Chapter 263: Unsettled
Wen Jia paused in her speech.
She stared at Xue Sui with a grave expression, her pupils like two dark clouds.
“In the palace… I fear the sky is about to change.”
If the Crown Prince were to suffer any mishap, the vacant successor position would become a prize coveted by many.
Prince Duan, holding himself up as a model of the imperial clan, might be able to ascend to the throne legitimately.
Even Prince Wei and Prince Chun would inevitably stir, and what about Prince Xian, who had been in his fief for so long, would he also start scheming?
Silence fell in the monastic room for a moment.
Only Niu Niu’s babbling laughter could be faintly heard from outside the window, her innocence untouched.
Xue Sui gazed at the dancing light spots on the window lattice, recalling the words Li Zhao had spoken before his expedition. Her heart was like an ancient well into which a stone had been dropped, ripples spreading layer by layer, unable to calm for a long time.
“The Empress is so worried that she has fallen ill and is confined to bed…” Wen Jia continued, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible indignation.
“That Xiao Qing’er is indeed no easy person to deal with. She seized the opportunity to curry favor, attending His Imperial Father daily, and then using the pretense of visiting the Empress to go to her palace, bringing medicinal soup and chanting scriptures, showing utmost diligence…”
Xue Sui asked, “How is Princess Tuya doing?”
A complex wistfulness flickered in Wen Jia’s eyes. “She was enfeoffed as a Consort in early February, but due to her unusual customs in daily life and etiquette, she is constantly being made difficult by Xiao Qing’er…”
She snorted again. “The other day, the Empress Dowager gifted my aunt a gold hairpin inlaid with kingfisher feathers. Upon returning to the palace, Consort Xiao Xiu smashed a teacup, saying that a bewitching woman from Xizi was not worthy of using an item meant for the phoenix. Her arrogant temper is no less than that of her aunt, Consort Xiao…”
“His Majesty does not protect Princess Tuya? How heartless…”
“Heh!” Wen Jia let out a cold laugh.
“What true affection can an emperor speak of? In the past, he doted on Consort Xiao. Everyone said they were childhood sweethearts, that they were deeply in love and he was devoted. Later, when my aunt entered the palace, His Imperial Father fell for her at first sight and doted on her even more than before. But in just a short period, there was the young and beautiful Consort Xiao Xiu…”
At this point, she gritted her teeth in anger.
“That old fox, Xiao Song, when he sent Xiao Qing’er into the palace, he had likely foreseen His Imperial Heart’s desires. Afterward, His Imperial Father not only did not reprimand Xiao Qing’er but even promoted her. The Empress, exhausted, no longer bothered with these trivial matters. This inner palace… has almost become her battlefield of strife.”
Xue Sui remained silent.
In reality, the Emperor’s considerations were not about love, but about the stability and balance of imperial power.
Especially now, with the critical situation on the Western Frontier, the military morale was restless, and the court and country were in a state of panic. The Xiao family had many adherents in the Daliang central government and also held influence in the military—Consort Xiao’s own brother, Xiao Yan, as the Great General and Military Governor of Longxi, commanded a large army.
At this moment, Emperor Chong Zhao would certainly not make a major move over trivial matters of inner palace favoritism…
After a long while, she said, “Princess Tuya has a calm disposition and will not contend with her.”
“What use is a calm disposition? In this man-eating palace, if you don’t fight, you can only wait to be trampled into the mud, just like my mother back then.”
Wen Jia mentioned her deceased mother, her eyes filled with sorrow and helplessness.
A woman from Wulan Holy Mountain, so proud and aloof, yet forced to be trapped in the gilded cage of the deep palace, and still pecked at by the arrogant Xiao Qing’er, it made one sigh with regret…
Wen Jia picked up the slightly cool teacup, took a sip, and then let out a bitter laugh again.
“Sometimes I think, it would be better to take Niu Niu and find a quiet place like yours, to be cut off from the mortal world.”
Xue Sui narrowed her eyes slightly, her thoughts churning within her.
The Crown Prince of the Western Frontier was trapped alone, factions in the capital were in internal strife, the aftermath of the corruption case involving grain and fodder was not yet settled and had become a tool for infighting, the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion, the Xue family, Prince Duan’s Mansion, and those old foxes in the Supreme Court…
“Prince Duan hasn’t had an easy time lately either.” Wen Jia saw her frowning in thought and seemed to recall something.
She added, “After the Princess Consort gave birth to their daughter, she became suspicious and paranoid all day, either complaining that the Prince neglected her or suspecting the servants of mistreating A Ning, causing chaos in Prince Duan’s Mansion. At the full moon banquet, the Princess Consort suddenly had an outburst, crying inconsolably, making the guests leave unhappy, and it became a minor joke in the capital.”
Xue Sui recalled Li Huan’s words, “If there is a next life, I wish to be born into an ordinary family,” and fell silent.
Xue Yuechen was born a noble lady of high status, and married into the imperial family…
How could she live the life of an ordinary family?
“In this world of brocade, there is nothing new.”
She suddenly looked up at Wen Jia, changing the subject.
“You mentioned the snow disaster in the Western Frontier. Besides grain and fodder, what is most lacking?”
Wen Jia was startled and instinctively replied, “I imagine it would be warm clothing, medicinal materials to treat epidemics, and… a way to break through Black Wind Pass and rescue the Crown Prince? Ping An, I heard that Black Wind Pass is treacherous, the snow blocks the mountains, and Ashina’s elite cavalry has set up layers of defenses, making it impossible for reinforcements to enter…”
“Princess,” Xue Sui said softly, her calm tone possessing a strange penetrating power that broke the oppressive air.
“If I have a way to resolve the predicament in the Western Frontier and pacify the chaos of the refugees, would Prince Duan be willing to present this plan to His Imperial Father?”
Wen Jia suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
“Ping An, you have a way…”
“Yes.” Xue Sui nodded at her.
“If you have a good plan, why not let me report it to my father?”
“No.” Xue Sui said gravely, her expression solemn. “This matter must be handled by Prince Duan himself for His Majesty to believe it…”
Wen Jia’s expression changed slightly, her smile bitter.
Ping An was right. If she were to offer advice, how could her father easily believe a woman’s words? He would not listen, nor would he give it importance.
Wen Jia nodded, anxiously asking, “Can your plan work?”
“It depends on human effort.” Xue Sui looked at the new bamboo outside the window. “We have to try.”
Wen Jia tightly grasped her hand, trembling with excitement.
“Good! Good! I will… I will go back and inform Prince Duan immediately!”
–
The next evening.
A light mist crept over the eaves and corners of Shui Yue Nunnery, and the sound of pine waves rustled.
Hasty and heavy hoofbeats broke the spring tranquility, approaching from afar and finally stopping outside the mountain gate.
Jinshu hurried in, her face grave.
“Young Lady, Prince Duan has arrived. He has dismounted outside the mountain gate.”
Xue Sui put down the scripture scroll in her hand and nodded calmly.
“Please invite His Highness to the guest hall.”
She knew that Li Huan’s arrival at this time was about the Western Frontier, about the words Wen Jia had conveyed.
Outside the guest hall, Li Huan was dressed in plain black casual clothes, his brow furrowed with fatigue and anxiety, his eyes bloodshot, clearly having not slept well for many days.
“This nun greets Your Highness.” Xue Sui entered the room, clasping her hands in greeting.
Li Huan turned upon hearing her voice, his gaze falling on her thin face, his throat bobbing.
“Ping An, I…”
“I know Your Highness has come regarding the Western Frontier campaign.”
Xue Sui got straight to the point, omitting all pleasantries.
Li Huan was taken aback, then nodded. “His Majesty has summoned his ministers for an audience, three days and three nights of continuous debate, but no effective plan has emerged. The Crown Prince is trapped at Black Wind Pass, his grain and fodder cut off, and epidemics are spreading in the west. If no solution is found soon, the 30,000 troops led by the Crown Prince… will be annihilated!”
