Chapter 378: The Little Emperor More Restless Than Chen Yan Imagined

In the palace?

Chen Yan lightly tapped the black chess piece, murmuring repeatedly, thoughtful, not hurried to open the Secret Letter, but guessed: "Could it be about that little emperor?"

The palace is not within the surveillance range of the Mirror Department, but Grand Chancellor Da Zhongzai's father is inside, surely has his own eyes…

On this point, Chen Yan had no doubt.

And for Grand Chancellor Da Zhongzai's father to have A Ze bring it over at this time, that must be unusual…

Nine out of ten, the little emperor couldn't hold back and began to stir!

"Hmm."

Yuwen Ze lightly responded, a half‑smile, teasing: "Our current Son of Heaven is young in years, but his ambition is not small!"

It was obvious that he was also crystal clear about the contents of the Secret Letter…

Chen Yan lifted his hand to take the Secret Letter; when his fingertip brushed the deep‑blue paper, his finger pad paused briefly and pinched it open. The movement was swift yet unhurried; as he unfolded the note, his eyes quickly scanned the characters.

The Shufang was so quiet that only the faint sound of snow falling outside the window remained. He lowered his gaze, his eyelashes casting a pale shadow beneath his eyes; his fingertip moved with his sight, occasionally tapping lightly between the lines.

After finishing the last line, Chen Yan refolded the note, his fingertip lingering on the edge for a moment, then let out a low laugh: "Interesting!"

When he lifted his eyes, the earlier nonchalance in his pupils had vanished, leaving only an unfathomable depth: "He really is more restless than I imagined!"

With the two Grand Pillars of State toppled and the Five Officials outranking the Celestial Minister, Chen Yan had long foreseen that the young emperor would be restless and had even contemplated his method of usurping power…

Yet he never expected the young emperor to be so undisciplined, even directly emulating the youthful rebel Kong Ma!

And he did so with great fanfare…

Does he truly treat Great Zhou as a substitute for Qing, and Grand Chancellor Da Zhongzai's father as an Ao Bai?

"Who says it's not?"

Yuwen Ze shrugged, lifted his tea bowl and took a sip, then let out a light, cold sneer: "Even the matters of Secret Chengdu are unknown…"

"Just based on this, you still want to kill your father?"

After seeing the Secret Letter, Yuwen Ze's mind held only a two‑character appraisal:

"Ridiculous."

"Better to be a docile puppet, and you can preserve a lifetime of wealth and safety!"

Yet they stubbornly…

…refuse to live properly!

Chen Yan's fingertip pinched the tea cup at the edge of the desk; the warm sensation passed through the glaze, and after sipping slowly, he asked: "What does Grand Chancellor Da Zhongzai mean?"

Yuwen Ze, hearing this, tapped his fingertip lightly on his knee, then lifted his hand to reach into the inner pocket of his robe. The motion was more solemn than when he retrieved the Secret Letter. His fingertip drew out a tightly folded stack of paper and gently placed it before Chen Yan: "A Xiong, there's another one here—your father's Secret Order Handwritten Letter!"

Chen Yan reached out, took it, unfolded it, his eyes scanning line by line, his brows briefly furrowing then gradually relaxing.

After reading the final sentence, he stacked the Handwritten Letter with the earlier Secret Letter, and walked steadily toward the gilded fire basin in the room.

The coals in the fire basin blazed, the red flames leaping and reflecting on his face.

Chen Yan lifted his hand, gently tossed the two documents into the fire; the pages curled at the edges, the ink swiftly blackened, leaving only a faint crackle.

He lowered his gaze, watching the flames lick the last corner of paper, then slowly raised his hand to gather his sleeves, and with a calm smile said: "A Ze, go back and tell Grand Chancellor Da Zhongzai…"

"Within five days, the troublesome matter will be completely erased from this world!"

He paused, then solemnly continued: "And in the most reasonable manner…"

Night dew condensed on the palace wall tiles, soaking the palace's tranquility into heaviness.

In the secluded palace garden's training ground, lantern light was dim amber like beans, illuminating over twenty shirtless Suicide Warriors—

Their torsos bore coiled muscles glistening with a thin sheen of sweat, their legs clad in dark sturdy trousers, practicing hand‑to‑hand combat; the muffled thuds of fists and feet colliding rang especially clear in the night.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

The roars were uniform and fierce, bearing the resolve of burning one's boats, each shout striking the blue‑brick floor.

Some blocked with elbow strikes, their forearms tensed with bulging veins; others spun to sweep legs, the soles of their boots skimming the ground and raising fine dust. Their movements were crisp, without any flourish, each technique lethal.

Along the side corridor, Yuwen Yan wore a dark regular robe, its collar embroidered with dark‑gold dragon motifs, his hands clasped behind his back.

His face was drawn tight, his eyes shining astonishingly in the gloom, his gaze like a blade tempered in cold, sweeping over each Suicide Warrior's movements.

When he saw two on the left sparring, one defender lagged a beat and was struck in the shoulder socket by an opponent's elbow; he suddenly raised his hand, his fingertip pointing at the spot, his voice unmistakably stern: "You, strike swiftly!"

"Don't always be so soft!"

Now the training is all day‑night, to conceal from others…

And Yuwen Yan watches personally every night, more attentive than anything else!

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The addressed Suicide Warrior immediately bowed, and when he readjusted his stance, his movements were a few degrees harsher than before.

Yuwen Yan took two steps forward, the hem of his dark robe brushing the withered grass before the steps, his gaze locked firmly on the two sparring participants.

When one threw a punch, his elbow was slightly bent, the fist grazing the opponent's shoulder without any sharpness.

His voice suddenly rose, a cold edge in his tone: "And you, your punch must carry killing intent, must have ferocity!"

"It must have the momentum of burning one's boats!"

"Always think of a single strike that ends a life; never leave any chance of survival!"

The punching Suicide Warrior immediately withdrew, went down on one knee, his head bowed extremely low: "Obey the holy decree!"

Yuwen Yan walked to the center, his boot soles treading over scattered stones, and when he stopped he stood precisely at the brightest lantern light.

He raised his hand, signaling everyone to cease training, his gaze slowly sweeping the sweat‑drenched yet tense faces, less severe, more calmly reassuring: "I know these days have been hard for everyone…"

He paused, seeing a flash of emotion in the warriors' eyes, then stepped forward, his tone suddenly fervent: "But every drop of sweat, I will not let you waste!"

Speaking, he placed his hand on his chest, his fingertip rubbing the dragon motif beneath his collar, his gaze filled with undeniable resolve: "After we root out treachery for the nation, each of you will be rewarded, ennobled as marquis and appointed as ministers!"

"May we glorify the ancestors and conceal our descendants!"

The Suicide Warriors, hearing the words "marquisate," felt their Adam's apples twitch, their eyes lit up, and in unison said, "Your Majesty, rest assured!"

"We shall certainly not disappoint Your Majesty's great expectations!"

The Suicide Warriors' training cries grew louder than before, shaking the lanterns in the corridor violently, as if the night dew were about to drip from the tiles.

No one could resist the lure of being ennobled and appointed prime minister!

A light, steady footstep suddenly sounded in the corridor.

A eunuch carried a gilt lacquer tray; on it rested a white porcelain bowl, its rim exuding a faint steam, his steps were exceedingly light.

He approached the young emperor, bent his knee and bowed, raising the lacquer tray to his chest, and softly urged, "Your Majesty, night is deep and the dew heavy; you have stood here for an hour. This is the ginseng‑astragalus soup freshly stewed in the imperial kitchen. Please sip it while hot and rest a moment."

Yuwen Yan lifted his hand, took the white porcelain bowl, and felt the warm bowl wall; warmth spread along his fingertips.

He lowered his head, sipped, the broth sweet and clear with a hint of ginseng, sliding down his throat, dispelling some night chill. When he handed the bowl back to the eunuch, he shook his head, his gaze still on the retraining Suicide Warriors, and in a tone showing no fatigue said, "I'm fine, I am not tired…."

This is the hope of eliminating Yuwen Hu and seizing supreme power; it must be overseen personally, otherwise it cannot be done with peace of mind.

The eunuch who had just retreated to the corridor was followed by another hurried eunuch; after a few steps he reached behind the young emperor, knelt with his voice pressed extremely low, "Your Majesty, Lord Sun and the others have arrived…"

"They are waiting in the sleeping hall!"

"Hmm." Yuwen Yan heard this, replied softly, then looked at the Suicide Warriors and loudly said, "You all train diligently!"

"Do not slack off!"

"As you command!"

The Suicide Warriors responded in unison.

Yuwen Yan nodded with satisfaction, then followed the eunuch toward the sleeping hall.

In the warm chamber of the sleeping hall, the floor dragon heater blazed brightly, and a faint pine‑needle incense scented the air.

On the Zitanmu Chang'an rested three cups of still‑warm tea, and beside the Blue Porcelain Teacup lay a few dried fruits, yet no one touched them.

Sun Zhi, Li Heng, and Yuwen Lun sat on opposite sides.

Yuwen Lun twirled the beard under his jaw, his gaze sweeping over the tightly shut chamber door, then looked at Sun Zhi and, lowering his voice first, asked, "Lord Sun, you said that at this hour Your Majesty issued a Secret Order urgently summoning us into the palace; why is that?"

"I don't know either!"

Sun Zhi still had lingering frost particles on his shoulder; hearing this he shook his head, and in a deep voice said, "But it must be a matter of utmost importance!"

Li Heng lifted his tea cup, took a sip, yet tasted no flavor; when he set the cup down, his gaze fell on the heavy night outside the window, and he added, "I also think Your Majesty certainly has a great matter to discuss!"

"Aren't you being verbose? At a time like this, a secret summons can only be for something big, otherwise it's suspicious…." Yuwen Lun, hearing this, rolled his eyes inwardly, couldn't help muttering curses, yet still patiently asked, "What great matter do you think it might be?"

Sun Zhi, thoughtful, furrowed his brows slightly, speculated, "What could mobilize Your Majesty so much likely only involves the Grand Chancellor."

As a close minister of the Son of Heaven, how could he not see the young emperor's murderous intent?

The discussion in the warm chamber had not ceased when a faint eunuch announcement came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, come—!"

The three rose instantly, their movements uniform.

The door was gently pushed open, cold wind wrapped in fine snowflakes drifted in, then was driven back by the warm chamber's heat.

Yuwen Yan, dressed in a dark dragon‑embroidered formal robe, his collar damp with night dew, stepped in lightly yet steadily.

"Your Majesty, we have seen you!" the three bowed in unison, their voices low yet full of respect.

"All of you, dear ministers, you may dispense with the bow!"

Yuwen Yan raised his hand, gestured, walked to the main seat and sat, his gaze sweeping over the three, and his first words went straight to the point, "On the way here, there were no tails?"

With those words, the atmosphere in the warm chamber instantly grew heavier.

Li Heng spoke first, his tone firm, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we have repeatedly checked, there is absolutely no… with anyone…"

Sun Zhi and Yuwen Lun also nodded in succession.

"That's good!"

Yuwen Yan's fingertips lightly brushed the dark fabric on his knee for a moment, and his tense jawline softened a few degrees.

Then, raising his hand, he signaled the eunuch to close the door; when only the four of them remained in the hall, he spoke slowly, his voice bearing a ruthless resolve beyond his years, "I summon you here to discuss how, at the dawn of all things, we may secretly execute Yuwen Hu!"

——

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Finally reached one million words; this month added nearly 190,000 words. Evening Breeze found themselves still a bit diligent, and thanks to everyone for following and supporting all the way? (ゝω???)

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Good night~