Chapter 80 The Wind Rises Over the East Tower (Part Six) "Only by dying for Prince Xin in the end..."

The matter of Consort Xu's poisoning at Zhaojian Palace has finally come to a conclusion. Xiao Jiu's confession was densely packed with detailed notes, and his reply was clear, showing that he had put a lot of thought into it.

"You investigated very thoroughly. However, since this eunuch named Gaoliang was able to confess so much, why did he refuse to reveal the mastermind behind it all?"

Yan Chao stared at him for a long time, his tone indifferent: "He dared to poison the Crown Prince, committing suicide is too lenient for him. As for the mastermind, we know who it is without even needing to interrogate him. You've done your best, get up."

Yan Chao interrupted, asking, "How is Madam Xu now?"

"Your Highness, the poison has been neutralized, and there is no danger to his life."

"Did she know the results of the investigation?"

Xiao Jiu replied flawlessly: "It concerns Your Highness's safety, so this servant dared not make the decision. After investigating, I only reported back to Your Highness and did not tell anyone else."

Yan Chao nodded: "It's no wonder you've been by my side for so many years, you know how to be cautious."

After Xiao Jiu withdrew, Liang Lu brought in tea. Following Yan Chao's instruction, he read the confession, remained silent for a while, and then frowned and hesitated before saying, "This servant also happens to have something to report to Your Highness. The eunuch Gao Liang did not commit suicide. There was a deep ligature mark on the neck of the corpse, and his mouth was stuffed with charcoal. It was clear that they never intended for him to speak from the beginning."

Yan Chao glanced at him: "Last time I asked you to interrogate him, but I only let him go. I didn't expect the opportunity to come so quickly. The snake that lured out of the cave is really unexpected."

Seeing that Yan Chao remained silent, she tentatively asked, "Your Highness, shall I investigate?"

“No need for now,” Yan Chao shook his head, concealing the disappointment in his eyes, and slowly put away the confessions. “Just send someone to keep an eye on things. Tell Duan Shou to keep an eye out outside the palace as well. It might come in handy later.”

In the afternoon, Yan Chao went to Zhaojian Palace.

This was probably the first time she had set foot in the Xu family's palace. The vast palace was empty and desolate as far as the eye could see, and it was even more bleak in autumn. Only a few clusters of golden chrysanthemums were planted in the flower bed in front of the corridor, which were currently blooming brightly and vigorously.

The Crown Prince's arrival was so sudden that before Shu Ying could even react and go out to greet him, he had already lifted the curtain and entered. She was practicing calligraphy and hurriedly put down her brush to pay her respects.

"No need for formalities," Yan Chao said, gesturing for her to sit down. He glanced briefly at the thick stack of writing on the table and asked, "Are you feeling better? What are you writing?"

Yan Chao pressed further, "What scripture?"

Yan Chao glanced at it and immediately understood. He frowned and said, "The Nirvana Sutra. It was copied for the Empress?"

Shuying looked up in bewilderment, her eyes instantly welling with tears. She asked softly, "Your Highness also cares for Her Majesty, doesn't he? Forbidding anyone from mentioning it is only out of necessity, isn't it?"

It's not right to say it's true, nor is it wrong to say it's false.

Yan Chao knew that his relationship with Xu Shuying wasn't deep enough to allow him to tell her the truth, but there was no need to fabricate a lie to cover up her pure and innocent nature. Besides, no matter what, this girl's fate had been tied to the Crown Prince's palace for the past few years.

Therefore, she hesitated and ultimately remained noncommittal.

But this moment of silence overwhelmed Xu Shuying with mixed feelings. The grief and depression of the past few days surged into her heart. She let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders trembled, her whole body went limp, and she lowered her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

Shuying's face flushed, and she couldn't say a word. In her haste, she covered her face with her hands, but tears still spilled out from between her fingers.

Unable to hold back any longer, she buried her head in her arms and began to weep bitterly.

This was the first time Yan Chao had ever witnessed such a scene, and she was stunned. She stood up and walked to her side, but didn't know how to comfort her.

The sobbing startled the palace servants outside. Shu Ying's personal maidservant trembled as she tried to enter, but Yan Chao, as if possessed, stopped her, saying, "Get out."

Shuying cried so hard that she forgot the Crown Prince was in the room and couldn't hear anything else. At this moment, she was filled with grievances and helplessness. Thinking of Consort Ning, the only person in the world who could understand and comfort her in her bitterness, who had also passed away tragically, it felt like her heart was being ripped out!

In a daze, she seemed to return to Consort Ning's thin yet forgiving embrace. Only Consort Ning would accept her. She forced a sad laugh, letting the person hold her, and buried her head in her somewhat cold arms, sobbing desperately.

Yan Chao did not disturb her and sat motionless.

She also thought of Consort Ning, and then of Empress Wenhui. She couldn't remember when she last cried without restraint, or whether Empress Wenhui had ever lovingly embraced her. But how did the Emperor treat Empress Wenhui? And how did Prince Xin treat his princess?

Right now, it means nothing, and it must mean nothing. Shuying knows nothing, but Yanchao himself is perfectly clear-headed.

She glanced at Shuying, whose sobs were fading, and withdrew her hand that was about to slap her awake. Shuying looked up, still sobbing, her eyes blurry with tears, and tried to back away in panic. Yan Chao grabbed her arm and steadily helped her sit up.

To ease the awkwardness, Yan Chao finally spoke up: "It's good to cry, don't be nervous." He had originally wanted to ask her some questions, but seeing that he wouldn't be able to get anything out of her now, he sighed and said only: "You're tired today, so get some rest. If you feel unwell, please call the imperial physician immediately."

After speaking, he turned to leave.

"Your Highness!" Shu Ying suddenly spoke up to stop her, her voice slightly hoarse and tinged with tears: "I have something to ask of you."

Yan Chao turned around and saw that she had already knelt down. He couldn't help but say, "Get up and say what you have to say."

Shuying simply kowtowed, her words earnest: "I know, because my surname is Xu and I come from Zhaoyang Palace, Your Highness is always wary of me. I know my status is lowly and dare not hope for Your Highness's favor. In the past few years in the Eastern Palace, I have never done anything to wrong you, and I consider myself to have been quite law-abiding. You asked me to accompany the Empress, and I went. The Empress has treated me with great kindness and loyalty, and I am willing to repay her with sincerity. It is hateful that the Empress has suffered misfortune, yet I can do nothing for her. Your Highness, although I have not accompanied the Empress for long, I know her character and would never harm anyone without reason. You are the Empress's adopted son, can you really not see that?"

"Whether it's obvious or not is beyond our control. The evidence is clear, the witness is dead, and the matter is settled. There's no need for further pointless arguments."

Shuying looked up at her sadly for a moment, then slowly lowered her eyes and said with difficulty, "Yes."

"I would like to ask Your Highness, even though Her Majesty is no longer here, does the promise Your Highness made to Her Majesty still stand?"

"you say."

"Her Majesty once said that if I wished to leave the palace, I could tell Your Highness, and he would let me go. Now that Her Majesty has passed away, I have no more attachments to the palace. To Your Highness, I am a burden, a trouble, and even a hidden danger. I beg you to let me leave the palace!"

Yan Chao did not immediately agree. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked her, "Shuying, do you know who poisoned you this time?"

She shook her head: "I don't know. I don't want to know anymore. Your Highness is busy with many affairs every day. The people and things outside are too complicated for me to understand, let alone get involved in. If I have caused trouble for Your Highness due to unintentional mistakes, please forgive me."

"As far as I know, you have no relatives or friends outside the palace. It is late autumn now, and winter will soon follow. How will you survive? Since Her Majesty has entrusted you to me, I cannot just watch you suffer from hunger and cold. Shuying, you are so innocent and beautiful, and you do not yet have any self-defense skills. Even if Her Majesty loves you so much, she may not be able to let you leave the palace like this."

Shuying bit her lip, her eyes still showing a stubborn look: "Now that I have left the Eastern Palace, my life and death are in the hands of fate, and have nothing to do with Your Highness."

Hearing her say this, Yan Chao's eyes darkened, and his tone became slightly harsher: "I have never said that you have caused any trouble, nor have I thought of you as a burden. But the person who poisoned you this time is probably involved with someone else. The situation outside is complicated right now, and many eyes are watching the Eastern Palace. I have to be very careful. It is not advisable for the Eastern Palace to have any more trouble at the moment, so as not to cause any further complications."

Yan Chao bent down and personally helped her up, casually removing the plain white hairpin from her hair, and said softly, "Right now, you cannot leave the palace. We must wait until things have settled down before making any plans. But since I have promised you, I will not go back on my word."

No sooner had the funeral rites for Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin concluded than Grand Secretary Li Shihuai once again submitted a memorial requesting to retire, citing old age and illness. This time, however, he also sent his official seal to the Ministry of Personnel along with the memorial, demonstrating his firm resolve to leave. The court was immediately abuzz with discussion.

Li Shih-huai's seniority in the cabinet was second only to that of Grand Secretary Yang Ren, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would succeed Yang Ren as the next Grand Secretary. However, Li Shih-huai's decision to "retire at the height of his career" at this crucial moment is truly intriguing.

Even He Shu privately mocked Chen Xiu, saying, "That old man Li is still thinking of getting away unscathed. He's just delusional."

Chen Xiu knew that such a big matter, even with the Embroidered Uniform Guard suppressing it for the emperor, couldn't be kept secret for long. But he didn't dare to be too definitive, so he didn't respond to He Shu's words, only saying, "Then, let's do as Your Highness instructs."

Prince Xin had been through too much recently and was already exhausted. He was shocked to hear that his only support, his uncle, was suddenly going to leave. He was completely lost, shocked and bewildered. He couldn't care about anything else and hitched up his carriage and headed straight for the Li residence.

Li Shih-huai clearly knew Prince Xin would come and had made preparations in advance. Prince Xin hurriedly entered the hall, just in time to have a cup of hot tea.

Li Shihuai's attire was also ordinary; he wore only a plain brown straight-collared Taoist robe, and his head was not adorned with a crown, but rather tied up with a net covering his hair. He appeared to be resigning from his official post and returning to his hometown, no longer concerned with mundane affairs.

"Is Uncle really going to resign from his post?" Prince Xin asked blankly, still in a daze.

“Resigning from office is just for show,” Li Shihuai took a deep breath, a look of desolation appearing in his eyes. “It would be good if I could resign. Doesn’t Prince Xin understand? My Li family is facing a great calamity, and my death is imminent.”

"Does Prince Xin not understand? The poisoned tea, the tribute from southern Sichuan, the governor of Sichuan... Since the imperial envoy returned to the capital, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has intervened in the interrogation, and now the evidence is conclusive, and the confessions have been presented to the Western Garden!"

Li Shihuai's words were cold and sharp, like a thunderbolt crashing down on the head of Prince Xin. He stood up abruptly, his pupils wide, his mind buzzing.

"What!" Prince Xin clutched his wildly pounding heart, stammering, "They...they found out...then this time, Father...he's definitely going to take my life..."

"No, Your Highness, please calm down and listen to me." Seeing that he had finally come to his senses, Li Shihai began to get to the point.

"Your Highness has come today seeking a way to save us. I am now at my wit's end, and the only way out is to fight to the death for Your Highness in the end, so as not to let down all the hard work we have put in over the years."

"Uncle, please explain in detail."

Prince Xin noticed the sorrow in Li Shih-huai's tone, and his expression darkened.

Prince Xin understood Li Shih-huai's meaning, and his heart grew heavy. He stared at him intently, but ultimately said nothing. Li Shih-huai, however, had already figured everything out. At this moment, he appeared calm and composed, even slowly swallowing a sip of tea.

After a brief silence, Li Shihai continued:

"After the Li family falls, Your Highness will lose what outsiders see as your greatest support. The Crown Prince's faction will certainly seize the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. Over the years, they have never let their guard down and have endured until today. Now, they will absolutely not allow you the slightest chance, not even to be sent far away from the capital to your fiefdom, stripped of your title, imprisoned, or demoted to a commoner. Now that your mother has recently passed away, His Majesty will still remember past favors and may still intend to let Your Highness go to your fiefdom. But His Majesty is getting old and there are some things he is willing to do but cannot. So this time, Your Highness must not be soft-hearted."

Prince Xin nodded firmly: "Uncle, I understand."

Li Shih-huai then got up and knelt down before him.

"The second matter is a request from your humble servant Li Shihuai to His Highness Prince Xin."

"Uncle, please stand up and speak."

"With this conviction, I will surely perish. But I beg Your Highness to preserve the Li family bloodline. Whether it is exile or military service, I only ask that they be spared. The Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin devoted herself to the cause of Prince Xin and the continuation of the Li family's glory. Your Highness also has the blood of the Li family flowing in your veins. Surely you would not want to see the Li family wiped out!"

Prince Xin hesitated for a moment: "Yes, I have always been grateful for my uncle's support. But I'm afraid I am powerless to do anything about this heinous crime of exterminating nine generations of a family."

“There is still room for maneuver on His Majesty’s side. The lives of my Li family, hundreds of people, depend on Your Highness!” Li Shihai raised his head, his burning gaze almost staring at Prince Xin.

"As long as you're alive, you still have a chance to make a comeback."

Prince Xin returned to the palace exhausted. Upon entering the main hall, he slumped weakly into a chair. Princess Xin frowned worriedly, said nothing, and silently poured him tea. Just as she was about to offer it to him, he slapped the tea away.

"Get out!" Prince Xin hissed hoarsely, chuckling coldly. "Li Shihuai is ruthless, and what good are you anyway!"