Chapter 1612: [Probe] (Part 1)

Li Chen Zhou nodded; recent court events were too many, with several deaths in the imperial household. Even if Xue Daoming wasn't the most suitable puppet, acting against him now would provoke public outrage, putting these ministers at risk.

Xue Lingjun shifted the conversation, speaking softly: "Have you heard any news from your wife?"

Li Chen Zhou had just lifted the teacup to his lips when Xue Lingjun's words made his hand shake, spilling much tea; it was clear that mentioning Jian Rongxin still stirred his emotions.

Xue Lingjun noticed but pretended not to, continuing: "I and Rongxin have always been like sisters; her whereabouts are still unknown, and I worry deeply."

Li Chen Zhou slowly set the cup down, leaned forward, grabbed her cheek, and firmly kissed her lips.

Just then a maid announced outside: "Princess, Grand Marshal Weichi has arrived!"

Xue Lingjun hurriedly pushed Li Chen Zhou away, her face flushing; she gave him an annoyed glance, the kiss clearly meant as revenge. Li Chen Zhou obviously didn't want to bring up Jian Rongxin, and Xue Lingjun felt uneasy, having thought he held no place for her in his heart, but now it seemed otherwise.

One only knows to cherish after loss; Li Chen Zhou was the same. Even before driving Jian Rongxin away and plotting her father's death he felt no guilt, but after she was rescued and went missing he occasionally thought of her, recalling her kindness after marriage, and began to reflect that his earlier rejection of her wasn't due to dislike but to his own inferiority, stemming from his physical defect. When Xue Lingjun awakened his dormant instincts, his perspective on matters began to shift subtly.

Xue Lingjun asked: "Are you planning to go with me to see him, or to avoid him?"

Li Chen Zhou laughed: "It's better that I avoid him!"

Weichi Chong's decision to first visit Princess Xue Lingjun was carefully considered; though en route, he constantly monitored the court's upheavals. Besides the late Emperor Xue Shengkang, the person he knew best was Empress Dowager Jiang, who had taken him as her adopted son. Now Emperor Xue Shengkang and Empress Dowager Jiang have both passed, Xue Shengjing's whereabouts are unknown, only Xue Lingjun remains in Yongdu, and moreover her standing at court has surpassed before.

Weichi Chong thought the best way to clarify the court situation was to start with this adoptive sister.

Xue Lingjun had Li Chen Zhou withdraw to the inner chamber, then donned a fur coat and personally went out to greet him. Actually she only took a few steps, moving lightly to the tea room's entrance.

Weichi Chong had already strode along the cleaned, pristine blue stone path; after years apart, his temples were noticeably grayed, yet his posture remained straight, his steps vigorous. Arriving before Xue Lingjun, he bowed and said: "Weichi Chong pays respects to the Princess, thousand years, thousand thousand years!"

Xue Lingjun sighed: "When did an elder brother become so distant from his sister? I came to welcome my sworn brother who has laboured for the nation!"

Weichi Chong rose slowly, speaking softly: "Rank distinguishes us; I, your humble servant, am filled with awe and fear."

Xue Lingjun knew his nature had always been thus. Although the empress dowager had taken him as her adopted son, he had always kept a cautious distance from the imperial family. She did not press him, gesturing: "Please come in, sworn brother."

Weichi Chong followed Xue Lingjun into the tea room, removed his shoes, sat at the tea table, and after drinking a cup of hot tea said: "I, your humble servant, have returned late; missing the Grand Empress Dowager's funeral fills me with extreme guilt." As the adopted son of Empress Dowager Jiang, he ought to have kept vigil at her spirit, escorted the coffin, but arriving late to Yongdu meant he could do none of that.

Xue Lingjun said: "The Bei Jiang frontier is urgent; the Black Barbarians constantly covet Da Yong's lands. The empress dowager in heaven would surely understand your difficulties—why burden yourself so?"

Weichi Chong secretly thought: "If they truly understood my predicament, why hastily recall me from Bei Jiang? Yet I don't know whose idea this recall was."

Xue Lingjun subtly observed Weichi Chong's expression, finding his face as still as an ancient well; from appearance it was hard to gauge his mood. While refilling his tea, she asked softly: "Sworn brother, how was your return from Bei Jiang?"

Weichi Chong shook his head, not hiding: "I barely escaped death midway!"

Xue Lingjun startled, even Li Chen Zhou eavesdropping inside was shocked; his first thought was that he hadn't sent anyone to assassinate Weichi Chong, so who would? Recalling Weichi Chong to Yongdu was indeed his idea; as Da Yong's Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, his every move affects the nation's lifeline. If such a person couldn't stand with him, he'd be a major liability, so Li Chen Zhou risked summoning him—but at present he harbored no murderous intent, since Weichi Chong had shown no clear stance; moreover, given his importance to the Bei Jiang frontier, any move against him must be carefully weighed, and without certainty should not be attempted.

Xue Lingjun's brows furrowed, her phoenix eyes blazing: "Who dares be so bold as to harm my sworn brother?"

Li Chen Zhou also listened closely, hoping to hear an answer from Weichi Chong.

Weichi Chong replied: "Who else? The Black Barbarians!" He certainly knew who intended to kill him, but this couldn't be spoken; the matter is past, speaking would be pointless. One of them was Shangguan Yun Chong, whose defection to Li Chen Zhou is no secret; if the assassination truly was Li Chen Zhou's plot, he needn't admit it before Princess Xue Lingjun. Rumors of Xue Lingjun and Li Chen Zhou's relationship have long been rampant; without their cooperation in this court upheaval, Li Chen Zhou couldn't quickly seize control.

Upon hearing "Black Barbarians," Li Chen Zhou also secretly breathed relief; Weichi Chong was indeed a thorn in their side, and they had infiltrated Da Yong to assassinate him more than once.

Xue Lingjun snapped: "The Black Barbarians are truly hateful—seizing our lands, slaughtering our people, now they even harbor wolfish ambitions to harm my sworn brother; from now on he must be extra cautious."

Weichi Chong smiled faintly: "There's little to guard against; the Black Barbarians want to kill me merely because I block their advance. Having returned, I intend to stay in Yongdu for a while."

Xue Lingjun frowned, unsure what he meant by that.

Weichi Chong said: "One cannot defy old age; my energy has waned these past two years, my judgments less thorough—Yonglan Pass falling to the Black Barbarians is proof. The Grand Empress Dowager's passing leaves me, as her adopted son, unable to fulfill filial duty at her side, even missing her final journey; whenever I think of this, I am overwhelmed with guilt. Now returning, I resign as Bei Jiang commander, asking the court to appoint another capable official, so I may guard her tomb and make up for my neglect." He spoke sincerely, every word earnest, yet Xue Lingjun sensed he was hinting at his stance—plainly, he was refusing the post, and the Bei Jiang burden, which no one else in Da Yong could bear.

Xue Lingjun frowned slightly: "Sworn brother, loyalty and filial piety have always been hard to fulfill together; if it weren't the winter lull in fighting, the emperor wouldn't have hastily recalled you from Bei Jiang. The empress dowager, on her deathbed, still kept you in mind, urging us to treat you well; she repeatedly told officials that you are the pillar of Da Yong, and without your guarding Bei Jiang, how could the realm enjoy peace?" Though her words weren't entirely factual, they contained no exaggeration—everyone understood Weichi Chong's importance to Da Yong.

Weichi Chong asked: "The Grand Empress Dowager's health had always been robust; why did she suddenly pass?"

Xue Lingjun sighed: "Brother, I won't hide it—this is all due to Dao Hong; fearing his throne insecure, he resorted to treacherous means, even plotting to murder the Grand Empress Dowager… I myself nearly fell victim to him; his heart is truly vicious."

Weichi Chong said: "I've heard some of the outside rumors; how does Liu Changsheng relate to this?"

Xue Lingjun bit her lip; Weichi Chong indeed came prepared. She knew he and Liu Changsheng were old friends, and that she had effectively sent him to his doom; the nuances might fool others but not Weichi Chong. She said: "This is a long story..." She did not conceal it, then recounted to Weichi Chong how Hu Xiaotian had asked her help to rescue Liu Changsheng's father and son, concluding with a display of profound remorse as she softly sighed: "I'm not entirely clear what exactly happened, and even now I don't believe Liu Changsheng would harm the empress dowager, yet Eunuch Dong personally identified him, and Liu Changsheng cannot clear his name."

Weichi Chong asked: "Where is Eunuch Dong now?"

Xue Lingjun replied: "He has died in service to his lord."

Upon hearing this, Weichi Chong fully understood: it was a case of dying without corroboration—Eunuch Dong and Liu Changsheng were both dead, so no one could prove Liu Changsheng's innocence; it amounted to a closed verdict. Overcome with indescribable sorrow, he whispered: "I and Liu Changsheng once knew each other; I hope the Princess will grant me a favor—to entrust his remains to me for burial."

Xue Lingjun nodded: "That's not difficult."

Weichi Chong, having said his part, did not linger; he rose to take his leave. (To be continued~^~)