Chapter 540: On the Eve of War

Chapter 540: The Eve of Battle

"When the Prince requested to open the coffin, I also saw it. If I'm not mistaken, that person had been dead for about a day before being burned with fire oil—it wasn't a case of being burned alive."

Yuan Jiuan pondered and gave a slight nod. "I see."

"I might be overthinking this, but I feel that corpse isn't the Crown Prince at all—it's just a random corpse she found to pass off as him."

"Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but if the Crown Prince were dead, Empress Dowager Yuan could install a new one, and the Chu imperial clan would be completely replaced by the new emperor, controlled by the Yuan family and the great families."

"For Empress Dowager Yuan and the Five Great Families, there's only upside and no downside."

As he spoke, he looked at the strand of hair again.

"I once had the good fortune to hear someone say that some highly skilled physicians can identify a person's identity from any part of their body."

"Princess Ye is the most skilled physician I've ever met. I wonder if you could determine from this strand of hair whether it belongs to the Crown Prince?"

Ji Yuntang raised an eyebrow and let out a soft chuckle.

"No need for all that trouble, Your Highness. I can tell you for certain that the deceased is not the Crown Prince of Xishu Kingdom."

A hint of confusion flickered in Yuan Jiuan's mind. He asked, "Oh? How does Princess Ye know this?"

Ji Yuntang didn't answer his question directly. Instead, she said, "I came to Dingxiang Tower today with two friends—they're right outside the door now. If Your Highness meets them, you'll understand everything."

Though Yuan Jiuan didn't understand what she meant, he still followed her suggestion and had Zhufeng bring the two in.

The moment he saw Hua Feixue's appearance, he was a bit shocked.

"So alike—he really looks just like Emperor Chu. May I ask this young man's name and what his status is?"

Yuan Jiuan didn't connect Hua Feixue to the Crown Prince. He assumed the man was another of Emperor Chu's sons who had ended up outside the palace, undiscovered by Empress Dowager Yuan, and thus survived by accident.

And as luck would have it, he happened to run into Ji Yuntang.

Hua Feixue clasped his hands in salute and bowed respectfully to Yuan Jiuan.

"Chu Yi, Crown Prince of Xishu Kingdom, pays respects to Uncle King."

Yuan Jiuan: "..."

Yuan Jiuan: "!!!"

He thought he must have misheard and asked again.

"You—who did you just say you were?"

Hua Feixue's expression turned serious, his manner respectful and patient.

"Uncle King, I am Crown Prince Chu Yi, the only blood relative Emperor Chu has left in this world."

"Today, I thank Uncle King for stepping in to stop Empress Dowager Yuan—otherwise, she would have had someone dig up my mother's tomb and bury the False Crown Prince alongside her."

"Uncle King has protected my mother's reputation and dignity. This Crown Prince is endlessly grateful to Uncle King."

Yuan Jiuan looked at Hua Feixue with a deep, searching gaze. It would be a lie to say he wasn't shocked inside.

He never dreamed that the very suspicion he had just formed would be confirmed with the real Crown Prince standing right before him.

So Chu Yi wasn't dead.

And Empress Dowager Yuan had indeed, as he suspected, been plotting to change the dynasty and install a new Crown Prince.

"Honestly, Your Highness, I've known the Crown Prince for some time now. Empress Dowager Yuan backed him into a corner with no way out, so he had to flee to our Dongchen Kingdom to make a living."

"This time, my brother and I came to Xishu Kingdom with the Crown Prince to help him take revenge on Empress Dowager Yuan, rescue the imprisoned Emperor Chu, and reclaim everything that belongs to the Chu imperial clan."

After speaking, Ji Yuntang laid out a lot of evidence of Empress Dowager Yuan's affair with the Grand Tutor, and told him that she planned to install her own son as Crown Prince the next day.

Yuan Jiuan was furious beyond measure after hearing this. He slammed his hand hard on the table.

"The Late Emperor chose her as his consort, and not only did she poison him to death, she also had an affair with her own cousin, gave birth to a bastard, raised him, and sent him to usurp the throne."

"Empress Dowager Yuan truly has a viper's heart—vicious and utterly evil!"

Xie Liuzheng interjected, "No kidding. In all my years, I've never met a woman as venomous as Empress Dowager Yuan."

"She treats human life like grass. She'll eventually face the consequences, and the spirits of the Chu ancestors will never forgive her."

Yuan Jiuan nodded in agreement and said, "Heir Xie is right—what goes around comes around; it's just a matter of time."

"But now that I know about this, I absolutely won't sit by and do nothing."

"As it happens, when I set out this time, I sensed the royal court might be in for major upheaval. Fearing Empress Dowager Yuan might make a move against me, I brought 100,000 troops with me. By my estimate, they should reach the capital by noon tomorrow."

Ji Yuntang's heart leaped with joy at this news. "If Your Highness can help, that would be great!"

"With Your Highness's 100,000 troops, General Shen's 150,000, and my secret weapons, against Empress Dowager Yuan's 500,000-strong army, we might not be without a chance of winning this battle."

The group sat down and began discussing the details.

Ji Yuntang said, "Empress Dowager Yuan is rushing to install an heir simply because she fears that the longer she waits, the more complications arise—she wants to openly seize control of the entire court as soon as possible."

"Although Yuanchao has been chosen as Crown Prince, he doesn't have the ability to govern. So whether it's reviewing memorials or attending court sessions, the real decision-making power still lies with Empress Dowager Yuan and the Grand Tutor."

"So if we want to destroy Empress Dowager Yuan, we should start with Yuanchao. The best approach is to get the Four Great Families to tear each other apart. Once they've fought enough, we make our move and reap the spoils."

"Of course, there's a prerequisite: we need to find a way to rescue Emperor Chu early on."

"If the Crown Prince ends up clashing with Empress Dowager Yuan's forces tomorrow, Emperor Chu could very well be used as a hostage to threaten us—and then we'd be in a very passive position."

Hearing this, Yuan Jiuan volunteered, "Rescuing him isn't hard. Tomorrow morning, I'll enter the palace and keep Empress Dowager Yuan and the Grand Tutor busy for you. Then you all can take the chance to rescue Emperor Chu from the underground chamber."

"Once he's rescued, just find a way to signal me."

Ji Yuntang smiled softly. "Then thank you, Your Highness!"

By the time they finished discussing the details, it was already well into the wee hours.

Ji Yuntang went back to the General's Mansion for a quick nap.

In her view, only by getting enough rest could she have enough energy to handle the next day's affairs.

Xie Liuzheng, meanwhile, went back and slept like a log.

Only Hua Feixue lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

He got up, opened the door, and went out to the courtyard for a walk.

The early spring night still carried a hint of chill. As Hua Feixue wandered, he found himself outside Shen Shiran's courtyard.

It was already the hour of Mao, yet the candle in her room was still lit.

Hua Feixue had intended to watch for a while and then leave, but footsteps sounded and Shen Shiran called out to him.

"Brother Chu Yi."

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