Their eyes met
After deciding to go back, Tang Feng began packing his things. He wasn't too worried about the rest, after all, he could deal with whatever came his way, and there was no problem he couldn't solve. However, he was somewhat concerned about Zhou Ziliang's injury. Watching the army doctor change his dressing, Tang Feng gritted his teeth and couldn't help but tremble. Although the wound on his chest had scabbed over, the gaping hole was still very noticeable. Seeing Tang Feng's fear, Zhou Ziliang shifted his body to the side, trying to hide the wound from Tang Feng. "Young Marquis, this wound will be almost healed after two or three more dressing changes. Just be careful not to get it wet, lest it get infected again." Zhou Ziliang listened to the military doctor's instructions while dressing, finally nodding. "I've got it all, thank you." Tang Feng waited until the doctor left before asking, "I feel something's off... but I can't quite put my finger on it." He picked up the half of the military tally Li Yunrui had given him from the table and examined it closely. "You know... with the emperor not in Xiling, what is Li Yunrui doing mobilizing troops?" "That's what I was thinking about too." Zhou Ziliang pondered for a moment. "The crown prince's military tally isn't unusable, it's just rarely used. Usually... when the emperor dies and the crown prince acts as regent, requiring the border troops to..." "The entire army in the capital wore mourning clothes for this purpose... This time... Sigh, we returned to Xiling rashly without proper investigation. We might even be branded as traitors." Tang Feng frowned after hearing this. "It seems this matter is not simple! But given Li Yunrui's character... he wouldn't do anything outrageous... Isn't he usually quite concerned about morality and ethics?" Based on Tang Feng's understanding of Li Yunrui, he would rather betray himself than betray the people. He wouldn't dare to rebel or force the emperor's abdication, let alone defy him. What's wrong this time? It wasn't that Tang Feng was particularly concerned about Xiling; after all, they were just making trouble and living their own lives. He was simply puzzled. Having worked under Li Yunrui before, Tang Feng knew Li Yunrui's intentions better than anyone. He simply wanted the position of crown prince, but now that he was the crown prince, why would he need to mobilize troops...?
Zhou Ziliang stood up and picked up the riding whip hanging on the rack. "Fine, if it really is a frame-up, we can only accept our fate. Although... like you said, generally speaking, the Crown Prince would never do such a thing, but being in a high position, it's inevitable that his heart will be restless. Let's take it one step at a time! But..." Zhou Ziliang glanced at Tang Feng, somewhat worried. "Are you really going back with me? This trip back is dangerous, and you don't need to risk your life to go back with me." Tang Feng was displeased upon hearing this, and put his hands on his hips, questioning, "We clearly agreed in the cave that we would get married after returning to Xiling. What do you mean now? Do you want to break off the engagement again? You ran off to the border when the marriage was arranged, and you actually want to dump me a second time?" Tang Feng knew, of course, that Zhou Ziliang didn't mean that, but knowing that going to Xiling was dangerous, he couldn't let him go back alone.
Upon hearing Tang Feng's words, Zhou Ziliang quickly denied it, "Of course not. I fell in love with you back in Lishan Academy, how could I abandon you... Fine, if you insist on going with me, I will protect you."
Having received a satisfactory answer, Tang Feng remained silent. He followed Zhou Ziliang out of the tent and saw Chen Ke followed by Liu Yiwan and Qin Liuliu. "Young Master, everything is packed. When do we set off?" Tang Feng took the reins and, with Zhou Ziliang's help, mounted his horse. "Let's go now!" Tang Feng was also curious about what had happened in Xiling during the two years he had been away, that made Li Yunrui do something so unexpected.
The carrier pigeon sent out by Rong Ji brought news that Emperor Yun had set off to return to Xiling in the past few days. Li Yunheng, who came to pay his respects early this morning, also said that Li Yunrui, due to the threat from the Pu Yuan delegation, had sent the imperial guards with military tally to find Zhou Ziliang. Rong Ji lay on the chaise longue, looking at Li Yunheng kneeling below, and rubbed the orchid bracelet in her hand, smiling as she said, "This is something for us, mother and son, to look forward to. Has there been any news from the Princess?" Li Yunheng shook his head. "My elder sister has never been close to us. Compared to us, she naturally trusts Li Yunrui more. Moreover, Li Yunrui promised her that he wouldn't be sent on a political marriage... and he even transferred Zhou Ziliang back. Although it's a major taboo for Father, as long as my elder sister pleads for him... Wait, Mother, I know what to do." Li Yunheng sneered, "Although my elder sister doesn't like us, she dotes on Third Brother! Why not leave this matter to Third Brother?" Speaking of relationships, Li Wuyou had always known that Li Yunheng and Li Yunrui didn't get along. Although her younger brothers had all grown up together, Li Yunye was closer to Li Wuyou. Sending Li Yunye as an intermediary would naturally be much more effective. Rong Ji nodded. "If you have your own ideas, then go for it. Of all your father's children, only you and the Crown Prince are capable of great things. Now the Crown Prince is mired in trouble and can barely protect himself. It's right that you used the Jade Prince as a shield. The path to the throne is fraught with danger, so it's only right that you be cautious."
Knowing that Emperor Yun would be returning soon, Li Yunheng rushed to the Jade Prince's residence after leaving Rong Ji's place to save time. Li Yunye had been relatively relaxed these past few days. During the envoy's audience, unauthorized personnel were strictly prohibited from entering the palace. Although he missed his mother, he was powerless to do anything about it. He could only play chess with Wen Yunsheng at home. "Your Highness, it's not good to take back a move," Wen Yunsheng said, tapping the stone table with two fingers holding a black piece. Seeing that Wen Yunsheng had his eyes closed, Li Yunye secretly took a piece, but Wen Yunsheng immediately saw through his act, causing him some embarrassment. "Ahem... um, no, you can't see clearly anyway, what are you thinking?"
"I don't have any," Wen Yunsheng tossed the chess piece into the chess box, then smiled slightly. "If Your Highness insists on winning, just say so. I'll think about how to lose to Your Highness unintentionally." Li Yunye's brow twitched, and he was about to retort when the steward came to report, "Your Highness, Prince Cheng has arrived." Li Yunye was taken aback, put the chess piece aside, and said to Wen Yunsheng, "I'll be right back. Don't ruin the chessboard." He turned to follow the old steward, but halfway there, he seemed to remember something and turned back to instruct, "Don't..." "Take back your moves, no hiding pieces!" Wen Yunsheng smiled upon hearing this. "Of course." He then looked at the chessboard. "We're about to win with just one more move... Well... I'll take this piece. Who wants to listen to you! I can take back as many moves as I want." But with no one to chat with, Wen Yunsheng was indeed very bored, so he groped his way outside, only to encounter the steward on the way. "Young Master Wen, your eyesight isn't good, perhaps I could help you to rest?" Wen Yunsheng shook his head. "No, no, no, don't worry about me. Where's Li Yunye? He ran off halfway through the game."
"Your Highness has important matters to attend to and truly cannot spare the time," the old servant said truthfully. At this moment, Li Yunye was sitting in the main hall talking to Li Yunheng. "Third Brother, I've come to discuss something with you," Li Yunye said, becoming wary at his fourth brother's demeanor. Speaking of the succession struggle, he did indeed resent Li Yunrui because of their mother's situation. However, since their mother's imprisonment, Li Yunheng, whom he hadn't spoken to much in a long time, had been frequently showing him kindness. He wondered if there was something fishy going on, so he didn't dare to speak rashly. "Tell me," Li Yunheng said, lowering his voice when no one was around. "I heard that Eldest Sister is going to be married off to a foreign land." "What?" Li Yunheng was shocked. Li Yunye was the first to know that Li Wuyou liked Huaitang, and now that Huaitang was still imprisoned, how could Li Wuyou possibly agree to a marriage alliance? "Who told you that?"
"Do I even need to hear it? The entire palace knows. Third Brother, you know about the Pu Yuan delegation's stay in Xiling a few days ago!" Li Yunheng looked at Li Yunye, who seemed somewhat incredulous, and explained, "The Pu Yuan envoy came to pay homage under the pretext of tribute, using Xiling to coerce Li Yunrui into marrying the princess to Pu Yuan." Li Yunye thought for a moment and waved his hand, "Eldest Sister has always treated Li Yunrui well. Although Li Yunrui has wronged my mother, he still knows his place with Eldest Sister. Father has always doted on Eldest Sister. If he wants to stay in the Crown Prince's position, he absolutely cannot agree to a marriage alliance." Li Yunheng nodded in agreement, but continued, "Third Brother, what you say is true, but do you know what the Pu Yuan envoy used?" Is he trying to blackmail Li Yunrui? Pu Yuan's 100,000-strong army is stationed more than ten miles outside Xiling City. Third Brother, the enemy is at the gates! No matter how much Li Yunrui respects his elder sister, it's not as important as the people of Yan Yun! Isn't exchanging one person for one city a worthwhile trade?" Li Yunye fell into deep thought. Indeed, for Li Yunrui, it was better to be betrayed by the world than to betray the world. "Li Yunrui has gone too far!" Li Yunye and Li Wuyou had always had a good relationship. Now that he knew Li Yunrui wanted to sacrifice Li Wuyou for the entire Yan Yun, he was even more indignant. "Although the country is important, can my elder sister become a sacrifice for two countries? Besides, since the founding of Yan Yun, when have we ever feared a small neighboring country? What a joke!"
“Yes,” Li Yunheng quickly chimed in, seeing Li Yunye’s anger. “Moreover, Li Yunrui is currently holding Huaitang in check, and my elder sister has always been in love with him and refuses to marry anyone else. After being threatened by the Pu Yuan delegation, Li Yunrui directly sent someone to deliver the military tally to Zhou Ziliang. If Zhou Ziliang doesn’t arrive before the Pu Yuan soldiers attack, Li Yunrui can use Huaitang as leverage to force my elder sister to agree to the marriage. If Zhou Ziliang arrives and the two sides go to war, when Father returns, my elder sister will also be angry with Li Yunrui for Huaitang’s plea to Father not to arbitrarily mobilize troops. It’s truly killing two birds with one stone!” Li Yunye glanced at Li Yunheng without speaking, but drank a cup of tea. He had indeed been a bit angry just now, but he was much more sober now. After putting the teacup back, he asked slowly, “Fourth brother, what exactly are you trying to say? From what you’re saying, you want to use my elder sister to get rid of Li Yunrui?”
“It’s not that I want to, it’s that we want to. Third Brother, don’t you know how Consort Xiao is doing now? I heard that Father has already set off on his return journey. Once the Pu Yuan matter is over, the next case to be investigated will be Consort Xiao and Huai Tang. If Li Yunrui is protected by Eldest Sister, then she will naturally report to Father and expose this matter. At that time, there will be no way for those two to survive. Third Brother, Eldest Sister may not know about this, but you can’t not know, can you?”
"But..." Li Yunye was somewhat tempted, but still hesitated. After all, while she desired the crown prince position above Li Yunrui, she had no intention of taking Li Yunrui's life. The crime of unauthorized troop deployment was tantamount to execution in the eyes of the Emperor. If her elder sister didn't persuade her, no one else could. "Although I want to seize the throne, I have never intended to take Li Yunrui's life..."
"It's not about killing him, just having Father imprison him and remove him from the position of Crown Prince. Think about it, Li Yunrui is the legitimate son, and he has so many veteran ministers supporting him. Father won't do anything to him, just imprison him, it's fine. And wouldn't you be able to take advantage of this opportunity to ascend to the throne?" Looking at Li Yunheng's obsequious manner, Li Yunye was somewhat puzzled. "Back then, during the struggle for the throne, you and Li Yunrui were the most at odds. Now, if it's really as you say, the position of Crown Prince is vacant, would you hand it over to me?"
“I fought for the throne simply because I couldn’t stand Li Yunrui, but Third Brother is different. If Consort Xiao loses her position, she’ll likely spend the rest of her life alone in the palace. How could I bear to see the Consort I watched grow up die of illness in the palace?” Li Yunheng cupped his hands towards Li Yunye. “I do want to persuade my elder sister, but as you know, ever since I fought Li Yunrui for the throne, she’s become distant. But I don’t want to see her ruin her life… She’s the apple of Father’s eye; how could she suffer such injustice? Third Brother, you’re on good terms with my elder sister. If you have time, please try to persuade her… When Father returns, make sure she’s sober and doesn’t do anything foolish.”
"Then... how should I say it?"
"No need to say anything, just tell your elder sister everything. Right now, she probably still thinks Li Yunrui will really help her reject the delegation. How could those hundreds of thousands of Pu Yuan troops outside the city let Li Yunrui go? Besides... not only did he misappropriate the military tally without permission, but he also didn't inform Father Emperor beforehand. Don't you find that very suspicious?" Li Yunye slowly stood up. "I understand. I will go to the palace to tell my elder sister tomorrow." After seeing Li Yunheng off, Li Yunye turned around and saw Wen Yunsheng standing by the door. "What are you doing standing here? Didn't you say I would come to you after I finished my business?"
"Just bored," Wen Yunsheng said, not waiting for Li Yunye to speak, and walked straight into the hall, finding a table and sitting down. "What kind of behavior is this? Why sit at the table instead of a chair?" Li Yunye only scolded him briefly before ignoring him further. After all, Wen Yunsheng wouldn't listen to anyone; it was just a waste of his breath. "Your Highness, the Eldest Princess is going to be married off... This is a wonderful thing!"
"A good thing?" Li Yunye was a little confused by Wen Yunsheng's words. Wen Yunsheng picked up a bowl of tea, opened the lid, and said, "Look, this water is for the common people, and the tea is for the royal family. Tea and water complement each other and are indispensable." Then he raised his hand and splashed the water out. "If there is no water, no matter how good the tea is, no one will buy it. But this cup of tea only has a small portion of tea leaves removed, yet it does not affect the overall taste of the tea. What does Your Highness think?"
"You mean Li Yunrui was right to detain Huaitang and force his elder sister to marry?"
“What I mean is, not only His Highness the Crown Prince, but even His Majesty would agree to this,” Wen Yunsheng smiled. “Those who plan great things must know how to make sacrifices. Although the Eldest Princess is deeply favored by His Majesty, considering the national situation, do you think His Majesty would still protect her? Yan Yun was conquered by His Majesty with every single soldier; how could he lose the empire for a princess? Even if Yan Yun has a strong and invincible army, His Majesty wouldn't waste resources and manpower on a war that could be solved without losing a single soldier, Your Highness.”
After careful consideration, Li Yunye felt that Wen Yunsheng's words made a lot of sense. At this point, he couldn't sit still any longer and stood up, saying, "I'll go to the palace now and talk to my elder sister." "Please wait a moment!" Wen Yunsheng tugged at Li Yunye's sleeve and asked, "Your Highness, do you really not want the eldest princess to be married off?"
"Of course, she's my elder sister and has always treated me well, so I certainly won't treat her the way Li Yunrui did."
Wen Yunsheng put down his teacup, opened his eyes, and looked at Li Yunye with a cold gaze. "Even if in the end... there are corpses strewn everywhere, you won't regret it?"
"nature"
"Hahahaha, very good, very good, my Your Highness! I only hope you remember what you said today!" Seeing Wen Yunsheng clapping and cheering, almost manic, Li Yunye was somewhat confused, but ignored him and turned to leave. However, he heard Wen Yunsheng say behind him, "If that's truly your intention, Your Highness doesn't need to think of yourself as a blank sheet of paper. Taking this step is like spilling ink on paper; there's no going back. Instead of clinging to your pride, why not go and discuss it with Prince Cheng? The only way for the Princess to avoid a marriage alliance is to agree to it."
"What?" Li Yunye thought he had misheard and quickly asked again.
"I have said I agree to the marriage proposal. Please convey this to His Highness Prince Cheng, and he will understand."
Li Yunye relayed Wen Yunsheng's words to Li Yunheng without missing a single one. Li Yunheng pondered for a long time before saying, "It is indeed a good idea. I only thought of Li Yunrui, but I didn't consider guarding against Father. Well then, Third Brother, let me tell you what to do about this..."
Li Yunye stood outside Li Wuyou's palace, hesitant. Although he and Li Yunheng had discussed it, he was still somewhat conflicted. However, thinking of Li Wuyou being forced into a political marriage, Li Yunye gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and pushed open the palace gate. "Elder sister..." Li Wuyou was overjoyed to hear his voice. Perhaps it had been a long time since she had seen Li Yunye, and she was happy to see him. "Yunye! You haven't been to the palace in so long!"
“I… this deep palace, it’s better not to go.” Li Yunye looked up at the carved ceiling of the house. Li Wuyou also regretted touching Li Yunye’s sore spot and smiled apologetically. “Yunye, about Consort Xiao… I will talk to Yunrui. Since he promised to release Huaitang, he will naturally plead for Consort Xiao. Don’t be too sad. Besides… he is your elder brother after all. Consort Xiao and Huaitang were at fault to begin with. I am already very grateful that he did this.” Seeing Li Wuyou speaking up for Li Yunrui, Li Yunye felt a pang of sadness for no reason. He composed himself and said coldly, “He will not release Huaitang. And now, elder sister… is still speaking up for Li Yunrui? Putting aside my mother, what wrong has elder sister done to deserve marrying Pu Yuan!”
"What... what marriage proposal? Yunrui promised me he would refuse the delegation's offer!" Li Wuyou was stunned by Li Yunheng's words. Just two days ago, Li Yunrui said he would help him refuse the delegation's marriage proposal, so why was he offering himself up today? "Elder sister is confused! Pu Yuan and Yan Yun have always had a strained relationship. Now that the delegation is proposing marriage, how could Li Yunrui give up this opportunity? He has been the crown prince for so long, and Father has already treated him coldly. If he can resolve the issue between the two countries, wouldn't he be able to secure his throne?"
"But... Yunrui even used his military seal for my sake... Father will surely punish him when he returns, I..."
"He knows to use the military tally, so why doesn't he write to Father? Back at Lishan Academy, how many connections did Li Yunrui use to get Tang Feng working at the pawnshop in order to bring Zhou Ziliang into his faction? Don't you understand now, elder sister? Agreeing to you is just a pretense. Once Huaitang is closed, they'll have leverage over you. When a knife is held to Huaitang's throat, will you marry him or not? And even if Father returns, for the sake of Yanyun... do you think Father will go to war with Puyuan again for your sake?"
Li Wuyou was somewhat frightened by Li Yunye's words. Although she hadn't thought about it before, now that he said it, it was quite terrifying to think about. Li Yunrui was the crown prince, so naturally he had to plan for his own future, while she was just a princess. How could Li Yunrui possibly abandon the country to protect her after something like this happened? "What should we do? If even Father Emperor doesn't protect me..."
"Elder sister, don't worry. Li Yunrui's unauthorized mobilization of troops is a major taboo. When Father returns, he will naturally punish him. At that time, he will definitely use you as a shield. I only resorted to this tactic because I didn't want to see you marry Pu Yuan. Even if Father is angry, he won't take it out on him. But what if you say that you didn't have this idea and that Li Yunrui made it up?" Li Wuyou sat down and slowly thought about Li Yunye's words. Seeing that Li Wuyou didn't speak, Li Yunye continued, "If this matter is confronted face to face, please don't try to exonerate Li Yunrui."
"I... how am I supposed to explain... no matter how I look at it, I'm going to be married off for political reasons anyway, it's all the same."
“You should tell Father that you had no intention of not going to the marriage alliance, and that the marriage alliance with Yanyun was voluntary. Li Yunrui, seeing that Father was not in Xiling, had a moment of evil intentions, wanting to take advantage of the situation, mobilize troops, refuse the delegation's request under the pretext of refusing the marriage alliance, and incite the two armies to fight. Then he could rise to power in one step. This is a coup d'état!” Li Wuyou frowned after hearing this. “But I don’t want the marriage alliance…”
“If Father finds out that Li Yunrui has mobilized troops without authorization, he will naturally be stripped of his title as Crown Prince and confined to the Prince's residence. At that point, no one will care about Huaitang and my mother's affairs. After Li Yunrui is confined, I will arrange for Huaitang to come out and catch up with you before you leave Muxi, so you can elope. Since the princess has been kidnapped at the border, neither side will dare to utter a sound, so elder sister… please consider this.” Li Wuyou gripped her sleeve, bit her lip, and nodded. “Alright… if it's just a simple confinement… and he'll be out in a couple of days, then I agree.”
Li Yunye breathed a long sigh of relief after leaving Li Wuyou's place. It was impossible to say he was wholeheartedly helping Li Wuyou without any ulterior motives, but as long as Li Wuyou was willing to lie, he could avoid a marriage alliance and drag Li Yunrui into the mess—a win-win situation, indeed a good plan. "Third Brother, did it work?" Li Yunheng had been waiting outside the palace for quite a while. Li Yunye nodded. "Everything went smoothly." Li Yunheng smiled. "What's the name of your strategist again... Wen Yunsheng, right? Not bad, not bad at all, truly a cunning and resourceful man!"
Although Pu Yuan had threatened to send troops to Xiling if the princess refused to marry, he had remained quiet for the past few days. Even after Zhou Ziliang led his troops outside the city, there was still no movement. "Could it really be a coup attempt...?" Tang Feng looked at the familiar Xiling city, somewhat puzzled. Nothing seemed amiss; why was Li Yunrui so determined to mobilize troops? Zhou Ziliang tightened the reins and then said to Chen Ke, "Pass down the order: all troops, remove your armor!" Zhou Ziliang was somewhat worried. Although he didn't know why the troops were being mobilized, removing their armor to enter the city now would be entirely beneficial. Seeing that everyone had removed their armor, Zhou Ziliang heard the sounds of horses' hooves and carriages. He looked up, and his pupils widened in shock.
"Young Master Zhou?" Looking at Zhou Ziliang and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers behind him, even the seasoned Eunuch Feng felt his legs go numb. He quickly turned to the Emperor Yun in the carriage and reported the situation. Zhou Ziliang, seeing it was the Emperor Yun's carriage, glanced at Tang Feng, then dismounted. "Your subject Zhou Ziliang greets Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!" At this moment, the Emperor Yun also emerged from the carriage, helping Eunuch Feng slowly walk over. Tang Feng, seeing the Emperor Yun emerge, quickly knelt down, not daring to make a mistake. "Why have you returned?" The Emperor Yun's voice was devoid of emotion, only a chilling coldness that made Tang Feng tremble. "Your subject is ordered by the Crown Prince to return to Xiling immediately." Zhou Ziliang then presented the military tally with both hands. The Emperor Yun stepped forward, picked up the tally, and examined it carefully. It was indeed Li Yunrui's tally. "Did the Crown Prince give a reason?"
"No! I do not know anything about Xiling, but I was afraid that rushing in would offend the Emperor, so I ordered the soldiers to remove their armor and weapons before entering the city."
"How dare you!" Emperor Yun roared, causing hundreds of thousands of people to hold their breath. Then, Emperor Yun patted Zhou Ziliang on the shoulder. "Rise and come with me to the palace. I want to question the Crown Prince in person. The rest of you, kneel outside the city and await my decree."
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