Prince Ling asked, “What’s this commotion about?”
“They say the Defender-of-the-State General has a distant nephew who died suddenly last night in the dungeons of the Capital Bureau. The general has come to demand an explanation from His Majesty.”
Hearing this, Cheng Chang’s expression tightened slightly.
That morning when Su Tai had mentioned this matter, Cheng Mingsheng’s nephew had still been alive and well — the truth had come out faster than expected.
Prince Ling’s brow furrowed. “If he wants an explanation, he should seek it from the Capital Bureau and the Three Judicial Offices. Why cause a scene today of all days? Doesn’t he know what day this is?”
“Reporting to Your Highness, the Defender-of-the-State General already went to the Capital Bureau a few days ago to demand the man’s release, but this nephew of his seemed to have a case pending, and the Bureau was unwilling to release him easily. So the general took the matter to the Three Judicial Offices instead. The official handling the case there is Minister Ji of the Court of Judicial Review…”
Prince Ling understood at once. He knew this Ji Lun — formerly a lackey of Prince Yun, and after Prince Yun’s downfall, he seemed to have pledged himself to Cheng Chang instead.
“Minister Ji felt that since the case involved the imperial clan, it ought to be handled with His Majesty’s guidance. But with the Fifth Prince’s ancestral rites approaching, His Majesty likely wouldn’t have time to attend to it, so the minister decided to delay the case for two days, intending to submit the memorial after the rites were concluded. He didn’t expect that before the rites even arrived, the Defender-of-the-State General’s nephew would already be dead.”
“Your Highness may not be aware of something.” At this, a member of the imperial clan who had heard the news stepped forward and bowed to Prince Ling. “This subordinate is acquainted with this so-called distant nephew of Cheng Mingsheng’s — his name is Che Ru. ‘Nephew’ is merely the story given to outsiders; in truth he is Cheng Mingsheng’s own son. Since the Defender-of-the-State General’s household has three daughters and no other sons, Che Ru was his only heir. That is why Cheng Mingsheng is making such an uproar.”
At these words, the clan members exchanged glances, and someone murmured, “So that’s it. No wonder he’d dare make a scene before His Majesty.”
But another quickly countered, “Even if it’s his own son, he shouldn’t be causing trouble like this. Do you know what day it is? And he’s brought troops with him — has he no regard for his own life?”
A guard asked for instructions. “Your Highness, shall this be reported to His Majesty at once?”
Prince Ling considered for a moment before asking, “How many troops did Cheng Mingsheng bring up the mountain?”
“Roughly a few hundred. They’ve been held back by the guards for now.”
“Father and my fifth brother are currently chanting sutras in the Hall of Spirit Sounds and should not be disturbed. Report this first to the eldest son of the Prince of Nan’an, General Cheng Ye of Ningyuan, and have him send men from the Guard Command down the mountain to investigate. We shall wait for Father to emerge from the hall before deciding further.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Prince Ling then turned to the assembled clan members. “All of you, please follow Father’s instructions and proceed to the Moon Spirit Terrace. Do not let this trivial matter weigh on your minds.”
The Moon Spirit Terrace lay to the west of Mingyin Temple, built amid a stretch of mountain flowers and trees, with several meditation chambers and quiet rooms arranged within.
The quiet room set aside for Prince Ling’s rest stood in its own secluded courtyard. The moment he stepped inside, his expression darkened, and he asked Cao Yuan, who came forward to meet him, “What exactly is going on with Cheng Mingsheng?”
Cao Yuan said, “Our men lying in wait at the foot of the mountain report that — by the look of it, he means to rebel.”
Inside the quiet room, Luo Fuyou and Dan Wenxuan were already waiting.
Hearing the word “rebel,” Dan Wenxuan startled and asked hastily, “Who’s rebelling? Besides us, is someone else rebelling too?”
Prince Ling glanced at him, brow creasing slightly. Today Pei Ming was overseeing matters in Jinling and had not come to Mingyin Temple — yet this useless man had tagged along.
But he said nothing of it. He took the water Luo Fuyou handed him and drained it in one gulp, then asked, “Didn’t they say Cheng Mingsheng only brought a few hundred men? How is that a rebellion?”
“The few hundred are only what’s visible on the surface.” Cao Yuan said. “The Defender-of-the-State General has another eight thousand men lying in ambush northwest of Mingyin Temple.”
“Eight thousand?” Prince Ling was startled. “Where would Cheng Mingsheng get that many troops?”
Even counting the entire strength of the Defender-of-the-State General’s household, it would not exceed five thousand men in total.
Cao Yuan said, “He has joined forces with the Cavalry General of the Western Mountain Camp. If our men hadn’t already laid a net across Pingnan Mountain in advance, we might never have uncovered this.”
“You’re certain he’s joined forces with the Cavalry General?”
“Certain.”
Hearing this, Prince Ling’s tightly knit brows gradually relaxed. He knew this Cavalry General — on the surface belonging to no one, but privately taking orders from Xuan Zhi.
Prince Ling had originally assumed this Cheng Mingsheng affair was some secret scheme Cheng Chang had prepared — after all, given Cheng Chang’s temperament, knowing that Emperor Zhaoyuan meant to have him killed, he would hardly sit and wait for death.
But it now appeared that this outburst from the Defender-of-the-State General was not something Cheng Chang had arranged at all.
Prince Ling sighed. “It seems that when it comes to ruthlessness, I’m still no match for Father. To take Mingying’s life, he truly has resorted to a killing blow.”
Cao Yuan and Luo Fuyou both fell silent beside him. Only Dan Wenxuan remained utterly baffled. “What do you mean? The Defender-of-the-State General mobilizing troops — what does that have to do with His Majesty? Wasn’t this arranged by the Third Young Master?”
Dan Wenxuan’s reasoning was simple: with the Fifth Prince having returned to the capital, only two men had been driven to the brink — Prince Ling and Cheng Chang. So naturally, whoever meant to rebel could only be one of these two.
However arrogant the Defender-of-the-State General might be, with only a few thousand troops, how could he truly dare rebel against Emperor Zhaoyuan?
Therefore, if he dared bring troops to Mingyin Temple today, someone above him must have put him up to it.
And since the Defender-of-the-State General was not Prince Ling’s man, he must surely belong to the Third Young Master.
Luo Fuyou explained, “Minister Dan is mistaken. Today’s affair with the Defender-of-the-State General is in fact His Majesty’s own doing.”
Dan Wenxuan grew even more confused. “What do you mean by that, Minister Luo? Are you saying His Majesty ordered the Defender-of-the-State General to bring eight thousand troops to Mingyin Temple? His Majesty arranging for someone to rebel against himself — how is that possible?”
“Why not?” Luo Fuyou said. “If His Majesty is eager to eliminate someone, but that person’s status makes it impossible to simply kill him outright, what is to be done? The only way is to fix upon him a crime that guarantees death.”
In truth, if Emperor Zhaoyuan wished to eliminate Cheng Chang, he need not actually raise troops — he could forge a few letters implicating him in factional scheming and hidden treachery, and slowly build a case. But the Emperor’s health was failing; he had not many days left. If he waited for the case to conclude at that pace, he might well pass away before it was settled. So for now, what he needed was solid, undeniable evidence — proof that could send Cheng Chang to certain doom immediately.
And if none could be found, then one would have to be manufactured.
So he had instructed the Defender-of-the-State General to bring eight thousand troops and stage a rebellion in front of the assembled imperial clan.
Afterward, all that remained was to pin the charge on Cheng Chang, and this nephew of his would have no escape.
“But — but…” Dan Wenxuan clicked his tongue.
He had meant to say that if this were truly the case, wouldn’t the eight thousand soldiers following the Defender-of-the-State General die for nothing, most of them?
But in the end he did not voice it. Even as slow-witted as he was, he understood that at a moment of imperial succession, bloodshed was ultimately unavoidable — and how many more than a few thousand were fated to die in vain?
Did not his own master have nearly a hundred thousand troops lying in ambush on Pingnan Mountain?
The clamor at the foot of the mountain was growing louder — it seemed Cheng Mingsheng’s men had come into conflict with the Guard Command.
Cao Yuan said, “Your Highness, there is still time to go down the mountain now. If we delay any longer, once the Defender-of-the-State General truly ‘rebels,’ chaos will erupt across the mountain. Our men are still stationed outside, and I fear it will be difficult to reach Your Highness in time by then.”
Prince Ling’s nearly hundred-thousand-strong army was already fully prepared, awaiting only the order to move.
There was no reasoning by which troops would remain outside the mountain while their commander stayed within.
Prince Ling stood by the window, gazing at the rolling slopes of Pingnan Mountain, and asked, “Who holds the east, west, south, and north?”
“As arranged beforehand: the east is held by the two Generals Xuanwu, the west by the two Generals Huaiji, the north by the two Generals Zhang and Yue. The south connects to the official road leading to Jinling and the Western Mountain Camp — the hardest to defend — so General Pei and the Dawn Cavalry General were assigned there. General Pei guards the vital passage and is also responsible for relaying news from Jinling.”
“Besides that,” Luo Fuyou continued, “this subordinate has already arranged for men to release a large number of prisoners from the capital’s outlying jails, to create chaos within the city of Jinling, so as to prevent the generals of the Western Mountain Camp from rushing troops to the rescue. And…” He paused briefly, bowing to Prince Ling. “The gunpowder is also ready.”
“When it detonates, every path back will be sealed off, and the whole of Pingnan Mountain will become a cage for trapped beasts.”
Hearing this, Prince Ling gave a slight nod and strode toward the door of the quiet room.
“Your Highness — Your Highness—” Seeing this, Dan Wenxuan hurried to stop him. “Your Highness, have you considered — that Third Young Master, he’s a malevolent star of ill omen! The moment you leave, once the Defender-of-the-State General brings troops charging up the mountain, even if the Third Young Master knows it was His Majesty’s arrangement, he will still pin the blame on you, Your Highness — claiming your sudden departure must be suspicious, that it was you who colluded with the Defender-of-the-State General! With you absent, whatever that Third Young Master chooses to say, you’ll have no way to defend yourself!”
“Minister Dan, you truly are confused!” The clamor below was growing more intense, and several clan members had already left the quiet room to go and look. Seeing Dan Wenxuan hold Prince Ling back at such a moment, Luo Fuyou could not contain his urgency. “Even without the Defender-of-the-State General, with the hundred thousand troops Your Highness has stationed within the mountain, do you think His Majesty would ever let Your Highness go? The arrow is already nocked on the string — there’s no choice but to loose it. Why concern yourself with what the Third Young Master might say? Even if, worst case, the Third Young Master manages to temporarily shift the blame for inciting the Defender-of-the-State General’s revolt onto Your Highness, what would you have him do — order the hundred thousand troops to retreat to Jinling and go argue the point with the Third Young Master in open court? That would be throwing away the great for the sake of the small!”
“To speak plainly, regardless of whether Your Highness truly intends to rebel, and regardless of who the true adversary is today — once matters have reached the point of raised troops, there is no road back. What remains is real blades and real spears. And in the end, who ‘harbors treachery’ and who ‘clears the sovereign’s side’ will depend only on who wins and who loses. The Third Young Master is already a thorn in His Majesty’s eye — no matter whom he tries to pin the charge of inciting the Defender-of-the-State General’s rebellion upon, it will ultimately fall back on himself. His Majesty will not spare him. We are now at a matter of life and death, and yet you would have Your Highness stay here and argue idle words with a man already marked for death?”
Having said this, Luo Fuyou bowed deeply once more to Prince Ling. “Your Highness, rest assured — this subordinate will remain at the temple. Whatever happens with His Majesty, I will send word to Your Highness without delay. Even if—” he paused a moment, then said with resolve, “even if this subordinate meets his end here today, though I die, I shall have no regret.”
Years ago, when Prince Ling had colluded with the Second Prince of the northern frontier enemy, it was Pei Ming and Luo Fuyou who had aided him.
Years had passed since then, and the three of them had long since become bound together — rising together, falling together.
The Fifth Prince had returned from the northern frontier. If he were allowed to ascend the throne, what chance of survival would they have?
Luo Fuyou understood this all too well — which was why he was willing to stake his very life, both for himself and for Prince Ling, to fight for a chance.
Prince Ling looked at Luo Fuyou. Aside from Chai Ping, this was the court official who had followed him the longest.
Now that things had come to this, there was no need for further words. Only through accomplished deeds could he properly honor a loyal retainer.
Prince Ling nodded once. “Let’s go.”
His steps, steady and swift, carried him out of the Moon Spirit Terrace.