Chapter 22: Eastern Palace Six Guards
The cyan-colored letter tube was painted with a golden skull holding a saber.
Li Zhao stroked the white dove’s head, took the tube, and unfolded the letter. He stared for a long time, remaining motionless.
The air around them seemed to freeze. The onlookers exchanged glances, growing uneasy.
“Your Highness?” Guan Ya ventured cautiously.
Li Zhao responded indifferently, “A good plan indeed.”
His tone was calm, without a ripple, leaving Guan Ya utterly bewildered.
Was it a good plan brought by the dove?
The little white dove cooed, pacing on Li Zhao’s saddle, as if urging him on, or perhaps acting spoiled.
Li Zhao observed for a moment, then nimbly dismounted. The white dove cooperatively hopped onto his shoulder, tilting its small head, its eyes like black beans darting around. Li Zhao glanced sideways, a corner of his lips curling up. He tossed the reins to Guan Ya and walked towards the barracks of the Guard Commander’s Mansion without looking back.
The Eastern Palace Six Guards were the Crown Prince’s personal troops. All matters concerning the Eastern Palace’s armaments, honor guards, patrols, and scouts were handled by each guard unit, dispersed throughout the city and rotating duty in the Eastern Palace. Today, Li Zhao was at the Guard Commander’s Mansion to train his troops. The Left and Right Guard Commanders had specifically selected some elite soldiers from the army to entertain the Crown Prince.
The training ground was bustling with activity.
The soldiers were broad-shouldered and upright, as agile as dragons, their battle cries shaking the heavens.
Li Zhao enjoyed training troops very much.
Although the Eastern Palace Chancellery, the Left and Right Spring Workshops, and various bureaus and departments were fully staffed, resembling a miniature court serving only the Crown Prince, the personnel were a mixed bag, and not everyone was loyal to the Crown Prince.
In the event of a true crisis, only the Eastern Palace Six Guards, these ten thousand-plus personal troops, would be the Eastern Palace’s lifeline.
“Your Highness.”
A valiant man in armor approached and bowed to Li Zhao with a cupped-fist salute.
This was Fan Bing, the Right Guard Commander, a fourth-rank official, burly and robust, one of Li Zhao’s capable subordinates.
“The mastermind behind the assassination attempt at the Winter Solstice Gathering has been captured. He only revealed the bandit leader on Lao Jun Mountain and confessed nothing else…”
Li Zhao said, “Chop him up and feed him to the dogs. Don’t waste a day’s grain.”
“Ah!” Fan Bing stood stunned. Hearing the cold tone, he realized Li Zhao was not joking and replied, “Yes.”
He actually had doubts.
Such a bold assassination attempt on the Crown Prince was very likely instigated by Prince Duan.
Why didn’t the Crown Prince interrogate him thoroughly and present the evidence to His Majesty?
Li Zhao entered the barracks with the little white dove. Lai Fu quickly ground ink for him and presented the wolf hair brush.
“Your Highness.”
The little white dove strutted back and forth on the table, quite at ease. Li Zhao stood tall and straight like a pine tree, holding a brush in one hand, his strokes flowing elegantly across the paper.
“Using me as a chess piece to scheme and plan, can you bear the consequences?”
His handwriting was like his person, with hidden sharpness. After finishing, he leaned forward slightly, blew on the wet ink, and a smile touched his lips. A hint of youthful spirit, unique to his age, flickered on his stern face.
Ever since the Crown Prince came of age, Eunuch Lai hadn’t seen such an expression on him in a long time, and he couldn’t help but sigh.
What a pity about that intelligent young lady.
The Crown Prince, like the moon hanging high in the sky, preferred to look down on people and detested being used or controlled.
Those who dared to approach the Crown Prince for personal gain would be ruthlessly torn apart, with no good end.
That young lady mistakenly thought she could rely on the Crown Prince for a brilliant future, unaware that she was merely a lamb in a trap…
This lord is merely indulging in a fleeting fancy…
Should he feel the slightest displeasure in the future, she would likely face disaster.
It’s safer to stay away from the Crown Prince!
Lai Fu, feeling an uncharacteristic pang of sympathy, bowed slightly and said with a smile, “Please forgive this old servant for speaking out of turn. Your Highness is an imperial noble, a dragon among men, why bother with a young lady of humble status?”
Li Zhao did not reply, his eyes narrowing with pleasure.
Actually, he didn’t remember Xue Sui’s appearance very clearly.
They had met twice in You Huang Ju.
Once at night, and once when the weather was bad. The woman stood before him, the corners of her peach blossom eyes tinged with a faint blush, not a delicate weakness that evoked pity, but fierceness, like a wolf trapped in a predicament. Perhaps her eyes were too striking; apart from her dazzling white skin and those shocking scars, everything else was blurry.
“What do you know? A woman who has been bullied since childhood, with ambitions for revenge, possessing extraordinary courage…”
Her waist was also slender?
Li Zhao banished the strange, sudden thoughts from his mind and a cold smile appeared.
Relying on a group of unknown desperadoes from the Old Mausoleum Swamp, causing trouble in the inner chambers was enough. To carve out a path for revenge and retribution through sheer courage in the treacherous power center of the Imperial Court was still a bit short.
“Might as well give her a push.”
Li Zhao personally sealed the letter tube and casually raised his hand, as if handling trivial matters of the Eastern Palace, and released the white dove from the window.
Watching the white dove spread its wings, he thought it was just a coincidence at the time.
Little did he know, they would meet again, year after year…
–
For the next two days, the Xue Mansion was very quiet.
In Li Xiang Courtyard, Xue Sui was in the small kitchen in the courtyard with several maids and Xue Ji, preparing food.
An iron pot was placed outside the kitchen door, with a wooden table set up. Porcelain bowls were filled with longans, red dates, and chestnuts. In the pot, a plump, white pig’s trotter was simmering, emitting an enticing aroma.
The spring sunlight dappled the ground, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow. Laughter filled the air.
Suddenly, a crying sound came from outside, a loud wail, completely disregarding decorum.
Xue Sui glanced at Ru Yi, who understood immediately.
“I’ll go and see.”
Before, they hadn’t known that Ru Yi was very popular in the mansion. She was talkative and likable. In no time, she returned with news, beaming.
“Young Lady, look who’s here.”
The person who arrived was Jinshu, her expression mirroring Ru Yi’s, both full of smiles.
Xue Sui asked, “Who is crying?”
Jinshu replied, “It’s Qing Zhu from Fourth Miss’s room. She just went to ask Madam for her monthly allowance and was scolded by Nanny Liu. Fourth Miss has been having a difficult time these past few days. She ran to complain to Master, but regarding First Miss, Master was unwilling to favor her any longer and let Madam give her a hard time.”
Xue Ji sighed, “I never realized Fourth Miss had such schemes.”
Jinshu glanced at the oblivious Xue Ji and said with a smile, “I’ve come to congratulate Sixth Young Lady.”
Xue Sui smiled and said nothing more.
Seeing that she was indifferent and not curious, Xue Ji asked, “What good news is there? Auntie, please tell us.”
Jinshu smiled and said, “I heard it from Old Madam’s room. The incorruptible Censor from the capital impeached Prince Duan, saying he violated regulations by selecting concubines and intended to befriend ministers. Imperial Consort had originally planned to send several secondary consorts and concubines to Prince Duan’s Mansion, but this memorial made her abandon the idea. She even praised First Miss for her virtue.”
Xue Ji asked, “Then where does my Sixth Sister’s joy come from?”
Jinshu found it inconvenient to reveal everything, so she only said, “First Miss advised the Imperial Consort. Before the incident occurred, she quietly withdrew the names of the young ladies from various families and mansions. Originally, Prince Duan selecting a few concubines was not a major issue. This Censor caused trouble for His Majesty, and His Majesty was already angry. If he couldn’t find any major fault with the Imperial Consort, you see how clever it was?”
It was quite clever.
Both sides were calculated perfectly.
After the Imperial Consort withdrew those women and shed a few tears of grievance, the Emperor naturally wouldn’t pursue the matter further.
But who knew what he might be thinking in his heart…
Upon receiving Xue Sui’s guidance and the Imperial Consort’s praise, Xue Yuechen immediately sent a letter to the Xue Mansion, instructing Madam to spare no effort in preparing Sixth Young Lady’s dowry.
Fu Shi, managing the household, had a difficult task. Hundreds of people in the mansion, all needing food and drink, everything costing money. Upon receiving First Miss’s letter, Fu Shi was caught between a rock and a hard place. Not wanting to spend more of the mansion’s silver, she had to be even more harsh with Xue Yueying.
“Madam has just reported to Old Madam and will speak with Fourth Miss later. The two shops Old Madam previously allocated to Fourth Miss will also be reclaimed.”
Ru Yi couldn’t help but gloat.
“I wonder how wronged she’ll be this time.”
Xue Sui didn’t say much. She told Xiao Zhao, “Pack some of the pastries we made into a food box for Aunt Jinshu to take back, and let Old Madam have a taste.”
Xiao Zhao acknowledged and complied. Jinshu left with the food box, smiling.
The courtyard was filled with laughter, but Xue Sui remained still.
Some things were perhaps not as simple as they seemed. No matter how angry Madam was, she wouldn’t go so far as to withhold Xue Yueying’s monthly allowance. It would be too undignified for a Mistress to do such a thing, unless it was for show.
Madam hated her deeply. If one scheme failed, the next would only be more malicious.
