Li Xuanming and Cui Yan had been discussing state affairs in the secret chamber of the imperial study for several hours. Meanwhile, a eunuch who had originally been serving in the sleeping chamber was anxiously pacing back and forth inside the empty imperial study, glancing around from time to time.
It was not until lunchtime that a figure holding a horsetail whisk emerged from the rear hall. The eunuch’s eyes widened the moment he saw him, and he hurried forward.
“Eunuch Shen!”
“Xiao Luzi, why aren’t you serving in the sleeping chamber? What are you doing here?”
The instant Shen Zhaoquan saw Xiao Luzi, he had a bad feeling. Those allowed to remain and serve were all highly disciplined. Unless something major had happened, they would never abandon their posts without permission.
“Eunuch Shen, early this morning, not long after His Majesty left, Lord Ming arrived with a token,” Xiao Luzi said hurriedly. “This servant found it strange and told him His Majesty was not here, but he said he knew. He was originally scheduled to have an audience in the afternoon, but he had deliberately come earlier to chat with Grand Historian Yan for a while.”
“You mean Lord Ming came early in the morning?”
“Yes. This servant thought it was strange, but Lord Ming’s token grants him unrestricted access throughout the palace, and he is familiar with Grand Historian Yan, so this servant had no choice but to let him in.”
It did not sound particularly unusual, yet there was something indescribably odd about it. Ming Zhang’s audience was scheduled quite some time later. Even if he wanted to chat with Grand Historian Yan, there was no need to enter the palace so early at dawn.
“So this servant left Li Jiang guarding the chamber and came to inform His Majesty.”
Xiao Luzi only knew that the emperor was in the imperial study. How could he possibly know where the entrance to the secret chamber was? Just as he had been anxiously thinking he might as well head back first, Shen Zhaoquan happened to come out.
“Come on then, let’s go take a look.”
Although Shen Zhaoquan felt that nothing should have happened, he still returned to the sleeping chamber with Xiao Luzi. Yet the scene before them made even Shen Zhaoquan, who had experienced countless storms, cry out in shock.
The eunuchs and guards stationed outside had all collapsed unconscious on the ground. Li Jiang lay sprawled across the floor inside the sleeping chamber. Ming Zhang was slumped beside the dragon bed. And atop the wide imperial bed, there was no one at all. Yan Yihuan was nowhere to be seen.
—
Summer brought frequent rainstorms, sudden and fierce. In the middle of the night, without any warning, rain suddenly came pouring down.
Bang bang bang.
The dense sound of raindrops seemed amplified several times over, endlessly clattering beside his ears. Even so, Yan Yihuan felt as though something kept dragging him back into deep sleep again and again.
A trace of cold suddenly touched him, followed by one chill after another. The continuous coolness finally gave some support to Yan Yihuan’s unbearably heavy body. After much effort, he finally managed to pry open the eyes that felt almost glued shut.
He was awake, yet all he saw before him was darkness. The endless banging sounds left Yan Yihuan dazed for quite a while. Only when his fingers regained some feeling did he realize that the cold feeling across his face was actually water.
Yan Yihuan was still somewhat stunned. The sleeping chamber was always quiet, so how could the sound of rain be this loud? And why was it leaking? Instinctively, he reached for the person beside him, but to his horror, the moment he lifted his hand, he touched a wall.
No, this was not a wall.
Yan Yihuan finally regained some alertness. He immediately stretched his palms around himself and discovered that he was trapped inside an extremely cramped space. Forget standing up, even his legs were curled up, and his feet were pressed directly against the bottom.
Was he locked inside a box!?
Not only that, but now that he was fully awake, Yan Yihuan could clearly hear the sound of wheels and feel the jolting motion.
If it had been before, Yan Yihuan would certainly have panicked and screamed in terror. But now, even though the cry had reached his throat, he forcibly swallowed it back down.
He did not know what had happened. Shouting recklessly might very well bring disaster upon himself. Still trembling in fear, Yan Yihuan forced himself to calm down and think about how he had ended up inside a box.
His last memory was speaking with Ming Zhang inside the sleeping chamber. Yan Yihuan’s heart suddenly sank as he remembered the strange final words Ming Zhang had said.
What did he mean by “you have no choice”? Was he the one who kidnapped him?
But this was the imperial palace. Ming Zhang did not even know martial arts, so how could he possibly have smuggled him out? The emperor would surely know as well!
The sound of rain pounding grew louder and louder. Icy rainwater began streaming endlessly into the box through its cracks.
Yet he had nowhere to hide and could only let the water pour over him. His soaked clothes clung tightly to his body, making him feel as though he were submerged in water. Even in the height of summer, Yan Yihuan could not stop his teeth from chattering.
What made it even worse was how unbearably cramped the space was. A sense of oppression came from all sides. His chest began to feel tight, and his breathing gradually turned rapid. Fortunately, perhaps because the rain was so loud, the people outside did not notice his heavy breathing.
It was simply too agonizing. By this point, Yan Yihuan, who had kept telling himself to stay calm, was on the verge of collapse. Just as he could no longer endure it and was about to start kicking and pounding, the carriage suddenly jolted and came to a stop.
The rain seemed to be easing. Voices drifted in from outside, allowing Yan Yihuan to calm down somewhat and focus his attention on the conversation.
He could not make out what they were saying clearly, but one of the voices sounded strangely familiar. After listening carefully, Yan Yihuan recognized it was actually Gao Yu’s voice!
The knocking sound was not loud, but it instantly silenced the people who had been talking. A moment later came the clinking of chains, and weak light returned to his eyes as the box was opened.
So it really was nighttime.
Yan Yihuan thought hazily as he heard a startled cry. “The box is leaking! Quickly, help Third Young Master out!”
Several people rush forward. Yan Yihuan, limp all over, was helped out of the box. Opening his eyes, he saw that the carriage had stopped beneath the shelter of a horse stable, and several more boxes were stacked on the carriage.
His gaze swept across the surroundings, and sure enough, Gao Yu was among them. However, he was dressed in ordinary coarse clothing, looking just like a common stablehand.
Seeing Yan Yihuan’s eyes lock onto him, Gao Yu hurried forward and said anxiously, “I didn’t expect it to rain on the way. Quickly, take Third Young Master inside to warm up, and prepare a bowl of ginger soup.”
“Wait!”
Wet hair clung to his forehead, and water still streamed continuously down his cheeks. His clothes were completely soaked, leaving him in a miserable state. Yet Yan Yihuan stared fixedly at Gao Yu. The panic in his eyes was gone, replaced by a fierce sharpness almost never seen on his face.
“Why am I here? Who exactly are you!”
Gao Yu, however, remained perfectly calm. Earnestly, he said,
“Third Young Master has made a great contribution this time, successfully obtaining the defense plans for our highness.”
“What… what defense plans?!”
“Third Young Master.” Gao Yu smiled as he pulled a tightly wrapped oilcloth bundle from his robes. “Wasn’t it King Yan who sent you to get close to the emperor for the sake of these defense plans of the capital and imperial palace? You finally obtained them, so naturally you are now to join this servant in meeting with the heir apparent and then present them together to King Qin.”
A thunderclap split through the bottomless darkness of the night. Yan Yihuan froze on the spot, and at a signal from Gao Yu, he was forcibly led away.
