Chapter 6: Planning Before Action (Part 1)

  It was the dead of night, and it was a good time to sleep. Whoever was disturbed at this cold hour would not have a good face, and Gao Zhan was no exception. However, facing the familiar yet strange Zhou Wang Li Xian, Gao Zhan did not dare to complain, nor did he dare to show any signs of bitterness. He could only stand obediently in front of the desk, listening respectfully to Li Xian's instructions. But unexpectedly, Li Xian had not spoken a word since Gao Zhan's initial report when he entered the room, and remained silent for half a moment.

  His face was still the same, but he seemed somewhat different. However, what exactly was different, Gao Miao couldn't quite put into words. He just felt that this young master in front of him had become more mature and less childish than before, as if he had changed into a completely different person. When he thought about Li Xian's strange behavior during the day, Gao Miao couldn't help but shiver and secretly suspect that his own master might have encountered some evil spirit.

  "Has it turned cold? This is just what makes people send ginger soup."

  The slight noise made by Gao Yan's movement was not loud, just a faint rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other, but this faint sound awakened Li Xian from his reverie. He slightly furrowed his brow and looked at Gao Yan with concern, asking a question in a tone that conveyed his worry.

  "No, nothing's wrong, thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, I'm fine."

  Gao Miao was lost in thought, when suddenly he heard Li Xian say this, and he was so startled that he jumped up, hastily bowed his head, and stuttered out a thank you.

  "Hmm, that's good." Upon hearing Gao Miao's response, Li Xian didn't press the issue further and nodded his head. He changed the subject, saying: "If I'm not mistaken, you've been in my palace for over six years now, right?"

  "Your Highness has a good memory, I was admitted to the mansion in September of Xianqing 4th year, and now it's been six years and three months." Gao Mo didn't understand why Li Xian suddenly asked about this, but he also didn't dare ask randomly, so he just smiled and replied.

  "It's been six years, and time really flies, doesn't it? It feels like just a blink of an eye and it's all gone. I was still a young child running around back then... Ah, never mind, let's not talk about that." Li Xian's heart was filled with emotions, but what he was truly emotional about wasn't the six years that had passed, but rather the 55 years he had wasted in his past life. However, this kind of emotion wasn't something he could share with others. At this moment, facing Gao Mei who had accompanied him for a lifetime in his previous life, Li Xian's eyes couldn't help but become slightly moist. He stood up slowly and looked at Gao Mei with a serious expression, saying: "Are you wondering why I called you here?"

  "I dare not, Your Highness has given an order, I will naturally follow it."

  Gao Miao couldn't hear what Li Xian's words were hiding, and his heart sank. He hastily lowered his body a few inches and humbly replied.

  Li Xian nodded silently, not rushing to speak, but instead looked at Gao Yan with a complex expression, and said: "I grew up in the palace since I was a child, opened my own mansion, and was trapped by these high walls and courtyards. Not to mention relatives and friends, even people who can be contacted are few. You, Gao Yan, have been growing up with me, and you are considered my companion. I am not an ungrateful person, although I dare not promise you wealth and glory, but I will never forget the affection we had since childhood. Whatever I can give you, I will definitely not be stingy. Can you believe it?"

  "Your Highness, all that I have done is my duty. Even if I were to jump into boiling water or walk through fire, it would be no more than what I deserve. Please, Your Highness, do not speak in this manner, I am unworthy of such words... Your Highness." Gao Yan was puzzled as to why Li Xian would say such things, but he could hear the sincerity in his voice and feel the genuine emotions behind his words. Suddenly, he felt a surge of emotion and knelt down on the ground, his voice choked with sobs as he replied.

  "Get up, I'll only say this once, just remember it in your heart. I will not go back on my words tonight." Li Xian slightly raised his hand, signaling Gao Miao to stand up straight, and then took a deep breath and said: "I have something for you to do, it's a matter of great danger, but it must be done. It's just that I'm not convenient to show myself, are you willing to help me with this?"

  "Ah……" Upon hearing Li Xian's words, Gao Miao was taken aback and let out a cry of surprise, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. Her face was filled with shock as she stared at Li Xian. After a while, seeing that Li Xian didn't seem to be joking, her heart sank, and she took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down the turmoil in her mind. She replied cautiously: "This humble servant's life is insignificant, yet I am grateful for Your Highness' favor. I should die for Your Highness, but I cannot afford to misunderstand and ruin Your important matters. If Your Highness does not reveal the truth, I dare not rashly agree."

  Gao Mei's response was clearly not enthusiastic, but Li Xian didn't get angry because of it. On the contrary, he felt more at ease precisely because Gao Mei wasn't making empty promises. Of course, with their deep emotional connection from the previous life, Li Xian had long been aware of Gao Mei's cautious nature and wasn't surprised by his response. He smiled warmly and said: "It's not that I want to hide it from you, but this matter is really too important. If it doesn't succeed, not only will the imperial court face a great disaster, but I will also be deeply harmed. For the greater good, even if it means taking risks, I'm willing to do it. As for the rest, I don't want to say more. What you need to do is help me keep an eye on the Imperial Prison and prevent certain people from secretly harming Shangguan Lao."

  "What's going on? Your Highness?" Gao Miao muttered to himself, carefully observing Li Xian's expression. Seeing that Li Xian was not joking and showed no intention of retracting his words, his face turned serious and he knelt down, speaking solemnly: "Although I don't understand the reason behind your actions, if you want to do this, there must be a good reason for it. I will follow your orders, please don't worry, even if I die, I won't implicate you!"

  "It's not that serious, just get up and talk." Li Xian waved his hand, gesturing for Gao Miao to come over, and smiled confidently: "The reason why Shangguan Lao was framed and imprisoned is because someone set him up. Father Emperor has already noticed something fishy, but the case involves many people and is complicated, so it's not easy to clear his name immediately. Therefore, he issued a general amnesty to save Shangguan Lao from this disaster. The imperial decree is ready, but it hasn't been announced yet. During this time, I'm afraid some scoundrels will forge the emperor's orders and cause trouble. As the Prince of the Imperial Clan, I won't let these petty people run amok. Father Emperor also entrusted me with this task. You just go ahead, if anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility!"

  "I, your humble servant, am willing to share the burden with Your Highness. Please give me a clear order, and I will carry it out without fail!" Gao Miao was originally worried that Li Xian's childish nature would cause him to interfere randomly in government affairs, but upon hearing this, he realized that there must be an imperial edict behind it, and his courage immediately increased, and he confidently replied.

  "Alright, remember this." Li Xian had already made up his mind to take a gamble, and he had a comprehensive plan in place. Although the words he spoke earlier contained some speculative language that wasn't entirely factual, they weren't far off either. Moreover, having experienced similar events in his past life, Li Xian was now 70% confident in his response, and all he needed to do was verify his own conjectures. Although there were risks involved, Li Xian had a backup plan to escape danger, so he wasn't too worried about getting deeply embroiled. Seeing Gao Mo lead the way, Li Xian smiled and stroked his palm, saying: "Tomorrow morning, select 50 loyal and reliable men from the palace guards, and have you lead them in secret to lie in wait beside the imperial prison. Also, find a way to send someone to sneak into the imperial prison to gather intelligence on the situation. Remember, without my explicit order, do not take any rash action. The moment you discover that the Censor-in-Chief, Cui Xian, appears at the imperial prison, hurry back to Prince Lu's residence to see me. I will make arrangements, and if this plan succeeds, I may be able to find peace. Can you dare to do it?"

  Although Li Xian spoke lightly, the words fell into Gao Miao's ears like a thunderbolt, making him dizzy and stunned. The imperial prison was a place of great importance to the country, where all the prisoners were high-ranking officials, and once inside, it was almost impossible to escape death. It was not a place that ordinary people could approach, let alone Gao Miao, a small eunuch. Even Li Xian himself would have to ask for permission before entering the imperial prison. If something went wrong, it would be a national sensation, and a matter of life and death. Gao Miao was so frightened that he didn't know how to respond, his mouth twitching for half a moment.

  "There's no need to be so tense, I won't send you to your death. Trust me, I have a plan." Li Xian was very clear about the situation in the imperial prison, and therefore he understood Gao Miao's hesitation and did not get angry at his delayed response, but instead explained gently.

  "Your Highness can rest assured, I know what to do and will not betray the trust you have placed in me!" As soon as Li Xian said this, Gao Yan was clear that Li Xian's mind was made up and there was no possibility of changing it. He gritted his teeth and reluctantly agreed.

  "All right, don't mention the reason for this matter to outsiders, not even the guards who were sent. Remember my words, don't forget, if not, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you." As soon as Gao Miao responded, Li Xian's solemn little face showed a relieved smile, but he didn't forget to remind him again.

  "Yes, I will remember it in my heart. Please rest assured, Your Highness." Gao Miao still couldn't quite see through Li Xian's so-called plan, but he also knew that this matter was not trivial, and he hastily promised.

  "That's settled then. There's still some time before dawn, no need to rush off and attend to business just yet, let's have a chat first. Come, sit down." With the first step of his struggle against fate about to be taken, Li Xian's emotions were naturally stirred up, and he didn't feel even half sleepy. Seeing that there was still over an hour before dawn, and having nothing better to do, he invited Gao Mei to sit with him and have a drink.

  "Your Highness, I..."

  In the past, Gao Mei had been quite casual in front of Li Xian, but after their conversation tonight, he suddenly realized that his young master's mind was actually frighteningly deep and complex. He couldn't help but feel apprehensive, and when he heard Li Xian call out to him like that, he became somewhat flustered and didn't dare be as presumptuous as before, hesitating and not daring to take a seat.

  "Sit down. I've told you before, you're my companion, there's no need to be so formal in front of me." Li Xian smiled and beckoned him again.

  "Thank you, Your Highness. I was too bold." Gao Yan saw the situation and didn't dare to hesitate any longer. He respectfully confessed his crime and knelt down beside Li Xian with extreme caution.

  "This is just right, come on, let's have a drink first." Li Xian smiled and picked up the wine jug, pressed down with his hand to stop Gao Miao from trying to take it, and poured himself a full cup. Then he laughed and raised his own cup, made a toast, and drank the whole cup in one go. He laughed and said: "I've heard that there's a Shaolin Temple in Henan, Zhengzhou, with many masters inside. They even helped our ancestor Taizong before. I've always admired them, if we can find a great monk to be my teacher, it would be a wonderful thing. When you're free, come with me to visit the temple."

  Gao Mei had been confused by Li Xian's abnormal behavior for a day and a night, and his mind was somewhat muddled. After drinking a large jar of wine, his thinking suddenly became clear. At this time, when he heard Li Xian mention martial arts, he couldn't help but laugh and say: "Your Highness is indeed a noble person who forgets things easily. If you want to learn martial arts, why go all the way to Shaolin? There are several guards in our mansion who come from Shaolin, and if you really want to learn, you can become proficient here. Moreover, although Shaolin Temple has many masters, it's not invincible. If we talk about swordsmanship, Li Shunfeng, the commander of the Imperial Secretariat, is actually a true master."

  "What? Such a thing?" Li Xian's previous life was spent in a muddled state, never paying attention to martial arts, nor had he ever tried to understand those so-called Jianghu anecdotes. Although he knew the name of Li Chunfeng, he didn't know anything about him. Upon hearing Gao Miao say this, he suddenly became interested.

  "This is also fake, and Li Tai Shi is in charge of two families..." Gao Miao was also a young man with a youthful heart. Although he often served by Li Xian's side, he would often hang out with the guards in the mansion during his free time. He had heard many rumors and gossip, so when he started talking, he wouldn't stop. When he got excited, his spittle flew everywhere, and Li Xian's eyes were wide with wonder...