Chapter 314: Chapter 315: Feigning Compliance
Today’s breakfast was rice porridge, but the supply was limited. Li Yan was a step too slow and ended up at the very back of the line. By the time it was his turn, only a little watery broth remained in the pot.
How could that possibly be enough to fill him up?
So, Li Yan had been starving this whole time.
He couldn’t take it anymore. He snatched the roasted chicken and began to devour it.
In the past, he would have turned his nose up at such greasy food. But now, he felt it was the most delicious thing in the world; he simply couldn’t stop eating.
He was eating so quickly that he started to choke.
An official took out a waterskin and handed it to him.
"Slow down, Fifth Prince."
Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, Li Yan felt like he had come back to life.
He wiped the grease from his mouth and put on the new clothes.
The clothes were soft and warm. The moment he put them on, he felt much warmer.
The official reminded him in a whisper.
"Wear the new clothes underneath. That way, no one will notice."
Li Yan sneered. "So what if they find out? I’m not afraid of them."
Despite his words, he still put his old clothes on over the new ones.
The official left after giving his instructions.
Li Yan went back to the same work as the day before.
He thought his disguise was perfect, but when Prince Zhao came to inspect the worksite, he spotted what was going on at a single glance.
Li Ji said nothing, merely giving Bian Ziming a few quiet instructions.
The next day, the same official came to bring Li Yan more things, only to be caught in the act by Bian Ziming.
Bian Ziming threw the bundle back at the official then and there and reported the incident to Prince Zhao.
That same afternoon, the official was sent back to the Ministry of Industry.
The matter reached the Emperor’s ears.
The Emperor detested such acts of superficial compliance and immediately ordered the official to be reassigned to a remote region.
Such a transfer was tantamount to exile. Barring any surprises, the man would likely never return to Shangjing in his lifetime.
The punishment was severe.
Liu Ze understood that the Emperor was deliberately sending him a warning.
He no longer dared to send anyone to help his nephew. All he could do was pray for him, hoping he would survive this ordeal.
Li Yan had finally enjoyed two good days, only to be knocked right back to square one in the blink of an eye.
Every day, he went hungry and cold, with endless heavy labor to do. Anyone and everyone could bully him.
More and more blood blisters formed on his hands. Some broke by accident, showing signs of inflammation and infection.
’This life is impossible to live!’
Just then, one of the men living in the same hovel as Li Yan injured his arm while quarrying stone. He was unable to work and was quickly sent away.
Li Yan hadn’t thought much of it, until that night, as he drifted in and out of sleep, he overheard two people next to him whispering.
"Old Zhang was so careless. He really hurt his arm. There was so much blood, it was frightening to see."
"It looked worse than it was. It was just a flesh wound for Old Zhang. He’ll be fine in a few days."
"How do you know?"
"I’ll tell you, but don’t tell anyone else. Old Zhang actually did it on purpose. His wife’s about to give birth, and he was desperate to get back to her. But our work isn’t finished, and the rules say we can’t leave before it is. So, he deliberately injured himself to get away and go home."
"Oh, so that’s what happened. It can’t be easy for Old Zhang. I heard his family is dirt poor, or else he wouldn’t be here doing such back-breaking work for a few coins..."
...
The two men’s voices grew quieter and quieter.
Li Yan couldn’t make out what they said after that.
But an idea began to form uncontrollably in Li Yan’s mind.
’If Old Zhang could use an injury as an excuse to escape, couldn’t I do the same?’
The moment the idea surfaced, it grew more and more insistent.
He felt the chances of success were very high.
’After all, I’m a prince. Even if I’ve been temporarily demoted to a commoner, my bloodline is undeniable. Father would never truly force me to a dead end.’
’I just need to get a minor injury, make myself look like I’m on my last breath, and I’ll surely be sent back to the palace.’
’Then I can use the opportunity to play the victim, win his sympathy, and earn my father’s forgiveness.’
The more Li Yan thought about it, the more brilliant the idea seemed.
He opened his eyes and looked over, wanting to see who the two men had been.
But the light was too dim, and the two were sleeping with their backs to him. Li Yan couldn’t make out their features at all.
Li Yan didn’t dwell on it and soon fell back asleep.
「The next morning.」
Li Yan went to move stones as usual.
While carrying a stone, he deliberately pretended to be careless and twisted his right ankle.
He had only intended to give himself a minor injury.
But to his surprise, someone suddenly shoved him from behind.
The large stone slipped from his hands and smashed down hard on his foot.
A blood-curdling scream immediately echoed throughout the quarry.
...
Spring arrived, and the peach trees outside the city blossomed. Word was that the scenery was breathtaking, and many young couples went there for spring outings.
Li Ji was tempted by the idea.
He wanted to go on a date with his princess consort, too.
When Li Ji suggested a trip to the peach grove, Hua Manman readily agreed.
"Oh, wonderful! I’d love to see the peach blossoms, too!"
The two changed into more casual attire and were just about to leave when Chen Wangbei rushed in.
"Your Highness, there’s been an incident with the Fifth Prince!"
Li Ji frowned. "What now?"
"The Fifth Prince fell while moving stones and one of them crushed his right foot."
Li Ji knew the stones used to build the Imperial Ancestral Temple were heavy. A single block weighed at least forty or fifty pounds. A direct hit like that would likely shatter the bone.
Even though the Emperor was deeply disappointed in Li Yan, he was still the Emperor’s biological son. The bond between them still existed.
Li Ji couldn’t ignore the matter, so he had to put their outing on hold.
He took Feihua Zhenren and headed straight for the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
By the time they reached the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Li Yan had already been carried into a hovel. He was lying down, his right foot crushed and misshapen, with blood steadily pouring from the wound.
The officials at the scene were frantic, running around like ants on a hot griddle.
When they saw Prince Zhao arrive, the officials scrambled back, instinctively clearing a path for him.
Feihua Zhenren set down his medical kit and began to treat Li Yan’s injury.
Li Yan was sweating profusely from the pain, and tears streamed down his face.
He regretted it.
’If I’d known it would be this bad, I never would have twisted my ankle on purpose, no matter how miserable I was!’
Li Ji happened to read this very thought from Li Yan’s mind.
After a moment’s thought, he understood exactly how Li Yan had been injured.
’Li Yan must have tried to fake a minor injury to get out of his punishment,’ he mused. ’But his clever plan backfired, leaving him seriously hurt instead.’
Li Ji’s lips curled into a faint smile, his eyes full of derision.
’What an idiot.’
Feihua Zhenren quickly bandaged Li Yan’s wound.
He stood and spoke to Prince Zhao in a low voice.
"The bones in the Fifth Prince’s right foot are shattered. I can set them, but he will have difficulty with mobility in that foot from now on."
In other words, Li Yan would be a cripple for the rest of his life.
