Chapter 156: Rounding Up, Pei Shaoqing Is the Crown Prince
Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Rounding Up, Pei Shaoqing Is the Crown Prince
"Husband, did the Princess give you any trouble?"
Xie Qingwu asked the moment Pei Shaoqing returned.
"It was fine." Pei Shaoqing shook his head, unwilling to discuss it further. He changed the subject, "I’m a bit thirsty."
Xie Qingwu poured him a cup of tea. "General Li said the Crown Prince already responded tonight."
"The Crown Prince’s decisiveness hasn’t waned at all. Just what you’d expect from a man who dared to rebel," Pei Shaoqing remarked with a sigh, not having expected the Crown Prince to decide so quickly.
Xie Qingwu sat down beside him. "What should we do next? We’re about to leave the Capital City."
The Mid-Autumn Imperial Banquet was over, and it was time to return to Tongzhou.
"Send another letter. Tell the Crown Prince to wait patiently for one year." Pei Shaoqing’s gaze was profound as he spoke in a low voice, "His Majesty’s health looks like it could hold out for another three to five years. Within a year at the latest, I need to be transferred back to a post in the Capital City to plan this great enterprise for the Crown Prince."
"Why a year? If you wanted to return to the Capital City, you could do it now," Xie Qingwu said, confused.
Pei Shaoqing explained, "We must have our own power base. In this year, we need to weave a great web in the Shu Region, one that involves officials, merchants, the military, and the Martial Arts world. Only then can our future path be stable and long."
Without one’s own base of operations and a group of followers, no matter how high one climbs, they are but rootless duckweed, toppled by the first wave.
"You are truly far-sighted, Husband," Xie Qingwu praised, then added, "But it might be difficult if we rely only on ourselves. In my opinion, we can leverage the Crown Prince’s power. Back when the Crown Prince Faction was unmatched in its influence, he must have had his people in Shu State as well."
"My dear, your words are exactly what I was thinking." Pei Shaoqing’s eyes lit up. ’Using the deposed Crown Prince’s name to win over the officials in Shu State who were once loyal to him would surely be highly effective.’
A strange light glinted in Xie Qingwu’s eyes. Her voice was steady as she said, "This isn’t just limited to Shu State; it could be done across the entire Great Zhou. The Crown Prince is deep within the palace, while you, Husband, are on the outside. Nominally, everyone would be serving the Crown Prince, but in reality, wouldn’t they be serving you?"
It was equivalent to commanding the court in the Crown Prince’s name.
Right now, only Pei Shaoqing could communicate with the Crown Prince.
That meant his words were the Crown Prince’s words.
By that logic, he was basically the Crown Prince!
"Exactly." Pei Shaoqing understood at once. He stood up excitedly and paced the room, striking his right fist into his left palm. "Although the Crown Prince is the nominal lord, I will be the one interacting with them and giving them orders day to day. By the time the Crown Prince regains his freedom, they won’t necessarily listen to him."
Before the Crown Prince left the palace, he had plenty of time to control or win over the scattered members of the Crown Prince Faction one by one. Even if only a third of them ended up loyal to him, it would still be a considerable force.
"But in that case, as the one who performs this great service, you will become the person the Crown Prince is most wary of," Xie Qingwu reminded him.
In the future, the Crown Prince’s gratitude for Pei Shaoqing’s help and the Crown Prince’s desire to eliminate Pei Shaoqing were not mutually exclusive.
Pei Shaoqing let out a soft laugh. He gazed at the full moon outside the window and said in a low voice, "It’s better for him to be wary of me than for me to be wary of him. As long as I am strong enough, what can he possibly do to me? The Yan and Pei families sharing the world wouldn’t be just a dream."
As a modern transmigrator, he detested the idea of having an endless hierarchy of people to kneel to. A single word from the Emperor could render all his struggles meaningless. He hated this feeling of insecurity; one’s destiny had to be held in one’s own hands.
"Husband, watch your words!" Xie Qingwu’s face paled as she shot to her feet, instinctively glancing out the window. With a grave expression, she said, "I naturally admire your lofty ambitions, Husband, but how can we underestimate the two-hundred-year foundation of the Great Zhou? The Royal Family is not without its masters; they simply do not show themselves easily. You must not entertain such thoughts, Husband!"
She only wanted Pei Shaoqing to become a powerful minister.
She never imagined he harbored treasonous intentions.
She felt it was a case of ignorance breeding fearlessness.
At the very least, she did not believe that Pei Shaoqing, or even the full might of the Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion, could succeed in a rebellion.
"Rest assured, my dear. I am not a brainless, reckless man. But as for the future... who can say for certain?" Pei Shaoqing’s tone was distant.
He thought of the Yaoguang Saintess.
He thought of the Profound Yellow Sect, with its thousand-year history.
’On my own, I indeed lack the power to rebel. But what if I add the Profound Yellow Sect to the equation? Of course, I’d have to prevent them from turning the tables on me. For now, I’ll just take it one step at a time.’
Xie Qingwu had never imagined Pei Shaoqing harbored such grand ambitions. She slowly exhaled and said, "Let’s leave future matters for the future. We should first handle what’s in front of us. I will write to the Crown Prince now."
"No, I’ll write it myself. This time, I will sign it," Pei Shaoqing said calmly.
Xie Qingwu gasped, "Husband..."
"The Crown Prince has such courage; why should I keep hiding and skulking around? It makes me seem shifty." Pei Shaoqing raised a hand to cut her off, then added, "Besides, I need to give him some sense of security. He’ll find out who I am sooner or later anyway, so there’s no need to hide it anymore."
If he kept his identity hidden, the trust he could gain from the Crown Prince would be limited, and he would surely be looked down upon. To win the Crown Prince’s trust, he had to show that he was reliable and capable of helping him.
Revealing his identity was like giving the Crown Prince leverage over him. As the only lifeline the Prince could grasp, he would in turn gain his absolute trust.
Although the Crown Prince was imprisoned, the Imperial Palace was full of gossips. Pei Shaoqing believed the prince must have heard of his current reputation. The name "Pei Shaoqing" carried more than enough weight.
’If things get exposed in the end...’
’...then I’ll just defect to the Profound Yellow Sect on the spot.’
’Or I could run to the neighboring Wei Kingdom.’
’I’m sure either would give me excellent treatment.’
As a transmigrator from Earth, he felt no sense of belonging to the Great Zhou. He’d feel no pressure at all switching sides.
"Alright. Then I shall grind the ink for you, Husband." Xie Qingwu fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and nodded.
After writing the letter, Pei Shaoqing woke the sleeping General Li and forced it to work the night shift, making it take the letter to the Mao Camp secret agent at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, who would then pass it to the calico cat.
.........
In the early hours of the morning, the Crown Prince and his consort were already asleep.
"MEOW~ MEOW~"
But they were awakened by the sound of a cat meowing.
The Crown Prince, extremely annoyed, could tell the meowing was coming from right by the window. He got out of bed to shoo it away.
But when he opened the window, he froze.
By the moonlight, he saw a handsome calico cat standing on the windowsill with a letter in its mouth.
It was the same cat he had seen a few days ago.
"You delivered tonight’s letter too?" The Crown Prince realized at once and immediately took the letter from the cat’s mouth.
The Crown Prince Consort had also woken up. Draping a sheer robe over her delicate figure, she got out of bed. "What’s wrong, Husband?"
"Light the lamp," the Crown Prince said simply.
The Crown Prince Consort went to light a candle and saw the calico cat. "Was this little one making all that noise just now?"
"It’s here to deliver a letter," the Crown Prince said, shaking the envelope in his hand before tearing it open and starting to read.
The Crown Prince Consort was amazed. "Delivering letters with a cat?"
Just then, the calico cat leaped from the window into the room and walked over to the Crown Prince Consort, rubbing its head against her.
The Crown Prince Consort smiled, bent down, and picked it up.
"What a clever and cute little fellow."
She turned her head and found the Crown Prince standing there, stunned, holding the letter. "Husband, what does the letter say?"
"My dear, do you know who sent this letter?" the Crown Prince asked, recovering from his shock.
The Crown Prince Consort looked puzzled. "Who is it?"
"The second son of the Marquis Weiyuan’s family, Baron of Pingyang, Pei Shaoqing," the Crown Prince said slowly, word by word.
The Crown Prince Consort covered her mouth and gasped, "It’s him!"
Although their family could not leave Siguogong Palace...
...they could occasionally hear news of the outside world from the eunuchs and palace maids who delivered their supplies. So naturally, they knew that Pei Shaoqing, the prodigal son, had turned over a new leaf and was now high in the Emperor’s favor.
"Yes. I considered everyone, but I never would have thought it would be him," the Crown Prince muttered to himself.
The Crown Prince Consort pursed her lips and said, "Logically, he has our Father Emperor’s deep favor, and he’s backed by the great tree that is the Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion. Even with his grudge against the Jiang Family, he could still side with the Fifth Prince. Why would he risk contacting you, Husband?"
"Could it be that my personal charm is worth the risk?" the Crown Prince joked suddenly.
The Crown Prince Consort rolled her eyes in exasperation.
The Crown Prince gave an awkward laugh. "I was only joking. There must be something we don’t know. But regardless of his reasons, this is a good thing for me."
Knowing the letter writer’s identity, the Crown Prince felt even more confident in his ability to make a comeback.
His entire being burned with excitement, filled with a renewed sense of power.
"I just wonder if this is the Baron of Pingyang’s own idea or that of Marquis Weiyuan," said the Crown Prince Consort.
"It doesn’t matter." The Crown Prince shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. "Father and son are one. It would be best if it were Marquis Weiyuan’s intention, but even if Pei Shaoqing is acting alone, the Marquis will find it difficult to distance himself from it."
"Back when I was still the Crown Prince, I failed to win the allegiance of the Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion. I never thought I would achieve that goal now that I’m a dragon stranded in shallow waters."
With the support of the Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion, plus his Old Faction of the Crown Prince scattered throughout the land, even if his Father Emperor never released him, he would have the confidence to stage another palace coup after the Emperor’s death. And this time, his opponent wouldn’t be his Father Emperor, but the unsuspecting Fifth Prince or the Jiang Family.
The chances of success were therefore greatly increased.
"What does he say in the letter?" the Crown Prince Consort asked.
The Crown Prince replied, "He asks me to wait patiently for another year, until he is transferred back to the Capital City so they can plan for the long term. He also asks if I have any trustworthy people I can use in Shu State. While he is posted there, he can help me re-establish contact with them in advance for future use."
He had already waited for five years.
Waiting one more year was nothing.
"Congratulations, Husband. With the Baron of Pingyang working for you on the outside, the old retainers who followed you will soon be united once more," the Crown Prince Consort congratulated him softly.
The Crown Prince was also very happy. He flicked his sleeves, stepped forward to stroke the cat in her arms, and said, "My dear, grind the ink for me. This little fellow is still waiting for a reply."
"Yes," the Crown Prince Consort replied with a smile.
As she ground the ink for the Crown Prince, she watched him write the reply. Her expression changed several times throughout the process, and when she saw him sign his name and the date at the bottom of the paper, she finally couldn’t help but call out in reminder, "Husband..."
"The Baron of Pingyang dared to sign his name; I must also show him my own boldness and sincerity." The Crown Prince cut his wife off, picked up the finished letter, and blew on it to speed up the drying of the ink. "He has my letter, and I have his. Only then can we trust each other and work towards a common goal."