Chapter 212

Chapter 212

Since Zhao Yongchang and the others were on an imperial envoy mission to Yunyang Prefecture, they didn't have to settle there long-term the way transferred officials did, and they didn't have to bring their families either.

So they traveled light, just carrying the necessary documents and their personal bags, pushing hard, switching horses at relay stations and hopping on boats wherever there was a water route.

They pushed on without letup and made it to the outskirts of Yunyang City in just over half a month.

"Brother Han! Brother Jiang!"

After five years apart, the group got all choked up seeing Han Zhang and Jiang Wencheng again, hollering at the top of their lungs from way off.

"Second Brother, Brother Zhao, Brother Pan, Brother Wu..."

Han Zhang and Jiang Wencheng, who'd gotten word and come to the city gate to meet them, looked overjoyed and hurried up to greet them.

Five years had passed, and the flashy young men of the capital had long since shed their boyish naivety.

Zhao Yongchang remained as lively as ever, though there was now a touch of royal haughtiness in his brow, befitting his clan;

Pan Taining, Wu Xuelin, and Shen Huaizhi had settled down a bit more, but the warmth and eagerness in their eyes when they looked at Han Zhang and Jiang Wencheng was just the same as ever.

"Brother Han, I've missed you like crazy!"

Zhao Yongchang was the first to rush forward, wrapping Han Zhang in a big, unrestrained bear hug, almost sending him stumbling back two steps.

Though they privately called Han Zhang "Brother Han" and regarded him as their leader, they still insisted on calling him "little brother" just to get under his skin.

After releasing Han Zhang from the hug, Zhao Yongchang turned to look at Jiang Wencheng, grinning widely. "Brother Jiang too—you're looking even sharper than ever!"

Shen Huaizhi and the others naturally stepped forward as well, giving Han Zhang and Jiang Wencheng a friendly punch on the shoulder to show they were tight, laughing heartily:

"Brother Han, Brother Jiang, good to see you two in one piece! So? You happy to see your brothers or what?"

Han Zhang, still winded from Zhao Yongchang's tackle, smiled helplessly:

"Happy? How could I not be? It's just that you guys... you really haven't changed a bit. After all that riding, you're still this fired up? I figured we'd have to wait at least another ten days or so before you showed up."

Jiang Wencheng also nodded with a smile: "Yeah, way faster than we expected. When we got the letter from the capital, we figured it'd take at least a month. You must've run a few horses into the ground getting here, huh?"

"More than a few! We ran through four good horses! And our bones are just about rattled loose. But knowing we'd get to see our brothers sooner made it all worth it!"

They stood by the city gate, trading words back and forth, catching up on years of brotherhood.

It wasn't until the sun was high overhead that they finally, reluctantly, climbed into the sedan chairs the Han household had sent, laughing and talking the whole way back to the house.

After washing up, changing, and grabbing a quick meal to shake off the road weariness, they sat down in the hall, poured some tea, and started catching each other up on the last few years.

Pan Taining, Wu Xuelin, and Zhao Yongchang had been doing pretty well for themselves.

Even though they were still a bit wild at heart, thanks to Han Zhang's earlier pushing and guidance, the three of them hadn't slacked off on their studies all these years.

Not only had they passed the imperial exams along with Shen Huaizhi, but they'd also shaken off their reputation as spoiled rich kids and managed to break into the real literary circles, which blew everyone's minds and made them the talk of the capital's high society.

Shen Huaizhi, though, had it rough. Over the past few years, his kids had "died" one after the other, and his mother had recently "passed away" from illness. The hits just kept coming, and he broke down sobbing to Han Zhang about all his grievances.

Han Zhang, of course, knew the real story behind the Shen family's troubles, but he still put on a shocked, pained face and leaned in, pressing urgently:

"Second Brother, why didn't you tell me about something this big in your letters earlier? If... if Lan Geer ever found out, how could he take it?"

Shen Huaizhi sobbed uncontrollably: "Brother Han, I... I only sort of figured out later that it was my father's doing. By the time I realized what was going on, it was already too late."

"Don't tell Lan Geer about this for now—don't let him have a rough time during his lying-in..."

"Oh, speaking of which, by my count, Lan Geer should've given birth by now, right? How is he doing? And my two new nephews? Are they boys or girls? Who do they take after?"

With that, Shen Huaizhi recalled the letters from Yunyang received in recent months and began asking about Shen Qinglan's health and childbirth.

At that, Han Zhang and Jiang Wencheng traded a look, their faces falling as they briefly told the story of the wet nurses' revenge.

"Thankfully, Lan Geer has a strong constitution. Though this ordeal has drained some of his vitality, he'll recover with proper rest. It's just that grief has left him terribly haggard..."

Shen Huaizhi listened, furious: "Those venomous women! Those two black-hearted wet nurses! How dare they—how dare they harm people like that!"

"And you, Han Qinzhang, what did you promise me back then? You said you'd protect Lan Geer, and this is how you've taken care of him? With your intelligence, how could you let such negligence happen?"

Thinking of his younger brother, pampered since childhood, suffering such a calamity, his heart ached as if twisted. But as the words left his mouth, he felt powerless and slumped down, face streaked with tears:

"Enough, enough... What right do I have to criticize you? I'm even worse than you..."

"Ah, what a mess this all is..."

Pan Taining and the others sighed as well. Brother Han and Brother Shen had truly been dealt a poor hand of luck.

Fortunately, Zhao Yongchang had good news. His main purpose in coming was to act as an emissary for Emperor Taixuan, persuading Han Zhang to let go of the past.

"Regarding the matter of Chang Gongjun Jiayou back then, my imperial uncle knows full well that the fault was not yours. Exiling you to Yunyang was more about tempering your edge, lest your youthful fervor make you too rigid in the future. He never truly turned his back on you."

"The Crown Prince may hold a grudge against you because of Chang Gongjun, but my imperial uncle certainly does not. He has the world at heart and cherishes talent above all—how could he let personal feelings override duty and allow a pillar of the state like you to wither in obscurity?"

Seeing Han Zhang silent, Zhao Yongchang quickly added, his words sincere:

"I came here specifically because my imperial uncle asked me to sound out your intentions. Brother Han, would you be willing to return to the capital and serve him once more?"

Zhao Yongchang was truly sincere at heart—he neither wanted his good brother to waste his talents in a remote prefecture nor wanted his imperial uncle to lose a capable man, so he pleaded with all his might.

Finally, he brought out the special token granted by Emperor Taixuan:

"Brother Han, look—this is a special token personally bestowed by my imperial uncle, granting me the authority to act first and report later. If you have any difficulties or requests, speak now, and I'll do everything in my power to arrange it."

"Brother Han, my imperial uncle... he truly regards you as a vital minister and hopes you'll return. Even if not for yourself, think of Lan Geer—if you don't return to the capital, how can Brother Shen protect himself under Uncle Shen's authority?"

Zhao Yongchang pleaded earnestly.

Shen Huaizhi and the others also looked at Han Zhang with anticipation. Without Han Zhang's "sweet words," their lives in the capital just weren't the same.

But knowing Han Zhang's temperament, he naturally wouldn't agree outright.

"Let me think it over..."

Han Zhang sighed, his expression complicated.

Zhao Yongchang knew he couldn't force the issue, so he suppressed his anxiety and nodded: "Alright, Brother Han, take your time. I respect your decision."

With so much news weighing on them at once, everyone's mood grew heavy.

No longer in the mood to continue chatting, they exchanged a few more words before the gathering came to an end.

Only after everyone had dispersed did Han Zhang, Jiang Wencheng, and Pan Taining secretly gather again in the study's hidden chamber.

Pan Taining set aside his playful demeanor from earlier, his expression turning serious as he handed a confidential letter to Han Zhang and Jiang Wencheng, his eyes blazing with ambition:

"Brother Han, my uncle has already handled everything you instructed before. Now the Crown Prince and those other princes are at each other's throats like fighting cocks. As long as nothing unexpected happens, all of His Majesty's adult princes will be wiped out!"

"In the harem, the young maids my uncle picked and promoted have all given birth to young princes. The letter has the details on these mothers and kids—see which one fits."

Indeed, before leaving the capital, Han Zhang had already secretly won over Pan Taining's uncle.

And Pan Taining's uncle was none other than Eunuch Pan Fu, Emperor Taixuan's most trusted chief eunuch.

Logically speaking, Emperor Taixuan and Eunuch Pan were master and servant who had weathered hardships together. The emperor had favored him greatly, so Eunuch Pan shouldn't have been so easy to turn against him.

But... nothing is absolute!

No matter how loyal Eunuch Pan was to Emperor Taixuan, what he cared about most was still his family and continuing his bloodline.

And no matter how much favor Emperor Taixuan showed Eunuch Pan, he could never truly elevate a eunuch's family that much.

So, after Han Zhang promised Eunuch Pan a future for Pan Taining, he also used his Power to restore Eunuch Pan's vitality, making him a real man again.

By the second year after Han Zhang was exiled to Yunyang Prefecture, once Eunuch Pan confirmed he had fathered his own child, he didn't hesitate to jump on Han Zhang's bandwagon, joining his plan for "placing a young emperor on the throne"...

Over these years, with Eunuch Pan and Shen's father working in tandem, the capital's political scene had been anything but quiet, and the fight for the Crown Prince position had gotten far more intense than it would have been under normal circumstances.

Otherwise, if it were just Jiang Wencheng maneuvering alone, the Crown Prince would never have foolishly allowed him to operate freely for a full five years—it was simply because he was stuck in the whirlpool of succession battles, too busy to pay attention!

Aside from that.

Pan Taining also had another piece of news.

He looked at Han Zhang with a grave expression: "The Crown Prince has begun to suspect Brother Jiang. Brother Zhao is a secret pawn sent by His Majesty, and His Majesty intends to cut him loose."

"My uncle also said there's something off about Brother Zhao's background. The State-Assisting General's household probably has something on His Majesty, but unfortunately, the details are too well hidden—my uncle doesn't dare dig deeper."