Chapter 62: Mid-autumn Festival

Translator's note: A late chapter, my apologies! The next two chapters should be done and published on the weekend as usual.

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It was the first time either of them had ascended the Liuli Tower. They watched the deference of those making worship from high above—not even the ceremony when she'd ascended the throne had been this spectacular. Her misgivings from just then disappeared in this moment; in this instant, Jiang Changbai seemed to understand why, from ancient times until now, so many people had been drawn towards power like moths to a flame, and also understood why so many people had clung to this power up until death.

In the past, Jiang Changbai hadn't had the qualifications to ascend the Liuli Tower, but every Mid-autumn Festival, she'd have to make worship at the foot of the Tower. She keenly perceived that the women in the crowd were greater in number than before by a great deal; those crowding at the front, those waving their hands, and those, though their faces were unseen, whose inner excitement could be felt—seemingly all of them women. If time were to be turned to a year before, there would most certainly not be this sort of scene.

Song Juguang was equally excited. But she knew etiquette, and even if she had been more excited, she still scrupulously abided by her identity as a minister, hands behind her back as she stood behind Jiang Changbai, not even daring to look downwards too much. Her gaze was only on Jiang Changbai's figure, watching her tall, straight posture, her spirits high and invigorated. Once the ceremony of praying for blessings came to an end, Song Juguang called out long live! alongside the crowd of citizenry at the foot of the Tower—but the words had just ended when the words of the crowd changed.

"A thousand years to the Regent—"

It wasn't clear who'd taken the lead to call it out, but immediately after, it was echoed by countless more. The momentum was massive, as much as when "long live" had been called out just before. Song Juguang's heart trembled, and, without meaning to, she cast her gaze at Jiang Changbai. Luckily, though, she couldn't find any impatience or suspicion on Jiang Changbai's face, only gratification. The next moment, she was unexpectedly tugged forward by her, the two standing shoulder to shoulder, accepting the well-wishes of the people at the foot of the Tower.

It was barely a single step's distance, but her field of view grew far wider. The Great Li's Regent, Song Juguang murmured to herself, as if she, as well, approved of this identity to a degree.

By the time Song Juguang returned to her residence, it was already the afternoon. Those who lived on this street were almost all court officials, and ordinarily, the common people didn't dare come here, the street entirely deserted. But perhaps because today was a festival, when she came to the gates, she saw the number of people on the street had increased by a great deal. It seemed as if those commoners recognised Song Juguang, and, seeing her, made obeisance, and then whispered to each other immediately after, the sound rustling, what they were saying unclear. Song Juguang didn't take it seriously, and, leading her horse, was about to enter the residence. But then a call by one of them halted her, and when she turned her head to look, a young girl had shyly come out of the crowd of people.

She was somewhat startled, but she still waved at that young girl. The girl turned her head to look at her mother, and only then, as if having made a firm resolution, came before Song Juguang. "This is for you," the girl said as she pushed something which had been in her grasp into Song Juguang's, and then turned, about to leave.

Song Juguang found it somewhat amusing, and, sharp-eyed nimble, tugged her back. "What is it?"

The girl had originally been a bit afraid, but after having been pulled into Song Juguang's embrace, her voice unexpectedly grew louder. "It's a lucky bag my niang embroidered. Niang said that we've been able to live our lives this way now because of you, and so for today's festival, she told me to give this to you." When she finished speaking, she raised her head, but she didn't see the expected delight on Song Juguang's face.

Song Juguang merely shook her head, and said, "That you can live your current lives is because of her majesty; if it weren't for her majesty, this regent might not even have been able to eke out a living on any street. You ought to be thanking her majesty."

The girl wasn't very old, and seemed not to understand the meaning of "eking out a living". She simply nodded dumbly, her eyes flickering this way and that, and then she laughed. "Thanks to her majesty, and thanks to the Regent. My jiejie said she wanted to thank her majesty as well—she was going to come today as well, but she had to study; she said she wants to take the exams, so only I could come. Jiejie said, if not for her majesty, she might never have gotten this opportunity in her entire life."

At this, Song Juguang finally smiled as well, and set the young girl down. "Go on, go celebrate. If your jiejie really is talented, she can thank her majesty personally in the court next spring."

Once the young girl had long since left, Song Juguang was still stroking the lucky bag. It had been made with a fine fabric, and the patterns embroidered on it were quite exquisite. She didn't know what the financial situation of the young girl's family was, didn't know whether they'd bought good fabric for it specifically, but looking at it, her heart was still delighted. In the past, she'd never considered herself as someone of the Great Li—had warned herself, day after day, that she'd leave in the end. But today, everything had made a bit of a yoke emerge in her mind, as if the days that were ceaselessly eroding away had branded the Great Li's aura on her soul.

The heavens gradually darkened, and Song Juguang, carrying a lantern, came into the courtyard, gazing silently at the moon. Though the fifteenth's moon grew round on the sixteenth, tonight's moon was full as well. The clear, cool moonlight spilled on the ground, only casting her singular shadow. On the Mid-autumn Festival, everyone would reunite with family, but she didn't have anywhere she could have a reunion. In Song Juguang's mind, unable to help herself, her own shifu's figure emerged; she'd been gone so many years, and she didn't know how her shifu was now. Having thought of this, she felt somewhat apprehensive, and she silently filled a cup of clear wine for herself

But in the capital city, there was another who was as lonely as she was.

The collision of the wine pot and the stone tabletop made a sound, and a xuanya burst out of the darkness, alighting stably on Song Juguang's shoulder. On the strip of paper hung from its leg, there were only five characters written.

"Disturbance at Prince Ling's residence".

Normally, the place where the Emperor had lived before ascending the throne would need to be guarded with increased security, for when, at some point, the Emperor had an interest, and put it to some other use. After Jiang Changbai had ascended the throne, there had been countless legal affairs, and Prince Ling's residence had been empty all the way up until now. Today happened to coincide with a festival; prayers for blessings had been made just that morning, and if there were to be some abnormal changes at Prince Ling's residence now, rumours detrimental to the Emperor might very well spread through the streets.

Now, the skies had already darkened, and the Palace gates had long since been locked. Even if she were to report to Jiang Changbai now, it would delay things by a great deal. Having thought of this, Song Juguang set the clear wine in her hand down decisively.

At Prince Ling's residence, Jiang Changbai was truly unaware that there was someone heading in her direction just now. Today, she'd truly experienced the implication of the term "this lone one". Though many people lived in the Imperial Palace, she had only one relative, and that relative was unwilling to see her. As for the dowager consorts and dowager concubines in the Rear Court, though they were nominally her seniors, Jiang Changbai hadn't met most of them before. For previous emperors, the Imperial Palace could be a home, but for Jiang Changbai, it couldn't compare to Prince Ling's residence. So, without informing anyone, she'd furtively slipped out of the Palace doors with Xun Zhu before they'd been locked.

Though the vegetation of Prince Ling's residence was managed daily, in comparison to before, there was a clear decrease in the sense of human presence. Hidden beneath the dusk of the moonlight, it was unexpectedly a bit eerie.

In actuality, she'd only been gone from this place for a few months. But these few short months actually felt as long a separation as a lifetime. The people and things of the past seemed to have grown distant from her, and under the clear light of the moon, there was only her shadow in the courtyard.

Suddenly, she heard a rustling from the treetops. Jiang Changbai immediately turned her head to gaze at the place where the sound had issued from. Xun Zhu probably had heard it as well; though she wasn't martially skilled, and was a bit timid, she still straightened her spine and stood before Jiang Changbai.

From the shade of the tree, a figure emerged; at first, Jiang Changbai's nerves were taut, and she clutched the dagger at her waist, as if there was about to be a scuffle between the two at the next moment. But once the person came closer, she let out a breath.

Song Juguang, seeing Jiang Changbai, was rather shocked as well. Muscle memory urged her into giving obeisance, and then the next moment, she gazed hesitantly at Jiang Changbai.

Of course, Jiang Changbai wasn't incapable of guessing what she wanted to ask, but she didn't reply to it, rather asked in return, "How is it A Guang's here?"

At her question, Song Juguang had a bit of a guilty conscience, and didn't dare to explain the real situation, merely picking a random lie. "This minister was merely walking about idly, and happened to see that there were traces of someone's entry on the Prince's residence's gates. Remembering that the Prince's residence has been empty, I assumed that some thief whose eyes weren't very keen had robbed the wrong places, and so I came in to take a look."

"Is that so?" Jiang Changbai cast her a glance, and sat back on the stool with a laugh. "It's not because some spy of yours in the trees saw that lamps had been lit in the Prince's Residence, and so you hastily rushed over?" Though Jiang Changbai spoke in a jesting tone, once she'd said them, her own heartbeat hammered. She'd known the entire time that Song Juguang had her own intelligence system, but she'd acted as if she hadn't known the entire time. In the past, Jiang Changbai had assumed that Song Juguang would forever remain cautious and suspicious, but after everything today, she'd changed her mind about this.

Since she'd ascended the throne, Song Juguang had never given opposing suggestions to her decrees. She was the utter opposite of what Jiang Changbai had guessed—Song Juguang had always gone to industriously and earnestly push for each of her orders to be implemented. At least as she saw it currently, there wasn't any conflict of interest between the two. And today, in the Liuli Tower, Jiang Changbai had of course been able to hear the calls of the common people. To say she wasn't afraid of the consequences would be a falsehood—what emperor didn't hope that the common people only acknowledged allegiance to them alone? But besides fear, the emotion that had rushed through her heart immediately after had startled even her.

She'd truly been somewhat gratified—as if the two of them ought to have stood together from the start, and accepted the worship of the people.

As a result, when she'd seen Song Juguang just then, such a thought had emerged from her mind. If the two of them could treat each other frankly, then she could probably temporarily put aside her fear. Truthful words always emerged in the form of jokes, and under the cover of the night, Jiang Changbai stared fixedly at Song Juguang.

Yet Song Juguang couldn't guess the twists and turns in Jiang Changbai's mind. And she'd known the entire time that Jiang Changbai didn't trust in her, that she doubted her, and so, before Jiang Changbai, she'd never been willing to reveal her own might—and today was the same.

Song Juguang shook her head, and said with a laugh, "Bixia's jesting; how could this minister have such abilities."

Jiang Changbai stilled for a moment, heart disappointed, but she continued to press, "You've come, so you might as well sit."

Song Juguang nodded, and obediently sat. Xun Zhu tactfully retreated to the shade of the trees off to the side, leaving the lantern by Jiang Changbai's foot. The clear, cool moonlight spilled down from above, casting the two's shadows. Though at the moment each of them had their own thoughts, in the end, their shadows weren't alone.

Jiang Changbai looked at Song Juguang, and then looked about. "The last time you came to the Prince's residence, you probably didn't notice the changes, did you."

Only then did Song Juguang realise that the place that the two of them were siting at this moment was a part of what had once been Jiang Changbai's wing. Each of the bricks and tiles here had accompanied them for who knew how long. But if changes were to be spoken of, based on Song Juguang's muddied recollection of the Prince's residence, she truly couldn't come up with any. So, she could only say, "This minister doesn't remember."

"You don't remember," Jiang Changbai murmured, and then a self-recriminating smile rose on her face. "Ah, that's right; it's been so long, even I barely remember it."

"Bixia…" Song Juguang said, intending to console her when she heard the desolation in Jiang Changbai's tone, but she didn't know what she wanted to say.

Jiang Changbai didn't give her the time to consider, changing the topic herself. She opened the box on the table thoughtlessly, and when she spoke again, it was as if she were speaking to Song Juguang, and as if she were speaking to herself. "Remember—in the past, during the Mid-autumn Festival, the Prince's residence could receive some mooncakes bestowed by the Emperor, but after they were split between the wings, you could only receive one piece. In the past, I didn't know the marvellous things in the Imperial Palace, and everyone held them as if they were treasures. Ah, but now, everything I send out counts as 'bestowed by the Emperor'." As she spoke, Jiang Changbai raised her head to look at the moon. Song Juguang didn't know what to say, and only stared silently at Jiang Changbai's profile.

Actually, Jiang Changbai had never regretted becoming Emperor, and didn't much miss her previous life as Princess. But what she didn't understand was, how come she held power, but she couldn't hold the person by her side?

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