Chapter 121: The Crown Prince Sets Out, Flanked by Beauties (Part II)

"Your Highness, the sorghum in that field in Chang'an is growing quite well," Yang Min remarked casually as they walked down the street.

Li Wei, drawing no small amount of attention, had even foregone his carriage. He was accompanied by five young women and a small detail of guards as they made their way toward the residence of Yan Liben.

Though their faces were veiled by gauze, the young women were undeniably striking. Their figures were graceful, and even Pei Yuhe, who was perhaps less classically beautiful than the others, possessed a delicate charm; she could hardly have caught the eye of Empress Wu Zetian had she been homely.

No one suspected the identity of Bi'er, who was currently busy with other arrangements within the palace. The confusion stemmed from their attire; while some out of respect still referred to Bi'er as "Young Mistress," she remained a palace maid, whereas these women were dressed in the true finery of noble young ladies. Thus, the speculation began.

Pei Yuhe was still in her growing years, and even veiled, no one would mistake her for a woman of fifteen or sixteen. How many young ladies of thirteen or fourteen did the Crown Prince know? People quickly guessed her identity. Then, those with access to inside information learned that Yang Min had arrived in the Eastern Capital and deduced that as well. Xu Li needed no guessing—she was bold enough to have followed the Crown Prince all the way to the Shaolin Temple. However, try as they might, the crowd could not identify Di Hao and Di Hui.

Yet, people wondered, what exactly was the Crown Prince doing? This behavior hardly adhered to the rites.

Adherence to rites was a constraint of the era, a source of helplessness. The Confucian classics they studied were still centered on the three books of rites. It was a headache-inducing task. Reading the *Spring and Autumn Annals* was at least like reading a story, the *Classic of Poetry* had its cleverness, and the *Analects* offered Confucius’s lessons on moral conduct. But the three books of rites? To say something sacrilegious, they were worse than the foot-binding cloths of an old crone—foul-smelling and endless. Or rather, if they were merely foul, that would be a selling point; instead, they were dry, barren, and empty.

Yet one had to read them, and even seek the profound principles within. Li Wei would rather study the more obscure and difficult *Book of Documents* than those three ritual texts. In truth, his gentle temperament in his previous life had been largely conflict-averse; he had rarely even argued with anyone. But in this era, as the Crown Prince, he found himself exploding with frustration from time to time. He was stifled by the constraints of his parents, angered by the reckless audacity of Helan Minzhi, and embittered by the venomous schemes of Xu Jingzong and Ming Chongyan. Even the daily reading of the ritual books chafed. In his past life, he never would have dreamed of storming out on Li Zhi and Wu Zetian as he had that morning.

The rites were not important; Yang Min's life was. With this in mind, he felt the urge to take his guards, storm the residence of Ming Chongyan, and castrate the man.

The young women were unaware of his inner calculations. Xu Li was in a good mood—she would have been even happier if Ming Chongyan were not targeting the Crown Prince—and she continued, "Indeed, I have snuck a look at it once myself."

"What sorghum field?" Pei Yuhe asked, looking blank.

Xu Li replied, "The sorghum the Crown Prince is experimenting with using his new methods. It’s grown this tall already." She gestured to show the height.

Yang Min shook her head. "No, it's long since grown past that height. It’s this tall." She gestured again, higher.

"That tall?" the women exclaimed in unison. Xu Li had arrived earlier, but Yang Min had been here for over ten days. It was already June, and the sorghum was still growing, meaning the field in Chang'an might be even taller by now.

Li Wei was not surprised. Unchecked growth could be a sign of gigantism, where bones and marrow were compromised, but in healthy growth, a larger frame generally implied greater strength. The same held true for grain. Without sturdy stalks and a well-developed root system, how could there be a high yield? Yet, things were currently poor; farmers would dig a hole, toss in some fertilizer, scatter a few seeds, and leave the rest to heaven. The fertilizer was thin, and with multiple stalks crowded together, how could they thrive?

As for the sorghum, it didn't matter. He had to survive this current crisis. It was true—while the sight of disaster victims was pitiable, how could he worry about them when he was being targeted for destruction? Thus, the sorghum was once again pushed to the back of his mind.

But the topic had piqued the interest of the women, and even a guard asked in surprise, "It can't be that tall, can it?" He had fields at home, and his sorghum had never reached such heights.

Xu Li said fiercely, "The Crown Prince cultivated that land—you dare to question it?"

"Understood," the guard replied, too frightened to speak further.

Li Wei disliked conflict, and this topic provided a welcome distraction. Whether they were sincere or not, the young women began to chat animatedly. Even Di Hui and Di Hao joined in, though they spoke less, having been identified as the daughters of Di Renjie.

*Sigh, another rival,* Xu Li thought to herself. The two sisters were in their early twenties, in the prime of their youth. Why had Di Renjie kept them unmarried for so long? Had he calculated that they would eventually meet the Crown Prince and catch his eye, keeping them sheltered until the moment was right?

Because of their background, Di Hui and Di Hao were hesitant to speak, keeping their contributions brief.

To the commoners, however, the sight of these young women getting along, chatting and laughing, suggested a different story. They didn't see the smiles, but they saw the lack of reserve and the constant conversation. Thus, ideas began to form...

The first objective of Di Renjie’s clever scheme was achieved. Because of deliberate maneuvering, the rumors circulating in the markets were highly unfavorable to Yang Min. There was a genuine fear that if Ming Chongyan unleashed his sorcery, the people would truly see her as a demonic spirit. Then, both the Emperor and Empress would want her dead, and the people would demand it too. The consequences would be dire. Therefore, the Crown Prince’s decision to appear in public surrounded by beautiful women was intended to force a reversal of this public opinion.

There were other intentions as well.

Upon arriving at Yan Liben’s residence, they were ushered inside. Yan Liben was puzzled; while the rumors of the Crown Prince’s ambiguous relationships with these women were known, this display was, to say the least, excessive.

He welcomed Li Wei in and whispered, "Your Highness, this is not a good look."

"I know it is not, Master Yan. You must have heard the talk in the market. Yang Min may have made minor mistakes due to her youth, but she has committed no grave errors and is now correcting herself. My father and mother wish to depose the Crown Princess, and I have no argument against that. But it is unfair to Yang Min; she is merely a victim. I intend to make her my secondary consort, while remaining mindful of my parents' feelings and the reputation of the extended family. After all, we have already erred twice—referring to the Wu brothers and Helan Minzhi—we cannot err a third time."

"That is a reasonable approach," Yan Liben mused, then asked, "But Your Highness, this display...?"

"There is no other way. Ming Chongyan wishes to use witchcraft to harm me. He started by targeting Yang Min, but I countered him this morning, which has earned me his hatred. He wants to create the illusion that I am a man of many lovers, hoping that if he bites one, I will not be pained, so I brought them all out together. The more people he targets, the less likely my parents are to execute Yang Min. But Master Yan, this must not be spread abroad," Li Wei whispered in his ear.

"Witchcraft?" Yan Liben, a decent man, knew the gravity of the word. "What exactly has happened?"

Li Wei recounted the events of the morning and said, "Master Yan, I have no other choice. My father believes it, and my mother believes it. First it was Yang Min, and next, it could be me. I must implore you and the other ministers to help. If you do not, I shall have no choice but to resign my position as Crown Prince and flee to the ends of the earth, to avoid a tragedy of human relations, a national disaster, and a laughingstock for the history books."

Yan Liben reflected on this. Ming Chongyan was indeed hostile toward the Crown Prince; otherwise, he would not have spurned the Prince’s overtures and instead targeted the Yang family. He hesitated. "But his sorcery..."

"Master Yan, what sorcery? It is merely a trick of superstition. If it is superstition, I can perform it too. I shall show you the day after tomorrow. Assistant Minister Di has also discussed this. When the melons were picked that day, it was barely dark. Even if a farmer were exhausted, could he sleep that soundly? And in such heat, could a guard ride away without noticing?"

"Indeed. But why would he do such a thing?"

"Xu Jingzong," Li Wei explained, detailing the history—including Xu Jingzong’s hostility toward the previous Crown Prince, his sycophantic devotion to Wu Zetian, and the Prince’s own resentment toward her. "He believes I am a threat to him. Of course, I can do nothing to him now. But his grandson lacks his cunning. Once I ascend to the throne, his grandson will meet a poor end. After a lifetime of struggle, the Xu family would face ruin. He believes I am not invulnerable, and his methods are sophisticated; my parents trust him implicitly and suspect nothing, so he has moved against me."

"The Grand Tutor Xu?" No one had truly understood the friction between Xu Jingzong and Li Wei. Had Di Renjie not spotted the clues from Mount Zhongnan and analyzed them, Li Wei and Wei Yuanzhong would have remained in the dark. Yet, once laid out, the case against Xu was compelling. At the very least, he had the motive.

Yan Liben, though a good man, was one of the upright ministers. In truth, Li Zhi’s selection of officials was decent, with honest men occupying more than half of the court. This was the second part of Di Renjie’s plan. With no other options, they had to utilize the power of the ministers, and these honest officials deeply disliked Xu Jingzong. As a lapdog, he was favored by Li Zhi and Wu Zetian, but no one else liked him. The way the court had celebrated when Li Yifu was exiled to Lingnan was proof of this.

The root of the issue was Xu Jingzong. If the entire court petitioned against him, would Ming Chongyan not be afraid? At the very least, as a newcomer to the court, he would certainly be terrified.

Yet, by mobilizing the ministers, Li Zhi would surely take notice.

With the "Benevolent Crown Prince" involved, along with Xu Jingzong and witchcraft, these honest officials would react immediately. The Emperor might not care about the grand moral implications, but the ministers would care about their reputations and the harm such schemes brought to the state. As for the Empress, Hao Chujun would be all too happy to see her suffer embarrassment. The momentum would build. And because this might involve the life of the Benevolent Crown Prince—the first time he had ever begged for the ministers' aid—they would be even more determined to act.

Of course, this was a "seven-injury fist"—it would hurt others, but it would hurt himself as well.

Yan Liben’s expression grew grave. He no longer had the heart to ask about the new painting techniques, which had already made him suspicious. His invitation to Li Wei at the Jiuzhou Pool had been an attempt to curry favor. Xu Jingzong wanted his grandson to thrive, and Yan Liben similarly had children and grandchildren; he hoped to secure the future of the Yan family. Thus, he replied immediately, "Your Highness, this is a matter of great importance, and you know the methods of the Grand Tutor."

"I know them all too well. From a thousand miles away in Chang'an, a few light pushes from him have left me facing life and death."

"Sigh, if it were not so, would there be so many good ministers he has harmed? But this matter is momentous. I cannot do it alone. You must also go to Minister Hao."

This was as good as an agreement. Li Wei had suspected that Hao Chujun would agree, but he had not expected Yan Liben to do so. It was a pleasant surprise. Not only that, Li Wei found Wei Yuanzhong and had him draft several letters detailing the events, ready to be sent to Chang'an by fast horse. The core of the so-called "Crown Prince Party," including Dai Zhide, was based in Chang'an. It was a pity that written appeals were never as effective as face-to-face petitions at court.

Li Wei bowed deeply, startling Yan Liben, who cried, "Your subject dares not accept this!"

"Master Yan, I thank you not only for the sake of the Yang young lady, but for myself and for the people of the world. Once the witchcraft case is ignited, the court will know no peace." The latter part was an exaggeration; he knew full well that with his mother in control, the machinations of Xu Jingzong and Ming Chongyan were mere clouds. Unless witchcraft served her interests, it would never truly take root. But could anyone truly value her? Even Di Renjie couldn't.

Taking his leave of Yan Liben, Li Wei, accompanied by the five young women, walked arrogantly toward the residence of Hao Chujun.

The storm had arrived.