Chapter 119: The Crown Prince Goes Forth, With Beauties on Either Side (Part I)

"Silence! I ask you: when Master Ming first arrived in the Eastern Capital, who in the palace was colluding with him?" Li Zhi interrupted him sternly. "Furthermore, Master Ming only said you were tainted by malevolent spirits, not that you were a demon yourself. Why are you so agitated? Are you the embodiment of perfection?"

Li Zhi's words brought Li Wei to his senses.

His father wanted to live, and to live longer. With that premise, even if he exposed Ming Chongyan's sorcery, he could not bring him down. As for who was colluding in the palace, it was Xu Jingzong’s people. Speaking that aloud would be even worse; his parents were remarkable, but Xu Jingzong was their blind spot.

Much like Qianlong, whose blind spot was the capable Heshen—if he hadn't been so doted upon, how could he have embezzled so much? Over a hundred million taels of silver—in the Tang Dynasty, that would be ten years of tax revenue. Was Qianlong really so easily fooled?

Why did Emperor Wu of Han’s son raise an army? It wasn't to rebel; it was because he was humiliated by the villain Jiang Chong. Was Emperor Wu of Han easily fooled, either?

Xu Jingzong was his parents’ blind spot, and the supernatural was another. Now, both were in play. No wonder Di Renjie said that trying to topple Xu Jingzong, while appearing to be overestimating one's own strength, was something that had to be done.

He no longer wished to argue. "Father, do as you please," he said. "At worst, you can build another 'Tower of Returning Thoughts' later, and in your longing for your son, slowly reflect on how these villains step by step goaded you to this point."

Having said this, he left without even offering a bow. Before departing, however, he patted Ming Chongyan on the shoulder and said, "Even Liu Ju had enough strength to slay Jiang Chong. Although Xu Jingzong has given you men and money, do not go too far. A fish dying and the net breaking is not something only Liu Ju can achieve."

***

He did not return to the East Palace, but went to the Supreme Court. He did not know exactly how serious things were, but he knew they would be grave. The ancients were very clever; seeing these people scheme and plot, Li Wei felt a chill in his heart, yet the supernatural remained the greatest blind spot of all.

Looking through history, how many people had been implicated by witchcraft and sorcery? It was a deadly weapon, and while Ming Chongyan was not practicing traditional witchcraft, the nature of it was much the same.

Di Renjie listened in silence for a long time. He had long known that Xu Jingzong would not be easy to deal with, but he had not expected him to be this troublesome. Suddenly, he said, "The young lady of the Yang family has arrived in the Eastern Capital."

"When did she arrive?" Li Wei asked, startled.

He had written a letter, but he certainly hadn't invited Yang Min’s mother; there were some things that were hard to explain. Inviting Yang Min might allow him to play the sympathy card, and the Yang family had clansmen serving in the court whose wives could also put in a good word for her. But Yang Min’s mother could not come—he knew she was mercenary, and did his mother not? It was possible that his mother’s hatred for the woman far outweighed her hatred for Yang Min.

The letter had only been sent three or four days ago. By his calculation, it had barely reached Chang'an, perhaps even the Yang household. Even if they received it, ordinary people might be helpless for various reasons; if they didn't encounter bandits, all the better, and if they did, they would just pay to save their lives. But at such a critical juncture, the Yang family dared not risk any mistakes, so they would have to send guards, and they couldn't travel openly, meaning their progress would be slow. It should have taken twenty days to reach the Eastern Capital. Why were they here so soon?

Di Renjie gave him the answer: "The news reached Chang'an."

He paused, then added, "The following is merely my own conjecture, not necessarily the truth, but your Highness may consider it."

"Minister Di, please speak."

"Do you know Yang Sixuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel?"

"I know him. He is the elder cousin of Yang Sijian."

"In truth, Yang Shixiong’s branch still has many people serving in the court. Some are regional governors, others hold various official posts, the most prominent being Vice Minister Yang. After Prince Guan, Yang Shixiong, died, his descendants met with various fates amidst the transition from Sui to Tang. The most tragic was Yang Lin. When he died, Yang Sijian was the eldest son at home, and raising his younger siblings was no easy task; he married very late because of it. The other brothers in the clan saw all this and felt great sympathy. After the young lady of the Yang family was designated as the Crown Princess, the Emperor issued decrees successively promoting the descendants of Prince Guan's line. Thus, this time, when Lady Yang brought her daughter to the Eastern Capital, these clansmen spared no effort. Yet their petitions were like stones cast into the sea, and the Empress refused to grant them an audience."

Li Wei felt a chill. Although the Lady of Rong was from the line of Yang Da, Yang Da and Yang Xiong were brothers. Ever since Empress Wu ascended the throne, the descendants of the lines of Yang Shixiong, Yang Da, and Yang Shigui had been promoted one after another. He and Di Renjie had originally planned for Yang Min to seek the help of these maternal relatives. But now?

This made him feel the icy, murderous intent of his parents.

Di Renjie continued, "But because it concerns the reputation of the Empress’s family, the records do not report it, nor is there any blame. It just so happens that what your Highness mentioned reminded me of many things. Although your Highness’s bamboo paper brought the Emperor great moral standing, these years of recurring natural disasters have left the people with some resentment. Furthermore, your Highness is currently enjoying unprecedented prestige, and if one were to truly investigate, the credit for the bamboo paper belongs to you alone. What if Ming Chongyan uses sorcery to point the finger of this 'demonic evil' at the young lady of the Yang family?"

"She is just an ignorant young girl. What could she have to do with demonic evil?"

"Did not Daji and her ilk grow from ignorant young girls? Besides, the young lady of the Yang family is a great beauty; that alone gives her the potential to be seen as a demon. Although the natural disasters began to occur continuously after the Fengshan sacrifices, could they not be linked to the time since the Crown Prince and Crown Princess became betrothed? In this way, the disasters are not a result of the Emperor losing his virtue, nor the Empress’s journey to perform the sacrifices. It is because the Crown Prince made this match that Heaven began to show its crisis, hence the successive disasters as warnings—and as an added bonus, it suppresses your Highness’s rising reputation."

"How could that be?"

"Why could it not? If he uses a bit of sorcery, how many would not believe it? Master Xu is truly brilliant. This move not only makes your Highness lose your composure and inevitably come into conflict with the Emperor and Empress, but it also redirects the disaster away from the Emperor, and especially the Empress. Even if your Highness warns them that Master Xu instigated Ming Chongyan to do this, what of it? What could the Emperor or Empress do? He is not targeting your Highness, but merely the daughter of a minister who is destined to be discarded."

"Furthermore, now that your Highness has broken with Ming Chongyan, he no longer has any scruples. When he performs his rites this time, he will surely spout nonsense. The final result will be the execution of Yang Min and the exile of the entire Yang family. How would your Highness react?"

Li Wei’s face turned grim. If Yang Min were branded as one of the likes of Daji, she would have to be executed. He could sit by and watch Yang Min lose her status as Crown Princess, but he absolutely could not sit by and watch her beheaded outside the Meridian Gate.

Seeing Li Wei’s expression, Di Renjie already knew the outcome. The Crown Prince was, after all, a bit too soft-hearted. In truth, the crux of the matter was whether Li Wei could let go—whether he could abandon the Yang girl, watch her lose her head, and merely lament without taking drastic, angry actions. If he did that, the Emperor and Empress, out of guilt, would make his position even more secure. At the very least, he could hold out until he toppled Xu Jingzong. If Ming Chongyan played any more tricks, he would die a miserable death.

If he could not sit by and ignore it, then there would be trouble.

It seemed the trouble had already arrived.

"It all depends on the Emperor now. Your Highness’s final words will anger the Emperor, but they are historical facts. However, you left in anger after speaking; had you wailed and wept, perhaps the Emperor would have realized the truth on the spot. It is a pity..."

Li Wei gave a bitter smile. When he arrived, his main goal was to unite with his mother and appease his father. Now, it had turned into relying on his father, which was more complex than the power struggles of the Warring States period. But he understood Di Renjie's point: with constant disasters, his mother was the most difficult to deal with, and his father was secondary. Yet even that was hard to say. Had the incident with Helan Minzhi not occurred, perhaps he could have spoken well to his father, but after all that had happened, it was beneficial to his father... just as Di Renjie said, she was only a minister's daughter. For the sake of status, his mother had struck at her sister whom she had never met, and for the sake of power, his father had not hesitated to eliminate Zhangsun Wuji, the man who had helped him become Emperor. Besides, Ming Chongyan had brought his father’s illness under control. What was Yang Min compared to that?

Di Renjie had an even worse headache than him.

Yang Min had arrived at just the wrong time; he had been preparing to inform the Crown Prince so he could take her to Empress Wu to beg for forgiveness. But then this happened. The talk of demonic taint, the claim that the Crown Prince was even more heavily tainted—with Yang Min here, and the aura supposedly being heavier than a few days ago, could the Emperor and Empress not see through it?

Yet the Crown Prince could not let go, which seemed harder to handle than toppling Xu Jingzong.

Li Wei asked, "What if I were to perform a 'magic trick' even more profound than his?"

"Your Highness, you must not lose your head. While it is just playing with spirits and ghosts, it is not easy. Otherwise, among all the officials in the court, how many do you see who think he is a fraud? If you had not told me, even Wei Yuanzhong and the others would believe his sorcery is real. You..."

"Not necessarily. Minister Di, listen to me." Li Wei explained the "magic" he intended to perform in detail.

"What is the reason for this?"

"The principle is simple, but without explanation, others will not understand."

"Your Highness, are you certain you can do it?"

"Three days of preparation is enough. If I am lucky and find the equipment, one day will suffice."

"Three days... that is good. It will be right before Ming Chongyan. Perhaps this is a reprieve." There was no other way; the direct path was blocked, so he had to use unorthodox means to deal with Ming Chongyan—fighting poison with poison. He rested his chin on his hand, thinking. The "magic" of the two might not be that effective, but the key was that the Emperor and Empress needed this turning point. He pondered how to maximize the impact of the Crown Prince's "magic."

After a long while, he said, "Your Highness, what are your thoughts on the young lady of the Xu family?"

This was the answer to his long contemplation. Li Wei was almost stunned, and answered vaguely, "She is acceptable."

"Your Highness, have you thought about how you will treat her in the future?"

"Minister Di, do not tease me at a time like this."

"How would I dare tease your Highness? I am thinking of a strategy. No matter what, Ming Chongyan is inferior to Master Xu, and Master Xu is far away in the Western Capital, out of reach. Now, because of your Highness’s words, Ming Chongyan is blinded by shame and anger. One person is surely going to die. But if we add the young lady of the Xu family and my two foster daughters, the law does not punish the masses—would the four of them die?"

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"Everything, your Highness. You must leave the palace immediately and invite the young lady of the Xu family, the young lady of the Yang family, and my two foster daughters. It would be best to invite the young lady of the Pei family as well... alas, the numbers are still a bit low."

Li Wei wiped the sweat from his brow and asked hesitantly, "Minister Di, could you please explain yourself more clearly?"