That night, after darkness fell, the wind began to rise outside the window.
Shu Changyu wore a cloak and sat beneath the lamp by the window, reading a book. A gust of strong wind swept in through the open window, flipping dozens of pages of the book in his hands with a loud rustling sound.
Shu Changyu froze for a moment, then simply placed the book back on the table and raised his head to look outside.
The lanterns beneath the corridor were also swaying wildly in the wind, the flames inside flickering between light and darkness.
Kongqing lifted the curtain and entered, only to see this scene.
Shu Changyu was sitting directly in the path of the wind, his long hair being blown wildly about.
He froze for a moment. For some reason, he suddenly remembered how, after the Third Young Master had fallen from his horse on Chang’an Street, he had also sat by the window that day, facing the wide-open window.
At that time, although the Young Master had suffered a tremendous loss of face in the capital, he had still been a person who seemed bathed in a spring breeze. When he smiled, he was gentle as jade.
Sitting before a window filled with peach blossoms, he had truly looked like an immortal banished from the Ninth Heaven.
But today, perhaps because the lamplight was too dim, there was only a deep and dead silence in the Third Young Master’s eyes, inexplicably making people feel empty and cold.
He froze, then hurried forward and closed the window for Shu Changyu.
“Young Master is still ill. How can you sit here and let yourself be blown by the wind!” Kongqing complained.
He cautiously glanced sideways at his master. He only knew that many things had happened in the residence over these past two days, but he knew nothing about what had actually happened.
He carefully reminded him, “Young Master, you must be careful not to catch cold.”
“This year’s rainfall really has been heavy.” Shu Changyu instead looked at the window and said, “It looks like it is going to rain again.”
“…Isn’t it?” Kongqing replied quietly. “I’ll add another blanket to Young Master’s bed tonight.”
Shu Changyu hummed and raised his head to look at him.
“How are things at Prince Dunqin’s residence?”
Kongqing blinked.
“His Highness told me to pass on his message to you. He said that everything will be done according to your instructions, and that he will return and investigate the assassination attempt with peace of mind—he also said that Young Master must, absolutely must, take good care of your health, and not…” He paused, his face reddening. “Not suffer any mishaps.”
Shu Changyu lowered his eyes and burst out laughing.
Seeing his master’s suddenly lively appearance, Kongqing paused, then continued, “But… Young Master, when I came back today, I encountered Old Madam.”
Shu Changyu raised his head.
“Old Madam said that I am not to have any contact whatsoever with Prince Dunqin’s residence again.” Kongqing spoke quietly. “She told you to focus on recovering from your illness and not to go looking for her either.”
Shu Changyu’s expression did not change. He merely hummed slowly.
“If she won’t let me go see her, then pass a message to Mother for me.”
“Young Master, please tell me.”
“Once my illness has completely recovered in another two days, I will return to court. At that time, as for the matter Mother asked His Majesty to arrange for me, I will personally ask His Majesty to withdraw the order.
“My health is poor, and my heart lies with the imperial court. The Shu family is already powerful, so there is naturally no need for a son with outstanding achievements.
“Therefore, I will certainly remain in the capital for a long time and serve at Mother’s side.”
Kongqing nodded blankly upon hearing this.
Shu Changyu picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip with his eyes lowered.
“Go down.”
Kongqing acknowledged him.
“Has Commandery Princess Danyao entered the capital?” Shu Changyu paused and called him back.
Kongqing stopped. He thought for a long while before finally remembering who this Commandery Princess Danyao was.
He nodded.
“She has indeed entered the capital. But this year, it isn’t yet time for her to enter the capital and pay her respects to His Majesty, so she came privately.”
This was different from his previous life.
Shu Changyu frowned and asked, “Do you know why?”
Kongqing froze and shook his head.
Shu Changyu recalled Commandery Princess Danyao’s journey to the capital being different from his previous life, and then remembered Zhao Lang, who should not have appeared in the capital at all.
His brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and an ominous thought suddenly rose in his heart.
“Go investigate,” he said.
Kongqing nodded in acknowledgment.
“Then take another message to Prince Dunqin and tell him…” Shu Changyu stopped halfway, then sighed. “Forget it.”
Those two probably were not enough to be feared.
He would wait another two days, meet Jing Mu, and discuss it then.
——
“You must memorize this Imperial Poem perfectly. Tomorrow, when your Imperial Father comes, recite it for him. Your Imperial Father will certainly like it. Shao’er, do you remember?”
The Empress sat beneath the lamp, holding the hand of the Third Prince, Jing Shao, as she instructed him.
Beneath the lamp, the young man was fair-skinned and handsome. Standing before the Empress, his expression was obedient and innocent.
He nodded and answered earnestly, “I remember.”
The Empress beamed with delight.
She stuffed the book into Jing Shao’s hands and praised him.
“Our Shao’er has been different from the children in the other palaces since childhood. You have always been the one who makes people worry the least. You are so outstanding, and you are the legitimate son. Ascending the great throne in the future is only a matter of time.”
Jing Shao’s eyes flickered as he looked at her, but he did not respond.
“The wind has picked up. It will rain soon.” The Empress stroked his head. “Shao’er, go back and rest early.”
Upon hearing this, Jing Shao bowed.
“Thank you for your concern, Mother Empress. Your son will take his leave.”
Then he left the Empress’s palace.
Once he entered his own palace, Jing Shao’s expression turned cold. The corner of his lips curled upward. Without even looking, he casually threw the book of Imperial Poems onto the floor and sneered.
“Woman’s foolish opinion. She will never accomplish anything great.”
The little eunuch following behind him hurriedly took two steps forward and picked up the precious book from the floor, holding it carefully in his hands.
Jing Shao glanced sideways, his face full of mocking amusement.
“Why did you pick it up? Could it be that, like that woman, you think that pleasing the emperor will allow you to sleep peacefully without worry and make everything turn out well?”
The little eunuch froze and hurriedly placed the book of Imperial Poems on a nearby table.
Jing Shao sneered again.
He had been personally raised by the Empress since childhood, and from the moment he learned to read, she had been filling his head with the ways of being a ruler.
He had seen a great deal from a young age. He was clever and quick-witted, and had long since formed his own ideas.
He had seen through the emperor’s domineering, suspicious, and fickle nature. He knew that when it came to the emperor, things like being the legitimate son, one’s birth order, and age were all useless.
Only by crushing those opponents one by one could he force that suspicious and sickly emperor to have no choice but to select him.
But although he saw everything clearly, his mother remained stubbornly deluded.
Thus, everything had to be done personally by him. There was no way he could rely on that woman whose knowledge had been worn away by the deep palace.
Jing Shao walked directly to the seat in front, raised his hand to dismiss everyone else, and asked the little eunuch:
“Tell me, why did Shu Changyu come back alive and well?”
Upon hearing this, the little eunuch hurriedly knelt on the ground.
“Your Highness sees everything clearly! The guards Shu Changyu brought were truly useless. They were originally just about to succeed, but… but who could have expected Prince Dunqin to be accompanying him?”
“Jing Mu?” Jing Shao frowned. “Wasn’t he at the Dali Temple? Why did he go along?”
“This… this servant does not know.”
Jing Shao lowered his eyes and looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile.
The little eunuch froze. He immediately slapped himself dozens of times in succession.
“This servant deserves death! This servant deserves death!”
Jing Shao glanced at him and turned around.
The first rule in Jing Shao’s domain was that when he gave an order, no one was permitted to answer him with “I don’t know.”
“Did they leave any evidence behind at the scene?” Jing Shao continued. “The matter failed, yet I lost so many men. They truly deserve death.”
The little eunuch did not care about the burning pain on his face and hurriedly kowtowed.
“Your Highness, the things those hidden guards took out had absolutely no markings, and they also did not leave any survivors in his hands…”
The little eunuch paused.
He remembered that one arrow had gone missing from the Third Prince’s personal guards.
But firstly, there was nothing special marked on the arrow, and it normally remained unused. Secondly, it was impossible to know whether the arrow had actually been lost or taken and used by the hidden guards.
He did not dare tell Jing Shao about something he had not confirmed.
Thus, he stopped there and said nothing further.
Jing Shao hummed.
“But leaving these two alive will still cause endless trouble. I originally thought they were merely an ordinary teacher and student. Now it seems that Jing Mu is keeping a very close eye on this backer of his.”
“Third Highness, then I have good news.” The little eunuch hurriedly said. “People on His Majesty’s side said that Old Madam Shu entered the palace two days ago and asked for the Third Young Master of the Shu family to be sent south to manage the floods. I don’t know what she showed His Majesty, but His Majesty was greatly pleased.”
“Oh?”
Jing Shao paused, then burst into laughter.
“How interesting. This is truly interesting.”
As he spoke, he muttered to himself:
“I suppose Jing Mu is determined to cling to the Shu family and refuse to let go, while the Shu family considers him a useless wretch who has neither a mother nor any favor, nor even the cultural refinement expected of him. Now, they probably want to send Third Young Master Shu far away from him so that he can build his achievements elsewhere, right?”
“Your Highness is wise!” The little eunuch kowtowed.
“Since Madam Shu loves her son so much, we naturally ought to fulfill her wish.” Jing Shao smiled. “Let us give her a helping hand and have her send her beloved son far away to the south.”
He paused, then smiled.
“However, the Yellow River region is extremely dangerous. Whether he can return after going there… you and I cannot know.”
Just then, a guard reported that someone was requesting an audience.
Jing Shao nodded, signaling for the little eunuch to leave, and summoned the guard inside.
The guard was covered in dust from travel and brought in a letter.
It had already begun raining outside, and by the time the letter was taken out, it was already somewhat damp.
“Who sent it?” Jing Shao asked.
The guard knelt on one knee.
“This servant does not know his origins, but this person came directly to your guards. He said this letter would certainly resolve Your Highness’s current concern, and that as for who he is, Your Highness would know after reading the letter.”
Jing Shao hummed and raised his hand to open the letter.
There were not many words inside, only a few brief sentences.
Jing Shao lowered his eyes and stared blankly for a moment before a smile appeared on his face.
He read the letter over and over several times. Then, still smiling, he removed the lamp cover beside him and held the letter over the candle flame.
In moments, it burned to ashes.
“How interesting.”
He smiled.
“This truly is a strange person. Not only does he know what I am worried about right now, he even knows how to solve it—and what is even more interesting is that even I myself did not know this solution.”
After the letter finished burning, the ashes scattered across the floor.
Jing Shao threw the final corner into the candle flame, replaced the lamp cover, and ordered:
“Tomorrow morning, send several men to accompany Chenglai south. Use the excuse of going to Lingnan to find tea trees for me, but once they reach Lingnan, have them search for two people.
“As for what to ask and what to bring back, they are to follow Chenglai’s instructions.”
Chenglai was the little eunuch from earlier.
The guard nodded in acknowledgment.
“The person who delivered the letter will certainly come looking for you again in the future. When the opportunity arises, bring him to see me. Go.”
The guard bowed and withdrew.
Jing Shao lowered his eyes and saw the ashes of the letter being blown upward by the wind.
He turned his face and saw the violent wind and rain outside the window, whipping the vegetation into a rustling frenzy.
He thought to himself:
Such a vast and magnificent realm—naturally, once one has seen it, one cannot rest until it is firmly held in one’s hands.