In the Imperial Palace, it was already the hour of Xu and the Imperial Study seemed particularly deserted. The eunuch at the door had no choice but to stiffen his scalp and remind him for the third time, "Your Majesty, please have your evening meal. It's been warmed up three times."
The Emperor frowned and looked up, just about to dismiss the request impatiently when a familiar female voice came from outside, "You may withdraw."
The Emperor's expression became one of surprise, and he quickly put down the writing brush and stood up to greet her.
The newcomer was dressed in a vivid red brocaded gown embroidered with the pattern of five phoenixes, wearing a full set of court makeup with a crown of gold and peonies, the branches and leaves twisting with gold against the red. In the entire Imperial Palace, only one person had the stature to wear such attire.
"Why has the Empress come?" not waiting for her to finish the formalities, the Emperor stepped forward, took her hands, and took the food box from her.
"Isn't it because I heard that Your Majesty is being wilful and not having your meal this late?" The woman gave him a glance. Although she was over forty, she appeared no more than a young matron in her thirties thanks to the nourishment from the Golden Crow Bloodline. Adorned with such luxurious and noble attire, she truly seemed frozen at a woman's most beautiful moment.
The Empress moved forward, skillfully tidying up the memorials and ink on the desk and took out the food from the food box one by one. Most of it was meat, with simple and rough methods of cooking, the savory aroma of beef, roasted chicken, and oysters from the North Sea, accompanied by a jar of garlic in sugar to cut through the richness. It made the Emperor, who didn't realize how hungry he was, feel his appetite surge.
He hurriedly opened the jar, picked out a clove of garlic and placed it in his mouth, followed by a gulp of strong liquor to wash it down, contentedly exhaling.
The Siao Family hailed from the north, and though his imperial capital was also located in the north, the cuisine here was adjusted to cater to the tastes of those prestigious families, becoming as delicate and light as that of Jiangnan.
It wasn't bad, per se, just that it lacked the robust flavors of the north he had once known.
"Did the Empress pickle this sugar garlic herself?"
"Knowing that you like it, have you been longing for it for many days?" The Empress sat on the side, looking gently at this Emperor who normally acted with decisiveness and vigor, and yet now displayed the pickiness of an ordinary husband, "Eat slowly. Look at the way you're eating, aren't you afraid of being laughed at by others, even though you're the Emperor?"
"Heh, with only the Empress here, who would dare to laugh at me?" The Emperor ate most of the beef and let out a satisfied little burp.
"The Crown Prince just came over to my place."
The Emperor's face instantly soured, "So that's it – fine wine and fine meat, and even pickled garlic. It turned out to be a plea for someone!"
Seeing him like that, the Empress said with amusement, "If a child makes a mistake, who else would he come to if not his mother?"
"That's improper!" The Emperor's face turned dark, "The Crown Prince, no less, secretly meeting with the daughter of an official. If word gets out, it would bring shame to the whole Royal Family!"
"Aiyo, didn't someone set an example? Didn't someone also climb walls and woo an innocent girl when he was younger?"
"That... that's different," the Emperor's face turned from dark to red, "That's ancient history. Why bring that up again?"
"The Crown Prince said he truly likes the girl from the Yang family."
"Even if he does truly like her, that's no way to behave..." The Emperor, having been reminded of his past, clearly lost much of his commanding presence and spoke while continuing to eat the meat, "Regardless, a beating with the rod is unavoidable!"
"Indeed..." The Empress covered her mouth with a smile, knowing he was giving her face, "As a father has to discipline his son, how could your concubine possibly interfere?"
"Hmph..." The Emperor continued to eat sullenly.
There were few people in the world who could persuade him, and this woman before him was one. And to be honest, he was also reluctant to punish the Crown Prince too severely. The first two legitimate sons he had with the Empress had died in battle. How could he not be somewhat indulgent towards this last remaining one?
If it had been a child of one of the other concubines, he would have broken his legs!
"Your Majesty, shall we go to Kunning Palace to rest tonight?"
"Ah?" The Emperor was startled, and the meat in his hand dropped.
Seeing him look so foolish, the Empress said with a lack of patience, "What? You can't bear to part with that new talent?"
"Where is there, where is there..." the Emperor chuckled he-he, rubbing his hands and saying, "I'm just craving for some novelty, those people are no match for you. Stay in Kunning Palace tonight, just stay in Kunning Palace!"
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Vermilion Bird Gate:
Several figures hurried to the gate of the palace, making the guards on duty at Vermilion Bird Gate today quite troubled.
Theoretically, entering the palace late at night was not normal practice; one must report to those above before being allowed inside. However, the people before them emphasized that the situation was urgent and demanded immediate entry!
If it were ordinary ministers making such unreasonable demands, they would have been sent away right away, but the one speaking was the Duke of Song, Liu Yu!
"My lord...this...this goes against the rules," said the military general guarding the gate. Though he was from a family with military lineage, he couldn't assert himself against the former Divine Strategist; not just him, a junior, even the elder dukes were always courteous to the man before them.
"Given the urgency of the situation, I'm left with no choice. General, please let us pass. I will take full responsibility for any consequences," Liu Yu insisted.
Seeing that the conversation had reached this point, the guard found it difficult to refuse him face. So he said, "Please wait a moment, my lord, while I make arrangements for the duty shift, then I will take you into the palace."
Liu Yu nodded, and once the guard walked away, the person behind him, Chen Qing, bowed and said, "Thank you for your trust, my lord."
Liu Yu turned to look at Chen Qing and nodded, saying, "So young, yet your thoughts are mature. Even I didn't think of that possibility..."
Indeed, having experienced the rise and fall of dynasties, Liu Yu was well-versed in many things, but his thinking was not as sharp as this younger one's.
Of course, the young man's speculations were indeed inconceivable. Faced with the disappearance of the Crown Prince's deputy, the young man had offered a bold and novel idea: is it possible... the Crown Prince has been replaced?
When those words were spoken, even Liu Yu initially thought them utterly ridiculous!
The Crown Prince might be young, but his bloodline was pure. Inside the imperial city of the Son of Heaven, how could a mere demon so easily replace him?
But upon deeper thought, it was not entirely impossible. Only the Crown Prince had the command to mobilize his deputy. He also had the most ability to make the deputies disappear silently. Plus, the Crown Prince might have been enchanted by the Fox Demon, and for a man at that critical moment, it is indeed the time when a surprise attack is most likely to succeed!
This made Liu Yu see the young man in a new light. While everyone's thoughts were still wandering among the various ladies, this youngster had already considered another possibility. Yes, the Thousand-Faced Fox could change into thousands of faces—who said it could only disguise itself as a woman?
Fei Jun still found it hard to believe. He turned to Chen Qing, "You heard what the guard just said, the Crown Prince entered the Imperial Palace. If the Fox Demon really replaced the Crown Prince, why would it take the risk to enter the Imperial Palace at such a time instead of hiding well?"
"There are two reasons for this..." Chen Qing was about to answer when Liu Yu spoke up, "First of all, it won't take long before they miss the correct time. The Crown Prince has a life token in the palace. If he were harmed, it couldn't be hidden. No sign from the life token means he's probably been trapped by some method, and this couldn't stay concealed for long."
"Then..." Fei Jun became anxious, "then we should prioritize searching for and rescuing the Crown Prince!"
"Not going for the Crown Prince right away is the second reason." Liu Yu looked to Chen Qing, "Right, kid?"
Chen Qing gave a respectful bow, then turned to Fei Jun, "The Fox Demon has limited time to keep the Crown Prince trapped; within this limited time, it must maximize the benefits."
"You mean by maximizing benefits... could it be?" Fei Jun was quick to understand, his face showing disbelief, "Your Majesty?"
"How is that possible?" Before Chen Qing could nod, Fei Jun could not help but retort, "Do you have any idea what kind of being Your Majesty is? A mere Fox Demon dares to target the Emperor?"
Liu Yu also looked towards Chen Qing, honestly saying the young man's guess was bold and indeed somewhat unrealistic. The Siao Family could seize the throne back then for various reasons, but one point was widely acknowledged; the strongest in terms of bloodline now was undoubtedly the Emperor!
Chen Qing bowed his head, silent. There were some things he couldn't say. He didn't know what kind of level the Emperor was at now, but as long as he hadn't reached the state where the Golden Crow's nine suns become one, it wasn't impossible to be overcome.
If the Thousand-Faced Fox had successfully obtained the Crown Prince's vital yang energy, it could possibly reach the eight-tailed level; combined with some strategizing, it wasn't impossible to deceive the Emperor.
The new Emperor of Great Jin wasn't comparable to Emperor Xuanzong when his power was waning. As the founding monarch, his fate was the most powerful of the current Human Race. If the Fox Demon succeeded, it might transform into its final form right away. Then nothing could confuse it, and anyone approaching would have their memories altered. The entire Great Jin Dynasty would become a plaything in its hands!