The bloody storm in the court had begun. In just two days, Master Taibai confirmed that Emperor Jianzhang had been poisoned with a rare toxin. Meanwhile, Empress Lu, having previously destroyed the Han family ancestral graves and forced Liang Tong to dash her head against a pillar, had completely lost all credibility. The imperial censors’ impeachments against Empress Lu and the Imperial Guard came one after another like bamboo shoots after spring rain, causing everyone headaches. The hearts of the court had already scattered like loose sand, riddled with holes everywhere, lacking only the final strike. The voices advocating for peace grew ever more clamorous.
“At this point, there’s only one final step left.” Xu Da rotated the cup in his hand, his expression dark as he looked at the fat man across from him. “Didn’t they say they couldn’t determine what poison it was? Even Master Taibai has no solution. We should help them along. How can we let them continue in such chaos?” His face showed a sinister expression, his eyes flashing with excited light. “It’s time for you to make your move.”
Seeing the fat man furrow his brow, he continued: “There’s nothing left to delay. We’re just one step away. If we don’t finish off the Crown Prince now, once he recovers his wits, where will we find such an easy opportunity? After keeping soldiers for a thousand days to use them for one moment, if we don’t strike now, when else? You no longer need to hide. Don’t tell me you’ve gotten so used to being his man that the habit’s become hard to break?”
The fat man rubbed his belly in a circle, laughing as he looked at Xu Da without the slightest temper. Even though Xu Da had reached this point of urgency, he remained unhurried and calm. After thinking for a moment, he said: “Really strike at this moment? Not observe a bit longer?”
Xu Da didn’t even think before waving his hand dismissively: “No need. Observe what?” He sneered coldly, looking at the capital that had lost its former prosperity and was breeding with panic, his gaze full of vicious mockery, his words equally poisonous: “Right now both the court and the common people are full of complaints. Empress Lu and the Crown Prince are already like rats crossing the street with everyone shouting to strike them down. The rumors have already spread to everyone’s knowledge, plus Master Taibai personally confirmed that the Emperor was poisoned. The Emperor can’t possibly wake up again. At this time, one of you is an absolute confidant by the Crown Prince’s side, the other is Zhang Tianshi’s junior martial brother who grew up with him since childhood. If you two stand forward and personally testify against the Crown Prince, who wouldn’t believe it?” He smiled meaningfully, glancing at the fat man. “Come to think of it, in the eyes of the world, and even in the Crown Prince’s eyes, you two are undoubtedly his trusted confidants. Who could be more persuasive than you standing forward?”
The red plum blossoms arranged on the table still emitted a faint fragrance. The wisteria cakes set before the fat man were still steaming hot. He tilted his head, took a cake in hand and weighed it, then made an appreciative sound and nodded.
He made an affirmative sound, then chuckled for a while: “It’s just that it feels rather awkward.” He scratched his head with an utterly honest and simple appearance. “After all, we’ve been wholeheartedly good to them for so long, and now we have to stab them…”
Xu Da had no patience for his nonsense. These two were Han Zhengqing’s greatest trump cards, both entrusted to him when he was injured. If he couldn’t use these two trump cards perfectly, not only would it leave Han Zhengqing’s ancestors unable to rest in peace in the heavens, he himself would likely be flayed and have his tendons pulled. Therefore, he snorted, quite impatiently: “Enough! Don’t say anything more. Just handle things properly yourselves. Anyway, once this breaks out and chaos runs rampant, even Chief Minister Chang won’t be able to control the situation. When the time comes, fishing you out amid the chaos won’t be difficult.”
The fat man agreed, laughed strangely with his peculiar chuckle and left, even grabbing several more wisteria cakes and stuffing them in his robe.
Really, as if he hadn’t eaten in centuries. Xu Da felt somewhat irritated. He sat for a while, then clapped his hands. Administrator Chen’s steward immediately came running in with quick steps.
“Has there been no news from outside?”
The steward’s eyes rolled in a circle before he remembered he was probably asking about Song Yan, Fourth Young Master Song, who had left the city about a day ago. He clapped his hands: “It’s still early. That Fourth Young Master Song is as delicate as a young maiden. After dawdling for a whole day, he’s only just left Tongzhou. How could we make a move there? Follow him for another two days until we reach somewhere with fewer people, then it’ll be easier to strike.”
—
“He’s the Crown Princess’s younger brother.” Xu Da glanced at him. “Be careful.”
Song Chuyi, who was receiving special attention because she was the Crown Princess, couldn’t spare thoughts for what these people were thinking. Xiang Mingzi was pregnant, and she was taking advantage of this opportunity to leave the palace to check on her.
Although Empress Lu and Zhou Weizhao were already condemned by everyone, there was still no concrete evidence proving anything. The court officials could only curse behind closed doors, so her travels weren’t affected.
Following routine procedure, without a moment’s delay, she changed from the west corner gate into an ordinary servant woman’s third-class carriage, first making a circuit around the western part of the city where Song family servants gathered, then emerged from an ordinary household, changed to another extremely common small oil-cloth cart, and headed all the way out of the city toward Tongzhou.
Ye Jingchuan’s people had surrounded the villa so tightly not even water could leak through. Whether it was those binding cotton strips to trees nearby or those guarding the courtyard gate, each one looked rather different from ordinary people. Qing Ying lowered her voice and leaned close to Song Chuyi’s ear: “They’re all martial artists.”
After that trip to Fujian, Ye Jingchuan had progressed even more, doing things far more thoroughly than before.
She presented the token sent by the Lin family of Prince Zhennan’s manor and waited while people reported through the layers. Only then was the threshold removed, and people hurried the carriage into the courtyard. Only then did she truly see Ye Jingchuan.
When Ye Jingchuan saw her, he first breathed a sigh of relief, then pressed his lips together. Though he clearly had a thousand things to say, at this moment he couldn’t speak a single word. He cupped his hands toward her and led her all the way to the back courtyard: “Miss Lu was discovered in the waters of Huizhou. She was clever, knowing I was in Zhangzhou, and sent me a letter. If I’d been even slightly later getting to Huizhou, she would have been gone.”
He actually wasn’t very clear on all the twists and turns. Though Lu Chonghua had been rescued by him, apart from who the assassin was, she refused to reveal a single word. He knew the matter concerned Song Chuyi, so he didn’t ask in detail. On his way back to the capital, he’d taken great risks—he’d run off while on official duty, and Fujian would have to report that too. Since his identity was so sensitive, he didn’t want to know too much, lest he accidentally reveal something at some point and delay matters for Lu Chonghua and Song Chuyi.
Song Chuyi nodded, also not having time to ask more. In the blink of an eye they had already turned past the moon gate and onto the covered walkway. Turning another corner, they arrived before the heavily curtained doorway. Before she could even plant her feet, the curtain was suddenly swept up. She stepped back two paces to steady herself, and with one glance saw Lu Chonghua, who had rushed out upon hearing the news.