Protect young player Lin Siwen
Not long after Shen Qinghang had Li Yunye inform Li Yunyu about General Lin's situation, Li Yunye visited the General's mansion. The once bustling mansion now seemed desolate. Li Yunye shook his head, blaming it on Old Master Lin's misjudgment in marrying his daughter to Li Yunrui. Li Yunye knocked on the mansion's door. The servant who opened it, seeing Li Yunye, hurried forward, "Your Highness, what brings you here?"
"I apologize for the lateness of the night. I've come to see the old general." Li Yunye lifted his robes to enter, but was stopped by Madam Lin, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion. "Your Highness, please wait!" Madam Lin stepped forward and bowed to Li Yunye. "Your Highness, my master has been bedridden and is truly unfit to receive guests. Please forgive him. Please return home today..."
"It's not that the old general needs to see me today; I'm going to visit him. Madam Lin, please let me in!" Seeing that things had come to this point, Madam Lin naturally couldn't refuse any longer. She stepped aside to let Li Yunye in. Although she was bedridden and unable to receive guests, seeing Li Yunye heading towards his bedroom, Madam Lin quickly stopped him, pointing to the main hall, "Your Highness, please wait in the main hall for a moment! My husband has always valued his reputation and will definitely insist on seeing you there." Having lost her daughter in her later years, and with her husband's worsening illness, Madam Lin's once delicate face now bore the marks of time. Seeing this, Li Yunye waved his hand, "Madam, you're being too polite."
No sooner had he finished speaking than General Lin was helped out. "This humble general, Lin Cheng, greets Your Highness." Seeing Lin Cheng about to kneel, Li Yunye quickly went to help him up. "General Lin, please rise quickly. You have fought for Yan Yun all your life, achieving countless victories. How could you possibly bow to a mere prince like me?"
"Times have changed, things are not what they used to be." Lin Cheng was helped into a chair by several people, breathing heavily. Li Yunye saw that his face was ashen, and he probably didn't have much time left. Lin Cheng had been guarding the Muxi area for generations and was a military general whom Emperor Yun trusted very much. The Lin family had been loyal for generations, and several of Lin Cheng's sons had followed in their fathers' footsteps to guard Muxi. Only his youngest son, Lin Siwen, had followed Lin Cheng as a vanguard and returned to Xiling with him. As for the Eastern Palace case, although Emperor Yun hadn't said anything, he had become somewhat wary. In court, civil officials, in order to curry favor with Emperor Yun, submitted memorials everywhere to suppress the Lin family. Lin Cheng, who was originally straightforward and unwilling to deal with interpersonal relationships, finally couldn't bear their insults and fell ill from anger. "Your Majesty... are you alright?"
Li Yunye nodded. "Father has always been in good health. After the case of the Crown Prince, my elder brother died unjustly, and in the end, the Lin family was implicated to some extent."
Hearing Li Yunye's words, a bright light flashed in Lin Cheng's eyes. "Really? Your Highness... is that really what you think? The Crown Prince is kind and filial, how could he rebel? His Majesty was just hasty and made a wrong judgment. But how can you say that? Who would believe you! I'm already halfway to the grave, I have nothing to fear, but my little son..." Lin Cheng pointed to Lin Siwen beside him, "Although he's a novice, he's always been by my side, practicing martial arts diligently for over ten years. That skill is for protecting Yan Yun, not for people to gossip about! My other two sons were imprisoned outside Muxi Pass without even knowing what was going on. Of my four children... only this one is left!"
“Not only do I believe it, but my ninth brother does too,” Li Yunye patted Lin Cheng on the shoulder, then said, “You know that my ninth brother has always been raised in my eldest brother’s residence. He naturally knows better than anyone whether my eldest brother rebelled or not.” Upon hearing this, Lin Cheng hurriedly asked, “Where is His Highness the Ninth Prince? Is he alright?” General Lin had met Li Yunye a few times before and considered him the most upright among the princes. After a moment’s thought, he said, “This old minister has never asked for anything all these years. This old minister begs Your Highness to secretly arrange a meeting for me with His Highness the Ninth Prince!”
Seeing that Lin Cheng seemed interested in seeing Li Yunyu, Li Yunye feigned reluctance and continued, "Alas, it's not that I don't want to help, it's just that Father Emperor is very superstitious about this. You, please take care of yourself, otherwise what will your youngest son do? Besides, my ninth brother is clumsy with words and straightforward in nature. Look! Father Emperor recently found him a Grand Tutor, a tutor who is learned, courageous, and resourceful."
"Your Highness, please wait! This old minister doesn't have many days left to live. I've met His Highness the Ninth Prince several times. Please do me a favor and let this old minister see His Highness one more time."
After parting ways with Li Yunye, Tang Feng boarded the carriage, looking preoccupied. Zhou Ziliang couldn't help but worry. "Did Li Yunye cause you trouble?" "He wouldn't dare? I just don't understand." Tang Feng leaned on Zhou Ziliang's shoulder, lifted a corner of the curtain, looked at the passing crowd, and then said, "If I remember correctly, Li Yunye just clashed with me a few days ago. He said... he didn't want me to get in his way. But this time, he helped General Lin relay a message asking the Ninth Prince to see the old general. Is this a sabotage, or is it genuine? I'm really unsure."
"I didn't expect that he would say this to you instead of His Highness the Ninth Prince. It seems he was giving you directions." Zhou Ziliang slowly lowered Tang Feng's hand, which had been lifting the curtain. "Don't lift the curtain, be careful not to catch a cold."
"He probably wishes he could send the Ninth Prince to see the old general. The general's mansion is in deep trouble right now; no one in the court dares to approach them. Everyone knows the general's mansion is involved because of the Eastern Palace case. Does he think I'm a fool? Taking the Ninth Prince there, then turning around and writing a memorial to His Majesty? And ending up with charges of forming cliques, treason, and rebellion? I think that's impossible. Perhaps... there's something else I don't know." Tang Feng slowly leaned down, resting his head on Zhou Ziliang's knees, and pressed his aching forehead. "I've really had enough of these exhausting days. I can't sleep soundly for a day or two. In the court, I have to deal with His Majesty; after court, I have to appease Elder Wu; and at night, I have to instruct the prince. When will this end?"
Ever since Tang Feng returned to the manor, Wu Hezou had been brought to the Tang residence by Madam Zhou. She examined Tang Feng thoroughly, and seeing Wu Hezou's increasingly furrowed brows, Tang Feng's heart pounded with fear. "Haven't you rested properly? Your liver fire is raging, you're quite temperamental, young master. What's wrong? Do you want to kill yourself by being an official?" Wu Hezou, noticing the dark circles under Tang Feng's eyes, wrote a prescription on a piece of paper and then said to Zhou Ziliang beside him, "This kind of spoiling will kill him sooner or later. Haven't you noticed how restless he's been lately? A calming medicine, one dose in the morning and one at night. He's never listened to a word! What are you laughing at?" Wu Hezou looked at the grinning Tang Feng on the bed and cursed, "Let me tell you, don't give me any useless advice. If you ruin my reputation, I'll dig you out of the ground!"
From then on, Tang Feng had to go to Wu Hezou's place every day to drink his medicine, just like clocking in. Seeing Tang Feng's slightly tired appearance, Zhou Ziliang sighed, "Just hang in there a little longer. Old Wu is doing this for your own good. I believe you'll recover soon."
"No way," Tang Feng muttered, covering his eyes, but Zhou Ziliang didn't hear him. "What?"
"It's nothing... I want to sleep for a while, wake me up when we get there."
Li Yunye wasn't idle either. Instead of returning to his residence, he went to Li Yunheng's place after getting into the sedan chair. Shen Qinghang's intention that day was roughly for him to incite Li Yunheng to eliminate the Lin family, and then subtly suggest to Li Yunyu and Tang Feng to protect the Lin family. Li Yunheng, being arrogant, naturally couldn't imagine that Li Yunyu had also become involved. Once their conflict erupted, he could sit back and watch the tigers fight.
Upon hearing the steward's report, Li Yunheng, unsure of Li Yunye's purpose in suddenly coming to see him, still went to greet him. "Third Brother, what brings you here today?" Li Yunye smiled upon seeing Li Yunheng. "Can't you come and sit for a while if there's nothing wrong?" Since Li Yunrui's death, Li Yunheng hadn't had much contact with Li Yunye, as he needed to avoid suspicion and appear indifferent to the Emperor. Previously, he and Li Yunrui had been locked in a fierce struggle, but Li Yunye had unexpectedly intervened, turning what seemed like a hopeless situation into a new one. "Third Brother, you flatter me. Please come in. I didn't expect you to come today; haven't you been busy lately?"
"I've been busy," Li Yunye said, taking the tea from Li Yunheng but not drinking it. Instead, he placed the teacup on the table, beckoned to Li Yunheng, and whispered, "I went to see General Lin a couple of days ago."
“Third Brother, the Lin family is the most seriously involved. If it weren't for their illustrious military achievements, how could Father have let them go? Going to them now would only be adding fuel to the fire with Father.” “Hiss… I initially just wanted to go and see, but who knew the old general was still so treacherous!” Li Yunye picked up his teacup, staring intently at Li Yunheng's expression. “You know, Li Yunrui deserved his death in Father's eyes. But in others' eyes, Li Yunrui died unjustly. A wise prince, ending up rebellious—no one can accept that. Others may not care, but… General Lin is the Crown Princess's father. Although the Crown Princess died in the end, she wasn't executed at the Duan Prince's residence. During that time, could she have told the old general something? We don't know.”
Li Yunheng sneered, completely unconcerned. Looking at the anxious Li Yunye, he comforted him, "Lin Cheng is old and seriously ill. He can't possibly cause any more trouble. What's there to fear?" "Lin Cheng is nothing to fear, but his son... if I remember correctly, he had another son who, because he was still young, went back to Xiling with Lin Cheng and thus escaped this calamity. He served as a vanguard under Lin Cheng. After the old general's death, Muxi will be without a general. Given time, he will naturally be given important responsibilities again. When that happens, the Lin family's affairs and the Crown Prince's affairs will be exposed. Fourth brother, then we'll be in deep trouble!"
"Third Brother is so meticulous. Now that you've discovered it, why don't you deal with it?" Li Yunheng was somewhat swayed by Li Yunye's words. The Lin family was indeed powerful, and even with their close relationship with Li Yunrui, Emperor Yun hadn't completely wiped them out. So this was indeed a potential threat, but... why was Li Yunye suddenly bringing this up with him? "Sigh... As you know, I've been busy cultivating relationships lately. Father must already know that, and he hasn't been paying much attention to me these past few days. But you're different. Father has always valued you! Besides, I wanted to discuss this with you. Because of Li Yunrui, we're in the same boat. I naturally won't act alone."
Li Yunheng thought for a moment and realized there was some truth to it. "The Lin family does pose a threat to us, but there's no one else in the court who can help them now. A mere Lin Siwen can't amount to anything." "Isn't it too early to draw conclusions?" Li Yunye shook his head. "Why don't we use the Lin family as bait to lure them in? Father Emperor closed the Li Yunrui case hastily, leaving many people unpunished. If we incite other princes, they could become a threat to us! Whether we eliminate the Lin family or not, they're still there. If we present a memorial to the emperor impeaching the Lin family, anyone who defends them could be a remnant of Li Yunrui." Li Yunheng stood up, looked out the window, and pondered for a long time before finally nodding. "Alright, I'll speak to Father Emperor about this. But Third Brother, what are you going to do? I can't handle everything myself, can I?"
"Of course, if there are any remaining followers, I will deal with them myself." Li Yunye knew that when Li Yunheng found out that Tang Feng was going to help Li Yunyu, he no longer had time to argue with him, so he just found a job to get by.
The next day at court, Tang Feng stared blankly at the official tablet in his hand. This position was truly a sinecure. Li Yunyu hadn't come to court with him, so he had nothing to say, and Emperor Yun had nothing to ask either. Listening to the chatter of the officials, his temples throbbed. Tang Feng leaned to the side and whispered to Zhang Mobai, who was standing next to him, "Little madman, you've had a tough time. What kind of life have you been living all these years?" "This is still better than that. It's even more annoying when people criticize you after you've finished speaking." Tang Feng looked at the tablets of the other ministers, which were densely covered with writing, while his own tablet had only a few words. And even that was something Zhou Ziliang had urged him to write before he left home this morning. It was just like a student who was about to be late for school but was still doing homework. Tang Feng sighed. Even slacking off at work should be more comfortable, right? Standing for almost two hours this morning was taking its toll.
"Is there anything else? If not, let's call it a day."
"Father, I have something to report!"
Tang Feng thought it was almost over, but Li Yunheng suddenly made a report, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Brother... don't drag others into your father-son drama. Wouldn't it be better to lock him in a room and talk to him slowly?"
"Father, General Lin has not attended court for half a month. Your son begs Your Majesty to allow the old general to retire and return to his hometown!" Upon hearing this, Emperor Yun frowned, and his voice turned cold. "Why?"
"This... General Lin has been bedridden for a long time. He has dedicated most of his life to Yan Yun and made great contributions. He has guarded Mu Xi for many years. Even if he has not made great contributions, he has still worked hard! Now that he is seriously ill, please let him retire and return to his hometown." Emperor Yun did not want to let Lin Cheng go, mainly because he had a large number of troops under his command, and they were all Lin family's own troops. They were all courageous and would not obey orders from the central government, but would only obey the Lin family. Emperor Yun hadn't touched Lin Cheng because he hoped Lin Cheng could control the Lin family army. "What about Mu Xi? Have you thought about it? Lin Cheng is indeed getting old, but he has a young son. I hope he can replace Lin Cheng in guarding Mu Xi in the future." Li Yunheng took a deep breath after hearing this. Indeed, Emperor Yun had never intended to abandon the Lin family. After all, Mu Xi was a fortress connecting Pu Yuan, and the court no longer had elite troops to send there. To ensure Mu Xi's stability, the Lin family had to be stabilized. "Your subject has considered it, but after weighing the pros and cons, your subject still... still thinks it's best to let the Lin family father and son retire to their hometown."
"Father and son?" Emperor Yun sensed something amiss and pressed on, asking, "Why must they both retire to their hometowns?"
At this moment, Li Yunheng appeared flustered after his slip of the tongue and dared not speak for a long time. Tang Feng sneered. No wonder Li Yunye asked him to tell Li Yunyu to see General Lin; he was waiting for him here! The Lin family and Li Yunrui were very close before his death, but Emperor Yun did not eliminate everyone, which means that the Lin family has something going on.
"Speak!" Emperor Yun on the throne was somewhat angry, and his voice rose a few decibels. Li Yunheng turned his head and glanced at Li Yunye. "Third brother... Third brother said that General Lin is inquiring everywhere, wanting to send his son Lin Siwen to Muxi..." Li Yunye did not expect that Li Yunheng would stab him in the back. He was also startled by the sudden look from Emperor Yun. He thought that today had nothing to do with him, but he did not expect that he would make things worse and get himself into trouble first. After quickly calming down, he bowed and said, "It is indeed true. A few days ago, I noticed that the old general had been claiming illness for a long time and had not come to court, so I wanted to go and inquire about it. However, I did not expect that the old general wanted to entrust his youngest son, Lin Siwen, to me and send him to Muxi. Although I refused on the spot, I was also afraid afterward. The Lin family army has been stationed in Muxi for many years and only obeys the Lin family. The arrest of the eldest and second sons of the Lin family in Muxi had already caused unrest in the army. If Lin Siwen were to go to Muxi now... that would be terrible. So I told my fourth brother and discussed it with him. We will report it to you together later."
"Rebellion! Rebellion! They've all rebelled!" Emperor Yun slammed the inkstone beside him down, then closed his eyes to calm himself for a moment before saying, "Guards, arrest Lin Siwen! Without my decree, he shall not be released from Lin City. If he truly pledges allegiance to Yan Yun, then he shall go to Mu Xi and defend the border to the death. I will personally sweep his grave on the anniversary of his death the following year."
Tang Feng finally understood Li Yunye's meaning. If he tried to exonerate the Lin family, he would be treated as a criminal and punished along with them. Even if he wasn't punished by Emperor Yun, he would be targeted by Li Yunheng. But if he didn't help the Lin family and allowed them to decline, Li Yunye would inform Li Yunyu, causing Tang Feng's relationship with Li Yunyu to collapse. This move was brilliant, a perfect trap! Now he was caught in a dilemma, feeling that things would get out of hand. Tang Feng coughed lightly, covering his mouth, expecting further developments, but unexpectedly, Emperor Yun adjourned the court.
On the way back, Tang Feng remained silent, which worried Zhou Ziliang. "What's wrong? Are you troubled by what happened at the Lin family today?" Tang Feng didn't respond, but instead asked him, "Is Mu Xi's army made up of the Lin family's own people?"
"Yes, the Lin family can be considered the founding fathers. Three generations have served as generals, utterly loyal. Although the Lin family army is brave and skilled in battle, it is difficult to tame. This is why His Majesty was so angry today when he heard that Lin Siwen was going to Muxi. If Lin Siwen really wants to rebel, Xiling simply cannot suppress him."
Is Lin Siwen very capable?
"At such a young age, he is proficient in both academics and martial arts, possessing both courage and wisdom."
Tang Feng suddenly burst into laughter, "Li Yunye tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead. He wanted to trick me, but unexpectedly he gave me a great general. What a golden opportunity!"
"What do you mean?" Zhou Ziliang was puzzled by Tang Feng's sudden change of heart. "Didn't Li Yunye want the Ninth Prince to see the old general? I'll grant his wish! As for Lin Siwen, I'm determined to save him!" Tang Feng stood up, lifted the curtain, and said to the coachman, "Turn the carriage around. The Ninth Prince hasn't reviewed his lessons today; I need to go to the palace to supervise him!"
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