The process for the princes’ entry into the capital for the imperial audience was finally drafted into regulations. Zhou Weizhao breathed a sigh of relief. The faint dark circles under his eyes couldn’t block the smile brimming between his brows. Qing Zhuo had stayed up with him through many nights—because enfeoffing the princes was modeled after the actions of the previous dynasty’s founding emperor, this dynasty had no precedent for princes entering the capital for imperial audiences. They inevitably had to consult many previous dynasty’s records and historical texts, following old precedents to draft the regulations. Therefore, having to both prepare for the Grand Prince’s wedding and busily arrange Emperor Jianzhang’s birthday celebration, while also properly attending to the princes entering the capital, the Ministry of Rites was extraordinarily busy. Since Zhou Weizhao was busy, naturally Qing Zhuo couldn’t slack off either. He’d lost a whole circle of weight from exhaustion. Seeing Zhou Weizhao’s appearance now, he couldn’t help but smile: “Is Your Highness about to see Sixth Miss, so that’s why you’re this happy?”
Zhou Weizhao ignored his teasing and turned to ask him: “Today is the anniversary of her elder sister’s mother’s death?” Every year on this day, Song Chuyi habitually accompanied Xiang Mingzi to the Daoist temple to perform memorial rites. He had once accompanied them. Qingxu Temple had eighty-one soul-summoning lanterns lit, pine waves rolling continuously, and the soul-summoning banner standing in the center. He always felt that Song Chuyi standing among them with her skirt stirred by the wind was very unreal, so the impression was deep.
Qing Zhuo was very attentive to everything about Sixth Miss Song. Hearing this, he nodded without hesitation: “Yes, yes. Sixth Miss Song and Miss Mingzi already went up the mountain two days ago, saying they needed to bathe and fast first. This year is somewhat different from previous years. Isn’t Miss Mingzi getting married after the Double Ninth Festival? This is her last year in her maiden chamber, so the memorial rites are being performed on an especially grand scale. I was just thinking of reminding you to prepare gifts to send over.”
Zhou Weizhao nodded. First he returned to the palace to pay respects to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, changed clothes, and left the palace to first make a trip to the residence at the Yellow Immortal Temple. After sitting down, he asked Old Kong: “No news from the northwest?”
Old Kong hunched his back. With some effort, he sat down across from him and coughed a few times before replying: “News came in just the other day.” He lowered his voice: “Yang Xuan is dead.”
Yang Xuan should have died long ago. Cui Shaoting had kept him alive until now just to hook the big fish behind him. Zhou Weizhao sighed, his eyes deepening. This plan had originally been discussed between him and Cui Shaoting—thinking they had to root out the mastermind behind the scenes to feel at ease. But he had never imagined that the big fish behind this would actually be the Fan family—and who stood behind the Fan family was beyond doubt.
His brows furrowed. For the first time, a severe expression appeared between his brows. His voice cold, he asked: “Have they found out clearly who made the move?”
If it was Cui Shaoting… it couldn’t be Cui Shaoting. Cui Shaoting had brought the northwest thoroughly under control these past few years. Now he was preparing to rectify the northwest’s atmosphere. Smuggling under the prohibition of border trade was a major crime. If he had simply wanted Yang Xuan to face justice, he could have succeeded back during Elder Chen and Zhang Tianhe’s incident. But he had endured Yang Xuan until now, simply to completely sever this chain of interests. At this critical moment, probably no one hoped more than he that Yang Xuan could stay alive.
Old Kong’s expression turned serious as he looked at him, lowering his voice: “It was the Investigating Censor stationed in Datong who submitted the memorial, impeaching Yang Xuan for privately trafficking war horses and colluding with the Tartars. The Investigating Censor has the authority to execute first and report later. Before Commissioner-in-Chief Cui of the Three Borders could react, Yang Xuan’s head had already hit the ground.”
This wasn’t to punish Yang Xuan at all—it was clearly to silence him. Zhou Weizhao closed his eyes—Datong. The one stationed in Datong happened to be Marquis Jinxiang Han Zhengqing. Han Zhengqing was originally an umbrella for the northwest smuggling operation… It seemed his father truly hadn’t restrained himself at all because of the Empress’s reprimand and Yang Yunrong’s exposure, but was instead making a dying struggle. He thought that by cleaning up all these loose ends before the Empress could strike, once the Empress had no evidence in hand, he could continue doing as he pleased afterward?
Zhou Weizhao originally had no particular feelings toward the Crown Prince. As for hatred—there wasn’t any. He had grown up with Zhang Tianshi, who never taught him hatred, only taught him how to remember others’ kindness. But now, he suddenly felt the Crown Prince was truly detestable—someone who could sell out even his own future kingdom for a bit of profit was truly difficult to respect.
Outside, the scorching sun blazed. Even the assaulting fragrance of osmanthus couldn’t improve one’s mood. Zhou Weizhao’s voice was three degrees colder than an underground ice cellar: “Inform Second Young Master Ye and have him tell his elder brother.”
But before Old Kong could respond, Han Feng outside knocked on the door frantically. The secret passage door opened with a crash. Han Feng rushed in swiftly, pulling out a letter sealed with wax from his bosom and handing it to Zhou Weizhao. Wiping the sweat from his forehead: “Your Highness, someone specifically delivered this to the Ministry of Rites office asking for you, saying it concerns Sixth Miss Song and that you’d best take a look.”
Delivering a letter to the Ministry of Rites office? Zhou Weizhao raised his eyebrows with some puzzlement. But hearing it concerned Song Chuyi, his hands were already opening the letter without stopping. Just one glance and his expression changed drastically. With a bang, he slapped the table and stood up abruptly with such force that the gleaming black lacquered wooden table nearly fell apart. As he stood up, even his voice changed somewhat: “Xiaoyi is accompanying Miss Xiang at Qingxu Temple today?!”
Qing Zhuo wandered in confusedly, still not knowing why his Highness had suddenly lost composure like this. He naturally responded: “Yes, didn’t you just say that after we finish here at Old Kong’s place, we’d rush out of the city?”
Zhou Weizhao already had no mood for superfluous words. He immediately turned to order Old Kong: “Call Cuiting, Mingtai, Langyue, and Xufeng—have them rush to Qingxu Temple after leaving the city!”
Old Kong braced himself on the table and stood up. Watching him and Qing Zhuo and Han Feng fly out the door, he raised his hand in surprise to pick up the letter that had fallen on the ground. With this glance, his eyes also widened in shock. Then he couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
The Crown Prince was truly insane to actually want to move against Sixth Miss Song! Although Sixth Miss Song was the daughter of a count’s household, since she was accompanying her cousin to perform memorial rites, and because on the first day the family elders had to enter the palace to see Consort Song on this special occasion, there were no female elders accompanying her. At most, it would just be her younger brother, and the attendants with her would certainly be ordinary people. If the Crown Prince was truly determined, then wouldn’t this Sixth Miss Song have one foot stepping into the Gate of Ghosts? Just thinking about it made one shudder involuntarily. No wonder His Highness was so alarmed and distressed.
He crumpled the letter into a ball, lit a fire starter, and burned it. Not daring to delay for a moment, he went out to summon Cuiting, Mingtai, Langyue, and Xufeng. After thinking it over, he also specifically sent people to report to both Count Changning’s household and the Princess’s residence.