After the morning court session dispersed, in the Imperial Study.
“Your Majesty, the wind is strong at the door. Your dragon body is of utmost importance,” Yun Fu stood at the wide-open palace doors, looking miserable. His lips were somewhat stiff from the cold.
Liang Ye didn’t respond to him. He seemed particularly interested in the clouds in the sky, squinting his eyes and looking for a long time.
Yu Ying cautiously stepped forward, “Your Majesty, all the officials have already left the palace.”
Liang Ye’s face instantly darkened.
Yun Fu belatedly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “Oh! Your Majesty, Wang Daren left early, he was the first to exit the palace.”
Liang Ye’s already gloomy face turned pitch black. Yu Ying quickly gave Yun Fu a look. Yun Fu regretfully closed his eyes for a moment, raised his hand to slap his own mouth, and awkwardly tried to make amends, “Perhaps…perhaps Wang Daren had some urgent matter to attend to.”
Liang Ye looked at him expressionlessly, then turned and entered the hall.
Yun Fu looked at Yu Ying for help. Yu Ying shook her head slightly and followed Liang Ye inside.
Taking advantage of Yu Ying going out to refill tea and water, Yun Fu quietly followed and asked in a low voice, “Aunt Yu Ying, His Majesty is preparing to select consorts. What about Wang Daren—”
“Shh.” Yu Ying gestured for him to be quiet and whispered, “How can we comment on the affairs of our masters?”
“I’m just worried,” Yun Fu said anxiously. “We all see how much Wang Daren cares for His Majesty. If His Majesty takes consorts, where will Daren have a place to stand in the palace?”
“The entire court is pressuring our master,” Yu Ying efficiently changed the tea and sighed. “Besides, I heard Wang Daren personally advised His Majesty during the morning court. Isn’t this also Daren pushing His Majesty away?”
“It was so difficult to…” Yun Fu said regretfully.
“Let’s not talk about this anymore.” Yu Ying cautiously looked around, picked up the tea tray and walked out, changing the subject, “Didn’t you recently take on a new young apprentice? He was very obedient and sensible. How come I haven’t seen him these past few days?”
“Ah, something happened in his family. His Majesty graciously allowed him to return home for a visit,” Yun Fu smiled. “But his home is in the south, who knows when he’ll be back.”
Yu Ying wasn’t a fool. Just hearing “return home” she knew this person probably wouldn’t appear in the palace again. She couldn’t help but think of the corpse fished out of the Xingqing Palace pond a few days ago. She heard its mouth was cut up by a knife, the face unrecognizable, and no one dared to claim it. She didn’t dare to think too deeply about the connection.
Thinking of what she had just said to Yun Fu, she couldn’t help but regret it and cautiously said, “What we just said should remain private. It must not be spread.”
“Of course,” Yun Fu nodded quickly.
As the two of them left the side hall talking, a young man silently dropped down from the roof beam.
Chong Heng raised an eyebrow and clapped his hands. He picked up a piece of pastry from the fruit platter and was about to put it in his mouth when he heard a voice drifting in from the shadows, “Did you wash your hands?”
Chong Heng was so startled that he crushed the pastry in his hand. He turned his head vigilantly and saw Liang Ye crouching on a roof beam in the corner. He had pulled out a sandalwood box from somewhere and was blowing hard on the accumulated dust, which all fell onto the snacks on the table.
“…Master,” Chong Heng was speechless for a while. “Now we can’t eat them.”
“All you think about is eating.” Liang Ye tucked the box into his sleeve and nimbly jumped down from the beam. “Just heard Yu Ying and the others talking about Yun Fu’s apprentice. Why did you leave the body intact?”
“There wasn’t time,” Chong Heng wrinkled his nose and sneezed from the dust. “I had to impersonate Jian Ling to assassinate you one moment, then pretend to be Wu Silian to poison Jian Ling the next. After finally finishing that, I still had to keep an eye on Cui Qi… Even a donkey wasn’t as exhausted as me.”
After speaking, he tried to reach for the dust-covered pastry again, but Liang Ye slapped his hand away.
“Isn’t that dirty?” Liang Ye said with disgust.
Chong Heng rubbed his smarting hand reluctantly, “I used to eat anything. Master, you’re like Wang Dian now, being unnecessarily fussy.”
Liang Ye raised an eyebrow, “Speaking of Wang Dian, Zhen assigned you so many people, yet you couldn’t keep an eye on that little brat. Now Wang Dian is using him to threaten Zhen, and you still have the nerve to complain?”
Chong Heng pouted, “This servant knows his mistake. This servant is incompetent and willing to accept punishment.”
Liang Ye slapped the back of his head, making him stumble. “No rush for punishment. Come with Zhen to Kangning Palace.”
Chong Heng, who was clutching his head and grimacing, suddenly perked up, his eyes sparkling, “Really?”
“If you don’t want to go, Zhen will go alone,” Liang Ye said.
“Go! Who said I won’t go? I’ll go! Master!” Chong Heng immediately became excited, grabbing his arm then letting go. “Wait, let me change clothes first. These are covered in dust.”
He ran forward a few steps, then turned back, looking expectantly, “Master, Wang Dian sent over some winter robes earlier, saying there was one for me…”
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want it?” Liang Ye raised an eyebrow.
Chong Heng scratched his head, his face reddening, “I… I didn’t say I didn’t want it. It’s just that my robes always get dirty when I kill people, and they don’t look good.”
Liang Ye snorted, “How petty.”
Chong Heng looked at him anxiously and pleadingly. Liang Ye leisurely walked out the door, “It’s in the side hall of the bedchamber, third drawer from the top on the left.”
Chong Heng darted out like a gust of wind.
Half an hour later, at Kangning Palace.
Charcoal burned in the brazier, thick curtains kept the cold outside, and only a faint fragrance remained in the room.
Tan Yishuang’s gaze fell on the straight-backed young man in white, and she smiled, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Xiao Heng. You’ve grown taller.”
Chong Heng, hugging his sword and staring straight ahead at a vase ornament, heard this and straightened his back even more, trying to appear taller and stronger.
Liang Ye said, “He’s always running about, visiting the imperial kitchen more often than the cooks. It would be hard for him not to grow.”
Tan Yishuang laughed, and Chong Heng’s ears turned red. He defended himself, “I…I was gathering information.”
“The last time we met was at the New Year’s Eve family banquet. Now it’s almost the end of the year again. You’ve all grown up so quickly,” Tan Yishuang took a sip of tea. “Your Majesty, you must take care of your health and not overwork yourself.”
Chong Heng nodded vigorously, his gaze serious and upright, not daring to look at her. However, his little crush was obvious to the other two in the room, though neither wanted to point it out.
“The court officials are urging Zhen to select consorts. However, such matters should be handled by elders. Zhen has thought it over, and in the palace, only the Concubine is suitable,” Liang Ye said calmly. “Would you be willing to help Zhen?”
Tan Yishuang was slightly surprised, “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is still here. It might not be appropriate for me to handle this.”
At the mention of Bian Yunxin, the warmth in Liang Ye’s eyes faded a bit more, “The Empress Dowager is ill and bedridden. Zhen doesn’t want to trouble her.”
Since Liang Ye’s assassination attempt and Bian Yunxin’s confinement, Liang Ye seemed to have forgotten about her, never lifting her confinement. Strangely, Bian Yunxin hadn’t caused any trouble, remaining quiet all this time.
“If that’s the case, I won’t refuse,” Tan Yishuang asked, “But what kind of girl does Your Majesty prefer?”
Liang Ye’s eyebrows twitched slightly. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Zhen likes tall ones, with long legs, a slim waist, and fair skin. Handsome in appearance, intelligent, ruthless yet delicate, not too good at drinking, with a small scar on the back of the left hand, and a red birthmark on the chest—”
“Your Majesty,” Tan Yishuang couldn’t help but interrupt as his description became increasingly excessive and detailed.
“Hmm?” Liang Ye, who was speaking with relish, appeared slightly displeased at being interrupted.
“…Does Your Majesty already have someone in mind?” Tan Yishuang probed.
“Suppose so,” Liang Ye said.
Tan Yishuang smiled, “Then does Your Majesty want her to enter the palace as a consort or as the Empress?”
“Naturally, the person would be Zhen’s Empress,” Liang Ye said.
“If that’s the case, shouldn’t we ask the elders of the imperial clan to propose marriage for Your Majesty? Why go through the trouble of a consort selection?” Tan Yishuang asked, puzzled.
Liang Ye took out the sandalwood box from his sleeve. When opened, it revealed a peace clasp hanging on a slightly faded woven blue cord. It didn’t look like a typical necklace for women, but rather had a sense of ancient and solemn steadiness.
“This is…” Tan Yishuang recognized the necklace, her eyes suddenly warming, “It’s a relic of the late Empress.”
“Bian Xin—Bian Rufeng gave it to Zhen before she died,” Liang Ye said stiffly. “She said when Zhen marries in the future, this would be the betrothal gift, or else she’d crawl out of her grave.”
Tan Yishuang reached out, lightly touching the peace clasp, and chuckled, “That sounds like something she would say.”
“The person Zhen wants to marry wouldn’t be willing to enter the palace in their original identity, and the court officials wouldn’t agree either,” Liang Ye said. “Zhen has been troubled by this, pondering for a long time, and finally came up with a solution.”
Tan Yishuang looked at him suspiciously, with an uneasy feeling, “Your Majesty’s solution…”
“You should have a distant niece raised in a remote mountain Taoist temple, who is exactly twenty-one this year,” Liang Ye said without changing his expression. “This girl is naturally intelligent, virtuous and talented. When she was young, a hermit predicted that she was destined to be an empress, able to extend the Great Liang’s dynasty for 500 years. Zhen was fortunate to receive her help during the assassination attempt in the Shizai Mountain, turning danger into safety. When Zhen’s life was in danger during the assassination attempt at the birthday banquet, it was also she who came to deliver medicine, disregarding the danger.”
Tan Yishuang listened in a daze, almost believing she really had such a “distant niece”. “But will this convince the many ministers?”
“Zhen already has someone in mind, so of course Zhen won’t marry her,” Liang Ye said coldly. “Not only will Zhen not marry her, but Zhen will also shave his head and become a monk.”
Tan Yishuang looked somewhat bewildered. Chong Heng asked with a dazed expression, “Master, your hair has just grown long, and you’re going to shave it again?”
“Then, your niece will persuade Zhen and advise Zhen to govern with benevolence and righteousness,” Liang Ye said calmly. “Zhen wants the court officials to beg Zhen to marry him.”
Tan Yishuang even felt slightly relieved, “It’s barely feasible.”
Meanwhile, at the Wang Mansion in Yingsu Square.
Wang Dian looked at the person on the ground who was barely alive and frowned, “Is he still alive?”
“Of course he’s alive,” Quan Ning kicked the “corpse” that was covered in blood and barely recognizable as human. “I went to a lot of trouble to exchange him out, though he was almost tortured to death anyway. Why did you save him? To oppose your younger brother?”
Wang Dian didn’t answer his question. He just squatted down and used his clean, beautiful hand to lift the blood-covered face of the other person, speaking gently, “Commander Jian, do you recognize me?”
