The wound, which had already begun to coagulate, immediately gushed forth with dark red blood, drowning his fingers.
Mo Qing rushed over in a hurry, and upon seeing his master practicing self-mutilation, he rushed forward to stop him. “Your Highness, you must not do this!”
Qi Chu acted as if he hadn’t heard him, only muttering, “He doesn’t want me anymore.”
Mo Qing naturally knew who he was referring to. “Your Highness, you must cherish your own body.”
Qi Chu half-closed his eyes, gazing toward the direction the carriage had departed, and gave a cold snort: “If even he doesn’t care, what use is there for me to cherish it?”
“Perhaps the National Preceptor has his own hidden difficulties; having kept so much from him, it is inevitable he would be…”
A glimmer of light surfaced in Qi Chu’s distracted eyes. “So he is angry with me? Blaming me for keeping secrets?”
Mo Qing simply assumed he was comforting his master and nodded. “Anyone would feel resentment in their heart, but even so, he still spoke in your favor today. He must still care about you quite a bit.”
Qi Chu loosened the hand he had been using to press his arm; the cold sweat on his forehead finally subsided. After all these years, only pain allowed him to clearly realize that he was still alive, accepting the reality he least wanted to accept: Ye Shaoyun didn’t want him anymore.
He raised his trembling hand. It hurt so much; he wanted that person to feel it, too.
“Your Highness, should our plan continue?” Mo Qing asked in a lowered voice, handing over a clean handkerchief.
Qi Chu took the handkerchief and wiped the blood from his hand. “Of course.”
He then raised his head, locking eyes with someone on the floor above, who was partially shielding his face with a fan.
Qi Kun stood before a window on the second floor. Upon making eye contact with Qi Chu, he lowered the folding fan and offered a faint smile.
Qi Chu shifted his gaze away expressionlessly, not leaving so much as a glance behind. “Let’s go.”
Mo Qing cast a glance up at the window, offered a bow, and hurried to follow Qi Chu.
When they reached the palace gate, a crowd had already gathered. The guards were driving people away, and among the crowd was the First Prince, Qi Yongzhang.
“Do not remain here. His Majesty is in good health; everyone, go home and wait.”
The guards hurriedly saluted upon seeing Qi Chu. “Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Qi Chu scanned the crowd, discovering that there were not only the families of officials among them, but also several vassal kings waiting expectantly. These people dared not approach, yet they had blocked the only road into the palace.
“What is going on here?”
The head of the guards leaned in close and whispered in his ear: “His Majesty’s old illness suddenly flared up this afternoon; he vomited blood. The imperial physicians are currently diagnosing and treating him.”
Qi Chu’s expression remained as usual; he had guessed this much it was inevitable. He looked toward Qi Yongzhang, who was standing in a corner. “Why is the First Imperial Brother still keeping watch here?”
Qi Yongzhang noticed him and walked quickly in his direction. The arrogance he had possessed earlier was gone; he bowed with slightly lowered eyes. “Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince. I do not know why the Crown Prince would do such a thing, but I implore you, help me speak to the Imperial Father and let me see my mother. My mother is absolutely incapable of having done such a thing!”
Though his words were a plea, his attitude was cold.
Qi Chu looked at him calmly, his face showing no ripples. “Does the First Imperial Brother truly believe I did this intentionally? That I am the one plotting against you all?”
Qi Yongzhang’s Adam’s apple bobbed; he seemed to be desperately restraining his emotions. “This subject would not dare. I would naturally not dare to refute the heir apparent, but you should allow us the chance to prove our own innocence. My mother has served the Imperial Father for many years; her reputation cannot be ruined by a single person.”
Qi Chu: “Does the First Imperial Brother truly wish to save Noble Consort Chun?”
Qi Yongzhang suddenly raised his head upon hearing this. “Do you have a way? No… it was you who reported this matter; how could you help me…”
With that, he lowered his head, looking utterly dejected.
“I said that I wished to preserve the dignity of the royal family. It was because the First Imperial Brother wanted me to clear my name that I remonstrated with the Imperial Father, and it was only then that I publicly revealed the matter. If the First Imperial Brother had been willing to wait a while at that time, would things have been different?”
As Qi Chu spoke, the corners of his mouth lifted into an arc. The best way to strike a person down was to turn their own attack into a knife stuck into their own heart.
Qi Yongzhang squeezed his eyes shut instantly; remorse and anger turned into a fire in his throat that he swallowed down. “It is my fault.”
Qi Chu laughed softly, a chill mixed into the sound of his laughter. “You are not at fault. No one is at fault. I am not harboring resentment; I am simply giving the First Imperial Brother a chance.”
“Are you truly willing to help me?” Qi Yongzhang looked at Qi Chu with doubt. Gazing into his eyes, he suddenly felt a strangeness he had never felt before; he seemed to understand why this person could become the Crown Prince.
Yet, having been played so often, he had no choice but to gamble.
“Are there conditions?”
Qi Chu exhaled lightly. “This is not a condition; it is a cooperation. The First Imperial Brother’s filial piety is heaven-moving; unlike me, who has no mother left. Now that the Imperial Father is critically ill, I should be sharing the burden for him. I wonder if the First Imperial Brother is willing to cooperate with me?”
Qi Yongzhang’s eyes and voice sank simultaneously. “What do you want me to do?”
“I will give you the tiger tally; you help me consolidate power. The First Imperial Brother is full of grand military strategies; I wonder if you are willing to help me?”
Qi Yongzhang went silent for a moment after hearing this. Agreeing to this matter meant he would personally be installing this man as the monarch. Yet, he had no other choices now; the tiger tally was inside the palace, and he didn’t even have the qualifications to enter.
“If you hand the tiger tally to me, are you not afraid that I will use it to revolt?” he asked, voicing his suspicion.
A cold, icy light spilled from Qi Chu’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved upward. “The First Imperial Brother has campaigned for years do you not know the current situation in the capital? What would happen if you failed? With the First Imperial Brother’s filial piety, I believe you would not dare to gamble.”
Seeing that the layer of window paper had been half-torn away, Qi Yongzhang stopped pretending. He straightened his body, looking at the scheming person before him with those eyes weathered by the scenes of barbarian lands. “I finally know why you were able to become the heir apparent; you have schemed against everyone.”
Qi Chu shook his head. “No, we are all people caught in the game.”
Qi Yongzhang: “Who else is left? Who else in this capital could make you feel apprehensive?”
“That is not important. It is enough that the First Imperial Brother agrees to my terms. People who are destined to die will always die.”
Watching Qi Chu reveal this bloodthirsty, cold smile, Qi Yongzhang suddenly felt a chill run down his back, fearing the person before him for the first time. Who was the person he meant by “people who are destined to die”?
“I suppose I have no other choice now, right?” Before agreeing, Qi Yongzhang asked one last time.
Qi Chu: “Sometimes, life shouldn’t have too many choices.”
When there are too many choices, some people try to drill their way into a dead end, hoping to win amidst danger, completely overestimating themselves.
Seeing Qi Yongzhang still hesitating, Mo Qing spoke at the opportune moment: “Your Highness, forty-two secret edicts have been sent to the military, and thirty replies have already been received.”
Upon hearing this, Qi Yongzhang’s blood turned cold for the most part. “So you had long since prepared everything. Since that is the case, why come and ask me? What do you need me to do?”
Qi Chu was becoming irritated by the questioning; the wound on his right arm was still aching faintly. “Because the First Imperial Brother has a wealth of grand military strategies. Since ancient times, the struggle for the throne has meant countless killings. This Palace has a compassionate heart and does not wish to incite great slaughter.”
What a compassionate heart. Qi Yongzhang looked at the person before him, feeling the irony, and could not help but let out a dry laugh. “No wonder he raised you; you are very much like him.”
The last person who had played such games with him, leaving him with no retreat, had been that wretch Ye Shaoyun.