Arrested mother
Xu Chang'an already had a plan for this matter, but since Li Yunheng didn't speak up, he couldn't act on his own. However, tonight's secret meeting made Xu Chang'an's plan even more legitimate. Early the next morning, before dawn, Xu Chang'an summoned his confidant and said, "Have all the notices I asked you to draft last night been posted?"
"Young master, rest assured, all the notices you requested to post in the martial arts world have been arranged."
Having said that, Xu Chang'an picked up the notice handed to him by his confidant. It read: 'The world is vast, and many talented men abound. A poetry contest will be held ten days later at Xiaoxikou outside the city. One of the verses is: 'The sound of horns fills the autumn air, the crimson of the frontier congeals into a deep purple at night. Half-furled red flags approach the Yi River, the heavy frost silences the drums. To repay your kindness on the Golden Terrace, I will wield my jade dragon sword and die for you.'"
After giving several instructions, he took out a letter of recommendation: "Find a woman from the black market to accompany you as a maid in the palace. Have her deliver this to the residence of a sixth-rank Imperial Academy scholar. It must be delivered personally to Lord Huai. Say that you are delivering the letter to him on the orders of a high-ranking official in the palace."
Watching his trusted confidants walk away, Xu Chang'an smiled. Previously, it was said to be killing two birds with one stone, but this time he intended to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.
Huai Tang looked at the letter of recommendation in his hand, then at the palace maid in front of him, somewhat stunned. Something seemed amiss, but he dared not speculate. He could only ask quietly, "I want to ask... just one question, who is this person in the palace...?"
"Lord Huai, you needn't inquire about my master's identity. You only need to give him an answer: to go... or not to go." The palace maid bowed her head, and Huai Tang could only see her hair. He clenched his sleeve with his left hand, and slowly raised his right hand to hand the letter of recommendation to the maid. "Then... I, Huai Tang, can only say thank you for your master's kindness." Huai Tang bowed to the maid and was about to turn back.
"Lord Huai, if you insist on this, then this servant has no choice. However, please wait a moment. This servant must make my words clear to you, lest my master accuse me of negligence. My master said that whether or not she attends the poetry gathering, and whether or not the princess marries, depends on His Majesty, according to the status of the Eldest Princess and the late Empress. Do you think His Majesty will appoint the Eldest Princess to the son of a noble family?" After saying this, the palace maid did not linger, and before Huai Tang could react, she turned to leave.
"Miss! Miss... please leave the letter..." Originally, Huai Tang didn't want to get involved with these dubious people, but recalling how he had hidden himself in the princess's palace, fearing being seen, his last shred of reason vanished. He took the envelope from the maid and placed it in his pocket. "Please tell your master, Miss, that I... I thank you for your understanding, my lord. If I ever rise to prominence, I will certainly repay your kindness."
The palace maid chuckled lightly, then walked to Huaitang's side, causing Huaitang to blush. He said softly, "Then, this servant will congratulate the Prince Consort in advance."
The palace maid left the residence of a sixth-rank Imperial Academy scholar. Seeing that no one was following her, she turned and walked into the alley. After several twists and turns, she finally entered the Prince Cheng's residence. "Ah Xing greets Your Highness Prince Cheng and Lord Xu," the palace maid knelt before the screen and bowed deeply.
Xu Chang'an picked up the teacup, blew on the tea leaves floating on top, paused, then put the teacup back and said, "Is everything settled?"
"Yes... Lord Huai was originally not going to accept it, but I said a few more words and he accepted it."
Xu Chang'an nodded and handed a bag of silver to his confidant. He watched as the confidant passed the silver to Ah Xing, who was standing outside the screen. "Well done. Take this money back to treat your sister's illness." Watching Ah Xing take the reward money and leave, Xu Chang'an beckoned to his confidant and whispered, "Once she's back in the black market, find a time to get rid of her. Do it cleanly, leave no trace."
“That was quite ruthless,” Li Yunheng, who had been sitting silently in the high seat, suddenly spoke. Xu Chang’an smiled, stood up, and said, “Your Highness, you don’t know the full story. This matter is of utmost importance. If we had let it slip that day, we would all have been implicated. Don’t think I’m heartless; it’s just that, as the old saying goes, only the dead can’t speak.”
"I didn't mean to blame you," Li Yunheng stood up and straightened his wrinkled sleeves. "I just wanted to remind you to be more thorough in your work and not let me down. Today I'm going to the palace to pay my respects to my mother. I've considered the plan you mentioned and will discuss it with her."
"yes...."
Ten days later, Huai Tang, carrying the letter of recommendation, went to the appointed meeting place. He neither saw the ambitious man mentioned in the letter nor the official the palace maid had spoken of. Somewhat disappointed, Huai Tang left with a poem on the spot. However, within a few days, rumors spread throughout the streets that the top scholar on the Yan-Yun list was the one who would gain the world. Huai Tang, being in the imperial court, knew that while the court appeared calm on the surface, it was actually rife with intrigue and deception. He suspected these rumors were just another tactic to gain favor.
"Lord Huai"
Huai Tang was reading poetry in his study when he heard a maid knocking on the door. "What is it so late?"
"Auntie has arrived from the palace." Upon hearing the maid's report from outside the door, Huaitang frowned and put the book aside. He entered the main hall and saw that a maid in palace attire had been waiting at the door for some time. Huaitang quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "It's almost evening. May I ask what brings you here, Auntie?"
My family says they want to see you; they have something important to discuss.
Upon hearing this, Huai Tang's eyes widened. He hadn't heard from them since the poetry gathering. He had previously thought he'd been tricked by the palace maid, but it turned out the matter was real. "It's so late, there's a curfew in the palace. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to go in," he thought. Although the opportunity was rare, Huai Tang hadn't forgotten the proper etiquette.
"That's not something you need to worry about; my master has taken care of everything," the palace maid said after bowing. "A sedan chair is prepared outside, and my master is waiting for you inside the palace."
Rooster Crow Street, leading to the palace, was Huai Tang's daily route to court. From a young age, Huai Tang had heard that the rooster's crow heralded righteousness. The saying, "The lamp burns at midnight, the rooster crows at dawn; this is the time for a man to study," urged students to strive for excellence. In earlier times, the custom of rising at the crowing of the rooster was meant to remind people to always be loyal and devoted to the state. Rooster Crow Street was the route officials took to court, hence its name, meant to admonish officials to be loyal and devoted to the state and to strive for excellence. Sitting in the sedan chair, Huai Tang felt a pang of unease and lifted the curtain to ask, "Auntie, how much longer?"
"Almost there, almost there," the palace servant replied perfunctorily, quickly pulling the curtain closed, muttering as he did so, "An official walks this street every day; he doesn't even know how long it is."
In the palace courtyard, Xiao Wan'er, who hadn't seen the top-ranked scholar in the martial arts world for a long time, was getting anxious. A few days ago, she overheard some palace maids gossiping about this talented scholar who was said to be able to win the world. At first, Xiao Wan'er didn't think much of it, assuming it was just idle chatter from the maids. However, a few days later, Consort Rong came to her palace and also mentioned this top-ranked scholar, praising him highly and insisting on meeting him and hearing him compose a few lines of poetry. Xiao Wan'er began to have her own plans and quietly asked, "Sister, have you heard that winning him means winning the world?"
"Oh, you actually believe that, sister? His Majesty just appointed a crown prince, and Yunrui is diligent and hardworking, winning the hearts of the people. Why are you listening to all this nonsense?" Consort Rong chuckled. "Besides, your third son is just a lazy prince. Sister, don't pry into things."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wan'er pursed her lips. "So what if your son wants to be emperor? You won't even let me inquire about it for my son? They're all princes, none of them are inferior to the other." Hearing Consort Rong's dissuasion, Xiao Wan'er became even more convinced of the legend that "whoever has a talented son will rule the world."
Consort Rong stood up and said, "Sister, I have matters to attend to in the palace today, so I will not disturb you any longer." She was about to leave when Xiao Wan'er grabbed her arm. "Sister, my dear sister, do you know the name of this talented man?"
"Sister, you jest," Consort Rong brushed away Xiao Wan'er's hand and chuckled. "Rumors are just rumors. If they were true, I would definitely bring him into the palace for a good talk." Consort Rong bowed to Xiao Wan'er and boarded her sedan chair. Looking back at Xiao Wan'er's residence, she shook her head. "This Xiao Wan'er is truly foolish. She speaks so openly in the palace without any restraint. However... it does make things much more convenient. Her son went to great lengths to stay away from the court, but did he ever imagine that his own mother would ruin his life?"
"Your Majesty, what should we do now?"
Looking at the maids following the sedan chair, Consort Rong smiled, leaned back in her chair, and took a grape from the plate a maid was carrying, putting it in her mouth. "Send a maid who looks unfamiliar to Xiao Wan'er, and find a way to let her know who can help her son. She wants to know, so let's help her. By the way, arrange a few people around her; they'll be useful in the future."
Xiao Wan'er sat outside the pavilion, fanning herself, her eyes darting anxiously. With curfew fast approaching, she stamped her feet in frustration, "I sent people out early this morning, why haven't they come yet, it's almost curfew?"
"Your Highness, please don't worry, perhaps the gentleman lives far away." Before the maid could finish speaking, the aunt who had been sent early that morning led a man in his early twenties over. When Huaitang saw Xiao Wan'er, he quickly bowed, and Xiao Wan'er also hurriedly stood up and said, "Sir, there's no need for such formalities, please have a seat."
"Huai Tang thanks Your Highness for your promotion. I will go through fire and water for you in the future." Xiao Wan'er, who had long lived in the deep palace, had no idea who Huai Tang was. She really saw Huai Tang as a stepping stone to help her son rise to power. She pulled Huai Tang into her palace without any hesitation or dismissal of the servants.
The two talked until late into the night. Although Huai Tang felt the path to the throne was fraught with danger, he had no choice but to take the risk so he could marry the princess in the future. Besides, he thought his talents were no less than Xu Chang'an's and Shen Qinghang's, so why couldn't he stay by the prince's side? However, it was too late, so Huai Tang took his leave of Xiao Wan'er and agreed to wait for the Third Prince's return to discuss things further. Just as Huai Tang got up to leave, he saw someone standing at the door. By the moonlight, he recognized him as Li Yunrui. Huai Tang was so frightened that he stumbled and collapsed to the ground. Xiao Wan'er, who rushed over upon hearing the commotion, was also startled by Li Yunrui's appearance at the door. Li Yunrui frowned and said sternly, "Your Highness, how dare you! After curfew, you've even colluded with former court officials! You've even plotted to usurp the throne!"
Xiao Wan'er had never seen Li Yunrui like this before. Trembling, she tried to explain, "Rui... Your Highness, I... I was just bored and wanted to chat with someone. I know I was wrong, so please... don't hold it against me this time. I... I even hugged you before! You used to like Consort Xiao so much, have you forgotten?"
Li Yunrui sighed. "If it were anything else, it would be fine, but this time, I cannot be lenient. Guards, place Consort Xiao under house arrest in the palace until Father Emperor returns and decides her fate. As for you..." Amidst Xiao Wan'er's cries, Li Yunrui looked down at the terrified Huai Tang. "Lock her in a cell first, and interrogate her another day."
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