"Li Wanxi, the eldest daughter of the late Crown Prince Xi, the Supreme Emperor's eldest granddaughter, and Your Highness's cousin—Princess Linfen," Li Yuangui deliberately slowed his speech, enunciating each word clearly. "On the very night of her wedding, she was mysteriously murdered, with a man's token left beside her... At the Temple of Common Vocation, it seems Your Highness was not 'lacking in familial affection,' but rather 'excessive in it,' wouldn't you say?"
Li Chengqian closed his eyes, his lips pressed tightly together, and his right hand resting on the desk clenched into a fist.
When Chai Yingluo had earlier explained the Empress's attitude toward the Blood Jade Thumb Ring and inferred that Li Chengqian had an illicit affair with his cousin, Li Yuangui had been half-skeptical. Even if true, he hadn't considered it a major issue—having grown up in the imperial harem, he'd heard far worse scandals. But seeing Li Chengqian's reaction now, he felt a growing sense of alarm.
Recounting the Crown Prince's less-than-admirable actions thus far—colluding with Consort Yin, his parents' sworn enemy; framing his young aunt; neglecting and mistreating his lawful wife; and engaging in an affair with his cousin—each alone might be dismissed as "youthful recklessness and moral instability," insufficient to threaten his position. But when these misdeeds were strung together, they painted a clear picture of Li Chengqian's utter disregard for his royal lineage—the very reason he was Crown Prince. His wanton behavior was eerily reminiscent of the tyrannical Emperor Yang of Sui, who had brought ruin to his dynasty.
Add to this the fire at the Temple of Common Vocation, the repeated security breaches at the Great Peace Palace, the Supreme Emperor's fright, and the assassins running rampant in the forbidden garden—all matters under Li Chengqian's jurisdiction as overseer of the palace defenses—and it became clear this was also a matter of sheer incompetence. With a corrupt mindset, ineptitude, and the added pressure of his younger full brother, Prince Yue Li Tai, being deeply favored by their father...
"Your Highness, the Master of the Purple Void Monastery, Lady Chai, and the palace attendant Wei Shufen have arrived."
A sudden announcement came from outside the door—Chai Yingluo and Wei Shufen had been brought in for questioning. They had taken longer to clean up and prepare. Li Yuangui hoped they had coordinated their stories and wouldn't let slip... too much.
Li Chengqian opened his eyes, exhaled deeply, and composed himself.
"So," he ignored the door and spoke to Li Yuangui first, "you were deceived by the barbarians, went with the Sixth Uncle, Prince Zhao, to escort them into the Seventeenth Prince's Residence, were taken hostage by them in the middle of the night, and fortunately managed to escape? You had no prior knowledge of this, Fourteenth Uncle?"
"Exactly. Your Highness is most discerning." Good—this was the decisive future Son of Heaven he knew.
Li Chengqian's thin lips curled into a bitter smile as he murmured, almost inaudibly, "Will Father believe it...?"
"This subject begs leave to withdraw." Li Yuangui could only set aside thoughts of what would happen when the Emperor arrived. "The Seventeenth Sister still awaits my rescue..."
Li Chengqian shot him an exasperated glare, turned his face away, and called out to the door:
"Fourteenth Uncle, you may return to your quarters but are not to leave. Await His Majesty's summons at any time!"
The meaning was clear: I'm telling you to go home and stay put. If you disobey and run off, that's on you—not my problem.
Li Yuangui rolled his eyes, too weary to argue. He acknowledged the order with a bow, rose, and stepped out the door and down the stairs. Chai Yingluo and Wei Shufen stood waiting outside the eastern pavilion gate, both having changed into fresh attire. The three exchanged glances and nodded slightly in silent understanding.
"His Highness summons Lady Chai and Lady Wei for questioning!"Amid the calls of the palace attendants behind them, Chai Yingluo led the way, with Wei Shufen following into the pavilion. The thought of how Li Chengqian might intimidate them made Li Yuangui's heart clench.
But there was nothing he could do about it, and outside, an even more urgent task awaited him.
Li Yuangui strode out of the East Pavilion courtyard, found a horse among the clamoring crowd near the ruins of the Great Peace Hall, and galloped toward the Seventeenth Prince's Residence. Along the way, he spotted his sixth brother, Prince Zhao Yuan-jing, walking dejectedly beside Zhang Shigui, the two conversing as they headed toward the East Pavilion. Guiltily, he avoided them and didn’t dare greet them. This time, his sixth brother had been dragged into the mess purely because of him…
The Seventeenth Prince's Residence was also bustling with activity, suggesting the imperial guards had already uncovered the path the assassins took to enter the Great Peace Palace at night. Li Yuangui rode straight home, and as soon as he entered the gate, a young servant rushed out from the gatehouse:
"My lord! Yang Ku-zhen ordered this servant to return and report—"
"Quiet!" Li Yuangui dismounted, signaling the boy to follow him to a secluded spot before speaking. The servant, named A-Chen, was one of the two attendants he had sent with Yang Xinzhi to search for and rescue his seventeenth sister.
A-Chen had just returned, panting as he reported that Yang Xinzhi and his group had first taken the Greyhounds to the Palace Servants' Slope, where the Seventeenth Princess had last been seen before her abduction. That night, the crowd had left too many mixed scents, making it hard for the dogs to track. After much effort in the dark, circling several times, the Greyhounds finally picked up a scent near the northern fence of the forbidden garden, leading the search party northward straight to the banks of the Wei River.
The main crossing north of the forbidden garden was the Bian Bridge, which faced Xianyang City on the northern bank. It was late winter, early spring, and the water level was low, leaving the bridge high above the river, making it easy for carts and horses to pass. During summer floods, docks on both banks allowed ferry crossings, and warehouses and dwellings had been built on the southern and northern shores, housing many boatmen and merchants. Some called the area the "West Market of Xianyang Crossing," the first small commercial hub north of Chang'an with a thriving atmosphere.
But the Greyhounds didn’t lead the search party toward the Bian Bridge. Instead, they followed the southern bank of the Wei River westward for several miles, where they discovered a secluded, desolate dock hidden in a river bend.
"A private ferry dock?" Li Yuangui frowned. A-Chen nodded. "A few merchant boats were moored there, all empty. Yang Ku-zhen said it might be a crossing set up by merchants to evade taxes and inspections."
The Bian Bridge was an official route and a checkpoint for traffic heading north from the capital, so guards were naturally stationed at the bridgehead, and passing merchant caravans couldn’t avoid some extortion. For large, well-established trading groups, this was manageable—connections had long been smoothed, and frequent shipments made private ferries inconvenient. But for smaller merchants with slim profits, the bridge tolls were a significant burden, making private crossings appealing.
Private docks couldn’t operate openly and were usually set up in remote areas far from official roads. An Yan-na and his group, intending to take the Seventeenth Princess away and hide her, naturally wouldn’t use official routes. As a merchant from the Western Regions, he was familiar with the roads north of Chang'an leading westward, and the small trading hub north of the Bian Bridge likely housed many of his fellow merchants…
"Yang Da thinks the barbarian took Seventeenth Miss across the Wei River via the private ferry? Toward Xianyang?"
"Yes," A-Chen replied. "Yang Ku-zhen took his men across the river to continue the pursuit and ordered this servant to return and report to the Fourteenth Young Master…""Let's go!" Without waiting for him to finish, Li Yuangui decisively turned around and called for his horse. He didn't know how much longer his strength would last, but even if he were to die from exhaustion, he would die on the road to rescuing his sister.
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