Chapter 174
Imperial Concubine Rong did not answer. She only lowered her head and wept, as though bearing immense injustice.
The emperor glanced again at the memorial beside him, softened his tone, and said, “If the Imperial Concubine has something to say, just speak openly. I will certainly uphold justice for you.”
Imperial Concubine Rong finally stopped crying. She bit her lower lip, shook her head, and said, “Your Majesty, we came only because we wish for my son to return to his fief as soon as possible.”
The emperor smiled slightly and asked, “Oh? Why do you suddenly wish for Jue’er to return to his fief?” Then he looked at Concubine Shu, who was also kneeling nearby, and asked, “If I remember correctly, Qin’er has not yet been granted a fief, has he?”
ConcubineShu lowered her head and responded softly, but said nothing more.
The emperor then gave her a way out himself. “Qin’er is indeed no longer young. It’s time for him to be conferred a title and establish his own residence, and naturally, a fief should be selected. Does Concubine Shu have a preferred location?”
Concubine Shu kowtowed and said, “I leave everything to Your Majesty’s decision.”
The emperor nodded, then stepped forward and helped Imperial Concubine Rong to her feet, saying, “Sa’er, have you suffered some grievance? I’ve never seen you cry like this before. If there’s anything weighing on your heart, you can tell me.”
It was as though Imperial Concubine Rong could finally no longer hold back. She broke into loud sobs and spoke in helpless accusation, “A favor of rice breeds gratitude, a favor of grain breeds resentment. I raised Ah Min with my own hands since childhood, yet I never expected him to treat me and Ah Jue like this. I do not resent him—after all, Ah Min earned his own merits. My Jue’er has already given up everything. He is now nothing more than a husband and a father, an ordinary Xiao Langjun. Compared to a lofty iron-capped prince, how could he ever compare? It is only because my Rong clan is incompetent, able only to be loyal and devoted to Your Majesty. I ask for nothing more—only that Ah Jue may live safely and peacefully with his husband for the rest of his life. Rong Sa has no other desires.”
After hearing Imperial Concubine Rong’s words, the emperor sighed softly and said, “You’ve suffered greatly. In this matter, Ah Min was indeed in the wrong.”
Imperial Concubine Rong shook her head and said: “This concubine has never regretted raising princes for Your Majesty. I only blame myself for lacking the fortune to accept the filial devotion of Prince An.”
Regarding the discord between Prince An and Prince Chu—the brothers turning against each other—the emperor had long heard rumors.
Now, hearing Imperial Concubine Rong speak this way, he understood the situation clearly.
After some thought, he said, “Since Jue’er wishes to return to his fief, I will not detain him. Naturally, the Prince Chu’s residence in the capital will still be kept for him. Whether he wishes to return for long stays or brief visits, he may come back at any time. Jue’er… is different from ordinary men. If he leaves like this, I cannot help but worry. Very well—let us expand his fief eastward, beyond the East Sea. That region has fertile land and abundant agriculture. At least, Jue’er will not be treated unfairly.”
Upon hearing this, Imperial Noble Concubine Rong immediately bowed deeply and said, “This concubine thanks Your Majesty for your affection toward Jue’er. I will certainly instruct him to remember imperial grace at all times and remain loyal to his father.”
The emperor offered further reassurance, then turned to Concubine Shu and said, “Since Concubine Shu is here as well, then Qin’er’s fief shall also be established along the East Sea coast. Though it may not be as prosperous as his eldest brother’s territory, it is a place of beautiful scenery and mild climate. There is a place along the East Sea called Penglai—let Qin’er be titled as King Penglai, and take residence there.”
A trace of surprise appeared on Concubine Shu’s face. She clearly had not expected the emperor to not only grant Yuwen Qin a princely title, but also select such an excellent fief for him.
She immediately knelt and kowtowed to the emperor: “This concubine thanks Your Majesty for your boundless grace!”
The emperor then instructed her, “Qin’er is Jue’er’s brother. He must remember that his ability to obtain such a fief rests entirely on his imperial elder brother. I want Qin’er and Jue’er to interact often. You are aware of Jue’er’s situation, Concubinet Shu. Even the eldest royal son should have maternal relatives looking after him.”
Concubine Shu respectfully bowed and replied, “This concubine will keep this firmly in her heart.”
Imperial Noble Concubine Rong frowned slightly. She was not fond of this way of attributing merit to others.
However, she did not reveal it. She merely stood there in silence.
After returning, Imperial Noble Concubine Rong said to Concubine Shu, “If younger sister does not mind, then let Qin’er return to the fief together with Jue’er.”
Concubine Shu said, “That would naturally be for the best. In fact, what His Majesty said just now made me feel ashamed. Normally, it is always the eldest prince who looks after the fifth prince. As long as Ah Qin obediently listens to his elder brother, that itself would already be helping him. I fear that, in the future, he will only cause the eldest brother more trouble.”
Although Concubine Shu had a gentle temperament, her thoughts were clear and perceptive.
After she finished speaking, Imperial Concubine Rong finally felt somewhat relieved.
She patted the back of Concubine Shu’s hand and said, “Qin’er has grown up. How could he still be the child who only knew how to trouble his elder brother? The two brothers will naturally make achievements of their own.”
Concubine Shu lowered her head, yet she understood clearly in her heart that no matter how fiercely the princes outside the palace fought for succession, someone of her background would never be qualified to take part in it.
As long as she could live her life safely and peacefully, she would already be content.
The very next day, news that Prince Chu was about to return to his fief spread through the capital as if it had grown wings.
At once, the streets and alleys became lively. At any tea stall one stopped by, one could hear people discussing Prince Chu’s return to his fief.
“Have you heard? Prince Chu is returning to his fief in the East Sea.”
“I heard long ago. Before, I thought the rumors about Prince An and Prince Chu falling out were probably false. Now that I see it, there really is a rift between the two of them.”
“Prince An has always been cold and heartless. Add to that the flamboyant temperament of Prince An’s Wang Fei—how could they possibly get along with anyone?”
“Has Prince An lost his mind? Does he not know that Prince Chu stands behind an army of a million soldiers? Now that his strength rivals even the Crown Prince’s, how could he turn hostile just like that? Without the Rong clan backing him, how is Prince An supposed to compete with the Crown Prince?”
“You don’t know this, do you? Prince An is proud of his merits and has always pressed Prince Chu down at every turn. He does have some ability, but he’s become too forgetful of his roots.”
“I wouldn’t agree with that. If we’re talking about forgetting one’s roots, wasn’t Prince Chu’s life saved by Prince An? If Prince An hadn’t raced thousands of miles to break into Great Zhao’s prison, would Prince Chu even still be alive? Even if there was the grace of upbringing, surely that would cancel it out.”
“That may be true, but all the merits Prince An earned along the way were also thanks to the Rong clan’s support. Without the Rong clan backing him, how could Prince An have risen so swiftly?”
“That’s where you’re wrong. If you think that way, then the Rong clan would naturally think the same. Prince An is a true hero—how could he live under another’s roof like that? I refuse to believe that without the Rong clan’s support, Prince An would cease to be Prince An!”
…
Lu Hanzhi was hiding in a private room on the second floor, listening to the heated discussions below.
Sitting across from him was Zong Yuan, wearing a veil over his face. Although his expression could not be seen, Lu Hanzhi could easily imagine how tightly it must have been scrunched up.
Lu Hanzhi tapped Zong Yuan’s teacup with his fan and said, “If you don’t drink it soon, the tea will go cold. What kind of expression is that?”
Zong Yuan replied speechlessly, “This is what you called gathering intelligence?”
Lu Hanzhi said, “Yes.”
Zong Yuan asked, “Right here?”
Lu Hanzhi said, “Exactly.”
Zong Yuan continued, still speechless, “What kind of intelligence can you gather here?”
Lu Hanzhi flicked his fan and said, “Do you know that ninety percent of the capital’s rumors all fly out of restaurants and tea stalls? As long as you control these places, you’re holding the entire capital’s media by the throat.”
“Media… what?” Zong Yuan had only just begun spending time with Lu Hanzhi and was still not used to the way he spoke.
Lu Hanzhi said, “The hub where information circulates.”
Zong Yuan more or less understood. He asked, “So what now? Why are you listening to these people gossip? Aren’t you and Prince Chu on good terms?”
“We are on very good terms. After all, I’m the one who started the rumors myself—I need to use all these mouths to spread them.”
Zong Yuan finally understood Lu Hanzhi’s intention, and also finally grasped what he meant by “media.”
He silently gave Lu Hanzhi a thumbs-up and asked, “What’s next? What are you planning to do? Su Wan’ning came to see me again yesterday. She asked about the situation of the Rong clan’s army. I didn’t know how to answer, so I said there had been no new intelligence lately. If you don’t give me the next step soon, I’m afraid I’ll slip up in front of her.”
After all, every time Zong Yuan saw her now, he felt the urge to punch straight through her stomach.
Lu Hanzhi waved his hand and said, “Don’t rush. We’re waiting for someone.”
“Waiting for someone?” Zong Yuan finally finished his cold tea and asked, “Who are we waiting for?”
As soon as Zong Yuan finished speaking, a man dressed in plain clothes and wearing a hooded hat, a sword in hand, walked upstairs.
Lu Hanzhi raised his hand and beckoned to him, saying, “Sir, over here.”
The hooded man turned his head in their direction. When he saw Lu Hanzhi, he sat down across from them.
Lu Hanzhi glanced at the sword the man had laid horizontally on the table and asked, “I didn’t expect you to be skilled with the sword as well, sir?”
The man nodded and said, “It’s only for self-defense. When traveling the martial world, one can’t avoid fighting.”
Lu Hanzhi smiled and said, “That doesn’t quite match your demeanor, sir.”
The man’s expression could not be seen beneath the hood, but there was a hint of desolation in his voice. “What demeanor? It’s merely for survival.”
Lu Hanzhi asked, “I’m very curious, sir… how did you survive? And how did you become what you are now?”
The man fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Prince An’s Wang Fei probably knows everything by now?”
Lu Hanzhi smiled. “You must already have an idea yourself, sir. Didn’t Mr. Zhong tell you?”
The man clearly had not expected Lu Hanzhi to be so direct. He froze briefly, then nodded and said: “Zhong’er is a difficult child to deal with. I never expected him to completely let down his guard around you.”
Lu Hanzhi grinned at him and said, “Zhong’er? Then it seems Zhong Yao truly wasn’t Mr. Zhong’s real name after all? So what should he be called—Yin Cong? Or… Yuwen Cong?”
The moment the name was spoken, Zong Yuan also lifted his head to look at the hooded man and frowned as he asked, “Yuwen Cong? Isn’t that—”
Zong Yuan knew everything there was to know about Yin Pingwu.
Who Yuwen Cong was might have been unknown to ordinary people, but it was impossible for someone like Zong Yuan—who had been trained as a substitute—to not know.
Lu Hanzhi replied, “Yes. He is precisely Mr. Yin’s child.”
Zong Yuan’s expression was so shocked that even his eyelashes trembled. “You mean to say… Yuwen Cong—he was still alive?”
Before Lu Hanzhi could speak, the man opposite him spoke first.
“It was Yin Cong. Yuwen Cong is already dead—the one who survived is Yin Cong.”
Zong Yuan lifted his head again to look at the hooded man and asked with a frown, “Then… who are you?”
The man thought for a moment, then removed his hood.
Zong Yuan stared at the man’s face in shock and also removed his own veil.
Two faces—one older, one younger—identical in every detail, appeared before Lu Hanzhi.
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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