LF Chapter 70
by VolareThe morning sun of autumn shone directly into the hall through the window lattices. If one looked closely, the dust particles floating in the air were clearly visible. Though the world seemed bright, dust was everywhere.
Jiang Yinghua’s eyes were vacant, her lips moving as she softly murmured, “Shu… Northern border… Mo Hou…”
“Hua’er, why are you still talking in riddles? Say it all,” Your Majesty said, her suspicion growing. But Jiang Yinghua insisted on being mysterious. Her earlier call had brought two Inner Counselors in. Your Majesty glanced at them and ordered, “You may leave for now.”
The palace attendants withdrew as instructed. Jiang Yinghua’s discomposure hadn’t subsided. She took two steps back on her own, and muttered with a trembling voice:
“Your subject seems to have guessed it. What an act of concealing brilliance and living like a recluse. Good… Uncle… King.” Having said that, she rudely supported herself on the table with her hand and laughed bitterly, laughing until her face was covered in tears, “You were right to stop me. I have to investigate this secretly. Such a viper, hehe, I need to sharpen my knife before I slaughter him!”
Jiang Jingche had never seen her sister like this before. Her face held an inappropriate joy, a conflict, a bitterness, and even more, a towering hatred and suppressed sorrow. Crying and laughing, it was heartbreaking to watch. She stepped forward and gently patted Jiang Yinghua’s back, softly saying, “Your older sister is still here. Don’t endure it alone. Tell me? You’ve confused me.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yinghua suddenly threw herself into Jiang Jingche’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. After crying enough, she said with red eyes:
“Among the members of the royal family who are qualified to covet the throne and yet not be feared by the monarch, it is indeed none other than him. He only left Xing’an Mountain in the northern border last year, and Shu is his old nest. Coincidentally, he’s also an old friend of Mo Hou. I was negligent. I investigated for a long time, but overlooked one thing: the unique imperial purveyor.
Have you noticed that your vermilion ink comes from Shu? I want to investigate whether the poison might be in the vermilion ink that Your Majesty uses day and night. If that’s the case, the more diligent the monarch, the faster the poison will take effect. That also explains why Second Brother only became foolish, while you…” Jiang Yinghua couldn’t finish her sentence.
Your Majesty was so shocked that she almost lost her footing. Perhaps there was no need to investigate further. She knew better than anyone how the ink entered the inner palace.
In the past, the late Crown Prince and Your Majesty, the siblings, followed the late Emperor on a southern tour, traveling along the southwestern route. The late Crown Prince was a refined man who was obsessed with stationery. He begged his little Uncle King to invite the expert who made vermilion ink from that place to come out of the mountains. He even persuaded the late Emperor to make that craftsman the imperial merchant supplying imperial ink. At that time, the late Emperor didn’t care much about these superficial formalities. Seeing that his son liked it, he even bestowed many rewards in the past.
Fate is truly a trickster.
Your Majesty woke up from her thoughts, her eyes suddenly filled with more worries. She took Jiang Yinghua’s hand, which was icy cold, and her voice trembled slightly: “Hua’er, you, how long have you been in my study? Are you feeling unwell anywhere, ah? I shouldn’t have let you come. I’m muddled, muddled.”
Seeing the worry on Your Majesty’s face, Jiang Yinghua had to force herself to calm down and said, “No, I don’t like the stickiness of that ink, so I had someone change it. Your Majesty, please don’t worry. Allow your subject to investigate. If it’s really him causing trouble, I’ll bring him to the capital as soon as possible. He’s Father’s brother from the same mother, how dare he…”
“There’s no need to investigate so openly. I know the origin of that ink. You’re probably not wrong,” Your Majesty said, having learned the truth, her emotions only fluctuated for a moment. Now that there was no way to reverse the situation, knowing that the mastermind behind the scenes was a close relative, and a person who had lived in seclusion for many years, she felt a bit disheartened, but not much else.
“We should still have the imperial physician examine it thoroughly. If we know the crux of the matter and understand the toxins, we can prescribe the right medicine,” Jiang Yinghua seemed to have grasped at a life-saving straw, not willing to let go of even the slightest opportunity.
“Forget it, if you want to try, then so be it. The imperial physician is my man. I’ll have him come here,” Your Majesty said, feeling somewhat tired, and sat back on the bed.
Jiang Yinghua ordered the palace attendants to summon the imperial physician. She whispered a few words in his ear, and had people prepare a lot of vermilion ink for him.
The imperial physician dissolved several ink blocks to extract and research for a long time before identifying the toxins. He entered the hall and reported, “Reporting to Your Majesty, Your Highness, this ink is indeed poisonous, but the amount in a single block is too small to identify. The ink should be mixed with an oily liquid poison, named ‘Withered Wood Celestial’; this poison is weak, but it is most afraid of borneol. When the two are combined, the scent emitted during grinding becomes a deadly poison. This subject tested it on small mice. Confined in a cage and smelling this scent, they became mad within an hour, and soon…”
“Is there an antidote?” Jiang Yinghua stood up impatiently and asked.
The old imperial physician bowed to the ground, kowtowing and said, “This old subject is incompetent.”
“You! Is this the famous hospital director of the Imperial Medical Bureau?” Jiang Yinghua was so angry at these words that she paced around the room, making incompetence sound so easy, it was like a bucket of cold water poured over her head. The man buried his head like an ostrich, which made Jiang Yinghua even more annoyed. She scolded, “What are you standing there for? Go think of a solution!”
The old imperial physician trembled with fear. Your Majesty couldn’t bear to watch, and helped him out of the situation, “Hua’er, don’t be rude to the old man.” She turned her eyes to the imperial physician again and said, “Keep this matter to yourself. You don’t need to take her youthful, impetuous words to heart. You may withdraw.”
“Having obtained proof, now is not the time to be angry. Acting rashly, you still need more training. What is your plan on how to deal with this?” Your Majesty was somewhat dissatisfied with Jiang Yinghua’s volatile temper.
The deflated little person stood in front of the window, sorting out the thoughts in her mind. Even if her guess had been confirmed, she still lacked solid evidence and could not move against the King of Jialing for the time being. But now she roughly understood that Yan Wanzhi’s matter was inextricably linked to this person. In that case, he should have well-skilled assassins in private, and secretly colluded with Western Liang.
Such a strong enemy had been plotting for many years, making him the most difficult to deal with. Jiang Yinghua was now twenty-seven years old, and the late Crown Prince had been gone for twenty-eight years. Counting like this, the King of Jialing’s plan had been going on for at least thirty years. He was truly an old turtle, able to remain patient. That’s right, nominally an uncle, he was only a few years older than her own brother. Back then, he was full of vigor, it was normal for him to have ambitions.
After pondering for a long time, Jiang Yinghua turned around and solemnly requested, “Your Majesty, your subject wants to inspect the border defenses in the northwest. I hope you will allow it.”
Hearing these words, Your Majesty got up from the bed, slowly walked to Jiang Yinghua, and stared intently at the person in front of her, staring until her whole body felt prickly, without saying a word.
Jiang Yinghua’s hair stood on end, the deep gaze was really unbearable. She softened her tone and explained, “Please allow your subject to go. I can only feel at ease if I investigate myself, and perhaps I can also obtain some clues about the King of Jialing’s conspiracy, and incidentally deploy troops in various places to prepare for any eventuality.”
Your Majesty used the same trick again, going behind her and kicking her lightly. Jiang Yinghua obediently slid to the ground, only then did she hear the superior say, “You are the Regent, which dynasty’s or generation’s Regent can leave the capital so easily? It’s hard enough to leave the palace! For the sake of Yan Wanzhi, you’re disregarding rules and etiquette? Who will manage the court if you leave? You speak so grandly, if Yan Wanzhi weren’t in Western Liang, would you go in person?”
“I would go!” Jiang Yinghua stubbornly looked up at Your Majesty, “Even if it weren’t for her, your subject would still go. I know you are ill, and that’s precisely why the court affairs cannot have any mishaps. Your subject will go quickly and return quickly, one month, may I trouble you for one month?”
“Not allowed. Go back, the court officials have been kept waiting for half a day because of you, don’t be an eyesore here anymore.” Your Majesty’s voice was cold, ordering her to leave.
Jiang Yinghua’s request was unsuccessful. She left Chengming Hall angrily, but the plans in her heart were not dispelled at all.
*
On the border of Western Liang, Yan Wanzhi had been mixing in the military camp for many days. Her ability to reorganize the border defenses was something she had learned back when she was assisting Jiang Yinghua. If she had the intention to rebel against Great Chu, with her familiarity with Great Chu’s border defenses, there was no way there wouldn’t be a chance of storming the northwest.
The current Western Liang was not comparable to the Liang Kingdom of many years ago. In the past, after being defeated in battle, the Liang King and the Xiongnu became vassals. It was only after lying low for decades that they had the opportunity to establish themselves today, but in the end, their foundation was too weak. Currently, the one in power in Western Liang was the current Empress Dowager. In terms of kinship, Yan Wanzhi should call her “Aunt.”
She herself didn’t know that her father was a Liang Kingdom prince, nor did she understand why her father had abandoned his home, joined the Chu Emperor, and loyally served him for a lifetime. The current King of Western Liang was a son of her suddenly deceased uncle, born late in life. Now less than three years old, he was not of the Empress Dowager’s bloodline, but merely a puppet.
And the one who sent her here was the Taoist Uncle King that Jiang Yinghua had personally entertained in the Northern Border Prince’s manor – the King of Jialing.
She had reached a deal with that person, entering Western Liang alone to gain a foothold, seize military power, and win the Empress Dowager’s trust. Although the steps were difficult, she was now proceeding step by step, with victory in sight.
And she had another purpose, which was to find out the reason for her father’s defection. By the way, she saw the Yong Prince’s subordinate with the stubbly beard, whom she had been unable to capture in the past. This person was actually in the Western Liang imperial court, still an officer of some rank. In that case, Western Liang really could not escape responsibility for the framing of her father’s treason.
The wind and sand in the northwest were rough, and Yan Wanzhi’s eyes were often stung by flying sand and gravel. Whenever she looked east, her eyes were wet, blaming the rampant wind and sand for making her eyes sore.
*
Three days later, after nightfall, Jiang Yinghua was planning how to unknowingly lay out a plan to keep a close watch on the King of Jialing, Your Majesty came to Guangyuan Hall accompanied by Ying Feng.
Jiang Yinghua was surprised. The two of them had been caught by her, and they didn’t even bother to hide it. Her gossiping heart rose, and her eyes had a bit of playfulness.
Your Majesty glared at her and scolded, “You’re allowed to be fond of Yan Wanzhi, but I’m not allowed to find a companion?” As soon as the words fell, Ying Feng’s cheeks flushed red.
It was rare for Your Majesty to openly reveal her feelings. Jiang Yinghua was a little surprised. It turned out that she wasn’t muddled from illness, but really had this idea. She felt resentful in her heart. Since this person could accept women loving each other, why did her relationship with Yan Wanzhi have to endure all kinds of torment from her mother and daughter back then? Thinking like this, Jiang Yinghua helplessly withdrew her probing gaze, bowed, and didn’t say much.
“The request you made a few days ago, I have granted. Let Ying Feng go with you. She will make a trip to An’an Temple halfway, and you can secretly travel west at that time,” Your Majesty didn’t beat around the bush, and directly stated her purpose.
Jiang Yinghua was about to be happy, but upon hearing that Ying Feng was going with her, she was rather unwilling. And what was she going to An’an Temple for? She was confused and said, “Is Prince An going to An’an Temple on another mission? If she and I both leave the capital, who will serve by Your Majesty’s side?”
“I haven’t reached the point of being bedridden yet, just come back sooner. Feng’er is going to pick up someone. Your Second Brother vaguely left a descendant, the same age as Yong Prince’s youngest daughter. Back then, when Wu Dongqing went to the northern border to take over the military power, I secretly ordered him to send that child to An’an Temple to be raised. This year he should be six years old, it’s time to bring him back and give him a title,” Your Majesty sat down and explained lightly.
Jiang Yinghua was stunned by what she heard. She had been completely kept in the dark about such an important matter, unaware of anything. Her Second Brother, who had been “dead” for many years, actually left a descendant! And this person was being raised by Your Majesty in the Buddhist temple she built herself. What a truly “dark under the lamp”!
Seeing her dazed, Your Majesty said again, “The abbot you’re hiding, take him along on this westward journey. His wisdom and strategy are unmatched by many in the nation. Since he is willing to stay in An’an Temple for several years for your sake, you should be able to control this person. Remember to think thrice before acting, don’t act impulsively, and prioritize the big picture. I will issue an edict to temporarily revoke your position as Regent, so as not to arouse suspicion among the court officials.”
Your Majesty spoke without beating around the bush, so frankly exposing the secret cards Jiang Yinghua had previously laid down, making it somewhat embarrassing. She lowered her eyes and said softly, “Thank you, Your Majesty, your subject will be careful in everything and return soon.”
Two more days passed, and Prince Zhao and Prince An set off from the capital, ostensibly to pray for the well-being of the country and pay a visit to the eminent monks at An’an Temple. The group had a clear goal and did not stop casually along the way. But in fact, there was only Ying Feng in the carriage. Jiang Yinghua had already quietly rode swiftly to the northern border, taken a step to meet Wu Dongqing, notified him of the latest border defense deployment, and had people secretly reorganize.
After not returning for many years, she didn’t dare show herself this time when she came to the Zhenwei Army’s garrison. Jiang Yinghua, who secretly stayed overnight in her former prince’s manor, looked at the courtyard she had lived in for several years, feeling mixed emotions for a moment. This place had once been her place of sadness, but after Yan Wanzhi came, the two of them left behind mostly warm memories. The past was vivid in her mind, but time was like a swallow passing without a trace, impossible to grasp.
After Ying Feng arrived, Jiang Yinghua perfunctorily showed her face at An’an Temple, then took the abbot master all the way west. Those who transmitted messages along the way were all trusted generals under Jiang Yinghua. She concealed her whereabouts, only discussing with the master how to deploy troops and deal with the Western Liang iron cavalry, who were skilled in archery and horsemanship.
Back then, it was her uncle, the Prince of Ruyang, who had trampled Western Liang and forced the Liang Kingdom into the Xiongnu. And at that time, the Crown Prince, Jiang Yinghua’s father, was the one who sat in the capital and commanded, assisted by the abbot master. The brothers cooperated very tacitly. Therefore, the master was indeed a rare help on Jiang Yinghua’s trip, his mind knew too much about Western Liang’s tactics.
Half a month later, after several twists and turns, Jiang Yinghua arrived at the border of Great Chu. After assessing the military strength of Western Liang and the military preparations of Great Chu’s border defenses, she came up with a bold and adventurous idea: in the name of a Great Chu border commander, using the secret service to transmit messages, she would arrange to meet the Liang Kingdom princess in a Liang Kingdom border town.
Having been the commander of the Great Chu secret service for several years, Yan Wanzhi would definitely still recognize the secret service’s means of communication. If this person’s heart was still in Great Chu, she would try her best to make this happen. If she really wanted to rebel, choosing the border made it easy for both sides to send troops. It wouldn’t be bad to have a fight and capture her back.
Jiang Yinghua was always full of confidence when it came to using troops, perhaps this was the advantage of her youthful experience. As long as she grasped the key information, she would dare to try it out; even in the worst case, she had arranged a backup plan.