Chapter 63: Hidden Circumstances; Another Round of Male Competition: Guard Lang vs. Prince Yong…
Next to Fanglan Hall was Fangzhi Hall.
These two palaces held a very awkward status within the Imperial Palace.
One might call this place the “Land of Dragon’s Rise,” yet since the Emperor succeeded to the throne, he never mentioned this place, never came here. Even when strolling through the palace, he intentionally or unintentionally avoided this area.
The old servants who had served in the palace for a long time knew that the two halls had imprisoned His Majesty and Prince Yong, but no one dared to spread this widely.
Since the Emperor issued a decree to lock Prince Yong in the palace under heavy guard, the guards reopened Fangzhi Hall. It could be considered letting Prince Yong revisit an old haunt; no fear of him not being used to living there.
Lang Xun was a little bit mean to anyone other than Ying Xi.
Especially toward a libertine like Prince Yong. When he went to the adjacent room to protect the Emperor that night, Lang Xun vaguely sensed that the atmosphere surrounding the Emperor and Prince Yong was very wrong.
Guard Lang didn’t dare to think wildly.
Prince Yong was certainly a beast, but these two were biological brothers!
Lang Xun took revenge on Prince Yong. Before locking him up, he didn’t let anyone help Prince Yong wash or change clothes, nor did he arrange for Prince Yong to eat.
Outside Fangzhi Hall, a guard whispered, “Lord Lang, the weather is getting hotter. His Highness fought several times before going in. Is this appropriate?”
Lang Xun thought about Prince Yong’s skill; missing a few meals certainly wouldn’t starve him to death. But for a noble descendant of heaven who had lived in luxury for too long, Prince Yong would definitely be unbearably uncomfortable.
Lang Xun lifted the corner of his mouth. “Deliver it at night. Don’t let him get full. If we let him out again, His Majesty will take your head and mine.”
“Yes, yes…” the guard whispered. “This younger brother is truly worrisome.”
“If Prince Yong wakes up and wants to see the Holy Majesty, do we need to pass the message?”
Lang Xun thought to himself, Pass what message? In a while, the Holy Majesty will be personally going down to Jiangnan to fight a war.
Lang Xun couldn’t help but admire him in his heart.
The Holy Majesty was truly no ordinary character. Which emperor wasn’t terrified of mishaps, staying honestly in the palace?
He had just thrown out the topic of a personal expedition. Over at Weiyang Palace, fighting the war became a minor matter; the biggest matter was stopping the Emperor.
But was he someone who could be easily stopped?
Long before these pedantic civil officials knew, the Holy Majesty had already gone out to suppress bandits. If his heart turned wild, he was like a cat; catching a chance, he always wanted to scurry outside.
Speaking of cats, cats…
A trace of itchiness brushed across the tip of Lang Xun’s heart.
Compared to all the officials, he was the only one in the court who spent the most time with His Majesty.
His Majesty had a pair of gray eyes, possessing a texture like glazed glass. His gaze was spirited, the eye shape slightly upturned. Like a cat.
His Majesty was moody. When happy, he could kick shuttlecocks with the palace maids and eunuchs. Sometimes he stayed behind closed doors, unseen for days. When angry, he had a strong aggression. Like a cat.
His Majesty’s appearance and demeanor…
Lang Xun’s thoughts stopped abruptly.
There was an improper thought deep in his heart, absolutely unmentionable, so he had to angrily divert his attention.
For the Imperial Personal Expedition, the Emperor didn’t take him.
The army launched from two routes; the commanders-in-chief were the Prefect of Xuzhou and Xie Meng respectively.
The Emperor had arranged it long ago, actually having Xie Qianli lead the Longwu Army to personally escort him to the Jingzhou front line!
Reasonably speaking, even if it was an escort, he should be the one escorting.
Lang Xun felt indignant.
He wasn’t angry at the Emperor; he was angry at himself.
There was always a strong competitive streak between young men. His Majesty didn’t choose him for the mission—was it because he couldn’t beat the one surnamed Xie?
They hadn’t fought again since the Flower Viewing Banquet; one couldn’t determine the future based on a single victory or defeat.
The thought of fighting Xie Qianli again someday floated in his mind. Lang Xun was so sour his cheeks twitched in pain!
The Captain of the Guards naturally couldn’t guess that not taking him had nothing to do with martial arts, and the personal expedition wasn’t just because Ying Xi was playful.
The Emperor wanted to go south to supervise the battle, and he absolutely could not leave Xie Qianli alone in Chang’an.
Taking him down to Jiangnan together, publicly entrusting his life and safety to the other party—Ying Xi was morally kidnapping Xie Qianli.
But on the surface, it was still a favor. Anyone would think the Emperor truly valued the Duke of Ying.
For example, Lang Xun.
The more Lang Xun thought about it, the angrier he got; he was about to die of anger.
At this moment, a guard brought dinner to His Highness Prince Yong according to his instructions.
Dinner was a plate of buns, still steaming hot. There were two in total. In the food box, there was a bowl of white porridge and some side dishes.
Lang Xun lifted the lid and glanced at the food box, his brow sinking suddenly.
Unhappy, he grabbed a large bun, stuffed it into his mouth, and gnawed on it, his cheeks puffing out.
“Lord, Lord Lang…”
Lang Xun glared at his subordinate. “What?”
“No, nothing.”
The delivery guard stared wide-eyed, having no choice but to mask it by placing the remaining single bun in the center of the porcelain plate.
Prince Yong’s food intake was forced to be halved.
The bed boards in Fangzhi Hall were soft, and the living conditions excellent, but when Prince Yong lay on them, his heart was never at peace for a moment.
For no other reason than he was too familiar with Fangzhi Hall.
Since coming to Chang’an in his childhood, he had been arranged by palace servants to live here.
Those palace servants dared not treat him too well, nor did they dare to treat him harshly. More than the quality of the conditions, what made him unable to adapt was the dead-water loneliness of Fangzhi Hall.
In childhood, he loved communicating with people.
But to his deep impression, no one talked much with him. Servants always saw him approach and then decently dodged far away.
Therefore, the twice-monthly brotherly reunion became Ying Dang’s only sustenance.
He always saved up a bellyful of words to say to his brother.
In the first few months, he spoke, and his brother listened.
He spoke about every detail.
His brother enjoyed listening.
Later, the number of his brother’s visits became fewer and fewer. It turned into him trying every way to kill time daily—counting the bricks of Fangzhi Hall, secretly learning martial arts from the guards… The rumors catching wind and shadows outside the palace walls made him hate Emperor Yuan Tai deeply. Time accumulated Ying Dang’s disappointment.
Ying Dang had quite some talent in martial arts.
He frantically wanted to get close to his brother. Looking at the palace walls several zhang high, he tried every way to jump up!
What he practiced was a martial art related to body movement.
Closer, closer…
As his martial arts improved, Ying Dang began to be able to ascend to a position a few chi² off the ground, but unable to stay, he would always fall heavily.
But Ying Dang became braver with every setback. A few chi turned into half a zhang.
Until he could kick between walls, climb to the eaves of Fangzhi Hall, and then use his arms to hold onto the top of the wall.
This action was very dangerous. If he fell carelessly, he would inevitably break bones and tendons.
This action also required arms to support the body; he couldn’t persist for too long.
Maybe his brother was too busy.
Ying Dang could understand.
If so, he could take the initiative to see his brother.
The first time Prince Yong climbed onto the wall rim was one morning. He waited anxiously, staring until his eyes were pierced, for the time it took to drink half a cup of tea. Finally, with trembling arms, he saw his brother.
It turned out his brother was joyfully sending off Emperor Yuan Tai’s trusted aide, thanking the Emperor for the bestowed rewards.
Did his brother not know their parents were harmed to death by the dog Emperor?
And who was that youth who came to play with his brother later? Why could he enter and leave the palace hall at will?
“…”
Prince Yong struggled on the surface of the bed.
Old grievances against Ying Xi made his blood surge; his body was like a dying fish.
He stubbornly forced open his acupoints.
But all the memory fragments that made him angry ultimately boiled down to the two brothers snatching the knife, both afraid of hurting the other.
Prince Yong lay on the bed, soaked in sweat.
He got out of bed with a pale face and glanced at the dinner the guard had placed in the bedroom. A solitary bun lying in the large porcelain plate was particularly eye-catching. He knew this was Lang Xun intentionally teasing him and snorted with disdain.
These stupid guards thought themselves clever, thinking Fangzhi Hall could hold him. little did they know, that was in the past.
Now, as a dignified Prince, his martial arts practice had never ceased.
He was long a hundred times, a thousand times stronger than when he was imprisoned in Fangzhi Hall as a child.
Ying Dang pushed the door open and went out.
Under the moonlight, a long human shadow was cast. His legs were straight, his chest open, his body covered with solid muscles far exceeding what his actual age should possess.
Prince Yong easily climbed up a magnolia tree in Fangzhi Hall.
The tree was very tall, its crown level with the roof of the hall.
If he climbed onto the roof and walked to the end of the building, he would be almost close to the surrounding wall.
As long as he wasn’t discovered jumping from the roof to the wall, and then slowly descending from the wall, escaping this place would be as easy as turning over his hand.
Now Prince Yong looked down from above. His feet stepped on the tiles, and above his head was the night sky.
In this field of view, nearby were the palace wall passageways, and in the distance were buildings of varying heights.
The stars filled the sky, a magnificent sight.
Crack—
But hearing a strange noise, Prince Yong stopped his steps!
It turned out Fangzhi Hall had been in disrepair for years. The tiles couldn’t withstand Prince Yong’s weight; he actually stepped through one while walking.
This movement alerted the guards outside the palace wall:
“What sound was that?”
“Did you hear that just now?”
Several guards pressed their hands on their knives, patrolling and checking everywhere.
Prince Yong lay flat on the roof, lying dormant like a gecko. His hands each gripped a tile. Even if the guards looked up from below, they wouldn’t see him. He hooked the corner of his mouth.
Sure enough, the guards checked around blankly and met up with no results. “Was there anything abnormal on your side?”
“No!”
“What about the back door?”
“None either! No one came out!”
“That’s good. Lord Lang ordered that we must watch His Highness Prince Yong closely. Otherwise, if he runs out again, fearing it will distract the Emperor and obstruct His Majesty’s next plan.”
“Yes! We will do our utmost to guard!”
The guards answered.
Prince Yong, on the roof, found it funny.
In that case, he would give Lang Xun a big gift. He had to escape, then set a fire in Fangzhi Hall, making this matter known to everyone, to see how Lang Xun would clean up the mess.
As for his brother…
What plan did his brother have?
His brother was extremely dedicated to the country, enjoying being Emperor immensely. Even though he just passed out from anger yesterday, it didn’t delay him arranging new actions today.
Prince Yong sneered.
The guards outside returned to calm.
Prince Yong slowly crawled up from the roof. His arms exerted force to prop up his upper body. Using too much strength, he actually lifted two tiles under his palms; Ying Dang almost lost his balance!
Fortunately, Prince Yong didn’t panic. Using strength in his waist, he pasted himself back onto the roof.
Suddenly, something fell out from under the tile. It was thin and tubular, rolling down the slope.
Roll, roll, roll…
Ying Dang didn’t know what it was and moved his sleeve to pin it down.
He carefully pasted the tile back in place, only then fixing his eyes on the object. He revealed a puzzled expression; it was a writing brush.
The brush was short and thin, its shape not like common stationery.
As if deliberately made this shape for portability, it seemed to have been placed here all along, waiting for someone to take and use at any time.
Why would someone put a writing brush under a tile?
When was it put there?
This object, which absolutely shouldn’t have appeared, left Prince Yong completely dazed for a moment.
He thought, ever since his brother became Crown Prince, to avoid that dark history of imprisonment, no one had lived in the two palaces again.
Could the time this pen appeared be ten years ago… when they lived in these two palaces!?
It was like a lightning bolt struck Prince Yong from head to toe, making him vaguely sense something was wrong somewhere.
Ying Dang slowly rotated the brush handle under the moonlight.
The wood of the brush was completely dried out, the handle had no markings, and the brush tip showed ink color, indicating this brush had definitely been used by someone.
“…”
Sweat floated on Prince Yong’s forehead, seized by a sense of guilt.
Lying between Fanglan Hall and Fangzhi Hall, there seemed to be things he didn’t know.
That doubt was like an expanding balloon; Prince Yong’s chest felt blocked and painful.
With a snap of force, he broke the brush tube!
Sharp wooden splinters pierced his palm, and a few drops of fresh blood trickled down; the surface of the tile bloomed like red plums. At this moment, Prince Yong’s curiosity reached its peak.
How could Ying Dang have any mind to tease the guards now?
Leaping down from the courtyard wall, he quickly evaded the guards.
He only wanted to verify it quickly. Ying Dang rushed toward Weiyang Palace.
His pace was too fast, his heart anxious; the scenery on both sides turned into blurred shadows he couldn’t see clearly.
There were a few eunuchs on duty at the entrance of Weiyang Palace.
Prince Yong hijacked a eunuch first, locking his arm around his neck, a short knife pressed against the person’s throat.
Prince Yong said fiercely, “Announce Gu! Gu wants to see His Majesty!”
The knife light reflected on the eunuch’s face, making half of it deathly pale.
Hearing Prince Yong’s voice, the eunuch was so scared he almost knelt. Wasn’t this living ancestor just locked up???
The eunuch could only beg, “Your, Your Highness… His Majesty is not in Weiyang Palace. Spare my life, Your Highness! Spare my life!!”
—”Not in Weiyang Palace? Where is Royal Brother?”
Prince Yong’s voice and expression were severe.
The eunuch answered with a trembling voice:
“His Majesty dispatched the navy for the Southern Expedition and ordered General Xie to escort him to the front line to supervise the battle.”
“His Majesty moved quickly. By now, he should have long left Chang’an. Perhaps on the road, on a boat—he isn’t in the Imperial Palace!”
At that time, the Han River.
Since the decree for war between North and South was issued, water trade routes were immediately cut off. The river surface was vast, with only warships flying flags, the Dragon Ship towering high.
End of Volume 2 · Wind Rises in Yongning
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