Hearing that Li Xuanjing had arrived, Yan Yihuan who had been gloomy for many days suddenly had a bright look in his eyes, and his face brightened with joy.
“I abruptly left Jing ge when we met in the palace and didn’t have a chance to explain,” Yan Yihuan said, delighted. “Now we can finally have a proper conversation.”
“Keep your voice down and follow me.” Why was his older brother acting so mysteriously, even at home. Yan Yihuan followed Yan Zheng to a secluded, unoccupied courtyard within the manor.
Standing at the entrance, Yan Yihuan was filled with confusion. Li Xuanjing was the crown prince of Qin, shouldn’t they have given him better hospitality than this. He glanced at his brother, only to see him hesitating to speak. His heart tightened,
“Did something happen to Jing ge?”
“No,” Yan Zheng denied quickly it, but he then continued with some hesitation,
“It seems he’s misunderstood something.”
“Misunderstood what?”
“You’d better just…”
Yan Zheng hadn’t finished speaking when a commotion of footsteps erupted from within the courtyard. A figure appeared at the doorway, hesitated for just a moment, then rushed straight towards Yan Yihuan like a gust of wind. Before he could even react, he was pulled into a fierce embrace.
Yan Yihuan basically crashed into the person’s arms, momentarily stunned. He couldn’t understand why Li Xuanjing’s reaction would be so intense after just a short time apart.
Second Young Master Yan, Yan Rong, gave his eldest brother an awkward grin,
“I couldn’t stop him.”
“Forget it. I have no idea why Xuanjing would think Yihuan was no longer alive, but Yihuan was overjoyed when he heard he was here just now. Let’s give them some time to talk.” Yan Zheng gave a signal with his eyes and pulled his younger brother away, “Let’s go.”
Yan Yihuan was held so tightly he could barely breathe. He couldn’t help but pound against Li Xuanjing’s chest a few times before the other finally seemed to react and loosened his grip.
“Jing ge, what’s wrong with you?”
Li Xuanjing’s round eyes were still bloodshot. He scrutinized Yan Yihuan a few more times before finally finding his voice and said hatefully,
“He actually deceived me.”
“Who deceived you? About what?” Yan Yihuan’s initial joy at their reunion was quickly replaced by confusion at Li Xuanjing’s strange behavior. “Jing ge, what happened to you?”
It was clear that Yan Yihuan truly didn’t know anything. Li Xuanjing, who originally intended to directly inquire about everything, suddenly hesitated, his confidence wavering.
Thinking back to that day in court, his mind had already been in disarray by the emperor’s accusations. Then, upon hearing the news of Yihuan’s death, his mind was completely thrown into chaos.
Afterward, although countless pressing matters had demanded his attention, he had remained trapped in grief and regret, unable to move on.
“I’m fine.” Li Xuanjing let out a relieved smile, “As long as you’re safe.”
Seeing Yan Yihuan standing before him, safe and sound in the Residence of King Yan, was enough. There was no need to speak of things that would only burden him.
Unable to help himself, Li Xuanjing pulled Yan Yihuan into another embrace, his movements gentle, though his eyes carried a chilling glint.
This cunning Li Xuanming. No wonder everyone said the late emperor was kind-hearted, while the crown prince was completely different. He was shrewd, unpredictable, and had none of the qualities of a true ruler.
Speaking of it, Li Xuanming’s lineage had never been legitimate. Had his father’s position as crown prince not been usurped by the late emperor, then he would be the crown prince now, and in the future, the throne would rightfully pass to him.
“Yihuan, do you know how worried I’ve been since you disappeared from the palace banquet?” Li Xuanjing pulled away from the embrace and looked at him seriously, “Why didn’t you send me a word, even though you were left behind in the capital?”
At this, Yan Yihuan felt a little embarrassed. He had truly thought that after the palace banquet, Li Xuanjing would have returned to Qin, never expecting that he had stayed in the capital, risking everything just to find him.
Yan Yihuan was deeply touched, hastily saying,
“I’m sorry, Jing ge. I’ll tell you everything from now on.”
But as soon as these words left his mouth, he immediately thought of Zhao Chufeng. He froze, and quietly added in his mind,
Except for the matter with Zhao Chufeng, after all, those are things he intends to keep to himself.
Li Xuanjing stayed in the Residence of King Yan for two days, and even Yan Yihuan noticed something was off. He saw that Li Xuanjing was acting secretive, almost as if he had come undercover.
Not only that, but he also frequently held private discussions with his eldest brother, and even his father had ordered him not to approach.
Yan Yihuan had finally returned home with great difficulty, and he didn’t want to hear about or think of anything else. However, his second brother had just come to see him and told him that Li Xuanjing was likely leaving that night.
Yan Yihuan didn’t know when he’d see Li Xuanjing again, so he felt reluctant to part and wanted to speak with him alone. He didn’t bring a single attendant, and set off by himself to find him.
But unexpectedly, just as he reached the courtyard gate, he was stopped by the guards, who said that the lord was inside. Yan Yihuan grew suspicious, why would his father meet Jing ge in such secrecy?
A rare curiosity stirred within him. There wasn’t a single hidden corner of the manor he didn’t know. If the front door was blocked, he’d just go around the back. There was an old, rarely used side door there, and right past it was the window of the main hall.
Once inside, Yan Yihuan started to regret his decision. Although he didn’t study properly when he was in school, but even he knew that eavesdropping was wrong. Squatting beneath the window, he hesitated for a moment, and was ready to slip away. But just then, his father’s voice rang out:
“If we succeed, our names will go down in history. If we fail, we’ll be nothing but bleached bones in the dirt. Without absolute certainty, I would never dare to gamble the lives of my entire family.”
Why would Father say something like that?
Yan Yihuan, who had just started to rise, slowly lowered himself back down, hesitating before squatting back into the corner.
“Your Highness is not the only one with such concerns, my father shares them as well.” It was Li Xuanjing’s voice. “Among the Li family, only my father is the legitimate direct descendant. Had the Empress Dowager not passed so soon, the position of crown prince would never have fallen into someone else’s hands.”
“My father commands great respect in the military, and he has the unwavering support of veteran ministers in court. He and Your Highness share a friendship of decades, which is why he has chosen to conspire with you in this great undertaking. When the time comes, you will undoubtedly be one of the highest-ranking meritorious officials.”
Yan Yihuan was so scared that he covered his mouth tightly. He understood. He truly, completely understood. No wonder Jing ge had been so secretive. They were plotting treason!
Yan Yihuan sat dazed under the window, and it wasn’t until his head felt foggy that he realized he had been holding his breath for an unknown amount of time. The conversation between the two people inside continued to pour into his ears, every word and sentence filled with treasonous remarks.
He didn’t dare to listen any longer. He rubbed his face hard, then slipped away unnoticed, shutting himself inside his room without even lighting a lamp.
That night, when Li Xuanjing tried to see him before leaving, Yan Yihuan locked his door from the inside. No matter how his second brother, Yan Rong, called for him, he refused to respond.
Li Xuanjing left. Naturally, the family noticed Yan Yihuan’s unusual behavior, but before they could carefully inquire about what had happened, an imperial decree arrived the very next day!
“Yan Rong, go tend to your mother,” The King of Yan’s expression was somewhat grave as he instructed both of his sons, “Yan Zheng, come with me to receive the decree.”
This imperial edict was personally brought from the capital to Linjing by the Grand Secretary Ming Zhang, a man said to be among the emperor’s closest confidants. Let alone the grand display, the contents of the decree alone were enough to shock the entire Yan Manor.
This decree actually summoned Yan Yihuan to the capital once more. This time, the reason was impressively grand. He was to be appointed as the Grand Historian, to enter the palace and serve at the Emperor’s side, recording His Majesty’s daily activities.
In the imperial decree, the emperor certainly gave the Residence of King Yan a lot of face, not only describing Yan Yihuan as a man of unparalleled talent, but he also openly stated that he was very pleased with him and got along very well. Ever since sending him back to his hometown, he missed him greatly and often regretted his decision.
Yan Yihuan had yet to recover from the earth-shattering revelation of his family’s treason when this imperial decree came crashing down like a bolt from the blue. At this moment, only two words echoed in his mind,
I’m doomed!
Author’s note:
The shameless days are about to begin! I plan to keep the political intrigue in this story relatively simple, so just sit back and enjoy the show, haha. (Yes, writing this is really exhausting, my IQ isn’t enough)
The main focus of this story is still the shamelessness. Hehe.
