Chapter 34: Heh, your inner circle has long been riddled with holes! Even Wang Ji'en is a man of the Prince of Jin!

Li Cheng’s words caught Zhao Kuangyin, who had been bracing himself, completely off guard.

Wang Ji'en?

Why was Wang Ji'en the first name mentioned among those in the Prince of Jin’s circle?

"Are you mistaken about something?"

Li Cheng shook his head. "Your Majesty, I am not mistaken. This Wang Ji'en can indeed be considered a man of the Prince of Jin. On the surface, he appears loyal and acts as your trusted confidant, but in reality, he was long ago bought off by the Prince of Jin and has become his man."

"Tell me in detail."

After a brief silence, Zhao Kuangyin looked at Li Cheng and spoke. His reaction made it clear that this news was quite explosive for him.

"On the night you passed away, the Empress, having received the news, ordered Wang Ji'en to leave the palace immediately to find Zhao Defang, intending to make him the emperor..."

"Why Defang, and not Dezhao?"

Even though Zhao Kuangyin was deeply unsettled by the implications regarding Wang Ji'en and desperate to know what else the eunuch had done, he could not help but interrupt to ask this. Compared to the matter of Wang Ji'en, this was what occupied his mind at that moment.

"This is a question that not only puzzles you, Your Majesty, but many who came after also find it curious. However, precisely because of this curiosity, several theories have been proposed. For instance, Empress Song was your third empress and was twenty-five years your junior. When she arrived, the Second Prince was already an adult, so it was difficult for a true mother-son bond to form. Moreover, she was actually a year younger than the Second Prince; despite their titles, there was a need for propriety. Under such circumstances, it is hard to imagine they were ever close.

"The Fourth Prince, Zhao Defang, was much younger, which allowed for a more natural mother-son affection and easier rapport—that is the first reason. Secondly, some say that because the Second Prince was older and already possessed significant power, his ascension would have made him difficult for Empress Song to control. In contrast, the seventeen-year-old Zhao Defang would have been much easier to manipulate..."

This was pure nonsense. His own Yunniang was not the type to crave power. Zhao Kuangyin instinctively dismissed the thought, but then, considering that even Wang Ji'en—the grand eunuch he trusted most—might have betrayed him, he suddenly felt a wave of insecurity. His mood was indescribably complex.

"The third theory is that there had always been friction between the Second Prince and the Prince of Jin regarding the succession. The Prince of Jin’s faction was immensely powerful; choosing the Second Prince would likely have provoked a fierce confrontation with him, which would have been detrimental to the stability of the court. Choosing the Fourth Prince, who had not participated in the rivalry, would have avoided that problem. These are the main deductions."

Zhao Kuangyin reached into the pouch at his waist, pulled out a few pellets used for hunting birds, and began to roll them absentmindedly in his hand.

Li Cheng saw this and fell silent at the appropriate moment.

After a moment, Zhao Kuangyin stopped rolling the pellets. "Continue with the story of Wang Ji'en."

"After receiving the Empress's orders, Wang Ji'en left the palace quickly. However, he did not go to find the Fourth Prince, Zhao Defang, as the Empress had instructed. Instead, he went straight to the residence of the Prince of Jin..."

*Crack!*

A sudden sound shattered the quiet of the garden pavilion. It was the sound of the pellets in Zhao Kuangyin’s hand being crushed as his grip tightened involuntarily.

Li Cheng’s sharp eyes caught the fine dust leaking through Zhao Kuangyin’s fingers. Yet, Zhao Kuangyin’s dark face remained unreadable. His ability to manage his expressions was truly unparalleled. Li Cheng inwardly marveled.

Beneath the surface, Zhao Kuangyin was experiencing a storm of emotions. It was, perhaps, second only to the shock he felt when he first heard from Li Cheng that he would die at the hands of his third brother, the Prince of Jin. Wang Ji'en was his trusted eunuch, a man he had relied upon for years. And yet, even he had betrayed him! He had secretly defected to his third brother!

For a man like Zhao Kuangyin, who had recently told the Southern Tang envoy Han Xizai, "How can one allow others to snore beside one's bed?" the impact of this betrayal was monumental. To think that even Wang Ji'en could turn against him!

"When you told me last time not to have a eunuch guard you, it wasn't just because of Qian Cheng, was it?"

"Your Majesty is insightful. I was indeed worried that you might assign Wang Ji'en to watch over me. If that had happened, there would have been no secrets left to keep from the Prince of Jin."

Upon hearing Li Cheng’s words, Zhao Kuangyin’s hand tightened once more, causing the pellets to crunch. Veins bulged on the back of his hand. He remembered how, fearing that Li Cheng might harbor a bias against all eunuchs because of the Qian Cheng incident, he had tried to explain himself. He had claimed that not all eunuchs were like Qian Cheng, and he had specifically praised Wang Ji'en, calling him a good man.

And yet, here he was, hearing this from Li Cheng! When he had said those words, Li Cheng must have looked at him like he was a fool...

Wang Ji'en! What a fine Wang Ji'en!

"Besides Wang Ji'en, there are two other figures in the historical records whose movements are clearly linked to the Prince of Jin. One is Ma Shao, and the other is Cheng Dexuan. Ma Shao had a particular talent: he was a master of superstition and shamanistic rituals..."

Hm?

Zhao Kuangyin’s expression shifted. Since he had donned the yellow robe and become emperor, he had strictly forbidden such shamanistic practices among the people. And yet, his own brother was harboring such a person.

Most men who become emperors, once they are in the driver's seat, choose to weld the doors shut so no one else can follow their path. Zhao Kuangyin’s ban on shamanism was one such move, much like Zhu Yuanzhang’s later policies. He knew, as did Zhao Pu and his third brother, exactly how much the shamans had contributed to his own rise to power. Now, his brother was keeping such a man—what was his intent?

"According to historical records, the day before the 'candlelight and axe shadows' incident, Ma Shao suddenly sought out Cheng Dexuan and told him that the next day would be an auspicious time for the Prince of Jin, specifically asking him to pass this on."

Zhao Kuangyin’s breathing grew heavier. To say such a thing while he was still alive was truly treasonous!

"Cheng Dexuan was alarmed and had Ma Shao locked up. Records state that after doing this, Cheng Dexuan immediately went to see the Prince of Jin to report what had happened. The Prince of Jin was also startled and praised Cheng Dexuan for his actions. He said it was too late that night and that he would report it to you, Your Majesty, the next day.

"But when the second day arrived, the historical accounts become even more baffling—and therefore, even more suggestive. It is said that in the middle of the night, someone pounded on Cheng Dexuan’s door, urging him to enter the palace. Cheng Dexuan got dressed, but he did not go into the palace; instead, he went to the Prince of Jin’s residence. It was the dead of night, and crucially, he did not enter the residence but waited outside the gates. After a while, he met Wang Ji'en, who had rushed out from the palace.

"Records indicate that Wang Ji'en was puzzled to find Cheng Dexuan waiting there and asked why. Cheng Dexuan replied, 'I was sitting at my gate when I heard an urgent call saying the Prince of Jin should be established as emperor, so I could not sleep and waited.' He then asked Wang Ji'en why he had come. Upon hearing that you, Your Majesty, had passed away and that he was there to invite the Prince of Jin into the palace, Cheng Dexuan immediately escorted Wang Ji'en into the residence.

"When the Prince of Jin heard the news, he was initially shocked and then hesitant. Cheng Dexuan said, 'You must enter quickly; why hesitate?' Following Cheng Dexuan’s advice, the Prince of Jin resolutely followed Wang Ji'en into the palace..."