Chapter Ninety: Battle of the Mind, Part One

When Yang Yaozong first awoke, the room was still bright. After he finished taking his medicine, darkness began to gather in the chamber.

He asked Jing Yijun, "Has evening already fallen? Have I slept nearly a whole day?"

Jing Yijun nodded and said softly, "If you are tired, then lie back down and sleep some more. I live here alone most of the time, so rest without worry. I will stay beside you the whole time. If you need anything, just call me."

Yang Yaozong smiled and said with concern, "How long has it been since you last rested? Even if you were a fairy descended from the heavens, you would still need sleep, wouldn't you? You should rest soon as well. You do not need to keep me company."

A little shy, Jing Yijun looked away from his gaze. "I did rest," she said. "While you were asleep, I was over there." She pointed to the low couch by the window. "I was meditating there."

Yang Yaozong was puzzled that Jing Yijun would not look at him when she spoke, and that she seemed so bashful. He thought she was merely comforting him, not wanting him to worry, and so said she had meditated on the low couch to rest. In truth, Jing Yijun had indeed meditated, but only for a short while.

Seeing the weariness on Jing Yijun's face, Yang Yaozong said solemnly, "I told you to sleep, not meditate. How can that count as good rest?"

The Crown Prince's Grandson said in a low voice, "Yang Yaozong, you're lying on my aunt's bed."

He thought it over, glanced at Jing Yijun, then looked at Yang Yaozong again and said, "But my aunt and you were already married before Grandfather the Emperor. Sleeping together is not a problem. Then I shall leave first. Rest well. Yang Yaozong, I will come see you again tomorrow."

Only then did Yang Yaozong understand, and he said awkwardly, "This... this..."

Just as the Crown Prince's Grandson was about to leave, Yang Yaozong suddenly remembered something and said, "Wait! Is the Worthy Prince still in the palace?"

Jing Yijun was still embarrassed by the Crown Prince's Grandson's words and somewhat at a loss. Hearing Yang Yaozong suddenly ask about the Worthy Prince, her uneasy heart eased a little, and she said quietly, "Yes, Third Imperial Uncle is still in the palace. Eunuch Shun has been attending him all this time."

Yang Yaozong nodded and frowned. "The Worthy Prince came to the palace so late last night? After suddenly keeping him in the palace, did he say anything?"

The Crown Prince's Grandson pressed his lips together. "Last night, Grandfather the Emperor sent for the Worthy Prince to enter the palace, but he never got to see Grandfather one last time." Thinking of his late grandfather, the Crown Prince's Grandson's eyes turned red. "The Worthy Prince said nothing. He has been waiting patiently in the palace."

Yang Yaozong nodded. "I need to see the Worthy Prince now. There are some matters I must discuss with him."

Originally, Yang Yaozong had wanted to wait for the secret investigator's report on the Worthy Prince and the Second Young Master, Jing Yu, and then carefully analyze how to deal with them. After all, if the Worthy Prince was truly colluding with the Prince of Qin, then once the Prince of Qin raised troops in rebellion and there was also the Worthy Prince as an insider in Capital Heaven City, the uprising would very likely succeed. But now that the emperor had passed away, though the news had been sealed, no one knew how many more days it could be contained. Time was pressing, so he decided to test the Worthy Prince in advance.

From what he had learned from Jing Yijun and Yin Ruxin, the Worthy Prince was not a man who lusted after power or lacked any sense of right and wrong. More than that, the emperor was his own elder brother, and on his deathbed he had still been thinking of this younger brother. He ought to have treated the Worthy Prince well. If the Worthy Prince had been used by the Second Young Master, or if the Second Young Master held something over him that could be used to threaten him, then now that the emperor was dead, if the Crown Prince's Grandson ascended the throne, what offense would not be forgivable? If the Worthy Prince could be persuaded to support the Crown Prince's Grandson instead, then with the Worthy Prince's rank and reputation, it would bring invaluable benefit in stabilizing the court and comforting the army after the new emperor took the throne.

Jing Yijun frowned slightly and said with concern, "Your body is still very weak. Lie down and rest first. Go see Third Imperial Uncle tomorrow."

Yang Yaozong smiled. "It's all right, and besides, I truly have urgent matters to discuss with the Worthy Prince. We cannot keep him in the palace forever for no reason."

Jing Yijun studied him carefully, still worried about his health, but finally nodded. "Very well. I will go with you."

The Crown Prince's Grandson also hurriedly said, "I will go with you too."

In a small side hall lit brightly by lamps, a carved wooden screen divided the chamber into two spaces. Behind the screen, Jing Yijun and the Crown Prince's Grandson sat quietly on a low couch, listening closely to the sounds outside. Beyond the screen, Yang Yaozong and the Worthy Prince sat facing each other before a small table.

Jing Yijun and the Crown Prince's Grandson insisted on accompanying Yang Yaozong to meet the Worthy Prince, but Yang Yaozong truly had business to discuss with him and worried that the Worthy Prince would not be able to speak freely in front of them. What had originally been intended as a personal audience with the Worthy Prince became first a search for a suitable place, then a matter of arranging the two to sit comfortably while Eunuch Shun brought the Worthy Prince there. Only after the Worthy Prince had taken his seat did Yang Yaozong enter the side hall. Their names and ranks had already been announced by Eunuch Shun.

Yang Yaozong had heard Jing Yijun say that the emperor and the Worthy Prince were full brothers born of the same father and mother. Upon entering and seeing the Worthy Prince, he was surprised by how much the two truly resembled one another. The only difference was that the Worthy Prince looked much younger than the emperor and was also far sturdier in build.

Their titles had already been announced by Eunuch Shun. After Yang Yaozong paid his respects and took his seat, he picked up the teapot of freshly brewed tea on the low table, poured a cup for the Worthy Prince, then poured one for himself. Lifting his cup, he said, "I have long wished to pay a visit to the Worthy Prince. To meet you here today is a rare honor, so let me use tea in place of wine to show my respect."

From the moment Yang Yaozong entered the hall, the Worthy Prince had been watching his every move. Now seeing him respectfully offer tea, he lifted the cup before him, took a small sip, and said with a faint, unruffled smile, "You are thoughtful, Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince's Grandson. I am but an idle prince, and dare not trouble the Grand Tutor with a formal visit. On the contrary, I have long heard your great name and have always wanted to make your acquaintance, though the chance never came. I have heard only that you are graceful in bearing and overflowing with talent. Seeing your appearance today, I must say you are indeed strikingly handsome. I very much admire the poems and verses you have written. They are works of inspired brilliance, masterpieces for the ages."

Yang Yaozong respectfully bowed. "To receive the Worthy Prince's regard is my great honor. Poetry is only a minor craft; I am unworthy of such praise from Your Highness."

The Worthy Prince shook his head. "Whether a poem is well written or not depends not only on talent, but is also a profound art that reflects a person's cultivation, life experience, and imagination. A truly excellent poem, one that endures in people's hearts, can use only a few short lines, or even just a few words, to lay bare the poet's deepest feelings. For instance, those lines of yours, 'If love can last forever, why should it matter whether we are together morning and night,' and 'May we live long, sharing the same bright moon though separated by a thousand miles.' Without your profound learning and rich imagination, and without your deep feelings for the Lady Chancellor of Nan Palace, how could you have written such exquisite lines and produced poems now loved by all and passed from mouth to mouth? Others may not understand why a man of your talent would still choose to marry into the Nan family, but after reading those two poems of yours, I understand perfectly. Your temperament is rather like my own in some respects: to prefer the beauty of a beloved over an empire."

Yang Yaozong smiled and answered softly, "May one heart be won, and till gray hairs, never part."

The Worthy Prince's eyes lit up. He repeated quietly, "May one heart be won, and till gray hairs, never part." Then he laughed heartily twice and said aloud, "Well spoken indeed. In this world, perhaps only I can truly understand the Grand Tutor's feelings. What are gold and wealth, power and rank? None of them can compare to having by your side someone who knows and loves you. So long as one can remain with the person one loves and understands, what if it means marrying into another family? It is just a pity that the Lady Chancellor of Nan Palace may not be able to shake free of worldly burdens for a long while!"

Yang Yaozong felt a little guilty and coughed lightly twice, taking a casual sip of tea before saying, "I have heard that the Worthy Prince has only the princess consort to this day. Your bond is truly deep, and it is enviable."

The Worthy Prince merely smiled faintly and did not answer. After sipping his tea, he looked at Yang Yaozong with a grave expression. "Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince's Grandson, surely you did not simply happen to meet me here today in order to exchange domestic pleasantries."

Yang Yaozong had not expected the Worthy Prince to raise the question first. Yet he was not flustered. Meeting the prince's gaze, he said plainly, "I wonder whether the Worthy Prince has heard of the prison riot in the Prefecture of Great Harmony on the night of the fifteenth day of the eighth month."

The Worthy Prince still wore that faint smile. "Of course I have heard."

Yang Yaozong could read nothing from his expression and continued to probe. "Then does the Worthy Prince know who planned that matter?"

The Worthy Prince took a sip of tea and said indifferently, "I have never concerned myself with such things."

For the first time, Yang Yaozong felt a certain pressure, a helplessness. He lifted his cup to his lips and, as if speaking casually, asked, "Has the Worthy Prince also heard that on that same night, the First Young Master Jing Min escaped?"

Behind the screen, the Crown Prince's Grandson was deeply puzzled as to why Yang Yaozong would disclose such a secret matter to the Worthy Prince. He looked to his aunt, hoping she might give him an answer, but Jing Yijun was also frowning in confusion and shook her head at him.