“Crash!”
“What did you say? Sixth brother is asking the Emperor for the hand of the Hua family daughter?” Crown Prince Lu Yuanhong’s eyes blazed with fury as he glared at the man before him. The floor was littered with shattered ceramic pieces, a clear indication of a recent outburst.
“Yes!” Eunuch Yun bowed, his expression growing grim.
“I found it strange before. Sixth brother frequents brothels, plays cuju, drinks at pleasure houses, and gambles. He’s been seen everywhere in Jin Cheng that has a bit of fun. Everyone in Nan Yue Guo thought he was a good-for-nothing. Ever since the Rong Fei case, how did Consort Nangong take such a useless fellow? Turns out his intentions lie here; he wants to contend for the throne too!”
As Lu Yuanhong spoke, his anger intensified. He kicked a maidservant kneeling beside him, who was picking up the broken porcelain.
The maidservant lost her balance and cried out as she fell. The shards on the floor sliced her hand and the side of her face that hit the ground.
Blood trickled down.
The maidservant bit her lip, daring not to make a sound. Trembling, she remained kneeling, gathered the remaining shards into her arms, and quickly walked away.
Eunuch Yun cast a glance at the departing maidservant before leaning closer to Lu Yuanhong. “We killed Lu Yuan Chen, thinking Nangong Xiao Die would be disheartened from then on. Who would have thought she’d make this move with Lu Yuan Feng.”
“Hmph!” Lu Yuanhong snorted, his eyes darting around. After a moment, he asked, “Nangong Xiao Die is just a village girl, with no background or support. Her knowledge of courtly strategy is rudimentary. This move with Lu Yuan Feng is definitely not something someone like her could have conceived.”
Eunuch Yun nodded in agreement with Lu Yuanhong’s analysis. “Actually, our informants reported that after Lu Yuan Chen’s accident, someone was seen frequenting Nangong Xiao Die’s palace!”
“Who?” Lu Yuanhong pressed.
“Zhong Li!”
“Lu Wu Xie’s woman?” Lu Yuanhong narrowed his eyes, pondering for a moment. He then turned to Eunuch Yun and asked, “Mo Cang and I grew up together. He’s a little older than me. I recall us being very close before I was ten, even sharing good things. It wasn’t until the Consort of the Virtuous Prince had an accident that he began to distance himself from me, to the point where we’re now mere acquaintances. I still haven’t figured out what went wrong. Could it be that Mother Consort’s assassination of the Consort of the Virtuous Prince was discovered by him?”
“Impossible!” As soon as Lu Yuanhong finished speaking, Eunuch Yun stated his judgment with absolute certainty.
“Why are you so sure, Eunuch?” Lu Yuanhong asked.
Eunuch Yun chuckled. “After the assassination of the Consort of the Virtuous Prince, all those involved were executed by your Empress Mother. As for the little maidservant who betrayed the Consort of the Virtuous Prince, she was threatened into suicide. The truth of this matter cannot possibly be known by anyone else!”
“Is that so?” Lu Yuanhong murmured, his expression somewhat dazed. He always felt that his actions were one step behind others.
“Let’s not dwell on this!” Eunuch Yun took a new teacup handed to him by the maidservant, poured a cup of clear tea, and placed it in Lu Yuanhong’s hand. “The pressing matter now is this matter of Lu Yuan Feng seeking marriage with Hua Yao.”
“What are Mother Consort’s plans?” Lu Yuanhong inquired.
Eunuch Yun thought for a moment and whispered, “Your Mother Consort’s intention is…”
“You’re saying… to forge an imperial decree?” Lu Yuanhong was so shocked by this plan that his pupils contracted drastically. “Eunuch, do you know what would happen if this is discovered… a beheading, and even…”
“Even what?” Eunuch Yun prompted him to continue.
Lu Yuanhong stammered and fell silent.
Eunuch Yun said, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, your Empress Mother and I have planned and schemed for so long, all for your smooth ascension to the throne. Now that the knife is at our throats and the enemy has pushed us this far, we must proceed even if we are unwilling!”
“But… what if the Hua family doesn’t believe us…” Lu Yuanhong felt a prickle of fear.
“If they don’t believe us, we’ll kill them!” Eunuch Yun made a throat-slitting gesture. “Since the Hua family cannot be an ally, they are formidable enemies. If the Hua family complies, they may live a few more days. If they resist, we will take action.”
Listening to Eunuch Yun’s words, Lu Yuanhong felt his breath constrict. He held his forehead, lost in thought for a long time, before finally gritting his teeth and saying, “Alright!”
***
Late at night, a residence in the southwest of Jinzhou.
Zhong Li and Lu Wu Xie had set up military tents outside the residence.
A’Wang and the others were already sound asleep in their tents, exhausted. Only one person lay on the ground covered in dry grass, gazing at the sky with a vacant stare.
Zhong Li woke up mid-sleep, feeling thirsty. She crawled out of the tent, preparing to find some water. What she saw was Lu Wu Xie, lying not far away with his eyes open, lost in thought.
“Why aren’t you resting?” She walked over to him and handed him the water flask she was holding.
Lu Wu Xie took a sip, wiped the water from his lips with his fingertips, and didn’t answer Zhong Li’s question. Instead, he tilted his head back, motioning for her to look at the sky.
Zhong Li sat down on the ground, imitating his posture as she stared at the sky.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “This celestial phenomenon…”
“Yes, Ying Huo Shou Xin,” Lu Wu Xie said.
“But you said it wouldn’t happen until next year…” Zhong Li trailed off.
Lu Wu Xie shook his head. “I don’t know. It seems many things have been advanced. Take this matter of Qia Te Grass for instance. According to the plan, the Wu family’s silver bank should only have encountered trouble next year. But in reality, the Wu family’s silver bank has already been sealed. And Lin Jin, in my previous life, he died because of me. In this life…”
He didn’t continue, afraid that saying too much would make Zhong Li overthink and blame herself.
Zhong Li remained silent, her gaze fixed on the sky, pondering something.
After a while, she said, “I watched a movie before.”
“Movie?” Lu Wu Xie frowned, hearing the new term.
Zhong Li smiled and explained, “You can understand it as a play.”
Lu Wu Xie nodded, signaling her to continue.
“The movie was called The Butterfly Effect. It’s about a person who, to escape childhood trauma, fantasizes about entering his childhood self to rectify past mistakes and cherish everyone around him. But the result is that things get worse. He loses more than he has now. Sometimes, a small change can cause events to develop in unpredictable directions, even altering the entire future. I think the reason Ying Huo Shou Xin is happening earlier might be related to this theory. In your previous life, you supported the Crown Prince. In this life, you want to protect the Virtuous Prince’s estate, so naturally, some things are changing. Whether it’s good or bad, we can only see the final outcome. But…” Zhong Li said, looking intently at Lu Wu Xie, “Mo Cang, nothing is perfect. Neither you nor I know what will happen next. But I am willing to face everything side by side with you.”
A warmth spread through Lu Wu Xie’s heart. He put his arm around Zhong Li’s shoulder, remaining silent.
The sky was filled with twinkling stars. The two insomniacs leaned against each other, finding solace in each other’s warmth.
“Young Master, Young Master!”
The sound of horses' hooves echoed from not far away. Before Lu Wu Xie could clearly see who it was, he saw a figure fall ungracefully from a horse. Without attending to his own injuries, the figure stumbled towards them and pleaded, “Young Master, Lady, please save my young master! He’s disappeared!”
Zhong Li recognized the voice. She sat up and saw that the petty official was none other than Ah Qiang, the new servant of Ren Wen Shu.