“The interrogations of those caught attempting assassination during the day are done. They are all insignificant small fry, probably just testing the waters for someone else. Knowing that the Jinyiwei had set a trap today, the real mastermind remains patient. How does the master plan to deal with these people?”
Liyang looked at the person leaning against the corner of the table and asked.
Huo Xian had just bathed, shedding the bright red wedding attire. His dark blue long robe made him look very relaxed. He stretched his neck and said, “Peel off their skin and throw them out. The mass grave already has bodies piled high; let’s not trouble our brothers who handle the corpses any further.”
Liyang responded, his brows furrowing again.
Huo Xian had been involved in too many dirty dealings, his reputation was notorious, and he had countless enemies, enough to circle the capital. There was even a hefty bounty on his head, resulting in numerous assassination attempts. The hidden guards in his mansion were so used to it that sometimes they were even too lazy to catch them, knowing there would always be another.
Today was the perfect opportunity for an assassination during the wedding procession. The Jinyiwei anticipated an ambush and thus set up control in advance, but they hadn’t actually planned to use the bride as bait. Liyang had told Ji Yuluo that Huo Xian was held up by official duties, which was true; otherwise, protecting the bride in the chaos would have been much harder.
However…
Liyang recalled the scene and said cautiously, “During the fight today, it seemed someone helped us. I was unable to find out who it was.”
Huo Xian paused slightly while massaging his neck, wiped his hands with a cloth, and asked about another matter: “Any progress on the Yunyang case?”
Liyang said, “We’ve sent people to investigate Yunyang, but it’s an old case, and reopening it isn’t easy. Such assassinations of government officials usually stem from some grievance, with the victim seeking revenge. The then-governor, Wang Yang, was in office for over ten years and handled countless cases. It will take time to investigate them all.”
Huo Xian nodded, not pressing the matter further. He threw the cloth he had wiped his hands with onto the brush holder, where it happened to be propped up by a silver hairpin shaped like frost and snow. At that moment, Nanyue arrived with the doctor.
Huo Xian looked up and asked, “How is she?”
The doctor, a physician of the household, respectfully saluted and said, “Madam’s condition isn’t as good as it appears. Her pulse is weak, and after the day’s turmoil, she was already at her limit. She must have been frightened, causing her to faint from a sudden rush of blood, but she’ll be fine after some rest.”
Huo Xian paused, “Frightened?”
The doctor hesitated before nodding in agreement.
Huo Xian didn’t speak for a moment, lost in thought. Finally, he waved his hand, dismissing everyone, indicating he intended to stay in the study for the night.
Nanyue, the doctor, and Liyang all withdrew.
Nanyue glanced back at the tightly closed door and, with one hand on Liyang’s shoulder, tutted, “Scaring his wife into fainting on their wedding night—if word gets out, it’ll surely add to his bad reputation. And when the master pleaded for the marriage from the emperor, he spoke of his deep love, insisting he wouldn’t marry anyone else. If you’re going to act, at least do it thoroughly.”
Liyang smiled, “If he really acted, he wouldn’t give others the chance to gossip.”
At dawn the next day, the inner courtyard was already bustling. Ji Yuluo opened her eyes, staring at the red canopy above her head for a moment before getting up. As her feet touched the ground, she stepped on peanuts and dates. She steadied herself and couldn’t help but recall Huo Xian’s words from the previous night.
He wanted an obedient, trouble-free wife who could cooperate with him when needed.
That was easy. She could do that.
“Hongshuang.”
Outside the screen, Hongshuang was waiting. Hearing her call, she came in to assist with washing and dressing, asking in a low voice, “Miss, did everything go well last night?”
“It went smoothly enough.” Hearing the commotion outside, Ji Yuluo asked, “What’s that noise?”
Hongshuang responded with an “oh” and said, “The concubines from the western courtyard are here to pay their respects. According to custom, they need to offer tea to the mistress. The stewardess sent them away, saying the master is waiting and you need to enter the palace to express gratitude this morning.”
The marriage between the Huo and Ji families was decreed by the emperor. It was indeed customary to enter the palace to express gratitude today. Although she had known this for some time, hearing the words “enter the palace” made Ji Yuluo’s heart skip a beat. She instinctively clenched her hand, not listening to Hongshuang lamenting about the numerous concubines in the mansion and how many cups of tea she would have to drink if they all came to offer it.
After washing and dressing, there was no sign of Huo Xian in the courtyard. Ji Yuluo asked the stewardess about Huo Xian’s whereabouts and had a maid lead her out. She paused on the steps, tilted her head in thought for a moment, and then instructed someone to prepare breakfast.
Nanyue, standing under the veranda, saw Ji Yuluo approaching and stepped down a few steps to greet her. “Madam is awake. The carriage for the palace is ready and waiting at the side gate.”
Ji Yuluo looked towards the study’s door and windows. “Isn’t my husband going with me?”
Nanyue replied, “The master has some matters to attend to and will be delayed. Please wait in the carriage for a moment.”
As long as she could enter the palace, that was good enough. Hearing this, Ji Yuluo instinctively started to turn, but looking at the food box in her hand, she softened her expression and voice, saying, “I’ll wait for my husband.”
Entering the palace this time would only allow her to get a sense of the situation. To be completely certain, she would need to find another suitable opportunity to enter the palace again. Without the excuse of expressing gratitude, she would have to rely on Huo Xian to take her there.
Huo Xian…
Yesterday, during the wedding, she didn’t pay much attention to the flattering words of others, but she did notice Huo Xian was in a good mood, indicating he enjoyed such flattery.
Just then, the door creaked open.
Ji Yuluo immediately looked up, but it wasn’t Huo Xian who emerged. Instead, it was a woman, striking in both appearance and figure, dressed in a water-blue long skirt with a snow-white jacket, making her look charming yet elegant. She raised her eyebrows in surprise upon seeing Ji Yuluo, then calmly walked over, gave a slight curtsy, and said, “I was going to pay my respects to Madam this morning, but hearing you were going to the palace to express gratitude, I thought I would have to do so another day. I didn’t expect to meet you here.”
She wasn’t just any concubine, certainly different from the others in the mansion.
Although she didn’t state her identity, Ji Yuluo immediately recognized her—Sheng Lanxin, reputedly the most favored concubine in the Huo household.
This Lady Sheng had been with Huo Xian for about three years. Three years ago, she was merely a musician in the palace.
According to Chaolu, Sheng Lanxin’s enduring favor with Huo Xian was mainly due to her saving his life. Three years ago, during a state banquet for a visiting envoy, an assassination attempt took place. Huo Xian, while protecting the emperor, was almost killed, but Sheng Lanxin, then a palace musician, took a sword for him, saving his life at the cost of almost losing her own.
Subsequently, Huo Xian requested Sheng Lanxin from Emperor Chenghe, and the emperor granted his request.
After that, many people came and went in the mansion, but Sheng Lanxin remained someone who could speak directly to Huo Xian. Yesterday, the stewardess had mentioned that the concubines from the west courtyard were not allowed in the east courtyard, but Sheng Lanxin was evidently an exception.
Ji Yuluo feigned ignorance and smiled, asking, “And this is…?”
Nanyue scratched his head, feeling awkward now that the main wife and the concubine were meeting. He forced a smile and said, “Madam, this is Lady Sheng.”
Ji Yuluo said, “So it’s Lady Sheng. Unfortunately, I am about to enter the palace to see the emperor. When I have time another day, I hope to chat with Lady Sheng.”
Sheng Lanxin smiled back, showing neither hostility nor warmth, and nodded courteously. “I won’t delay Madam and Master. Lanxin takes her leave.”
After Sheng Lanxin left, Huo Xian came out of the room.
Ji Yuluo instinctively glanced at his attire, noting it was neat.
Once in the carriage, Huo Xian didn’t mention the previous day’s events. He sipped half a cup of tea, set the cup down, and said, “If you don’t know what to say when meeting the emperor, don’t speak. If the emperor asks questions, respond as I do. Don’t say anything unnecessary. Understand?”
Ji Yuluo nodded, opened the prepared food box, took out some pastries, and pushed them in front of Huo Xian. She clenched her silk handkerchief, speaking timidly, “I understand what you said yesterday, husband. As your wife, I will follow your lead and won’t cause trouble. If I do anything wrong, please correct me.”
Huo Xian grunted in acknowledgment and glanced at her, thinking she was obedient enough.
He didn’t touch the food. Years of living on the edge had made him wary of eating anything offered by others. Ji Yuluo didn’t push, as it was merely a gesture.
It wasn’t until they reached the Fengtian Gate that she understood what Huo Xian meant by “cooperate.”
Though newly married, Huo Xian had been given three days off according to court regulations. Today, he wasn’t required to attend court, but others had to. He drove their carriage to the Fengtian Gate, blocking the path to court, and insisted on personally helping her out in full view of everyone.
Ji Yuluo handed her hand to him, her peripheral vision catching the sight of ministers in court robes stopping to watch.
Among them, she thought she saw Ji Chongwang.
A quick glance confirmed it; Ji Chongwang’s face had turned green with envy.
Huo Xian stood still, his eyes full of affection and a smile on his lips. He gently brushed the snow off Ji Yuluo’s shoulders, his usually sharp features softened by the morning light, astonishing the passing ministers.
In a low voice, Huo Xian said, “Smile.”
Ji Yuluo obediently curved her lips.
She rarely smiled, or rather, “Ji Yuyao” rarely smiled. Even when she did, it was just a slight curve of her lips, like a lady with many worries. But as she showed a bit of smile, her arms were squeezed hard. She almost twitched but managed to show a bright, vibrant smile, giving off the impression of newlywed bliss.
It was nauseatingly sweet!
The ministers walked in pairs, saying they weren’t looking but each couldn’t help but glance over, whispering to each other:
“Didn’t they say Huo Xian married the Ji family’s eldest daughter just to deal with Ji Chongwang? Why does it look real?”
“I think that Miss Ji might have genuine feelings for Huo Xian. Could it be that they’ve been secretly involved for a while?”
“She’s his legitimate daughter. How could Ji Chongwang not know about this? I don’t believe it. Some people just appear righteous but are hypocritical, preaching integrity while finding their own way out. How can such people be compared to Grand Tutor Xu?”
“The students of the Imperial Academy have been restless these days too…”
Listening from behind, Ji Chongwang’s face turned from red to green and back to red again. By the time he looked up, Huo Xian had already led Ji Yuluo away.
