Chapter 6
Gao Liang had his hands bound and his eyes covered with a black cloth, unable to see anything.
Yet, when the man’s cold voice had spoken earlier, Gao Liang couldn’t help but shiver. Even though it was the warming month of April, the temperature here seemed inexplicably colder than elsewhere.
Li Zhan slightly raised his hand, and Dong Dong understood, stepping forward to remove the cloth from Gao Liang’s eyes.
Gao Liang recognized the person before him as the regent and quickly bowed his head in fear.
“Why did they say you were on duty at Fengxian Pavilion today when you were clearly serving in the Imperial Study?” Li Zhan asked, leaning slightly toward the little eunuch on the ground. Gao Liang didn’t dare to meet the man’s gaze, hastily lowering his head and trembling slightly.
The person who was gentle and refined in the Imperial Study during the day now seemed to have turned icy, and even a single emotionless question from him made one shiver.
“This servant… this servant deserves to die. Please forgive me, Your Highness,” Gao Liang hurriedly kowtowed and said.
“Oh?” Li Zhan’s expression remained indifferent as he asked, “Why do you deserve to die?”
Cold sweat beaded on Gao Liang’s forehead as he dared not lift his head and said, “This servant shouldn’t have swapped duties to get closer to Your Highness… I will never dare to do it again. Please spare me, Your Highness.”
“Who did you swap duties with?” Li Zhan inquired.
Gao Liang closed his eyes and answered, “Ji Qingzhou!”
Li Zhan’s gaze momentarily faltered but quickly returned to normal. Dong Dong, seeing Li Zhan’s silence, reminded him, “Ji Qingzhou is the younger son of the former Grand Tutor Ji Wencheng. The late emperor had exiled the two Ji brothers, yet for some reason, this Ji young master preferred to become a palace eunuch rather than go into exile…”
“Who proposed the duty swap?” Li Zhan asked.
“It was… it was…” Gao Liang, trembling, kowtowed and said, “It was Ji Qingzhou who proposed it. I was deceived by him into agreeing! Please, Your Highness, see clearly that this was all Ji Qingzhou’s idea!”
In the small courtyard.
Tu Dayou paced around the room, jumping at every sound of patrolling guards passing by.
“Gao Liang is always trying to be clever. Can he be trusted?” Tu Dayou frowned and said.
“If he’s not a fool, he should understand his position in the palace. For people like us, our lives are not protected by betraying our companions. If he had sold me out today, do you think he would have lived?” Ji Qingzhou responded.
Tu Dayou looked at the youth and saw that, despite his slightly weakened appearance, he was composed and calm, showing no signs of panic. Unable to help himself, Tu Dayou asked, “Aren’t you afraid?”
“I am,” the youth replied. “But what I fear isn’t Gao Liang betraying me, but…”
But the regent.
Given the current situation, Ji Qingzhou could only take a gamble, betting on the regent’s patience and composure, hoping that the image of kindness and benevolence he had carefully cultivated would not be discarded so easily because of tonight’s scheme.
Even though, in the original book, the regent had resorted to mass killings tonight…
Regent’s Residence.
“Why did Ji Qingzhou want to swap duties with you?” Li Zhan asked.
“He… he said he didn’t want to see Your Highness. Yao Gonggong intended to promote him to serve by Your Highness’s side, but he didn’t want that, so he asked me to swap duties,” Gao Liang replied. “I was foolish and was deceived by him… Please forgive me, Your Highness!”
Dong Dong interjected, “That’s nonsense. He would rather become a palace eunuch than face exile, just to avoid hardship? Serving by Wang Ye’s side is a coveted position; why would he refuse it?”
“Yes! I said the same thing,” Gao Liang hurriedly added. “But Ji Qingzhou said… he said that the former Grand Tutor Ji was once Wang Ye’s teacher, and since he is the Grand Tutor’s son, he didn’t want to be seen by Wang Ye in a state of degradation and scraping by, lest he dishonor the Ji family’s reputation.”
At these words, Li Zhan visibly hesitated for a moment.
Dong Dong also glanced at Li Zhan, unsure of how to continue.
Everyone in the capital knew that when the Ji family fell from grace, all officials and ministers fell silent, not daring to speak up for them. Only the Third Prince, now the regent, had sent countless memorials to the late emperor.
Although the former Grand Tutor’s life could not be saved, the lives of his three children were spared.
“After you left the Imperial Study, did you go to Fengxian Pavilion?” Dong Dong asked.
“I was still wearing Ji Qingzhou’s clothes, so naturally, I had to change back; otherwise, Yao Gonggogn would definitely punish me,” Gao Liang said hurriedly. “By the time I changed clothes, it was already late, so I went back.”
“And what about Ji Qingzhou after you left?” Dong Dong asked.
“He ran off faster than I did,” Gao Liang replied. “Ji Qingzhou is quite timid; he didn’t dare stay in Fengxian Pavilion and waited outside in the corridor until it was dark. After changing clothes, he kept asking me to accompany him for a while, but I was afraid of running into Yao Gonggong, so I didn’t dare to escort him…”
At this point, Li Zhan seemed to be lost in thought, his cold demeanor softening considerably. Seeing this, Gao Liang grew bolder and, before Dong Dong could ask, he spoke up, “But Ji Qingzhou probably won’t stay long with Yao Gonggong, alas.”
“Why?” Dong Dong asked, unable to restrain his curiosity.
Gao Liang’s expression showed he realized he had said too much but, under questioning, felt compelled to answer, “Everyone in the Inner Eunuchs’ Office knows that Tu Gonggong has always been favored and groomed by Chief Eunuch Yao Now suddenly, a Ji Qingzhou appears, gaining Chief Eunuch Yao’s attention. Tu Gonggong publicly shows care for this junior, but behind the scenes… heh…”
Dong Dong was uninterested in the inner palace’s intrigues and didn’t pursue the matter further, turning instead to look at Li Zhan.
Li Zhan had been lost in thought for some time and, after a moment, finally said, “Lock him up for now.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Liang quickly bowed his head, pleading, “Your Highness, spare me, Your Highness, spare me…”
But before he could say more, someone gagged him and dragged him away.
After Gao Liang was taken out, Dong Dong asked, “Your Highness, should we call for Ji… Young Master Ji to question him?”
Li Zhan’s gaze was dark and distant, fixed on the night beyond, and he did not immediately respond, lost in thought.
In the small courtyard.
Tu Dayou stood by the door, watching as the sky gradually brightened, and finally let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s dawn, and they haven’t come looking for you!” Tu Dayou said to Ji Qingzhou.
The young man, who was extremely tired and on the verge of falling asleep, also relaxed upon hearing this.
“I didn’t expect that the regent would truly show respect for your father!” Tu Dayou continued. “If you hadn’t made Gao Liang say those things, last night would have been very difficult to escape.”
Ji Qingzhou smiled wryly and said, “Wang Ye might not fully believe Gao Liang’s words. But considering last night’s situation, it’s clear that the real target wasn’t me, it was just a series of unfortunate coincidences…”
Things that Ji Qingzhou could understand, Li Zhan surely could as well.
So, rather than making a big show of finding him, it was better to hold off and find the real instigator.
It seemed that Li Zhan was indeed very composed.
Ji Qingzhou couldn’t help but sweat nervously, thinking that he would need to be very careful in the palace in the future; otherwise, a single misstep might still lead him into the regent’s clutches.
“But I have one thing I don’t understand,” Tu Dayou said, puzzled. “Why did you have Gao Liang say that I couldn’t tolerate you in front of Wang Yet?”
Ji Qingzhou propped himself up with his arms. The wounds on his body, which had rested for half the night, no longer hurt as much, but moving caused sharp pain again.
Leaning on Tu Dayou’s arm, Ji Qingzhou said, “Just in case, it’s good to lay some groundwork.”
Tu Dayou looked confused, not quite understanding Ji Qingzhou’s meaning. Before he could react, Ji Qingzhou raised his fist and punched Tu Dayou in the face.
Caught off guard, Tu Dayou was punched unexpectedly. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, Ji Qingzhou’s fist came down again.
Meanwhile, Yao Chang’an had just woken up when he heard a clattering noise coming from Ji Qingzhou’s room.
He hurried over and saw his two apprentices entangled on the floor, their clothes in disarray. The young man, still aggressive, had even scratched the other’s neck, drawing a few lines of blood…
Yao Chang’an: …
Tu Dayou: …
Ji Qingzhou: …
A few hours later, everyone from the Inner Attendant Department was summoned to the small square outside the Imperial Study.
The regent’s reason for calling everyone was to select new attendants for the young emperor. It was said that the previous attendants, lacking in literary knowledge, were unable to assist the young emperor properly with his studies and writing. Although the young emperor had accompanying tutors and teachers, they could not be with him all the time, leading to some inconveniences.
Only Ji Qingzhou and Tu Dayou knew that this selection of attendants was likely just a cover.
As for the real purpose… Only the regent knew for sure.
Tu Dayou and Ji Qingzhou, both limping, made their way to the square, drawing many curious glances along the way. The fact that Chief Eunuch Yao’s most valued apprentice and the newly promoted favorite were both injured was quite intriguing.
Outside the Imperial Study, the five-year-old emperor stood in front of the regent, seemingly bored and continuously glancing around.
Suddenly, the young emperor’s eyes lit up as he pointed to the two limping figures in the distance and said, “Uncle, look!”
Hearing this, Li Zhan turned to see Tu Dayou and Ji Qingzhou, dressed in red and blue inner court attire respectively, with their faces looking like they had been beaten up. The young emperor’s laughter rang out, attracting everyone’s attention to the two, turning them into the human spectacle of the small square.
Tu Dayou: …
Ji Qingzhou: …
Li Zhan’s gaze inadvertently fell on Tu Dayou’s neck and he happened to notice the bloodstains there. The scratches were clear and fresh, and their shapes and spacing seemed oddly familiar to him.
He frowned, feeling a strange, inexplicable pain from the bloodstains he had received the previous night.
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