Chapter 105: The beginning

Translator's note: Sincere apologies for last week's missed updates. I had assumed that my currently lighter schedule would make posting on schedule easier, but I underestimated the burden of my current courseload. I'll do my best to keep on top of things, but if I miss a week again in the future, I apologise in advance and thank you all for your understanding. 

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The day grew shorter and shorter, and at this moment, a few beams of moonlight spilled into the room through the window. Liang Jiwen hid behind the curtain, the joints of her unconsciously tightly curled fingers faintly white. Liang Jiwen recalled the words that Bi Yushuang had just spoken, and as a result, at this time, she instinctively turned her head to look towards the copper mirror on the eastern wall.

But where she was was clearly the blind spot of the mirror, and everything was obstructed by the curtain, and nothing could be seen at all. As she thought, Liang Jiwen's throat unconsciously tightened, and involuntarily, she retreated a step, yet her waist struck the curio shelf behind her. Under the assault, the items on the shelf swayed and wavered, letting out sounds. A Ling's vigilant gaze followed the sound the next moment, falling onto where Liang Jiwen was hidden behind the curtain, and the next instant, the curtain was lifted up.

"This must be her highness Liang Jiwen, right? I've been looking forward to seeing you for a while, and never previously had a chance, but at long last, we've met," Chen Xun said with a light smile, her expression entirely calm. But only she herself knew the shock in her mind. These words were what Qin Anhe had suggested she say, saying that perhaps there would be unexpected gains. Though Chen Xun had always believed Qin Anhe's words, she hadn't imagined they'd be so accurate.

"Dianxia, please sit." A Ling turned as well, one hand lifting the curtain, the other hand extended, gesturing Liang Jiwen forward.

Bi Yushuang, seeing this, suddenly struck the table. "Impudence!"

Her features were frigid, and the aura that burst forth was entirely at odds with that of the young woman who'd flown kites in the Imperial Gardens a few years before, her eyes glaring at Chen Xun. "Chen-zhanggui can't have forgotten that this isn't your Honghailou. As a guest, you must maintain a guest's manners; don't play at a position that isn't yours."

Chen Xun covered her mouth, laughing softly, the pigeon blood ruby necklace on her neck swaying and giving off a red glow. Even if, at this moment, Bi Yushuang's impression of Chen Xun was quite poor, she couldn't help but admit that her attire as a shopkeeper was had more of an expensive aura than her and Liang Jiwen together by a few degrees.

"I merely wished to invite you two honoured persons to visit my humble abode," Chen Xun said, suddenly rising and coming before Liang Jiwen. "Having been away from your home for so long, Dianxia must struggle to not miss her homeland. A band of Shejin musicians has newly arrived at Honghailou, and their songs lack a dear friend to appreciate them."

"What nonsense musicians," Liang Jiwen said, turning her head away and not looking at her, "what I hate most are Shejin musicians."

Chen Xun had wished to curry favour with Liang Jiwen, but she hadn't imagined that she'd suck up, and some embarrassment rose on her face for a moment. Liang Jiwen took advantage of this opportunity to rise, and sat down by Bi Yushuang's side. "I won't go."

"We'll see you out." Bi Yushuang didn't have any intent to wait for Chen Xun's bothering either, and spoke coldly. She could more or less guess at Chen Xun's intent as well, but how could she not know that, the closer one was to power, the more dangerous it was? She had escaped from the whirlpool only with great difficulty, and most certainly didn't wish to enter it once more.

Chen Xun smiled again, and waved her hand, drawing out two ingots of gold from her sleeve. "The city isn't the same as the Palace; the expenses are greater—this bit of kind regard, I hope Niangniang will take."

"She said we'll see you out, can you not understand!" As it grew later, Liang Jiwen grew more on edge. After all, she still had to return to the Palace, and she didn't have much time to avoid it with Chen Xun. So, she stood, and with a sweep of her hand, swept the gold ingots to the ground. The metal made a muffled sound as it struck the ground, and if one were to look carefully, they'd be able to see the deep marks that had appeared on the ingots.

"Ah, don't be so angry," Chen Xun said, still smiling, her gaze sweeping over A Ling, indicating that she retrieve the gold, "I really did come to help you. The Shejin Envoy has arrived, and I fear that those two hidden servants have revealed their whereabouts. This secluded residence is secluded, but its location isn't good. There are many people and many eyes, and perhaps one day, they'll be exposed. It would be better for me to help you hide them; there are many foreigners who come and go in Honghailou, and two Shejin faces wouldn't be a rare occurrence."

"Chen-zhanggui is joking," Bi Yushuang said, one hand tugging at Liang Jiwen's sleeve, making her sit back down in the chair, "my residence's servants all have clean backgrounds, and there's nothing to hide. Now it's already late, and I won't keep you. Come, show them away."

Chen Xun laughed softly. "Since Taipin-niangniang has spoken so, I won't continue bothering you. There's just one matter; I really did wish to become friends with the two of you, and if there's half a measure of ill intent, then if the heavens were to strike me down with five bolts of lightning, I would have no objections."

Having finished speaking, Chen Xun turned to leave, but before she'd stepped over the threshold, she paused once more. "To enter the capital from the Shejin border, there's only one road. Even those who are excellent at hiding would struggle to avoid revealing their whereabouts. If some day the two of you need hep, you may come find me."

Chen Xun clapped her hands, and A Ling immediately drew out two jade pendants. "Take these, and you can meet with our proprietor at Honghailou directly."

Only once the footsteps had disappeared entirely outside the door did Liang Jiwen let out a breath of relief. She didn't understand why Chen Xun knew of the matter of Tao Li and He Miao, but regardless, by the loyalty the two had shown her, she had to protect the two of them.

If the worst came to worst, she'd go make a request of her majesty, Liang Jiwen thought to herself; in comparison to the newly-arrived Su Ya, who was trapped in a crisis of true or false identity, at least they were a bit closer.

But she couldn't continue to implicate Bi Yushuang any further.

Su Ya, laying on the bed, let out a sneeze, and rubbed her nose, rising to walk over to the window and staring blanking. At this moment, it had already become full night, and the moon hung high in the heavens, like a jade disk. The night was clear and cloudless, but Su Ya's mind was full of haze.

She didn't know what the imperial physician the Great Li had sent had done, but even her illness, "faked" by intentional bloodletting, had been cured. After a few bowls of medicine, now, Su Ya's body was no different from when she'd been in Shejin before, and was even a slight bit more robust. The Emperor of the Great Li exceeded rumours; tomorrow night, a banquet would be arranged, to welcome them as guests from afar.

The gibbous moon had risen to the middle of the dome of the heavens, and the banquet drew closer and closer.

Yet Su Ya's mind was quite apprehensive. She recalled the situation from when she'd left for the Great Li; her Royal Father laid in bed, gasping and on the brink of death, and the Seventh Prince had stood against the masses to vie for her the title of Envoy, urging her that she had to bring back the Lingzhi, to cure their Royal Father.

Naturally Su Ya understood the schemes that the Seventh Prince was making. The Eldest Prince and the Second Prince were both older than him, and their might in the court was greater, and the forces under their command and their horses were more robust than the Seventh Prince's.

In comparison to them, the only advantage the Seventh Prince had was being favoured. He had the love of the King of Shejin, and as long as the King of Shejin's health improved, he could once more wield massive might, and the Seventh Prince could profit from that, and suppress his older brothers.

But Su Ya didn't think so. As she saw it, the power than the Seventh Prince could seize was probably little to none. After all, a person's mind could change in an instant, the while the King of Shejin favoured the Seventh Prince today, tomorrow he might favour the Eighth Prince or the Ninth Prince—that was all a matter of his thoughts.

The best example was Su Ya herself; how well-regarded she'd been in her youth, but from the time her Consort Mother had passed on, her status had suffered a devastating decline. Those who'd previously welcomed her with smiles no longer flattered and fawned, and everyone grew to loathe her.

But this all stemmed from the King of Shejin. This logic, Su Ya had understood only in the past few moths; another's favour paled in comparison to the usefulness of one's own fists. But in Shejin, women couldn't study, and couldn't become officials, and even expertise in archery, the skills that the Shejin people relied on, others' bragging hid discrimination.

Such a talent, it's a pity she's a woman.

It seemed as if, if Su Ya wanted to rely on herself to live, she could only stay in the Great Li. Only then had she thought of the method of bloodletting; she didn't wish to return, didn't wish to return to the homeland she'd grown up in. Su Ya thought that she'd rely on this method to remain the Great Li for a while, and once it had been some time, she wouldn't need to return again.

But she hadn't imagined that Zhao-taiyi would struggle so strongly to save a desperate situation, and everything had returned to the right track. During tonight's banquet, she would have to request the herbs from Jiang Changbai according to plan, and then after she'd gotten them, she'd return to Shejin.

She didn't want to ask for them; she'd rather eat them herself. The King of Shejin had lived for so long, and had enjoyed so many years of fortune; he ought to toss about on the sickbed for a few years, and then leave, weak and frail. After that, Shejin would welcome a new king, and perhaps it would be a new day on the steppes.

But who would be the new King of Shejin, then? Su Ya didn't know. How would she delay at the banquet in order for the person the Seventh Prince had arranged to surveil her to not find any signs? Su Ya didn't know either.

But time would never tarry or stop for people. The banquet was at night, but this early morning, Su Ya was woken by the maid.

This residence had been constructed according to the standards of a princess, with red walls and black tiles, incredibly luxuriant. But the places where flowers and plants ought to have grown only had yellow loess, and the weeds that grew at the foot of the wall indicated its desolation.

No one had lived here in a long time.

This place had once been the Yuehua Princess' mansion, and from the time she'd gone to Shejin to form a marriage alliance, no one had lived here again. In order to welcome Su Ya and her delegation, Jiang Changbai had especially ordered the place to be tidied. But while dust could be swept away, vitality couldn't be swept in.

What waited for Su Ya was an old nanny, an instructor.

"This is the first Envoy Banquet since her majesty has ascended the throne, and in order to avoid mistakes, and in order for you to not make a fool of yourself, this servant has been sent to familiarise you with the process of an imperial banquet," the old woman said.

Su Ya was somewhat doubtful; she recalled that, before she'd left, no one had told her that the Great Li had such a rule, but now, lodging under a foreign roof, she could only comply.

But in a place Su Ya wasn't aware of, in the opposite room was another instructor. And even further, at a bit of a higher elevation, a group of people happened to be taking in the scene of these two buildings.

"Wangjun." Liang Jiwen, who had been woken from her dreams as well, on coming to the upper floor of the pavilion, was still somewhat drowsy-eyed.

"Find a place to sit yourself." Song Juguang, standing at the very front, waved a hand to Liang Jiwen to rise, and didn't give her much of a glance. But sitting by Song Juguang's side was Xie Qianbing.

Liang Jiwen had always been afraid of Song Juguang, and didn't dare to be too close to her, so she pulled a chair over to sit down by Xie Qianbing's side. The legs of the chair scraped against the floor, letting out a sound, causing Song Juguang to click her tongue again.

Liang Jiwen's neck drew back, and she carefully neared Xie Qianbing's ear. "What's happening?"

Xie Qianbing's voice quieted a few degrees as well. "Watching a play."

"Watching a play?" Liang Jiwen still didn't understand, and pressed, "There isn't a stage here, so how could we watch a play?"

Xie Qianbing turned her head, exasperatedly shooting her a glance, but she patiently explained. Pointing at the two buildings outside the window, she indicated the courtyard between them. "This is the stage; just wait a few moments."

Hearing Xie Qianbing's explanation, Liang Jiwen felt she didn't fully understand. But she felt that if she kept asking questions, it would show that she wasn't too smart. So, she nodded, ignorant, and her gaze fixed on the ground below.

A group of people was led in through the western wing, and then from the eastern wing, another group of people was led in. Immediately after was silence, without anyone coming out, nor anyone going in, only the empty courtyard, and the birds that occasionally fluttered by.

The weather grew colder and colder, and even the leaves withered slightly. The sound of cicadas had long since disappeared, and the entire world seemed to have grown a bit more desolate. After a while longer, two people, dressed like nannies, came out from the two wings one after the other, and immediately after, everything was deathly silent.

Finally, the western wing's door opened.

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