Chapter 668: Fraternal Rivalry

Li Zhen never expected Yan Kai to arrive at such a time. He had a feeling—could there be some new development in the struggle for the crown prince’s position?

It was not long ago that Li Zhen learned that Prince Peng, Li Jin, had entered the competition for the crown prince title. His son, Li Yi, had a very good relationship with Li Jin. For this reason, when Li Heng asked for his opinion on whether Li Jin should be made crown prince, he immediately expressed his support.

“Hasty ambition and excessive desires are detrimental to the stability of the crown prince’s position…”

This was his advice to Li Heng back then. It was precisely this statement that struck deeply at Li Heng’s heart. In fact, it was the very reason why Li Heng wanted to change the crown prince—just as Li Longji had deposed several crown princes in the past, the rapid rise of a crown prince posed a threat to the stability of Li Heng’s throne.

Li Zhen was fully aware of this. While Li Heng was campaigning in Xiangyang, the Li faction, backed by Queen Zhang and Li Fuguo, arbitrarily interfered in important appointments, causing Li Heng’s severe dissatisfaction—this directly led to the current crisis in the crown prince’s position.

Yet it also presented an opportunity for Li Zhen. If Li Jin could ascend the throne successfully, he, Li Zhen, would gain tremendous benefits as well.

Footsteps were heard at the door. His eldest son, Li Yi, called out, “Mr. Yan, Father is waiting for you inside. Please come in!”

His son’s courtesy brought Li Zhen some comfort. He should suggest to Li Heng that his son enter the court as an official.

The door opened, and Yan Kai came in. As soon as he entered, he bowed and said with a smile, “I’ve come uninvited and disturbed Your Highness’s rest.”

Yan Kai had become Li Jin’s advisor half a year ago. Before that, he claimed to have accompanied Li Jin until the very end. Li Jin’s son, Li Qiu, also testified in his favor. But in reality, he had left Li Jin years earlier—even he himself didn’t know where Li Jin had died.

A few years ago, in poverty, he sought refuge with Li Qing’an but was suppressed by Yan Zhuang and forced to work as a low-ranking clerk. Later, under Li Qing’an’s arrangement, he went to Bukhara, where he spent a year organizing cultural and geographical information from various countries in Transoxiana and the Abbasid Caliphate. It was then that he discovered his true identity—he was already a member of the Anxi Intelligence Agency, though not focused on the Central Plains but rather on Transoxiana and the Abbasid Caliphate.

A year ago, he received orders to go to Tuozhi City, the capital of the Shi State, to take care of the dying Li Cong, the Prince of Qing. He eventually obtained Li Cong’s personal recommendation letter and royal seal. After Li Cong’s death, he set off for Chengdu and, through his intelligence and skills, gradually made his way into the core of the Southern Tang dynasty.

Yan Kai was Li Jin’s most trusted advisor and military strategist. Logically, he should have known about the struggle for the crown prince position in Southern Tang quite early on, but in reality, this struggle had long been carried out in secrecy. Li Heng was a cunning man who gradually weakened the crown prince while quietly seizing military power. It wasn’t until recently, when the rivalry between Li Fuguo and Wang Gong’s intelligence agencies came to light, that people began to realize Li Heng’s intention to replace the crown prince. Li Jin was also summoned by his father for a long discussion, and it was then that Yan Kai learned about the situation in Southern Tang from him. Once the situation became clear, it changed rapidly. The mass searches this morning were also a sign of this dramatic shift. Many people were on high alert, and it was under such circumstances that Li Jin sent Yan Kai to discuss strategies with Li Zhen. Without any unnecessary pleasantries, both of them understood the situation well. Li Zhen invited Yan Kai to sit down and got straight to the point, “Mr. Yan, are there any new developments on the side of Prince Peng?” Yan Kai nodded. “I just received news that Linghu Fei, the Minister of Revenue, strongly opposes the change of crown prince. Driven by him, a group of officials have jointly demanded stability in the crown prince’s position. Coupled with the support of Li Fuguo and Empress Zhang for the crown prince, his cause now has the upper hand. Prince Peng is very troubled and has sent me to discuss strategies with you.” Li Zhen remained silent, fully aware of the situation. The crown prince faction and Prince Peng each had their advantages—the crown prince faction had support from the imperial palace, including Li Fuguo and Empress Zhang, while Prince Peng had support from the court, represented by Prime Minister Wang Gong and Vice Prime Minister Cui Yuan, who strongly favored the scholarly and wise Prince Peng over the military-minded Li faction. It could be said that both sides had advantages, with Prince Peng holding the edge—until Emperor Li Heng made his decision. Unexpectedly, Linghu Fei’s sudden intervention drastically changed the situation, giving the crown prince not only support from the imperial palace but also from court officials, thus sharply reducing Prince Peng’s influence. Li Zhen couldn’t think of a good strategy right away, so he asked, “What does Prince Peng want?” “Prince Peng hopes to gain support from the royal family,” Yan Kai replied succinctly. Li Zhen immediately understood. The royal family was another force capable of countering Linghu Fei’s opposition. As the head of the Imperial Clan Office, he enjoyed considerable prestige among the royal family, which was why Li Jin sent Yan Kai to him, hoping he would publicly support Li Jin in the name of the royal family. What a clever move!

Li Zhen couldn’t help but glance at Yan Kai. This plan was almost certainly thought of by Yan Kai. Li Jin was still a bit inexperienced, but Li Zhen cared more about his interests. If he stepped forward openly, he would face enormous risks. Once the Li faction won in the end, Li Zhen would be the first to be dealt with. He had to clarify the rewards for taking such risks first. Li Zhen stroked his beard gently and smiled, saying, “Actually, the royal family isn’t very united. Everyone has their own agenda. To put it plainly, they’re all driven by greed. If we want the royal family’s support, Prince Peng must first state how he will reward them in the future, so I can go and contact them one by one.” Yan Kai inwardly cursed him as shameless—wasn’t this outright bargaining? But he had anticipated this as well. He had already told Prince Peng that people won’t act unless there’s profit at stake. To gain support, one must offer something that motivates others. “Your Highness, Prince Peng also realizes the importance of the royal family. He asks you to rest assured that once he ascends the throne, you will be appointed Minister of Revenue. Next, he will grant the royal family the rights to mint coins and control salt trade. Furthermore, the limit on the royal family’s permanent farmland will be increased. These are Prince Peng’s promises.” “Hmm!” Li Zhen was quite satisfied with these promises. “Alright! I’ll go out to contact the royal family right away. At the very least, I can ensure that by tomorrow morning, thirty prominent members of the royal family will jointly support Prince Peng to take control of the Eastern Palace.” Yan Kai was overjoyed. Twenty members of the royal family already carried significant weight. He quickly stood up and thanked him, saying, “Then I leave the royal family’s side in your hands, Your Highness.” … The large-scale searches in Chengdu continued. Many reports had already emerged—thousands of people had been arrested for hiding military weapons, and over 300 street thugs had been executed for taking advantage of the chaos to loot. The entire city of Chengdu was enveloped in panic and unrest. Yan Kai seemed unaware of the chaos on the streets. He remained lost in thought about the current situation. Sometimes he even wondered whether he was actually carrying out a mission or truly serving as Prince Peng’s advisor. He was wholeheartedly supporting Prince Peng, hoping he would ascend the throne. It seemed he had fully embraced his role, to the point of occasionally forgetting his own mission. Yan Kai sighed inwardly. His feelings were complex. Assisting a prince to ascend the throne and become a mentor to an emperor had always been his dream. Back then, he had assisted Prince Qing for the same reason. But when Prince Qing failed, he fell from the peak of his life, even reducing himself to living on alms. Now, he was once again serving as Prince Peng’s advisor, helping this young man strive for the throne. Everything was eerily similar to the past, and he felt as though he had embarked on a new journey once more.

But all of this was just a dream. He knew it was impossible. He was like a kiteslider, with the other end of the string in Li Qing’an’s hands. If Li Qing’an had any ulterior motives, he would be shattered to pieces. His fate was sealed—he could never become an imperial tutor again.
“The Southern Tang will fall, and you can become the governor of Jianzhou!” That was Li Qing’an’s promise to him, and also his destiny.
Yan Kai couldn’t help but show a bitter smile. What good would it do even if Li Jin ascended the throne?
After all, the fate of the Southern Tang was in Li Qing’an’s hands. He had already failed once—would he fail a second time?
The carriage entered the palace district, where the security was even stricter. A group of cavalry came迎ing theming them. The leading officer merely glanced at his carriage and did not stop it. Yan Kai’s carriage bore the purple qilin flag of Prince Peng Li Jin, allowing it to pass unimpeded through the palace district.
But the carriage behind him was stopped. “Please stop and be inspected!”
“Damn it! This is Secretary Linghu’s carriage. The secretary is right inside! Can’t you see?”
Yan Kai was shocked and quickly turned around. Sure enough, it was Linghu Fei’s carriage. He was leaning out, talking to the cavalry officer. The officer waved his hand, and Linghu Fei’s carriage turned and headed down the White Jade Avenue, the main road leading to Nanming Palace. It seemed Linghu Fei was going into the palace. Yan Kai was puzzled—when had Linghu Fei’s carriage joined behind his? How hadn’t he noticed?
At that moment, his attendant whispered, “Sir, Secretary Linghu’s carriage came out of the Eastern Palace and has followed us for three miles.”
Yan Kai realized then—it had come from the Eastern Palace and was heading straight to the palace. It seemed Linghu Fei was accelerating his actions.
The carriage continued forward for about five miles until it arrived at a magnificent palace—this was Prince Peng’s mansion. Covering fifty acres, its scale was second only to Nanming Palace and the Eastern Palace, reflecting Prince Peng’s status in the Southern Tang.
Yan Kai’s wife, children, and parents were all in his hometown of Yuezhou and had not come to Bashu. Being alone in Shu, he stayed at Prince Peng’s mansion, where he had his own separate courtyard and two beautiful maids to serve him.
The carriage slowly stopped at the side door of the mansion. Yan Kai got out and headed straight inside to report to Prince Peng Li Jin the results of his negotiations with Li Zhen.
Li Jin’s study was in the back courtyard, quite far from the main gate, requiring passage through four courtyards. Yan Kai walked quickly along the corridor, which led directly to the study’s entrance.

The Wang family’s household was small. Li Heng’s excessive military expenditures had left the finances in a dire state, forcing him to cut back on expenses, including those for the Nanming Palace, the Eastern Palace, and all the princes’ and princesses’ residences. The Peng family palace, which once had 200 maids and eunuchs, now had only 50 left. As a result, the entire palace appeared empty. Of course, the number of guards remained unchanged—200 guards, not one fewer.

“Mr. Yan!”

As Yan Kai approached a round gate, he suddenly heard someone calling him. He looked around and saw a guard behind the gate whispering, “Sir, this way!”

Yan Kai recognized the man at once—it was Liu Wei, the head of the guards in the palace. He was tall and strong, but his other identity was as a member of the Anxi Intelligence Bureau. In the Peng family palace, he mainly acted as a liaison between Yan Kai and the Intelligence Bureau.

Seeing no one around, Yan Kai hurried over. Liu Wei quickly handed him a small note before turning away.

Yan Kai stepped into an empty corner and unfolded the note. There were only four words on it: “Exacerbate the succession strife.” Yan Kai was shocked. He recognized the handwriting—it was Li Qing’an’s own.