Chapter 97: The Art of Compromise (Part V)

"I have nothing to hide from anyone. Speak!"

Li Hong had always regarded Yan Liben and Liu Xiangdao as his closest confidants, so he naturally felt no suspicion toward them. Upon seeing Wang Dequan standing there, stuttering and acting mysterious, his expression darkened immediately, and he scolded the man without ceremony.

"Ah, yes. Your Highness, this servant has just received reliable information. Before noon today, the Prince of Lu arrived at the Prince of Zhou's residence. At around three in the afternoon, the two Highnesses suddenly began to argue in the study. It was a massive scene. Shortly after, the Prince of Lu was seen leaving in his carriage with a livid expression. It is rumored that after returning to his own residence, the Prince of Lu flew into a rage, and in his words, he seemed to be accusing the Prince of Zhou of having wolf-like ambitions. As soon as this servant received the news, I dared not delay and hurried here. I pray Your Highness will judge the situation." Seeing Li Hong’s reaction, Wang Dequan dared not be slow and hurriedly relayed the news passed on by his informants. Everyone in the room frowned upon hearing this.

"Is this matter true?"

Li Hong’s expression shifted for a long moment. He still could not quite bring himself to believe it, so he asked, deep in thought.

"It is indeed true. This servant would not dare to utter a falsehood to deceive Your Highness."

Wang Dequan answered with great certainty. Just as he was about to provide more details, Li Hong lost interest in listening further. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Wang Dequan from the room.

"Master Yan, Master Liu, why does this matter feel so suspicious to me? I fear there is more to this than meets the eye. Do you two have any thoughts on the matter?" After Wang Dequan withdrew, Li Hong stood up from his seat, pacing back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back, his mind restless.

"I don't think so. The Prince of Lu has always been quick-tempered. The memorial regarding the river works was submitted by him, yet the Empress now intends to place the Prince of Zhou in charge of the project. With the Prince of Lu's personality, it is inevitable he would feel resentful. It is unlikely their words would remain peaceful. They are both young and hot-blooded; disputes are perhaps unavoidable." Although Liu Xiangdao was slightly older than Yan Liben, his reaction was not slow in the slightest. He spoke first, his tone suggesting he disagreed with Li Hong’s suspicions.

"On the contrary, I fear there is indeed something fishy here. While Brother Tongshou’s words hold some truth, in my view, this is likely more than just a verbal conflict. It is possible they are arguing over an uneven division of spoils. Regardless of the cause, however, this matter presents an opportunity for Your Highness." Yan Liben clearly disagreed with Liu Xiangdao’s assessment. He shook his head with a furrowed brow and offered his counsel.

"An opportunity? How so?"

Li Hong was naturally very clever. In truth, he had already formed a judgment in his heart, but he was struggling to decide how to respond. Seeing Yan Liben point to the crux of the matter, he was eager to hear Yan’s final assessment to compare it with his own thoughts, so he pressed him further.

"Your Highness, please consider: whether those two Highnesses are truly quarreling or merely putting on a show, in my view, it is greatly to your advantage. There are three reasons. First, although the Prince of Zhou is mature for his age, he is still young. Even with the Empress's support, he has no possibility of securing the task of the river works; Your Highness can handle him with ease. Second, if the two princes are truly fighting, they will inevitably be unable to coexist. Your Highness can intervene and divide them. If they are merely faking it, it matters not; given the current strength of the two, no matter what schemes they employ, they are no match for Your Highness. Why fear them? Third, the river works project is of immense importance, involving every department of the court. If it falls into the hands of those two, the consequences would be unimaginable. Yet, this project is vital to the state and must be done. Instead of letting them control it, it would be better for Your Highness to take it for yourself. Take advantage of the Empress's support for this policy to intercept it and extinguish the two princes' desires." Yan Liben was worldly-wise, and his analysis of the situation was logical and persuasive.

"Hmm, that is true. But since the Empress supports my seventh brother, if I force my hand, not only will it displease the Empress, but my seventh brother may not be forgiving either. If this pushes him further toward my sixth brother, wouldn't I be adding wings to a tiger?" Li Hong had long been involved in state affairs and knew that the river works project was an absolute necessity. The reason he had strongly opposed it during the last morning court session was simply to prevent it from falling into Li Xian's hands. Hearing that the two had quarreled, Li Hong had already conceived the idea of seizing the project for himself. His concern was not so much the reaction of Empress Wu, but rather Li Xian, who he felt had no chance of getting the job. The reason was simple: after experiencing so much, Li Hong had realized that Li Xian was no ordinary individual, and he truly did not want to offend him too deeply.

"Your Highness’s concerns are well-founded. The Prince of Zhou is young, but he acts with great method; he is not an easy opponent. If you wish to win his submission, the difficulty is not small, but it is not impossible. Since you have this concern, why not host a banquet and invite the Prince of Zhou for a chat? If you can speak frankly, all the better. If not, you can use the opportunity to probe his strengths and weaknesses before deciding on your next move." Liu Xiangdao clearly agreed with Li Hong’s opinion and interjected from the side.

"Master Yan, what is your opinion?"

Li Hong did not respond to Liu Xiangdao, merely nodding slightly to show his approval, before turning his gaze to the deep-thinking Yan Liben.

"Trying is fine. However, the Prince of Zhou is small in stature but ambitious; I fear he is not easy to deal with. Hmm, if the cost is not too high, Your Highness might consider agreeing to some terms first, then deciding on a later course of action." Yan Liben had already clashed with Li Xian in the imperial court once and understood his ability to grasp the larger picture. He did not think Li Xian was an inflexible person. In Yan Liben's view, as long as the river works could be secured, giving Li Xian some minor concessions was acceptable.

"Very well. I will send someone to invite my seventh brother to the palace. Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, I will have fulfilled the proper courtesies." Upon hearing Yan Liben's suggestion, Li Hong did not hesitate further. He nodded and issued his decision in a calm tone.

"Your Highness, how could you quarrel so loudly with the Prince of Lu? Not to mention he is your elder brother, even if he weren't, he was a guest in our residence. If this gets out, who knows what kind of gossip the villains will spread? If His Majesty blames you, what will you do? Sigh, Your Highness, why must you do this..."

In the bedroom of the Prince of Zhou’s main residence, Li Xian, having just finished his lunch, lay comfortably on the couch with his legs crossed, idly twirling a jade-boned folding fan. He seemed quite relaxed, though his bitter smile revealed his helplessness. Yan Hong was sitting by the couch, lecturing him relentlessly. Her style was no less persistent than a "Tang Monk." Li Xian, who had been looked after by this elder-sister figure since childhood, truly had no way to deal with her other than to listen obediently. The quarrel with Li Xian was meant as a performance to lure the Crown Prince, the big fish. Until the Crown Prince’s reaction was confirmed, the truth behind the quarrel had to be kept secret—even from someone as close as Yan Hong. Li Xian was not worried about Yan Hong acting against him, but rather about walls having ears. He knew his residence was not entirely clean and was full of spies from various factions. Given the stakes, secrecy was paramount. Thus, Li Xian had no choice but to endure Yan Hong’s nagging.

"Your Highness, Eunuch Wang, the Deputy Director of the Xiande Hall, is here. He says the Crown Prince has an imperial order for you."

Just as Li Xian was feeling helpless, Gao Miao poked his head in from outside the door. Seeing Li Xian being lectured with a troubled expression, he couldn't help but secretly chuckle. Unexpectedly, Li Xian had sharp eyes. The moment he caught the smirk on Gao Miao's face, he glared at him without ceremony. Gao Miao jumped in fright, quickly scurrying into the room, approaching the couch with a fawning smile, and reporting in a low voice.

*Ha, he finally came. Heh, I wonder how much sincerity is behind this visit!* The reason Li Xian had skipped his usual afternoon nap was to wait for the Crown Prince’s reaction—though Yan Hong’s nagging was also a factor. Now that Wang Dequan had arrived, he could not only learn the Crown Prince’s reaction but also escape Yan Hong’s lecture. Li Xian had every reason to be pleased. Without waiting for Yan Hong to react, he jumped up, leaving behind the words: "Sister Yan Hong, I must go receive the order first. I will listen to your nagging later." As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared, leaving Yan Hong pouting and stamping her feet in frustration, though she couldn't help but laugh a moment later.

"This servant pays respects to the Prince of Zhou."

Wang Dequan, who had been waiting in the front hall, saw Li Xian emerge from the inner hall and hurried forward, bowing deeply and greeting him loudly.

"Eunuch Wang, you are too kind. Please, no need for such formalities. Haha, I apologize for arriving late and keeping you waiting. I hope you will forgive me." Li Xian seemed to be in a very good mood. Seeing Wang Dequan bow, he returned half a bow very politely and greeted him with a smile.

"This servant would not dare." Wang Dequan, not daring to accept the return bow, quickly stepped back half a pace. He took an bright red invitation from his wide sleeve, held it respectfully with both hands above his head, and reported loudly: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has sent this invitation. Please, take a look."

*Hmm? An invitation? Putting on such a formal show... heh, what kind of play is this boy acting out?* Li Xian had expected the Crown Prince to invite him for a private chat, but he hadn't expected Li Hong to send a formal invitation, turning it into a grand spectacle. He felt a bit puzzled, but this was not the time to ask. Li Xian reached out with both hands to take the invitation, flipped it open, and a flash of suspicion crossed his face. His eyes rolled slightly, and he immediately understood. He laughed out loud: "Please report back to my brother, the Crown Prince, and tell him that I have been exhausted from martial arts practice and truly dare not drink. I must decline his kind intentions and will ask to host him another day to apologize." Li Xian raised his voice, leaving no room for doubt: "Gao Miao, see Eunuch Wang out for me." Before Wang Dequan could react, Li Xian turned on his heel and headed back to the inner hall.

"Your Highness..."

Wang Dequan clearly had not expected Li Xian to show such blatant disregard for the Crown Prince’s face. He was stunned for a moment, and by the time he looked up, Li Xian had already reached the entrance to the inner hall. He hurriedly called out, but before he could say anything more, Gao Miao had already blocked his path, waving his hand in a gesture: "Eunuch Wang, please!"

"Sigh!"

Blocked by Gao Miao, Li Xian had already vanished. No matter how unwilling, Wang Dequan had no choice. With a shake of his head and a sigh, he wore a bitter expression as he left the hall, returning to the Eastern Palace to report back.