The Empress gave a slight start. “The Imperial Seal of State has disappeared?”

The crown prince nodded.

The Empress looked at the crown prince a long moment, and then slowly drew her eyes away.

“Crown prince, we are in one boat now. Do not play games with this empress.”

“This empress raised you to that place, and this empress can bring you down from it.”

The color went out of the crown prince’s face and he said quickly, “Everything your child has, the Mother gave him. Your child would never dare have any other thought.”

The Empress gave a cold snort. “The Seal truly has not been found?”

The crown prince nodded. “Truly. Your child will swear to it.”

The Empress’s face was cold. “Crown prince, the Seal is to be found whatever it costs.”

“Your child obeys the command.”

The Empress asked suddenly, “This empress hears you summoned Nie Liang in secret this morning.”

The crown prince’s body gave a violent jolt… There is an informer beside me.

“Your child… your child summoned Nie Liang only to have him keep the palace safe.”

The Empress looked at him coldly, and then let out a small, contemptuous laugh.

“The crown prince has only to be a good heir apparent. He is not to go breeding thoughts he has no business with.”

“This empress has said it. I can put you up and I can bring you down.”

The crown prince went white in the face, the cold sweat came out on his forehead, and he dropped to his knees with a thump. “Let the Mother’s anger go. Your child has no other thought at all.”

The Empress smiled coldly. “It is best that you have none. If you have any, put them away for this empress… Whether the crown prince comes to the throne is still for this empress to say. Do you understand?”

“Your child understands.”

The Empress gave a cold snort. “Go.”

“Your child takes his leave.”

The crown prince walked out of the Hibiscus Palace, and his face turned altogether dark and cold.

So the Seal was not taken by the Empress and Prince Fu after all?

Or perhaps the Empress was playing a part just now.

It seems I had better move soon, or whose throne this is will be anybody’s guess.

“The Empress. Prince Fu… Do you truly think I don’t know what the two of you are about?”

“This crown prince has come this far with great difficulty. Nobody is going to spoil it for me.”

The crown prince’s eyes were dark and cold, and he strode away.

When the crown prince had gone, Prince Fu came out of the Empress’s inner room.

He gave that big pancake face of hers a flippant stroke.

The Empress put on an air of sullen anger. “Take care somebody sees you.”

“And if they do? The Imperial Brother is lying unconscious… What could that useless thing of a crown prince do about it, even if he knew?”

Prince Fu paused, and his face turned serious. “All the same, the Seal has to be found first.”

“If the Seal is not found, the crown prince taking the throne would still hold — he is the heir apparent, after all, and the name is right and the words follow… But if we want that place, then without the Seal it would never be altogether in order.”

The Empress nodded slightly. “Do you think what he says can be trusted?”

“Why? Do you not trust him?”

The Empress smiled coldly. “The fool has been trying to push back at me all these years… A pity his little tricks are only good for a laugh.”

Prince Fu’s eyes went cold all at once. “Push back? I would say he no longer wants to live.”

The Empress looked at him. “How have you planned it?”

Prince Fu gave a dark, cold smile. “Find the Seal first, then get rid of the crown prince, then put the Third Prince in his place.”

“I have it arranged already. Guo Pengyi, Commandant of the Dragon Guard’s right camp, is my man, and I will certainly get word to him… At one order from me the Dragon Guard can surround the palace at any hour.”

“The awkward ones now are the garrison and the imperial guards, and the inner palace guards… All of them are under Nie Liang’s command.”

“The Imperial Brother put the safety of the whole palace city in Nie Liang’s hands, which shows what he thinks of him… Winning that man over is not likely to be easy.”

The Empress let out a cold laugh. “Why win him over? Kill him and be done.”

Prince Fu started. “Nie Liang’s skill is of the first order, and he has the inner palace guards about him. Killing him would be no easy thing.”

There was a dark smile on the Empress’s face. “Yan Yuxiang, the deputy commander in chief, is this empress’s man.”

“Yan Yuxiang has been held down under Nie Liang all along and has been sick of him for a long time… This empress has already sent him word to find an opportunity and kill Nie Liang, and then the whole palace city will be ours.”

Prince Fu could not help laughing out loud. His big hand stroked the Empress’s big pancake face. “I never thought the Sister-in-law was so capable. This younger brother admires it.”

But then his brows drew tight. “There is still Old General Chen.”

The Empress gave a cold snort. “He stands high enough in the army, true… but the Dragon Guard and the garrison are ours now… Once Yan Yuxiang has killed Nie Liang, I will have him send the garrison to surround the general’s residence.”

“And when the thing is done, we find a reason and get rid of the old man.”

Prince Fu could not help laughing out loud again.

“The Sister-in-law is clever and capable indeed. This younger brother will reward the Sister-in-law properly on the Imperial Brother’s behalf.”

Prince Fu bent over, and with a great deal of effort managed to pick the Empress up, and went toward the inner room, trembling all over.

By this time Ning Chen had come away from the Ministry of War.

He had Ji Mingchen burn every drawing of the muskets and the cannon, and set a heavy guard on the muskets now in store.

Besides the muskets of the musket battalion, the Ministry of War was still making more… and what was made was kept at the Ministry, and he was afraid somebody would take the chance to go after them.

And besides that, moving troops and appointing officers had to go through the Ministry of War.

So if anyone meant to force the palace and move an army, Ji Mingchen would certainly have word of it first, even if they went around him.

Ji Mingchen had seen for himself that there was something strange in His Majesty’s sudden collapse.

And Ji Mingchen was loyal, or His Majesty would never have raised him to that post… The Ministry of War holds enormous power.

The two of them talked it over a while, and then Ning Chen left.

He came away from the Ministry of War and then gave Gu Yichun a task in secret… to take a few of his brothers and go to Liangzhou quietly, and bring Lin Wen’s elder brother in the school back to the capital in the shortest time he could.

He had thought of calling on Feng Qizheng and the others to make the trip to Liangzhou, and then thought again and put the idea aside.

He was too large a target now, and there would certainly be men in the Inspectorate watching him.

Gu Yichun was the man Ning Ziming had left him, and nobody knew who they were, so Gu Yichun was the fittest man to go.

After parting from Gu Yichun, Ning Chen drove to the general’s residence.

Qi Yuanzhong was standing at the gate, as though he had known Ning Chen was coming.

Ning Chen was surprised. “Has Elder Brother Qi been waiting for me on purpose?”

Qi Yuanzhong nodded, smiling. “The old general said you would certainly come, and had me out here early to wait for you.”

“Since when did the old general start telling fortunes?”

Ning Chen was teasing him.

They came to the main hall as they talked.

Old General Chen waved a hand to send everyone out, leaving only himself and Ning Chen.

“You’re hurt? Is it bad?”

Ning Chen said, “A blade in the leg and a blade in the back, but the cuts are not deep. Nothing to speak of.”

Old General Chen laughed. “Those are a man’s medals.”

Ning Chen smiled bitterly. “The old general can still laugh. There is trouble in the palace. Do you not know of it?”

“I know.”

“Have you been into the palace?”

Old General Chen shook his head. “No.”

Ning Chen stared at him, taken aback. “No? And the old general can still sit there so steady?”

Old General Chen said crossly, “I am a leg short. It is bad enough that I can’t stand steady. Am I not to sit steady either?”

Ning Chen: “…”

Old General Chen said, “Don’t lose your head when a thing happens.”

“I’m not losing my head. I was thinking of posting this to my friend circle… a pity there’s no phone.”

Ning Chen was being cheeky.

Old General Chen’s whole face was blank. “What chicken? I seem to remember you liked the roast duck at the Heavenly Blessing Tower. Have your tastes changed?” (TL Note: the friend circle is the feed on a modern Chinese messaging app. The old general has never heard the word, and takes it for the name of a chicken dish.)

Ning Chen’s forehead filled with black lines.

But seeing Old General Chen as steady as an old dog, Ning Chen realized there was something odd here.

“For the old general to be this steady — is there something I don’t know?”

“You’re a clever boy after all.” Old General Chen said it smiling. “I won’t keep it from you… Last night I had a secret edict from His Majesty.”

(End of Chapter 227)