Chapter 325: Scheming (IV)

Chapter 325: Scheming (IV)

The day after Le Wuya arrived in the capital fell on the same day as the first grand court assembly following the Emperor's recovery from a major illness.

Though that was no accident.

As dusk gathered, Le Wuya rode up to the northwest corner of the Golden Terrace on the capital's outskirts, where a canopied carriage sat waiting. A tall figure sprawled on a fox-fur blanket, helping himself to a drink amidst the lush green grass, perfectly at ease.

At the sound of approaching hoofbeats, the man put on the airs of a carefree young lord, raising a small jade cup and pouring himself a splash of deep red wine before bringing it to his lips: "Well, well, who do we have here? Long time no see."

Le Wuya dismounted and bowed deeply: "Your Highness, the Seventh Prince."

Xiang Zhi gave him a look and said, "You've gotten thinner."

Le Wuya: "Serving Your Highness is only my duty."

Xiang Zhi took a sip of grape wine, his tone dripping with jealousy: "Which 'Your Highness' are we talking about?"

Le Wuya squatted down: "You guess?"

Xiang Zhi snorted: "I'm not guessing."

"How long have you been waiting here for me?"

"Hmph." Xiang Zhi gave a dainty roll of his eyes. "With weather this fine, I'm here taking in the scenery. Who says I was waiting for you?"

Le Wuya: "With all this free time, His Majesty's health must have truly recovered."

Xiang Zhi gave him a sideways look: "You know the answer, so why ask?"

A few days earlier, Le Wuya had sent a big black dog to his place with a message: if the Emperor was well, he should come meet him at the Golden Terrace.

No one knew the Emperor's health better than Xiang Zhi.

He was Consort Xi's son.

And as a consort who actively curried favor and constantly schemed for benefits for her family, herself, and her son, Consort Xi went out of her way to tend to the Emperor during his illness.

She was also a careless big mouth who told Xiang Zhi everything he asked, without holding back.

From when the Emperor could get out of bed to when he ate a bowl of meat porridge—she relayed every last detail to Xiang Zhi.

That said, like master, like dog—that saying really held up.

That black hound had wolfed down a whole plate of fine meat, licked its chops, and ran off without even letting him touch it. Downright infuriating.

Xiang Zhi asked offhandedly, "Did you really have to wait until he got better to come back?"

Le Wuya gave a sly smile: "I was afraid I'd make the old man so angry he'd relapse."

Xiang Zhi sat up straight, wary: "...What are you up to?"

Le Wuya dodged the question: "At the grand court assembly, with all the officials there, it's the perfect time to take care of business."

Xiang Zhi grabbed his sleeve and stared him down: "What the hell are you going to do?"

Le Wuya: "Finish my work, then come back to report, of course."

Seeing him talk in circles, Xiang Zhi was both furious and anxious, the calm facade he'd put on completely crumbling.

"I'm warning you, don't... don't you..."

Xiang Zhi steeled himself, seeing no one around—even Zhong Piaoping and Wang Cheng were standing guard far off—so he laid it all out: "With a face like yours, you should be keeping a low profile and treading carefully. Why do you have to provoke him? What's in it for you?"

"No good?" Le Wuya tilted his head and smiled. "I think it's pretty fun."

"He's old! How many more years does he have left?"

"Wrong. His Majesty is in good health. Barring any accidents, he could live another ten years or more."

"You know that and you still... still do this? Can't you just behave yourself? I don't want to have to pick up your corpse twice! Besides, the fight for the throne between Fifth Brother and that guy is still up in the air. You're his right-hand man—do you have to stick your neck out and offend the old man? Can't you just focus on taking down Fifth Brother, win the Emperor's favor, and then deal with everything else?"

After his trip to Dansui, just hearing the words "imperial favor" made Le Wuya want to laugh.

"That was my plan before," he said. "But I've since realized it's not necessary."

"What's the point of something useless?"

Xiang Zhi didn't get it: "How is it useless? Without imperial favor, how can he become the Crown Prince?"

Le Wuya said again: "You guess?"

The veins on Xiang Zhi's forehead bulged: "I told you, I'm not guessing!"

Le Wuya suddenly laughed and reached out to mess up his hair: "That's right. A kid like you shouldn't meddle in these things. Just enjoy the autumn scenery in peace."

Xiang Zhi smacked his hand away: "If you don't want to fight, then stop making waves and keep your head down! Fifth Brother is generous by nature—even if he ends up taking the throne, he won't treat Xiang Xiaoliu badly!"

Le Wuya squatted in front of him, looking him in the eye, his tone carrying a hint of temptation: "But if Xiaoliu takes the throne, Consort Xi and Imperial Consort Zhuang would both become Empress Dowagers, with two full tables of food every day."

Xiang Zhi went quiet: "..."

After a long pause, Xiang Zhi circled back to his original question: "So what exactly are you planning to do?!"

Le Wuya said nothing more, just two simple words: "Trust me."

Xiang Zhi looked at him, and that heart pounding wildly in his chest was, embarrassingly, calmed by those two words.

After a long silence, he really did stop pressing, slipping back into his carefree attitude. He picked up another jade bowl he'd prepared in advance, poured a stream of crimson wine from the flask with one hand, and swirled it under Le Wuya's nose: "Want a drink?"

Then, as if remembering something, he covered his mouth with a dramatic flourish: "Ah, I forgot Lord Wenren is on official duty. If you drink this cup—"

Before he could finish, Le Wuya had already taken the jade bowl and downed it in one gulp.

"Perfect. This wine isn't too strong—just right for me."

With that, he turned the empty bowl upside down and plopped it on Xiang Zhi's head: "Go play. I'm out of here."

Watching him mount his horse with practiced ease and ride off into the dust, Xiang Zhi was spellbound.

Just as he had countless times in his youth, he found himself lost in that retreating figure.

...Still so dashing and elegant.

Even the jade bowl sitting on his head couldn't make him angry.

...

Just as he had carefully schemed to find a way for the imprisoned Qi Hongzhuang to survive and secure her a princess title, Le Wuya had once again seized the right moment with perfect timing.

The Dansui matter could not be settled privately; only by exposing it publicly would it take effect.

However, since he had already instructed Qin Xingyue to flush out the snake by rustling the grass, Wang Su was bound to be on guard.

Sure enough, the moment he stepped through the city gates, the Changmen Guard planted by Wang Su detected his movements.

By the time the news reached the prince's mansion, it was already around the third watch of the night.

Wang Su, fully prepared, dared not delay. He rushed to the Chunqiu Gate before the palace gates were locked for the night, presenting his token and requesting an audience.

Standing outside the Chunqiu Gate awaiting the imperial summons, Wang Su's face was as hard as an iron plate.

Earlier, the emperor had instructed Wang Su to test whether Wen Renyue was Le Wuya.

He had been fretting over the lack of a good opportunity when the Dansui region under Zhou Wenchang's jurisdiction erupted in a major case of miner riots and the murder of a Mining Inspector.

Seeing the distress letter from Zhou Wenchang, Wang Su immediately conceived a plan.

At the risk of sacrificing these two pawns, he intended to test, in the most extreme of predicaments, whether Wen Renyue's conduct mirrored Le Wuya's fierce hatred of evil.

A person's innate likes and dislikes are the hardest to conceal.

A proper Imperial Official who preferred to act as a chivalrous wanderer, defying the law with force—such an oddity appears once in a blue moon.

Thus, Wang Su deliberately planted a vicious scheme in these two men's minds, repeatedly emphasizing Le Wuya's danger, and indeed lured them into treating it as a serious threat, even prompting Wen Huan to consider eliminating him if absolutely necessary.

Wen Renyue was thus thrown into Dansui, that seemingly tranquil arena, and thereafter vanished without a trace, with no word of his fate.

Wang Su knew this matter was not exactly honorable. Unwilling to disturb Xiang Zheng, and even less wanting to appear incompetent, he had not disclosed his plan to the emperor.

The emperor need not know his full scheme; he only needed to know the outcome.

But now, Le Wuya had first secretly corresponded with Xu Yingrui, then returned just one day before the grand court assembly.

This could not help but set Wang Su's heart racing.

Even if it meant enduring a harsh scolding, he had to report this to the emperor in advance, to align himself with the emperor and gain some protection.

Unexpectedly, the emperor did not summon him into the palace.

Xue Jie personally returned the token, speaking with great courtesy: "Lord Wang, please discuss matters tomorrow."

"...Why is this?"

"The emperor has been meeting with Lord Xie at the Shouren Hall since noon, and only just let him go. His Majesty has only recently recovered, and he is truly fatigued. He won't see any more ministers today. Once tomorrow's court session concludes, I will be the first to present your token for you. How does that sound?"

Wang Su's anxiety burned fiercely, and for the first time he defied the imperial will: "Please, Eunuch Xue, relay once more! I indeed have urgent matters to report, concerning Wen Renyue. Please inform His Majesty!"

Xue Jie raised his eyelids slightly and let out a soft "Oh": "What a shame... When I left, His Majesty had already retired to rest in the Shouren Hall. He's only just recovered, and the autumn night wind is cold—it really wouldn't be wise to disturb him."

He paused, then asked: "Do you mean Surveillance Commissioner Wen Ren? If there is something urgent, you can tell me, and when I see His Majesty in the morning, I'll pass it along for you."

Wang Su hid his inner turmoil and smiled faintly: "No need. Thank you, Eunuch Xue."

Xue Jie had politely but firmly cut him off, yet his manner was utterly courteous, impeccable: "You're welcome."

As they spoke, Jie Jitong stepped out of the Chunqiu Gate at the same time. Seeing Wang Su there, a flash of surprise crossed his face, quickly replaced by a rehearsed, polite smile: "The autumn night wind is cold—what brings Lord Wang here this late?"

Wang Su nodded courteously: "His Majesty's health has only just recovered. Even if Lord Xie has urgent matters, you should consider His Majesty's health. Why discuss state affairs until so deep into the night?"

Jie Jitong showed just the right amount of surprise, and when he opened his mouth, he launched into a smooth stream of flattery: "His Majesty, though ill, still bears the weight of state affairs—truly a wise ruler, and a blessing for us ministers. Lord Wang means well, but surely you wouldn't stop His Majesty from handling state affairs?"

Wang Su had no stomach for verbal sparring. Agitated and distracted, he gave a perfunctory salute with clasped hands and turned to leave.

He thought to himself: maybe the Dansui matter hadn't been exposed after all.

Zhou Wenchang and Zhou Wenhuan might well have gotten through this crisis unscathed.

Given the temperaments of those two brothers, unless there was solid evidence, they'd never give up without a fight.

And their letter had made it clear that Wen Renyue had fallen sick upon entering Dansui. Now, perhaps with his health a bit better, he hadn't dared to delay and had traveled day and night back to the capital, so as not to be late in reporting on the disaster relief efforts.

The Changmen Guard who brought the news also said that when Wen Renyue entered the city with his men, he was gaunt, flushed, weary, and dazed—hardly looking healthy.

This matched perfectly with what the Zhou brothers had written.

As for showing up right before the grand court assembly—maybe... it was just a coincidence?

He was posted to the borderlands. Even with Qin Xingyue as his informant, working from the capital, how could he possibly know what was happening deep in the palace?

Even that greedy little guard, Ji Zhun, hadn't sent back a single secret letter, which showed Dansui was indeed calm and quiet.

Multiple sources of information, all confirming each other, all pointed to nothing being wrong.

Even so, a vague sense of dread lingered in his heart, keeping Wang Su tossing and turning all night. The few hairs he had left fell out in droves onto his pillow.

Meanwhile, Le Wuya, after downing a cup of grape wine, slept soundly and sweetly, the exhaustion of days of travel was swept away.

The next morning, refreshed and full of energy, he held his court tablet, strode with graceful, measured steps, with his fox tail held high, and entered the palace with his head held high.

Author's Note:

Yaya, the destroyer of Wang Su's hair.