Chapter 239: Aftermath

Wang Xu's mind was racing at this moment.

"Your Highness, we must do three things now," Wang Xu said calmly, having regained his good mood.

"First, fabricate the scene so that His Majesty's death appears plausible."

"Second, control the palace restrictions, block the news, and ensure that everything is under our control before dawn."

"Third, and most importantly, you must not leave the palace."

Zhao Guangyi's eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Why?"

"Let's start with the first matter," Wang Xu said, pointing at the corpse of Zhao Kuangyin on the ground. "His Majesty's back was struck heavily; it's a fatal wound that must be concealed."

He walked to Zhao Kuangyin's body, crouched down, and examined it carefully.

Zhao Kuangyin's dragon robe was dark, and having been soaked with wine earlier, the blood stains were not obvious. Yet a close look could still reveal clues.

"We must change His Majesty's clothes," Wang Xu decided. "We'll say he vomited after drinking, soiled the dragon robe, and we gave him clean nightclothes."

"While changing his clothes, we can create other marks on his body. For example, using a wet towel on his forehead and chest, alternating cold and hot compresses to produce bruises that mimic a stroke."

Zhao Guangyi listened, his eyes growing brighter.

This Wang Xu was not only clever but also meticulous as a hair.

"Fine, let's do it that way."

"Now the second matter," Wang Xu said, standing and scanning the tightly shut palace doors. "Outside, the wind and snow are raging, and most palace staff have hidden. Yet Wang Jien's personal attendants are still guarding outside the door."

"Your Highness, you need to go out immediately."

"Go out?" Zhao Guangyi was startled.

"Yes," Wang Xu nodded. "You go out and tell Wang Jien that His Majesty behaved badly after drinking, got into an argument with you, and is now drunk and asleep. Instruct him not to disturb and to station guards at the door."

"Your appearance itself serves as proof—that you and His Majesty indeed quarreled, and that His Majesty was still 'alive' when you left."

"Then find another excuse to send him away—perhaps to deliver a message to the Empress Dowager, or to fetch a sobering broth from the imperial pharmacy. In short, keep this key witness away from the scene for a while."

Zhao Guangyi immediately understood Wang Xu's intention.

It was creating a gap in time and information.

Wang Jien was the emperor's most trusted attendant; his testimony was crucial. If he could be convinced the emperor died from drunkenness, the rumors outside would never swell into a wave.

"What about the third? Why can't I leave the palace?" Zhao Guangyi asked the question he cared about most.

Normally, after regicide, one would flee immediately, return to his Prince of Jin residence, and muster troops as a precaution.

"Your Highness, think," Wang Xu's eyes glittered with cleverness. "If you return to your residence now, when dawn comes and the palace announces His Majesty's passing, who do you think the officials and generals will suspect first?"

"A prince summoned to the palace late at night, who quarreled with the emperor and left in a hurry. The suspicion is too great."

"Therefore, you cannot leave."

"Not only can you not leave, you must stay the night in the palace."

"Stay the night in the palace?" Zhao Guangyi inhaled a cold breath.

Such audacity!

"Yes," Wang Xu's tone left no room for doubt. "You will sleep on His Majesty's dragon couch. To the outside world, say that the imperial brother was boisterous after drinking, kept you in a night-long talk, and wouldn't let you go."

"You must even imitate His Majesty's snoring so that the night‑shift attendants can faintly hear movement inside, proving the emperor is truly asleep."

"That way, a fact is established—that you spent the entire latter half of the night with His Majesty, and only left before dawn."

"And shortly after you leave, the palace discovers that His Majesty has peacefully passed away in his sleep."

"Thus, who would doubt you? People will only sigh at the deep brotherly bond, that even the final night was spent together."

When Wang Xu finished speaking, the entire sleeping hall returned to calm once more.

Zhao Guangyi looked at the Hanlin scholar before him, who was more than a decade younger, and felt a chill for the first time.

This scheming, this boldness, this precise calculation of human hearts was terrifying to the extreme.

He even wondered whether choosing to cooperate with such a person was right or wrong.

But now that things had come to this, he had no other choice.

"Fine!" Zhao Guangyi gritted his teeth and decided, "We'll do exactly as you say!"

The two ceased hesitating and began acting at once.

Together they lifted Zhao Kuangyin's heavy corpse from the ground.

Zhao Guangyi gazed at his imperial brother's lifeless face and the eyes that would not close, feeling a turmoil inside.

"Brother, don't blame me," he whispered in his heart. "It was you who gave me no way out. Rest easy; I will guard the Zhao family's realm for you, and for De Zhao, faithfully."

He reached out and gently closed Zhao Kuangyin's wide-open eyes.

Then, with tremendous effort, they carried the body onto the dragon couch and arranged it in a peaceful sleeping posture.

Next came changing clothes and forging wounds.

Zhao Guangyi and Wang Xu, two scholars accustomed to a life of ease, now resembled seasoned coroners, handling everything calmly and efficiently.

The blood‑stained garment was quietly shoved into the depths of the charcoal basin, where it soon turned to ash.

The mess in the sleeping hall was roughly tidied and disguised as a post‑drinking scuffle.

After completing everything, both were drenched in sweat—not from fatigue but from tension.

"Your Highness, it's time for you to go out," Wang Xu reminded.

Zhao Guangyi inhaled deeply, adjusted his attire, and tried to make his expression appear weary and helpless.

He walked to the palace doors, hand on the latch, but hesitated to pull it open.

This was the most crucial step.

Once the door was opened, the grand play would officially begin.

There would be no turning back.

He turned back, glanced at the imperial elder brother lying on the dragon couch, then glanced at Wang Xu standing in the shadows.

Then, with a sudden resolve, he flung the hall doors open.

Outside the door, Wang Ji'en was leading a few junior attendants, shivering miserably in the wind and snow.

Seeing the Prince of Jin emerge, he hurried forward to greet him.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty…"

"Alas!" Zhao Guangyi let out a heavy sigh, a trace of irritation and helplessness on his face. "The imperial elder brother drank too much and is drunk‑mad! He dragged me into a half‑hour of nonsense, and now he's finally fallen asleep."

He performed it with perfect realism.

Wang Ji'en trusted him about seventy‑to‑eighty percent; after all, he knew the emperor's post‑drinking temper best.

"All of you, listen!" Zhao Guangyi commanded in an unquestionable tone, "Guard the hall doors well; no one may enter to disturb Your Majesty's rest! Understand?"

"Yes, yes, we obey!" Wang Ji'en and the others hurriedly bowed and nodded.

"Chief Wang," Zhao Guangyi continued, "go yourself to Empress Song and tell her I was left by the imperial elder brother, that I'm staying in the palace tonight, so she need not worry."

"Also, the imperial elder brother drank heavily and will likely have a headache tonight. Go to the Imperial Medical Hall and have the medical attendant prepare some fine sobering broth, keep it warm for later use."

"Yes, I will go at once!" Wang Ji'en, having received the order, dared not delay, and immediately led his men away in a hurry.

Watching Wang Ji'en's back disappear into the wind and snow, Zhao Guangyi's heart finally steadied a little.

He turned, walked back to the sleeping hall, and closed the door.

He nodded at Wang Xu.

The first step—successful.