Chapter 262: A Gentle Scheme
After the snow, the weather turned particularly cold.
In the evening, Princess Duanmin ordered wine to be warmed and had the Imperial Kitchen prepare many of her favorite snacks to go with it.
Qi Sihe entered from outside. His footsteps were heavier than usual, partly because of his robust build, and partly because he was unaccustomed to wearing Han people’s boots, preferring his own thick and sturdy riding boots.
“Why has the Princess come here? Is something the matter?” he asked, removing his outer clothes in the outer room before entering.
“Can I not come if there’s nothing the matter?” Princess Duanmin looked up at him, her expression slightly reproachful. “I just thought it had been a long time since we dined together, so I specifically asked them to prepare some food and drink.”
Qi Sihe was very surprised. It was known that although Princess Duanmin had been married to him for many years, she had never shown him any affection and kept as much distance as possible, lacking any marital intimacy.
He took it in stride, thinking that since it was a political marriage, there was no need to seek mutual affection.
Besides, he had more than one woman; there were plenty who were willing to please him.
Upon returning to the Central Plains, the Princess did not live in the same palace as him but moved to Ming Cui Palace to live with the Grand Princess.
He didn’t know why she had suddenly come here today and prepared a banquet.
“The Princess is in a rather elegant mood today,” Qi Sihe said as he sat down. “I was also just thinking of having some wine.”
“The wine here isn’t very potent. Fortunately, I brought a lot of wine from the grassland this time,” Princess Duanmin said, pouring a full cup for Qi Sihe. “I know you dislike the excessive seasonings in the mutton prepared by the palace, so I specifically asked them to make plain boiled mutton.”
“Princess, you are being exceptionally thoughtful today,” Qi Sihe smiled. “It almost makes me feel uncomfortable.”
“I’ve only come to understand recently,” Princess Duanmin sighed softly. “My aunt advised me many times, saying that her life was ruined by her own choices and urging me not to follow her path. She also told me to think more about your good qualities and not to waste my youth.
Thinking back, we haven’t had much marital affection over the years, but you’ve never made things difficult for me. In that regard, not every man could do that.
There’s a poem that says, ‘When flowers bloom, pluck them without delay.’ I’ve missed too many opportunities to bloom, I’ve been too foolish.”
Qi Sihe listened to her words. Although he didn’t know exactly what the Grand Princess had said to her, he assumed Princess Duanmin had taken it to heart.
He had always disdained trying to figure out women’s thoughts; they were as fickle as clouds in the sky. However, if this cloud was now willing to linger for him, it wasn’t a bad thing.
Afterward, the mutton was served. The large pieces of mutton were cooked very tenderly, without even salt. When eating, one would cut off a piece with a knife and dip it in sauce according to personal taste.
Princess Duanmin added some deer blood to the strong wine. Her objective was clear: a woman, if she willed it, could conquer a man who didn’t dislike her in bed.
Qi Sihe, living in the palace, dared not act rashly and had been enduring discomfort for days. How could he resist the Princess’s gentle tenderness?
The meal was only half-eaten before he ordered it to be cleared away.
He knew the Princess disliked the gamey smell, so he specifically bathed again.
When he came out again, he found that there wasn’t a single servant in the room.
The charcoal fire burned intensely, and an unknown incense was burning in the incense burner, making one feel soft all over, yet restless.
The red silk curtain was half-drawn. Princess Duanmin sat by the bed, her sheer sleep robe making her skin glow, like a girl of sixteen.
Especially when she slightly turned her face and glanced at him with an expression that was both playful and pleased, Qi Sihe felt his knees go weak, almost to the point of kneeling.
Before, he had simply thought Princess Duanmin was indeed a beauty, but she was always cold and lacked any charm.
What was the difference between such a woman, no matter how beautiful, and a statue?
But now he understood how intoxicating the charm of Han women could be, like honey wrapped in a flower bud, fragrant and sweet, and winding.
He was more than willing to be a frantic bee collecting nectar.
As the night deepened, Prince Zhao lost his usual good spirits.
He had also drunk wine, but felt no emotion.
The paper torn from the account book lay spread out on the table. Because it was crumpled, it could never be smoothed out, just like his current mood.
“The people from San Jing Academy are actually helping Prince Chu. What is the reason for this?” Prince Zhao’s brows were tightly furrowed.
He had, of course, not been idle and had sent people to investigate. The reply was that Mister Hua Ying from San Jing Academy had been staying at Prince Chu’s mansion these days.
This news made him even more uneasy. San Jing Academy carried too much weight.
Even if Mister Hua Ying was merely a senior disciple of San Jing Academy, it was enough to cause alarm.
Prince Zhao naturally had strategists, but he didn’t usually employ them.
Now that he encountered a difficulty, it was the time to use the scholars he had nurtured for a thousand days.
He ordered the butler, “Please invite Mister Wu here.”
This Mister Wu was a scholar who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. Although his imperial examination career was not smooth, he was a very strategic person.
Recommended by someone, he came to Prince Zhao’s mansion. On several occasions, he had offered advice to Prince Zhao, and the results were quite good.
“May I ask what Your Highness requires of this old servant?” Mister Wu’s beard had turned white, and he was older than Prince Zhao.
“Please sit, Mister Wu. Have a cup of wine first to ward off the cold,” Prince Zhao said with a smile.
Mister Wu drank a cup of wine and said, “I see a worried look between Your Highness’s brows. Is it because of Prince Chu?”
“How did you know?” Prince Zhao was somewhat surprised.
“Your Highness was ordered to investigate Prince Chu, and there is no greater matter than this,” Mister Wu said lightly.
“I used to think Prince Chu was not very calculating, but now it seems that is not the case,” Prince Zhao sighed and briefly recounted recent events.
He originally had leverage over Prince Chu, but Prince Chu had also found leverage against him.
Moreover, when compared, his problems were far more serious than Prince Chu’s.
Prince Chu was, at most, guilty of favoritism and corruption; he, however, was suspected of factionalism.
Now, he was in a dilemma: whether to investigate or not.
If he investigated Prince Chu, Prince Chu would surely retaliate in kind.
But even if he didn’t expose Prince Chu, it was still uncertain whether Prince Chu would attack him instead.
After all, the two sides were now at loggerheads and could no longer coexist peacefully.
“Now this Prince Chu has clearly become a viper, it’s truly troublesome!” Prince Zhao said, drinking a cup of wine, but the worry in his heart could not be diminished in the slightest.
“Your Highness is mistaken,” Mister Wu said, stroking his beard and chuckling. “Prince Chu is indeed a viper, but since he is not hidden in the shadows, why don’t we strike directly at his seven inches?”
“Oh? What does Mister mean…” Prince Zhao seemed to understand but not entirely.
“The reason Prince Chu dares to challenge Your Highness is not because of any evidence he holds,” Mister Wu leaned forward again. “It is because of Prince Chu’s Heir Apparent; it is he who has given him ambition!”
