Chapter 248: Prying
On the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Shangjing City saw its last snowfall of the year.
Crushed ice carrying fallen leaves flowed through the stream below Shui Yue Nunnery, like scattered, broken chess pieces…
The lanterns for New Year’s Eve dyed the paper of the monastic room windows red.
Xue Sui rose and trimmed the lampwick on the desk, its soft light extending into the distance.
Under the lamplight, the Head Eunuch of the Eastern Palace, Lai Fu, had a plump, white face full of wrinkles.
He hunched his back and, from a pile of charred embers, unearthed a “marriage compatibility register.”
It was burned!
He held the brittle, scorched pages and looked at the already cooled, dark brown medicinal soup sitting idly nearby, sighing inwardly.
How could a thin piece of paper, considered proof of a good match, trap someone who was unwilling?
On the purple sandalwood bed, Li Zhao lazily bent one long leg, leaning against a cushion. He raised a jar of green plum wine above his head, tilted it slightly, and the wine poured into his throat like a silver thread.
The aroma of wine drifted over the vermilion palace walls, mingling with the falling snow in the sky.
Inside the red walls, Li Zhao poured the medicine into a teapot, watching it slowly dissolve in the boiling water.
Outside the red walls, Xue Sui wrapped the old ginkgo tree at Shui Yue Nunnery with straw ropes, anticipating its new leaves in the spring.
The winter of this year was particularly cold. The wind and snow froze the hustle and bustle of Vermilion Bird Street, froze the joy of the Eastern Palace, and also froze the gears of fate.
In the battlefield of power, no one can escape!
Some desire what they cannot obtain, some obtain what they do not cherish, and some see through everything yet are deeply entangled.
As the midnight bell chimed, Xue Sui, leading Jinshu and Xiao Zhao, hung blessing lanterns on the lintel of the monastic room, her eyes smiling.
At this moment, in the more distant Imperial Palace, lights blazed. Emperor Chongzhao was hosting a banquet for his officials in Lin De Hall, with clinking cups and lively conversation, burying the fleeting dreams of Chongzhao’s thirteenth year into the wind and snow.
In a blink of an eye—
Chongzhao’s fourteenth year arrived quietly amidst the falling snow.
The morning bell of Shui Yue Nunnery pierced the mist, bringing the faint morning light.
Xue Sui knelt before the wooden desk in the monastic room. Beneath her grey monastic robe, a section of her snow-white wrist was visible. Spread on the plain paper was her secret Yanluo Picture Album.
You Zhimu…
Yao Wei…
Guo Zhaohuai…
Xie Weilan…
Her fingertips traced the characters on the paper, flipping through them one by one. She slowly crossed out Lu Xi from the picture album, then solemnly added Consort Xiao’s name to the end of the register. Afterward, she drew a stroke on Ping Le’s yellowed face, then abruptly stopped.
“Young Lady!”
Jinshu lifted the curtain and called out, her voice carrying a hint of joy.
“The Eldest Young Master has arrived…”
This was the first person Xue Sui wanted to see on the first day of the new year.
“Senior Disciple Brother!”
Tianshu entered, wrapped in frost and snow. Snowflakes on his bamboo hat had not yet melted. His plain white Daoist robe swayed in the night wind, seeming to emanate a clear light, exuding an indescribable immortal aura.
He moved extremely gently, lowered his gaze, and took off his bamboo hat. His eyes fell on Xue Sui’s bare head, and his brows furrowed slightly.
“Are you feeling better?”
Tianshu’s voice was deep like the sound of wind through pines, clear and without warmth.
But seeing him, Xue Sui couldn’t help but want to smile.
“Why are you so stern as soon as you arrive, Senior Brother? It’s the New Year, quickly let me see what gifts you’ve brought…”
Tianshu’s eyelashes fluttered, but he did not look up. He simply placed the cowhide bag he brought on the desk, his voice as light as feathers falling on snow.
“Mostly ointment. You have weak qi and blood, so you should avoid raw, cold, and overly sweet foods. Don’t indulge your appetite.”
He was always serious and never wasted words.
Xue Sui looked at him and suddenly let out a soft laugh, giving Jinshu a look.
Jinshu understood and opened the food box, revealing candied plums, date paste cakes, and walnut crispy pastries inside.
“Young Lady, these are all your favorites from before…”
Xiao Zhao immediately pounced forward, her eyes sparkling. “The Eldest Young Master still dotes on our Young Lady the most. Wow, these pastries are ten thousand times tastier than the vegetarian meals at the nunnery…”
Seeing their happy faces, Xue Sui couldn’t help but smile too.
Seeing Tianshu, she couldn’t help but reminisce about New Year’s at the Old Mausoleum Swamp—
The fire in the hearth was strong, the lanterns under the eaves were red, and the cured meat in the pot was fragrant. And she, in front of her senior brothers and sisters, was always the little girl who would be delighted by a wooden hairpin or a sweet treat.
“Xiao Zhao, close the door and pull down the window curtains.”
Xiao Zhao and Jinshu exchanged a smile and retreated, covering their mouths.
Only the two of them remained in the room. Xue Sui sat opposite Tianshu and offered him hot tea.
“Senior Disciple Brother, please don’t be angry. Please have some tea.”
Tianshu took a sip, and ultimately couldn’t bear to reprimand her. He silently took out a jar of ointment from the bag and placed it on the wooden table.
“What is this? It smells so good.” Xue Sui opened the lid and sniffed lightly, raising her eyebrows with a smile.
“Hair darkening ointment.” Tianshu’s voice was as faint as falling snowflakes. “I’ve searched through medical texts these past few days and tried hundreds of prescriptions to concoct it. I don’t know how effective it will be…”
“It’s fine if it doesn’t change back,” Xue Sui tilted her head indifferently and gave him a playful smile. “Washing my hair saves water, styling saves time, no need for hair oil, no tangles, and in summer, I won’t even need a fan. How great is that…”
Tianshu remained silent.
Afraid he would worry, Xue Sui secretly stuck out her tongue and tucked the hair darkening ointment into her embrace.
“Compared to my hair, what I want to know now is, has Senior Sister Yuheng returned? Do the three Masters have any further plans for the future of the Old Mausoleum Swamp?”
Tianshu lowered his gaze, fiddling with the teacup.
“Yuheng has returned. She will visit you after the New Year when she has free time.”
Xue Sui’s lips curved slightly, wanting to smile, but it quickly fell.
“I will wait for her.”
Tianshu saw the hint of bitterness flash in her eyes and continued, “Thirty percent of the Nine Ministers have already fallen due to corruption cases. Revenge is not urgent; focus on recovering your health first…”
Xue Sui smiled and tapped the edge of the table, playfully asking, “Please take a good look, Senior Brother. Do I look like someone who is sick?”
Tianshu’s expression hardened, and he narrowed his eyes to examine her. “Prince Duan and the Crown Prince have been making frequent moves lately, especially the Eastern Palace, which seems to be deliberately investigating old cases from the Ministry of Justice. Now is the time to be still rather than act; it’s best to lie low and observe…”
Xue Sui’s hand, which was stroking the teacup, paused slightly as she recalled the Crown Prince’s procession she had seen on Vermilion Bird Street.
“The Eastern Palace is forming a marriage alliance with the Duke of Zheng. Haven’t they taken the opportunity to win over the Longyou gentry to oppose the Xiao Clan?”
Tianshu shook his head, his expression cool and indifferent.
“The infighting among the capital’s powerful families is intensifying. The Three Departments and Six Ministries are all controlled by aristocratic families, and the situation in the Imperial Court is obscure and unpredictable. Daliang and Ashina have been locked in battle for half a year in the Chishui Pass region. Lu You’an’s Western Expeditionary Army is desperately short of supplies, and the Military Governor of Hexi is holding back his troops, repeatedly requesting aid from the court…”
He paused, then drew a Marsh Collection Post from his sleeve.
“The Minister of Justice, Xue Qingzhi… that is, your father, was busy making connections at the end of last year to protect his position. Xie Yanzhan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, appears upright but is actually two-faced, contemplating selecting his beloved daughter for the Eastern Palace. Duke Zheng, Guo Pi, is indeed a man of foresight. He has two sons: one commands the Capital Garrison, and the other oversees the Ministry of Agriculture, managing granaries. His other nephews and grandsons also hold important positions, making his family flourish. As for that old fox Xiao Song, he’s scheming endlessly. Consort Xiao’s mourning period has barely passed a hundred days, and he’s already sent his grandniece into the palace…”
Ice formed in Xue Sui’s eyes as she slowly opened the picture album and pointed it at Tianshu.
“Is this Xiao Qing’er?”
Tianshu glanced at the woman in the portrait.
“Precisely.”
The corners of Xue Sui’s eyes lifted, her eyelashes trembling rapidly.
That Xiao Qing’er was close with Ping Le, and they referred to each other as cousins. In terms of lineage, she was a full generation younger than Emperor Chongzhao!
“Did the Emperor take her in?”
“She was first enfeoffed as a Jieyu, then promoted to Xiuyi. If nothing unexpected happens, in a few more days, she will be enfeoffed as a Consort.”
The Xiao Clan is a large family, intermarried with the Cui, Lu, Li, Zheng, and Wang families. The clan’s descendants hold official positions throughout the empire, controlling half the country. This Emperor, while appearing to favor a new woman, is actually bestowing honor upon the Xiao family.
“The one in the Golden Palace is a master of balance. After eliminating many of the Xiao family’s allies and demoting Ping Le, would he sit idly by while the Eastern Palace grows too powerful?”
Xue Sui suddenly let out a short laugh, which did not reach her eyes.
“Shouldn’t Li Zhao learn from his Imperial Father and take Xie Weilan as well?”
“The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review’s influence is not as great as the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion. If she is chosen for the Eastern Palace, she will at most become a Consort. At that time, the two families will clash to consolidate power, and Li Zhao may not necessarily take this woman…”
Tianshu observed her expression.
Seeing that she was unmoved, he suddenly dipped his brush in cold tea and drew on the desk.
“To shake these people, we need to add more fuel to the fire… burn them where it hurts the most.”
The wind blew, and the accumulated snow on the window lattice rustled.
Xue Sui reached out to refill Tianshu’s tea, watching the water pour into the cup, and suddenly smiled.
“Senior Brother, what do you think of the Lantern Festival?”
Tianshu glanced at her snow-white fingertips and remained silent.
Xue Sui said, “Xiao Zhao was clamoring yesterday to go to Vermilion Bird Street to see the lanterns. She also said she wanted to see how tall the grave grass of You Zhimu has grown…”
She looked at You Zhimu, who had already been crossed out in the picture album, her lips pursed.
“It’s been exactly a year. It’s time to pay respects.”
Li Zhao: I believe it would be more appropriate to pay respects at the Eastern Palace? What do you all think?
Reader: Not at all… unless you cry first?
