Chapter 1058: [Mutual Benefit] (Part 2)

Li Yuncong's answer, however, left Hu Xiaotian stunned: "Believe!"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head, meaning I don't believe it; nowadays, limited by technological level, even someone as exceptionally wise as Li Yuncong would inevitably believe the absurd notion of immortality.

Li Yuncong's one-eyed gaze was firm and convinced: "The emperor has spent immeasurable sums on the mausoleum over the years; Hong Beimo's receiving his favor is absolutely not because Hong Beimo controls the Bureau of Heavenly Secrets and has rendered meritorious service to the emperor, but because Hong Beimo secretly concocts an immortality elixir for the emperor."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Perhaps he is merely using this method to curry favor and deceive the emperor." Throughout history there have been plenty of people who used immortality to swindle emperors; Hu Xiaotian simply does not believe in such claims—something modern science cannot achieve, let alone the age of cold weapons.

Li Yuncong shook his head and said: "Although the emperor is old, he is not at all muddle-headed; with his intellect, even if Hong Beimo could deceive him for a while, he could not keep deceiving him for so long. Hong Beimo and the emperor have always been mutually exploiting each other—he needs the emperor to give him money, while the emperor needs him to prolong his life. Have you noticed that the emperor's physique is far healthier and younger than last year?"

Hu Xiaotian recalled what Yin Zheng had just told him, furrowed his brows, and said in a low voice: "It does seem he has become somewhat younger."

Li Yuncong said: "If Hong Beimo did not hold the secret of immortality, how could the emperor obey him so completely? And yet Hong Beimo relies on the emperor's authority and wealth. Although Zajia does not know what he is doing, we can be certain that a staggering secret lies within the mausoleum under construction."

Li Yuncong could be said to have arrived at the same conclusion as Hu Xiaotian; after a moment's thought, Hu Xiaotian asked: "Are you interested in his secret?"

Li Yuncong countered: "How could you not be interested?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "But the mausoleum is heavily guarded, and the underground palace is filled with layers of mechanisms. I fear not even a fly could get in."

Li Yuncong said: "The state of Dakang is tottering on the brink of collapse; its downfall is merely a matter of time. At this point, the emperor pays no heed to his rivers and mountains, yet still concerns himself solely with the mausoleum's underground palace—showing that the underground palace matters more to him than Dakang's realm. Besides the immortality elixir, what else could make him act this way?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I'm afraid I can't help you with this; the emperor has already decided to send me to Dongliang Jun, and once I leave, I don't know when I'll be able to return to the capital."

Li Yuncong said: "The emperor lets you go because he has grown wary of you, and more so because he fears Yongyang Princess coveting his throne."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "The emperor is truly overly suspicious."

Li Yuncong said meaningfully: "Some things cannot be hidden from everyone's eyes; although Yongyang Princess is young, her ambitions surpass those of men, and you should know this better than I."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I really don't know her very well."

Li Yuncong said: "Yongyang Princess trusts you immensely; letting you oversee the preparation of the Shen Ce Fu is proof enough. Unfortunately, she is still young; though her ambition is not small, her skill in handling state affairs lacks experience, and she may not have enough trustworthy aides around her to help. Hence the current predicament—you are her fiancé, and she can rely only on you." He chuckled: "Don't ever tell me you won't help her."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Do you think I will definitely help her?"

Li Yuncong said: "Putting aside your marriage pact, your own situation is also dire. Your father committed a staggering deed—this time he not only fled himself, but also took away Dakang's finest navy and warships. Just that alone gives the emperor grounds to behead you; were it not for Yongyang Princess doing her utmost to exonerate you, you would likely have been exterminated already. Regardless of whether you admit it, your interests are now tightly bound with Yongyang Princess's. Heading to Dongliang Jun, you may well encounter more misfortune than fortune."

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "How do you know that?"

Li Yuncong said: "Everyone is sensible; there's no need for Zajia to spell it out. The current situation is that if you don't kill him, he will eventually kill you. With your wit, you should have already made up your mind."

Hu Xiaotian lifted the wine bowl before him, stared into it, and said meaningfully: "Are you advising me to go all out—since we're already in chaos, simply seize his territory and achieve a hegemonic enterprise?"

Li Yuncong chuckled: "Zajia never said that; it's all your own words. But looking at things now, that really seems to be the only way out."

Hu Xiaotian's gaze turned to Li Yuncong as he said: "If I truly had such an idea, would Lord Li help me?" Actually, while asking, Hu Xiaotian already understood Li Yuncong's intentions; this senior eunuch surely has his own calculations, and if there were no shared interests, why would he go to such lengths to discuss these matters with me?

Li Yuncong lifted his wine bowl and said: "You help me, I'll help you!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why must I trust you? There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

Li Yuncong said: "I'll help you seize Dakang's realm; you only need to give me the mausoleum's underground palace, and then we'll owe each other nothing."

Hu Xiaotian's eyes flickered; the underground palace is even more important to the former emperor than his realm, and now Li Yuncong also schemes for it—it seems Li Yuncong must know something about the underground palace. When he originally allied with Hong Beimo and others to aid the former emperor's restoration, his true motive was not loyalty, but perhaps also to obtain something from the underground palace. Now that the former emperor has returned to power, reemployed Hong Beimo, yet ignored Li Yuncong's contributions, Li Yuncong feels disappointed and thus seeks a new partner. In this world, most sentiments are less reliable than interests, and Hu Xiaotian has recently come to a deep realization of that.

Hu Xiaotian raised his wine bowl and clinked it against Li Yuncong's; a knowing smile appeared on Li Yuncong's face.

After they both drank the cup, Hu Xiaotian said: "Why did you choose me?"

Li Yuncong said: "You are intelligent, have decent ability, and your luck is genuinely good; to accomplish great things, these three factors are indispensable."

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile: "I don't think my luck is that good."

Li Yuncong said: "When heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a person, it must first suffer his will and tire his bones. Although you are young, you have endured far more setbacks than ordinary people; possessing such experience is what qualifies you to undertake great undertakings."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Isn't it said that the primary condition for achieving great deeds is to be ruthless and unfeeling toward even one's own kin?"

Li Yuncong burst into loud laughter, then said softly: "You surely cannot fathom why your father left Dakang, why he abandoned you and your mother."

Hu Xiaotian secretly wondered: "How could Li Yuncong possibly know this astonishing secret? If he discovered my origins, that would be trouble."

Li Yuncong said: "Various signs indicate that your father likely went to Tianxiang State; although no concrete evidence has been found yet, if we examine the matter from the beginning, we might uncover some clues."

Hu Xiaotian listened attentively, fearing to miss any detail.

Li Yuncong said: "In his youth, your father was handsome and a renowned beauty of Kangdu; you may not know that he not only excelled at managing wealth but was also a famed zither master known throughout the world."

Hu Xiaotian exclaimed in astonishment: "What? My father can play the zither? I've never heard of that before."

Li Yuncong said: "Your father's scheming depth is probably no less than the emperor's; Zajia previously overlooked him, but now we finally realize that your father has always harbored rebellious intentions."

Although his father had abandoned him, hearing others speak ill of him still left Hu Xiaotian feeling uneasy; perhaps his father, due to this marital tragedy, turned his focus entirely to the pursuit of power.

Li Yuncong said: "There is something Zajia has never mentioned to anyone—this happened over twenty years ago: your father once taught the Elder Princess Long Xuanjiao how to play the zither."

Hu Xiaotian's scalp tingled; although Li Yuncong hadn't finished, he already guessed what had happened: his father, handsome and elegant, with superb zither skill, surely moved the Elder Princess Long Xuanjiao's heart with a passionate melody. At that time his parents should already have been married, yet they had no children for many years after marriage, and his father must have felt stifled, so he and the Elder Princess Long Xuanjiao gradually grew close, their passion like dry tinder meeting flame—who knows what improprieties they might have committed.

Li Yuncong said: "The Elder Princess followed your father to study the zither for half a year, then was married off to Tianxiang State. Zajia knows she was extremely dissatisfied about this, leading to a quarrel with the emperor; unable to defy the emperor's decree, she nearly took her own life, but eventually agreed to marry into Tianxiang State. At that time Zajia happened to be in the escort party sending her off to marry far away, and you certainly wouldn't expect it—your father was the marriage envoy on that occasion."

Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed: "As for me and my father, we are two father‑son pairs who both took advantage of the marriage‑escort duty to get the princess into our hands; yet we both personally dressed our beloved in her wedding robes, while the groom was not ourselves. In this regard I am actually stronger than my father—at least I dare to commit the ultimate outrage of stealing heaven and replacing the sun."

Li Yuncong said: "After arriving in Tianxiang State, your father stayed only one day before rushing back to Dakang, whereas Zajia remained in Tianxiang State until the Elder Princess's wedding."

Hu Xiaotian thought: "Even these rumors alone might not prove that my father had an affair with Long Xuanjiao."

Li Yuncong said: "On the eve of the Elder Princess's wedding, for some reason she suddenly began vomiting. Zajia wanted to summon a doctor, but she panicked and said it wasn't needed; taking advantage of her inattention, Zajia felt her pulse—guess what?"

Hu Xiaotian had already guessed; he even began to admire his own father—indeed cunning, acting more decisively than himself, daring to have the Elder Princess "forked" in advance. Hu Xiaotian gave a dry cough and said: "You mean Long Xuanjiao is pregnant?"

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