Chapter 122
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Half a month later.
Mr. Wang walked along a small path to the back of the kitchen. After a while, the vendors who were delivering ingredients to Heqin Wang’s mansion appeared. The vendor whispered, “Sir, the person you’re waiting for still hasn’t shown up.”
Mr. Wang frowned, gave the vendor some silver, and asked him to continue waiting.
It was strange. Normally, the supplies from the coastal areas shouldn’t take this long. Now, it had been half a month, and there were not many spices left in the mansion. Seeing that Heqin Wang was about to notice something wrong with his health, Mr. Wang felt anxious. But what worried him more was the possibility of a major change.
Another half month passed, and Mr. Wang finally managed to get some news from the outside.
The Emperor was aware of the poisoned incense, and the incense from the coastal areas were banned. The navy was stationed at the seaport, ready to take action.
Mr. Wang’s forehead beaded with sweat. He burned the letter, staring at the master bedroom of Heqin Wang’s mansion with a dark look.
The Previous Emperor of Great Heng had two sons. One was the current Emperor, and the other was the renowned Wang. They had thought that having Gu Lian ascend to the throne would be beneficial to them. After all, an Emperor who was weak-willed, lacking in courage, and had a short lifespan was easier to deal with than Gu Zhao, who had military power and was young and healthy.
But no one expected that Gu Lian would be so difficult to deal with.
Gu Lian’s ambitions were too great, and he was too ruthless. He was completely different from Emperor Great Heng. However, Gu Lian had a weakness that couldn’t be hidden or erased, and that was his fragile health, which could lead to his death at any time.
After Emperor Great Heng’s unexpected death, who else could ascend the throne besides Heqin Wang?
But dealing with Heqin Wang wasn’t that easy either.
So, they had to find a way to control Heqin Wang, turning a difficult Wangye into a manageable one.
Heqin Wang was strong and very vigilant. Mr. Wang had very few opportunities to use the incense until a rainy day a year ago, when Heqin Wang returned to the mansion with his robes stained with deer blood, looking disheveled. That was when Mr. Wang found an opportunity.
For several days, he followed the Wangfei’s requests to persuade Heqin Wang. When the incense was lit, it coincided with Heqin Wang’s unsettled state of mind.
The incense dragged Heqin Wang into a world of illusion. When Heqin Wang’s eyes were dull, Mr. Wang stepped forward, listening carefully to what Heqin Wang was saying.
“Gu Lian, put on your shoes.”
Mr. Wang wanted to know more, so he lit a dozen more sticks of incense. Smoke filled the bedroom, and the faint scent gradually became stronger.
Heqin Wang began to dream frequently of Gu Yuanbai in the midst of this intense fragrance.
He didn’t understand the matter of the incense. He just felt that Gu Yuanbai seemed to be everywhere, whether he opened his eyes or closed them. But after drinking deer blood for a few days, the heat that surged through him turned into dirty thoughts that couldn’t see the light.
These thoughts made Heqin Wang feel like he was struggling in a muddy pool. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank.
During the day, Gu Yuanbai was always smiling at him. At night, Heqin Wang would see Gu Yuanbai sitting by the bed, bending over to take off his shoes and socks.
His hair fell across his fair neck, forming a slender arc on his back like a crescent moon. When he saw Heqin Wang looking at him, he raised an eyebrow and smiled ambiguously, “My good elder brother, what are you looking at?”
Day by day, Heqin Wang sank deeper into these illusions. Only by covering his head and burying himself under the covers could he calm his throbbing heart and let Gu Yuanbai’s presence in his mind rest for a few moments.
It was only then that Mr. Wang learned Heqin Wang’s secret.
He was delighted, but also subtly guided Heqin Wang’s thoughts towards the Emperor. All the paintings of the Emperor in Heqin Wang’s secret chamber were mixed with incense during coloring. The more Heqin Wang looked at them and smelled them, the harder it became for him to break free. A Wangye addicted to poison and held at their mercy was the perfect material to become an Emperor.
Mr. Wang looked at the master bedroom for a while, then turned and left via the small path.
Everything was going smoothly, except that Gu Lian was too sensitive. He had already traced the line of the incense. If they didn’t do something soon, they might not have another chance to turn the situation around.
Now, it was at the critical moment when Gu Lian should die and Heqin Wang should ascend the throne.
***
At the end of the month, the cold of the envoys from Xixia finally healed.
At the same time, the news sent by the Supervision Bureau sent by Gu Yuanbai to Xixia arrived in his hands ahead of time.
It was noon. The meal had been delivered. Gu Yuanbai didn’t hurry. He finished his meal properly before wiping his hands and accepting the message handed to him by Tian Fusheng.
The situation in Xixia was said to be serious, and indeed, it was serious. But if stated it wasn’t serious, it could still be considered passable.
What was interesting, however, was that, except for the incompetent sons of the Xixia Emperor, the princes who were highly esteemed and favored by the officials had all smoked the national incense of Xixia to please their father.
Wasn’t that interesting? Very interesting indeed.
When the Second Prince of Xixia told Gu Yuanbai stories, he made it very clear that he knew the substance was harmful and that the situation was unstoppable. Gu Yuanbai had always wanted to know how he knew the substance was harmful and how he knew it was related to Fusang.
He could have kept this information from Gu Yuanbai or made up more sophisticated lies, but he deliberately did so, as if to leave Gu Yuanbai two or three gaps to explore, letting Gu Yuanbai dig deeper into them.
“Go and invite the Second Prince of Xixia,” Gu Yuanbai smiled, burning the message on the candle flame, “These things might just be what they want me to know.”
Tian Fusheng looked puzzled. “But Your Majesty, this is the information our Supervision Bureau personally obtained.”
Gu Yuanbai shook his head. “Do you think spies from other countries, who have only been here for two months, could gather such detailed and accurate information?”
Tian Fusheng was at a loss for words.
“Even if our Supervision Bureau is superior to others, we couldn’t gather information at such speed,” Gu Yuanbai said. “This information is so detailed. It’s more like a gift from the Second Prince of Xixia than something they discovered.”
It was just to expose his own flaws in speech, and when Gu Yuanbai personally investigated, the prince would offer up even more flaws to gain Gu Yuanbai’s trust.
***
The Second Prince of Xixia arrived promptly.
Gu Yuanbai didn’t bother beating around the bush. After seating him, he said, “Second Prince, if you want my assistance, you must show some sincerity.”
Li Angyi smiled bitterly. “It’s not that I lack sincerity, but the information was discovered by His Majesty. His Majesty believes only what he sees.”
Gu Yuanbai inwardly sneered. He had to believe what he himself had investigated based on the information Li Angyi had released? Did he look that foolish?
He smiled faintly and didn’t respond.
Li Angyi cleared his throat, stood up, and bowed. “Please—- allow me to explain.”
“Serve tea,” Gu Yuanbai said. “Please.”
Li Angyi began to speak slowly.
According to what he said, his mother had once saved the life of a merchant before entering the palace. The merchant, in gratitude, gifted a fortune. After Li Angyi’s mother passed away, the merchant transferred this debt of gratitude to Li Angyi. Because Li Angyi faced numerous difficulties and was often subjected to bullying in the palace, the merchant, before his death, entrusted Li Angyi with something that could save his life.
Li Angyi smiled, recalling the clouds thickening outside, obscuring the sun. He said, “That thing was the sale of Xixia’s national incense.”
Gu Yuanbai squinted. “Go on.”
“I initially thought it was just ordinary incense,” Li Angyi said calmly, even somewhat helplessly. “Who could have thought there was such a thing in this world? When I first traded in incense, I was dazzled by the wealth involved. Perhaps there were some doubts or concerns at the time, but in the face of gold and silver treasures, those became insignificant.”
“I expanded my trade, selling more and more, to the point where even people in the palace began using this stimulating incense. No one would have thought that the most incompetent and weak Second Prince of Xixia would be the richest man in Xixia,” Li Angyi said, chuckling. “It’s quite amusing.”
Gu Yuanbai chuckled twice. Suddenly, he said, “You’ve amassed enough wealth to vie for the throne, and now you want to rally support. Suddenly, you realize that a Xixia Emperor cannot secretly sell harmful national incense. So you want to stop, and ‘suddenly’ realize the harm of the national incense. You want to ally with me not for Xixia’s sake, but to eliminate the hidden hands behind the scenes. By removing their leverage over you, you can freely compete for the throne and become a good prince who eliminates great harm for the country and the people.”
Li Angyi paused, then burst into laughter. “Your words startled me.”
Gu Yuanbai raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on his lips. “Isn’t that the case, Second Prince?”
Li Angyi sighed, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and said, “If this were to spread, I’d be drowned in spit by the people of Xixia.”
“You won’t be drowned,” Gu Yuanbai also picked up his tea, lowered his gaze, and covered the expression in his eyes with the cup. “I was just speaking casually.”
Later, Gu Yuanbai and Li Angyi resumed discussing incense. In less than a moment, Li Angyi took his leave.
Gu Yuanbai silently finished half a cup of tea, then called for the royal physician who had gone to the inn to treat the people of Xixia. “Are they all healed?”
The physician replied, “Yes, Your Majesty, we have treated them all.”
Gu Yuanbai sent them away and then called for Xue Yuan.
Xue Yuan solemnly bowed. “Your Majesty?”
“Go break the legs of the Second Prince of Xixia,” Gu Yuanbai said casually. “We need a reason to keep him in Great Heng.”
The Second Prince of Xixia was too secretive. Only about thirty percent of what he said could be believed. Gu Yuanbai still needed to investigate further to determine whether this partner was a sheep or a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
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