The morning of the fifth day since the potato sprouts regained their vitality. In the side courtyard of the Shu Royal Mansion, the dew had just settled. Old Farmer Zhang was squatting by a flowerpot, observing the germination of corn seeds. Suddenly, he noticed a few drops of dark brown liquid clinging to the leaves of the outermost corn seedling pot. He reached out, dipped a finger in, and brought it to his nose. His expression changed drastically—it was "Root Rot Water." If this stuff touched plant leaves, within three days, the entire seedling would rot from root to leaf. Its smell was also subtle; without careful inspection, it would be impossible to detect.
"Your Highness! Something's wrong!" Old Farmer Zhang's shout alerted Li Ke, who was practicing his sword outside the courtyard.Li Ke strode in, followed Old Farmer Zhang's finger direction, and saw the edges of the corn seedling leaves already curling. The dark brown stains looked exactly like marks left from being splashed the previous night. Su Qingwan also rushed over. Upon seeing the scene, her face turned instantly pale: "This... someone did this on purpose! This side courtyard is guarded day and night, how could something like this happen?"
Zhao Fang heard the commotion and ran in with two guards. Seeing the state of the corn seedlings, he angrily punched a nearby wooden frame: "It must be someone from the Crown Prince or Prince Wei's faction! I'll go investigate right now and see who has the guts to tamper with things in the Shu Royal Mansion!"
Li Ke, however, stopped him. His gaze swept over the courtyard wall. A light rain had fallen last night, and on the damp soil at the base of the wall, there was a half-obscured shoe print. The edge of the print was embroidered with a subtle cloud pattern—the style of boots commonly worn by the Eastern Palace Guards. He sneered inwardly. The Crown Prince was becoming more blatant, daring to send people directly into the Shu Royal Mansion to act.
As he was contemplating this, the Butler rushed in, holding a yellow imperial edict: "Your Highness, someone from the palace says His Majesty summons you immediately. The Crown Prince and Prince Wei are already waiting at Zichen Hall, saying there are important matters to discuss."
Li Ke's heart sank. The incident of the corn seedlings being splashed with Root Rot Water happened last night, and today his father, the Emperor, was urgently summoning him to the palace, specifically with the Crown Prince and Prince Wei present. He suspected someone had already slandered him before the Emperor. He instructed Old Farmer Zhang: "Elder Zhang, please move the damaged corn seedlings to the storage room. Cover them with a cloth, and make sure no one touches them again. Qingwan, please help Elder Zhang look after the other seedlings. I will be back shortly."
Upon arriving at Zichen Hall, Crown Prince Li Chengqian and Prince Wei Li Tai were already standing in the hall. The Crown Prince wore a purple python robe and appeared calm, playing with a Jade Pendant in his hand. Prince Wei, dressed in a green brocade robe, held a book, seemingly reading, but his gaze occasionally flickered towards the hall entrance. The Emperor sat on his dragon throne, his expression grim, a Memorial on his imperial desk.
"Your subject pays his respects to Father Emperor." Li Ke bowed.
The Emperor did not let him rise. Instead, he tossed the Memorial from his desk: "Look at it yourself! The Crown Prince reports that you are hoarding new grain seeds, refusing to hand them over to the Ministry of Agriculture for unified cultivation, and deliberately obstructing the court's promotion. Is this true?"
Li Ke picked up the Memorial and quickly scanned it. It not only contained the Crown Prince's accusations but also the signatures of several "witnesses"—minor officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, including the person who had been responsible for making Sheep Dung Paste. He looked up and replied: "Father Emperor, I am not hoarding grain seeds. The millet seedlings previously cultivated by the Ministry of Agriculture had their seeds swapped, and the Sheep Dung Paste was mixed with Withered Sprout Grass. I was worried that the new grain seeds would suffer further mishaps, so I am temporarily cultivating them in my residence. Furthermore, the corn seedlings were deliberately splashed with Root Rot Water last night. I intended to investigate the truth before reporting to Your Majesty."
"Oh? Corn seedlings were damaged?" The Emperor frowned. "Do you have proof?"
Before Li Ke could reply, the Crown Prince stepped forward, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Third Brother's words might not be true, are they? The Shu Royal Mansion is heavily guarded; who would dare tamper with things in your residence? In my opinion, Third Brother probably cannot cultivate new grain seeds himself and is deliberately fabricating an excuse to delay the promotion, so he can continue to gain fame with the new grain seeds."
Prince Wei also put down his book and added: "Second Brother speaks with reason. Third Brother, if you are encountering difficulties in cultivation, you can tell me. My mansion has many scholars knowledgeable in agriculture, who might be able to help. But if you are deliberately concealing things and delaying the livelihoods of the people, that would be inexcusable."
Li Ke looked at the two of them verbally sparring and inwardly sneered. "Crown Prince, you say I am fabricating excuses, do you have proof? As for Prince Wei, your scholars are likely more adept at destroying grain seeds, aren't they?"
"What do you mean by that?" Prince Wei's expression changed. "Third Brother, you cannot slander people!"
"Whether it is slander or not, Prince Wei knows in his heart." Li Ke turned to the Emperor. "Father Emperor, I have something to report. The minor official who was responsible for making Sheep Dung Paste previously received a brocade box from Prince Wei's mansion. Before Liu Shaoqing died, he also borrowed money from Prince Wei. I suspect that Liu Shaoqing's death and the tampering with the grain seeds are both related to Prince Wei."
Prince Wei's face instantly turned pale, and he quickly knelt: "Father Emperor, please judge fairly! I only lent money to Liu Shaoqing; I did not coerce him into doing anything! As for the brocade box, it only contained some herbs from the Western Regions, meant for the minor official to recuperate. It was not as Third Brother claims!"
The Crown Prince also interceded: "Father Emperor, Third Brother might have misunderstood Fourth Brother. Fourth Brother has always been focused on his studies; how could he do such a thing? In my opinion, it would be best to let Third Brother hand over the new grain seeds, entrust them to the Ministry of Agriculture for cultivation, and promote them as soon as possible for the benefit of the people."
The Emperor looked at the three arguing in the hall, silent for a long time. Suddenly, he spoke: "Summon Gōngsūn Wújì."
Not long after, Gōngsūn Wújì entered the hall, holding a brocade box and a scroll of documents: "Your Majesty, I have found some clues. This is the Root Rot Water found in the room of a retainer from Prince Wei's mansion, and its chemical composition matches the liquid on the Shu Royal Mansion's corn seedlings. Furthermore, this is Liu Shaoqing's IOU from Prince Wei, stating that Liu Shaoqing needed to 'assist' Prince Wei in handling Ministry of Agriculture affairs to have his debt waived. Also, I have found that the person who previously imitated Liu Shaoqing's handwriting to write his suicide note was a scribe from Prince Wei's mansion."
Upon hearing this, Prince Wei's body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground: "No... it wasn't me! It was the Crown Prince! The Crown Prince told me to do it! He said that if the Third Prince's new grain seeds were destroyed, he would lose Father Emperor's trust, and the position of heir apparent would be secured! I was just used by him!"
The Crown Prince's expression changed drastically: "Fourth Brother, you must not slander! When did I ever tell you to do such a thing?"
"It was you!" Prince Wei shouted agitatedly. "Before the palace banquet last time, you found me and said that Third Brother's new grain seeds threatened both our positions. You told me to coerce Liu Shaoqing into tampering with them, and said you would speak well of me to Father Emperor afterward! I was foolish and agreed!"
The Emperor watched them accuse each other, his expression growing increasingly stern: "Enough! You are princes, yet instead of seeking benefits for the people, you resort to such despicable actions for the position of heir apparent! Li Chengqian, as Crown Prince, you should not be idle but engage in secret schemes. Li Tai, you coveted the position of heir apparent and abetted evil. Do you know your crimes?"
The Crown Prince and Prince Wei immediately knelt and kowtowed: "Your subject knows his crime! We beg Father Emperor to spare our lives!"
The Emperor took a deep breath and said gravely: "Li Chengqian, effective immediately, you are relieved of your authority as Crown Prince regent and confined to reflect for three months. Li Tai, you are punished by surrendering your Prince Wei seal and being sent to Qizhou for training. You are not permitted to return to the capital without my decree! As for the Ministry of Agriculture, Gōngsūn Wújì will temporarily act as Minister and assist Li Ke in promoting the new grain seeds."
Neither dared to say more, only accepting the decree with gratitude.
As they walked out of Zichen Hall, Li Ke looked at Gōngsūn Wújì and said softly: "Thank you, Mr. Gōngsūn."
Gōngsūn Wújì smiled and fanned himself: "Your Highness need not thank me; I only did what I ought to do. However, although the Crown Prince and Prince Wei have temporarily lost power, their factions remain. Your Highness may still encounter obstacles when promoting the new grain seeds in the future."
Li Ke nodded: "I understand. However, with Father Emperor's support and your help, Mr. Gōngsūn, I am confident I can overcome these difficulties."
Upon returning to the Shu Royal Mansion, the sunset was just right. Su Qingwan and Old Farmer Zhang were squatting in the side courtyard, watering the potato sprouts, while Zhao Fang awkwardly helped loosen the soil nearby. Seeing Li Ke return, Li Yueyao was the first to run over: "Third Brother, how did it go? Did Father Emperor punish you?"
Li Ke smiled and patted her head: "No, Father Emperor even praised me for doing well. By the way, how are the damaged corn seedlings?"
Old Farmer Zhang quickly replied: "Your Highness, please rest assured. After I moved the corn seedling pot to the storage room, I washed the leaves with clean water, changed the soil, and now they have recovered. Only the leaves still bear some faint marks."
Li Ke walked to the storage room and looked at the corn seedlings. Although there were still faint brown marks on their leaves, they had straightened up again, exuding a tenacious vitality. He suddenly remembered what Li Yueyao had said earlier and smiled at everyone: "When the potatoes and corn are ripe, we will have a feast right here in this side courtyard to celebrate properly."
"Great, great!" Li Yueyao jumped up happily. "I'll eat so many potatoes then!"
Cheng Yaojin also arrived at some point, still carrying a pot of wine: "This old Cheng has been waiting for this day! When the time comes, I'll have a few drinks with Your Highness to celebrate the successful promotion of the new grain seeds!"
Su Qingwan looked at the lively scene before her, and a smile also appeared at the corners of her mouth. The residual sunlight shone on the flowerpots in the side courtyard. The potato sprouts and corn seedlings swayed gently in the breeze, as if responding to everyone's expectations.