The Blood Crown - Chapter 130

Chapter 130

Under the pretext of the Crown Prince, Yan Sikong inquired into the details of the winter hunt from officials at the Ministry of Rites. He learned that Zhao Fuyi was responsible for the security of the Shanhai hunting grounds, and Zhu Lanting would bring an additional five hundred Imperial Guards to protect the Emperor and the royal family.

If General Zhao Fuyi could be persuaded to collaborate with the two thousand soldiers from the Feng family that General Feng Jianping would bring, they could disregard Zhu Lanting’s Imperial Guards. Success or failure depended on General Zhao Fuyi.

Yan Sikong did not intend to inform Chen Mu of this matter for the time being. Chen Mu was young and of little influence, merely a chess piece in the hands of adults. If the plan succeeded, he would ascend to the throne even if he didn’t wish to. If it failed, he wouldn’t be implicated. Tigers do not devour their cubs; if deposed, he could at least save his life.

Currently, the tasks at hand were to persuade General Feng Jianping and then have General Feng persuade General Zhao Fuyi. Each step was like dancing on the edge of a knife, extremely perilous.

Yan Sikong personally went to find She Zhun and instructed him to prepare. Once they received the agreed signal, She Zhun would be responsible for escorting someone out of the city and bringing them back safely.

After a busy day, when he returned home, he saw a servant-like person standing in the courtyard. He vaguely felt familiar with him but couldn’t recall who he was for a moment.

The servant saw him and respectfully said, “Young Master, you’ve returned.”

Yan Sikong glanced at Ali, “Who are you?”

“I am a servant in your mansion, named Shitou.”

“Oh, I seem to have seen you that day. What’s the matter?”

“The steward sent me to tell Young Master that Master Xie has sent a generous gift for Young Master’s relocation.” Shitou took out a booklet wrapped in golden silk from his sleeve and presented it with both hands, “This is the gift booklet, please have a look.”

Yan Sikong widened his eyes and snatched the booklet. When he unfolded it, he couldn’t even see all of it when he stretched his arm straight. The gold and silver treasures on it were dazzling, and he quickly scanned through it. There were many things he had never heard of before. His back felt cold, he closed the booklet, and said sharply, “Who told him to collect it?!”

Shitou was startled, “I… I don’t know…”

“Who gave you the audacity to collect gifts without my consent!” Yan Sikong felt like his scalp was about to explode.

Shitou hurriedly knelt down, “Young Master, please calm down. I was just delivering the message. I… I heard that in the past, for congratulatory gifts, Young Master accepted them all according to the list, so the steward thought…”

Yan Sikong kicked him to the ground, “You worthless thing!”

In the past, when he was promoted to be a master and married by the emperor, he had received congratulatory gifts from various officials and had even received some valuable gifts when he became an official. It was common practice in officialdom that it was impossible to avoid paying respects to superiors in such matters.

But this time was vastly different. Firstly, he had no recent cause for celebration, and secondly, the value of these gifts was terrifying. If he accepted them, the imperial censors could rightly accuse him of bribery. If he didn’t accept them, it would be a blatant snub to Xie Zhongren. Though they were on opposite political sides, as a mere sixth-ranked official serving in the Ministry of Personnel dominated by the eunuchs, he didn’t want to provoke Xie Zhongren at this critical juncture and stir up trouble.

Yan Sikong held the thick gift booklet, his hands trembling slightly. This wasn’t just a treasure worth a fortune; it was a venomous scorpion. What chilled him the most was that his steward was evidently planted by Xie Zhongren. Otherwise, even with great courage, he wouldn’t dare accept gifts without his master’s consent.

Absolutely reckless…

Shitou cautiously watched Yan Sikong, tentatively calling out, “…Young Master?”

Ali walked over to Yan Sikong’s side, glanced at the gift booklet, his face equally grim, and then glared fiercely at Shitou.

Shitou trembled.

Yan Sikong tightened his grip on the item in his hand, his voice cold, “Go back and tell the steward that he is to personally guard this pile of congratulatory gifts tonight, not to touch a single thing. Tomorrow, when I inspect them, if there’s even a discrepancy of a copper coin from this list, I will hold him accountable!”

“Yes, yes, I’ll go right away.” Shitou scrambled away.

Yan Sikong turned and strode into his study, slamming the door shut with a bang, and collapsed into a chair.

What was Xie Zhongren’s intention? What exactly was his intention? Think about it carefully, he must think it through.

It was already late in the day, too late to consult with Yan Zilin. Tomorrow at dawn, he would personally return these gifts.

No, he needed to think this through first. Did Xie Zhongren want to win him over? As a disciple of Yan Zilin, how could he be swayed by the enemy party? Xie Zhongren wouldn’t be so foolish.

Did he want to frame him? He could simply return the gifts intact.

Did he want to sow discord between him and Yan Zilin? Xie Zhongren wouldn’t underestimate his lifelong adversary.

Xie Zhongren chose this moment to make such a baffling move. Could it be that he heard something? He wanted to see how Yan Sikong would react? To accept or not accept? What exactly was Xie Zhongren’s purpose?!

Stay calm, Yan Sikong, calm down.

Yan Sikong took a deep breath. The complex web of people and events flashed crazily before his eyes. He methodically untangled each thread in his mind…

Oh no, Xie Zhongren is setting a trap for him!

From the moment those crates of treasures were brought into his mansion, he had fallen into the trap.

Before the united camp of the gentry and the Feng family, Xie Zhongren also felt a chill. He didn’t have the respect and widespread connections of Yan Zilin, nor the military power and illustrious military exploits of General Feng Jianping. In terms of civil and military achievements, he, as a mere eunuch, had no chance of winning. However, he wielded a sharp sword that could easily defeat the enemy with one strike—the emperor.

Eunuchs lacked the specific duties and public authority of true officials. Their power was merely an extension of the emperor’s power, sharing the political burden and serving as a check on the power of the ministers. Once they lost the emperor’s favor and trust, they were nothing.

Xie Zhongren used this point to both pressure the emperor into reducing the Datong troops and to prepare another plan—to sow discord between the gentry and the Feng family.

Indeed, in Xie Zhongren’s eyes, Yan Sikong was insignificant like an ant. Even if he became a marquis, he was still just a marquis. By sending such generous gifts, his ultimate goal wasn’t Yan Sikong.

What Xie Zhongren was eyeing was Yan Sikong’s delicate position between the gentry and the Feng family. He was the only one with close ties to both Yan Zilin and the Feng family. Although he appeared to have a deep-seated feud with Feng Ye in public, it could be exploited.

He was a small hole on the sheepskin drum found by Xie Zhongren. The more he hammered, the louder it thundered, stubborn and unyielding, but as long as he grasped this hole lightly…

Understanding this, Yan Sikong broke out in a cold sweat.

In such a complex situation, even a slight mistake or oversight on his part could lead to irreversible consequences. Xie Zhongren unexpectedly dug such a big pit right in front of him.

He had always thought he hadn’t appeared in Xie Zhongren’s eyes. In fact, he had long been targeted by those sinister eyes.