Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 659 Two Questions on One Matter

At 3:45 PM, the sedan chair carrying Li Erzhan, escorted by a chief eunuch and a squad of imperial guards, returned to Changdeok Palace through Sujing Gate.

The sedan chair came to a stop in front of Dunhua Gate. Before the people outside could lift the curtain, Li Erzhan pushed aside the curtain and crawled out of the sedan chair.

Prince Li Erzhan's personal attendant, Pei Ji, was already heading this way when he saw Li Erzhan come down on his own, and he immediately quickened his pace.

"This servant Pei Ji greets Lord Li." Pei Ji bowed respectfully.

"Pei Ji." Upon seeing Pei Ji, Li Erzhan suddenly felt as if he had been transported to another world. "Hehehaha." He couldn't help but laugh out loud, which made Pei Ji's skin crawl.

"Lord Li, what's going on?" Pei Ji looked at Li Erzhan with a mixture of wariness and tension in his eyes. Just this morning, some people were speculating that Li Erzhan had already betrayed the royal family and might come to surround the palace at any moment with the training supervisor.

"It's nothing, I just remembered Director Jin." Li Erzhan's smile faded, and he let out a long sigh.

"Director Jin, what happened to him?" Pei Ji asked, puzzled.

“He was the one who came to pick me up yesterday. Today it’s you.” Li Erzhan pointed to the plaque of Dunhua Gate.

Pei Ji was taken aback. He understood what Li Erzhan meant, but he didn't know how to respond.

"Let's go, take me to see the Crown Prince." Li Erzhan patted Pei Ji's shoulder, without asking any further questions.

“Yes.” Pei Ji didn’t feel offended at all, and turned around to lead the way.

Changdeokgung Palace wasn't large; even going around to the East Palace wouldn't add more than a few steps. Soon, Yi Erzhan, led by Bae Jeok, arrived at the power center of Joseon, or rather, a corner of Hanyang—Shimindang.

Tap, tap.

"Your Highness, Lord Li has arrived." Pei Ji gently knocked on the door, which was not fully closed, but did not receive a response immediately.

Tuk-tuk-tuk!
"Your Highness, Lord Li has arrived!" Pei Ji increased the force of his knock.

"Come in! Please come in!" Li Chu's slightly flustered, hoarse voice accompanied by a rustling sound emerged from the crack in the door.

Pei Ji opened the door, and Li Erzhan immediately knelt down. "Your subject Li Erzhan pays his respects to the Crown Prince!"

As soon as Li Erzhan knelt down, Li Chu came over and supported his shoulders. "I heard that Lord Li was kidnapped by villains. Are you injured anywhere? Should we ask the imperial physician to come and take a look at you?" His tone was tired yet eager, and even carried a hint of relief.

Li Erzhan was taken aback at first, but quickly recovered and put on a touched expression: "I am well, Your Highness, and have troubled you with your concern."

"Lord Li, what exactly is going on?" Li Chu waved Pei Ji away and helped Li Erzhan to a chair.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Highness." Li Erzhan's bottom was already on the chair. He was about to speak when he saw Li Chu sit down on another chair next to him. Li Erzhan was very perceptive and immediately jumped up.

"What's wrong?" A look of confusion appeared on Li Chu's tired face.

“I will not stand beside you, Your Majesty. Since you are sitting here, I will stand,” Li Erzhan said, bowing his head.

Li Chu was taken aback, then smiled wryly and walked to the main seat behind the desk: "Please sit down, I'll sit over there."

"Thank you for offering me a seat, Your Highness." Li Erzhan bowed formally before putting his old bottom back into the chair he had been sitting in before.

"Lord Li, who kidnapped you?" Li Chu leaned on the table, resting his head on his hand, his face showing obvious concern and a hint of barely perceptible suspicion.

"I don't know," Li Erzhan shook his head and sighed. "They kept their faces covered and wore these coarse gray-black clothes. But I'm certain that the thieves who kidnapped me are long-planned rebels!"

"Traitor!?" Although Li Chu had expected it, he still couldn't help but widen his eyes when he actually heard those words.

“Yes!” Li Erzhan said. “They ambushed and kidnapped me on the way to the Southern Camp, wanting me to help them abduct Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui, and then use these two to curry favor with the Imperial Envoy and falsely accuse Your Highness.” Li Erzhan suddenly paused, as if he had suddenly remembered something. “Your Highness! Are those two still alive?”

Li Chu nodded with a stern face. "Don't worry, Lord Li, I didn't kill them."

"That's good, that's good!" Li Erzhan nodded in relief, but his expression quickly changed again: "Your Highness, the Uijinfu is no longer safe. We should immediately send someone to move Jiang and Jin to another place, preferably the palace!"

“They have already been brought to the palace. They’re in the back garden,” Yi Chu said.

"Your Highness is wise!" Li Erzhan immediately praised.

"It was my father's idea," Yi Chu said, not taking credit for it.

“This matter,” Li Erzhan said sincerely, “is best taken as your idea.”

"I understand. I understand." Li Chu nodded wearily. "Lord Li, since they kidnapped you and even dressed you in these bandit clothes, how did you escape?"

Li Erzhan's pupils contracted, and a look of guilt quickly appeared on his old face. "Your Highness, I did not actually escape."

"Not fleeing?" Li Zhu smiled. "Or were you escorted out by thieves?"

“This…” Li Erzhan lowered his head, “It can’t be called a gift. But I was indeed sent out by the bandits.”

Li Chu's expression changed slightly: "Why?"

Li Erzhan suddenly stood up, then abruptly knelt down: "To avoid falling victim to these thieves, I have no choice but to feign agreement to cooperate with them."

"Cooperation?" Li Chu clenched his fist.

“Yes,” Li Erzhan took a deep breath, his voice already trembling with tears as he spoke again, “No! There was no cooperation; I was merely feigning compliance with them!”

"What exactly do they want! And what did you promise them!" Li Chu's relatively stable emotions suddenly became somewhat out of control.

Last night, Li Chu tossed and turned, unable to sleep a wink, his mind filled with terrifying images. Only after hearing that Li Erzhan had been kidnapped but had managed to escape did his tense nerves relax slightly. Now, hearing Li Erzhan say such things, those horrifying imaginings surged back, obscuring his vision like a canvas.

Li Erzhan forced out two tears. "Those traitors want to implicate Your Excellency in the treasonous case of instigating the country by taking Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui hostage! In order to save my life, I have no choice but to pretend to agree to them."

Li Erzhan had expected Li Chu to be very excited, but the young man in front of him waited for a while before calmly asking, "Nothing else?" "Nothing else." Li Erzhan was somewhat stunned.

Li Erzhan believed that his plan to falsely accuse the king was entirely feasible. If the plan succeeded, he was certain that the imperial envoy and even the emperor would believe the king and his son were disloyal. In that case, changing the royal line would be a logical and justifiable course of action. His deliberate and simplified explanation was also intended to eliminate any potential threats. He hadn't expected Li Chu to be so calm.

"What about the training supervisor? Didn't they try to take advantage of him?" Li Zhu asked.

Li Chu never believed that Li Erzhan would betray him. His worst-case scenario was that the traitors, before the imperial envoy arrived in the capital, would use the pretext of following the Mandate of Heaven and punishing the wicked to control or even kill Li Erzhan, and then launch a coordinated military coup with the recruited training supervisors. This would allow them to control or even kill Li Erzhan and his son. Unexpectedly, the so-called rebels' elaborate scheme turned out to be nothing more than a false accusation.

“No.” Li Erzhan shook his head.

In Li Erzhan's view, with the Celestial Empire's army pressing in and the Emperor's will unclear, only the Crown Prince could launch a military coup against the King himself under the pretext of following the will of Heaven. Any other member of the royal family, even if they launched and succeeded in a coup, would be acting illegitimately.

"Those rebels went through so much trouble, and in the end they actually brought you back. Ha!" After relaxing, Li Chu felt completely exhausted, and almost collapsed onto the table.

"Your Highness!" Seeing Yi Chu's exhausted expression, Yi Erzhan spoke frankly, his voice trembling with tears, "Those rebels planned to abduct Kang Hong-rip and Kim Gyeong-seo from the Uigeumbu (Imperial Household Department), and then they made me falsely accuse the Crown Prince of ordering me to kill them to cover it up after the Imperial Envoy arrived in the capital, implicating Your Highness in the 'Secret Religious Minister' treason case! To blackmail me, those traitors even made me write a document of treason. To save my life and escape, I had no choice but to flatter them." Yi Erzhan became more and more agitated as he spoke, until finally, tears streamed down his face.

Li Erzhan's acting successfully deceived Li Chu. Seeing his over-sixty-year-old maternal grandfather-in-law so "fearful and heartbroken," he struggled to his feet, went to Li Erzhan's side, and helped him up. "That was nothing but the foolish tricks of some clowns. Lord Li, you don't need to worry about it. Even if you wrote something against your will, it doesn't matter. It's good that you're back."

“Your Highness.” Li Erzhan looked at Li Chu. He had prepared many excuses, but they all stuck in his throat.

"Alright." Li Zhu gently patted Li Erzhan's hand. "The concubine is still thinking of you. Go see her before you go home and let her know you're safe."

--------

"Prince Guangchang!" Li Erzhan had just come out of Shimin Hall when he heard a woman's voice calling him.

"What are you doing?" Li Erzhan stopped and looked over, and sure enough, he saw a woman dressed as a palace maid. Li Erzhan had some recollection of the face, but that was all.

"Prince Guangchang, the Princess Consort requests your presence." The palace maid stepped aside and gestured for you to enter.

“Your Highness.” A look of realization flashed in Li Erzhan’s eyes. But soon, that realization turned into a subtle suspicion.

The palace maid, unaware of Li Erzhan's thoughts, assumed his murmur was a question of certainty and replied, "It is the Princess who requests your presence. Please follow me."

"Okay." Li Erzhan took a deep breath and slowly adjusted his expression.

As Li Erzhan walked, he recalled the responses he had prepared to answer the questions. When he followed the palace maid to the Hezheng Hall, a perfectly timed look of panic returned to Li Erzhan's ever-changing old face.

"Your subject Li Erzhan pays his respects to Your Highness the Princess." Li Erzhan, his voice hoarse, bowed to Princess Liu under the eaves of the main hall.

“Your Excellency, there’s no need for such formalities. Please come in and speak.” Lady Liu gestured for Li Erzhan to rise while waving away the surrounding servants.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Li Erzhan stood up, and the door to the main hall opened from the inside. Li Erzhan glanced at the door and, sure enough, saw the familiar hem of Jin Ti Diao's robe.

boom.

The moment we passed the screen, the door to the main hall closed.

"Your Highness! It's you!" Li Erzhan looked at King Li Hui, who was reclining on the couch. Before he could fully show the surprise in his eyes, Li Hui called out to him, "Don't pretend. You must have guessed that I summoned you!"

"This..." Li Erzhan's eye twitched, and he quickly knelt down to pay his respects: "Your subject Li Erzhan greets Your Highness, long live the Emperor!"

"Go back to the Daejo Palace. The Queen Dowager can't be left unattended." Li Hui looked at Lady Liu, speaking as if ordering a servant.

"Yes," Liu replied casually before turning and leaving.

After hearing the sound of a door opening and closing again from behind the screen, Li Hui looked at Li Erzhan, who was lying on the ground, and said, "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Li Erzhan supported himself on the ground and stood up shakily.

"Why didn't you come back yesterday?" Li Hui asked.

Li Erzhan was taken aback. "Your Highness, I have been kidnapped by a group of rebels."

"Kidnapping. Who did it?!" Li Hui's voice suddenly rose two octaves.

"I don't know. They were all wearing masks and speaking very cautiously," Li Erzhan replied.

"Then what do they want you to do?" Li Hui asked.

Li Erzhan did not hesitate at all: "Those rebels first asked me to help them get Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui out of the Uigeumbu. After the city gates were closed, they asked me to sneak back to Hanyang and abduct the two of them. In addition, they also wanted to use this to falsely accuse Your Highness of having the intention to kill them to silence them!"

"Where are those rebels who came back with you? Where are they now?" Li Hui frowned deeply.

"They ran away. They ran away before even entering the city." Li Erzhan's heart pounded in his chest.

"They ran away?" Li Hui's eyes changed, and even his voice changed. "Li Erzhan, you're kidding me!"

"Your Majesty, I dare not!" Li Erzhan immediately knelt back down and hurriedly explained, "This morning, those bandits drove me to the foot of Mount Beiyue, and then led me all the way to the vicinity of Sujing Gate. They asked me to take control of the North Gate defense post and then trick Sujing Gate into opening. After I entered the North Gate defense post, I immediately ordered the battalion commander Xu Ding to arrest him. But by the time Xu Ding arrived, he had already escaped."

"You mean, a group of treacherous rebels abducted you on the way and then forced you to go to the outpost alone to negotiate?" Li Hui asked coldly.

"That's how it is! If Your Highness doesn't believe me, you can send someone to a place called Yanfo Temple right now. My four sedan chair carriers are still being held there!"

"Then why did they let you come back alone?" Li Hui propped his head up, his eyes flashing with a murderous glint.

“They made me write them a written agreement.” Li Erzhan trembled as he knelt down.

"What written agreement!" Li Hui demanded sharply.

"It's that document that says the Crown Prince was also involved in instigation and that I should kill him to cover it up!" Li Erzhan said, his voice trembling with tears.

(End of this chapter)