Chapter 146

11.2 - The Deng family intends to oppose us

translator: xiin

editors: alamerysl & juurensha

There was a lot of noise outside the secret passage, but Xue Ling seemed quite at ease as he sat down.

He lit a few candles and laid them out on the slate-paved passage that represented the kingdom's terrain as he analysed the situation.

Xue Kingdom was currently experiencing a period of decline. As early as during the middle of the old Emperor's reign, the central government's control over the local districts had become tenuous. The princes stationed in various places around the kingdom and the governors of various provinces had become independent long ago. Although the situation within the kingdom seemed calm, in fact, they were suffering from both domestic strife and external pressure. The central government's arms were not long enough, and even if Li Yuan and Prince Xian controlled the Capital, they would still have a long way to go if they wanted to unite the kingdom. This was also the reason why Li Yuan had to intervene in military affairs later on, and one of the reasons Prince Xian became more and more wary of him.

The vast stretches of rivers and mountains that belonged to Xue Kingdom since its foundation had long since been separated by the kings. Although the central government still existed, it controlled nothing more than the interior region around the Capital. The candles that Xue Ling laid out represented the several princes and governors within Xue Kingdom that he could potentially make use of.

There weren't many people he could make use of. In fact, there were only four people, and these four had been local tyrants that ruled over their area for a very long time. Their lives were much more comfortable than Xue Ling's.

The little eunuch lying on the ground was confused as he began to regain consciousness, rubbing his eyes as he woke up. The back of his neck ached, and his sight was blurry. He sat up and was still for a moment before he finally noticed His Majesty sitting there in the candlelight with a solemn expression.

Shu Heng had served the little Emperor ever since he was small. He had watched him grow up and knew that his little master had always been suffering inside, but he could only watch from the side and had no way to share his worries. Even though he was often around his little master, Shu Heng was still completely enthralled by him.

He was the Emperor's closest servant and naturally knew that his little master was a ger. He had always kept this secret for him, and worried for him. In his younger years, his master had still been young, and others had no way to discern his secret - the little master was a tiny figure dressed in yellow robes as he sat on the Emperor's throne. Nobody would look at him, and they mostly kept their heads lowered as they spoke of affairs. However, over the past two years, his master had begun to grow, and as his frame stretched, his appearance began to transform. Slowly, some of the ministers seemed to notice that something was wrong.

Shu Heng had watched as that face gradually changed. Logically speaking, he should have built up a resistance to it, but at this moment, he was still dazzled, and his soul almost left his body.

The candle shone brightly, and the flames flickered, making that beautiful face seem dreamlike and surreal. He had rubbed away the ointment at the corner of his eye and exposed the red cinnabar mole that looked like a teardrop. Shu Heng didn't know if it was an illusion, but that red cinnabar mole seemed to have become much more vibrant. His gaze was lowered, his curling eyelashes seemed to quiver under the candlelight like moths, and the flames reflected in his eyes brought out a wash of red...

Shu Heng suddenly woke up from his daze as His Majesty's thoughtful gaze swept over and met his eyes.

He instantly remembered what had occurred before he fell into a coma, and what His Majesty had unexpectedly done to him. "Your Majesty..." He had always been both in awe and loving towards this little Emperor, but his actions earlier had been too impertinent due to his anxiety. Now, he was a little frightened as he recalled those events.

Xue Ling restrained the coldness in his gaze and responded in a lazy tone, "You've woken up? Come over then."

Shu Heng did not know where they were now, but looking at His Majesty's appearance, it should be a safe place. He was a little more reassured and moved to Xue Ling's side. When he saw the candles laid out by His Majesty's feet, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

His Majesty crouched on the ground, holding a candle in his hand, and pointed to the North. "Governor Wang's family is in the North, and he has his own soldiers that obey his orders. He established his own independence there long ago and no longer heeds the imperial court's orders. In the West, there is General Mo Bei who has 100,000 cavalry soldiers under his command. They have been stationed outside for so long that they no longer obey the Emperor's will. There is the Zhennan Prince to the South who has his own infantry and navy. He shares a border with the wealthiest part of the kingdom and has been established as the ruler of the South. Although the Shu Prince of the Southwest is Our royal uncle, we have never met at all. The stretch of land he rules over has always been known as the 'Kingdom of Abundance'. Even if We manage to find him and traverse the mountains and rivers to return to the Capital, the soldiers would be gasping for breath before they even arrive..."

"Your Majesty..." Shu Heng blinked. He found it rather unbelievable that these words were coming out of His Majesty's mouth.

He had already done too many things he shouldn't do today. It would be better if he just obediently listened to His Majesty.

The secret passage was very long. The cabinet at the entrance contained some commonly used equipment - mainly silver and some clothes. Only, after so many years, while the silver could still be used, the clothes were rather ugly and old.

Xue Ling did not concern himself overmuch. He had Shu Heng pack everything away, and after it was all cleared out, he brought Shu Heng with him and left.

The secret passage was not just a single road that led outside. It was an intricate structure that had paths leading to other palaces. If one did not have a map, it would be like running through a maze - there was a possibility that they would never be able to emerge. Of course, there were several exits. One of them led to a prosperous area, and someone from the palace was tasked with keeping the place tidy all year round even if it had not been used for many years. It was absolutely impossible to use that path. The exit Xue Ling chose was the one that led the farthest away. It led to a small house in the suburbs that was empty all year round and had originally been intended as a refuge for the Emperor. It had not been looked after for many years but could still be used temporarily. That area was also sparsely populated, and they would not attract any unwanted attention by appearing out of the blue.

It had been noon when they entered the secret passage. Because they had delayed for a while, it was dark by the time they emerged.

Xue Ling sent Shu Heng to boil some hot water. After washing and rinsing, he replaced his dragon robes with the old clothing from the secret passage.

As an Emperor, his hair had been tied up despite his immaturity. Xue Ling let down his hair completely after cleaning himself up, letting it remain as a sheet of black silk. He looked for a mirror and finally took a look at his appearance in this life.

In order to make himself look more like a man, the little Emperor had to make some changes to his appearance every day. Smearing ointment over the red cinnabar mole at the corner of his eyes was only one of them. In order not to make his skin look so white, he also had to darken his skin. He had originally been thin; after adding on the dark tint, he looked dark and thin, like a skinny monkey. But after he cleaned up and took a look, Xue Ling was no longer surprised about why the guards had been so overwhelmed that they were immediately willing to make a move against the little Emperor.

The previous Emperor liked beauty. The little Emperor's mother and current Empress Dowager had been named as the number one beauty in the world back then. Only, the Empress Dowager had been a poisonous scorpion type of beauty. He worked with his family and poisoned the former Emperor, playing an important role in the Emperor's death while he was still in his prime. The little Emperor was nothing but a tool. The Empress Dowager seemed to disdain his identity, and spent very little time looking after him. If one asked him to describe how his son looked, he would probably be unable to say much. But in fact, the little Emperor had grown up to look very much like him.

"Ji Yunhua. This appearance is truly as gentle as a cloud and as beautiful as a painting." Xue Ling reached out and touched his reflection in the bronze mirror. Although the reflection was not clear, he knew exactly what kind of face this was.

He was really a beauty inspired by the moon, with jade in his bones, snow and ice in his skin, and autumn dew in his core. When one looked at him directly, they would feel invigorated. This kind of frail and soft look made Xue Ling's eyebrows raise so high they almost reached the sky.

Geez, there wasn't even a hint of masculinity. The system really tried to make trouble all day long, picking out such weird bodies for him every time...

They had escaped from the palace and had a temporary place to settle down in, but the palace was still in chaos. The Xian Prince waited for a whole day, but none of the men at his disposal managed to find the imperial jade seal or tiger insignia.

Li Yuan leisurely poured himself a cup of tea and sipped. His gaze was enigmatic as he suggested, "Could it have been brought away by Deng Shi?"

Prince Xian clenched his fists, "The Deng family intends to oppose us."

"Their control over the imperial court using the Emperor as a puppet is not a recent development. If we had not acted in secret this time, they would not have fallen behind and been forced to withdraw from the Capital in a hurry. Perhaps Deng Shi decided to steal away the imperial jade seal and tiger insignia in order to make some final trouble for you. At most, it will delay things by a day or two."

"Ha." Prince Xian sneered. "That's truly naïve. Benwang will still ascend the throne without the imperial jade seal and tiger insignia just to show them it can be done!"

"The ceremony has been prepared for a while now. Your Royal Highness can ascend the throne tomorrow."

The Xian Prince looked at Li Yuan and reached out to hold his hand. He spoke affectionately, "After I've ascended the throne, I will bring you into the palace with a huge procession and appoint you as Empress."

Li Yuan did not understand why he felt uneasy, but in the end, he put aside his worries, retrieved his hand, nodded and said, "Good. Then I'll wait quietly for news from Your Majesty."

forgot to mention, i changed 'King' back to 'Prince' - i was confused about how ranks work in ancient chinese settings.