"Oh?" Yu Zigui tightened his grip on her sleeve, glancing at Shangguan. Shangguan's dark eyes narrowed, a slight sneer appearing on his face. "Young Master Wei, tell me, what's your plan for the assassination?"
When he asked the question knowing the answer, Wei Zhuofeng frowned and said, "Take advantage of the night to find the king's tent and assassinate him."
"The royal tent?" Shangguan Yi flicked his sleeve, revealing his clasped hands beneath. Noticing Wei Zhuofeng's obvious frown, he chuckled. "Just now, when I asked to see the Northern Di Emperor, the Vice Minister of Rites looked amused and said that even he didn't know where the King was right now."
“The relocation of the emperor to Zhongdu should have been handled by the Ministry of Rites. Now even the people in the Ministry of Rites don’t know where the emperor is. Could it be that the Northern Di emperor is not in Zhongdu at all?” Xiao Kuang exclaimed inwardly, and Yu Zigui was also startled.
If that's the case, then...
Shangguan Yi gently stroked the back of her hand, comforting her, "The prey is still in the cage, but it's just that the cunning rabbit has three burrows."
"A cunning rabbit has three burrows?"
Seeing that her attention was entirely on him, Shangguan Yi was in a good mood and patiently explained, "Unlike the hereditary succession of the Great Wei throne, the people beyond the Great Wall reign as the strongest. There are many Northern Di tribes, and eight kings are capable of vying for the throne. Five years ago, the Northern Di emperor, then the King of Khorchin, allied with four of the eight kings and narrowly defeated the Southern King at the Hulun Assembly to ascend the throne. Afterwards, the Northern Di emperor encountered countless 'accidents,' escaping death each time. If you were Zigui, what would you do?"
She paused for a moment, then replied, "Naturally, it makes it impossible for people to find out where I am."
“That’s right. The Northern Di emperor’s whereabouts are as swift as the wind these days, which should be the reason.” Shangguan nodded and smiled.
"What should we do then? How can we make a move if we can't find the master?" Cong Luan asked anxiously.
"wait."
Luan glared at Shangguan. "We can wait, but the Great Wei Empire cannot. I inquired back in Sanjiang and learned that the Southern King has already reached Yongping Prefecture. Yongping is the gateway to the capital!"
"Who says the Great Wei Empire can't wait?" Shangguan Yi glanced at her and sat down arrogantly.
"You think we can just wait like that? On what grounds?"
"Because the Northern Di emperor does not allow it." Everyone was slightly taken aback and looked at Yu Zigui, who had spoken.
“The Northern Di Emperor will certainly not entrust the great achievement of breaching the city gates to the Southern King. To conquer the Great Wei, we will at least have to wait until his trusted confidants arrive in Yongping. Therefore, since the Great Wei can wait for now, we can also wait for now, but time may be running out.” She analyzed meticulously, looking at Shangguan, “Ziyu, just now you submitted the letter to the Joseon state ahead of schedule, intending to use the defense map mentioned in the letter as bait to lure the Northern Di Emperor to an audience before taking action, is that correct?”
Shangguan Yijun raised an eyebrow, unable to hide his delight. "You really do understand."
"What about the defense map?" She was blindfolded that day and didn't see what he did after he seized the map.
Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, two words uttered slowly from his thin lips: "Burn it."
Not only did he burn it, but he also showed no remorse whatsoever. Shangguan Yi indifferently watched the group's green and blue expressions until Wei Zhuofeng could no longer contain himself, his icy expression cracking. Only then was he satisfied. He took out a roll of cloth from his robes and placed it on the table.
“Uncle, if you didn’t burn it, you didn’t burn it, why did you have to…” Xiao Kuang was stunned when he opened the cloth.
White cloth?
In front and behind, it's all... white cloth?
Inside the yurt, apart from the instigator, only one person remained relatively calm.
Seeing Shangguan Yi looking at her with such certainty that she knew, Yu Zigui's eyes twitched, her face twitched, and her hands twitched slightly. Taking a deep breath, she suppressed the urge to punch him unconscious and tried to say, "The truth will come out eventually. Whether there's a picture or not doesn't matter, does it?"
She just said that, and he nodded with a smile.
As she guessed, this cat loves extremely difficult challenges and won't feel comfortable unless it stirs up some trouble.
The wind howls, the Yi River is cold; the wind howls, the Yi River is cold. If she believed his nonsense about burning the map, then she would bravely go forth and never return!
Chapter Twenty-Two
Not a ray of light could penetrate the Zhaoyu prison; rows of torches deliberately intertwined to create eerie shadows. Zheng Ming was shackled, and with each step, the iron chains on his feet made a grating sound. There's a saying: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river," but this clearly doesn't apply to the Daming Gate. In the blink of an eye, fortunes can change, and in seven days, everything is in a different world.
The heavy instruments of torture made Zheng Min hunch over, but he was unwilling to give up, just one more day...
A bright red corner caught his eye, and he struggled to lift his head.
"Your Excellency, the Grand Secretary."
"What are you doing here? Did you come to laugh at me?"
Stepping out of the shadows, Ji Junze bowed humbly to him: "Junze has come especially to see you off, sir."
"Hmph, why bother with this pretense?" Zheng Ming angrily flung his sleeve, and a crisp sound of iron chains clashing rang out. He paused, then remembered that he had already stripped off his cabinet robes when he was imprisoned. Filled with resentment, he said, "Ji Junze, you dug this pit long ago, just waiting for me to jump in, didn't you?"
"Back then, you bound him hand and foot and paraded him through the streets. You acted first, so why can't you accept defeat now?"
"If you hadn't deliberately framed me and fabricated charges, how could I have lost!"
"Fabricating charges?" Ji Junze slowly lowered his clasped hands and straightened up. "You took advantage of His Majesty's serious illness to kidnap the young prince and forge an imperial edict to execute important officials. Could this be something Junze fabricated?"
"His Majesty has clearly already given up on you, clearly..."
Ji Jun leaned down. "You were clearly already beyond saving, weren't you?"
Zheng Ming trembled slightly.
"A dynasty cannot be without a ruler for a single day. His Majesty has only one son. Holding onto the young prince means holding onto the Great Wei dynasty. Grand Secretary, you are truly astute. However—" Ji Jun moved closer, "Have you forgotten, my lord? Before the death knell tolls, there will only be one Emperor of Great Wei. Haste makes waste. Didn't your strategist say that?"
He had said it before, but he assumed the man was too soft-hearted. Who knew His Majesty would suddenly regain consciousness? He had already stepped one foot into the imperial mausoleum, and… no, even if His Majesty regained consciousness, not only the ministers nearby, but even the eunuchs and maids of the Qianqing Palace had been replaced by his own people. Using both hands, he had already covered His Majesty's ears and nose. Whether the emperor was unconscious or awake, everything should be foolproof. How could the news have leaked out? Did Ji Junze possess some kind of supernatural power?
Unless... the old man stares wide-eyed.
The Imperial Guards! The only thing he couldn't control within the Great Ming Gate was the Imperial Guards. The emperor had been unconscious for three days and three nights, and the Imperial Guards had stood guard for three days and three nights. During that time, it wouldn't have been impossible for them to secretly feed the emperor elixirs or pass messages after he regained consciousness. However, the Great Wei adopted a separate system for the Imperial Guards. Let alone Ji Junze, a disgraced minister, even he, the powerful Grand Secretary, couldn't win over the Imperial Guard captains. How could this be… how could this be?
As Zheng Ming was lost in thought, he heard Ji Junze say, "Has your lord not seen himself clearly yet?"
"What do you mean?" Zheng Min frowned.
A hint of disgust flashed in his eyes, and Ji Jun approached with a cold laugh. "Old Zheng, with your mediocre talents, it's fine to be a wealthy idler, but why try to be so arrogant? Half a year ago, your skills suddenly became superb, and I thought I had misjudged you. Who knew you were just a puppet in front of the curtain, and not only a puppet, but also a complete fool. Pathetic and hateful, your mistake was that you didn't know it yourself."
"You!" Zheng Ming trembled with rage, the iron shackles on his body clanking loudly.
Ji Jun glanced at him, his sarcasm deepening. "You're not convinced, sir? The moment the strategist is gone, you've become a prisoner. Aren't you just a puppet? The Northern Barbarians have reached Yongping Prefecture, and the Great Wei's empire is in grave danger, yet you only want to kill me. What else can you be but a fool! Stupid, utterly stupid!"
Ji Jun gritted his teeth, grabbed the chains on the shackles, and dragged Zheng Ming in front of him. "Power over the world belongs to the capable. My lord, don't be delusional. Your end is here."
"You...you want to kill me completely?"
Releasing the chains, Ji Jun looked at the decaying body that had fallen before him. Just like countless times in the past at the Daming Gate, he stood respectfully and then waved to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"Ji Ke, you will die a horrible death! Your Majesty, this old minister demands to see Your Majesty! Your Majesty—" The shrill cry faded into the depths of the prison.
Ji Jun stood there for a while, until the smile on his face gradually faded, before he stepped out of the Zhaoyu prison. The weather in the capital had been consistently bad since the winter solstice; thick, cold clouds shrouded the imperial city, obscuring the sun, a seemingly ominous sign. The people of the Great Wei were deeply superstitious, and with Yongping's urgent report, rumors of the emperor's moral failings circulated like ghosts within the Daming Gate.
Ji Jun had no intention of suppressing this anxiety, for it was exactly what he wanted. Although Emperor Shengde had awakened, it was merely a final burst of energy before his death. For the Great Wei, losing a morally corrupt emperor was far better than losing a wise ruler—at least in the eyes of the people.
The change of throne is in accordance with the will of Heaven, but should we really enthrone that little baby who has just been weaned?
Ji Jun looked up at the sky, his thin frame made even more gaunt by the days he had spent in prison, his wide official robe billowing in the wind. His brows were slightly furrowed until a figure came into view, at which point he put away his hesitant expression.
"Young Master."
General Xun glanced at him and said indifferently, "What virtue or ability do I possess to deserve such a grand gesture from Minister Ji?"
"I know that the Junior Tutor still resents Junze for going back on his word. As for the matter of remonstrating back then, Junze has nothing to say. This time, the Junior Tutor has disregarded past grievances and stepped in to save me. I truly have no way to repay him."
Xun Shaoshi gave a cold snort. "Although I have left the court, my influence remains. Most of the Imperial Guards are my former subordinates. Minister Ji, do you understand?"
With a twitch at the corner of his eye, Ji Jun replied humbly, "This humble official understands."
"Then do you know why I saved you?"
Ji Jun slowly raised his head, and saw the old general's unfamiliar expression, which made him smile as usual. "Please enlighten me, sir."
"Hmph, Ji Junze, why pretend to be stupid? If it weren't for your master's sake, even if you died in the Zhao Prison, I wouldn't have a shred of pity. What 'Junze, though immersed in the filth, has not lost his true self'? Only your soft-hearted, bookish master would believe that!"
Even he was about to give up on himself and doubt his own conscience, yet his master still believed... The fake smile on his face gradually faded, and Ji Jun lowered his head, his heart filled with indescribable emotions.
"I'm not going to waste my breath on you. Get rid of those idiots in the Pingyang army right now. I'm going to personally lead the troops and beat those northern barbarians to a pulp! Kid, did you hear me?"
Xun Shaoshi glared and puffed out his cheeks, when Ji Junze said in a low voice, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will take care of it immediately."
"What are you envious of?" Xun Shaoshi asked curiously.
This kid is known in official circles for his ruthlessness, so why is he suddenly crying and laughing? Has he gone mad?
"Mr. Xun, please do me another favor."
Hearing him change his words, as if recalling their past relationship, Master Xun was taken aback and looked at him.
"You wish to see your master." This bow almost touched the ground.
In Mingshifang, east of the city, lies the Rong Mansion.
He should have guessed long ago that, apart from the Rong family, which came from a merchant family, where else could his master and junior brother find refuge?
After alighting from the sedan chair, Ji Jun entered the Rong residence. The first thing he saw was a screen wall, covered with cylindrical tiles and built of blue bricks. A young painter was engrossed in painting on the wall with his back to him, depicting an old plum tree blooming crookedly under his brush.
There are eighty-one plum blossoms on the branch, each day adding a petal. When all the petals are gone, the nine-nine-day period will be over, and spring will be in full bloom. Now there are seven pale blue blossoms, just in time for the approaching nine-seventh day.
“The Nine-Nine Cold-Dispelling Chart,” he said softly.
The artist was startled and turned around. "Who are you?"
His baby face held a hint of bewilderment, and he looked even younger than he had imagined. His clear eyes startled Ji Junze. He had only ever seen eyes like that on one other person's face.
Your Highness the Crown Prince...
"Are you here to see Seventh Brother?"
"Seventh Brother?" he asked in surprise.
Eleven smiled sheepishly: "My seventh brother is Boss Rong. You're here to talk business with him, right? I'll go and call him for you."
"Young man, don't be anxious. I'm not looking for your seventh brother."
Eleven exclaimed, "Aren't you here to see Seventh Brother?"
"I'm here to find..."
Before he could finish speaking, someone behind the screen wall said, "Hasn't the painting of Eleven finished yet?"
"Sixth Brother, you're still sick, why did you come out?"
Fu Xian smiled gently and looked at Ji Junze, saying, "You've come."
"Yes, it's here."
Eleven looked at the two men, whose calm demeanor seemed somewhat unusual. "Sixth Brother, do you two know each other?"
Fu Xian avoided answering, and said softly, "Go and brew a pot of good tea for Sixth Brother."
Eleven wanted to ask more, but was firmly suppressed by those pale eyes. He knew his own limitations; he absolutely couldn't withstand Sixth Brother's gentle but deadly attack. Giving Ji Junze a sympathetic look, he picked up the brush, ink, and paint from the ground, turned, and fled.
"This temperament doesn't seem like His Highness's at all," Ji Jun chuckled.