The calm before the storm
Shen Qinghang had been deeply troubled lately. The two guards he'd brought back a few days ago had committed suicide by poison before he could even interrogate them, and now it was the same. Looking at the palace maid lying in a pool of blood, Shen Qinghang couldn't help but frown. Another one dead. This was clearly orchestrated. The two guards could be explained away—perhaps they were embezzling money to send home, making their lives easier. But what about this palace maid? Shen Qinghang had investigated her background: an orphan, without parents, raised in the palace since childhood. Why would she risk her life to deliver a message to the Crown Prince's residence? Now that Consort Xiao was imprisoned, if nothing had happened, the Crown Prince should have rewarded her. But why had she committed suicide? Shen Qinghang was completely baffled. It was already autumn, and Emperor Yun was away on summer vacation, not yet returning. A letter from the Grand Palace said it would likely be until spring. He had originally thought Consort Xiao's matter would be resolved after the rainy season, but it had dragged on for so long. Li Yunrui has been incredibly busy these past few days, with many matters at court requiring his attention. He can't possibly hold onto the unpleasantness with Li Yunye from a while back. Shen Qinghang is weighing his options and knows he must find time to see the Crown Prince in a few days. Being busy is a good thing, but if the current brotherly conflict isn't resolved, it might breed more trouble.
Sitting upright in the study of the Eastern Palace, Li Yunrui sighed as he looked at the memorials before him. Five months had passed since Emperor Yun's journey to the Grand Palace in May. Even the Eastern Palace itself was completed, yet Emperor Yun still showed no intention of returning. Li Yunrui couldn't make decisions on many matters of the court, so he kept the memorials in the Eastern Palace. He should have informed Emperor Yun, but he dreaded the disappointment in his father's eyes. Since becoming Crown Prince, every day had been like walking on thin ice, each step fraught with difficulty. Sometimes he wondered if he was truly incompetent. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't gain Emperor Yun's praise. He had been well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood, possessing vast knowledge, all for the sake of earning a single word of praise from his father. He had endured humiliation and hardship for so many years, his gentle and virtuous reputation already known throughout the court, yet he still couldn't gain his father's favor. Li Yunrui didn't understand. Was it that he wasn't good enough to win his father's affection, or that his father's expectations were too high, and no one could meet his discerning eye? Li Yunrui snorted coldly. Indeed, the higher one climbs, the colder it gets. Although he sat on the throne of Crown Prince, he already clearly felt his powerlessness. As for Li Yunye's matter some time ago, it only added fuel to the fire. "Your Highness!" Li Yunrui looked up at the sound of someone entering and saw Lin Xiaomei carrying snacks. "Your Highness, rest! You've locked yourself in your study all day." Li Yunrui pressed his aching temples, saying wearily, "Your body isn't well. Let the servants do the tea and water. Just focus on your pregnancy." Lin Xiaomei placed the snacks on the table, supporting her belly as she slowly sat down, then gently scolded, "How dare they come in? His Highness the Crown Prince has locked himself in his study for the people and the country, not eating or drinking. How dare they disturb him? What's wrong? What's troubling you lately? This morning I went to pay my respects to my mother, and she asked about you, saying you haven't visited her for several days." Li Yunrui put down the memorial in his hand, bitterly... "Where would I find the time?" Li Yunrui chuckled. "The affairs of the previous dynasty are piling up, and Father's return has been postponed again and again." He gently stroked Lin Xiaomei's pregnant belly and softly said, "Sometimes I envy this child, carefree and without a care in the world. Sigh... Ever since this child arrived, I've been so busy, I haven't had time to name him or anything. Do you have any ideas?" Lin Xiaomei chuckled, "You're so busy all day long, how could you possibly have time for him? If you don't speak up, how could I presume to make a decision? The child's name should naturally be chosen by his father." Li Yunrui pondered for a moment, then moved all the piles of memorials on the table to the floor, laid out a new sheet of paper, picked up a pen, and was about to write when he felt something was amiss. He quickly stood up, took Lin Xiaomei's hand, and wrote: "A light rain falls on Lin'an, petals flutter in the wind, the moonlight chases the shadows of the trees."
"The child arrived in late spring, like the first rain in Lin'an, a light mist rising from the water. I hope he will be as clean and pure as the spring rain in Lin'an, untouched by mud. Let's name him Lin'an!" Lin Xiaomei shook her head, looking at the poem on the paper. "Lin'an is indeed a good name, but I don't think so... I believe Lin'an means 'blessing and peace.' Your Highness, what do you think?" Lin Xiaomei's words made Li Yunrui suddenly feel a little dazed. Yes, royal children are always given high hopes, and perhaps only the mother truly hopes for her child's safe growth! Li Yunrui nodded. "Alright, then so be it, Lin'an, meaning 'blessing and peace.'"
At this moment, in the Grand Palace, Emperor Yun, dressed in a blue robe, lay on a rocking chair, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. Eunuch Feng stood beside him, his face filled with worry. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty has been out for some time now. Is it alright that you haven't returned to Xiling for so long?" "What are you afraid of? Do you think I know nothing just because I've come out? Some things can only be known once you've come out." Emperor Yun didn't open his eyes, but pointed with his fan to the memorials on the table. "In just a few months, you've already managed to send my concubines to the Cold Palace." Eunuch Feng glanced at the memorials and then said, "The Crown Prince has always been discreet in his actions. This must mean something bad has happened... Your Majesty..." Upon hearing this, Emperor Yun slowly opened his eyes, sat up, and looked at the misty lake outside. He said, "Discretion? His discrepancy is merely flattery; he'll never amount to anything. Do you know why I rebelled back then?"
"This servant...this servant dares not speak," Eunuch Feng lowered his head, afraid of touching Emperor Yun's sore spot. "It's precisely because the former Crown Prince was incompetent and immoral! How can a ruler of a nation, so timid and weak, so gentle and kind, ever amount to anything? Decisiveness and ruthlessness are what an emperor should be like. In the royal family, where is there room for sentiment? If it were me, I should have killed Consort Xiao before Father returned, acting first and reporting later, and then falsely accusing her of colluding with a minister." These words startled Eunuch Feng, who dared not utter another word, standing there motionless. Emperor Yun threw his fan to the ground and slowly lay back in his reclining chair. "I am old, not like I used to be. Everyone in the court and the harem urges me to abdicate. But after so many years of fighting on the battlefield, I have no sons like mine. My eldest is gentle and kind, my third is weak and cowardly, only my fourth is somewhat pleasing."
"What does Your Majesty mean?" Eunuch Feng asked. Emperor Yun did not respond, but closed his eyes to rest for a long time before softly saying, "Survival of the fittest, it is the will of Heaven."
In the Xiling Imperial Palace, Consort Rong, with her back to her son, carefully placed the letter she had written aside and then asked, "It seems everything went smoothly." Li Yunheng sat upright behind her, his head slightly bowed. "It's all thanks to Mother. If it weren't for Mother, Consort Xiao wouldn't have been imprisoned in the palace by Li Yunrui." Rong Ji snorted coldly, picked up the envelope, stood up, and slowly sat down in front of Li Yunheng. "That Xiao Wan'er is also a useless person. She doesn't even know her own place, yet she dares to covet the Crown Prince's position. Oh well, such a person is already useless. When His Majesty returns to the palace, we'll find an opportunity to deal with her!"
Li Yunheng nodded. "Mother is wise. As for Li Yunye and Li Yunrui..." Li Yunheng was somewhat confused. He had dragged Li Yunrui into the mess some time ago, but in the matter of Consort Xiao, Consort Xiao was ultimately at fault. Li Yunrui's actions would only cause Li Yunye to turn against him, and the Emperor Yun would not do anything.
Rong Ji saw through Li Yunheng's thoughts and casually asked, "Do you know what your father, who conquered the world and possessed extraordinary courage, feared most?" Li Yunheng shook his head. In his mind, the Emperor Yun was always majestic; what could he possibly fear? "Your father feared betrayal. He raised an army at nineteen and established Yan Yun at twenty-four. What he feared most was following the same path as the previous emperor, Ruan Jinglian. All these years, even though Li Yunrui is supported and loved by the people, when has he ever relinquished power to him?" Li Yunheng pondered Rong Ji's words for a moment. "So you want to incite Li Yunrui to rebel? But... Li Yunrui has been upright and incorruptible all his life. Getting him to rebel is harder than climbing to heaven!"
“Sometimes you can force him to rebel, or make the emperor think he’s rebelling,” Rong Ji opened the envelope in her hand and handed it to Li Yunheng. “I’ve said it before, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. This time, we must make good use of Li Yunye.” After reading it, Li Yunheng roughly understood Rong Ji’s plan. After carefully considering Rong Ji’s words, he gradually felt more confident. “Mother, then we will do as you say. I will handle Li Yunye’s situation myself. I’m sorry to bother you by coming to the palace so late at night.” Li Yunheng got up, bowed, and left. After Li Yunheng left, Rong Ji called her personal maid, “Fang Lu, deliver this letter to the Mo residence. Don’t let anyone else see it. Be careful.” Back then, after the battle between Da Ruan and Mu Xi, Emperor Yun forced Li Lingyan to the Mo residence. Although it was said that if they continued north, they would eventually unify Da Ruan, Su Zili didn’t know what had gotten into her back then. She almost reached the Mo residence but asked Emperor Yun to withdraw his troops, using Mu Xi as a thread to break up Da Ruan and spare Li Lingyan’s life. Li Lingyan, however, would not let it go so easily. The throne that rightfully belonged to him, the Great Ruan, had been snatched away by Emperor Yun, leaving him only to humiliatingly guard the cold, snow-covered Mo Manor. Therefore, he sent his beloved concubine to Emperor Yun as a spy. Rong Ji's eyes softened at the thought of Li Lingyan. Years ago, when Li Lingyan sent her to Mu Xi, he held her hand and said, "Last year, the crabapple blossoms locked the vermilion tower, beneath the flowers you danced with flowing sleeves. Now, you are thin and frail, the crabapple blossoms fall on your jade-like eyes." He then personally placed a magnolia bracelet on her finger. "Rong'er," he said, "I know this journey will be fraught with difficulties, but I only pray that you will be safe. Be careful of Su Zili, who is by Li Linglan's side; he has exceptional fortune-telling skills. Don't expose yourself. The fate of Great Ruan rests on your shoulders."
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