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Inside the Imperial Palace, the lights were bright. After taking a pill, Emperor Kang Cheng was diligently writing.
Wei Zili stood beside him with a troubled expression, trembling with fear. The Emperor had become excessively reliant on these pills, now needing one every hour.
During a brief break, Emperor Kang Cheng sipped some ginseng tea and asked, “What has Song Mo been up to these past two days?”
“Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince has mostly been reading, with nothing unusual.”
Hearing this, Emperor Kang Cheng snorted.
He picked up his pen again and wrote the names of the Second Prince, Third Prince, Fourth Prince, and the Grand Crown Prince. He then circled the Fourth Prince and the Grand Crown Prince.
He stared at the two circled names. A successor must be chosen; otherwise, after his death, these princes and grandsons might fight like dogs over a bone, potentially causing a succession dispute and destabilizing the court. If the princes split the empire, he would be the sinner of the Song Dynasty, unworthy to face his ancestors.
Before his late father passed away, he had urged him to promise that when his time came, he must carefully choose a successor to ensure the Song Dynasty’s continued prosperity.
His late father had predicted that he would not be a wise ruler, just a caretaker of the empire. There were no great expectations of him during his reign, but the matter of succession was one he must handle with utmost care.
At the time, he had been defiant, but now, the time had come to fulfill that promise.
Should he choose a son? Or should he choose a grandson? Who should remain? Who must be eliminated? These were the questions he had to consider. His late father had warned him that the empire should not be left to a young ruler; the previous dynasty’s Minister had seized power from a young orphan and a widow. After thinking it over, Emperor Kang Cheng crossed out the Grand Crown Prince’s name, leaving only the Fourth Prince.
He began selecting those who should be removed, especially the officials who sought power by supporting him. He would rather kill them wrongly than let them go. As long as it wouldn’t cause too much upheaval, he would take them out. However, for opportunistic families like the Xie family, deeply rooted in power, he would have to reconsider. It wasn’t realistic to eliminate the entire clan, so he would target the ringleaders.
But the more Emperor Kang Cheng thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He stopped writing, drank another half bowl of ginseng tea, and then carefully reviewed the list he had made, eventually laughing angrily.
“Go, bring Song Mo to me!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Wei Zili hurriedly sent his young disciple to fetch the Fourth Prince. He didn’t dare leave the Emperor’s side anymore.
As soon as Song Mo entered the hall, a teacup was thrown at his feet. “Song Mo, do you realize your crime?!”
Faced with the enraged Emperor Kang Cheng, Song Mo knelt down, “Father!”
Wei Zili quickly cleared the hall. Soon, only Emperor Kang Cheng, Song Mo, and Wei Zili remained.
“Speak!”
“I have nothing to say.”
“Nothing to say? You won’t shed tears until you see the coffin, will you?” Emperor Kang Cheng descended the steps, circling him. “Song Mo, oh Song Mo, you’re only fourteen, right? I never expected you to be so capable, even to the point of killing the Crown Prince, the heir apparent. Tell me, is your next step to murder your father?”
Song Mo was shocked. “I wouldn’t dare.”
“You’re bold enough. What wouldn’t you dare? After killing the Crown Prince, you even plotted against me! Using a borrowed knife to kill, you must be very pleased with yourself, right? Using my hand to get rid of Xue Huaimin and others who obstructed you. Is this knife of mine useful to you? Are you proud of yourself? Are you so sure I wouldn’t dare kill you?”
The Emperor was furious! What sin had he committed to suffer this even at the end of his days? If he had any other choice, he would definitely have this rebellious son…
Although he was furious, he suppressed his anger when he realized that the Second and Third Princes were even less capable than him.
Even though he knew that he was being used to kill someone, Xue Huaimin had to die! As for the ministers who gave advice or participated in the plot to assassinate the Crown Prince, he wouldn’t spare a single one of them! However, when it came to those who, like the Xie family, were merely following along, he hesitated.
Song Mo knelt obediently, fear gripping his heart. Had his father detected even this?
Earlier, Xie Zhan had warned him that their actions might not escape his father’s scrutiny, but Song Mo hadn’t fully believed it. Now he did, and at the same time, he felt a sense of relief—he had made the right choice.
Xie Zhan was right. As a beneficiary of the Crown Prince’s death, he would inevitably be suspected. Xie Zhan had cautioned him not to be complacent; his father was too clever.
Xue Huaimin’s scheme included forcing the Emperor’s hand and patricide.
Initially, he and Xue Huaimin believed they could deceive his father, but it seemed that everything had been under his father’s watchful eye all along.
What a close call. It was all thanks to Xie Zhan. Under his analysis and persuasion, he abandoned Xue Huaimin’s plan to seize the throne and instead adopted Xie Zhan’s strategy. Moreover, Xie Zhan was right—Xue Huaimin had to be sacrificed to appease his father.
Although this would stir up trouble, Xie Zhan had said that this crisis was also an opportunity.
The fact that his father didn’t immediately execute him proved that Xie Zhan was right—after his anger subsided, his father would regain his rationality. He wouldn’t allow chaos to erupt in Da Li.
“Father, I had no choice. Everything I did was for the Da Li dynasty. Father, can you honestly say that the Crown Prince is more capable than me?”
“Because you think the Crown Prince is useless, less capable than you, you want him dead? Do you realize he is the Crown Prince, the heir, and your elder brother?”
“I never intended to take the Crown Prince’s life, just to ensure he couldn’t remain the heir.” His face was embarrassed, as if to say that it was just a plan gone awry.
Of course, this was a lie.
“Father, believe me, if the Da Li Empire is entrusted to me, I will govern it well, better than the Crown Prince!” Song Mo pledged.
Emperor Kang Cheng looked at him coldly, “You are indeed smarter than your brothers. Leave now, I don’t want to see you!”
Song Mo quietly sighed in relief, knowing that he had passed this trial. Xie Zhan was right—if he behaved well while his father vented his anger, nothing would happen to him.
He really had accurately predicted his father’s thoughts.
As Emperor Kang Cheng watched him leave, he made several decisions in his heart.
You claim you’re capable? That you don’t want to be controlled by others? Then I’ll assign a few ministers to share power with you and keep each other in check. Only when you can overthrow them will you be a qualified emperor.
You want to seize the throne and protect your reputation, using the Qin family as a scapegoat? Then I’ll make sure the Qin family stays! The Qin family is a loyal and obedient watchdog; I won’t allow your selfish ambitions to destroy them.
And who is advising the Fourth Prince? Someone so shrewd, yet I haven’t uncovered them. I’ve just reviewed all the Fourth Prince’s associates, but no one stands out.
Emperor Kang Cheng would help him—after all, he was his son and the future emperor. However, as a father, Emperor Kang Cheng was still holding a grudge and would certainly teach him a lesson. To remind him that his father is still his father.
That night, two lanterns with white cranes spreading their wings were hung at the entrance of a certain flower house.
Xie Zhan quickly learned that his plan had succeeded. He had won the bet!
He warmed a pot of wine and stood by the window, quietly appreciating the beautiful moonlight.
Tomorrow was the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, and the full moon in the sky symbolized all things beautiful and complete.
In high spirits, Xie Zhan poured a cup of wine and raised it in a toast to the heavens. “Lu Songli, I’ve won this round. And I will continue to win; you have no more chances.”
The success of his plan put him in a very good mood. His strategy had been risky, but how else could he surpass his rivals?
He had placed this bet after thorough consideration. His family, the Xie family, had simply chosen the right side—what was wrong with that? As the saying goes, “the law does not punish the masses.” Besides, it wasn’t he who had secretly plotted the Crown Prince’s death.
When it came to understanding Emperor Kang Cheng, no one could match him. If it weren’t for Lu Desheng already being close to the emperor, Xie Zhan would have become the favored minister long ago. Lu Desheng was only ahead because he was older and had risen to prominence a few years earlier. If not for that, Xie Zhan was confident he could have secured his place in the emperor’s inner circle.
Xie Zhan downed the wine in his cup. Now that Xue Huaimin was no longer a concern, if all went well, it wouldn’t be long before the new emperor ascended the throne—and he would be the first among the new emperor’s inner circle.
When Lu Songli learned that the Fourth Prince’s new strategist was Xie Zhan, she wasn’t too surprised.
In this situation, she and Xie Zhan had reacted very differently.
Lu Songli was cautious, while Xie Zhan licked honey from the blade’s edge. In this regard, Xie Zhan was bolder than her—daring to gamble and fight, more aggressive.
But he had no other choice. Without an advantage, doing nothing would get him nowhere. To rise above others, he had to take risks. He was indeed formidable, using Xue Huaimin as a stepping stone to his own success.