Good Luck Wedding 066

Upon leaving Prince Duan's estate, Li Zong mounted his horse and galloped towards the Imperial Tutor’s manor. His face was as pale as snow, eyes dark and lifeless, shrouded in an aura of barely-contained anger.

The horse’s hooves clattered against the bluestone pavement, sending sprays of fine snowflakes into the air. Onlookers along both sides of the street could only watch as a magnificent steed flew past, with a young man clad in yellow rode astride it, hair disheveled, robes billowing wildly behind him.

Prince Duan's estate lay to the east, while the Imperial Tutor’s manor stood to the west. To reach one from the other required traversing the main street and navigating three narrow alleys.

Li Fengqi had already calculated the location meticulously; he waited at the very spot that he would inevitably pass through.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Li Zong appeared, riding the horse at full speed.

The Prince of Yong'an's carriage had stopped at a street corner. Li Fengqi sat in his wheelchair, with Ye Yunting standing beside him. Behind them stood Ji Lian, holding aloft an large oil-paper umbrella that shielded them from wind and snow.

In contrast to Li Zong's disheveled appearance, both Li Fengqi and Ye Yunting were clearly well-prepared.

From afar, Li Zong spotted their group but didn't rein in his horse, instead galloping right past them.

Li Fengqi made no attempt to call out or stop him, remaining firmly where he was, looking at the direction where Li Zong had disappeared to.  

Moments later, they saw the rider return, reining in his mount just beyond them. With snow falling all over his body, Li Zong looked down from atop his horse at the two men below. "What is it? Did you come specifically to see our little spectacle, Prince Yong'an?” He curled his lips, but a smile never materialized. “Are you satisfied?"

"I'm only here to deliver something to you," Li Fengqi replied. He observed how Li Zong clung stubbornly to his imperial pride despite his bedraggled state—it was a sight that brought him no pleasure. He nodded slightly to Wu Geng, who stood nearby, signaling him to hand over the letter.

"What tricks are you trying to pull now?" Li Zong took the letter but didn't open it immediately. He looked at Li Fengqi with a gaze filled with suspicion and scrutiny. For Li Fengqi to brave this blizzard and wait at such a remote intersection, Li Zong doubted it was merely to deliver an ordinary letter.

Li Fengqi looked back at him, smiling. "You will know once you read it yourself. You can't be so afraid that you won't even look inside?"

“…” Li Zong’s fingers tightening involuntarily—his thoughts had been exposed by those words.

After a while, he lowered his eyes and unfolded the letter.

The handwriting within was beautiful and familiar, but he wished he'd never set eyes on its contents. Despite feeling like he was torturing himself, he pressed on, reading one word after another. The more he read, the paler his face became, until it seemed drained of all color. He even failed to notice when snow blanketed his head completely.

After a long while, Li Zong raised his head again, and closed his fingers stiffly into a fist. "... So this is the plan you set."

Of course. Prince Yong'an was deeply scheming, never failing to seek revenge. Having seen through Shen Zhongyu's plan, how could he possibly let matters end with just one letter full of insinuations?

This must have been his true objective all along.

How ridiculous it was, that Li Zong still continued feigning grave injury, when all along he had fallen right into Yong'an Wang's trap without knowing it.

"I've always said Han Chan couldn't be trusted," Li Fengqi said emotionlessly, meeting his gaze head-on. "But you never believed me. Now do you regret it?"

He had gone to great lengths to stabilize Li Zong's position as emperor, only for Li Zong to be unable to resist Han Chan's provocative words.

"And even if Han Chan can't be trusted, why should I believe you?" Li Zong glared at him fiercely, viciously tearing up the letter. The shredded paper fluttered down like snowflakes, sinking into the mud below. "What difference is there between you and Han Chan? You both harbor your own hidden agendas. I saw through you long ago."

His teeth clenched tightly, each word seeming to burst forth from between them. "The path I chose was my own. Even if it leads to my death, I'll never regret it!"

With that, he forcefully cracked his whip and galloped towards Imperial Tutor’s manor.

Li Fengqi watched Li Zong's retreating figure. His fingers, which had been tightly gripping the armrest, loosened, and he sighed heavily. "It's my fault for failing to teach him well."

He had always believed that while Li Zong might occasionally veer into extremism, it was merely a product of his childhood experiences. He figured that once Li Zong matured further and secured his position on the throne, such tendencies would fade away.

But he had been far too complacent in this belief.

"The Prince has done enough," Ye Yunting lowered his eyes, placing a reassuring hand on Li Fengqi's shoulder. "It's just that he trusts himself more."

Li Zong's nature was too radical, sensitive and suspicious. On the surface, he appeared to trust Han Chan and Li Fengqi, but in truth, he trusted neither—he only believed in himself. For instance, after Han Chan poisoned Li Fengqi, it took only a few insinuating words from him to turn against Li Fengqi, who had protected him for years. Similarly, with multiple visits by Han Chan to Prince Duan's estate combined with the letter delivered by Li Fengqi, he now readily suspected them both anew.

This incident made one thing clear: whether it was Li Fengqi or Han Chan, Li Zong had long since suspected them both.

In reality, those letters had been forged by Li Fengqi. Both Han Chan and Yin Xiaozhi were meticulous in their actions; even Li Fengqi's own spies didn’t know what private deals they'd struck or how they exchanged communications secretly. The fake letters bore no seal: only handwriting that resembled the original by 80 to 90%. Delivered at just the right moment, these forgeries had easily deceived Li Zong.

Ye Yunting noticed Li Fengqi's low spirits. He gently placed the warming stove he was holding into Li Fengqi's lap, straightened his cloak around him, and softly said, "We should go back."

His use of "we" resonated with warmth. Feeling this reassurance in his palm, Li Fengqi managed a smile once more. "Yes, let's head home," he agreed. "His affairs have nothing to do with me now."

He didn't want to involve himself anymore.

In the past, he had seen Li Zong as a younger brother needing protection under his wing, carefully considering every aspect of his well-being. But today, Li Zong no longer needed his protection, and so Li Fengqi would no longer continue to shield him. Afer all, he already had someone else whom he vowed to protect for the rest of his life. []

Li Fengqi lifted his gaze towards Ye Yunting, who happened to look down at him at the same time. The two looked at each other, and Ye Yunting smiled at him. He pushed Li Fengqi towards the carriage, while Ji Lian followed behind, holding up the umbrella for them.

After they boarded the carriage, Wu Geng urged the horses on toward Yong’an Palace, taking them opposite where Li Zong had set off.

--

Imperial Tutor Manor.

Li Zong raced straight to the Imperial Tutor’s manor, and upon arrival, he found its doors wide open. The gatekeeper didn't seem surprised by his appearance and bowed. "The Lord is waiting for Your Majesty in the tea room."

"One after another, everyone seems well-informed indeed." Li Zong laughed sarcastically as he dismounted from his horse. Horse whip in hand, he strode purposefully towards the tea room.

This manor was all too familiar to him: he himself had been personally selected and bestowed upon Han Chan. Its location was just a short distance from the imperial palace.  Every flower and blade of grass within this estate had been meticulously arranged by his craftsmen.

But now, as he passed through it, he felt as though everything in it was mocking him. He'd been sincere towards Han Chan, but what had Han Chan ever given back in return?

As Li Zong crossed the front garden, he arrived at the tea room, where he saw Han Chan sitting sideways near the window, dressed in white robes. The set of jadeite pine and cypress evergreen tea set that Li Zong had gifted Han Chan was placed in front of him. As if alerted by approaching footsteps, he looked sideways. When he saw Li Zong, horse whip still in hand and face flushed with anger, he didn’t seem surprised. He simply nodded and said, "Your Majesty is here."

"The Imperial Tutor is still in the mood for tea," Li Zong entered, took a seat opposite him, and his lips curled into a sardonic grin. "Won't you offer some explanation for what happened these days?"

Whenever he visited this Imperial Tutor Manor in the past, Li Zong had always preferred to call him "Teacher." The term carried an intimacy that transcended their formal relationship, as if Han Chan were still that teacher who taught him reading and writing in the Eastern Palace, and he was still the young boy he would hold close on his lap whenever his elder brother or palace attendants bullied him.

"Your Majesty is clearly angry.  Even if I explain myself now, you probably won't listen." Han Chan lifted the teapot, poured another cup of hot tea and pushed it towards him. His gaze swept over his wind-soaked robes as he added, "Your clothes are drenched. Your Majesty, please take off your outer robes; I'll have someone dry it for you. Be careful not to catch a cold."

His demeanor was very composed.  If not for the lingering chill coursing through Li Zong's body, seeping deep into his bones, he might have been tempted to sit down right then and there, playing out the role of teach and student with him again.

"I didn’t come today merely to drink tea with the Imperial Tutor."

With a flick of his whip, he overturned the tea bowl. The expensive jade tea cup shattered instantly into pieces, its scalding contents spilling across the table and splashing onto both their hands. But neither said a word.

"Have you come here to punish me, Your Majesty?" Han Chan raised his eyebrows slightly, expression as calm as ever.

In the past, Li Zong had found his coldness reminiscent of an unapproachable glacier, inviting yet intimidating, like a lofty peak that cannot be desecrated.

But at this moment, Han Chan's composure ignited ignited his anger.

Leaning down down to look at Han Chan, he ground out each word slowly, "If the Imperial Tutor confesses now, you might spare yourself some suffering. Otherwise, once you're thrown into the Court of Judicial Review's prison, there will be no easy escape."

Han Chan stared directly back without showing any hint retreat. "What exactly does Your Majesty wish to hear from me?"

"The Prince Duan's estate, and the Yin family rebels," Li Zong said through gritted teeth. "When did you first collude with the Yin Clan traitors?! What promises did Yin Xiaozhi make to you?"

He had treated Han Chan well, granting him a position second only to himself. So why would he choose to betray him?

Han Chan lowered his gaze, as if thinking.

Li Zong stared intently at his expression, unwilling to miss even the slightest change.

"Why did I join forces with Yin Xiaozhi? Your Majesty, don’t you know?" Han Chan unexpectedly countered.

"How should I know?" Li Zong retorted, finding it increasingly absurd. "Has the Imperial Tutor run out of excuses?"

A mocking smile curled across Han Chan's lips as he slowly revealed a name: "The Ruan brothers."

The Ruan brothers.

Li Zong trembled, and he instinctively took a step back.  This time, he was too afraid to meet Han Chan's eyes directly. In a timid tone, he asked, "What does the Ruan brothers have to do with your collusion with the rebels, Imperial Tutor?"

"Must I spell it out for you, Your Majesty?" Han Chan frowned, his voice cold as if recalling something extremely revolting. "If you could find two men who resembled me enough to toy with today, what's stopping you from laying hands on me someday?”  He laughed sarcastically.  “Wouldn't enduring such humiliation be worse than striking first? At least then, even if I fail and die, I'd die with some dignity rather than become someone's plaything."

"You..." Li Zong’s expression changed as Han Chan hit upon his sorest spot. His earlier momentum had crumbled; he gritted his teeth and snapped, "I never thought of you as some plaything!"

If he really thought of Han Chan as a plaything, why would he have endured until now? Why else seek out two imposters just to relieve him?

Han Chan's eyes flickered slightly, but he said in a cold tone, "There's no point in saying more when it's come to this. Your Majesty, whether you choose to spare or execute me is entirely up to you."