Lai Luofu’s heart seethed with anger and resentment. He was supposed to be the head of Guangchun Hall and the highest-ranking leader of the Fire Moth Party, yet now he found himself constrained by an outsider who had come out of nowhere.
“Since our goals are the same,” Lai Luofu forced a smile and looked at Mo Qianzhi again, “why should we fight amongst ourselves here?”
Raising his teacup, he said, “To a successful partnership!”
Mo Qianzhi was not fooled by this act. Though he had fallen on hard times, he had once been the highest-ranking administrative official in Yingzhou City. Now, having fallen from grace, he had no choice but to associate with these unsavory characters and play along.
Mo Qianzhi lifted his teacup, pretended to take a sip, and set it down. The atmosphere between the two men eased somewhat. Seeing that the time was right, he asked, “This official has one question if Branch Master Chen would be so kind as to enlighten me.”
“Of course,” Lai Luofu replied.
Mo Qianzhi narrowed his eyes. “Does this ‘Chrysalis to Butterfly’ poison belong to Branch Master Chen?”
Hearing this, Lai Luofu became wary and shook his head in refusal. “If you want the antidote, that’s impossible.”
“No, no,” Mo Qianzhi’s expression hardened. “When Shen Du came to me for the antidote, did I give it to him?”
Seeing this, Lai Luofu’s expression improved slightly. He looked at Mo Qianzhi with suspicion, not understanding the purpose behind this roundabout conversation.
“I’m just confirming whether this poison truly came from Branch Master Chen. If so, I need to consider carefully. If we could use this poison to deal with those people in Yingzhou City, wouldn’t we take control of Yingzhou and other prefectures without shedding blood?”
Lai Luofu was highly skilled in poisoning, but he knew nothing of military tactics or strategy. Lai Luozhi hadn’t taught him these things. This collaboration with Mo Qianzhi was not Lai Luozhi’s intention; she had sent him here to use Mo Qianzhi to restrain Shen Du and then kill him.
Temporarily sparing Mo Qianzhi’s life was Lai Luofu’s idea, merely to earn merit.
So Lai Luofu pretended to understand and nodded in agreement. “This plan is excellent, but this Branch Master doesn’t have much of this poison on hand. Its preparation is complex, and although it’s potent, it acts slowly. The victims suffer a gradual torment, but it doesn’t immediately reduce their fighting capacity. It’s not suitable.”
“This Branch Master can immediately develop other poisons for Lord Mo to use. How does that sound?”
Hearing Lai Luofu speak so openly without concealment, Mo Qianzhi knew that Lai Luofu harbored intentions to kill him. He replied, “That would be fine. I’ll trouble Branch Master Chen with this task.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Lai Luofu smiled, appearing very accommodating.
Rising and brushing his sleeves, Mo Qianzhi said calmly, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
“Take care!” Lai Luofu called after him.
As soon as Mo Qianzhi’s figure disappeared, the smile vanished from Lai Luofu’s face, replaced by a gathering fury in his eyes. He longed to burn this room to ashes.
Slamming his fist on the table, Lai Luofu felt enraged as he thought about Mo Qianzhi’s actions today. Mo Qianzhi was nothing but a petty man. Once he had completely burned himself out for the Fire Moth Party, he would be discarded. For now, Lai Luofu would let him live a few more days.
After a long while, having suppressed his anger, Lai Luofu sat down again.
He quietly examined the inkstone, thinking that he needed to inform Lai Luozhi about this matter.
With this in mind, he immediately began to grind the ink.
After much deliberation, he finally finished writing the letter, dried it, folded it, and called someone to send it out.
After dispatching the letter, his anger still unabated, Lai Luofu swept aside the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. His eyes reddened, the Fire Moth tattoo on his skin burning hot, as bloodthirsty thoughts swirled in his mind.
Just then, a Half-Face Ghost entered carrying some pastries. A flash of blood splattered onto Lai Luofu’s sword and eyes, and only then did his fury subside. He glared at the fallen corpse of the Half-Face Ghost, kicked aside the scattered pastries at his feet, and returned to sit at his desk. He wrote another letter and sent it out.
While things were not going smoothly in Yingzhou, the situation in Chang’an City was no better.
Since Shen Du’s departure from the capital, Chang’an had been seething with undercurrents, as if all factions were reshuffling. Everyone shared a deep yet simple understanding: Shen Du’s journey to Gannan Circuit meant he probably wouldn’t return.
The balance maintained by Shen Du and the Inner Cabinet had been broken, and naturally, everyone was eager to make their move.
There were three main factions: First, the Empress’s faction, represented by Zhang Baohuan, the Empress’s male favorite. Second, the Li faction, supporting Crown Prince Li Zhong, represented by Chancellor Zhang Xingwei. Third, the Zhou clan faction, supporting Zhou Changqing, the eldest son of the Zhou clan, is represented by Zhou Xian, the Empress’s elder brother, and the Zhou clan patriarch.
Princess Chaoyang, Princess Yong’an, and Lai Luozhi were automatically considered part of the Empress’s faction.
As the various forces vied for power and internal strife continued, the Empress’s health had deteriorated significantly since the Buddha’s birthday celebration at Ximing Temple. She had entrusted many matters to Consort Xu Xuan and Xu Wan. With Shen Du absent, Zhang Baohuan managing internal affairs, Lai Luozhi handling external matters, and Xu Wan overseeing both internal and external affairs, things seemed to be running smoothly without any mistakes.
These days, Princess Yong’an had closed her doors to visitors and remained in her study. Several of her confidants stood before her, reporting on the latest developments in the court.
The Li faction consisted mainly of civil officials, mere smooth talkers who posed no real threat. With the Empress still alive, the Zhou clan wouldn’t dare to revolt yet. The Empress favored the Zhou clan, so they didn’t even consider the Li faction a threat.
As for the Empress’s faction, hah! There was even less to worry about. Zhang Baohuan was just a male favorite with neither military nor political power—nothing but a clown. Nothing to fear there.
Lai Luozhi, on the other hand, was truly troublesome. She was two-faced and utterly without moral principles. Princess Yong’an had tried to win her over multiple times, and while it seemed successful, she felt that her sister Princess Chaoyang had also won her over. It also appeared that Lai Luozhi had an ambitious agenda, unlike someone bound by others.
Lai Luozhi, cunning as a fox, quickly realized she was being watched and became extremely cautious in her every move.
Moreover, Lai Luozhi had actively shown goodwill and pledged allegiance, helping her plot to remove obstacles. Princess Yong’an was reluctant to discard such a useful pawn.
She couldn’t understand what those men were thinking. With so many daughters of the Empress, how could it be the turn of those men to become Emperor?
Lai Luozhi had sent a letter proposing to work together to eliminate the Crown Prince.
Meanwhile, the Zhou clan was also secretly planning how to depose the current Crown Prince, Li Zhong.
According to Lai Luozhi, the Empress knew about all these matters but chose not to interfere.
Princess Yong’an couldn’t understand why, if the Empress disapproved of Li Zhong and had purposely removed him from the throne to take it herself, she still retained his title as Crown Prince. Why keep the title but treat him with contempt and neglect? What was the reason? What was the explanation?
Given her position, she naturally couldn’t directly involve herself in deposing the Crown Prince, but there were others more impatient than her.
With the Zhou clan in play, she only needed to watch and wait.
“Keep an eye on all areas, don’t let your guard down,” Princess Yong’an instructed. After a moment’s thought, she added, “Dismiss those male favorites from the East Garden, and make sure it’s done conspicuously.”
Shen Du had barely left when a male favorite from Princess Chaoyang’s household was punished for some offense. The Empress had given him a severe reprimand, docked his salary, and confined him to his home—essentially, he had fallen out of favor.
She couldn’t follow in those footsteps. She had been biding her time for so long; she had to endure. Remembering how that woman on the throne had caused her mother to die in agony with her hands and feet cut off, Princess Yong’an’s beautiful eyes flashed with murderous intent. She waved her hand, dismissing all her confidants.
One day, when I ascend to the throne, it will be the day of Zhou Zhao’s downfall, she thought.