Jinghong Zhui had no intention of intervening, but Su Yan was already sliding down the eaves with his hand hooked on the bracket.
He had no choice but to casually kick a loose tile to aid their descent, bending to catch Lord Su and safely land with him.
The tile that had been kicked spun through the air and flew between Yu Wang and the Crown Prince, suddenly exploding into a puff of powder. The force of the impact sent the two combatants staggering backward.
The Crown Prince stumbled back seven or eight zhang, landing hard on his backside; Yu Wang only stepped back a few paces and remained standing, but because he hadn’t moved far enough, the blue-tiled powder dusted his face and head, making him look as if he had just come out of a flour mill.
It was well known that Lord Su had a nature inclined to care for the weak.
At that moment, the most battered, bloodied, and seemingly in need of care among everyone present was Shen Qi, who had just been blown away by Yu Wang’s punches.
Without hesitation, Su Yan rushed to Shen Qi’s side, supporting him and asking with concern, “Qilang, are you alright? Is it a serious injury?”
Shen Qi, seeing the person he cared for so deeply suddenly appear before him like a dream, was momentarily stunned, then came back to his senses and hugged Su Yan tightly.
Su Yan patted his back gently and reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I returned without losing a single hair…”
Jinghong Zhui watched the two embrace with cold eyes and silently cursed: shameless dog captain, playing the victim again!
At the same time, he felt a pang of bitterness: this whole “habit becomes nature” thing, now they’re openly hugging each other, no need for modesty anymore.
The Crown Prince brushed the dust off his backside and got to his feet, about to scold, but seeing Su Yan nearby, his eyes lit up. He rushed over, pulling Su Yan out of Shen Qi’s arms: “Qinghe! How did you shake off the pursuers? Good, you’re safe! I’ve been worried sick all the way, skipping meals and sleep to ride hard, just to get back to the capital quickly and send troops to save you…”
Shen Qi knew the Crown Prince was making a fuss on purpose, trying to interrupt the private moment between him and Su Yan, to draw Su Yan’s attention.
He immediately hardened his expression, abandoning the thin bond of hardship they had built over the past three days, grabbing the Crown Prince’s wrist and pulling him away, his tone cold: “Your Highness, your words are exaggerated. I don’t know if you were worried, but along the way, I saw you ate and slept as necessary.”
The Crown Prince’s face turned red: “I forced food down my throat, not tasting it, just to restore my strength! Otherwise, I’d have starved before even reaching the capital. Better that than looking like a mad dog who bites everything in sight like you!”
Yu Wang shook the powder from his hair, strode over, and said, “As expected, the two of you abandoned Qinghe halfway while escaping. Seems the fight wasn’t just justified, it wasn’t even enough!”
He turned to assess Jinghong Zhui, mocking: “Oh? Isn’t this the little Red Girl from Linhua Pavilion? Nearly two years since we last met, and now you’ve picked up such elegant skills. Impressive. Let’s spar sometime, no holding back.”
Jinghong Zhui’s expression was indifferent: “Everyone here, one by one, has their will ready. I’m always prepared.”
Su Yan felt overwhelmed and told Yu Wang, “It was Ah Zhui who saved me, Wangye, watch your words!”
He then told Ah Zhui: “Didn’t you say martial training is about nurturing energy? Train more, otherwise even if you win, it won’t be a true victory.”
To Shen Qi: “Having faced life and death together, you’re partners. Partners don’t sabotage each other.”
To the Crown Prince: “If you have time to fight, shouldn’t you be going to see your Royal Father? Take me along!”
The Crown Prince looked aggrieved: “—So now your main concern is my Royal Father?”
Su Yan replied, “Otherwise? Is it you lively ones? Don’t make a fuss, prioritize matters. Anyone who deliberately provokes again, I’ll report at court… oh, this has nothing to do with Ah Zhui; he’ll just lose his monthly stipend.”
Everyone fell silent.
During this brief, tense quiet, a squad of armored Yulin Guards, torches blazing, charged in. The leader shouted: “We’ve received word that someone is impersonating the Crown Prince! Which bold scoundrel is this? Seize him!”
The Crown Prince’s anger flipped instantly; he spun toward the supposed target and unleashed a tirade: “You can’t even recognize me, your eyes are so blind not even a torch can help! What word-of-mouth? The city gate guards can verify the Imperial Guard badges, but you rush here on baseless rumors to catch thieves? Catch what?”
The Yulin Guard leader was momentarily stunned by the verbal onslaught. One nearby whispered: “So fierce… seems the young lord isn’t mistaken…”
The leader glared at his subordinate, then addressed the Crown Prince bluntly: “Even Your Highness, returning to the capital without imperial orders, is a grave crime! Please follow us to the Governor’s office to await the Emperor’s ruling.”
The Crown Prince clenched his fists, restraining his temper, and said sternly: “The Emperor’s edict recalling me has already been issued. He also sent Shen Qi with the Imperial Guards to Nanjing to deliver oral instructions. I am summoned back, what crime is this?”
The Yulin leader countered: “Oral orders are unreliable. Where is the edict? Without proof, we cannot be sure Shen Qi didn’t forge the Emperor’s command!”
The Crown Prince’s face filled with rage. Shen Qi’s gaze also grew cold and sharp, like an invisible knife, scrutinizing the man.
Realizing the Yulin leader’s aggressive, disrespectful behavior, the Crown Prince understood: this man likely wasn’t loyal to the Emperor.
Who else in the palace would view him as a thorn to be removed at all costs? Who could control the Emperor’s personal troops with authority?
Fury and despair surged within him, the Emperor’s blood, yet the Empress Dowager acts without regard for kin.
In a flash of emotion, the Crown Prince reached for the sword at his waist.
Su Yan stepped forward, blocking him, and solemnly held up a sealed box from his bosom, announcing: “Who says there’s no imperial edict? The edict is here…”
Unexpectedly, shock crossed the Yulin leader’s face, but he quickly regained composure and ordered his men to retrieve the edict.
Su Yan returned the box to his chest, declaring firmly: “The Emperor’s edict is supreme, how dare you servants handle it lightly!”
The Yulin leader asked, “If we cannot inspect it on the spot, how can we verify its authenticity?”
“Show it to you? Isn’t that like hitting a dog with a meat bun?” Su Yan grinned wryly but not sincerely: “It’s simple. Wait until dawn, summon the ministers to court, and in front of the Empress Dowager and all the senior officials, open the box and inspect the edict. Everything will be clear. Besides, the Grand Secretariat’s Chief Eunuch Lan will be there, just ask him if the handwriting is his, and you’ll know immediately.”
The Yulin Guard leader hadn’t expected someone so young to be so troublesome. He barked sharply: “What status does a scholar like you have? What say do you have in court affairs? You three dress so strangely, could you be remnants of the Void Sect? Seize them for interrogation!”
The accusation wasn’t entirely unfounded. Aside from Shen Qi in the Flying Fish outfit and the Crown Prince properly attired, the other three looked far from respectable:
Su Yan had swapped out the Crown Prince’s armor and cloak on the transport boat, leaving him in ordinary scholar’s robes, unremarkable but noticeable.
Jinghong Zhui wore the simplest gray hemp clothes, looking like a rustic villager, but his posture suggested a wandering martial artist hiding in plain sight after breaking the law.
Yu Wang was even more obvious: a full set of black night-walking clothes, the standard outfit for thieves and flower bandits. Not only had the Yulin leader failed to recognize him, even Su Yan on the rooftop had needed the familiar shape and voice to identify him.
From the stance before them, it was clear: the opposing side intended to suppress the Crown Prince, who had returned without imperial authorization, and possibly pin on him the label of colluding with sects and underworld forces, seizing him before more people were alerted.
The Yulin Guards surged forward to seize him, but with Jinghong Zhui present, no one could approach within three zhang of Su Yan. He swooped to the front, took down the leader atop his horse by striking a vital point, and forced him to halt.
The Yulin Guards dared not act rashly; both sides were at a stalemate.
Su Yan leaned close to Yu Wang and whispered: “May we borrow Wangye’s Mansion for a night? If we just hold until dawn, I and the Crown Prince can meet the ministers and secretaries, then summon all officials to the Fengtian Gate to publicly read the edict.”
Yu Wang glanced at Su Yan, his expression unreadable: “Qinghe, are you determined to see the Crown Prince ascend?”
Su Yan blinked, then his face darkened with anger: “Ascend? Ascend what? The Emperor is still strong and vigorous, with a hundred years ahead! If anyone harbors ill intentions, I, Su Qinghe, will be the first to deal with them!”
Yu Wang looked at him, eyes hard to read, bitter or compassionate, then sighed: “If that’s the case… so be it.”
Su Yan sensed an odd emotion in Yu Wang’s tone, as if some hidden desire or hope in his heart had to be relinquished because of Su Yan’s resolve; or perhaps it was a long-standing indecision, now cut cleanly by a single sentence.
In that instant, a chord of the heart was lightly struck. Su Yan instinctively held Yu Wang’s wrist, whispering, “Wangye…”
Yu Wang didn’t take the chance to grab his hand, but said teasingly: “Call me ‘Jincheng,’ and I’ll invite you to the mansion tonight as guests.”
Su Yan stared, stunned.
“Wangye once called me ‘comrade-in-arms.’ As comrades, we go together, act together,” the name, once too difficult to speak, now seemed to spring lightly from his chest. He smiled and said naturally, “—Then I’ll take you up on that, Jincheng.”
Yu Wang laughed heartily, whistling through curled fingers at his lips.
From behind surrounding buildings and dark alleys, cavalry emerged. Leading them was his personal guard commander, Hualing, bringing several warhorses into the open.
Yu Wang signaled everyone to mount, then pointed with two fingers like a sword toward the Yulin leader held by Jinghong Zhui: “Go tell your master, he’s mine now. Try to snatch him, and see if the Jinwu Guards can flatten my mansion; let’s see if they have the ability!”
The Yulin leader’s face went pale: “We dare not defy the orders, Wangye… brave one, release me so I may report back.”
Su Yan helped the bloodied Shen Qi onto a horse and called out, “Ah Zhui.”
Jinghong Zhui, having just released the leader, did not immediately leave. Only after Su Yan and Yu Wang’s guards had departed did he jump down from the Yulin leader’s horse and walk away without looking back.
Facing the tense Yulin Guards, Jinghong Zhui strolled toward the end of the street as calmly as a farmer returning home at dusk.
Countless arrows were pointed at his back, yet no one dared release the first one, as if firing would collapse the night sky itself, a natural force of presence suppressed their resolve.
Only when his figure disappeared completely into the darkness did the Yulin leader exhale, resentfully ordering: “Go! Return to the palace and report!”
—
At Yu Wang’s mansion.
Under Su Yan’s insistence, Shen Qi and Zhu Helin were attended by servants to wash and have physicians treat and dress their wounds.
Zhu Helin’s injuries were minor, mostly fatigue and weakness.
Shen Qi’s wounds were more severe, but only superficial; bones and sinew were unharmed. After bandaging and preventing infection, a few days’ rest would suffice.
After changing and tidying up, the five sat in the flower hall, drinking tea served by maids while discussing strategy.
Of course, the “discussion” inevitably included jabs. But since the “comrades-in-arms” team was organized under Su Yan’s authority, anyone speaking out of line was ruthlessly scolded.
Having learned their lessons, the atmosphere gradually softened, and in brief, mutual understanding, a strange harmony emerged.
Crown Prince: “I want to enter the palace, right now.”
Yu Wang: “The gates are locked. Break in and you want arrows?”
Crown Prince: “The Emperor’s guards are all occupied by the Empress Dowager. Is Royal Father good?”
Shen Qi: “Not good. But with communications cut off, the situation is unclear.”
Su Yan looked at Yu Wang: “Can you find a way for him to meet the Emperor alone?”
Yu Wang: “Find a way? I did slip in once at midnight, hardly possible. And I didn’t even speak to him yet.”
Su Yan looked again at Jinghong Zhui: “Ah Zhui?”
Jinghong Zhui: “Not difficult. But I won’t speak to the Emperor.”
The Crown Prince glared at him: “You dare!”
“Foul play!” Su Yan slapped a small piece of tea-moistened paper onto the Crown Prince’s forehead.
The Crown Prince drooped his ears and changed tone: “You’re just scouting; I didn’t tell you to speak.”
A promising pupil. Su Yan nodded and tore a few fresh paper slips for backup.
Jinghong Zhui replied to the Crown Prince: “Understood.”
Shen Qi asked Su Yan: “Tomorrow you’ll convene the ministers with the Cabinet?”
Su Yan: “The Crown Prince must return openly and properly to court.”
Shen Qi: “The Cabinet may not be reliable.”
Yu Wang: “Yang Ting is reliable. And Minister of Rites Yan Xing…”
Su Yan leaned closer, listening as Yu Wang muttered, then slammed the table: “See! The Emperor plans everything thoroughly. How could he be seriously ill? Perhaps he’s feigning it. He’s perfectly fine! Besides, I recall from the historical records…”
Then he abruptly stopped speaking.
How did the chronicles record Ming Xuanzong? Was he the longest-reigning ruler of the dynasty, or did he abdicate early? His mind went blank.
He remembered the domestic and foreign situation of the state, significant national policies, even classic forum analyses of historical battles, and the early death of Ming Wuzong Zhu Helin, but he could not recall the original ending of Zhu Jintian.
When he first crossed into this world, facing the Emperor, images of artifacts, portraits, and historical evaluations surfaced, yet the ending never appeared, like a corner of a memory puzzle shrouded in fog, invisible and unknown to him.
Even the Crown Prince’s “ascended the throne at eighteen with difficulty, died at twenty-three from residual poison” was recalled in a flash months ago, yet he was blind to consider, “The new Emperor ascends young, what of the previous Emperor?”
A leaf blocking the eye.
Seeing yet not seeing.
Why? Su Yan asked himself, puzzled.
Then a faint inner voice arose: Because you already know the ending. Because you know you cannot change it. So you chose to forget.
Su Yan shook his head slowly: “I truly have no memory.”
The inner voice asked: Then do you remember how you felt in your past life, reading the chronicles and looking at his portrait and biography?
Su Yan: “I… wanted to travel five hundred years back, to touch the sleeve of his golden dragon robe, brushing over the official documents he reviewed.”
The inner voice seemed satisfied and fell silent.
Tears welled in Su Yan’s eyes,
So his admiration had begun so early. So forgetting was to start a brand-new ending.
“My Emperor,” Su Yan choked softly, “he will live long, remembered in history…”
Zhu Helin’s heart mingled sorrow and joy; he reached out, covering Su Yan’s hand tightly: “Royal Father will surely live a long life. Even if I remain Crown Prince my whole life, it’s fine.”
Yu Wang and Shen Qi exchanged glances, emotions tangled.
Yu Wang leaned close, whispering: “Is the intel reliable?”
Shen Qi nodded slightly: “Critical condition.”
Yu Wang took a deep breath and turned to Jinghong Zhui: “Tonight we infiltrate the Yangxin Palace. I’ll lead you.”
Jinghong Zhui: “If you approve, I’ll go.”
Crown Prince: “Take me too!”
In the face of imminent danger, not the time for private feelings, Su Yan wiped his face with his sleeve and regained composure: “The young lord cannot go. If discovered, they’ll claim you forced a coup, no defense. Tonight, I and the young lord will meet Minister Yang and Minister Yan.”
Shen Qi finally decided: “Then the usual plan: divide forces into several routes…”
—-
Cining Palace.
“My good son! I’ve doted on him thirty years, and in the end he colludes with outsiders against me! If I had known, I would have eliminated his five hundred personal guards, chained him in his room, so he couldn’t take a step outside!” The Empress Dowager, hearing the Yulin Guard leader’s report, broke one of her carefully maintained long nails in her agitation.
Qiong Gu hurriedly tended her hand, bandaging the wound.
The Empress Dowager dismissed the Yulin leader temporarily, sitting on her couch to calm herself and consider strategy. After a moment, she frowned: “No, I must strike first.”
“How does Your Majesty plan to act?” Qiong Gu asked softly, wrapping her fingers in gauze.
“Open the early court tomorrow. Summon all officials to Fengtian Gate. I will personally announce that the Emperor is critically ill and comatose, then publicly read the Emperor’s testament made before falling ill, and declare Zhu Hezhao as Crown Prince. If anything happens to me, Crown Prince Zhao shall succeed!”
Qiong Gu felt she ought to be shocked, this testament is clearly a falsified edict by the Empress Dowager, but could not be, since she long expected the Empress Dowager to step onto this irreversible path of usurpation.
The Empress Dowager continued: “Earlier I received a secret report: the imperial courier met with a shipwreck, and the edict was lost. Tonight, suddenly, Su Twelve appears, claiming to hold the Emperor’s summons for the Crown Prince, yet refuses to show it, suspicious indeed. And Cheng’er stubbornly protects him. Forcibly seizing him might cause chaos.”
“Whether Su Twelve’s edict is real or fake, it’s only a summons, what use is it? My testament directly replaces the old with the new, letting Zhao’er ascend. That cuts the problem at the root! No matter how loudly he and the Zhang child protest, without an edict or imperial seal, what can they do?”
“Tomorrow at court, have the Yulin and Jinwu Guards on standby. After reading the edict, immediately seize the disobedient, rebellious former Crown Prince and punish according to the law!”
Qiong Gu bowed deeply: “The Emperor is wise, the Empress Dowager is wise.”
