As His Majesty awaited Pingling Jun’s arrival, intending to issue a decree of inquiry, a major incident erupted in Pingling.
On the final day of the ritual for the late Pingling Jun, Li Shanshan, the Eldest Princess of Danyang, issued an indictment accusing him of disloyalty and treachery.
In the second year of Daxing, Li Shanshan conspired with the Guard General to seize power, resulting in the murder of Sun Wei, who had been loyal to the court for nearly fifty years. In the third year of Daxing, in his bid to seize Empress Dowager Feng, he forced her to commit suicide and callously ordered the massacre of everyone in her palace. That same year, Li Shanshan unjustly killed Xu Xian’s eldest brother, leaving his remains to freeze at the border. He embezzled thirty thousand taels from the national treasury to build his palace, posing as a loyal subject while exploiting and overworking hundreds to death. Those who petitioned against him were silenced, adding to the corruption prevailing in the court for years.
The Eldest Princess questioned why such a person, stained with the disgrace of the Li family, was allowed into the ancestral temple to receive annual worship for three days. She declared that Li Shanshan’s bloodline was a shame to the Li family.
The revelation caused a sensation across the realm. Few knew whether the accusations were true, leading to widespread speculation.
However, soon after, Pingling Jun’s son, Li Fangwu, personally confirmed the accusations as facts. He petitioned the Emperor, expressing his intention to break with tradition by only performing filial rites for his father at home, citing the principle of putting righteousness before family ties. This decision seemed appropriate, demonstrating filial piety while providing ample justification for avoiding visits to the capital. The Emperor couldn’t impose charges of filial impiety nor could he force Li Fangwu to leave Pingling.
However, this revelation tarnished Li Shanshan’s reputation, contradicting the praises in the annals and historical records.
Some individuals began investigating the allegations in the indictment and found them to be true. Following the Eldest Princess’s words, Sun Wei’s remains were quickly discovered in the cold palace.
The court was shaken, with countless memorials urging the Emperor to revoke the annual ancestral worship for Li Shanshan.
Li Huailin sat alone on the soft couch in the Longyan Palace. The windows were closed, casting shadows in the corners of his eyes.
“Your Majesty,” Liu Yunlie entered, speaking softly, “It has been handled.”
The decision for the ancestral worship was Li Huailin’s own. Liu Yunlie understood the reasons behind it. It wouldn’t change due to a few memorials from courtiers. However… the Eldest Princess’s move had caught them off guard. It seemed the posthumous title intended for Li Shanshan might now be impossible.
Li Huailin’s voice was low, “Is what the Princess said true?”
Liu Yunlie paused, shaking his head, “Your Highness knows the Eldest Princess’s temperament. After so many years, suddenly bringing up these matters, there must be some vested interest involved. Whether what she said is true or false is no longer important. What’s crucial is to be vigilant and see what she intends to do.”
Li Huailin shook his head, “I feel like the Princess is telling me she didn’t make a mistake in killing Li Shanshan.”
Liu Yunlie fell silent.
He had thought the Eldest Princess would never bring up these old matters again. After all, she wasn’t one to clear her name. When Pingling Jun passed away and she held all the power, she was practically untouchable. Yet, she preferred to focus on Lu Jingxing rather than seek justice for herself. It was said somewhere that, in the eyes of the Eldest Princess, reputation was the least valuable thing.
So what happened now to make her change her mind?
“How’s my business going?” Huai Yumei happily showed Lu Jingxing the plans for the canal construction in the tributaries of the Qu Lin River. “Is exchanging a letter for a drawing profitable?”
Lu Jingxing glanced deeply at her, “It’s profitable beyond measure.”
She had been staying in the frontline city and hadn’t heard about the earth-shattering changes outside.
It’s more than just making a profit from a drawing…
Lu Jingxing looked out of the window, where Jiang Xuanjin stood in the courtyard, his fox fur cloak gently fluttering, his jade crown firmly securing his ink-black hair. From afar, he resembled an oblivious noble son, enjoying worldly pleasures.
“Lujingxing asked you to write the letter of confession?” Lu Jingxing asked in a low voice.
Huaiyu made a sound of surprise, arching her eyebrows. “How did you know it was his idea? But my handwriting is terrible, so he had Jiang Shen write it directly. Although the Second Young Master Jiang is incompetent in many areas, he excels in calligraphy and composition. He has turned trivial matters into major cases worthy of being recorded in the history books.”
With a slight change in his expression, Lu Jingxing pinched the cold bone of the fan for a while before saying, “He’s determined.”
“He’s not wrong,” Huaiyu said with a shrug, rubbing her belly. “The gratitude gifts from the Pingling Lord arrived today, one large chest after another, almost filling up my courtyard. His generosity is truly remarkable. I assume there will be many future interactions between Pingling and Lord Ziyang.”
Lu Jingxing raised an eyebrow. “I recall in the third year of Daxing, you refuted someone’s proposal, saying that too much interaction between feudal territories was detrimental to the country.”
“Yes, but Li Shan wouldn’t listen, and consequently, Huai Lin didn’t support it either,” Huaiyu shrugged. “Because Li Shan is a feudal lord, he is well aware that interactions between feudal territories help consolidate his power. If he can unite with other feudal lords against the court, it would be enough to stand against the imperial court.”
Huai Lin thought Li Shan was acting in his best interest. So now he should understand that Li Shan was selfish back then too. While supporting him, Li Shan also secured a path for himself.
It’s ironic how fate plays out. Now she’s walking on the path Li Shan left behind, which is causing trouble for Huai Lin.
Taking a deep breath, feeling a bit stifled, Huaiyu turned to Lu Jingxing. “I want to go out for a walk.”
Lu Jingxing shook his head firmly.
“Oh, we’ve been cooped up in the house all day! It’s suffocating! The physician said I need to move around more to have the strength to give birth!” Huaiyu pouted, looking outside. “Today is also the Winter Flower Festival of Northern Wei. In previous years, we would be out in the streets drinking, wouldn’t we?”
Lu Jingxing counted on his fingers. “Two days ago, you went out, wandering around, and worried Qing Si. She searched for you for half a day and ended up guarding your door for three days without moving. Two days ago, you went out with a big belly to help someone snatch a purse, scaring Jiu Wu half to death and causing a commotion in the entire yamen. The thief who stole the purse thought he had stolen a bunch of silver notes, but when it was recovered, there were only three copper coins inside. Yesterday… you finally stayed in, and Chijin cooked hotpot herself to celebrate.”
At the beginning, her face blushed a bit, but by the end, Li Huaiyu was furious. “You had hotpot without me?!”
Lu Jingxing spread his hands. “Forgive them. If you’re around, Chijin wouldn’t dare cook anything casually. It takes three days of preparation.”
Huaiyu couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “My belly, don’t I know it well? It’s been sturdy, enduring all this time, even through all the bumps along the road. How could eating something on the street cause any trouble?”
Stepping forward and opening the door, Lu Jingxing turned back. “You want some fresh air? Standing here is enough.”
Reluctantly, Huaiyu stood there, took a breath of the chilly wind outside, and grimaced. “The air outside isn’t as fresh as on the street.”
Lu Jingxing’s forehead twitched, he said with a wry smile, “You’ll have to make do.”
Her eyes rolled, and suddenly, Huaiyu said, “How about this, let’s have a game of pitch-pot. If I win, you let me go out. How about it? Pitch-pot is your specialty, and I’ve never won once!”
Lu Jingxing squinted. “If I win, you stay obediently in the mansion?”
“Hmm!” Huaiyu nodded.
Jiang Xuanjin stood nearby with his back turned to them but could hear the playful banter between the two.
She said, “You’ve beaten me for five years straight. What’s wrong if I stand three steps closer?”
He said, “Are you walking with your legs split? Standing by the pot and calling it pitching? That’s just putting it in!”
She wasn’t pleased. “Then… two steps?”
He sneered, “You’d better stay in the mansion.”
Jiang Xuanjin didn’t turn around, silently gazing into the distance at the clouds.
Taking advantage of the moment, he frowned slightly and whispered, “Master, shall we return to the house? Lord Ziyang just sent over many documents that you haven’t looked at yet.”
There was no response. The person in front of him was still sitting there, lips pressed pale.
The setup over there was already in place.
Huaiyu held three arrows, full of despair, standing in line with Lu Jingxing. The line was eight feet away from the pot. She aimed for a long time, considering the wind direction and her luck, but in the end, two arrows missed, leaving only one lonely arrow to be lodged into the mouth of the pot.
Her head drooped down, and she wrapped her tiger fur cloak tighter around herself, pouting at Lu Jingxing. “Can’t you aim a little less accurately?”
Lu Jingxing twirled the long arrow between his fingers and chuckled. “I could hit it even with my eyes closed. It’s too hard to miss.”
“Then close your eyes,” Huaiyu said, taking advantage of the situation. “Qingsi, bring Mr. Lu a piece of white silk to cover his eyes!”
Lu Jingxing: “…”
Qingsi did as she was told, and he reluctantly accepted the white silk to cover his eyes. “Your Highness is quite persistent.”
It wasn’t about confidence. Playing pitch-pot, a game for aristocrats to amuse themselves, was something he had been doing since childhood. Regardless of who he competed against, he always won. Because he never missed a single arrow.
With the white silk covering his eyes, he could still vaguely see some light and shadow. Lu Jingxing stood upright, pinched the arrow, and threw it.
Huaiyu was shocked. Seeing how accurate it was, if the arrow hit, she wouldn’t be able to go out! Feeling a bit desperate, she started considering whether she should force her way out of the mansion.
However, just as the arrow was about to land in the pot, a pebble suddenly came flying, carrying a sharp momentum, and hit the arrowhead precisely.
The direction deviated, and the arrow fell to the ground with a “plop”.
Not hearing the expected sound of the pot, Lu Jingxing was surprised. He lifted the white silk to take a look and furrowed his brow. “Did you tamper with it?”
Standing beside him, Huaiyu innocently shook her head. “No.”
As she spoke, she glanced at the person standing at the end of the courtyard.
Jiang Xuanjin didn’t look at her, but stared earnestly at the withered branches in the flowerbed, slowly withdrawing his slender hand and tucking it back into his fox fur cloak.
Returning her gaze, Huaiyu pulled at the white silk covering Lu Jingxing’s eyes. “You still have two chances.”
Lu Jingxing, perplexed, glanced once again at the position of the bronze pot, memorized it, then covered his eyes and threw it again.
With two crisp sounds, two arrows, both exceptionally accurate, landed on the ground not far from the bronze pot.
Removing the white silk, Lu Jingxing was dumbfounded, while Li Huaiyu was so happy she almost jumped up, clapping her hands. “To the streets!”
“This is impossible,” he couldn’t understand. “Why didn’t it go in?”
“Your hand was off!” Huaiyu comforted him with a feigned innocence. “Practice more in the future, and you’ll get better.”
With that, she cheered and walked out.
Lu Jingxing frowned and looked at the bronze pot for a long time. Eventually, he gave up, took his cloak, and followed the person in front of him.
People from all over Northern Wei loved camellias, so they established the Winter Flower Festival, which was held on the day when camellias were in full bloom, for people to enjoy. In a place like Yixian City, which had been desolate for years, there hadn’t been much of a Winter Flower Festival. But this year was different. Many new restaurants and study halls had opened in the city, and there were even song houses and music halls welcoming guests, and celebrating the festival.
With plenty to eat for the people and the river about to flow again, coupled with various happy events, the streets were bustling with excitement.
Huaiyu looked around at the people, her eyes bright, and sighed, “When we first arrived here, the streets were nothing but dirt.”
“Yes,” Lu Jingxing walked beside her, shielding her from the surging crowd, “thanks to Your Highness, Yixian City has come alive.”
Unable to suppress her smile, Huaiyu rubbed her lips, trying to appear reserved, but she was genuinely happy. “Eldest Princess Danyang has done a good deed.”
She was no longer the scourge that the common people only talked about causing chaos in the country. If there were to be another funeral, even if some still cursed her coffin, there should be someone to speak a few kind words for her.
“Danyang is a good person.”
Thinking back to the funeral lanterns bearing the name Danyang that had drifted past on Chang’an Street long ago, she subconsciously waved her hand again. “I won’t let you down this time!”
Lu Jingxing glanced at her and guided her towards the nearby Luji Inn. “It’s too crowded here. You go up and listen to the storyteller for a while.”
“Alright!” Huaiyu lifted her skirt and walked up, holding her round belly, her steps surprisingly light.
Business at the inn was booming today, and there weren’t many empty seats on the second floor. Fortunately, Lu Jingxing had reserved a table for her, closest to the storyteller.
With a thump on the wooden platform, the noisy inn suddenly quieted down. Watching the elderly storyteller clear his throat and begin, Huaiyu listened intently while nibbling on a snack. Lu Jingxing casually turned his head and saw another guest arriving on the floor.
Jiang Xuanjin had a cold expression on his face as he found a seat and sat down. Cheng Xu and Yufeng stood behind him. The three of them were quite eye-catching, and as soon as they sat down, they attracted many whispers from the surrounding guests.
With a slight raise of his eyebrow, Lu Jingxing glanced at the person beside him. She was completely engrossed in the storytelling, seemingly unaware of the attention.
Resting his chin on his hand, Lu Jingxing suddenly reached out, picked up a cup of tea, and brought it to Huaiyu’s lips.
With both hands holding snacks, she had no space to accept them, so she simply took a sip from his hand and swallowed the snack. “Why are you being so nice today?”
Lu Jingxing smiled. “When have I ever treated you badly?”
“Many times! Just yesterday, you argued with me about not going to the main city of Danyang. The day before, when I changed into a new dress, you said it was ugly.” Huaiyu squinted. “Do you think I have a bad memory?”
He hesitated for a moment. Lu Jingxing changed the subject, “I speak the truth. Who cares if you go to the main city of Danyang or not? What’s wrong with the color of your new dress? Choosing a blue amber color was just ugly.”
“It was picked by Chu Niang, what does it have to do with me?” Huaiyu snorted.
Lu Jingxing wanted to say, ‘Just because she picked it, you wear it?’ but he caught sight of someone looking in their direction. He paused, leaned forward, and whispered in Huaiyu’s ear, “It’s my fault. After we finish these two cups of tea, would Your Highness like to visit the clothing shop? I’ll have two new outfits made for you.”
“No need.” Huaiyu mumbled as she ate, “Bring me another jade bean bun, and I’ll forgive you.”
Indulging in a smile, Lu Jingxing beckoned to the waiter and gave a quiet instruction.
Jiang Xuanjin didn’t know why he followed along. He didn’t like noise, and he disliked seeing Lu Jingxing and Li Huaiyu being intimate even more. Yet here he was, sitting, staring at them for quite some time.
She had said that people who were hypocritical like him weren’t very likable. Lu Jingxing was very good with words, murmuring a few gentle phrases. Between his brows and eyes, there was a tenderness that could make her laugh and take care of her. When he wasn’t by her side, the smile on her face seemed a bit more genuine.
“Master,” Cheng Xu couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, “shall we go back?”
“Yes, it’s too noisy here,” Yufeng chimed in. “Why don’t we go back and see the Buddhist scriptures that the Second Young Master found for you?”
“Hmm.” Jiang Xuanjin lowered his gaze and replied softly, but when the people at the table stood up to go downstairs, his feet seemed to follow involuntarily.
If it were in the past, if someone told him that a young master of some family had been deceived and betrayed by someone yet couldn’t let go of that person, persistently seeking a way out, he would have said that person was a fool, not knowing what they were doing and not feeling any pain, right?
But now, as he trod the sandy soil of Yixian City, he knew clearly how foolish he was, and he could keenly feel the pain, yet he still kept moving forward.
Why? He couldn’t understand it himself. In just half a year of warmth, had the fox been tamed? Did that mean he had to spend his whole life in a cage?
Just one more street, Jiang Xuanjin thought, just one more street, and then he would leave.
By the time he emerged, it was nearing dusk, and before long, the sky had turned dark. Lanterns lit up the streets, but there were still many people around. Huaiyu walked eagerly, and when she reached the intersection, she glanced up casually and saw the lanterns hanging from the eaves of the second floor.
Those lanterns were round and bright, emitting a pure light, resembling the moon in the sky.
…
“Even when you’re angry, you look so beautiful. I want to go to the sky and pick the moon for you!”
“If you want to pick it, then go ahead. If you can’t pick it, then don’t let me see you again!”
“I picked the moon for you.”
“…”
“It was you who said if you couldn’t pick it, you wouldn’t see me again. I promised to ‘see you year after year.’ Don’t you remember?”
…
As if it had happened just yesterday, yet now it seemed so far away, beyond reach. Huaiyu stared fixedly for a while. Her eyes were a bit blurry.
Perhaps there would never be anyone again who could make her want to climb up and pick the moon. The paper lanterns that used to be placed in the main hall of Moju were probably already shattered and thrown away somewhere.
Oh well, fake is fake after all. Besides her, no one would be absurd enough to pick lanterns as if they were the moon.
“Here’s the candied hawthorn you wanted.” Lu Jingxing caught up from behind and handed her a string of large, red ones.
Shaking her head to clear the mist from her eyes, Huaiyu smiled and said, “See, am I obedient or not? I didn’t just run away. I stayed here waiting for you.”
Raising an eyebrow, Jingxing carefully examined her face, feeling that something was amiss. “What’s wrong? You seemed fine just now.”
With a slight pause, Huaiyu quickly stifled a yawn, her eyes misty with tears as she said, “I’m tired. I want to go back and sleep.”
“Alright,” Jingxing breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s rare that you feel tired too.”
Forcing a smile at the corners of her mouth, Huaiyu lowered her gaze and followed him back.
Jiang Xuanjin’s tone when he told her to get ready… was so elegantly resentful, not like her at all. She seemed petty and malicious.
What was he planning to do to her? It had been so many days, and there hadn’t been any movement from him.
Come to think of it, this person had been staying in Yixian City for a long time now without returning to Ziyang. Why was that? Judging by the speed at which documents were being sent from Ziyang, it didn’t seem like he was idly passing time. But he didn’t seem anxious either; he hadn’t shown any intention of returning home even after all this time.
Could it be that he didn’t want Yixian City to be merged into Danyang, so he came here early to wait, ready to stop her if she made a move?
Thinking about it, this reason seemed the most convincing. Huaiyu steadied herself and decided to test him, to see what his next move would be.
The courtyard was pitch-black, with only her room lit up. Huaiyu pushed open the door, about to thank whoever had left the light on so thoughtfully, but when she looked up, she found that the room was empty.
A round lantern sat by the window, casting a pure light that illuminated the night sky outside, leaving her stunned.
Qing Si looked at her with confusion and asked the servant guarding outside, “Did someone come over?”
The servant looked bewildered. “This servant has been here the whole time, and I haven’t seen anyone!”