Chapter 48
On this side, Zhong Wan had already returned to his estate . When he got back to his courtyard, Lin Si was in his room .
Sponsored Content
Lin Si was covered in dust, as if he had just returned from outside . Zhong Wan closed the door and questioned, curious, “Where did you go?”
Lin Si’s eyes were bloodshot . He seemed to have not slept at all . He signed, “I went outside of the city, looking for Tang Ming in Master’s stead . I gave him the letter . ”
Zhong Wan burst into laughter . “You still shouldn’t have gone overnight . Things aren’t that time sensitive . Give me the letter, then go rest… Oh, right . ”
Zhong Wan grabbed the letter Lin Si handed him . His gaze was filled with slight amusement . “Yesterday, after Xuan Jing failed to find you in our estate, he headed to Young Prince Yu’s estate, ready to fight . He got in an argument with Yu She too, adamant that Yu She had kidnapped you . ”
Lin Si’s eyes lit up . Shortly after, though, they dimmed again . He waved his hands and gestured, “I traveled outside of the city overnight and delivered Master’s letter to avoid him . ”
Zhong Wan desired to help Lin Si, but he hadn’t even solved his own problems yet . He didn’t know how to comfort Lin Si, so only said, “I’ll just give you one piece of advice . ”
Lin Si stared at Zhong Wan .
“Don’t blindly waste time just because of a moment of despair . ” Zhong Wan smiled . “How many seven years can a person have in their lifetime?”
Lin Si remained silent . He took two steps closer, then signed, “Let’s not talk about this . Master, read the letter first . I have other things to say as well . ”
Zhong Wan opened the letter .
In the letter, Tang Ming said that he had a connection in the palace who could be used . This person was an old eunuch; in the early years, he had completed a few trivial tasks for Yu Mucheng, Prince Yu . Now that he was old, Prince Yu no longer relied heavily on him . The only reason that he was still alive was because he had never played a role in any significant events . As he was old now, he didn’t have any true power anymore . The only advantage was that he had lived for a long time, so still had a few connections in the palace . This person could be used by Zhong Wan .
Zhong Wan scanned over the letter before burning it .
He gazed at the flickering flames, lost in thought .
For some reason, the feeling that Tang Ming gave him always felt a bit off .
Speaking of which, this was quite strange . Tang Ming was clearly someone Old Imperial Preceptor Shi had left for him . He was also Old Imperial Preceptor Shi’s student . However, Zhong Wan could never bring himself to completely trust the other .
Zhong Wan looked at Lin Si . “What are you still standing there for? Sit… What did you want to tell me?”
Lin Si sat down . Brows tightly furrowed, he started signing to Zhong Wan .
Sponsored Content
Lin Si had made two trips to see Tang Ming in Zhong Wan’s stead . At first, he had even been scared that Tang Ming wouldn’t trust him . Thus, he had prepared a bunch of introductions for their first meeting . Unexpectedly, Tang Ming also acted very friendly when he saw Lin Si . He had tea with Lin Si as they chatted . He even knew a bit of sign language .
That time, Lin Si had been in a rush to return to the city . He didn’t gesture much, only making clear his purpose for this trip . After exchanging letters with Tang Ming, he returned . Yesterday, because he had feared encountering Xuan Jing’s people, Lin Si purposefully delayed his trip back . Tang Ming took this opportunity to hold a long conversation with Lin Si .
Tang Ming slowly but surely opened the letter . However, he wasn’t in a rush to read it . With a smile, he first asked, “Little brother, you were a servant of the Zhong estate in the past too, right?”
Lin Si nodded and signed, “I’m the child of Master’s wet nurse . ”
Tang Ming smiled and nodded . “I remember . Back then, Prince Ning spent a lot of time and energy finding and bringing you and Guiyuan back . ”
Lin Si gestured, “Back then, Prince only found Master . It was Master who repeatedly told Prince that I was still outside too . Thus, Prince brought me back as well . ”
Lamenting, Tang Ming said, “So Guiyuan has been like this since young . As long as you’re a friend of his, he’ll take care of you . ”
Olc Vl cbvvfv .
Kjcu Zlcu olclrtfv gfjvlcu Itbcu Qjc’r ifaafg, atfc yegcfv la . Coafg j wbwfca bo atbeuta, tf ugjyyfv j ygert jcv qjqfg . Olc Vl rqfmljiis aegcfv jgbecv jcv rabbv uejgv bearlvf atf vbbg . Lf vlvc’a ags ab gfjv jcsatlcu fzagj .
Cybea tjio jc tbeg ijafg, Kjcu Zlcu tjv olclrtfv vgslcu atf ofk qjufr bo ifaafg qjqfg . Lf obivfv atfw eq jcv qijmfv atfw lcab jc fcnfibqf, yea vlvc’a rfji atf fcnfibqf klat kjz . Lf mjrejiis gbiifv eq atf fcnfibqf jcv tjcvfv la bnfg ab Olc Vl .
Lin Si received the letter and tucked it into his breast pocket, then made to leave . Tang Ming hurriedly said, “Don’t be in a rush . Little brother, listen to me speak . ”
Lin Si nodded and listened .
Tang Ming sighed . “There were some things… I wanted to say to Guiyuan last time, but was scared of increasing his burden . These days, I thought over them again, yet still haven’t reached a conclusion . ”
Lin Si furrowed his brows . He signed, “Then please, My Lord, keep considering . ”
“There’s no need to act so unfamiliar with me,” said Tang Ming, lamenting . “Guiyuan doesn’t trust me . In these past few days, he’s surely completely unearthed my background . Then you should also know now that the Zhong estate was my mother’s paternal home . ”
Lin Si was speechless . He gestured, “I did not know . ”
Tang Ming closely observed Lin Si’s expression . For a moment, he actually couldn’t tell if Lin Si was acting dumb or not . He shook his head and smiled . “If nothing had happened to the Zhong estate… you and Guiyuan ought to have gotten to know me much earlier . No matter . Let’s not speak about that anymore . ”
Tang Ming invited Lin Si back into the room and brought out a new pot of tea . “I’ve been thinking about this case for a long time, deliberating between talking about it or not . It’s practically become an illness . Now that I’ve seen you, just consider me as an elderly person who’s intent on being shameless . I’ll tell you and you can make a decision . ”
Lin Si furrowed his brows and signed, “I’m only Master’s servant . I’m not in charge of anything . ”
Tang Ming glanced at Lin Si knowingly . He laughed and asked, “You’re only a servant? Nevermind . I’ll only say what I need to . I want to ask Guiyuan what his goal is in joining this huge mess, expending enormous amounts of mental and physical energy to help Young Prince Yu . ”
Sponsored Content
Lin Si signed, “Naturally to save Young Prince Yu . ”
Tang Ming asked again, “How? Guiyuan is extremely clever . After hearing me share the events of the past last time, he should’ve already understood . Young Prince Yu’s background is merely a chess piece that others seek to use . He has only lived until now because he’s still useful to everyone else . But if he desires to live a long life, his only option is to…”
Tang Ming looked at Lin Si . “Lin Si… You’ve been under Fourth Prince’s protection all these years, right?”
Lin Si hadn’t expected for Tang Ming to suddenly start asking about him . He gazed at Tang Ming guardedly and refused to answer .
Tang Ming sighed . “If Young Prince Yu ascends the throne in the future, what will happen to Fourth Prince? The two of them seem to have had an irreconcilable relationship since long ago, right? These years, almost everybody has tried to harm Young Prince Yu . You can’t tell me that Fourth Prince hasn’t been a part of this . ”
Lin Si’s pupils trembled .
Tang Ming sighed again . “Yes, I know Guiyuan and Fourth Prince are somewhat old friends . In the future, he’d definitely try to keep Fourth Prince safe because of this old friendship . But could he really succeed? Young Prince Yu is the emperor’s illegitimate son . If he ascends the throne, would he really not get rid of all the official princes? After much consideration, I feel that this is still a hopeless case . If another person could…”
Lin Si was shocked . He gestured, “You know that Young Prince Yu is the emperor’s son?”
Tang Ming was even more surprised than Lin Si . “I told Guiyuan . He didn’t tell you?”
Tang Ming started coughing in panic . For a moment, he shook like a leaf . Lin Si hurriedly stepped forward and patted him . Tang Ming panted for a long time before sighing . “I’ve made a grave mistake! You…”
Lin Si’s eyes slightly shifted . He raised a hand and wrote on the table, “I’ll just pretend I don’t know anything . ”
Tang Ming felt immensely regretful . He temporarily didn’t know what to say, thus nodded and allowed Lin Si to leave .
Lin Si signed, “That’s all that happened . Perhaps I’m overthinking things and misunderstanding his good intentions . Or…”
Zhong Wan said, “Or Tang Ming did everything on purpose . He intended to bury a needle between us . ”
Zhong Wan looked at Lin Si . He didn’t make any melodramatic, useless arguments . The two of them had grown up together . Though they each had their own goals now, they still wouldn’t treat each other in such a calculating manner .
“Tang Ming was truly thorough with his words . Logically, you wouldn’t have told me these things . You’d feel suspicious, so he would be able to take advantage of this suspicion and spread his reach to Xuan Jing . Then, he would have a spy in Fourth Prince’s estate too,” Zhong Wan softly said . “Even if you told me… he could also explain it as him worrying that the two of us wouldn’t be able to get the best of both worlds in the future . ”
Lin Si gazed at Zhong Wan . Murderous intent flashed through his eyes . “Should we end him?” he signed .
Zhong Wan glanced at Lin Si, annoyed . “Did you learn these poor habits from Xuan Jing? Do you know how Xuan Jing walked into the side courtyard of Prince Yu’s estate yesterday?
“He carried a big stick . That was the first time I saw a prince carrying a stick to fight for the throne . Truly, if one day, he happened to use the stick to murder Yu… pei!” Zhong Wan slapped himself . “If one day, he happened to use the stick to murder Xuan Qiong and become crown prince, I wouldn’t say anything else and would be the first to express my loyalty . ”
Lin Si felt embarrassed .
Zhong Wan closed his eyes and went over the things Lin Si had just “said” in his mind once more . He whispered, “What does Tang Ming ultimately want to do…”
Sponsored Content
Lin Si blinked . He looked at Zhong Wan unsurely .
“The Zhong estate was his mother’s paternal home . Though I don’t know who that Lady Zhong was, I assume that she probably wasn’t from a side branch five times removed, unlike me . It’s very likely that he could be related to Prince Ning . ” Zhong Wan lowered his voice as he said, “He might truly desire to help me, but definitely wouldn’t desire to help Yu She . Right now, it seems like he wants Yu She and Xuan Jing to fight each other… So who does he want to ascend the throne?”
Lin Si was shocked . He signed, “Has he become foolish with old age? Why would he work for Xuan Qiong?”
Zhong Wan burst into laughter . “He obviously wouldn’t . Xuan Qiong carries the Yu family’s blood in his veins . He ought to be one of the people that Tang Ming hates the most . ”
Lin Si was bewildered . “Who else is there?” he signed .
Zhong Wan moved his lips . He only mouthed the words without making any noise .
Lin Si knew how to read lips . He jumped in fright .
Xuan Rui .
Lin Si stood up . He walked around the room and anxiously gestured to Zhong Wan, “We don’t care about our own lives . If we don’t succeed in the future, we would’ve at least died for a righteous cause . My life is worthless . It matters not if I die . However, Xuan Rui is Prince Ning’s only adult son . These years, he’s finally managed to completely avoid all this conflict . We can’t let him get dragged in again! If Xuan Jing and them knew of Xuan Rui’s intentions, they would definitely eat him alive!”
Zhong Wan stopped speaking too . He felt the same way as Lin Si; he was willing to walk down this dangerous path himself, but that didn’t mean that he wanted to drag Prince Ning’s children with him down this path as well .
Zhong Wan grabbed a brush and paper to write, “Tang Ming probably is confident enough that he can go all out in Xuan Rui’s stead… What is my shixiong’s true background?”
Lin Si signed, “I don’t know . But are you sure that he wants to help Xuan Rui?”
Zhong Wan gazed at Lin Si . He wrote, “Want to bet? I’m guessing that his people have already found Xuan Rui . ”
Lin Si was horrified .
Zhong Wan heaved out a long sigh . “We lost by just one move… I spent so much energy figuring out how to send Xuan Rui back . Regardless of all the planning and calculations I did, I hadn’t expected for someone to be waiting here . ”
Lin Si agitatedly signed, “How could this be your fault? Sending him back to Qian An early on was to help him avoid these catastrophes . Besides, we aren’t sure yet . These are still only Master’s guesses, right?”
Lin Si lowered his hands in hesitation . Zhong Wan was extremely intelligent . His guesses were oftentimes correct .
Zhong Wan lowly said, “Good guesses might not come true, but bad guesses will . I just hope that Xuan Rui trusts me, that he’s a coward and scared of trouble . That no matter what Tang Ming promises him, he won’t be tempted . ”
Lin Si didn’t understand what Zhong Wan meant . He gestured, “Doesn’t Xuan Rui completely trust you?”
Zhong Wan remained silent for a moment . “…Hopefully so . ”
Hopefully?
Lin Si gazed at Zhong Wan . For a moment, he felt a surge of emotions: his heart actually felt cold in Zhong Wan’s stead .
“Let’s first not talk about this . ” A hint of sorrow flashed through Zhong Wan’s eyes before his expression returned to normal . “Tang Ming is purposefully instigating conflict between us . Just pretend that you believe him . I, I…”
Zhong Wan instinctively stood up . “I…”
Lin Si sighed, “What?”
“I first need to make sure that Xuan Rui is fine . ” Zhong Wan lowered his voice even more as he said, “We can’t destroy our relationship with Tang Ming yet . We need to fool him completely…
“Tang Ming can’t be trusted . He also truly is setting me up . But I still feel like… he ultimately isn’t being too harsh with me . Someone the old imperial preceptor left for me shouldn’t be someone who would cause a maelstrom for his own selfish desires . ”
Lin Si didn’t believe this, but still signed . “Right . We still need to use him . ”
Zhong Wan nodded . “I’ll send someone back to Qian An to take a look . You rest first . ”
LIn Si agreed . As soon as he left, a servant walked in from outside and brought him a letter, saying that it had been delivered by the steward from the side courtyard of Prince Yu’s estate .
Zhong Wan’s heart skipped a beat in worry .
He had just gotten back . What could Steward Feng need to say?
Had something happened to Yu She?
The shixiong that Old Imperial Preceptor Shi had left for him had other goals . He didn’t know if Xuan Rui, who was far away in Qian An, had been swayed… At this time, if something bad had also happened to Yu She, Zhong Wan feared that he would no longer be able to bear all these burdens .
Zhong Wan inhaled deeply . With the thought that an earlier death meant earlier absolution, he opened the letter—
Half an hour later .
“Ziyou truly…” Zhong Wan was seeing stars . “Never lets me down…”
When all the other princes had been young and lacking in a desire to fight, young Yu Ziyou had showcased his innumerous talents and capabilities, causing everyone to believe that he wanted to fight for the position of crown prince .
Now, the other princes had slowly grown up and were starting to use ploys to gain power . However, Yu She had become uninterested and turned his attention back onto storybooks and plays . With great difficulty, he had finally gained a desire to fight for his own life . But the reason was… was…
Zhong Wan instantly crumpled the letter . He was so angry his voice started trembling . “Who the fuck needs him to join the fight for crown prince just so I won’t be violated by anyone?!”