Jiapingguan Chronicle

"Wait a moment!"

Xia Chen interrupted Xiao Fengqi, glancing at Chu Han and then at Xiao Fengqi.

"Your Highness, do you have any questions?"

"The timing doesn't seem to match up." Xia Chen thought for a moment, counting on his fingers, and said, "There should be a big gap between the two princes' failure to seize the throne and your abduction, right?"

"No, no, no, actually all of these things happened in the same year."

"The same year?"

“Yes!” Xiao Fengqi smiled at Xia Chen and said, “Perhaps my explanation was not clear enough, which caused the Prince to have doubts. I can explain it from the beginning.” He looked at Shen Haolin and then at Shen Cha and said, “The Duke and the General should know that the three of us, including myself, Young Master Nan and Young Master Lan, are actually only one year apart. The two of them are a year older than me, and Young Master Nan is half a month older than Young Master Lan.”

"They're only half a month apart?" Shen Cha thought for a moment. "Was the mustard seed still working all along?"

“It’s slow-acting,” Jin Miaomiao sighed and said, “Many things can’t be seen in the short term; they take a long time. Mustard is just a trigger. If it’s combined with other things, it will slowly seep into the bone marrow, and it will basically look like the way the princess looked when she passed away.”

"So that's how it is!" Shen Cha thought for a moment and said, "I just had an idea. Was it also part of the plan that Young Master Nan was born more than half a month earlier than Young Master Lan? Because everyone knows that the Regent's Consort and the late Princess Consort were close friends, like best buddies. If their birth times were far apart, they might be able to look after each other. But more than half a month apart, even if the Regent's Consort wanted to, she wouldn't be able to, right? Besides, the Regent's Consort's health wasn't very good after giving birth."

"Is the General doing this on purpose?"

“Yes, that’s the idea.” Shen Cha nodded. “However, it’s really hard to tell. They’re more than half a month apart, but Young Master Nan seems a little more mature.”

“After all, he has a lot to worry about every day, and his father is no pushover either. Ever since he became regent, he's like a completely different person.” Xiao Fengqi sighed. “But that’s all in the future, let’s put it aside for now. Let’s go back to the year I was abducted, which was the same year that Young Master Lan was sent to the regent’s mansion. Not long after he was sent there, those two young princes died one by one because of their struggle for the throne. Their concubines and their families were also punished for this, and their entire families were executed immediately.”

"Was it before or after this incident that Young Master Xiao and Little Qi were abducted?"

"It was after Young Master Lan was sent to the Regent's Palace, and before those two young princes failed in their plot." Seeing the thoughtful expressions on Shen Haolin and Shen Cha's faces, Xiao Fengqing raised an eyebrow slightly. "Don't you two think this timing is a bit too clever?"

"That's true." Shen Haolin nodded. "If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the concubine and those two young princes' revenge?"

“Your Excellency is wise, it is obvious, yes.” Xiao Fengqi took a sip of water, sneered, and said, “Because they know that the reason why Young Master Lan was sent to the Regent’s Palace was at the suggestion of my great-aunt, Uncle Qi, and Grandfather Qi.”

“Grandpa Qi? Little Qi’s grandfather?” “Yes.” Xiao Fengqi nodded. “Grandpa Qi was also the late king’s teacher. He usually doesn’t show his face, but when he does, it’s for a major event.”

"So, it was because Grandpa Qi intervened that the Prince of Liao agreed to send Young Master Lan away?"

"That's the idea, but what Grandpa Qi said isn't without reason. He said that if we let the concubine and those two young princes continue to bully Young Master Lan, he probably won't live much longer. He won't even make it to the day of the throne inheritance. It would be a miracle if he survived even a year. Since he can't stay in the palace anymore, it's better to send him to the Regent's Palace, where he can be treated well. Of course, at that time, the Regent wasn't the Regent yet; he was just a prince who diligently served the late king, not the one he became later."

“I understand now.” Shen Cha nodded. “Yelü Ertu was a confidant of the former Liao king?”

“Yes, he was the closest confidant, and I didn’t hide any secrets from him. So, the late king agreed to send his son to the Regent’s Palace. In addition,” Xiao Fengqi paused, sighed, and said, “he really didn’t have the energy to keep an eye on Young Master Lan anymore, because he was preparing to deal with his two disobedient sons and his good concubine.”

"We've gathered almost all the evidence; it's time to close the net, right?"

“Yes.” Xiao Fengqi raised an eyebrow. “After weighing the pros and cons, the late king sent Young Master Lan to the Regent’s Palace that very day.”

"So decisive and efficient? So fast? This is a bit unlike the style of the late King of Liao."

"Because the late king knew that if they didn't act quickly, the concubine and the two young princes might use any excuse to stop them, and it wouldn't be so easy to send Young Master Lan out of the palace again."

“That’s true.” Jin Miaomiao stroked her chin. “The young and helpless Young Master Lan is very easy for the concubine and those two little princes to manipulate. He’s also a very useful tool for venting their anger. Whenever they’re unhappy, they can torment Young Master Lan and perhaps feel much better.” She looked at Xiao Fengqi. “Although it might be a bit impolite to say this, it’s probably the truth.”

“Yes!” Xiao Fengqi nodded. “The power struggles in the harem are all like this. The late king thought he was in control of the whole situation, but actually his thoughts were…” He smiled helplessly. “Anyone with eyes can see it clearly. Otherwise, my great-aunt wouldn’t have said that if things continued like this, even Young Master Lan’s life would be in danger.”

“I told you long ago, he doesn’t love his child as much as you think, nor does he love the princess as much as you think. Outsiders see things more clearly than those involved.” Chu Han sneered. “He can fool himself to some extent about this, but he can’t fool outsiders. Even his concubine can see through it, which is why she can act so boldly. She knows that at most she will only be confined to her quarters, and there will be no more serious punishment.”

"So, sending Young Master Lan to the Regent's Palace was the most unexpected thing we did," Xiao Fengqi said, spreading his hands. "However, there was one thing the late King had calculated very accurately: after learning that Young Master Lan had left the palace and been placed in the Regent's Palace, the concubine was so angry that she went mad in her palace. Those two young princes smashed things in their palace, and even..."

"What? What outrageous things did they do?" Shen Cha asked, noticing Xiao Fengqi's ambiguous smile. "Did they do something stupid?"

"General, why don't you guess what they did?"

"They've surrounded the Regent's Palace with the palace guards?" (End of Chapter)