It had been a while since I had spent such a long night like this. I took a half-day nap in Qinghan Courtyard, but when I woke up, Huan Xuan was gone.
She was in a trance for a while, and the memories of last night gradually surfaced.
The first thing she thought of was the man's bruised back. She stroked her hair and held him like that. She wondered if he would come to her senses when he came to his senses.
By chance, the maid heard her getting up and walked into the room, and asked casually, "Where is His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi?"
The maid replied, "Madam Lu, His Highness left for Mount Li early this morning."
Sui Sui nodded thoughtfully.
Mount Li is where the hot spring palace is located. The emperor has suffered from rheumatism for many years. In recent years, he has gone to the hot spring palace to recuperate in autumn and winter. Huan Xuan suddenly went to Mount Li, so he must have something urgent - if he had known that he had to go out early in the morning, he would have been more restrained last night.
The emperor summoned him urgently, not only because of urgent military information, but also because his condition had changed.
Sui Sui rubbed his sore waist and got up to wash up. Suddenly he felt something was wrong. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that the familiar fragrance in the room was gone.
She glanced at the corner of the wall beside the bed. Originally there was a Jinboshan incense burner there, but now it was nowhere to be seen.
Sui Sui asked the maid, "Where is the incense burner in the room?"
The maidservant said: "His Highness has ordered that no incense should be burned in Qinghan Courtyard from now on."
Sui Sui was a little surprised, because she knew the recipe of "Begonia Under the Moon" made by Ruan Yueweihe. That was why this kind of fragrance with a hint of boudoir flavor was burned in the bedroom of King Qi.
When she returned to Tangli Courtyard, she found that the incense burner in the room had been removed. She called Chun Tiao, and it turned out to be the order of His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi.
Sui Sui recalled that Huan Xuan said last night that the smell of this fragrance made him dizzy. It was also thought that something in Xu Yu's food and drink last night conflicted with his taste, which made him feel disgusted with this fragrance.
People's likes and dislikes are only a matter of a moment. When you miss someone, you don't have to be obsessed with these trivial details. I didn't think much about it and put the initial confusion behind me.
She asked Chun Tiao: "Have you picked up the things from the Rouge Shop?"
Chun Tiao: "I put it in the cupboard for you, madam?"
As she spoke, she walked over, opened the ebony cabinet door inlaid with mother-of-pearl and jade insects, and brought out a paulownia wood box.
She opened the lid of the box and took out the celadon box containing the facial cream. She used the end of a hairpin to pick off the wax seal, lifted the lid and sniffed it, but frowned: "Not this kind, I want the tagara incense, not this smell, this smell is so weird." She wrinkled her nose as she spoke.
Chun Tiao sniffed it and found the scent fragrant and not unpleasant.
However, people have no rational reason for liking or disliking smells. For example, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi used to burn the same incense everywhere, but suddenly he stopped liking it overnight.
She went to look at the stick on the lid, but it was not Tagara incense. She said, "The shop owner must have mixed it up and put the wrong stick on. There were many customers in that shop, and they made a mistake in a hurry. I will go and change it tomorrow."
Sui Sui: "Thank you, Sister Chun Tiao, for making an extra trip."
Chun Tiao put the jar back into the box and put it in the cabinet, preparing to exchange it tomorrow.
Sui Sui yawned: "Go and get busy, I'll sleep a little longer."
Chun Tiao glanced at the dark shadows under her eyes, knowing that she probably didn't sleep for many hours last night, so she said, "Mammy, ask someone to make some ginseng and chicken soup. I'll go check the heat."
Sui Sui nodded: "Thank you very much."
After Chun Tiao went out to do some work, Sui Sui took out the box and the porcelain jar from the cupboard.
There was a small, inconspicuous hole in the box, which looked like a wormhole that had always been in the wood.
She pulled out the silver hairpin, inserted the tail of the hairpin into the hole and pushed it gently. There was a slight click, and she put down the hairpin and pulled out the bottom plate, revealing a layer.
There was a thin piece of rice paper in the interlayer, but it contained a secret letter. It was densely covered with small characters, and the strokes were thinner than a hair, as thin as a fly's head.
He restored the box to its original state and put it back in the cupboard. Then he picked up the secret letter and read it through at a glance.
This palm-sized piece of paper covers all the noteworthy events at the border and in the palace recently.
As for Heshuo, her uncle seemed to have finally given up the idea of sending troops and stopped preparing food and grass. She breathed a sigh of relief. Duan Beicen had always done things properly and she never had to worry about him.
She had not miscalculated the situation in the court. The ministers, generals and eunuchs were still arguing over the ownership of the Tiger Talisman of the Third Wing Army. Especially the powerful eunuchs, who usually fought each other fiercely. This time they all pointed their spearheads at the King of Qi. He had made a quick decision to kill the eunuchs, which aroused public anger.
However, the faction that wanted the King of Qi to hand over the tiger talisman seemed to have the upper hand, and some censors even impeached the King of Qi for holding his own troops, implying that he was disloyal.
Sui Sui stroked his chin and felt that things were not as simple as they seemed.
She thought for a moment and continued reading. Not long after the Emperor and the Crown Prince got married, they went to the Hot Spring Palace. According to the pulse examination in the palace, his headache seemed to have worsened.
In addition, an insignificant incident occurred in the imperial city. A warehouse of the Imperial Medical Bureau caught fire. The fire was quickly put out and no one was injured or killed. Only some medicinal materials and old pulse cases were not snatched out in time and were burned to ashes.
The medicines for the emperor, empress, princes and favored concubines were managed by the Shang Pharmacy, while the Imperial Medical Bureau treated officials, imperial guards and palace maids. The warehouse that caught fire did not contain anything important, except for the pulse records of the palace maids.
However, this small accident, sandwiched between a bunch of big and small things, caught Sui Sui's attention.
They had just let it be known that someone was investigating the case of the late crown prince, and right after that, a fire broke out in the Imperial Medical Bureau. She had somehow felt that there was some connection between the two events.
She threw the letter paper into the brazier and watched it turn into ashes. Then she cut a piece of similar size from the rattan paper that Grandma Gao used to teach her calligraphy, picked up the pen and quickly wrote a few words, blew dry the ink, and put it back into the compartment of the box.
…
Due to heavy snow for several days, Mount Li was covered with snow. When the sun shone, the snow and ice on the pines and cypresses sparkled brightly.
In the white snow, a mountain line looks like a black snake, winding into the clouds, and the palace seems to be floating on the clouds.
Huan Xuan didn't care about conserving the horse's power and galloped up the mountain at full speed.
He received the news of his father's illness at Shanchiyuan early in the morning, and he rode his horse as fast as he could, but the journey was long, and it was almost noon when he arrived.
When they arrived at the bedroom, there were already quite a few people standing in front of the emperor's bed. Huan Xuan took a quick look and saw the Crown Prince, Zhang Xiang, Hanlin Academician Feng Kuan, assistant ministers of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, the Chief Censor and other important ministers. Of course, several important eunuchs were also present, as well as several attendants from the Imperial Pharmacy.
Almost all the loyal ministers in the court had arrived, but the empress was nowhere to be seen among the crowd. Huan Xuan knew that the so-called "sudden emergency" was probably just an excuse.
Huan Xuan bowed to the prince, then knelt down in front of the emperor's bed and said, "My son is late. Please punish me, father."
The emperor leaned on his hidden sac, his face was haggard, but when he saw his third son, his dull eyes lit up a little: "Aye, nothing is wrong."
The prince looked worried and glanced at his brother: "Father, you are ill. I sent someone to the palace to look for you last night. Why did you wait until now?"
His tone was relatively mild, but the condemnation in his words was obvious.
As the elder brother and the crown prince, it was natural for him to scold his younger brother. However, the Prince of Qi held great power, unlike the other princes. He acted like this in front of a group of important ministers, thus not giving his younger brother any face at all.
It was difficult to respond to this. If I explained the whole story, it would seem like I was trying to find excuses. If I suffered this loss, it would seem like I was lacking in filial piety.
Huan Xuan pondered, and the emperor waved his hand and said, "But it has been snowing these few days, and the old illness has recurred. I said there is no need to make a fuss, and Sanlang is recovering from his illness."
Everyone present knew exactly what was going on with the King of Qi's recuperation, but Huan Xuan had not slept all night and had traveled such a long distance without stopping, so his lips were pale and he really looked a little sick.
The emperor paused, then looked at the prince. His eyes were sharp, but he had a kind smile on his face. "As long as I see that you two are in harmony, this illness may be cured without any medicine."
The prince was startled and immediately knelt down to plead guilty: "My son should not have been so harsh on my third brother. Please forgive me, Father."
The emperor smiled and said, "Prince, please stand up. I know that if the relationship is not well-organized, there will be chaos. There is no need for father and son to be so fearful and timid."
The prince stood up and glanced at his brother. His face was calm and he pursed his lips.
At this moment, the eunuch brought the medicine and the prince was about to take it. The emperor said, "Let the servants do it."
A trace of embarrassment flashed across the prince's face, and he retracted his hand that was suspended in the air: "Serving medicine for Aye is my son's job."
The emperor said: "Aye knows that I am filial and can share my worries in government affairs. Aye is already very pleased."
The prince said hurriedly: "My son is honored to be the crown prince, and it is my duty to share your worries."
"It's fine to worry about the country and the people," the emperor nodded slightly, "but I heard that you were busy with state affairs and stayed in Penglai Palace for ten days in a row. I feel bad for you."
He paused and said, "You have delayed taking a concubine for so many years. The Crown Princess is newlywed and it is time for you to get along well with her. You can't just focus on government affairs and neglect your new wife."
The emperor stroked his beard and smiled: "I look forward to holding my grandson soon."
The prince's expression changed slightly, and he forced a smile: "My son was not thoughtful enough, and I have caused you to worry."
The emperor looked at Prime Minister Zhang and Grand Secretary Feng and said, "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Feng, I plan to give the crown prince a few days off. During this period, I will entrust the government to you two."
The two ministers accepted the order and expressed their gratitude.
The emperor also said to the Minister of War: "Thank you for your help in border affairs."
Then he waved to Huan Xuan and said, "Sanlang, come here."
Huan Xuan stepped forward and asked, "What do you want, Master?"
The emperor said: "You have experience in using troops, and you command the first wing of the army, but you are young and have little experience. You should listen more to Minister Gu's advice on training and managing the army."
Surprise flashed across the faces of all the ministers, and the faces of the eunuchs turned even paler. The emperor had remained silent in the dispute over military power until now, when he made his attitude clear - he was willing to hand over an important military force of the court to his third son.
The prince was secretly upset. After the winter, the emperor's illness worsened. At this time when the emperor was suspicious, he should have kept a low profile, but he lost his composure because of the prince of Qi's return to the capital. The more he did, the more mistakes he made, and finally aroused the emperor's suspicion.
He glanced at his calm and relaxed brother, and suddenly an idea popped into his mind - the recent quarrels about the tiger talisman were a bit too much, and there was even an imperial censor who impeached the King of Qi for being disloyal. He was happy to see this, but he did not suppress the matter. Instead, he joined forces with the Ruan family and secretly fanned the flames.
Thinking back to this, he suddenly felt something was wrong. How could a small palace attendant have the courage to impeach Prince Quan? The person behind him...
The Crown Prince was suddenly disappointed; he had fallen into Huan Xuan's trap!
He knew that he would make the emperor wary of him if he commanded a large army, so he secretly had people stir up the fire and retreat to advance, making the emperor mistakenly believe that he had a sure victory. In a moment of rashness, he secretly got in touch with the eunuchs through the Ruan family, and joined forces to add fuel to the fire, hoping to defeat him in one blow.
Thinking about it now, this was really stupid! The balance that the emperor cared about, the collusion between the eunuchs and the outer court that he feared, and Huan Xuan's "everyone pushed down when the wall fell" made him make up his mind.
The prince was sweating profusely, but no matter how much he regretted it, it was of no use. What he had to consider now was not how to take away the military power in Huan Xuan's hands, but how to win back the emperor's trust.
The emperor seemed not to notice the prince's gloomy face. His ministers gave him a few instructions and said, "It's getting late. You should go back to the East Palace as soon as possible. You are a married man now. Don't keep your bride waiting for a long time."
After a pause, he said, "The New Year's Day court meeting will be handled by Prime Minister Zhang and Minister Song of the Ministry of Rites. I will return to Penglai Palace to preside over it in person tomorrow. You can just stay with the Crown Princess."
The crown prince was stunned, presiding over the New Year's Day court was the first major event since he became regent, and it was a great opportunity for him to swear to take the throne, but the emperor's action was tantamount to slapping him in the face in front of the entire court.
The emperor ignored him and turned to Zhang Xiang and others and said, "My dear ministers, please stay for a moment. I have something to discuss with you."
He actually excluded the crown prince from the political discussion.
The prince gritted his teeth secretly, not daring to show any emotion on his face, and bowed and saluted: "Thank you for your consideration, Father. I will take my leave now."
After the ceremony, he smiled at Huan Xuan and said, "Sanlang, are you going back to the palace? We can go together."
The emperor said: "Prince, please go back first. Sanlang, stay here. I need to ask you about the military affairs in the northwest."
The prince bowed, saluted again, glanced at Huan Xuan, and retreated silently.
All the ministers watched in amazement, some of them sided with the crown prince and fiercely opposed the prince of Qi taking charge of the army, and at this time they were even more insolent and dared not utter a word.
In the first few years after the current emperor came to the throne, he made drastic changes to state affairs and used a tough approach. However, after the death of the late crown prince, his health deteriorated. In the past two years, he entrusted state affairs to the crown prince and did not appear to be in charge of affairs. As a result, some people forgot how he was so arbitrary and decisive in the beginning.
Today's incident was both a warning to the crown prince and a warning to the court officials—the crown prince's authority was given by him, and as long as he was alive, he could take it back at any time.
They could not help but cast their eyes on the Prince of Qi. This prince had been a low-profile person since he was young. When people mentioned him over the years, they only said that he looked like the eldest prince, as if he was just a shadow of the eldest brother.
Who would have thought that he not only had the talent of a general and the courage to kill powerful eunuchs, but was also able to take advantage of the situation, show weakness, and defeat the prince in a critical situation, which really made people look at him with new eyes.
Although the crown prince holds the throne, he has such an outstanding younger brother, so it is unclear whether he can keep the position.
Each of the ministers had his own calculations, and they all fell into deep thought.
After the prince left, the emperor said, "I will keep you all here. I have something to discuss with you."
He paused and said, "Since General Xiao died on the battlefield, the three armies in Heshuo are leaderless. Xiao Tongan has been appointed as the temporary governor, but his title is not right and his words are not smooth. It is not a long-term solution. The day before yesterday, he submitted a petition to the court to send a supervisory army to Heshuo. What do you think?"
Huan Xuan frowned slightly when he heard this, since a great turmoil ten years ago, the relationship between the three towns in Heshuo and the court was just a tethered one, no different from the ancient vassal states. For the past ten years, the court could not interfere in the internal affairs of Heshuo. Now suddenly sending a military supervisor over was tantamount to making it clear to them that the court intended to interfere in Heshuo.
The emperor wanted to use Xiao Tong'an as a puppet, but he could not trust him completely, so he sent eunuchs to supervise the army to prevent him from rebelling.
However, although the emperor had a good idea, this move was too hasty and might cause dissatisfaction among the Heshuo Army. If there was a mutiny, how could Xiao Tongan and an external eunuch suppress it
If he insists on his own way, Heshuo will be in chaos.
The ministers all had their own opinions. Some of them had received large bribes from Xiao Tongan, so they naturally spoke for him. The emperor listened attentively, nodded slightly, and finally looked at Huan Xuan: "What do you think, Sanlang?"
Huan Xuan said: "I think Xiao Tongan is narrow-minded, cowardly and incompetent. I am afraid he cannot win the support of the people."
The emperor's eyes flickered and he remained silent.
Huan Xuan understood that taking back the military power of the three towns in Heshuo was the emperor's obsession, so he considered: "The three towns in Heshuo defend against the invaders in the north and control Bohai in the south. A single move could affect the entire country. I think we should be extremely cautious."
He could only make a brief comment on this matter and said no more after that.
The emperor's face darkened, and he remained silent for a long time before nodding slightly: "I understand. This matter requires long-term consideration. Let me think about it again."
After saying this, he rubbed his forehead and said to the ministers: "I am a little tired, you should go back to the government office first."
All the ministers bowed and left, leaving only the father and son in the bedroom.
The emperor then said to his third son, "It will be New Year's Eve in a few days. I will return to the East Palace later. You have been away at the border for three years. Our family has not been together for three years. It is rare that everyone is together this year. Your eldest brother has married a new wife, so it should be a lively occasion. Come to the palace as soon as possible."
Huan Xuan's eyes flickered: "Hey."
After a pause, he continued: "Your mother usually practices in a nunnery, and she always reunites with her family during the New Year's Eve. She has a knot, so don't blame her..."
Huan Xuan said calmly: "My son doesn't dare."
The emperor said again: "Now that my elder brother has returned home, I have finished a small matter. It should be your turn to receive good news next, right?"
He looked at his son's handsome face with kindness, stroked his beard and smiled, "Do you have a favorite lady?"
Huan Xuan's mind suddenly flashed with an image that had nothing to do with the lady. He paused and said, "Thank you for your concern, my son has no intention of getting married. Although the four towns of Anxi have been pacified for the time being, the border is still not peaceful..."
The emperor interrupted him with a smile: "What are you talking about? Will marrying a wife hinder your achievements?"
His face suddenly darkened: "Are you blaming Aye and A Niang for asking for your brother to marry a girl from the Ruan family? Is it possible that if she marries your brother, you will never marry again in your life?"
Huan Xuan immediately replied: "My son has no intention of marrying a wife, and no one else has anything to do with it."
The emperor sighed, shook his head, and said sadly: "Our Huan family has a romantic man in every generation. I thought that having only one eldest brother would be enough..."
He sat up and patted his son on the shoulder: "Father, I know you can't let go of me. In the past, my brother married a daughter of the Ruan family, and your principal wife should be chosen from another family. But since you like her... The Crown Princess has a cousin who is two years younger than her. She followed her father to Jiangnan. Her character, appearance, and talent are not inferior to the Crown Princess..."
Huan Xuan was about to say something, but the emperor raised his hand to stop him and picked up a scroll from the side of the couch: "This is a portrait sent from Jiangnan. Let's take a look first."
As he spoke, he slowly unfolded the scroll.
On the silk, there is a young girl who has just reached the age of marriage, with her hair in a lily bun, wearing a light green top and a yellow skirt. She is sitting under a bunch of carnations, holding a scroll in her hands, her brows slightly frowned, as if she is deep in thought.
The girl's eyebrows and eyes were not exactly like Ruan Yuewei's, but the expression between her eyes and eyebrows had Ruan Yuewei's unique charm.
If she had to be replaced, this girl who looked like Ruan Yuewei was far more suitable than Lu Suisui - apart from a somewhat similar face, Lu Suisui's figure, personality, family background, and even food preferences were very different from Ruan Yuewei.
But strangely, he looked at the person in the painting and his expression was calm, without the slightest ripple.
The emperor put away the scroll and handed it to him: "Don't rush to decide. Her father will be back in Beijing soon after his term of office. He will be in the capital in March. We can meet each other then."