin was about to plead for mercy, the Emperor above spoke, ordering him to do as requested.
Standing opposite him, You Yusui smiled and said he hoped he would clear his debt soon, otherwise he would have to complain to others daily.
You Yulin's face stiffened—the Crown Prince might not care about saving face, but he did.
Finally, after You Fengyun issued an edict to replace all the servants and guards in the Eastern Palace, You Yusui left Xuande Hall with Huo Xiling's support.
On the way back to the Eastern Palace, Huo Xiling looked at You Yusui sitting in the palanquin and said, "His Majesty is truly good to Your Highness."
Huo Xiling had examined the selected guards—they were all top-notch fighters with strict military discipline. With them protecting the Crown Prince, Huo Xiling felt at ease.
Hearing Huo Xiling's words, You Yusui smiled, the tear mole at the corner of his eye lifting slightly.
"Good to me?" You Yusui asked in return. Then he closed his eyes and said, "Since you think he's good to me, then let it be so."
For an emperor like his father, if he were truly good to someone, that person's entire existence would be under his control, and he would bestow what he considered the best of everything upon them.
Thinking this, You Yusui suddenly felt grateful that You Fengyun was not good to him.
As You Yusui's thoughts wandered, Huo Xiling, walking beside him, said, "Then I shall be good to Your Highness."
Hearing this, the corners of You Yusui's mouth turned up slightly. Whether these words were sincere or not, he was happy to hear them.
Feeling he needed to do something to demonstrate his favor toward Huo Xiling, You Yusui said to Fubao beside him, "Reward Attendant Huo with a thousand gold pieces."
When Huo Xiling heard this, he was stunned on the spot. A thousand gold pieces? Had he heard correctly? A household with thirty gold pieces could be considered wealthy, and many aristocratic families in the capital might not earn a thousand gold pieces in a year. Yet the Crown Prince had casually given him a thousand gold pieces.
You Yusui, sitting in the palanquin, leaned down and used his finger to lift Huo Xiling's chin. "Continue to humor me, and there will be many more benefits in the future."
For You Yusui, what was the point of keeping this money? After his death, it would most likely be inherited by someone he despised. Aside from what he needed to keep for his burial, it was better to give the rest to his newly kept male favorite as spending money, encouraging him to comfort and pamper him more.