Chapter 276: Love Silk Flower Blooms
The carriage curtain stirred slightly.
The wind in the wilderness carried a unique scent of grass and trees…
Xue Sui subconsciously reached for the prayer beads on her wrist, but her hand found nothing.
The air froze for a moment.
Xue Sui’s eyelashes drooped slightly, her gaze falling on her left arm.
On her sleeve, the tear from where the hidden weapon had grazed her earlier had a small patch of an unusual deep red.
A faint sense of numbness spread from the wound…
On the dirt road outside the carriage window, the figures of over ten Xuanjia soldiers were clearly arrayed.
Xue Sui recognized the leader as Yuan Cang, a personal guard of Li Zhao.
At this moment, he stood with his hand on his sword, his gaze fixed on the carriage.
“Young Lady…” Jinshu also noticed the Eastern Palace guards and exchanged a glance with her.
Xue Sui raised her hand to stop her words.
“Please, Eunuch, lead the way.”
Her voice was very soft, with an almost deliberate calmness.
Outside the carriage window, Lai Fu’s smiling face remained unchanged. Hearing her, he bowed slightly, his posture extremely low.
“Master Miaozhen, please.”
–
Green tiles and white walls, a winding path leading to tranquility.
Xue Sui looked at the gilded black lacquer characters “You Huang Ju” on the lintel, her brow furrowing slightly. Recalling her decision to knock on the door in the snow late at night, her feet hesitated.
“Master Miaozhen, please follow me.”
Lai Fu led Xue Sui and her servant into a refined and spacious guest hall.
The interior was simply furnished and spotless, with a black sandalwood desk and a few pear wood stools.
A faint scent of agarwood burned in the incense burner, unable to dispel the invisible sense of oppression.
“Tonight, the Eastern Palace is hosting a welcome banquet for Your Highness. Your Highness must first go to Zichen Hall to see His Majesty and then entertain the officials. He will be unable to get away for a while and will arrive later,” Lai Fu said, standing with his hands clasped, his face full of smiles.
“Master Miaozhen, please rest assured and stay here for a while. If you need anything, just instruct the attendants, and they will take good care of you…”
Xue Sui clasped her hands together, her eyelids lowered.
“Thank you, Eunuch.”
Tea was served, its fragrance wafting gently.
The guest hall was eerily quiet.
Outside, the figures of guards could be vaguely seen standing at attention, but they were like stone sculptures, without a hint of breath.
Li Zhao’s actions were intended to settle old and new grudges together.
From that cold gaze on the Imperial Street, he had no intention of letting her leave easily.
No matter what, he would definitely give her a show of strength.
Jinshu was extremely worried. She helped Xue Sui take off her outer robe and, seeing the bruise on the wound, anxiously whispered, “This servant will find a way to send a message to the Eldest Young Master and the Seventh Young Master to let them know…”
“No need.” Xue Sui took the trauma ointment, her tone calm.
“If Li Zhao wanted my life, he could have stood by and watched on the Imperial Street. Why wait until now?”
Jinshu’s lips moved slightly, wanting to say something, but it finally turned into a sigh.
The Young Lady had her own judgment, and most of the time she didn’t need her to interject.
But the current situation made her truly uneasy.
The pressure from the Eastern Palace was everywhere, and the Crown Prince was no longer the same Crown Prince who was once troubled by the love gu.
If he hated her deeply because of the love silk gu incident and truly intended to kill her, how would she cope?
Cold sweat beaded on Jinshu’s palms. She exchanged a glance with Xiao Zhao, who was standing on the other side, and prepared for the worst.
Xue Sui, however, remained composed, slowly picking up the powdered medicine and letting it fall onto the wound with unhurried movements.
“Since I am here, I will accept it. Let’s wait and see.”
Her voice was indifferent, as if she were in the monastic room of Shui Yue Nunnery.
Only the slight furrow of her brow betrayed the discomfort of the wound.
At noon, after finishing the vegetarian meal, it began to rain.
At first, it was just a few sparse drops, but soon they formed thin lines, weaving into a gray curtain of rain that washed the verdant bamboo forest even more bleakly cold…
Xue Sui sat by the window.
She suddenly realized that this window faced a corner of the villa.
In that silent corner, the three “love silk flowers” she had personally planted had all grown vigorously. At this season, when plants were gradually retracting, these flowers grew against the trend, blooming profusely…
So it really did bloom.
Flowers she had never seen in the Old Mausoleum Swamp were now quietly blooming in the autumn of the Crown Prince’s villa…
She rose in a daze.
——
The Duke of Zheng’s mansion, a century of glory, collapsed in an instant.
On the Imperial Street, in front of all the people, Crown Prince Li Zhao apprehended Guo Zhaohuai, the legitimate eldest grandson of the Duke of Zheng, with thunderous methods, and ordered Duke Zheng Guo Pi to confine himself for reflection. This action was no different from dropping a world-shattering thunderclap in the seemingly peaceful Shangjing City.
The news spread like wings, instantly flying to every corner of the capital city.
In Zichen Hall, Wang Chengxi removed the cold ginseng soup from the imperial desk, his movements so light they were almost silent, and he dared not look at the Emperor’s solemn face.
“The Crown Prince dealt with Guo Pi on the street, he has quite the nerve,” Emperor Chong Zhao pushed the memorial on the imperial desk aside, his knuckles tapping lightly on the edge of the desk, making a thudding sound.
“This rotten wood of the Guo family is decaying at just the right time.”
He looked up at Wang Chengxi, “Issue an imperial decree ordering the patrol and secret agents to closely monitor the movements in the capital city starting today. Regardless of whether it is true or false, big or small, report everything you hear to me for perusal…”
“Your Majesty.” Wang Chengxi bowed his head in assent, adding with downcast eyes.
“Elder Xiao is waiting outside the hall, saying he has an important matter to report…”
Emperor Chong Zhao’s eyelids did not lift as he picked up a vermilion brush from the desk and casually sketched on the memorial.
“I know what he wants to say. It’s nothing more than the rabbit dies, the fox suffers, pleading for me to protect the Guo family’s reputation. Hmph, let him wait.”
Outside the hall.
Xiao Song, dressed in his court attire, stood at the foot of the white marble steps, his face anxious.
“Prime Minister.” The eunuch pushed open the door and said in a low voice, “His Majesty is currently in a rage, and will be meeting the Crown Prince later… Prime Minister, perhaps you should return to your mansion and wait for an opportunity to see His Majesty, so as not to incur His Majesty’s wrath.”
Xiao Song sighed deeply and retreated dejectedly.
A white-haired old advisor followed him. He hurried two steps forward and said in a low voice, “The Crown Prince’s thunderous methods this time are likely aimed at the Xiao family. With the Duke of Zheng’s mansion fallen, we will likely be next… His Majesty’s attitude is also unclear; he might be using the Guo family to warn others…”
“Silence!” Xiao Song sharply interrupted, sweeping his robe sleeve. “His Majesty relies on the Xiao clan as his backbone, and has bestowed such great favor! Do not speculate rashly.”
Although he said this, he couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine when he thought about what happened on the Imperial Street.
He suddenly stopped and turned to his trusted advisor, lowering his voice.
“A few days ago, the head palace maid from Consort Xiao Xiu’s palace sent a message saying that the gilded bronze crane enshrined in the Empress Dowager’s side hall had its neck sinking due to the base settling, causing the gilding to peel off and turning green, which looked inauspicious. Is this true?”
The advisor bowed. “This is indeed true. Consort Xiu is most considerate, saying she feared it might affect the Empress Dowager’s health and wished to show filial piety to the Empress Dowager…”
A sharp glint flashed in Xiao Song’s cloudy old eyes.
“Quickly find a skilled craftsman, and be sure to find a piece of excellent yellow brass. Cast a new one in the same style and send it to Ci An Hall.”
–
Twilight crept onto the glazed roof beasts at the eaves.
The gilded bronze crane in Ci An Hall had indeed sunk slightly, its gilding peeling off to reveal the bronze.
Empress Dowager Cheng Qing was most superstitious about feng shui omens, auspiciousness and ill fortune, and she stared at it with uneasy eyes.
“The Crown Prince has indeed improved since returning from the Western Frontier.”
“Your Ladyship speaks truly.” Xiao Qing’er, in a vibrant palace gown, approached gracefully and offered a cup of hot tea.
“It’s just that his methods are perhaps a bit too cruel. Duke Zheng is, after all, a veteran of two reigns, and the Duchess of Zheng also comes from Your Ladyship’s maternal family…”
She did not finish her sentence, but her unspoken meaning was clear.
The Empress Dowager took the teacup without looking back, her well-maintained face showing no hint of joy or anger.
“What do you know?”
Empress Dowager Cheng Qing, an old fox who had cultivated for a thousand years, how could she not know what Xiao Qing’er was plotting? Her daily solicitous service and morning and evening greetings were all for the glory of the Xiao clan. Her words at this moment were clearly an attempt to sow discord.
However, she already harbored dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince due to the matter of Prince Wei.
So her eyes darkened, and she took a sip of tea.
“The Guo family themselves put their necks on the chopping block; they cannot blame others for the swiftness of the blade.”
“Your Ladyship.” Xiao Qing’er sidled closer, using a silver hairpin to stir the incense ash in the burner, her gaze cautiously glancing at Empress Dowager Cheng Qing’s exquisitely made-up face.
“The Crown Prince showed no mercy, trampling the Guo family’s dignity underfoot. This clearly shows he does not regard Your Ladyship with respect…”
Empress Dowager Cheng Qing put down the teacup and glanced at her, saying nothing more.
At this moment, a palace servant parted the curtain at the door and entered, approaching quietly.
“Reporting to Your Ladyship, Eunuch Zhang from Zichen Hall just came to convey that His Majesty is hosting a banquet in Lin De Hall tonight to celebrate the Crown Prince. All the consorts are to attend the banquet, and Your Ladyship is specially invited to grace it with your presence…”
“I told you so,” Xiao Qing’er’s face could not hide her jealousy and resentment, her voice sweet yet sharp.
“With the Crown Prince returning with such great merit this time, he is likely using this opportunity to establish his authority…”
Empress Dowager Cheng Qing pushed the teacup to the side of the desk, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes twitching, as if talking to herself.
“Do you know who is most panicked by the downfall of the Duke of Zheng’s mansion?”
Xiao Qing’er was startled and instinctively tightened her grip on her silk handkerchief.
“It’s, it’s this concubine’s maternal family…”
“It’s His Majesty.” The Empress Dowager’s voice suddenly lowered, carrying a knowing smile that pierced through worldly affairs.
“The Crown Prince fought with bloodlust in the Western Frontier, holding the Imperial Sword, supported by the six armies. His prestige is at its peak. Having just returned to the capital, he dealt with the Duke of Zheng first. If he is allowed to bring down the Xiao family next, the Eastern Palace will hold sole power, and His Majesty is perfectly aware of this…”
She paused and took out a broken-tailed jade pendant from her sleeve—
The jade was carved in a peculiar style, with a gecko climbing on it, its tail broken from the middle.
“When the Former Emperor was alive, and I had just entered the imperial harem, I was often ostracized and bullied by the other consorts. The Former Emperor saw that I was always dispirited and gave me this jade as a gift.”
The Empress Dowager handed the jade pendant to the old nanny standing beside her.
“Tell the Emperor that when I saw this jade pendant, I thought of the Former Emperor, and my heart ached terribly. I fear I cannot attend the Crown Prince’s welcome banquet tonight… Ask the Emperor to be understanding of this old bone of mine…”
