Bai Yuan suddenly turned around, gently bending down to ask Qin Chang Ge, “Are you cold?”
Qin Chang Ge listlessly shook her head—cold, heart-cold, you’re really boring.
Today Bai Yuan finally showed mercy, no longer painting Qin Chang Ge with the Ruhua makeup. Instead, he directly fitted her with a mask to disguise her as a young male servant. The mask was extremely exquisite and difficult to distinguish. Lord National Advisor still wouldn’t give up, boldly fastening her with a belt made of small wooden blocks strung together, then covering it with robes. That belt was incredibly thick, immediately turning Qin Chang Ge’s slender waist into a barrel waist of uniform thickness from top to bottom.
Of all human curves, the waist was the most obvious feature. Once the waist curve was changed, it would immediately cause mistaken judgment.
This Lord National Advisor apparently not only wrote good articles and governed countries well, but also made excellent carpentry.
Gently stroking her wooden belt, Bai Yuan’s smile was profound as he said lightly, “Behave with it. Don’t think about tampering with it, or you’ll definitely regret it.”
Qin Chang Ge looked down at that thing, running her fingers over the wooden blocks, revealing a bitter smile.
The two went ashore and headed straight up the mountain. Bai Yuan didn’t pause, walking directly toward a colorful silk pavilion. This pavilion was especially different from others—because of the imperial presence today, others had single-colored brocade tents to show respectful solemnity. Though magnificent, they were dignified and inconspicuous. But this pavilion was made entirely of Huainan Smoky Brocade, with large, enchanting red mandala flowers on a pale silver background. The umbrella-like drooping mandala flower hearts were all embroidered with gold thread, while the straight mandala stems were inlaid with water jade. When wind passed through the pavilion, the smoky brocade shimmered with flowing light, mandalas swayed bewitchingly, and gold thread and water jade scattered brilliant colors, so dazzlingly gorgeous it hurt the eyes. The surrounding colorful tents and brocade pavilions immediately paled in comparison.
Inside the colorful tent was even more luxurious, with snow-white tiger skin rugs covering the floor completely, jade tables and golden vases, brocade screens and ancient qins. Behind the table and before the qin sat a lightly dressed beauty.
Seeing Bai Yuan enter, the beauty gently raised her moth eyebrows, a flash of joy crossing her face. However, seeing he was also intimately holding someone’s hand, her expression immediately darkened. She lowered her eyebrows, stood up, and gracefully curtsied.
Qin Chang Ge appreciatively examined this woman with snow-white skin, cherry lips, crystal flesh, and jade bones, praising inwardly: Delicate! Elegant! Exquisite! Noble! Feminine! This is what you call a beauty!
She suddenly remembered how idle people had once called her and Dongyan’s Queen Liu Wanlan the “Peerless Twin Beauties,” and when comparing their appearances and temperaments had said: Xiliang’s Empress was clear and beautiful, using gentle methods to accomplish kingly hegemony, her aura like the King Asura orchid atop divine mountains; Dongyan’s Queen was delicate and soft, becoming a sagely female ruler through peerless talent, her elegance like the celestial maiden’s water lily in heavenly pools.
The woman before her somewhat matched the legendary description of that water lily-like female ruler.
Of course, this definitely wouldn’t be Liu Wanlan herself. Reportedly, Bai Yuan had always been very protective of Queen Liu—how could he possibly let her travel far to enemy territory and place herself in danger?
Qin Chang Ge watched Bai Yuan’s expression with great interest. Earlier, the moment she had seen that woman, his vacant eyes had shown slight joy, as if seeing through her peerless beauty to other things he had long treasured. However, this expression flashed by, and when he looked at the woman again, he had already returned to his original calm casualness.
He smiled as he sat beside the woman, laughing, “What flower did you take?”
The beauty pointed to a wild rose on the table.
The Spring Competition Festival had a custom of taking flowers for poetry. The ladies each took a fresh flower from within the imperial tent, using it as a sign. The perfumed papers sent outside the tent were accompanied by this flower and prefixed with the lady’s surname. For example, a Miss Yao who took a wild rose would be called “Yao Wei.” This also prevented revealing given names, as most who came for the festival were daughters of Xiliang’s great families.
Qin Chang Ge looked at the attached note, which bore the character “Yun,” knowing the woman’s surname was Yun.
At this time, most families’ refined ladies had arrived, and Li Mountain’s peak was full of people. Three golden gongs sounded—the ceremonial eunuch announced the grand gathering’s beginning. It started with the usual flowery official proclamation, probably some steady, ornate formulaic article by some old Hanlin scholar, then explained that this time the imperial family was celebrating with the people. Attending ladies and scholars need not be restrained. Later, the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince would personally descend to observe poems and respond to topics, so everyone should fully display their talents, and so on.
Immediately some people rubbed their hands together, hoping their poetry and articles would be selected by the Emperor and Empress, instantly allowing them to rise like fish leaping through dragon gates. This was even simpler and more elegant than taking imperial examinations! Others began seriously considering—today was reportedly to celebrate the Crown Prince’s birthday? The Crown Prince’s preferences mattered most, right? What kind of poem should they write to please the Crown Prince and similarly achieve success and wealth?
So ladies passed perfumed papers and scholars added ink and fragrance everywhere, with continuous sounds of joy and laughter. But Bai Yuan was unhurried, leaning against the brocade table, toying with the delicate wild rose in his palm. Suddenly he smiled and gently crushed the flower between his fingertips.
The flower was the Spring Competition Festival’s admission ticket—without it, one couldn’t participate. Facing their astonished expressions, Bai Yuan said carelessly, “Must we do whatever others do? Qing Die, I’ll speak, you write.”
The woman called Qing Die softly agreed. She heard Bai Yuan recite without thinking in melodious tones: “Precious rainbow garments, fragrant smoke cage, dense and sparse mixed among green clusters. Let moving clouds chase flying feathers, exhaust this delicate flower scattering light red, naturally born with countless brocade thorns, only for not breaking in frivolity.”
He attached another smaller paper note reading: “Why must there be heavenly fragrance and color? Only respecting poetic elegance. Whoever can guess what flower this young lady took may become a guest in the tent for poetry and harmony—wouldn’t that be delightful?”
Then he waved his hand: “Send it out.”
The attending maid hung out the poem. A perfumed paper without an attached flower was indeed conspicuous, immediately attracting a large group of literati who shook their heads and pondered this novel poetry riddle, guessing what flower it could be.
Others stared at that small note with strange gleams in their eyes—this sentence contained frivolous attitude within elegance, with flirtatious and teasing implications, not the work of an ordinary well-bred lady. They wondered what kind of background this woman in the tent had.
Qin Chang Ge watched the grand scene outside the tent, understanding inwardly that Bai Yuan was deliberately trying to attract attention and draw the Xiliang imperial family’s notice, thus approaching his pavilion. She just didn’t know who his target was.
Her fingers clasped in her palm, also waiting for the arrival of Xiao Jue, Feihuan, and others.
“Hey, did my stinky mama really come today?” Baozi had already asked this question ten times today.
Xiao Jue just listened to guards’ continuous reports. From the fifth repetition onward, his patience had been completely worn down by his son, and he was too lazy to acknowledge him.
But Chu Feihuan always had patience with Baozi. He looked up from the mountain of various Huang Meng intelligence reports, patted Baozi’s big head, and smiled: “Your mama came. Though I still don’t know exactly where she is, I feel she’s nearby.”
He casually helped Baozi smooth his small brocade robe that had wrinkled into a ball after half a day, shaking his head: “Rong’er, your robe is really beautiful.”
“Beautiful, right?” Baozi immediately forgot his worries, grinning proudly and even turning like a model to show off his bold robe. As his fat ball-like little body spun, the multicolored small robe spread out, making people dizzy.
Xiao Jue stared at that robe for a long while before finally covering his head and turning away—forget it, out of sight, out of mind.
What kind of robe was that? That was a leopard.
More garish than a leopard.
On deep red brocade were embroidered large and small flowers, hundreds of them—peach blossoms, cherry blossoms, pear blossoms, apricot blossoms, wild roses, fairy clouds, paulownia flowers, plum blossoms, chrysanthemums, spring-welcoming flowers… red, green, yellow, purple, white, blue in heaps of colors. The collar was boldly embroidered with a line of text: “Don’t step on roadside wildflowers!”
The hem was embroidered with: “Though famous flowers have owners, I’ll come loosen the soil!”
Chu Feihuan originally hadn’t paid attention to these chaotic embroidered characters. Seeing them now, he couldn’t help gasping and murmuring: “Rong’er, your clothes are too outrageous. There are many Xiliang citizens outside—seeing this would damage the country’s dignity. Can you change?”
“Can’t,” Baozi shook his head defiantly. “Walk the awesome path, let the idiots talk!”
Turning to see his godfather’s speechless expression, he quickly smiled and patted him consolingly: “Godfather, you don’t know—this outfit was custom-made to be this beautiful. Youtiao’er told me that anyone who sees such beautiful clothes but isn’t surprised or tempted to bang their head against the wall must be my mama.”
…
Xiao Jue and Chu Feihuan exchanged glances. Xiao Jue turned to the woman sitting timidly in the corner of the imperial tent: “Let’s go.”
Frowning at the woman’s timid stance as she stood up, Xiao Jue said: “Straighten your back! Lift your eyes, smile! Why can’t you even smile?”
The woman was frightened by his sudden anger and stepped back, her delicate hands gripping the brocade tent behind her. On a face strikingly similar to the previous life’s Ruiyi, tears were already welling in her eyes. Xiao Jue immediately barked: “Don’t cry! How can you go out with swollen eyes?”
The woman was even more frightened but forcibly held back her tears, her face pale and lips trembling constantly. Chu Feihuan signaled for Baozi to comfort the woman, frowning at Xiao Jue: “Your Majesty, if you frighten this lady, she’ll perform even worse later.”
Xiao Jue took a breath, remaining stubbornly silent. He knew this principle himself, but after days of fruitlessly searching for Chang Ge, he was nearly driven mad by inner worry and anxiety. Every night he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. When he closed his eyes, the Changle demon fire from years past pressed before his eyes. In the demon fire, palaces collapsed and Chang Ge died miserably, or Chang Ge desperately reached toward him from pools of blood while he struggled to reach her but never could. Just when their fingertips were only a hair’s breadth apart, Chang Ge would suddenly be sucked into a black hole before his eyes, and he would wake from his cry, drenched in sweat, seeing only Zhangzhang Palace’s lonely, empty dome and flickering, dying lamplight.
Having lost once made him fear losing again even more.
Remembering those nightmares, he became somewhat absent-minded, suddenly turning to ask Chu Feihuan: “Master Chu, I remember you entered Changle Palace when the incident occurred. Can you tell me how Chang Ge… died?”
Chu Feihuan’s expression darkened, pain in his eyes. After a long while: “Haven’t you asked?”
Xiao Jue smiled bitterly: “She wouldn’t say.”
Chu Feihuan was shaken, then looked up and sighed deeply. After a long time: “Don’t ask. Not knowing is happier than knowing. She means well—let’s both honor that.”
But Xiao Jue said resolutely: “I will know eventually! I will repay blood debt with blood!”
Chu Feihuan looked at him deeply, smiled bitterly, and said: “Let’s find her first.”
Three golden gongs sounded. Brocade tents parted lightly as Emperor and Empress emerged together from behind the curtains. Xiliang’s scholars, who had been waiting, immediately fell prostrate with mountain-like shouts. On the high platform, Xiao Jue in dragon robes and golden crown waved to indicate they should rise, carrying the purple-clad, pearl-crowned woman beside him who covered her face with half a silk veil as they slowly descended.
Xiliang’s scholars were excited—Ah! The Empress’s return! The grand event of Xiliang’s Emperor and Empress appearing together before the world after five years of separation, and we’re fortunate to witness it first—such fortune couldn’t be cultivated in several lifetimes!
The crowd surged like a tide but was firmly blocked by the strictly guarded Imperial Guards.
Today Xiao Jue came prepared. Three thousand Imperial Guards attended the mountain, while the Shan Du Battalion established defenses all the way down the mountain. All boats on Li Water were taken over by the military. Many people on the mountain dressed as civilians were actually court personnel.
Originally, Yu Zixi was training troops at the West Camp and had volunteered for escort and defense duties, but Xiao Jue, concerned that the capital’s defenses couldn’t be depleted, didn’t deploy his forces.
A heaven’s net, sworn to ensure those who entered would never return.
Below the high platform, the dignified and noble Emperor and Empress talked and smiled pleasantly as they walked together, occasionally stopping before certain brocade tents to comment on poetry. The little Crown Prince, dressed like a flower butterfly, ran around everywhere, causing chaos wherever he went. At each brocade tent, the women inside would bow through the curtains. Being young and uninhibited, the Crown Prince often rushed directly inside under eunuch and guard protection, hugging the young ladies while shouting how beautiful and fragrant they were. After taking advantage and showing off his birthday robe in circles to the ladies, he would gloriously exit, leaving them disheveled with scattered hairpins and lipstick eaten clean.
Each time he exited, Baozi would lose his previous cheerful manner, looking somewhat dejected. Youtiao’er quickly handed over a brocade handkerchief for the Crown Prince to wipe the various lipsticks and rouge from his face, while pitifully looking at his master and thinking the master would probably consume a pound of pig grease today.
After cleaning off the lipstick, Baozi would rally his spirits to continue cheerfully to the next brocade tent, maintaining an indomitable attitude of bouncing back no matter what.
Most of the brocade tents had been visited. Each time Baozi emerged, he looked dejected, while the inner court masters disguised as eunuchs gently shook their heads at Xiao Jue and Chu Feihuan.
Xiao Jue’s expression didn’t change as he continued walking slowly, but Chu Feihuan had already directed his gaze toward that particularly gorgeous mandala-colored tent with especially many scholars outside.
Meeting Xiao Jue’s gaze, Xiao Jue immediately took the fake empress toward that pavilion.
Imperial Guards, Shan Du Battalion masters, and inner court expert ministers immediately took their positions, intentionally or unintentionally separating unrelated people and tightening the encirclement.
Inside the tent, Yun Qing Die unhurriedly put on her face mask while Bai Yuan smiled and pulled Qin Chang Ge close, bending to whisper in her ear: “The good show is about to begin. Are you happy?”
Qin Chang Ge smiled as she looked at him, pointing to a line of wild geese flying across the sky: “Husband, look at those geese—how magnificently they fly.”
Bai Yuan paused, thinking before confidently understanding: “You’re envying their freedom?”
Qin Chang Ge smiled and shook her head: “Look, spring has come and the geese are flying north, sometimes forming a ‘b’ shape, sometimes a ‘t’ shape—what a bt life…”
Bai Yuan looked at her for a long while, then suddenly smiled: “If it weren’t… I really would… what a pity.”
Qin Chang Ge answered charmingly: “If it weren’t… I also really would… what a pity.”
Yun Qing Die listened to their rambling conversation with an expression of wanting to faint, while the depths of Qin Chang Ge and Bai Yuan’s eyes showed mutual understanding and regretful sympathy.
They should have been the same type of people, the kind whose souls most easily harmonized, those who should have become spiritual confidants in the vast sea of humanity. Yet because of their opposing identities and positions, they had to stand on different sides, using every possible means against each other.
Outside the brocade tent, Xiliang’s heavy encirclement; inside the tent, Qin Chang Ge’s belt contained enough good things to kill her a thousand times in an instant.
Qin Chang Ge had already figured out that Bai Yuan’s fearless solo ascent of the mountain indeed had backing—that backing was her.
Bai Yuan should have already confirmed that as long as she was in his hands, she could counter thousands of troops.
As for Bai Yuan’s targets, they were naturally the Xiliang Emperor and Empress.
These past two years, as Xiliang began its world-conquering hegemony after recuperating and awaiting the right moment, conquering continuously, all nations trembled uneasily. After conquering parts of Northern Wei territory and Nanmin, Xiliang’s territory had formed a semi-encirclement around Dongyan. Dongyan’s national power was originally weak—if not for Bai Yuan stabilizing that territory after becoming National Advisor through dedicated governance, Dongyan would have been annexed by Northern Wei long ago. Even so, if the future’s strongest nation Xiliang were to march eastward, Dongyan would definitely be unable to stand alone. Reportedly, Dongyan had already secretly contacted Northern Wei’s court seeking alliance.
Qin Chang Ge guessed that the envoy seeking alliance with Northern Wei was probably Lord National Advisor himself, though for some unknown reason, he had detoured to Yingdu.
At the Spring Competition Festival, brocade tents were splendid, but inside and outside the tents, killing intent was ready to explode.
Outside the tent, Xiao Jue looked at that perfumed paper and laughed aloud: “Dense-thorned stems, feathery leaves—this is clearly a wild rose.”
Below immediately came a chorus of admiration. Xiao Jue smiled again, his gaze turning like a famous sword, brilliant and sharp as he extended his hand: “Bring me a brush!”
Scholars cried out in unison, envying the fortune of the person in the brocade tent. His Majesty was going to personally respond! Which family’s daughter was this? She was probably going to become Imperial Consort!
Some people secretly glanced at the mysterious Empress standing beside His Majesty, who had been smiling silently, with expressions of watching a good show.
Xiao Jue smiled: “Since I’ve guessed the flower, I should naturally offer poetry to honor the beauty. However, I’ve always been a military man with weak literary skills. So, I’ll make a fool of myself.”
Without thinking, he freely wrote on gold-threaded jade paper, finishing in one stroke.
A eunuch stepped forward and unrolled the paper.
“Cut the Five Lakes to make brocade shoes, tailor the Four Seas into silk garments. Don’t abandon this lady for lacking national beauty—uniquely outstanding, the world’s first branch!”
The poetry wasn’t particularly refined, and seemed to praise the woman in the tent quite highly. However, its spirit was magnificently grand, truly imperial penmanship. Everyone hastily praised it while enviously looking at the brocade tent, thinking the woman praised by the Emperor as “uniquely outstanding in the world” had truly extraordinary fortune.
Some wondered—His Majesty hadn’t yet seen the person in the tent, so how did he know she “lacked national beauty”? How could he praise her to such heights?
But Chu Feihuan looked at Xiao Jue meaningfully, knowing he was using poetry to express feelings. This flower referred to Chang Ge—willing to use the Five Lakes as her brocade shoes and Four Seas as her silk garments. Though lacking national beauty, she was first in the world. This was his complete heartfelt praise for Chang Ge.
Inside the brocade tent, Bai Yuan glanced at the paper scroll handed in, smiled slightly, and whispered in Qin Chang Ge’s ear: “Xiao Jue really values you—even saying ‘uniquely outstanding, the world’s first branch.’ However, I think you truly deserve it. You really are excellent… Zhao Moyan, Grand Tutor Zhao.”
Qin Chang Ge’s eyes flowed charmingly as she said sweetly: “Thank you for the praise, Bai Yuan, National Advisor Bai.”
Looking at her with some regret, Bai Yuan said: “I never thought the head-severing Grand Tutor who dominated Xiliang and became famous throughout the world, the strong promoter of Xiliang’s attacks on other countries, the formidable person ranked first on various nations’ assassination lists, would actually be a woman. I’m probably the first to discover this secret.”
Qin Chang Ge smiled: “Too kind, too kind. I never thought the extraordinarily talented Dongyan National Advisor who single-handedly turned the tide, famous throughout the world for governing the country, cultivating himself, and loving beautiful boys—Lord Bai Yuan—wouldn’t be a pure ‘cut-sleeve’ and still remembered to marry wives. I’m probably also the first to discover this secret.”
Bai Yuan laughed heartily: “Beautiful boys are for playing, wives are for marrying. Life is short—why live by those rules forever? Why can’t I taste both men and women?”
He smiled as his finger pressed down with a click: “There are eighteen wooden sections here, each containing a different killing device. The wooden blocks are progressive—the later one hits the earlier one, triggering continuously. Some of these mechanisms target you, others target people approaching you. This way you won’t have time to cause trouble, haha… Mm… I appreciate you. There aren’t many people in this world worthy of my appreciation anymore. Kill one and there’s one less—the remaining life might be quite boring. So I don’t want to actively kill you… Soon, after they come in, I’ll trigger the mechanisms one by one. Grand Tutor Zhao, whether you can save yourself and others in that brief time depends on you.”
He smiled and patted her shoulder: “If you can resolve these eighteen mechanisms before I descend the mountain, you can live… Zhao Moyan, I’m really good to you. Giving you this chance might harm myself.”
Qin Chang Ge showed him a toothy grin: “Life is very unenjoyable, but since we’re alive, we might as well viciously play it several rounds.”
Bai Yuan laughed loudly: “Good!” He turned to signal Yun Qing Die, who immediately called sweetly: “Commoner Qing Die respectfully requests Your Majesty’s health!”
Outside the tent fell quiet, then shadows quickly scattered. Sunlight fell on the brocade tent, projecting several tall shadows onto the bright red mandala flowers. The foremost shadow reached out to lift the curtain.
A line of bright light penetrated.
Just as the light reached Qin Chang Ge’s eyes, Bai Yuan flicked his finger, quickly pulling out a golden thread from the wooden blocks. Then the wooden blocks clicked and rattled.
In the sound, Yun Qing Die pounced toward Xiao Jue, extending her hand with ten fingers flashing blue-green like ghost claws, the wind whistling fiercely!
Bai Yuan grabbed her hand and lunged straight at the “Empress,” laughing loudly.
“Now, begin!”