Chapter 496: An Unsettling Smoothness

It went so smoothly that even Yan Ruchu found it hard to believe.

“The Fifth Prince and the Fourth Prince charged into Zhao Zhen’s bedchamber. Their troops surrounded the palace building, pressuring Zhao Zhen to depose the Crown Prince and make himself the Retired Emperor to ‘enjoy his remaining years.'”

Yan Ruchu raised an eyebrow. “That part was very strange too. That night, the palace guards seemed to have been withdrawn. Someone must have pulled strings behind the scenes. Otherwise, Zhao Qing and Zhao Chengren wouldn’t even have gotten past the palace gates.”

But even now, he still hadn’t discovered who was behind it.

“What followed was even more beyond expectation.”

“According to the palace servants back then, just as the Founding Emperor of Xiang was about to give in, the Fifth Prince suddenly drew his sword against the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince seemed to have expected it; his soft armor stopped the blade.”

“In an instant, the bedchamber erupted into chaos.”

“Troops both princes had secretly infiltrated into the Sanhua Army stirred up fierce fighting. The entire Imperial Palace echoed with the desperate sounds of slaughter.”

Yan Ruchu frowned. “I still remember that coup vividly to this day.”

He lifted his head and said, “That night, I led thousands of Jianghu masters charging into the palace from outside. With my charms, the Sanhua Army betrayed their leaders. I broke into the palace without losing a single man.”

“While the Fourth and Fifth Princes were locked in combat, I had already seized control of all the palace guards. I also secretly sent men to detain several important ministers in the court.”

“After a single night…”

“Da Xiang had a new ruler.”

Yan Ruchu stood up. “Even now, I feel dazed by it all. It was as if everything fell perfectly into place, pushing me onto the throne.”

“That whole night was filled with countless strange occurrences. From the Sanhua Army to the palace guards acting oddly, even the Imperial Forest Guards vanishing for hours—it was all so bizarre it felt scary.”

“It was like someone was secretly manipulating the whole thing, toying with everyone as if they were puppets.”

Yan Ruchu took a deep breath and looked toward Mr. Chen. “This matter has troubled me for years. I also wish to seek your help in uncovering the truth.”

Chen Changsheng sat in his chair, silent for a long while.

Deathly quiet fell over the Imperial Study.

Chen Changsheng’s fingers slowly tapped the table. He realized Yan Ruchu wasn’t lying. Every word was true.

This absurd story had genuinely happened.

Almost impossible. Yet it had truly succeeded.

Chen Changsheng paused, then asked another question. “What about Zhao Zhen?”

Yan Ruchu started briefly before replying. “Now that you mention it…”

“That night, I swept into his chamber with my sword. Zhao Zhen watched everything unfold from his bed. When he saw me, he said something… baffling.”

“He said: ‘You’ve finally come.'”

Yan Ruchu’s brow tightened slightly. “After those words, Zhao Zhen seemed to relax completely. His whole body slumped. When I checked him, he’d already stopped breathing.”

“It was as if he’d been waiting for me for a long time. He seemed to know this moment would come, but… there was no way to question him.”

Chen Changsheng nodded slowly. “That explains it.”

He’d already guessed Zhao Zhen had made some arrangements.

He asked another question. “But later? Your blood is heir to Great Jing. Da Xiang was stable. Even if rebellion succeeded, how could you hold onto power?”

“It was because a Prime Minister helped me.”

Yan Ruchu said, “He alone knelt and declared rebellion in the Northwest was imminent. The nation’s affairs must come first now. That one phrase—’nation’s affairs must come first’—persuaded nearly half the court to follow.”

Chen Changsheng felt a flicker of that same surreal dazedness. He looked at Yan Ruchu. “This ‘Prime Minister Wen’… Was he truly thinking of the country?”

Yan Ruchu’s expression turned somber. He sighed softly. “Even now, I cannot know. Later, once I gradually secured control of the court officials… I had him drink a cup of poisoned wine.”

“He had to die.”

Yan Ruchu spoke these words with unnatural calm. Not a ripple showed in his eyes.

“Is that so…”

Chen Changsheng’s thoughtful murmur hung in the air. The oddities in this story were clearly more than one or two.

Despite the apparent smoothness, it clearly hadn’t been easy for Yan Ruchu to secure the throne. This land being called ‘Da Xiang’ might have been a concession he had to make.

A throne seized like this inevitably brings storm and bloodshed. Unruly hearts within, rebellion without. Like when Da Xiang conquered Great Jing all those years ago.

One must be a benevolent ruler, soothing the people, yet also a ruthless one, capable of cruelty.

For Yan Ruchu to hold this throne, even that had demanded huge effort.

A brief, fragile calm settled again in the Imperial Study.

Chen Changsheng sat deep in thought. He shook his head at times, frowned deeply at others.

Layer upon layer, everything seemed only surface deep.

In the swirl of his thoughts, the image of someone he’d never met, only heard of, flickered in Chen Changsheng’s mind.

His hand drifted toward his sleeve, closing around a Folding Fan.

An object Yan Huanglou had left behind long ago.

Yan Ruchu broke the silence. “Do you have any leads, sir?”

Chen Changsheng stirred. “Perhaps… there is one.”

Yan Ruchu froze.

Then he heard Chen Changsheng continue, “But… it is not yet certain. I must wait until after…”

Ultimately, Chen Changsheng did not give him a clear answer.

Chen Changsheng bid farewell and left the palace.

Yan Ruchu merely saw him to the door of the Imperial Study. His heart felt heavy with a mix of conflicting emotions. He heaved a soft sigh.

“Even Mr. Chen cannot find the answer… Then perhaps this matter truly will plague me for the rest of my life…”

Yan Ruchu murmured to himself, shook his head, and returned to his desk to review memorials.

……

Chen Changsheng journeyed beyond the walls of Shangjing City.

Holding the fan, he pondered a long while, then plucked a hair strand.

He had his suspicions, but unless he saw that being today, he dared not make a final judgment.

“Hum.”

The hair fell onto the fan.

The fan snapped open. A vivid scene of bamboo and orchids spread within.

“If Master Zhulan is truly in Shangjing, could you grace us with your presence?”

Chen Changsheng spoke the words, his gaze sweeping the mountain stream area. There was no movement.

He paused in thought, then looked down at the fan.

At that moment, a light breeze suddenly stirred, softly grazing his face.

Chen Changsheng paused for a breath, then strode in the direction of that breeze’s origin.

Moments later, Chen Changsheng arrived at a heavily guarded location. Concealing himself, he slipped past the layers of sentries and finally stood at the foot of a mountain peak.

Before him lay the Imperial Mausoleum!

The Yan Imperial Mausoleum!

‘The wind came from here… So its source is here…’

Chen Changsheng murmured softly. He stepped to the tightly shut mausoleum doors.

He took another step. When he opened his eyes again, utter darkness surrounded him.

Chen Changsheng raised his hand. Fire suddenly lit up within the tomb, casting flickering light.

His gaze moved forward.

Leaning against an enormous, blood-red coffin sat an utterly aged, bald old man. His breath was feather-weak, as if about to crumble into dust and vanish in the next instant.