Chapter 1590

Zan Buliu arrived at the Eight Directions Pavilion as promised; he did not disappoint Hu Xiaotian, bringing him a clue: the Red Mountain Guild Hall.

The Red Mountain Guild Hall was the usual gathering place for Black Hu merchants; after Black Hu and Da Yong went to war, Black Hu merchants withdrew one after another for safety reasons, leaving the hall empty. It was then taken over by Lan State merchants, who gradually replaced the Black Hu merchants. After the war between Black Hu and Da Yong fully erupted, Da Yong's demand for warhorses greatly increased; previously, most of Da Yong's horses were imported from Black Hu, but now that the two countries are at war, Black Hu certainly cannot continue supplying warhorses to an enemy state, and Lan State seized the opportunity to nearly monopolize Da Yong's horse market.

Zan Buliu sat in the private room, his eyes warily fixed on the window; he was clearly somewhat uneasy.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Rest assured, I have stationed people around here; if there is any movement, they will report the situation to me immediately.'

Zan Buliu nodded and said in a low voice: 'I have also looked into the matter of Liu Changsheng and his son; Liu Changsheng is already dead, and as for Liu Yucheng, he is still alive but has been transferred to the Ministry of Justice's great prison—he is likely to escape death penalty.'

Hearing the news that Liu Changsheng had died, Hu Xiaotian felt a pang of sorrow; although this was the outcome he had expected, after all he had still harbored a sliver of hope in his heart earlier. Recalling Liu Changsheng's honest and warm nature, his eagerness to help others and uphold justice, Hu Xiaotian increasingly lamented the injustice of the world—why do good people not receive good rewards? A resolve grew firmer in his heart: this time, no matter what, he must rescue Liu Yucheng, not only because Liu Yucheng is his good friend, but also because Liu Yucheng is the young sect master of the Shen Nong Society, the inheritor of Liu Changsheng's mantle; saving Liu Yucheng would preserve the Liu lineage and allow the Shen Nong lineage to continue.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'You say he might be at the Red Mountain Guild Hall?'

Zan Buliu said: 'Just a possibility. These past two days, the Prince Yan's mansion has been searched top to bottom—every brick, tile, blade of grass, and piece of wood has been turned over, yet his whereabouts remain undiscovered. Prince Yan has few friends in the court, and those few are either in trouble or imprisoned. Under the present circumstances, even if someone wanted to help him, they would not dare. After thinking it over, if he is still in Yongdu, the only ones he could turn to are outsiders. The Red Mountain Guild Hall is the most suspicious, for Prince Yan and the Lan State have never had any business dealings.'

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows and said: 'Why would the lack of business dealings make it the most suspicious?'

Zan Buliu smiled and said: 'I have no evidence either; it's merely a feeling unique to merchants.'

Hu Xiaotian looked at Zan Buliu. He did not press for details; Zan Buliu's reason really would not hold up under scrutiny, but who would care? What he cared about was finding Xue Shengjing's whereabouts.

Zan Buliu gazed out the window; the palace coup had already passed two full days, and there was not the slightest sign of easing the martial law in Yongdu. As time went on, news of the coup began to be released bit by bit and confirmed: Prince Ming Xue Daoming indeed became the Da Yong emperor as he had wished, and the first official he appointed upon ascending the throne was Li Chen Zhou.

Li, my beloved subject. I appoint you as Grand Commander for the Defense of the State, commanding the three armies. Succeeding as the Marquis of Jingguo…… At this very moment, inside the Da Yong imperial palace's Baohe Hall, the newly enthroned Xue Daoming sat on the dragon throne; because the Grand Empress Dowager and his mother Consort Dong Shufei had recently passed away, he wore a black robe. He wore no crown, his head wrapped in black gauze to show mourning. He had just posthumously honored his birth mother Consort Dong Shufei as Empress Dowager, recalling how his mother had struggled all her life for him to ascend the throne; now that he finally sat on the dragon throne and became the Son of Heaven of Da Yong, his mother could no longer see it, and Xue Daoming felt not a shred of joy in his heart.

'Thank you for the grace, Your Majesty! Long live the emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!' Li Chen Zhou's steady, powerful voice interrupted Xue Daoming's contemplation.

Xue Daoming's thoughts returned to reality; gazing at the eager and full-of-amusement Li Chen Zhou, and at the solemn officials on both sides, he suddenly felt an indescribable sorrow. He waved his hand and said: 'All of you, my beloved subjects, withdraw first; Aunt, remain, for I… have a few words I wish to speak to you alone.'

The officials knelt and withdrew one by one from the Baohe Hall.

Before leaving, Li Chen Zhou exchanged a glance with Xue Lingjun; Xue Lingjun was dressed in black mourning attire, her whole bearing solemn and dignified, and on her beautiful face there was not a trace of frivolity or allure left.

After the officials had left, the empty Baohe Hall contained only the two of them, aunt and nephew.

Xue Daoming rose to his feet and slowly descended the steps, his gaze continually fixed on Xue Lingjun, filled with questions and inquiries.

Xue Lingjun stood there silently, her expression calm and waveless, without worry or joy.

Xue Daoming said: 'You clearly know that edict is a forgery!' His voice echoed through the empty hall.

Xue Lingjun gazed at this new sovereign, her look indifferent, as if the Xue Daoming before her were merely a stranger.

Xue Daoming said: 'Why would you do this?'

Xue Lingjun said: 'There is no why; the Grand Empress Dowager's heart has always held only Daohong as her beloved. To consolidate Daohong's rule, she could even sacrifice any of us!' Xue Lingjun's heart was filled with an indescribable sorrow and anger; this was her birth mother, who in her mother's heart valued her children's lives far less than the Jiangshan of Da Yong. The old lady's mind was deep and scheming, perceiving everything; over the years, what happened in the imperial palace could not have escaped her eyes. She herself had once been an innocent, naive girl; past events are unbearable to recall. Whenever she thought of that stormy night, Xue Lingjun felt as if pierced by ten thousand arrows, for though her mother knew of it all, she gave her no comfort, merely presenting her with two choices: either die, or find someone to marry.

Xue Lingjun then thought of Li Chen Zhou; she had never understood why Li Chen Zhou would reject her. His rejection made her feel increasingly inferior, until the night of the upheaval in Cien Garden, when she finally learned the true reason: Li Chen Zhou, like her, was extremely arrogant yet extremely insecure, and over the years they had both been tormented by an unspeakable pain.

If the Empress Dowager were still alive, perhaps she could protect her and the Second Imperial Brother safely; but Xue Lingjun had long seen through her mother's heart, which valued only the Jiangshan of Da Yong. To secure the stability of Da Yong's Jiangshan and the integrity of power, she would firmly stand on Daohong's side; all she had ever been able or willing to do was merely to preserve the lives of her and her brother. Faced with Daohong's step-by-step tightening, constantly squeezing their rights and living space, she remained restrained and had no intention of speaking up for them. Xue Lingjun early understood that, if this continued, once the Empress Dowager died, she and Prince Yan would inevitably be killed by Daohong; to survive, she must change Da Yong's current political situation.

However, saying that is easy, but everyone harbors their own calculations; even her own biological brother Xue Shengjing, when before her, kept his thoughts deeply concealed, never readily revealing his true intentions, and between them lay mutual suspicion and vigilance.

Xue Lingjun had long contemplated launching a coup before her mother's death, using the lives of Liu Changsheng and his son to threaten Hu Xiaotian into removing Jian Rongxin; inflicting a psychological blow on Li Chen Zhou was merely the first step of her scheme. In her youth she had developed affection for the handsome and heroic Li Chen Zhou, but Li Chen Zhou had refused the imperial marriage proposal, which further wounded her already scarred heart, and thus she came to hate Li Chen Zhou. At the age when a woman should be radiant and glorious, she, whom others would wish to be breezy when it's windy and rainy when it's rainy, instead lived in an unknown humiliation and pain, a pain no one could share with her. From the depths of her heart she hated the world, hated her brother, hated her mother, and even hated this country. She wished she could destroy Da Yong, so that all who had harmed her would receive their due punishment.

Xue Shengkang died too suddenly, not even giving her a chance to take revenge; from him she learned scheming and ruthlessness, and she had originally intended to use everything she had learned against him in turn, but he gave her no opportunity.

In her mother's heart, she had always been insignificant; although she showed outward affection surpassing that for her other children, she never truly displayed a mother's kindness. The love she gave herself was more like compensation and bribery; she wanted to cover up this shocking scandal, and to make the Jiangshan of the Xue family as solid as gold and bronze.

Xue Lingjun discovered that in action she was always a step behind, never having time to take revenge or to strike. She had never imagined that Li Chen Zhou would orchestrate this palace coup. She had thought she would die at his hands, and she also realized that in his eyes she had little value to exploit. After cooperating with Li Chen Zhou to produce this false accession edict, her mission was already fulfilled. She believed she could not escape death; when, in front of Li Chen Zhou, she flirted and showed off her charms, her heart was sorrowful and desperate—how could a man like him be moved by feminine wiles? Yet the outcome once again defied her expectations. She had not expected Li Chen Zhou's body to have such a defect, nor that, in her presence, he would miraculously regain his vigor.

Even now, when Xue Lingjun recalls Li Chen Zhou invading her like a wild beast, her heart still trembles with excitement; she realizes that deep down she has always liked him, and she longs for such a powerful man to conquer her, to ravage her, to trample her.

Thinking of this, Xue Lingjun's face flushed slightly.

Xue Daoming noticed the change in his aunt; he seemed to understand something, and said in a low voice: 'So you have been working with him all along; you two are the masterminds behind the whole affair.'

Xue Lingjun looked at Xue Daoming and sighed softly: 'Daoming, no matter who plotted this, only one person sits on the throne; I think you should feel fortunate.'

Xue Daoming gritted his teeth and said: 'I will not be manipulated by you!'

A faint sorrow appeared in Xue Lingjun's gaze; she understood this nephew of hers—since Princess Anping was declared dead, he has become muddle-headed and weak-willed; a person like him could not even stand against Daohong, let alone be a match for Li Chen Zhou.

Zhangyu has been paying attention to the reactions in the book review section; lately the readers have been stirred up, and Zhangyu finds it hard to respond to each one individually. He believes that as the chapters progress, everyone will gradually calm down. Xue Lingjun is also a character I like quite a bit, but human nature is ultimately complex, and Hu Xiaotian cannot possibly enjoy all the beauties of the world; his relationship with Xue Lingjun began as one of mutual use. If I have hurt some readers' feelings, Zhangyu here says sorry, but the article must continue; if you can persist in reading, you will discover that even hateful people have lovable aspects, and from another angle, the portrayal of Xue Lingjun can also be considered successful. (To be continued~^~)