Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot

Lu Qi glanced subtly at Lu Zhaoyan and his entourage.

Lu Zhaoyan's brows furrowed tightly, his expression grave.

Mr. Zi Wu was pinching his fingers, seemingly calculating something.

Prince Fu looked completely perplexed.

Duke Jiang was so furious that he was nearly fuming, almost jumping onto the altar, only to be held back by Prince Fu just in time.

"Let me go! The incense is definitely problematic!"

"If there's an issue, my father will notice it."

"Notice what—mmph mmph!"

Prince Fu covered his uncle's mouth, blocking words that could cause the Jiang Family to be executed entirely.

The Minister of Agriculture and Meng, the Cabinet Minister, exchanged anxious looks.

The Hanlin Academy Chief Scholar also squeezed over, trying to uncover what was happening.

If it wasn't the incense, could it truly be the ancestors punishing them?

All of them simultaneously turned toward Mr. Zi Wu.

The Chief Scholar hurriedly spoke out, "Mr. Zi Wu!"

Mr. Zi Wu raised his hand slightly. "Calculating, still calculating."

The group became increasingly desperate.

Prince Jin smiled and asked, "Qi'er, are you pleased with the grand gift your father has given you?"

"I am pleased," Lu Qi replied.

Meng Qianqian's gaze remained fixed on Lu Yuan.

Soon, she noticed something unusual about Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan began his fourth attempt, but this time, his arm trembled slightly, cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and his complexion paled.

She glanced at Gongsun Yanming on the altar.

Gongsun Yanming was looking at her as well.

In the instant their gazes locked, a flash of white light crossed her mind.

"Life Chart."

She whispered the words.

Lu Zhaoyan asked, "What Life Chart?"

Meng Qianqian spoke in a voice audible only to the two of them, "Gongsun Yanming is damaging the Imperial Grandson's Life Chart."

Lu Zhaoyan frowned deeply. "Damaging?"

Meng Qianqian explained, "Damage is only the first step. My guess is that he's attempting to use the same trick to swap the Imperial Grandson's Life Chart with Lu Qi's. But using the Wushan Forbidden Technique is exceedingly tricky—it doesn't succeed every time."

A flicker of killing intent appeared in Lu Zhaoyan's eyes.

Under the crowd's bewildered and suspicious stares, he walked coldly toward Prince Jin.

Prince Jin chuckled lightly, "Second Brother, is there something wrong? Qi'er, greet your Second Uncle."

"Second Uncle," Lu Qi said.

"Spare me the theatrics," Lu Zhaoyan said icily. "What exactly have you done to Yuan'er?"

Prince Jin gave a gentle smile. "Second Brother, whatever do you mean? Your elder brother is confused."

Lu Zhaoyan gave Lu Qi a glance before speaking in a stern tone. "Drop the act. Don't tell me you dare to do something but lack the courage to admit it. Or perhaps you're afraid I'll go to Father and expose you?"

Prince Jin's smile stiffened slightly. "Qi'er, the commoners are rioting, go calm them down to prevent injuries to innocent people."

"As you wish, Father."

Lu Qi walked toward the agitated crowd.

Prince Rui and King Qi tactfully separated the surrounding officials, leaving the two brothers space to speak.

Lu Zhaoyan said, "That night, you weren't testing Lu Qi, were you?"

Prince Jin chuckled. "He's my own son; why would I need to test him? I knew he wouldn't bear to let you die and would surely come to save you, just as you would save him."

Lu Zhaoyan replied coldly, "You already guessed that the one returning with you was not Lu Qi."

Prince Jin sneered. "You couldn't seriously have thought your elder brother was so foolish he couldn't recognize his own son, did you?"

Lu Zhaoyan asked, "Where did it go wrong?"

Prince Jin answered indifferently, "Too much talking."

Lu Zhaoyan fell silent. "..."

Prince Jin laughed mirthfully. "Originally, I was wondering how to obtain your son's blood and hair; yet, your son delivered them right to my doorstep. After spending a night, he left his hair on the bed. And because he insisted on disguising the injured Qi'er as himself, in doing so, to avoid being exposed, he naturally injured himself, gifting me his blood."

Lu Zhaoyan's face darkened considerably. "You have spies in the Crown Prince Mansion!"

Prince Jin avoided the question, but the smug look in his eyes gave Lu Zhaoyan his answer.

Lu Zhaoyan clenched his fists tightly. "My good elder brother, indeed."

Prince Jin grinned. "I know you're clever, and your son isn't foolish, either; if it were only this, it wouldn't necessarily have stumped you. So, I had men abduct your woman—Lu Linyuan would surely go to save his mother, thus trapping the two of them in the mountains."

"But truth be told, all these efforts were merely distractions, meant to prevent you from uncovering my true intentions."

Lu Zhaoyan scoffed in anger. "Every step linked perfectly to the next. Brother's scheme truly earns my admiration."

Prince Jin relished the moment of superiority. "Indeed, after such an elaborate scheme, who would guess that my ultimate goal… was his Qilin Life Chart."

Lu Zhaoyan stared unflinchingly into his smug eyes. "Brother, oh Brother, ever heard the saying: 'What is destined will come to pass; what is not destined cannot be forced'?"

Prince Jin retorted disdainfully, "I choose to force it!"

Lu Zhaoyan paused. "Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

Prince Jin mocked, "Do you have another card to play?"

Before his voice had faded, Lu Yuan suddenly clutched his chest and vomited a mouthful of blood.

The blood splashed into the incense burner, landing on the extinguished incense sticks.

"The ancestors are punishing the Imperial Grandson!"

"Continuing the ritual is useless; the ancestors are enraged!"

"Let the late emperor and the Qin family's ancestors cleanse their house and rid Great Liang of this disaster!"

The commoners erupted in collective fury.

Lu Qi's appearance did not appease them; instead, they clung to him like a lifeline.

They chanted, demanding that Lu Qi proceed with ancestral rituals to quell heaven's wrath.

Prince Jin smirked. "Second Brother, let me show you what true destiny looks like."

"Your Majesty, comply with the will of heaven!"

"Your Majesty, comply with the will of heaven!"

The shouts of the crowd overshadowed one another.

The Imperial Army was barely holding them back.

"Mr. Zi Wu, Mr. Zi Wu, think of something!"

The Chief Scholar urged him.

Mr. Zi Wu let out a long sigh, opened his aged eyes, and lamented, "It's over."

The Chief Scholar, Meng the Cabinet Minister, and the Minister of Agriculture were visibly shocked.

Duke Jiang collapsed to his knees, raising his arms in anguish, his face full of despair.

"Heavens above!"

"Earth below!"

"Every one of you in Prince Qin Mansion… is blind—utterly blind!"

"Brother."

Lu Zhaoyan suddenly raised his gaze. "Open your eyes and see what true destiny really looks like."

Prince Jin's brows furrowed.

In the next moment, the former subordinate of Hu Lie, Liu Yuan, cried out, "Look! The incense… the incense… it's burning!"

The incense that Lu Yuan had stuck into the burner flickered like a tiny flame, flaring up intermittently.

Prince Fu was left dumbfounded. "It's really…"

Duke Jiang lamented in his heart: Damn it, I knelt too early!

Prince Jin stepped forward, astonished. "Just what is this—"

Lu Zhaoyan smiled thinly. "Brother, did you truly believe Yuan'er talked too much? The flaw you saw was precisely what Yuan'er wanted you to see."

Prince Jin proclaimed, "Impossible!"

Lu Zhaoyan stated, "Yuan'er wasn't injured; he deceived all of you."

Prince Jin was in disbelief. "What?"

Lu Zhaoyan said nonchalantly, "The blood you obtained—it was pig's blood I bought for two copper coins. The hair you obtained—came from a eunuch working at a pleasure house."

"You—" Prince Jin felt his stomach churn.

"You'd better have swapped the Life Chart with your son. If you swapped it with yourself—"

Lu Zhaoyan deliberately glanced at his lower abdomen and added, matter-of-factly, "Funny how that pleasure house's eunuch also happens to be castrated."

Prince Jin staggered back, crashing into his attendant.

"Even if the incense burns, so what? In the people's eyes, there is only one Qilin—and that is Qi'er!"

Splat!

A cold droplet landed on Prince Jin's head.

Splat!

Another followed.

Prince Jin instinctively reached up and touched it, looking up in astonishment.

An elderly farmer stretched out his stick-thin hand. "Rain? Did it just rain…"

Meng Qianqian stepped forward to the altar and clasped her hands respectfully. "The Imperial Grandson, invoking the power of the Qilin, used his heart's blood to pray for spring rain for Great Liang. Long live Prince Changsun, ten thousand years!"

The commoners were shocked and finally understood.

No wonder the incense had continuously extinguished—it had been part of the Imperial Grandson's effort to pray for rain.

Heaven had decreed drought and stubbornly withheld rain, even rejecting the Imperial Grandson's repeated attempts, nearly claiming his life…

The Imperial Grandson had done it entirely for the people!

And yet, they had been calling him a calamity star… how shameful!

"It's raining… the crops are saved…"

The old farmer wept uncontrollably, trembling as he knelt and bowed deeply, "Long live Prince Changsun, ten thousand years!"

The commoners knelt in reverence as well, "Long live Prince Changsun, ten thousand years!"

The Priest announced, "The ceremony is complete!"