Chapter 201: Hidden Blade
Li Huan waved to summon a eunuch and handed in the name card.
A moment later, Wang Chengxi hurried out, conveying the Emperor’s oral decree.
“Please have the Crown Prince, Prince Duan, and Minister Gu enter the hall for an audience.”
Emperor Chong Zhao, in the warm pavilion of Zichen Hall, tapped his knuckles on the gilded name card on the desk, his brows furrowed and his face covered in frost. Mingled with the wisps of blue smoke from the incense burner in the hall, it made one’s temples throb.
“King Xizi amassed troops at Chishui Pass, and then the High Priest sent an envoy to sue for peace. What is this all about?”
The Emperor raised his eyes to scan the three people in the hall, reaching for a teacup. The imperial yellow sleeve cuff fell.
“You tell me, did this Xizi envoy come with sincerity, or with heads?”
Gu Jie glanced at the name card on the desk and replied respectfully with his hands clasped, “Reporting to Your Highness, the High Priest and King Xizi are outwardly in agreement but inwardly divided.”
“Well said, outwardly in agreement but inwardly divided!”
Emperor Chong Zhao put down the teacup, picked up the name card, looked at it, and then heavily threw it back onto the desk.
“You two discuss how we should respond.”
Below the steps, Li Zhao and Li Huan stood like twin peaks, one on the left and one on the right.
Li Huan, in a python-patterned court robe, smiled gently.
“Your son believes that internal strife has already begun in the Xizi Royal Court. The High Priest wishes to use Daliang’s power to overthrow Ashina. This visit, ostensibly for peace talks, is actually for protection. If our dynasty watches the snipe and clam fight until they are both exhausted, and then sends troops, we will surely reap the benefits.”
“Imperial Brother’s insight is profound.” Li Zhao stepped forward and cupped his hands, as if strolling leisurely, “However, the Xizi envoy brought a name card. If we treat them coldly, it will make Daliang appear to lack benevolence and magnanimity, and to be petty, thus losing face.”
Li Zhao glanced at him, deliberately paused, and cupped his hands upwards, “Imperial Father, the conflict at Chishui Pass has not ceased. To slight the envoy will inevitably lead to gossip, saying our dynasty fears Ashina’s hundred thousand cavalry.”
Emperor Chong Zhao’s gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over his two sons below the steps, and he suddenly looked at Gu Jie.
“Does beloved minister Gu know the movements of the Xizi envoy?”
Gu Jie lowered his eyes and replied in a steady voice, “Reporting to His Majesty, the envoy has checked into the posthouse at the Court of Diplomatic Relations, submitted a name card, and requested an audience.”
“Do you know the envoy’s background?”
The secret letter in Gu Jie’s sleeve burned his palm. “Reporting to His Majesty, I have already sent people to investigate thoroughly.”
Emperor Chong Zhao leaned heavily back in his chair and chuckled deeply.
“Then let them wait at the posthouse. When I feel like seeing them, I will summon them.”
Li Huan and Li Zhao exchanged a glance, both seeing vigilance in each other’s eyes.
The battle at Chishui Pass was unclear, and the Emperor’s actions clearly aimed to maintain control of the situation.
The questioning just now was not because he truly wanted to hear their opinions, but clearly to test their stances.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned cold.
Emperor Chong Zhao stared at the three young men standing below the steps and waved his sleeve.
“Crown Prince, stay. The rest of you may withdraw.”
After everyone had withdrawn, Emperor Chong Zhao suddenly slapped the name card onto the desk.
“Do you think I don’t know? The gunpowder from the Xizi merchant caravan turned into yellow sand, and it was your doing! Amun Rah’s sudden request for peace is also the work of you, the Crown Prince!”
Li Zhao hitched up his robe and knelt, his back straight, his gaze clear and bright.
“Your son dares not. King Xizi wished to use gunpowder to disrupt Shangjing. Your son merely turned the tables and lured the snake out of its hole. As for the High Priest sending an envoy to see His Majesty, it is out of fear of the might of Daliang’s cavalry, inspired by Imperial Father’s wise and divine power, all due to virtuous governance, and has nothing to do with your son.”
Emperor Chong Zhao suddenly smiled, “Has the snake entered the jar?”
Li Zhao calmly cupped his hands, “Your son believes it is impossible to escape.”
–
In the corridor outside the hall, Li Huan walked side-by-side with Gu Jie, his tone familiar.
“Minister Gu, I am hosting a family banquet the day after tomorrow. You are welcome to come.”
Gu Jie was startled by this.
Given his current insignificant official position, how could he be invited to Prince Duan’s banquet?
However, considering the relationship, with the Xue sisters married into two mansions, he and Prince Duan were considered in-laws, barely qualifying for familial ties.
He hurriedly bowed, “Your Highness’s favor is my greatest honor.”
Li Huan smiled faintly, tapping Gu Jie’s shoulder with his fingertip, “Minister Gu, you have just arrived at the Court of Diplomatic Relations, and your responsibilities are heavy. Do not be foolish and repeat past mistakes.”
Gu Jie understood. This was Prince Duan using the matter of the treasury to warn him.
He hastily adjusted his cap and belt, bowing respectfully.
“Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. Your subordinate will do his utmost.”
–
Tan Qiu Courtyard.
Xue Sui, facing a bronze mirror, inserted a green jade hairpin into her loosely styled bun. In the smooth mirror, the red marks on her collarbone had not yet faded, like remnants of plum blossoms drawn with cinnabar, winding into her collar…
Her breath hitched.
As if burned, she quickly pulled her plain robe tighter.
Last night, Li Zhao’s Love Silk Gu had acted up, driving him to near madness and almost costing her her life…
Fortunately, she had endured and navigated the situation.
In the end, she had managed to subdue him with her own hands.
As the wildness of the night receded like a tide, she lowered her eyes to the unfinished green plum wine on the desk, lost in thought.
“Young Lady…” Ru Yi, seeing her distress, couldn’t help but twitch her eyelids. “Are you feeling unwell?”
Xue Sui shook her head. “Put away the leftover wine, tidy up the room, and air it out.”
Ru Yi acknowledged and withdrew.
Jinshu tiptoed in, glanced at the mess in the room, and hesitated to speak.
“Young Lady, the Crown Prince…”
“Don’t mention him!” Xue Sui interrupted her, her voice hoarse. “Go tell the small kitchen to cook a bowl of ginger and Poria cocos porridge. The Princess Consort will surely summon me today, and I must be in good spirits.”
“Would you like to nap for a while longer? Your eyes are already showing dark circles, it’s heartbreaking…”
“No need. Go and do it.”
After Jinshu withdrew, Xue Sui, restless, picked up the crumpled prescription from the table.
Frowning, she finally rolled it into a ball and rubbed it in her palm…
There was no cure for the Love Silk Gu, but this prescription should alleviate it somewhat.
Otherwise, with Li Zhao’s wild and untamed nature, it would be truly difficult to handle.
She closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then threw the prescription into the brazier. The moment the flames licked the edges of the paper, hurried footsteps were heard from outside the courtyard.
“Consort, the Princess Consort requests your presence.”
As expected.
Xue Sui softly agreed, asked Ru Yi to help her put on a green satin cloak, and headed towards Ying Yue Residence.
Xue Yuechen reclined on a chaise lounge, her abdomen already showing, making her appear more plump and graceful beneath her honey-colored robe.
Her gaze paused on Xue Sui’s haggard face, and she smiled, “Sister, you don’t look well today. Are you feeling unwell?”
Xue Sui’s fingertips lightly brushed her hair as she lowered her head and said softly,
“The rain and wind were heavy last night, so I didn’t sleep well.”
Xue Yuechen picked up a handkerchief and lightly wiped the corner of her lips, glancing at her and smiling, “I heard from the Prince that the anti-itch cream you concocted for him was very effective. This time, you have made a great contribution and earned a good reputation in Shangjing City…”
“My humble skills are nothing, how dare I claim credit? I merely happened to receive guidance from a traveling physician.”
Xue Yuechen smiled slightly and pushed a porcelain dish towards the desk.
“Sister, try the newly made chestnut pastries. The cook specially candied them with honey, making them very soft and sweet. It’s a pity that I’ve been feeling nauseous lately and cannot eat sweets…”
Xue Sui picked up a silver fork and thanked her with a smile, “Sister, you are still so thoughtful despite being pregnant. Then I will respectfully accept.”
“What’s there to be thoughtful about?” Xue Yuechen smiled sideways, her eyes not reaching her smile. “Sister, you are now a proper mistress of the mansion. If you continue to be so formal, it will seem distant…”
Mentioning Xue Sui’s appointment as a consort, she clearly harbored resentment.
Her unhappiness was evident on her face, but Xue Sui pretended not to hear the underlying meaning, forked a piece of pastry, her expression as gentle as ever.
“Sister, you jest. If not for your righteous words back then, how could I be here today? What is the relationship between us sisters? How could I be so polite with you?”
Xue Yuechen’s heart tightened.
Back then, she couldn’t bear to see their legal mother make trouble, so she had said a few kind words, but hadn’t truly offered any help…
Thus, the smile that touched her lips became somewhat stiff.
“That’s natural. Our sisterly bond cannot be broken by thunder or lightning.”
Xue Sui lowered her eyes, the chestnut pastry sticking to her teeth. She picked up a teacup and took a sip.
“Sister, your pregnancy is paramount. Do not trouble yourself with other matters.”
The teacup was placed on the desk with a crisp clink.
Xue Yuechen glanced at her. “How can I not worry? Your appointment as consort requires arrangements inside and out. There are imperial gifts, and replies from the families of other mansions, and the family banquet must be held with dignity so as not to wrong you. Yesterday, I was thinking of adding a few more maids and servants to your courtyard to bolster your influence. However…”
She lowered her voice. “Consort Zhang’s elder brother is accused of colluding with the enemy and is currently imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. She came to me crying, so I agreed to help her.”
Xue Sui said, “I had advised her to have Minister Zhang petition His Majesty. I didn’t want her to trouble you, but I didn’t expect her to still…”
“You had good intentions, but she didn’t appreciate them.” Xue Yuechen shook her head and smiled. “However, the Prince has already made arrangements for the Zhang family’s affairs, so you should not get involved in this mess. Following this, the mansion will hold a wedding banquet, and you will need to assist with all matters…”
Xue Sui nodded. “Sister, rest assured, I know what I’m doing.”
Xue Yuechen stroked her abdomen and said softly, “As long as this child is born safely, I will be content…”
Before she finished speaking, the maid Yu Zhui hurried in to report, “Princess Consort, Consort Zhang is attempting to swallow gold and was stopped by the housekeeper! Please go and see!”
Xue Yuechen’s face darkened, and she stood up abruptly, pressing her abdomen with a frown.
“At this critical juncture, she has to cause trouble!”
–
The two of them hurried to Lanzhi Courtyard.
They saw Consort Zhang curled up on the couch, her body trembling like a sieve, crying with her shoulders shaking, her disheveled hair covering her face.
Xue Yuechen sat down, took her hand, and gently comforted her.
“We women in the inner chambers cannot interfere in court affairs. Sister, please relax.”
Consort Zhang reluctantly got up, bowed shakily to the two of them, her face filled with sorrow.
“I am truly useless. My family has suffered such a great disaster, and as a daughter of the Zhang family and a consort of the Prince’s Mansion, I can do nothing. I am ashamed before my parents and my elder brother…”
Xue Sui frowned slightly. “Logically, if Minister Zhang alone committed a crime and pleaded guilty to His Majesty, and your father has past merits, it shouldn’t implicate the entire clan?”
Consort Zhang glanced at her, wiping her tears. “Thank you, Consort, for your guidance that day. His Majesty, remembering my late father’s military achievements, spared us from confiscation of property. Unfortunately, my elder brother, I fear, is beyond saving…”
Her tears rolled down her cheeks like beads.
She was truly a delicate woman.
And she was making such a fuss…
Xue Sui sighed inwardly and glanced at Fei Cui, who was standing with her hands clasped.
“Aunt, please send someone to get some of the chestnut pastries the Princess Consort just made. Perhaps Consort Zhang will feel better after eating something sweet.”
Consort Zhang, receiving comfort, shook her head and sobbed, crying even more heartbrokenly.
–
The day was clear and sunny, but a wind picked up at night.
The windows of Tan Qiu Courtyard were wide open, and pigeons leisurely paced on the carved window lattices.
Li Huan stood with his hands behind his back in the corridor, his lips pressed in silence. He couldn’t help but glance at the white spirit pigeon.
After a moment of silence, he stepped over the threshold, stopped the maid from announcing him, and strode in.
The autumn wind, mixed with the scent of ink, rushed towards him.
Xue Sui was lowering her head, grinding ink. The candlelight cast butterfly-wing-like shadows on her eyelashes, carrying a crispness of cold dew, beautiful, gentle, and yet as distant as clouds.
On the Xuan paper, the ink was not yet dry, writing the prescription she had just copied.
Li Huan stared at her slender neck, and his heart felt as if it had been struck by something.
A ripple of emotion, fleeting, appeared and vanished.
“Consort Xue has a refined hobby.”
Xue Sui put down the inkstone and bowed. “Your Highness visits late at night. May I ask the reason?”
“The matter of Old Mausoleum Swamp.” Li Huan did not beat around the bush, took two steps closer, and looked at her sternly.
“I want an explanation.”
When she looked up, he was already in front of her, the wind from his wide sleeves making the candlelight flicker.
Xue Sui took half a step back, bumping into the display shelf, and the flower branches in the celadon vase trembled.
“Regarding the matter of Old Mausoleum Swamp, as a woman, I truly know very little.”
“Is that so?” Li Huan suddenly chuckled and sat down beside her. “Then why did you send Jinshu to Mister Qiu’s antique shop the day before yesterday at three o’clock in the afternoon?”
Xue Sui’s fingertips tightened, and she smiled faintly.
“I was merely redeeming a jade bracelet for Concubine Xue, and incidentally inquiring about Mister Qiu’s background for Your Highness.”
“Oh? What did you find out? Did you find out he’s a liar who speaks nothing but falsehoods?” Li Huan’s approaching body almost trapped her against the desk. Smelling the faint Suxin Orchid Incense from her hair, he suddenly felt a heat in his chest.
He felt a strange possessiveness.
The more indifferent she was, the less interested she seemed in him, the more he wanted to see her flustered…
Xue Sui indeed showed a hint of surprise. “He’s a liar?”
“That’s right. A liar.” Li Huan narrowed his eyes, his emotions somewhat gloomy. “He took a piece of gold from me and then tricked me into meeting an Imperial Envoy at Qixia Mountain at night. Who would have thought…”
He suddenly stopped, as if it were difficult to speak.
Xue Sui asked, “What happened?”
“He actually took the opportunity to escape.”
“And the antique shop?”
“Not a soul to be found, vanished like smoke.”
Xue Sui: …
This Li Zhao!
He acted so decisively.
She was silent for a moment and bowed to Li Huan.
“It is Xue Liu’s fault for letting Your Highness be deceived. However, I am truly not familiar with that person and was misled by others’ lies. If Your Highness does not believe me, you may send someone to inquire.”
Li Huan glanced at her calm and serene face, a smile appearing in his eyes.
“Consort Xue, my patience is limited.”
Xue Sui pondered for a moment. “What does Your Highness want me to do?”
“It’s very simple.” Li Huan narrowed his eyes, his voice full of meaning. “The intermediary you found for me has run away, so naturally, you must make amends for your mistake.”
Xue Sui frowned. “Regarding the matter of Old Mausoleum Swamp, others truly cannot interfere. If the Imperial Envoy deliberately avoids you, then it means he does not wish to see Your Highness. Who can force him?”
Li Huan suddenly leaned down, his eyes fixed on her.
“Consort must have a way, right?”
He straightened up again and suddenly smiled.
“Don’t disappoint me. After all, I don’t want to lose an interesting consort like you.”
This was practically a threat.
Xue Sui curled her lips into a smile and said seriously, “Does Your Highness know that a forced melon is not sweet?”
“Whether it’s sweet or not, you only know after tasting it.”
“…”
She remained silent, looking at Li Huan calmly and composedly.
After a brief moment of eye contact, Li Huan felt a tightness in his throat.
It was like a hunter staring at a cunning fox; the less he could catch it, the more he wanted to possess it, the more unattainable it was, the more unbearable it became…
“You figure it out.”
He suddenly chuckled and left with a flick of his sleeve.
The sound of his boots on the blue stone slabs gradually faded away.
Xue Sui watched the autumn wind blow through the curtains and heard her own heart pounding like a drum.
Absurd!
One more absurd than the other.
She adjusted her clothes, her fingertips inadvertently touching her collarbone, and she couldn’t help but frown slightly…
Li Zhao’s kiss felt like a snake’s tongue, coiling around her…
Compared to Li Huan’s cold gaze.
Two completely different kinds of pressure, both giving her a headache.
“Young Lady?” Xiao Zhao pushed the door open and saw her staring blankly at the brazier. “Isn’t His Highness deliberately making things difficult?”
“It’s nothing.” Xue Sui stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the dense night.
The moonlight fell in the direction Li Huan had left, forming a phantom silhouette.
She turned and pursed her dry lips.
“Close the window, it’s going to be windy.”
Long chapter~~ Good night!
