Night Talk
Zhou Ziliang knew that no matter how he comforted Tang Feng, he would still worry about him, so he could only take his hand and smile, "Alright, what kind of talk is it to cry at the entrance of the military camp? People will say that the Grand Tutor doesn't know etiquette." Tang Feng's eyes were red, and he turned his face away, sobbing softly, "You care about that?"
"not give a damn about"
"Why should I care about them?" Seeing that Tang Feng didn't move, Zhou Ziliang pulled him towards the carriage. "Let me take you out for a walk. When you first got sick, didn't you always want to go out? Later, your illness kept recurring and never got better, but you had so many things to do. Now that we have some free time, I'll take you for a stroll."
Tang Feng wanted to refuse; his mind was too chaotic today, and he had no desire to go out with Zhou Ziliang. But the words caught in his throat as he remembered what he had just done, and he swallowed them back. He followed Zhou Ziliang into the carriage, whereupon Zhou Ziliang said, "Little Feng, cheer up. After we got married, we haven't gone out for leisure together anymore." Tang Feng could only manage a forced smile, leaning on Zhou Ziliang's shoulder and softly replying, "Okay."
Meanwhile, Shen Qinghang went to see Li Yunye early in the morning, holding a letter from the Marquis of Annan. He handed it to Li Yunye, saying, "Your Highness, this letter is from the Marquis of Annan. Please take a look." Shen Qinghang had mentioned the matter of military power before, but Li Yunye hadn't taken it to heart. He knew how Li Yunrui had died and what Emperor Yun hated most. However, military power wasn't something one could simply acquire. Li Yunye took the letter with some suspicion and began to read it. Then, his expression darkened. "Shen Qinghang, what do you mean?"
“Your Highness, only with military power can one gain a foothold in the palace,” Shen Qinghang said sincerely, head bowed. But Li Yunye threw the letter away. “Father has always disliked princes with military power. Now, the Ninth Prince is arrogant, the Fourth Prince is favored, and I have nothing. Do you want me to add fuel to the fire?” Shen Qinghang smiled at Li Yunye. “You’re so eager to become Crown Prince, isn’t it to free your mother from her suffering? Once you have military power, won’t all of this come quickly?” Li Yunye took two steps back, his brows furrowed. “You want me to force the emperor to abdicate?”
Shen Qinghang nodded. "Now that things have come to this, the Qiang and Hu matter has already caused you to lose His Majesty's trust. It will be extremely difficult to turn things around. Don't you understand? This is the shortcut."
After pondering for a moment, Li Yunye stood up, his back to Shen Qinghang. "I will not agree. I know very well how Li Yunrui died. Even Father Emperor didn't leave him a way out, let alone me." Shen Qinghang picked up the letter from the ground and placed it on the table. "It's alright. This letter is here. If you have any thoughts, you can come to me at any time." Just as Shen Qinghang was about to leave, Li Yunye hurriedly said, "Does Tang Feng know about this?"
Shen Qinghang knew that Li Yunye cared a lot about Tang Feng's opinion, so he nodded. "He's been sick these past few days. I mentioned it to him when I visited him, and he didn't have any objections, only saying he respected your wishes. But given his condition, he probably won't be able to stay with you for much longer." Seeing that Li Yunye remained silent, Shen Qinghang turned and left.
Li Yunye sat down, staring at the letter, momentarily lost. He desperately wanted to save his mother, but he wanted to live even more. He would never touch military power unless absolutely necessary; in Emperor Yun's eyes, military power was taboo. If he harbored rebellious intentions, not only would he fail to save his mother, but he might also suffer a more gruesome death than Li Yunrui. Shen Qinghang was extremely loyal, but Li Yunye still harbored some reservations. Wen Yunsheng was also unwilling to get involved in this matter. As for Tang Feng… He was just about to ask Tang Feng for his opinion, but he had delayed visiting him for the past few days because of the state banquet.
Thinking of this, Li Yunye became restless and stood up to leave. "Steward, prepare a carriage for me. I need to go to the Marquis's residence."
Meanwhile, Zhou Ziliang led Tang Feng on horseback to the back mountain south of Xiling City. Tang Feng had never been here before. The bamboo forest was dense, and the ground was covered with green grass. Not far away, there was a wooden house. "Why did you suddenly bring me here?" "When I was a child, if I was wronged, I would stay here for a while." Zhou Ziliang got up and helped Tang Feng down from the carriage, then said, "When I was young, my father was very strict. You know my father's temperament. He would never listen to anyone's excuses, so if he hit me, he hit me. If I was wronged or in a bad mood, I would come here and sit for half a day, and I would feel much better." In front of the wooden house, there was a spring. The stream flowed down from the mountain and, after several twists and turns, finally reached this spring. Tang Feng walked into the house and looked at the furnishings, which were very much in line with Zhou Ziliang's personality. There was a bed, a table, and nothing else. Looking at the thick dust on the furnishings, Tang Feng looked at Zhou Ziliang and said, "You haven't been here for a long time?"
Zhou Ziliang nodded. "The last time I came was because I heard you say you went to the palace to beg His Majesty for a marriage decree, and I came in a fit of anger." That's at least ten years. Tang Feng walked out, found a rock, and sat down. "Then why did you bring me here?"
“Xiao Feng, sometimes I just have a vague feeling that you haven’t told me many things. It’s okay if you don’t say them, but don’t keep them bottled up inside. If I can’t be your listener, you can come here. There’s always a place in Xiling where you can vent.”
Tang Feng was taken aback, then grabbed Zhou Ziliang's sleeve, lowered his head and smiled bitterly, "Are you concerned about my emotions just now?"
Zhou Ziliang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Not really. Ever since Liu Liu died, you've had something on your mind. I've been waiting for you to tell me, but I've never heard from you. But if you don't want to, that's fine too. There's no one here, it's quiet enough, quiet enough for everyone to hear everything you have to say." Tang Feng bit his lower lip tightly. He also wanted to tell Ziliang everything. He wanted to tell Ziliang that he didn't have long to live, that the two of them were destined not to grow old together, that he didn't want to fight for the throne anymore, that he wanted to be with him forever, and that they weren't from the same era, that they had come here by chance. But he couldn't say anything. Tang Feng stood up and smiled at Zhou Ziliang. "Don't worry, I... I'm fine, don't worry." Tang Feng didn't know how to answer. He could only lie again and again, saying he was fine, saying everything was alright, saying it would put Zhou Ziliang's mind at ease. Tang Feng gripped Zhou Ziliang's sleeve tightly and slowly spoke, "Ziliang... if—and I mean if—I don't live much longer... what will you do?"
"You'll be fine," Zhou Ziliang said quickly, as if it hadn't been thought out and had just slipped out.
Tang Feng stood up and looked at Zhou Ziliang. "I said, if..."
"No ifs"
Tang Feng sighed and smiled, "Alright, there are no 'ifs.' Let's go back." Just as Tang Feng was about to leave, Zhou Ziliang behind him spoke up, "If you're really gone, I will naturally follow you to the afterlife." Tang Feng's heart tightened, a lump formed in his throat, and his eyes stung with tears. Tang Feng turned to Zhou Ziliang and smiled, "Silly boy, that won't happen."
On the way back, the two remained silent. Tang Feng lay on Zhou Ziliang's lap, gazing at the bamboo forest outside the carriage, and slowly said, "Now that things are over and everything has settled, let's resign from our posts." Zhou Ziliang looked down at Tang Feng and nodded. "Alright, let's leave Xiling, far away from this place that once caused you so much heartache."
Li Yunye waited at the Marquis's mansion for a long time, from afternoon until dark, but Tang Feng did not return. Just as he was about to leave, he heard the sound of horses' hooves in the distance. Zhou Ziliang saw Li Yunye, frowned at first, then jumped down from the carriage and bowed to Li Yunye, "Your Highness, what brings you here..." Li Yunye hurriedly stepped forward, "Is Tang Feng here?" Zhou Ziliang remembered the argument between Tang Feng and Li Yunye at the palace gate a few days ago, so he blocked the carriage, "Xiao Feng fell ill after returning from the palace yesterday and is not able to receive guests." Li Yunye knew that Tang Feng was indeed ill, but perhaps "not able to see him" was just an excuse. Standing aside, he said, "I have urgent business. I must see Tang Feng today. I was somewhat abrupt yesterday, but I already know I was wrong."
Tang Feng lifted the curtain at this moment. "Your Highness, it's already late. Thanks to your kindness yesterday, I still have a low-grade fever. If I don't go back soon, it will get serious. What should I do?" Li Yunye saw Tang Feng get off the carriage and took two steps to catch up. "Did Shen Qinghang tell you about the Marquis of An'nan?" Tang Feng paused on the threshold, then went inside and turned to look at Li Yunye. "So what? I don't care."
"Tang Feng! Aren't you afraid I'll expose you? If I'm arrested and interrogated by the Emperor, do you think you can escape? Do you think Zhou Ziliang can escape?" Li Yunye was furious, but Tang Feng remained unmoved, standing at the entrance of the Marquis's residence, looking down at him with a slight raised eyebrow. "Your Highness, are you threatening me?"
"Throughout history, the imperial family has always been the most ruthless," Li Yunye said, looking at Tang Feng with a hint of coldness in his voice.
Hearing footsteps approaching from afar, Tang Feng figured the old steward must have disturbed Madam Zhou. He wanted to get rid of Li Yunye quickly, but before he could speak, he heard Madam Zhou's voice, "Xiao Feng, what are you doing standing here? You're not feeling well, why don't you go inside and rest?" Madam Zhou's tone was more forceful than usual, and Tang Feng was pushed to Zhou Ziliang's side by Madam Zhou. Then she looked at Li Yunye and asked, "Your Highness, what brings you here so late at night?"
"I..."
“If there’s nothing wrong, there’s no need to bother us anymore.” Madam Zhou always spoke decisively. Although Tang Feng knew this, he didn’t want to cause trouble for the Marquis’s mansion because of this matter, so he quickly pulled Madam Zhou back, “Mother! Mother…”
"Shut up! How could you let someone threaten my young master? You're just too good-natured. Do you often get bullied at court too?" Tang Feng was silenced by Madam Zhou's scolding, while Li Yunye was completely taken aback by the veiled insults. Zhou Ziliang then half-dragged, half-pulled Madam Zhou away, constantly comforting her, "Mother, Xiao Feng wasn't bullied. The Third Prince wanted to discuss something with Xiao Feng. It's about the Ninth Prince..." Madam Zhou asked as she walked, "What is it? Coming so late at night, why threaten that child Xiao Feng! Don't push me!"
Seeing Madam Zhou being pulled away by Zhou Ziliang, Tang Feng sighed and glanced at Li Yunye, "Your Highness, please come in."
Tang Feng originally intended to keep Li Yunye in suspense for a while, but then he thought, why not take this opportunity to get some information out of Li Yunye? If what Shen Qinghang said was true, that the death of the Crown Prince and the Princess was inextricably linked to him, then he needed to ask him about it.
Li Yunye followed Tang Feng into the study. Seeing Tang Feng sit down, Li Yunye sat opposite him. Perhaps still feeling feverish, Tang Feng leaned on the table, feeling slightly dizzy and unsteady. He asked, "What do you think of the Marquis of An'nan that Shen Qinghang mentioned?" Seeing that Tang Feng hadn't beat around the bush and was going straight to the point, Li Yunye didn't mince words either. "Father has always disliked these things. I don't think this is the best course of action," Tang Feng said, clutching his robes as if making a huge decision. He took a deep breath before speaking. "I don't think so. Your current situation is somewhat dangerous. Falling out of favor is a minor issue, but colluding with the Marquis of An'nan is a major one. Weighing the pros and cons, His Majesty will likely realize it soon."
Li Yunye looked at Tang Feng in confusion, "But I did nothing wrong, why are you saying I colluded with the Marquis of Annan for no reason?"
Tang Feng shook his head. "It's true you didn't reply, but you still received it. If you truly had no such intention, you should have sent it to His Majesty immediately. But you didn't. And... Your Highness, deep down, you actually crave military power, don't you? From ancient times to the present, how could emperors and generals not covet military power?"
"Tang Feng, are you stirring up trouble?"
"No, I'm merely offering advice to Your Highness. However, you can wait. If your letter of refusal is intercepted, or if it's discovered, His Majesty might take your life. Of course, you can choose to act first, but it's best to plan ahead. The journey from Southern Xinjiang to Western Ling is quite long." Seeing Li Yunye remain silent, Tang Feng lowered his eyes and asked softly, "Your Highness, there's something I don't understand and would like to ask you about."
Go ahead and ask.
"Why are you suddenly so obsessed with the struggle for the throne? Back when you were at Lishan Academy, you were never willing to get involved in this."
"Didn't I tell you it was because of my mother?"
"Was Consort Xiao really murdered by the Crown Prince?"
Li Yunye frowned and asked in return, "Then who else could it be?"
"The Crown Prince is straightforward and inflexible. It's true he imprisoned Consort Xiao, but if we trace it further up the chain of command, he wouldn't know unless the palace maids went. Besides, among so many ministers, why specifically the Princess's favorite, Huai Tang..." Tang Feng looked at Li Yunye. "Your Highness, being the emperor isn't a good thing; the things you face are far too dangerous..."
"Tang Feng, you don't need to persuade me anymore. My mind is made up. If I back down today, what will happen to my mother? She will never see the light of day again, locked up in the palace gates, and die an old man in the palace?"
"But you never saw Lady Xiao again after that, you..."
"Enough! Tang Feng, this is a matter between me and my mother. Don't overstep the rules." Li Yunye got up and walked out. As soon as he stepped out of the backyard, he saw Zhou Ziliang who seemed to be coming in. He stopped, nodded to him, and then left.
Zhou Ziliang entered the study and saw Tang Feng leaning back in his chair, his left hand pressed against his temple, looking exhausted. "What's wrong?" Zhou Ziliang went over and touched Tang Feng's forehead; it seemed his fever was even higher than in the morning. "Li Yunye is too obsessed with his mother. It seems I need to find some time to meet her." Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziliang scooped Tang Feng up in his arms. Tang Feng didn't react for a moment, afraid of falling, and clung tightly to Zhou Ziliang's neck. "You... why are you suddenly..."
“Come inside and I’ll listen to you. It’s windy in the study, and your fever is getting worse. If you don’t listen, I won’t explain to Mother for you tomorrow.” Tang Feng rubbed his chin against Zhou Ziliang’s shoulder. “So what did you just tell Mother?”
"I said, Xiao Feng hasn't been feeling well lately, which has caused him to miss the Ninth Prince's studies, and the Third Prince has come to question him."
"You're such a good liar, you don't even need to think before you lie."
"What can I do? You always dump messes on me."
Upon hearing this, Tang Feng buried his head in Zhou Ziliang's chest and chuckled softly, "That's truly unfair to our Ziliang. He's been upright his whole life, yet for my sake, he has to lie even to his elders. No wonder Father has never liked me." Zhou Ziliang placed Tang Feng on the bed, somewhat worried about his illness. He dampened a handkerchief and wiped away Tang Feng's cold sweat, asking softly, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could Father not like you? Are you feeling unwell?" Tang Feng was unsure how to respond. Perhaps because he had been feverish all day, he was gradually getting used to the swaying sensation. Tang Feng shook his head, "I'm not unwell. Compared to chest tightness, a fever is much more comfortable. It's just dizziness." Zhou Ziliang covered Tang Feng with a blanket, then undressed and got into bed himself. He put his arm around Tang Feng and let him rest his head on his shoulder before saying, "What happened between you two just now? I saw the Third Prince storm off."
"It's nothing serious, just reopening old wounds," Tang Feng said, closing his eyes and feeling the strong heartbeat coming from Zhou Ziliang's chest. He then said slowly, "Regarding Consort Xiao, perhaps he misjudged the situation from the beginning. Although Li Yunrui personally locked Consort Xiao up, Huaitang and that palace maid seemed to find something suspicious..."
Following Tang Feng's train of thought, Zhou Ziliang continued, "I heard that palace maid committed suicide, so there's probably no trace of her. But regarding Huaitang... I can probably help you investigate." Zhou Ziliang gently kissed Tang Feng's forehead. "It's getting late, you should rest. If she's still not better by tomorrow, I'll have to go and call Old Wu."
The next morning, for some unknown reason, Tang Feng's fever subsided. Zhou Ziliang sat by the bed, touching Tang Feng's forehead, then his own. "Looks like the fever's gone down." Before Tang Feng could speak, Zhou Ziliang slipped his hand inside Tang Feng's clothes, then frowned. "So much sweat?" "It's all because you insisted on holding me to sleep last night!" Tang Feng turned his head away, somewhat annoyed. "Who holds someone to sleep in the sweltering heat of summer?! You wanted to kill me with heat? Sleeping is like going for a run!" Zhou Ziliang helped Tang Feng sit up, looking apologetic. "I was afraid you'd kick off the covers tonight, so I held you a bit too tightly. I'll have someone boil some hot water so you can take a bath; that will make you more comfortable."
There were many servants in the manor, and soon they came to fetch Tang Feng. A maid gently knocked on the door and said, "Young master, young master, the water is ready. I'll come in now to get you some clothes." At this moment, Zhou Ziliang opened the door and instructed, "Don't find clothes that are too thin for the young master; he can't catch a cold." Upon hearing this, Tang Feng tidied his hair behind his ear and couldn't help but complain, "But they can't be too thick either. It's the hottest time of summer; you're going to give me heatstroke!"
Tang Feng lay in the bathtub, pondering Li Yunye's actions from the previous day. A sense of unease crept in. Li Yunye had insisted that Li Yunrui was responsible for Xiao Niangniang's affair, but conversely... his later murder of Li Yunrui seemed plausible. The question was, what about the Eldest Princess? Was Huaitang's death a coincidence, or was she being manipulated? It was all hard to believe. Looking at Li Yunye's demeanor, it didn't seem like it... The princess he had killed... Tang Feng stood up from the bathtub, still wet, and went outside to grab a towel to dry himself. He draped the towel over his head, put on his clothes, and tied his belt, ready to leave. But Zhou Ziliang at the door stopped him. "You're coming out without even drying your hair?" Tang Feng, somewhat embarrassed, took the towel and hastily dried his hair, but Zhou Ziliang stopped him. "You can't dry it like that." He then made Tang Feng turn around, took the towel, and began drying him. "Someone just came to the manor," Tang Feng turned to look at Zhou Ziliang. "Who was it? It wasn't Li Yunye, was it?"
"No," Zhou Ziliang suddenly became serious, looking at Tang Feng with some worry. "It's Miss Zizhu. She said the Empress Dowager caught a cold a few days ago and has been ill ever since. She wants to see you now." Tang Feng frowned upon hearing this. "It's the height of summer, why would she be sick?" He fastened his belt and turned to leave, but Zhou Ziliang grabbed him. "The Empress Dowager is old and it's normal for her to be frail. Don't rush. Go eat first, I'll send someone to call a carriage."
Tang Feng felt somewhat guilty. After their parting at the imperial mausoleum that day, the Empress Dowager had clearly told him to visit her often, but he hadn't gone during his several visits. Now that she was ill, he hadn't even known. He ate the meal with a troubled mind.
As Tang Feng reached the door, Zi Zhu bowed to him, saying, "Grand Tutor."
"Is Grandmother's illness any better?"
Zizhu shook her head. "No, the imperial physician said it's due to a weak spleen and stomach and a cold. She hasn't been able to eat much these past few days, and she woke up this morning insisting on seeing you." Tang Feng couldn't help but worry. The Empress Dowager was indeed getting on in years, and it was normal for her to fall ill occasionally. However, this illness sounded rather serious. Tang Feng didn't delay any longer and followed Zizhu into the carriage. Along the way, Tang Feng asked many questions about the Empress Dowager's recent condition. To Tang Feng, the Empress Dowager not only saved his life but was also like a grandmother to him, always taking good care of him.
Upon arriving at the Empress Dowager's palace again, the room was no longer filled with the scent of incense; instead, it reeked of familiar Chinese medicine. Tang Feng frowned and entered the inner chamber, where he saw the Empress Dowager resting on a soft couch. He quickly tried to kneel to pay his respects, but the Empress Dowager stopped him. "Little Feng, there's no need for formalities. There are no more than three people here. What's the point of such formalities? Come, sit down, let your grandmother take a good look at you." Tang Feng sat down and softly asked, "Grandmother, what's wrong?" The Empress Dowager looked much thinner than she had been at the imperial mausoleum. She took Tang Feng's hand and said gently, "In this life, no matter how much fame and fortune one has, one cannot escape birth, aging, sickness, and death. Sooner or later, it will all come to an end. You don't need to be afraid. Your grandmother has seen everything in her life and is not afraid of these things." Tang Feng lowered his head, holding the Empress Dowager's hand tightly, as if afraid that, like his grandmother, their separation would be forever. "I heard you found the person who tried to assassinate you."
Tang Feng nodded in response. The Empress Dowager sighed and continued, "Little Feng, now that you've found it, let some things go. Xiling is a place of trouble and conflict; you won't find peace here."
Tang Feng pursed his lips, lowered his head and pondered for a moment before speaking, "Xiao Feng knows, but I can't leave right now."
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