In the early summer of the fifth year of Jingyu, the coffin of the late Eldest Princess Lu Lingzhen was returned to Jinling. As her remains were ultimately never found, the casket contained only her robes and crown.
The emperor decreed a state mourning period, prohibiting feasts, music, and weddings for twenty-seven days. Following the princess’s dying wishes, she was neither given a posthumous title nor enshrined in the ancestral temple. Her coffin lay in state at Hanzhang Hall, awaiting burial according to military rites on an appointed date.
In her youth, the Eldest Princess often rode through the marketplaces in light furs and on swift horses; families north and south of the Huai River were long accustomed to her presence and thought nothing of it. Now that the princess had died for the country, the people of the capital were consumed by grief. Households spontaneously hung funeral streamers upon their doors; from a distance, it appeared like snow falling in the sixth month.
The princess’s birth mother, Consort Dowager Wu, was advanced in years and lived in seclusion within Mingluan Hall, oblivious to worldly affairs; she had not yet been told the truth. Meanwhile, Prince Zhao, who was overwhelmed by the loss of his kin, had claimed illness and remained within his mansion for half a month.
On the tenth day of the sixth month, the emperor led the civil and military officials forty li north of the city, crossing Bagua Islet to reach the banks of the Yangtze River to personally receive the Eldest Princess’s coffin upon its return to the capital.
Late on the night of the tenth day of the sixth month, at Prince Zhao’s Mansion.
Lu Lingcong stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom. It was the first time he had donned his armor since returning to the capital from Yongzhou last spring and surrendering command of the Tiger Division.
Yin Chou and the Xu brothers were waiting in the outer hall. Seeing him emerge, Xu Jia offered him his longsword while hesitating as he asked, “Does Your Highness truly intend to go alone?”
Lu Lingcong took the sword. “I did not take you two brothers in back then just to have you gamble your lives alongside me.”
He then turned to Yin Chou. “Are the children still asleep?”
Yin Chou replied, “I have already packed the travel bags. As soon as the tide recedes at the third watch, I will immediately wake His Highness Shizi and the County Princess to begin the journey.”
Lu Lingcong nodded. “My maternal uncle will assist you through the secret passage that leads to the Wu family. Leave Jinling before the city gates are locked at dawn. Qing’er also knows the way, I know he has taken Ningning through there in secret before.”
Yin Chou hesitated, wanting to speak, but Lu Lingcong said with a solemn expression, “From the day we met at the Star-Plucking Tower and began living together under the roof of this Prince’s Mansion, fourteen years have passed in a flash. Zhiwu trusts and respects you like an elder sister, and these past few years while my wife and I were far away in a foreign land, Qing’er relied entirely on your devoted care and companionship. If things succeed this time, our whole family will naturally share in glory. But if anything happens to Zhiwu and me, please disregard all old and new grudges. Take the children far away from this place of strife and never return. From then on, you shall be their birth mother, and they shall serve you as their mother for the rest of their lives. For the dangers this mansion has embroiled you in the past, and for the request I entrust you now; I bow to you for both. Great favors are hard to express in words; I only hope there is a day we meet again.”
Having spoken, he lifted his robes and knelt, bowing his head deeply to Yin Chou in a formal salute.
Over the years, Yin Chou had lived day and night with him and Xie Jing, and she was deeply adored by the two children; she had long since become like family. Knowing the gravity of the matter, she did not stop Lu Lingcong. Instead, she returned the salute with equal solemnity and said gravely, “I will not fail the heavy trust of Your Highness and the Princess Consort. I will protect His Highness Shizi and the County Princess and strive for our reunion.”
Lu Lingcong stood up and spoke to the Xu brothers, “Be careful in all things and follow Yin Chou’s instructions. I’ll leave my children in your hands now.”
The two could only voice their agreement. Yin Chou, who was with her expression heavy, asked, “…Will Your Highness not go to say one last goodbye to His Highness Shizi and the County Princess?”
Lu Lingcong paused. He cast a sidelong glance at the dim lamplight of the wing room and simply shook his head.
L”This cannot truly be counted as entrusting my orphans to you, for after all,” he gave a faint smile, “today is no longer the seventeenth year of Zhenyou.”
With all amusements and festivities strictly banned, the brothels and teahouses along the Qinhuai River had dutifully closed their doors. The Star-Plucking Tower, having drawn Xiao Yao’s particular “attention,” did not have a single light burning.
Lu Lingcong knew the route to Star-Plucking Tower by heart. He galloped the entire way without encountering a single soul before arriving directly at the secluded shade of the willows by the water outside the back gate.
The silence was deathly.
He knocked several times according to the rhythm of the Tiger Division’s signals. The half-concealed back door opened slightly, and an adjutant from the Xuanshi appeared. The hall behind him was pitch black, but Lu Lingcong knew well that there were people in that darkness, and in their hands were swords.
“Has Xiao Yao arrived at Mufu Mountain?”
The adjutant nodded and whispered, “The Commander sent word back that the eight thousand troops at Mufu Mountain are all present; the Prime Minister’s Mansion did not deploy any forces from the Tiger Division remnants out of the city.”
“In the end, he doesn’t trust them and doesn’t dare use them,” Lu Lingcong said coldly. “If he had been bolder and actually moved those men out, that would have been truly difficult to handle.”
When the emperor stayed overnight outside the city, a unit would be mobilized from each of the Four Great Camps to escort him. Wang Chu and the others attending the emperor would, of course, issue orders to the hidden pieces the Prime Minister’s Mansion had planted within the Four Great Camps to ensure safety by selecting only “trustworthy” personnel for the escort.
Naturally, those “newcomers” from the partitioned Tiger Division; and the Mufu Mountain contingent, which consisted entirely of Tiger Division remnants, were excluded from this “trusted” circle and were all left behind within the capital.
It was precisely this lack of trust that provided Lu Lingcong with an opportunity.
The adjutant asked, “Everyone in the Xuanshi is assembled and awaiting orders. Please instruct us on when we are to depart.”
Lu Lingcong glanced at the moonlight. “No rush. We move at the third watch during the guard rotation.”
The nightly patrols in Jinling were drawn from the Capital Prefecture Army. With the city’s forces stretched too thin, the remaining troops had to shoulder additional duties; as they cycled through their shifts, fatigue would inevitably set in, and lapses; neglecting one matter while tending to another, were bound to occur.
The adjutant acknowledged the order and added, “Zhuque Avenue is the shortest path from the Star-Plucking Tower to the armory, but it is open and conspicuous. Should we take a detour?”
Instead of answering, Lu Lingcong asked, “Have you ever dealt with the Hewei?”
“In the early years of Jingyu, when the Hewei were still under the Eldest Princess’s command, we did work together effectively on a few matters.”
The adjutant chose his tone carefully when mentioning the Eldest Princess, but Lu Lingcong seemed not to hear those words at all, simply asking, “What is your opinion of them?”
“Thsi humble one would not presume to speak out of turn. In recent years, under the command of the chief and Your Highness, the Xuanshi has mostly handled intelligence gathering, message relays, and investigations; no longer the same as it was in the past, when it served as covert guards under Empress Dowager Xiao.”
Lu Lingcong signaled that it was fine. “They remain the forebears of this line of work, just say what you think.”
The adjutant then said, “The Eldest Princess trained them well. The Hewei are patient, their movements precise and efficient, making them a highly capable and dependable corps of covert guards.”
Lu Lingcong gave him a long, searching look. “I believe the Xuanshi is more experienced than the Hewei and more familiar with using city streets and marketplaces as a battlefield. Naturally, you are also faster. Therefore, I am not afraid to take Zhuque Avenue to the armory.”
A thin sheen of sweat formed on the adjutant’s brow. He understood this to be both Prince Zhao’s trust and a form of pressure. Though the Xuanshi had assisted the Prince’s Mansion many times over the years, Lu Lingcong had deliberately refrained from exercising direct command out of regard for his alliance with Xiao Yao, openly making it clear that he had no intention of encroaching upon or appropriating the Xuanshi for himself.
However, for tonight’s operation, taking into account the allocation of roles, strategic priorities, and distances involved, Lu Lingcong and Xiao Yao had exchanged their respective forces. Xiao Yao had headed to Mufu Mountain in the north to muster the troops, while Lu Lingcong had come from the Prince’s Mansion to the Star-Plucking Tower to take command of the Xuanshi.
This was only the first step.
And Lu Lingcong taking over the Xuanshi was merely the first move within that first step.
Though their sole commander, Xiao Yao, was not present, Prince Zhao would never allow the Xuanshi to have any change of heart or to give anything less than their absolute best in this coup.
The adjutant did not know if Prince Zhao had left a retreat for himself, but he knew that by choosing Zhuque Avenue, the prince had certainly left no retreat for the Xuanshi. The information gap between what he “did not know” and what he “knew” was precisely what created his fear of Prince Zhao’s power and authority.
Seeing the adjutant remain silent, Lu Lingcong added calmly, “I made an agreement with your commander years ago. Once the matters here are concluded, I will petition His Majesty to bring the Xuanshi into the light and restore you all to your original official ranks.”
Sensing the blend of favor and authority in his words, the adjutant dared not say more. He turned and went inside to caution and alert his colleagues.
After the third watch was struck and the watchman’s voice drifted away along the Qinhuai River, Lu Lingcong vaulted onto his horse. The Xuanshi guards filed out from the shadows, forming a grim procession behind him as they headed toward the second objective of his journey: the Jinling Armory.
Zhuque Avenue was indeed a broad and solemn imperial street, but because of that very “solemnity,” not only were commoners barred, but even officials and soldiers dared not pass through freely during the curfew. As Lu Lingcong had expected, they successfully exploited a gap in the guard rotation. Zhuque Avenue was clear; unless an ambush had been prepared in advance to wait for them, they were unstoppable.
The Jinling Armory was located southeast of Taichu Palace. At the end of Zhuque Avenue, one only had to turn onto the eastern fork to reach it, just four or five li from the Star-Plucking Tower. Lu Lingcong had already coordinated with the Cui family. Using the pretext that “the Yulin Outer Guards were in such a rush after their shift that returning their weapons was inconvenient,” Cui Jishi had privately asked the armory commandant for leniency in delaying the locking of the gates.
At this moment, the main gates stood open. The sentries out front were dozing off until Lu Lingcong reined in his horse at the foot of the steps. Startled awake, they widened their eyes, “Your… Your Highness, why have you come in the middle of the night…?”
Without needing orders from Lu Lingcong, the Xuanshi guards charged forward in tacit coordination. The armory guards also hailed from the Four Great Camps with personnel rotating monthly; though they were elite troops of the capital region, they were ultimately no match for the Xuanshi. In just a few exchanges, the dozen or so soldiers inside and outside the gate were subdued.
An official had already sprinted inside while shouting “Lord Hu” to alert the commandant on duty. As Commandant Hu hurried to the gate, Lu Lingcong looked closely and recognized a familiar face.
Upon seeing Lu Lingcong atop his horse, Commandant Hu was also taken aback. He hurriedly offered his salutations, “My subordinates are dull-witted; may I ask how they have offended Your Highness?”
Lu Lingcong merely narrowed his eyes at the soldiers gathering behind the other party. With a quick mental calculation, he estimated that the total force in the armory did not exceed a hundred men. He raised a hand in signal, and the Xuanshi immediately resumed their advance; in an instant, one group became entangled with the guards, while the other bypassed the front hall to penetrate deep into the armory’s inner storehouse.
Seeing the situation turn dire, Commandant Hu, who was still cautious of Prince Zhao’s status, stood his ground and bared his blade, “Your Highness, proceed with caution!”
Only then did Lu Lingcong shift his gaze back before speaking in a low, haunting tone, “Hu Geng, originally from Shu. You joined the Tiger Division during the second year of Jingyu when I suppressed the rebellion of Marquis Jianmen. You distinguished yourself in the Xichuan campaign and were promoted to centurion.”
“Your parents are being looked after in Jinguan City; are their lives still passing smoothly?”
Commandant Hu froze in his tracks. His earlier courtesy had indeed been born of suddenly encountering his former master, but he never imagined that Prince Zhao would remember such an insignificant soldier among thirty thousand men, let alone recognize him now.
Lu Lingcong’s composed demeanor made it impossible for him to tell whether this was a simple greeting or a… threat.
However, it was true that his parents had received the favor from Prince Zhao’s Mansion and were settled in Yizhou to spend their twilight years in peace. And it wasn’t just him; among the former subordinates around him who had been carved out of the Tiger Division, there was no telling how many others family members had cared for by the prince.
Unconsciously, the blade in Commandant Hu’s hand began to lower. He could only manage a heavy-voiced cry, “Your Highness!”
Lu Lingcong stared at him fixedly, “At this hour, the Yulin Guards should have finished returning their weapons. The armory should have been locked long ago.”
Upon being prompted, Commandant Hu suddenly realized that throughout the entire evening, he had only seen the Yulin Central Guard; the Yulin Outer Guard had been inexplicably late in returning their weapons. Recalling Cui Jishi’s abrupt “request” from earlier, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at his own misfortune; it was just his luck to be caught in the middle of this tonight.
Lu Lingcong continued while observing his expression, “What happens tonight is known to Heaven and Earth and known to you and me. But what will the court know? The court will only know that you led your men to lock the armory gates on time and performed your duty stationed within—and that I, Prince Zhao, was the one who led troops to force an entry.
“Even if you are held accountable in the future, they will only blame you for being overwhelmed by force, not for being a coward who refused to fight. You understand the difference in gravity here, don’t you?”
Commandant Hu understood the weight of those two charges perfectly. He did not know exactly what Prince Zhao was plotting, but these actions had clearly already crossed the red line into high treason. If the prince succeeded, Commandant Hu would naturally soar to greatness with promotions and titles; if the prince failed, he and his men; who were burdened by their background as the “Old Tiger Division Guard”, would likely never have another chance to rise and might be purged at any moment.
He stood dazed for a moment before making his decision. He commanded his subordinates, “Welcome His Highness inside and close the front gates! Remember this well: the armory was locked exactly on schedule!”
His men immediately took their orders before moving to the sides to prepare the locks. Lu Lingcong nodded to Commandant Hu. As he led his horse inside, he turned to the deputy behind him and said, “Launch the kites; send the signal to the Hewei.”
The paper kites were their pre-arranged method of communication. In less than fifteen minutes, Xie Jun appeared at the other end of the alleyway while leading the Hewei.
Ever since the Hewei lost their commander and returned to the capital, they had been a leaderless, isolated force. To prevent the Hewei from falling back into Lu Lingcong’s hands, the Prime Minister’s Mansion had petitioned the emperor early on by forcing his consent to temporarily merge them into the Yulin Guards. However, they were not deployed; thus, the Hewei had spent the past several days idle and under the thumb of others. More importantly, they were without weapons, having no legal right to bear arms.
Yet, it was precisely because they wore the official uniforms and armor of the Yulin Guard that they were able to travel from the inner palace barracks all the way here. Even when they encountered patrols along the way, the sentries merely assumed they were ordinary Yulin Guards coming off duty and thought nothing of it.
The Xuanshi hauled enough armaments to equip a thousand men from the inner storehouse before transporting them out through a quiet side gate on the eastern side of the armory to be handed over to the Hewei.
Xie Jun walked to Lu Lingcong’s side and asked in a low voice, “Has there been words from my little uncle?”
Three nights ago, they had met at the Star-Plucking Tower to plan the uprising. Aside from Xiao Yao and Li Qi, there were other generals like Zheng Xiao and Cui Jishi—some were former subordinates of the Tiger Division, while others had long maintained close ties with Prince Zhao’s Mansion. However, Xie Jun had not seen Xie Jing, and he hadn’t had the chance to ask Lu Lingcong whether he was simply unable to get away or if he was entirely in the dark.
Lu Lingcong smiled faintly. “I haven’t seen him in nearly a month, and he left the city with the Prime Minister’s party yesterday. How could he know?”
Xie Jun frowned. “Master Xiao has taken over the remnants at Mufu Mountain. If word reaches the Prime Minister’s Mansion and Wang Chu suspects my little uncle arranged it, what if he acts against him?”
“That is why, for now, it is merely ‘taking over,'” Lu Lingcong explained. “What we must do now is assemble the old Tiger Division and win over any other soldiers from the Four Great Camps willing to defect to us. The eight thousand troops at Mufu Mountain are our own people; they are our trump card, and they will not move prematurely before your little uncle is out of danger. Sending Master Xiao there was to seize the initiative and prevent the Wang clan from using their factions in the capital to seize control of Mufu Mountain.”
Xie Jun nodded reluctantly, though worry still clouded his face. He couldn’t help but say, “Your Highness knows as well as I that he is in a position of great peril…”
Lu Lingcong patted his shoulder. “Rest assured. This time, I will protect him; and I am also capable of protecting him.”
Once the Hewei had taken their weapons and finished equipping themselves, Lu Lingcong detached a squad of Xuanshi to remain and guard the armory. The rest followed him toward Taichu Palace to the northwest. Commandant Hu volunteered to go along before instructing his subordinates to take orders from the Xuanshi; Lu Lingcong said nothing more, merely waving a hand to allow him to follow.
Upon arriving at the palace city, Cui Jishi was already waiting outside the main gate with his troops. “The three thousand Yulin Outer Guards on duty tonight are all here. We only await Your Highness’s command to open the palace gates.”
Lu Lingcong acknowledged him. “My thanks to you, Lord Cui. I am deeply moved by this loyalty for which you have staked both your future and your life.”
Cui Jishi clasped his hands in salute. “Your Highness is a man of his word. I only hope you will remember the merits of my elder sister and the Cui clan of Qinghe.”
With three thousand Yulin Outer Guards, a thousand Hewei, and several hundred Xuanshi, the force was roughly equal in number to the embryonic form of the Tiger Division that Lu Lingcong had led from the outskirts of Jinling to Huaibei in the seventeenth year of Zhenyou.
Four years ago, the Yulin Guards, the Four Great Camps, the provincial troops of the surrounding prefectures were his enemies in the light, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Now, they were his allies in the dark, numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
The endurance, the maneuvering, and the brushes with death over these four years were all for the sake of bringing about this very situation.
Lu Lingcong turned to face the dense, dark mass of soldiers arrayed beneath the palace gates. These men came from different backgrounds, origins, and factions and had once obeyed their respective commanders; now, they had all become the single longsword in his hand, moving as one.
“You have all served diligently both inside and outside the capital. Yet within the palace walls, the Prime Minister’s Mansion monopolizes authority while the Wang clan behaves with unchecked arrogance, hindering His Majesty at every turn. For this reason, the Imperial House has been unable to properly reward your contributions.”
“Tonight, I act upon the Son of Heaven’s mandate to suppress this chaos and restore order. If we live, you shall all be granted honor; if we are to die, I shall be the first to fall. Every deed, every merit, and every fault of this night will undoubtedly be reported in full to His Majesty in the days to come.”
With that, he unsheathed his sword and commanded in a resounding voice, “Open the palace gates!”
Over four thousand men stormed in through Xuanyang Gate outside the Imperial City, advancing directly to the Gongche Gate on the southern side of the Palace City before finally engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the Yulin Centralcui jishi Guard.
Though the Middle and Outer Guards belonged to different camps, they saw one another daily, and the factions behind them often overlapped. They were momentarily unsure whether to advance or retreat when they met on this narrow path, nearly falling into total disarray.
While history has arguably never seen a bloodless coup, Lu Lingcong’s stance toward the Yulin Guards and the capital troops during their prior deliberations had always been to “incorporate where it is possible to avoid slaughter.” A massacre would too severely deplete the vitality of an elite armed force, regardless of which side ultimately prevailed.
Consequently, the skirmish before Gongche Gate did not last long. The outer gates of the city had been sealed by the Yulin Outer Guard; the Middle Guard could not send for reinforcements, and retreating further into the heart of the Palace City was a dead end.
With their combat strength being roughly equal, the Middle Guard did not have the advantage in numbers. Though they did not defect immediately, they ceased their movements before falling into a stalemate where they stood.
Ultimately, they were the emperor’s personal guards; they could be influenced by the partisan struggles of the great families, but they were not loyal to any single house or party. Whether it was the Wang clan of Langya behind their own commanders or the Cui clan of Qinghe behind their colleagues’, neither force was enough to make them choose firmly between “surrender” or “resistance to the death.”
What was needed now was an order of greater authority.
Knowing this, Lu Lingcong did not hesitate or delay for even a moment. He pressed straight forward, and the moment he broke through Gongche Gate, he immediately ordered his troops to divide into four groups: Xie Jun would lead a small squad to Mingluan Hall to protect Consort Dowager Wu; the Xuanshi would head off to guard the eastern, western, and northern gates of the inner city; Cui Jishi would lead the Yulin Outer Guard to maintain the stalemate with the Middle Guard and buy time; and he himself would lead the Hewei directly to Linhai Hall.
Empress Dowager Wang had only just risen at the sound of the commotion. She stepped into the main hall with a robe loosely draped over her shoulders, only to find the courtyard beyond blazing with torchlight and teeming with shifting shadows. Lu Lingcong stood alone at the threshold while waiting for her, his face calm and unreadable.
She rebuked him, “Prince Zhao, you have mobilized troops to encircle the palace and seize the Empress Dowager; do you truly intend to rebel?”
Lu Lingcong remained unmoved. “Empress Mother, you are mistaken. Erchen have not harmed a single hair on your head, nor have Erchen troubled the palace attendants or sealed the gates of the palace. To speak so readily of ‘seizure’ and ‘rebellion’—how could Erchen possibly accept such charges?”
“You might as well kill Aijia[mfn]I, used by the empress dowager.[/mfn] here in Linhai Hall and bear the reputation of a usurper for the rest of your life! Do you think that by dragging your younger brother and the Prime Minister’s Mansion down, your seat on the throne will be secure?”
“I do not want your life, Empress Mother,” Lu Lingcong sneered, “and I want that dragon throne even less!”
He strode inside and pressed a scroll from his robes down in front of Lady Wang, his face turning instantly dark and chilling, “I am here to seek justice for my sister. This is a matter of purging corruption and assisting the Imperial House in governance. I stand here before Mother Empress with righteousness and integrity—if there is even a single word of fault in me, let me see who dares to speak it!”
Lady Wang froze for an instant while looking down at the contents of the scroll. It was a pre-drafted imperial decree written as though issued in the empress dowager’s name, ordering Lu Lingcong to raise troops and launch a punitive campaign against the Wang clan of Langya for treasonous collaboration with the enemy and for the death of the princess.
Her expression shifted several times, her voice trembling, “Aijia know you harbor deep resentment, but the death of the Eldest Princess has nothing to do with the Wang clan of Langya. When the news of her death reached Jinling, even Aijia could not bear to tell your mother the truth. You must weigh the truth of every word on this paper in your own heart!”
A palace attendant, who was trembling all over, brought forth the empress dowager’s seal inked it in red cinnabar paste and, holding it high above their head with both hands as he presented it before Lady Wang while pleading, “Empress Dowager!”
Wang shouted sternly, “Prince Zhao, you dare coerce me!”
Lu Lingcong merely raised his hand as if losing his patience. Two Hewei silently closed in on the main seat before pressing their blades against the side of Lady Wang’s neck. The attendant tremblingly crawled forward on their knees as they forcibly seized Lady Wang’s wrist and pressed the seal onto the signature of the edict.
Lu Lingcong immediately snatched the scroll away, held it high, and recited, “The Right Prime Minister Wang Chu and his two sons, along with their faction, have colluded with the Northern Desert. They unlawfully used the official seal of the Secretariat as well as the private seal of the Right Deputy Director of Department of State Affairs to forge military dispatches and fabricated correspondence and thereby caused the late General Jianwei to be trapped in enemy formations, leaving not even her remains!”
“Utter lies!” Lady Wang stared at him fixedly as her teeth clenched. “Those letters were clearly in the handwriting of your deposed Princess Consort; they were not written by any member of the Wang family at all!”
Lu Lingcong ignored her, instead shouting toward the courtyard, “This Prince, acting upon the handwritten decree of the Empress Dowager, this prince shall reorganize the two Yulin Guards and the Four Great Camps of the capital region to march from the city and annihilate the rebels; to restore clarity and order, eliminate those who corrupt the court, avenge the nation’s humiliation, console the spirits of fallen generals, and restore His Majesty to his rightful place on the throne!”
Having finished, he abruptly turned before sinking into a formal kneel before Lady Wang, and declared loudly, “Empress Mother is profoundly wise and upholds justice above personal ties; she should rightly set an example for all generations to come. This unworthy son, Lu Lingcong, bows in reverence!”
The two Hewei had already retreated respectfully. Upon hearing his words, the soldiers below the steps immediately followed suit, kowtowing in unison as their shouts of “Long live!” thundered through the air.
Lady Wang could not utter a single word in her towering rage, staring at him with a face as cold as ice. Lu Lingcong, however, raised his head slightly and spoke in a voice audible only to the two of them with a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips:
“Of course, Erchen knows it wasn’t the Prime Minister’s Mansion that conspired with the enemy. But—what of it?”
