Chapter 117: Golden Palace
As Li Huan stepped into Zichen Hall, Emperor Chong Zhao was lounging on the dragon throne, slowly turning a jade thumb ring with a Kui Dragon pattern in his hand.
“The third one just sent ten *hu* of Eastern Pearls, and I had them thrown out. If you’re here to plead for him, there’s no need to speak.”
Li Huan respectfully stepped forward and bowed.
“Imperial Father. Your son has something to report.”
Emperor Chong Zhao raised his hand and said casually, “Speak.”
The atmosphere was oppressive and heavy.
In the large, coiled dragon incense burner, the rising blue smoke blurred the Emperor’s majestic face, but could not conceal the coldness deep within his eyes.
Li Huan straightened up, holding the jade pendant with both hands, and presented it with a bow: “Imperial Father, Third Imperial Brother was framed this time. Your son almost fell into the trap as well.”
Emperor Chong Zhao raised his eyelids, looked at his most favored son, and softly uttered a single word.
“Oh?”
“Someone deliberately let your son see that Prince Wei, using Young Madam Gu, was colluding with Xizi people to gather intelligence in Shangjing City, and even forged a jade pendant for this purpose…”
Emperor Chong Zhao’s fingertip paused, “Forged?”
“That’s right, this is a fake.”
Li Huan wiped the indented part of the jade pendant with his sleeve and replied with certainty.
Then, he requested a golden knife from the Emperor and carefully scraped the edges of the jade pendant. Fine powder fell from the blood-colored pattern.
“When Xizi jade pendants are soaked in wine, the totem appears. Therefore, Qing Dai Sand was used, and it was buried in the underfloor heating for over three months to meld together. This jade pendant is very realistic, but the Qing Dai Sand in the hidden pattern was applied later. It hasn’t been long, so when scraped with a sharp object, it will fall off…”
Emperor Chong Zhao’s gaze was amused.
“You mean… the Crown Prince made a fake himself? To frame Prince Wei?”
Li Huan lowered his head, his peripheral vision keenly capturing every subtle reaction of the Emperor, his voice steady, “Your son’s humble opinion is that the Crown Prince has no motive to secretly possess a Xizi jade pendant, nor any need to frame Prince Wei.”
The Emperor took the jade pendant again, examined it for a moment, and the Kui Dragon pattern on the jade thumb ring lightly scraped against the jade pendant, making a faint, strange sound. His smile seemed to hold a deep meaning.
“You are quite protective of those useless imperial brothers of yours?”
Prince Duan cupped his hands, his expression sincere.
“Imperial Father, your son is not protecting any one person, but the morale of the seventy thousand soldiers in the Western Frontier—”
He paused slightly, emphasizing his tone.
“The actions of an Imperial Prince concern the dignity of the Imperial Family. How disheartened would the soldiers be if they knew there was an Imperial Prince colluding with the enemy? How would the court explain this to the seventy thousand soldiers of the Western Frontier?”
It didn’t explicitly state it was the Crown Prince.
Yet, it seemed to imply it was the Crown Prince.
Inside the hall, the water clock made a sluggish sound, and time seemed to freeze.
Emperor Chong Zhao remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, his voice carrying a hint of weariness and helplessness.
“Blood ties are the shackles of the Imperial Family. The more one cherishes blood ties, the heavier these chains become.”
Prince Duan responded obediently, “Your son understands.”
“You may go. I will handle this matter myself.”
Emperor Chong Zhao sighed softly, then suddenly tossed the jade pendant into a gilded box beside him, making a clanging sound.
The jade pendant cracked upon hitting the box.
The Big Dipper emblem on the gilded box was particularly conspicuous.
Li Huan’s throat tightened abruptly.
That was an auspicious and lucky pattern, seemingly mismatched with the dark and sinister nature of the Old Mausoleum Swamp, more like a celebratory design…
But this was the unique mark of the Big Dipper Seven Sects of the Old Mausoleum Swamp.
He had seen it when he was ordered to go to Yun Lu Mountain for a sacrifice, and he had also seen it when investigating the Old Mausoleum Swamp.
Li Huan couldn’t help but wonder,
why did Imperial Father have such a gilded box?
Prince Duan’s Mansion.
Xue Sui was getting ready in the morning, brushing her dark hair in front of a bronze mirror, when she heard a commotion outside, with faint sounds of crying.
She frowned slightly, signaled Xiao Zhao to help her change, and casually tied her hair into a bun before walking out with light steps.
The two were entangled in front of the corridor.
Xue Yueying had barged into Tan Qiu Courtyard, and Gu Jie was tightly gripping her wrist.
Her hair was disheveled, her skirt stained with mud, and her pregnant belly trembled slightly from the struggle, making her look utterly pathetic…
Jinshu hurried over from behind them and curtsied.
“Reporting to Young Lady, the Princess Consort claimed to have caught a cold in the separate villa and has not seen Young Madam Gu…”
So she had come to beg for help.
Xue Sui let out a soft snort, standing still with her silk sash. The morning breeze lifted the embroidered mandarin duck pattern on her sleeves, making the entangled pair under the eaves appear even more pathetic.
“Weren’t you unconscious and beyond medical help? How are you so well in the blink of an eye? Young Madam Gu’s dramatic performance is more exciting than any storybook…”
Xue Yueying wiped away her tears, broke free from Gu Jie’s hand, and stumbled to her knees, her swollen belly pressing against the bluestone as she pleaded, “Madam Ping’an, please be merciful and spare me and the child in my womb.”
Prince Wei had abandoned her to protect himself, and she had nowhere to turn. When she returned to her maternal home, the Xue Mansion, the Old Madam had driven her out. That’s why she came to Prince Duan’s Mansion. However, Xue Yuechen also claimed to be ill and refused to see her, so she shamelessly pestered Xue Sui.
Xue Sui chuckled, her expression calm as she said, “Guests are welcome. Jinshu, prepare some spring tea and pastries, and place them under the eaves.”
She then looked at Gu Jie and Xue Yueying.
“This humble dwelling is not suitable for entertaining noble guests, so I will not invite you inside.”
This was another way of saying she was considered bad luck.
The two maids giggled upon hearing this.
Jinshu, however, responded with a straight face and efficiently prepared the tea table, chairs, and pastries.
Xue Sui sat down elegantly, picked up her teacup, and took a sip.
“Good tea!”
Seeing that Xue Sui was unmoved, Xue Yueying dug her fingernails into the bluestone bricks and kowtowed twice, “Sixth Sister, I know you hate me and Young Master Gu, but the child is innocent…”
Xue Sui smiled, her fingertip idly tapping the teacup lid.
“When I begged you back then, did anyone mention innocence?”
A gust of clear wind swept by, making Gu Jie’s ears burn. He desperately wanted to drag Xue Yueying away, but Xue Yueying had gone limp on the ground, her clothes stained with grass, still shamelessly playing the victim.
“That was just childish play back then. Ten years have passed, why does Sixth Sister still hold onto it—”
“Play?” Xue Sui lightly blew on the tea foam. “Back then, to amuse Princess Ping Le, you buried me behind the rockery at Pu Ji Temple and said—’This is called refined taste.’ What? Is it not refined now?”
She paused slightly, then suddenly splashed the hot tea at Xue Yueying’s feet.
“Or perhaps, Young Madam Gu’s idea of refined taste was for Princess Ping Le to put a dog collar around my neck and force me to swallow stale food mixed with incense ash and bark like a dog?”
Gu Jie stood by, his face ashen.
He never allowed himself to recall those wicked deeds from ten years ago, as if by doing so, those things had never happened…
But Xue Liu had returned.
She was sitting right in front of them, looking at him and Xue Yueying with a calm yet intimidating expression. She hadn’t said anything extreme, but there was a chilling pressure emanating from her that swept over them…
It struck right to the heart.
His hands hung limply at his sides.
Xue Yueying, however, was enraged.
“Xue Liu, don’t think you’re superior just because you’re the Prince’s woman. No matter how successful you are, you’re still a concubine. No matter how pathetic I am, what I carry in my womb is of noble Imperial Family blood…”
Even with Gu Jie standing beside her, she was so bold.
She truly didn’t care about this man’s dignity.
Xue Sui smiled faintly, “You think what you’re carrying is a ladder to heaven? In reality, it’s a guide to the underworld… If Prince Wei insists that the child is not his, what proof do you have?”
She leaned forward slightly, her gaze as sharp as a blade.
“One wrong move, let alone framing an Imperial Prince and confusing the Imperial bloodline, which is punishable by extreme penalty, even the Marquis Jingyuan’s Mansion will have to pay for your foolishness!”
Xue Yueying’s pupils contracted, and her face showed a look of terror.
Then, tears streaming down her face, she turned and dug her lacquered fingernails deeply into Gu Jie’s arm.
“Gu Lang, did you see? How venomous is this Xue Liu? She’s cursing me, cursing the Marquis Jingyuan’s Mansion, cursing our entire family to a terrible death.”
Xue Sui chuckled softly, slowly stood up, and casually broke off a sprig of green pine, tossing it into the hot tea.
“Your crying needs to be more convincing to be truly tragic.”
“Do you hate me that much?” Xue Yueying looked at her with eyes full of malice, her fingernails digging into the cracks of the bluestone bricks.
“I’ve seen enough of the show, and I’m tired. Jinshu, help me inside.”
Xue Sui completely ignored Xue Yueying’s words, turned and walked up the bluestone steps, then suddenly turned back, looking at Gu Jie, and gave a meaningful smile.
“To kill a snake, strike its vital point; to bite an Imperial Prince, sever the dragon’spulse.”
Gu Jie froze.
It was as if thunderclap split the sky above his head.
“Thank you… Sixth Miss Xue for not holding grudges.”
He suddenly bowed deeply to the ground, grabbed Xue Yueying, and walked away.
“Gu Jie! Are you crazy? This vicious woman is cursing us!”
Xue Yueying shrieked, but her husband’s iron-like hand choked her throat.
“If you don’t want to die, stop making noise,” Gu Jie whispered, dragging her struggling, bloated body without mercy, walking faster and faster, without any tenderness.
In the shadows at the end of the corridor, Li Huan watched the Gu couple stumble away and signaled for an attendant to come over.
“Keep an eye on Tan Qiu Courtyard. Report any movement to this Prince immediately.”
It was time to let Xue Sui, this sharp blade, probe the murky waters of Shangjing City for him…
