The study fell into silence.
Xiao Xun looked at Chu Lan and set the teacup down on the table.
"I know this matter is of great importance, something Mr. Chu has never even imagined in his lifetime," he said. "It's only natural that Mr. Chu has many doubts."
Chu Lan gazed at the flickering dim lamp. Indeed, how could he have ever anticipated such a thing happening? He still felt as if he might be dreaming.
"I could handle this matter entirely on my own, without sitting here with you, Mr. Chu, saying all these words," Xiao Xun said. "This must be one of your doubts, isn't it?"
Chu Lan nodded subconsciously, then froze—wasn't this admitting it?
But Xiao Xun had already come here, which showed he had long known everything.
Yes, he clearly knew it all. He could have simply taken action directly without even showing up. Why bother saying so much?
"Because I value you too highly, Mr. Chu."
Hearing these words, Chu Lan could no longer restrain himself and stood up: "Stop talking nonsense, you—" He stared at the young Heir Apparent. "You just want to use my hands to commit evil deeds, so you can claim to be innocent and blameless!"
He was merely timid, not stupid. Why say something even a three-year-old wouldn't believe?
Xiao Xun smiled, his dimples deepening: "I was teasing you, Mr. Chu, to keep you from getting too tense. See, now that you've vented your anger, don't you feel better?"
Today, he, Chu Lan, was like a mouse being toyed with—what could he do? Chu Lan slumped in helpless defeat.
"Mr. Chu, I am indeed asking you to commit evil deeds on my behalf, but not because I cannot or will not dirty my own hands," Xiao Xun said, his smile fading. "It's because, from now on, I need you. Of course, to be precise, I need Chu Ling. But Chu Ling's life is nearing its end, so you, Mr. Chu, are my indispensable support."
He was indispensable support? Chu Lan finally lifted his head to look at him.
"Mr. Chu, I presume you now understand your brother's true status," Xiao Xun said.
Chu Lan averted his gaze, answering with silence.
"That person came to you today because of this, and I came to you today for the same reason," Xiao Xun's voice came again. "But after that person uses you today, all he will remember is Chu Ling's contributions. Once Chu Ling dies, you will be nothing more than Chu Ling's brother in his eyes—negligible. But when I use you, I am truly using you. It will be you yourself helping me. After the matter is accomplished, in my eyes, you will no longer be Chu Ling's brother, but a key minister."
A key minister!
Minister!
This word "minister" blatantly placed himself in the position of a ruler.
This word "minister" was also a promise—
Chu Lan looked at Xiao Xun, wanting to say something but unsure what.
Xiao Xun didn't wait for him to speak and continued: "Moreover, after Chu Ling dies, you will still be alive. As Chu Ling's only brother, you must take over everything that was his."
Saying this, he once again picked up the teacup and offered it to Chu Lan.
"Mr. Chu, when I said I value you, it was no jest. I came here because of Chu Ling, but what I truly need is you."
"In the future, I will be your ladder to heaven, but at this moment, you are my ladder to heaven."
"Mr. Chu, I ask you to join me in stepping onto this ladder to heaven, together, to ascend to the heavenly gate."
He spoke these words once more.
Hearing them again, Chu Lan's heart still pounded fiercely, but this time, he did not say he didn't understand their meaning. Instead, he reached out and took the teacup.Xiao Xun smiled and stood up. "There have been too many unexpected events today. Since Mr. Chu is emotionally unsettled, I won't disturb you further."
With that, he walked out.
Chu Lan hesitated for a moment, then stood up holding his teacup, uncertain whether to see him off.
Xiao Xun stopped and turned back. "Mr. Chu, you needn't worry about safety. My people have secured your residence and will ensure your protection."
He then pulled his cloak over his head and face, disappearing into the night.
Whether Chu Lan understood the meaning of these words or not, Chu Zhao, hidden in the wall cabinet, understood.
Not only did she grasp the meaning of his words, but she finally realized how unjust—and yet not entirely unjust—her death in that previous life had been.
...
...
When she had slipped into the study, it was to see if Chu Lan had hidden someone there.
Some time ago, Chu Lan had given this study to Chu Tang, who in turn offered it to her. She was quite satisfied with it. It had to be said that the Chu residence was truly a fine estate, boasting both the exquisite garden known as Chu Yuan and this refined study—no wonder Chu Lan spent his days here.
The study also concealed a small wall cabinet, large enough for only one person but equipped with a high window for ventilation. Pressed against the bookshelf, one could easily pull out books and peer through the gaps into the study.
The servants here were distraught, all seeking hiding places in the shadows, allowing Chu Zhao to smoothly climb through the outer lattice window into the cabinet.
Inside the study, Chu Lan paced back and forth, lost in thought, unaware of his surroundings.
But there was no one else in the study. Just as Chu Zhao was about to leave after a glance, Xiao Xun arrived. Then, sitting in the cabinet, she finally came to understand her entire life.
She understood the words Liang Fei had cursed her with, the words Chu Tang had cursed her with, and the words Swallow Wolf had cursed her with.
She finally saw everything clearly and understood completely.
Her becoming Empress had indeed been a transaction.
The Little Highness had indeed been entrusted to the Chu family, and then, truly, had died at their hands.
But what did any of this have to do with her? Or with her father? Both father and daughter had clearly done nothing and known nothing—
Chu Zhao gazed through the gaps in the bookshelf, her vision both focused and vacant, as if she were staring at Chu Lan, yet also looking past him into the depths of the night.
So this was how she and her father had been toyed with in the palm of someone's hand.
...
...
In the heavily shadowed Imperial City, layer upon layer of high walls and row upon row of palaces seemed to shut out everything.
In the deepest hall of the inner palace, it was so quiet that even the candle flames ceased flickering. The figure lying on the wide Dragon Body was as still as a stone statue.
Until he let out a long sigh, and the atmosphere in the hall instantly stirred. The candle flames leaped, the curtains swayed gently, and the eunuchs began to move softly.
"Your Majesty," a eunuch said cautiously, "would you like some refreshments?"
The Emperor grunted in acknowledgment. "Bring some Su Huang Du."
Just as the eunuch was about to speak, the Emperor chuckled to himself.
"I forgot," he said. "That was something the Imperial Concubine often made. Now she is dead."
Just half an hour earlier, the gentle and beloved Imperial Concubine, who had accompanied the Emperor for many years, had attempted to assassinate Your Majesty and was strangled by the Emperor's order. Her body still hung from the beam in her chamber.
Not a single person from the Imperial Concubine's palace was spared.
The eunuch shuddered at the memory of the scene. Serving as a eunuch in the Imperial City, he prided himself on having witnessed all manner of horrors, but the visceral impact of witnessing such a massacre firsthand was unlike any story he had ever heard.
"Your Majesty," he hurriedly said, "our imperial chefs can also make this."
The Emperor grunted again. "Then have some prepared. The night is still long."The eunuch instructed someone to go while stepping forward to help the Emperor up. He couldn't tell whether it was his own weakened state from shock, but the Emperor felt unusually heavy.
Alas, the woman who had accompanied him day and night sought to harm him, and his two biological sons were locked in deadly conflict. Though the Emperor spoke not a word of it, such events had undoubtedly shaken and devastated him.
After all, he was but a frail and ailing old man.
"How goes the situation?" the Emperor asked. "The Crown Prince is dead, yet this still isn't over?"
The eunuch bowed his head. "Not yet. The capital remains in chaos, with burning and killing everywhere."
"The Imperial City hasn't been spared either, has it?" the Emperor pressed further.
Not daring to conceal the truth, the eunuch acknowledged this but quickly added, "Your Majesty, though the outer city is a mixed bag, the Inner Palace Guard are meticulously selected and utterly loyal to you."
The Emperor let out a laugh, strange and unsettling.
"I don't trust them," he said, then glanced at the eunuch. "Any of you."
The words sent a chill down the eunuch's spine, and he dropped to his knees with a thud. "Your Majesty, this old servant—"
But his pledge of loyalty was cut short as the Emperor impatiently interrupted.
"Go summon Deng Yi," he commanded.
Deng Yi? The eunuch was taken aback. Who was Deng Yi?
Not daring to admit his ignorance—since he could simply inquire himself rather than trouble the Emperor—he turned to leave but was called back.
The Emperor tore off his belt and tossed it over.
"Take this, lest he refuse to obey."
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