At first, there was the serene melody of a mountain temple, followed by the faint scent of incense wafting before the Buddha. The rich, lingering fragrance of the incense was a parting gift from the Hundred Flowers Prince of Eastern Jin in the fourth year of the Great Prosperity, unique to Moju in the entire Northern Wei.
Jiang Xuanjin’s dark pupils narrowed slightly as he furrowed his brow, taking out the other letter given to him by Sun Qing and sniffing it as well.
Nothing. The letter had only recently been brought in, and under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have absorbed the room’s fragrance so thoroughly.
Unless the letter had been kept in this room all along.
His fingers slowly stiffened on the letter as Jiang Xuanjin lowered his gaze, carefully and slowly examining the two letters before him. A thought flashed through his mind, only to be firmly dismissed.
Impossible. Danyang is already dead; this is her handwriting, which could only have been written while she was alive.
If someone had deliberately imitated it, he would have recognized it at a glance.
But… how to explain the scent?
His usually clear mind felt somewhat muddled at the moment. He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Outside, cheerful footsteps approached.
Jiang Xuanjin snapped back to reality, stuffing the two letters into his sleeve as he turned to look up.
“Hey, what were you doing over there?” She entered, smiling brightly as she came over to pull him, only to frown again. “Why are your hands so cold?”
Her soft fingers slipped between his, holding him tightly. The person before him was in a good mood, her thumb rubbing against him as she said, “Once your masterpiece is framed, I want to hang it in this room. Let’s see which young lady dares to come knocking again!”
As she spoke, she pulled his hand toward the beam in the partition. “Let’s hang it here!”
Jiang Xuanjin slowly tightened his grip, holding her hand back without responding.
“What’s wrong?” Noticing something was off, Huaiju blinked at him. “You’re not angry, are you?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the matter? Your face looks a bit off.” Worried, she reached out to feel his forehead, muttering, “Don’t get sick again; you just recovered, and our Moju is almost turning into a pharmacy.”
After closing his eyes in silence for a moment, Jiang Xuanjin looked up and said softly, “Would you give me a piece of your writing?”
“Ah?” Huaiju was taken aback, struggling to protest. “Didn’t I say I can’t write?”
“I’ll teach you.” Stubbornly pulling her toward the writing desk, Jiang Xuanjin said, “Just write a few simple characters.”
Aside from “one,” nothing else could be considered simple.
Li Huaiju shook her head repeatedly, half-hugging him and pouting, “Your writing is beautiful. It wouldn’t be a problem for you to write it for me, but I can’t write. If I do, it’ll just be a laughingstock. Besides, there’s only one place to hang the painting; if I give you another, where will you put it?”
Jiang Xuanjin frowned. “You don’t want to?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to; it’s just… ah!” With a twitch at the corner of her mouth, Huaiju grabbed his hand and started to act spoiled. “I’m so sleepy! Look at the time!”
The moon was high in the sky, and on ordinary days, they would have long since gone to bed.
The person in front of him pursed his lips slightly, looking somewhat displeased.
Huaiju gently coaxed him, “Don’t be angry. Although you look charming when you’re angry, you look even better when you smile. How about we sleep? We can talk about everything tomorrow.”
With her arms around his neck, her face was close to his, and a slight tilt of her head would allow her to see her affectionate apricot eyes.
Jiang Xuanjin lowered his gaze, resting his hand on her waist. After a long silence, he finally said softly, “Let’s sleep.”
“I’ll help you undress!” Secretly relieved to have diverted the topic, Huaiju smiled brightly and reached for his collar.
The next morning.
Jiang Xuanjin went to court, and with nothing to do, Huaiju asked Qingsi to find her a plain handkerchief to embroider words on.
“Ow!”
Qingsi, standing nearby, had heard this sound so many times that she was unfazed, calmly stating, “Five.”
The fifth time she pricked her finger, Huaiju was furious, throwing the handkerchief to the ground. “This thing isn’t suitable for me!”
When she was a child, which matron in the palace would dare to let her learn embroidery? She would have chased them out of three palace corridors with a needle! Who would dare to let her handle this ridiculous embroidery needle?
But… thinking of Jiang Xuanjin’s displeased expression from last night, she gritted her teeth and bent down to pick up the handkerchief.
Qingsi’s expression was quite complex. “You could give something else.”
While others were embroidering, this princess was essentially stabbing herself.
“Didn’t he want words?” Huaiju huffed. “I can’t write, so I’ll just embroider.”
It may look ugly, but if she embroidered a few more layers, she should be able to make the strokes clear enough, right?
After poking around randomly for a while, Huaiju lifted the handkerchief to inspect it, nodding in satisfaction before continuing to embroider.
“The palace banquet is approaching in mid-August,” Qingsi said softly. “This year, you can still enjoy the moon in the palace.”
Remembering this, Huaiju’s eyes brightened. “Perfect! The things in Ming Mountain Palace should be destroyed too. They’ve been sitting there, and who knows when they’ll cause trouble.”
“Are you going to get them?” Qingsi frowned, looking disapproving.
“Only I can enter the palace with Jun Ziyang. Who else could do this?” Huaiju chuckled. “With the princess gone, Lu Jingxing can’t enter the palace, and Han Xiao and the others don’t even know the way to Ming Mountain Palace.”
The once bustling “Princess Party” had now dwindled to nothing. The things she could do herself didn’t need to trouble them.
Seeing the complex expression on Qingsi’s face, Huaiju reassured her, “You don’t need to be too nervous. Ming Mountain Palace is a cold palace; no one goes there on ordinary days. Even if I dig up the ground, no one will notice.”
Having said that, Qingsi no longer insisted, quietly standing to the side.
With the evidence of the two letters and Sun Qing’s testimony, Jiang Xuanjin went directly to the Prime Minister’s residence with Liu Yunlie, wanting to confront Qi Han face to face.
However, the steward of the Prime Minister’s residence said, “Unfortunately, the master received an imperial order a few days ago to inspect Dongjun and won’t return for several days.”
When did he leave? Liu Yunlie was bewildered, and Jiang Xuanjin frowned. They hadn’t received any news; they hadn’t seen him in court these past few days and thought Qi Han was on leave, but it turned out he had left the capital!
“What should we do?” Liu Yunlie asked.
What else could they do? Jiang Xuanjin turned and left.
If they couldn’t question him, they would have to wait for Qi Han to return. With all the evidence in hand, they weren’t afraid of waiting a little longer.
On the way back to the Tingwei Mansion, they passed several newly opened shops, and the sound of firecrackers echoed through the street, drawing a large crowd of onlookers.
Jiang Xuanjin glanced over, slightly curious. “Three shops opening at the same time?”
Liu Yunlie was unfazed. “Lu Ji’s shops have always been like this, boosting each other’s presence. The common folk enjoy the spectacle.”
Lu Ji? Jiang Xuanjin narrowed his eyes. “Lu Jingxing?”
“Who else could it be?” Liu Yunlie shook his head. “His business is growing larger and larger. I thought that without the princess backing him, he would be suppressed a bit, but who knew he was so cunning, avoiding the officials’ troubles by closing a few shops and reopening here.”
If he continued to operate for another two years, half of the capital would probably fall into his hands.
The smoke from the firecrackers filled half the street. Jiang Xuanjin watched coldly as he saw Lu Jingxing, dressed in a soft silver robe with snow silk, stepping out of the shop while fanning himself, smiling, and saying something to the crowd outside. The onlookers cheered and rushed into the shop.
“Do you still want to watch?” Liu Yunlie withdrew his gaze. “Let’s hurry back to the Tingwei Mansion; there’s still work to be done.”
“You go back first.”
Liu Yunlie was taken aback. Before he could ask why, Jiang Xuanjin had already walked toward Lu Jingxing.
With a slight shift in his gaze, Liu Yunlie didn’t turn to leave. He watched as Jiang Xuanjin spoke to Lu Jingxing for a couple of minutes before entering the shop. After thinking for a moment, he followed him in.
Today was the grand opening of the new shop, and Lu Jingxing was in a good mood. Seeing Jiang Xuanjin’s serious expression, he squinted his phoenix eyes and smiled, “What’s wrong? Have I offended Your Majesty again?”
In the secluded tea area, with no one else around, Jiang Xuanjin took out the two letters and placed them directly in front of him.
The identical “To the Prime Minister” on the covers made Lu Jingxing’s smile falter.
Realizing something was amiss, he opened his fan to shield his eyes, slightly frowning.
“Do you want to explain?” Jiang Xuanjin asked.
“What’s there to explain? The princess wrote two letters just in case.” He replied.
Picking up the newer letter, Jiang Xuanjin scoffed, “On March 27, your princess had already passed away. When did she write this second letter?”
“Does that matter?” Lu Jingxing put down his fan, looking at him with a puzzled expression. “What does Your Majesty care about? This letter is real, not fake. Even if there are two identical ones, you can take whichever one you like…”
“This letter has been in Moju.” Interrupting him, Jiang Xuanjin said, “And it has been there for quite some time.”
Hearing his firm tone, Lu Jingxing’s body tensed, and his mind raced.
“What’s so strange about that?” Having made up his mind, he spoke, “This letter was brought out of the palace by Qingsi. Isn’t she in Moju now?”
Qingsi? It had been placed in Moju all along, but it was handed to him through Lu Jingxing’s hands. What was this supposed to mean?
Jiang Xuanjin’s gaze darkened as he looked at Lu Jingxing. He gently tapped the table. “I dislike being schemed against.”
These two letters were as strange as a conspiracy.
“Who is scheming against you?” Lu Jingxing said irritably. “I just wanted to help you! You want to clear Danyang’s name, and I also want to see that case overturned. It’s mutually beneficial; what’s with the scheming?”
“Do you truly only want to help?” Jiang Xuanjin didn’t believe him. “Danyang is already dead, and you are a businessman who knows how to seek profit and avoid harm. Why would you go through so much trouble to wade through murky waters just for a case to be overturned? It doesn’t seem worth it.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Jingxing’s expression darkened.
“Jiang Xuanjin.” He said coldly, “How much do you know about my relationship with Danyang?”
“Not much.” Jiang Xuanjin replied. “I often see you in the palace, knowing that you frequently associate with her.”
With a scoff, Lu Jingxing closed his fan and placed it on the table, looking at him. “In the third year of the Great Prosperity, I was schemed against by a rival in the business, losing half of Lu Ji’s fortune. Frustrated, I went on a trip and met the princess.”
At that time, Pingling Jun was still alive, and Li Huaiju was having a hard time. The sorrow on her face was no less than his. They ended up fighting over the last jar of wine in a tavern, and in the end, they both took a swig and sat in the alley drinking.
“I’m a businessman,” he had said at the time.
“Oh.” She nodded, taking a swig and handing him the jar. “I’m a princess.”
He had been frustrated, but upon hearing this, he laughed. “You’re a princess; I’m still an emperor.”
“The emperor is only ten years old; you’re a bit older.” She replied.
Lu Jingxing stopped laughing, staring at her in a daze, realizing that this girl truly looked noble. Dressed in ordinary clothes, she had embroidered patterns of Yaochi peonies, with a golden flower between her brows and lips as red as blood.
Noticing his gaze, she kicked him hard, scolding, “What are you looking at?”
The kick was quite powerful, nearly knocking him off balance. Lu Jingxing grunted, his expression complex as he muttered, “What kind of princess is as rude as you?”
“There are ruder ones; do you want to try?” She lifted the wine jar over her head.
Lu Jingxing turned to run.
“Hey.” Li Huaiju called out to him, half-drunk and half-awake. “What’s your name? Tell me so I can know; maybe I can help you.”
Stopping in his tracks, he glanced back at her. He didn’t truly believe she could help him, but he still said, “Lu Li, courtesy name Jingxing.”
“High mountains and lofty conduct, Jingxing walks upright?” She raised an eyebrow and laughed heartily. “You look like a person who can’t be serious, yet you have such a lofty name?”
Lu Jingxing’s face darkened. “Has no one taught you that you shouldn’t mock others’ names to their face?”
“No!” She replied defiantly, digging in her ears and swaying as she walked over, cheerfully shoving the wine jar into his hands. “Drink!”
“I don’t… hey?” Just as he was about to refuse, the person in front of him suddenly collapsed. He hurriedly tossed the wine jar aside to catch her, the jar shattering on the ground with a crisp sound, the aroma of strong liquor instantly filling the alley.
Lu Jingxing wanted to toss her onto a pile of junk and leave, but seeing her like this, if he left her here, she might be taken advantage of. His kind heart stirred, and he simply took her home.
Later, he learned that Qingsi had been following them in the shadows. If he had made any inappropriate moves, there would have been no Lu Da Zhanggui afterward.
Fortunately, he had behaved properly, taking care of her for a night, and the next day, he sent her off in a carriage.
“Until we meet again!” She waved at him with a smile.
Lu Jingxing waved back, but in his heart, he thought: it’s better if we never meet again!
The grudge against the shopkeeper was severe, and with connections in the court, he pressured Lu Ji to retreat step by step, even setting him up to imprison him. Lu Jingxing had always been straightforward in business and hadn’t yet learned the ways of “collusion between officials and merchants.” He thought he would be stuck in prison for several years.
However, the next day, he was released. The officials unlocked his shackles and gestured for him to leave.
Confused, he walked out of the prison gate, only to see Li Huaiju standing outside with her hands on her hips. As soon as she saw him come out, she scolded, “With that brain of yours, you still want to do business? You might as well go home and farm or raise pigs!”
He stared at her in a daze, not understanding. But she came forward, pulling him along as she walked out. “How can a mere Jingzhao Yin bully you like this? Let’s go! I’ll back you up!”
Looking at the long procession behind her, Lu Jingxing finally realized that she wasn’t lying; she was a princess.
Though she was indeed a bit rude.
With the backing of this rude princess, Lu Ji made a comeback. In just two months, not only did he regain the lost shops and goods, but he also forced the grudge shop to close several of its stores.
“What’s the big deal about collusion between officials and merchants?” Li Huaiju said as she squatted with him in front of the closed door of the grudge shop, handing him a chicken leg. “Let me teach you what true collusion between officials and merchants is!”
She helped him immensely but asked for no reward in return, casually saying these things while drinking and munching on chicken legs with him.
“My troubles are gone.” He looked at her deeply and asked, “What about yours?”
“Don’t worry.” Li Huaiju waved her hand casually. “I can handle it myself.”
Saying it so lightly, he later heard that she had fought fiercely with Pingling Jun, nearly losing her life several times.
He was just a businessman and couldn’t help at all.
Pouring half a cup of tea for Jiang Xuanjin in front of him, Lu Jingxing asked, “Do you know what it feels like to be powerless?”
Jiang Xuanjin lowered his gaze. “I have never experienced it.”
“Haha, the powerful Jun Ziyang has naturally never tasted that flavor, but I know it all too well.” Putting down the teapot, he said, “You see this person every day; she smiles at you, drinks with you, and you know her situation is difficult, but you can do nothing but watch like a fool.”
“Now that I finally have a chance to help her, why do you come to ask me about the pros and cons?”
“I’m a businessman, but does that mean a businessman isn’t human?”
As he spoke, he became slightly agitated. Jiang Xuanjin remained silent. He had indeed only regarded the two as drinking buddies, never realizing there was such a past.
“Forget it.” He said, “I was overthinking it.”
Though these two letters were strange, they were indeed meant to help him. If Qingsi had truly hidden the letter in the main house, considering the time, it wouldn’t be surprising for the letter to carry the scent of incense.
His furrowed brow finally relaxed as Jiang Xuanjin stood up, preparing to leave.
“Hey.” Lu Jingxing called out to him. “How is Zhuji doing these days?”
Irritated, Jiang Xuanjin turned back. “Since you have such a deep bond with the princess, why are you so concerned about others?”
Nonsense; these two were the same person, and with such a deep bond, of course, he would care. Lu Jingxing pouted, seeing that he had no intention of saying anything further, and waved his hand. “Forget I asked.”
Jiang Xuanjin sneered, flicking his sleeve as he left. He didn’t even go to the Tingwei Mansion, heading straight back to Moju.
Feeling that he had suspected the wrong person, Jiang Xuanjin spent the next two days in Moju, accompanying Bai Zhujing, allowing her to tease and play with him, his attitude very tolerant.
Huaiju once thought it was raining red from the sky. Leaning her head out of the window to look, she murmured, “Isn’t this too rare?”
Pulling her back, Jiang Xuanjin said, “Get dressed properly.”
Tonight, there was a banquet in the palace, and the old master had sent several sets of formal attire early for them to choose from. When Huaiju turned around, she found Jiang Xuanjin already dressed in a wide-sleeved silver robe embroidered with cranes, standing tall and elegant.
Stunned for a moment, she suddenly thought about what a child of such a magnificent person would look like.
Seeing her standing there in a daze, Jiang Xuanjin gently shook his head, stepping forward to tie the sash at her waist.
“There will be many people at the palace banquet. Stay close to me; don’t wander off.”
“Mm.” Responding absentmindedly, Huaiju focused on feeling the embroidery on his chest.
How could others’ embroidery look so beautiful? She was so serious, yet she hadn’t even finished embroidering the four characters in such a short time.
Gently swatting her hand away, Jiang Xuanjin frowned. “You need to be more proper once we enter the palace.”
“I know!” Coming back to her senses, she smiled and hugged his arm, following him out.
“Your Highness,” Qingsi called out to her softly.
Huaiju turned back to see her giving her a reassuring gesture.
Everything is arranged? Huaiju nodded. Casually looking ahead, they continued walking.
Xile Palace was large, specifically used by the royal family for banquets, not far from Ming Mountain Palace. Once the Jiang family arrived, the atmosphere inside became even livelier, with many people coming over to greet them, pulling them in different directions until the Jiang family members were scattered.
Huaiju stayed close to Jiang Xuanjin, who was responsible for conversing with others while she focused on eating the food on the table, their roles were clearly defined and their cooperation was pleasant.
However, it wasn’t long before these court officials, taking advantage of the full moon festival, began to urge drinks.
Vaguely remembering that Jiang Xuanjin didn’t drink much, Huaiju protectively said, “Lord Yun and Lord Han are still here; how can the general let His Majesty drink first?”
Xu Xian raised an eyebrow. “Is the lady not allowing His Majesty to drink?”
“It’s not that I’m not allowing him; there should be some rules.” Handling this group of people, Li Huaiju was quite skilled. “Lord Yun has just been promoted; shouldn’t you drink a cup with him first?”
That made sense! Xu Xian immediately looked at Yun Lanqing, who shot a complex glance at the lady. He raised his cup and drank it all in one go.
“Good!” Han Xiao clapped foolishly beside him, cheering.
Yun Lanqing was furious. “What’s so good about it? Shouldn’t you drink too?”
“Why?” Han Xiao was confused.
Setting the wine cup in front of him, Yun Lanqing said, “I’ve worried about you often; why are you questioning me when I ask you to drink a cup?”
That was true! Han Xiao nodded and straightforwardly downed a cup.
Originally, they had come to toast him, but now they were turning on each other. Jiang Xuanjin found it amusing, thinking this group of people was quite interesting.
However, even with Huaiju blocking the drinks for him, there were simply too many people at the palace banquet, and he had to drink a few cups. After downing two cups, Jiang Xuanjin fell silent, pulling her to a secluded spot beside Xile Palace.
Huaiju understood, half-supporting him as she asked, “Are you drunk?”
“No.” He replied stiffly.
She chuckled softly. Li Huaiju found a rock in the garden for him to sit on and gently said, “I’ll go pour you a cup of tea. Will you wait for me here?”
The full moon hung high, and the palace lanterns glowed brightly. From the distant banquet, the sounds of laughter and chatter echoed. Jiang Xuanjin, with blurred vision, looked at the person before him and nodded obediently. “Okay.”
Smiling, she reached out to pat his head. Unable to resist, Huaiju gave him a hard kiss before lifting her skirt and walking away.
If he weren’t drunk, Jiang Xuanjin would have noticed that she wasn’t heading back to the banquet, but he was drunk, and all he remembered was that she told him to wait there.
So he waited.
Sitting upright, his hands resting on his knees, Jiang Xuanjin stared longingly at the empty palace path ahead, thinking that when she returned, he would praise her.
However, this time, he waited for a long time, and the empty palace path before him remained deserted, with no one returning.