Prince Fu at once lit the candle he had tampered with.

Just then the door opened.

The Xuan Emperor came in.

Prince Fu could not keep the panic off his face, and knelt hurriedly. “This younger brother greets the Imperial Brother… Imperial Brother, are you still not resting this late?”

The Xuan Emperor looked down at Prince Fu.

“Get up.”

Prince Fu got to his feet. The Xuan Emperor looked him over and said levelly, “Prince Fu is looking well.”

Prince Fu said quickly, “The craving has come over this younger brother several times these last few days. If the Imperial Brother had not kept him in the palace… at his own residence he would certainly not have held out, and would have taken immortal powder in secret.”

“But with each craving he has carried through, the thing has come weaker than the time before. It is the Imperial Brother who has saved this younger brother’s life.”

The Xuan Emperor smiled slightly. “Other men who take immortal powder are all worn down to skin and bone… Prince Fu takes immortal powder and grows fatter and fatter instead, and full of vigor.”

Prince Fu’s heart jumped. Has His Majesty seen something?

He laughed drily. “The Imperial Brother is making sport of this younger brother again. He was fat to begin with… and he has not been taking immortal powder very long. He has in fact lost a little.”

The Xuan Emperor’s face turned grave all at once. “Prince Fu, this emperor has come this late because there is something to ask you… Do you know Di Shan?”

Prince Fu’s heart gave a lurch.

So he had guessed right. Ning Chen and Geng Jing going into the palace at dead of night — they had certainly traced it to him.

Prince Fu thought a while. “This younger brother does not know the man.”

“You are sure?”

“This younger brother would not dare deceive the Imperial Brother. He truly does not know him.”

The Xuan Emperor’s face grew colder and colder. “The Medicine King, then. Him at least you know?”

A flash of alarm went across Prince Fu’s face and the cold sweat came out on his forehead, but he said it flat and without a hair of give: “This younger brother does not know that man either.”

The Xuan Emperor’s face was cold all through.

“Prince Fu. This emperor came to you himself to give you a chance to confess… He did not think you would be obstinate past all reason.”

“This emperor has already sent Geng Jing to the prince’s residence. When he comes back… Prince Fu may want to confess then, and there will be no chance left… Are you certain there is nothing you have to say to this emperor?”

Prince Fu went white in the face, and his back was soaked through with cold sweat.

But he was still the dead duck whose beak stays hard (TL Note: from the saying that a duck’s beak is hard even after the duck is dead — a man who has lost and will not admit it.), and his whole face was innocence itself. “What crime has this younger brother committed, that the Imperial Brother should be so angry?”

Seeing him still twisting his words at such a moment, the anger caught and burned in the Xuan Emperor.

The Xuan Emperor had truly been driven past his temper. He stepped forward and struck Prince Fu across the face, hard.

The blow sent Prince Fu staggering, and he nearly went down. Several red marks stood out plainly on that fat face.

“You worthless thing. In the Father Emperor’s last hours he took this emperor by the hand and made him promise to treat you well… Has this emperor not shown you enough favor?”

“And how have you repaid this emperor? Training men sworn to die, working the ministers of the court in secret with immortal powder… Prince Fu, will you still not admit your guilt?”

The Xuan Emperor roared it — and then all at once his body swayed.

Eunuch Quan gave a violent start and caught hold of the Xuan Emperor. “Your Majesty, calm your anger. Your Majesty’s health is what matters…”

He thought the Xuan Emperor had been made giddy with rage.

But the next second, past all expectation, the Xuan Emperor went down stiff and straight.

“Your Majesty. Your Majesty…”

“Imperial Brother. Imperial Brother…”

“Send for an imperial physician, quickly. Send for an imperial physician…”

The Xuan Emperor had gone down without warning, and the room was in an uproar.

And at that hour Ning Chen was already back at the Ning house, with an imperial edict in his hand.

He had not been in the door long when the edict came after him.

What the edict said was very simple: the musket battalion was placed under Ning Chen’s command.

Ning Chen looked at the edict with his brows drawn tight.

The Xuan Emperor had said before that when they went south in the spring to fight the Nanyue Kingdom he could take the musket battalion’s men and horses with him… but this edict, delivered in the dead of night — was that not a great deal of hurry?

Ning Chen wondered at it, but he did not think it through.

He had been at it all day, after all, the hour was late, and he was wounded besides. Ning Chen was truly tired. He washed quickly and lay down.

But tired as he was, he could not sleep.

The moment he shut his eyes his mind would not settle.

No. His Majesty sent an edict down in the middle of the night. There’s a reason for it.

Ning Chen sat up, thought a while, and called toward the door. “Brother Dazhuang?”

Uncle Chai looked after his room by day, and Chai Dazhuang kept the night watch.

Chai Dazhuang heard him and came running in. “Fourth Young Master, what do you need?”

Ning Chen said, dressing as he spoke, “Go and call Gu Yichun for me.”

“Right. I’ll go now.”

Ning Chen finished dressing, tucked the edict inside his robe, and came outside leaning on his blade… and Chai Dazhuang had just brought Gu Yichun.

“Brother Dazhuang, get the carriage ready. I’m going out shortly.”

“Yes.”

When Chai Dazhuang had gone, Ning Chen took off his own waist tally and handed it to Gu Yichun. “Do something for me.”

“Young Master Ning has only to say.”

“Take my waist tally and go out of the city now, to the north camp of the Dragon Guard. Find a man called Yuan Long and tell him… nobody but me and His Majesty is to move the musket battalion.”

Ning Chen paused, and then went on. “Tell him I have an imperial edict on me… If anyone disobeys the order, cut him down where he stands.”

Gu Yichun took the waist tally. “Yes. This servant will go now.”

“Be careful.”

Gu Yichun nodded, turned, and went off quickly.

Ning Chen limped out to the gate. Chai Dazhuang had the carriage hitched and was waiting.

Helping Ning Chen up into it, Chai Dazhuang asked, “Fourth Young Master, where are we going?”

“The palace.”

Chai Dazhuang answered him and drove straight for the palace.

Ning Chen came to the palace gate.

“Open the gate. I have urgent business and must stand before His Majesty.”

The guards at the gate bowed with their fists clasped. “Ning the Silver Coat, we have just had our orders. Assassins have been found in the palace and are being hunted now. Nobody is to go in.”

Ning Chen was startled. “Assassins? I am of the Inspectorate, and it is my duty to see to His Majesty’s safety… Open the gate, quickly.”

“Young Master Ning must not make it hard for us. Our orders are that nobody is to go in.”

Ning Chen’s brows drew tight.

Assassins?

What kind of assassin takes sealing the palace gates?

His Majesty has Nie Liang beside him, and Eunuch Quan. Both of them are fighters of the first rank.

There are guards of the imperial presence in the palace besides, and the imperial guards… Does taking one assassin call for a show of force like this?

Something serious has happened in the palace, more likely.

Can something have happened to His Majesty?

Ning Chen was full of worry… and yet it seemed to him not very likely either. Nie Liang commanded the inner palace guards and the imperial guards, and was loyal to His Majesty to the bone, and Eunuch Quan was there besides. What could happen to His Majesty?

Just then the palace gate opened.

A eunuch of about forty came out, with four guards leading horses.

Ning Chen went quickly forward and clasped his fists. “I am Ning Chen, a silver coat of the Inspectorate… Which palace does this eunuch belong to?”

The eunuch gave Ning Chen a sidelong look and said in a voice that was neither one thing nor the other, “So it is the famous Ning the Silver Coat. This eunuch belongs to the Eastern Palace.”

Ning Chen let the man’s rotten manner pass and clasped his fists. “I hear there are assassins loose in the palace. Have they been taken?”

The eunuch turned his eyes up to the sky and said in an odd, off-pitch voice, “Not yet… This is palace business, and Ning the Silver Coat need not trouble himself over it.”

Ning Chen frowned slightly. “Eunuch, has Ning here ever given you offense?”

“Never… only this eunuch has business to see to, and will not stay to chat with Ning the Silver Coat.”

With that he gave a cold snort in that snide voice of his and went off with his men.

The four guards, though, gave Ning Chen an apologetic smile as they left.

Ning Chen watched their backs going away, and something moved in his eyes.

Assassins loose in the palace, the gates sealed — and these men came out of it in the dead of night. There was something wrong there, beyond any doubt.

Ning Chen got into the carriage. “Brother Dazhuang. Follow them.”

(End of Chapter 223)