Chapter 72: Relationship

Translator's note (06.09.2025): For a number of personal reasons, I will be taking a break from working on this project for the foreseeable future. I do, hopefully, intend to eventually come back and complete this translation, but for the moment, this project will be on hiatus. Thank you to everyone who's read and commented so far, and thank you in advance for your understanding.

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Having taken a bare few steps, they were all a bit surprised.

Jiang Changbai knew that Song Juguang's residence didn't have many servants, but she hadn't imagined that the Regent's residence would be quite this desolate. The exterior appeared glorious and dazzling, but within was quite simple. The courtyard didn't have any sumptuous decorations, filled only with bamboo and plants she couldn't name. And the plants hadn't been tended to in a long while; they were growing wildly in the early spring atmosphere.

Thinking of the incident just previously at the door, Jiang Changbai felt a bit astonished, and asked, "How come it's you who came to answer the door? What about the servants?"

Yet Song Juguang didn't pay it much mind, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know; they're probably resting. But luckily this minister was just in the courtyard taking a walk, so it wasn't delaying matters." Here, she lied, but no one knew it.

Jiang Changbai's expression flashed with a bit of peculiarity. "I hadn't imagined A Guang was so empathetic towards the servants."

Song Juguang blinked, still carrying that carefree expression. "Bixia, you jest. They've accompanied this minister for a long time; when this minister was leading forces outside, those who fled fled and those who absconded absconded, and such a large residence relied entirely on the handful of them. Usually there's only this minister in the residence, and there's no one who comes to pay a visit, let alone various chores. If they like to hide away and idle, then I may as well let them; they were all groomed by me anyway."

"But that can't stand," Jiang Changbai said, shaking her head. "The matters of court are more than busy enough—how could the matters of your residence be left to you to deal with? Like this day after day, you'll tire yourself to collapsing." Having come to this point, she paused and put on a careless expression, stroking the brush-straight bamboo stalks as she did so. "If you're willing to groom those of your residence, you may as well; there's so many people in the Palace that I really can't properly groom them. It would be better for me to allocate some people here to you, and that'll help you deal with some trifles."

Hearing this, Song Juguang's lips unconsciously curled into a smile, her thoughts shifting, and she nodded. "What Bixia says is reasonable; handling so many matters, this minister's energy really is stretched thin. But this minister's residence doesn't have much to do—it would be better that Bixia give a favour, and allow this minister to move into the Palace."

Jiang Changbai's aimless hand, pressing gently against the bamboo stems, suddenly froze, her fingernails leaving faint marks. In a flash, she thought of the words she herself usually most disliked hearing—that's indecorous.

Song Juguang shot her a glance, and in an instant, guessed the disorder in Jiang Changbai's mind. Her smile grew deeper, and she feigned at not understanding. "That way, this minister would be even closer to Bixia, and would have more energy to assist you—and there'd be no need to deal with the trifles of a residence." As she spoke, Song Juguang drew closer, the tip of her nose nearly pressing against Jiang Changbai's ear. She lowered her voice, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "If you want to keep watch over this minister, it would be a bit easier as well."

"Nonsense!" Jiang Changbai suddenly retreated a massive step, denying it immediately. "A Guang is overthinking—We didn't have that intent."

"Is that so?" Song Juguang didn't grow angry either, raising her eyes to gaze staidly at her. "What did Bixia come for today, then?"

Jiang Changbai turned her head, looking at those who'd come with her, and then looked at the room with the open door behind Song Juguang. "Let's talk inside."

"Alright," Song Juguang nodded, taking large strides to come to Jiang Changbai's side and showing her the way.

They'd only just stepped over the threshold when Jiang Changbai stopped once more turning her head to look at Xun Zhu and the others. "Keep guard outside; don't enter without summons."

"Understood."

Song Juguang wiped the entire table clean, and then closed the window carefully and tightly. When she turned around to look, Jiang Changbai had long since sat steadily upon a chair, and she asked with a smile, "Can Bixia speak about it now?"

Jiang Changbai's expression was grave. "How did Jiang Mingyou die?"

"How come Bixia's asking that?" Song Juguang said, pouring a cup of water and placing it before Jiang Changbai as she did so. "This minister doesn't have any tea on hand, and can only wrong Bixia by asking for you to put up with it."

Jiang Changbai didn't even look at the cup of water, but asked her once more, "How was it that Jiang Mingyou died?"

Song Juguang's hand, pouring the water, paused in midair. "Does Bixia wish to hear the truth, or to hear something else?"

"The truth, of course."

"This minister killed him." Song Juguang's figure suddenly gave off a bit of a chill, as if she'd been replaced with someone. "This minister had originally intended to kill the previous emperor; Jiang Mingyou was thrust in front as a replacement, and I had no other option but to kill him first."

The two characters "killing someone" were spoken by Song Juguang as trivially simply as if she were eating or drinking something; Jiang Changbai didn't say anything, only her finger unconsciously stroking the ornamental thumb ring she wore.

Song Juguang didn't give her the time to speak, either. "What, did Bixia come to condemn this minister?"

Jiang Changbai didn't reply, only continuing to press, "Then what about the others?"

Two pairs of gazes met in midair, and in the last dregs of sunlight that crept in through the crack in the window, the trajectory of the dust in the air was lit up. This time, it was Song Juguang who fell silent, opening and closing her mouth, but int he end, she only spoke half a sentence: "Bixia…"

Jiang Changbai closed her eyes, not looking at her. "Tell Us the truth."

"Alright," Song Juguang said, laughing bitterly. "I'll tell the truth. Of the hundred and thirty-two people, all were killed by this minister. Those who couldn't be any more valued in peacetime were killed with the mere light stroke of a blade. At the time, only you and Prince Ling remained, but Prince Ling died too early; this minster hadn't managed to breach the capital when he passed on—if…"

Jiang Changbai didn't wait for Song Juguang to finish before she spoke. "If he'd still been alive when the city was breached, you would have killed him as well."

Song Juguang nodded.

"If you were to have killed my Royal Father…"

"If this minister had killed your Royal Father, I'd still have assisted you in ascending the throne."

"You wouldn't fear we'd be at odds?"

"It would be no matter, as long as you were Emperor," Song Juguang said with a smile, her eyes filled with sincerity. "But luckily the heavens took pity, and let Prince Ling die before the city was breached, and didn't make us, as ruler and subject, have too great an estrangement."

Jiang Changbai smiled as well; only she knew how Prince Ling had died. A bowl of medicine that wasn't too different, easily sending on the Royal Father who had starved her. She hadn't told anyone about it, nor would she tell anyone. After all, "patricide" wasn't a positive phrase.

Song Juguang, seeing Jiang Changbai hadn't spoken, assumed that she was afraid. "What, does Bixia fear this minister will kill you?"

Jiang Changbai shook her head. "If you wanted to kill me, you'd have long since done it."

"Ah, yes," Song Juguang said, approaching Jiang Changbai. "Bixia's clever; nothing can be hidden from you. But this minister is a fool, and truly can't understand your thoughts. If there's something, you'd better just tell me."

Jiang Changbai smiled. "How does A Guang think the matter of Jiang Mingyou ought to be dealt with?"

Song Juguang stilled at the question. "How else could it be handled? What sort of situation could a Prince Yu's Shizi recognised only by Princess Yu create?"

Jiang Changbai startled. "You don't know about the matters of today's morning court?"

Song Juguang startled as well. "This minister didn't attend court; how could I know?"

As it turned out, she'd slept all the way from last night until this afternoon, and had only awoken half an incense's time before Jiang Changbai had knocked on the door. She'd gone to open the door and welcome her with a muddled mind, and hadn't had the time to do anything else. But once Jiang Changbai had finished explaining what had happened during morning court, Song Juguang's expression was still carefree. "What's worth having a headache about that? If this minister could kill him once, I can kill him a second time. If he wants to play a dead person, then he ought to have the awareness of meeting death."

"You can't," Jiang Changbai overruled Song Juguang's idea without even thinking. "Before, there was the chaos of war, and someone's death was easy to cover up. Now it's a time of peace; the unexplained sudden death of an aristocrat in the capital wouldn't do."

"You mean this minister killing him wouldn't do?" Song Juguang drew a bit closer, and said, "When the time came, Bixia need only follow the Great Li's laws and punish this minister."

"Nonsense," Jiang Changbai said as she reached out a hand to place on her shoulder. "That would lose you your head!"

The smiling expression on Song Juguang's face grew heavier, and she bent her legs slightly, raising a hand to place over Jiang Changbai's on her shoulder, her gaze level with hers. "What, could Bixia not bear to lose this minister?"

Their faced were incredibly close. Jiang Changbai could sense the warmth of Song Juguang's breaths against her face, and though the light was dim, she could clearly see the fine down on Song Juguang's face. She wanted to shift her gaze, and glimpsed Song Juguang's fluttering lashes. Song Juguang was beautiful; even if her skin had grown rough from years of battlefield campaigns, it still made Jiang Changbai's face flush.

Peng-peng-peng, her heart hammered. Jiang Changbai didn't know whether Song Juguang could hear the sound, so loud even the deaf could sense it, but she knew that she couldn't lose her self-control at this moment. So, she simply closed her eyes and turned her head aside, not saying anything. Her hand exerted herself, wanting to toss aside the shackle of Song Juguang's hand, but her strength couldn't exceed Song Juguang's, and no matter how she struggled, it didn't move in the slightest. "Let go!" Jiang Changbai reprimanded, her voice lowering a degree.

Seeing Jiang Changbai had grown angered, Song Juguang immediately let go. But when she spoke, there wasn't the slightest gentleness. "Could it be that Bixia doesn't wish to kill this minister? Looking at the records of history, this minister has seen that the ministers who held military power were all feared by the Emperor. If this minister were to kill Jiang Mingyou, and Bixia were to kill this minister, wouldn't it be two birds with one stone?"

Having the worry on her mind be laid bare in front of her like this, Jiang Changbai felt her cheeks grow even hotter. But she knew that she couldn't concede, so she explained plainly, "It's not the same. You're not a minister from a previous dynasty, and I'm not a regent from one; it's not the same at all."

Song Juguang seemed to be quite pleased by this answer, and retreated a few steps, allowing the normal distance between the two of them. But Jiang Changbai, in that flash, glimpsed the inside of Song Juguang's clothes, which were packed with densely written Hun Locking Sigils. The words that Qin Anhe had spoken the day before reappeared in her mind once more, and Jiang Changbai could only hear a loud rumble in her ears. At this moment, who was it who was standing before her and speaking with her? Jiang Changbai didn't know.

Song Juguang, seeing Jiang Changbai's dazed state, was at a loss herself for a moment as well. But she rapidly changed the subject. "Did Bixia come today merely for that?"

She saw Jiang Changbai's gaze focus once more on her, and saw the complicated emotions in Jiang Changbai's eyes. There was a probing in the unfamiliarity, but this was an emotion that ought not to have appeared between the two of them. Song Juguang's mind fell into disorder in a flash, but her expression played at calmness. "How come Bixia's looking at this minister like that?"

"It's nothing," Jiang Changbai said, coming out of her daze, and pulled her emotions back. "I didn't see you today, and the people I sent over couldn't get the Regent's residence's door to open either, so, thinking something had happened to you, I came over to take a look."

Song Juguang suddenly wished to ask Jiang Changbai whether she'd missed her, but her thoughts had just offended her, and so she swallowed them back. She changed the topic: "Bixia really doesn't need this minister to go kill him?"

Jiang Changbai was somewhat exasperated. "This matter will be discussed again later; you may not request an absence from tomorrow's morning court."

"Understood." Seeing Jiang Changbai intended to leave, Song Juguang pushed the door open as she spoke. By now, the skies had already grown dark, but those waiting outside the door each held lanterns. At first, she was surprised, and in the next moment, she saw that the few servants of her own were waiting outside the door now.

Jiang Changbai had naturally already noticed the extra people, and she didn't need to guess to know their identities; she turned her head to look at Song Juguang, and said, "You can't be blindly tolerant of your subordinates; if something like today happens again, We really will have to arrange for some people from the Palace to come to your residence."

Song Juguang's gaze swept over them. "You hear that? You've all really grown too bold, eating bear's hearts and leopard's galls—you even slighted Bixia!"

The group, having already been reprimanded by Xun Zhu, and now chided by Song Juguang, were complaining endlessly to themselves. How could they have imagined that her majesty would come today? If they'd known, they'd have waited at the door assiduously, and not dared to slight her in the slightest.

The servants of Prince Yu's manor, though, were dedicated to their work, and though the skies had already grown dark, and the Prince's manor's great doors had already been locked, they were still waiting at the door. At the slightest movement outside, they'd be able to detect it immediately.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

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