BLHO Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Let Me Practice Too

Chapter 79: Let Me Practice Too

While the border war raged fiercely, Fengdu City remained unaffected, a scene of song and dance and prosperity.

Princess Meng Ning, still in disguise, was wrapped even more tightly than when she was outside the pass, her unadorned eyes exposed, simple yet profound. She was plotting her plans in her heart, with no trace of playfulness.

She told Lin Shuangxu that her return to Fengdu was to pay respects to her late mother, but they both knew that in everyone’s eyes, Princess Meng Ning was a dead person. How could a dead person enter and leave the imperial mausoleum?

She was not back for a funeral.

Her mother’s death naturally grieved her.

But her grief was not something that needed to be expressed immediately.

What she wanted was the day when she could stand before her mother’s tombstone in all her glory and tell her that although her end was of her own making, as her own daughter, she had avenged her, and she could rest in peace.

Lin Shuangxu had not misjudged her. This time, she had not only brought Shen Tan back to Fengdu, but also a hidden force of over a thousand men.

These were all assassins she had trained. This trip was not a rebellion, but an assassination.

She was no match for the imperial court in a head-on confrontation. The troops under her control were insufficient. If she wanted to openly rebel, unless the He family took her side.

But clearly, He Yuncheng was much more cunning than she had imagined. Despite all her efforts, He Yuncheng was still observing, observing whether the Emperor was truly going to risk the world’s condemnation and destroy the entire He family.

He Yuncheng didn’t believe that the Emperor would be foolish enough to do something that would harm the imperial power without any benefit.

But he underestimated the wickedness and complexity of the human heart.

Everyone, standing in their own position, sees the situation completely differently.

What others can see is the He family’s invincible military strength and He Yuncheng’s unrestrained arrogance.

As for his loyal and patriotic heart, who can see it?

Princess Meng Ning could foresee the He family’s fate, so she couldn’t wait. She had to completely subvert the court before Gu Huan completely consolidated his power.

She had planned a detailed route for this operation, but she didn’t expect Gu Huan to be more cautious than she had imagined. All possible entrances to the imperial city were heavily guarded, leaving them with no chance.

Did Gu Huan anticipate something? Or was he originally a meticulous person who had deceived her, his older sister who had grown up with him, because he was too good at acting?

In Princess Meng Ning’s eyes, Gu Huan was of humble origin, so he had to be cautious and conscientious in his role as emperor.

He was patient enough, and ruthless enough, both to himself and to others.

But in the end, a lowly illegitimate son, with petty cleverness but no great wisdom, was not one to stir up the world.

Now it seemed, he was a bit smarter than Princess Meng Ning had thought.

At the end of the night road, the lights faded away. Shen Tan stopped and reminded Princess Meng Ning, “We’re here.”

Someone had sent them an anonymous message to meet at a haunted house. The area was pitch black, and both day and night, it was gloomy and desolate.

Yet not long ago, this place was still a haven of romance, wine, and extravagance.

The once-famous Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, had offended some important figure and the entire household was massacred overnight.

After that, rumors spread that every night, the cries of the wronged souls could be heard here.

Before long, people on half the street nearby had moved away, far from this place.

The most expensive area of Fengdu City had now become a deserted ghost domain.

Shen Tan stepped forward and pushed the door open with a creak, and the pale moonlight shone inside.

The traces of the slaughter had been cleaned up, but the putrid air still seemed to retain the smell of blood.

Princess Meng Ning didn’t know who sent the anonymous letter.

Who knew that she was still alive? Who could know her identity when she was concealing her whereabouts?

She was cautious enough, she shouldn’t have come to this dangerous appointment.

But she had to be bold, what she was doing was inherently a gamble with her life.

“Princess, you’ve finally arrived.”

The figure came down from the second floor, the muffled footsteps falling on the wooden stairs.

It was a thin man, wearing a bamboo hat and veil, not showing his true face.

Shen Tan narrowed her eyes, observing him, secretly tightening the short knife in her hand, ready to protect Princess Meng Ning at any time.

Princess Meng Ning, risking herself, naturally put aside her fears, stepped forward, looked closely at the man’s face through the veil, and without asking any nonsense, said directly: “How can you help me? What do you want me to give you?”

The man smiled, very satisfied with Princess Meng Ning’s directness.

He whispered, “The palace is heavily guarded now. If the princess wants to sneak in with so many assassins, someone must respond from inside the palace. Otherwise, with your ability, assassinating the Emperor will be harder than ascending to heaven.”

He stood still not too far away, the moonlight dappling, his face flickering.

“I can cooperate with you from the inside.”

Princess Meng Ning stared at him, “Are you from the palace?”

“I am not, but what I say can definitely be done.”

“Good.”

Princess Meng Ning was not afraid to gamble, but she had to know what her chips were.

“What do you want?” she asked the man.

Although only the outline of that face could be seen, Princess Meng Ning was unfamiliar with it, but Shen Tan couldn’t have never seen it before.

And his voice, Shen Tan had worked for Li Yuliang before, and had contact with this person so many times, she shouldn’t have forgotten it.

But she only stood silently beside Princess Meng Ning, not saying a word, until the other party took off his bamboo hat himself and faced them frankly.

It was originally an unparalleled face, but a hideous scar covered his cheek, not knowing how much suffering and resentment was condensed within.

Song Jiting.

His smile was shattered, desperate, yet seemed to still contain hope.

He said to Princess Meng Ning, “I only have one condition. After it’s done, leave that eunuch’s life to me. I want to kill him with my own hands.”

–

The Nourishing Heart Hall swayed with ambiguous candlelight.

Li Yuliang stood quietly in the hall, waiting for orders all night.

Behind a curtain, the woman who had just received grace on the dragon bed was carried off the bed and sent out of the bedroom.

It was none other than the witness who had testified against Lin Shuangxu during the joint trial by the three departments – Princess Meng Ning’s former close maid.

Gu Huan had promised her that in the future, he would make her the most favored in the harem and the empress of the world.

So she betrayed her old master, willing to be a pawn in this power struggle.

Li Yuliang was expressionless, kneeling beside the bed, wiping sweat for Gu Huan.

Gu Huan stared into his eyes, “Li, do you still resent me?”

“This servant does not know what the Emperor is talking about.”

Gu Huan smiled, clapped his hands, and then a eunuch pushed the door open and entered the hall, bringing in a man in azure clothes.

When he caught a glimpse of the man’s silhouette, Li Yuliang’s heart suddenly tightened.

He almost lost control and turned around to look, only to see clearly that the person who came in was not Song Jiting, but a man whose figure and eyebrows were similar to his.

He instantly breathed a sigh of relief, but was also extremely disappointed.

Gu Huan took in his emotions and said to him with great interest, “I’m giving you this to play with, take him back.”

“Your Majesty, this servant does not…”

“Don’t say you don’t like it, your eyes were staring straight.”

Li Yuliang was silent.

“What? Still can’t forget the people from before? So in your heart, you still resent me.”

“This servant dare not, I will accept the person, thank you for your kindness.”

–

It was rare for the weather outside the pass to clear up.

Bright sunlight streamed through the window lattices into the room, landing right on the rice paper where Lin Shuangxu was practicing calligraphy.

The delicate handwriting was flowing freely. As the day of returning to the court drew closer, the poems longing for home became more and more tender.

He was the only one there. He Yuncheng had left early in the morning. After the last decisive battle, and after several days of confrontation, Yan Zhao finally surrendered. Today, they sent a delegation to deliver the letter of surrender.

He Yuncheng had gone to conduct the final negotiations with the people of Yan Zhao. After today, the war situation would be settled, and the border could maintain peace for the next few years.

Lin Shuangxu enjoyed the moment of clarity, not wanting to think about the uncertainties of the future, focusing on the strokes of the pen in his hand.

At this moment, he heard someone knocking on the door.

It was past noon, and He Yuncheng should be back soon.

The door was not locked. Why was General He being so polite today?

His mood brightened another layer, Lin Shuangxu put down his brush and ink, and got up to open the door.

A cool breeze brushed against his face. When he saw the person outside the door, his smile visibly lessened.

It wasn’t He Yuncheng. The person who came was Han Mao.

Han Mao had been awake for a few days and had been recuperating in his room. Neither Lin Shuangxu nor He Yuncheng had gone to see him.

He heard from the military doctor that he was recovering well. Looking at him now, his actions were indeed fine, but his complexion was still a little weak.

Lin Shuangxu didn’t take the initiative to exchange greetings, and his gaze wasn’t particularly friendly.

Han Mao was a little apprehensive and bowed, “Am I disturbing the young master?”

Changing his usual arrogant and domineering manner made Lin Shuangxu very unaccustomed to it.

He nodded in return and asked, “What is it, General Han?”

“I have nothing in particular.” Han Mao said politely, “The weather is nice today, so I came out for a walk. By the way, General He saved my life at the risk of his own. I was thinking, I should come and thank the young master and the general.”

He watched Lin Shuangxu’s expression as he spoke, afraid that something he said might displease him.

His attitude was so humble that Lin Shuangxu couldn’t say anything else. After a moment of silence, he moved aside slightly, giving him an opening to enter. “General Han, come in and speak.”

Han Mao breathed a sigh of relief and respectfully followed him into the room, also carefully avoiding closing the door tightly, leaving a crack.

There wasn’t any good tea here. Lin Shuangxu poured him a glass of water and invited him to sit.

Han Mao took it with both hands, his eyes accidentally scanning Lin Shuangxu’s neck.

His skin was fairer than most people’s, and the red marks on it were particularly noticeable.

As a frequent patron of brothels, Han Mao naturally knew what those marks were left from and quickly avoided looking, not daring to offend.

Now if he tried to cover it, it would seem even more unnatural, so Lin Shuangxu simply ignored it. He could say whatever he wanted.

“If General Han has something to say, please say it.” He said to Han Mao.

Han Mao looked at him, sighed guiltily, and said, “Besides wanting to thank General He, I also want to apologize to the young master.”

Lin Shuangxu didn’t respond.

Han Mao said, “On the way here, I was very disrespectful to the young master. Please forgive me.”

Lin Shuangxu still looked at him, not saying a word for a long time, until Han Mao’s cheeks turned red and his eyes darted around. Then he smiled and said, “General Han’s jokes, I didn’t take them to heart. Once they’re over, there’s no need to mention them again. On the contrary, I should apologize to you. It was petty of me to allow Yuncheng to hurt you.”

Seeing Lin Shuangxu smile, Han Mao finally felt relieved. “The young master is magnanimous. Since you say not to mention it, I won’t mention it.”

He stood up and looked at the desk, saying, “Are you practicing calligraphy?”

Lin Shuangxu said modestly, “Just whiling away the time, scribbling a few strokes.”

Han Mao curiously walked over and stood behind him, carefully looking at his handwriting.

“Flowing like clouds and water, powerful and elegant, what beautiful characters.”

Lin Shuangxu smiled faintly, not caring about such praise.

But Han Mao lingered over his brushstrokes, unable to take his eyes away for a long time.

He saw that fair jade hand stroking the sheep’s hair brush, and completely understood why He Yuncheng would love him so madly.

Lin Shuangxu was almost perfect. At least, up until now, he hadn’t seen any flaws in him.

Such an eye-catching person had confined himself to the mansion year-round. If it weren’t for that, how many famous scholars and beautiful ladies in Fengdu City would have been captivated by him?

Lin Shuangxu felt the admiring gaze from behind him.

He had considered killing Han Mao, but He Yuncheng had dissuaded him.

At this moment, the two of them looked at the poems on the rice paper together, truly like friends who had never had any grudges, generously appreciating them.

The moment of peace didn’t last long.

The sound of the door being pushed open was a bit loud. When He Yuncheng came in, he stared straight at Han Mao.

When did he come back? Even Lin Shuangxu hadn’t noticed.

“General He.”

Han Mao hadn’t done anything wrong today, but he was still very tactful and considered He Yuncheng’s feelings. He wasn’t standing too close to Lin Shuangxu to begin with. After He Yuncheng came in, he retreated again and again, retreating far away.

He Yuncheng was unlike Lin Shuangxu, who would force himself to be polite to someone he looked down on.

He Yuncheng wouldn’t bother to look at someone he didn’t care about.

He completely ignored Han Mao and walked behind Lin Shuangxu, to the position where Han Mao had been standing just now.

Then he lowered his body, with one hand on the back of Lin Shuangxu’s chair and the other hand propped on the desk.

From Han Mao’s point of view, he was almost enveloping Lin Shuangxu in his arms.

“What are you writing?” He looked at the poems on the desk and asked Lin Shuangxu.

Lin Shuangxu glanced helplessly in Han Mao’s direction and said to He Yuncheng, “General Han’s injuries have recovered, and he came specifically to thank you.”

“Tell him to go to the main hall, what’s he doing running to the bedroom?” He Yuncheng stared at Lin Shuangxu’s poems.

As soon as Han Mao heard this, he was afraid that he would misunderstand, so he quickly interjected, “I was thinking of borrowing General He’s territory to prepare some food and wine and invite the two of you to drink together tonight to express my gratitude.”

Yan Zhao had surrendered, so there would have been a celebration banquet anyway, did he need to prepare anything?

He Yuncheng ignored him and continued to talk to Lin Shuangxu, “Are you practicing calligraphy?”

“Yes.”

“Let me practice too.” He Yuncheng said.

Lin Shuangxu knew him well. When he was little, he would rather be beaten than write properly. Now he was putting on an act.

He cooperatively handed the brush to He Yuncheng, and saw him dipping it in ink in a dignified manner, raising the brush and lowering it to the paper.

Such a grand gesture made even Han Mao curious and wanting to appreciate it.

He Yuncheng’s gaze was focused, and he began to write forcefully.

Lin Shuangxu watched as a line of words appeared on the rice paper in front of him, stroke by stroke—

“Tell him to get lost, I want you.”