Chapter Seventeen: Chao Ge (Seven)

“I heard this matter is related to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and General Wang Zhongsi!”
The faint conversations from the neighboring table sounded like the buzz of mosquitoes to Li Kuo, but to him they were like thunderclaps. He forced himself to swallow a mouthful of soup before his shock subsided slightly.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Wang Zhongsi—one was the heir to the Tang throne, the other once a military governor commanding a large force. With just their statuses alone, there was no need for Li Linfu to fabricate any accusations; even a slight clash between them would make the emperor suspicious. He had thought the mass arrests in Jingzhao Prefecture were merely to suppress the Crown Prince, with no solid evidence. Who would have thought General Wang Zhongsi would also be drawn into this? Now the situation was becoming increasingly murky, so murky that Li Kuo couldn’t see clearly, nor dared he try.
The people at the neighboring table seemed unaware of Li Kuo’s distress and continued, “It’s widely rumored that the Crown Prince is dissatisfied with the right chancellor’s oppression and has allied with General Wang Zhongsi to remove him from power! Upon hearing this, the emperor flew into a rage, ordering General Wang Zhongsi imprisoned and forbidding the Crown Prince from leaving the Eastern Palace, forcing him to recite The Book of Filial Piety a hundred times as punishment!”
Upon hearing this, Lord Zike quickly stepped forward to cover his friend’s mouth and whispered, “Be quiet! How dare you spread such palace secrets so openly? Don’t you care about your life?”
Lord Wenru curled his lips, pushed his friend’s hand away, and laughed, “This is already a well-known secret in Chang’an. I’m not the first to mention it—what am I afraid of?”
Lord Zike shook his head. “We came to the Imperial Academy to prepare for next year’s imperial examinations. How can we neglect our purpose and focus on trivial matters? Brother Wenru, we should concentrate on our studies so we can serve the court in the future.”
Hearing these words, Li Kuo was utterly disturbed and had no appetite left. After Zhang Yanji took a few random bites, they both left to rest in the Lingjing Pavilion.
Back in the pavilion, Li Kuo ordered Zhang Fu to close the doors and windows tightly. Then he called Zhang Yanji over and said, “Yanji, I keep feeling something is wrong here. Dezi being involved in matters related to the Crown Prince and General Wang Zhongsi is no trivial matter. I’m afraid someone might see Dezi as an obstacle and want to get rid of him.”
Zhang Yanji frowned slightly and said softly, “That can’t be. Since we’ve already made our stance clear to that old fool Wang Chuan, given his character, he’ll surely be cautious. Besides, with Princess Yuzhen supporting us, who would dare harbor malicious intentions?”
With a sigh, Li Kuo said worriedly, “I’m not sure either. But I just feel this isn’t that simple. Since Dezi is the key figure who knows about the meeting between the Crown Prince and General Wang Zhongsi, even if Lord Li doesn’t plot anything, I’m afraid the Eastern Palace won’t be at ease either.”

Slapping his thigh hard, Zhang Yanji exclaimed, “Are you saying His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to kill him to silence him?”
After a brief thought, the young man smiled and said, “No, no. His Royal Highness has always been kind-hearted. Besides, he’s currently trapped in the Eastern Palace, too busy taking care of himself to even think of sending someone to kill Dezi. Brother Ke, I think you’re overthinking it.”
Shaking his head, Li Ke said, “You don’t necessarily need bloodshed to kill someone; sometimes just a word can be fatal. Court politics are full of twists and turns—one wrong move can lead to total failure. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t leave any hidden dangers for myself.”
Zhang Yanji was thrown into confusion by his friend’s words and quickly grabbed Li Ke’s sleeve, saying, “Then what should we do? Brother Dezi only knows a few basic self-defense tricks. If the Crown Prince really wanted to get rid of him, it would be as easy as squishing an ant.”
Patting his friend gently, Li Ke sighed, “Don’t worry. For now, the only plan is to wait and see what happens. I’ll write a letter summarizing this matter and ask Zhang Fu to deliver it to Brother Nan. I’m sure Brother Nan will understand my intentions once he reads it. Only with Brother Nan’s help can Dezi stay safe for now. After school tonight, we’ll go investigate this matter with Xiao Liu and the others. Only by uncovering the truth can Dezi truly be safe.”
“Okay, I’ll do as you say!”
The two young men clapped hands and laughed.

Inside the Jiade Hall of the Eastern Palace in Chang’an City, Li Heng, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, stood with his hands behind his back, pacing anxiously back and forth in the hall. It was already the seventh day, and his father still refused to allow him to step outside the Eastern Palace gates. He had merely enjoyed a drink and conversation with General Wang Zhongsì, yet Li Linfu, that old scoundrel, had seized the opportunity to frame him. Li Linfu! At the mere thought of his name, Li Heng longed to devour his flesh and drink his blood. For over a decade, because of this old villain, he had had to hide his true abilities, spending his days studying and practicing calligraphy, ignoring state affairs. Yet even so, Li Linfu had taken every chance to stir up issues such as the Eastern Palace Incident and the Wei Jian Incident. Acting swiftly, Li Heng reluctantly divorced his two wives to preserve his position as crown prince. Now that his father was approaching old age, Li Linfu’s sense of crisis grew stronger, and he repeatedly ordered the eunuchs of the Censorate to attack officials in the Eastern Palace, targeting Li Heng directly. What frightened Li Heng even more was that his father not only failed to condemn or stop Li Linfu but also seemed to approve of his actions. His father’s indecisive attitude left Li Heng in constant fear, preventing him from saying a word. He felt no trace of fatherly affection from his own father. Ever since he could remember, all he had seen was the emperor, seated in the Daming Palace, wearing his imperial robes. Every time he met his father, he was terrified, afraid of offending the Tang emperor. The crown prince was the most important figure in the country. Hehe, to outsiders, it seemed like a glorious position. But only Li Heng knew that the role of crown prince was actually a blood-soaked altar of power, constantly devouring the sacrifices offered by the Li Tang dynasty. To this day, Li Heng still clearly remembered the resentful eyes of his elder brother, the former crown prince Li Ying, when his father ordered his execution. Often in his nightmares, he would see his uncles and brothers leading the imperial guards into the Eastern Palace and slaughtering indiscriminately… No! He must not lose. If he did, he would fall into an abyss with no chance of recovery. Throughout history, no deposed crown prince had ever ended well. From the day his father appointed him crown prince, he had had no way back. Since he had endured for ten years, he was willing to endure another ten. He would hold on until he was alone, ruling in isolation, and he would make those who had framed him pay with their blood! But would Li Linfu, that old scoundrel, give him such a chance? “Your Highness, the weather is still changeable at this time of year, and the wind by the window is strong. Wear a light coat.” Yu Chaoyen, the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace, approached Li Heng with a brocaded outer robe. “Mm.”

Receiving the robe, Li Heng felt a wave of warmth in his heart. He felt a dependence on this eunuch who had watched him grow up, akin to that for a father. Strangely, around his father, Li Heng would always be cautious, afraid to overstep. But with Yu Chaoyen, he could drop his pretenses, complaining and acting spoiled like a child. For this reason, the staff in the Eastern Palace kept changing, yet the only one he truly trusted was this old man before him.

“Daban, I’ve been extremely anxious these past days. My father restricts my movements and ignores me completely. I really can’t figure out what he’s thinking. And General Wang Zhongsi…”

“Your Highness, one must stay calm in such situations.”

Yu Chaoyen shook his head and said with a wry smile, “Your Majesty still cares for you. Otherwise, why were you only confined to your quarters instead of being imprisoned like General Wang Zhongsi? Your Majesty is just using Li Linfu to warn you not to rush things. After all, the throne of the Tang Dynasty will eventually fall into your hands.”

Seeing that Li Heng remained unmoved, Yu Chaoyen sighed and asked, “Are you worried about those young men? According to my informants, grateful for your kindness, most of them were captured by Wang Xuan, the governor of Jingzhao, but aside from two, they all took their own lives.”

Hearing this, Li Heng was shocked. He grabbed Yu Chaoyen’s wrinkled hands and said, “Daban, what about the remaining two? They won’t betray me, right?”

Yu Chaoyen took a sip of the tea on the table and said gently, “One of the remaining two is Cui Yong’an, the younger brother of Cui Yongnian, the Left Advisor to the Eastern Palace. He’s also one of our loyal followers. He shares weal and woe with you, so I doubt he’ll betray you. But the other one is more complicated. He was originally the brother of Feng Dequan, an official in the Ministry of Works, and was promoted to one of those young men through your favor. When Wang Xuan suddenly launched his attack, he was also captured.”

Yu Chaoyen gently stirred the tea leaves and said slowly, “It is said that Princess Yuzhen interceded for him. Wang Xuan didn’t want to offend the princess, so he did her a favor and released him.”

Li Heng sighed, “His family has no connection to the Eastern Palace. He had no reason to stay silent for me. Besides, since I couldn’t even save myself this time, I doubt he would try to rescue them. He must have lost hope.”

Yu Chaoyen sneered inwardly. This crown prince was still too soft-hearted. If one hesitates to make decisions, chaos will follow. Well, then, let this old servant deal with this villain!

Deciding on his course, Yu Chaoyen said with a light smile, “Your Highness, I only know that the dead cannot speak.”

Li Heng trembled in shock and said in a hoarse voice, “Dai Ban wants to kill me to silence me?”
Yu Chaonan shook his head and said, “Not at all. The governor of Jingzhao, Wang Xuan, wanted to frame Your Highness by using Feng Deen as a pawn, but Feng Deen refused to comply even at the cost of his life. When Wang Xuan tried to force a confession through torture, he was rescued by Princess Yu Zhen. In his anger and humiliation, the governor sent his elite guards to kill someone to vent his fury—what does that have to do with Your Highness?”
Silence fell over Jia De Hall instantly. The two of them looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. It was at that moment that a trace of warmth finally touched Li Heng’s frozen heart as the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty.