Luo Weiran sensed that the Emperor was acting strangely today, as he seemed lost in thought. After exchanging a few words with Su Buwei, the Emperor summoned Luo Weiran. Afterward, the Emperor gazed at the lotus pond and fell silent again. This was a rare sight, so Luo Weiran couldn't help but be surprised when he saw the Emperor.
He bowed respectfully from a distance and greeted him, "Your Majesty."
The Emperor snapped out of his reverie, glanced at Luo Weiran, and then pointed to a stone bench not far away: "Come sit down and let's talk."
Luo Weiran didn't refuse, walked to the stone bench, and sat down with a slight bow. Sitting properly in front of the Emperor was considered very impolite. You should sit when the Emperor tells you to, but if you sat as casually as if chatting with a friend, it would be considered extremely disrespectful if seen by others.
Su Buwei remained standing behind the Emperor, maintaining a distance of about one and a half steps.
When Luo Weiran arrived, Su Buwei had already told him that His Majesty wanted to investigate Wu Peisheng's death again, so Luo Weiran was prepared. However, his preparations were clearly useless; the Emperor's first question was, "How is Fang Jie doing in prison?"
Luo Weiran quickly replied, "Yesterday he angered Her Highness the Princess and also provoked Hou Wenji."
"Wanting mentioned this to me, and Hou Wenji also told me yesterday. Fang Jie's words were disrespectful to me and he angered Wanting... Has he been living too comfortably in your Imperial Guard's prison? I heard he gets whatever he wants, whatever he wants to eat, and even if he wants to write poetry or calligraphy, you send him all the writing implements. This isn't imprisonment; it's clearly enjoyment!"
Although the Emperor's tone was somewhat stern, Luo Weiran knew that His Majesty wasn't truly angry. Having served the Emperor for eleven years, he understood him far better than most court officials. He knew that Her Highness the Princess had been disgusted by Fang Jie and vomited, and he also knew that His Majesty was inhuman. Hou Wenji had no reason to hide such a trivial matter from him; of course, nothing in the Imperial Guard could be kept from him anyway.
"He certainly deserves punishment."
Luo Weiran lowered his head and said, "However… no torture, no forced confession, no hardship… that's Your Majesty's decree."
"Is that so?"
The Emperor paused, then said somewhat angrily, "That doesn't mean we can let him run wild. Starve him for two days, and see if he still has the energy to be cunning or throw a tantrum!"
"Your subject obeys."
"However…"
The Emperor's tone shifted, and he sighed slightly, "His behavior makes me think he has nothing to hide. You keep an eye on him every day, and Hou Wenji keeps an eye on him every day too. Both of you have sharp eyes. You both say he seems somewhat self-destructive, somewhat angry, somewhat feigning madness… and anything feigned will always seem somewhat contrived."
He paused and continued, "I saw Du Hongxian the other day, and she also said that Fang Jie is the Seventh Prince's…" "Successor, I think this matter is probably correct... Now what needs to be determined is whether Fang Jie has any connection with Buddhism. We must investigate thoroughly and not be perfunctory. The model I personally nurtured cannot become evidence of my idiocy. If he truly has any connection with Buddhism, then I am a complete joke!"
"Of course... if he has no connection with Buddhism, I will return what I gave him before. He is still a genius rarely seen in the Sui Dynasty in a hundred years, and still the top student in the Martial Arts Academy."
"Your Majesty, I understand."
Luo Weiran nodded and said, "But I am the junior brother of Prince Zhong. Entrusting this matter to me... I fear it would be unfair. Perhaps I should withdraw and hand it all over to Hou Wenji. He is more skilled at investigating cases than I am."
"Hou Wenji has other matters to attend to. You keep an eye on Fang Jie's matter."
The Emperor waved his hand and remained silent for a moment. After a while, he asked, "Tell me again about what happened before and after the Seventh Prince found you back then."
"Yes."
Luo Weiran said, "That year, I was still cultivating in the mountains with my master. Prince Zhong was my second senior brother. At the time, none of us knew his identity; none of us expected that he was actually a high-ranking official of the imperial family. He was often not in the mountains, but his cultivation was the most admirable among us. He was a true genius; one day of cultivation yielded more understanding than a year of mine."
"I remember that I was practicing the Ten-Step Slash when Prince Zhong returned to the sect and found me alone. He told me not to ask anything, to immediately pack my things and head to Chang'an. He wanted me to see His Majesty in the palace and gave me a handwritten letter to deliver to Your Majesty. We all greatly admired our second senior brother, so although I didn't know what he was going to do, I immediately left the sect and rushed to Chang'an..." "And he never left again."
The Emperor hummed in agreement, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Seventh Brother's entry into the mountains for cultivation was the late Emperor's arrangement; I didn't know about it at the time. You four brothers are all my good helpers. Master Xiao is already the leader of the Daoist sect, commanding the martial world for me. You served in the Imperial Guard for eleven years, doing your utmost. Even Xiang Qingniu… when Master Xiao grows old, he will naturally be the only one to inherit the Daoist lineage."
"Master Xiao has four disciples, but they will never leave the Daoist sect. You have no successor, and Qingniu has none. If Fang Jie is Seventh Brother's successor, then he is the only disciple among the four of you who has entered the world. I never intended to kill him directly to prevent future troubles, but rather to clear his name."
"Your Majesty's good intentions are understood."
"Investigate again how Wu Peisheng died."
The Emperor's shift was so abrupt that Luo Weiran was somewhat unable to follow his train of thought. "Ah?"
Luo Weiran exclaimed, then nodded, "Your Majesty, I obey."
"Su Buwei said that Wu Peisheng had mentioned before his westward journey that he was unlikely to return. Although he had many faults, he was responsible to me and meticulous in his work. Perhaps he discovered some shady dealings in the Northwest, which led to his untimely death… This matter should not be investigated openly, nor should it be mentioned to anyone. Send your own trusted confidants to the Northwest to investigate secretly, without revealing anything to the government or military. Do you understand?"
"I understand!"
"I don't want the Northwest to be in turmoil at this time, but I cannot tolerate anyone deceiving me!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Also… have Qiu Yu check on Fang Jie in prison frequently; his cultivation cannot be neglected."
"Then… starve him for two days?"
Luo Weiran asked tentatively. The Emperor stood up, slightly puffing out his chest, and said, "A ruler's word is law!"
"He bullied my daughter; I've been merciful by not silencing him. Starve him for two days. If he still doesn't cooperate… starve him for three days, five days—as long as he doesn't starve to death!"
…
…
The door creaked open from the outside. Fang Jie, lying on the stone bed, didn't even bother to turn around. He lay facing the wall, his back to the door, motionless.
The person who entered was Zhuo Buyi. Seeing Fang Jie's appearance, he couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
Sitting down in a chair, Zhuo Buyi remained silent for a long time. He stared at Fang Jie's back, his eyes filled with deep regret.
"You're not one to habitually turn your back on others," Zhuo Buyi said, looking at Fang Jie after a while.
Fang Jie's shoulders trembled slightly, and a low, cold laugh clearly reached Zhuo Buyi's ears. Zhuo Buyi knew Fang Jie was angry, but he didn't know how to continue the conversation. The events on Half-Moon Mountain that day had undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to Fang Jie.
"In your eyes, is a human life cheaper than a dog's?"
Fang Jie sat up abruptly, looking directly into Zhuo Buyi's eyes.
Zhuo Buyi knew what Fang Jie was referring to. Several students from the Martial Arts Academy had died on Half-Moon Mountain that day. They were all innocent; their deaths there were indeed unexpected.
"No plan is perfect, and deaths… shouldn't be taken to heart. They died innocently, that's undeniable. But if it weren't for them, you wouldn't have killed Chen Ya. We wouldn't have severely injured Zhi Hui. So, in the end, they rendered meritorious service to the Great Sui. Dying for the Great Sui isn't unjust."
"What kind of bullshit theory is that?!"
Fang Jie glared at Zhuo Buyi angrily.
"Every Sui citizen is prepared to sacrifice themselves for the Sui Dynasty at any moment. You don't need to question that, including yourself… You don't need to deny it. If you weren't that kind of person, you wouldn't have stood in front of others to protect Chen Ya that day."
"I'm not that noble."
Fang Jie said coldly, "I have a personal grudge against that bald monk. He tried to kill me and injured Da Quan. Even without those classmates, I would still have stood up."
"Do you think I'd believe that?"
Zhuo Buyi shook his head. "Most of the time you would have turned and run."
"Fuck your grandpa!"
Fang Jie roared, "If you came here just to say this, then you can get lost. If I could leave, I wouldn't be listening to your babbling!"
Zhuo Buyi said seriously, "If you insult me again, I'll beat you up."
Fang Jie was taken aback, then simply turned his head away and ignored him. After a long while, Fang Jie let out a long sigh and said, "Thank you."
"Thank you for what?"
Zhuo Buyi asked. "Others may not know, but I know very well," Fang Jie said with a touch of emotion.
"Everyone thinks I killed Chen Ya, that I'm really that good at fighting. If you hadn't used 'Drawing a Circle on the Ground' to immobilize Chen Ya for a moment at the most crucial moment, how could I have killed him?"
Zhuo Buyi shook his head: "You were gambling, so there's no need to thank me. You just gambled correctly. You know I would never stand by and watch you die. From the moment you charged in, you had me in your plans."
Fang Jie didn't deny it.
"There's something I don't understand."
Fang Jie asked, "That idiot bald monk named Zhihui, why didn't he kill me when he could have, and even had two chances?"
Zhuo Buyi thought for a moment and replied, "If you understood this, you'd be sitting in the martial arts academy listening to the professor's lecture right now."
"I understand."
Fang Jie sighed, "I was never sure why they arrested me. Now I know my crime was simply because I was lucky enough not to die at that old monk's hands. So, if I had died that day, I should be lying in a grand tomb now, with people offering flowers outside? People would burn paper money and pour wine for me from time to time. My name would be mentioned for many years, and every time it was mentioned, people would sigh with regret. A once-in-a-century genius of the Sui Dynasty died so needlessly at the hands of the Buddhist sect. People would hate Buddhism even more because of my death. Thinking about it that way… I really deserve to die."
"It seems… so."
Zhuo Buyi nodded. "However, it's not just because of that."
Zhuo Buyi asked, "Do you know anything about Buddhism?"
"No."
"There's a very special kind of person in Buddhism called a Buddha's Son. They are the successors carefully selected by the Great Wheel King. Before the Great Wheel King passes away, he will designate one of the Buddha's Sons as the new Great Wheel King. The most distinctive feature of these Buddha's Sons is… their innate indestructible body. I don't know how Buddhism achieves this, but many people know… your constitution is somewhat special."
Fang Jie was stunned, his mind suddenly clearing. Many things he couldn't understand before gradually became clear after hearing these words. At this moment, he even doubted himself… Could I really be a Buddha's Son?