Dreamer - Chapter 2

 Credits: Everything: Xuan

Update: every Friday

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The Second Prince had originally assumed the assailants just wanted to catch him doing something wrong and accuse-worthy. He never expected that they’d actually go behind his back and be bold enough to send assassins straight out.

If the Crown Prince hadn’t been ridiculously good at fighting, he probably would've been killed on the spot.

When he found out the Crown Prince had returned to the palace injured, the Second Prince broke out in a cold sweat. His mother panicked so hard she practically lost her mind, praying to God to save their lives. So the Second Prince managed to calm her down before heading off to check on the Crown Prince.

The younger brothers were all crowded around the bed, chirping like birds, righteously perturbed. The Crown Prince, who had taken a sword straight through the chest, was pale but still looked composed as ever. He even quietly reassured each one of them in turn. His voice was calm and warm, "It’s nothing serious. I’ll be fine after some rest."

After the others left, only the Second Prince stayed behind. But the Crown Prince still wouldn’t look at him. He only said he was tired and told the eunuch to escort the Second Prince out. 

From that moment on, the brothers' hearts drifted apart.

The Second Prince wanted to explain, but what right did he have to explain? The fact that he’d meant to harm his older brother hadn’t changed. The only difference was how far he’d gone. At the end of the day, he was no different from the rest of them.

In front of others, the Crown Prince still treated him as he always had. But he never spoke to him about anything personal anymore, and didn't even let them be alone together.

Those days when they used to study and travel side by side… looking back now, they felt painfully precious.

The Second Prince’s family held great power in court, while the Crown Prince and Empress had no real backing. The Empress had once been a woman of the Jianghu. She’d saved the Emperor’s life, and their bond had run deep. Later, she gave up her martial arts and entered the palace, where she was titled Empress and put in charge of the inner court.

They relied on the Emperor's favor, but once the Emperor grew old and sick, the Second Prince’s family began to stir.

The Second Prince had no interest in fighting for the throne.
After being betrayed once, he grew even more withdrawn. However, all these changes were beyond his control. In the midst of a storm, how could anyone find a place to stand?

His family committed all kinds of treasonous acts; winning over officials, seizing military power. They paid no heed to the Second Prince's claims that he had no ability to rule the empire and would only bring disruption, but they didn’t care in the slightest.

To them, even the Emperor was someone to step over—so what did the lives of ordinary people matter?

The Crown Prince had once gifted the Second Prince an extraordinary sword — a masterpiece. He’d hung it on the wall of his sleeping quarters. Every now and then, he’d catch himself staring at that sword, thinking: If I died, that’d be it. Everything would be over.

It would be as simple as that. But he still had his mother and for her, he had to live on.

Then one day, the Emperor fell gravely ill.

They found poison in the Emperor’s medicine which was passed through the hands of the Empress.

Using this as an excuse, the Second Prince’s family angrily accused the Empress and the Crown Prince of harboring wild ambitions—claiming they dared to plot against the Emperor just to seize the throne early.

Most of the court officials had already been won over, and the situation was completely one-sided. The Empress and the Crown Prince were powerless to fight back, and the mother and son were both thrown into the imperial prison.

The Second Prince couldn’t bear it any longer, but the political tide controlled everything, leaving him equally helpless.

When he went to see his grandfather, his eyes were bloodshot, but the old man remained calm.

“Your mother never fought for power," he said leisurely. "but do you really think she wasn’t afraid? Now that we’ve crossed a line, there’s no turning back. If you let your heart soften and act on whim, if you let the Crown Prince pull off a comeback— I don’t need to spell out what happens next. You know full well the consequences.”

The Second Prince gritted his teeth and agreed to become his puppet emperor—  but only on one condition: the Crown Prince must be spared.

When the Second Prince went to the imperial prison to see the Crown Prince, the man who once stood proud and full of spirit between heaven and earth could now only stoop inside that dirty, confining cell.

The Empress was heartbroken over the Emperor’s death, while the Crown Prince took care of his mother, looking calm and untroubled.

But when he looked up at the Second Prince, there was no warmth left in his eyes.

There was no anger, no resentment, yet under that gaze, the Second Prince felt utterly exposed and ashamed. His face went pale, and his lips trembled.

The Crown Prince said quietly, “By the time it’s all over, I’ll probably be six feet under soil already. So for now, let me be the first to congratulate you, little brother, on your upcoming reign as Emperor.”