Volume Three: The Turmoil at Xuanwu Gate Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Prince of Qi and the Crown Prince

The palace, as the center of power in the Tang Dynasty, had always been the focus of attention for various factions. Naturally, no slightest movement within could escape the watchful eyes of those with intent. When Changsun had just entered the palace to meet Li Yuan, informants arranged by various parties had already reported the situation to them.

The Prince of Qi’s residence was a splendid, jade-adorned side hall, glittering with gold and intricate carvings.

Prince Li Yuangi held a cup of fine wine, smiling as he watched a scantily clad singing girl dance gracefully before him.

Li Yuangi was in high spirits today, convinced he had played a brilliant move.

Before the Dugu family could act, he had secretly sent men to kidnap a youth from the Qin Prince’s mansion, framing the Dugu family for it.

As for the identity of that youth, the proud and arrogant Prince of Qi paid no mind.

In Li Yuangi’s eyes, it was not worth pondering or questioning. As long as his second brother Li Shimin was thrown into chaos and embroiled in a deadly struggle with Dugu Wu, Li Yuangi felt his goal was achieved.

Even better if Dugu Wu could not defeat the Qin Prince, provoking the Crown Prince to intervene, leading to a fierce battle that ended with both sides severely weakened. Then the matter would be perfect! At that time, the Crown Prince’s throne—hehe—would be his for the taking!

Li Yuangi, intoxicated with wine and ambition, sank deeper into his fantasy, feeling a fiery passion in his heart, as if the position was only a step away, within easy grasp.

The singing girl, sensing the prince’s delight, danced even more passionately, hoping to win his favor and ascend to greater heights. She used every trick she had, swaying her slender waist and coquettishly moving her hips. Her silky, enchanting eyes never left the prince’s side, each frown and smile full of charm.

Li Yuangi, a glutton for lust, could not resist such temptation, especially since the girl was deliberately seducing him.

With blurred, drunken eyes, he found her figure increasingly alluring, his body burning with heat. Shouting like a hungry tiger pouncing on a lamb, he lunged at her.

“Shh!” Amid the girl’s teasing laughter tinged with hesitation, her already revealing clothes were torn apart in an impatient grab.

Li Yuangi’s desire blazed like fire, ready to punish this tempting enchantress with vigor.

At that critical moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside, followed by a loud, commanding voice calling out, “Your Highness! Your Highness! Are you there? I have urgent business to report!”

“Get lost! What are you howling about? I have important matters to attend to! Not even the Heavenly King himself can see me now!” Li Yuangi roared in anger, furious at the interruption.

“Your Highness! It’s truly a matter of utmost urgency! It concerns the incident from yesterday!” The voice outside remained firm, unwilling to retreat.

“Hm? Yesterday’s matter?” Hearing this, Li Yuangi’s desire cooled, and his mind cleared. He pushed the singing girl aside and shouted, “Is that Yuwen Bao? Come in and speak!”

The man named Yuwen Bao nodded and stepped inside. Seeing the prince half-naked and the nearly naked singing girl beside him, he immediately understood what had happened. Lowering his head, he clasped his fists and said, “Your Highness, it seems we have stirred up trouble.”

“Hmm? Explain yourself.” Li Yuangi’s heart trembled; he immediately asked.

Yuwen Bao lowered his voice, “Just now, the palace lady Zhang Jieyu sent word that the Qin Princess came to see His Majesty, weeping and complaining. The youth we kidnapped is indeed no ordinary person. It is said he is a descendant of the Wei Prince.”

“Damn it, Yuwen Bao, stop talking nonsense! Where in Tang do we have a Wei Prince?” Li Yuangi started speaking, then suddenly paused, finally recalling who the Wei Prince was.

After Emperor Li Yuan banished his third son Xuanba from the family, there had been no news of him—neither alive nor dead. Li Yuan deeply regretted the incident and had posthumously bestowed the title of Wei Prince with the posthumous name Huai.

“Wei Prince? The third brother? Wasn’t he already dead? Damn it, if he’s dead, how can there be a descendant?” Li Yuangi, who had been at odds with his third brother Xuanba since childhood, always treated him as an enemy. Being hot-tempered himself, he grabbed Yuwen Bao’s collar in anger and demanded.

“I don’t know either,” Yuwen Bao said quickly, “But Zhang Jieyu’s messenger said the Wei Prince died young shortly after leaving the mansion. This youth is the direct heir of the Wei Prince’s legacy, without doubt. His Majesty even shed a few tears over it.”

“Ha! Died young? Good riddance! Should have died long ago! An heir? Bah! Not even a son, I always said so—once dead, how could there be an heir!” Li Yuangi, upon hearing about Xuanba’s death, immediately began to gloat.

Yuwen Bao leaned in and whispered, “Your Highness, whether or not he is truly the Wei Prince’s descendant, he has already been registered before His Majesty. I’ve heard His Majesty cares deeply about this matter. About what happened yesterday…”

“Fear what?” Li Yuangi waved his hand carelessly. “Send word to Duan Hu and those two wanderers to behave themselves for a while and lay low until this blows over.”

Then Li Yuangi’s eyes gleamed as he ordered, “As for that youth… and those wanderers, once the heat dies down, have them disappear quietly. Heh heh, this youth’s identity is truly useful. The third brother died early, his heir unseen, unheard of. Brilliant! Haha! Given the lifelong friendship between the second and third brothers, if they can’t find his heir and blame the Dugu family instead, now that’s a show worth watching!”

Li Yuangi laughed wildly, growing ever more proud of his sudden inspiration, feeling it was a stroke of genius.

Yuwen Bao forced a couple of polite chuckles then asked, “Your Highness, if the Qin Prince investigates carefully… can we guarantee our safety…?”

“Investigate? Nonsense! Once they’re fighting the Dugu family to the death, what time would he have for investigations?” Li Yuangi waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, I know everything now. Do as I say. Get out and don’t disturb my mood.”

Impatiently, he sent Yuwen Bao away, then leered at the singing girl and chuckled lasciviously, “My dear, come, let’s have another round of three hundred moves!”

But the informants in the palace were not only watching Prince Qi.

The Crown Prince Li Jiancheng had received the news before him and knew much more. Even the true identity of Li Mingyu, the results of the Dugu family’s efforts to gather intelligence, and their plan to have the Emperor investigate and expose Prince Qi as the mastermind—all were clear to Li Jiancheng.

At this moment, Li Jiancheng sat alone in a quiet chamber, eyes closed in thought. This matter was of Li Yuangi’s own making and had nothing to do with him.

Yet Li Jiancheng’s mind was occupied with how to exploit this situation to his own advantage, how to steer events to benefit himself most.

He was well aware of Li Yuangi’s petty schemes. The reckless and arrogant fourth brother had no reason to obey him unless feigning allegiance, intending to let him and the second brother fight to the death while he reaped the benefits.

But the fourth brother was a man who looked splendid on the surface but was rotten within—paranoid, violent, and self-righteous—always thinking his cunning outwitted others, when in fact he was the fool being played.

As for the third brother’s heir, Li Jiancheng cared even less.

His power was already established, his wings fully grown. Even if the third brother returned from the dead, it would not shake his position as Crown Prince. What could a mere child of about ten do? Though he had some grievances with the third brother before, it was absurd for a dignified Crown Prince to stoop to petty quarrels with a mere boy.

After some thought, Li Jiancheng had already formed a plan.

Since the fourth brother was secretly making these meaningless moves to intensify conflict between him and the second brother for his own gain, it was a clever scheme.

Dugu Wu was indeed cunning: while sending emissaries to reconcile with the Qin Prince, he had the Emperor investigate and expose the fourth brother as the culprit—damning him without offending the Qin Prince, and clearing his own name.

If so, why not go with the flow and attract the second brother’s suspicion onto the fourth brother?

“Bring in my orders!” Li Jiancheng commanded.

Outside, his trusted Eastern Palace guards stood ready. A loyal eunuch hurried over and respectfully responded.

“Send orders to Qianlong. Dispatch assassins to the Qin Prince’s mansion.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the eunuch replied, hesitating briefly before asking, “But, Your Highness, the Qin Prince’s mansion is heavily guarded now. It may not be easy to succeed.”

“Hm, success is not necessary. Let them disguise themselves as Prince Qi’s men. Send members from the Xuan and Huang squads—they are more suited to the fugitive outlaw identities that the fourth brother recruited.” Li Jiancheng considered for a moment and continued.

The eunuch nodded in understanding, praising the Crown Prince’s wisdom before leaving to arrange matters.

As the Crown Prince, with the Qin Prince eyeing him jealously, Li Jiancheng certainly had his own forces.

Li Shimin’s core was the Heavenly Strategy Headquarters, composed of fierce generals and renowned talents who had fought alongside him. Among them was the elite Xuan Armor Army, once defeating Dou Jiande’s hundred-thousand-strong force.

However, over the years, Li Jiancheng had suppressed that army, limiting its size to fewer than a thousand.

Li Yuangi’s contingent was called the Prince of Qi Guard, consisting of his personal escorts and many outlaw fugitives he had recruited, totaling around seven or eight hundred.

As a dignified Crown Prince, Li Jiancheng’s forces were stronger—openly commanding three thousand troops known as the Six Commanders of the Crown Prince, and secretly maintaining a band of ruthless assassins he called “Qianlong.”

“Qian” means hidden; “long” means dragon—symbolizing concealed power and transformation. An ancient divination says, “At first, the hidden dragon should not be used.” The sage remains humble in low position, hidden and unshowy—apt indeed.

Within Qianlong, the assassins were divided into four squads named Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. The Heaven squad was naturally the strongest but numbered only a few, reserved as Li Jiancheng’s trump card.

To draw Li Shimin’s attention onto Prince Qi Li Yuangi, Li Jiancheng was willing to commit half of Qianlong’s forces.

But it was all worth it—as long as the two princes fought, Li Jiancheng could divide and conquer.