Chapter 22

General’s Residence.

Xie Chaoyun was often absent from home, usually returning only briefly every few days to have a meal with his sister and then taking people to various villages in the outskirts of the capital to search for someone.

Xie Chaoyue finally couldn’t help but ask, “Have you received any new tasks recently?”

“Um,” Xie Chaoyun replied briefly, not revealing much.

Xie Chaoyue thought that he must be secretly helping the Regent.

She bit her chopsticks, gathered her courage, and finally asked, “His Majesty is so good, why do you only help the Regent?”

The Xie family was loyal and patriotic, and Xie Chaoyue didn’t understand why her brother had suddenly changed. She wasn’t blindly loyal; she just didn’t understand. Her brother was a good person, and so was His Majesty. Good people should help each other.

Xie Chaoyun fell silent for a moment and said, “Chaoyue, you’re still young. Some things can’t be judged just by appearances.”

If it had been the little Emperor before he escaped from the palace, he would never have said such a thing. Xie Chaoyun was surprised by his insight, but he stopped there.

After all, the little Emperor’s “insight” had come at a heavy cost to someone else.

Xie Chaoyun set down his chopsticks. “The day after tomorrow is Father’s death anniversary. You should learn from Lin Bo and make preparations. I have to accompany the Regent out of the city for some business today, and I’ll be back in two days.”

He picked up the long sword hanging by the side and strode out of the General’s Residence.

Who still remembers that the greatest loyal minister of this dynasty was Xiao Heng?

Xie Chaoyun would always remember that year when the late Emperor passed away, leaving the Regent  as the guardian of the young Emperor at the age of only twenty. The court was troubled with internal and external threats, with the Chiru tribe in the west still not pacified and the Yue rebels in the south. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager held power within the palace.

After the national mourning period, Liu Gonggong, who had been by the late Emperor’s side, retired and returned to his hometown. Xiao Heng, who had been in a struggle with the Empress Dowager for years, shared a bond with Liu Gonggong and called Xie Chaoyun to accompany him to the Ten Li Pavilion outside the city to see him off.

Little did they know that as Liu Gonggong approached the Ten Li Pavilion, a sense of danger emerged. Dozens of men in black surrounded him, and Xiao Heng and Xie Chaoyun quickly joined the fray, saving the barely conscious Liu Gonggong.

Facing death, Liu Gonggong spoke with a bitter smile, “It seems that not only can I not help Mr. Xiao, but I can’t even keep myself…”

Liu Gonggong was the only one who knew about Xiao Heng’s Gu poisoning at the time. If the late Emperor hadn’t left this secret as a trump card, this secret might have been taken to the grave forever.

In youth, loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and brotherhood were all nonsense. It was at that moment that Xie Chaoyun felt the interconnectedness of their fates. His entire worldview, which had been instilled in him, was completely overturned.

They had thought that besides bestowing titles such as “Grand Tutor,” “Regent Prince,” and “Guoxing,” the late Emperor’s only tangible gift was trust. Just before his death, he had given the Regent Prince half of the Tiger Tally.

“It was indeed trust,” Xie Chaoyun sneered.

The late Emperor trusted Xiao Heng enough to be certain that he could create a prosperous era for the young Emperor over the next seven years. After seven years, as the Gu poison flared up year by year, Xiao Heng realized that his intelligence was not what it used to be. He would attribute it to his earlier hard work and overexertion, while the young Emperor, under his guidance, would “make great progress” and inevitably return power to the Emperor.

The trap had long been set. Sometimes, Xie Chaoyun wondered if Xiao Heng had not gone to see off Liu Gonggong that day, could he have passed away with peace and a sense of accomplishment?

No, would he have to arrive in the underworld, where the King of Hell would open the book of merits and virtues, and inform him of the absurdity of these years, before he could die with a clear conscience?

Xie Chaoyue said that Xie Chaoyun was taking things too seriously; he was just looking for someone, and the Regent hadn’t set a deadline.

However, Xie Chaoyun didn’t see it that way.

The Regent stood tall and carried heavy burdens, being abandoned, deceived, and misunderstood. Although he didn’t say it, Xie Chaoyun still felt that despite being blinded by hatred and overwhelmed by political matters, Xiao Heng never gave up on believing in others.

Xie Chaoyun didn’t want to think this way, but the fact was that if they didn’t find the divine doctor soon, Xiao Heng’s time of clarity was running out. The person they were looking for might be the only one in this lifetime who had been kind to the Regent without seeking anything in return. How could they not repay that kindness?

The Regent himself was still angry at his own thoughts. He actually wanted to temporarily postpone the search and first find the little guy to vent his anger.

But those unfamiliar three days were urging him to move forward again.

The steed hesitated in place, and Qian Shicheng patted its head in confusion. Why wouldn’t the horse move?

Worried that Junfeng might not be obedient and would be demoted to pulling a millstone, he considerately led the horse a few steps, showing remarkable speed.

When Qian Shicheng looked up, he saw that the Regent was forcibly holding the reins and not letting go.

“Master?”

Xiao Heng saw Xie Chaoyun riding over and made a decision. “Go to the Lianhua Village.”

Could the “He Xin Gu” have such a great impact? So much so that Chu Zhaoyou’s affairs always inexplicably overshadowed any other important matters?

The Regent didn’t believe it was Chu Zhaoyou’s personal charm and sneered, shifting the blame to the “He Xin Gu.”

It was another dirty trick of the “He Xin Gu,” and he couldn’t just accept it.

Qian Shicheng watched as the Regent and Xie Chaoyun met up and instructed the Imperial Dragon Guards to follow Chu Zhaoyou, while he patrolled the streets.

Last time, the Regent had caught a few ruffians on the street and extracted some secrets about Yuzhou. He patrolled the streets every day, but he hadn’t had that stroke of luck. These days, Qian Shicheng saw every beggar as a transient outsider. If he caught one, he would question them and be wary if their accent seemed off.

After some back and forth, he didn’t get any information and ended up giving away all his private funds.

Qian Shicheng stood at the entrance of a theater troupe. Inside, the play had not yet begun, and the place was bustling with noise and excitement.

The Regent detested theater troupes, but he hadn’t banned them citywide. Those who didn’t actively seek out the Regent were those who had nothing to do. Officials of the court were afraid that by attending a play, they might incur the Regent’s displeasure, so they avoided it as much as possible.

With the absence of high-ranking officials, the theaters were open to the common people, and everything about them was very down-to-earth.

After standing outside for a while, Qian Shicheng couldn’t help but compare it to Chu Zhaoyou.

What a joke. His Majesty probably doesn’t know that the theater troupes here are far better than those he frequents. Singing in the theater probably earns more money than being an emperor.

Qian Shicheng couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret for his own private funds. He patted his money pouch. The silver he had withdrawn from the treasury had been given away to beggars these past two days. Once money left him, he could never save it up again.

A Dragon Guard came panting and found him. “Sir, why are you standing here? The Regent has something to discuss with you.”

“Didn’t the Regent leave the city?”

“Yes, he asked me to tell you that you must personally keep an eye on His Majesty and not let the Empress Dowager find an opportunity.”

Whether the Regent was actually thinking about not letting Wei Shuangshuang find an opportunity, that was unknown.

Qian Shicheng pondered, wondering if the Regent was afraid that the young Emperor, who was not yet of age, would take a liking to Wei Shuangshuang, cry and make a fuss about marrying her, and thus create more trouble?

It must be so. He needed to cause some disruption.

“Where is His Majesty now? Is he still at the Wei residence?”

“I don’t know.”

Qian Shicheng had to go to the Wei residence himself, but he came up empty-handed. The Dragon Guard who was on duty told him that Wei Shuangshuang wanted to go to the Temple of the Matchmaker outside the western city to see the thousand-year-old ginkgo tree and pray for her family, and His Majesty had accompanied her.

Qian Shicheng slapped his thigh. The Regent indeed had foresight. He then spurred his horse to catch up.

The Temple of the Matchmaker was not far outside the city, and it was bustling with activity. Wei Shuangshuang had brought many people with her, and there were several layers of guards inside and out. With the influx of visitors, they subtly separated a few of the Dragon Guards.

The thousand-year-old ginkgo tree could be seen from anywhere in the Temple of the Matchmaker. Its golden leaves towered over the temple, serving as a prominent landmark.

Chu Zhaoyou saw that Wei Shuangshuang had a clear purpose and headed straight for a certain meditation room, moving further away from the ginkgo tree.

He slowed his pace. “Miss Wei, if you’re not going to admire the leaves under the tree, where are you going?”

The Empress Dowager’s intentions were clearly more than just arranging a marriage.

Chu Zhaoyou stopped in the square courtyard, refusing to go any further, pretending to admire the withered lotus in the small stone pond.

He thought of Xiao Heng. He didn’t know that Xiao Heng was in the Lianhua Village at this moment, but he simply felt that the Regent was much easier to get along with than the Empress Dowager. Even if it was regicide and usurpation, at least it was open and not as scheming and deceitful as the Empress Dowager.

Wei Shuangshuang bore some resemblance to the Empress Dowager when she was young—gentle, graceful, and stunning. Her aunt had secured her position as the head of the harem based on her looks and cunning. However, as a puppet empress, Wei Shuangshuang was clearly not as glorious as her aunt.

She walked slowly to the edge of the lotus pond and whispered, “I just want to find a meditation room to hand over an important item to His Majesty.”

Chu Zhaoyou reached out and stirred the water in the pond. “The Seal of Authority?”

Wei Shuangshuang looked around and took out half of the Seal of Authority from her purse.

Chu Zhaoyou glanced at it. The Seal of Authority was the same as the one he had taken from Xiao Heng’s possession, and it doesn’t look like it’s fake.

He took the Seal of Authority  back and decisively tucked it into his sleeve.

Wei Shuangshuang looked at Chu Zhaoyou with a desolate expression and prepared to leave.