Chapter 47: Enter the Palace?

Song Juguang seemed not to have understood, and asked, "What?"

Jiang Changbai didn't raise her head, repeating what she'd just said. "Bring the two of them into the Palace to live; there are many places in the Rear Court that are empty."

Song Juguang looked at Jiang Changbai with astonishment, and when she spoke, it was peculiar. "So, Bixia really has agreed to this marriage."

Hearing these words of hers, Jiang Changbai raised her head, a few degrees of equal surprise flashing in her eyes; when she spoke, a smile that couldn't be restrained was in her words. "What are you thinking, hm?" Having finished speaking, she set down her brush, rising and unhurriedly pacing to Song Juguang's side; she continued, "In the capital, the people are many and the eyes are multitudinous; even if people were deployed to surveil day and night, there'll always be a moment of carelessness. Now, Liang Jiwen's identity is in question, so she ought to be placed where others can't contact her, to avoid her having connections with the outside world, and collude to deceive us.

"Since you've said that her identity is probably genuine, then before we have evidence to prove her identity otherwise, we ought to treat her like a Shejin princess; we can't close her up in a posthouse. But if we ignore her and she wanders about in the capital as she pleases, then what she encounters, who she comes in contact with, can't be controlled by us.

"Although the Palace is large, and the people many, even if it were larger, it's only a four-sided cage, and even if the people were more, those who come and go are only those few. Regardless of where she's from, having entered the Palace, if she wants to leave, she'd have to suffer a great deal. By putting her under our watch, if there really is some incident, then we'll have plenty of time to deal with it."

Actually, Song Juguang hadn't thought that she'd say so much just then; now, she'd calmed down, and unexpectedly felt that Jiang Changbai's words were reasonable. But thinking over it carefully, she still felt it wasn't right, and shook her head. "Bixia, this minister thinks that's not suitable. If Liang Jiwen is allowed to live in the Palace, though you'll be able to know about anything unusual immediately, if there's danger, you'll bear the brunt of it. That's not safe; this minister believes that letting her live in the posthouse and arranging more people to monitor her would be best. She spent most of the money she had early on, and probably won't go out much."

Jiang Changbai scoffed. "She doesn't have money now, but that doesn't mean she won't in the future. There are many in the capital with wealth, and the amount of people who'd send her money is probably not small. Making her live in the Palace will cut short those peoples' intentions as well."

Song Juguang's eyes, hearing this, flashed faintly with a degree approval, but she still hesitated. "But—"

"There isn't any 'but'," Jiang Changbai said firmly. "If she can still create issues in the Palace, then I may as well abdicate the throne."

"Besides you, there's no one who can be the Emperor of the Great Li," Song Juguang said carefully, finally no longer persisting. "Then it'll be as you say; this minister will arrange it in a moment."

The daylight had grown shorter and shorter; now, the sunlight had already begun to gradually recede. The twilight fell on the glazed roof tiles, making them appear like pieces of gold. The sun and the layers of clouds before it painted the horizon in purple-tinted orange-reds. With unhurried steps, Song Juguang headed out of the Palace, her expression nowhere near the excitement it had been when she had arrived. This road was silent, and there was only the sound of her footsteps. Equally silent was the Honghai Pavilion posthouse, newly-constructed across the street from Honghailou, in the room in which Liang Jiwen was staying. This was also Chen Xun's property.

In the end, Chen Xun hadn't put up the placard that Jiang Changbai had written personally with an imperial brush; atop Honghailou's door, facing the posthouse and separated by the street, was hung still that old placard, the amount of times its paint had been redone unknown. Since Jiang Changbai had ascended the throne, the government had been efficient and the people at peace, and neglected tasks had been undertaken; those travelling to and from the capital were multitudinous, and the usual couple of posthouses were often full of patrons.

The Luyuan branch of Honghailou had gone bankrupt, and the manager had come to the capital to make a report. Chen Xun had always regarded this manager highly, and, adding on the fact that the Luyuan branch's bankruptcy wasn't her fault, and Chen Xun had had money to spare, she'd used a large sum of money to establish these stores, and transformed them into the current Honghai Pavilion.

The heart of the capital had originally had posthouses meant especially to serve foreign guests. But during the previous emperor's time, the court had been a mess, everyone paying attention only to how to seize more money, and who knew where the money meant for repairing the posthouses had gone. The Minister of Rites, suddenly receiving Song Juguang's orders, fearing that he'd be ousted for not handling the matter properly, thought on it for a great while, and in the end grit his teeth and arranged for them to be placed in Honghai Pavilion at his own expense.

Liang Jiwen, having been subjected to the sun during the day from kneeling outside the Palace gates, and having been "investigated" by an eager Song Juguang for half a day, was now long since exhausted, and laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about who knew what. To say nothing of the elderly nanny—now, she'd found a chair to sit down in, her eyes dull, not saying a word.

Actually, when the nanny had been a nanny in the Shejin Royal Palace, she could never have acted so freely in front of Liang Jiwen. At that time, though Liang Jiwen wasn't favoured, and the servants were incredibly scornful towards her, she was still a princess, and the outer appearance of customs still had to be maintained. But the two of them had relied on each other for survival the entire journey, and their relationship had long since changed from before. To ask the Liang Jiwen of now, the nanny was more like an elder who had accompanied her the entire time, and as such, acting according to customs or not wasn't that important.

A rap on the door broke the silence; at first, the nanny was startled, and then immediately, with great exertion, grasped the chair's arm to stand up, heading for the door. Her mind found it strange; the officials had left not long ago; they wouldn't turn and come back, and the two of them, master and servant, had no one they knew in the capital; so, who could it be who was knocking on the door now?

But even if she were suspicious, she still opened the door. Once it opened, a person looking like a waiter, carrying a wooden tray, stood at the doorway. On the wooden tray were arranged white porcelain bottles and a few plates of food. The mellow, rich scent of alcohol drifted out from within. The nanny was astonished, and asked, "You are?"

The waiter smiled. "Da-niang, our proprietor especially had me bring this to you two; it's Honghailou's speciality. When drunk in the evening, it'll guarantee a sound sleep, and when waking, one won't be the slightest bit tired."

The nanny waved her hand. "We didn't order it."

The waited smiled still. "This is from our proprietor to you; if you don't want, I won't enter, but you must take this wine." The waiter wasn't very old; when smiling, her eyes curved, and there were faint dimples at the corners of her mouth. The nanny looked at her, and it seemed as if she were looking at her own younger self. So, she didn't make any more refusals; she hesitated a few more moments, and then took it.

"if you have any needs, just come find me; I'll be waiting in the lobby downstairs the entire night," the waiter said, still smiling. "The restaurant across the street was also opened by our proprietor; she said that, if you order anything, it'll be equally free of charge."

The nanny, hearing this, grew mystified, and no matter what, couldn't think of any reason; she could only take it as the special command of the court. Liang Jiwen, seeing the nanny hadn't returned in a long while, was somewhat anxious, and asked, "Who is it?"

The nanny carried the tray in, and explained the whole story simply. Though Liang Jiwen was doubtful, she couldn't say anything, and only impatiently looked at the wine on the tray, swallowing a mouthful of saliva. The scent of wine drifted into her nose, and she already couldn't remember clearly how long it had been since she'd had such fine food and drink. The nanny, making out her thoughts, unexpectedly shook her head. She said, "Dianxia, the current state isn't clear; we don't have any personal relationship with this proprietor, and it would be best to be a bit careful."

Though Liang Jiwen was reluctant, she didn't cling to it. If the nanny hadn't been there along the way, she'd probably have been food for wolves in the wilderness who knew how long ago, and so it was as if the positions of the two had been exchanged now, and Liang Jiwen had a faint obedience towards the nanny. "But they don't believe us," Liang Jiwen said, gloomy. "And I don't know how much longer we can stay here."

"Dianxia, don't worry," the nanny said, coming over to sit down by Liang Jiwen's side, and stroked the back of her hand gently. "Truth can't be falsified; once the Great Li's Emperor's people return from Shejin, we'll be able to enter the Palace."

Liang Jiwen thought carefully over the nanny's words, and then asked, "Is the Great Li's Imperial Palace really as good as you say?"

"In the Palace…" The nanny mumbled, slightly hesitant, her eyes lowered, as if she were thinking of the past. Then, her gaze unexpectedly suddenly grew firm, and she smiled towards Liang Jiwen. "Of course the Palace is good; the Great Li is located in the Central Plains, after all, and has who knows how much more resources of all types than Shejin. The Imperial Palace is even more luxurious; the level of clothing and food the consorts and concubines in the Palace have is more or less that of your Royal Father's!"

That a nanny who had travelled with her from Shejin was so familiar with the Great Li's Imperial Palace, Liang Jiwen didn't feel was strange. She only dimly nodded her head, her expression growing more expectant. Along the way, she'd heard that the Great Li's Emperor had changed, and not only was he more capable than the previous one, he was quite a bit younger as well. She couldn't choose her own final destination, but in the end, to please someone of a similar age was always better.

"Peng-peng-peng," the door was knocked on again. Master and servant, in the room, exchanged a glance, and the nanny once more made her way to the door. The waiter previously had said that their proprietor wanted to meet Liang Jiwen, and so the nanny subconsciously assumed that the person knocking on the door was the "proprietor" that the waiter had mentioned. However, when the door opened, the person standing outside was Song Juguang, who they'd just seen that afternoon.

"Wangjun?" The nanny was somewhat surprised, but she still didn't forget etiquette. Yet Song Juguang didn't pay this any attention, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her upright, heading directly into the room. "Wangjun!" the nanny called out, agitated, trying to obstruct her, but in the few moments it took her to react, Song Juguang had already entered the room and sat down. Liang Jiwen, seeing Song Juguang had entered, also hurriedly got off the bed and made obeisance, not forgetting to smooth her hair, and called out "Wangjun" in her strange accent.

Yet Song Juguang didn't look at her, dragging a chair over to sit down, her gaze still on the nanny in the doorway. So, the nanny could only close the door, and stand across from Song Juguang. "For what reason has Wangjun come now?"

Song Juguang shrugged her shoulders. "Her highness wants you two to enter the Palace."

The nanny, hearing this, was greatly excited, the smile on her face hard to hide. "Then this servant will gather our possessions now; we don't have many belongings, and we won't delay things for too long."

"Wait a moment," Song Juguang called her to a stop loudly, extending a hand to point at the empty chair before her. "Don't hurry to pack your things; sit down first."

The nanny didn't understand, but she naturally knew she couldn't disobey Song Juguang, and could only walk back. She'd only just sat down when she heard Song Juguang add, "This regent won't go around in circles with you either; allowing you to enter the Palace is her highness' intent, but it isn't this minister's."

"Wangjun, what do you mean by that?" the nanny laughed awkwardly. "Our princess travelled East to come to the Great Li in order to marry the Emperor. With her identity in doubt, temporarily living outside the Palace is alright, but once her identity is ascertained, she ought to enter the Palace."

Song Juguang scoffed, her gaze flicking to Liang Jiwen, and she said sternly, "You're still acting as if it's the previous emperor's time; the current Emperor is a woman, and she's not as muddled and lecherous as the previous emperor. Now, her highness' Rear Court is empty, and all day, she's completely enthralled in governance. Even if, in the future, her identity is confirmed, she can't enter the Palace, nor can she become a consort."

The nanny startled, an unclear emotion rising in her muddy eyes. "Then why has Wangjun come now?"

Song Juguang paused, and then raised her chin to indicate Liang Jiwen, at a bit of a distance. "This regent wants you, or perhaps her, to go before her highness, and say that she misses home, and wants to return to Shejin."

"That…"

"There's no reason to be hesitant," Song Juguang said, her expression turning cold. "At that time, this regent will arrange for people to escort you back, and they'll obey your orders. All of the wrongs you suffered on the way can be avenged; apart from that, the money given to you won't be short by a single piece. After all, people struggle to leave their homeland; having been gone so long, do you two truly not miss home?"

The nanny fell silent; no matter how Liang Jiwen, behind her, asked, she wouldn't translate. Yet Song Juguang seemed to have expected this, and she clapped her hands, and a woman with a similarly high nose bridge and large eyes came in through the door. Song Juguang said lightly, "Say everything this regent just said in the Shejin language for her once more."

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