Chapter 638: Chapter 637: Choosing a New Path
Li Gen arrived outside Lin Xiaosu’s courtyard gate and bowed, "Lord Li, my Prince invites you to come down the mountain for a gathering. May I ask if you can oblige?"
"Who is your Prince?"
"King Dingbei!"
Lin Xiaosu smiled, "So it’s the Seventh Prince! It would be impolite to decline."
"The carriage is waiting at the pavilion entrance, please, my lord!"
"Qing Ying will accompany us!"
"Yes, Lord Steward!"
Li Gen led the way, Lin Xiaosu in the middle, followed by Qing Ying.
The three walked across the large platform outside the Heart Pavilion, onto the bluestone road, and ahead was a gravel road where they boarded the carriage and descended the mountain.
In the basement, He Fanglue squinted his eyes slightly, a sign he was contemplating.
"Father, what is the meaning of being so brazen?"
"Indeed it is brazen, but it’s not the brazenness of Li Chengnian, but that of the Seventh Prince." He Fanglue said, "Is it a test?"
The Heart Pavilion is a very special place.
It is a place of fairness in the Jianghu, without prejudice or hidden motives. After all, they work for money, and only such a reputation allows various forces to trust them with tasks.
The word ’fairness’ is its lifeline.
Therefore, the people of the Heart Pavilion generally adhere to the principle that anyone can ascend the mountain and pay for their services.
However, the people of the Heart Pavilion do not descend the mountain with the powerful.
Because going down the mountain means getting involved with factions, which is detrimental to maintaining a fair reputation.
And today, the head of the Seventh Prince’s guards boldly went up the mountain, explicitly inviting Li Chengnian down, and Li Chengnian unhesitatingly went.
Is the Seventh Prince testing whether Li Chengnian is willing to take a desperate leap?
And Li Chengnian faced such pressure with calm and compliance.
Is he really making a desperate leap?
Does he plan to align with the Seventh Prince from now on?
Is he really unconcerned about how the Crown Prince views this?
Does he not care about maintaining his foothold in the Heart Pavilion?
Perhaps he is carrying out a special mission from the Crown Prince all along.
Suddenly, He Fanglue was slightly startled, "Where is Yan?"
He Yun was also taken aback, "With father’s reminder, I suddenly realized I haven’t seen Yan in several days."
A concubine is indeed not for them to worry about.
But not seeing her for several days?
This situation is too unusual.
It’s essential to know that this concubine is not an ordinary one; she is the person of the Crown Prince, placed by Li Chengnian’s side.
Li Chengnian’s unusual acceptance of the Seventh Prince’s overtures today makes the Crown Prince’s attitude crucial, yet the concubine placed by his side is nowhere to be found...
A series of perplexing issues left the Heart Pavilion’s Pavilion Master, known for his wisdom, who stirred up turmoil in the entire Beijing, thoroughly baffled.
No one expected such a change in Li Chengnian. The reason is straightforward, just one sentence: Li Chengnian is no longer Li Chengnian, and Yan is not Yan.
Elsewhere, the carriage entered the city and passed through the urban area, arriving at a high building, ten zhang tall, magnificent and splendid.
On reaching the third floor, two female attendants stood by with a curtsey, "Lord Li, please!"
Lin Xiaosu nodded, "Qing Ying, wait outside."
"Yes!"
Opening the door, it felt as if stepping into an open field. Upon closing the door, all noise behind was completely silent.
This room had an array.
A soundproof array.
Lin Xiaosu raised his gaze and saw a young man standing by the window, dressed casually, with a face full of smiles.
It was indeed the Seventh Prince, Hong Yun.
Lin Xiaosu smiled slightly, "Greetings, Your Highness!"
The Seventh Prince raised a hand, supporting his shoulder, "Do you remember what you said that day?"
"I told Your Highness that when we meet again, it would be when Your Highness has some trust in me. For inviting me today, how much trust does Your Highness have in me?"
"Because of you, I perfectly avoided a hunt. At least at this moment, my trust in you is unwavering."
Lin Xiaosu laughed heartily, "And what about Master Song?"
The side door opened slightly, revealing Song Lifu, who entered the room and bowed deeply, "The strategy of Lord Li saved my life. I came here specifically today to thank you, my lord."
"No need to be so formal!" Lin Xiaosu also bowed in return, "Master Song’s integrity and fairness make you a thorn in their side, seeking your demise eagerly. I admire your character as a student, and it is a crucial reason why I am willing to devise plans for Your Highness to resolve this crisis."
"Thank you!" Song Lifu thanked again.
The first thanks were for saving his life.
The second thanks were for his words of praise.
The Seventh Prince lightly lifted his hand, "Please sit!"
The three of them took their seats.
The Seventh Prince personally served the tea, placing the cup before Lin Xiaosu, and slowly lifted his gaze: "Lord Li, today, why don’t we speak candidly?"
Lin Xiaosu replied, "My presence here today is already an act of candor."
"Very well, I shall speak directly. You mentioned, out of respect for Master Song’s integrity, you couldn’t bear to see a pillar of the court fall, so you acted in a crisis. But I wish to ask, aside from this reason, is there any other?"
"Of course, there is!"
"May I ask why?"
Lin Xiaosu answered, "To leave a way out for myself!"
To leave a way out for myself...
Such frank words.
The world always says, the more paths you have, the more security you have in life.
In officialdom, an escape route is even more crucial.
But few people publicly admit it.
The Seventh Prince’s eyes flickered: "I have heard, the Xihe Li Family holds the Crown Prince in high regard, and the Crown Prince also greatly values the Xihe Li Family. Yet, you feel the need for an escape route?"
This words are polite, but the implication is sharp.
Your family, the Xihe Li Family, has always been flattering the Crown Prince, and he has always regarded your Li Family as loyal dogs, your family already bound to the Crown Prince’s ship, wholeheartedly working for him. When he ascends, becoming king would be your greatest support.
In such a case, do you still need a way out?
Lin Xiaosu picked up the teacup, gently turning it: "Your Highness has high hopes for the Crown Prince?"
This question is even sharper.
The Seventh Prince said, "The Crown Prince is highly valued by the father emperor, having governed the country for three years. The government is well-organized, officials praise him endlessly, and his reputation and achievements are flourishing. What reason do I have not to hold hope?"
Lin Xiaosu gave a slight smile: "The government might be well-organized, but does this include the people’s livelihood? The officials praise endlessly, but does this include the border generals?"
The Seventh Prince’s heart pounded...
This was a flat-out denial.
Today, the Great Wilderness is in decline, the populace cannot afford food, and the starving dead are everywhere.
At the border, it has been three years without pay, and resentment runs deep.
Moreover, the loyal and national General Xuelong is imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. His family members are either conscripted into the army or sent to the Imperial Music Bureau.
The praises of officials cannot conceal their inner grief and indignation.
Lin Xiaosu added, "Your Highness only sees the endless praise of the officials but hasn’t reflected on why they praise."
"Pray tell, why do they praise?"
"Because they are a coalition of interests! And a foreign force has already infiltrated every aspect of the court."
"A foreign force?" Song Lifu asked, "Lord, are you referring to...?"
"The Heart Pavilion!"
Song Lifu’s gaze lifted: "Regarding the exchange of prisoners, I have already realized the Crown Prince’s deep control over the Heart Pavilion. But you claim it is the Heart Pavilion using the Crown Prince to control the court?"
"The Heart Pavilion, is it ever content to be someone else’s stepping stone? The Crown Prince dreams of controlling the Heart Pavilion, little does he know they see him as a pawn."
"A mere Heart Pavilion, with such ambition?" the Seventh Prince sighed.
"A mere Heart Pavilion?" Lin Xiaosu laughed: "Your Highness, do you know that what surfaces from an iceberg is merely a fraction? Behind the Heart Pavilion is the Mental Path, and behind the Mental Path is unorthodox methods! And unorthodox methods are not a creation of today; they thrived millions of years ago, punished by the Heavenly Dao for their inhuman practices, lying dormant for years before rising again."
"Unorthodox methods..." The Seventh Prince’s face changed slightly: "Seeing everything in the world as chess pieces, sparing no means to fulfill one’s Dao?"
"Indeed!" Lin Xiaosu said: "Today, unorthodox methods have re-emerged. In less than three thousand years, they have made unorthodox methods one of the Six Paths, practically overriding reincarnation, and even brought a branch, the Mental Path, into the Nine Gates. Their powerful return went unnoticed by the world."
The Seventh Prince exhaled deeply: "The Crown Prince, already swayed by the Mental Path, if he ascends the throne, the vast lands of the Great Wilderness might fall into the hands of unorthodox methods!"
"Therefore, I do not wish to see him as my path; therefore, I desire to choose another path!" Lin Xiaosu lifted the teacup, lightly tasting it.
This was laying it all out.
A full disclosure.
Because he saw through the Crown Prince’s nature, understood the grand situation, and resolutely chose to abandon the Crown Prince and choose the Seventh Prince instead.
Song Lifu sighed deeply: "Such a situation, you seeing it from the common streets, how can I in the court not see it clearly? However, the Crown Prince’s momentum is already established. To change course now is no different from daydreaming. I am already eighty-seven, my life is insignificant, but both Your Highness and Lord Li are of the youthful age, to forcefully go against the tide without hope... it is..."
He didn’t finish his words, yet the meaning was understood by all.
Lin Xiaosu chuckled softly: "If we are to consider ourselves as the Crown Prince’s imaginary enemies, then indeed, he seems overwhelming. But... what if we introduce a different opponent?"
"A different opponent?" The Seventh Prince’s eyes gleamed slightly: "No matter who... it seems impossible."
He is the most downtrodden prince, the least powerful, even the court officials ignore him, surely he cannot be the Crown Prince’s opponent, then who is fit to be this opponent?
The former Crown Prince?
The former Crown Prince, his elder brother, Prince Xian Hong Lie.
Back then, his elder brother was indeed extremely popular, but after being dismissed from the Crown Prince position, he’s like a dog with a broken spine, even sending his concubine to the current Crown Prince. The current Crown Prince deliberately spread the word, letting the whole world despise him.
What leverage does he have for a comeback?
As for the other brothers, they are all Crown Prince’s dogs, without any prestige, reputation, court support, or imperial favor, none of them qualify.
"No one else is viable? What about the current Majesty?"
This casual remark by Lin Xiaosu nearly made the two in the room jump.