Hidden Shadow – CH 331

Chapter Three-Hundred-Thirty-One: Change

As the distance closed, An Jiu clearly discerned that there were twelve people on the other side.

After entering, they split into four groups, searching various areas, seemingly looking for something.

They were grouped in threes: one martial artist of level six or higher, and two below level six. An Jiu felt this grouping method was somewhat familiar, like… the Konghe Army?

An Jiu peeked through a gap and indeed saw silver cranes embroidered on the hem of their clothing.

Now that the Konghe Army was fragmented, it was impossible to determine whether these were Chu Dingjiang’s people based solely on their insignia. An Jiu considered capturing one to question them, but then changed her mind. A secret organization like the Konghe Army would definitely be tight-lipped. Rather than risk exposure and wasting time and energy forcing confessions, it was better to follow them.

Having made up her mind, An Jiu chose a group with relatively higher martial arts skills to follow. Generally speaking, the higher the martial arts skill, the higher the rank and the more information they knew. She was not worried about being discovered; after all, no matter how high their mental strength was, it could not compare to hers.

These men silently conducted a thorough search of the study, turning it upside down in about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea.

Especially the bright yellow imperial edicts, which were laid out one by one on the table.

After reading all the edicts, one of them said, “What do we do if we cannot find them?”

The other two were silent for a few moments, then the tall, thin man said, “Keep looking.”

“Boss, it is just an edict; he just took it so easily. We’ve probably wasted our time,” the man complained. “I do not know what His Highness is thinking. With the situation so dire, he’s still worried about an edict. Ascending the throne is the most important thing!”

An Jiu’s heart sank. Could it be that Chu Dingjiang’s plan had failed?

“As long as the Second Prince is not dead, and the edict is not found, that edict will always be a thorn in our side. The Second Prince…”

Before he could finish speaking, a long, deep bell tolled in the silent night, each toll awakening the entire capital of Bianjing.

“His Majesty has passed away!” The speaker’s voice clearly carried joy.

An Jiu sensed something was amiss. They seemed to be working for the Crown Prince; their joy at the Emperor’s death meant the palace was now under his control.

“No!” The tall, thin man was not so optimistic. “His Highness has not fully grasped the Second Prince’s strength. Even if the Emperor has truly passed away, he certainly will not announce it so quickly. That’s why the Second Prince’s men would not dare act rashly.”

“Should we still look for the edict?” another asked.

The tall, thin man pondered for a long time. “Since the death knell was not rung by His Highness, then it must be the Second Prince… Could it be that the Emperor has truly appointed the Second Prince? Whatever it is, since we’ve been ordered, we must continue searching.”

They were only ordered to find the secret edict the Emperor had bestowed upon the Second Prince over the past six months; they did not know what it said. If it truly was an edict appointing the Crown Prince, the palace would immediately descend into chaos.

The men searched every book in the study, leaving no page unchecked.

An Jiu quietly slipped out and headed to the Hua residence.

The Hua residence supported the Second Prince; Mei Jiu and Mei Yanran should be there too. Finding the person would reveal more information.

Only now did An Jiu understand why Chu Dingjiang had been so slow to tell her how to contact him anytime, anywhere. She muttered to herself, “What a load of rubbish about fighting side-by-side.”

The Hua mansion gates were tightly shut. Security was tight, but this was not enough to stop An Jiu.

She sneaked into the mansion and headed straight for Mei Jiu’s residence. Passing a small garden, she saw two familiar figures.

Hua Rongjian sat by a small pond, casually tossing food into it. Mei Ruyan sat on a stone stool not far behind him, with two burly black-clad men standing behind him.

At first glance, an uninformed person would assume the two men were Mei Ruyan’s subordinates. But An Jiu noticed that the two men’s muscles were taut, their hands gripping the hilts of their swords, their eyes frequently glancing at Mei Ruyan—clearly, they were watching her.

“Mei Ruyan.” Hua Rongjian did not turn around, his tone slow and casual, as if chatting. “Where do you want to go?”

“What, can I not go out?” Mei Ruyan said coldly.

“That depends on my mood.” Hua Rongjian placed the fish food on the low table beside him, stood up, walked to Mei Ruyan, bent down, and pinched her chin, forcing her to look up. “Did you hand the memorial to your master?”

Mei Ruyan pursed her lips, her phoenix eyes meeting his gaze fearlessly.

From An Jiu’s angle, she could not see Mei Ruyan’s expression, but she could clearly see the faint smile on Hua Rongjian’s face.

His smile was lazy yet tinged with ruthlessness. The dim light of the lantern flickered in the wind, casting swaying shadows that made his face appear sinister. An Jiu was stunned. She remembered the first time she met Hua Rongjian; he was a playful young man whose smile was as warm as the morning sun. It had not been long since she last saw him, yet he seemed like a completely different person.

“Was it worth it?” Hua Rongjian released her, his expression returning to normal. “That memorial was written by my father to protect General Ling. It was not presented to the Emperor. A mere scrap of paper can bring down the Hua family? Your master is far too naive.”

Mei Ruyan’s chin flushed slightly, her smile exceptionally alluring. “So, that scrap of a memorial—do you know why I specifically chose that one?”

Hua Rongjian looked down at her. “I am all ears.”

“Because only that memorial contained the most information about Ling Ziyue. Someone could use that to forge Prime Minister Hua’s handwriting, creating a fake correspondence between Prime Minister Hua and General Ling, in which they incited and deceived General Ling into attacking the Liao Kingdom’s Xijin Prefecture,” Mei Ruyan said gleefully. “Similarly, they could also imitate Prime Minister Hua’s words about plotting to overthrow the dynasty. Think about it, if Prime Minister Hua plotted to eliminate loyal ministers and seize the throne, what would happen if this evidence fell into the hands of the Song Emperor?”

No matter which Emperor it was, the Hua family would face annihilation.

If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, then this evidence was unnecessary. The Hua family, supporting the Second Prince, was considered treasonous, and the Crown Prince could rightfully deal with them. However, if the Second Prince ultimately succeeds in ascending the throne, what would he do with this evidence? For a family whose achievements threaten the Emperor, holding this leverage allows him to have a legitimate excuse to destroy the Hua family at any time. Whether the evidence itself was flawed was no longer important.

This was an unsolvable dilemma, and even knowing it now, there’s no better way to prevent it.

“The Hua family was already on the verge of collapse. Just a slight push,” Mei Ruyan lightly poked Hua Rongjian’s waist with her slender index finger, her smile radiant, “and they will crumble. Instead of worrying about me, you should be thinking about your own future.”

“No need for your concern,” Hua Rongjian smirked, ordering the two burly men, “Kill her.”

An Jiu was surprised by Hua Rongjian’s drastic change and hesitated, wondering whether to save Mei Ruyan. Although An Jiu disliked Mei Ruyan, upon closer examination, Mei Ruyan had not truly harmed her. However, Hua Rongjian was her friend, and Mei Ruyan’s actions had greatly harmed the Hua family. Moreover, Uncle Chu seemed quite concerned about the Hua family…

After some consideration, An Jiu decided to disregard their personal grudges.

Hua Rongjian sat down again where he had been feeding the fish, staring blankly at the water.

An Jiu watched for a while; he remained motionless in the same position.

Could it be that learning of his birth mother’s murder and his father’s involvement had such a profound impact on him? Just a few days ago, he seemed to have come to terms with it.

Men’s minds were hard to fathom. An Jiu avoided him and went to Mei Jiu’s residence.

The light was on inside. Mei Jiu sat reading under the lamp, while Mei Yanran sewed opposite her; the mother and daughter seemed very harmonious.

An Jiu stood outside for a while, then quietly slipped inside.

Mei Yanran glanced warily out the window but saw no one. She inwardly cursed herself for being overly suspicious.

An Jiu sat down like a ghost, pondering her opening line.

“Hi, I am here.” Or perhaps, “Long time no see!”

Neither seemed quite right. After much thought, she simply coughed softly.

Mei Yanran turned around, her sword almost drawn, only relaxing when she saw it was An Jiu.

Mei Jiu was delighted to see her. “Ah Jiu, you’ve left the island? So you are out of trouble in Mei Mansion?”

“Yes.” An Jiu looked her over. “Were you not poisoned? Why are you getting fatter?”

Mei Jiu blushed, stammering for a moment.

Mei Yanran spoke for her: “Jiu’er is pregnant.”

An Jiu opened her mouth, her gaze falling on Mei Jiu’s abdomen. She was wearing loose clothing, so it was not clear if her belly was protruding. “How many months along?”

“Almost four months,” Mei Jiu said weakly.

Just a few months ago, Hua Rongtian was sleeping in the study, and now the baby was four months old. An Jiu could not help but wonder if it was Hua Rongtian’s child, but then she remembered Mei Jiu’s chastity and virtue; if something had happened, she probably would have already drowned herself. For this reason, An Jiu refrained from asking such an infuriating question in front of the mother. However, she said something even more infuriating: “If you break up with Hua Rongtian in the future, you have to take the child with you. A child can live without a father, but not without a mother.”

Mei Jiu’s expression darkened. Her relationship with Hua Rongtian was actually just an accident after drinking, not something born of love. Mei Jiu had no confidence for the future.

Mei Yanran did not react much, casually changing the subject, “You came out because of something?”

“Yes, what’s the situation in Bianjing now?” An Jiu asked.

Mei Yanran said, “The Crown Prince seems to have the upper hand in the palace, but that’s not actually the case. The area outside the palace is almost entirely controlled by the Second Prince’s army. The Crown Prince, trapped inside, is out of touch. If it were not for that Grand Eunuch, he would not have lasted this long.”

“Grand Eunuch?” An Jiu vaguely recognized such a person. “A Transcendent Realm expert serving the Emperor?”

Mei Yanran nodded. “If the Crown Prince ascends the throne this time, this eunuch will have served three generations of Emperors. Because he’s in the palace and does not often fight, no one knows his true strength. They only know that he reached the Transcendent Realm fifteen years ago.” Transcendent Realm experts were extremely rare. Besides Chu Dingjiang, the Second Prince probably did not have anyone else. In other words, if the Second Prince wants to ascend the throne, he must first deal with this Grand Eunuch. Who could deal with him? Only Chu Dingjiang!

An Jiu could not sit still any longer. “Where is the Second Prince now?”

“I do not know, but listen.” Mei Yanran paused, the sound of the funeral bell outside ringing clearly in her ears. “Once the bell tolls, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince will clash within the next day or two. Because the Second Prince must attend the funeral, the Crown Prince will definitely take the opportunity to make his move. We will see how he manages to enter the palace.”