The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 164 - A Tool

When Han Zhi felt distressed, he would always seek out Zhang Run. He had done so when Zhang Run's family was still thriving, and he continued to do so now, even after Zhang Run's family fell apart because of him. In his mind, there was no concept of empathy—just as if Lady Fan and Han Zhengqing were to die, he would feel it was only natural. When you're in power, you trample on others; when you lose power, others trample on you. That's just the way of the world, a never-ending cycle.

But Zhang Run clearly didn't see it that way. His resentment grew by the day, and his desire for Han Zhi's death became stronger and stronger. After Han Zhi left, Zhang Run wrapped himself in a robe and walked silently into the courtyard. Grabbing a bucket of well water, he poured it over his head, then threw the bucket aside, motioning for Wei Yanxi to come over. "Wasn't he supposed to go on the spring hunt? Why did he return now?"

The hunting party had only set out on April 20, and now it was just May 4. Given the time spent traveling, they could only have been at the hunting grounds for two or three days. What could have happened in that short span, or did something go wrong at the hunting grounds?

At first, he thought Han Zhi had somehow discovered that he had been secretly bribing officials at the Ministry of Justice to see his father. But judging by Han Zhi's behavior, it didn't seem to be the case.

Wei Yanxi hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "There's been another scandal with Prince Duan. His principal wife killed a pregnant side consort, and it's rumored the unborn child was male... Such instability in the inner quarters, on top of officials implicated in the Yangzhou corruption case, all subtly linked to him..."

Zhang Run lowered his gaze, remaining silent for a long time. Han Zhi intended to stomp Prince Duan into the ground, leaving him with no chance of retaliation. That's why he rushed back to the capital to instruct Zhang Run to continue implicating Prince Duan's allies.

Sometimes, Zhang Run felt a surreal disbelief. Han Zhi claimed to love him, yet he used Zhang Run, the last bloodline of the Zhang family, as leverage, forcing him to implicate Prince Gong and Prince Duan.

Han Zhi knew full well this would lead Zhang Run to a point of no return—whether it was the emperor, Prince Gong, Prince Duan, or those behind the corruption case, all would hate Zhang Run to the core. Yet he still did it, without hesitation. Then he would turn back, his face impassive, and say he loved him. It was just like when his sister had hung herself with a single piece of rope. Han Zhi didn't even sigh, as though it wasn't a human life lost, but merely an ant.

He felt like he was nothing but a tool in Han Zhi's hands—a plaything to vent his desires, leverage to threaten Zhang Run, and even a forbidden possession for the future. This realization filled him with intense rage, and he etched this humiliation into his bones. Looking at Wei Yanxi, his eyes reddened, "Yanxi, find a way to deliver a letter to Sixth Miss Song for me..." He hurriedly continued before Wei Yanxi could respond, "I know the rules are more relaxed during the hunt, and in past years, young ladies could even compete in horseback riding and cuju matches. Be cautious, and no one will notice... Please, just do this for me."

But in truth, Han Zhi was merely a tool himself. Ye Jingchuan cracked open walnuts with a stone, picking out the kernels one by one and tossing them into his mouth, clicking his tongue in amusement. "Although Han Zhi acts like a vicious dog, he's nothing if not loyal to Consort Fan and your brother. Look, he's in such a hurry to run back to the capital to take someone's life."

Ye Jingchuan felt slightly displeased. Of course, he was happy that Song Chuyi hadn't been punished, but he found it irritating that Zhou Weizhao had anticipated she wouldn't be and had even conspired with her to bring down Prince Duan.

Ye Jingchuan had never been one to hold back his own frustrations. When he was unhappy, he made sure others shared in his discomfort. So, even though it was late, he still held Zhou Weizhao back, refusing to let him leave. Although he couldn't see clearly in the darkness if any fish had bitten the bait, Zhou Weizhao enjoyed fishing, so he might as well fish to his heart's content.

Zhou Weizhao, with his steady hands, remained unfazed and reeled in yet another fat carp with a single tug.

Consort Fan was an exceptionally clever woman, skilled at manipulating hearts, perhaps even more so than Song Chuyi. Otherwise, she wouldn't have managed to hold Lady Fan so firmly in her grasp, raising Lady Fan's children as close as her own while pushing Lady Fan, their birth mother, aside.

Zhou Weizhao had experienced her manipulations firsthand since childhood, and after returning to the capital, he understood them even more deeply. Hearing Ye Jingchuan's words, he didn't even change his expression, responding, "I knew you'd be overly concerned with ancient matters; it's your nature. Instead of worrying about them, it's better to focus on your work. The Japanese envoys suffered a huge setback and are now detained. If anyone wanted to stir up trouble and take advantage of the chaos, now would be the perfect time."

Ye Jingchuan was so startled by Zhou Weizhao's words that he nearly fell headfirst from the tree into the fish bucket below. Thinking back to the grave expressions of the King of Zhennan and Ye Jingkuan, he stammered, "Could these people really be that bold?"

By "these people," he naturally meant those who might be desperate enough to take drastic measures, like Prince Duan, or Prince Gong, who might want to use this as an opportunity to remove both the Crown Prince and Prince Duan. None of them were easy to deal with; they caused trouble even in peacetime, let alone now with a crisis unfolding.

Finding himself bored, Ye Jingchuan tossed a shiny walnut high into the air, swinging his legs from the treetop. "Speaking of which, what do you think Han Zhi's plan is, rushing back to the capital to squeeze more information out of Zhang Run? When those old foxes in the Cabinet start digging into Prince Duan's affairs, what will happen to him?"

Emperor Jianzhang could hardly bear to kill his own sons. If it hadn't been for the intense pressure from Prince Tai, he might not have even executed him. So at most, he'd probably strip Prince Duan of his guards and leave him confined to his estate in Zhangzhou for the rest of his life.

Zhou Weizhao handed his fishing rod to Qingfeng behind him and stood up, asking, "Are you going back or not? If you stay out any longer, your father and brother will likely be out searching for you with lanterns."

Ye Jingchuan's defiance crumbled instantly; he never had the nerve to resist his father and brother. Grumbling, he jumped down from the tree, then placed a firm hand on Zhou Weizhao's shoulder and gave him a righteous warning, "Next time something's up, don't you dare leave me out! I want in on the action too!"