To ensure the safety of the mission to rescue Emperor Wu, Ning Yuanzhou had temporarily suspended the intelligence transmission networks of Liudao Hall across various regions as soon as the diplomatic mission set out, with the result that even the news of Emperor Wu's successful rescue had been blocked outside the Anwu border.
Meanwhile, the imperial court of Wu remained in chaos. Having just suffered a crushing defeat against An Kingdom on the border, the Beipan people were still eyeing them like a tiger watching its prey across the river, and Chu Kingdom was by no means friendly either. Despite all this, the Wu imperial court had been left without a monarch for a prolonged period.
A few days after the news of the Empress giving birth to a princess had settled in, Prince Danyang finally lost his patience and sent his imperial censors to submit a memorial in public.
"A country cannot go a single day without a monarch. Now that the diplomatic mission of Prince Li has vanished without a trace, it is safe to assume they have met with misfortune. For the sake of the state and the altars of Wu, the Prince Regent should immediately ascend the throne and lead us all in resisting external enemies."
Quite a few officials from Prince Danyang's faction stepped forward to voice their support.
For a moment, everyone in the court exchanged glances, yet their gazes inevitably converged upon Zhang Song.
Sensing this, Prince Danyang cut straight to the chase: "How does the Prime Minister view this matter?"
"This official believes that everything must wait until the diplomatic mission returns. Did our entire nation of Wu not pool our resources to raise one hundred thousand taels of gold precisely to welcome His Majesty back? Word that Prince Li's diplomatic mission smoothly reached Andu arrived long ago, and therefore Your Majesty..."
Prince Danyang grew bolder. "Has any news ever arrived of the Emperor of An releasing His Imperial Elder Brother? Tell me, is your Liudao Hall, which sends and receives messages, actually of any use at all?"
This question caught Zhang Song completely off guard, and the various officials present shared the exact same doubt.
"Prime Minister Zhang, you may be willing to wait, but can the common people of Wu afford to wait?" Prince Danyang's tone grew increasingly aggressive, practically seizing the supreme right to speak across the entire imperial court. Indeed—they could wait, but could the common people afford to?
The common people of the realm owed nothing to Yang Xingyuan; tightening their belts to send one hundred thousand taels of gold back then was already more than enough.
Seeing that the officials seemed inclined to compromise, Zhang Song, in his desperation, abruptly...
"Prime Minister, what is wrong with you? Prime Minister!"
Zhang Song's expression suddenly twisted in agony, his hands clutching tightly at his chest as he pitched forward, falling rigidly toward the ground.
Terrified by the sight, the officials nearby rushed frantically to catch him. Chaos erupted throughout the imperial court in an instant; nearby officials scrambled in a panic, while those farther away craned their necks to see what was happening.
"Your Highness, the Prime Minister is a pillar of our Wu Kingdom's court. Now that he is taken ill, why not summon the imperial physicians from the palace to examine and treat him?"
Prince Danyang had no choice but to nod in agreement.
"Since the Prime Minister is indisposed, perhaps we should all withdraw for now, and leave other matters to be discussed later." The censor serving under Zhang Song stepped forward to take the lead, and several officials who had been wavering quickly chimed in to support the suggestion.
Prince Danyang let out a cold snort. "Since that is the case, then do as you say. Hmph!"
Once Zhang Song was carried into his carriage and the carriage curtains dropped, his tightly closed eyes snapped open. He straightened his posture and used his hands to smooth out the creases in his official robes.
Come to think of it, it was truly pathetic. As the dignified Prime Minister of Wu, he had actually been reduced to feigning illness to buy himself time. Truly pathetic.
At that thought, a sliver of resentment welled up inside him. Resentment toward whom? Naturally toward Ning Yuanzhou, who was nowhere to be found at a time like this! He had originally pinned all his hopes on waiting for him to bring back the edict naming the crown prince, yet now the man had simply vanished on him.
The carrier pigeon message sent back by the subordinate dispatched to deliver the medicine reported that Ning Yuanzhou had never even bothered to collect his latest dose of the antidote. Could he truly have died in An Kingdom?
And to think he had held a high opinion of Ning Yuanzhou, believing the man possessed some real capability.
The carriage delivered Zhang Song back to his residence. Before he could even rest for a moment, his subordinate brought him news.
"Reporting to the Prime Minister: the Senluo Palace of Liudao Hall has received a secret missive from An Kingdom."
Hearing the words "An Kingdom," Zhang Song was utterly startled. He immediately took two trusted attendants and slipped out through the back door, heading secretly toward the Liudao Hall headquarters in Wu Capital.
Upon reaching the location in Senluo Palace where secret missives were stored, Zhang Song decided out of utmost caution to open the missive by himself, leaving his two attendants stationed outside the door.
He pushed the door open, only to be completely caught off guard by the sight of someone sitting dead center in the hall...
Zhang Song walked inward step by step, finally recognizing the features of the person before him from ten paces away, whereupon he hurried forward a couple of steps and broke into a run.
Qian Zhao and Yu Shisan leaped out from the side, blocking his path.
With a heavy thud, Zhang Song dropped to his knees. "This humble old subject pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live Your Majesty! Having been parted for so long, has Your Majesty's health remained robust?"
Every single word was uttered with such plaintive sorrow that it carried a genuine aura of heartfelt devotion.
"Prime Minister Zhang, please rise and take a seat. Under the current circumstances, there is no need for such rigid formalities." Emperor Wu raised a hand, gesturing for Zhang Song to take the seat to the side.
Among the nations of the world, save for the uncultured Beipan barbarians, all valued the left side as supreme. Yet Emperor Wu had specifically directed him to the seat on the right when meeting him alone.
Though harboring lingering doubts, Zhang Song thanked Emperor Wu for the seat and respectfully sat down on the right.
Zhang Song and Emperor Wu discussed the affairs of the court in meticulous detail. Beyond the external threat of An Kingdom, Zhang Song laid even greater emphasis on Wu's internal troubles—specifically, Prince Danyang's towering ambition, which not only involved sending troops to obstruct the diplomatic mission from rescuing Emperor Wu, but now extended its greedy gaze toward the imperial throne itself.
Yu Shisan and Qian Zhao exchanged a smile, thinking that this old scoundrel Zhang Song was truly as they had anticipated, laying it on thick regarding Prince Danyang while completely omitting any mention of his own actions.
What a pity that the task he had originally assigned to Ning Yuanzhou was to bring back the imperial edict, not Emperor Wu. This matter had already been brought up when Qian Zhao provoked Emperor Wu.
Having been through this ordeal, Emperor Wu was quite capable of maintaining his composure, and at this moment he genuinely looked like a monarch speaking heart-to-heart with a minister to plot grand affairs.
"How does the Prime Minister think we should proceed?" Emperor Wu asked.
"I beseech Your Majesty to return to the court immediately and punish Prince Danyang and his faction severely without delay!" Every word Zhang Song uttered was steeped in blood, delivered with the utmost sincerity and earnestness.
"We understand. And what are your own thoughts, Prime Minister? Might as well share them and let Us hear."
Emperor Wu's voice suddenly rose by several octaves, seeming almost as though he were speaking for the benefit of someone waiting outside.
Zhang Song was momentarily bewildered, only to see the chamber door push open and a familiar figure appear in the doorway.
"This subject, Ning Yuanzhou of Liudao Hall, pays respects to Your Majesty." Before Ning Yuanzhou could finish his salute, Emperor Wu interrupted him, pointing one finger toward the empty seat on the left. "Lord Ning, quickly take a seat. No need for formalities."
"Greetings, Prime Minister Zhang." A trace of a smile played at the corners of Ning Yuanzhou's mouth as he looked toward Zhang Song on the side, whose face wore an indefinable, unsightly expression.
When on earth had the relationship between Ning Yuanzhou and Emperor Wu progressed to such a stage?
Truth be told, his own conscience was somewhat uneasy. Relying on the imperial physicians' prediction that there was a ninety percent chance the child would be a boy, he had deployed all the palace's forces to guard the Empress during her labor, pinning high hopes on the future "little imperial prince." And yet, who could have foreseen...
Zhang Song thought to himself that since he had used poison to coerce Ning Yuanzhou, he had no idea whether the man might have whispered any complaints about him in front of Emperor Wu...
"Chief Ning, this humble old subject entrusted you with the mission to rescue His Majesty. Why, after escaping danger for so long, did you never leave me so much as a single word of news? Do you realize what would have happened if, lacking my coordination, His Majesty had suffered the slightest mishap?"
Hearing this preemptive accusation from Zhang Song, Ning Yuanzhou let out a helpless, dry chuckle. "Coordination? Was it truly coordination, or a murderous trap? Can you honestly make that clear?"