Prince Jing’s eyes flickered. Pei Yan looked at him directly and said, “Your Highness, let’s speak candidly. You understand the court situation better than anyone. I fear I may need to leave for some time. May I ask, was Liu Ziyu’s arrival in the capital Your Highness’s idea?”
Prince Jing looked somewhat uncomfortable. “Ziyu’s arrival is just for the regular annual assessment. The Young Lord is overthinking.”
Pei Yan leaned back in his chair and said languidly, “Although Liu Ziyu is clever and capable, with high popularity among the people, he has two fatal weaknesses.”
“Please elaborate, Young Lord.”
“Liu Ziyu comes from the Liu clan of Hexi, undoubtedly a prestigious family. However, the Liu clan of Hexi had excessively close ties with the late Crown Prince Wenkang.”
Prince Jing was secretly alarmed but remained silent.
“Secondly, Liu Ziyu’s wife’s brother was a general under Duke Bo. Duke Bo has always been seen favorably by the Emperor for his unwavering loyalty. But if he shows a certain inclination in the matter of imperial succession, will the Emperor still trust him so much?”
Prince Jing remained woodenly silent. Pei Yan continued, “I understand Your Highness’s thoughts. Liu Ziyu is a renowned scholar from Hexi who has navigated the political seas for many years. He’s a key figure among the neutral faction at court. By choosing him now, Your Highness aims to show the Emperor you have no untoward ambitions, while also trying to win over the support of the pure stream faction and the neutral forces.
“But has Your Highness considered that the pure stream faction, deeply influenced by Confucian thought, is fiercely loyal to legitimate imperial authority? No matter how hard you try to win them over, they will only see you as Prince Jing. In their eyes, the true master is still the heir apparent with the imperial edict. Whoever holds that edict is, to them, the legitimate successor to imperial power. No matter how unfavored the Crown Prince maybe by the Emperor, as of now, he is still the rightful Crown Prince, with Grand Scholar Dong protecting him. Will the pure stream faction support Your Highness?”
Prince Jing remained silent for a long while before saying softly, “I was indeed short-sighted. I hope the Young Lord doesn’t take offense.”
Pei Yan hurriedly replied, “How could I dare? As Your Highness said, we’re in the same boat. I say all this out of consideration for Your Highness.” He paused before continuing, “Your Highness, the current situation is this: the tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease. You wish to lie low and advance by retreating, but will Prince Zhuang allow you to do so? The Ministry of Justice is investigating the imperial examination case in Nan’an Prefecture. If their investigation continues, can Your Highness truly rest easy?”
Without waiting for Prince Jing to respond, he added, “There’s also a crucial person Your Highness must be wary of.”
Prince Jing leaned forward involuntarily. “Please, Young Lord, tell me.”
Pei Yan spoke slowly and deliberately: “It’s Wei Zhao, the Third Young Master Wei.”
Prince Jing’s face showed disgust. “He’s nothing but a court jester, used by Second Brother to whisper slander in Father Emperor’s ear and to trip us up. He has no say in major military or political affairs!”
Pei Yan shook his head. “Your Highness is mistaken!”
“Please enlighten me, Young Lord.”
“Your Highness, would someone appointed by the Emperor as the Commander of the Guangming Bureau, entrusted with the safety of the entire imperial city, be merely a slanderer and troublemaker? Your Highness must not be deceived by his jester’s facade. Not only is this man not a mere jester, he might well be a formidable figure of our time!”
Prince Jing was secretly shocked. After a moment, he nodded. “I was indeed almost fooled by his jester’s appearance. I always thought he was just a favorite of Father Emperor, but I didn’t consider that without his support, Father Emperor wouldn’t have felt comfortable appointing Gao Cheng as a general.”
“Exactly. The Emperor originally turned a blind eye to my full support of Your Highness, allowing us to join forces against Prince Zhuang and Lord Tao, to check the power of Prince Zhuang’s birth mother, Noble Consort Gao, and the Gao clan of Hexi. But as our power grew, the Emperor promoted Gao Cheng to general, clearly a reluctant move to balance against my Changfeng Cavalry. If not for Third Young Master Wei’s close relationship with Gao Cheng, I fear the Emperor wouldn’t have made this decision.”
“Indeed. Wei Zhao and Gao Cheng are extremely close. Father Emperor not only didn’t… but even promoted Gao Cheng to general, placing fifty thousand troops under his command. Wei Zhao must have exerted considerable effort behind this.”
“Moreover, Your Highness, do you truly believe that the imperial examination case in Nan’an Prefecture was accidentally uncovered by that pedantic and foolish Scholar Lu?”
“Young Lord, are you saying…” Prince Jing asked with suspicion.
“To my knowledge, during the August imperial examinations, the Emperor sent Wei Zhao to Nan’an Prefecture.”
“Oh?!” Prince Jing suddenly stood up, paused for a moment, then slowly sat back down, his expression fluctuating.
Pei Yan smiled slightly. “After I came down from Changfeng Manor on August 12th for the martial arts gathering, I went to Nan’an Prefecture and investigated the details of the examinees burning down the examination hall that day. I fear Wei Zhao was involved in this incident.”
“Why did Father Emperor send Wei Zhao to Nan’an Prefecture?” Prince Jing asked doubtfully.
“That’s unknown. But Nan’an Prefecture is a crucial area for both you and me. If anything happens there, not only will I be implicated, but Your Highness might also…”
Prince Jing gritted his teeth. “I’ve been worried about this. I curse my uncle for being incompetent, not only unable to help but even becoming a burden to me.”
Pei Yan sighed. “Indeed. Although Noble Consort Wen has also been elevated to the status of Noble Consort, compared to Prince Zhuang’s birth mother and the power of the Gao clan behind him, Your Highness is at a disadvantage.”
Prince Jing felt a surge of hidden resentment. The inferiority complex stemming from his birth mother being a lowly palace maid from the laundry bureau, mixed with the pride of being an imperial prince and heaven’s favored son, emotions that had entangled him since birth, caused him to involuntarily show signs of agitation.
Pei Yan lowered his head to take a sip of tea, then looked up with a smile. “Your Highness, the situation is now clear. The Crown Prince is incompetent, and the Emperor seems inclined to depose him. But Prince Zhuang, who contends with you for this position, has the strong support of Wei Zhao, Lord Tao, and the Gao clan. The pure stream faction and Duke Bo stand in the middle, following only the imperial will. May I ask, Your Highness, who stands behind you in support?”
Prince Jing stood up and bowed deeply. “I hope the Young Lord will forgive my rash actions. In the future, I will need the Young Lord’s guidance and assistance!”
Pei Yan hurriedly stood up to return the gesture. “Your Highness places such trust in me; I am unworthy. Pei Yan will certainly exhaust all efforts to serve as Your Highness’s vanguard, devoting myself completely to our great cause.”
They both rose, exchanging smiles.
Prince Jing grasped Pei Yan’s arms, smiling. “Hearing the Young Lord’s words has opened my eyes, giving me a clearer understanding of the court situation. But what are the Young Lord’s plans now? If you truly need to leave the court for some time, what brilliant strategy do you have?”
Pei Yan turned to pick up the “Shu Yu Collection” and smiled. “When Master Gaotang annotated this book, no matter how insightful his arguments or how extensive his references, they were all centered around this ‘Shu Yu Collection’.” He paused before continuing, “Whether I am at court or not, whether I am an official or a commoner, even if someone else commands the hundred thousand Changfeng Cavalry in the future, my heart to assist Your Highness will never change.”
Prince Jing’s face showed emotion. Pei Yan added, “As for how the Emperor will move against me after these arrangements, his mind is hard to fathom, and I dare not speculate. But I have my strategies to return to court, though I will need Your Highness’s full support when the time comes.”
“Naturally.”
Pei Yan held up the “Shu Yu Collection” and presented it to Prince Jing. “Please accept this set of the ‘Shu Yu Collection’, Your Highness.”
Prince Jing hurriedly pushed it back. “This is a literary treasure. How could I accept the Young Lord’s prized possession? Being able to borrow and read it is enough.”
Pei Yan said, “Your Highness, my life and everything I own belong to you. In the future, I will follow only Your Highness’s commands. This mere set of ‘Shu Yu Collection’ should naturally be presented to Your Highness as proof of my sincerity.”
Prince Jing accepted the “Shu Yu Collection”, his hand caressing the book. After a moment, he smiled and said, “Very well, very well. Today, receiving this book from the Young Lord as a token of his heart, I will shamelessly accept this precious gift. In the future, when I find a matching treasure, I will surely reciprocate!”
Pei Yan escorted Prince Jing to the manor gate, then slowly walked back to the library. He stood by the window for a long time before turning back, spreading out a sheet of paper, dipping his brush in thick ink, and calmly writing three large characters: “Shu Yu Collection”. He gazed at these three characters for a long time, smiled, put down the brush, and slowly walked out of the library.
Although it was late autumn and early winter, the sun shone brightly that day. The dazzling light seemed like the world’s final release of autumn colors, bestowing a last touch of warmth before the harsh winter arrived.
At dusk, the warmth still lingered. Jiang Ci hummed a tune as she crouched in the corner of the courtyard, tending to the flower bed she had cultivated. One hand held a hoe, while the other sifted through the soil.
Having received half the antidote from Wei Zhao, she was partly relieved of her life-threatening situation. Cui Liang also confirmed that Yao Dingbang was indeed a cruel and vicious character, strengthening her resolve to assist Wei Zhao in his plan of misdirection. Thinking about obtaining the antidote from Wei Zhao and being released by Pei Yan, her mood was genuinely joyful these past two days.
As Pei Yan entered the garden, she glanced at him sideways but ignored him, continuing her work. Pei Yan slowly walked over with his hands behind his back, bent down to look, and frowned slightly. “You have quite a variety here. Aren’t you disgusted?”
Jiang Ci grabbed a handful of soil with several wriggling earthworms and held it up to Pei Yan’s face, smiling. “Lord Xiang, do you fish? These would make good bait.”
Pei Yan crouched down. “I’m at home recovering from injuries now. How could I go out fishing?”
Jiang Ci’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she couldn’t help but grab Pei Yan’s right arm. “Lord Xiang, doesn’t the manor have a lotus pond? There must be fish in it. Can we go fishing there?”
Pei Yan hurriedly shook off her soil-covered hand. Hearing her mention the lotus pond, he paused for a moment, then smiled. “Who fishes in their garden? Another day, I’ll take you fishing at Mirror Lake.”
“Why can’t we fish in our garden? What’s the lotus pond for then? Is it just for looking at? Or for lying down and feeling the breeze when drunk?”
Pei Yan’s smile faded as he stood up. “Hasn’t Ziming returned yet? I heard he hasn’t been on duty at Master Fang’s for the past two days. Is he unwell?”
“I don’t know. Yesterday morning he seemed fine, but he came back very late at night after I had gone to bed. This morning he left early again.”
Pei Yan looked displeased. “I ordered you to serve him, and this is how you serve? You don’t even know where he’s gone.”
Jiang Ci straightened up, feeling her legs numb from crouching too long and slightly dizzy. She pounded her thigh with one hand and rubbed her temple with the other, muttering, “You won’t let me leave the Western Garden, so how would I know where he’s gone? Besides, if he doesn’t come back for a night, am I supposed to stay awake all night?”
As Pei Yan was about to speak again, he saw her soil-covered hand rubbing her forehead, smearing mud all over. He shook his head with a smile and turned around to see Cui Liang entering the garden.
Seeing Pei Yan standing in the courtyard, Cui Liang seemed startled for a moment before smiling. “Lord Xiang, it seems your injury has greatly improved.”
Pei Yan walked side by side with him into the room. “It’s almost completely healed. The Emperor has summoned me to the palace tomorrow. After so many days without attending court, I’m getting restless.”
“Lord Xiang is accustomed to being busy. It’s natural to feel uncomfortable when idle.”
“It seems I’m truly destined for a life of toil!” They both laughed. Pei Yan then asked, “Where has Ziming been these past two days?”
Cui Liang smiled mysteriously, closed the door, sat down beside Pei Yan, and poured him a cup of tea. Lowering his voice, he said, “These past two days, I managed to enter the secret room and saw that stone-carved map.”
“Oh?!” Pei Yan leaned forward slightly.
“The map is indeed the original work of our great-grandmaster, but some of the symbols seem slightly different from what Master taught. Fearing mistakes, I focused on the areas near the capital, memorized part of the map, and spent these two days verifying it at Red Maple Mountain.”
“Seeing Ziming’s confident demeanor, it must have been verified without error.”
“Indeed.” Cui Liang smiled. “I’m now eighty to ninety percent confident that I can reproduce the map accurately and locate the mineral deposits in various places. Lord Xiang can rest assured. After just one or two more visits to confirm the various symbols, it will be error-free.”
Pei Yan smiled with great pleasure. “Ziming’s extraordinary talent has always had my trust.”
As they were talking, Jiang Ci suddenly pushed open the door and poked her head in. “Brother Cui, what would you like for dinner? Vinegar-braised fish or tofu with fish head soup?” Seeing Pei Yan about to speak, she smiled and added, “Lord Xiang surely won’t be dining with us, so I haven’t prepared a portion for you.”
Pei Yan was at a loss for words. Cui Liang, seeing Jiang Ci’s forehead covered in mud, couldn’t help but smile. He walked over, cupped her face with his left hand, and used his right sleeve to gently wipe away the mud, saying softly, “I’ll eat whatever you make. Just don’t tire yourself out. Leave that flower bed for next spring. Why get yourself covered in mud now?”
Jiang Ci smiled. “I’m just bored with nothing to do, so I’m tinkering around.” Glancing up, she saw Pei Yan’s gloomy expression and quickly broke free from Cui Liang’s hand, running out.
Cui Liang turned back to see Pei Yan looking at him. Feeling awkward, he smiled self-deprecatingly. “Lord Xiang, Little Ci, I—”
Pei Yan smiled. “Ziming has been working hard for two days. Rest early. I have matters to attend to.”
“Take care, Lord Xiang.” Cui Liang escorted Pei Yan out of the Western Garden, then turned back and slowly walked to the kitchen door. He gazed at the lively figure inside for a long time, silent.
Jiang Ci turned and saw him, smiling. “Brother Cui, it’s smoky and stuffy here. You should go back to your room.”
Cui Liang moved to her side and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, speaking softly, “Xiao Ci.”
“Mm.”
“In the future, don’t be too impulsive in what you do. When you need to endure, you should endure more.”
“Okay.” Jiang Ci nodded as she added water to the pot, “I understand. Even if I had ten times more courage right now, I wouldn’t dare to run around. When Senior Sister comes back, I’ll go back with her obediently.”
“That’s good.” Cui Liang smiled and said no more. He stepped out of the kitchen, looked up at the darkening sky, and sighed softly.
Late autumn brought the cold of the night and heavy dew, with a few lonely stars in the sky, which only added to the chill and solitude.
As the city gates were about to be locked, a soft sedan chair covered with blue silk and brocade was carried out of the South Gate by four bearers.
The city guards watched the sedan chair as it disappeared into the distance. One guard chuckled, “The girls from Hongxiao Pavilion are quite popular. Even at this hour, they’re still going out to entertain their patrons.”
The others burst into laughter. “Little Liu, when we change shifts later, let’s head to Hongxiao Pavilion too. Bring Yuer along, and warm up your bed!”
The man shook his head. “No, no, this month’s salary is already spent. I had bad luck last night and lost everything. I’d better go home and warm my bed with my wife.”
As the laughter continued, the city gates boomed shut with a clang. The drawbridge fell with a thud. The night fog rolled in, and the capital fell into silence, occasionally broken by the sound of the night watch.
A crescent moon hung in the sky, shimmering coldly, as the wind blew softly, bringing complete silence to the world.
The sound of iron hooves shattered the frost-laden night’s tranquility. A steed, adorned with stars and moonlight, galloped to the South Gate. The rider tossed down a token, and the drowsy night guards hurriedly opened the gate. The rider shouted angrily and sped away like a shooting star, vanishing into the misty night.