Upon hearing this, Pang Xiao pushed open the carriage door and asked with a smile, “This eunuch must be someone who serves beside the Son of Heaven?”
He had many opportunities to enter and exit the imperial palace, but could only take note of those around Li Qitian. He didn’t know much about this Qiu Min, only that he looked familiar.
“Your Highness remembers correctly – this servant indeed is.” Qiu Min bowed with a face full of smiles. Whether Pang Xiao recognized him or not didn’t matter – knowing that he served beside the Emperor was already sufficient honor.
Pang Xiao smiled and said, “His Majesty has sent Minister Ma?”
“Indeed.” Qiu Min walked closer with a smile and said respectfully, “His Majesty said that with the fine weather, construction of the imperial mausoleum will continue, and the matter of escorting the Tatar Khan has been entirely entrusted to Minister Ma. This way, Your Highness and Earl Zhongyi can focus wholeheartedly on building the imperial mausoleum.”
Pang Xiao showed a moved expression as he cupped his hands toward the direction of the capital. “This subject thanks His Majesty for his consideration.”
The Empress in the other carriage also lifted her curtain. “Does His Majesty have any instructions for this palace?”
Qiu Min quickly turned to perform a grand bow to the Empress. “Your Majesty’s golden peace. His Majesty instructed this servant to serve Your Majesty and requests that Your Majesty follow Minister Ma and the Tatar Khan’s party back to the capital.”
Upon hearing this, the Empress only smiled faintly and nodded, but her heart felt as if pierced by needles.
His Majesty had issued an edict, so she must return. But she was reluctant to leave this place, reluctant to part with this freedom like floating clouds and wild cranes, and even more reluctant to leave Pang Xiao. Even if she concealed her thoughts perfectly, being able to spend more time with Pang Xiao would be wonderful.
But now, what could she do besides expressing gratitude?
“Understood. This palace will certainly act according to His Majesty’s instructions.” After the Empress spoke, she lowered the curtain.
Enough, enough. There were some things she could never accomplish, some people she could never obtain. Since there was no hope, why make things difficult for herself?
Pang Xiao ordered his subordinates to welcome Qiu Min into their group, and they all returned to Huichuan County together.
When Lu Heng saw Pang Xiao escorting the Empress back, he naturally led his family members to welcome them. That day at the other courtyard, a banquet was arranged. The Empress said, “Matters instructed by His Majesty must be accomplished with full effort. This palace will depart for the capital tomorrow. What do Prince Zhongshun and Earl Zhongyi think?”
Both Pang Xiao and Lu Heng nodded and smiled, expressing that they would follow the Empress’s instructions.
Minister Ma smiled and said, “The Empress Dowager’s birthday approaches. His Majesty’s intention is to request Your Majesty to preside over the rear palace – returning quickly would be best.”
The Empress nodded agreeably.
After the banquet, Minister Ma personally went to the courier station to notify the Tatar party that they would depart the next day.
That night everyone was busy with their own affairs, and no one slept peacefully.
The next morning, Qin Yining rose early to dress and groom herself. After hastily eating breakfast with Pang Xiao, she hurried to the city gates to respectfully see off the Empress and Si Qin’s party.
The Tatar tribute procession was lined up outside the city. Si Qin and the Khatun had already boarded their carriage.
The Empress had also boarded her carriage, sitting upright inside with a dignified expression, while Consort Zhuang had boarded the carriage behind.
Qin Yining and Bian Ruohan approached from left and right to respectfully bow.
“This subject’s wife respectfully sees off Your Majesty.”
The Empress looked down from her carriage at Qin Yining and Bian Ruohan below.
She saw that Qin Yining’s expression was calm and composed, while Bian Ruohan had a face full of forbearance, as if someone owed her something.
The Empress’s thoughts turned and she knew that Bian Ruohan still harbored resentment over past events.
At that time, she had been able to righteously keep Qin Yining by her side and criticize her and Lu Heng’s behavior from an observer’s position as utterly shameful.
But now, after the trip to Wanfo Temple, she herself had developed different thoughts, so her mindset had naturally changed. She understood what was right and what was wrong, but she also understood how difficult emotions were to control. She still had to maintain her status and propriety, yet she came to understand the matter between Lu Heng and Qin Yining.
Perhaps Lu Heng had feelings for Qin Yining, while Qin Yining was only truly devoted to Pang Xiao.
Or perhaps Qin Yining and Lu Heng had long been in secret communication. But all of this was their private affair, something they were both willing participants in. She was just an outsider – what reason did she have to interfere? Even though she was noble as an Empress, she shouldn’t take on such matters. Who could clearly judge family affairs?
The Empress pretended not to see Bian Ruohan’s resentful and angry face, and instead told Consort Zhuang, “Perhaps Earl Zhongyi’s wife is reluctant to part with you as her elder sister. How about this palace has the procession wait a moment to give you and Earl Zhongyi’s wife time to bid farewell?”
Ever since Consort Zhuang understood that she had angered the Empress last time, she had been acting cautiously and carefully, not daring to make the slightest mistake. Now that the Empress had called her out by name, she truly couldn’t be as righteously indignant as before, and hurriedly said respectfully, “Your Majesty’s compassion fills this consort with gratitude. However, if the auspicious time for returning to the capital were delayed because of matters between this consort and her cousin, this consort would truly feel uneasy. Everything should follow Your Majesty’s instructions.”
By saying this, Consort Zhuang was distancing herself from Bian Ruohan.
Bian Ruohan had originally held onto a thread of hope that when the Empress gave Consort Zhuang the authority to speak, Consort Zhuang would be able to stand up on the spot and accuse Qin Yining of being fickle in front of everyone.
But now, Consort Zhuang wasn’t thinking of her at all, wearing a cold smile to tell her, “Be well-behaved and dutiful.”
She was immediately shocked speechless.
Be well-behaved and dutiful? Did this mean she should completely endure this matter?
Could she no longer rely on clan pressure to demand severe punishment of Qin Yining?
Did this mean that when she was bullied, she could only endure it?
The wind disheveled everyone’s hair. Bian Ruohan looked dazed and shocked, her temples blown even more disheveled.
After Nanny Sun and Minister Ma exchanged a few words, the Empress’s carriages and horses began to depart. Following behind was the long Tatar tribute procession, while Minister Ma rode alongside the Empress’s carriage, speaking in low tones.
Seeing the Empress’s party depart smoothly, Lu Heng pulled Bian Ruohan to the back, no longer allowing her to speak nonsense.
Although Huichuan County was a large county with developed commerce, there weren’t many local residents. But even these few residents had gathered around, as they already knew that the rain in Huichuan County had stopped precisely because the current Empress had eaten vegetarian food and chanted Buddha’s name to pray for their blessings.
Toward such a benevolent mother of the nation, the people felt admiration in their hearts. Now they all knelt down, loudly saying things like “Long live Your Majesty, good health to Your Majesty.”
Hearing the calls, the Empress lifted the window gauze to look back. At the city gate, many people were kneeling and loudly shouting “Long live the Empress!”
Such a scene would move even a heart of stone, let alone an Empress with such a soft heart.
She was the Empress, the mother of the nation. Her every word and action represented the imperial family and reflected her upbringing.
At this moment, amid the people’s farewell calls, the Empress became even more determined about her inner boundaries. She was reluctant to leave this place because she couldn’t bear to part with the time spent with Pang Xiao, but they were destined to have no good ending. She should be more rational now – keeping some things in her heart to reminisce about for a lifetime would also be beautiful, and there was no need to be anxious about this moment.
The Empress and Si Qin’s party were escorted away from Huichuan County by Minister Ma.
Only after their figures could no longer be seen did the people disperse to their homes with various discussions.
Pang Xiao took Qin Yining’s hand back to their carriage and ordered the departure back to the mansion.
Lu Heng here was also too lazy to continue pretending harmony with his colleague Pang Xiao, and ordered his household servants, “Help Madam into the carriage and send her back to the mansion for proper care.”
Bian Ruohan’s confinement had not yet been lifted. Being able to come out to see them off this time was already a result of her earnest pleading. She had wanted to make a scene with hands on her hips in front of the Empress, but clearly, she had already lost this opportunity.
Bian Ruohan was listless and too lazy to argue further with Lu Heng, returning home quietly.
At the Prince’s mansion, Qin Yining and Pang Xiao invited Xu Weizhi and Xie Yue to the flower hall in the rear courtyard to talk.
Pang Xiao got straight to the point: “His Majesty’s meaning is that since the rain has stopped, we should begin construction of the imperial mausoleum. I am the supervisor, and whether this matter is handled well or poorly, I will have to bear the responsibility in the future. So since the rain in Huichuan County has stopped, we must truly begin to take action.”
“Your Highness speaks truly.” Qin Yining narrowed her eyes and said, “His Majesty must be anxious now, otherwise he wouldn’t have kept Earl Zhongyi here as well. Didn’t Earl Zhongyi submit a memorial requesting a thorough investigation of the stone materials? When he’s investigating the stones, it won’t be convenient for us to act. If we disrupt his treasure-hunting progress, that wouldn’t be good.”
“Indeed so. However, this is just the first difficulty at present.” Pang Xiao said with a smile.
Qin Yining raised her eyebrows in surprise. “What, is there something else I don’t know about?”
“This is exactly what I wanted to discuss today.” Pang Xiao went to the table to retrieve a booklet.
“This contains records from the intermittent construction of the imperial mausoleum in previous years.”
Qin Yining took it and flipped through briefly, understanding that it recorded matters concerning civilian laborers during imperial mausoleum construction, such as how much silver and grain the laborers consumed, and what their reactions were at the time.
“Just from the booklet, the civilian laborers’ lives should have been much better than when they were at home. Coming to build the imperial mausoleum, they could even eat their fill – many people in their hometowns were reluctant to consume grain.”
“Yes.” Pang Xiao nodded. “But now the weather has been clear for many days. The civilian laborers that Lu Heng and I began conscripting when we left the capital still haven’t arrived.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Yining was stunned.
Without civilian laborers arriving, His Majesty’s instruction to begin work quickly couldn’t be executed. If important matters were delayed and His Majesty blamed them, that would be entirely Pang Xiao’s fault.
After all, Pang Xiao was the general supervisor of imperial mausoleum construction, while Lu Heng was merely a county magistrate. Although he should cooperate with Pang Xiao’s actions, he didn’t need to bear primary responsibility. As for previous county magistrates meeting with bad luck, that was because if supervisors wanted to embezzle, they couldn’t bypass the county magistrate – the magistrate would be implicated for various reasons.
“The civilian laborers haven’t arrived. Do we know the reason?” Xu Weizhi took the booklet from Qin Yining’s hands to examine it.
Pang Xiao said, “For this conscription of civilian laborers, both the local area and surrounding counties were selected from. Besides Huichuan County, the nearby Danfu County is relatively prosperous with many able-bodied men – forty percent were selected from Danfu County, with the remaining laborers chosen from several other surrounding counties. Now it seems they’ve all agreed not to come – not a single county’s laborers have arrived.”
Qin Yining said hesitantly, “The matter of civilian laborers is no small thing. If they all haven’t come, they’re facing the crime of defying imperial orders. They understand the consequences of defying orders clearly, yet still refuse to come – there must be something suspicious in this.”