"How was this play?" Xie Yan sat across from Chen Tingfeng and gave him a faint smile. "Are you satisfied?"
Chen Tingfeng put down the teacup in his hand. Looking at the tea leaves floating in the cup, he gently flicked the wall of the cup, disturbing the still water. "Not bad."
Empress Xie Guang was seriously injured, the young prince was critically ill with a high fever and had become stupid, Concubine Li had thrown herself into a well and died, and two court officials from Xie Guang's faction had also lost their lives. Their forces had been greatly weakened.
This play had truly been performed well.
Xie Yan leaned back and played with the folding fan in his hand. He lowered his eyes. "The court officials are still making a fuss. It's already been a day, and there are still some kneeling outside the Zichen Hall."
The old emperor had truly vented his anger this time, but at the same time, he had also let the people in the court truly see his cruelty.
A country could tolerate a dull emperor, but it would never tolerate a tyrant.
"Wait a little longer," Chen Tingfeng's eyes were deep. "This play hasn't reached its climax yet. Let them continue to make a fuss."
Among those court officials, some were whole - heartedly assisting Xie Guang, and naturally, there were also those they had planted to stir up emotions in the chaos.
Their goal was not only to seriously injure the empress and Xie Guang but also something more important...
Xie Yan tapped his finger on the folding fan. He and Chen Tingfeng had discussed this strategy long ago, so naturally, he had no objections at this time. However...
He looked at Chen Tingfeng. "Last night, my man reported that someone had ridden out of the city under the cover of night. It seemed they were heading south."
Chen Tingfeng slowly narrowed his eyes. "South?"
Xie Yan nodded. He frowned and thought. "I'm afraid they're going to call for reinforcements."
Chen Tingfeng thought for a moment and then slowly relaxed his brows. "It's okay. Let them go."
The water wasn't muddy enough yet. Then let it get muddier.
Xie Yan looked up at him and thought thoughtfully. "If that's the case, then let's add more fuel to the fire for them."
That night, news came from the palace that the emperor, overwhelmed with grief because Concubine Li had tried to assassinate the empress and the eldest prince, had spat out blood and fainted.
The whole court was in a panic, and some court officials even rushed into the palace overnight.
Chen Xuan sat at the head of the main courtyard, frowning in thought while rolling two shiny walnuts in his hand. "Stinky boy, you didn't even say a word to me before acting."
Chen Tingfeng smiled faintly. "Since Father has distanced himself from the court, naturally, you shouldn't get involved in these matters."
Chen Xuan wasn't a stupid man. He could tell at a glance that this was Chen Tingfeng's plan. His target wasn't really Xie Guang but the old emperor.
Just as he was about to say something, he saw the courtyard door open, and a graceful figure walked in. Looking closely, it was actually Fu Zhen.
Chen Tingfeng immediately stood up. "You're here."
He walked over, took Fu Zhen's hand, and sat her down beside him, completely ignoring Chen Xuan's presence.
Fu Zhen looked at her uncle, who had his eyes closed in pain, feeling a bit embarrassed. She secretly pinched Chen Tingfeng to signal him to behave. "Greetings, Uncle."
Chen Xuan sighed. "Sit down."
What else could he do? Since Chen Tingfeng had already invited her here, how could he drive her out?
However, it wouldn't hurt for Zhen Zhen to hear about these things. Since they had started to act, the Marquis Mansion had been on the verge of a storm. If she knew these things clearly, she wouldn't be afraid of someone secretly plotting against her.
"Where were we just now?" Chen Xuan rubbed his temples and asked.
Chen Tingfeng gave him a faint look. "Father is getting old, and it's already late. Why don't you go and rest with Mother first?"
"Stinky boy," Chen Xuan scolded. Due to Fu Zhen's presence, he didn't want to argue with his son in front of her. "Is it true that the emperor spat out blood and is bed - ridden?"
"True," Chen Tingfeng held Fu Zhen's hand tightly and said slowly. "The upright court officials angrily denounced the emperor as a tyrant unfit to be the emperor. The emperor was so angry that he had nowhere to vent his anger and spat out blood and collapsed. How could it be false?"
In fact, Xie Yan's men had contributed a lot to this.
The slippery court officials mingled among the crowd, adding fuel to the fire when the atmosphere wasn't heated enough and pulling the conversation back on track when it went astray. They instigated both sides, successfully inciting the court officials to lose their minds and say something treasonous, and also successfully angering the emperor to the point of spitting out blood.
Of course, this also had something to do with the emperor's own weak constitution.
Taking poison every day, it would be a miracle if his body was in good condition.
Fu Zhen got the general idea and could understand that Chen Tingfeng had played a significant role in this matter. She gently intertwined her fingertips with Chen Tingfeng's, and the next moment, he held her hand tightly.
Chen Xuan didn't notice their little gesture. He was still frowning in thought. "What about the empress and the eldest prince?"
"They're still alive," Chen Tingfeng said lightly. "The court officials arrived in time and stopped the emperor, allowing them to escape this disaster."
Chen Xuan narrowed his eyes. "They arrived so timely? Something's not right, isn't it?"
Chen Tingfeng gave a soft laugh. "Father, do you think the empress would just sit there and wait for death?"
She had lived in the deep palace for a long time and had accumulated quite a few connections over the years. Before she set off for the Zichen Hall, she had already anticipated that this time might be a bad one. How could she not make preparations in advance?
"The Song family is still smart," Chen Xuan's expression turned cold.
He had seen how arrogant and overbearing the Song family was, so naturally, he didn't like them.
However, the head of the Song family was an old fox with a lot of tricks up his sleeve. If they hadn't been too prosperous for too long, they wouldn't have been blinded by the prosperity and ended up with the whole family being wiped out.
It was good that the Song family was dead. Chen Xuan sneered inwardly. If Prime Minister Song were still alive, it would be hard to say whether things would be like this today.
As for the Song family, he would probably feel sad when they died, but if they were alive, he would wish they were dead.
"So what are you going to do next?" he asked.
Chen Tingfeng played with Fu Zhen's jade - like fingers and said casually. "Wait."
It wasn't Xie Yan and him who were fighting to the death with the emperor now. The emperor had made Xie Guang's only heir a fool, half - killed the empress, and seriously injured himself. Without the help of Xie Yan's faction, he would surely be unable to hold back from taking action against the emperor.
If it were anyone else in Xie Guang's situation, they would surely not let the emperor off easily. Instead, they would only focus on dealing with him in the future.
Chen Tingfeng lowered his eyes. "The emperor is seriously ill. Father may have to go into the palace to visit him."
If the Marquis Mansion remained indifferent, it would only arouse suspicion.
This matter could only end here. The root cause of everything could only be Concubine Li. As for the father - son fight, even if the court officials knew it clearly, they must never say it easily.
Don't forget that there were still the Huns on the border, eyeing them covetously.
Chen Xuan nodded and said in a deep voice. "I understand. I'll go into the palace tomorrow."
"Now that the emperor is unable to handle the state affairs and power has fallen into other hands, it will surely cause disputes," Chen Tingfeng said slowly. "To be on the safe side, this power must never be held in the hands of one person."
Power breeds ambition. If the emperor were in a coma for a long time, the person in charge of the court would have enough time to develop their own forces.
The situation of Xie Yan's faction was excellent now. Chen Tingfeng definitely didn't want another faction to emerge in the court, especially one that would compete with him for power.
Chen Xuan looked at him. "In your opinion, how should the power be distributed more appropriately?"
He smiled faintly. "Since ancient times, only when there are three forces in balance can there not be a situation where one side completely overwhelms the other overnight. As for how to distribute the power, it's all up to Father."