#41: Gale and Long Rain (IV)

The fallen gold foil clung to her fingers. Luo Wei’s fingertips trembled slightly, and a thousand thoughts raced through her mind in an instant.

She loved the feeling of having everything calculated clearly. Now that her plan had suddenly changed, it inevitably startled her.

However, after a moment, she forced herself to calm down and began to think about the reason for the mishap.

This set of twelve lotus-shaped golden goblets was originally placed in the Qianfang Hall as a set of wine cups.

Song Lan did not like drinking privately, so the wine cups had been idle for a long time. Yesterday, she placed the wine cups in a conspicuous spot. Today, when Song Yao Feng entered the palace and first visited Song Lan, she casually mentioned, “This item is perfect for the banquet on Huiling Lake.”

In the heat of the moment, with just a word or two from Liu Mingzhong by his side, Song Lan would naturally recall this set of neglected golden goblets.

Luo Wei’s so-called strategy to add fuel to Ye Tingyan’s plans was to spread the song “False Dragon Roar” among the common people.

The merchant who sold fake gold was originally one of her people. At that time, those fake gold wares were selling like hotcakes, largely due to her efforts behind the scenes.

Before being exposed for selling non-gold items, the merchant had “accidentally” met Yu Qiushi’s eldest son, Yu Suishan, at a tavern. They hit it off immediately, and the merchant generously gifted him a complete set of lotus-shaped golden goblets.

Later, when the merchant got involved in the ballad case and fled, Yu Suishan, worried about trouble, quickly sold this set of lotus-shaped golden goblets.

Yu Suishan was born early and had experienced the hardships of his family when following Yu Qiushi outside the capital. Unlike ordinary wealthy sons who would squander money recklessly, after the merchant’s incident, he examined the goblets and found that they were indeed made of real gold rather than copper.

Thus, Yu Suishan didn’t discard them but thought that such shaped gold wares were common in the market and that this set bore no marks of the merchant. He discreetly sold them.

Yu Qiushi himself had too few flaws, so one could only approach him indirectly.

Upon learning that Yu Suishan hadn’t destroyed or discarded the gold wares directly, Luo Wei knew that this scheme was as good as successful.

Under Luo Wei’s manipulation, this set of lotus-shaped golden goblets was acquired by a minor official, then presented to the inner palace via the Neishi Province, and finally placed in the Qianfang Hall by the palace staff.

When the merchant gave the gift to Yu Suishan, he mixed in the copper goblet. Yu Suishan, panicked at the time, hadn’t checked each one thoroughly.

Luo Wei went to Xiuying Temple to see Ye Tingyan precisely because she needed him to find this copper goblet mixed in.

So today, upon learning that he had entered the palace, she sent someone to deliver the words “gold and copper” to him. He did not disappoint her, and everything went smoothly.

In Luo Wei’s original

plan, upon seeing this phrase, Song Lan would be enraged and follow the trail through the Neishi Province to investigate the origin of the goblets, leading back to Yu Suishan.

At that point, Yu Suishan’s private dealings with the merchant would be exposed.

The merchant had already fled Biandu, and if Yu Suishan claimed innocence and said they were mere acquaintances, who could vouch for him?

Song Lan would naturally wonder if the fleeing merchant had acted under Yu Suishan’s orders, or even more, whether this “False Dragon Roar” was penned by Yu Qiushi.

No conclusive evidence was needed, nor a definitive charge. Everything she orchestrated paralleled Ye Tingyan’s plans at Luyun Mountain.

The spring hunt assassination and the ballad mystery—when Song Lan’s suspicions of the prime minister reached their peak, it might solidify his determination to break the balance between the prime minister and the empress.

Both Ye Tingyan and Luo Wei understood Yu Qiushi’s situation well enough to be certain that he wouldn’t have done this. But Song Lan, sitting on the throne, wanted to escape the prime minister’s control. Whether he believed Yu Qiushi’s actions were meant to warn him or part of a power struggle with the empress, bringing up the truth of the Citang Case—which only the two of them knew—would be enough to touch Song Lan’s sore spot.

But the phrase “Lotus Leaves Departed” originally engraved on the copper goblet had somehow changed to this clearer, more pointed sentence!

This phrase “Tinghua Has Grievances” not only fully exposed the events of those years but also shifted the focus away from the ballad case.

Although the ballad talked about “true dragon” and “false dragon,” the focus ultimately landed on the “false dragon,” using it to satirize Song Lan’s unworthiness to rule.

Now, this phrase clearly told Song Lan that the root of the matter wasn’t mocking his unworthiness but that the former Crown Prince Chengming still had loyal followers seeking justice for his past deeds!

Yu Qiushi and Song Lan jointly orchestrated the Citang Case. If it were merely a warning about his lack of virtue and inability to govern independently without control, Song Lan might believe it was Yu Qiushi’s doing.

But claiming to overturn the case of those years absolutely couldn’t be Yu Qiushi’s work.

Because they clearly understood that if Yu Qiushi revealed the events of those years, the first person implicated would be himself.

Therefore, changing this phrase served the greatest purpose of shifting Song Lan’s suspicion from Yu Qiushi to…

“Sister?”

Song Lan suddenly called out to her. Luo Wei slowly raised her head to see him scrutinizing her. His expression lost the usual gentleness and patience he showed her, his deep almond eyes probing.

Luo Wei suddenly shuddered.

Before the Xiyuan murder case, she had endured well, never letting Song Lan detect any flaw in her, so he had never suspected she knew about the events of those years.

It was only after she made decisions on her own—calling him to the ancestral temple to pray for rain and thereby involving the “False Dragon Roar”—that Song Lan began to harbor some suspicion towards her.

This was originally her deliberate move: one, to make Song Lan send Ye Tingyan to accompany her, facilitating their meetings; two, to pave the way for future plans.

But today’s incident ignited Song Lan’s suspicion.

The timing was wrong, igniting prematurely, surely inviting a fatal outcome for her!

Luo Wei clenched her teeth, swallowing all her trembling, and quickly switched to a sorrowful and incredulous expression: “What… what does this mean?”

She leaned closer, speaking softly in a voice only Song Lan and she could hear: “Wasn’t the culprit of those years already caught? How can there still be grievances now? Who harbors resentment, who seeks justice!”

At this point, she could only react appropriately to the words on the goblet and wait to see what followed.

Completely forgetting the preceding phrase “no virtue,” focusing only on grievances fit her consistent behavior.

Song Lan stared at her for a while, then patted her shoulder and comfortingly said: “Sister, don’t worry, I will investigate thoroughly.”

Luo Wei sat down beside him, pale-faced, and glanced down, first seeing Ye Tingyan’s astonished gaze.

She tightened her grip on the wine goblet and subtly shook her head.

Ye Tingyan lowered his eyes, and all the surging emotions within him seemed doused with icy water, completely cooling down.

He had received her hint, knowing she had a plan today, needing him to find the copper goblet mixed in.

The moment he casually rubbed off the surface gold foil and saw the two phrases engraved beneath the copper goblet, he was almost overwhelmed by an incredible joy.

If this was her arrangement, what did these two phrases mean?

Could it be that she hadn’t participated in those years’ events, or had she regretted them by now?

When Song Lan sent an eunuch to fetch Luo Wei, silence enveloped the banquet. Ye Tingyan sat in his place, almost deceived by his own absurd thoughts.

For a moment, he could hardly spare a thought about whom Luo Wei’s plan targeted or its purpose, nor did he want to consider Song Lan’s reaction. He kept turning over and over in his mind: She wrote these two phrases, she wrote these two phrases!

Even if this was merely her excuse to eliminate political rivals or leverage past events to pave the way for her ambition, these two phrases—did she feel guilt towards him, did she feel regret?

And even more fancifully…

Ye Tingyan almost hesitated to continue thinking.

Until he saw her pale face and subtle shake of the head.

Falling from blazing fire into freezing ice felt just like this. He looked down at his hand clutching the wine cup, realizing it was covered in cold sweat.

Had her entire scheme been seen through by Yu Qiushi?

Ye Tingyan calmed down and thought carefully.

The things Luo Wei had considered earlier, he naturally figured out clearly too—these two shocking phrases were originally engraved by the prime minister as a counterattack.

Luo Wei intended to use “False Dragon Roar” to make Song Lan feel threatened by Yu Qiushi, but Yu Qiushi turned the tables, also leveraging past events to make Song Lan think she regretted them.

These three individuals schemed and fought life-and-death battles in the imperial court. Was this the life she desired after making her choice in those years?

Ye Tingyan let out a cold laugh and placed his wine cup upside down on the table.

After Luo Wei’s gaze shifted from Ye Tingyan, it fell on Yu Qiushi opposite him.

Yu Suishan, as the prime minister’s son, was mediocre in both intellect and martial arts, eager to do something for his father. Getting involved in such a major affair as the ballad case, he should not have dared to reveal a word to his father.

Yet, Yu Qiushi merely watched her from afar, lightly raising an eyebrow.

Those wrinkled eyes hid a smile tinged with killing intent.

Only then did Luo Wei confirm that these two phrases were definitely altered by Yu Qiushi.

At some point, he had already seen through her scheme.

Despite being implicated in the spring hunt and losing Lin family’s support, he had endured silently, waiting until today to strike back at her.

The current situation was still within his plans, while she was temporarily at a disadvantage, not even knowing what his next move was.

Since Song Lan ascended the throne, Yu Qiushi had never trusted her, repeatedly suggesting to Song Lan to place a queen who could wield power yet remained unaware of their plots by his side—a ticking time bomb ready to ignite anytime.

But Song Lan, still young, unwilling to be entirely controlled by Yu Qiushi, had always been ambiguous, allowing them to fight for power in the court.

Yet Luo Wei knew that Song Lan must always fear she would learn about the events of those years.

And Yu Qiushi’s actions today were a test for her.

Therefore, the most pressing matter was that she absolutely, absolutely couldn’t let Song Lan and Yu Qiushi detect any flaw.

Pretend she knows nothing.

But if she knows nothing, she would be shocked, saddened, and insistent on getting to the bottom of these two phrases. Would digging deeper implicate herself? Yu Qiushi being so bold, what tricks did he have waiting for her?

For a moment, Luo Wei was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Fortunately, after she spoke those two sentences, Song Lan didn’t dare show any indifference towards his elder brother’s past affairs before her, hastily comforting her with a few words.

Yu Qiushi stood up and approached, bowing hands: “Since the Shangsi Festival, someone has deliberately spread unfavorable words against the Emperor in the marketplace. This act is tantamount to treason. Now they are so bold as to extend their hands into the imperial city! I believe this matter must be thoroughly investigated.”

He looked at Luo Wei: “What does Her Majesty think?”

Why was Yu Qiushi so confident? Did he not know Yu Suishan was implicated, or had he already devised a plan to deal with her?

Luo Wei managed to calm her mind and replied: “Naturally.”

•

The banquet on Huiling Lake thus dispersed. Having glimpsed such royal secrets, who among the attendees dared to speak more? Even when leaving the palace, the womenfolk asked why the Empress had abruptly left the banquet, not daring to say a word.

Though Xu Dan wasn’t the Emperor’s close minister, he currently enjoyed a good reputation in the Qiongting. Today, he was brought along by his superior. Seeing everyone silent as cicadas in winter, he was full of doubts.

Exiting the East Gate, the ministers boarded their carriages. Xu Dan struggled through the horses and suddenly saw the toast-bearing scholar he conversed with on the day of the Dianhong Assembly. He happily called out: “Brother!”

He hurried forward and patted the man’s shoulder: “Do you remember me, Brother? On the day of the Dianhong Assembly, we had the fortune of sharing a cup of wine.”

Chang Zhao slowly turned around, pondered for a moment, and said: “Oh, Little Xu Brother.”

Xu Dan happily replied: “Yes, last time was rushed, and I didn’t get a chance to ask your name. Later, I seem to have seen you a few times in Qiongting, but being in the library, I was so busy I didn’t have time to greet you properly.”

Chang Zhao also laughed: “No problem. My surname is Chang, and my given name is Zhao. Just call me Pingnian.”

Xu Dan bowed relative to him: “My courtesy name is Boming. Pleasure.”

The two walked along the Imperial Street outside the East Gate, chatting about matters in Qiongting. Seeing Chang Zhao had received a silver fish bag, Xu Dan inquired further about his promotion anecdotes, listening with admiration.

Outside the Imperial Street, he finally couldn’t hold back and pulled Chang Zhao by the shoulder asking: “During the banquet earlier, I was truly heart-stopping. Last time, you seemed to know everything about the events of those years. Do you know what ‘Grievance on Tinghua Platform’ refers to?”

Chang Zhao was much quieter today compared to last time. Upon hearing this, he was surprised: “Did you see the words on that goblet?”

Xu Dan quickly covered his mouth and gestured for him to be quiet, whispering: “That Lord Ye held the cup to thank the Emperor, and as he returned, he happened to be beside me. My hearing is good, and I heard him mutter incredulously under his breath.”

Chang Zhao once again fell silent. Xu Dan was patient, and the two walked along the Imperial Street until they reached Bian River. In Fengle Building, they opened an elegant room. Xu Dan went forward to open the window and discovered that this spot perfectly overlooked the sealed Tinghua Platform on the Bian River.

Chang Zhao came over, gazing out the window, somewhat absent-mindedly saying: “After His Majesty ascended the throne, he sought the culprits of the Citang Case and identified three main offenders—their kneeling stone statues are still on Tinghua Platform. Do you know who these three people are?”

Xu Dan nodded, then shook his head: “I’ve heard people mention them, but the people of Biandu regard the Citang Case as taboo, rarely speaking of it. I only seem to know their names—are they scholars from that year’s imperial examination?”

“Yes,” Chang Zhao said, “but not quite. If they were just ordinary candidates, how could they have such extensive involvement? The Citang Case implicated no less than a hundred noble families, even the Five Great Kings…”

Xu Dan exclaimed: “Didn’t they say it was the mob? How could there be such collective punishment?”

Chang Zhao raised his hand to close the window, poured Xu Dan another cup of wine, and smiled: “If Boming wants to know, then I shall tell you in detail.”