“Oh? Has Marquis Yun suddenly stopped because he’s realized something?” Chu Suiliang was right beside Yun Ye. Seeing Yun Ye frozen in place for quite a while, without thinking he sold Yun Ye out.
As soon as Chu Suiliang spoke, everyone seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief, all fixing their gazes on Yun Ye. Whether or not he could propose a good solution, pushing him forward first to test the waters would be fine.
Seeing Li Er also looking at him, Yun Ye suddenly cupped his hands and asked: “Your humble subject dares to be bold—may I ask Your Majesty, were these assassins specifically targeting Your Majesty? When your subject entered just now, I discovered Wanmin Palace was completely undamaged, with no bloodstains or traces of combat. To speak frankly with Your Majesty, your subject’s nose is extremely sensitive to the smell of blood. Yet now there is no incense burning in Wanmin Palace, nor have the doors and windows been thrown wide open, yet the atmosphere inside remains peaceful, with only a faint scent of sandalwood—presumably from Your Majesty’s Buddhist devotions these past days. This is why your subject ventures to ask this question.”
Not only were all the civil and military officials stunned, even the Emperor was taken aback. Anyone capable of letting assassins into the imperial palace absolutely could not be unaware that the Emperor now spent virtually every day without leaving Wanmin Palace. Li Er, who firmly believed in feng shui, thought that since moving into Wanmin Palace, everything he planned and desired had been achieved without exception. Even a crisis as severe as the world attacking Tang had been resolved one by one by him in Wanmin Palace. Therefore, apart from visiting the Empress at Liangyi Hall, he generally resided in Wanmin Palace. Yet the assassins had slaughtered wantonly in Taiji Palace. Of the twelve eminent monks that Wang Xuance had brought from Tianzhu, eight or nine had died.
The two hundred and thirty-two assassins from beginning to end had only attacked Taiji Palace, never even inquiring about crucial locations like Wanmin Palace and Liangyi Hall. Why was this?
Li Tai’s mood seemed to improve. He stepped forward and said: “Father Emperor, your son believes this assassination was not aimed at Father Emperor at all. Your son questioned the guards, and they said from the very beginning, these people’s target was Taiji Palace. Everyone under heaven knows that our Great Tang’s most magnificent palace is Wanmin Palace, which is brilliantly lit even at night and has been praised by the common people as the Hall of Light. Taiji Palace and Wanmin Palace are separated by a full hundred zhang—the assassins could not have been mistaken. The only explanation is that their target was to sabotage Father Emperor’s strategy for longevity. This is truly the height of treason and heresy. Your son believes we must find the mastermind behind this and severely punish them without leniency.”
Hearing Li Tai’s words, Yun Ye wanted to embrace and kiss him. Truly a high-intelligence fellow! Not only did he recount the sequence of events, he also roughly guessed the assassins’ purpose, and gave Yun Ye grounds to attack the Emperor’s obsession with immortality. Truly formidable!
“Your Majesty, immortality? Why does your humble subject know nothing of such a ridiculous matter?”
Li Er seemed somewhat embarrassed and explained simply: “Wang Xuance invited eminent monks of great virtue from Tianzhu who have devoted themselves to studying the art of immortality for two hundred years. Not only can they grant people eternal life, they may even be able to ascend to heaven in broad daylight. I simply wanted to see with my own eyes whether this is true.”
Yun Ye had no intention of letting Li Er off on this matter. It was one thing to grow more afraid of death with age, but how could he believe such ghost stories? Seeing his jade plaques displayed on the dragon desk, he apologized to the Emperor, personally retrieved the plaques, and after installing them on the frame, immediately Wanmin Palace blazed with brilliant light, making even the bright candle mountains pale in comparison.
Apart from Du Ruhui showing no surprise whatsoever, everyone else’s eyes revealed an intoxicated expression. Yun Ye handed the frame to Duan Hong, pointing to the roof of Wanmin Palace, indicating he should hang the frame up there. After obtaining Li Er’s consent, Duan Hong leaped onto the roof and with extreme care hung this openwork frame on the beam and pillar Yun Ye had designated. The great hall immediately became as bright as daylight.
Yun Ye walked to the candle mountain’s edge, took the silver snuffer, and extinguished the candles on the candle mountain one by one. Then he walked to the center, cupped his hands toward the Emperor and said: “Your Majesty, this is the most correct use of these four jade plaques. Others call this divine light—it’s all just rumors spreading false information. How could such absurd and preposterous language deceive someone as wise as Your Majesty?”
“Everyone says this is the supreme treasure of White Jade Capital. For this thing, no fewer than a thousand lives have been lost. The famous Tian Xiangzi, in order to find the Gate of Heaven—look, one of these four jade plaques—journeyed far to the Arctic edge of the sky. In the end, facing the aurora on the eternal frozen wasteland, he wept and wailed for half a year before finally dying in a place where human footprints had never reached. Of his followers, only one returned to the Central Plains—all the rest died there.”
“There was also another expedition seeking the Kingdom of the Sun God, wanting to find the land of immortals. Do you know how far they traveled? A full eighty thousand li!” This statement of eighty thousand li immediately made everyone in the hall gasp, and Li Er’s face showed an embarrassed expression.
“Honorable colleagues, do not think I am talking nonsense. The white bear pelts that the Zhangsun family, Du family, and many other households possess all come from that place. Of the two hundred-plus people who went seeking the Kingdom of the Sun God, only three returned alive. Two died shortly after returning, and one is currently receiving treatment from Master Sun at Yushan. If any of you also wish to visit the Kingdom of the Sun God, just ask him for directions.”
“Your Majesty, the reason your humble subject has made public the secrets of my White Jade Capital is to make one point: this treasure that countless people have fought and bled over—its greatest use is illumination, merely replacing candles. Your subject requests Your Majesty install this thing above the great hall of Wanmin Palace to provide nighttime illumination, making the name Hall of Light live up to its reputation.”
Li Er’s expression became even more awkward. These past days he had constantly threatened Wu She, wanting to get this thing into his own hands. He never expected the actual owner of this thing would hang it in Wanmin Palace without the slightest hesitation.
Fang Xuanling stepped forward with a smile: “These words are excellent. If this object can truly help people prolong life, hanging it in Wanmin Palace means we subjects can also bask in Your Majesty’s light and gain some benefits.”
Once Fang Xuanling spoke, the remaining officials naturally followed suit, all thinking of quickly closing the assassin case so everyone could relax a bit. Looking at the courtyard full of corpses, each one appearing highly skilled, resolute and brave, loyal to their master—if anyone said these people had no significant backing, even ghosts wouldn’t believe it. Regardless of who was involved, in the intricate web of meritorious nobles, one could always find some connection. No one wanted this matter to escalate.
Yun Ye had no intention of stopping now. If he didn’t eliminate that barbarian monk, not only would Li Chengqian’s efforts be wasted, Li Er would also face great calamity. Right now, the only option was to seize the momentum and strike in one burst to place those barbarian monks in mortal danger. As for Wang Xuance, since he wanted to advance his career through sycophancy, he shouldn’t blame Yun Ye for not honoring their teacher-student relationship. Historically, it was he who had brought back the demon monk Luo Ersuo Po. Since his mistake had reappeared, he would have to swallow this bitter fruit himself.
“Your Majesty, your subject’s origins are already strange enough. Your humble subject is full of curiosity about this barbarian monk. I simply want to know—since he could not even save the life of his own king, King Harsha, why would he travel ten thousand li to Great Tang? For what purpose? Wealth? I’ve heard that eminent monks and great virtuous ones are quite indifferent to such things. Surely he wouldn’t be like Celestial Master Yuan Shoucheng who at several hundred years old still lingers in the worldly passions.”
Yun Ye’s words made everyone burst into laughter, but no matter who laughed, the laughter was dry and hollow, purely to join in, not because they were genuinely amused.
Li Er descended from the dais, circled Yun Ye’s body twice, and finally shook his head saying: “Yun Ye, do you know that if these words came from anyone else’s mouth, I would immediately determine he was the master of the assassins? Since it’s you speaking, I still want to hear your reasoning.”
“To tell the truth, you really are the most suitable suspect. First, you know the most clearly and in most detail about this immortality matter, and you are also the person who most detests such things. I have always suspected you harbor resentment over your master’s death. I’m afraid his death was related to immortality, wasn’t it?”
“Second, let me say this—I greatly admire your methods of managing subordinates. Whether it’s the Yun family’s household warriors, servants, or even the stewards and clerks in the merchant caravans, they all seem utterly loyal to your Yun family. In all of Chang’an, when great households have many people, some unfavorable rumors always leak out. Only your family seems to have no such issues. So you see, for these people, dying once for their master family truly means nothing.”
“Third, you knocked at the palace gates for three consecutive days, probably wanting to prevent me from discussing scripture with the eminent monks, right? I heard from the Palace Attendants that you even broke into the palace once and were thrown out by the guards—is that correct? I don’t understand why you would be so nervous. It’s merely a dharma assembly. Even if those barbarian monks had thoughts of assassinating me, under the surveillance of the inner guards they would have no opportunity to act. Why were you so anxious? Can you tell me what the real reason was?”
Yun Ye cursed silently to himself. Li Er had even deliberately arranged that absurd edict to test him. Likely Li Er already knew clearly that the person who acted was Li Chengqian. Unable to speak against Li Chengqian, he could only use Yun Ye as his topic. If he hadn’t already determined it was Li Chengqian, he wouldn’t speak these words with such depth of feeling. These words were actually meant for Li Chengqian to hear.
“Your humble subject would naturally never do such a foolish thing. You have always said your subject is a clever person, so how could your subject do something stupid? Now, out of pride for my White Jade Capital, your humble subject very much wants to witness how a barbarian demon monk bewitches a monarch.”
Li Er nodded: “This is indeed more like your character. Are you truly so certain that monk does not possess the ability to grant immortality or ascend to heaven in broad daylight?”
Yun Ye grinned broadly: “If he truly has such abilities, your subject’s head is here—anyone can take it at any time!”
Yun Ye spoke decisively. Li Er frowned: “I remember when you gamble, you’re unwilling to place heavy wagers. Why are you betting so boldly this time?”
“Because your subject is certain to win. Wagering my head against the demon monk’s head—after all, the demon monk can raise the dead, so Your Majesty should have not the slightest hesitation.”
Seeing Yun Ye begin to stake his life, Li Chengqian’s expression became extremely pained. He tried twice to step forward, but was firmly held back by Li Tai beside him. Li Er’s eyes swept over the two brothers, and his face actually showed a smile. He said to Yun Ye: “I still have one concern. If you can resolve it for me, I will grant you true sharing of glory with the nation. You’re betting big—I’ll raise the stakes as well. What do you think?”
Yun Ye finally smiled, extending one hand toward the Emperor: “A gentleman’s word!”
Li Er laughed heartily: “Naturally sealed with a swift whip!”