Chapter 119: The Ambush (Part One)

The commotion was somewhat significant, and the party led by Hu Tianming had not yet gone very far. However, not a single person looked back; everyone acted as if they had heard nothing, continuing to walk away in a measured, orderly fashion under the guidance of the eunuchs. The eunuchs guarding the entrance to the Imperial Study were also hesitant, uncertain whether they should go inside to see what had happened.

Only Tao Renzhi remained calm. He neither spoke nor called for anyone to come in and tidy up. Instead, he gave a slight bow, walked straight out, and pulled the palace doors shut, silently blocking everyone outside from view.

Inside, Xiao Yun had never seen his father, the Emperor, lose his composure like this, and his brow furrowed tightly. The Emperor pressed his hands onto the table once more, his chest heaving as he repeatedly attempted to regain control of his emotions. Xiao Yun, feeling anxious, tentatively asked, "Father, are you alright?"

The Emperor heard him but did not move or respond. He remained still for a while longer, calming himself, before finally opening his eyes. He turned to look at Xiao Yun. "Why do you think the Prince of Sheng entered the palace today?"

Xiao Yun, of course, did not believe that Xiao Yue was genuinely interested in Wu Tan. However, even if it were just a pretense, hearing Xiao Yue utter those words in person still made him feel uneasy. "He deliberately made a public excuse so that it would be more convenient for him to have contact with the Marquis of Dingyuan's household in the future, right?" Xiao Yun speculated.

The Emperor sneered dismissively. "I, on the contrary, believe he is truly setting his sights on that girl from the Wu family!"

Xiao Yun’s brow twitched faintly. Even though he did not like Wu Tan, they had been betrothed at one point. Regardless, having her name linked with Xiao Yue now made him feel inexplicably stifled and unhappy. The Emperor cast a sideways glance at him. Xiao Yun quickly gathered his scattered thoughts and said with a serious expression, "Does Father believe he intends to use the pretext of marriage to win over the Marquis of Dingyuan's household?"

The Emperor had already caught the peculiar look on his face a moment ago; he simply stared at him without speaking. Feeling increasingly uncomfortable under the Emperor's gaze, Xiao Yun asked, "Father? Did I... did I say something wrong?"

The Emperor suddenly chuckled. "The Prince of Sheng said he took a fancy to that girl from the Wu family—does that make you feel uncomfortable?"

Xiao Yun was startled. His lips parted, and he instinctively wanted to deny it, but upon meeting the seemingly bottomless gloom in the Emperor's eyes, the evasive words died in his throat. He pursed his lips and lowered his gaze, effectively conceding.

To his surprise, the Emperor did not blame him for his lack of magnanimity. Instead, he let out a cold, sharp laugh through his nose. "Even if it is something you have discarded, it remains yours. To have such a temperament is a good thing."

Xiao Yun was startled again. He looked up in surprise, puzzled. "Have you and the Grand Tutors not always taught me that a ruler should have a broad mind and the grace to be tolerant of others?"

"It depends on the person and the situation; that is what one says to the court officials and what one performs for the sake of the common people," the Emperor said, his eyes dark and his lips curved in a cynical arc. "You were born into the imperial family, which is fundamentally different from others. Where here can you find brotherly kindness or deep familial love? Because there is a shortcut to the pinnacle of power, nothing that happens here can be judged by ordinary standards. Do you understand?"

Xiao Yun vaguely understood his implication. Yet, the Emperor's words overturned everything he had been taught, leaving him feeling resistant. The Emperor observed his reaction but did not rush to force his agreement. He steered the topic back to Xiao Yue, continuing, "I know you were bothered by the selection of your consort. Do you not see it clearly yet? Since you were born into the position of the crown prince, you no longer have the right to be willful or reckless. You think it is beneath your dignity to use the daughter of Wu Xun as a means to win him over, but if you do not seize this opportunity and let Xiao Yue and Wu Xun join forces, what will the consequences be? Regardless of whether Xiao Yue harbors treasonous intent, the mere combination of his military command and his status as the primary son of the late Emperor—my son, sometimes he does not even need to harbor such intentions; the situation itself will force his hand. After all, the position I sit in right now is far too tempting."

There is only one dragon throne, and countless eyes are fixed on the pinnacle of power in this realm. The reason the Emperor was wary of Xiao Yue was not merely a suspicion of disloyalty, but the reality that with his status and his military power, it was not a matter of whether he would rebel now, but that he could do so at any moment.

Xiao Yun listened in silence. He knew that for centuries, emperors had used their harem to balance the court; this was not a precedent set by him, yet he found it difficult to accept. Even seeing the grave situation and all the pros and cons, he struggled to embrace such a method of leverage. However, at this moment, he did not want to debate this with the Emperor. He steadied himself and asked, "Then how does Father intend to respond to what my Uncle said earlier?"

The Emperor was furious at the mere mention of Xiao Yue. Without overthinking, his gaze deepened, and he countered, "How do you think I will handle it? Kill that girl from the Wu family, cut off his path, and solve it once and for all?"

In truth, when Xiao Yue brought up the matter, the first thought that had crossed Xiao Yun’s mind was that the Emperor would want to kill Wu Tan. Xiao Yun pursed his lips, silently confirming this.

Seeing this, the Emperor sneered grimly. "Do you know why he chose this moment, when all the high-ranking officials were in my study, to come here?"

Xiao Yun was stunned. As his thoughts raced, he could not help but gasp. "He was saying it on purpose for the court officials to hear?"

The Emperor was satisfied with his reaction, but thinking of this, his hatred for Xiao Yue grew. He gritted his teeth and said, "His words earlier were so emphatic, even 'protesting too much' by explicitly stating he had no intention of conspiring with the Wu family—this is equivalent to setting a trap for me in front of everyone. Tell me, if anything happens to that girl, what will those officials think?"

What would they think? They would naturally assume the Emperor had her killed because he did not want the Prince of Sheng to marry into the Wu family. Xiao Yun was suddenly struck with fear.

The Emperor continued, "If I touch that girl, I am acting without benevolence or righteousness, and I am essentially handing him a reason to rise in rebellion."

The officials had all seen and heard for themselves that the Prince of Sheng held the daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan in high regard. If the Emperor acted ruthlessly against her, then whatever the Prince might do in his rage would be considered entirely justified. Thus, rather than saying Xiao Yue came today to seek the Emperor’s blessing for his marriage, it would be more accurate to say he came to lay a trap. If the Emperor dared to touch Wu Tan, he would be giving the Prince a public reason to rebel; if the Emperor left it alone, he would be tacitly allowing the Prince the opportunity to continue his association with the Marquis of Dingyuan's household.

Xiao Yun had not realized the depth of the trap until now, and he suddenly felt the situation was thorny. "So, are we unable to do anything?"

The Emperor cast a glance at him, a strange, confident smile appearing in his eyes. "It does not matter. I understand Wu Xun’s character; he is not one to change his loyalties easily. As long as his youngest daughter enters the palace, his stance cannot be easily shaken. And if all else fails..." The Emperor paused, his voice turning resolute. "There is still your grandmother! She will absolutely never agree to let Xiao Yue marry Wu Xun's daughter."

Although Xiao Yue had trapped him in front of everyone, causing him to lose the initiative, Empress Dowager Zhou could still act. If they were pushed to the final step, the Empress Dowager could step in and order Wu Tan’s death, and no one would be able to say a word! Did Xiao Yue think he was qualified to contend with him? Impossible! As long as Empress Dowager Zhou was there, Xiao Yue would never hold the upper hand.

In the Emperor's eyes, a near-mad murderous intent was boiling. He had attained this throne, and he would never allow anyone to take it from him. No one—not ever!

*

Xiao Yue exited the Imperial Study and walked straight out of the palace, his expression as leisurely and natural as when he had arrived. Lei Ming followed behind him, and as they walked along the empty imperial road, he couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, did you just go to request the Emperor’s blessing for your marriage?"

Yesterday, his master had done something quite outrageous and shameless. Although the Prince himself didn't seem to realize it, Lei Ming still blushed when he thought about it. Even though he had been blocked by horses and was guarding the other entrance to the garden, he could roughly guess what his master had done—and it was certainly something he was capable of!

Xiao Yue walked forward, eyes fixed ahead. His mood seemed neither good nor bad. He neither confirmed nor denied it, but instead countered, "If I were to ask for the Emperor’s blessing, do you think he would agree?"

Lei Ming shook his head without a second thought. "Likely not!"

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yue’s expression shifted, his gaze turning cold and sharp as he shot a glance at him. "Since you know he would not agree, why would I do something so pointless? Besides, does my marrying a wife have anything to do with him?"

Having been rebuffed for no reason, Lei Ming dared not bring it up again and fell silent.

The news that the Prince of Sheng had taken a fancy to the daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan, Wu Xun, was like a stone thrown into a deep pool—it caused a great splash at first, but because of the subsequent warnings from both the Prince and the Emperor, the seven or eight people who knew of it all kept their mouths shut. However, everyone quietly informed their wives and mothers, telling them to keep their own daughters and granddaughters away from the Prince to avoid humiliation. Thus, after that day, a silent understanding was reached among the top aristocratic families in the capital: be polite to the second daughter of the Wu family, as she was likely the future Princess of Sheng.

Of course, Wu Tan and the Wu family were completely unaware of this. With the end of the month approaching and the wedding date of Wu Qingyu and Lin Yanyao only days away, the Old Madame and Madame Meng were busy in a whirlwind of preparations. Wu Tan, however, had been deeply shaken by Xiao Yue; not only were his words threatening, but he had also taken liberties with her. Unable to reconcile either, she had been in low spirits, staying locked in her room unless the Old Madame sent her to help with chores.

The day after the scandal involving Lin Yanyao broke, the Prefect of the Capital, Hu Tianming, submitted a memorial impeaching Wu Xun. Although he was not a censor, he argued that Wu Qingyu’s actions had severely disrupted the daily affairs of his office and caused public unrest, making his impeachment reasonable. However, because Wu Xun was not in the capital, the Emperor could not simply summon him back from Yuanzhou to be reprimanded for failing to discipline his son, so the matter was temporarily shelved. But because Hu Tianming had presented the memorial in the Emperor's presence during the morning court, the incident became known to all.

The version circulating in the palace was this: The second young master of the Wu family was enamored with the young lady of the Lin family. Since the lady was already betrothed to the young master of the Jiang family, the Wu young master devised a wicked plan: he hired fake bandits to kidnap her carriage. The Lin family, unaware of the truth, reported it to the authorities. The Jiang family, upon hearing that their future daughter-in-law had been abducted, feared for her reputation and immediately went to the Lin household to break off the engagement. Thus, the marriage was naturally snatched up by the Wu family.

Although Wu Xun was not in the capital, Jiang Weixian attended court every day. As one of the parties involved—even though he was not the one being impeached—he had been subjected to the strange looks of his colleagues for days. The Jiang and Lin families were in-laws, and breaking off the engagement the moment the girl met with misfortune was indeed dishonorable. Though no one said it out loud, Jiang Weixian felt his face burning with shame, and for two or three days, he returned home in a foul mood, picking fights and losing his temper.

Madame Jiang Li, who had injured her leg and was bedridden, tried her best to avoid him, playing the ostrich. When her maid, Mama Huang, was massaging her leg, she couldn't help but sigh. "The Marquis of Dingyuan’s household has been truly ruthless. No one forced them to marry the Lin cousin; they chose to do it themselves. Now, they are spreading rumors outside, and we are the ones stuck with the reputation of being unrighteous."

Madame Jiang Li, who was sipping chicken soup, lost her appetite. With a cold face, she said, "Say no more. Let them do as they please; this matter ends here. I don't care what people are saying outside, but you keep an eye on our household and don't let the servants talk nonsense. The Master is already in a foul mood; if this reaches his ears, none of us will have a good outcome."

"Yes!" Mama Huang gasped and immediately fell silent.

Having inexplicably become the target of public scorn, Madame Jiang Li was also filled with resentment. But who could she blame? If Jiang Pingzhi hadn't done those wicked things, they wouldn't have been forced into this corner. Now that people were cursing the Lin family, calling them unfilial to their kin, could she go out and tell everyone that Lin Yanyao wasn't kidnapped by Wu Qingyu at all, but that the Jiang family had hired men to stage it to find an excuse to break the engagement?

At this point, one could only swallow their teeth along with the blood.

Of course, although this was the news coming from the palace and the prefect's office, not everyone believed it. Some remained convinced that the Lin girl had truly been kidnapped by bandits and that the Lin family had conspired with the Wu family to lie to save face. Regardless, the two families involved were unaffected and continued their joyful wedding preparations.

Following the Old Madame’s instructions, Wu Qingyu wrote a letter briefly explaining the situation and had it sent to Wu Xun via express courier.

Five days later, after nightfall, Wu Xun had just finished patrolling the camp with his son-in-law and deputy general, Lu Zhixun, and had returned to the commander's mansion in Yuanzhou when he received the letter. After reading it, Lu Zhixun frowned in confusion. "Is this Lin family the maternal family of your late first wife? I heard from Xue'er that they haven't been in contact for many years."

After reading the letter, Wu Xun held it to the candlelight and set it ablaze. As the flames licked the paper, they illuminated his face; his expression remained calm and steady, without a ripple of emotion. Wu Qingyu had caused such a massive mess, even implicating him in an impeachment, yet there was no sign of anger. Hearing Lu Zhixun’s question, he replied casually, "Qingyu has always lacked discipline and does things on a whim. Your grandmother and mother-in-law are still in the capital; they won't let him cause any irreparable chaos. As for the marriage, if he wants it, so be it. I remember the Lin girl’s character being quite good; there is nothing to find fault with."

Lu Zhixun had little interest in what kind of person Wu Qingyu’s wife was, but he couldn't help but worry. "Should you not immediately write a memorial of apology to the capital, Father? Failing to manage one's household or discipline one's children, while not a substantial crime, concerns your reputation and that of the entire Marquisate; strictly speaking, it is not a small matter."

"Hmm," Wu Xun nodded. "I will write it tonight; you can take it tomorrow and have it sent to the capital by 800-li express!"

Even as he said this, he showed no trace of worry or anger. Lu Zhixun had always respected him and never questioned his decisions, but now he couldn't help but ask, "This matter... is it really alright? Wu Qingyu has caused such a stir—will the Emperor blame you for it?"

Although Wu Qingxue was Wu Xun's eldest son, he was only sixteen this year, younger than both Wu Qinglin and Wu Qingyu. Lu Zhixun, who came from a modest background, had been personally promoted by Wu Xun. When he married Wu Qingxue two years ago, he was already twenty-six. Although the two Wu sons were his brothers-in-law, they were all in the military together, and because he was older and more experienced, everyone generally addressed each other by name.

Wu Xun smiled confidently. "Sometimes, letting him make a few mistakes to learn from is not a bad thing."

Seeing that Lu Zhixun remained puzzled, he explained, "Only a saint makes no mistakes! The current Emperor is already quite wary of me; if he occasionally catches me in some faults or weaknesses, only then will he feel at ease!"

Thus, he never restricted Wu Tan or Wu Qingqiong, nor did he demand that his children be perfectly conformist. Serving a ruler is like sleeping with a tiger; besides—the current Emperor of Great Yin had a temperament unlike anyone else's.

*

The Old Madame had also sent a letter to Wu Qinglin regarding Wu Qingyu's betrothal. The letter to Wu Qinglin was brief, only mentioning that Wu Qingyu was betrothed to Lin Yanyao and the wedding was set for the twenty-eighth of the fourth month, asking him to return if possible to help manage the ceremony.

When the letter reached the Jiangjian region, Wu Qinglin had been leading troops to suppress bandits in the mountains for two days. The bandits were indeed fierce and cunning, adept at using the terrain. Wu Qinglin had expended much effort; had he not feared causing an uncontrollable fire that would endanger the local people, he would have burned the mountain down. It took five days and four nights of hard work before they finally conquered the mountain stronghold and captured the second-in-command alive.

Upon returning to the relay station and receiving the letter, he knew there must have been complications between Lin Yanyao and the Jiang family, otherwise, Wu Qingyu would not have suddenly decided to marry her. He declined the local officials' offer of a celebratory banquet, rested for one night, and departed for the capital at dawn the next day.

The region was hilly, and the official roads were lined with mountains and forests. Early in the morning, with no travelers on the road and heavy dew from the night, riding through the chill was biting. Four personal soldiers led the way; because they were escorting two heavy criminals, the prison carts could not travel quickly, making their pace slower than when they had arrived.

Wu Qinglin frowned, his brow furrowed. They had been out of the city for over an hour, yet he still looked preoccupied. Mu Song rode closer and suggested, "If you are worried about home, why not take a few men and head to the capital first? I can escort these prisoners at a slower pace."

Wu Qinglin was indeed preoccupied. Distracted, he looked back at him. "Do you think—our mission here is truly complete?"

The question was abrupt and lacked context. Mu Song was puzzled. "What do you mean, Young Marquis?"

Suddenly, one of the four soldiers at the front roared, "Ambush! General, take care!"

Before the words had faded, a massive cloud of dust erupted from the ground ahead. A wooden spiked board, a square yard in size, was flipped up from beneath the dirt road, slamming directly toward the advancing party.