Chapter 80
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Could it be that Xu Chunmu—
Just as he was about to get to the critical point, the household doctor came to report, saying that the fire at the Prison had been extinguished in time, and Zhao Lingqu was only slightly injured, not in a life-threatening condition.
Su Mingan went to see him, and he had already awakened.
“What on earth happened?” Su Mingan asked. “Zhao Lingqu, how did the Prison catch fire for no reason?”
“Why are you asking me!” Zhao Lingqu gritted his teeth, covering his burnt arm in pain. “You said His Majesty would doubt Chu Xie; even if I stayed in the Prison for a few days, it would be fine. But just this afternoon, after Chu Xie came to see me…”
Chu Xie had been to the Prison.
This fire was indeed started by him.
What did he want to do… Just this morning, His Majesty removed his position. How could he endure it and not act impulsively, coming to the Prison to set a fire?
Su Mingan had a sudden thought and immediately sent someone to inquire at Yingtian Mansion.
The scout, who had just been sent out, returned with a message, whispering that something had happened on the western main street, near the Prison. Supposedly, the Imperial Guards had arrested someone.
But the details were not disclosed, and they didn’t know who was taken.
Grand Tutor Su sensed something unusual and instructed him to go back to Yingtian Mansion and find out whether Xu Chunmu was still being held there.
“General Zhao, I seem to know why Chu Xie wants to protect Xu Chunmu.”
Zhao Lingqu, who was getting up, took a sip of tea to quench his thirst and nonchalantly responded, “Oh?”
“Perhaps I neglected something back then,” Su Mingan said. “Shen Qianan had two children. In that fire at the Shen family, could it be that the younger son, who was less than a year old… survived?”
“Cough… cough…” Zhao Lingqu choked on a mouthful of water, raising his head in surprise. “What did you say?!”
“Xu Yi.”
Grand Tutor Su rubbed his hands on his knees, his gaze gradually becoming distant as if recalling long-ago memories. “After the chaos of Yongan, Xu Yi and Ningyuan Wang seemed to have fallen out. He claimed to support Jiang Jingan as the Crown Prince, but in the end, the Xu family didn’t contribute anything. For so many years, he has been staying in the Northern Border, seemingly having no desire for fame and fortune.”
“No desire for fame and fortune?” Zhao Lingqu scoffed, full of disdain. “He betrayed his lord for personal gain, used ruthless means to harm Shen Qianan back then, and now he says he has no desires… People of Great Wei are all double-dealers. They get the biggest benefits but still want to appear virtuous hiding in the Northern Border.”
Zhao Lingqu didn’t approve of this. “Moreover, if he truly has no desires, why did he rebel in Puyang County?”
Su Mingan remained silent.
He had not interacted much with Xu Yi, just about twenty years ago. In his memory, Xu Yi was someone with ambitions and spirit.
“Not necessarily.” Su Mingan said, “His rebellion in Puyang County is the strangest part. With the Xu family’s military power, no matter which royal family member becomes the Crown Prince or Emperor, they would have to win over the Marquis Zhenguo. Why would he personally intervene and overthrow Jiang Yanchi, supporting another…”
Zhao Lingqu insisted on his view. “Because Jiang Yanchi is cunning and hard to control. Didn’t you see that even Chu Xie was pulled down by him?”
Su Mingan shook his head again.
“Former Duke Rongguo once told me that Jiang Yanchi is very much like his grandfather when he was young.”
Jiang Yanchi’s grandfather was Emperor Xuanhe.
Emperor Xuanhe, who was exiled to the western border, forbidden from returning to the capital for a lifetime, and eventually ascended to the throne in the chaos of the three barbarians’ invasion.
Su Mingan’s brow furrowed tighter.
It seemed as if he had suddenly figured something out and said abruptly, “Xu Yi relied on betraying Shen Qianan, the mastermind behind the disaster at Changye Station. But his actions back then were also to pave the way for Emperor Xuanhe. The ultimate goal was to overthrow the legitimate Crown Prince at that time, letting Emperor Xuanhe seize power amid chaos.”
“Though I sought in the capital, and he schemed in the Northern Border, in the end, we achieved the same result—the chaos of Yongan, Emperor Yongan and the Crown Prince were beheaded and perished, while Emperor Xuanhe was pushed onto the throne by us.”
Zhao Lingqu also caught a glimpse of the meaning and asked, “We did it for the revival of the Yue Clan, to disrupt Great Wei, to thoroughly kill the enemies, Emperor Yongan and General Shen, who destroyed our country back then. But what about Xu Yi? Why did he betray Shen Qianan?”
Grand Tutor Su saw through it all.
“He believed that the kind and gentle Crown Prince back then couldn’t stabilize the imperial power in the capital. He also believed that only someone as talented and ruthless as Emperor Xuanhe could secure the throne. This, he thought, would ensure the prosperity of Great Wei for generations to come. Therefore, he betrayed Shen Qianan, who supported the legitimate Crown Prince, and helped Emperor Xuanhe ascend to power.”
But the subsequent chaos of Yongan was something he hadn’t anticipated. Great Wei fell into prolonged warfare, its national strength depleted, and its people suffered. So—
“He regrets it,” Su Mingan mumbled to himself.
He regretted supporting Emperor Xuanhe, allowing such a ruthless and exceptional person to become the Emperor.
Even more, he regretted causing the death of loyal Shen Qianan, leading to the disastrous defeat at Changye, and the destruction of the Shen family that had thrived for a hundred years. Without Shen Qianan in the Northern Border, they couldn’t stop the invasion of the three barbarians, who marched straight in.
The cost of letting that man become Emperor was too high.
From then on, Xu Yi, who had replaced Shen Qianan, used his military achievements to obtain the command of the Changming Army from the Shen family, rejecting a life of glory and peace in the capital, and choosing to be a high wall guarding the Northern Border.
However, Zhao Lingqu couldn’t follow Su Mingan’s train of thought and asked directly, “What is he regretting?” But he saw Su Mingan’s expression deepening.
“So, after Jiang Yanchi acted similarly to Emperor Xuanhe, Xu Yi’s attitude instantly reversed. He suddenly determined to rebel. He wants to support Jiang Silan, the son of Prince Yu in the north, as the Crown Prince, simply because he doesn’t want to repeat the tragedy of the chaos of Yongan.”
Su Mingan’s words were resounding, but Zhao Lingqu couldn’t understand.
“We’re both plotting rebellion, but he made a completely opposite judgment from what happened back then. This time, he believes in benevolence to stabilize the nation, not in killing to establish order.”
After saying this, he chuckled, but it was unclear at whom he was laughing madly.
“But does Xu Yi regret supporting Emperor Xuanhe back then, and what does it have to do with Chu Xie?” Zhao Lingqu’s hand still hurt. “Aren’t we discussing Chu Xie now?”
Su Mingan sighed at Zhao Lingqu’s dullness.
“If my speculation is true, then after the defeat at Changye, he most likely secretly rushed back to the capital to try to save the remaining members of the Shen family… but didn’t make it. In a massive fire at the Shen residence, Yun Yi and everyone else in the Shen family died. In the midst of the fire, he only managed to carry away his youngest son… that is, Xu Chunmu.”
“Are you suggesting that in that burning fire, we took away the eldest son of the Shen family, and Xu Yi took away the youngest son of Shen Qianan?”
Zhao Lingqu was stunned, seemingly unable to comprehend some part of it.
But upon closer inspection, Xu Chunmu indeed looked nothing like his elder brother. Xu Changling was tall, robust, and had a rugged profile.
On the other hand, compared to someone well-versed in martial arts, Xu Chunmu was excessively delicate.
Indeed, he was a beautiful person.
Chu Xie was also beautiful, exquisite and delicate, though slim and fragile. Upon careful consideration, the two had some facial similarities, especially in the eyebrows and nose.
So, this Xu Chunmu… was Chu Xie’s younger brother.
This explained why someone as ruthless as Chu Xie repeatedly wanted to protect him, both in Puyang County and upon returning to the capital.
“Xu Chunmu is actually a descendant of the Shen family!” Zhao Lingqu suddenly rose, clenching his fist tightly, furious as he roared, “He still controls the Changming Army in the Northern Border, just like Shen Qianan did back then! Ludicrous, utterly ludicrous!”
“The Shen family should be completely exterminated! Su Mingan, you promised me personally that you would let the Shen family suffer before killing them with your own hands. But now, those Shen brothers are about to kill me! Su Mingan, this is what you’ve done!”
“You said I could use Chu Xie to help Jiang Yanchi ascend to the throne, that he would be full of hatred and eventually meet a miserable end, suffering a fate of a thousand cuts and being tortured to death… Is he dead? Huh?! He became the Empress!”
Zhao Lingqu was uncontrollably angry, suddenly overturning the table in front of him, causing items to crash to the ground. “You taught me to endure, you taught me to lie in wait! I’ve been enduring in the Western Region for more than twenty years, and now, what’s the use of it! Military power, imperial power, all in the hands of the Shen family!”
Zhao Lingqu’s sudden irritability was not groundless. Su Mingan knew that their previous plan to sow discord between the young emperor and Chu Xie was based on the assumption that Xu Chunmu was Chu Xie’s lover.
They didn’t expect him to be his younger brother.
Once this knot in their hearts was untied, Jiang Yanchi’s heart would undoubtedly lean completely towards Chu Xie. Their clever plan backfired, inadvertently paving the way for the Shen family.
At this moment, the servant who went to inquire about the news from the mansion returned.
“How is it?”
“Xu Chunmu is indeed no longer in the Yingtian Mansion. Also, there seems to be some commotion in the palace. His Majesty urgently summoned dozens of imperial physicians. It seems that the Empress is seriously ill!”
Xu Chunmu disappeared silently from the Yingtian Mansion, followed by the fire in the Zhao Prison. Then, the Forbidden Army appeared on the west side of Chang Street.
Su Mingan, who was preoccupied with rescuing Zhao Lingqu, now connected these events, and it became clear what had happened.
The Empress is seriously ill.
Could it be…
Jiang Yanchi killed Xu Chunmu.
“Prepare the horses; I need to enter the palace now.”
“My Lord, the palace is chaotic right now. Even if you go, you might not see His Majesty…”
“I want to see for myself if Chu Xie is really about to die.” Grand Tutor Su lowered his gaze. He thought it was truly heaven helping him. At such a critical moment, that sickly child Chu Xie was probably on the brink of death.
Once Chu Xie died.
Taking Xu Chunmu’s life would be much simpler.
Zhao Lingqu seemed to have also realized this and asked, “Grand Tutor, do you think Chu Xie has already told Jiang Yanchi about his true relationship with Xu Chunmu?”
“He won’t. If he wanted to say it, he would have said it long ago. Since he put in so much effort and went through so much trouble to send Xu Chunmu out of the capital, it shows that he doesn’t trust the Emperor. He doesn’t believe that after losing power, Jiang Yanchi would still protect Xu Chunmu… nor does he believe that after his death, Xu Chunmu could live peacefully in the capital.”
“So, he took a desperate gamble, paving the way for Xu Chunmu. If Chu Xie can die in the palace, then that would truly be heaven helping me.”
This secret could be thoroughly buried as a matter of course.
He just needed to kill Xu Chunmu, and the Shen family would be truly without successors.
Su Mingan was somewhat fortunate now.
Chu Xie was raised by him from a young age, and he knew the child’s character very well. Apathetic, ruthless. He did things without leaving room for maneuver, and he was not afraid of death.
He nurtured this child’s early years with hatred, taught him that human nature was inherently evil, and made the only surviving child of the Shen family, who had been loyal for a hundred years, into a sharp blade against imperial power.
How ironic, how relieving.
Shen Qianan led an innocent life, valiant and skilled in battle, willingly giving his life for the rightful heir.
And his son, frail and bound by illness, unable to escape the shackles of hatred, ultimately died under the strangulation of imperial power.
He wanted Shen Qianan, who had passed away, to see how his descendants became a treacherous courtier, supporting a child with the blood of the Yue Clan to ascend the throne – only to be tortured to death in the end.
No peaceful ending.
***
In the palace.
The imperial physicians were coming and going, almost filling the entire room. Each time only two or three entered, and Jiang Yanchi stood by the bedside like a withered tree, decayed from the inside out.
After feeling the pulse, he asked in a low voice, “How, how is it?”
The imperial physician attending to Chu Xie now was the most experienced in the palace. After feeling the pulse, he inserted needles for him, and even after a few more needles, there was still no response.
It was as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
Even his breathing became so gentle that it was almost inaudible.
Jiang Yanchi’s clothes had not been changed; there were still dried bloodstains on them. He remembered the scalding sensation when that hot blood soaked his collar.
As if it wasn’t blood, but scalding molten iron.
Burning the flesh.
“Your Majesty, about the Empress…” The imperial physician seemed hesitant, exchanging glances with others by his side. He finally gathered his courage and said, “I’m afraid… he might not make it…”
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