Chapter 26 Part 1

The moment Lu Zhong’s words left his mouth, Li Zhaoyi was completely stunned.

He said, “Go? Go where?”

Lu Zhong furrowed his brow.

But he knew Li Zhaoyi’s personality.

Li Zhaoyi seemed soft on the surface, but deep down, he was stubborn, especially about things he set his mind to.

After a rapid assessment, he spoke concisely. “Yin Ke is one of Changping’s people. Changping and the Wei Clan have been preparing for a long time. Tonight, they plan to force an abdication. Yun Yin knows about this, so tonight, nearly half the guards watching you have already been pulled away.”

He said quietly, “Little Highness, I’ve diverted the rest. If we want to leave the palace, this is our only chance. So if you have questions, ask them after we’re out. For now, just follow your Master, alright?”

Though he tried to remain calm, his last few sentences were spoken very urgently.

This was the first time Li Zhaoyi had seen him display such obvious tension.

Even though he hadn’t fully processed the situation, he was already instinctively following Lu Zhong’s instructions.

Clothes. Simple dry rations.

The biggest advantage of staying in the secondary residence outside the main palace was that everything was minimal; even food and clothing consisted of easily portable items.

When Li Zhaoyi was Emperor, everything was taken care of for him. But since childhood, he’d had no one to serve him and always packed his own things, so his movements were quite practiced.

As he packed by the bedside, he saw the rattle-drum placed beside his pillow.

He clearly hadn’t brought it in; Yun Yin must have placed it there for him when he came to visit.

Yun Yin was always like this, fond of teasing Li Zhaoyi about the same thing over and over.

And he never tired of it.

Li Zhaoyi’s hands suddenly stopped.

Lu Zhong was urging him. “Little Highness?”

Li Zhaoyi came back to his senses.

Flustered, he picked up the rattle-drum and shoved it into his bundle.

Lu Zhong glanced at it but said nothing.

Next, he had Li Zhaoyi change into a dark blue young eunuch’s robe and applied a simple disguise. He instructed, “Stay close behind me later, and don’t make a sound.”

Li Zhaoyi quickly agreed.

Lu Zhong extinguished the lamp, and everything plunged into darkness.

The two swiftly left the room.

Their path was unobstructed, but as they walked out of the courtyard, someone suddenly blocked their way.

“Eunuch Lu?” By the dim lamplight, the other man recognized Lu Zhong’s face.

He was taken aback. “What are you doing here?”

“His Highness sent me to retrieve something,” Lu Zhong replied calmly.

The man frowned.

Just as he was about to press further, Lu Zhong revealed a token.

His voice was low. “General Cheng, by rank, I am your inferior. But I serve directly under the Prince. You’re aware of the current situation. If we delay the Prince’s affairs, neither of us will fare well.”

Staring at the heavy, aged token, the man’s expression soured.

Of course, he recognized the token.

Only the Yun Clan’s covert guards had the right to wear such a token.

In special circumstances, they could even use it to directly commandeer a portion of the troops. For every shadow guard of the Yun Clan was someone who had risked life and limb countless times; it represented absolute trust.

In the end, he let them pass.

Lu Zhong nodded at him and put the token away.

Li Zhaoyi’s palms were sweaty. He followed Lu Zhong out of the courtyard.

A carriage was already waiting around the corner.

Lu Zhong helped Li Zhaoyi into the carriage, and the coachman cracked his whip to start the journey.

The carriage melded into the night, racing toward the city gates. It was only then that Lu Zhong finally let out a breath.

Once they were on the carriage, they were essentially safe.

At least the first step had been taken. Tonight’s turmoil was concentrated within the Imperial Palace; the city gates would only have routine inspections. Lu Zhong knew this well. It was precisely because he knew this that he felt slightly relieved.

It was also at this moment that he noticed Li Zhaoyi’s expression.

“Scared?” he asked. A faint, almost imperceptible trace of humor finally crept into his voice. “Your Master said he would get you out of the palace.”

Li Zhaoyi seemed to only just snap out of his daze.

Then he said, “I know, it’s just…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. They both understood the unspoken implication.

Li Zhaoyi remembered what Lu Zhong had said back then.

At that time, he truly hadn’t expected that Lu Zhong would still remember their promise after he ascended the throne.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t moved. Li Zhaoyi found it hard to deny that the moment he heard the words “leave the palace,” his heart had beaten noticeably faster.

After a moment of silence, he asked softly, “Master, are you one of Eldest Sister’s people?”

As he asked this, he unconsciously clutched the hem of his robe, his slender fingers turning white at the knuckles.

A flicker of light passed through Lu Zhong’s eyes. After a pause, he said, “You’ve grown.”

“It seems the Prince taught you a great deal.”

Li Zhaoyi bit his lip.

Then, he heard Lu Zhong continue, “I am, and I am not.”

“I have always served the Yun Clan and have never betrayed them.” He said calmly, “It’s just this time, regarding this palace coup, I knew about it beforehand and made a deal with Changping.”

He paused. “The content of the deal… was to get you out of the palace.”

The words hung in the air. Li Zhaoyi was stunned.

A moment later, he tried to probe. “Master means… Eldest Sister also wanted me out of the palace?”

Lu Zhong sneered coldly.

“What she wants,” he said, “is far more than just letting you ‘leave the palace’.”

“Don’t concern yourself with this.” His eyes lowered, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in them. “She won’t be able to touch you.”

Li Zhaoyi, of course, didn’t believe that Lu Zhong would allow Li Chunjin to harm him.

He just felt sudden shock.

He said, “Why would Eldest Sister suddenly…”

A possibility struck him. “Could it be she wants… to become Emperor herself?”

If that was the case, then Changping’s insistence on making him disappear made sense. After all, he was currently the only one with the legitimate right to inherit the throne. With him around, plus Yun Yin’s influence, Changping’s chances of seizing power were practically zero.

But he felt like something was off with this guess.

It wasn’t like the Yan Dynasty had no precedent for a female sovereign, but such instances were extremely rare. Changping’s biggest obstacle to the throne wasn’t him, but the opposition of the ministers.

She would need sufficient cunning and boldness to suppress all doubts.

But based on Li Zhaoyi’s understanding of Changping, she couldn’t accomplish that.

What’s more, there was Yun Yin.

To be frank, the current Yan Dynasty was dominated entirely by Yun Yin.

Li Zhaoyi’s very life was decided by a single thought of his, let alone the fate of a Grand Princess. And clearly, when they met Yun Yin in the Imperial Garden that day, Changping’s fear was genuine.

Li Zhaoyi truly couldn’t fathom Changping’s sudden reason for doing this.

Lu Zhong did not answer him directly.

He only said, “Some days ago, Governor Yin Ke of the Southwest found a woman carrying a baby in the local area. This happened before the refugee uprising. After finding the woman, the local magistrate’s office secretly protected her. Taking advantage of the uprising’s chaos, they destroyed her household registration records.”

“Little Highness can take a guess: What is this woman’s identity? And who is the father of her child? To warrant such a massive effort to protect her—so much so that even now, no one knows exactly where she is in the Southwest.”

Li Zhaoyi was stunned into silence.

“Little Highness.” Lu Zhong smiled faintly. “In this world, courage never comes without a reason.”

“Though I dislike Changping, she is the Grand Princess. She wouldn’t recklessly do something so aggressive without cause. This is the reason I refuse to let you stay in the palace.”

“The situation inside the palace shifts unpredictably. Your life hangs on a single thought of the Prince. And on a single shift in this political situation.”

He paused, then said softly, “…Your Master… dares not gamble.”

This thought had grown stronger since he realized Yun Yin might have an interest in Li Zhaoyi.

If Li Zhaoyi were merely a puppet, a surface-level harmony could be maintained for the sake of mutual benefit.

But once desire enters the picture, it becomes completely different.

What if Li Zhaoyi was unwilling?

The power of desire was immense. What if Yun Yin decided to confine Li Zhaoyi?

The worst outcome: Li Zhaoyi yields to Yun Yin. But how long could such interest, born of novelty, last? One day, when Yun Yin tired of Li Zhaoyi, would he seek to erase his past, absurd actions… by erasing Li Zhaoyi himself?

He dared not gamble.

He had exhausted every thought, day and night, dwelling on this.

His greatest fear was that before he could get Li Zhaoyi out of the palace… Yun Yin would make a move on him.

He took a deep breath.

Thankfully.

There was still time.

Outside Bright Clarity Hall, the damp steps reflected the brilliant torchlight.

Inside the hall, a woman with a beautiful face, dressed in embroidered robes, held a tea cup and lowered her eyes, taking a delicate sip.

Then, she looked up at the man casually reading a scroll before her and let out a soft laugh. “Spring tea, just delivered from Jiangnan. The newest batch, presented only before His Majesty. The Prince seems to be living quite comfortably here in Bright Clarity Hall.”

Yun Yin smiled. His gaze fell on her teacup, his tone pointed. “It seems Her Highness isn’t doing too poorly herself.”

The woman set down her cup, her eyes flickering.

After a moment, she said, “Word came last night. Yin Ke hanged himself at home.”

Yun Yin paused for two seconds, then gave a soft “Mm.”

“To solidify my reputation as a traitorous subject, driving a key local official to his death,” He commented. “Lord Yin, this time, did not die in vain.”

His tone was light, his eyes still not leaving the scroll in front of him, his posture relaxed.

The woman stared at him. “You drove him to his death.”

Yun Yin paused. Finally, he put down the scroll.

The woman spoke slowly. “He was driven to death by this court, by you. This realm is surnamed Li, yet the border and the court are surnamed Yun. The sovereign is no true sovereign, the minister no true minister. Yun Yin, tell me, what loyal minister could endure such a court?”

“What’s more.” She smiled. “Lord Yin was once a subordinate of your father.”

The last sentence was delivered with near malice.

She watched Yun Yin’s expression, hoping to catch a flicker of something akin to anger.

But.

There was nothing.

Yun Yin merely laughed. “Her Highness is absolutely right.”

His tone was utterly dismissive; he clearly found her words profoundly boring.

The woman glared coldly at him, the smile finally vanishing from her face.

After a moment, she let out a breath.

“Fine.”

“I originally thought we might catch up on old times.” She said casually. “Since you’re so direct, this palace will be direct as well.”