Chapter 1024: Nectar Pouring onto the Crown (Part 1)

Xi Yan gazed into Hu Xiaotian's eyes and said, "If you can save this person's life, I can guarantee that you and your men can all leave Xizhou safely, and Zhou Wenju will also be unharmed."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why must you choose me?"

Xi Yan said: "Of course you can also choose to leave now; if you go, Zhou Wenju will surely die, and you might regret it for the rest of your life."

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said: "I truly hate myself; why am I such a good person?"

Xi Yan laughed and said: "You're not really a good person; you just have a bit of conscience."

"You must first tell me who is injured."

Xi Yan said: "Long Yefang!"

Long Yefang lay inside the Qiuhua Palace, which had previously been an imperial residence of the Dakang royal family; after being detained in Xichuan, Long Yefang was long held under house arrest here.

Long Yefang was assassinated on the day of Li Tianheng's birthday banquet; at the same time as the assassination at Li Tianheng's banquet, someone sneaked in here to assassinate Long Yefang. Two assassins entered the Qiuhua Palace and killed the eighteen experts tasked with protecting Long Yefang's safety. Long Yefang was stabbed twice, yet this unfortunate prince did not die on the spot.

Although the assassins' identities were unknown, Hu Xiaotian had already guessed the conspiracy behind this; he could almost conclude that the assassins came from Da Yong, and assassinating Long Yefang was also one of Long Xuan'en's plans. Long Yefang had become a trump card in Li Tianheng's hand; he could at any time build another political center around Long Yefang. A state cannot have two rulers; eliminating Long Yefang is tantamount to destroying Li Tianheng's trump card.

Hu Xiaotian now fully understood Long Xuan'en's plan, each link tightly interlocking; he himself was merely an insignificant pawn in this scheme. Long Xuan'en's main goals were first to kill Li Tianheng, and second to eradicate his own son, Long Yefang; accomplishing either would be enough to sway the hearts of the people of Xichuan.

Zhou Wenju faced no threat; all day and night he had been busy trying to save the prince's life, and he didn't even know what had happened outside. Seeing Hu Xiaotian arrive, he felt something was different; at this moment Hu Xiaotian's situation became extremely delicate. He ought not to have been here.

Hu Xiaotian nodded at Zhou Wenju and whispered: "How is the patient's condition?"

Zhou Wenju said: "He has two stab wounds, one in the right chest, one in the left abdomen; the wounds are extremely deep, and the blades used in the assassination were all coated with deadly poison."

Hu Xiaotian looked up and saw Prince Long Yefang lying on the bed with disheveled hair. His complexion was pallid, his lips bluish-black, his eyes unfocused, appearing at death's door. He reached out and touched the prince's forehead; the temperature was low, his hands and feet icy. He lifted the dressing covering Long Yefang's wounds and saw that both stab wounds were shocking. The edges of the wounds had turned black.

Hu Xiaotian had some confidence in treating external wounds, but he had few means to deal with poison. He asked Zhou Wenju: "Have you found out what poison he was struck with?"

Zhou Wenju shook his head and said: "I'm not sure; the poison is very potent. We've already used the Detoxifying and Vitality Preserving Pill, but it has had little effect." The Detoxifying and Vitality Preserving Pill that Zhou Wenju referred to is a special detoxifying medicine produced by the Wuxian Sect. It is remarkably effective against poison, yet this time it had little effect on the prince.

Zhou Wenju said: "The prince likely still has internal bleeding; should we operate to stop the bleeding inside his body?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "His condition is poor; he probably cannot withstand surgery. Moreover, even if we operated, we would first need to control the poison in his body; otherwise it would only accelerate the circulation of toxic blood, which would instead endanger his life." He took out a Blood-Cleansing Pill from his bosom; this is a detoxifying medicine given to him by Liu Changsheng of the Shen Nong Society. Although it may not have much effect, it could still help somewhat.

Zhou Wenju worriedly said: "If we leave things as they are, the prince may not last until this time tomorrow."

After checking on the prince's condition and coming out the door, Hu Xiaotian found Xi Yan waiting outside. From his solemn expression she already understood that the prince's situation was not optimistic, and she softly asked: "How is it? How confident are you in saving him?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "I have some confidence in treating his external wounds, but I don't know how to detoxify; that should be your forte."

Xi Yan said: "I am skilled at poisoning, but I have no way to detoxify. I have already given him the Detoxifying and Vitality Preserving Pill, yet it seems to have had no effect."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Aren't you from the Wuxian Sect?"

Xi Yan said: "Expertise varies; if my master were here perhaps he could still save him a life, but now..." She couldn't help but sigh.

Hu Xiaotian suddenly thought of Yan Nujiao, who seemed to have done considerable research on detoxification; perhaps she could help. He was about to explain this to Xi Yan when he saw Xiang Qin walking over to them, whispering something into Xi Yan's ear.

Xi Yan said: "Someone wants to see you!"

Hu Xiaotian never expected that the person wanting to see him would be Li Tianheng. Li Tianheng was in the small courtyard next door, not wearing official robes, dressed in a blue scholar's robe, standing solemnly under an ancient pagoda tree. Seeing Hu Xiaotian enter, he forced a smile and said: "Nephew, you've come!"

Hu Xiaotian nodded; Li Tianheng's appearance here made everything clear, proving that the assassination at yesterday's birthday banquet was merely a self-directed and self-performed farce. These ambitious people will stop at nothing to achieve their goals—Li Tianheng is like this, Xue Shengjing is like this, and Long Xuan'en even more so.

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: Li Tianheng actually dares to meet me alone; at this distance, if I were to strike, I should say I have a hundred percent confidence. Does Li Tianheng have no guard against me? Or is he himself a hidden expert, full of confidence in his ability to protect himself?

Hu Xiaotian certainly would not assassinate Li Tianheng, for doing so would bring him no benefit. The reason he has fallen into his present predicament is entirely due to Long Xuan'en, that old turtle, scheming against him; deep in his heart he hates Long Xuan'en even more.

Li Tianheng said: "Nephew, do you resent me in your heart?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I never blame heaven or others; I believe everyone has reasons for whatever they do."

Li Tianheng nodded: "If I lead my troops back to Dakang, my Li clan will surely face the fate of having their homes ransacked and the clan exterminated; the people of Xichuan would also be plunged into fire and water because of this decision." He sighed: "I have served Dakang as an official for many years; I know the emperor's temperament well—he trusts no one and can sacrifice everything for his own benefit." His gaze swept toward the prince's bedroom and he added: "Even including his own sons and daughters."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Grand Marshal, do you want to save the prince?"

Li Tianheng pressed his lips: "I admit that detaining the prince in Xichuan served my purpose, but if I had not kept him there and allowed him to return to Kangdu, Long Yelin would have killed him long ago; he would absolutely not be alive today!"

Hu Xiaotian silently lamented: Does Li Tianheng think this makes him nobler than the Long clan? Although he gave the prince a chance to linger on, he has turned him into a puppet; to have one's entire fate manipulated by another is what kind of sorrow? Long Yelin is unwilling to accept this; although he seized the throne and ultimately still fought desperately, for the prince perhaps living is more painful than dying.

Li Tianheng said: "The fortunes of the Dakang state have already reached their end; even if I do not rebel, sooner or later Dakang will fall into foreign hands. I do not think my decision is wrong; sacrificing my personal reputation to secure the welfare of millions of Xichuan's people—even if I am condemned by thousands after my death—I would not hesitate."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Grand Marshal, you actually need not tell me these things; I came to Xichuan only at the emperor's behest, bearing no ill will toward you; I only wish to do what I can to protect my Hu clan."

Li Tianheng said: "Don't you still not understand why your father sent you to Xichuan back then? It wasn't because you caused trouble in the capital, but to keep you away from strife. Long Xuan'en is foolish and corrupt, extremely suspicious; if Long Yelin had not usurped the throne, he would likely have already moved against me and your father."

Hu Xiaotian's heart gave a start; he had never heard his father speak of this matter.

Li Tianheng, from Hu Xiaotian's expression, already guessed that he knew nothing of these matters, and sighed: "It seems your father never told you the truth; even now I won't hide it from you. Before you and Wuyou were engaged, I and your father had already seen through the current situation; at that time we decided to make Xichuan independent, to break away from Dakang."

Hu Xiaotian's eyes widened; although he had always suspected there were some secrets between his father and Li Tianheng, he had never suspected his father of wanting to rebel—not because he was careless, but because the closer the kin, the less likely one is to suspect them. Li Tianheng's words were like nectar poured onto the crown, completely enlightening Hu Xiaotian. The marriage between the Hu and Li families was by no means accidental; it was not due to matching social status, but out of political considerations. Li Tianheng commanded heavy troops and held Xichuan, while his father served as Dakang's Minister of Revenue, overseeing Dakang's finances; their alliance was like adding wings to a tiger. According to Li Tianheng, they had long planned to rebel against Dakang, but they had not anticipated Long Yelin's sudden rise; this great prince's usurpation utterly disrupted their earlier plans.

His father could not leisurely relocate his family, nor had he had time to flee the capital; and Li Tianheng, in this sudden situation, also had no choice but to hastily proclaim independence. He was right: given Long Xuan'en's suspicious nature, it was impossible for him not to be wary of the alliance between the two families.

Nevertheless, Li Tianheng is the beneficiary of these gains, while the Hu family residing in the capital must alone endure this storm's scouring; their survival to this day is partly due to their own efforts, and largely due to luck.

This time the old emperor sent him to Xichuan precisely to take revenge; he intends to use Li Tianheng's hand to kill himself, thereby planting a deep grudge between the Li and Hu families. Throughout the process, his father has always been the clearest-headed, yet why did he not tell me all this? Why is he not frank with his own son? Just how many secrets does he harbor deep inside?

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