Pu Yuan's plan
"My son is destined to inherit the throne. As for who is mediocre and who is exceptionally talented, that is for me to judge. How dare you, a mere ant, interfere in royal affairs?" Li Linglan stood up and looked down at Tang Feng standing below. "You instigated the Ninth Prince to usurp the throne and colluded with the concubines in the harem. I have already been more than merciful by not executing you or Zhou Ziliang. How dare you come back?"
Tang Feng looked at Emperor Yun. "I did not instigate Your Highness to usurp the throne. It's just that the late Crown Prince's death was suspicious. Your Highness and the late Crown Prince were brothers, so Your Highness couldn't swallow this insult. I helped Your Highness only hoping he could have a place in the previous court and successfully overturn the verdict. But that's no longer the case." Tang Feng's eyes revealed resentment and indifference. "This time it's a coup... Xiling has never had a large army guarding it for so many years because of the repeated expansion of its territory over the years, so it had to place a large army on the border. Ziliang holds a large army, so a coup would be a piece of cake. Did you think I went to great lengths to support the Ninth Prince to take a risky path and force you to abdicate? It was just to seek justice for the late Crown Prince. But you have your considerations, and I have my decisions. I can't control you, but now, I intend to force a coup..."
"How did Tang Zhaonan teach you? How can you be so unruly?" Li Linglan looked at Tang Feng with disdain and indifference in her eyes. "Didn't he tell you about the proper relationships between ruler and subject, father and son? Didn't he tell you that imperial power is supreme?"
"You dare mention my father!" Tang Feng had been quite calm until Li Linglan mentioned Tang Zhaonan, and Tang Feng's anger flared up instantly. Looking at the Cloud Emperor before him, he said, "Do you think I wouldn't dare kill you! If it weren't for His Highness the Ninth Prince... I would have torn you to pieces to offer as a sacrifice to my father! To comfort his spirit in heaven!"
"Hmph... You actually went to such lengths for Ninth Prince... It's just a pity..." Li Linglan slowly walked down the steps, speaking as she went. "Yu'er was never destined to be an emperor. All your efforts in assisting him will only make you feel like you've done something unnecessary in the future."
Tang Feng couldn't help but smile after hearing this. "Then Your Majesty thinks... among all the princes... who is more worthy of the throne of Yan Yun?" Li Linglan looked up at the half-open vermilion wooden door. "Yun Rui is too kind, Yun Ye has no interest in the court and his ambitions lie elsewhere, and Yun Yu has never been good at reading the room or adapting to situations. After thinking it over, of the brothers, Yun Heng is naturally the best."
Hearing this, Tang Feng couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sorrow. His most cherished child was actually born to a spy from an enemy country. "So His Majesty was able to tolerate the Fourth Prince's actions, even going so far as to frame the Crown Prince?"
"The imperial palace is a dog-eat-dog world. This battle will inevitably end in a life-or-death struggle. Didn't you also kill Yun Ye? I didn't blame you for it, did I? Tang Feng, you know that very well, don't you?" Seeing that Emperor Yun didn't care, Tang Feng stopped hiding his true intentions and coldly questioned, "If Li Yunheng is Pu Yuan's spy, what should Your Majesty do?"
Emperor Yun seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. "Yun Heng? Impossible! He is my son! He has never left Yan Yun since he was a child. How could he be a spy? Tang Feng, don't spout nonsense!"
"Speaking nonsense? I dare to say that because I have evidence... Let His Majesty's Consort Rong come and explain to you personally!"
After Li Yunyu and Lin Siwen sneaked into the palace, Lin Siwen looked around to see what was happening outside before pulling Li Yunyu out. "Your Highness, you mustn't act rashly later. If something goes wrong... the Grand Tutor will surely scold me to death."
Li Yunyu followed closely behind Lin Siwen, muttering a defense, "How could that be? The master clearly prefers you, always praising your intelligence and resourcefulness..." Between Li Yunyu and Lin Siwen, Tang Feng did indeed favor Lin Siwen more, finding the child clever and resourceful. Therefore, having Lin Siwen accompany Li Yunyu this time was to offer more assistance, even though three years had passed and Li Yunyu was no longer the easily deceived prince he once was. However, Tang Feng remained uneasy, fearing that Li Yunyu's stubborn nature might cause him to mess things up again, and he himself wouldn't have another life to accompany Li Yunyu's reckless antics. Lin Siwen walked along the palace wall when he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves. A bad feeling washed over him, and he grabbed Li Yunyu's hand, pulling him back. Li Yunyu was somewhat confused but remained silent until Lin Siwen stopped and covered his mouth. He struggled a couple of times, then cried out, "Your Highness! Don't speak!" Li Yunyu quickly shut his mouth. As the sound of hooves grew closer, the two of them practically embedded themselves in the wall. Lin Siwen felt the oppressive atmosphere around him, making it hard to breathe. He guessed that the Governor's Mansion was on the other side of the wall. At this moment, he nervously closed his eyes, barely daring to breathe, hoping only that the Protectorate would leave as soon as possible. Only when he heard the sound of horses' hooves fading into the distance did Lin Siwen finally breathe a sigh of relief. Looking at the terrified Li Yunyu, he laughed, "Your Highness, you were frightened, weren't you? Well, the Protectorate's aura is very strong; not everyone can withstand it. But you'd better get used to it, after all, once you ascend the throne, they will have to listen to you." Li Yunyu pouted, "How can you think that far ahead... Don't talk nonsense..."
"Nonsense? My good prince... Isn't this a done deal, there's no doubt about it!" Lin Siwen couldn't help but tease. "Grand Tutor came all this way back, wasn't it all for your sake? Otherwise, wouldn't he and Brother Zhou be living happily ever after... Why did he have to get involved in this mess?" Lin Siwen nudged Li Yunyu with his shoulder. "Alright... Your Highness, just do what Grand Tutor instructed. He certainly won't let you down. In all these years, Grand Tutor has never failed. You can rest assured!" Lin Siwen walked ahead, observing the surroundings, while Li Yunyu followed behind. "That's true... but I'm still unsure... I... I don't doubt Grand Tutor... I just feel... I'm not a good emperor. If it weren't for my brother's matter... I don't think I would ever even consider becoming emperor in my entire life." But when Li Yunyu thought of Tang Feng, he scratched his head again. "Of course... I will listen to the Grand Tutor's words. He wants me to be emperor... I will definitely do my best to be a wise ruler and not let him down..."
The two walked to Consort Rong's palace as they talked. Lin Siwen pushed the door open without a word, saw the maid about to scream, and killed her with a single stroke. Wiping the blood from her face, she looked at Li Yunyu and said, "Your Highness, please go in first." She then ordered the few soldiers she had, "Go search the palace and see if the Fourth Prince is here. If he's not, come and report immediately." She then followed Li Yunyu into the room. Rong Ji was sleeping soundly and hadn't heard the commotion outside. Only after hearing a scream did she slowly open her eyes, sit up, and ask, "What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?" Seeing no one answer, she became somewhat angry. "I'm asking you a question!" "What...?" Rong Ji was about to leave when a silver blade, gleaming coldly, was pressed against his neck. "Where is Your Highness going?" Lin Siwen emerged from the darkness, her body stained with blood, a long sword in hand. Rong Ji, never having seen anything like it, trembled in fear. "You... what are you doing? Are you planning a rebellion?!" Lin Siwen tightened her grip on the sword, frowning as she looked at Rong Ji. "Your Highness, we hope you can distinguish between what's important and what's not. We didn't mean to be so rude, but... I'm sorry, although you are Your Highness, we still want you to consider the current situation. Now that the Dingbei Army is attacking the city, shouldn't you reveal everything you know, whether you should or shouldn't?"
Rong Ji feigned composure, puffing out her chest. "What are you talking about...? I... what could a mere concubine like me know?" Li Yunyu was somewhat angered upon hearing this, and was about to erupt in fury when Lin Siwen grabbed her, signaling her not to speak. Instead, she asked Rong Ji, "Since Your Majesty doesn't remember, then this humble general will offer a slight reminder: Pu Yuan... rebel... spy... Da Ruan... I wonder if Your Majesty can recall anything upon hearing these words? Don't worry, wasting time is out of the question... The Grand Tutor said to treat Your Majesty well... Even if Your Majesty doesn't speak... we won't kill you. We'll send you to the young marquis for interrogation. However, this humble general doesn't know how the young marquis would treat you if he knew that you had stirred up trouble with His Majesty, causing the Grand Tutor to suffer in the palace."
Rong Ji stared at Lin Siwen in disbelief, shaking her head, her voice trembling, "No... impossible... Tang Feng is dead... Heng'er personally had him taken to the mass grave... He... he couldn't be alive... impossible!" Rong Ji staggered back several steps, then pushed Li Yunyu aside and tried to run out. Lin Siwen didn't have time to help Li Yunyu, grabbing Rong Ji and pulling her back. In the chaos, Rong Ji's hairpin fell to the ground, her long, black hair cascading down to her waist. After being tied up and pushed to the ground by Lin Siwen, Rong Ji got up, dusted herself off, and locked the door behind her. Rong Ji looked at the two of them, her eyes filled with terror. At this moment, the soldiers Lin Siwen had just sent out returned to report, "Sir! We haven't seen Li Yunheng in the palace; he must be at his residence outside."
"Heng'er... I want to see my son!" Hearing them mention Li Yunheng's name, Rong Ji clung to him like a drowning man grasping at a straw, hoping Li Yunheng could go to the Hall of Longevity and tell Li Linglan to save her life. But Lin Siwen squatted down, pinched Rong Ji's chin, and her eyes flashed with ferocity. "Don't worry, we'll reunite you and your son. After you confess, we'll settle all our old and new scores, especially regarding my Lin family's affairs. I'm sure... the Fourth Prince and the Empress have been whispering in His Majesty's ear, haven't they?" Rong Ji shook her head fearfully, afraid that Lin Siwen would do something outrageous. She shrank into a corner, not daring to speak. Lin Siwen then stood up and looked at Li Yunyu. "Your Highness, please wait here. I'll go out and have them send a message to Brother Meng. They must arrest Li Yunheng."
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