Deceit

Proofreader/Editor: Nene Yashiro

---

After the spring examination concluded, it was without a doubt that Tang Jiwei emerged as the top scholar, while Zhang Ling followed closely behind as a successful candidate. For a time, the Tang family was bustling with activity.

During the provincial exams, many people adopted a wait-and-see attitude, but with Tang Jiwei’s consecutive successes, he became a hot topic in the current imperial examination. Everyone speculated that Tang Jiwei had a very high chance of becoming the top scholar in the palace examination. Even relatives who rarely showed up began to crowd around, much to the annoyance of the matriarch of the Tang family.

The news of Tang Jiwei being the first in the palace examination also reached Han Zhen’s ears. He wasn’t surprised. Some people, just by meeting once, you could tell whether they would amount to anything. Han Zhen had left a deep impression on him the first time he met Tang Jiwei, even if it was just his appearance and eyes.

Those eyes often haunted Han Zhen’s dreams in the dead of night, reminding him of someone who shared the same gaze. Pure and untainted, they were the eyes he had always looked up to in his life.

Tang Jiwei began preparing to bring down the prince consort. His frequent visits to the Liuxing Courtyard allowed him to discern several clues. The familiar corridor and layout felt both reminiscent and somewhat different from his memories, planting a question in his mind that he kept to himself.

“Mo Yan, does the Empress Dowager know what Zhang Yuan has been doing?” Tang Jiwei propped his chin, deep in thought.

Mo Yan replied, “Which aspect does the young master mean?”

“Does the Empress Dowager know that the princess’s residence is raising concubines?”

Mo Yan shook his head and said, “The Empress Dowager knows that the princess cannot bear children, but she is completely in the dark about the concubines.”

Tang Jiwei speculated that, given the Empress Dowager’s shrewd nature, even if she knew about Zhang Yuan keeping concubines, she wouldn’t oppose the Qingping Duke’s family. Zhang Yuan had contributed a lot to her, and if she found out, she would likely just hold her frustrations inside rather than join Han Zhen in taking down this money tree. If Han Zhen’s actions were too obvious, the Empress Dowager would surely realize that he was acting with intent, and obstacles would be inevitable.

Sitting in his chair, Tang Jiwei contemplated slowly. He needed to find a way to have the Empress Dowager personally eliminate this faction. He couldn’t allow them to counterattack; it would be best if the Empress Dowager took action herself.

This was the first time he was doing something for Han Zhen, and he absolutely couldn’t tarnish his reputation. He needed to earn some trust first. Starting his reign with rumors of discord with the Empress Dowager was not something a wise ruler should carry.

“Does the young master have any plans? The master is already prepared on his end,” Mo Yan said.

Tang Jiwei shook his head. “Give me a few days more. I want to come up with a comprehensive plan.”

Zhang Ling borrowed some money from Tang Jiwei to rent a small courtyard for himself. Tang Jiwei recommended Zhang Ling to the manager of Xiangrui Pavilion. Although his earnings were not as much as Tang Jiwei’s, at least he had some income, which gave him the confidence to stay in the capital.

Madam Xiao was not pleased about Zhang Ling moving out. She liked this cheerful youth much more than her son, who only buried himself in books. Zhang Ling was willing to listen to her gossip about family matters, which brought her much joy during her idle days at home.

“Xiao Ling, I’ll introduce you to a match someday, and I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!” the matriarch said, smiling so widely that fine lines appeared on her face.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ling immediately quickened his pace in tidying up. Those beautiful women were better left for Tang Jiwei to enjoy; his luck was too shallow to handle such blessings!

With Zhang Ling moving out, the Tang household became much quieter. Madam Xiao began to sew clothes with a forlorn expression, shaking her head and sighing when she saw Tang Jiwei reading by the window.

 “Ah, my son, do you want me to find you a wife? I’m stuck at home listening to you read all day, and my ears are getting calloused! Not to mention, I don’t even have anyone to talk to!” Madam Xiao pressed closer to Tang Jiwei, making the suggestion.

Tang Jiwei immediately put down his book and said, “I’ll go call Tang De and Tang Mi over. They’ll chat with you and make you happy. As for a wife, I think that’s unnecessary.”

Madam Xiao waved her hand dismissively. “You spend all day with your nose buried in books. What do those books say? You need to establish a family and career. You can’t settle down and start a career without first starting a family! Listen to your mother—now that you’re a successful candidate, there are plenty of girls eager to marry into our family. You can take your pick!”

“Mother, do you think this is like shopping for groceries? I quite enjoy my current carefree life. Don’t go finding me a cage to lock me in! Besides, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship is a huge challenge. Are you sure you can handle your daughter-in-law?”

Madam Xiao was taken aback by Tang Jiwei’s reasoning and began to seriously ponder how to resolve the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law issues.

Tang Jiwei let out a sigh of relief; he had narrowly escaped a predicament. The scene of Zhang Ling being forced into blind dates flashed vividly in his mind, and he didn’t want to go down that path again.

“Ah, my son, I feel sorry for your little aunt too. Her husband is clamoring to take a concubine. I heard your second aunt mention it a few days ago. Families like theirs have these bad habits; your little aunt has had it tough these past few years.” Madam Xiao recalled a recent conversation and thought this would give Tang Jiwei something to discuss with her.

Tang Jiwei understood her intentions and didn’t want her to feel lonely, so he put down his book and casually asked, “So did he take a concubine in the end?”

Madam Xiao became excited and replied, “No, of course not! Your little aunt is too shrewd to let him have his way. She brought the accountant to the old lady, and how could the old lady let her son indulge in soft pleasures when she saw the losses on the account books? She exploded right there!”

Tang Jiwei nodded. His little aunt was indeed skilled at managing her husband; she struck right at the core of the problem. It was simple logic: the matriarch of the Song family wouldn’t let them ruin their family’s legacy just because of a fleeting pleasure. To ensure that Old Master Song managed the household, she couldn’t allow him to be blinded by seduction.

Wait a minute, Tang Jiwei frowned. This tactic was somewhat similar to dealing with Zhang Yuan. Perhaps he could learn a thing or two from his little aunt.

Tang Jiwei tapped the table, deep in thought. The Empress Dowager—she was only the Empress Dowager because she secured the Han family’s power. If the interests of family and country clashed, anyone with sense would know what to do.

It was just a prince consort. She sacrificed so much to become the Empress Dowager; would she really fear having one more son-in-law?

As the night deepened, Madam Xiao had already fallen asleep. Tang Jiwei put on his clothes and began to write down strategies for dealing with Zhang Yuan. He aimed to uproot Zhang Yuan completely.

He opened the window and knocked three times. A dark figure silently leapt down from the roof, blending into the night.

Mo Li grinned foolishly and said, “Young master, you’re looking for me!”

Tang Jiwei raised an eyebrow. Who else would be crazy enough to wake him up this late? He handed Mo Li an envelope and said, “Deliver this to your master.”

Mo Li’s eyes lit up as he took the envelope. Without opening it, he stuffed it into his chest and mumbled, “What do you mean ‘your master’? Isn’t he your master too?”

Tang Jiwei closed the window, thinking that Mo Li must be the one Han Zhen sent to confuse those self-righteous people. Just putting him in front of those stubborn, old scholars would be enough to make them furious.

Han Zhen was abruptly awakened in the night. He pulled back the curtains and threw on an outer robe before getting up. Li Sheng hurriedly lit the candles in the hall, one by one.

“Enough, I just need to clear my mind. There’s no need for such extravagance,” Han Zhen said.

Chief Eunuch Li Sheng placed down the candlestick, internally scoffing. What did he know about extravagance? The emperors of old who had three thousand beauties in the palace truly knew what that meant.

“Your Majesty, should we call for Concubine Shen to attend to you?” Chief Eunuch Li Sheng said, bowing his head obediently.

Han Zhen waved his hand. “You may leave. I want to be alone for a while.”

Chief Eunuch Li Sheng silently sighed and retreated. In the spacious, quiet palace, his departure felt especially pronounced.

Han Zhen didn’t blame him. After having served him for twenty years, he wasn’t going to be overly harsh. He just felt that, in this world, only Chief Eunuch Li Sheng truly understood him and could guess his thoughts.

The dark wooden box remained on his dragon bed, but he found himself increasingly reluctant to approach it, always feeling as if those haunting days were vividly replaying in his mind.

“Your Majesty, Mo Li has brought a letter from Young Master Tang. Would you like to see it?” Li Sheng reported at the door.

“Let him in.”

“Understood.”

Mo Li scratched his nose as he entered. Every time he faced the emperor, he felt a mix of fear and anxiety. Even though the emperor had never scolded or punished him, standing in front of Han Zhen made him feel a chill run down his back.

“Why are you here at this hour?”

Mo Li handed over the envelope and said, “Young Master Tang just wrote this. He probably feared it would be discovered.”

Han Zhen opened the envelope and quickly skimmed the contents. After finishing, he frowned and said, “His handwriting does possess some character; it’s no wonder he is the top scholar this year. Pass the word to Mo Yan to implement the plan as stated in the letter. Tang Jiwei was very clear; Mo Yan must ensure to capture all the accomplices in one go.”

“Yes, subordinate obeys!” Mo Li quickly exited. When he reached the door and saw Chief Eunuch Li Sheng’s faint smile, he realized that he was already sweating profusely.

“Goodness, what’s wrong with me?” Mo Li mumbled to himself.

Chief Eunuch Li Sheng lightly swatted him with a feather duster and said, “Get out of here! Is this a place for you to speak?”

Mo Li walked out upright. Honestly, he felt a bit intimidated by Chief Eunuch Li Sheng, sensing that he wasn’t just the head eunuch they all saw.

Han Zhen held the letter again and read through it carefully. The more he looked, the more bewildered he became. How could there be another person in this world who could write something that resonated with him so deeply? The closing style was something only someone very familiar to him would use. However, that person was no longer here and would never return.

You reap what you sow, Han Zhen thought with a bitter smile. This is how it will be for this life; apart from power and reputation, he had nothing else.

Sitting quietly in a chair with the paper in hand, the hourglass ticked away steadily until the eastern sky began to lighten, and gradually, sunlight started to pour in through the window. He remained still in that position, deep in contemplation.

---

Author’s Note: Is anyone there? Just popping in~ [To those lurking, I love you!~]