He curled four fingers into a fist and raised his thumb toward Shen Xiabai.
“As expected of Lord Shen, who is loyal only to Cui Yunchu.”
Prince An smiled, the murderous intent in his eyes growing heavier. “You’ve played an imperial prince like a puppet in the palm of your hand. Aren’t you afraid that whoever takes the throne in the future won’t be able to tolerate you?”
“Then we’ll discuss it after Your Highness ascends the throne.”
Prince An nodded. Indeed, wasn’t that precisely why he had exhausted himself scheming—to keep the Crown Prince on equal footing with him and prevent him from ascending?
Cui Qingyuan said, “If Your Highness truly cares for Yunfeng, you should also consider her and her child. You must look at the greater picture.”
Prince An’s gaze swept over the others. He paced forward a few steps. “The Crown Prince couldn’t kill me. Even if Father-in-law buys him a little time, what difference can it make?”
A defeated man—how could he possibly give him another chance to rise again? At most, he would merely cling to life for a few more days.
“Besides, when all is said and done, I am your true son-in-law.”
Cui Qingyuan’s eyelids lifted slightly, his voice calm and steady. “The Tang family will not abandon the Crown Princess, and neither will I betray them. Whether as a man or as a subject, I believe in remaining faithful to the end. Today, Your Highness schemed to have your elder brother kill your father. If you succeed, blood will certainly run in rivers throughout the palace.”
He did not trust Prince An’s character. Of course, there was also an unspoken meaning behind his words: if Prince An could kill even his own biological father without hesitation, then how could he spare a father-in-law like him? Once the realm was stabilized, the Tang and Cui families would likely meet a dead end.
Prince An laughed, his smile dark and vicious.
“Very well, very well. Then I’ll wait and see what kind of waves you can make. I can afford to wait.”
His gaze fell on the Crown Prince beside him, his face filled with contempt. “Your Highness’s life is spared today.”
The Crown Prince said, “It is you, my imperial brother, who have lost the people’s support. You are ruthless and heartless.”
Prince An glanced back at the emperor’s corpse, frowning. “I’m ruthless and heartless?”
“Wasn’t it you who said that Father had sullied the very meaning of the word ‘father’? Wasn’t it you who said he made you sick? Since my imperial brother killed him, you should be thanking him.”
The Crown Prince stared straight at Prince An, gritting his teeth but saying nothing.
Prince An let out a mocking laugh. “Worthless coward.”
After spitting out those three words, he was the first to stride out of the great hall. No one dared to stop him. The officials huddled in a corner, trembling in terror.
The Crown Prince’s face had turned livid.
Cui Qingyuan bowed to him. “Your Highness, are you all right?”
“Thank you, Prime Minister Cui, for your help today.”
Cui Qingyuan shook his head. He ordered men to escort the Crown Prince back to the capital. He also had Zhou Yu escort the officials in the hall away.
At those words, the officials scrambled to their feet. Each of them wished their parents had given them several more pairs of legs, and they rushed outside as though their lives depended on it. Before long, the hall fell silent.
Outside Anshan Temple, blood flowed like a river and corpses lay piled upon one another. Shen Xiabai stood on the steps, looking down at the carnage that covered the mountain.
A small squad of soldiers was cleaning up the aftermath.
“Lord Shen, have you seen clearly the soldiers who lost their lives today?”
Cui Qingyuan approached slowly and stopped behind Shen Xiabai.
Shen Xiabai turned his head and glanced at him, then said flatly, “I’m not blind.”
Cui Qingyuan’s expression was heavy. “If you hadn’t stirred up trouble, this aftermath would never have happened. You sacrificed so many people to satisfy your own desires and achieve your own goals. Don’t you feel even the slightest bit guilty?”
“Heh…”
Shen Xiabai curved his lips in a faint smile. “Prime Minister Cui, did you reach your current position by being some merciful, good-hearted man?”
“Or are you saying that without today’s events, those brothers would have lived together in peace, treating one another with brotherly affection?”
Cui Qingyuan fell silent.
Shen Xiabai stepped down from the stairs, intending to leave Anshan Temple. Suddenly, Cui Qingyuan’s voice came from behind him.
“Even delaying things for a while is better than nothing. You have a year. Make your arrangements early.”
……
Yu Feng said softly, “My lord, Prime Minister Cui does have some concern for Madam in his heart.”
…
Shen Xiabai had not returned all night after the sacrificial rites. He had only sent a message to Cui Yunchu, telling her not to worry.
Cui Yunchu remained worried. She could neither eat nor sleep, and with nothing else to do, she flipped through her wedding trousseau storybooks again.
“Miss, stop reading those books. If your husband sees you, he’ll punish you again.”
Cui Yunchu said, “Be quiet. I’m thinking about something serious.”
“…”
What serious matters could she possibly have?
“Tell me, Yunfeng must be terribly bored while pregnant, right? How about sending her some storybooks to pass the time?”
Xing’er said, “…Sending these to Princess An? Would Prince An allow it? Won’t he come after you when he finds out?”
Princess An was pregnant, after all. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to give her these kinds of storybooks?
Cui Yunchu glared at her. “What do you know? You have to start cultivating your wits from childhood. Cui Yunfeng is an idiot. It never hurts to have her read more about imperial power struggles and conflicts in the inner household so she can learn to be more discerning.”
“…”
The child in Princess An’s belly wasn’t even born yet, let alone old enough to be called a child.
Cui Yunchu said, “I’ll pick out a few books for you later. Take them to Yunfeng secretly.”
“This servant wouldn’t dare.” If Prince An caught her, wouldn’t he take her life?
“Such a coward. Just do as I say.” Cui Yunchu tossed the books to Xing’er. “Tell Yunfeng that she must read every one of them. They’re incredibly interesting.”
Xing’er lowered her head and glanced at the books.
She had heard Miss mention them before. One was about a foolish girl who loved a man blindly, only to have him exterminate her entire family in the end. Another was about the sordid affairs of the imperial family and the struggle for the throne.
…
Her mistress certainly had a lot of schemes. This had nothing to do with helping Princess An pass the time. She was clearly trying to sow discord and make Princess An wary of Prince An.
“This servant truly wouldn’t dare.” It was such a shameless thing to do. If she were discovered, even being beaten to death would not be unjust.
Cui Yunchu kicked her and pointed at her. “Take them to her right now. What are you afraid of? Prince An isn’t at the residence. Just drop them off and run.”
“…”
Not long after Xing’er left, the steward, whom Cui Yunchu had sent to inquire about the situation, returned to report.
When she heard that the emperor was dead, Cui Yunchu abruptly sat up and asked anxiously, “Who won? What about Shen Xiabai? Is he all right?”
“He didn’t say who won, but Madam, please rest assured. Lord Shen is fine. Something unexpected happened, and all the officials and imperial princes have entered the palace. It seems they have an important matter to discuss. Whether they’ll be able to return today is uncertain.”
The relief that had just settled in Cui Yunchu’s heart rose again.
The emperor’s death was only the beginning. The struggle between the Crown Prince and Prince An was the real trouble.
“Have someone keep watch outside the palace gates. If there’s any news, send someone back to report immediately.”
The steward withdrew. Cui Yunchu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth around the room.
Then she suddenly thought of something. Turning around, she left the room and went to the woodshed where Shen Zilan and Chen Miaohe were being held.
The woodshed door was suddenly pulled open, and sunlight streamed inside. Chen Miaohe, who had been leaning against Shen Zilan, raised a hand to shield her eyes from the light and frowned.
“Cui-jiejie.” She sounded somewhat delighted, but perhaps because her legs had gone numb, she stumbled and failed to stand.
Shen Zilan woke as well. “Little Aunt.” His voice was low, and he was exceedingly polite.
Shen Xiabai had not done as he claimed and withheld food and water from them for three days. He had merely given them very small portions—enough to avoid harming their health, though certainly not enough to keep them from feeling hungry.
The two of them looked pale and haggard as they supported each other.
