The room immediately fell silent.
Xu Fengjia raised one eyebrow, quietly watching Seventh Miss, his lips curving into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
“What do you mean ‘no’?” His voice was silky and mellow, filled with indescribable satisfaction, light and shallow, carrying ineffable meaning.
Seventh Miss bit her lip and rolled her eyes at him before kneeling upright and calling out loudly, “Lixia, come in.”
Before long, Lixia entered with Qiqiao and Zhongyuan to help Seventh Miss wash with fresh water. Xu Fengjia had no choice but to get out of bed and sit properly while several maids changed the bloodstained bedding. This delay took another quarter-hour. By the time the two returned to bed and lay down in bedding that smelled of sunshine and rose incense, it was already past the third watch.
Seventh Miss had long since calculated countless reasons why Xu Fengjia must remain in the capital.
“Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master are already two years old this year.” She spoke softly and gently. “They’re approaching the age when they’ll start forming memories… Just for Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master’s sake, you can’t be away from home year after year anymore.”
Xu Fengjia made a thoughtful sound of agreement.
“How have the two children been lately?” He showed concern.
Yet this concern carried a certain coldness. Just from the fact that Xu Fengjia had been home for a whole day without seeing Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master, one could tell that regarding this pair of twin sons, he probably lacked much consciousness of being a father.
Well, you couldn’t really blame him.
Seventh Miss sighed inwardly.
He himself had barely reached the age of twenty, hadn’t finished enjoying his youth, and already had to don armor and campaign in all directions. Upon returning home, he suddenly had a pair of infant sons, and immediately after came news of his wife’s death. How much joy could he feel about these sons’ arrival… Seventh Miss could well imagine.
Moreover, Great Qin was ultimately different from modern times. Managing the household and raising children were women’s affairs. If one couldn’t leave simply because sons needed raising, then all the military officers and civil officials throughout the realm who left their wives and children in their hometowns might as well not live. Hoping that his sons could tie down Xu Fengjia’s feet and make him actively refuse this assignment was truly rather naive.
“They’re well enough,” she said softly, “but no matter how good a stepmother, grandparents, or maternal grandparents may be, they can’t compare to one’s own father. Young… Xu… the Young Master should know, the children not having their mother is already pitiful enough. If their father isn’t by their side either…”
“Shengluan.” Xu Fengjia had clearly noticed her confusion. “We’ve already performed the rites of Zhou Gong, and you still call me Young Master?”
Seventh Miss turned her eyes away, taking a long while before murmuring, “Shengluan then… Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes, the children…” Xu Fengjia’s tone also took on a touch of amusement. “But I imagine Fourth Aunt was determined to marry you into the Xu family precisely so the two children could grow up smoothly. Just the children alone are not enough to keep me here.”
How could this man go from gleefully playing games with someone one moment to being brutally frank the next?
Seventh Miss drew a deep breath, having to admit he spoke reasonably. The children might be one reason, but they absolutely weren’t the entire reason. A man aiming to achieve the rank of First-Class Duke couldn’t let his steps be hindered by romantic entanglements, whether dealing with family or the outside world.
“What exactly were you doing in Guangzhou this time?” She changed the subject again, deciding to deal with the “Xu Fengjia’s assignment incident” later. “You can tell me now, can’t you? How did you end up so covered in wounds?”
Xu Fengjia fell silent for a moment. He turned over, propping himself up with his left hand while his right hand raked through his disheveled hair, sweeping his long hair back.
“You absolutely cannot reveal even half a word of this matter to the Yang family,” his tone grew cold, unconsciously filling with an invisible force. “In the entire court, no more than fifteen people know of this. Even Fifth Brother probably only has vague suspicions about the surface. If it weren’t you, Yang Qi, if it were anyone else, I wouldn’t speak of it… Do you understand what I mean?”
Seventh Miss very much didn’t want to understand, but she did indeed comprehend Xu Fengjia’s meaning: politics was a game not everyone had the right to participate in. If it were any other Yang family sister, they probably wouldn’t have the qualification to hear of this matter. If this affair was truly this confidential, Xu Fengjia telling her also carried risks.
She lowered her eyes, responding softly, “Yes.”
“Prince Lu very likely did not die.” Xu Fengjia’s next sentence made Seventh Miss sit bolt upright.
That turbulent political storm at the end of Zhaoming’s reign—Seventh Miss naturally still remembered it vividly. Though this matter occurred a thousand miles away, it was intimately connected to the Yang family, to the realm, to every scholar-official qualified to participate in the succession struggle. How could she possibly have forgotten it in such a short time?
Though she had never discussed the inside story of this affair with the Grand Master, Seventh Miss had privately formed her own speculations about Prince Lu’s rebellion. After all, this great drama was too spectacular, too dramatic, too theatrical. Prince Lu, the Crown Prince, the Emperor—all played ambiguous and obscure roles in this performance, leaving countless mysteries for the world. Unfortunately, this wasn’t truly a play. These questions would receive no answers.
“That great drama of rebellion several years ago ultimately involved only a limited number of families. The real inside story has long been a closely guarded secret.” Xu Fengjia’s voice was very soft, like a weary sigh. “Back then, when the Emperor fell gravely ill, he ordered the Crown Prince to leave the Eastern Palace, giving him the opportunity to interfere in government affairs. His condition was truly severe—even Prince Lu hadn’t expected that Quan Ziyin could perform such miraculous healing, pulling the Emperor back from grave illness. That one time made Quan Ziyin’s reputation, but completely destroyed the last thread of affection between the Late Emperor and the Current Emperor.”
Just listening to his calm narration made Seventh Miss’s blood run cold.
“The Late Emperor cherished his life extremely,” Xu Fengjia’s tone remained light. “Back then the Crown Prince was still young. Maneuvering among the ministers had already exhausted him physically and mentally. He entrusted palace affairs to the Empress. When Quan Ziyin repeatedly requested people and medicine, the Imperial Medical Bureau made excuses and delayed. Even if the Emperor was oblivious, Consort Hui saw it all. After he recovered, the Crown Prince’s position had truly fallen into unprecedented crisis.”
“If my father and I hadn’t been campaigning in the Northwest at that time, with all the realm’s most powerful troops in our hands, the Crown Prince probably wouldn’t have had even a sliver of opportunity to turn things around before completely losing the Emperor’s favor. Fortunately, the war situation was indeed pressing, and the Emperor was ultimately still the Emperor—in his heart, he still thought of the realm… The Crown Prince used every means, not hesitating to draw a clear line with the Empress, finally obtaining the Emperor’s forgiveness. And our Xu family’s victories in the Northwest also made the Crown Prince’s footing three parts more stable.”
“But this was merely flowers reflected in a mirror, the moon in water. If the Emperor’s health had continued to improve, within five years he naturally would have grasped court politics in his hands. When that time came, Prince Lu rising again would no longer be mere fantasy.”
Even though this was merely a review of past events, Seventh Miss still sensed the murderous intent that had pervaded the capital then.
Yet Xu Fengjia’s tone remained extremely calm.
“The Emperor was already laying the groundwork for Prince Lu’s rise. Fortunately, Consort Hui had been in poor health for years and passed away that year—Prince Lu’s most important piece in the palace was gone. This gave the Eastern Palace the opportunity to blind Prince Lu’s eyes and ears. Add to that Quan Ziyin secretly switching allegiance to the Eastern Palace—the Emperor’s life and death were actually already controlled by the Eastern Palace’s hands. We originally planned to have the Emperor pass away before everything happened… But Quan Ziyin refused to cooperate. The Eastern Palace had no choice but to make other plans.”
“Actually, the Emperor’s health was already not very good. Quan Ziyin said the Emperor wouldn’t live beyond two years. Our intention was to ask the Eastern Palace to keep a low profile and wait until after the Emperor passed—everything would fall into place naturally… But the Eastern Palace was no ordinary person. He’d been extremely decisive since childhood. He used the entire realm as his game board, first consuming Jiangnan with greedy and unseemly appetite, making Prince Lu believe the Emperor’s health had declined again. He also had Quan Ziyin manipulate things so the Emperor’s condition became slightly more severe during that period, then used his mouth to pass messages, hinting to Prince Lu that the Emperor might soon depart this world. All these machinations were simply to make Prince Lu believe the Emperor was dying, that his opportunity was fleeting—if he didn’t raise troops, he could only wait for death.”
“There are many details in this that even I don’t fully understand. However, you personally witnessed the performance that Lieutenant Liao and I staged.” Xu Fengjia’s words carried a trace of irony.
“Lieutenant Liao was your man all along?” Seventh Miss couldn’t help raising her voice slightly.
After a long while, she let out a cold breath.
A game using the realm as a chessboard—its complexity, its intricacy, were absolutely beyond what she could imagine.
“Lieutenant Liao was a piece that Eunuch Lian personally placed in Prince Lu’s camp years ago for the Crown Prince.” Xu Fengjia’s reply grew even lower. “His own daughter is Eunuch Lian’s goddaughter.”
“All of Prince Lu’s overt and covert lines in Jiangnan were pulled up by you. Much intelligence could only be provided by Lieutenant Liao, which gave you the opportunity to manipulate things.” Seventh Miss quickly continued the reasoning. Her palms were already soaked with cold sweat. “But that performance at Hundred Fragrance Garden—wasn’t it too theatrical…”
“Not at all.”
The red candle outside the curtains burned to its end, making soft crackling sounds, and then the room plunged into absolute darkness.
Xu Fengjia’s voice was like the faintest candlelight, carrying faint irony and unmistakable weariness. “The Yang family has always believed the various Commander-in-Chiefs were closely associated with the Quan family and were very likely the Grand Prince’s pieces in Jiangnan… Actually, the Zhu family doesn’t lean either way at all—they’re only loyal to the Emperor. The one who privately contacted Prince Lu with intentions of aligning with him was Li Wenqing.”
Seventh Miss’s heart immediately leapt to her throat.
How could it be the Li family?!
Li Wenqing was someone the Grand Master had personally promoted, had always closely followed the Grand Master’s footsteps, had been obedient for many years, following orders so well he was like the Grand Master’s dog!
“The most obedient dog bites the hardest.” Xu Fengjia’s tone carried mockery. “However, Li Wenqing is a shrewd man. He didn’t pledge full allegiance to Prince Lu—just privately curried favor with both sides, straddling the fence… That’s also why, though Fourth Uncle-in-law hinted to the Emperor several times that the position of Jiangnan Governor-General could be handed to the Li family, the Emperor never responded but also didn’t plan to move against the Li family, to avoid embarrassing Fourth Uncle-in-law.”
Seventh Miss had already sorted out most of the logical relationships.
“Though Prince Lu was naturally suspicious by nature, facing such a battered and wounded confidant who didn’t hesitate to assassinate a court official in broad daylight for revenge, was captured in defeat, endured severe torture yet still refused to speak—what more could he say? Lieutenant Liao only needed to hint slightly, truthfully informing the Grand Prince that Madam Quan had given you a pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets, combined with several other trivial matters we’d already arranged—what conclusion would Prince Lu draw? Isn’t that clear?”
All these machinations were not only to consume Jiangnan but also to deceive the Grand Prince into believing the Emperor was at death’s door—Seventh Miss almost wanted to loudly applaud the intricacy and thoroughness of this conspiracy. Suddenly, she felt the Crown Prince ascending to the imperial throne was truly a matter of course: how could a person with such methods and cunning not obtain what he wanted?
“Prince Lu then sent another message to pressure Quan Zhongbai, using the mutton-fat jade bracelets as a lead, forcing out information that the Emperor was dying and the inner palace was actually completely controlled by the Crown Prince… If he didn’t raise troops, he wouldn’t be Prince Lu. His subsequent defeat and capture naturally were all within the Eastern Palace’s calculations. By this point, even if the Emperor was utterly unwilling to pass the throne to him, he couldn’t find a second candidate.”
“But for all the Eastern Palace’s calculations, he still miscalculated the Emperor’s character.” Xu Fengjia’s voice grew even more heavily ironic. “With the Emperor’s cunning, how could he not see through the Eastern Palace’s methods? For the realm’s sake, he couldn’t casually abolish and establish, lest court politics become turbulent. But even though the Crown Prince’s wings were already full, as long as the Emperor held the throne for one day, there were many matters the Crown Prince still couldn’t interfere with. How could he not retaliate?”
“Prince Lu… could he actually have been released by the Emperor’s own hand?” Seventh Miss swallowed, asking with extreme difficulty.
Xu Fengjia fell silent again.
At some point, his hand had already slid to Seventh Miss’s face, thoughtfully caressing her dark hair.
“The Emperor ordered the destruction of the fleet Prince Lu had been commanded to build. Those ordered to poison Prince Lu were all executed afterward. The internal treasury accounts simply don’t match up—I told Father long ago, even told the Crown Prince, that the Emperor is narrow-minded and vindictive. If you want to manipulate him, the price you pay will probably be greater than the benefits… They just wouldn’t listen!”
His words held anger, but also slight relief: Seventh Miss suddenly realized this secret had perhaps also exhausted Xu Fengjia.
“You traced Prince Lu to Guangzhou.” Seventh Miss’s voice was mosquito-like. “Isn’t that right?”
“It’s not that we traced him—it’s that Prince Lu could only migrate toward the southern coastal regions.” Xu Fengjia smiled bitterly. “I lingered in Guangzhou for a year and didn’t find a damn thing. Honestly, I have no idea if he’s alive or dead, whether the Emperor actually let him go… The Emperor this past year simply can’t eat or sleep. If it were just knowing Prince Lu was alive, that would be one thing, but now he doesn’t even know if he’s living or dead—don’t you think the Late Emperor’s move was brilliant?”
“Brilliant enough to make one tremble from the depths of one’s heart.” Seventh Miss answered sincerely. “So this time going to Guangzhou…”
“This time down there, we finally discovered his trail.” The fingers winding through her hair suddenly tightened. “I also saw him with my own eyes. But he bought firearms from Westerners. Our… our navy couldn’t handle him. We could only drive him from Chinese soil.”
Seventh Miss nearly moaned aloud.
Though lying in warm bedding, she could still feel waves of cold spreading upward from the base of her spine.
“He went to the Southern Seas, didn’t he?” She heard her own voice, carrying slight trembling.
Xu Fengjia nodded in the darkness.
“I told you long ago, I’m not a good husband.” His tone held self-mockery again. “In the coming years, I’m certain to be very busy… You see, I’m about to go to the Southern Seas again, aren’t I?”
Seventh Miss immediately understood Xu Fengjia’s meaning.
This matter very likely could only be handled by him to put the Emperor’s mind at ease—there simply was no second possible candidate. As long as Prince Lu didn’t die, for the rest of his life, Xu Fengjia would have to pursue this former imperial noble abroad.
“Unless…” Xu Fengjia drew out his voice again. “If you really want me to stay, it’s not impossible. As long as I can persuade the Emperor, persuade Father, I can also remain in the capital without leaving. It’s just this approach carries risks.”
Seventh Miss hated to admit it, but she had to acknowledge that her emotions were like putty in Xu Fengjia’s hands, becoming round or flat with his words…
“What method?” Her voice revealed naked joy and hope.
Xu Fengjia laughed softly, with secret delight. This once could have greatly displeased her, but at this moment, facing possible long separation, everything had become irrelevant.
“First answer me, Yang Qi—do you want me to stay?”
His voice grew heated again, as if in that instant, that domineering, languid youth had returned to Xu Fengjia’s body, replacing that seasoned and weary politician, and he was asking softly, cunningly trading one answer for another.
“I…” Seventh Miss didn’t think carefully before opening her mouth to respond.
“I’m not asking what you should do, but what you want.” Xu Fengjia cut in again, interrupting her words. “I’ve told you—what you can only choose is one thing, what you want to choose is another matter entirely.”
His words were deeply meaningful.
Seventh Miss stared at the canopy in the darkness, her chest surging again with indescribable pain.
Xu Fengjia just couldn’t let her go, just wouldn’t let the ambiguity between them simply flow past… He was truly too demanding! He couldn’t possibly just want something and then obtain everything he wanted!
Yet at this moment, she could only let him take whatever he pleased. Whether it was her body or something deeper, she had no chips to refuse with.
Was that so?
She gritted her teeth and opened her mouth.
“I…”