097 Marrying the Second Prince

Chapter 097: Marrying the Second Prince

“What? Burning down the Fahua Temple?” Zhu Xishi, just about to offer a piece of braised pork to Fang Rulai, instinctively pulled it back the moment she heard this. “Are you crazy? Why would you want to burn down the Fahua Temple? Didn’t you risk your life to take the salt route just so that one day, when you return to Shengjing, you could protect the Fahua Temple under the Crown Prince’s watch? Now that you’re about to return to Shengjing, why would you arrange for someone to set it on fire yourself?”

Fang Rulai lunged forward with her chopsticks in her mouth. “I’ll explain the reason to you, but first, will you please let me eat the braised pork? We've only been eating dry rations on the road, and it’s so rare to have a hot meal—braised pork, no less. How can you bear to watch me eat without letting me taste it? Give it here! Otherwise, when that pair of siblings come back later, this bowl of pork will have to be divided into three parts, and I won’t be full.”

“No way. It’s exactly because those siblings aren’t here that you should take this chance to explain clearly to me.” Zhu Xishi clutched the braised pork and began running around the small, newly borrowed farmhouse kitchen.

Fang Rulai chased after her and suddenly stopped. “Oh? So you don’t completely trust those siblings?”

“Of course not!” Zhu Xishi halted. “Don’t think I’m not clever enough to tell good people from bad.”

“Xishi sister’s intelligence is on point—thumbs up!” Fang Rulai sincerely gave her a thumbs-up.

Zhu Xishi, rarely praised, couldn’t help but raise her chin a little. “See! You always say ‘those near vermilion become red, those near ink become black’—ah, shameless baldy, you’re using the sugar-coated cannonball trick again! Give me back the braised pork!”

At that moment, while Zhu Xishi was still basking in her pride, Fang Rulai, who had been standing still, suddenly lunged forward and scooped the braised pork into her arms.

As she turned to run, she didn’t forget to grab a chopstickful and pop it in her mouth. “Mmm! Delicious!”

Zhu Xishi’s eyes turned blue with anger. Was this guy really scheming just for a bowl of braised pork? What frustrated her more was that this was an old trick, and she always fell for it.

She was furious!

With her right hand, Zhu Xishi grabbed the kitchen knife off the cutting board and threw it in the direction Fang Rulai was running.

The knife stabbed precisely into the pillar Fang Rulai was about to reach.

A flash of blade light, and Fang Rulai stopped abruptly, nearly choking on the pork in her throat. She swallowed hard, turned on her toes, preparing to change direction.

Zhu Xishi’s ominous voice sounded behind her. “Hmph, bald little monk, this is the kitchen I know best! Besides the kitchen knife, there are all sorts of knives on this cutting board! Are you sure your so-called hundred-meter sprint speed can outrun my kitchen knives?”

Uh! Fang Rulai had no choice but to stop and turn around. “Sister, is it really worth drawing knives over a bowl of braised pork?”

“Why not? You even resorted to sugar-coated cannonballs against me just for braised pork.” Zhu Xishi crossed one leg over a stool, grabbed a boning knife, and wiped it along her thigh. “Enough nonsense! Give me back the pork! It represents my dignity as your elder sister!”

Fang Rulai immediately grabbed another chopstickful and popped it in her mouth. “Sis,” she tried to look pitiful to stall.

Zhu Xishi narrowed her eyes, flicked her wrist, and threw the boning knife. It stabbed into the ground an inch in front of Fang Rulai’s feet.

“Sis! You’re serious?”

Zhu Xishi’s face was colder than the blade light. She stretched out her palm. “My dignity will not be ignored today! If you want to keep eating the braised pork I make in the future, you’d better hand over that bowl right now!”

“Uh, okay.” Fang Rulai pouted in grievance and obediently handed the braised pork back.

Zhu Xishi reached out to take it, but Fang Rulai quickly pulled back. “Well, after I explain, you have to let me eat it all.”

“Deal!” Zhu Xishi snatched it and kicked a stool toward her, motioning her to sit. “Since those siblings aren’t here, you better get to the point quickly. That way, after you finish talking, you’ll still have time to eat the whole bowl.”

Fang Rulai nodded earnestly, driven by the idea that saving time meant more pork, and began, “I believe the Crown Prince has already received news that our side has won a minor victory in Ping City. What do you think he’ll do when we return to Shengjing? Don’t guess—he’ll make things worse. No way. Because besides the news of our victory, he’ll also learn I’m biologically female and possess some special ability. Before he confirms or tries to recruit me, he won’t kill me outright. So I guess he’ll try to burn down the Fahua Temple first to destroy my hiding place. Since a fire is inevitable, why not strike first myself? Now that I’ve said it, give me the braised pork!”

Fang Rulai spoke so fast that Zhu Xishi looked dumbfounded. When Fang Rulai moved to grab the pork again, Zhu Xishi had no time to react.

Fang Rulai snatched it, chopsticks poised to eat, when—“Slash!”—a kitchen knife was suddenly ready to cut between her mouth and the meat.

Looking up, Zhu Xishi glared. “Don’t think you can fool me just by talking fast! You mean the Crown Prince will covet your abilities and threaten you by burning the Fahua Temple? Then why don’t you just move the temple’s little monks and valuables out, and not return to the temple? Why must you burn it? Didn’t you leave Shengjing to protect the Fahua Temple one day?”

Fang Rulai glanced at the gleaming knife near her chin and sighed, thinking of Guan Shiyin. He never needed her to explain twice to understand her moves. Sigh.

“To the Crown Prince, the Fahua Temple must be burned for three reasons:

One, the late emperor has been dead for two months but hasn’t been buried in the imperial tomb. Without the late emperor enshrined, the Crown Prince cannot ascend the throne. The late emperor insisted on being buried via the back mountain route because the Qitian Taoist Temple on the front mountain is already his, undisputed. He must seize this chance to take control of the back mountain to secure the front mountain Taoist temple, which is his source of wealth. Missing this opportunity would make it much harder to seize the back mountain openly.

Two, before I left Shengjing, I agreed to cooperate with the Second Prince on the condition that he would protect the Fahua Temple until the Ping City matters were resolved. So now, the Second Prince stays put to defend the temple. The Crown Prince wants to kill him, but he cannot do so openly in front of all Shengjing citizens, as that would only invite trouble before his ascension. So, sooner or later, he’ll devise a plan to burn down Fahua Temple to force the Second Prince out.

Three, before leaving Shengjing, I was still the abbot of Fahua Temple. The day I struck the drum in the main hall was to accuse the Qitian Taoist Temple of cruelly killing the servant girl of the fake Zhao Ke. Now that my true gender can no longer be hidden, if I cannot return to the temple to maintain the disguise, the Crown Prince will find countless ways to reveal the truth to Shengjing. Before that happens, burning Fahua Temple is the cleanest way to cut off my retreat.”

“With such a triple-win plan, do you think the Crown Prince wouldn’t think of it? I’m just making his strategy happen ahead of time.” Fang Rulai pushed Zhu Xishi’s knife aside with her chopsticks. “Now, can I eat the braised pork?”

“No, it still feels off.” Zhu Xishi stopped her again. “Are you really the kind of person who can’t even stop him from burning Fahua Temple? Tell me, what else is your real purpose?”

“Okay, you caught me.” Fang Rulai reluctantly gave up on eating for now. “For me too, the Fahua Temple must be burned. One, I can’t wait for the Crown Prince to expose my secret—that I’m female. That would be too passive and put us at a disadvantage. The best way to avoid this is to have someone else expose it before him.

Two, this early exposure would cause the people of Shengjing to question the accusations made at the prior assembly, so whoever burns the temple cannot be the Crown Prince, to avoid making him look bad.

Three, the Second Prince must burn the temple not secretly but with grand fanfare. Through this, he can burn his image of perfect health into the nation’s consciousness. This act will also be a loud declaration of his ambition to the entire Shengjing and the Yao Tian Kingdom.”

“Doesn’t that mean the Second Prince is about to openly battle the Crown Prince?” Zhu Xishi shuddered, trembling. “Then why not wait until we get back to Shengjing? We’re still outside the city! If the Crown Prince cracks down and seals the city, what if he doesn’t let us in? The Second Prince would be left isolated.”

“Don’t worry, even if the Crown Prince seals the city, the Second Prince will find a way for us to enter. Besides, what I want is for the whole city to be tense and distracted, so no one remembers the confrontation between Fahua Temple and Qitian Taoist Temple in the main hall a month and a half ago. That way, my return to the city as a woman won’t attract attention…”

“Wait, you mean you won’t be pretending to be a monk this time?”

“Right. Rather than pretending and leaving a handle for people to grab, I’d rather remove this hidden danger from the start.”

She had once thought of toppling the Qitian Taoist Temple to let Fahua Temple rise, but in retrospect, it was naive. As long as the Crown Prince’s power remains, even if Fahua Temple temporarily replaces Qitian Taoist Temple, it would eventually perish at the Crown Prince’s hands.

As the saying goes, no destruction, no construction. Since Fahua Temple cannot survive with the Crown Prince around, she might as well burn it down to end it all. When the Second Prince ascends, she will rebuild a more magnificent Fahua Temple on the back mountain.

Of course, all this depends on the Second Prince knowing how to create “rumors” and “momentum” for her return after burning the temple!

…

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the people of Shengjing witnessed an unprecedented contrast of ice and fire.

The ice was three days old—the Fahua Temple had been completely burned down by a great fire. It was said that the Second Prince set the fire after the late emperor, who had yet to be buried, appeared to him in a dream, instructing him to burn down the useless temple blocking the emperor’s westward journey. The day after the fire, the people saw the Second Prince descend the mountain looking refreshed and healthy. The civil and military officials, upon hearing this, hurried to welcome him out of the city. So, the Crown Prince inside the palace turned icy cold! He immediately ordered the city sealed, forbidding unauthorized persons from entering or leaving.

The fire was three days old as well. The Second Prince had not returned to the palace but stayed at the Guan family residence. To celebrate his recovery, the Guan family generously distributed six thousand stones of grain to the townspeople of Guanghui City—each household entitled to one dou. But that wasn’t all. The Second Prince publicly declared before the crowd that on the fifth day of the fifth month, when Miss Guan returns to Shengjing, that would be their engagement day. At that time, the Guan family would distribute another six thousand stones of grain, same method. The people of Shengjing were thrilled—two dou of grain per person! That’s enough food for an adult for over two months!

Thus, on the fifth day of the fifth month, when Fang Rulai’s caravan received permission to enter Shengjing, nearly ten thousand people lined the streets to welcome them.

Everyone was carrying a bag of grain.

Inside the carriage, Fang Rulai peeked through the curtain and laughed. “The Second Prince’s tactics are clever! First he seizes power, then he uses benefits to entice. This way, the fire at Fahua Temple is overshadowed.”

Guan Shiyin couldn’t hide his resentment. “Engagement day! What a load of nonsense! Why does he have to use that excuse? If he dares to try to take advantage of you behind the scenes again, let’s see if I spare him!”

Fang Rulai ignored him. As the carriage slowed, she hurriedly put on her wig and veil. “Enough. Big matters are at hand. Don’t cause trouble. Entering your family’s home unnoticed seems the best plan. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to get off later.”

Guan Shiyin glared with red eyes. “No! You can’t pretend to be me going back to the Guan family! Even if it’s a fake engagement, it won’t do! Change clothes with me now—I’m going back!”

“And let your informed uncle make a fuss about your male identity, affecting the bigger picture?” Fang Rulai shot back. “The Second Prince’s health recovery is a great opportunity to rally court ministers. I can’t do it, he can’t do it, and if you don’t go, do you want us all to die here?”

Guan Shiyin understood the stakes but was deeply conflicted.

The Guan family, though a wealthy merchant household, had relationships as complex as the salt route connections in Ping City. Guan Shiyin had some covert help in Ping City, but here, he had to draw ministers to his side while the Crown Prince focused attention elsewhere. That meant he couldn’t protect Fang Rulai personally—and the one protecting her was the Second Prince, who had once saved Fang Rulai’s life in a hot spring and now was willing to burn down the Fahua Temple on Fang Rulai’s command.

Was he truly without selfish motives?

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