The capital of Great Wei remained as peaceful as ever. Taohua hugged herself and glanced outside, murmuring, “The weather is getting cooler.”
Shen Zaiye stepped out the door, tossing her a cloak before saying, “Come, let’s go see off the Prince Nan.”
Since the Zhao envoys were still in the capital, the Prince Nan couldn’t depart with great fanfare to quell the rebellion. He could only leave quietly late at night with his troops.
Taohua accompanied Shen Zaiye, not taking a carriage but sharing a horse with him. As their robes fluttered in the night wind, Taohua clung tightly to his waist and suddenly said, “You seem especially heavy-hearted today.”
Shen Zaiye was startled and turned to ask, “Is it that obvious?”
“No one but me would notice,” Taohua replied. “Don’t worry.”
Shen Zaiye wasn’t sure whether to be reassured or more concerned by her words. He sighed, “If others couldn’t tell, how did you notice?”
Taohua pouted, “After spending so much time with you, I naturally understand some subtle details. For instance, whenever you’re preoccupied, your eyelids droop, and you avoid looking at me directly.”
This was an unconscious behavior, as he feared she might discern something from his eyes.
Shen Zaiye snorted lightly, “By that logic, it’s simple to tell when you’re lying. You always fiddle with your sleeves.”
“What?” Taohua was startled, pinching her sleeve to examine it. “Do I have that habit? I don’t think so!”
She hadn’t even noticed it herself!
“So two people being together for a long time isn’t necessarily a good thing,” Shen Zaiye mused. “Things you never noticed about yourself are discovered by the other person.”
“No wonder only deeply in love couples can grow old together,” Taohua muttered. “Otherwise, having an unreliable person understand your every move would be terrifying.”
Shen Zaiye nodded, fully agreeing with her perspective. It truly was terrifying!
Both were unique individuals, but for some reason, they harmonized exceptionally well together. Many viewpoints that others found bizarre, they could reach a consensus on.
For instance, most people wouldn’t think that love was meant to make one’s lifelong partner seem reliable.
The horse galloped swiftly, soon reaching the outskirts of the city. Prince Nan and his group were already prepared to depart. Seeing them arrive, Mu Wuxia came forward to greet them.
“Chancellor, Sister Jiang.”
As they dismounted, Taohua’s eyes lit up upon seeing the cloak the prince wore. It was the one she had given him.
“Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness,” she said gently. “Please be careful on your journey.”
“Don’t worry,” Mu Wuxia nodded. “I’ve made all the necessary arrangements. Without thorough preparation, I wouldn’t have taken on this task.”
“This minister also believes Your Highness will be fine,” Shen Zaiye said, standing behind Taohua with a deep gaze fixed on Mu Wuxia. “However, it might take some time. Yingxian Mountain is close to the capital. If reinforcements are needed, feel free to send word at any time.”
Mu Wuxia raised an eyebrow and said seriously, “If five thousand armored troops can’t defeat three thousand bandits, then I shouldn’t return at all.”
“Your Highness, how can you say such things?” Taohua shook her head. “Confidence is good, but nothing is absolute. How can you speak so definitively?”
“I just want to reassure you,” Mu Wuxia pressed his lips together. “I’m not a child anymore.”
At these words, both Shen Zaiye and Jiang Taohua paused.
Taohua looked at him carefully, then at Shen Zaiye. In terms of height, the Prince Nan was indeed no longer a child. However, looking at his handsome yet slightly youthful features, it was hard to feel completely at ease.
“It’s getting late,” Shen Zaiye said. “Your Highness should depart.”
“Very well,” Mu Wuxia nodded, mounting his horse. He pulled on the reins and looked at them, saying, “Wait for my return.”
The two standing below bowed to him simultaneously. A hint of a smile appeared in Mu Wuxia’s eyes before his expression turned serious again. He led his troops towards Yingxian Mountain in a grand procession.
In the quiet of the night, Taohua stood in the autumn wind and suddenly asked, “My lord, will you wait obediently for the prince’s return?”
Shen Zaiye laughed softly, his phoenix eyes filled with complex emotions. He reached out and pulled her into his embrace.
Li Jin and his group had planned to stay in the capital for five days before departing. However, when he prepared to bid farewell to the Great Wei Emperor, Emperor Mingde said, “It’s still early, Chancellor Li. Why are you in such a hurry to return?”
Generally, visits to other countries lasted five days before returning. Wasn’t this the custom? Li Jin was surprised, but Emperor Mingde’s subsequent actions made the reason clear—Great Wei was about to sever ties with Zhao.
He and Yang Wanqing were both confined and immediately cut off from the outside world. Emperor Mingde announced that the envoys had returned to Zhao, while in reality, they were imprisoned in the imperial dungeons, unable to move.
Jiang Taohua grew nervous. She hadn’t received any news, which was the most frightening part. If the Zhao envoys were to depart for their country, Li Jin would surely come to bid her farewell. However, there was no sign of anyone, and this group had “returned to Zhao.”
Shen Zaiye suddenly became busy, rarely returning home and spending entire days in the imperial palace. He also instructed her not to leave the Chancellor’s residence.
On the first day, Jiang Taohua told herself to trust Shen Zaiye; he had made a promise to her. However, as time passed, she grew increasingly uncertain.
While waiting, Zhanlu came to report that Shen Zaiye would be staying in the palace again tonight and wouldn’t return.
What was he doing in the palace? Taohua was truly curious. Just as she sent Qingtai out to gather information, Feng Ping from Linghan Courtyard came to deliver a message: “Madam, my mistress invites you to Linghan Courtyard for a conversation.”
Mei Zhaoxue? Taohua waved her hand; she had no energy to deal with her right now.
“My mistress said she could resolve your confusion. If you want to know anything, you can ask her,” Feng Ping added.
Taohua’s heart skipped a beat, and she frowned, “Really?”
“This servant wouldn’t dare lie.”
After some thought, Taohua took a lantern and headed to Linghan Courtyard.
Mei Zhaoxue had lost her previous frenzy and appeared much more normal, elegantly arranging tea sets.
“Greetings, Madam,” she said when Taohua arrived, but didn’t move or bow.
Jiang Taohua had no patience for these formalities and got straight to the point, “What confusion can you resolve for me?”
“Aren’t you curious about what the Chancellor is doing in the palace?” Mei Zhaoxue smiled. “I know.”
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Taohua sat down across from her. “I’m all ears.”
“Noble Consort Lan has been severely ill recently,” Mei Zhaoxue said calmly. “The lord has been in the palace taking care of her, even cutting his blood to use as a medicine catalyst.”
Slightly stunned, Taohua was surprised. “You’re confined to this courtyard. How did you get this information?”
Mei Zhaoxue looked up at her. “Even if confined, I’m still the legitimate daughter of the Fengchang family. I have many acquaintances in the palace. Is it strange that I know such news?”
“I see,” Taohua nodded, then sighed in relief. “Well, that’s fine then. I’ll be heading back now.”
“Madam?” Mei Zhaoxue couldn’t sit still, looking at her in complete bewilderment. “Aren’t you angry?”
“Angry?” Taohua looked at her in confusion. “The Lord is just taking care of the Noble Consort in the palace. Why should I be angry?”
If Shen Zaiye were truly helping Emperor Mingde plan an attack on Zhao, then she would be angry!
Mei Zhaoxue’s face turned slightly pale, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the teacup. “I’m very curious about what you care about. Is it that as long as you hold the position of the Chancellor’s wife, you’re not at all concerned about where the lord’s heart lies? Have you ever considered that Noble Consort Lan might be the one he loves most? One day, if they can’t resist their feelings, they might elope together.”
Staring at her in disbelief, Jiang Taohua tried to imagine Shen Zaiye passionately embracing Lu Zhilan and eloping, abandoning country and family. She couldn’t help but shudder. “That won’t happen.”
Unless Shen Zaiye had been kicked in the head by a donkey!
Mei Zhaoxue pulled out a waist token, chuckling softly, “If you don’t believe me, you can sneak into the palace tomorrow to see for yourself.”
The token was engraved with “Weiyang Palace,” the Empress’s main palace. Taohua exclaimed in amazement, “You have such a thing.”
“The Empress gave this to me long ago,” Mei Zhaoxue said with a complex expression. “When I was still the mistress of this Chancellor’s residence.”
Picking up the token to examine it, Taohua smiled lightly, “Do you think I’m stupid? To sneak into the palace just to see how Shen Zaiye is being intimate with someone else behind my back?”
“With this, you can completely say you’re going to pay respects to the Empress,” Mei Zhaoxue explained. “Aren’t you restless because the lord hasn’t returned? Going in legitimately, you can also check on what the lord is doing. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?”
It seemed to make sense. Taohua nodded and tucked the token into her robes. “Then I thank you.”
Mei Zhaoxue inclined her head, her eyes lowered, still filled with unresolved hatred.
Could something received from such a person be used? After leaving Linghan Courtyard, Taohua searched every beam in the Chancellor’s residence and dragged out Xu Yangui.
“Master Xu, do you know what the Chancellor has been doing recently?”
Xu Yangui shook his head in confusion. “I don’t know.”
Taohua smiled at him silently.
“Please don’t be angry, Madam. I truly don’t know,” Xu Yangui pressed his lips together. “He hasn’t told me anything these past few days and has been coming and going mysteriously. How could I guess his thoughts?”
“In that case, would you be willing to help me gather some information?” Taohua pulled out the waist token and showed it to him with a smile. “I’ll prepare some small gifts. You can pretend to be delivering them to the Empress on behalf of the Chancellor.”
Glancing at the token, Xu Yangui scoffed, “This thing can only get you through the first palace gate. It won’t work beyond that. If you want to find out something, I can help, but there’s no need for this.”
“No,” Taohua smiled, her eyes full of meaning. “You’ll have to take this token and enter the palace in my name. I’ll prepare everything you need, including your appearance.”
(End of Chapter)