Chapter 877 There's an Assassin!
Before we knew it, it was the end of November.
Since the snowfall in the middle of the month, the heavy snow on Mount Li has never stopped. The thick white snow has almost covered the entire land, but it has failed to cover the surrounding verdant peaks and ridges. Instead, it has outlined their elegant contours. Even if you have never been up the mountain, just by looking at the shapes of the snow on the peaks, you can feel the ruggedness and magnificence of the mountains.
While enjoying the beautiful scenery and the singing and dancing, and with the warm and humid climate of the Tangquan Palace, Yuwen Yuan enjoyed a relaxing time that was almost unprecedented in his life.
Just as he was about to head to the Hibiscus Pond that day, as soon as he stepped out of his palace, he saw Eunuch Yu leading a young eunuch forward to pay his respects.
Upon seeing the young eunuch's attire, he immediately understood that another official document had arrived from Chang'an.
For the past two weeks, a document has been delivered every two days. He used to examine it carefully and inquire about the major and minor affairs of the court and palace. However, there has been no news of the war in Luoyang, and with Yuwen Ye overseeing the country and asking questions, nothing major has happened. Gradually, he has stopped paying so much attention to it.
Seeing someone else arrive, Yuwen Yuan did not reach out to take the document presented by the young eunuch with both hands. Instead, he walked forward and asked, "Is there anything wrong in the palace?"
The young eunuch, holding the document in both hands, followed beside him and replied, "No."
"Then, what major event has occurred in the court?"
No, not at all.
Has any news come back from Luoyang?
"There has been no news from His Highness Prince Qi back to Chang'an yet."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan's expression became more relaxed than before. He only glanced at Eunuch Yu before Eunuch Yu stepped forward to take the document. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "His Highness Prince Qin is indeed meticulous in his work. His Majesty doesn't need to worry about anything."
Yuwen Yuan was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "He is a loyal and dedicated person who works diligently for the country."
At this moment, Zhang Yuping, walking beside Yuwen Yuan, smiled and said, "His Majesty is more meticulous. He arranged everything before leaving, and there hasn't been a single problem for the past half month. Even if there were, they were all minor matters that His Highness Prince Qin could naturally handle."
Yuwen Yuan then said to the young eunuch, "Go back and tell the Prince of Qin to do his job diligently and not to slack off."
"yes."
The young eunuch accepted the order, bowed, and withdrew.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yuping, giggling, led Yuwen Qian by the sleeve into the West Hall. Soon after, the sound of string and bamboo instruments filled the air, rising up into the air above the swirling snowflakes.
And so, another day slowly passed.
Because of the continuous heavy snow, it was only dusk, but the sky was already as dark as night. Only the West Palace, where the emperor was located, was brightly lit, with drums and music playing, and it was very lively. In contrast, the other halls and pavilions in the Tangquan Palace were much quieter.
The only place where there were still lights, and where people were moving around in the light, was the Gongde Temple outside the heavy palace walls.
The ministers who accompanied the emperor on his visit to Tangquan Palace were all placed there. For the first two days, they accompanied the emperor to soak in the hot springs and tour various parts of Tangquan Palace. However, after a few days, when Consort Zhang and others accompanied the emperor, and Consort Lou prepared songs and dances to present, they hardly saw His Majesty's face anymore. They only saw documents from Chang'an being sent over day by day, and then returning empty-handed day by day.
Under the flickering lamplight, Shen Shiyan's already graying hair and beard seemed even whiter than a couple of days ago.
He said heavily, "This won't do."
Sitting opposite him, Pei Xu also wore a solemn expression. He said, "His Majesty has never done anything like this before, refusing to attend to state affairs for days and not even seeing us. Could it be—"
His voice was low and subdued as he spoke the last few words.
Seeing that he was starting to think the worst, Shen Shiyan shook his head: "Not really."
"real?"
Shen Shiyan said in a deep voice, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is not at that level yet."
In truth, he might not trust the Crown Prince, but the current situation is that although the Crown Prince is the Crown Prince, he has not yet fully grasped real power. Even the power to oversee the country this time has fallen into the hands of the King of Qin. Although he left the Emperor and several ministers here, he actually has no power to manipulate the government.
On the other hand, King Qi led tens of thousands of troops eastward to Luoyang, and King Qin Yuwen Ye was in charge of the country. Although he did not lead troops into battle, his prestige in the army, his title of General Tian Ce, and the brave and skilled soldiers under his command were still at his disposal. Whatever the Crown Prince did here, King Qin could react within half a day.
Even faster.
Therefore, under these circumstances, they simply couldn't understand why the Crown Prince would keep the Emperor here and prevent them from meeting him.
This is completely baseless and unfounded.
Upon hearing Shen Shiyan's words, Pei Xu thought about it for a moment and seemed to agree that the Crown Prince wouldn't be so foolish. But since he wouldn't, his actions now were even more unsettling. So he said, "But we can't keep His Majesty here forever. I have a feeling something will happen."
Shen Shiyan said, "How could I not want to go back? But right now, we can't even see His Majesty."
Pei Xu was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I have another idea."
"What method?"
"sick!"
"sick?"
"Yes, sick!"
Pei Xu leaned close to his ear and whispered, "We, no, I, if I, the Grand Secretary, suddenly fall ill tonight, no matter what, Your Highness the Crown Prince cannot hide it from me, much less prevent me from returning to Chang'an for medical treatment, right?"
Shen Shiyan's eyes lit up immediately: "That's a good idea."
Then he frowned: "But what if people find out you're faking illness—"
"Who said I was faking illness?"
Pei Xu turned his head and glanced outside. Although the door was ajar, he could still see snowflakes falling steadily in the dark sky outside. Such a snow scene was often mesmerizing, but his gaze was more determined than before. He said, "We're old bones, can't we even get sick?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Shiyan immediately said, "But—"
Before he could finish speaking, Pei Xu immediately raised his hand to stop him from continuing: "Being sick is much less serious than the crime of deceiving the emperor. In any case, we can't stay here forever. Being controlled by others is not a solution."
Shen Shiyan thought for a moment and sighed, "Then I'll have to trouble you, brother."
"..."
"But we still need to discuss this with your son."
Pei Xu waved his hand again and said, "What's the point of discussing with him? Besides, that brat has probably disappeared somewhere. I—"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly saw a dark figure flash past the half-open door and exclaimed in alarm, "Who is it?!"
Just as the two were taken aback and hurriedly pushed open the doors of the Merit Hall and rushed out, a piercing gong sounded from the west hall, shattering the silence of the night.
Someone shouted, "There's an assassin!"
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