Wish You All the Best - Chapter 77
Chapter 77
Deep in the night within the Imperial Study, Xiao Lie remained wide awake. He stared at the secret letter in front of him, which only revealed its contents after being heated over a flame. His expression was stern. After a long while, he handed it to Li Yuangui, who stood to the side. "Burn it. Pass on my word: for now, do nothing. Wait for my further orders."
Li Yuangui responded in the affirmative. He took the letter, walked over to a Boshan incense burner in the corner of the hall, and lifted its lid.
When the Emperor first ascended the throne, he had secretly dispatched Jinyiwei intelligence officers to the southern coast—the most likely place for the Young Emperor to be hiding—to secretly track his whereabouts. Naturally, Dragon Island, where the "Golden-Faced Dragon King" resided, was also within the Emperor’s sights. However, the location of Dragon Island was secretive, and the Dragon King’s organization was tightly knit; they did not recruit outsiders at will, making it impossible for anyone to land on the island to see what was happening. It was only after a year that a highly experienced intelligence officer finally managed to infiltrate the island as a low-level sailor in the peripheral ranks. He kept a close watch on the Dragon King’s followers and gradually began to suspect that the Dragon King was none other than the former Dong Chengmao. Yet, because he could not get close, he could not be certain. It was not until this recent Wokou pirate raid, when the entire force of Dragon Island mobilized, that this agent fought bravely to the front and managed to board the main ship where the Dragon King resided. He conducted secret investigations for half a month and finally uncovered some information.
The secret report stated that when the Dragon King commanded the naval battle, his use of flags for advancing and retreating bore the distinct style of the former Duke of Wei, further confirming his identity. Furthermore, there was a youth on the same ship whom he had observed from afar several times. The Dragon King treated him with great respect, but the youth’s demeanor seemed neither like a master nor a servant. His age matched that of the missing Young Emperor, making his identity highly suspicious.
Li Yuangui threw the paper into the burner. Accompanied by a burst of black smoke and leaping flames, the paper was reduced to ash amidst the spices.
"Your Majesty, the third watch has already passed. You have been working hard for days; you should rest," Li Yuangui said upon returning, offering his advice.
Xiao Lie massaged his brows and rose from behind the desk.
"Shall I summon the Imperial Noble Consort to attend to you?"
Xiao Lie waved his hand. Just as he was about to leave, a palace attendant bowed and entered, reporting that the Crown Prince requested an audience.
Xiao Lie was slightly taken aback. "What for?"
"This servant does not know. The Crown Prince only said he had an urgent matter of great importance to report and is waiting outside the hall."
"Declare him in."
With the sound of footsteps, Xiao Yintang stepped in quickly. After performing the kowtow, he rose and glanced at Li Yuangui.
Li Yuangui bowed to him and exited the study.
"It is so late; what business brings you to see me?" Xiao Lie sat back down, his expression indifferent.
Ever since the incident with the Crown Princess, Xiao Lie’s complexion toward his son had remained this way.
Xiao Yintang’s expression was respectful, yet his eyes flickered slightly, as if he were trying his best to suppress his current emotions: "This son knows that Father is working tirelessly for the affairs of the state. It is so late tonight that I shouldn't have come to disturb you, but this matter is of great consequence, and I dare not delay it even for a moment. Does Father remember when you ordered me to search for the whereabouts of the Young Emperor, Xiao Yu? Back then, although I returned from Quanzhou without success, I never dared to forget Father’s mission. I left behind a trusted attendant named Liu Yi, who is capable and meticulous, to continue the investigation in secret. Heaven favors those who persist, and this time, he has finally uncovered some news!"
He finished speaking and looked at the Emperor. Seeing his expression remained unmoved, he added: "Father must also know of that pirate on the southern seas called the 'Golden-Faced Dragon King.' Recently, Liu Yi discovered that this Golden-Faced Dragon King is highly likely to be Dong Chengmao of the former Tianxi Dynasty!"
Xiao Yintang watched the Emperor, but seeing he still showed little expression, he hesitated before continuing: "Father, if this man truly is Dong Chengmao, who was reduced to banditry because the usurper of Shun'an was corrupt, then over these past few years, I have heard that he has never harmed the coastal people, so that might be fine. But this Dong Chengmao—it is highly likely that he is hiding the former Young Emperor!"
Unable to suppress his inner excitement any longer, his voice grew louder: "Father, according to Liu Yi’s news, there is a youth of fifteen or sixteen by the Golden-Faced Dragon King’s side who is nameless and of suspicious identity. Everyone calls him 'Young Master.' I speculate that this Young Master is highly likely to be Xiao Yu! Father, think about it: Dong Chengmao was a former subordinate of the Duke of Wei, and the Duke of Wei had deep ties with the Tianxi Dynasty. That Dong Chengmao would fall into banditry and hide Xiao Yu at sea, waiting for an opportunity to rise again—does that not follow perfectly?"
The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, noncommittal.
Xiao Yintang paused.
"And I have one more concern! I do not know if I should say it."
"Speak," the Emperor watched him.
"I know Father has always trusted Pei You'an, and this son has absolutely no intention of slandering him. I only wish to remind Father that Pei You'an is a man of deep, hidden patience—no ordinary person can compare. Dong Chengmao has long-standing ties with him, and he and Xiao Yu were teacher and student in their early years. If Xiao Yu is truly alive, Father might have to guard against Pei You'an to avoid trouble in the future!"
The Emperor watched Xiao Yintang, silent and contemplative.
Xiao Yintang gradually felt that the Emperor’s reaction was extremely abnormal.
He was too calm; so calm it felt strange.
From the first day Xiao Lie was the Prince of Yunzhong and started his rebellion under the banner of restoring Xiao Yu as Emperor, although Xiao Lie never mentioned a word of it in front of him, Xiao Yintang knew that his father could not possibly truly harbor such thoughts.
Once one has a chance to sit on the dragon throne, who in the world would not want to sit on it?
The reason he held that banner aloft was merely to win the hearts of the world and achieve success quickly.
The Young Emperor was likely already dead, and even if he were still alive, he would have been reduced to a youth who was truly a lonely soul. Even if a few people were willing to support him, he would only ever be a symbol. Before a strong man who truly mastered the world, he would be completely unable to make any real waves. To be found and then to disappear—that was his most logical ending.
So tonight, upon receiving this news, Xiao Yintang was exceptionally excited.
In the disadvantageous situation where the Crown Princess, Zhou Jin, the Empress Zhou, and even he himself had fallen out of favor with the Emperor one after another, he still longed to use this newly acquired, significant news to regain his father's favor and trust.
Even if that dream he once had was true and Pei You'an was indeed his father's illegitimate son, if Pei You'an dared to take a different stance from the Emperor regarding the imperial throne, the Emperor would never tolerate it.
On this point, Xiao Yintang had originally been very certain.
But at this moment, Xiao Lie’s reaction made him feel a sudden lack of confidence.
"If your news is true, then in your opinion, how should I deal with this?"
After a long time, the Emperor spoke, his expression as calm as water, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Treat Pei You'an as a conspirator in treason? Then pursue the Young Emperor and eliminate him? Yintang, do not forget the promises I made to the world at the start. Judging by your tone just now, are you trying to force me to get rid of the Young Emperor, to make me bear the name of being unbenevolent and unrighteous before the world?"
Xiao Yintang was stunned, unable to believe his ears: "Father! This son does not understand! The Tianxi Emperor hated you, trapped you in Yunnan, and you practiced patience for over twenty years, through thousands of hardships and near-death experiences, to finally achieve this great cause. Does Father truly intend to abdicate the throne to the boy Xiao Yu? What virtue or capability does he have to be treated like this by Father?"
The Emperor rose from behind his desk and strolled to the window to gaze at the night sky. After a moment, he turned back: "Yintang, if I truly kept my promise and returned this empire to Xiao Yu, what would you do?"
His tone was gentle, as if they were just having a casual father-son chat.
Xiao Yintang stiffened for a moment, then slowly knelt: "Reporting to Father, this world is one Father won with his own hands. How to deal with it is entirely up to Father. This son is only loyal to Father and will obey your every command!"
Having said this, he lowered his head.
Xiao Lie looked down at him for a moment and nodded: "It brings me great comfort that you can think this way. I will naturally send people to verify the matter you just reported. You must not disclose this to a third party, and you need not intervene any further."
Xiao Yintang kowtowed, rose, and retreated. When he stepped out of the palace hall housing the Imperial Study, his footsteps paused, and he looked back.
The night was blurred, and his expression was somewhat taut. His gaze was cast toward the window behind him that revealed the lamplight. A shadow quickly flitted across his eyes, then he turned and continued walking forward.
...
After Pei You'an left the palace, he returned to the Pei residence.
Lady Xin, Pei Quan, and the others did not know he had returned to the capital tonight. Seeing him back suddenly and learning he had been ordered to return alone while Jiafu remained in Quanzhou to serve her grandmother, they felt a mix of envy and jealousy in their hearts. On the surface, however, they were all harmony and concern. Lady Xin had the servants return his luggage to his room. After Pei Quan finished chatting with him, Pei You'an returned to the courtyard he previously shared with Jiafu. After bathing, he came out wearing his inner robes. He habitually walked toward the clothing rack, but after a few steps, he looked up and saw it was empty. The clean clothes she used to prepare for him every day were missing. His footsteps paused. He turned, walked to the wardrobe himself, opened the door, and took out a set of casual clothes. As he closed the wardrobe, his gaze fell upon an outer cloak folded and placed in the corner.
He still remembered this garment. It was that night, at the relay station in Chengjiang Prefecture, Yunnan, when he had rescued the disheveled girl, brought her to his quarters, and wrapped her in it.
The clothing was already old then. Later, as he traveled east and west, he had long forgotten he still possessed such a superfluous item. Yet, tonight, at this very moment, he suddenly saw it folded neatly, left inside the wardrobe. He felt a momentary trance, as if the scene of her standing before him with bare feet and anxiety that night appeared before his eyes.
Pei You'an watched for a moment, then put the clothes he was holding back. His long fingers rested on the old garment, caressing it. He took it, shook it open, and put it on.
That night, after the third watch, a figure pushed open the slightly ajar door of the study and entered.
The study was unlit. The south window was half-open. Pei You'an sat behind the desk, his solitary, lean silhouette outlined by the cold, clear moonlight, half in light and half in shadow.
After Yang Yun finished listening to his instructions, he whispered: "Rest assured, my Lord. I will send a trustworthy person to deliver the message to General Dong as quickly as possible. As for the Lady, we will certainly follow your instructions and dare not be negligent."
Pei You'an nodded: "I have troubled you. After all these years of following me through hardships, and now having to take risks, I am very grateful."
"If the Duke had not shown kindness back then, my entire Yang family would have been executed. This subordinate's life was always yours, my Lord. It is just that I have one thing I do not understand..."
Yang Yun hesitated.
"The matter of General Dong and the Young Master is better kept between as few people as possible. This subordinate truly does not understand: even if the Crown Prince’s people have sensed something now, they likely know at most two or three out of ten. Why did you deliberately arrange for the Crown Prince’s people to know everything? If you do this, does it not confirm the matter in the Emperor's eyes?"
Pei You'an was silent for a moment, then answered the question with another: "Yang Yun, what do you think of the court’s current sea ban?"
Yang Yun was startled: "Is it not for the purpose of defending against the Wokou pirates?"
Pei You'an said: "That is only the surface. The Emperor is a man of grand ambition. He looks up to the vastness of imperial virtue, seeking to be holy, divine, martial, and cultured. He wants all nations to come and pay homage, to demonstrate the civil and martial achievements of our Great Wei. A single raid by pirates would never be enough to make the Emperor retreat and guard his borders; he is not that kind of man. When I was in Quanzhou, the thing I worried about most happened."
Yang Yun was shocked: "My Lord, are you saying the Emperor already knows about the Young Master? The purpose of the sea ban is related to the Young Master?"
"When I received the Emperor's urgent summons, I became even more certain of my previous guesses. Even if the Emperor does not know ten parts out of ten, he knows eight or nine. He summoned me back merely to test me. Even if I were to cover it up this time, he would likely be able to verify it very soon. It is also true that 'man proposes, God disposes.' I originally thought that even if the paper could not wrap the fire regarding the Young Master, it would not leak so quickly. I did not expect that because of this Wokou turmoil, something would finally go wrong. Since it has been inadvertently leaked, there is not much time left for me. The imperial heart is unfathomable. I fear that I may find it difficult to protect myself in the future. If I were alone, I would have nothing to worry about, but now there is the Zhen family. If something happens to me, the Crown Prince will certainly not let the Zhen family go, so I have no choice but to take a desperate risk and force the Crown Prince to move first. As long as the Crown Prince acts, I won't have to fear failing to catch his slips."
Yang Yun grew even more confused: "My Lord, I truly do not understand what this has to do with you deliberately leaking the information to the Crown Prince?"
Pei You'an smiled slightly: "You do not understand. In the Imperial family, father and son, affection is often as thin as paper. If my guess is correct, the mutual suspicion between the Emperor and the Crown Prince already outweighs their trust. I am gambling, and I hope I can win this gamble."
For Yang Yun, aside from wishing to repay kindness and admire righteousness, and being willing to follow Pei You'an wholeheartedly, he had always held unshakable faith in Pei You'an's intelligence and schemes.
Since he had arranged it this way, he must have his reasons.
Although Yang Yun remained confused, seeing that Pei You'an would not explain further, he closed his mouth and asked no more questions. He only knelt before the silhouette behind the desk: "Lord Pei, please take care."
After Yang Yun performed the salute, he rose and left rapidly, his figure disappearing into the night.
Pei You'an sat alone in the dim light for a long time, looking at the shadow of the clepsydra in the corner. He figured it was long past the hour of Hai (between 9:00 PM and 11:00 PM) when she usually set the latest time for him to return to the room to sleep. He stretched, rose, and stepped through the moonlight to return to his room.