“Li Yuangui, why did you conspire with the barbarian rebels to commit treason?”
Early in the morning, smoke lingered within the walls of Da’an Palace, mixing with scattered ruins. The assassins had burned down the buildings and corridors near the Western Pavilion, and the main hall of Da’an Palace was almost destroyed.
Only the Eastern Pavilion, being further away, had survived. Crown Prince Li Chengqian had set up his interrogation chamber inside this Eastern Pavilion to prosecute the accused.
After being called down from the Watchtower, Li Yuangui had quickly tidied himself up and adjusted his attire to meet the heir apparent, all while frantically fabricating his story: how he had been sleeping in Prince Wu’s residence at the Seventeen Princes’ Compound until midnight, how black-clad assassins had taken him hostage, how he was forced to climb cliffs, how he was imprisoned in the Watchtower… But unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the Eastern Pavilion before he could even complete his formal greeting, Li Chengqian threw this accusation at him.
Well, at least this saved him the effort of repeated lying and back-and-forth explanations.
After fighting through the night, he was exhausted, his legs feeling as if bound by thousand-pound weights, with a constant buzzing of bees or flies in his ears. Supporting himself with his hands as he knelt, Li Yuangui took a deep breath, noticing that behind the writing desk and screen, only Li Chengqian sat alone, with just two servants standing guard at the door. No other court officials were present.
Li Chengqian hadn’t brought any Eastern Palace officials, nor had he kept any commanders of the imperial guard for the questioning—when Li Yuangui had approached the Eastern Pavilion’s platform earlier, he had seen General Zhang Shigui hurriedly leaving the pavilion, his face ashen, so distracted he hadn’t even noticed Li Yuangui’s approach.
This was the Crown Prince’s way of saying “Don’t waste time with pretenses and idle talk.” With such a major disturbance at Da’an Palace, the death of the Yin siblings, and the Emperor Emeritus’s close brush with danger, there was no way to keep this news from the Emperor and Empress. Perhaps the imperial couple was already on their way to Da’an Palace, and Li Chengqian had rushed ahead to prepare his explanation for his parents’ inevitable questioning.
“May I ask Your Highness, how are the Crown Princess’s injuries?”
Li Yuangui didn’t directly address the accusation of “conspiring with barbarian rebels for treason”—he couldn’t deny it, so he went on the offensive instead. Wasn’t the recent chaos at Da’an Palace rooted in Li Chengqian’s conspiracy with Consort Yin’s misdeeds?
It was quite improper to ask a husband about his wife’s condition. Li Chengqian’s sword-like eyebrows raised in anger, and Li Yuangui quickly added, “How has Your Highness reported to Lizheng Palace regarding my Seventeenth Sister’s whereabouts?”
The Seventeenth Princess had been kidnapped by the barbarian rebels and hadn’t returned to Lizheng Palace—the Eastern Palace needed to explain this to Empress Consort Long and the Emperor. Li Chengqian frowned for a moment, deciding that coordinating their stories was more important, and suppressed his anger:
“I reported to the Empress that Seventeenth Sister and Lady Su fell ill from negative energy while making offerings at Wangsheng Temple, and fearing the illness might spread to Lizheng Palace, they are recovering in the Eastern Palace for a few days…”
“Didn’t the Empress send palace ladies to check on them?” Li Yuangui asked.
“She did, but they only saw Lady Su once, and I found a way to send them back,” Li Chengqian’s face darkened. “Where exactly is Seventeenth Sister? Where have you hidden her? Don’t think you can threaten me with this!”
He had first lied to his mother about “Fourteenth Uncle dreaming that his birth mother wanted to take his sister to make offerings,” then colluded with and allowed the Yin siblings to kidnap someone along the way, finally resulting in this mess. Even as he spoke, his voice betrayed his guilt and anger. Li Yuangui looked at him, wanting to make some sarcastic remarks for satisfaction, but unfortunately, he had neither the energy nor the time.
“Let me go,” he said briefly. “I know who has taken Seventeenth Sister. The sooner I go to rescue her, the better our chances.”
“She’s not in your custody?” Li Chengqian asked suspiciously. “But these barbarians who came to assassinate at Da’an Palace were your accomplices!”
He knew these black-clad assassins had appeared at Palace People’s Lane that night, Li Yuangui realized—perhaps Crown Princess Su had told her husband after regaining consciousness. As for other details of the “conspiracy,” he might be able to guess some but probably had no evidence.
“Didn’t Your Highness know these barbarian assassins wanted me dead?” Li Yuangui countered. “I was careless and captured, becoming their hostage and shield, but it was certainly not intentional…”
As he was speaking, Li Chengqian leaned back against his armrest, his handsome features showing that same mocking smile that said “You think I’m that stupid.” This nephew was born two years before Li Yuangui, had been made Crown Prince and master of the Eastern Palace at age eight, and in recent years had been handling state affairs and wielding authority. His demeanor had shifted accordingly, his arrogant bearing now a young mirror image of the current Emperor.
Under his burning gaze, Li Yuangui didn’t want to make up too many excuses—he was equally guilty and short of breath. “How does Your Highness plan to report last night’s incident at Da’an Palace to His Majesty?”
“I’ll report the truth,” Li Chengqian said coldly. “Prince Wu Li Yuangui, the Emperor Emeritus’s fourteenth son, conspired with Tuyuhun barbarian rebels, using the Daoist priestess Chai and palace servant Wei and others as inside agents, to attempt a night raid on Da’an Palace for treason. By heaven’s grace and Emperor Emeritus’s divine protection, the palace guards fought bravely and defeated the rebels. Their plot failed, and Consort Yin and others died in service to the crown. I will request the court to grant them posthumous honors.”
Li Yuangui considered this and felt that while this account wasn’t entirely accurate, it wasn’t entirely wrong either. It was impressive that Li Chengqian had managed to gather and process so much information in such a short time after rushing over early this morning.
“As His Majesty’s brother, surely the Emperor’s boundless grace will grant me an imperial audience to defend myself,” he struggled to hide the exhaustion and hoarseness in his voice. “I dare not deceive His Majesty. Consort Yin bullied and abused my mother and our three children, leading to my mother’s bitter death. I took Seventeenth Sister to Lizheng Palace, where she received the Empress’s gracious care. His Majesty has long been aware of these circumstances. His Majesty and the Empress have always pitied our siblings’ orphaned state. I was forced to offend the Eastern Palace to save my sister and have been falsely accused. His Majesty will surely uphold justice. Now that the Seventeenth Sister has fallen into enemy hands and is missing, it damages the imperial family’s dignity and His Majesty’s filial and brotherly virtue. His Majesty and the Empress cannot… simply ignore this…”
He didn’t expect his fabricated story to convince Li Chengqian. His only option now was to make a direct threat: if you dare accuse me of “treason,” I’ll expose to your parents how you deceived the Emperor and lost your young aunt.
However… the severity and consequences of these two crimes were far from equivalent…
Sure enough, Li Chengqian let out a derisive snort:
“Very well, let’s both make our cases before His Majesty—let’s see who he believes. Even if he believes both of us, I’ll only be guilty of failing in familial harmony by listening to false reports, and I’ll just need to find Seventeenth Sister. But you conspired with enemy assassins to commit high treason, plotting to kill the Emperor and father—what crime and punishment would that be?”
What punishment? At worst, execution of three generations of family, nine generations of relatives… then you and your father, my elder brother the current Emperor, should also lose your heads… Li Yuangui suddenly felt an absurd urge to laugh. After all this arguing and cursing, it still came down to family members trying to kill each other.
“Your Highness’s failure in familial harmony isn’t limited to just us siblings,” Li Yuangui said through gritted teeth with a cold smile. “Have you so quickly forgotten about that blood jade archer’s thumb ring in County Princess Linfen’s dowry at Ganyesi Temple?”
Throughout their argument, Li Chengqian maintained an expression of mockery and contempt, but hearing these words, his expression suddenly changed. He leaned forward, his elbows pressing on the writing desk:
“What did you say?”