Wishing You Eternal Happiness WYEH - 77

Chapter - 77

By Tea Time Translations

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In the imperial study, Xiao Lie stayed up late, staring at a secret letter whose hidden writing only became visible after heating over flame. His expression was grave. After a long moment, he handed it to Li Yuangui at his side. “Burn it. And pass on my orders, do nothing for now. We wait for further instructions.”

Li Yuangui accepted the letter and carried it to a bronze incense burner in the corner of the hall. Lifting the lid, he dropped the paper in.

When the emperor first ascended the throne, he had secretly dispatched elite Jinyiwei agents to the southern coasts to track the whereabouts of the missing Young Emperor. Naturally, Jinlong Island, the base of the so-called Golden-faced Dragon King, had long been under imperial surveillance. The island’s location was secretive, its defenses tight, outsiders forbidden. It had taken over a year before one of the most experienced spies finally managed to infiltrate the island, posing as a low-level sailor. While probing the Dragon King's network, he began to suspect that the man might be none other than the former general Dong Cheng’ao of the fallen Tianxi court. But lacking definitive proof, he dared not report.

That changed during the recent Wokou pirate raid, when Jinlong Island mobilized all forces. The spy seized the opportunity to board the Dragon King's main vessel. Over the course of two weeks, he covertly gathered more information.

The letter reported that during the naval battle, the Dragon King gave commands with a confidence and bearing reminiscent of the late Duke Wei, further strengthening the suspicion of his identity. More notably, the Dragon King was accompanied by a teenage boy, seen several times from afar. The Dragon King treated him with great respect. The youth, however, did not act like a master nor a servant—his age aligned with that of the missing Prince Yu. His identity remained questionable.

Li Yuangui tossed the letter into the brazier. A dark plume of smoke burst up as the paper blackened and turned to ash amidst the incense flames.

“Your Majesty, the third watch has passed. You have labored hard these past days. It is time to rest.”

Xiao Lie rubbed his brow and rose from behind the desk.

“Shall I summon the Noble Consort for the night?”

The emperor waved his hand. Just as he was about to leave, a palace maid entered with a deep bow. “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience.”

Xiao Lie paused, slightly surprised. “What is it?”

“I do not know. His Highness only said it was urgent and is waiting outside.”

“Let him in.”

A moment later, accompanied by brisk footsteps, Crown Prince Xiao Yintang strode into the room. After a formal bow, he looked briefly toward Li Yuangui.

The eunuch bowed and withdrew from the room.

“It’s very late,” Xiao Lie said coolly, sitting back down. “What brings you here?”

Since the scandal involving the Crown Princess, Xiao Lie had maintained a distant tone toward his son.

Xiao Yintang’s expression was respectful, though a flicker of excitement glinted in his eyes, barely restrained. “Father, I know you’ve been burdened by affairs of state. I would not trouble you at such an hour were it not for a matter of great importance. Do you recall ordering me to search for Prince Yu years ago? I came back from Quanzhou empty-handed then, but never forgot your command. I left a trusted retainer, Liu Yi, to continue investigating. Heaven rewards the diligent, this time, I finally have news!”

He paused to gauge the emperor’s reaction. Seeing no change in expression, he pressed on. “Father, surely you have heard of the so-called Golden-faced Dragon King, the pirate lord on the southern seas. Recently, Liu Yi discovered that this man is very likely Dong Cheng’ao, the former general of the Tianxi court!”

Still, the emperor showed little reaction. Yintang hesitated, then continued, “Father, if this man truly is Dong Cheng’ao, once a loyal servant of the state who was driven into piracy by the chaos of rebellion, then fine. But there’s more: he may be hiding the Young Emperor!”

No longer able to contain himself, his voice rose in intensity. “Father, according to Liu Yi, this Dragon King keeps close a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth, whose identity is unknown, whom people only call ‘Young Master.’ I suspect- no, I believe, that this boy is Prince Yu! Think of it- Dong Cheng’ao once served the Duke of Wei, who had deep ties with the Tianxi court. That he would protect Prince Yu in exile, waiting for the right time to restore him, it all makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?”

The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, neither confirming nor denying.

Xiao Yintang hesitated for a moment.

"And your son has one more concern. I do not know whether it is appropriate to speak."

"Speak," the emperor said, fixing his gaze on him.

"I know Father has always trusted Pei You’an, and your son has absolutely no intention to slander him. I only wish to remind Father that Pei You’an is a man of deep patience and uncommon restraint. He has ties with Dong Cheng’ao and once had a teacher-student relationship with Xiao Yu. Now, if Xiao Yu truly lives, Father may have to guard against Pei You’an, lest he one day cause trouble!”

The emperor gazed silently at Xiao Yintang, lost in thought.

Xiao Yintang gradually felt that the emperor’s reaction was unusually calm.

He was too composed, so composed that it felt unsettling.

Ever since Xiao Lie had been the Prince of Yunzhong and rose up under the banner of restoring the young emperor Xiao Yu to the throne, though he never mentioned it in front of his son, Xiao Yintang always knew—his father likely never had the true intention of restoring Xiao Yu.

After all, who wouldn’t want to claim the throne if given the chance?

The banner was only to rally public support and hasten his rise.

The young emperor was likely long dead. Even if alive, he would have become a true orphan, with only symbolic significance. No matter if a few still supported him, in front of a real power holder, he could never cause a real stir. To be found and then disappear, that would be the most reasonable outcome.

So tonight, upon receiving this news, Xiao Yintang was utterly excited.

After everything with the crown princess, Zhou Jin, Empress Zhou, and himself—all gradually falling out of favor, he still longed to use this explosive information to regain his father’s favor and trust.

Even if the dream he had was true, and Pei You’an really was the emperor’s illegitimate son, if Pei dared to stand on the opposite side of the throne, the emperor would never tolerate it.

On that point, Xiao Yintang had been certain.

But now, the emperor’s response made him unsure.

“If your news is true, then in your opinion, how should I handle it?” the emperor finally spoke after a long pause, his tone calm and unreadable.

“Should I charge Pei You’an with conspiracy and treason? Hunt down the young emperor and eliminate him? Yintang, have you forgotten what I once promised the people? From your tone just now, are you suggesting I remove the young emperor and burden myself with a reputation of cruelty and betrayal?”

Xiao Yintang was stunned, almost unable to believe what he was hearing. “Father! I don’t understand! The late emperor despised you and imprisoned you in Yunnan. You endured twenty years, through hardship and peril, before finally succeeding. Do you really intend to yield the throne to a mere boy like Xiao Yu? What virtue or merit does he possess to deserve such treatment from you?”

The emperor rose from his desk and walked to the window, looking out at the night. After a moment, he turned back and said, “Yintang, if I truly intended to fulfill my promise and return the empire to Xiao Yu, what would you do?”

His tone was gentle, as if merely chatting.

Xiao Yintang froze for a moment, then slowly knelt down. “Father, this empire is yours. However you choose to handle it is your decision. I remain loyal only to Father and will obey your will.”

Having spoken, he bowed his head.

Xiao Lie gazed at him for a moment, then nodded. “It is comforting that you think this way. As for what you reported, I will send others to investigate further. Do not reveal it to a third party, and do not interfere further.”

Xiao Yintang bowed, rose, and exited. As he stepped out of the imperial study’s palace hall, his footsteps paused briefly. He looked back.

In the misty night, his expression was taut. His gaze turned to the window behind, glowing with lamplight. A shadow flashed quickly in his eyes, then he turned and walked forward again.

…

After leaving the palace, Pei You’an returned to the Pei residence.

Madam Xin and Pei Chuan had not expected his return and were surprised to learn that he had come alone, with Jiafu staying in Quanzhou to attend to his grandmother.

It had only been a short time, yet the emperor was already about to recall him to service, which stirred envy in their hearts. Outwardly, though, everyone remained warm and courteous. Madam Xin ordered servants to unpack his belongings. Pei Chuan conversed with him for a while. Afterward, Pei You’an returned to the courtyard he once shared with Jiafu. He bathed and, dressed in inner robes, stepped out.

As he walked to the clothes rack, he habitually looked up and saw it was empty, none of the clean clothes Jiafu used to prepare for him daily. He paused, turned around, went to the wardrobe, opened it, and took out a set of casual garments. As he was closing the door, his eyes landed on an old outer cloak folded neatly in a corner of the wardrobe.

He remembered this cloak.

It was the one he had wrapped around a disheveled girl that night in the relay station in Chengjiang Prefecture, Yunnan, after rescuing her and bringing her to his quarters.

Even back then, the cloak had been old. He had since traveled far and wide and forgotten about it. He never expected to see it again, neatly folded, in his wardrobe tonight. For a moment, he was dazed, and the image of her- barefoot and uneasy, standing before him- rose in his mind.

Pei You’an looked at it for a while, then put the clothes in his hands back. His slender fingers landed on the old cloak, smoothed it out, picked it up, unfolded it, and put it on.

That night, after the third drum sounded, a figure quietly pushed open the study door and entered.

The room was dark, the south window half open. Pei You’an sat behind his desk, his silhouette outlined by the pale moonlight, half-lit, half-shadowed, thin and solitary.

Yang Yun finished receiving instructions and said in a low voice, “My lord, rest assured. I will send a trusted man to get the message to General Dong as soon as possible. As for the lady, I will act exactly as you instructed. There will be no neglect.”

Pei You’an nodded. “Thank you. You’ve followed me through many hardships, and now you must take risks again. I am truly grateful.”

“If not for the Duke's grace in those years, the entire Yang family would have been executed. This humble one’s life already belongs to you, my lord. I merely have one question I do not understand…”

Yang Yun hesitated.

“Regarding General Dong and the Young Lord, the fewer people who know, the better. This subordinate truly cannot understand, Crown Prince’s men, even if they suspect, can only know two or three tenths of the matter at most. Why then did my lord deliberately arrange it so that they would come to know everything? Would that not solidify the truth of the matter in His Majesty’s eyes?”

Pei You’an was silent for a moment, then replied with an unrelated question: “Yang Yun, what do you make of the court’s recent maritime prohibition?”

Yang Yun was taken aback: “Was it not to defend against the Wokou pirates?”

Pei You’an said, “That is only the surface. His Majesty is an ambitious man. Basking in imperial virtue and vast fortune, he seeks to be a sage, a deity, both martial and literary, he wants all nations to come pay tribute, to manifest the cultural and military glory of our Great Wei. One episode of pirate incursion would not cause him to shrink back and defend. He is not that kind of man. When I was in Quanzhou, my greatest fear still came to pass.”

Yang Yun was shocked: “You mean… His Majesty already knows about the Young Lord? That the sea ban is related to him?”

“The urgent summons I received from His Majesty only confirmed my earlier suspicion. Even if he doesn't know the full truth, he knows eight or nine parts of it. Summoning me back was just a test. Even if I manage to conceal the truth this time, he will soon verify it. As the saying goes, man proposes but heaven disposes. I originally thought that even if the Young Lord’s secret could not be hidden forever, it wouldn’t be exposed so soon. But due to this pirate disturbance, it finally happened. Now that the secret is out, my time is short. The emperor’s heart is inscrutable, should anything happen to me, I don’t care for myself. But now there is the Zhen family. If I fall, the Crown Prince will never spare them. So I can only take the risk and force the Crown Prince to act first. Once he moves, his flaws will inevitably be exposed.”

Yang Yun grew more confused: “My lord, I still don’t understand what this has to do with deliberately leaking the news to the Crown Prince.”

Pei You’an smiled slightly: “You don’t understand. Among imperial fathers and sons, affection is often thinner than paper. If I’m not mistaken, suspicion between His Majesty and the Crown Prince has long outweighed trust. I’m gambling, hoping I win this bet.”

Yang Yun had always followed Pei You’an not only out of gratitude but also out of deep admiration for his intellect and strategy.

If he had made such an arrangement, it must have been well thought out.

Though still puzzled, Yang Yun said no more when he saw Pei You’an wasn’t going to explain further. He simply knelt: “Lord Pei, please take care of yourself.”

After paying his respects, Yang Yun rose and swiftly disappeared into the night.

Pei You’an sat alone in the dim light for a long while, eyes drifting toward the shadow of the water clock in the corner. It was well past the hour when she used to insist he return to bed, mid亥 hour. He stretched, rose, and walked under the moonlight back to his quarters.