Moreover, His Majesty had always detested the Crown Prince, Feng Qiyuan. His birth concealed an unspeakable secret. Once he had served his purpose and helped the Empress bring down the Second Prince and his mother, no one would allow such a dangerous liability to live much longer.
There was no need to explain these intricacies to the fake Crown Prince. The Empress had just ordered that this wretched girl be kept under close watch. Before the horse race, no further mishaps could be allowed.
Seeing that Nanny Song paid him no attention, the “Crown Prince” was not offended. He followed the old woman obediently to a nearby stable.
The finest racehorses were housed there, including the mounts of the Crown Prince and the imperial princes.
While Nanny Song was speaking with a stable eunuch, “Feng Qiyuan” feigned a yawn and discreetly touched the fire starter hidden in her robes. She had conveniently “borrowed” it from the Imperial Kitchen.
When she had prepared the noodle soup earlier, the supervising eunuch had only inspected the ingredients and utensils she had handled. He had not noticed what she had taken from the kitchen. That had been her true purpose in making the soup for His Majesty.
Besides the fire starter, a copper-spouted water flask hung from her waist, the sort commonly carried while riding. During the palace banquet, however, she had replaced the water inside with strong wine.
A glance around showed a tall pile of hay at a secluded corner of the stables.
While Nanny Song was busy whispering instructions to several people, she bent down as if adjusting her boots and trousers. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the lit fire starter into the haystack. Then she used the wine as a trail, splashing it around the stable grounds.
At that moment, everyone was preoccupied with preparing for the upcoming race. Saddles were being fitted and bridles secured as the horses were readied for the track.
Only when a guard, desperately needing to relieve himself, walked around behind the stables did he notice the flames had already grown alarmingly high. Stranger still, the fire seemed to spread in a line, racing toward the rear of the stables.
The guard immediately raised the alarm, shouting that there was a fire. Unfortunately, a strong wind was blowing that day. Several sparks landed on the stable roofs, and before long everyone could smell smoke carried on the wind.
The horses inside the stables panicked and bolted in all directions. For a time, shouts and neighs filled the air as chaos erupted.
Fortunately, the fire was discovered early. After roughly the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the blaze was extinguished.
By then, His Majesty had already arrived at the racecourse beside the palace with his ministers and consorts, seated upon the viewing platform awaiting the race.
From a distance, they saw smoke and flames rising from the stable area. When palace attendants hurried over with a report, they learned that a fire had broken out.
Naturally, some ministers hastened to offer auspicious words, praising His Majesty’s great fortune and claiming that fire was a symbol of prosperity and blessings.
After reporting that the blaze had been put out, the palace attendant continued: “Your Majesty, according to the stable supervisor, the Crown Prince’s horse appears to have been excessively frightened. When the fire broke out, it suddenly lost control and broke free of its reins, bolting wildly. In the end, it collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth…”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone’s expression changed.
The horses reserved for the imperial princes were rigorously trained, little different from warhorses. How could one be so terrified by a relatively minor fire that it lost control and collapsed? Such a reaction did not seem like fright. It looked more like the effects of a drug.
Thinking this, no one spoke.
The Emperor beckoned to Li Quan, the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Palace. At a single glance from His Majesty, Eunuch Li understood immediately and hurried off with several attendants to investigate.
Before long, Eunuch Li returned and whispered a few words into the Emperor’s ear. The Emperor’s face darkened even further, and he cast a cold look over those seated below him. When his gaze finally fell upon Crown Prince Feng Qiyuan, however, it softened into something almost wistful.
The young man before him looked completely unaware of what had happened. His eyes were bright and clear, while his face was slightly blackened from the fire.
Although Great Feng’s political situation was currently stable, the state still shared a river border with the ever-watchful State of Wei. There was no room for complacency.
Born into the imperial family, a son must be either dragon or phoenix, wolf or tiger. If he were merely a meek lamb, slender and delicate as a willow branch, then even if he somehow survived among predators, he could never shoulder the burden of the empire.
The Fourth Prince likely had no idea that, without this sudden fire, he would have mounted that crazed horse. By then, he might well have died beneath its hooves.
This matter clearly involved the palace. It was not something that could be thoroughly investigated in public.
Suppressing his anger, Emperor Chunde said, “Since the horses have been frightened, it would be unwise for the princes to risk riding them any further. I have no wish to see a white-haired man bury a black-haired one. Let the banquet end here. We shall disperse, and I, too, will return to rest.”
Then he turned toward the Empress and said: “Today I noticed that the Crown Prince has grown considerably taller. Yet in these past four years, his studies have fallen behind. In the blink of an eye, he is already seventeen. As the heir apparent, he should have a proper Imperial Tutor. My own teacher, Elder Ge, happens to be in the palace. I shall personally ask him to accept the Crown Prince as his disciple.” With those words, the Emperor rose and departed.
Empress Tang, however, remained dazed. She was so stunned that she nearly forgot to thank him for the imperial favor. The fire had caught her entirely by surprise, completely disrupting what had seemed a flawless plan.
The fake Crown Prince had now appeared before everyone, walking briskly with no sign of injury. If her scheme could not be carried out, then the real Feng Qiyuan would no longer be able to appear in public.
Unless another “accident” could be arranged, one that would leave the Crown Prince legitimately lame. Only then could the crime of deceiving the Emperor be concealed. That in itself was not a major problem. As long as the girl impersonating the Crown Prince was secretly executed and the Crown Prince’s leg was then “accidentally” broken, everything could still be covered up.
But now, the Emperor had actually ordered that the Crown Prince be accepted as a disciple of Elder Ge!
Elder Ge had been the Emperor’s own tutor in his youth.
The Empress had assumed that the Emperor placed little value on the Crown Prince and, even if he lifted his confinement, ultimately intended to depose him. Yet now it seemed the Crown Prince was on the verge of gaining favor. His leg could no longer be crippled. Would this absurd charade have to continue indefinitely?
Thrown into confusion, Empress Tang rose to her feet, her mind heavy with worries. Her gaze shifted to the “Crown Prince” kneeling nearby.
Although she had adopted the Sixth Prince, the boy was only eight years old. He was still too young to contend with the Second Prince and would need several more years before he could stand as a rival.
If the Crown Prince could still be used, then he was currently the best candidate to balance the influence of Noble Consort Shang and her son.
The famed physician had said that after the Crown Prince’s bones were reset, it would take at least half a year, possibly a year, to recover. In that case, they would need to continue treating Feng Qiyuan’s injured leg while allowing this fake Crown Prince to guard the position of heir apparent on her behalf.
At that thought, a smile blossomed at the corner of the Empress’s lips. She personally helped the “Crown Prince” to his feet and exclaimed, “Heaven truly protects the Crown Prince!”
Taking a handkerchief from a maid, she gently wiped the soot from her “son’s” face, her expression full of maternal concern.
The scene radiated warmth and affection between mother and child.
Watching nearby, Noble Consort Shang was so irritated that her teeth practically ached. With a cold snort, she swept away, sleeves flaring behind her.
Not far away, on a side platform, a man sat in a wheelchair, quietly observing the subtle shifts in everyone’s expressions. After a long silence, he asked the person beside him: “You’re saying… you saw the Crown Prince start the fire with your own eyes?”
The guard standing behind him, Gao Qi, quickly lowered his voice. “Your horse, Liehuo, had been borrowed by the Third Prince for the race. Since you once mentioned that one of its horseshoes seemed loose, I was worried and made sure the stable hands inspected it carefully to prevent an accident. Coincidentally, I needed to relieve myself, so I went behind the nearby haystack. That’s when I happened to see the Crown Prince take advantage of a moment when no one was watching and throw a fire starter into the hay.”
The man listened and raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes as he watched the willow-slender youth climbing into a carriage.
The Crown Prince, never known for much cunning, seemed to have developed a few schemes and tricks of his own.
The Second Prince had organized this horse race, and the stable supervisor was reportedly an old subordinate from Noble Consort Shang’s household.
If the Crown Prince had been injured or killed and someone deliberately fanned the flames of suspicion, the Second Prince, Feng Qiting, would have found it impossible to clear his name.
The scheme was hardly brilliant, but if Empress Tang deliberately made a scene out of it, the Second Prince would still be dragged into a major scandal.
Unfortunately, while the mother was ruthless enough to sacrifice her son, the son himself cherished his life and was far more cautious. He had broken the trap before it could spring, rendering all those elaborate arrangements futile.
Still, perhaps it had not been entirely in vain.
The Emperor had ultimately been moved to compassion. By appointing Elder Ge as the Crown Prince’s tutor, he was supporting the heir while cooling the Second Prince’s growing momentum and restoring balance to the court.
Gao Qi asked again: “Young Master, should we leak the news that the Crown Prince started the fire?”
Mu Hanjiang closed his eyes and rested quietly. “The waterways of Jianghuai are currently overrun by river bandits. Although the rebel leader Meng Zhun was captured, he was rescued from prison in Yicheng. His most capable lieutenant, the ‘Little King of Hell,’ is cunning and has remained hidden all this time. Now that Meng Zhun has escaped, it is like letting a tiger return to the mountains. Jianghuai will likely fall into turmoil again. Our return to the capital is not only to hunt Meng Zhun. We must also secure provisions for the army. We do not need to meddle in the palace’s internal struggles. Let us simply wait and see what happens.”
Gao Qi was unwilling to let the matter drop. Indignant, he said, “But the Crown Prince is the reason you were forced to…”
Seeing the cold, warning look that Mu Hanjiang shot him, Gao Qi immediately fell silent.
Mu Hanjiang closed his eyes once more and said calmly, “There is plenty of time ahead.”
Realization suddenly dawned on Gao Qi. How could he have forgotten what kind of person his young master was? No one held grudges more deeply than Mu Hanjiang.
Four years ago, the Crown Prince had taken advantage of his drunkenness to humiliate him. How could his young master ever forget such a grievance?
There was plenty of time ahead. Since the Crown Prince had offended their master, that little minx would never live to see the day he ascended the throne in peace.
Meanwhile, in the Empress’s palace, someone was kneeling in the main hall.
The fake Crown Prince had been kneeling so long that exhaustion was setting in. Her body swayed from side to side.
Nanny Song immediately rebuked her with a stern expression. “Kneel properly!”
Yatou merely raised an eyebrow and smiled, showing no irritation. Silently calculating the time, she thought that since returning, the Empress had punished her and she had likely knelt for the length of an incense stick already. Judging from the situation, that vicious old woman had no intention of stopping while she was ahead and meant to make her kneel indefinitely.
She rubbed her increasingly hungry stomach and, completely ignoring Nanny Song’s gloomy expression, shouted boldly toward the inner chamber concealed behind curtains: “Mother Empress, have you forgotten that there are still some important questions you need to ask your son?”
When no reply came, she continued as if nothing were amiss: “I heard Father Emperor say he’s going to hire an extraordinary scholar to teach me. I wonder whether this great scholar will review my old schoolwork. Should I prepare in advance? Ah, those few characters of mine. I’ve neglected my studies for years. My handwriting is too embarrassing to show anyone!”
Before she could finish, the Empress’s voice finally came from within the chamber. “Shouting through the curtain? Your Highness is becoming increasingly unruly. Come inside. The rest of you may leave.”
The fake Crown Prince immediately got to her feet as she had hoped. Ignoring the stares around her, she stretched her sore knees and back, then strode forward. Ignoring Nanny Song’s outraged glare, she swept aside the curtains and entered the inner chamber.
The Empress was reclining against a cushioned couch, rubbing her temples with her eyes closed.
Yatou, meanwhile, behaved as though she were in her own home. Upon entering, she casually sat down beside the couch, grabbed an oil-paper-wrapped pastry from the tea table, and took a huge bite.
The Empress snapped her eyes open in astonishment, her voice instantly turning icy. “How dare you! Who do you think you are? Have you forgotten all propriety?”
Apparently genuinely starving, the young woman took another large bite. Pastry crumbs sprayed as she spoke. “Didn’t… didn’t you say that etiquette is only for outsiders to see? That we had to behave properly and not reveal any flaws? But now it’s just the two of us. There are no outsiders here. Who are we keeping up appearances for?”
Then she gave the Empress a knowing wink. “Besides, aren’t you and I… just like a real mother and daughter?”
The persistent little scoundrel had latched onto their supposed familial bond once again.
The Empress was so furious that she immediately raised her hand, intending to slap Yatou across the face.