Traveling Through Langya: I Am King Yu

Yanque's residence is located in the west of Jinling City, in a courtyard that provides tranquility amidst the bustle. The word "Yanfu" hangs on the lintel of the door. The word "Yanfu" is written with strong penmanship and was inscribed by His Majesty himself. It was dusk when Chen Luo stood in front of the door. The twilight dyed the plaque into dark gold, and those two words seemed particularly heavy in the afterglow. He took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock on the door. The concierge recognized him and his expression changed slightly - His Royal Highness Prince Yu came to visit. This was not a common thing. Just a moment after the announcement, footsteps were heard from the door. Yanque personally welcomed him out. "Your Highness, you are so proud." Yanque bowed his hand in greeting, his face was just the right amount of politeness, neither cold nor hot, just like the attitude that an old minister who "doesn't take sides" should have towards the prince. But Chen Luo noticed one detail - there was a bit of off-white powder on the inside of Yan Que's cuffs. It was so light that it was almost invisible if he hadn't deliberately observed it. The saltpeter residue of black gunpowder. Chen Luo confirmed one thing in his heart: Yan Que's plan is still progressing. "You are very polite, Marquis Yan." He returned the greeting, "I have taken the liberty to come here to discuss something." Yan Que stepped aside and gave way: "Your Highness, please." Going through the front yard to the study, you can see several old osmanthus trees blooming along the road, with a strong fragrance. But Chen Luo noticed a few wooden barrels in the corner - tightly wrapped in oilcloth and piled behind the rockery in a hidden position. The barrel had been soaked by rain, leaving dark stains. Without his share of the prophet, who would have thought that the barrel contained black powder that could blow up half an altar? I entered the study and sat down, and the tea was served. Yan Que sat opposite him, with his back straight and no emotion on his face. "Your Highness has something to say, you might as well say it directly." Chen Luo picked up the teacup and took a sip. It's warm, not hot, as if it's been air-dried. He moved very gently when he put down the tea cup, raised his head and looked directly into Yan Que's eyes - this was something he had practiced for a long time after traveling through time. He looked into the unfathomable eyes and handed his words into them. "What major event is Marquis Yan preparing for recently?" Yan Que's eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression did not change: "I am old, and every day I just read books and raise flowers. What major event does Your Highness refer to?" "Year-end festival." When Chen Luo said these four words, his voice was neither high nor low, as if he was talking about an ordinary matter. The study was quiet. That kind of silence is not silence, it's like a knife hanging on a silk thread suddenly stretched - in the next breath, it may fall or be taken back. Yan Que's eyes stopped on Chen Ke's face for three seconds. His expression did not change in those three seconds, but Chen Luo saw the fingertips of his right hand pressing on the table, turning slightly white. "Why did your Highness say this?" "Yanhou," Chen Ke leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, "I saw the barrels you hid behind the rockery. The contents inside - the smell is too great. The sour smell of saltpeter can be smelled across half the garden." Yan Que's fingers loosened. He neither denied nor admitted. He just looked at Chen Ke, with extremely complicated things surging in his eyes. A plan that had been in the works for twelve years, hidden for twelve years, and prepared for twelve years, was suddenly exposed by a prince he had never laid eyes on - it felt like someone had revealed his trump card. "Your Highness is here today," Yan Que's voice was a little deeper than before, "Are you going to report me?" "No." Chen Luo straightened up, put his hands on his knees, and said seriously: "This junior is here today because I want to ask Marquis Yan to stop." "Why?" Yan Que smiled, and the smile appeared from the corner of his mouth, as cold as thin ice in winter, "Your Highness, do you know why I want to do this?" "Yes." Chen Luo raised his eyes and saw a hint of surprise in Yan Que's eyes. He didn't know how much ripples his next words would cause in this veteran minister's heart, but he had to say - "Concubine Chen. Commander Lin. King Qi. Seventy thousand Red Flame Army." Yan Que's hands suddenly tightened the robe material on his knees. "You——" "I know how Yan Hou got here all these years." Chen Ke's voice did not rise, but every word was as sure as nails, "You single-handedly retreated from the Three Kingdoms Allied Forces, and the Manchu Dynasty claimed Song. But you can't protect the people you want to protect the most. You endured Lin Leyao being brought into the palace by your father. You also endured Lin Xie's unjust killing and the destruction of the Red Flame Army. " Yan Que didn't say anything anymore. His face, which was always as calm as water, finally cracked. What leaked out from that crack was not anger, but something deeper than anger - the pain that a man had hidden for half his life. "Your Highness is right." Yan Que's voice became hoarse, "I really can't bear it anymore. The stupidest thing I have ever done in my life is to believe in him. I believed that he would treat Le Yao well, I believed that he would treat Lin Xie well, I believed that he would be kind He didn't do anything in this world. " "So you want to blow him up. " "What about after the bombing? "The altar collapsed, the father died, and the whole court was shocked." Chen Ke continued word by word, "The prince and I will fight for the throne as soon as possible, Xie Yu will mobilize troops in the name of escort, the Xuanjing Division will track down the culprit, and smart people like Xia Jiang can find Yan Hou in less than three days. What then?" "Then you die, Concubine Chen's reputation is still dirty, King Qi is still a traitor, Lin Xie is still a traitor, and the 70,000 Red Flame Army is still a rebel. What you exchanged for your life is a world in chaos, and a truth that no one dares to speak for them." Chen Ke stopped after saying this. The only sound left in the study was breathing. Yanque closed his eyes, and his jaw was tense, as if he was biting something. After a long time, he opened his eyes. "Your Highness came today not just to ask me to stop, right?" "Yes." Chen Ke said, "I came here to tell Marquis Yan——I will do this." "You ? " "I'm here to ascend the throne, I'm here to redress, I'm here to give justice to the Red Flame Army." Yan Que looked at him, his eyes changing from suspicion to scrutiny, and then from scrutiny to something inexplicable. He suddenly laughed, very softly: "Why should your Highness let me trust you? You are the adopted son of the Queen, the Prince of Qizhu, and the one who takes the direct line. You said that you want to vindicate the Red Flame Army - that is an ironclad decision made by your father himself. Why do you want to overturn it after you ascend the throne?" "Because it is right to overturn it." When he said the word "right", Chen Ke himself felt a little weak. But he continued: "Yanhou, I don't need you to believe me now. You can treat my words as empty talk and continue with your plan. But please think about it - if you do this tonight, will Lin Leyao's spirit in heaven be grateful to you? She has been waiting for twelve years, and what she is waiting for is an innocence, not revenge." Yan Que closed his eyes, this time for a long time. When he opened it again, the cold ice beneath his eyes cracked with lines. The lines were very small, but Chen Ke saw them. "What His Highness said about 'enthroning' -" Yanque said, "Why do you think you can win?" "I know what to let go of, what to hide, and what to wait for." Chen Ke stood up and walked to the window. The few sweet-scented osmanthus trees in the yard swayed gently in the dusk, with a faint fragrance floating around. He turned his back to Yan Que and said in a calm voice: "Yanhou, there are still two months left for the year-end festival. You don't have to believe what I say, but in these two months, I will let you see my real changes. What I want is not the throne. The throne just allows me to achieve the results I want, a pillar where the people live and work in peace and contentment, the government is clear, and there are no unjust cases." He did not look back. He knew that Yan Que was probably looking at his back at this moment - the prince who once had only the support of the queen, now said such words in his study that kept him awake all night. "Your Highness." Yan Que's voice came from behind, a little softer than before. "How did you know about those barrels?" Chen Luo paused for a moment and turned his head. Dusk poured in from the window, cutting his face into two halves: light and dark. He smiled, and there were many things in that smile that Yan Que couldn't understand. "I said, the smell of saltpeter is too strong." He did not explain any more. He walked out of the study room. When he reached the yard, he paused and raised his head slightly. Those sweet-scented osmanthus trees are growing very well, and the trees are full of fine golden leaves, swaying in the evening breeze. He suddenly remembered a detail in the original work - Yan Yujin loved sweet-scented osmanthus cake the most. This kid probably doesn't know that the osmanthus tree in his house is not only beautiful, but also spends twelve years grinding gunpowder with a man on certain nights. "This kid Yan Yujin," Chen Luo said to the air, "it's good to keep him." He got on his horse. The horses' hooves clicked on the bluestone road. He didn't look back, but he knew that Yan Que was standing at the door of the study looking at his back. Those eyes that have looked at people's hearts for half a lifetime will probably have trouble sleeping tonight.