The sky was ablaze like fire, and the summer trees were lush and green.
In mid-summer, after a night of rain, the sky over the capital city suddenly boiled with heat, the ground scorched, and the war in the south was also in full swing.
One victory report after another arrived in the capital by fast horse. After more than half a month of stalemate, the Duke of Zhenguo’s army finally gained a narrow victory, forcing Prince Xingnan’s forces to retreat to Yongchang Prefecture, starting a new round of tug-of-war.
On the battlefield, thousands of soldiers clashed, drums of war resounded.
The people of the capital, upon hearing the victory news, were jubilant, as if they had already foreseen the coming victory.
No one knew that whether the Duke of Zhenguo lost or won, it would be dangerous for the imperial city.
A secret letter from Yongchang Prefecture made its way into Xie Subai’s hands. After reading it, his expression remained indifferent.
Shen Qingli said, “Prince Xingnan is retreating steadily, and his forces are at the end of their strength. This letter is a plea for help. The Duke of Zhenguo does not have enough troops to encircle Prince Xingnan from both sides. According to the letter, he has far more troops hidden in Yunyang than we estimated… Should we intervene?”
After all, it would be easier for them to deal with Prince Xingnan attacking the capital than the Duke of Zhenguo.
Xie Subai toyed with the lid of his teacup, “Useless thing. I gave him such a great advantage, yet he couldn’t grasp it. What’s the use of keeping him around?”
Shen Qingli choked back his words and said nothing more.
He looked at Xie Subai’s calm demeanor but knew that the situation wasn’t so simple.
The matter with Xiao Cheng was outside their plans. If Xiao Cheng ended up leading his troops back to the capital, even Xie Subai couldn’t be sure of capturing him. That’s why he considered Ji Yuluo’s proposal—because it would gain Huo Xian and Prince Ning’s support.
Their entry into the capital had been too hasty.
After so many years of planning and control, they hadn’t had time to fully raise the tiger that was Prince Xingnan before releasing him to attack. The outcome was naturally unpredictable.
It shouldn’t have been so rushed. It shouldn’t have…
Shen Qingli looked at Xie Subai’s pale face and could only sigh in regret.
Xie Subai seemed unaware, lost in thought as he stared at the long street outside the window.
This street led to the palace gates, and not far ahead was the government office. It was the route from the imperial palace to the Huo residence, and he had often seen Huo Xian riding past here.
Sometimes, he could also see Ji Yuluo.
He reached out and touched the tightly closed flower window.
Outside, the heat waves surged.
But his body didn’t allow him to open the window.
—
Emperor Shun’an received the good news, and his heart, which had been suspended for more than a month, finally settled down with a trembling relief.
These past days, the cabinet had been meeting frequently, sighing one by one, as if once Duke of Zhenguo couldn’t hold Jiujiang Prefecture and retreated to the north, the capital would fall.
This caused him to have nightmares for more than a month, dreaming of himself falling from the high dragon throne and being thrown down the ninety-nine steps of white jade outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, smashing into a pulp. He woke up every night in a cold sweat.
Now, upon receiving the victory report, he sprang up from his seat in joy, laughing so hard he couldn’t close his mouth. He rolled the military report into a tube and repeatedly tapped it against his palm, saying, “Good! Good! Duke of Zhenguo is indeed brave and worthy of his title!”
An attendant smiled and said, “Congratulations, Your Majesty. This is due to Your Majesty’s immense fortune, which protects the people of our Great Yong.”
“Yes, yes!” Shunan laughed heartily, pacing back and forth in front of the desk, his fat body trembling. As if struck by a sudden thought, he abruptly stopped and ordered, “Now that the danger is temporarily averted, I should personally go to the Temple of Jiuzhen to pray for the soldiers on the front line, to protect the prosperity of our Great Yong.”
Shunan Emperor’s words were commands, and the Jinyiwei and the Imperial Guards quickly received orders to escort and set up defenses. Everyone knew that Shunan Emperor was fed up with being confined in the palace and was looking for an excuse to go out. The Temple of Jiuzhen was an imperial temple, practically another imperial palace. A trip there could easily last ten days to half a month, and it would be hard to persuade him to return to the palace. There was precedent for this, but this time his excuse was too fitting for the cabinet to find a reason to refuse. They had to accept it and draft a list of accompanying ministers to present.
Prayers had their own rituals and required both men and women. Thus, they had to arrange for concubines and wives of officials to accompany. The wives of officials knew this was not a good duty and tried to avoid it, but within the palace, it caused a storm of competition.
Ji Yuluo was polishing a frosted hairpin. This hairpin hadn’t seen blood for a long time, but she still kept the habit of cleaning it daily.
She asked, “So how many concubines are accompanying?”
Huo Xian was washing his hands beside her. He had just returned from the palace, dusty and weary. He glanced at her hairpin and said, “Six, after repeated reductions.”
Ji Yuluo responded with an “Oh,” and asked, “Is Consort Xi going too?”
“She’s on the list,” Huo Xian said. “You seem to care about her.”
Ji Yuluo said, “Among the concubines, she’s the only one I’ve interacted with. I’ve used her a few times before, which wasn’t fair to her.”
Huo Xian took his hands out of the washbasin, took the towel handed to him by a maid, and was wiping his hands. Upon hearing this, he slowed his movements and glanced at her sideways, clearly skeptical that she would feel guilty.
Sure enough, the next moment, Huo Xian’s still wet hand was grabbed.
The towel was taken from his palm, and the woman’s delicate hand held his, wiping away the droplets bit by bit. She said, “I heard that the Temple of Jiuzhen is like an imperial palace, and prayers require the presence of women?”
Huo Xian squinted his eyes. His hands had been dried, and the maidservant carrying the washbasin retreated. He asked, “What are you up to?”
Ji Yuluo replied innocently, “Didn’t I already say? I feel guilty towards Consort Xi.”
Huo Xian snorted, snatching the handkerchief from her hand and wiping away the remaining droplets between his fingers. “Not telling the truth, huh?”
He got up and walked towards the dining hall, saying, “I won’t take you with me.”
To be honest, he certainly didn’t want to take Ji Yuluo along.
This person never had good intentions and never did anything without a reason. Whatever she was scheming was bound to cause trouble.
Ji Yuluo followed behind, stepping into the dining hall together.
Biwu instructed the servants to bring the dishes, and secretly handed a box of sweets to Chaolu, who then leaned against the pillar outside the door, happily eating near the birdcage.
On the other hand, Nanyue stood with a stern face. His sword had been taken by Chaolu, and his master did not stand up for him. Now, every time he saw Chaolu, he felt a pang in his heart.
When the dishes were served, Ji Yuluo said, “I want to meet Xiao Yuanjing. You know, Ji Xianyu almost discussed marriage with Xiao Yuanjing a while ago. Lin Chan obstructed it in every possible way because she had heard that the previous generation of the Xiao family had an illegitimate child. The current Lady Xiao had an affair with that illegitimate child, but I couldn’t find any solid information. Moreover, this Xiao Yuanjing is somewhat unusual, but my people haven’t found any clues about him.”
Huo Xian finally believed her.
Ji Yuluo placed a piece of meat in his bowl and asked, “I’ll investigate quietly, it won’t cause you any trouble.”
Then, she touched him gently and said softly, “Lord Huo, please.”
“Cough, cough—” The piece of meat nearly choked Huo Xian. He took a sip of soup and glanced at her. “Shouldn’t you be holding a knife to my neck right now, threatening that if I don’t comply, you’ll kill me?”
Ji Yuluo looked at him and said, “Is that what you want? I didn’t know Lord Huo had such unique tastes. Well then—Biwu, go to the kitchen and fetch a knife.”
“Ah?” Biwu froze in place, bewildered. Seeing both Ji Yuluo and Huo Xian laughing, she realized it was a joke and sighed with relief, then quietly left after serving the dishes.
With no one else in the hall, Ji Yuluo rested her chin in her hand and looked at Huo Xian. He, unable to bear her gaze, finally relented and said, “I’ll have Nanyue follow you. Whatever you do, wherever you go, you must report to me. Don’t be fooled by the Emperor’s apparent ignorance; it’s not that easy to act under the Emperor’s nose.”
After speaking, he put down his chopsticks and said, “Come here.”
Ji Yuluo raised her eyebrows slightly and sat next to him as instructed.
Just when she thought Huo Xian had something secret to tell her, he brought a piece of fish to her lips and rubbed her back, saying, “What have you been busy with these past few days, getting so thin?”
Ji Yuluo was stunned for a moment before lowering her head and opening her mouth.
Outside the window, Biwu anxiously watched the candy in Chaolu’s hand. The candy had already been crushed by Chaolu, who seemed unaware, frowning as she stared at the two people leaning close together inside.
After a while, under Biwu’s persistent questioning, Chaolu finally spoke sulkily, “I feel that Miss likes that Huo guy more than me. She doesn’t take me with her anymore.”
Uh.
Biwu didn’t know how to comfort her. She casually ruffled Chaolu’s hair, then looked at Nanyue, whose eyes were vacant. “Brother Nanyue, what’s wrong with you now?”
Nanyue took a deep breath and turned his back, his tone more aggrieved, “Nothing.”
