During the days when Li Zong was away, the gates of the Yong’an Palace remained shut. Li Fengqi and Ye Yunting didn't step out of the palace once, spending their days brewing horse milk wine and watching the snow fall day by day.
On occasion, when they brewed too much wine to finish, they'd bottle it up and send Zhu Lie to deliver it to several nobles' manors one by one.
This made the observing officials even more anxious. Prince Yong’an was contacting these old ministers far more often than usual. It was clear that he was getting ready to take action!
In Shangjing, the aristocrats and nobles were panicked as they scrambled to plan their escape routes.
Meanwhile, a few families who received daily deliveries of wine found themselves in a bind. Though they had seen through Li Fengqi's scheme, there was little they could do about it.
The court officials were left guessing secretly. No one would be foolish enough to ask outright: "Honored lords, you seem to have such close contact with the Prince Yong'an recently, could you possibly be plotting a rebellion?"
Even if they wanted to explain, there was no way to do so. They couldn't exactly go around saying, I'm not conspiring with the Prince Yong’an at all. He's just putting on a show to scare everyone. Zhu Lie came by because he wanted to give me some horse milk wine.
They might have dared to speak out, but who would believe them?
A handful of officials who were on good terms with them did try to send the message out in a vague way. They didn’t hide anything and directly said that Zhu Lie had indeed come only to deliver horse milk wine. They also shared their observation that given the Prince Yong’an's behavior, His Majesty was likely still healthy and nothing untoward had occurred. However, other parties did not believe these messages at all. Instead, they were blamed not only for keeping silent, but also for spreading misinformation—a truly egregious offense.
"This is an open conspiracy."
Qiao Hairen sat across from Qi Shao, set down his wine cup, and let out a frustrated sigh. They could see through this scheme with just one glance, but they couldn't explain it—and even if they tried, no one would believe them. Everyone had already lumped them together with Prince Yong'an, assuming they'd reached some kind of agreement.
People were restless these days in Shangjing. Many officials were running around, clearly planning a way out for themselves. Even this deserted Qiao Manor, usually so quiet, had seen visitors in the past few days trying to curry favor. Their words hinted that they wanted him to help them pledge allegiance to Prince Yong'an.
He'd also heard that Imperial Tutor Han Chan had visited Prince Duan's estate several times. But Prince Duan was too timid to get involved in this power struggle between rising stars, so he hadn't given an answer.
Qiao Hairen looked even more worried. "When His Majesty returns, it'll be hard to control these impatient people."
"Old minister, don't fret too much. We can't do anything about these conspiracies and plots, right?" Qi Shao said with a frown. He finished his wine and muttered unhappily, "This Prince Yong'an has dumped so much crap on us. At least he could've given us some decent wine. This horse milk wine stuff is too milky and weak."
Qiao Hairen took another sip that he couldn’t taste. He was anxious. "There's nothing we can do about it. The court and the whole world are going to fall into chaos..."
Qi Shao shook his head without responding.
In his view, whether it was going to be chaotic or not, change was coming sooner or later. From the moment the emperor decided to act against the Prince Yong'an, this day had been set in motion.
--
On November 12th, the army finally reached the city outskirts after being delayed for two days by wind and snow.
The emperor's entourage headed to the palace directly. Shen Zhongyu had arranged heavy security to escort the emperor to his chambers. Afterward, all the doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau gathered for a consultation.
Li Zong lay on the imperial bed. His chest wound had been specially treated to show faint traces of dark red blood, looking very realistic. His face was deathly pale, lips cracked and weak from loss of blood. Cui Xi stood beside him, leaning in close and whispering, "Your Majesty, everything is set. We've discreetly detained the family members of the attending physicians; they won't dare to spread any rumors."
"That's good," Li Zong said. "What's happening outside?"
Cui Xi replied, "All the officials are deeply concerned about Your Majesty's health. The Imperial Tutor is waiting outside for an audience." A shadow flickered across his eyes as he hesitated before adding, "Should we inform the Imperial Tutor about this matter?"
Li Zong hesitated. "The Imperial Tutor... What’s happening?"
"The Imperial Tutor is extremely worried. He had been waiting outside the palace as soon as you’ve returned." Cui Xi paused again, then continued cautiously, "However, I believe it would be best not to tell the Imperial Tutor just yet."
"Why?" Li Zong's half-closed eyes suddenly opened, fixing intently on Cui Xi.
Cui Xi showed no hint of hesitation, as if his sole focus was Li Zong's best interests. "I think, since the Imperial Tutor has had many interactions with Prince Yong'an before, and considering what Prince Yong'an said earlier..." He trailed off, a worried look in his eyes. "It's better to be safe than sorry."
“…”
Li Zong fell silent. After a moment, he seemed to convince himself and said, "You're right. Let's not tell the Imperial Tutor for now. If we can get rid of Prince Yong'an in one fell swoop this time, the Imperial Tutor will definitely be surprise."
Back then, Li Fengqi had told him that Han Chan poisoned him so that he could force him to conspire with him using the antidote. Though he'd acted unconvinced, deep down, he actually believed it in his heart.
He knew Han Chan sometimes looked at him with disappointment. He also knew that both Han Chan and many ministers and commoners saw Prince Yong'an as more important than their emperor.
But none of that mattered; he could endure it all. Li Fengqi was already a broken man. As soon as Shen Zhongyu's provocations made him take action, the tens of thousands of soldiers standing by outside the city would move in. They'd have every justification they needed—eliminating traitors—to wipe out Li Fengqi and even the entire Yong’an Palace!
When that happened, the powerful Beizhao War God would no longer exist. All that would remain in history books would be: Li Fengqi, the traitor whose rebellious plot failed.
Li Zong's chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath, his eyes gradually steadying. "Yes, don't tell the Imperial Tutor. I want to surprise him."
He wanted Han Chan to know that choosing him over Li Fengqi was the right decision.
If Han Chan wanted to become the prime minister, why go looking for Li Fengqi? He could give him everything he desired!
"I understand, Your Majesty. Then, shall we summon the Imperial Tutor now?" Cui Xi said with a smile in his eyes. He bowed again.
"Summon him," Li Zong said. "Ask the Imperial Tutor to come in, and tell him that I'm unconscious. But don't make it sound too alarming; we wouldn't want to distress him."
" I understand." Cui Xi tucked the blanket around Li Zong carefully, ensuring that everything was in order before turning to leave. He stepped out to call for Han Chan.
Han Chan was waiting outside Taiqian Palace.
Despite the cold winter, he was still dressed thinly. Beneath his snow-white cloak were long robes of the same hue. His ink-black hair was neatly tied up, revealing faint traces of white at his temples. His face still looked remarkably youthful, but cold and ruthless.
As Cui Xi approached, he carefully restrained his expression. "Imperial Tutor, please come inside with me," he said solemnly.
"How is His Majesty’s injury? What does the Imperial Physician say?" Han Chan asked, stepping alongside him.
Cui Xi did not answer. He shook his head slightly, as if hesitant to say anything. With a sigh, he said, "It would be best if you ask the Imperial Physician yourself, Imperial Tutor."
As they spoke, the two entered the inner hall and approached Li Zong's bed.
There were few eunuchs in the room, and each was going about their tasks with utmost caution, afraid to make even a whisper of unnecessary noise. The air was heavy with a somber atmosphere and thick with the scent of medicine.
Han Chan stepped closer, his gaze looking down on Li Zong lying on the bed. His blanket only reached his chest, above which he was swathed in layers of bandages. Dark red blood seeped through the edges of the white gauze.
His face was paler than paper, its former spirited vigor completely vanished. He lay sickly on the bed, his youthful tenderness finally showing through in an uncharacteristic display of vulnerability.
Han Chan stared at him for a long time before reaching out to tuck stray strands of hair back into place beside his cheek. Then he straightened up and said, "Take me to see the Imperial Physician."
"Please follow me, Imperial Tutor," Cui Xi replied, leading him to meet several physicians involved in the consultation.
After they left, Li Zong opened his eyes. The icy touch of those fingers against his skin had nearly made him open his eyes. He raised a hand to caress his cheek lingeringly, lips curving slightly as he thought that his teacher worried for him, after all.
Li Fengqi's words that day had just been meant to upset him.
--
The emperor's return to the capital had allowed many court officials to feel relief. But then the emperor vanished from public view, and instead summoned every doctor in the Imperial Medical Bureau for a consultation. Undercurrents surged in Shangjing, and left everyone on edge again.
Shen Zhongyu, who was sent to investigate Yong’an Palace, felt that something about the atmosphere seemed off to him. He questioned several officials before learning what had happened in the capital city over the past few days.
He was now even more certain that Li Fengqi had only been testing him and had long since made up his mind. After all, who else could have known about the fake news of the emperor's critical condition and spread it besides Shen Zhongyu?
Once he'd made up his mind, Shen Zhongyu sent someone to prepare gifts before heading to Yong’an Palace.
When the Shen family's carriage arrived at the manor, Li Fengqi and company were enjoying hotpot—the bitter cold keeping them indoors, with little choice but to entertain themselves within the palace.
Li Fengqi, Ye Yunting, Ji Lian, Zhu Lie, and Wu Geng dined together, making for a lively meal.
Upon hearing from the gatekeeper that Shen Zhongyu had come to visit, Li Fengqi clicked his tongue in displeasure. "Couldn't he pick a better time?"
"Shall we tidy ourselves up and go to the main hall?" Ye Yunting had downed three cups of horse milk wine and eaten some very spicy beef, making his cheeks and lips turn red.
After a moment's thought, Li Fengqi waved off the idea. "No need." Instead, he turned to instruct the gatekeeper, "Invite him straight to the main courtyard."
Zhu Lie's eyes widened. "Is the Prince planning to invite this scoundrel to eat hotpot?"
His gaze fixed on the meat on the table—he hadn't even gotten to eat more than a few bites. It would be a waste to give this to that guy.
Li Fengqi glanced at him before smiling at Ye Yunting. "Go ahead and eat here, but keep the noise down. I'll go meet him for a while." He ordered attendants to raise a four-fold screen to block them off completely.
=== Author's Notes ===
77: Look, I'm going to perform a magic trick for you.
77: Have you ever seen a magic trick? Watch carefully and don't blink.
Shen Zhongyu: ??? ???
??? ??? ------
77 is going to be naughty again!
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