Chapter 101
The morning light shines through the carved window lattices of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, casting mottled shadows on the golden brick floor, but it cannot dispel the stagnant air in the hall.
Ever since Li Yin took charge of the government in the name of assisting the government, His Majesty has not appeared on the dragon throne for more than a month. He suddenly arrived today, and the twelve emblems on his black dragon robe shone coldly in the morning light, making the hearts of the ministers below the steps tighten.
His Majesty's fingertips unconsciously stroked the armrests of the dragon throne. His gaze swept across the neatly arranged figures in court robes, finally landing on the vacant seat in the East Palace. He cleared his throat, his voice tinged with subtle fatigue: "The Crown Prince hasn't attended the morning court again?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Minister of Revenue, Sun Xing, stepped forward, the hem of his court robes making a soft rustle as they brushed the ground. As he bowed his head, a calculating look flashed in his eyes, but his tone was filled with concern for the country and its people: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has been more than a slacker! Previously, you ordered him to preside over the treason case, but he disobeyed. Now, he's even ignoring your imperial decree. Such disrespect for state affairs is unbecoming of a crown prince!"
"I second the motion!" Minister of Rites Xu Jiang followed closely, his tablet trembling slightly. "Recent memorials have piled up like a mountain, half of which implore Your Majesty to reconsider the position of crown prince. The Crown Prince's misconduct is a matter of public and private discussion."
His Majesty stiffened slightly upon hearing this, the armrests of the dragon throne clenched until they turned white. He waved his hands awkwardly, "Didn't I tell you that this matter should be put aside for now and not be brought up again?"
"Your Majesty!" Sun Xing suddenly raised his eyes, a disdainful sneer on his lips, his eyes as cold as ice. "But what Your Highness the Crown Prince has done has already endangered the country! If you continue to condone him, disaster will surely follow!"
"Lord Sun, you are mistaken." Minister of War Zhao Wanyong stepped steadily out of the procession, tapping his black iron thumb ring lightly on his tablet. His voice was steady and powerful. "What truly endangers the country right now are the rumors you are spreading, slandering the Crown Prince and the Red Maple Society! The Crown Prince is implementing new policies, and you are obstructing them at every turn. The Crown Prince is appeasing refugees, and you are inciting Confucian scholars to protest in the streets. Who is truly destabilizing the government?"
"Lord Zhao, please do not confuse the public!" The Prime Minister stepped out from the crowd of ministers, his graying beard drooping across his chest. His tone, seemingly calm, carried undeniable authority. "It is an indisputable fact that the Crown Prince has lost the trust of the officials and the support of the scholars. I believe that a decision should be made soon."
Sun Xing, receiving a look from the Prime Minister, immediately bowed his head and kowtowed, his voice rising a few notches: "Your Highness the Crown Prince has been frequenting brothels and entertainment venues lately, reveling day and night. Such behavior is no longer worthy of the position of Crown Prince! I implore Your Majesty to enforce the law impartially and depose the Crown Prince immediately to set the record straight!"
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!" Dozens of officials below the stairs kowtowed in unison, their court robes wrinkled like waves, and their shouts seemed to shake the beams of the hall.
His Majesty looked at the sea of heads below, his face growing paler. His fingers trembled as he held onto the armrests of the dragon throne. Without waiting for the ministers to stand up, he hastily said, "This concludes today's court session. We are adjourning!"
After saying this, without waiting for the eunuch to sing his praises, he stood up and walked quickly towards the back hall. When the hem of his black dragon robe swept across the threshold, he almost tripped. His fleeing back made the prime minister's eyes flash with an unfathomable light.
After the court was dismissed, the prime minister went straight to Changle Palace.
The elegant scent of sandalwood burned inside the palace, a stark contrast to the vibrant atmosphere outside. Ji Zelan, dressed in a palace gown embroidered with phoenixes and peonies, was seated at a rosewood table. Upon seeing the prime minister enter, she quickly stood up to greet him.
The two men sat opposite each other. The prime minister gently placed the celadon teacup on the table, making a crisp sound. He was the first to speak, his tone filled with concern: "How is the little prince these days?"
Ji Zelan's hand holding the cup paused slightly, a moment of distraction flashed across his eyes, and then he regained his composure and replied softly, "Thank you for your concern, father. He is getting stronger now, and the wet nurse can no longer hold him."
The Prime Minister nodded upon hearing this, his fingertips stroking the rim of the cup. His tone was calm but contained a hidden meaning: "Being strong is good. At certain times, this is a huge advantage."
Ji Zelan suddenly leaned forward, the pearls and jade on the phoenix hairpin swaying gently, her eyes full of surprise: "Father? What do you mean by this?"
The Prime Minister looked up at her, his expression still calm, but his voice lowered a bit: "Why are you so surprised? The East Palace is about to welcome a new owner. As the little prince's biological mother, you must make preparations in advance."
"New Master..." Ji Zelan murmured repeatedly, surprise instantly spreading across her face. She suppressed her excitement, her voice trembling slightly: "Father, are you serious? The Crown Prince..."
"Of course I take it seriously." The Prime Minister raised the teacup to his lips, hiding the sharp light that flashed in his eyes, and whispered, "In a few days, there will be good results."
After the prime minister left, Ji Zelan remained sitting there, his fingertips unconsciously sliding across the table.
Suddenly, as if startled by something, her hand trembled, and the scalding tea spilled onto her phoenix robe, leaving a dark mark. She was completely unaware, staring intently outside the hall, a flicker of determination in her eyes. Then she shouted loudly, "Someone! Tell Ji Zeming to come see me immediately!"
Within a stick of incense, Ji Zeming entered the hall, dressed in a cyan official robe. The two sat opposite each other, the sandalwood in the hall seemingly frozen in time, neither willing to speak first. Finally, it was Ji Zeming who broke the silence. He lowered his eyes, his voice a little distant, "Your Majesty, why did you summon me?"
Ji Zelan looked up at him, her tone somewhat condescending: "You really don't know? The Crown Prince is about to be deposed, and the new owner of the East Palace will be decided soon. How dare you threaten me with what happened before?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Zeming's eyes flashed with disappointment. He looked up at Ji Zelan and said in a self-deprecating tone, "Queen Madam—No, sister, I knew exactly what you did back then, but I kept it a secret for you. Now that I think about it, it was all because of that insignificant blood relationship."
He paused, his Adam's apple rolling slightly, and continued, "I originally thought you asked me to come here to see the child. After all, he is your own flesh and blood. Now it seems that I was overthinking it. If you can give him up once for power, you can naturally give him up a second time."
"Shut up!" Ji Zelan suddenly slammed the table and stood up, the hem of her phoenix robe sweeping across the ground. Her eyes were filled with anger as if she had been hit in a sore spot. Her voice became sharper, "You are not allowed to mention her!"
Ji Zeming looked at her out of control, sighed softly, and turned to leave.
When he reached the door of the hall, he looked back at Ji Zelan again, with a final admonition in his tone: "Sister, it's not too late to confess everything now. This is the last kindness I can give you." After that, he strode out of the hall, leaving Ji Zelan standing there alone, her face turning pale and blue.
Eunuch Zhang looked at his master's angry face and did not dare to step forward. Ji Zelan calmed his chest and whispered a few words to Eunuch Zhang. After receiving the order, Eunuch Zhang hurriedly left the hall.
——
Evening clouds rolled up the setting sun, painting Mr. Chashan's courtyard a warm orange. The trumpet creepers climbing the bamboo fence had wilted, but a few wisps of their fragrance lingered on the wind, mingling with the scent of wood ash wafting from the kitchen, filling the quiet courtyard.
Suddenly, brisk footsteps shattered the dusk, startling the swallows roosting under the eaves. Mr. Chashan had just put down his palm-leaf fan and hastily lifted the bamboo curtain to go out. He saw Li Yin standing at the gate in a blue shirt, his forehead beaded with sweat, but his eyes were bright.
When Li Yin winked at him secretly, a hint of understanding flashed across Mr. Chashan's eyes and he nodded very lightly, his movement so subtle that it was almost blown away by the evening breeze.
Li Yin stepped into the house lightly, his wooden clogs making only a very slight sound as he stepped on the bluestone slabs.
He walked straight to the small chair beside the couch and sat down. When his eyes fell on the unconscious person on the couch, his expression softened instantly. The person's face was pale, his lips were bloodless, and a few strands of black hair hung down in front of his forehead, covering his usually sharp eyebrows and eyes.
Li Yin leaned forward, his voice very low, as if afraid of disturbing the sleep of the person on the couch: "Wei Dao, I'm coming."
In the chaos that day, Weidao collapsed covered in blood. Everyone thought he was dead, but Li Yin was the only one who found a faint pulse on his neck in the chaos.
He had an idea and took advantage of the moment when everyone was either panicking or regretting to quietly tug at the sleeve of the warm-hearted man next to him and signaled him with his eyes to take the man away.
The warm-hearted man understood what she meant, and as dusk deepened, he wrapped the tail knife in thick cotton wool, and took it to this secret courtyard for recuperation away from people's sight.
Li Yin stretched out his hand, and his fingertips gently brushed across the brocade quilt covering the tail knife, smoothing out the wrinkles at the corners bit by bit.
He looked at Wei Dao's motionless face and muttered in a voice so low it was almost like a whisper: "When will you open your eyes and respond to me?"
"The external injuries on his body have almost healed, but his internal energy channels have not yet recovered. No one can predict when he will wake up."
Mr. Chashan came from the back room holding a bowl of steaming medicine. The rim of the celadon bowl was covered with white mist, which made the fine lines at the corners of his eyes look even gentler.
He placed the medicine bowl on a small table on the edge of the sink, picked up the silver spoon and stirred it gently, and the bitter aroma of the medicine gradually spread.
Li Yin nodded slowly after hearing this, his eyes still glued to Wei Dao's face. His tone was somewhat self-consoling, and he seemed to be talking to the person on the couch opposite him: "I think he is tired too. After all, he has had a very hard time these years."
Those days of licking blood on the edge of a knife, those secrets that I carried alone, I am afraid that the tail knife’s strength has long been exhausted.
Mr. Chashan scooped up a spoonful of medicine, put it to his lips and blew gently. When the temperature was right, he carefully fed it to Weidao's lips and watched the medicine slowly slide into his mouth.
He spoke casually, but his words hit the nail on the head: "In my opinion, maybe he's not tired, but he hasn't figured out how to face you yet."
Li Yin paused for a moment, then stood up and walked out of the house. Mr. Chashan put down his silver spoon and followed closely behind him.
The two stood under the old locust tree in the yard, looking at the setting sun in the sky. The orange-red glow stretched their shadows very long, casting them on the bluestone slabs, interweaving into a quiet silhouette.
"Is there still no news from Luo Yun?" Li Yin looked at the setting sun, with a barely perceptible solemnity in his voice.
Mr. Chashan nodded, with a teasing smile in the corner of his eyes, but his tone was not relaxed: "Why, you didn't hear from her, are you a little disappointed?"
Li Yin shook his head slightly and sighed deeply. The evening breeze lifted the hem of his clothes, revealing the chain of eternity on his wrist.
"No news right now is actually the best news." He paused, his eyes sharpening. "These past few days, I've been checking the Ji family's money in and out, and I've also followed their informants to find some clues. However, there are too many people involved, so it's going to take a while to sort out the clues."
Mr. Chashan patted his shoulder, his tone becoming more serious. "Following these clues and trying to find the person behind them will be harder than walking on the edge of a knife. You're impatient, but this matter can't be rushed. You must be careful in everything and don't let yourself get caught up in it."
Li Yin nodded in agreement and looked up at the sky. The setting sun had already sunk behind the distant mountains, leaving only the brilliant sunset glow across the sky.
He turned to leave, but as he reached the gate, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Mr. Chashan, who was washing dishes at the stove. In the twilight, Mr. Chashan's figure was reflected on the window paper, his movements unhurried.
"Teacher," Li Yin's voice pierced the twilight with a firm strength, "I am ready now. You should also prepare early and be ready to fill the vacant position in the court."
Mr. Chashan suddenly stopped washing dishes, tightened his grip on the wooden spoon, then slowly turned his head and looked at Li Yin at the gate of the courtyard.
The light of the sunset fell on his face, and complex emotions surged in his eyes, including relief and worry, which eventually turned into a gentle smile.
He nodded towards Li Yin, his voice wrapped in the evening breeze and carried clearly: "Okay, I'll wait for that day."
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