Chapter 47: Reunion of Uncle and Nephew

The tide has turned; needless to say, He Siqi is in danger.

Even the most knowledgeable generals were speechless. See? This is the consequence of an amateur commanding a professional.

If a city is held fast enough, how can it be wiped out overnight? It seems they don't want to die fast enough.

“Actually, He Jun’s morale is low, so he shouldn’t have engaged in battle at this time,” someone whispered. “How long can Zhongzong keep them in check? Bi Songde’s inability to stick to his own opinion is a disaster in itself.”

But Bissonde couldn't insist on his own opinion; he was just an employee.

It was obvious that He Siqi was doomed. The city fell that night, and he was beheaded and his head displayed to the public. This was the price he paid for his actions.

After resting in the city for several days and reorganizing his troops, Emperor Zhongzong successfully seized control of Suzhou, and the He family lost another prefecture.

This is much better; Emperor Jungjong's reputation for skill in siege warfare spread immediately. With such a versatile talent emerging, how could they tolerate someone as useless as He Siqi criticizing Jungjong's military tactics?

He Siqi immediately became withdrawn.

That's enough, really enough. One scolding is enough. What do you want by constantly scolding him?

"Is there anything Emperor Zhongzong isn't good at?" a military general asked enviously. "He's a master of both offense and defense, truly the fiercest warrior in the land!"

Someone nearby muttered quietly, "He's not good at handling government affairs."

"Bah! What do we military officers do with administrative affairs?" the man scoffed. "That guy named Fang... Fang something-ruo is dead, isn't he?"

A thousand miles away, Fang Jingruo exclaimed, "Achoo! Who's thinking of me? It must be his wise ruler!"

While things were in complete chaos here, things weren't quiet in the capital either. Several months ago, Prince Su, as a member of the imperial family, expressed his willingness to support the sixth prince's ascension to the throne.

The sixth prince himself was not very happy, but Prince Su had already raised him up and fabricated the news that the crown prince was dead, issuing an edict to announce it to the world.

Forced into this situation, the sixth prince had no choice but to spend his days studying in the palace, pretending to be a mystical warrior who deeply loved magic arts.

King Su was delighted to have the emperor under his control and to command the other feudal lords. During the waiting period, he created auspicious omens for himself every day: one day he caught a fish, and upon cutting it open, he found a note that read "King Su, Son of Heaven"; the next day he caught a bird, and found a note on its leg that read "King Su Ascends the Throne"; the day after that, he found a deer painted white in the backyard of his palace—this was called a divine deer descending to earth!

Prince Su has really tried his best, and everyone is numb to it, but since he colluded with the capital's army, they have no choice but to pretend nothing happened.

Wow, King Su.

Although the people did not recognize him, they were somewhat surprised and uncertain as they listened to the celestial maiden's murmurs: "Judging from what the celestial maiden is saying, could it be that all the auspicious omens are fake?"

"Oh, how could that be? That's a white deer! I've been hunting my whole life and I've never seen one before!"

"Father, the fairy said that the coloring was done later, it's not a real divine deer!"

"Falsifying auspicious omens is a sin against heaven!"

In the capital, those who heard the name exclaimed, "Good heavens!"

Everyone is very familiar with this person; we see him all the time. So it's not surprising at all that he has this idea.

Zhou She was not surprised at all. He said quietly, "Your Majesty, it seems that the heir of Prince Su is also somewhat involved in the imperial examination."

The emperor was listening silently when he tapped his hand on the armrest and asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

It was only then that the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince realized that their father had summoned them to the palace in such a hurry because of this matter!

On the day of the imperial examination, the exam questions were not distributed until two hours later, and the news spread quickly from the moment the students came out of the examination hall.

The fourth prince listened to Zhou She's report with a bewildered and somewhat bored expression.

"I surrounded the bookstore selling exam preparation materials and followed the trail, discovering that it was actually owned by the Fourth Prince and Prince Su." Zhou She lowered his eyes and slowly said, "I presume to guess that the Fourth Prince was deceiving Prince Su..."

He even went so far as to clear the fourth prince of suspicion, but it was clear that mud on one's body couldn't be wiped off easily.

The fourth prince was caught off guard and actually heard his own name called, causing his brain to buzz instantly.

Huh? Me?!

In his haste, he could only say, "That shop has been open for seven or eight years. I only take money and never manage anything."

Emperor Hong'an turned his face away, and Zhou She continued, "As for the seized note, the ink used was special. It was a rare item from a workshop in Jiangnan, and only about ten pieces were produced each year. When I investigated, I found that all the ink was sold to Minister Ming of the Ministry of Rites."

The fourth prince's legs trembled and he felt dizzy upon hearing this.

Although it might seem unrelated to him, everyone in the capital knew he was fond of poetry and literature and had cultivated relationships with many literary figures. Mingzhan, as the Minister of Rites, had an excellent personal relationship with him and was specifically looking for him!

Mingzhan's position and power are sufficient, which makes perfect sense logically.

The emperor said calmly, "Could this cheat sheet have come from the Ming government?"

This is too obvious; it looks more like a frame-up.

Zhou She was about to explain when he was startled by another voice.

"Your Majesty, I know absolutely nothing about this matter!" The Fourth Prince had already knelt down anxiously, his temples damp with sweat. "Lord Ming is about to retire; how could he jeopardize his future for such a matter? Your Majesty, I beg you to investigate thoroughly!"

The emperor narrowed his eyes: "You didn't know?"

"Your subject is truly unaware of this!"

The atmosphere was tense, with the four people either standing, kneeling, or sitting.

The sound from the sky broke the silence, and she continued to speak of the emperor's only surviving sixth prince:

After waiting for several months, Prince Su found a reason, saying that the sixth prince was too young to shoulder great responsibilities, and that he saw that Prince Su was a talented person, so he decided to abdicate in his favor.

Although the sixth prince was a puppet, he was a puppet with his own ideas. Upon hearing the news, he was powerless to resist, so he summoned his close old ministers to the palace and asked tearfully, "I am the son of the late emperor, and you are his former ministers. Can't I rely on you?"

Good heavens, who dares to speak up? Those who dare are probably at home catching mosquitoes right now. An awkward silence ensued. He waved everyone away, intending to have a quiet cry by himself, but surprisingly, some people stayed and were still watching him cry.

Everyone got goosebumps at the same time.

The emperor's attention shifted from the fourth prince, and he thought of his own infant child, feeling a pang of sadness.

The world is in chaos, yet he has driven a young child to this point; he has failed in his duty.

The other unfilial sons in front of him were all fools, but he, the sixth prince, could not be called a fool. All the hardships that followed were things he didn't have to go through.

The one who stayed behind was Huai Leju. He waited until everyone had left, watched the Sixth Prince weep bitterly, and finally said: "I owe the late Emperor a debt of gratitude, which I must repay. If Your Highness trusts me, then come with me."

These words were like a timely rain after a long drought. After the sixth prince finished crying, he wiped away his tears and asked: Where to?

Huai Leju replied: Go to Suzhou.

Huai Leju's expression changed slightly.

Tianmu's explanation was too vague, and he still doesn't know why he sides with Zhou She.

However, he felt that this was indeed the right thing to do. If it weren't for His Majesty, he would have been nothing more than an unwanted weed in the inner quarters, and how could he have achieved what he has today?

The emperor's grace is immeasurable, and as the emperor's last son, one must do everything in one's power to protect him.

The emperor also recalled a time when he went out of the palace incognito and unexpectedly met a simply dressed boy at the Huai residence. After several conversations, he found that the boy was young but neither servile nor arrogant, and spoke politely; he seemed like a promising talent.

As for whether his encounter with Huai Leju was accidental, Emperor Hong'an did not want to delve into it; at least for him, it was not a loss.

What Tianmu said further solidified his belief.

The Sixth Prince was astonished. "Brother, you're still sending me to Suzhou? Is it possible that I'm now highly sought after, everyone likes me, even if he's my nephew..."

Haha, what year is this? Still talking about relatives?

Throughout history, it has never been uncommon for fathers and sons to turn against each other and brothers to fight for the throne.

Leaving aside the throne, even among wealthy merchants with some assets, there are countless stories of brothers causing great trouble over family property.

Under immense temptation, even the closest relatives can be abandoned; relationships like uncles and nephews seem somewhat distant at this point.

Zhou She thought so too, but he remembered that the Sixth Prince was alive and well, so he figured he must have been doing quite well afterward.

The Sixth Prince's worries were perfectly normal and reasonable. As a twelve-year-old child, all his thoughts were focused on struggling to survive.

After the sound from the sky faded and the screen went black briefly, a child's voice rang out first.

"I understand what you mean, sir." The boy sat upright on the bed, his sleeves spread out, his back straining to straighten. "But how do you know that my... Zhou Xingyuan won't turn on me and kill me?"

Like a small animal, lost and helpless, still trying to find a way to survive.

He was isolated and helpless, looking at those outstretched hands, wanting to grasp them but not daring to.

“Your Majesty, if he turns against you, I will do everything in my power to escort Your Highness away.” Huai Leju knelt on one knee beside his bed. “But I know he won’t.”

"I heard from my father that you and he don't get along." The sixth prince lowered his head, still unable to believe it.

“In his youthful arrogance, that was certainly true,” Huai Leju said softly. “Later I realized how arrogant he had been. Although he is unruly and unrestrained, he never goes back on his word. Compared to Prince Su, he is more trustworthy.”

The sixth prince did not speak, and Huai Leju did not urge him.

A gust of wind swept through the hall, extinguishing the candlelight. In the darkness, the Sixth Prince finally nodded, regardless of whether Huai Leju could see him: "If we can leave this place, I will thank you."

Regardless, King Jungjong's credibility remains high. Keeping one's word is a fundamental quality; otherwise, who would dare to work with you?

So Huai Leju, as the commander of the Imperial Guards, began the process. Prince Su waited for several days but received no reply. The matter of abdication was best resolved as quickly as possible, so he went to the palace and pressed the Sixth Prince for an answer on when he planned to abdicate in his favor.

At this point, the Sixth Prince brought out his all-purpose reason to reinforce the stereotype. He told Prince Su: "Actually, I am very willing to abdicate, but I asked the Daoist a couple of days ago, and he said that the auspicious day has not arrived yet. These days are inauspicious for abdication and enthronement ceremonies, otherwise you and I will both die."

As a flexible materialist, Prince Su was sometimes willing to believe in metaphysics. Hearing that he too was to die, he hesitated and ultimately spared the Sixth Prince's life.

So that's how it was solved?!

Emperor Hong'an did not trust magic arts, and what about the taboo against abdication... who could possibly know such a thing?

But Prince Su believed it nonetheless.

Prince Su: "?"

Wait a minute, he doesn't think he's that stupid!

After waiting for a few days, Prince Su went to see him again. This time, he couldn't even get into the palace, because Huai Leju stood in front of him and told him that the young emperor was seeking divine guidance and couldn't see any living people during this time, so he should just stay in bed.

King Su immediately realized he had been tricked and flew into a rage, demanding that Huai Leju open the gate immediately, or he would kill Huai Leju and the imprisoned old minister.

After listening, Huai Leju gestured to the eunuch to unlock the palace gate.

So you agree?

Everyone was stunned when they heard that.

This betrayal was so swift and unexpected. Huai Leju, you're truly a master of changing faces!

The eunuch arrived and began searching for his keys. His face fell; he realized the keys were missing.

The group began to realize what was going on.

What kind of eunuch could lose the key to the palace gates? If you've chosen sides, just say so.

Prince Su was furious. Looking at these people before him, he felt as if they were putting on a circus for him. He brandished his sword and threatened that if the gate wasn't opened, the first thing he would do upon ascending the throne was to kill them all!

Unfortunately, he spoke too quickly; one shouldn't be so flamboyant. Prince Su swung his sword at the eunuch, but in the blink of an eye, Huai Leju also drew his sword. The two swords clashed, and just as Prince Su was about to curse, he suddenly felt a surge of heat in his chest.

Someone attacked!

Holy crap...

As the sound of the sky appeared, she played a short video. Blood splattered as a knife tip pierced the heart of Prince Su, and blood flowed down the blade.

Prince Su trembled all over, and tried to speak, but his whole body convulsed, his legs went weak, and he knelt down helplessly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Seeing that the situation had improved, the sixth prince rushed over from a remote place. When he reached Huai Leju, he slowed down and stopped by the pool of blood beneath Prince Su.

Huai Leju took a deep breath, turned the hilt of his knife around, and gently pushed the Sixth Prince: "Your Majesty, please get in the carriage."

After Prince Su's death, Huai Leju escorted the sixth prince all the way to Suzhou. Half a month later, the uncle and nephew were finally reunited.