Gu Jinchao could sense that today was somewhat unusual.

Caifu told her that several large men had sneaked into the front courtyard last night, dressed in black with their faces covered, their purpose unknown. They were discovered by the night guards and after a brief struggle, were eventually captured. Chen Yi had been interrogating these men all day. Reportedly, they were all dead soldiers who refused to speak despite enduring severe torture.

Upon hearing this, the Third Master Chen frowned in thought, then immediately increased the number of guards patrolling both the inner and outer courtyards.

Gu Jinchao was feeding Changso egg custard while listening to Chen Xuanyue describe these events.

“They might have come to scout the situation,” Chen Xuanyue said, “or to find leverage against Third Uncle. Anyway, with Third Uncle here, you needn’t worry.” He peeled open peanut shells and tossed the kernels into his mouth, chewing with relish.

Seeing this, Changso also wanted peanuts and pushed away the egg custard his mother offered.

“They’ve even sent death soldiers, so the situation must be very serious,” Gu Jinchao said, placing the bowl of egg custard on a square black lacquer tray. She asked the wet nurse to take Changso out to play, as he couldn’t eat peanuts. But Changso clutched his mother’s garment, refusing to let go. “Eat peanuts, Mother, Changso eat.”

Gu Jinchao smiled and tapped his forehead: “You’re such a glutton, wanting to eat everything you see! Sit properly now, and stop bothering me.”

Changso sat dejectedly beside Gu Jinchao, looking at his Ninth Brother with hopeful eyes, but afraid of displeasing his mother, he dared not openly ask.

Chen Xuanyue burst into laughter at the child’s expression.

When his father returned, Changso twisted his little body and flung himself at his father, wrapping his small arms around his father’s neck, calling out: “Father!” Then he complained about Gu Jinchao, “Mother bad bad!”

The Third Master Chen sat down with his son in his arms and asked with a smile, “How is she bad?”

Changso bit his finger and said: “Won’t give me smell-smell.”

The Third Master Chen looked at his son in confusion, unable to understand his childish language, and asked: “What smell-smell?”

Gu Jinchao laughed uncontrollably. This child was holding a grudge! She couldn’t be bothered with him!

She brought a bowl of ginseng soup for the Third Master Chen and asked about the dead soldiers. “Zhang Julian must have been pushed to his limits by you. If he’s forced any further, things will get serious. Will he rebel? He seems too calculating for that—I think it’s unlikely.”

The Third Master Chen merely smiled and ambiguously replied: “We’ll see!”

After putting Changso to bed, they retired themselves.

In the middle of the night, Gu Jinchao heard someone calling for the Third Master Chen. He quickly put on a robe and got up. Gu Jinchao instantly became wide awake. Someone coming to call at midnight must have urgent business!

She rose and lit a candle with a stick, hearing an unfamiliar man’s voice in the adjacent room.

“The Young Master says it’s done. The palace is now in chaos, and the Young Master’s people have infiltrated the Imperial Guard during the confusion. In another hour, the news will spread everywhere…”

Gu Jinchao then heard the Third Master Chen’s voice: “The Commander of the Jin Wu Guards is already under our control. Go back and tell the Young Master… tell him not to act rashly with the Imperial Guard yet.”

The voices whispered back and forth, then quickly fell silent.

The Third Master Chen entered and saw Gu Jinchao standing outside the latticed screen, eavesdropping. The exquisite white jade-inlaid screen, illuminated by candlelight, cast a warm glow on her profile. She smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said softly: “Oh, I just saw you get up and came to check…”

The Third Master Chen took her hand and led her back. She was wearing only her middle garment. Wasn’t she afraid of catching a cold?

Gu Jinchao got into bed and pulled up the quilt. Only then did the Third Master Chen lie down and tell her.

“Feng Chengshan is dead.”

Gu Jinchao was surprised. “He… isn’t he the Imperial Secretary eunuch? How did he die?”

The Third Master Chen closed his eyes to rest and slowly said: “Treason.”

Feng Chengshan was Zhang Julian’s man—more accurately, his position was equal to Zhang Julian’s. But he had to follow Zhang Julian’s orders in matters. If Zhang Julian wasn’t ready to rebel, how could Feng Chengshan have done so?

Gu Jinchao looked at him skeptically: “Really?”

The Third Master Chen smiled: “Why would I lie to you? Palace staff witnessed it. He tried to sneak into the Emperor’s bedchamber with a dagger to assassinate His Majesty but was apprehended by the Imperial Guard. He had a note in his possession. It was in Zhang Julian’s handwriting, saying, ‘Take the head at the end of the Chou hour, meet at Xishan Garden.'”

Gu Jinchao rolled over and grabbed his collar.

“You say you’re not lying? If Zhang Julian entrusted him with something so important, would he leave behind evidence of his crime?” A thought suddenly struck her and she quickly realized, “You’re framing him?”

“Who said I’m framing him?” The Third Master Chen pressed her down with his hand. “Lie down properly and don’t move around…”

“Could this be Ye Xian’s scheme then?” Gu Jinchao thought it possible.

Ye Xian might well be giving Zhang Julian a taste of his own medicine.

The Third Master Chen said: “It’s my scheme.”

He paused and continued, “But framing him is just incidental; the main goal was to eliminate Feng Chengshan. With Feng Chengshan controlling the Imperial Household, the Emperor would never have been able to exercise his authority. Throughout history, when eunuchs control the court, it has always been an omen of dynastic collapse. With Feng Chengshan dead, Zhang Julian’s power in the cabinet becomes unstable. When he grows anxious and confused… then my accusation of treason will no longer be a false charge.”

Gu Jinchao made a sound of acknowledgment and lay beside him quietly for a moment, then raised her head and asked: “Those death soldiers… were they sent to assassinate you?”

The Third Master Chen replied briefly: “Yes.”

Gu Jinchao held his waist tighter, feeling the warmth of his body.

“I chant sutras for you every day now,” Gu Jinchao said. “I heard from the old nanny who serves you that when I was having a difficult labor, you promised the prayer beads that if I was kept safe, you would hand-copy Buddhist scriptures. Now I go to the small Buddha hall daily to burn incense and tell him the same. Perhaps I should follow Mother’s example and believe in Buddha. When praying, I might appear more sincere…”

The Third Master Chen was moved and finally opened his eyes, turning to look at her in his arms.

“Do you believe in Buddha?”

Gu Jinchao didn’t believe in Buddha. She said: “I think it’s best to revere what you don’t understand.”

The Third Master Chen smiled and stroked her hair: “Don’t force yourself.”

Gu Jinchao looked at him again: “Really not? I see that Mother is the only one in our family who believes in Buddha, and you’re only half-committed…”

The Third Master Chen just held her and smiled, pretending to be serious: “Really, there’s no need.”

Gu Jinchao saw his face so close to hers, with deep brown eyes. Because he smiled so often, even when not smiling, the corners of his mouth carried faint traces of mirth. But when he pressed his lips together, they disappeared. Like now, there were slight traces of a smile at the corners of his mouth…

She leaned forward and lightly kissed the corner of his mouth: “Alright then, goodnight.”

The Third Master Chen was momentarily stunned. Her initiating a kiss was like not kissing at all—a light touch, like water, and then gone. Yet the surface was full of ripples.

She buried her face in his chest and truly fell asleep.

Chen Yan’yun could only close his eyes, but the sensation at the corner of his mouth lingered for a long time.

Meanwhile, the inner city of the Forbidden City was under complete lockdown.

Ye Xian didn’t dare sleep the entire night, sitting in his study listening to people come and go with reports. Late at night, the Old Marquis also came to find him, leaning on his cane. Ye Xian had summoned all his old and new subordinates, so it was no wonder the Old Marquis was disturbed! The Old Marquis sat in the grand chair and asked Ye Xian: “What are you doing?”

Ye Xian fiddled with his teacup.

“Grandfather, I’m in charge of the Changxing Marquis household now.”

The Old Marquis laughed in anger, “So you think you can make decisions on your own? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.”

Ye Xian waved his hand and smiled: “Anyway, I won’t harm our family, will I?”

The Old Marquis was at a loss for words, then finally sputtered: “You… Fine! I’m telling you, you can cooperate with Chen Yan’yun if you want. But all the forces our family can use, plus all that Chen Yan’yun can use, still can’t match the Five Military Commands.”

Ye Xian said: “If we could match them, I would have killed him long ago. It’s precisely because we can’t that we’re playing these schemes, both overt and covert.”

Another person came to report that the Left Commander, Fu Jun, had gone to Zhang Julian’s place with his men.

The Old Marquis sat drinking tea for a while, seeing that his grandson had finished giving orders. He came over, took his cloak, and said to the Old Marquis, “I need to go to the palace for a while. You should go back first.”

The Old Marquis frowned: “What are you going there for at this hour?”

Ye Xian said flatly, “I’m afraid Zhang Julian might turn pretense into reality.”

He quickly left with his men. The Old Marquis watched his grandson leave and then waved his hand, ordering someone to find the Marquis.

Zhang Julian had been talking with Fu Jun all night.

From the moment he learned of Feng Chengshan’s death, Zhang Julian knew things had gone badly. No one knew better than he whether Feng Chengshan had committed the act! So who had framed Feng Chengshan was quite obvious. It couldn’t be Chen Yan’yun, as Chen Yan’yun’s influence in both the Imperial Guard and Jin Wu Guard was weak, so it must be Ye Xian!

Feng Chengshan had not been deceiving him when he said these two had allied.

He also had people in the Jin Wu Guard, and he quickly learned the contents of the note.

Fu Jun said: “Feng Chengshan’s death may not be serious in itself, but it has implicated you. When the news spreads tomorrow, more people will criticize you. In the future, without Feng as Imperial Secretary, everything will require the Emperor’s approval, which could be problematic!”

Zhang Julian lowered his eyes in thought, then called his advisers: “Are there any useful people left in the Imperial Household?”

The advisers suggested several names, but none could control the Emperor.

Zhang Julian waved his hand, dismissing them.

His face was as dark as water.

He had underestimated Chen Yan’yun, not expecting him to eliminate Feng Chengshan at this time. He should have anticipated it. No matter how carefully he had arranged things, Feng Chengshan was beyond his control. Feng Chengshan attended the Emperor daily—could he have sent someone to protect him?

Fu Jun quietly asked: “Then… what do you plan to do?”

“What to do?” Zhang Julian smiled.

“Chen Yan’yun has laid the path for me, working so hard, hoping I’ll rebel.” Zhang Julian felt a surge of anger, though his voice grew increasingly calm. “Then I’ll show him what rebellion looks like!”

Did he think he could suppress him with charges of treason? Let Chen Yan’yun try—we’ll see who breaks first in the end!