Chapter 351: Provocation
Gu Jinzhao could clearly sense that something unusual was happening today.
Caifu told her that several burly men had infiltrated the front courtyard last night, dressed in black and masked. No one knew their purpose. The night watch guards discovered them, and after a brief struggle, they were captured. Chen Yi spent the entire day interrogating them. It was said they were all assassins, enduring severe torture without uttering a word.
Upon hearing this, Third Master Chen frowned in thought for a moment before immediately increasing the number of patrols in both the inner and outer courtyards.
As Gu Jinzhao fed Changsuo egg custard, she listened to Chen Xuanyue recount these events.
"They might have been sent to gather information," Chen Xuanyue said, "or to find dirt on Third Uncle. But with Third Uncle here, there’s no need for you to worry." He cracked open a peanut shell, tossed the nut into his mouth, and chewed with relish.
Seeing this, Changsuo also wanted to eat peanuts and pushed away the egg custard his mother offered.
"If they’ve even sent out assassins, the situation must be serious," Gu Jinzhao remarked. She set the egg custard bowl on a black-lacquered square tray and had the wet nurse take Changsuo outside to play—peanuts were off-limits for him. But Changsuo clung to his mother’s sleeve, refusing to let go. "Peanuts, Mama, Changsuo eat," he pleaded.
Gu Jinzhao tapped his forehead lightly and laughed. "You’re such a little glutton, wanting to eat everything you see! Sit still and don’t fuss at me."
Changsuo sat beside her, pouting, his hopeful eyes fixed on his ninth brother. Afraid of upsetting his mother, he didn’t dare ask outright.
Chen Xuanyue burst into laughter at the child’s pitiful expression.
When his father returned, Changsuo wriggled free and rushed to him, wrapping his tiny arms around his neck. "Daddy," he whined, then tattled on Gu Jinzhao, "Mama bad!"
Third Master Chen sat down with his son in his arms and asked with a smile, "How is she bad?"
Changsuo nibbled on his fingers and said, "No give me yummy."
Third Master Chen looked puzzled, unable to decipher his son’s childish words. "What yummy?"
Gu Jinzhao was laughing too hard to get up. This child really held a grudge! She couldn’t be bothered with him.
She brought Third Master Chen a bowl of ginseng soup and asked about the assassins. "Zhang Ju Lian must be at his wit's end. If pushed further, things could get out of hand. Would he actually rebel? Given how cunning he is, I doubt it’s likely."
Third Master Chen only smiled ambiguously. "We’ll see."
After coaxing Changsuo to sleep, the two retired for the night.
In the middle of the night, Gu Jinzhao heard someone outside calling for Third Master Chen. He quickly threw on a robe and got up. Gu Jinzhao’s drowsiness vanished—if someone came at this hour, it must be urgent.
She lit a candle with a matchstick and heard an unfamiliar man’s voice in the adjoining room.
"His Lordship the heir says it’s done. The palace is in chaos, and his men have infiltrated the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the confusion. The news will spread within the hour..."
Then she heard Third Master Chen’s voice: "The Golden Guard Commander is already under our control. Go back and inform His Lordship... Tell him not to act rashly within the Embroidered Uniform Guard for now."
The voices murmured indistinctly, then fell silent.Third Master Chen entered and saw Gu Jinzhao standing outside the lattice window eavesdropping. The exquisitely crafted window inlaid with white jade cast a warm glow on her profile under the candlelight. She smiled somewhat sheepishly and said softly, "Oh, I just came to check since I noticed you were up..."
Third Master Chen led her back inside, wearing only his inner robe. She wasn't even afraid of catching cold!
After Gu Jinzhao had gotten into bed and pulled up the covers, Third Master Chen lay down beside her and said,
"Feng Chengshan is dead."
Gu Jinzhao was startled. "He... wasn't he the Directorate of Ceremonial, Writing Brush Eunuch? How did he die?"
Third Master Chen closed his eyes to rest and said slowly, "Treason."
Feng Chengshan was Zhang Ju Lian's man—to be precise, his status was nearly equal to Zhang Ju Lian's. But in matters of action, he had to follow Zhang Ju Lian's orders. If even Zhang Ju Lian wasn't prepared to commit treason, how could Feng Chengshan have done so?
Gu Jinzhao looked at him skeptically. "Really?"
Third Master Chen chuckled. "Why would I lie to you? A palace servant witnessed it. He took a dagger and sneaked into the Emperor's bedchamber intending to assassinate him, but was subdued by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. They found a note on him—written in Zhang Ju Lian's handwriting—that said, 'Take the head at the end of the hour, meet at Western Hill Garden.'"
Gu Jinzhao sat up abruptly, grabbing his lapel.
"You still say you're not lying? If Zhang Ju Lian had ordered him to do something so important, would he have left behind evidence of his own guilt?" A thought suddenly occurred to her. "You're trying to frame him?"
"Who said I'm trying to frame him?" Third Master Chen pressed her back down. "Stay still and go to sleep properly..."
"Could this be Ye Xian's scheme?" Gu Jinzhao considered it and found it plausible.
Ye Xian might very well be repaying him in kind.
Third Master Chen said, "It's my scheme."
He paused before continuing, "But framing him was just incidental—the main goal was to eliminate Feng Chengshan. As long as Feng Chengshan controlled the Directorate of Ceremonial, the Emperor would never have a say in governance. Throughout history, when eunuchs seize power, it's always an omen of the nation's downfall. With Feng Chengshan dead, Zhang Ju Lian's influence in the Grand Secretariat will be unstable. Once he's thrown into disarray... then when I accuse him of treason, it won't be a false charge."
Gu Jinzhao made a sound of acknowledgment and lay quietly beside him for a while before lifting her head again to ask, "Those assassins... were they trying to kill you?"
Third Master Chen answered succinctly, "Mm."
Gu Jinzhao hugged his waist tighter, feeling the warmth of his body.
"I've been reciting sutras for you every day now," Gu Jinzhao said. "I heard from the maidservant who attends to you that when I was in difficult labor, you told the Buddhist beads that if I survived safely, you would hand-copy scriptures for them. Now when I go to the small prayer hall to offer incense every day, I say the same thing. Maybe I should follow Mother's example and convert to Buddhism—that way, my prayers might seem more sincere..."
Third Master Chen was moved by her words and finally opened his eyes, turning to look at her in his arms.
"Do you believe in Buddhism?"
Gu Jinzhao didn't really believe in it. She said, "I think it's best to revere things beyond our understanding."
Third Master Chen smiled and stroked her hair. "Don't force yourself."
Gu Jinzhao looked at him again. "Really, you don't want me to? I see that in our household, only Mother is devout, and you're only half-hearted..."
Third Master Chen simply held her and laughed, pretending to be serious as he said, "Really, no need."Gu Jinzhao looked at his face so close to hers—those deep brown eyes, and because he always smiled, even when he wasn't smiling, faint traces of laughter lingered at the corners of his lips. But when he pressed his lips together, they disappeared, just like now, where those faint traces remained...
She leaned in and gently kissed the corner of his mouth. "Alright then, let's sleep."
Third Master Chen froze. Her initiative in kissing him was so light it was as if it hadn't happened at all—just a fleeting touch like water, yet ripples spread endlessly across the surface.
She buried her face in his chest and truly fell asleep.
Chen Yanyun could only close his eyes, but the sensation at the corner of his lips lingered for a long time.
Meanwhile, the inner city of the Forbidden City was under strict martial law.
Ye Xian didn’t dare sleep all night, sitting in his study listening to reports from his men. Late into the night, the old marquis even came hobbling over on his cane. With all his old and new subordinates summoned by Ye Xian, how could he not be disturbed? The old marquis sat in the Grand Preceptor's Chair and asked, "What are you up to?"
Ye Xian toyed with his teacup.
"Grandfather, I’m the head of the Changxing Marquis Household now."
The old marquis laughed in exasperation. "So you really think you can do as you please? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing."
Ye Xian waved his hand, smiling. "It’s not like I’d harm our family, right?"
The old marquis was at a loss for words, choking for a moment before finally saying, "You—fine! But let me tell you this: if you want to collaborate with Chen Yanyun, go ahead. But the forces our family can muster, combined with Chen Yanyun’s, still can’t match the Five Armies Commandery."
Ye Xian replied, "If we could match them, I’d have killed him long ago. It’s precisely because we can’t that I’m playing these games of schemes and counter-schemes."
Another messenger arrived, reporting that Left Commander Fu Jun had taken men to Zhang Ju Lian’s residence.
The old marquis sat drinking tea for a while, watching as his grandson finished giving orders. Ye Xian came over, took his cloak, and said, "I’m heading to the palace. You should go back first."
The old marquis frowned. "What are you going there for at this hour?"
Ye Xian replied coolly, "I’m afraid Zhang Ju Lian might turn his act into reality."
He left swiftly with his men. The old marquis watched his grandson depart, then waved for someone to summon the current marquis.
Zhang Ju Lian spent the entire night talking with Fu Jun.
From the moment he learned of Feng Chengshan’s death, Zhang Ju Lian knew things had taken a dire turn. Whether Feng Chengshan had actually done it—no one knew better than him! And as for who had framed Feng Chengshan, it was painfully obvious. It couldn’t be Chen Yanyun—his influence in the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Golden Crow Guard was too weak. It had to be Ye Xian!
Feng Chengshan had said these two had formed an alliance, and he hadn’t been lying.
Zhang Ju Lian also had his own men in the Golden Crow Guard, so he quickly learned the contents of that note.
Fu Jun said, "The death of Eunuch Feng isn’t the real issue—it’s that he’s dragged you into this. Once the news spreads tomorrow, the criticism against you will only grow. Without Eunuch Feng in the Grand Secretariat, everything will have to pass through the Emperor’s scrutiny. That’s when things will truly become difficult!"
Zhang Ju Lian lowered his gaze in thought and summoned his advisors. "Are there still any useful men left in the Directorate of Ceremonial?"
The advisors deliberated and proposed a few names, but none capable of exerting influence over the Emperor.
Zhang Ju Lian dismissed them with a wave.
His expression darkened like still water.Still underestimated Chen Yanyun. Never expected him to eliminate Feng Chengshan at this time. In truth, he should have anticipated it long ago. No matter how tightly he arranged things on his end, Feng Chengshan was beyond his control. Feng Chengshan attended the Emperor personally every day—how could he possibly send people to protect him?
Fu Jun asked quietly, "Then... what do you intend to do?"
"What do I intend to do?" Zhang Ju Lian laughed.
"Chen Yanyun has paved the way for me, going to great lengths precisely because he wants me to rebel." A surge of anger rose in Zhang Ju Lian's heart, yet his voice grew even calmer. "Then I'll rebel and show him!"
Thinking he could suppress him with the charge of rebellion? Let Chen Yanyun try—we'll see who cracks first!
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