Huangjue Temple’s lanterns had always been exceptionally well-made. The elegant and refined lampshades enclosed the candlelight, spreading a faint glow in the quiet night that involuntarily calmed one’s heart. Yuanjue sat upright opposite Master Yuankong, his expression still carrying a trace of barely concealed anger that should not have appeared on the face of a monk: “Does Senior Brother truly still want to continue working for them?! Setting aside Master Yuanhui, in the matter of the Three Hardships, did they care at all about our lives?”
The Three Hardships had been stubborn and insisted on doing this favor for Fan Liangdi and Prince Dongping. His resentment toward Song Chuyi and Zhou Weizhao had truly been too heavy. But even though he hadn’t succeeded, he had nevertheless risked his life to do it, and in the end preferred to lose his life rather than let the Imperial Guard and the Grand Heir’s faction use him to attack Prince Dongping and Fan Liangdi. Working so sincerely for them, yet in the end not even receiving a word of appreciation—it truly could not help but make one feel disheartened.
How could one cooperate with people who treated you like treasure when they needed you, then kicked you aside when they didn’t? Even if they successfully helped him ascend to power, he probably wouldn’t remember anyone’s favors. He took a deep breath, completely unable to calm his heart: “Allying with them is no different from seeking the tiger’s skin. I think Senior Brother’s previous idea was very good. Since this path won’t work, why not choose another? Although the Eastern Palace’s position is stable, it’s not truly without gaps to exploit. His legitimate brother Prince Gong would be an excellent choice, wouldn’t he?” Back then they had been able to attach themselves to Prince Duan, who was neither legitimate nor eldest. If they could rely on Prince Gong, there might not be no chance of victory—Prince Gong’s fate looked much longer-lived than the Crown Prince’s.
Yuankong opened his eyes. Everything under the lamplight was coated with a layer of dim yellow that looked especially drowsy. He finally settled his gaze on Yuanjue’s face and slowly shook his head: “I know Junior Brother’s concerns. I have the same concerns. But there’s one thing that benefactor Qian didn’t say wrong—if His Highness the Grand Heir returns to court, the first one he’ll deal with will probably be us. We no longer have any other choice. Right now, as he said, we can only prioritize self-preservation.”
And to preserve themselves, they inevitably had to first resolve the Grand Heir Zhou Weizhao who knew of their deeds. This was almost inevitable. Otherwise, leave him to return to the capital and let him casually find an excuse to uproot them entirely?
Yuanhui closed his eyes. He knew what his senior brother said was right. After a long while, he sighed: “But how easy is that?” Master Yuanhui hadn’t even thought about moving against the Grand Heir—he had merely moved against the Song family and ended up severely injured. And the Three Hardships, who wanted to avenge him, died directly in Yangquan, never to return. Now Zhou Weizhao had won a great victory and was at the height of his glory. Combined with the previous assassination attempt, he surely was already prepared. Along the way, he also had the escort of officials at all levels. There was simply no opportunity to exploit.
Master Yuankong slowly stood up, pushed open the window to look at the sky full of stars outside, his tone both cold and indifferent, as if speaking of an insignificant trifle: “If it’s not easy, there’s still no other way. We can’t let so many years of painstaking cultivation be destroyed in one fell swoop.”
Actually, having come this far, he no longer knew whether the so-called grand aspiration they had established to seek welfare for all people under heaven was still their original intention—after all, they had not yet succeeded, and those occupying high positions, though holding positions without doing work, ultimately hadn’t caused the disasters that shouldn’t happen. The northwest side was causing quite a disturbance, but Cui Shaoting was there to suppress it. Although the coastal pirate troubles were serious, Guo Huaiying was not like the previous treacherous minister who only knew how to advance his own career without caring about the people’s lives.
So what were they doing this for now? Yuankong asked himself, then slowly sighed. Now, no matter what it was for, they could only continue forward without turning back. There truly was no other choice—because they had already bared their fangs. To retract them now would cost lives as sacrifice. He held so many lives in his hands; this was not his decision alone to make.
Yuanjue knew that although Yuankong had always been someone who didn’t meddle in many matters, once he made a certain decision it was difficult to change. He could only acquiesce. After a moment, he asked: “Then what does Senior Brother intend to do? Our manpower in Jin is limited, almost all lost. It’s impossible to make another move in Jin.” Moreover, Jinzhong itself was the Cui family’s territory. Although they hadn’t left evidence for the Imperial Guard and Zhou Weizhao before, Zhou Weizhao knew their background.
Yuankong smiled. He always wore a smile, and at this moment he smiled as kindly as usual: “Elder Chen just suffered such a huge loss at the Song family’s hands. I imagine he wants the Song family to pay a price even more than we do. Since we have a common goal, and many hands make light work, why don’t we discuss this with him again?”
Discuss with Elder Chen again? Yuanjue instinctively felt this was improper: “Elder Chen has already lost power and is precisely at the time when he should keep his tail tucked and behave. How would he dare meddle in this matter?”
“We don’t need him to do much, only to provide some conveniences. As the saying goes, even a rotten boat has three pounds of nails, and a camel dying of starvation is bigger than a horse. Elder Chen has commanded wind and rain in court for so many years, with connections throughout the realm. Otherwise, why do you think he escaped so easily this time? If he takes action, we won’t say we have complete assurance, but at least it will be twice the result with half the effort.” Yuankong lowered his brows and eyes, putting away the chess pieces on the board, patiently and meticulously returning them all to the chess basket, while his mouth also didn’t stay idle: “The Eastern Palace’s Grand Heir doesn’t consider him one of their own. He thought himself an Eastern Palace person, but in the end wasn’t saved by Eastern Palace people. Instead, he was schemed against by the Song family, who are close to the Grand Heir. Given his temperament, when the Song family previously had no grievances with him yet dared to set a trap, let alone now. Moreover, if something truly happens to the Grand Heir, and he accomplishes this matter for Prince Dongping, he can also regain face before Fan Liangdi and Prince Dongping. He will do it. He’s invested too much in the Eastern Palace over these years. Not to mention being unwilling to see success turn to failure, even if he’s willing to distance himself from the Eastern Palace, it’s not up to him. When people under heaven look at him, he’s still the former Eastern Palace tutor.”
Hearing Master Yuankong say this, Yuanjue sat for a while before saying: “Then should I write a letter? Or personally send someone over to speak?”
Master Yuankong lowered his head and thought for a moment, then slightly raised his chin toward him: “You go personally. Back then, we cooperated with Old Madam Chen. If you go personally, the chances will be greater. Remember to especially reveal to Elder Chen that this is Prince Dongping and Fan Liangdi’s intention.”
That way, if Old Master Chen still had thoughts of seeking patronage, he would definitely treat their cooperation seriously.