As the night deepened and the stars shifted across the sky, the bustling Di'an City gradually subsided into silence.
Xu Yuan sat upright before the tea table, the moonlight filtering through the window casting flickering shadows across his eyes.
Li Yucheng had returned to the palace.
Left alone in the expansive room, a touch of loneliness hung in the air.
Even though Li Yaoxuan had tacitly permitted him to make preparations, as the Crown Prince regent, Li Yucheng's efforts to court officials still had to be conducted in secret.
Before dawn broke, he needed to return to the imperial palace and prepare for the morning court.
Xu Yuan picked up the teapot Li Yucheng had brewed before departing, poured himself a cup, and downed it in one gulp. A faint smile touched the corner of his lips.
The guest had departed, but the tea had not yet grown cold.
That night, the two had talked about many things.
Once the conversation opened up, their topics ranged from the livelihoods of the common folk at the grassroots level to current imperial decrees, and from external threats to internal maladies. It could well be called an exchange of mutual delight.
Yet, somewhat beyond Xu Yuan's expectations, Li Yucheng had not mentioned recruiting him from start to finish.
Presumably, Xu Yuan's earlier remarks had changed Li Yucheng's thinking, elevating the importance he placed on Xu Yuan's current false identity.
He had risen from a dispensable hidden pawn to an aide capable of assisting him in governing the world.
At the thought, Xu Yuan sighed softly.
Judging from what he had seen and heard tonight, this middle-aged Crown Prince indeed fit Xu Yuan's definition of a benevolent ruler.
Of course, this conclusion was entirely contingent on Li Yucheng not putting on an act.
In Great Yan's center of power, every individual was a Grandmaster of deception capable of moving an audience to tears. Xu Yuan naturally would not commit the foolish mistake of placing easy trust in anyone.
Still, given the tone of their conversation tonight, he would likely have another opportunity to meet the Crown Prince.
When that time came, he could observe further.
Rising from the tea table, Xu Yuan prepared to get some rest.
Although he had broken through to the Body Integration realm and his body no longer required sleep, Xu Yuan always felt as though something was missing if he did not sleep at night.
Right at that moment, however, a knock sounded on the wooden door of the Tianxun Chamber.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
Stopping in his tracks, Xu Yuan glanced back. He instinctively moved to probe with his spiritual vision, but ultimately held back.
Though spiritual vision was extremely stealthy, experts of the Transcendent Realm could still detect it. To ensure his identity remained uncompromised, it was best not to overuse it during this period.
He walked over and opened the door. What met his eyes was an elderly man who looked somewhat aged, yet possessed sharp, piercing eyes.
Xu Yuan sized up the visitor, and a name surfaced in his mind.
Wang Yuqian.
The Vice Minister of War—and the father of his current persona.
Glancing at him, Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.
He could not quite understand how the man had managed to track him here.
Though perplexed, Xu Yuan did not speak immediately. He turned straight around and re-entered the room, sitting back down before the tea table where he had just spoken with Li Yucheng.
Only this time,
He took the seat of honor.
Seeing this, the old man raised no objection and followed Xu Yuan inside.
The moment he stepped into the room, Xu Yuan lifted his finger slightly while pouring tea. The door swung shut on its own, and the arrays inscribed throughout the private chamber activated instantly, completely sealing off all sound between the inside and the outside.
After pouring a cup of fragrant tea for the elder and placing it on the table across from him, Xu Yuan slowly raised his eyes and asked, "Old Wang, won't you take a seat?"
Wang Yuqian looked at the young man across from him, whose face was identical to that of his own son, yet his expression was exceedingly deferential. Bowing solemnly, he knelt down.
"Yes, Third Young Master."
Xu Yuan gave a faint smile. As he poured his own tea, he asked casually, "Old Wang, how did you find this place?"
Li Yucheng had reserved this private room, yet the Vice Minister of War had arrived less than half an hour after the man left. Was the Crown Prince truly so careless in his conduct?
Wang Yuqian hesitated slightly at the question, then replied in a low voice, "A servant reported that you reserved two floors of private rooms at Xuanyue Tower tonight."
Xu Yuan understood at once. "It seems that person reserved the suites under my name."
"That person?"
Though aged, Wang Yuqian possessed sharp wits. He instinctively glanced at the two empty porcelain teacups sitting beside the table.
Xu Yuan smiled faintly and said offhandedly, "Crown Prince Li Yucheng."
The man before him was someone his father trusted implicitly, so there was no need for concealment.
Moreover,
Since this man was the father of his current persona, there were matters he needed to know in advance so he could prepare accordingly.
"..."
Wang Yuqian's pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this.
*The Third Young Master... held a secret meeting with the Crown Prince here?*
After a moment's thought, Wang Yuqian instinctively assumed he had nearly disrupted the Third Young Master's schemes. He immediately bowed with his head lowered and said hurriedly, "Third Young Master, this old man had no idea you were tonight..."
"..."
Seeing the old man's panic and reverence, Xu Yuan felt a touch of surprise, but quickly understood.
Though this official had weathered decades of turbulent court politics and possessed authority placing him above tens of thousands, that authority was entirely rooted in the colossal entity of the Chancellor's Manor.
And the fact that Xu Yuan had faked his death proved his critical importance to the Chancellor's Manor.
In other words,
In the eyes of this Vice Minister of War, Xu Yuan was a figure who, like the Prime Minister himself, could decide the life and death of his entire family with a single word.
The thought flashed past. Xu Yuan waved his hand with a light laugh and said nonchalantly, "Why be so formal, Old Wang?
"Tonight's events happened on the spur of the moment. The Crown Prince sought me out unexpectedly. Besides, wouldn't it look exceedingly strange to an outsider if a father were so subservient toward his own son?
"While I am wearing this disguise, you need only treat me as a junior."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Wang Yuqian slowly lifted his eyes and nodded with slight hesitation.
Though puzzled as to why the Crown Prince had sought out the Third Young Master, he knew his place and refrained from pressing further.
Xu Yuan tapped the table and asked softly, "I have no fondness for polite formalities. You came here, Old Wang, presumably to pass along a message?"
"Yes. The Chancellor instructed this old man to inform you that you may return to the manor in the coming days."
"Oh?"
"The Chancellor said that the Fourth Miss has made a breakthrough with her array formations and requires you to return and verify it."
"..." Xu Yuan went still.
After a brief silence, a gleam of excitement gradually surfaced in Xu Yuan's eyes.
He had not anticipated such swift progress. Less than two months had passed since he laid out his requirements, and Doraemon-Yao had already achieved a breakthrough.
After a moment's consideration, Xu Yuan stood up, intending to leave.
Seeing this, Vice Minister of War Wang Yuqian hurried to call out to him: "Young Master... Young Master, please be patient. This old man only came to notify you in advance. It is currently only the hour of the Tiger. I must still attend the morning court shortly. Only upon my return can I escort you back to the Chancellor's Manor."
Xu Yuan froze, then tapped his own forehead, sat back down, and laughed. "Hearing such good news made me forget. Thank you for the reminder, Old Wang."
The Third Young Master of the Chancellor's Manor was officially dead. Under his current identity, he had no plausible justification to visit the Chancellor's Manor alone.
Furthermore, the Chancellor's Manor was surrounded by informants from various factions. If he wished to return home, he could only do so properly under this old man's escort.
Pausing, Xu Yuan asked softly, "Aside from this, does Old Wang have anything else?"
"Nothing for now."
"In that case..." As Xu Yuan spoke, he raised his teacup and cupped his hands toward the elder.
Wang Yuqian immediately caught the hint, a smile appearing on his weathered face. "If nothing major occurs during the morning court, it should conclude around the hour of the Dragon. This old man will not disturb your rest, Third Young Master."
With that,
Wang Yuqian slowly rose and bowed to Xu Yuan.
Before the bow concluded,
Xu Yuan looked at the elder before him, glanced at the porcelain cup Li Yucheng had just used, and suddenly thought of something. "Old Wang, what is your assessment of the Crown Prince?"
The old man froze. His eyes instinctively darted toward the young master seated across from him. After a moment of contemplation, he asked softly, "May I ask what aspect you refer to, Young Master?"
Xu Yuan tapped his finger lightly on the tea table and murmured, "The Crown Prince has acted as regent for more than a decade. As a pillar of the imperial court, you surely understand his character quite well, don't you?"
"His character..."
Wang Yuqian muttered, carefully weighing his words before speaking in a low voice: "From what this old official has observed over these ten-odd years, His Highness the Crown Prince is a gentleman of noble virtue."
"Which is to say... he would be a benevolent ruler?"
"..."
The corner of Wang Yuqian's eye twitched, and he did not respond.
As a seasoned veteran who had navigated officialdom for decades, he knew this was a question he could not answer lightly.
Yet with the supreme imperial throne still undecided, the implications behind the young master's words...
Noticing the elder's gaze, Xu Yuan immediately realized he had spoken out of turn. He chuckled under his breath and said, "A casual remark, nothing more. Pay it no mind."
Wang Yuqian nodded with a smile, but the contemplative look in his eyes only deepened.
"..." Xu Yuan was at a loss.
*Damn it. It seems whatever I say now, he won't take it at face value.*
His old man had warned him before: with his current status, every action and word—even an offhand joke—would be scrutinized and dissected word by word by those below him.
He had not yet fully adjusted to the shift in his identity.
While he was sighing inwardly, the old man across from him suddenly spoke in a tentative tone:
"Third Young Master, in terms of personal character, the Crown Prince is indeed a gentleman. In terms of governance, he is also regarded by court officials as a benevolent ruler. Many decrees he promulgated during his regency were indeed aimed at the livelihood of the common people."
At this point,
Wang Yuqian bowed slightly before continuing, "However, due to various reasons, nearly all of those decrees were vetoed by the Chancellor."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
Seeing his reaction, Wang Yuqian lowered his voice considerably. "The reason Lord Chancellor dismissed them was that the cost of implementing those decrees was simply too great, making them virtually impossible to carry out at the grassroots prefectural level."
Xu Yuan rubbed his temples. He grasped the underlying message.
On the surface, the man seemed to be pointing out that the Crown Prince's policies were somewhat impractical, but in truth, he was reminding Xu Yuan that the Lord Chancellor held no favorable attitude toward the Crown Prince.
*As the son, you had better watch your step.*
After a momentary pause, Xu Yuan chuckled softly with an elusive smile. "I understand this matter. Xuanyue Tower is quite a distance from the Palace City. You should depart for court, Old Wang.
"If you are late,
"According to court regulations, you might face reprimand."
Wang Yuqian's frame trembled slightly. Stooping even lower, he offered a bow. "Yes, Third Young Master. This old man shall take his leave."
"..."
Watching the chamber door close once more, Xu Yuan slumped backward directly onto the cool wooden floor, staring blankly at the ornately decorated ceiling.
After an unknown stretch of time,
Accompanied by a soft sigh, Xu Yuan pushed himself up from the ground.
Among the imperial family, he had now interacted with all three princes qualified to contend for the succession: the eldest, the second, and the third.
If his old man wished to carry through his original ideals, he would inevitably have to select one of them as a partner for future cooperation.
Colossal though the Chancellor's Manor was, without the backing of the imperial house, their chances of standing alone in the current state of the world would almost certainly lead them down the same disastrous path as in *Cangyuan*.
Viewed from a standpoint of absolute rationality, Li Zhaoyuan—who had paved his ascent with the lives of tens of millions of common folk—was actually the most suited to become the next emperor under current conditions.
Two months had passed since Xu Yuan woke up.
Regarding Li Zhaoyuan, numerous internal reports from the Chancellor's inner manor concerning the Northern Border campaign pointed to a single fact:
He had almost entirely digested the troops borrowed from the sects.
Furthermore,
Li Zhaoyuan had already begun leveraging the military industries left behind by the northern sects to gradually cast off their control over him.
Despite numerous obstructions, his plans were advancing step by step under his orchestration.
From every perspective, Second Prince Li Zhaoyuan bore a striking resemblance to his father, making him undeniably the ideal partner for cooperation.
Yet unfortunately, whether out of personal sentiment or the broader picture, Li Zhaoyuan was someone who had to be ruled out.
Even if he was currently striving with all his might to break free from the sects' manipulation, his past actions made it nearly impossible for the Chancellor's Manor to trust him again.
As for... Li Yucheng.
Xu Yuan walked slowly past the silk curtains and stepped onto the balcony where he had previously stood beside the Crown Prince.
Below Xuanyue Tower, the moonlight cascaded like a waterfall. The myriad lanterns across Di'an City had already been extinguished, and the prosperous vista they had observed together had dissolved into profound tranquility.
*"I would like to try."*
Those soft words spoken here by the middle-aged Crown Prince surfaced unbidden in Xu Yuan's mind. He could not help but smile faintly, though the smile was tinged with helplessness.
From Li Junqing, he had learned that Li Yucheng was actually a man of deep calculation, keeping even his own biological brother under such close surveillance. Yet Xu Yuan did not truly mind that.
Standing at the very center of power, if the man lacked profound cunning, he would have been dismantled by his rivals long ago. Ruthless vigilance toward political adversaries and benevolence toward the world's common folk were not inherently contradictory.
After a night of conversation, Xu Yuan genuinely admired Li Yucheng's character.
Moreover,
His words tonight seemed to have planted a seed in the Crown Prince's heart.
If it were a different time, a different place, and a suitable state of the realm, Xu Yuan might truly have been willing to take a mad gamble alongside this Crown Prince.
Yet unfortunately, the world today lacked the strength to sustain such grand aspirations.
Xu Yuan understood all too well that some things could not be achieved through sheer will alone.
A grand aspiration detached from reality
Was nothing more than an impractical dream—one that would grind the dreamer into dust.
At the thought, Xu Yuan let out a faint sigh and instinctively glanced toward the Palace City.
Turning it over in his mind,
He still felt that the kid Li Junqing was the most suitable partner for the Chancellor's Manor.
Chapter 464