The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 298- 300

Chapter 298: The Tempest Setting In

Three days later, something big happened – the Zhongxin Marquess, who was feeling better, took all his family and left the capital city, heading for Shengzhou.

The Ji family had been living in the capital city for several generations. They came originally from Cangzhou, but after so many years, they had nobody they felt close to in that place, only an old residence and some very distant relatives who were members of collateral branches of the family. What with the outbreak of the rebellion in Cangzhou, it was not safe for them to go back to Yanzhou, so they’d decided that they might as well return to Shengzhou, where they owned a pasture that was vast and just the place for relaxation and nursing illness.

Ling Zhang went to see them off and secretly gave Ji Feng a lot of signed checks in the knowledge that the Ji family had undergone such great misfortune and also had so many people to support. There was nothing else he could do for them, and he only hoped that the money would help lighten their burden.

At first Ji Feng refused to accept the money and wouldn’t budge an inch on the issue. Ling Zhang told him, “Take it as the money I pay to buy your parents’ summer house. I know that nobody has bought it yet. I’ll take care of it for you.”

Ji Feng’s eyes reddened at the moving words. After the emperor stripped the Zhongxin Marquess of his title of nobility, his ownership of the residential compound of the Ji family had also been taken away from him. It was no longer their home. The only property they had left in the capital city apart from the stores was the summer house in the suburb. Given that Ling Zhang had got neither the title deed of it nor any promises from Ji Feng’s grandfather, he wouldn’t be able to call himself the legal owner of that summer house. He was just doing this so as not to hurt Ji Feng’s feelings.

“Thank you,” said Ji Feng.

Yuwen Jin, Zhao Jiusi, Zhao Turui, Xie Qing, Xun Huo and Tao Yi, all of whom had come with Ling Zhang, also gifted Ji Feng with a lot of things. Due to their different economic backgrounds, the amounts of their contributions differed from person to person, but they were all tokens of friendship and goodwill.

“We’ll go to Shengzhou to visit you. I heard that all pastures in Shengzhou are huge. I’ve never been to any before. Maybe we could have a horse race there and see who’s the best rider,” said Yuwen Jin.

“Well, I’d rather be the referee than a contestant.” Xun Huo put his hands up as if to say “I surrender”, which raised a chuckle of amusement among the others, allaying the poignancy of parting and separation somewhat.

“Go. Have a safe trip,” said Ling Zhang solemnly.

Ji Feng inclined his head earnestly, bade his friends farewell one by one, reluctantly mounted his horse, rode to join his family members, gave his friends one last wave and then forced himself into turning his head around, exercising all his self-restraint to keep from looking back at them.

Eyes red with sorrow, Zhao Turui’s voice was a shade tremulous. “I really don’t know what will happen to the rest of us. Ji Feng used to be the most privileged of all of us when his grandfather was the Zhongxin Marquess who wielded real power, and nobody in the capital city dared mess with him. Because of his grandfather, even His Majesty’s relatives had to think twice before saying or doing anything that might be offensive to him, but now, in the blink of an eye, the Ji family has dropped from the top of the pyramid to the bottom. I really find this hard to accept.”

Zhao Jiusi put his arm around his brother’s shoulders, consoling him silently.

Every one of them had a couple of elders working for the government and were quite used to the various matters concerning official circles. When it wasn’t themselves or anybody close to them that one of those tragedies happened to, they had no problem making all kinds of comments on it, but when the victim was their friend, they all felt quit upset. The matter of the Zhongxin Marquess had caused such a sensation in the city. They were all sensible enough to tell right from wrong and naturally knew the underhand tricks behind it. All of them couldn’t help but feel disappointed at the incumbent emperor and the imperial court.

“Yesterday my father told me that the Gu family is pushing the Jiang family harder and harder, that the Jiang family wouldn’t be able to hold for long. He said that it’s very likely Jiang Shennian would hand in his resignation during the next few days. The glorious Jiang family would probably fall from grace as well,” said Xie Qing in a gloomy voice.

All of them, particularly Yuwen Jin, hadn’t been on very good terms with Jiang Yu all along, but now even Yuwen Jin couldn’t say anything. It was the Jiang family they were talking about, the patriarch of which was Jiang Shennian who was the emperor’s uncle and wielded enormous power in this country. Even he was about to be brought down?

Ling Zhang’s forehead slightly twitched, transports of sentiment flooding over him.

“Sometimes I actually hope that my father hadn’t got to such a high position, because it’s safer to stay inconspicuous,” Xie Qing continued.

Xie Qing’s father was the one who had succeeded Peng Fang as the Assistant Minister of Works, and who counted as one of the most powerful courtiers capable of making a difference in the imperial court, but the current political landscape really struck this group of young men as untrustworthy and fearful.

“I heard that His Majesty thinks highly of Wang Cai and would probably send him to Cangzhou to help General Dai suppress the rebellion in a few days,” Tao Yi suddenly confided under his breath.

Tao Yi’s teacher was very much in the emperor’s confidence, but what with the spate of recent events, the old lord was feeling more and more disappointed at the emperor. Even when the emperor summoned him, he would refuse to go on whatever pretext he could think of. Seldom as he had entered the imperial palace recently, he had no difficulty gaining access to this kind of messages.

Ling Zhang slightly furrowed his brows. “Wang Cai? Going to Cangzhou? What could he, a civil official, possibly do in that city? Surely he wouldn’t go to the battlefield?”

Tao Yi curled his lip. “Him going to the battlefield? People like him value their lives far too much to risk going to the battleground. It’s been almost a month since the outbreak of the rebellion in Cangzhou, and half a month since General Dai and his troops were dispatched there, but the uprising still hasn’t been quashed. His Majesty was very displeased with it, so when Wang Cai offered to go there of his own accord, saying that he had a way to help General Dai put an end to the insurrection, he gave his consent.”

At the mention of Wang Cai’s name, all of them appeared disdainful and indignant. It was because of Wang Cai’s frame-up that Ji Feng’s grandfather had lost both his position and his title of nobility. In their eyes, Wang Cai was a downright vile character.

“What kind of method could a man like Wang Cai possibly think of? He’s probably going to make things even worse in Cangzhou,” remarked Yuwen Jin.

“Alas, who knows?” With this sigh, all of them lapsed into silence. They all wanted to help but none of them could. Although this matter had come to their knowledge, there was nothing they could do to stop Wang Cai.

Ling Zhang felt a twinge of hatred for this man. He had hitherto only heard of Wang Cai’s name. Though not having seen him so far, he had a terrible impression of this person.

On returning to his residence, Ling Zhang told Yuwen Tong both of the messages he’d heard of earlier this day.

Yuwen Tong bobbed his head. “Jiang Shennian has already requested permission to retire from office and return to private life. The emperor tried to dissuade him.”

“Dissuade him? The emperor still wants him to be his right-hand man?” asked Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong shook his head. “Not necessarily. It’s more likely he was just making a token gesture. People of the Jiang family pose too big a threat to the Crown Prince. They have secretly sided with the King Duan. Given that the Crown Prince and the emperor have worked with one heart several times recently, the latter is very pleased with the former being the heir to the throne, and naturally doesn’t want the Jiang family to be a threat to the Crown Prince’s heirship. There’s no doubt the Jiang family will pull out of the imperial court.”

Ling Zhang fell silent. It seemed that the Jiang family was indeed going down.

“Wang Cai has always been more of a hindrance than a help in everything he’s involved in. Him being in Cangzhou will no doubt become a headache for Dai Cheng,” Yuwen Tong added.

“Why would the emperor trust someone like that?” Ling Zhang was bemused.

Yuwen Tong explained, “Because Wang Cai is predictable. The emperor could hardly misread his intentions. In the final analysis, he’s a pawn. The emperor is sending him to Cangzhou merely because he wants to use Wang Cai to give Dai Cheng a word of warning, telling him to stop dawdling. Dai Cheng hasn’t been handling things with high efficiency because he has scruples about ordering his men to slaughter those women and old men. He has principles and a line in the sand, but the likes of Wang Cai don’t, which is the very reason why the emperor wants to use him.”

Ling Zhang was rendered speechless by the truth. How disappointed people of Cangzhou would be if they found out about their emperor’s doing.

However, currently, the two of them were also faced with a dangerous situation that they might not be able to survive. Although he had sympathy for the people in Cangzhou, there was not really anything he could do to help in these circumstances.

At the thought of this, Ling Zhang went rather dispirited.

…

After Jiang Shennian tendered several memorials to the throne stating his wish to retire, the emperor “finally” consented to it. With Jiang Shennian resigning his prime ministership, all those who’d attached themselves to the Jiang family quickly switched sides. This power juggernaut that had been weighing the other sides down for many years finally ceased to exist. However, Jiang Shennian didn’t lapse into dejection and leave this troubled city as the Zhongxin Marquess had done, because he was the emperor’s uncle after all, and even if he no longer had real power, he still bore a title of nobility, and the large residential compound still belonged to the Jiang family, though they refused to receive any visitors ever since Jiang Shennian’s resignation.

The Crown Prince’s faction won the political rivalry. The Gu family had originally been eagerly anticipating the day when they’d get the prime ministership and replace the Jiang family as the most powerful family, but unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly decided to split the prime ministership in half, appointing two prime ministers: the Left Prime Minister and the Right Prime Minister. The Left Prime Minister was a member of the Gu family, but the Right Prime Minister was a civil official who was a hard-core member of the emperor’s faction, one of the emperor’s henchmen. The King Duan’s faction also benefited from it – the King Duan’s followers filled the vacancies left by members of the Gu family.

In other words, the Gu family left their original position, expecting to get that important post with great power, but unexpectedly, the emperor tricked them, cut the power of the prime ministership in half, and their original position that they’d been working on for many years was taken by the King Duan’s men. Although the King Duan’s men wouldn’t be able to have the men that the Gu family had planted a long time ago switch sides, but it was only a matter of time before they succeeded.

“This time, people of the Gu family definitely are pissed off,” said Ling Zhang. “I wonder if the Crown Prince is pissed off by this outcome as well.”

Yuwen Tong said, “The Gu family are definitely pissed off, but the Crown Prince might not be.

The Gu family are relatives of a queen consort. Political dominance of relatives of a queen consort has always been a great taboo. The reason why Jiang Shennian had been promoted to the Prime Minister previously was because the Crown Prince’s mother is not a member of the Jiang family. If she were, Jiang Shennian wouldn’t have had the good luck. If the Right Prime Minister was a member of another rival faction, the Crown Prince might be pissed off, but he’s a member of the emperor’s faction, who is currently loyal to the emperor and will be loyal to the Crown Prince after his enthronement, which means that the Crown Prince is still firmly keeping hold of all these things.”

Ling Zhang snorted, “They really did have everything planned out.”

“No matter how astute their calculation is, they should’ve considered whether they’d live long enough to enjoy the fruit of it or not.”

Ling Zhang looked at him and asked under his breath, “Are you really going to do that to the King Duan?”

Yuwen Tong lightly bobbed his head, saying nothing, but the answer was only too explicit.

Ling Zhang’s face creased into a smile.

“According to his own plan, he shouldn’t have got this far so smoothly, but I’ve already paved the way for him. He’d prove himself a good-for-nothing if he fails to seize this opportunity,” Yuwen Tong said in a muted voice after a few moments.

Ling Zhang said, “And… what about your uncle?”

Yuwen Tong’s face went cold. “I’ve warned him several times. In addition…

I have a feeling that he is up to something greater than this.”

Chapter 299: Yuwen Zhi’s Scheme

At the mention of Yuwen Zhi’s name, Yuwen Tong’s face darkened somewhat. Ling Zhang inwardly heaved a sigh. If truth be told, he was really baffled as to what Yuwen Zhi was thinking exactly.

“Fortunately you and he have gone your separate ways. Given his relations with the King Duan, some day he’ll get himself into some serious trouble,” observed Ling Zhang.

At the same time he was also a trifle bemused. A man as patronizing as Yuwen Zhi had actually deigned to do the King Duan’s bidding?

“What on earth does he see in the King Duan?”

“It’s definitely about the reward he’d get after helping the King Duan take the throne, but he has some other ulterior motives which I can’t be certain about for the moment.”

The reward he’d get after helping the King Duan take the throne? Was Yuwen Zhi really so sure that the King Duan would be able to ascend the throne? It was only too obvious that the emperor held the Crown Prince in high regard. If the King Duan was to accede to the throne, the Crown Prince would be the first rival he had to confound. What made Yuwen Zhi think the King Duan was able to take the Crown Prince’s place? The Crown Prince had as much as, if not more than, what the King Duan had at his disposal. The Gu family alone was an obstacle daunting enough, not to mention the Crown Prince was the rightful heir to the throne and also valued very much by the emperor. There were a great number of officials, both inside and outside the imperial court, that were on the Crown Prince’s side. Once Yuwen Zhi aligned himself with the King Duan, he would have to get through all these hurdles.

Ling Zhang was also inclined to believe that Yuwen Tong was right, that Yuwen Zhi had some ulterior motives.

“Do you know something about it, by any chance?” Ling Zhang inquired of him.

Yuwen Tong slightly shook his head. “I’m still waiting for the result of my men’s investigation. When it comes out, the whole thing will come to light.”

…

That very night, Yao Yi brought back a message from a contact in the imperial palace.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had already turned in. In the normal run of things, Yao Yi wouldn’t disturb them if it wasn’t about something important. As a result, when Yuwen Tong got up, Ling Zhang also sat up and asked worriedly, “Did anything happen?”

Seeing his drowsy eyes, Yuwen Tong replied, “You may go back to sleep. I’ll go and see.”

Ling Zhang shook his head, crawled out of bed, carelessly put on his overgarment and fastened it. “I want to hear it as well.”

Yuwen Tong reached out his hand to help him adjust his clothes, unfastened his carelessly fastened overgarment to refasten it properly, and then took him out of the bedroom.Visit website ReadNovelFull.com

Yuwen Tong glanced at Yao Yi. “What is it?”

“Marshal, there’s a message from the palace. That imperial concubine is indeed up to something big. She has a son.”

A son?! Yuwen Tong who was sitting down paused to look at him. “Are you sure that’s her son?”

“Our contact in the palace was also afraid to make a mistake, so he checked it several times and is positive that that boy is indeed her son. He also found a window of opportunity, sneaked in and felt that boy’s bones to verify his bone age. He was born in the same year that imperial concubine was sent to the cold palace. Currently, the only thing remaining to be ascertained is whether that boy is an illegitimate child or an accidentally conceived prince.”

At first Ling Zhang couldn’t quite understand, but after hearing this, he fathomed out half of it – there was an imperial concubine in the cold palace who had a son that was either an illegitimate child or a prince, but he was confused as to why Yuwen Tong was having his men look into this matter.

“She was still in the emperor’s good graces shortly before being sentenced to imprisonment in the cold palace, and there was no news of her pregnancy at that time, but it’s almost impossible for an imperial concubine to give birth to a child in the cold palace without being found out by anybody, so the emperor probably knows about it. If the boy is not his son, he would’ve long since had the concubine and the boy executed. Therefore, the greatest probability is that the boy is a prince who is imprisoned in the cold palace along with his mother by the emperor.

And this corresponds with the information that our contact in the palace acquired after some inquiries. It’s said that that imperial concubine’s house in the cold palace has been haunted from the first day she moved into it. Nobody dares approach it except for a palacemaid serving her. On top of that, that house is the most isolated spot in the cold palace from where ghostly wails emanate every once in a while at night, so hardly anybody dares get close to that area, and almost everybody in the cold palace knows that place is haunted. It’s been so many years and people there have started to call that imperial concubine ‘Banshee’, which makes her even scarier.”

“The ghostly wail is just a smokescreen. Barely anybody in the cold palace has knowledge that there’s a boy in that house, I suppose?” said Ling Zhang.

Yao Yi nodded. “Indeed, which is why nobody thought of this possibility in the beginning. Our contact in the palace had also heard of the haunted house before, but as there were stories about ghosts in the cold palace in all previous dynasties, he’d never gone there to verify it, which was why today’s investigation took some doing.”

Yuwen Tong instructed, “Tell our contact there to keep close watch on her and be careful not to blow his cover.”

“Yes, Marshal.”

“Now that we know whom he’s been in contact with, our next step should be to figure out a way to find out what he’s been up to. Try to get that old servant talking. Given that this person has been delivering messages for Yuwen Zhi for such a long time, he definitely has some inside information. Let Xie Shi handle it. Tell him to take it easy and not to kill that servant lest Yuwen Zhi be alarmed.”

“Yes, Marshal.”

“Go. I’ll give this matter some more thought.”

Yao Yi gave a nod and left the room.

Of course Ling Zhang had come to understand the whole thing after hearing all this. Yuwen Zhi had been secretly contacting an imperial concubine imprisoned in the cold palace. Although she was in the cold palace, the circumstances were still very suspicious.

“Is that imperial concubine an old acquaintance of Yuwen Zhi’s?” asked Ling Zhang.

He asked this question because he knew for sure that since this matter had come to Yuwen Tong’s knowledge, he would undoubtedly look into the relations between the concubine and Yuwen Zhi.

Predictably, Yuwen Tong replied, “The imperial concubine had no dealings with him before being thrown into the cold palace, and neither was there any old friendship between the two families. I’ve already sent some men to find out what Yuwen Zhi and his contacts have done in the imperial palace. Given that he’s got connected with that imperial concubine in the cold palace, he definitely has offered her some help, no matter what his intentions are.”

Ling Zhang inclined his head, looking bewildered. “If they’re not old acquaintances, then who are they to each other?”

Yuwen Tong was also deep in thought. After a moment, he said, “We’ll have to wait and see what Xie Shi could get from that old servant to find out the truth about this matter.”

“Old servant?” Ling Zhang became even more puzzled.

Yuwen Tong gave him a general account of the links between that old servant, the teahouse and that venomous snake.

Ling Zhang pondered over it for quite a while but still couldn’t understand why Yuwen Zhi had contacted an imperial concubine imprisoned in the cold palace. Besides…

“He’s got involved in so many things at the same time. First he joined the King Duan’s faction, and now he’s covertly keeping in contact with one of the emperor’s concubines, though she’s in the cold palace. If anybody finds out about either of these two matters, he would definitely be beheaded. Why is he taking such a great risk?”

Ling Zhang continued analyzing the reason. “If he’s unreconciled to the situation in which he and you went your separate ways and he was demoted by three ranks, and he wants to be restored to his former position or even get to a position higher than that, then his helping the King Duan would be fairly understandable, but then the cold palace… he started contacting that imperial concubine a long time ago, and at that time he was still the de facto patriarch of the Yuwen family in the capital city, and you, a top-ranking official, was still at his back, so the former reason is pointless in this regard.”

Yuwen Tong tapped the surface of the table. “He’s egoistic and supercilious. Without the prospect of gaining enormous benefits as a motivation, he would never cooperate with a woman in the cold palace. After all, he doesn’t even have much respect for princes.”

“What could a woman in the cold palace possibly offer him?” Ling Zhang was deeply perplexed. “By the way, how’s that concubine’s parentage?”

“Her father is a Tongpan (an official under Tongzhi) in a provincial county. In that year she and many other girls were selected to be imperial concubines together. She hasn’t been in touch with her family for many years. Her humble origins are the very reason why the emperor shows a total disregard for her, leaving her in the cold palace to die, though she’s borne him a son,” said Yuwen Tong.

“That just makes it even more confusing,” commented Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong had a slight frown on his face, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

…

Yao Yi and Xie Shi was handling the matter with high efficiency. They caught him shortly after he left the residential compound. Posing as thugs, they soon frightened the life out of the old man. He was in Yuwen Zhi’s confidence because he was loyal and didn’t yield easily, but when faced with Xie Shi’s gruesome means of torture, he had no choice but to give in.

After hearing the old servant’s confession, both Yao Yi and Xie Shi were astounded.

Combining intimidation with bribery, they made sure the old servant wouldn’t disclose it to anybody and then let him go. The old man didn’t live alone. A lot of his family members were working as servants in Yuwen Zhi’s branch of the Yuwen family. In order for them to stay alive, he wouldn’t dare breathe a word to anybody.

…

“Marshal, the old servant made a full confession.” Yao Yi returned to the Ling Mansion in a great hurry.

As chance would have it, both Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were at home. Ling Zhang said, “What did he say?”

Yao Yi answered, “The old man said that Second Master has been in touch with that woman for years. It started from the year when the Marshal returned to the capital city the last time. That boy is indeed the emperor’s son. Second Master promised that woman that he would help her get out of the cold palace and live a life of wealth and glory, as long as she and her son follow his every instruction after leaving the cold palace.”

“A life of wealth and glory? What kind of wealth and glory?” Yuwen Tong’s voice went cold.

Yao Yi lowered his head. “That old servant didn’t give any details about that. He himself wasn’t absolutely sure of it, but he vaguely knew that Second Master is up to something big – that boy seems to be a puppet on a string for Second Master.”

“Controlling the emperor to command the nobles,” said Yuwen Tong flintily.

Ling Zhang was taken aback. “What does he want to do?”

Yuwen Tong sneered, “Now I know what he’s planning to do. He sided with the King Duan not because he really wanted to serve him. He did it because he wanted to use the King Duan. His real goal is not just to get a high position. He’s after something far greater than that.”

Yuwen Tong didn’t put it explicitly, but both Ling Zhang and Yao Yi were smart people and fathomed out what Yuwen Tong meant after giving it some thought.

Ling Zhang slowly sat down and observed, “Your uncle’s got a lot of balls. I’ll give him that.”

The latter half of his remark which he held back was, “Every member of the Yuwen family seems to have a lot of balls.”

“What should we do, Marshal? How do we stop Second Master?” asked Yao Yi.

With a frosty expression in his eyes, Yuwen Tong thought for a long moment and then said, “We don’t. He wants to use the King Duan, and so do we, which makes him our helper, but we need to be cautious. Keep a weather eye on him.”

“Uh… Is Second Master reliable?” Yao Yi didn’t think Yuwen Zhi was trustworthy.

“I don’t need him to be reliable. I just want him to distract some attention,” said Yuwen Tong. “He would definitely be very glad to see the King Duan do what he’s been plotting to do. We could conveniently use him to finish what it’s inconvenient for us to do personally.”

“But if by any chance Second Master finds out about it, the whole Yuwen family would be incriminated,” said Yao Yi.

Yuwen Tong gave a sneer and confided part of his plan to Yao Yi, whose eyes lit up at the words. “I see. Consider it done, Marshal!”

Ling Zhang standing on the side felt goosebumps rising up all over him at their conversation. “If you do this, Yuwen Zhi will come and put up a desperate fight against you when it comes to his knowledge.”

Chapter 300: The Crown Prince’s Demise

It was a hot summer, but surprisingly, the Crown Prince caught a cold after returning from an imperial summer house in the western suburb. Maybe because of his congenital weak constitution, this sudden illness of his soon took a drastic turn for the worse. He suffered from fever for several consecutive days, and the symptoms were threatening to exacerbate. Consumed with anger, the emperor ordered that court physicians of the imperial hospital cure the Crown Prince of his cold, whatever the cost might be.

At first officials in and out of the imperial court didn’t pay much attention to this matter, for it was just a cold after all. Given that the Crown Prince had survived the disease that had tortured him for so many years, and that he was still young, everybody believed that he would recover in a week or two, but unexpectedly, after a month, the Crown Prince was still suffering from the illness. He’d relapsed into fever again and again, and it was rumored that for a time he’d even been delirious. It was only then that officials began to feel worried. The emperor had called off the routine court meeting several days in a row, personally watching over his son in the Eastern Palace.

After word got out, people of all sides started making speculations about the possible developments of this situation. The Crown Prince’s followers were like cats on a hot tin roof, the others factions were watching to see what was going to happen.

“You good-for-nothing! What use could I possibly have for you if you can’t even treat a cold?! Guards! Drag him out!”

“Please show me mercy, Your Majesty! Please show me mercy!”

The stone-flagged floor in front of the main hall of the Eastern Palace had been stained by court physicians’ blood, but there was still no sign of the Crown Prince recovering. He was getting feebler by the day and lapsed into stupefaction more and more often. There had been rumors spreading out of the palace, saying that the Crown Prince wouldn’t be able to survive his cold.

In the residential compound of the King Duan.

“It’s been a month now. Zhou Mingtang is still struggling. He’s not going to recover, right?”

“Rest assured, Your Highness, the Crown Prince is close to death. It won’t be long before you get your wish.”

Zhou Mingyuan was thrilled at these words. Once Zhou Mingtang died, he would be the front runner to replace him as the crown prince!

At the same time, the King Yu had secretly invited Yuwen Tong to have another meeting with him. Clearly, now that the Crown Prince was dying, the King Yu was also getting too excited to keep from making his move.Updates by ReadNovelFull.com

“The King Duan’s men have taken action repeatedly lately. He’ll get the initiative if I don’t make my move immediately. Can you lend me a hand, Marshal?”

“There’s no hurry about it, Your Highness. The Crown Prince is still breathing, and His Majesty has his eye on the one who appears to be the most eager to take his place. No matter whether the Crown Prince will survive or not, His Majesty would definitely make things difficult for you if you make any rash decisions in these circumstances.”

“So I just sit and watch Zhou Mingyuan take the opportunity away from me?”

“How do you know what he’s going to take away is an opportunity?”

“What do you mean, Marshal?”

The King Yu didn’t get an answer from Yuwen Tong. After returning home, he summoned his aides to help him figure out what Yuwen Tong had meant by that question.

“Your Highness, Yuwen Tong is just a military officer, and all he has is just command of troops. He’s been away from politics for many years and barely has any dealings with any officials in the capital city. Moreover, he’s been on leave and missing court meetings all the time. It’s safe to say that he is not even as informed about the situation in the imperial court as we are. I don’t think his opinions worth considering. In front of us is a golden opportunity. The King Duan has been making one arrangement after another. We’ll lose the initiative if we don’t act immediately!”Updates by ReadNovelFull.com

The King Yu was still hesitating. It struck him that Yuwen Tong was by no means what he seemed, that there’d been an undertone contained in that question.

“Your Highness, I think it might be worthwhile to wait for some time,” said another aide. “Yuwen Tong’s got a point. His Majesty without doubt has eyes everywhere in this city, and nothing escapes his notice. The King Duan is being too reckless, and everything he’s done has definitely already come to His Majesty’s knowledge. Currently, as the Crown Prince’s life is in danger, His Majesty is in a bad temper and has a bone to pick with anybody in his sight. What the King Duan is doing would undoubtedly antagonize His Majesty even further when the wrath is on him. No matter whether the Crown Prince survives or not, His Majesty would certainly vent his anger on the King Duan, and after the King Duan receives his punishment, it would be the time for you to make your move. As a result, I think you might as well go to the Eastern Palace. No matter whether what lies in store for the Crown Prince is death or survival, His Majesty will hold you in higher regard because of it. When the time is ripe, you could launch a smear campaign against the King Duan, turning his deeds to your advantage.”

After this man finished speaking, the other aide was unconvinced and contradicted him, and the two of them started arguing with each other. The King Yu kept silent all along. In the final analysis, he cared too much about that question of Yuwen Tong’s, but because of what the King Duan had been doing, he was unable to make a final decision.

“Your Highness, please don’t rush into anything. Think about it – if the Crown Prince doesn’t make it, will His Majesty designate another prince as heir to the throne immediate?”

The King Yu gave an involuntary shudder from head to foot, the look in his eyes slightly changing. “Zhou Mingtang has always been the darling of my father. If he dies, my father would only be heart-broken. On no account would he make another son crown prince immediately.”

“Which is why angering His Majesty is the last thing you want to do in these circumstances. Please allow me to remind you that His Majesty seems to be in pretty good health.”

The King Yu thought for a while and then rose to his feet. “You guys figure out the things I should bring to the Eastern Palace and get them ready, and then I’ll pay the Crown Prince a visit right away.”

The King Yu didn’t keep his visit to the Eastern Palace secret. Soon all those who had been paying attention to him came to know about it.

…

In the Ling Mansion.

“The King Yu has indeed taken your advice,” said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong said, “The King Duan has lost the opportunity. The only thing he could do next is make a risky move.”

Ling Zhang, however, was rather worried. “Will he really do that?”

Yuwen Tong replied, “He will if we give him a little push. Also, the King Yu and his followers will definitely snatch at every moment they could rub salt into his wounds. When the emperor treats him like dirt, he will naturally choose this path in the knowledge that he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning.”

Ling Zhang nodded. “You’ve got a point.”

…

In the King Duan’s residential compound.

“What does the King Yu think he’s doing? Why did he go to the Eastern Palace?”

“To show his brotherly love for the Crown Prince?”

“But the Crown Prince is near to death. What’s the point of a loving brother act?”

“Maybe the act is not meant for the Crown Prince.”

The light suddenly dawned on all the others at this remark. With a deep frown on his face, the King Duan hurriedly had his servants prepare some medicinal herbs and then hastened to the Eastern Palace.

Unfortunately, since the King Yu had anticipated him, the emperor’s response to this latecomer was rather bland. Seeing that the King Yu offered to stay in the Eastern Palace to take care of the Crown Prince and was granted the permission, the King Duan made the same offer but the emperor flatly turned it down.

The King Duan was unreconciled to the situation but had to leave the Eastern Palace in the knowledge that there was nothing else he could do.

In the Eastern Palace, the King Yu was personally tending to the Crown Prince at his bedside, feigning brotherly love for him. The expression on the emperor’s face was very different from the one he’d had in front of the King Duan.

…

“The King Yu is not really going to be back in favor with the emperor because of this, right? If by any chance he directly designates the King Yu as heir to the throne after the Crown Prince dies, wouldn’t our plan fall through?” Ling Zhang was concerned.

Yuwen Tong shook his head. “That’s not possible. Do you still remember what our emperor’s greatest characteristic is?”

Brows furrowed, Ling Zhang thought for a few moments and said, “Being a fatuous and self-indulgent ruler? Having a suspicious mind?”

Looking at him, Yuwen Tong inclined his head. “As a result, no matter how good a job the King Yu does playing the affectionate brother, the emperor will still suspect his true motives in doing that. Besides, even if the King Yu becomes crown prince, the King Duan wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing, and there would still be a life-or-death fight between them in the end.”

Ling Zhang lifted his eyebrows. “So no matter what, this only ends one way.”

Yuwen Tong bobbed his head. “Currently, there’s only an eighty-percent chance that it’ll end that way, but we’ll make it a hundred with our efforts.”

It was not that this could only end one way, but that he must make sure that it would end that way!

…

Six days later, the Crown Prince failed to survive his ever-aggravating cold and died in the Eastern Palace.

The emperor burst into wail, and white strips could be seen hanging in all streets and alleys of the capital city. The scale of the Crown Prince’s funeral was enlarged again and again, which rendered the faces of officials of the Ministry of Revenue green. Previously, there had been the ambitious project of the building of an imperial mausoleum, followed by the dispatch of a large army to suppress the rebellion in Cangzhou, which required huge amounts of provisions and funds, and now they had to hold a funeral for the Crown Prince. Money had been going out of the national treasury like flood through a breached dam.

After the Crown Prince died, the atmosphere in the whole city changed. There were considerably fewer pedestrians on the streets, because everybody knew that the political landscape would be reshaped radically with the Crown Prince’s death.

Of all people in the city, the King Duan’s faction, the King Yu’s faction and the Jiang family were probably the only ones who were happy.

The sole reason why the Gu family were so cocky was because they had the Crown Prince at their back. With the Crown Prince going down, the Gu family had lost their most powerful backer. Given how hard the Gu family had pushed the Jiang family in the imperial court previously, the latter would probably set off firecrackers to celebrate if it weren’t for the fact that the deed would be considered disrespectful for the deceased crown prince.

“Jiang Shennian wouldn’t be reinstated in his post, right? If that’s the case, the force at the King Duan’s back might be too powerful to be kept under control,” said Ling Zhang.

“It won’t be that easy. People of the Gu family know very well the Jiang family’s comeback would bring suffering on them, so they would do everything they could to prevent that from happening. As for the King Duan… The Crown Prince is dead, and people of the Gu family have made an enemy of the King Duan owing to what they did to the Jiang family, so the King Yu is their only choice. In order to defend his own interests, the King Yu would go to even greater lengths to make sure people of the Jiang family never make it back to the imperial court,” remarked Yuwen Tong.

As Yuwen Tong predicted, before the Crown Prince’s coffin was transferred to the imperial mausoleum, the Gu family secretly sent someone to contact the King Yu.

Yuwen Tong had been having the King Yu under constant watch, so naturally the Gu family’s sending out a messenger immediately came to his knowledge.

Ling Zhang frowned, feeling quite disgusted. Although he’d also loathed the Crown Prince, the Gu family’s switching sides so soon still struck him as terribly repulsive.

He had always been ill-disposed towards the Gu family, and now he detested them further and even added that Professor Gu of the Imperial College to his list of people whom he didn’t want to have dealings with.

In the King Yu’s residential compound.

Naturally, the King Yu delightedly took the olive branch held out by the Gu family. With the support of the Gu family which was a juggernaut, he would be able to turn the tables on the King Duan!

“Congratulations, Your Highness! With the Gu family at your back, becoming the heir to the throne would be like shooting fish in a barrel for you!”

“Yeah. Now our victory is really in the bag!”

“This time the King Duan is definitely going to be pissed.”

The King Duan was indeed consumed with rage. Naturally, the Crown Prince’s death had been his doing, but whatever he’d expected, it wasn’t that eventually the King Yu would become the biggest winner. At the thought that all his efforts had virtually served to benefit his rival, he was nearly reduced to vomiting blood with fury.

“Your Highness, right now our first priority is to help Jiang Shennian be reinstated in his position, because the odds are stacked against us.”

The King Duan said through gritted teeth, “In the past few days, my father has made it very clear that he doesn’t want to see me, but both of Zhou Mingyi’s requests for an audience with him were granted. From the vantage point of the present, there’s no way we can quickly get the Jiang family back in the game, no matter how anxious we are to do it.”

…

Ominous dark clouds were gathering in the sky above the capital city, reducing citizens to silence, chilling their blood. It was one of the dog days, and people were feeling that a tempest was coming.