Chapter 47: The Youth on the White Horse

Emperor Kangjian was actually displeased by the sudden arrival of Prince Lin. However, the punishment proposed by the prince fell within his acceptable limits. It would be fine if his second son were confined, as that would give the Crown Prince some breathing room. Empress Dongmu felt dissatisfied, but she now had to hold down Murong Tian’s hand as he tried to pull away. She leaned close to Murong Tian’s ear and whispered softly, "Endure it. There will be plenty of time in the future." The Second Prince, Murong Tian, forcefully suppressed the discontent burning in his heart. Emperor Kangjian had already turned his gaze toward Tang Wu. "General Tang, what do you think of what Prince Lin has proposed?" Tang Wu knew that refusing to bow his head at this moment would be placing himself, the Tang family, and the Duke’s Estate on the edge of a blade. "I defer entirely to Your Majesty's judgment." Tang Zhaozhao exchanged a glance with Prince Lin, knowing that matters reaching this point represented Emperor Kangjian's greatest concession. As for a crippled wretch like him, she would have plenty of opportunities to deal with him later. When everyone had withdrawn, only Emperor Kangjian and the Second Prince, Murong Tian, remained in the grand hall. Murong Tian’s eyes were red. "Imperial Father, this matter truly has nothing to do with this son! You cannot abandon me!" Emperor Kangjian looked at him coldly. "Allowing you to keep your life is already My greatest mercy! Remember this: what I give you is yours. As for what I do not give you, you must not even harbor a thought of taking it!" At that moment, Murong Tian finally understood. This imperial father of his was using the opportunity to suppress him simply out of fear that he would contend with the Crown Prince. His father's favoritism had reached the heavens. Just yesterday, the Crown Prince had been caught red-handed dallying with someone in the palace. Not only did the Father Emperor not place any blame on him, but he even shifted the fault onto Consort Jing. Yet he himself was truly innocent; he had merely wanted to utilize Tang Mumu to gain control of the Tang family's military power. Before he could even do anything, however, Tang Mumu had died. And now, he was to be imprisoned because of it. When Murong Tian was escorted back to his estate and watched the palace guards lock the gates from the outside, he went completely mad, smashing whatever he laid his eyes on. "Bitch! Li Xueying, you bitch, you have ruined this prince! Bitch, Tang Mumu was also a bitch! It wasn't even this prince who killed her, so why should I be the one to suffer punishment? Tang Zhaozhao is a bitch too! If you want revenge, go find the Li family! You're all bitches! Every last one of you!" Early the next morning, Minister Li submitted his resignation documents and left the capital with his family. Li Mingyang lifted the carriage curtain, casting a gaze of unfathomable emotion at the receding city gates. Just as he lowered the curtain, the figure of a youth on a white horse suddenly appeared on the main post road. The youth was only about eighteen or nineteen years old. His well-defined features and an exceptionally fine silk robe gave him an extraordinary, jade-like grace. A wine gourd was tucked into the jade belt around his waist. He untied the gourd, tilted his head back for a deep draught, and fixed his gaze upon the distant convoy of the Li family. "Your Highness, please slow down..." In the rear, another youth riding a black horse reined in his mount and came up beside the youth on the white horse. Seeing the other lost in thought, he too looked toward the distant convoy. "Aren't you going hunting today, Your Highness? What is there to see in this Li family convoy?" "Not so, not so. An old friend is parting ways, but alas, our affinities are shallow, so I can only bid farewell in this manner." With that, the youth on the white horse poured the remaining wine from the gourd onto the ground. Once the gourd was empty, he casually tossed it aside, reined in his mount, and turned the white horse around, his eyes shining like stars. "In the bamboo arbor and orchid garden we shared our innocent youth, our affections drifting like willow catkins, our love vanishing like smoke. A brisk breeze supports my soaring ambitions, a gourd of plum wine sacrifices to my sorrowful thoughts. Spreading our wings to soar three thousand li, dragons roaring and tigers howling as we gather in the mountains and forests. Someday, holding the sun, moon, and stars in my hands, I shall fail neither my youth nor my heart." (Original by Tang Nuan) Looking back once more, the youth on the white horse spurred his mount and galloped away. Tang Zhaozhao returned to the estate accompanied by her parents. The three of them sat quietly in the room, yet no one spoke a word. In the end, it was Tang Wu who broke the silence. "Let this matter end here!" Song Rongzhi's eyes were red; she understood Tang Wu's concerns. Suddenly, Tang Zhaozhao spoke up. "This matter is not over yet." Song Rongzhi looked at her daughter in astonishment. "Zhaozhao, even if the mastermind is the Second Prince, His Majesty could never agree to us executing his son." Tang Zhaozhao narrowed her eyes. "The whole affair went far too smoothly—so smoothly that it always felt to me as though something was amiss." Tang Wu looked at his daughter. "What is strange about it?" Tang Zhaozhao did not answer. She stood up and said, "Once I have investigated it clearly, I will naturally explain it to Father and Mother." With those words, she turned and left. The moment Tang Zhaozhao stepped out, the tears Song Rongzhi had been desperately holding back fell like broken beads. Her Mumu was only sixteen years old, yet she met with such a catastrophe simply because of another's jealousy. Tang Wu cast a worried look at their departing daughter, then turned to comfort Song Rongzhi. Tang Zhaozhao went straight to the Second Prince's estate, but as soon as she neared the vicinity, she was intercepted by Anan. "Second Young Lady Tang, the Prince requests your presence." Tang Zhaozhao replied directly, "It will not be too late to go after I have asked my questions." But Anan said, "The Prince says that the Second Young Lady will not find the answers she seeks here." Tang Zhaozhao’s eyes narrowed slightly. She turned and headed toward Prince Lin’s estate. At that moment, Prince Lin was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea. The heavy snow had stopped, and although the air remained damp and cold, Prince Lin seemed entirely unaware of it. Seeing Tang Zhaozhao walk in, he said, "At the palace banquet three years ago, Murong Tian did not attend." Hearing this, Tang Zhaozhao said, "If he didn't attend, it only gives him even more opportunity to commit the crime." Tang Zhaozhao did not believe her investigation into the banquet of three years ago could be hidden from Prince Lin. After all, Ah Bei had always been by her side. Moreover, Prince Lin's sudden appearance in the palace must have been because Ah Bei went to report the news. Prince Lin shook his head and said, "Three years ago happened to be the time when this prince was poisoned. And the palace banquet was held precisely on the day I was poisoned. As it happened, Murong Tian was at my estate that day and witnessed with his own eyes when I was poisoned." Tang Zhaozhao raised an eyebrow. "Could Murong Tian be the one who poisoned the Prince?" Prince Lin gave a faint smile. "Perhaps." Tang Zhaozhao sat down opposite Prince Lin. "So you're saying he had no time to see my elder sister?" Prince Lin looked directly into Tang Zhaozhao's eyes with a solemn expression. "Absolute impossibility." "If the Prince knows he is innocent, why place him under confinement?" Prince Lin knew Tang Zhaozhao would ask this, and his deep, unfathomable eyes grew even more boundless. "I have said before: whoever you wish to kill, this prince is willing to hand you the blade, regardless of whether the target is innocent." These sudden words caused Tang Zhaozhao’s heart to flutter slightly. "Is the Prince doing this simply because I saved your life?" Prince Lin nodded, then shook his head, but said no more. Tang Zhaozhao was left completely bewildered by this man. Since Murong Tian had no opportunity, then whom was Li Xueying trying to protect? Emperor Kangjian had only so many sons. It was not the Crown Prince Murong博, nor the second son Murong Tian. Could it be the Third Prince? Yet he was merely a puppet controlled by Gu worms; how could he possibly have the free time to do such things? The sixth son was far too young, making it even more impossible. The fifth son, Murong Qing, was said to be only nineteen, which meant he would have been merely sixteen three years ago. Could he truly have committed such a beastly act? Perhaps the direction of her investigation had been wrong from the very beginning. The perpetrator might not have been an imperial prince at all, but rather one of the palace consorts. It was entirely possible for someone to commit such an act to pave the way for her own son. But then, who on earth could be the person who ruined her elder sister's chastity? Prince Lin watched the frowning young girl, feeling an impulse to reach out and smooth away the sorrow between her brows. Yet he too knew nothing of this matter; he could only investigate slowly or wait until the enemy revealed their flaws. Three years had passed, and the parties involved would rather die than speak, which was enough to show how deep the mastermind's schemes truly were.