62 Game
◎I'll wait for you to come back◎
The emperor changed the subject, and Eunuch Xu didn't dare to go along with his direct words. He replied tactfully, "It is because the Fourth Prince has taken your majesty's teachings to heart that he has achieved what he has today."
Emperor Jingren gave him a look that said, "I don't know you yet."
"Youxi didn't resent me for his mother's death and stayed in the Northern Frontier for ten years. Now that he's returned to the capital, should I keep him or let him continue guarding the border?"
How dare Eunuch Xu guess what the emperor is thinking?
A layer of sweat broke out on his back, and he knelt tremblingly and bowed his head: "Your Majesty, please understand. I, an old servant, only know how to serve tea and water."
Emperor Jingren found it funny.
"Xu Shidao, if you only knew how to serve tea and water, I would have kicked you out of the Meridian Gate long ago."
"Your Majesty is so magnanimous and kind, and I am deeply grateful."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingren scoffed. This Xu Shidao was only slightly older than he, but he had been around longer, yet he had one old slave after another.
"You old slave, why don't you bring the soup?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Eunuch Xu quickly rose from the ground, lowered his head, and respectfully offered the hangover soup. Emperor Jingren took the bowl and just as he was about to put it to his lips, he suddenly stopped with a hiss.
"Why is the girl from the Wei family in the square?"
At first he didn't notice, but later he realized that Youxi had saved Wei Taizhong's daughter after being startled by his horse. At that time, he was only concerned about Youxi's injuries and ignored other minor details.
"Perhaps you're hoping to see something new?" Eunuch Xu said calmly. "After all, Commander Yan has a close relationship with the Crown Prince, so it's easy to arrange. I heard that when the Crown Princess was looking for a princess for the Eighth Prince, she also invited Miss Wei to assess her."
"That's not a big deal. I'm just thinking that Youxi hasn't been in the capital for a long time and might not recognize that girl. What if he happens to take a fancy to her?"
Hearing this, Eunuch Xu covered his mouth and smiled.
"Your Majesty has always been fond of Miss Wei, so he thinks everyone will look upon her with a different eye."
"Hahaha..." Emperor Jingren admitted with a hearty laugh, "I do like that girl. If it weren't for Grand Secretary Wei's reluctance to allow her into the palace, she would have been my daughter-in-law long ago."
Eunuch Xu just smiled and said nothing. He served the emperor sobering soup and put him to sleep, then quietly retreated.
The lights were still on in the Liaowang Mansion's study. Li Youxu had just finished dressing his hands and re-wrapped them with gauze as he sat behind his desk.
"Forgive me for speaking frankly, but Your Highness should not take the risk to save her today at the critical moment of facing the Crown Prince tomorrow." Fang Jikai stood a few steps away, his face slightly solemn.
The words "saving her from danger" sounded like a joke, causing Li Youxu to raise the corners of his lips in self-mockery.
Why did he go to such great lengths to get her into the palace to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet and have her sit in the front row to watch the dancing horses? Wasn't it just to create an accident where the horse would startle and hit someone, so that she would experience the consequences of teasing him?
Betrothed at the age of six, childhood sweethearts.
She was so jealous of her fiancé that she threw herself into a river. She even risked her life to protect him just to marry him! She was so deeply in love with her fiancé that she even promised him that she would wait for him to come back.
He had thought that she had her own difficulties, but he didn't expect that they were childhood sweethearts and had been engaged since they were young.
Very good! She was probably the first person who dared to tease him like this!
However, when he quietly shot out the needle hidden in his wrist, when the horse rushed towards her in pain as he had expected, when he saw her fall to the ground in panic, at that moment, he ran over without knowing what was going on...
Li Youxu closed his eyes and exhaled.
It's not that he is soft-hearted, but he used the wrong method.
At that moment, what suddenly popped up in his mind was the scene of her being frightened to death by a frightened horse many years ago.
So, it was Li Youxu, who had a trace of kindness many years ago, who softened his heart...
No problem.
Anyway, after tomorrow, he will settle accounts with the prince's party, and it will eventually be her fault...
This night was strange and long.
When I woke up in the morning, the sky was still dark and covered with clouds and mist.
Wei Ziyan woke up early today—or rather, she hadn't slept well in the second half of the night. She washed up, had breakfast with Yan Qizheng, and saw him off.
"Don't worry, I will come back as soon as possible and will not miss your moon-viewing tea party." Seeing her holding his hand with unconcealable worry in her eyes, Yan Qizhen could only comfort her softly.
"Well... I'll wait for you to come back."
"good."
Yan Qizhen forced a smile on his face and gave her a deep kiss on her upturned forehead.
After leaving the palace, Yan Qi was riding his horse towards the imperial palace, entering the East Palace. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess were still chatting in their room when a maid came in to tell Captain Yan that there was something important to report.
"Let him in."
Li Chengtai straightened his clothes and sat on the couch, while the Crown Princess retreated to the inner room.
"Your Highness." Yan Qi walked in hurriedly, and was about to salute when the prince raised his hand to signal him to skip it.
"What's the urgent matter?"
Yan Qizheng's face was stern as he answered bluntly, "When the Liao King's carriages were stationed eight hundred miles outside the city, he had already quietly sneaked into the capital. I'm worried that he has other plans."
Upon hearing this, Li Chengtai's expression suddenly turned serious: "Is the news confirmed?"
"On the day Shouzhong and Liu left the city, my wife and I saw them off and stopped at a teahouse. The King of Liao was next door, but he didn't show up."
"How do you know he's next door if he doesn't show up?"
"My wife, I met the young King of Liao twice at the horse farm." Yan Qizhen unconsciously tightened his teeth.
"The King of Liao concealed his identity at the time, and my wife only thought he was an ordinary person with the character 'Zhao' in his name. That day at the teahouse, a man calling himself 'Prince Zhao' privately settled the bill for my wife and me. This convinced me that he was indeed the King of Liao. He was angry that my wife hadn't kept her promise to marry someone else, so he schemed to get her into the palace and cause an accident by startling a horse, hoping to kill her and disrupt our position."
Last night, Zi Yan woke up from a nightmare and was extremely scared. She confessed everything to him, which made him shudder with fear.
Although for some reason King Liao came to the rescue at the last moment, when Yan Qi thought of his original evil plan and that Zi Yan almost suffered an innocent death, he wished he could kill him immediately!
What's worse, he suspected that the King of Liao's plan was more than they expected.
"I'm worried that the Liao King's plan is more than just this. He may have other hidden tricks."
Li Chengtai frowned and remained silent for a moment, finally digesting what he had heard and coming to terms with what had happened last night. He felt it was the calm before the storm, and there was no time to wait.
Without asking about the details of the origin of "keeping the promise", Li Chengtai suddenly stood up from the couch.
"Without further delay, I will go and expose his actions to my father!"
Emperor Jingren was feeling unwell today and had canceled his morning court session, catching up on some sleep in his inner chambers. Li Chengtai had originally planned to visit him two hours later, but now that he had received the news from Yan Qizheng, he couldn't bother.
The prince arrived in a hurry, eager to see the emperor, and Eunuch Xu looked quite embarrassed.
"Your Majesty did not sleep well last night and is still awake. Could Your Highness come back later?"
"This matter is of great importance and cannot be delayed for a moment. I would like to ask Eunuch Xu to pass on the message. If the emperor blames me, I will bear the responsibility alone and will not let you suffer any consequences."
"Your Highness, you are too kind." Eunuch Xu bowed quickly. "Since this is a serious matter, I will go and ask His Majesty to come."
Behind the golden curtain, Emperor Jingren was sleeping too soundly. Eunuch Xu had to call him several times before he finally opened his eyes, cursing, "You old thing..."
"Your Majesty, please calm down." Eunuch Xu explained softly, "The Crown Prince is waiting outside. He said he has something important to report to Your Majesty and there can be no delay."
event……
Emperor Jingren raised his hand to rub his dull, aching forehead and exhaled deeply, "He'd better be in big trouble."
Half an hour later, the palace maid replaced the pot of tea for the prince, who sat silently in the outer hall. Li Chengtai drank a full belly of water and tapped his legs anxiously with his fingers bent.
Although he sat quietly, he kept thinking over Yan Qizheng's words in his mind: "The Liao King's plan is not limited to this. He may have other hidden tricks."
Li Youxu's sneaking into Beijing was definitely not just for a woman.
But his people have been secretly monitoring Fang Jikai. Ever since Qi Lique's family was killed, that guy has been claiming to be sick and staying at home, and no one from the court has come to visit him.
If Li Youxu really has other plans, it means that he may have other helpers in the court.
Who is this person?
What are they planning?
Li Chengtai was at a loss for words for a long time, but his premonition grew worse. Just as he was about to stand up and pace, Eunuch Xu arrived in the hall, supporting Emperor Jingren.
"I know I am guilty of disturbing your father's rest." Li Chengtai stood up, lifted his robe and knelt on the ground.
Emperor Jingren sat at the head of the table, raised his eyes and looked at him. He paused for a moment and spoke slowly, "Stand up and come forward to tell me your important matter."
"yes."
Li Chengtai took out a memorial from his arms, stood up, took two steps forward, stood in front of the emperor, bowed and presented it with both hands.
"I have come to expose to my father the fact that Prince of Liao, Li Youxu, has colluded with the remnants of the previous dynasty and is attempting to murder my brother and seize the throne!"
The resounding words startled Eunuch Xu, who was standing beside the emperor, so much so that his hands and feet trembled and he almost knocked over his teacup. He quickly knelt and apologized, saying he would leave. Emperor Jingren let him stay without a care.
"You are an old man, haven't you heard enough of these palace secrets?" After saying this, Emperor Jingren looked at his son again with a serious look: "Put the memorial aside for now, and continue."
Li Chengtai begins with the assassination attempt at the cherry blossom forest, then moves on to the tragic incident involving the Liu brothers and the subsequent killing of the Liu family. He then discusses the scapegoat, former Deputy Minister of Justice Shen Zhui, a disciple of the Shen family, and the massacre of the entire family of the Imperial Censor Qi Lique, disguised as a fire that hadn't happened...
"Every detail of the incident, including the Ministry of Justice's investigation, is clearly explained in this memorial. Li Youxu is colluding with the remnants of the previous dynasty, the Shen family, to murder his brother. I ask your Majesty to order his execution."
Emperor Jingren remained silent throughout the whole conversation, and the more he listened, the more solemn his expression became.
"Do you have any other evidence?"
"Father, do you recognize this?" The prince took something out of his arms. Eunuch Xu stepped forward as usual to take it, holding it in his palm and presenting it to Your Majesty with trembling hands.
Emperor Jingren stared at the object in his palm without blinking, and after a few breaths of silence, he slowly raised his hand to take it.
The tassel of the jade pendant had long been broken, but the turquoise surface was shiny and translucent, with the word "Jing" engraved in official script on it.
Emperor Jingren's hands were shaking, too. He naturally recognized and remembered it. This was the gift he had personally given her when he promoted her to be his concubine.
"Liu is just an orphan girl, but my fourth brother has sent people to hunt her down time and again just for this thing. This is the evidence of his crime... Father!" Li Chengtai was suddenly shocked and stepped forward to support Emperor Jingren who fell forward.
"His Majesty--"
Eunuch Xu also hurriedly reached out and helped the prince straighten the man.
After Emperor Jingren steadied himself, he leaned his head against the back of the chair, pointed his fingers holding the jade pendant tightly, and his face was full of anger.
"Tell someone to bring that rebellious son to me!"
Eunuch Xu immediately went out and told the palace servants to rush to the Prince's Mansion to invite the Fourth Prince. He hurried back to the palace, and Emperor Jingren's chest was still heaving with anger.
"Your Highness," he said to the prince, "Your Majesty drank too much yesterday and didn't sleep for half the night. It's not appropriate to be too angry now!"
Li Chengtai looked ashamed: "Father, please calm down. It was not your son's fault that he angered you on purpose."
Emperor Jingren raised his hand to support his forehead, seeming dizzy. Eunuch Xu quickly added, "It will take some time for the Fourth Prince to enter the palace. Your Majesty, why don't you go in and rest for a while?"
The Crown Prince naturally had no objection. Emperor Jingren himself also felt a headache and dizziness, so Xu Shidao helped him in and he lay down on the dragon couch.
Eunuch Xu ordered the palace servants to bring the ginseng tea. Turning around, he heard the emperor sigh, "After all, he is her son. I was naive."
"What do you think I should do? Kill him to eliminate the trouble forever?" As he murmured to himself, Emperor Jingren recalled the scene of horse dancing and wine offering last night, and he couldn't help feeling a dull pain in his heart.
"Or, spare his worthless life and punish him by sending him to the imperial mausoleum to accompany his mother and concubine, to fend for himself..."
How could Xu Shidao dare to answer? He stood silently beside the bed for a moment, choosing his words carefully.
"I've been in the palace for quite some time, and I'm confident I've watched the Crown Prince grow up. He's kind, filial, and upright, a true gentleman. I believe he wouldn't slander the Fourth Prince out of thin air, but..."
Xu Shidao paused.
"This matter is of grave importance. Your Majesty should wait to hear the Fourth Prince's defense before making a decision. After all, this is a matter of grave importance concerning the honor and shame of the heir apparent. The civil and military officials also need a convincing explanation."
The person on the bed didn't respond, so Eunuch Xu said no more. Soon, a palace maid brought in some ginseng tea. He picked it up with both hands and carried it to the bed.
"Your Majesty, please rest first. Taking care of your health is the most important thing."
Li Chengtai sat in the hall for a moment before he saw Eunuch Xu come out. Before he could even ask about his father's condition, the eunuch bowed respectfully and raised his hand in greeting.
"Your Highness, there is no need to wait here. His Majesty has said that he wants to interrogate the Fourth Prince alone."
"Individual interrogation?"
Yan Qizheng had just come out of the East Palace with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince entered the Taiji Palace, and he waited outside the palace gate. Seeing the Crown Prince come out and say that the Emperor wanted to interrogate the King of Liao alone, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"What if the Prince of Liao makes excuses, or kneels down to repent and beg, will His Majesty spare him out of the father-son relationship?"
"No." Li Chengtai was not worried.
"The lesson Concubine Jin taught Father was truly profound. Otherwise, Father wouldn't have sent Fourth Brother to the frontier at such a young age. Father was simply afraid that he would repeat his mother's mistakes."
He killed his brother to seize the throne, and then colluded with the remnants of the previous dynasty, and stepped on my father's reverse scale. How could my father let him go easily?
"Even if the Emperor spares his life, he won't be given another chance. He can't return to the Northern Frontier, and the court won't tolerate his evil ambitions."
Li Chengtai guessed: "My father will most likely imprison him in the imperial mausoleum, never to be allowed out."
Yan Qizheng breathed a sigh of relief at first, but his brows suddenly tightened again. "If Your Highness can guess, the King of Liao can probably predict it too. He won't enter the palace alone and wait for death."
"Yes..." Li Chengtai's tone was also mixed with worry, "If he enters the palace, he must have a backup plan..."
"All three squads of the Imperial Guard are on standby today, and the imperial guards have stepped up their patrols."
"good."
Li Chengtai felt relieved. After carefully reviewing the current situation and putting himself in Li Youxu's shoes, he truly didn't believe Li Youxu had any chance of turning the tables. He breathed a sigh of relief. Then he'd see how he could escape without even entering the city with his troops...
A carriage was parked outside the main gate of the Liao Palace, and the palace maids were waiting with their heads bowed.
Li Youxu hurriedly straightened his clothes and walked quickly through the front hall, heading straight for the main door. He Yingqing followed closely behind him, waiting for the prince's instructions.
The emperor urgently summoned the prince to the palace, two hours earlier than they had expected. He had just been discussing the next steps with Lord Fang in the inner hall, but he hadn't expected to be caught off guard by someone from the palace.
The prince remained calm in the face of danger and told Lord Fang to hold his troops still and go back to wait for news. Then he took him with him and gave him instructions until they reached the gate.
"Did you remember everything I told you?"
"Understood."
Li Youxu looked up at the sky and sighed, "It's finally here..."
After saying that, he stepped out of the door. He Yingqing bowed behind him and said, "Your Highness, please be careful."
The carriage sped along the cobblestone road, crossed three streets, and arrived in front of the palace gate. Li Youxu got off the carriage and drove straight to the emperor's bedroom without any obstruction.
"Good luck to the Fourth Prince." The one who greeted him at the door was Eunuch Xu who was beside Emperor Jingren.
"Your Majesty did not sleep well last night, which was not a good thing to begin with. When the Crown Prince came earlier, he lost his temper again, and he still hasn't recovered. I hope Your Majesty will take the emperor's health into consideration and not provoke His Majesty's anger again."
Li Youxu listened carefully to every word and obeyed without hesitation: "Thank you for your advice, eunuch. I understand now."
As he was speaking, Eunuch Xu had already brought people to the study in the palace. The emperor, whom he said was ill, was now sitting behind the jade desk.
Emperor Jingren had actually been sitting there for quite some time. After all, how could he sleep? He drank some ginseng tea and lay down for an incense stick of time before getting up. He had been sitting there ever since, reading the memorial over and over again, word by word.
The anger that was filled with him earlier turned into burnt charcoal, slowly burning his internal organs.
Seeing this "good son" who was trying to please him and had high hopes for him last night, those words written in black and white were simply a great mockery to him!
"Your son greets His Majesty." Li Youxu entered the study and knelt. "I wonder why Your Majesty has summoned me here?"
What is it? Emperor Jingren sneered.
"The Crown Prince accused you of plotting something evil, of killing your brother and seizing the throne. Do you know why?"
The man who was kneeling on the ground with his head bowed suddenly raised his head and cried out in shock: "Your son did not know! Your son is innocent!"
His eyes were wide open, filled with shock and anger, as if he had really been wronged as he said.
"Didn't you kill the Liu brothers from Northern Frontier? Didn't you silence the magistrate of Northern Frontier?" Emperor Jingren interrupted him when he tried to make excuses.
"And Chen Zui, Qi Lique, Fang Jikai, the entire Chen family, aren't they all working for you and obeying you?"
Emperor Jingren angrily grabbed the memorial on the table and threw it in front of him.
"The Ministry of Justice has laid out irrefutable evidence for every charge. What excuses do you have?"
Li Youxi's expression was shattered. He picked up the memorial and quickly flipped through it. After a moment, he fell to the ground and shouted, "This is slander. I am innocent!"
"Slander? Fine!" Emperor Jingren gritted his teeth, "I'll give you a chance to quibble."
"Father," Li Youxu stood up straight, clasping his hands together. "This is not a sophistry on your part."
"For the past ten years, I have been stationed at the northern border and have had no contact with the ministers of the court. How could I have such power to make all of the people listed above obey my orders and risk their lives for me?"
"This memorial from the Ministry of Justice is filled with fabricated facts, and it was specifically submitted when I returned to the capital. It's hard not to suspect their ulterior motives. Your Majesty, I'm afraid someone is behind this, plotting to put me to death!"
He changed the subject and immediately pointed the finger at the prince behind the Ministry of Justice.
Emperor Jingren was indeed stunned, because the Ministry of Justice was indeed too close to the prince, and he had been angry earlier because the prince formed a clique for personal gain.
"Father, I do not wish to make unwarranted accusations. However, I have heard that your majesty has been paying too much attention to me lately, causing my brother to become frightened and fearful that his position as crown prince may be in jeopardy. Could you please confirm with the other ministers whether my brother considers me a thorn in his side and wishes to eliminate me to prevent any future trouble?"
Emperor Jingren's expression changed, and he suddenly grabbed the jade pendant at hand and threw it to the ground.
Before he could open his mouth to question, the kneeling man picked it up and said with a look of surprise, "This is my son's jade pendant! Where did your father get it?"
The next second, he seemed to understand and smiled bitterly.
"They must have given it to Father to prove that all this was done by me..."
"Father, do you still remember that this jade pendant was given to mother by you?" Li Youxu seemed like a different person at this time, his face and tone became softer and sadder.
"My mother left it to me before she passed away, and I've always remembered my father's teachings: 'Restrain yourself, uphold propriety, and be cautious in your words and actions.' I brought this jade pendant with me to the northern border, willingly guarding the border for ten years for my father and for Hu Zhou... But today, my father wants to use this jade pendant to convict me?"
At this moment, he neither called himself a son nor called him father. The warm words made Emperor Jingren moved.
"Then tell me, how did the jade pendant end up in the hands of the Liu family and the Ministry of Justice?"
Li Youxu shook his head.
"All I know is that after the imperial envoy sent by my brother came to the military camp to deliver the gift, the jade pendant disappeared."
Emperor Jingren felt a chill in his heart.
He had a vague impression of the imperial envoy, but it seemed that the prince had indeed mentioned that he wanted to send a birthday gift to his fourth brother who was far away in the northern border.
"That day, the Imperial Envoy brought a birthday gift for my brother, and I was naturally delighted. I invited him to drink with the soldiers in the barracks. I got drunk, and when I woke up, I discovered my jade pendant was missing. I searched the entire barracks in vain."
"I have never doubted the Imperial Envoy, but now I cannot help but suspect that he was the one who stole the jade pendant while I was unconscious. This is because the Imperial Envoy is none other than my brother's trusted confidant, the Imperial Guard Captain Yan Qizheng! He is a skilled man, and it would not be difficult for him to steal the jade pendant from me without anyone noticing. I hope your Majesty will understand!"
Having said that, Emperor Jingren also began to doubt.
Of his six sons, only the crown prince and the fourth son were worthy of hope in terms of ability, virtue, and ambition. If the fourth son were eliminated, the crown prince would not be afraid of anyone competing with him for the throne.
If all this was really planned by the prince...
Emperor Jingren was secretly shocked, and the foul air in his chest, which he couldn't release in time, choked him and made him cough violently.
"Your Majesty—" Eunuch Xu, who had been bowing his head at the side, hurried forward and patted the dragon's back, urgently admonishing: "Your Majesty, please don't be angry!"
Li Youxu knelt on the ground and kowtowed again: "Your son has a clear conscience and is willing to accept the investigation. I hope your Majesty will take care of your health."
His words are so sure and his feelings are so sincere, he has a clear conscience!
Emperor Jingren was so angry that his throat tasted fishy and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Li Youxu was shocked: "Imperial Physician! Call the Imperial Physician!"
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