Chapter 63: Mystery Part 1

That night, darkness sank like water, and a bright moon hung cleanly in the sky.

The already closed city gates opened at that moment. A group of riders urged their horses forward, hooves flying and kicking up dust along the way. After the people entered, the gate guards quickly shut the gates again. They watched the fast horses disappear into the distance, waved away the invisible dust before their eyes, and muttered, “I’ve guarded the gates for so long, and they’ve never opened in the middle of the night. Could something big be happening in the Imperial Capital again?”

The man beside him kicked him and reminded, “Your eyes are always on the girls. The leader was the Pingnan Prince. Holding His Majesty’s token in the dead of night—who else could it be but him?”

After that, no one dared speak further. They couldn’t gossip about royal affairs; if overheard, it meant beheading.

When the moon reached its zenith, only two lanterns hung before the gates of the Pingnan Prince’s Mansion. The Imperial Guards who usually stood watch had been withdrawn. With no master in the residence, there was no need to guard the gates.

Xun Yi dismounted before the mansion and found it strangely quiet—far too desolate for a prince’s estate. Xun Yibai immediately jumped down from his horse right after, frowning in suspicion as he glanced around. “Father, why is there no one guarding the gates? It’s too cold and empty here.”

Xun Yibai was Xun Yi’s legitimate second son.

He had grown up in the military camp amid soldiers, where it was always bustling and lively, so he was unaccustomed to such desolation.

Before Xun Yi could speak, Xun Yibai dashed forward a few steps and knocked on the gate. A head poked out from inside, its eyes blank as it stared at the handsome stranger. “The Princess isn’t in the residence. Don’t knock randomly in the middle of the night.”

They had been mistaken for people seeking Xun Changqing. Xun Yibai watched the gate close again and pounded harder, shouting, “Open up quick—the Prince has returned!”

His voice was too loud, causing Xun Yi to frown. He quickly scolded, “Yibai, keep your voice down. Don’t disturb the neighbors.”

Xun Yibai was always like this in the army—impulsive by habit. No one usually said anything about it, and he was only more careful around Xun Yi. But now, being shut out by his own mansion’s servants put a dent in his pride. With Xun Yi present, however, he couldn’t say much and simply stood silently to the side.

Even so, his shout had alerted others. Someone who heard the news immediately ran back to their mansion to inform their master.

In the Second Prince’s Mansion, the night wind carried a chill laced with fading fragrance. A servant ran past, and the wind knocked down a wilted peony in the courtyard. Flowers had no hundred days of bloom; with spring past, those unable to withstand severe cold or scorching heat all withered.

Upon hearing the news, Xun Yiran immediately threw on his clothes and rose. He stared at the reporting servant and pondered. “Are you sure it was Xun Yi and Xun Yibai who returned?”

“Yes, this slave has seen the Prince before. I don’t recognize the Second Young Master, but the Prince called him Yibai, so it must be him. They just entered the city—no one else should know.”

Xun Yiran fell silent. In his panic, he couldn’t think of a countermeasure. Kang City had been taken over by the Emperor, leaving him completely sidelined with no troops in hand. His father hadn’t summoned him these days, clearly abandoning him.

He couldn’t even see his mother, unsure of her situation. Restless, he paced back and forth. He had few people left, but with his father shunning him—a fact known throughout the court—had he truly lost? The more he thought, the more afraid he became. He had no chance of winning at all.

With Xun Yi back in the capital, Xun Yiran gained nothing. Panic gradually enveloped him entirely. He paced frantically in the room, scaring the servant, who slipped away unnoticed while he wasn’t looking.

Xun Yiran paced alone, unaware of a shadow drifting in from outside the window. Only when it drew near did he sense it and jolt awake. “Who are you… How did you get in…”

The prince’s mansion had strict guards, yet this person had entered silently. How could he not fear? His heart chilled as he ran madly toward the door, only to be blocked by the black-clad figure, who said eerily, “Second Imperial Prince, I have a way for you to take back what’s yours.”

The man on the edge of madness stopped shouting at those words. When servants arrived at the noise, he dismissed them himself. Staring at the black-clad man, his eyes flickered as he furrowed his sword-like brows. “Who are you? Why not show your face?”

The black-clad man pondered briefly before removing his face cloth. Under the candlelight, his face was pale and withered, ghostly in the darkness. Xun Yiran recoiled in shock. “It’s you…”

A creepy smile hung on the black-clad man’s lips. Standing with hands behind his back, he spoke of matters unknown in the Imperial Capital: “Xun Yi went to Kang City and killed Ouyang Su, losing half his own men in the process. On his return to the capital, he brought only a few; the rest stayed in Kang City. Though Ouyang Su is dead, many generals loyal to him remain. Take the Imperial Edict there, kill Xun Yi’s men, and Kang City’s forces will still be yours. The capital’s mere twenty to thirty thousand Imperial Guards are no threat.”

Xun Yiran seized the key point. “Where does the Imperial Edict come from? Forging one is a capital offense.”

The black-clad man’s eyes gleamed brighter than the candlelight. He sat slowly in a seat and mocked, “Once you’re Emperor, who would dare punish you?”

Xun Yiran swallowed nervously and slumped to the floor, his face ashen, breaths growing heavy. He was already a failure, and he didn’t even understand how. Where had he lost?

He couldn’t even learn why his mother was confined. His father had abandoned both her and him, placing hope in others instead. Sitting still meant death; gambling offered a chance at victory.

He struggled, hesitated—mostly anxious—and the black-clad man missed none of it. Squatting down, he grabbed Xun Yiran’s collar and sneered, “You’ve been in court so long, yet you don’t even know how you lost. I’ll tell you: you didn’t lose to Xun Yi, but to Xun Changqing staying in Radiant Benevolence Palace and Wei Lingci of County Princess Mansion. You couldn’t outplay two women and still dream of the throne? Ridiculous.”

Xun Changqing, Wei Lingci… Hatred surged in Xun Yiran’s heart, anger churning in his chest. Losing to Xun Yi was one thing, but to a child like Xun Changqing? The candlelight pierced his eyes like dismal sunlight, turning his struggle to calm.

His gaze darkened as he stared at the black-clad man. “Why help me?”