On the day when the imperial edict arrived in Yuecheng, Mu Fulan was in Junshan, collecting herbs in Yao Weng's herb garden with A Da.
The medicine man had been out of the mountains for more than half a year, and the weather was getting colder day by day. He had to collect the last batch of herbs before the snow fell.
The most severe cold weather of the year is about to arrive soon.
Although she is a princess, Mu Fulan does everything herself here, just like A Da.
Since she was a child, she liked to stay in the medicine garden, following her master to identify different herbs. It was a busy and happy thing.
After harvesting the last patch of herbs, when she picked up the bamboo basket, her finger was accidentally scratched by the thorns on the side of the basket.
The thin bamboo thorns pierced deeply into her delicate fingers.
A bright red bead of blood slowly seeped out from the fingertips.
"Princess! There's a message from the city! The Queen asked you to go back, saying that a messenger has come from the Shangjing Palace, looking for you!"
At this time, Ada ran in hurriedly from the wooden gate, shouting loudly.
Mu Fulan paused for a moment, pulled out the thorn that had hurt her, washed her hands, handed over the rest of the work to Ada, then went down the mountain, boarded the boat and went ashore.
It has been more than a month, and all the matters previously agreed upon are progressing in an orderly manner.
Zhang Ban was on the right track. The "recklessness" of the prince and the "impulsive behavior" that Mu Fulan deliberately did not stop when Xie Changgeng came over became the amulet of Changsha. Just a few days ago, a secret report came that Zhang Ban's lobbying was successful, and Empress Liu should not immediately attack Changsha.
Yuan Handing also had good news. An old miner who had been surveying for a lifetime entered the deep mountains of Rudi. After surveying the landforms, he was very excited and said that the mineral veins in the mountains not only had abundant reserves, but were also buried shallowly on the surface, making them easy to mine. The population of the few villages scattered outside the mountains was small to begin with, and Yuan Handing had already cleared out the people. Thousands of soldiers and craftsmen began to secretly enter the mountains in batches.
The supervisory official stationed in Changsha State by the imperial court was not a big problem. The information he could get was nothing more than some public matters. Before that, the follower named Zhu Liuhu left by Xie Changgeng when he left was also found. He sneaked into the city and settled in an alley not far from the palace as a peddler. He carried a load on his shoulder and wandered around the streets and alleys of Yuecheng every day. After a few days, a young widow named A Jiao moved nearby and became neighbors with the peddler.
These days, Brother Wang has been busy looking for a suitable island in Dongting Lake to build a military dock under the pretext of patrolling the waters.
After it was built, it was surrounded by water and far away from the crowd. No matter how many people there were or how loud the noise was, outsiders would not be able to notice it, let alone get close to spy on it.
Changsha State will have an excellent natural place for training troops.
All these things were carried out quietly and in complete secrecy, and the possibility of being noticed by outsiders was extremely small.
Why would Shangjing suddenly send an envoy from the palace at this time? What was the purpose
Mu Fulan entered the city with doubts in her heart, and when she returned to the palace, she soon understood.
The palace messenger brought the imperial edict from Empress Liu, rewards, and an imperial physician.
After reading the edict from Empress Liu, the man said with a smile, "Mu, the Empress Dowager heard from Governor Xie earlier that you are not feeling well. If you are really not feeling well, the Empress Dowager will not force you. The imperial physician should stay and take your pulse carefully. Take some medicine. It will not be too late to wait until you are well again."
Mu Fulan knelt on the ground and kowtowed to express her gratitude.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. I have recovered and I am ready to come to the capital at any time."
After a moment, she slowly straightened up and said.
The palace eunuch smiled and said, "Okay, that's good. Since we can go, we don't want to make the Queen Mother wait too long. How about we set off early tomorrow morning?"
"Everything is up to my father-in-law to arrange."
Lu sent someone to arrange for the palace maids to rest. Mu Xuanqing, who had rushed back after hearing the news, hurried back to the palace. When he saw his sister, he immediately said, "Sister, you can't go! I'll go back tomorrow morning and tell them that you're not feeling well again tonight and can't go!"
Mu Fulan did not respond, but only asked about his progress in finding the location of the military base.
Mu Xuanqing said that he had chosen a place today, which is Zheshan Island located in the east of the lake. It is surrounded by water on all sides and sheltered by Junshan Mountain. The round trip by boat takes about an hour. Half of the island is mountainous and half is plain, which is very suitable for building a military dock.
Mu Fulan said, "That's good. My brother, please build the barracks as soon as possible. My brother, you are the king of Changsha, so remember to be modest and cautious, don't build dangerous walls, and listen to my sister-in-law's advice. Brother Yuan is a trustworthy person and very capable. In the future, you can rest assured to leave the training of the troops to Brother Yuan. For other matters, please discuss more with Prime Minister Lu."
Mu Xuanqing gritted his teeth and said, "You can't go! The Queen is taking you as a hostage! If you go, it will be like falling into a tiger's den or a wolf's lair!"
"If that's the case, I have to go. If I find an excuse not to go, the Queen will suspect that we are guilty. Even if she doesn't show any outward behavior, she will definitely keep a close eye on us behind our backs. If that happens, all the previous arrangements will not go smoothly."
"Sister!"
"Brother Wang, I know you have been good to me since we were young, but don't forget that you are a king first, and then my brother! If we, the Mu family, can't even protect ourselves and have to rely on others forever, how can we talk about revenge for aunt? Now is our only chance, no matter what, we can't risk losing it!"
Mu Xuanqing clenched his fists tightly, and veins on his forehead throbbed.
Lu's eyes were red, she stepped forward and held Mu Fulan's hand.
"Sister, you must be extra careful when you get there. You are alone, and there is no place like home. The treacherous queen has ill intentions towards you. Previously, we had a feud with Jiedushi Xie. This time when you see him, remember to be tolerant and don't offend him again."
Mu Fulan smiled and nodded.
"Brother Wang, sister-in-law, you don't have to worry too much. After I leave, as long as Changsha can get better, this is my greatest support. I will be fine. I will definitely find a way to come back as soon as possible."
That night, Lu was busy preparing gifts for the imperial envoys and packing Mu Fulan's luggage for the trip to the capital. Mu Xuanqing also prepared tributes, selected envoys, and arranged to escort the princess to the capital the next day.
Her brother and sister-in-law were busy for her, and Mu Fulan was extremely upset and couldn't sleep.
When she thought everything was getting better, she didn't expect that things would suddenly change like this.
This was an unexpected event that she had not expected.
Empress Liu had no good intention in bringing her to the capital.
And what role did Xie Changgeng play in this
There is no longer any advantage to rely on, and the people you have to face are more vicious than each other.
She had to be extremely alert, be careful and take every step carefully.
The next morning, Mu Fulan, her mother Mu, and her maid boarded the warm carriage and followed the palace envoy to leave Changsha and head north. After traveling for more than half a month, they finally arrived in Shangjing in the twelfth month of that year.
When she arrived, the sky was snowing, dark and gloomy, with clouds so low that they seemed to be pressing down on the imperial city in the distance. The carriage rolled over the snowy road outside the city, which was trampled into a muddy mess by passers-by and carriages, passed through the tall south gate of the capital, and entered the emperor's capital.
Xie Changgeng left the city the day before yesterday to do business in the capital, and he has not returned yet. After Mu Fulan was sent to his residence in the north of the city, which was only two streets away from the imperial palace, the envoys from Changsha State who were traveling with him brought tribute and went to the imperial palace to pay homage to the emperor and Empress Liu.
The steward of the house had no idea that the lady was coming, and had never seen Mu Fulan before. He was stunned for a moment, and after finding out what happened, he hurriedly led the servants in the house to meet her, and then led Mu Fulan to the main room where Xie Changgeng lived.
The room was large, but not furnished much, except for the necessary bed, a few tables, and a bookshelf. Next to the bed, on the shelf hung a half-new man's winter robe, and next to it hung a long sword with a scabbard engraved with cloud patterns. Apart from that, there was nothing else, making it seem a bit empty.
There was no stove in the room and it was cold.
It's ridiculous to say the least.
In her previous life, Mu Fulan married Xie Changgeng at the age of sixteen and died at the age of twenty. For four or five years, she spent almost all of her time in the Xie family's ancestral home in Xie County, Kuizhou.
This was the first time she stepped into his house in the capital.
She glanced around and her eyes suddenly froze.
The steward knew that she was the princess of Changsha State. She was beautiful, and the maids accompanying her were also dressed in exquisite clothes. Thinking that she was dissatisfied with the shabby place, he quickly asked someone to explain, "Madam, please don't blame me. The governor rarely stayed in Beijing a few times a year, and he never asked us to buy anything, so the place is a bit shabby. This time, the Queen Mother came to invite you, but there was no prior notice, so I neglected you."
Mu Fulan didn't hear anything the steward was saying.
Her eyes fell on the long sword hanging on the head of the bed. Almost in an instant, her whole body froze and she couldn't even breathe.
Even if it was burned to ashes, turned into powder, or ground into dust, she would still be able to recognize it.
The cloud-patterned sword that is now quietly hanging on the bedside is the one that Xie Changgeng once gave to Xier.
Also holding this long sword, Xier committed suicide in front of her immortal tablet.
Mu Fulan stared at the sword intently, and felt a sharp pain in her heart again, and she could hardly stand.
When Mother Mu noticed that her face had suddenly turned pale, she quickly supported her and let her sit on the couch nearby.
"My lady, what's wrong with you?"
Mu Fulan closed her eyes and said softly, "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired. I'll be fine after a rest."
Mother Mu hurriedly asked the steward to take the maid to find the place to boil water and cook. She helped Mu Fulan to lean against the couch. Noticing her cold palms, she covered her with a quilt she had brought with her and told her to rest first. Then she and the rest of the people unpacked the boxes and took out the things, and were busy putting them away.
After a while, a eunuch came to the palace and conveyed Empress Liu's words to Mu Fulan.
Mu Fulan cheered herself up and went to greet him.
The eunuch was still very young, less than 20 years old, with a long face, a tall figure, and wearing purple clothes. He looked very friendly and said with a smile: "My name is Cao Jin. I am here to tell you a message by the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother said that you must have been tired on the way. It is snowing in the capital. The princess should have a good rest first. It will not be too late to enter the palace after you have recovered your spirit."
Mu Fulan lowered her eyes to express her gratitude, and Mother Mu handed over the hard-earned money. But the eunuch refused, waved his hand, and said with a smile: "I am just passing a message to Madam, how dare I ask for Madam's reward. Xie Jiedushi, even if he doesn't come back today, he will surely come back tomorrow at the latest. Madam, please have a rest first, I am leaving first." After saying that, he bowed and left.
Mother Mu hurried to see her off.
Mu Fulan walked to the window, slowly opened it, and stared at the young eunuch's back gradually disappearing in the snow in the yard.
This young eunuch was the senior eunuch who had strangled Qi Lingfeng to death on the orders of Xie Changgeng.
It was gradually getting dark, the lights were on in the house, and the stove was burning warmly.
After a quick meal, bathing and changing clothes, knowing that everyone was tired from the journey, Mu Fulan sent Mu Mama and the maids to rest early.
Snow reflected on the window, and everything was silent. A candle flickered silently in the room. She sat alone on the bed, staring at the sword hanging on the bedside. Finally, she stood up and walked towards it step by step.
She stopped in front of the sword, looked up at it for a long time, then reached out and took it off.
The sword is heavy and feels a bit heavy in the hand.
She held the hilt of the sword in one hand and the scabbard in the other, and slowly pulled the sword out of the scabbard, inch by inch.
The sword's edge was cold and sharp, reflecting the candlelight behind it like the eyes of a poisonous snake, bluish-white with a hint of red.
After staring at it for a long time, the sword light seemed to come alive and turned into flowing blood.
The blood seemed to gather more and more, flowing from the sword and from all four corners of the room, slowly flowing towards her and swallowing her whole.
She closed her eyes, and the hand holding the sword tightened more and more, until it almost trembled.
Suddenly a hand reached out from behind her and took the sword from her hand.
Mu Fulan was startled, suddenly opened her eyes and turned her head.
Xie Changgeng came in without her noticing and stood behind her.
He took the scabbard back from her other hand. With a clang, the long sword was sheathed.
"A sword is a weapon, not a toy. Don't touch it unless necessary."
He hung the sword back to its original position and said.