As the summer neared its end, the sweltering heat still clung to all of Bianjing. On the streets, the cloths around the necks of street vendors were soaked through with sweat, and even the characters written on candy wrappers melted, blurring like lipstick smeared on a woman’s lips.
Chancellor Shen picked up the chess pieces on his desk one by one. The board was a chaotic mess of black and white, but a moment later, he swept all the pieces into the box with a rattling clatter. He turned his gaze toward the courtyard.
The decree to depose the Crown Prince had already been issued, though it had not yet been decided which province or manor he would be exiled to. It was said that the Second Prince, Ji Yening, had visited the Dark Penal Bureau to see the Crown Prince, and afterwards, the Prince had gone into a frenzy, smashing everything in sight, his eyes as unnaturally red as a rabbit’s.
Chapter 190