"No need for that. I allowed you to resign and make arrangements for your family a while ago, how about that?"
"Thank you for your concern, Master. Everything is going well."
"Then... what about Qingyou Mountain?"
"Rest assured, Master, with Lord Lechang looking after us, everything is still in the planning stage."
"Then, we can begin..."
Looking up at the sky, beyond the seven stars, a gray wolf seemed to be running out.
The next day, the fifth prince of Qitian Kingdom was laid to rest, and the whole country mourned. Then, amidst his grief, the emperor received another piece of bad news.
Say it again!
"Your Majesty! I deserve to die! I shouldn't have doubted the Third Prince! I deserve to die!"
Murong Yi stepped forward and grabbed the imperial physician by the collar, "Explain the whole story to me!"
"Yes...yes, Your Majesty, you are unaware that the medicine His Highness takes daily is called 'Fire and Water Root,' but after extensive comparison, I have discovered that His Highness..."
There were still remnants of the Snow Lotus within his body. The collision of the two might only cause a headache and discomfort for an ordinary person, but for the Fifth Prince, whose constitution was weaker…” (Trembling)
After Weiwei finished his report, the imperial physician dared not move again.
The Snow Lotus was a sacred gift recently presented as tribute by a foreign kingdom. Out of compassion for the Third Prince, Murong Qu, who had lost his mother at a young age, the Emperor bestowed it upon him in front of all the civil and military officials.
It was bestowed upon him; that is a fact known to all.
"Alright, sir, you should leave now. If even a whisper of this leaks out, we won't be able to gauge the Emperor's intentions." The head eunuch initially...
Without avoiding the issue, he discerned the emperor's thoughts and, after a brief consultation, spoke to the imperial physician.
After the seven-day mourning period, the official announcement was made that the Fifth Prince, Murong Song, had passed away. What surprised outsiders was that among the imperial brothers, only Murong Song had died.
I participated in the funeral.
Consort Gong suddenly burst into the Golden Palace, her eyes swollen like peaches. She stumbled and staggered, not knowing what was going on, only shouting that she wanted to see the Emperor.
"Your Majesty loves your son dearly, but to sacrifice him to protect others is something I cannot bear." Consort Gong, unable to vent her sore throat, suddenly...
They have no dietary restrictions whatsoever.
"How dare you! Shut up!"
Startled by Murong Yi's shout, Consort Gong still persisted, "Could it not be him, Murong Yue..."
"Guards, Consort Gong is delirious. Take her back to her chambers to rest." Murong Yi covered her forehead, not wanting to say anything more. If this continued, this...
The country will have no one to rely on.
Unaware of the true story behind the Iceberg Snow Lotus, Consort Gong only knew three words: Murong Yue!
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Palace Intrigue
Rong Yue opened his eyes with a whoosh, a gust of wind brushed past his face, ding! He forcefully pulled the signal arrow off the bedpost, unfolded it, and saw that the four short words were enough to make him smile.
It reads: The wolf has emerged, time waits for no one!
"Report! Urgent report from the frontier! Urgent report from the frontier!" As the border governor ran with his official robes in one hand and waved his hand while shouting, Rong Yue and Murong Shi arrived at their first morning court session together earlier than ever before.
The court officials and the emperor, with their many eyes and ears, had all heard rumors to varying degrees. As they waited in silence, they had already devised some countermeasures in their minds.
"Your Majesty, the barbarian chieftain Dugu Yao escaped from our border prison yesterday. We have been pursuing him for a day and a night, but to no avail...to no trace. I am afraid...I have come here to ask Your Majesty for instructions, hoping that Your Majesty will make a decision as soon as possible to prevent further trouble on the border and to avoid harm to the country and its people."
...a moment of silence
"Your Majesty?" The prefect wiped the sweat from his brow. Everyone said that the emperor's heart was unfathomable, and he had truly experienced it firsthand.
"Guards!" Murong Yi removed his hand from his forehead, and upon seeing the person before him, his already furrowed brows deepened even further. "Take this person into the imperial prison and execute him in the autumn."
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare my life! Spare my life! I guarantee with my life that I will bring Dugu Yao back within a month..." The prefect below the hall was immediately at a loss, panicked and howling incoherently.
"A head on someone's neck? Hmph! It's no longer of any value." Murong Yi's calm words sounded all the more ruthless in comparison.
"Half a month! Half a month is enough, Your Majesty, please allow me to explain, Your Majesty..." As the guards escorted him, the cries for help grew fainter and fainter until the hall returned to calm, or perhaps... a storm had already brewed.
"With my hundreds of thousands of troops, what do I have to fear from a mere barbarian chieftain!" Murong Shi's piercing gaze swept over the assembled officials. At this moment, perhaps only he could utter such words. His gaze lingered on Rong Yue for a moment, then Yan Changhan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and began to speak.
"Your subject wishes to train troops and station them in the northwest to prevent foreign invaders from causing trouble." His lips parted slightly, a sly glint flashing in his silver teeth. He spoke of stationing troops, of stationing troops!
"Governing troops!" Hearing the whispers that followed his words, Rong Yue remained expressionless, but his hand clenched into a fist, and he almost ground his teeth to powder.
"I have something to say," Zheng Donghe stepped forward, wanting to speak.
Finally, Rong Yue's face turned completely black, and finally, Murong Shi's eyebrows rose completely.
"Granted." The Emperor waved his hand in approval from his throne.
"First of all, I must express my admiration for the Ninth Prince's concern for the country and its people, as he volunteered to guard the Northwest. However, it was the Fourth Prince who recently subdued the barbarians and captured their leader. Wouldn't it be more effective to send the Fourth Prince to the Northwest to deter them and achieve twice the result with half the effort? Furthermore, the palace also needs a capable person to guard it and prevent any disturbances. The Ninth Prince is far more familiar with the area than the Fourth Prince." Indeed, this was the infamous Zheng Donghe, the Zheng Donghe who was as thick as a rock. Only he would utter such nonsensical words.
"Lord Zheng is absolutely right. In any case, I am more suitable than Ninth Brother to 'defend against the enemy' in the Northwest!" Going to the Northwest was part of the plan, but I had to subtly change the concept of "garrisoning".
"Alright." After watching the show, Murong Yi finally made a decision, "But this time they are outnumbered, so we need to fight a guerrilla war. Fourth brother, you go to the military camp and carefully select five thousand elite soldiers, train them personally for a month, and then go to the front line once you have a clear position."
Five thousand... That's too little! Hearing the faint voice behind him, Rong Yue paused, and when he looked up again, his gaze was deep, firm, and confident. A loud "Yes" more or less shook Murong Shi's heart.
"Good, I knew you would believe me." The Emperor was also very satisfied with his reaction. "However, the journey will be arduous. Although you have practiced martial arts since childhood, you must be careful. If you have any requests, I will do my best to fulfill them without fail."
"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great favor. I have no requests, but... I have been by my mother's side since I was a child, and now I am about to embark on a long journey..."
*Thud!* Someone dropped the jade cloak in their hand upon hearing this… Is this what you call having no demands?
"Hahaha..." Murong Yi's laughter was even more unpredictable, and even Rong Yue probably regretted his rash actions. But the next second...
"Now that you mention it, I really do miss her. So many years... cough, it really hasn't been easy." At this moment, the Emperor suddenly became sentimental. "Guards, draft an imperial edict!" He spoke these two words with a gentler touch than the spring water.
"Li Qinran has nurtured and raised the fourth prince, Murong Yue, for many years. His growth into adulthood and his dedication to serving the country have been truly meritorious. Furthermore, her virtue and gentleness make her a model of good family conduct. Therefore, she is hereby granted permission to enter the palace for a comfortable life and is given the title of 'Xian' (贤, meaning virtuous). This is hereby decreed!"
Upon hearing this edict, all the civil and military officials immediately prostrated themselves and shouted, "Long live the Virtuous Consort!" When this reached Rong Yue's ears, this great bargaining chip in the harem added a lot of confidence to his face.
His long eyelashes fluttered down; his mother, that was the eternal pain of Murong Shi. Outside the pavilion, by the ancient road, his mother saw him off for a thousand miles; her figure receded into the distance, tears flowed, his adoptive father had tortured him a thousand times with poison.
The jealous women in the palace began to become irritable, especially Consort Tian. Every day, the palace maids' routine was to sweep up the broken pieces of vases on the floor. The emperor no longer favored her. Besides knowing that an old woman was going to be made a virtuous consort, she also knew that the old woman hated her! Also hating her were the resentful Consort Gong, the empress who was only one step away from becoming empress, and the three thousand beauties.
Achoo! The eunuch in charge of the Flower Dye Palace kept sneezing while repairing the palace. The Emperor said the repairs would be completed in half a month, and that he would be promoted to head eunuch of the Flower Dye Palace after that, to serve a mistress named Consort Xian well. But why did he come back looking so resentful? And why did the mistress arrive early, just ten days later?
Lechang patted off the almost non-existent dust from his body, still retaining his scholarly air. After the eunuch finished announcing his arrival, he entered the imperial study to pay his respects, feeling both tired and invigorated.
"I had you searching far and wide for me as soon as I took office, and now more than three months have passed. Mr. Lechang, you have worked hard." After reading the daily records of local customs and conditions that he had given him in private, Murong Yi wanted to shout with admiration. The descriptions were so vivid that it was as if he had been there himself. How fortunate he was to have such a scholar.
"Your Majesty, please don't make fun of me. I am utterly unworthy of the title 'Sir' from you." Lechang laughed heartily.
“Sir, you are too modest,” Murong Yi buried himself back in the memorials from Lechang. After a moment, he seemed to casually mention, “I heard that Consort Xian has been well taken care of by you along the way?”
“There was no such thing as taking care of her. I just happened to meet Consort Xian’s entourage on the road. Since there were some people in the entourage that I knew, I came back with them.”
"Oh?" Murong Yi looked up to make him look directly at her. "Sir, you seem to know a lot of people. This time, you safely escorted Consort Xian back. The Fourth Prince will surely be happy to know that it was you."
"It would be my honor to please the Fourth Prince, and I would be happy no matter which prince it is." With this one sentence, he denied his private relationship with Rong Yue.
“Very good, very good…” Murong Yi smiled and then became engrossed in Lechang’s memorial.
Lechang didn't leave the imperial study until nightfall. He let out a long sigh, smoothed his furrowed brow, and waved slightly into the darkness. A gentle breeze stirred around the corner, and his shadow nodded and departed.
Flower-Dyed Palace:
At this moment, the eunuchs and palace maids in the hall were busy presenting gifts, all trembling with fear. The arrival of Consort Xian was sudden; the Hua Ran Palace had been hastily renovated, and many items were still missing. Seemingly kind but actually ruthless, such mistresses were not uncommon in the palace. What was Consort Xian, dressed in simple white robes and Buddhist prayer beads, like now? No one knew, and no one dared to make the slightest sound.
So, apart from the sound of the prayer beads turning, the only thing that could be heard was one's own breathing.
"Where is Shen Mo?" This was the first thing Consort Xian said, and she was asking about Shen Mo, not the Fourth Prince! Perhaps because she had been practicing Buddhism for a long time and did not speak often, her voice, though in her forties or fifties, sounded much older than that of the other concubines of the same age in the palace, but it was also much more affectionate.
Thanks to the passing of the Ninth Prince Murong, almost everyone in the palace now knows Shen Mo, the legendary personal maid of the Fourth Prince. Slightly shocked, the head eunuch glanced up at the Consort Xian's expressionless face, for he was an experienced man. "Your Majesty," he said, "the Fourth Prince goes to the military camp every day to train his troops, and Miss Shen Mo serves him there."
"Mm." After uttering a single, soft word, Consort Xian slowly closed her eyes to rest.
Unexpectedly, the master's expression seemed more serious than before. The eunuch advised her that it was due to the lighting, because according to custom, the servants before them needed to greet each other. "Your Majesty, it is my greatest honor to serve you in this life. From now on, I will be loyal and devoted until death." Expressing loyalty was the primary standard for greeting.
"This servant's name is Di Fu. Your Highness may call me Little Di Zi. This is Hua Xi, the head maid of Hua Ran Palace. They are the servants His Majesty bestowed upon Hua Ran Palace today..."
"I'm tired." Consort Xian suddenly grabbed her prayer beads and stood up. Her three short words caused the atmosphere in the hall to drop sharply. She took Aunt Xia's hand and walked towards her bedroom.
"When the Fourth Prince returns, have him come to see me." Her tone remained calm, and after a moment she turned back and instructed, "Remember to bring Shen Mo along."
"Yes...yes!" With a mix of guesswork and hesitation, the servants watched her gradually disappear from sight. This was a mistress whose emotions you couldn't discern at all!
The roses bloom at night, but no one is asleep in the deep of night.
"Your Majesty, please rest for a while."
"Your Highness, please take care of yourself." Consort Tian paced back and forth in her Tianxiang Palace, lifting her bright skirt, her head almost reaching into the night outside, much to the concern of her personal maid who was busy running around beside her.
Consort Tian remained unmoved, continuing to pace back and forth, hoping for the stars and the moon. After an incense stick had burned, finally... a eunuch rushed in from outside, nearly losing his breath, stumbling and calling out to Consort Tian, "Your Majesty!"
"Just say it already, you're driving me crazy!" Consort Tian was so impatient that she kicked him when he couldn't give her a straight answer.
"Your Majesty, please don't kick her. That Consort Xian is old and faded, and I'm afraid she won't achieve anything. Besides... besides..." the little eunuch continued to pant.
"Besides what?" Consort Tian's eyes lit up instantly when she heard that she was old and her beauty had faded.
"Besides, it seems she and the Fourth Prince have some conflicts." The eunuch tilted his head and recalled, "Just now, after making inquiries from various sources, I learned that they had a quarrel on the very first day the mother and son met."
"Argument? What was it about?"
"For the sake of our future Ninth Prince's Consort..."
Chapter Forty: The Concubine's Taste of Battle
"Hahahaha... Bah! What a load of rubbish, Princess Consort!" Upon hearing the eunuch's report, Consort Tian laughed with a somewhat ferocious expression, unabashedly cursing. It turned out that the newly arrived Consort Xian was trying to steal servants from Murong Yue, ordering Shen Mo to do the dirty and tiring work in the Flower Dye Palace, which was why Murong Yue had argued with her. Consort Tian was secretly delighted; such a woman was sure to cause no trouble.
"Hahaha~" The two servants laughed along with them. After a moment, the little eunuch's eyes darted around. Seeing that no one was around, he whispered to Consort Tian, "Your Highness, this little maid might be useful in keeping the two princes in check."
Consort Tian calmed down, but after thinking for a long time, she still couldn't come up with a solution. She slapped the little eunuch on the head and said, "What use is a little palace maid? All you do is bluff!"
"Ouch, Your Majesty!" The little eunuch didn't dare to dodge, enduring two blows as he cried out, "Now that the true Ninth Prince's Consort, the Empress, is left without anyone to rely on!" And then...
He was slapped twice more hard by Consort Tian. "You useless servant, can't you keep your voice down?" Thinking about it, she seemed to have a point, and looking at him, she seemed even more justified, before smiling and asking, "Does it hurt?"
"Does it hurt?" Murong Shi asked, frowning as he looked at Shen Mo's hand, which was scratched by firewood.