Chapter 74: Harmony

A nation on the brink of division, flesh and blood torn apart… Neither outcome was what he desired.

“Young master, it’s time we depart.” Pei Ya’s gaze didn’t stray toward Li Youqing in the slightest, yet the sudden oppressive atmosphere in the room made her heart race with fear.

Her instincts told her that both men in the room harbored ill intentions toward her.

Pei Ya’s motives were easily understood – he was originally the high-ranking Seal-holding Eunuch, trusted by both His Majesty and the Crown Prince, but had now fallen back into the mud because of Xuan Rui’s arrival.

Such eunuchs who had struggled to climb up were most prone to gambler’s mentality. Whether kidnapping her was to help the Crown Prince turn the tables, success would bring him monumental achievements ensuring centuries of wealth and honor.

As for Jin Cheng—

She had been presumptuous all along. Everything he did wasn’t for her, but for the Crown Prince.

But what could they achieve by kidnapping her now?

Soon, she realized and questioned: “You want to use me to threaten Prince Rui into changing the Crown Prince’s appointment again.”

Just as Jin Cheng was about to speak, Pei Ya interrupted him: “Your Highness overthink. How would we slaves dare?”

“Please remain calm, Your Highness. I’m afraid you’ll have to stay outside the palace with us slaves for some time.” Pei Ya’s tone remained unhurried, as if discussing an ordinary matter: “The outside world isn’t like the palace, without attendants to serve you. Your Highness will inevitably suffer some hardships, but this slave guarantees such days won’t last long.”

They only needed to wait until they won this battle, until the Crown Prince ascended the throne… Then everything would return to normal…

Li Youqing shuddered under his serpent-like gaze, goosebumps rising all over her body. Looking at Jin Cheng’s flushed face beside him, she decided to save her energy and not waste words on this despicable creature.

·

The palace had descended into chaos.

The palace maid who falsely conveyed Noble Consort’s message during the banquet to lure the young princess out had already taken poison and died.

Zisu was found still lying unconscious in the weeds of the imperial garden, with a letter beside her addressed to Prince Rui.

The mastermind quickly surfaced – the letter was clearly signed by Pei Ya, the most favored eunuch by His Majesty’s side.

Xuan Rui’s hands trembled as he held the letter. Since parting from Qing, he had known all movements in the capital, believing everything was under his control.

Now, only one final step remained before they could truly be together.

Just one final step—

“Investigate! Conduct a thorough investigation into this eunuch’s background, including everyone he had contact with in recent days. Every detail must be presented to me!”

Lost and found, found and lost again – all emotions felt like they had been tossed into boiling oil.

The phrases “love but cannot obtain” and “seek but cannot gain” churned repeatedly in his mind. Xuan Rui nearly succumbed to madness in that moment.

If he killed the Fourth Prince and supported the Crown Prince’s succession, would she return?

He bit his lower lip, maintaining a sliver of clarity in his mind. What exactly must he do to make her return?

That beast Pei Ya had neither parents nor children, no attachments in this world that could be threatened. But as long as he had accomplices—

Xuan Rui returned to his residence with a dark expression, sitting silently in the hall throughout the latter half of the night until daybreak, when Xiao Ziqi brought back a piece of information.

In recent days, Grand Tutor Jin had claimed illness at home, and according to imperial physicians, his condition was quite severe. All generations of the Jin family were attending to him at his bedside, except for Jin Cheng who was conspicuously absent.

If they had only investigated Pei Ya, they certainly wouldn’t have noticed this matter, but Xiao Ziqi knew deeply that such a significant event would inevitably be accompanied by other unusual occurrences in the city.

He had long been monitoring the movements in the capital on behalf of Prince Rui. He was aware of Jin Cheng’s intentions toward the Crown Prince, so when the young princess went missing, the Jin family was the first he suspected.

Where there is abnormality, there must be mischief!

“Deploy heavy troops to surround the entire Jin residence. Not even a fly is allowed to enter or leave.” Xuan Rui’s brow bone protruded sharply, his entire being exuding a cold, murderous aura, his eyes filled with frost. “Spread the word: for every day the princess remains missing, I will execute one member of the Jin family until the entire household is wiped out.”

Xuan Rui had originally intended to say that it wasn’t yet confirmed whether Jin Cheng was involved, but seeing the crimson rage in Prince Rui’s eyes, he swallowed his words.

Moreover, based on his intuition, Jin Cheng was definitely implicated in this matter.

Xuan Rui didn’t actually kill anyone from the Jin family. Instead, every other day, he had someone toss a burlap sack over the Jin family’s courtyard wall. The sacks contained dismembered human limbs, which attracted packs of wild dogs to fight over them.

One sack per day, thrown for three consecutive days.

Even among the bones left by the wild dogs, valuable accessories like jewelry and jade pendants—items that could identify the victims—could be found.

Jin Cheng was still young and deeply valued family ties. His resolve quickly crumbled under the pressure.

On the third day, a haggard, ragged young man appeared at the main gate of the Jin residence. Just then, another sack was thrown out. He desperately rushed forward to seize it.

Xuan Rui stood nearby, watching coldly, and waved for his men to restrain the young man.

However, the outcome was not as expected.

Although Jin Cheng had participated in the princess’s kidnapping and had returned because he couldn’t bear the psychological torment, he had no idea where Pei Ya had taken the princess afterward.

The entire scheme was masterminded by Pei Ya. Jin Cheng was merely an inside accomplice within the palace, recruiting a few trusted Jin family servants to assist in the plot.

With the lives of his entire family in Prince Rui’s hands, Jin Cheng had already surrendered. He revealed a general location: Yancheng.

Yancheng was located in the south, not far from the capital. Xuan Rui entrusted all capital affairs to Xiao Ziqi and quietly headed south.

At the same time, an imperial decree was issued in the capital: the former Crown Prince Li Jing, having lost virtue, was demoted to commoner status and expelled from the palace effective immediately.

Dressed in plain clothes, Li Jing left the imperial city accompanied by only one attendant. Though their attire was ordinary, both carried an air of dignity and grace.

“You should understand the purpose of our departure from the palace,” Xuan Rui glanced at the Crown Prince, his tone laced with warning.

Having grown up on battlefields and faced countless complex situations, Xuan Rui knew that if they blindly followed Pei Ya’s provocations, they would likely never see the princess again.

With Zhang Liang dead, the southern army was now in disarray. If he wasn’t mistaken, Pei Ya was leading them.

By controlling all of the Jin family’s influence, Xuan Rui had effectively severed Pei Ya’s inside connections in the capital, cutting off his eyes and ears. However, the demotion and expulsion of the Crown Prince was such a major event that Pei Ya would undoubtedly learn of it.

“This matter has nothing to do with Youqing. Even if you hadn’t come, I would have rescued her,” Li Jing, now a fallen tiger, had never imagined she would be dragged into this.

Xuan Rui scoffed, not believing a word of what he had just said. “If I hadn’t followed, would you have let her return?”

“You dare to expose such vile thoughts so openly—someone like you isn’t worthy of even speaking her name.” Xuan Rui’s eyes flashed with contempt as he delivered the icy remark.

Li Jing lowered his gaze, shutting out the mockery with an air of detached transcendence.

His feelings were indeed filthy, but the bond between them was something a man like Xuan Rui could never comprehend.

Just like that New Year’s Eve when she personally made wontons for him—outsiders would never understand, but he knew it was a memory exclusive to them.

Youqing, all I want is to occupy a unique place in your heart.

~

Traveling southward from the north, shadowy figures trailed them furtively along the way.

Xuan Rui knew they wouldn’t show themselves openly until they reached Salt City, so he maintained composure throughout the journey—eating when hungry, sleeping when tired, always preserving his strength.

With Li Jing by his side, he had no fear they wouldn’t appear.

Li Jing remained even more unruffled. Actually, back on New Year’s Eve when discussing escape plans with Pei Ya, he’d already heard of this scheme.

Though he’d flatly rejected it then—even facing death, he would never exploit the woman he loved.

Now deep in southern territory, Zhang Liang’s former domain, he knew commanding the southern army could offer a chance to regain power.

Pei Ya’s initial demand—using the princess to force Xuan Rui to kill the Fourth Prince and install Li Jing—had been an outrageous overreach.

Now, their true objective was accomplished.

No matter how many shadow guards Xuan Rui brought, they’d be no match.

Li Jing understood court politics perfectly: moving against the Fourth Prince would provoke an all-out fight with the Sima Family, and Xuan Rui’s current capabilities extended only this far.

Upon reaching an inn in Salt City, their contact finally appeared, sitting before them with a smiling offer: “Our gratitude to Prince Rui for personally escorting the Crown Prince. Please rest at our military camp before planning next steps.”

Xuan Rui pondered briefly before nodding: “Your Crown Prince suffers from a rare poison only I can antidote. I’ll accompany you to camp. After seeing the princess… we’ll discuss further plans.”

The man’s expression shifted, his gaze turning to the Crown Prince.

Li Jing timely coughed several times, his face flushing red.

The attendant hurriedly poured water for him, asking respectfully: “Your Highness, how fares your health?”

Li Jing patted his chest: “I’ve relied entirely on Prince Rui’s care during this journey. See that you treat him hospitably later.”

“Naturally. The carriage awaits outside. Your Highness, Prince Rui, please follow me.”

Beneath the table, Xuan Rui’s hands clenched and unclenched, trembling slightly at the thought of finally seeing her—and the fear of complications.

Fortunately, the envoy’s attention remained fixed on Li Jing, completely missing his agitation.

Youqing, I dragged you into this chaos. I’ll resolve all troubles and bring you home safely.

During the return journey, the envoy rode outside while Li Jing and Xuan Rui shared the carriage.

With eavesdroppers nearby, they spoke little, though Li Jing occasionally lifted the curtain so Xuan Rui could memorize the route.

The envoy noticed this but hesitated to speak, ultimately silenced by Li Jing’s sharp glance.

These southern rebels couldn’t launch their uprising without their former Crown Prince.

Strangely enough, though he and Xuan Rui were clearly rivals and enemies, they now found themselves unexpectedly harmonious and coordinated for a shared goal.

Before nightfall, the carriage finally entered the mountains.

Bonfires burned in the Southern Army camp, their flames mirrored by the brilliant stars above. As soon as Li Jing stepped down from the carriage, his gaze swept around and quickly passed over Pei Ya, settling on a slender figure standing by a distant bonfire.

The mountain cold was biting, yet she wore only a thin cotton coat. Her delicate face appeared deathly pale in the night wind.

He quickened his pace toward her, but suddenly saw her dart toward him like a startled fawn…

Yet the very creature he had protected since childhood seemed to look right through him. Li Jing turned aside, watching helplessly as she brushed past him and threw herself into another man’s arms.

The bleak night wind made him shiver, and he felt a loneliness deeper than any he had ever known.

The nation facing division, flesh and blood torn apart… Neither outcome was what he desired.