Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
The Minister of War urgently sent a message to Lu Huan, undoubtedly hoping that Lu Huan would return to court as soon as possible. The court was currently in turmoil, and the Crown Prince was facing dethronement. Amidst the public resentment, the Emperor might actually depose the Crown Prince in order to quell the matter! If Lu Huan is not in court at this time, he will be in a very passive position, leaving only the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince to compete for the position of Crown Prince.
Once either of them sat on the throne, it would be difficult for Lu Huan to overthrow them in the future. After all, one of them was patient and the other brave, both of whom were much better than the cowardly Crown Prince.
Even if Lu Huan had no interest in the throne, neither of these two would keep him if they became emperor.
Unlike the deposed crown prince, who was rendered useless without the prime minister, Lu Huan posed a significant threat. No emperor would allow such a threat to remain in the capital.
The implication was clear: Lu Huan now had no way out.
However, Lu Huan’s return now would be illegitimate. Having guarded the imperial tombs for a year, he was forbidden from returning to the capital without an imperial edict. If he returned openly, his wolfish ambitions would be exposed, and he might give the Second Prince another handle to use against him. If he returned secretly— which would be simpler— he would have nowhere to stand in the capital, and if he showed his face, his actions would still be illegitimate.
The only option now was to wait for a suitable opportunity to return openly and legitimately.
To become emperor, one must be without any blemishes in order to win the hearts of the people and gain their obedience.
If he were to reply, he feared the letter might be intercepted by someone with ulterior motives. Even if he didn’t reply, the Minister of War, having served for many years, would know how to protect himself. Therefore, Lu Huan did not reply that night, but quietly waited for things to develop. Last time, the Second Prince had profited from the situation; this time, he was determined to make the Second Prince the mantis trying to catch the cicada[1], ending up with nothing.
It was another cold winter in the State of Yan.
Heavy snow blanketed Taishan, stretching endlessly, while the situation in Beijing was turbulent and constantly changing.
After instructing two of his closest Imperial Guards to deliver the information they gathered into the palace each day, Lu Huan continued to remain secluded.
The Minister of War, who was getting no response from him, grew anxious.
On the one hand, the Minister of War felt that Lu Huan probably had his own plans and he didn’t need to worry about Lu Huan. On the other hand, he couldn’t help but feel anxious about Lu Huan’s passive attitude and lack of interest in possessing the Taiji Palace[2].
He and General Zhenyuan initially had no clear stance. It wasn’t until Lu Huan regained his status as the Ninth Prince and everyone returned from the Northern Border with their troops that he and General Zhenyuan stood on Lu Huan’s side multiple times in the Golden Palace. Now they were completely in the Ninth Prince’s faction. They were all in the same boat, and if Lu Huan didn’t take that position, their fate would not be good either.
Even if not for that reason, for the sake of the people, he hoped that Lu Huan could ascend to that position and bring peace and prosperity to the Yan Kingdom.
All the officials appointed by the court were in the capital. The Zhenyuan Army had returned to its garrison in the four directions. There were three city gates from the capital to the palace: Mingde, Zhuque, and Hantian. In times of peace, the army could not enter the capital. If it did, it would be arrested on charges of treason.
The Minister of War was worried that the situation in the capital might change suddenly, so he arranged for himself and the family members of General Zhenyuan to leave the city gate in advance.
….
Su Xi never expected that such a big thing would happen in Yan Kingdom after she finished her tutoring. When she opened her phone, she saw a huge crowd of people gathered outside Zhuque Gate, petitioning the court to depose the crown prince. Although there must have been someone who was stirring up trouble and deliberately arousing public anger, in the end, if the crown prince hadn’t taken advantage of the chaos in the country to enrich himself, how could such a big thing have happened?
Now, the emperor was in a dilemma in the imperial palace. Deposing the crown prince would shake the foundation of the country, but not deposing him would likely destabilize the people’s hearts.
After Lu Huan returned from Taishan and changed his clothes in his room, Su Xi couldn’t help but reach out to him with her phone: “What are you planning to do?”
Fortunately, this didn’t happen around the time of the college entrance exam, otherwise her son wouldn’t have needed to take it at all.
The fat cat nudged Su Xi’s feet with its back, and Su Xi gently kicked it away, muttering, “My god, your Yan Kingdom’s second prince is poisonous. I thought he was really honest before, but I didn’t expect him to be hiding something.”
“Yes, he’s shrewd and calculating.” Lu Huan was clearly still thinking about the hunt at Qiuyan Mountain back then: “Isn’t this kind of persona cool? You even left a lamp for him.”
Su Xi: …
You’ve watched too many TV dramas with me, haven’t you? You even know about ‘character design’.
Lu Huan stared at Su Xi’s hand and asked quietly, “Which hand did you use to apply the medicine for him? You applied it so evenly…”
“What are you doing?” Su Xi hurriedly grabbed her right hand with her left, hiding her own hand behind her back. “You’re jealous of this? I didn’t save him for his sake. Didn’t you know from the beginning that I did it for you…”
Before she could finish speaking, Lu Huan moved behind her and grabbed her hand. Su Xi instinctively backed away, but when she reached the wall with nowhere left to retreat, Lu Huan pinned her against the wall. He then grabbed her hand and wiped it on his chest.
Su Xi: …
Lu Huan then became happy and said, “I want to have what others have too.”
Su Xi: “Are you crazy?! I even flicked the butts of two servants in the Ning Wang mansion at the very beginning. Why don’t you do the same?”
After saying that, she actually pinched the boy’s butt in front of her.
Lu Huan’s expression turned incredibly varied in an instant: …
Joking aside, the main point was the current situation in the capital, because of which Su Xi was very worried about for Lu Huan. But Lu Huan had already calculated the time and realized it wasn’t the right time yet.
Regardless of whether the Second Prince or the Fifth Prince currently held the upper hand, both would need an imperial edict from the Emperor to vie for the position of Crown Prince. The Emperor would not easily grant the Crown Prince position to either of them, and the civil and military officials, who were already in different factions, would not easily submit to any of them. Therefore, the winner among them would only have one path— to turn them against their own side.
Lu Huan only needed to wait and see.
“I’ll clean up the mess when things get a bit more chaotic,” Lu Huan said.
Hearing him say that, Su Xi felt somewhat relieved. In any case, she wouldn’t get hurt, and she still had herself and the system as her cheat.
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron and access advance chapters on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents • Next
[1] The phrase “the mantis trying to catch the cicada” most famously refers to a classic Chinese idiom and parable about short-sighted pursuit and hidden dangers, though it also describes a real-life predatory interaction in nature.
[2] The Taiji Palace primarily refers to the historical imperial palace.
