Chapter 293: Brothers Fighting
Li Huan was startled by the sudden reprimand, his whole body trembling.
He hitched up his robe and knelt, his forehead touching the ground.
“Imperial Father, please see clearly! Your son swears to heaven, I have absolutely no selfish intentions… King Ma and King Wang only have official dealings with your son, no private friendship. It’s just… just that this case involves a wide scope, affecting countless imperial relatives and nobles, and your son feared that acting too hastily would cause turmoil in the court, which is why he was hesitant and cautious step by step… I never expected it to give the villains an opportunity…”
Emperor Chong Zhao stared at his kneeling figure.
After a long while, the terrifying pressure slightly receded, and slowly turned towards Li Zhao, who was silently standing to the side.
“Crown Prince, what are your thoughts on this?”
Upon hearing this, Li Zhao stepped forward and bowed, the hem of his brocade robe remaining perfectly still.
“Your son reports to Imperial Father.”
His voice was not loud, but every word was clear.
“Your son has already sent people to verify. The assassinations of Wang Qinian and Ma Yuankui, as well as the attempted abduction of General Lu’s children outside the Lu Mansion yesterday, were all carried out by the same group of culprits…”
Emperor Chong Zhao let out a soft “Oh,” his cloudy eyes fixed on him.
“The same group? Who is the mastermind?”
“The deposed commoner, Li Shi.” Li Zhao met the Emperor’s gaze and clearly and coldly uttered that name.
“Ping Le?” Emperor Chong Zhao’s pupils contracted.
Clearly, he was surprised by this answer, even finding it absurd.
“Ping Le is confined in Shuozhou, insane and out of her mind, how could she command death warriors to commit murder?”
“Imperial Father, please see clearly.” Li Zhao raised his hand.
He took out another document from his sleeve and presented it along with a bone-penetrating nail wrapped in white silk.
“It is true that Li Shi is confined in the Shuozhou Ruined Garden, and it is false that she is insane and out of her mind. She has harbored malicious intentions for many years, and her death warriors and henchmen are spread throughout the Capital Region. This assassination of Xue, Zhang, Ma, and Wang was intended to silence them and obstruct the investigation into the Military Supplies Corruption Case… The abduction of her and General Lu’s children was to hold their flesh and blood hostage, an attempt to grasp a chip for a comeback, and to support her cause…”
Emperor Chong Zhao nodded in acknowledgment.
Wang Chengxi stepped forward to receive the document and evidence, placing it before the Emperor.
Li Zhao said, “The hidden weapons used by the assassins, with three-edged barbed arrowheads, are exactly the same as those used by the death warriors Ping Le commanded to assassinate Consort Wan and Wen Jia at the West Mountain Imperial Palace. Ma Yuankui is severely wounded and dying, but his mind is still clear. He personally identified that the assassins shouted… ‘We will die for Princess Ping Le’…”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Li Huan kneeling on the ground, and added:
“This is ironclad evidence. Why has Prince Duan, who is in charge of the Ministry of Justice, made no progress to this day?”
Li Huan’s shoulders trembled violently, and he suddenly turned his head to look at him.
“Imperial Father, please allow me to explain. Your son has investigated for many days, and although there is no concrete evidence, he has discovered many anomalies in the case’s progression, which do not seem to be Ping Le’s doing, but rather that Old Mausoleum Swamp is using Ping Le’s remnants as a guise to confuse the public…”
Emperor Chong Zhao swept his gaze across Li Huan’s face, his eyes suddenly turning cold.
The hall was so silent that a needle drop could be heard.
“Old Mausoleum Swamp…” Emperor Chong Zhao murmured.
These three words seemed to carry a bloody chill, causing him to instinctively pull his collar tighter.
“She is not giving up? Still trying to stir up trouble?”
The use of “she” startled both Imperial Princes.
They did not know what the Emperor’s attitude truly was…
“Prince Duan—”
The Emperor’s voice suddenly rose, his gaze returning to Li Huan.
His voice regained its coldness, but lacked some of the previous rage and loss of composure.
“Immediately mobilize the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Five City Military and Horse Department to search the entire city, and arrest the culprits… Anyone with suspicious behavior, better to err on the side of caution than to let them go…”
Li Huan cupped his hands and accepted the order, kneeling and kowtowing.
“Your son will surely not fail Your Majesty’s grace!”
Emperor Chong Zhao waved his hand wearily.
“Get up. I will give you three more days! Within three days, I want to see these demons and monsters brought to justice, and for everything to be revealed. If there are any further mistakes, or if I discover you have concealed anything…”
He did not finish, but his cold gaze said it all.
Disfavor, loss of power, even confinement, were all within the Emperor’s whim.
Li Huan deeply bowed to express his gratitude, then bowed again and retreated.
As he walked out of Zichen Hall, the clouds in the sky grew darker.
A cold wind blew into his collar, and he couldn’t help but shiver, realizing his back was already soaked with cold sweat.
“Imperial Brother, please wait.”
Li Zhao had emerged at some unknown time, standing beneath the Coiled Dragon Pillar, his posture tall and straight.
Li Huan stopped and turned, offering a bow.
“Crown Prince, what advice do you have?”
“I dare not.” Li Zhao raised his eyes to look at the sky. “I merely saw Imperial Brother leaving in a hurry and wanted to remind you—the palace road is windy, be careful of slippery surfaces.”
The two brothers stood on the high steps, a few paces apart, their gazes briefly meeting.
“Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince, for your concern.”
“We are brothers, why be so formal? Please proceed.”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, please.”
There was no drawing of swords, no direct confrontation.
Calm, amiable.
Only an invisible contest permeated the cold air.
Then, one with a smiling gaze, flicked his sleeve and departed.
The other lowered his eyelids, quickened his pace, and hurriedly disappeared through the palace gate.
–
Cining Palace.
The warm pavilion was filled with a rich fragrance, making one feel drowsy.
Empress Dowager Cheng Qing, dressed in a dark purple robe with a longevity character pattern, was leisurely trimming a pot of blooming white jade hairpin.
“The Emperor threw a huge tantrum in Zichen Hall, reprimanding Prince Duan for his incompetence, and also… suspects the Crown Prince of fanning the flames…”
The Empress Dowager’s voice betrayed no emotion.
It was as if she were discussing the new charcoal delivered this winter.
Xiao Qing’er stood by her side, dressed in a vibrant crabapple red palace gown, but she couldn’t hide her nervousness.
She forced herself to remain calm and held the hand warmer for the Empress Dowager. “Prince Duan was indeed negligent this time. As for the Crown Prince, he is too sharp-edged. We never dared to mention the name Old Mausoleum Swamp before, yet he brought it up so carelessly… Isn’t he afraid of burning himself?”
“When the wings are strong, they naturally want to fly higher…”
The Empress Dowager glanced at her.
With a “snap” of the silver shears, the excess branches were cut, leaving only a stub.
“He is using his military achievements in the Western Frontier to poke at the Emperor’s festering wound. Old Mausoleum Swamp… two hundred thousand people…”
Empress Dowager Cheng Qing’s voice lowered, carrying a complex sigh.
“Once this old case is opened, how many heads will roll? Will the Daliang court remain stable…”
Xiao Qing’er’s heart pounded, and she dared not reply.
The Empress Dowager was dissecting taboos so directly with her, was she testing the Xiao family’s stance?
Or was she warning her about something?
Empress Dowager Cheng Qing seemed to see through her thoughts. Her wrinkled eyes flickered slightly, she handed the shears to the old nanny beside her, took a handkerchief to wipe her fingers, and suddenly changed the subject.
“However… speaking of which, your paternal uncle Xiao Yan, in Longxi, has really picked up a huge bargain this time.”
Xiao Qing’er was stunned.
With Li Zhao being forcibly recalled to the capital by the Emperor, the military power in the Western Frontier naturally fell into Xiao Yan’s hands.
What was the Empress Dowager reminding him of?
“Your Ladyship the Empress Dowager speaks wisely…” Xiao Qing’er’s heart raced. “It’s just that I am shallow and don’t understand those intricacies…”
The Empress Dowager picked up the teacup beside her, gently stirred the foam, and smiled.
“Your uncle has a deep foundation, and the Xiao clan’s prestige will naturally be more secure than before.”
She looked directly at Xiao Qing’er. “For a daughter, in the harem, true confidence never comes from the Emperor’s favor, but from the solid backing of her maternal home. With such a family background, even the Emperor… will have to consider it more carefully.”
The Empress Dowager paused, her tone even more meaningful. “Why do you have to endure everything in silence, wasting this great advantage for nothing, and letting people underestimate you?”
Xiao Qing’er’s heart pounded, and she instantly understood the Empress Dowager’s meaning.
Yesterday, Tuya had offended her in the Imperial Garden. Although the Emperor had verbally reprimanded her, he had indulged her privately…
She was displeased, but at this juncture, it was not appropriate to compete for favor with a foreign woman…
The Empress Dowager was teaching her to use the Xiao family’s foundation in the court, as well as her influence as a favored consort in the harem, to make the Emperor balance the Crown Prince. If that didn’t work, changing the heir apparent was not impossible…
She quickly bowed deeply.
“Your subject is foolish. Thank you, Your Ladyship the Empress Dowager, for your golden words. Your subject will surely remember them…”
–
The storm in the Imperial Court had not subsided, and undercurrents were surging.
Amidst the rampant rumors, various factions were engaged in open and secret struggles.
In the blink of an eye, frost covered the tiles again, and the winter chill deepened.
The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, Little New Year.
The firecrackers for sacrificing the Stove God startled the sparrows.
The cold wind wailed, blowing through the bamboo forest outside the convent, emitting a ghost-like howl.
In the vegetable patch, the radish greens, withered by the frost, drooped listlessly, exuding a stubborn yellow in the winter twilight.
Xue Sui, wrapped in a washed-out coarse cloth jacket, her sleeves rolled up, revealing her slender, delicate wrists, dug out the last few hard, frozen radishes from the cold soil, shook off the dirt, and placed them in a basket to carry back to the convent herself.
The monastic room was quiet.
She washed her hands, entered the room, lowered the curtain, and closed her eyes to rest.
After an unknown amount of time, just as she fell asleep…
A “creak” sound by her ear!
The old wooden window of the monastic room, facing the back mountain, was pushed open with great force, hitting the wall with a groan of being unable to bear the weight.
A biting cold wind, like a knife, poured into the warm room.
In the brazier, the embers flew…
A tall and straight figure in black, agilely climbed through the window.
It was Li Zhao.
His handsome brows were slightly furrowed, his cloak was covered in night dew, and his boots were coated with a layer of half-frozen mud.
It was clear he had ridden hard, traversing treacherous mountain paths.
“Your Highness?” Xue Sui was greatly surprised.
Li Zhao said nothing, closed the window with his backhand, and shut out the howling cold wind.
Their eyes met.
The room suddenly became quiet.
The lingering scent of charcoal and his clear yet dangerous aura intertwined and permeated the air.
Xue Sui slowly got up, lit the wick, and stood in the lamplight, watching this hawk that had attacked in the dark night.
The Crown Prince’s expression was dark and difficult to read, and in his deep, pool-like eyes, emotions churned like a raging tide…
A killing aura, hidden but not yet unleashed.
And a heavy, almost ice-breaking obsession.
“Your Highness comes at this hour, do you have any important matters to instruct?”
Li Zhao walked closer step by step, his boots stepping on the cold bluestone floor, making a solid sound.
His tall figure brought an invisible sense of pressure, completely enveloping her within his aura.
Two people, only one step apart.
So close, it was as if they could see the clear reflection of each other in their pupils.
“I have come to ask you one question.”
Li Zhao: This time it’s my turn… to show my authority?
Xue Sui: ??? What do you want to do?
Li Zhao: Dare… dare not… dare… dare not…
