This New Year’s Eve was destined to be unsettling.
After receiving Chong Heng’s letter, Liang Ye rushed back without rest. Upon returning to the palace, before he could even drink a cup of hot tea, news of Bian Yunxin’s suicide attempt arrived.
When Liang Ye arrived with his men, Bian Yunxin was crying her eyes out. Seeing him, she wailed even louder, “Aijia can’t go on living! My son is so cruel, imprisoning Aijia in this deep palace, unable to leave, while accepting Aijia’s sworn enemy as mother. What’s the point of living?”
The white silk hanging from the beam swayed in the cold wind as the door opened, falling onto her face. She brushed it away with her hand, adorned with eye-catching safflower rouge, only to meet Liang Ye’s icy gaze.
Bian Yunxin immediately shuddered in fear.
Liang Ye dismissed the surrounding palace servants and approached her with a stern face. “Get up.”
Bian Yunxin hastily wiped her face with her sleeve, smearing her makeup. She pinched her thigh hard and wailed loudly, “Let Aijia die!”
“Get up!” Liang Ye suddenly shouted in anger.
Bian Yunxin’s wailing stopped abruptly. She scrambled to her feet, looking flustered. After standing still for a while, she wiped non-existent tears from her eyes and softened her voice, “Ye’er, Aijia… truly knows her mistake. You can’t keep confining Aijia like this. That old hag Cui Yuxian is already dead. We, mother and son, no longer need to suffer her threats. If we could just get rid of that bitch Tan Yishuang-”
She met Liang Ye’s gloomy, warning gaze and felt frightened and aggrieved. “We are the real mother and son. Aijia heard that you even let her handle the selection of concubines and want to marry her niece. How does this position the Empress Dowager? You don’t know how nasty the rumors outside are! They even say you and the young imperial concubine are having an improper relationship…”
Liang Ye, hearing her shrill voice, felt a headache coming on. He coldly interrupted her, “If I let you out, could you outmaneuver Tan Yishuang?”
Bian Yunxin choked, clutching her sleeve tightly. “Aijia is the Empress Dowager. She’s just a mere Imperial Concubine. As long as my son supports me, Aijia could even throw her into the Cold Palace if Aijia wanted!”
Liang Ye didn’t bother arguing with her and coldly said, “Call back all your useless assassins. You couldn’t kill Zhen in all these years. Don’t muddy the waters any further.”
Bian Yunxin, aggrieved and resentful, said, “Aijia…Aijia was just trying to mislead the Grand Empress Dowager. If she thought we were in cahoots, wouldn’t that… wouldn’t that implicate you?”
“You were afraid of implicating yourself.” Liang Ye smirked, snatching away the white silk she was still clutching tightly. He threatened coldly, “If you bother Zhen with such trivial matters again, Zhen will give you a quick end and throw you to the mass graves for wild dogs to eat.”
Bian Yunxin shuddered in terror but persisted, “Ye’er, today is New Year’s Eve. Aijia had the imperial kitchen prepare your favorite dishes. Why don’t you stay for a meal before leaving?”
Liang Ye gave her a cold glance. “Zhen will advise you one last time: don’t associate with the Bian family.”
Bian Yunxin could never have thought of such words herself.
“…Haven’t,” Bian Yunxin averted her gaze, unconsciously taking a step back.
“Zhen can’t remember many things from the past clearly,” Liang Ye’s gaze was sinister and terrifying. “Just focus on being the Empress Dowager, understand?”
Bian Yunxin nodded hesitantly.
Liang Ye stormed out.
“Empress.” The palace maid outside quickly came to support her but was irritably pushed away.
“Empress Dowager, please don’t be angry. His Majesty rushed over as soon as he heard about you. It shows he still cares about you,” the palace maid consoled in a soft voice. “This servant heard that His Majesty didn’t even have time for a hot cup of tea after returning to the palace.”
Bian Yunxin’s eyes reddened as she angrily crumpled the handkerchief in her hand. With a tearful voice, she cried, “Ungrateful wretch! Did Aijia want to watch him drink white jade soup back then? When he was just born, he was so sick he couldn’t even cry. Wasn’t it Aijia who nursed him back to health, feeding him milk day and night? Did his birth mother or father ever come to see him? That bitch Tan Yishuang just fed him a meal, and he worships her like a real mother! What about me? Heartless creature!”
“Empress! Mind your words!” The palace maid quickly covered her mouth. “The palace is full of prying eyes and ears. You mustn’t speak carelessly!”
“It’s all an open secret anyway. That old witch Cui Yuxian is long dead! Aijia is the highest authority in the harem now. What do Aijia have to fear?” Bian Yunxin pinched the maid’s arm irritably and plopped down on the ground in an unrefined manner, sobbing, “Aijia just wanted him to stay for a New Year’s Eve dinner, and he wouldn’t even do that…”
“Empress, Tan Yishuang now dominates the harem. The urgent matter is to win back His Majesty’s heart,” the palace maid advised gently. “After all, you are His Majesty’s mother. Whether the late Empress was his birth mother or not doesn’t matter. You must pull yourself together.”
Bian Yunxin sniffled and gritted her teeth, “You’re right. Aijia absolutely cannot let that bitch Tan Yishuang have it easy! She thinks she has the Tan family behind her, but does she think Aijia has no one to use? Go, bring Aijia’s personal seal!”
****
In a secluded, desolate hall, Liang Ye sat on a cold kang bed, fiddling with his box.
“Master, you rushed back too hastily,” Chong Heng looked at him worriedly. “The master said you shouldn’t casually use those skills. There’s none of that stuff here, it’s extremely damaging to your body.”
Normally, a journey of over ten days compressed into seven or eight days was reasonable, but returning from Southern Zhao in just over a day was truly inconceivable by normal standards.
Liang Ye drooped his eyelids tiredly and pulled out a ruler from the box. “The old man liked this. After Zhen hid it from him, he kept grumbling for days. When Zhen goes to pay respects tomorrow, Zhen will secretly toss it into his coffin.”
Chong Heng’s mouth twitched. “Master, that doesn’t seem appropriate…”
“Zhen will be quick. No one will notice,” Liang Ye tapped the ruler against his palm, then fell silent again.
“Master.” Chong Heng crouched beside him and gently poked his shoulder. “Did you find Wang Dian?”
“Mm.” Liang Ye grunted. “He even took Zhen around the market and made dumplings for Zhen.”
“Huh? Just that?” Chong Heng was puzzled. “I could take you around the market and make dumplings for you too.”
“What the hell do you know,” Liang Ye glanced at him disdainfully.
Silence fell again.
Chong Heng paced around him, scratching his head and wracking his brains. “Master, Imperial Preceptor Wen surely wouldn’t want to see you sad for him. If Wang Dian knew you were upset, he’d be upset too. Why don’t you eat something?”
Liang Ye straightened up and sneered, “Which eye of yours saw that Zhen was upset? Zhen is doing great. Without that little old man nagging Zhen every day about selecting concubines, Zhen feels very relaxed.”
Chong Heng looked at him expectantly, his stomach grumbling.
Liang Ye irritably patted his head. “Come on, let’s eat.”
“Yes.” Chong Heng discreetly sighed in relief.
But despite the table full of delicacies, Liang Ye barely touched anything, just watching him eat. Chong Heng knew his master was grieving over Imperial Preceptor Wen’s death. After all, although Wen was long-winded, he had taught the master since childhood—even if the master was forgetful and hadn’t retained much.
At seventeen or eighteen, one’s appetite is usually big. While worrying for his master, Chong Heng devoured most of the food on the table like a whirlwind, thinking that if Wang Dian were here, he’d surely know what to do.
When Chong Heng finished the last sip of soup and looked up, he found Liang Ye had already fallen asleep on the table.
Chong Heng noticed a black thread peeking out from Liang Ye’s collar. It looked like a twisted silk thread from an undergarment. He couldn’t help but take another curious glance and saw a copper coin hidden inside the inner robe.
What was so precious about a copper coin that could be grabbed by the handful?
Although Chong Heng was puzzled, his master had many strange hobbies, so this was just one more. He unceremoniously imitated Liang Ye’s posture and lay down on the table for a short nap.
The slightest noise would wake his master, so now that he had finally fallen asleep, it was best not to— A sharp signal sound pierced through the noise of numerous firecrackers outside the palace.
Liang Ye suddenly sat up straight. Chong Heng grabbed his sword and leapt out the window, shouting, “Master, I’ll go receive the message!”
When the whistle signal sounded, there must be great chaos at the border.
Liang Ye remembered Wen Zong’s dying words and his heart sank.
****
In Qingcang County, Yanzhou, Southern Zhao.
The table was neatly set with fruits and pastries. The sound of cheering for the lion dance floated in from the street. Wang Dian was writing a letter when suddenly there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Chang Li entered and reported the news he had gathered, “Young Master, a month ago, Northern Liang received an envoy from Eastern Chen. The envoy brought a thousand gold pieces as a ‘New Year’s gift’ and took Princess Yueli away. Northern Liang politely declined Eastern Chen’s proposal to jointly attack Loufan. When Emperor Shen Yao of Eastern Chen learned of this, he was furious. Half a month ago, the Emperor of Liang canceled the year-end ceremonial banquet and directly gave a fifteen-day New Year holiday. The intended Empress candidate, Miss Tan Jiu, went missing while out, and the grand ceremony for her installation as Empress fell through. The Imperial Preceptor of Northern Liang, Wen Zong, passed away last night at the hour of Zi due to illness.”
“Imperial Preceptor Wen has passed away?” Wang Dian’s brush paused as he looked up at Chang Li.
“Yes, it’s said he had a fall a few days ago,” Chang Li replied. “Before his death, the Emperor of Liang had a long talk with him, but no one knows the specific content.”
“Last night at the hour of Zi?” Wang Dian put down his brush.
Liang Ye had left on the 29th and arrived in the capital on New Year’s Eve. Even if he knew qinggong, it shouldn’t be possible to travel so quickly— Wang Dian frowned, finding it absurd, but he couldn’t help suspecting that someone might be impersonating Liang Ye.
“Young Master?” Chang Li called out, noticing his distraction.
“Please make a trip to deliver this New Year’s greeting card to the Southern Zhao imperial palace,” Wang Dian folded the completed card and handed it to him.
Chang Li accepted it with both hands. “Yes, I’ll go and return promptly.”
Wang Dian’s expression gradually became serious. Liang Ye had left in such a hurry, presumably because of Wen Zong’s death. Wen Zong had always been in good health, and Wang Dian thought he would live to at least a hundred years old. He never expected him to pass so suddenly.
Wen Zong had served through three reigns without decline. His death would undoubtedly shake the complex web of interests behind him, causing turmoil in the court. And it happened at such a critical time when Loufan and Eastern Chen were at war… Liang Ye’s position at court would likely become even more precarious.
Before he could think further, Chang Ying hurriedly arrived with Chu Geng. Wang Dian went forward to greet them, but saw Chu Geng approaching with urgent steps. He grasped Wang Dian’s arm, his face anxious, “Zhong Qing, terrible news! I fear Loufan might make peace with Eastern Chen.”
Wang Dian’s expression changed. He grabbed Chu Geng and strode outside, “Chang Ying, prepare the carriage!”
“Zhong Qing, Zhong Qing! Where are we going?” Chu Geng was dragged along quickly.
“To see the Emperor of Zhao.” Wang Dian pushed him into the carriage. “Now tell me why you’ve come to this conclusion.”
“I first heard horse traders in Jiangnan complaining about expensive horse prices and fodder. Then someone mentioned it was much cheaper in Eastern Chen. Suddenly, many high-quality horses appeared on the market, privately sourced from official stables. Eastern Chen rarely has grasslands, their horses usually come from Southern Zhao, Loufan, or Great Liang. Now Southern Zhao’s horse prices are high, let alone Great Liang, so they must be from Loufan. Loufan makes money from horses, if they were still at war, they certainly wouldn’t sell to Eastern Chen…” Chu Geng spoke rapidly. “Moreover, when I arrived with Chang Ying, I heard that Eastern Chen’s envoys were about to reach the capital of Southern Zhao— Ah! Zhong Qing!”
Wang Dian yanked him out of the carriage. “Can you ride a horse?”
“Yes, a little,” Chu Geng replied. “I learned at the Imperial Academy.”
“Good.” Wang Dian directly switched to three fast horses. “Chu Yiyuan, you’ve always said you had ambitions but lacked opportunity. Now the opportunity has come.”
Chu Geng mounted his horse and asked, “Does Zhong Qing also think Loufan and Eastern Chen might join forces to attack Liang?”
“It’s not a possibility, it’s a certainty,” Wang Dian tightened the reins. “If you can help me persuade the Emperor of Zhao to send troops to aid Liang, you’ll surely have a place in the Great Liang court in the future!”
Chu Geng declared loudly, “Just for Zhong Qing trusting me today, I, Chu Geng, am willing to face death without hesitation!”
“Hya!”
