I originally thought that since I had never been to school, I wouldn't be able to write a poem and could use the opportunity to get rid of you—wait, no, use the opportunity for them to get rid of me. Little did I expect that I'd almost get rid of the entire Kingdom instead.
After just two days of peace, someone came to fetch me again. The legendary General Zhao, our General Zhao, was setting off on an expedition once more.
Do they fight wars this frequently? How long has it even been since he came back? I really don't understand. Why does it feel like these past few years have been nothing but endless wars? This time, instead of meeting at the city gates, I was brought to the foot of the wall to look at that dense, sprawling sea of soldiers. There had to be at least two hundred thousand of them, and it took a very long time for them all to march past.
Only then did I see General Zhao making a tardy appearance. I didn't give him a pleasant expression; after all, members of General Zhao's household had tried to take liberties with my mother—a move practically meant to drive us to our deaths. So I didn't even bother with a proper courtesy, just standing there with a rigid face to see what he could possibly do to me.
To my surprise, the old man actually had a decent temper. He maintained his patience and said, "The little prince is truly talented; he really is a hero among youths."
I knew this fellow definitely meant no good. And sure enough, that troublemaker of a First Prince immediately stepped forward and said, "Since the Eighteenth Prince's poetry is so magnificent and grand, how about he composes a farewell poem for General Zhao as the army sets off today?"
Wanting me to write a good poem for him? In your dreams! Since you want a poem, I'll give you one.
An incense burner was lit right beside me, and the sun had just risen. I chanted:
"Sunlight bathes the incense burner, producing purple smoke;
From afar I watch the wild boar coming down the mountain.
A hundred battles and the general dies;
Not a single strong warrior returns."
The furious old general was so enraged he instantly reached for his sword to hack me down, his finger trembling as he pointed at me and yelled, "We risk our lives to protect our homes and country! Why must the Prince curse us like this?"
I gave it some thought. True enough, although his nephew had tried to assault my mother, most of the rank-and-file soldiers were still decent people, so I really shouldn't have cursed them all. I originally intended to compose a proper farewell verse to make up for it, but just as the words reached my lips, that troublemaker jumped out again, claiming that my poem was a curse upon the nation's military power and reeked of treason and colluding with the enemy, demanding severe punishment.
I immediately countered, "General, the poem just now was purely a child's idle joke. This next one is the poem I meticulously prepared for our Dajin State."
The old man still had a rather good temper. Seeing me actively admit my mistake, he simply told me to get on with it and let it go. I didn't drag my feet:
"The Emperor guards the border gates;
The sovereign dies with the state.
If the sovereign lacks an invincible will,
How can the soldiers ever triumph and return?"
I had made my meaning quite clear: when it comes to fighting wars, the sovereign must also take part. If you, the sovereign, do not possess an invincible will, how could your soldiers possibly win? In any case, if you don't participate—when they win, it's due to the general's brilliant leadership; but if they lose, the responsibility falls squarely on you, the sovereign.
General Zhao was also a sensible man. The moment he heard this, he immediately said, "Splendid! Splendid! Splendid! Truly magnificent and grand! Which general could hear this poem and not call it marvelous? If we win, it's my brilliant leadership; if we lose, the responsibility falls entirely on the sovereign for failing to boost morale." Fearing a last-minute change of heart, General Zhao quickly mounted his horse and galloped away. With this poem in hand, he had a life-saving talisman—who wouldn't want that?
I had actually intended to gift him a proper battle song, alas, I didn't get the chance because he rode off much too fast. I happily headed back.
For them, however, it was a miserable day. They had wanted to pick a fight, only to end up swallowing a stomach full of bitter frustration.
When April arrived, I suddenly felt that the atmosphere throughout the Royal Palace was somewhat wrong. I didn't even dare go out for a stroll and could only hunker down at home. But when trouble is coming, no matter where you hide, it's useless. Sure enough, a hundred-odd people swarmed in, all of them clad in full armor. I knew things had gotten serious. Armored guards were a rare sight within the Royal Palace; only the guards at the gates wore armor. Yet today, so many armored men had arrived. They marched straight into my room and, without a word of explanation, hauled me away. Sensing that the atmosphere was ominous, I hurriedly shouted back to my mother, "Just stay in the room and wait for me! Don't run around anywhere!"
Could it be that they simply couldn't wait any longer and had decided to straight-up murder me without even pretending anymore? The truth was, this little body of mine had virtually no capacity for resistance. I was just over five years old; although I felt much stronger than in my past life, I probably only had the strength of ten or twenty catties. There was no way I could fight back against adults, let alone a hundred-odd armed men.
Like this, I was dragged out to a terrace. When I saw the sea of packed heads before me, I was utterly bewildered. What on earth was going on?
Immediately afterward, I spotted two familiar faces: Xiaorou and her mother. Xiaorou was standing right beside the First Prince. Although both of them were still very young, standing together they actually looked quite fitting—a textbook golden boy and jade girl. Compared to them, I looked like a skinny bamboo pole. No wonder they had framed my mother; turns out she had latched onto a wealthy benefactor.
Ah, human hearts for you. It seems good people don't necessarily get rewarded. Oh well, I never had high expectations in the first place, so there's no room for disappointment.
While my mind was wandering wildly, I heard my nominal father talking with a Daoist priest, while a Buddhist monk stood nearby.
The Daoist priest walked over, looked me up and down, and cast my fortune. His expression changed drastically on the spot, and he declared, "Though this second prince appears gentle and weak, he harbors a murderous aura within. He is fated with a baleful heart, possesses the ominous potential to throw the realm into chaos, and is certainly not someone who will remain subservient to others for long!"
What the hell? Isn't this sheer, unadulterated nonsense? In both my past life and this one, I've been a top-tier good person! What throwing the realm into chaos? In neither life have I ever done a single bad thing. My moral character in my past life was a solid 98! Yet in your hands, I suddenly become a demonic overlord destined to plunge the world into chaos. But when you're insignificant, whatever you say goes. Looking at this setup, today I was truly doomed.
Right at that moment, the monk chimed in, "This child is the reincarnation of a baleful star and is bound to bring chaos to the world in the future. The five-year drought across the various neighboring nations of our Dajin State is entirely due to the influence of this child's baleful aura!"
Oh, for crying out loud! You say I was born carrying bad luck, and fine, I can buy that—after all, I went to the battlefield in my past life and even died there (or to be precise, I committed suicide). Carrying a bit of baleful energy is only to be expected. But claiming that a multi-year drought across several neighboring countries has anything to do with me? That is absolute nonsense!
The monk continued, "It is now gradually affecting our own country as well. Only by burning this child as a sacrifice can the wrath of the heavens be appeased!"
Damn it, they wanted to kill me and actually came up with an excuse like this! Heaven wants to rain and mothers want to remarry—is that something I can control? You just want to find an excuse to murder me!
I realized I had run out of retreat. Sweat dampened my eyes, and it tasted salty, which proved there was moisture in the air today. Emboldened by this, I spoke up loudly, "Monk, you're talking utter nonsense! It's clearly because your abilities are lacking and you can't pray for rain!"
The monk flew into a rage out of humiliation and snapped, "Impudent child, cease your reckless babbling! In the great mercy of the Buddha, if it weren't for a disaster star like you, how could the neighboring nations have suffered a five-year drought leading to endless warfare? Now our national fortune is nearly exhausted, and we can no longer suppress you, which is why not a single drop of rain has fallen in our country even this April!"
I shouted back, "Shameless demonic monk! It is clearly your lack of skill that makes you unable to summon rain, yet you try to shift the blame onto me! If I succeed in praying for rain, monk, how will you explain yourself?"
The monk said with absolute certainty, "Once you are sacrificed, the heavens will naturally lift the punishment, and peace will return to the world with rain falling as a matter of course!"
"Shameless demonic monk! You are simply murdering the innocent!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Father, this royal son will now pray to the heavens for rain! If I fail to bring rain, I shall burn myself to death upon this sacrificial altar! What do you say to that?"
They had wanted to find an excuse to get rid of me anyway. Since a more plausible excuse had presented itself, my nominal father gladly agreed. Even if the imperial court questioned it later, at least there would be a pretext.