Chapter 235: Shame Turned into Anger

Chapter 235 -234: Shame Turned into Anger

When the news reached the Gold and Silver Palace, Xia Wushang was in his study, admiring a newly acquired famous painting.

He had been in a good mood recently. After all, his main competitor, the Third Prince Xia Wuchen, had ended up in that sorry state. It was a crushing defeat, an almost total failure.

Among the many Princes and Princesses, he had become the one most likely to claim the title of Crown Prince.

As for the Second Princess, Princess Jinping, although she wielded greater power, she was ultimately a woman. Even if she had a chance at the Crown Prince’s position, it was still slightly less than his.

It would have been fine if her power hadn’t been exposed, but now it was out in the open. Many Princes and Princesses were wary of her and had been making moves against her, both openly and secretly, leaving Princess Jinping completely overwhelmed.

Suddenly, he was the one most likely to become the Crown Prince.

At this thought, Xia Wushang couldn’t help but smile. ‘I wonder when that old geezer, the Crown Prince, will finally die. I hear he only has a few months left.’

‘Once he’s dead, I’ll almost certainly become the new Crown Prince.’

‘The old fool is getting more senile by the day. He even likes that charcoal-skinned woman. It’s utterly ridiculous. He should have kicked the bucket long ago.’

Just then, a trusted subordinate ran in to report what had just happened.

The Fifth Prince Xia Wushang’s face fell, and the teacup in his hand fell to the floor with a CRASH.

“Who… Who dares to spread rumors about me?”

Xia Wushang’s face was ashen, his eyes brimming with killing intent. He immediately arranged for his men to issue a clarification, publicly declaring that it was all just a baseless rumor.

But deep down, panic was setting in. The rumor was, after all, true. ‘But I hid it so well. How could it have been exposed?’

‘Could someone close to me have leaked it? But not even they know about my current situation. Where did things go wrong?’

Xia Wushang thought his response was timely, but he soon realized something was wrong.

The number of visitors suddenly increased, all of them seeming to observe him, both openly and covertly. The Courtiers who used to flatter him had abruptly lost their usual enthusiasm.

Even many of the Palace Maids, eunuchs, and concubines in the Gold and Silver Palace looked at him strangely.

What angered him most was when he went to pay his respects to his mother the next day. His birth mother, Consort Rong, hesitated before asking, “Wushang, are… are you in good health lately?”

“Mother Consort, you believe those rumors too?” Xia Wushang was about to explode with anger, but his guilt was so strong that it betrayed him, revealing a hint of the truth.

Consort Rong’s elegant brows knitted together. She seemed to have sensed something. After all, this was the son she had raised since he was a child; how could she not know his habits? “It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just that… you truly haven’t visited any of your concubines recently. And though you’ve been to the brothels many times, someone looked into it. They said the women who served you all noticed something unusual afterward.”

Xia Wushang opened his mouth to argue, but the words caught in his throat.

It was true he hadn’t touched any of the women in the Gold and Silver Palace recently. As for the women in the brothels, he had used a Confusing Skill on them. So even if they felt the passion of lovemaking while under its influence, a careful examination afterward would still reveal that something was amiss.

How could he possibly explain this away? After all, it was all true.

He hesitated for a moment. Seeing the worried look in his mother’s eyes, Xia Wushang lowered his head and forced an explanation. “I… I’m cultivating a Secret Technique that requires temporary abstinence. Once my cultivation is complete, this will no longer be necessary.”

But this explanation was clearly full of holes and far too weak. Seeing the evasive look in Xia Wushang’s eyes, Consort Rong was already eighty percent convinced the rumors were true.

She thought of the Third Prince Xia Wuchen’s fate. If her son had suffered the same, not only would he be ruined, but she, his mother, would be dragged down with him.

Her face grew pale, and Consort Rong asked in a trembling voice, “Wushang, tell me the truth. Are you really…?”

“No!” Xia Wushang roared, cutting her off. “I am a normal man! Others may believe it, but how can you, my own mother, believe such nonsense? It’s all a frame-up! If I’m not mistaken, it must be that bastard Xia Wuchen. He couldn’t accept his own downfall, so now he’s trying to drag me down with him.”

With that, Xia Wushang stormed out. Upon returning to the Gold and Silver Palace, he flew into a rage, smashing dozens of priceless porcelain vases. At the same time, he publicly declared that Xia Wuchen, unable to accept his own fate, was deliberately spreading rumors to harm him and that he himself was perfectly normal.

Meanwhile, he secretly dispatched more men to find a cure, hoping to restore his damaged “Root of Right and Wrong” as quickly as possible. ‘As long as my Root of Right and Wrong is healed,’ he thought, ‘what do a few rumors matter?’

But before he could find a solution, a more fatal blow arrived.

One of the teams he had sent out to find a famous doctor was captured by another Prince or Princess. This happened even though Xia Wushang had specifically had a trusted subordinate hire outsiders, not his own men.

However, by following the connections, these Princes and Princesses tracked the trail back to one of his trusted subordinates. They captured this subordinate and, after severe torture, forced him to confess the truth.

Once this news got out, no matter how frantically Xia Wushang tried to deny it, he could not wash away the rumors.

Now, some people were suggesting that if he was so adamant in his denial, why not go to a brothel and prove it himself? They offered to have women skilled in countering Confusing Skills stand guard to prove that Xia Wushang wasn’t bewitching the brothel women, but truly giving them boundless pleasure.

But Xia Wushang refused, stating that such an act was beneath a gentleman’s dignity. He insisted there was nothing wrong with him, and to agree would be utterly improper.

This refusal served as further proof. Furthermore, Xia Wuyang learned some secrets through the small animals of the Gold and Silver Palace and leaked them, corroborating everything even more.

Faced with this series of Attacks, the Fifth Prince Xia Wushang was left almost defenseless. Although he continued to deny everything, his every action proved one thing: the rumors were not baseless. It was basically certain they were true.

The news soon reached Emperor Xia. He didn’t send anyone to question his son, but he did have the Shadow Guard investigate secretly.

The Shadow Guard Chief, Zheng Zhicang, naturally found key evidence quickly. When he presented it to Emperor Xia, the emperor was enraged.

Two of his most outstanding Princes had met with disaster in such a short period, both becoming eunuchs. This was no longer a coincidence. It was highly probable that someone was deliberately orchestrating it.

“Investigate! Investigate this thoroughly for me!” Emperor Xia couldn’t contain his fury. “I want to see just who is pulling the strings behind the scenes!”

Emperor Xia’s actions were “unintentionally” leaked by someone in the Shadow Guard, immediately causing another uproar. This was essentially the final nail in the coffin, confirming that the Fifth Prince Xia Wushang had indeed met with disaster and was now a eunuch as well.