Chapter 47 Clouds Drifting (Part 1) "You...you...do you also want the throne...?"
Ji Weixian's mind went blank for a moment, and he looked up in disbelief, only to find his face deathly pale.
The emperor's very words were an act of deceiving the emperor, leaving him speechless, let alone able to beg for mercy.
But if it really was because of Cheng'an, given the emperor's usual favor towards him, he could simply behave submissively, shed a few tears, and say a few words to clear his name. At most, he would abandon Cheng'an, but he would never risk his life.
But he had no time to think about the reason now. He crawled a few steps toward the emperor and stammered, "Your Majesty, spare me! I'm innocent! I didn't..."
Lan Huaien, young and strong, frowned and grabbed him, preventing him from getting any closer. He then called for people to come in and drag him out.
As she turned around, she noticed that Yan Chao had just come back to his senses. Their eyes met briefly before looking away again. She stood quietly to the side, watching without saying a word.
The emperor appeared somewhat weary. He slightly turned his head to avoid the bright light, then closed his eyes and lowered his head. Only after the sobbing sounds outside subsided did he call out, "Lan Huai'en."
"Your subject is present."
Lan Huaien roughly knew what he was going to say, and knelt down in response.
The curtains swayed gently, and the warm breeze made one drowsy. Half of the emperor's face was reflected in the shadows, and his breathing was somewhat heavy. After a moment, he gathered his strength, his hands resting unintentionally on his knees, and when he spoke again, his tone was clearly stern.
"If I find out that you are causing trouble under my nose and playing any tricks, just watch, Ji Weixian will be the one to suffer the consequences."
"Your Majesty has been kind to me, and I will repay you with utmost loyalty." Lan Huaien's heart tightened, and he became extremely vigilant, saying solemnly, "Your Majesty has been kind to me, and I will repay you with utmost loyalty."
Qiu Cong quickly followed suit, expressing his loyalty. Yan Chao, however, was interrupted by the emperor's wave before he could even speak.
"Let's leave it at that for tonight. Since the Prince Xin's residence is not involved, there's no need to disturb his peace. We can discuss anything else tomorrow. You may leave."
Suppressing his impatience, the emperor watched as everyone bowed and took their leave. His gaze slowly swept over them, lingering on Yan Chao for a moment before he suddenly added, "Crown Prince, this is a one-time exception."
It is unclear whether she issued an order to disturb the emperor, or whether she used the pretext of showing filial piety to deal with Cheng'an, or for some other reason.
Yan Chao respectfully replied, "Yes," and bowed as she left the bedchamber. As she stepped out of the palace, the palace servants on night watch bowed to her before walking around her. Turning back, she saw the lights inside the palace gradually dimming.
She felt a strange mix of joy and sorrow, a kind of inexplicable calm.
Turning her gaze away, she saw that Qiu Cong had already left, with Lan Huaien beside her, seemingly having no intention of leaving.
She looked over there with a questioning gaze.
Lan Huaien reached out and took the palace lantern from the eunuch behind her, approached her, and whispered, "It's getting late, Your Highness, please watch your step."
Yan Chao's tense expression suddenly relaxed, and she nodded calmly: "My sedan chair hasn't arrived yet, so I'll trouble you, Eunuch, to escort me for a while."
He said, "Your Highness is too kind," took a half step back, and walked to her side and slightly in front.
Lan Huaien was very familiar with this route; he knew how to walk it even blindfolded, so his eyes never left her.
The eunuchs who were following him were also sensible and did not get close, but followed at a distance of several dozen steps.
In the middle of the vast square, there were only two people, solitary and insignificant. A dim lamp illuminated only a few steps ahead. Yet, the two walked with ease. Lan Huaien's gaze inadvertently glanced at her shadow, and he subtly slowed his pace.
Yan Chaoxian broke the silence by asking, "Has the news leaked?"
The situation on his end is clearly different from the initial plan.
“It should be,” Lan Huaien nodded and said quietly, “I originally intended to tie Cheng’an and Prince Xin together no matter what, but when we got near Prince Xin’s residence, there was an unseen shadowy figure that distracted us. Most of the men I brought went after that person, but he was not Cheng’an. At that time, I felt something was wrong, so we naturally kept our distance from Prince Xin’s residence... Later, the street police caught that person and said he was a thief, but by then it was all irrelevant.”
"Then how did you find Cheng'an? Hiding in the willow tree is a rather absurd reason." She paused slightly, and saw him stop almost at the same time. Before he could speak, a probing gaze fell on him first.
Lan Huaien, puzzled, blinked and simply raised the lamp slightly, looking innocent: "Your Majesty's meaning is very clear, how could I dare to deceive you? I haven't asked for details yet, but when I found the person, blood was flowing down the willow tree, it was truly a pitiful sight."
He curled his lip and clicked his tongue: "It seems that Prince Xin couldn't keep him. He probably doesn't even know what happened. Ji Weixian pushed him out to kill him, and when he got to Prince Xin's residence, he probably sensed Prince Xin's murderous intent again. I wonder how much effort he had to put into escaping..."
He jumped from one fire pit into another. Cheng An refused to accept his fate, unaware that he had already become a dead end.
This actually benefited Lan Huaien.
"However, I must thank Your Highness for keeping me here for so long. I was trapped there and almost never made it back." He moved his lips, a slight smile appearing on his face.
Due to time constraints, the two acted hastily without having time to discuss any unexpected situations.
Inside the palace, Qiu Cong had barely finished his audience with the emperor when Yan Chao followed suit, the timing was impeccable. From the moment she saw the emperor, the countdown had begun. Naturally, she dared not slacken her pace in the slightest.
Yan Chao looked at his smiling face, paused for a moment, and asked, "Did Prince Xin attack you?" Before he could answer, she asked again, "Are you injured?"
Lan Huaien did not respond, which was taken as tacit agreement. He only said, "A conflict did indeed occur. But I have the upper hand, and I still have Cheng An under my control, so he dares not make any rash moves. Besides, with Ji Weixian gone tonight, he probably doesn't have the energy to cause any more trouble."
Where are you hurt?
Lan Huaien ignored her question, took a breath, took a few steps closer, his expression smug and proud: "A great battle took place in the alley, and nearly fifty guards from the Prince Xin's mansion died."
Yan Chao couldn't help but frown: "With such a grand display from you, Prince Xin will not let this go easily."
"It's a minor injury, nothing serious. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I still have the medicine you gave me before."
"..."
He did it on purpose.
Lan Huaien sighed, shrugged, and the lamp in his hand swayed precariously.
"Didn't Your Highness say that I and Prince Xin have already broken off relations? How can we draw a clear line if we don't fight? Furthermore, whether it's Prince Xin's mansion or the Li family faction, they need to carefully consider whether to oppose the Eastern Depot. Right now, it's just about tracking down a fugitive, but my attitude is enough for them to ponder for days."
Yan Chao suddenly felt a little dazed.
From what point did Lan Huaien begin to give her the illusion that he, and even the Eastern Depot, were gentle?
It seems like a long time ago, Lan Huaien once said: "No matter how sharp a civil official's tongue is, it can't outsharp the knife of the Eastern Depot."
He was once someone who dared to defy the imperial court. Of course, the emperor's attitude towards him then was different from today. The Eastern Depot, established nearly a century ago, has maintained largely unchanged responsibilities, though its power has fluctuated.
Up to the present Xuan Ning dynasty, the emperor had intended to suppress it, but the system was already mature and stable, and the matter involved a wide range of people. In addition, Lan Huaien was unusually obedient after taking office, so the matter was dropped.
As her memories were torn apart, she vaguely recalled that she seemed to have seen him ruthlessly wield his knife.
So, was he deliberately pretending in front of her?
"...Your Highness?"
Lan Huaien noticed that she was in a daze and couldn't help but call out softly.
"Um."
"I thought you would keep Ji Weixian here tonight. After all, what can be pried out of him is more valuable." He also thought that if she really had that intention, Prince Xin might not be able to escape this calamity.
“Giving Ji Weixian a way out is giving Prince Xin a way out. Since he has been able to secretly infiltrate Prince Xin as a spy for so many years, it shows that he is somewhat loyal. It is not necessarily true that he can reveal what I want. If he uses this to cause other trouble, it will only be a problem. It is better to end it once and for all, and there is no need to block your way anymore.”
"Moreover, didn't you hear His Majesty's words? He only convicted him of deceiving the emperor and never intended to pursue Prince Xin any further."
Yan Chaochao glanced into the distance; amidst the dense array of palace lanterns, a carriage was already waiting for her. However, she showed no intention of quickening her pace, walking slowly, somewhat savoring the tranquility.
Lan Huaien seemed somewhat surprised, yet also indifferent.
“Ji Weixian was targeting me, but I didn’t take it too seriously. Now that he’s dead, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is a bit bored.”
He looked up and noticed that Yan Chao's gaze was different from before, suddenly becoming much more complicated.
She said calmly, "You don't need to belittle yourself."
Lan Huaien always seemed like a wandering ghost.
"No, not at all. I used to really want to live, so I just lived a good life. I wanted to be in a high position and have the power of life and death, so I became the supervisor of the Eastern Depot. But then I found that it was all just so-so. I took revenge for what I needed to take, and killed the people I needed to kill, but I still felt completely lost. I wanted to ask for something else, but I didn't know if I should ask for it, if I dared to ask for it, if I was worthy of asking for it, or if I could get it."
Yan Chao pondered silently for a while, then looked at him curiously and asked, "Didn't you want everything to be easy for you? Is there anything you haven't asked for yet?"
He thought about it for a moment, then shook his head to himself. As he pondered further, his expression suddenly hardened. He walked closer to him, grabbed his right shoulder, and asked through gritted teeth in terror, "You...you...do you also want the throne?"
Lan Huaien's lips twitched: "..."
He took a deep breath, and found his shoulder aching from her grip. His hand trembled, and the palace lantern slipped from his grasp, about to fall to the ground. He tried to bend down and catch it, but Yan Chao grabbed his robe first and wouldn't let go.
"Your Highness, please calm down..." He said helplessly, deliberately emphasizing the word "Crown Prince".
To his surprise, those two words made Yan Chao even more wary, thinking that he was going to threaten him with his status again, and he blurted out angrily, "Shut up!"
At that moment, it was a pity that she didn't have a sharp weapon at hand, otherwise she...
"I absolutely did not mean that! If I did, may I be struck by lightning!" He raised his hand and swore.
This is a capital offense of treason, and he's still a eunuch; how could he possibly dare to throw his life away?
Yan Chao's gaze grew increasingly cold. It turned out she had been slow to realize, only now suddenly understanding. He had said he wanted to live a carefree life; wouldn't usurping the throne and becoming emperor be the greatest pleasure?
What a fine Lan Huaien.
She asked him why he was inexplicably approaching her and showing her such kindness. He said that after helping her ascend the throne, he only wanted to survive.
However, the crown prince is only one step away from the throne.
Lan Huaien could tell from her expression that she had completely misunderstood. Forgetting everything else, he knelt down, tearing at his robes and hugging her legs, on the verge of tears: "Your Highness, please understand, I truly didn't..."
Yan Chao's face was cold; she was trapped and couldn't move an inch. She called out "Liang Lu" loudly, clearly indicating that she no longer wanted to get entangled with him.
"Your Highness won't even give me a chance to explain?"
"Let go first."
Lan Huaien had no choice but to let go, but his heart sank.
"you say."
He looked up at her, but after a long while, he couldn't say anything. Her face was indistinct in the darkness, and he suddenly felt lost.
"I do not know what I seek, but it is certainly not the throne." Even he himself felt weak and powerless. He knew that Yan Chao must be plotting to kill him now.
He called out again, "Your Highness."
When Liang Lu arrived, she overheard the Crown Prince say, "I shouldn't have listened to your sophistry."
Author's Note: Xiao Lan burst into tears, "I'm innocent, waaaaah..."
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