Zhan Tianjian lowered his eyes and bent slightly, saying nothing. But his gesture seemed to imply that he had acknowledged what Sheng Jiu had said.
Sheng Jiu hissed in a low voice, "Presumptuous!"
Hearing his voice, all the court officials shivered and dropped to their knees in a clatter.
Zhan Tianjian looked up at him, then slowly knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
His words were spoken with utter nonchalance. Sheng Jiu bent down, grabbed his chin and lifted his face. His gaze was as cold as ice.
"Such a 'fate determined by heaven, and I won't comment'. Now I'll tell you, my fate is not determined by heaven... It's determined by myself. You may observe the sky, but you can never foresee my fate."
Zhan Tianjian's cheeks were held in Sheng Jiu's hands. After hearing what he said, he slowly raised his eyes to look at him. His eyelids were slightly upturned, and his almond-shaped eyes seemed full of coldness and indifference.
"If Your Majesty insists on this, I have nothing more to say. I only hope Your Majesty can take good control of your own destiny, including that fish..."
The last few words were spoken so softly that only the two of them could hear. After hearing these words, Sheng Jiu's body shook violently. The look in his eyes was filled with disbelief.
Sheng Jiu seemed unable to understand how he knew this... But the confidence on his face didn't seem to be a wild guess. For a moment, Sheng Jiu was speechless. He didn't know whether he should feel lucky or unfortunate.
This man knew his biggest secret, but he didn't expose it in public.
Sheng Jiu felt as if someone had grabbed his most vulnerable spot. His face was extremely ugly, and he couldn't say a word. The thought of executing him that had been in his mind just now vanished completely.
Even the strength with which he was holding Zhan Tianjian's chin loosened a bit. Sheng Jiu's look at him gradually turned into one of exploration.
He let go of his chin and slowly straightened up.
"Court is adjourned. Zhan Tianjian, stay behind."
Zhan Tianjian seemed to have expected this. There was not a hint of surprise on his face. After most of the people in the court had left, Sheng Jiu took a good look at him again. Then he bent down and raised his hand.
"Slap!"
The slap was delivered cleanly and neatly, the action carried out in one swift motion, leaving no time for anyone to think. Zhan Tianjian's head tilted slightly from the impact. It was impossible to tell what emotion was in his downcast eyes.
Zhan Tianjian slowly raised his eyes. Instead of bowing respectfully, he curled his thin lips into a sarcastic smile and looked at Sheng Jiu.
"What... Did I hit a sore spot with Your Majesty? Or does Your Majesty think what I said is wrong and wants to teach me a lesson?"
Sheng Jiu wasn't sure what the real reason for this slap was... Maybe it was out of anger, or maybe he had been hit on a sore spot. But more than anything, he felt that his authority had been challenged.
Sheng Jiu sneered at him and said, "I'm just slapping a court official. Moreover, you offended me just now. It's already a lenient punishment that I didn't execute you."
Zhan Tianjian raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then I'd like to ask Your Majesty, what's the reason you didn't execute me?"
Sheng Jiu opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
The two stared at each other in silence for a moment. The air gradually filled with a confrontational atmosphere. Sheng Jiu slowly squatted down and asked in a low voice, "I'd like to ask, how did you know about this?"
Zhan Tianjian pursed his lips and said, "Which thing is Your Majesty referring to? The death of someone in the back lake, or the fact that Your Majesty built a lake for him, or the fact that Your Majesty has hidden a merman in the palace..."
Sheng Jiu looked at him coldly and simply said two words, "All of them."
After saying that, he slowly stood up and looked down at him.
"You don't need to tell me a lot of things about metaphysics. Just tell me simply and clearly how you knew about this. I don't believe in so many coincidences, and I don't believe in metaphysics either. I just want to know, who on earth are you? How did you know about these things? And what's the real reason behind saying that the merman should be driven out of the palace?"
After he finished asking these questions, there was an awkward silence in the air.
Sheng Jiu had long noticed that he was using the guise of metaphysics to pursue his own self - interest. But for the moment, he couldn't tell whether his self - interest was good or bad.
Zhan Tianjian lowered his eyes and said, "I've already said that these things are the conclusions I've drawn from observing the sky at night. I'm doing this for Your Majesty's safety. I have no other intentions."
After saying that, he paused for a moment and murmured to himself.
"As for my identity..."
He said these words very slowly, as if he was thinking. When he said these words, Sheng Jiu's look at him suddenly became sharp, as if he was waiting for an expected result.
But Zhan Tianjian just smiled and said, "I've already taken this position. Do you think my identity can be ordinary? I don't believe that the people in the position of Zhan Tianjian in previous dynasties were all commoners. My identity... Your Majesty, if you can find out, then go ahead. But if you waste your energy on me, it'll be in vain."
This meant that he hadn't answered any of the questions Sheng Jiu had asked. Sheng Jiu didn't know what this man in front of him was trying to do... None of the things he said hit the point, and none of them were what Sheng Jiu really wanted to know.
Sheng Jiu looked at the man in front of him and felt inexplicably irritated. He frowned and slowly said, "Then just tell me... Do I really have to send him out of the palace? If I don't send him out, I'll die, right?"
Zhan Tianjian said straightforwardly, "Yes."
"What about him?"
Sheng Jiu was silent for a long time and then suddenly asked.
Zhan Tianjian was stunned for a moment and said absent - mindedly, "Him?"
Sheng Jiu continued to press, "Then tell me, is he happier before or after leaving the palace?"
Zhan Tianjian suddenly fell silent. Sheng Jiu looked at his stunned expression and frowned slightly. "Why are you looking at me like this? Don't you know the answer to the question I just asked? Or did you fail to figure it out from observing the stars?"
Zhan Tianjian pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "I thought Your Majesty didn't care about these things, so I didn't pay attention... If Your Majesty is eager to know, then tonight..."
"Forget it."
Sheng Jiu raised his hand to stop him. He seemed to sigh and then said, "Even if he'll be happier after leaving the palace, how could I ever really let him go?"
There was a deep sense of sadness in his tone. Zhan Tianjian squinted slightly as he looked at his figure.