Chapter 67

Chapter 67

In the palace, Consort Ning went mad the moment she heard the news of the Crown Prince's deposition. She desperately tried to run out, but was held down tight by several palace attendants. A hint of disbelief showed through her manic expression. "Impossible! Impossible!"

Yet her cries drew no attention; instead, people shied away from her madness, not daring to come near.

One of the attendants silently slipped away, quietly reporting the news of what had happened here.

Song An delivered the news from Wutong Hall to Ying Fusheng. After reading it, Ying Fusheng had Song An destroy the note.

"Have someone watch her. Now is not the time for her to die yet," Ying Fusheng said.

Song An replied, "Understood."

Emerging from Cining Palace, Ying Fusheng headed back to Wanchun Hall.

As he neared Wanchun Hall, there was a sudden crash, and a silhouette stumbled out from around a corner. He ran so fast that he almost crashed into Ying Fusheng, not noticing what was ahead.

The guards, startled, quickly stopped him and were surprised to find it was the Eighth Prince, who had no attendants.

Ying Fusheng frowned. The usually flamboyant Eighth Prince was completely out of sorts, with a visible gash on his hand. Ying Fusheng said, "Guards."

The Eighth Prince startled and quickly cut in, "Don't call anyone!"

Ying Fusheng sensed something was off about him.

The Eighth Prince's eyes darted around. "Don't call anyone. I hurt myself by accident."

Voices came from a distance, seeming to be from the imperial guards. Beside them, a forlorn figure was faintly visible. The Deposed Crown Prince had no imperial retinue whatsoever, only palace attendants and guards.

Today was the day the Deposed Crown Prince was moving out of the Eastern Palace.

Ying Fusheng glanced in that direction, then looked at the Eighth Prince's demeanor, as if realizing something. "Come with me."

On the way back, the Eighth Prince kept his head down and said nothing.

The rims of his eyes were red, whether from the cold or from crying. After following Ying Fusheng back to Wanchun Hall, he still didn't speak.

Ying Fusheng looked at the wound on his hand, waved the attendants away, and said to Chen Xuqiu, "If you would, Miss Chen."

It was only when Chen Xuqiu bandaged his wound that the Eighth Prince snapped back to reality, his eyes growing a little teary.

Due to the Crown Prince's deposition, the harem was in turmoil, and Kunning Palace had refused to see visitors for days.

The Deposed Crown Prince's move to another palace could not be delayed. The Eighth Prince had been by the Crown Prince's side for many years, having grown up following him, and their fraternal bond was real. The Eighth Prince had tried repeatedly to visit the Eastern Palace but returned empty-handed every time. When he went to see him off today, the Deposed Crown Prince flew into a rage, a far cry from his former gentle self, and hurled a vase at him in his fury.

The Eighth Prince failed to dodge in time and was cut by the vase shards.

He couldn't understand why his brother the Crown Prince, once so gentle, would treat him like that, hurling insults at him.

He had just wanted to say goodbye.

Suddenly, a hand landed on his head, brushing aside the messy hair on his forehead.

The Eighth Prince froze and looked up. The tears he had been holding back spilled over uncontrollably. When he came to his senses, he realized he was clinging to Ying Fusheng and crying. Ying Fusheng's body stiffened slightly, but he ultimately didn't push him away.

After a long moment, Ying Fusheng sighed. "You don't want to go back, so you're just going to sit here?"

The Eighth Prince was stunned, then had no choice but to stand up. Palace attendants brought him hot soup. By then, Chen Xuqiu had brought the medicine. In winter, Ying Fusheng's condition was worse than usual; even the detox treatments had to be reduced to once every seven days. He claimed it was fine, but Chen Xuqiu wouldn't budge from once every seven days.

Ying Fusheng drank the medicine quietly and handed the bowl to a servant. "Have you had your evening meal?"

The Eighth Prince shook his head. Ying Fusheng ordered the attendants to prepare food, not once asking the Eighth Prince for an explanation. The Eighth Prince watched him, saw him arranging everything, and found himself at a loss for words. Instead, he grew flustered.

Ying Fusheng sent word to Kunning Palace and then ordered a place prepared for the Eighth Prince to rest. He tired easily today, having spaced out several times in Cining Palace.

After the Eighth Prince finished his meal, he turned back to find Ying Fusheng resting his head on one hand, looking very tired. The Eighth Prince's urge to call out died in his throat, and Song An had already tiptoed over to help Ying Fusheng rest.

The Eighth Prince looked at the attendant beside him. "Is Brother Six always this tired?"

Song An replied, "Every winter, the Sixth Prince's condition deteriorates."

Years had passed, yet his health never fully recovered. The Eighth Prince thought back—every time they met, his royal brother looked very unwell. The Eighth Prince watched him silently for a while, made a firm decision, then rose and said, "I'm going back."

The attendants didn't understand why the Eighth Prince suddenly changed his mind and hurriedly saw him out.

As soon as he left, Ying Fusheng opened his eyes slightly. "Have someone escort him back to his palace, and assign two people to keep an eye on him—make sure nothing happens."

With the Crown Prince deposed and moved to another palace, it was effectively a form of house arrest.

The Xu family was dealt a heavy blow, but they still had some clout in the court. Empress Xu now only had the Eighth Prince left. The Xu family's attitude toward the Eighth Prince had probably changed recently, treading on the Deposed Crown Prince's sore spot. The Eighth Prince, raised in innocence, could not see the Crown Prince's hostility toward him, nor did he realize he had become one of the Deposed Crown Prince's thorns in the side.

The Crown Prince might be deposed, but some people's schemes had not ceased.

Thus, they should be making their next move.

Song An said, "Understood."

As soon as the Eighth Prince left Wanchun Hall, a figure high up silently slipped away.

Ye Xuanjiu landed silently at the Brocade Guard's lookout post and reported to Qi Hanzhou.

"His Highness retired early today," Ye Xuanjiu said.

Qi Hanzhou frowned upon hearing he had retired early. "Did Chen Xuqiu say anything?"

"No," Ye Xuanjiu replied.

Since that night's farewell, the two questions Qi Hanzhou had asked him had gone unanswered. When they met again, neither brought it up. But once you paid attention, many things began to become apparent. Qi Hanzhou didn't press the matter; given Ying Fusheng's nature, there were things he wouldn't say if you didn't ask.

The Crown Prince's dismissal happened very quickly, showing the emperor's immense fury. The Brocade Guard had, following leads from the Ministry of Works, narrowed down two possible destinations for the military funds: one was Jiangnan, and the other was Western Shu.

And both directions pointed to other behemoths behind them.

"How is the investigation going?" Qi Hanzhou asked.

Ye Xuanjiu had been tasked by Qi Hanzhou over the past few days to investigate the secrets of the palace. When Empress Xu gave birth, those around her were all arranged by the Xu family. But the investigation revealed something suspicious—they found that besides those still with Empress Xu, all other relevant persons had disappeared.

He reported his findings over these days. "The midwife died of illness a few years ago, and the imperial physician from back then had retired to his hometown. We've already sent people to inquire."

The midwife died of illness, and the physicians from the Imperial Hospital were either dismissed or retired, leaving only some people who gave identical accounts, as if to obscure the truth.

If they had killed everyone, that would have signaled a problem.

Leaving some behind to confuse the truth and killing the truly relevant ones—that was how you set up a perfect cover.

"Keep an eye on the people around Empress Xu," Qi Hanzhou said.

Ye Xuanjiu was taken aback. "Surely those people aren't also... Junior General, could it be true!? What would be the point? One wrong move and it would be—"

Was there really something fishy behind the childbirths of Empress Xu and Consort Ning back then!?

"If Consort Ning had not met with misfortune, do you think the Sixth Prince could have survived to adulthood?"

Qi Hanzhou suddenly asked: "Is Consort Ning really insane? Could the Suihongzi poison have gotten into her hands so easily?"

Ye Xuanjiu's scalp prickled as some things suddenly became clear. They all knew how poor the Sixth Prince's health was. If Suihongzi had been administered for a few more years, it would have been hard to say whether he could survive to adulthood... In the palace, a chronically ill prince dying suddenly of an acute illness would arouse no suspicion.

Qi Hanzhou did not answer. Whether it was true or not, he had to consider this matter.

If it was true, then the only one who could have swapped the princes through the multiple layers of defenses set by the Xu family was the mastermind who had been lurking behind the Xu family all along. If the mastermind wanted to act through the Xu family, given his consistent modus operandi, he was an extremely cautious person. Swapping princes carried great risk and would easily arouse the Xu family's suspicions.

Why would he do this?

-*

Winter of the nineteenth year of the Taiyuan Dynasty passed, and when spring came, the political situation at court changed unpredictably.

At the beginning of the year, a corpse was found in the Ministry of Revenue offices. The deceased had a confidential letter on his person accusing Ministry of Revenue officials of corruption.

The word "corruption" had become a taboo subject for the emperor since the Xu family's downfall. After the Xu family's defeat, the Eldest Prince's faction became the most prominent political faction at court. With the position of Crown Prince vacant, how could the factions pass up that opportunity?

The Xu family had lost the Ministry of Works, now a prize everyone coveted. The position of Minister of Works was vacant—such a big post!

When the case accusing Ministry of Revenue officials arose, before the Eldest Prince's faction could make a move for that position, the emperor swiftly promoted a minister.

The original Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Liu, was transferred to the position of Minister of Works, while the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review took over as Chief Minister. This move caught everyone off guard!

Not only that, but because the Minister of War was in a coma, Vice Minister of War Hu Buyu was promoted to Minister of War, and the Minister of the Imperial Stud, Shen Changcun, was transferred to Vice Minister of War!

Shen Changcun had previously been demoted from the post of Vice Minister of War a few years ago, and now he was restored to his original post. The reshuffles in the War and Works Ministries were essentially the emperor promoting his trusted allies. Alongside these changes, internal positions in the Ministry of War were recommended by the Minister and Vice Minister. Several new officials were appointed, all from the maternal clan of the Third Prince.

With this move, the court factions understood that previously the Deposed Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince's factions were dominant, but now that the Xu family had fallen, the only princes at court who could challenge the Eldest Prince were the Second and Third Princes. The Second Prince had previously been too close to the Xu family, while the Third Prince's maternal clan came from a military background, and his maternal grandfather, General Lu, was a hero who had fought alongside the late emperor.

The Xu family's protégés were scattered across various ministries. Before the Ministry of Works scandal, they had often disrespected Grand Secretary Xu. Now that the Ministry of Works had been dismantled and the Crown Prince had been deposed, the Crown Prince's faction no longer dared to act recklessly in public. The emperor refused to indulge them and directly promoted military officials. The emperor did need civil officials, but only those without ulterior motives.

This could rein in the Eldest Prince and intimidate the remnants of the Crown Prince's faction.

At the beginning of the year, the emperor issued an order to all regions of Dayuan, allowing stationed troops to return to the capital for family visits. Many military officials thus entered the capital, and the emperor was overjoyed and reopened the spring hunt. As soon as the news came out, the spring hunt was co-organized by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, scheduled for the second lunar month, when the winter snow melted.

The location was Beishan, just outside the capital. West of Beishan stood the Huguo Temple, and to the south lay the capital's military garrison, which had long been the royal hunting grounds.

This spring hunt was to be grand, not only with the royal family attending but also allowing ministers to bring their families. It would last three days.

"Lord Lu said that if Your Highness needs anything during these three days, you may speak directly," the coachman said.

After Shen Changcun was reinstated as Vice Minister, the Ministry of Imperial Stud promoted someone he trusted, surnamed Lu. This new Minister of the Imperial Stud had originally been Vice Minister of the Imperial Stud and had some connections with the Lu family behind the Third Prince. At court, he was classified as a member of the Third Prince's faction, but in reality, he was loyal to Shen Changcun.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Ying Fusheng got out when they arrived at Beishan. The spring hunt camps had already been set up. Ying Fusheng was assigned to the prince's tent. Around the prince's tent, imperial guards patrolled, and nearby were the tents of the harem. More people had come than expected.

When Ying Fusheng arrived at the tent, someone had already brought him a horse. The spring hunt was especially important to Dayuan's martial culture. The princes of Dayuan learned martial arts from a young age and were skilled at archery on horseback. As a prince, he could not slack off at the hunting ground.

The Empress Dowager seemed to have noticed this and had a palace attendant inform him in advance: "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager said that Your Highness only needs to make an appearance in the outer areas of the hunting ground."

The outer areas of the hunting ground were usually training grounds for the capital garrison, with no wild beasts and stationed troops nearby. Ying Fusheng understood the Empress Dowager's intention. He took the horse and noticed Shen Yunfei. He glanced toward the distant hunting ground and asked: "Has this hunting ground been checked for this hunt?"

The Beishan hunting ground had existed for many years, and the Ministry of War had fully scouted the area for this hunt.

Shen Yunfei knew his concerns and said: "Lord Hu ordered the surrounding hunting ground to be completely sealed off, with markers placed everywhere. Your Highness, is there a problem with the hunting ground?"

Ying Fusheng had a vague sense of foreboding. In his previous life, nothing had happened in the hunting ground. He said: "Better to be cautious."

"That's the Eighth Prince's tent. This time, His Majesty specially ordered a separate tent for the Eighth Prince," said Song An.

Ying Fusheng frowned. Normally, the Eighth Prince would stay with Empress Xu.

Not only that, looking into the distance, he could see many stationed troops outside the hunting ground.

Ying Fusheng took a look around. When the royal procession arrived, many people had gathered at the Beishan garrison, all in tight-fitting riding clothes, ready to ride on horseback.

The opening ceremony ended, and the first day's hunt began.

During the three-day spring hunt, the first day was for the princes to hunt individually. The hunting ground would prepare horses for the princes.

However, each prince had his own stable. Ying Fusheng was not skilled at archery on horseback, and his horse was prepared by Shen Changcun.

When he arrived at the hunting ground, he recognized a few familiar figures among the crowd—they were the Imperial Guards.

Qi Hanzhou was absent, but the presence of Imperial Guards in the crowd showed he was on alert.

In the hunting ground, the princes gathered at the front, followed by a group of military officials.

Ying Fusheng walked over to the Empress Dowager's side, waiting for the spring hunt to begin.

Among the crowd, when Ying Fusheng appeared, several pairs of eyes landed on him.