“Heir Helan, you seem surprised.”
“I am. After all, you never even dared kill a chicken before.”
“Circumstances forced my hand.” Song Liang heaved a sigh and regarded him mournfully. “Heir Helan, I did all of this for you.”
Helan Ze’s smile did not reach his eyes. “Did you?”
“Of course.” Song Liang knew he was not as easy to fool as Xiao Ji from the previous world. Nor did he expect a few words to dispel his wariness, so he continued, “Xie Yun harbors treasonous ambitions, Chancellor Yin forms factions and persecutes those who oppose him, and the Grand Empress Dowager monopolizes the court while allowing her relatives to run rampant. A Great Yao like this needs a new sovereign to set things right and restore peace and prosperity to the people.”
“Such an ambition is no children’s game. It requires military power. Since you sent me into the palace, I must command troops if I am to help you. Otherwise, how would I be any different from that puppet emperor, Chen Min?”
“You don’t want to be a puppet?”
“…”
Silence settled over the room. Song Liang slowly lowered his gaze to the tea stems rising and sinking in the cup on the table, his voice casual. “Who would?”
A shadow darkened Helan Ze’s eyes, though his face retained the gentle smile of a refined gentleman. “Quite true. Only that little emperor, Chen Min, would be content to remain a puppet. He’s enjoying himself so much at my place that he’s forgotten all about returning.”
Song Liang’s movements paused slightly. As though asking in passing, he said, “…Is the little emperor still doing well?”
“Very well.” Helan Ze patted Song Liang lightly on the shoulder and smiled. “Rest assured, no one will ever find him, and no third person will ever know you are a false emperor.”
He pronounced “false emperor” slowly, with deliberate emphasis.
After a brief silence, Song Liang replied, “Naturally, Li Huai trusts you. Without you, there would be no Li Huai as he is today.”
“Good.” Pleased by his compliance, Helan Ze was about to deliver a few more warnings when Song Liang suddenly raised his teacup and asked pointedly, “Is this another new tea? I haven’t tried it before. It smells wonderful.”
“…”
The smile at Helan Ze’s lips stiffened again. He delivered the familiar line: “If you like it, I’ll have someone wrap some up for you.”
Song Liang smiled. “Make it a generous portion. Thank you.”
Helan Ze: “…”
Upon leaving the private room, Song Liang casually tossed the large package of tea to Zhou An. One look at the wrapping paper was enough to make Zhou An exclaim, “Could this be Black Jade Golden Bud tea from the northern lands, worth a thousand gold pieces per tael? Heir Helan certainly is generous!”
Song Liang thought that if it weren’t valuable, the precious time he had spent listening to Helan Ze’s nonsense would have been wasted.
“Where’s Xuan Seven?” Song Liang remembered telling the boy to come out with them.
Zhou An was about to answer when Xuan Seven hurried in through the second-floor window. Handing Song Liang a secret letter, he said gravely, “The Grand Empress Dowager sent men to Ci’an Palace and took the Empress Dowager away!”
Song Liang’s gaze turned cold.
“Back to the palace.”
“Yes!”
In fact, from his very first confrontation with Lady Qin, Song Liang had prepared for the possibility that she would use the Empress Dowager against him. He had long since stationed trusted eunuchs to keep watch over Ci’an Palace. But this time Lady Qin had dispatched the Golden Plume Guard. The eunuchs could do nothing to stop them and could only watch as they took her away before hurriedly reporting to Liang Fei.
When Song Liang reached Shoukang Palace, a palace maid immediately tried to announce his arrival to the Grand Empress Dowager. He gave her no chance. Instead, he kicked open the doors to the inner hall, provoking a chorus of startled screams.
The Grand Empress Dowager sprang up from her couch and shouted furiously, “Insolence! This is Shoukang Palace! Emperor, what do you think you’re doing?”
Song Liang glanced at the Empress Dowager, who was watching him in astonishment from a corner. Only after confirming she was unharmed did he reply coolly, “I should be asking what you think you’re doing. Why did you have the Empress Dowager forcibly taken away?”
“I am her elder. Am I not permitted to invite her here for a little conversation?”
“Of course you are. But since you went so far as to deploy the Golden Plume Guard, let’s dispense with the pretense of a heartfelt chat. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“…”
Lady Qin regarded him darkly. After a long silence, she said heavily, “Then I shall speak plainly. I wish to discuss something with Your Majesty.”
“Very well,” Song Liang replied.
“Attendants, escort the Empress Dowager back.”
“No need.”
Song Liang turned to Xuan Seven and instructed coldly, “Escort the Empress Dowager back to her palace. Kill anyone who dares obstruct you.”
Xuan Seven nodded and led the frightened, bewildered Empress Dowager out of Shoukang Palace. Only Zhou An remained, standing silently behind Song Liang.
Lady Qin looked at master and servant, her voice chilling. “You’ve sent away your only guard. Aren’t you afraid I’ll have you killed where you stand?”
“No. Before that happens, I’ll twist your head off.” Song Liang raised an eyebrow, perfectly composed. “Just as I did to Jiang Wei.”
“…You insolent whelp!”
Lady Qin slammed her palm against the couch’s armrest and glared at him through gritted teeth. “Who do you think put you on that exalted throne? You ungrateful beast!”
“If this nonsense is all the Grand Empress Dowager wishes to discuss, I shall take my leave.”
“Chen Min, for all your arrogance, have you ever considered that our fates are bound together? You are so intent on bringing me down, but have you thought about what will become of you afterward?”
Song Liang watched her without expression.
Taking his silence as a sign that her words had struck home, Lady Qin braced herself against the armrest and slowly settled back onto the couch. “You are clever, and remarkably patient. All those years playing the fool before me, and I never suspected a thing.”
“Why act so suddenly now? Because of Xie Yun? What did he promise you on the journey back from Hanshui City? The whole realm, or half the empire?”
“Whatever he promised, I can tell you it was a lie. Your surname is Chen. That alone is enough to ensure Xie Yun will never let you off easily!”
“…”
Song Liang’s gaze shifted slightly. “Why?”
“Why? Because he bears a grudge against the Chen clan—and against you.” Lady Qin accepted a cup of tea from an attendant and took a sip, her tone growing measured. “Do you know why, despite Xie Yun’s exalted position, the Xie clan remains far away in Yingchuan, with so few of its members at court?”
“Because eight years ago, the late emperor killed half the Xie clan’s direct line, including Xie Yun’s parents and relatives—more than a hundred and thirty people in the Xie household.”
“…”
Song Liang blinked slowly, his expression unchanged. “Then his grudge is against the late emperor. What does that have to do with me?”
“Because your surname is Chen. Because you were chosen to sit upon that throne. Xie Yun does not hate only the late emperor. He hates anyone who occupies the throne of the Chen dynasty!”
“…”
“And, of course, he has a personal grievance against you as well.”
“Do you remember the old scholar who taught you poetry and the classics?”
“Xie Cheng. Xie Yun’s own uncle, his only remaining family. The esteemed teacher of the Second Sage and the late Emperor Shizong—yet you pushed him off a raised corridor in front of everyone, humiliating him utterly and ultimately costing him a leg!”
“With such a blood feud between you, you still expect him to help you without resentment? What an utter farce!”
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