In order to protect oneself
Upon hearing this, Li Yunye angrily overturned the table, pointing at Shen Qinghang and yelling, "Did you do this on purpose! I'm already disliked by the Emperor because of the Qiang and Hu affairs, and you've added fuel to the fire. Now, I can't explain myself at all!" Shen Qinghang grabbed Li Yunye and quickly said, "Please don't say anything more now. Let's leave quickly, otherwise His Majesty will send troops over, and you won't be able to leave even if you want to."
Emperor Yun had visited Yun Lan today, and the two were about to rest. Just as Yun Lan was helping Emperor Yun undress, Eunuch Feng knocked on the door. Emperor Yun was somewhat impatient and initially wanted to refuse to see him, but Yun Lan stopped him. "Your Majesty," she said, "Eunuch Feng is not a rash person. He has served you for so many years and surely knows his place. His urgent request for you at this time must mean something important." Hearing this, Emperor Yun finally let Eunuch Feng in. "What is it?" he demanded. Eunuch Feng glanced at Yun Lan, but Emperor Yun waved his hand. "No need for pretense, speak quickly."
Eunuch Feng handed over the letter. "Your Majesty, this was just delivered by the general guarding the city. It was sent from the Jade Prince's residence." Emperor Yun slowly opened the letter. It was filled with Li Yunyu's demands for the Marquis of Annan to rebel. Emperor Yun slammed the letter to the ground, causing the palace maids and eunuchs nearby to kneel down immediately. "Rebellion! They've all rebelled! Have I been too lenient with them? One after another, they want to rebel! Yun Rui is one, and Yun Ye is another!" Yun Lan walked over, picked up the letter, and glanced at it. She was hesitant, unsure of what to say. After all, Tang Feng had never told her about this. Could it be that Li Yunye really wanted to rebel? "Your Majesty, what if someone is slandering us? Please don't be angry."
"Slander? He's a prince, who could slander him? Go! Have Sima Ru lead troops to the Jade Prince's residence and bring Li Yunye here! I want to question him myself."
Outside, the sound of galloping hooves was deafening, flames soared into the sky, and a cacophony of voices filled the air. Tang Feng, having been frightened the previous night, had developed a high fever that wouldn't break, his forehead beaded with sweat. He was being held in Zhou Ziliang's arms, coughing incessantly. "Ziliang... what's happening outside?" Zhou Ziliang smoothed Tang Feng's sweat-dampened hair and shook his head. "Perhaps someone's house is on fire. Don't overthink it." Zhou Ziliang didn't want Tang Feng to worry about anything else. He had just coughed up blood and was only just starting to feel better; if he continued to dwell on these things, his illness would only worsen.
Tang Feng shook his head. "You know it couldn't be a fire. Go check it out. I'll wait for you inside. If something really happened, I need to know." Zhou Ziliang finally sighed and agreed, putting Tang Feng down, covering him with a blanket, and saying gently, "I'll go check it out. You wait for me at home."
Tang Feng had a bad feeling, as if something was about to happen. He suppressed the dull pain in his chest and listened carefully to the noise outside until it gradually faded away. Zhou Ziliang returned and, seeing Tang Feng about to get up, quickly pressed him back down. "Don't rush, lie down properly. I just went to the roof and saw it was people from the Protectorate."
"The Protectorate..." Tang Feng struggled to sit up, leaning against the bed and panting heavily, looking at the firelight outside. "Why are they coughing and arresting people in the middle of the night?"
Zhou Ziliang raised his hand to pat Tang Feng's back to help him catch his breath, then shook his head. "It's probably some official who was caught embezzling and accepting bribes, or perhaps a prince..." Before Zhou Ziliang could finish speaking, a servant knocked on the door. Zhou Ziliang, somewhat displeased, said, "Can't you see that the young master is ill and needs rest? We can talk about it tomorrow."
"Young Master, someone is looking for you, saying it's extremely urgent." Tang Feng tugged at Zhou Ziliang's sleeve and shook it. "Go see him. Don't worry about me, my health won't deteriorate much further." Zhou Ziliang got up and opened the door, only to see Wen Yunsheng standing behind the servant, his clothes covered in obvious dust, as if he had fled a disaster. Yet Wen Yunsheng remained calm and composed, bowing slightly to Zhou Ziliang before entering the house. Tang Feng, seeing it was Wen Yunsheng, didn't say much, quietly watching him sit down beside him. He placed the letter in Tang Feng's hand. Wen Yunsheng sniffed the room, then smiled and said, "Grand Tutor, your illness..." "It's getting worse, and they've added so many calming and nourishing medicines." Tang Feng was afraid that if he said too much, Zhou Ziliang would notice something amiss, so he interrupted, "Enough! What are you doing here?" However, Tang Feng himself was too weak to speak, so what reached Wen Yunsheng's ears was just a mild warning. Wen Yunsheng shrugged, "This is from Shen Qinghang. He said you must read it." Tang Feng was about to open the letter when Zhou Ziliang grabbed his wrist. "Xiao Feng, let's talk about it tomorrow. It's already very late." Tang Feng thought for a moment and shook his head. "Since Wen Yunsheng delivered it so late at night, it means it was really urgent. Don't worry, I'm much better." Seeing that Zhou Ziliang had let go, Tang Feng picked up the letter and began to read it.
He then sighed, "So the Protectorate General's Office was after the Jade Prince's Mansion. No wonder."
What did Shen Qinghang say?
"He told me to remain inactive for the next few days, and wait until he raises his army before writing to His Highness the Ninth Prince, requesting permission to fight before the palace. Then he'll send me to the palace to request an imperial edict, and then I'll kill Li Yunye." Tang Feng's chest heaved with anger, and the slight metallic taste in his mouth made him feel nauseous, but he forced himself to endure it. Looking at Wen Yunsheng in front of him, Tang Feng couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you? Aren't you loyal to Li Yunye? Aren't you afraid we'll kill your master and then kill you?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Yunsheng quickly waved his hand and smiled, "Grand Tutor Tang, do you seem to have some misunderstanding about me? When have I ever pledged allegiance to the Prince? You should think this through. I just want to watch the show; I don't want to get involved."
"You sent me this message today, thinking you can escape later?"
"Grand Tutor Tang, why don't you understand? I'm just trying to secure my own survival. This letter is very important to you, and it's also very important to me. It's my lifeline in the future. I can't return to the Prince's Mansion for the next few days. Could I stay at the Marquis's Mansion for a couple of days?" Tang Feng didn't want to get too entangled with Wen Yunsheng, so he had someone prepare a room for Wen Yunsheng and took him away.
The door had barely closed when, before Zhou Ziliang could even ask anything, Tang Feng clutched his mouth and vomited blood, leaning against the bed. Zhou Ziliang rushed over and patted Tang Feng's back. "Why are you vomiting blood again? Should we call Old Wu over?" Tang Feng wiped the blood from his mouth with a handkerchief, then slumped into Zhou Ziliang's arms. After a long while, he finally spoke, "Ziliang, don't go. I'm much better. I was just a little nauseous, but it's nothing." Zhou Ziliang took the handkerchief and gently wiped the cold sweat from Tang Feng's forehead. "How can I be at ease with you like this? Sleep for a while, I'll stay with you." Tang Feng rubbed against Zhou Ziliang's lower abdomen, feeling his body temperature, but he couldn't fall asleep. Ever since seeing Xiao Wan'er's corpse, Tang Feng had been having nightmares. Fortunately, he had a fever, and his muddled mind wasn't clear.
Zhou Ziliang looked at Tang Feng, who was half-asleep in his arms, sighed, gently placed him on the bed, and then tucked away the blood-stained handkerchief from beside the pillow. With Wen Yunsheng's outburst, who knew what would happen in a few days?
Li Yunye, following Shen Qinghang, fled Xiling City through a narrow path from the Prince's residence. This definitively confirmed Li Yunye's plot to rebel. It wasn't that Li Yunye didn't want to prove his innocence; however, when he heard that the Emperor had sent the Protectorate to arrest him, he immediately panicked. Li Yunrui's entire family had been slaughtered by the Protectorate years before, and now it was his turn. Shen Qinghang found a horse at a suburban post station, helped Li Yunye onto it, and said, "Your Highness, let's hurry, or the Protectorate will easily catch up."
"Do I still have a chance to overturn this verdict? I want to explain to my father that I had no intention of rebelling."
Shen Qinghang pulled on Li Yunye's reins and handed them to him, saying, "It's too late. How could His Majesty wait for you to explain before the palace? Let's go quickly. We're just trying to protect ourselves. Let's leave first."
Li Yunye looked back several times as Xiling City receded further and further away, as if power and status were leaving him.
The news of Li Yunye's planned rebellion spread throughout Xiling early the next morning. Tang Feng woke up, not knowing where Zhou Ziliang had gone, but still thinking about what happened the night before. He propped himself up and stumbled to the study, where he wrote a letter to Li Yunyu. Perhaps because his fever hadn't subsided, he put down his pen and slumped into a chair, coughing and covering his mouth. "Why are you up?" Zhou Ziliang had finished practicing his sword early in the morning and returned to his room without finding Tang Feng. He went to the study to look for him and found Tang Feng sitting at his desk coughing.
"By now, everyone should know about Li Yunye's matter after just one night. His Majesty will surely conscript troops to guard against it. Give this letter to the Ninth Prince at court and tell him to be careful in front of His Majesty."
Zhou Ziliang took the letter and nodded. "I know. Rest well at home, don't push yourself. If you're not feeling well, tell the steward and they'll make you some medicine." Tang Feng stood up and hugged Zhou Ziliang. "Not just Your Highness, but you too. If you really have to go to the front lines, be careful."
"Nature, everything is within me."
Although Tang Feng received comfort from Zhou Ziliang, he was not at ease. He kept thinking about these things, whether it was Zhou Ziliang, Meng Lie, or Li Yunyu. He did not want to risk his life again.
Li Yunyu encountered Zhou Ziliang at the entrance of the main hall. Seeing that he was alone, she asked, "Where is the Grand Tutor? Why isn't he here?"
“Xiao Feng is sick. He was very ill yesterday and can’t get up today. But he asked me to give this to His Highness.” Zhou Ziliang took out the letter Tang Feng wrote to Li Yunyu from his bosom and handed it to him.
Li Yunyu glanced at the document quickly, then said solemnly, "To be honest, I really didn't expect my third brother to rebel. But if that's the case, I will definitely bring him before Father Emperor and make him explain everything clearly, word for word, to clear my elder brother's name." Zhou Ziliang breathed a sigh of relief seeing that Li Yunyu had become much more composed. "Your Highness, rest assured. In the future, when we go to the battlefield, Vice General Meng and I will naturally protect you. However, in the main hall, we hope Your Highness will be careful."
"Naturally," the main hall's gates had already been opened by palace servants, and ministers were gradually entering. Li Yunyu was about to turn and go in when Zhou Ziliang grabbed him, saying, "Xiao Feng said His Majesty is in a bad mood and wants you to be careful."
Watching Zhou Ziliang and Li Yunyu talking from a distance, Li Yunheng looked at Xu Chang'an and asked, "Tang Feng didn't come again today?"
"I'm afraid his illness has reached its terminal stage. Since the spring hunt, he hasn't attended the morning court sessions much. No matter how effective the Empress Dowager's medicine is, it can't overcome his already weakened state," Xu Chang'an said, looking at Zhou Ziliang and Li Yunyu in front of him. "Tang Feng will probably lose his temper and make his move."
"It seems Tang Feng has been the one causing trouble from beginning to end," Li Yunheng frowned, then sneered. "But it doesn't matter. I want to see how long his body can hold out."
Although the commotion last night caused a great uproar in the city, Emperor Yun did not appear particularly displeased at the morning court session. Zhou Ziliang kept a close eye on the situation and said nothing until the session ended, only mentioning the need to strengthen the defenses of the city gates.
Zhou Ziliang was somewhat puzzled. Fortunately, Li Yunyu hadn't spoken in the main hall. If he were to rush to claim credit now, he might give himself away.
After the court session, Zhou Ziliang stopped Li Yunyu. "Your Highness, please wait. Today was just a little unusual. If Your Highness doesn't mind, you can come with me back to the Marquis's residence to see Xiaofeng."
"Is the Grand Tutor... alright?" Li Yunyu had rarely seen Tang Feng since the spring hunt. Every time he saw him, either Li Yunye was present, or something urgent had happened.
Zhou Ziliang shook his head. "Xiao Feng has been in poor spirits lately. He didn't sleep a wink last night and only managed to get some sleep this morning. He got up early this morning to write a letter to Your Highness, as he is very worried about your safety."
Upon hearing that Tang Feng was unwell, Li Yunyu quickly said, "Then I'll go now."
Li Yunyu and Zhou Ziliang returned to the Marquis's mansion together. As soon as they got back, they saw several servants coming and going. Zhou Ziliang sensed something was wrong and hurried to the backyard, where he saw Madam Zhou standing at the door wiping away tears. "Mother, what happened to Xiaofeng?"
When Madam Zhou saw Zhou Ziliang return, she hurriedly said, "This morning I saw you go to court, and I was thinking that I hadn't visited the child for several days, so I brought him some food. The child was sickly, leaning against the bed, unable to even sit up. I fed him a few bites of food, and then he turned around and vomited a lot of blood, and then fell off the bed. I was so scared that I quickly called Wu Hezou over."
Zhou Ziliang's heart tightened upon hearing this. It was true that Tang Feng vomited blood yesterday, but it wasn't that serious. Although he had a high fever, it shouldn't be this bad. Li Yunyu, who was beside him, whispered, "How about I go to the palace and call a few imperial physicians over?"
Zhou Ziliang shook his head. "I'll go in and take a look first, Your Highness. I'm so sorry, please excuse me."
Pushing open the door, a faint smell of blood filled the air. Wu Hezou was washing his hands nearby. Seeing Zhou Ziliang enter, Wu Hezou said, "He's still alive, clinging to life. Sometimes I really admire him; I'm amazed he's managed to hold on until now."
"What's the meaning"
“You’re a military general, you should know very well that if the blood comes from the outside, as long as it’s not a vital organ, it will heal in a few days. But if the blood comes from the inside, it’s all vital essence. If this continues, his body won’t last until next spring. Although your young master and I had an agreement that he wouldn’t let me tell you, his illness is too serious right now. I’ve tried all sorts of tonics, but none of them have worked. I can only say that we should take it one step at a time.” Zhou Ziliang’s hands trembled more violently than ever before. He was usually so accurate when drawing a bow, but now he tried to grab Tang Feng’s hand, but failed several times. Zhou Ziliang bent down and gently hugged Tang Feng. At this moment, Tang Feng also woke up. Seeing Zhou Ziliang hugging him, he raised his hand and patted Zhou Ziliang’s back, just like Zhou Ziliang always comforted him. “Ziliang, this illness is nothing to worry about, don’t be sad.”
Why did you never tell me?
"I don't want you to be sad," Tang Feng smiled, holding Zhou Ziliang's hand. "Were you deceived by Wu Hezou? He's always like this, exaggerating his illness. Actually, I'm fine. Today, Mother came to see me, and I was quite happy, but my chest was hurting so much that I couldn't help it and probably scared her..." Zhou Ziliang shook his head. "How could I not know about Old Wu's medical skills? But I still want to ask you one more question, Xiao Feng, you'll be alright, won't you?"
Although Tang Feng spoke weakly, he still smiled and said, "Don't curse me, I still want to grow old with you." Seeing that Zhou Ziliang's expression had softened slightly, Tang Feng asked, "Was everything alright today?" Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziliang replied solemnly, "Today in the main hall... His Majesty was not angry about Li Yunye's matter. On the contrary, he didn't say anything at the morning court session."
"That's really strange. Surely His Majesty doesn't think Li Yunye will cause any trouble."
“I think it’s possible,” Zhou Ziliang frowned. “Although the Marquis of Annan is dissatisfied with the court, he’s not a particularly daring person; he’s just been reckless. If he feels he can’t stir up any trouble, he’ll probably back down. As for the Third Prince… His Majesty has seen what he’s done these past few years and probably thinks he’s accomplished nothing. Besides… His Majesty might think that since the Marquis of Annan isn’t in Xiling, as long as Li Yunye is captured, this matter will be resolved without a fight, hence the calm today.”
Seeing that Tang Feng remained silent, Zhou Ziliang patted his hand. "I know what you're thinking. I brought the Ninth Prince here today. Anyway, Li Yunye isn't in Xiling right now. He fled in a hurry, so he probably doesn't have any spies planted here. You two can meet and have a chat."
Tang Feng chuckled lightly, "Ziliang understands me best."
"Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?" Zhou Ziliang gently pinched Tang Feng's nose, then helped him sit up against the soft pillows. "You really make me worry. I just went to the morning court session, and you came back like this? You should at least take better care of yourself." Zhou Ziliang didn't want to ask about Wu Hezou's words. Even if he did, Tang Feng wouldn't say anything. Rather than bothering him, it was better to go along with him.
After coming out, Zhou Ziliang told Madam Zhou that Tang Feng was much better, and then looked at Li Yunyu, "Your Highness, Xiao Feng wants you to go in, please go quickly."
Seeing Li Yunyu go inside, Madam Zhou pulled Zhou Ziliang aside and asked, "Tell your mother honestly, Xiao Feng... is it...?"
"Mother... Xiaofeng... Old Wu said they've tried all the medicines, but none of them have worked. From now on, we can only take it one step at a time." Zhou Ziliang felt a pang of heartache thinking of Tang Feng's current state, yet he couldn't share any of his pain. He could only silently curse himself for being useless.
“I know Xiao Feng is weak, it’s from birth, but… if that’s really the case… Zi Liang, you must treat him well. His mother passed away early, and his father didn’t really care for him. Now that he’s married into the Marquis’s mansion, I absolutely cannot let him suffer. That child has had a hard life. He was afraid of everything when he was little, and just when his personality finally improved, his health deteriorated.”
Li Yunye settled down at Yaojiashan and met with the Marquis of Annan. He wanted to explain his intentions, but Shen Qinghang stopped him. "Your Highness, don't you wonder why Xiling hasn't sent troops after all this time?" Seeing Li Yunye looking at him without speaking, Shen Qinghang continued, "Because His Majesty is certain you don't have the ability. Do you think you can explain everything if you go back now? The Marquis of Annan is no pushover. He's already involved. Do you think he can let you escape unscathed?"
"What's the meaning"
"Don't you understand? If His Majesty truly believes you have no ulterior motives, he will seek confirmation just like the Crown Prince did back then. How will he seek confirmation? He will definitely summon the Marquis of Annan. But what will the Marquis of Annan say? That he raised an army himself? Or that this matter has nothing to do with you? Your Highness, your correspondence is an established fact. If you go to explain to His Majesty like this, you will only end up like Li Yunrui—betrayed by all, abandoned by all, and with blood staining the palace."
Hearing Shen Qinghang's words, Li Yunye panicked. He knew all too well how Li Yunrui had died. He lowered his head, his voice trembling, "Then what should I do?"
"His Majesty should not know that the Marquis of Annan has come to Xiling this time. If he did know, his reaction would definitely not be like this. He is now lying in ambush at Yaojia Mountain with 30,000 elite troops. Although the Imperial Guards of Xiling are numerous, they are not a threat. Yaojia Mountain is also very close to Xiling. You can use the emperor to command the feudal lords."
"But... Xiling City not only has the Imperial Guards, but also Zhou Ziliang."
"Tang Feng has been ill for so long that Zhou Ziliang has no time to deal with these matters. Besides, hasn't Tang Feng already submitted to you?"
Li Yunye nodded after hearing this. "Alright, then this matter can be considered as my father forcing me to do it. I did this entirely to protect myself. Summon the Marquis of Annan; I want to see him."
Li Yunyu entered Tang Feng's room and saw Tang Feng leaning against the bed, his face almost transparent, and the handkerchief in his hand stained with blood. He hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Grand Tutor, it's been several days since I last saw you..."
Tang Feng smiled and said, "Your Highness, there's no need to worry. It's just an old ailment."
"But Mr. Ke... wasn't this seriously ill before."
Seeing Li Yunyu's lowered head and worried expression, Tang Feng said, "There's no need to worry. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all part of life. Your Highness, please sit down. I have something to say to you."
Li Yunyu moved a stool next to Tang Feng and sat down. "I know what you want to say to me, sir. Today, Father didn't mention Third Brother's rebellion in the main hall. I suppose he has a solution?"
"No, I think His Majesty underestimated the Prince and the Marquis of Annan. Perhaps His Majesty believes that the Marquis of Annan is not in Xiling, but far away in the southern border, and that the two are only exchanging letters. He thinks that as long as the Protectorate is sent to capture Li Yunye, everything will be easily solved."
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