The elders from Mount Qingcheng were the most relieved by the appearance of Zhou Aimin and the edict. Now that the momentum of the battle had stopped entirely, they and the Thirteenth Prince swiftly dismissed the martial artists, who were still shocked by the terrifying power the two girls had.
The martial artists still conscious were those that achieved at least Qi Manipulation. They hurriedly gave their thanks to the Thirteenth Prince and brought the unconscious martial artists away with them.
Xiahou Jie and Tang Hong remained standing on the raised platform. Xiahou Jie stood at the edge of the stage, her complexion rather terrible.
Tang Hong appeared even more miserable. She was covered with injuries from the Qi arrows, and blood flowed out of these wounds without end.
Still, without the imperial edict, she would have been victorious.
Tang Hong returned to the cruel and indifferent appearance of how she was before and said, “Please grant me this honour.”
Xiahou Jie looked at Tang Hong like an idiot. Smiling, she said, “Why should I let you be happy?”
Saying that, she turned around and slowly walked next to Linghu Qiang. Weakly waving goodbye to Jing Wen, she left the courtyard with a faint laugh.
Hahahaha.
Looking at the disappearing silhouette of Xiahou Jie and the vermillion ribbons on the General’s Sword, Jing Wen felt some guilt, shame and relief at the same time. In the end, he said nothing and left with Zhou Aimin.
In the end, only the Thirteenth Prince and Tang Hong remained in the courtyard.
The Thirteenth Prince gave a weak smile, saying, “You don’t have to worry about the damage.”
Tang Hong remained standing on the platform for a while longer, her face abnormally pale. She had forcibly suppress the injuries within her body left behind by those countless arrows, but no matter how she tried, she cannot suppress the feelings of anger and unwillingness in her heart.
An elegant yet exceptionally ruthless cry emerged from her lips, resounding into the walls of the manor. Upon hearing this, the Thirteenth Prince suddenly changed his expression, extending his hands to stop her.
In the end, Tang Hong was greatly injured, and could not resist the young prince. Looking at him with her dull eyes, she said unhappily, “Master’s words were indeed correct. Man are shameless creatures.”
---
Sitting in the carriage, Zhou Aimin massaged his sore feet with his hands while peering out the small gap in the curtain. The small snack stores outside the Thirteenth Prince’s manor were still yelling out to potential customers, waving small dolls or sugar painting in their hands. The harmonious scene seemed completely undisturbed by the events within the manor walls.
Jing Wen parted his lips to say, “Fellow Zhou, it shouldn’t be possible for you to get an edict so quickly.”
Zhou Aimin gave a faint smile and said, “Of course I can’t…” Unfurling the previous ‘edict’ he presented in the Thirteenth Prince’s courtyard, Zhou Aimin proudly stated, “The paper is completely blank. The reason I was barefoot was because I was in a hurry to collect the paper.”
Jing Wen’s brows furrowed as he said, “Forging His Majesty’s edict is punishable by death. If the people in the courtyard were not convinced, no matter how influential general Zhou is, you would be humiliated and tortured by lingchi.”
“I would not risk my life so easily.” Zhou Aimin stretched his back within the confined space of the carriage. “Linghu Qiang was standing behind me. Although he is already retired, he holds considerable prestige - even His Majesty would not dare be disrespectful before him, how could the people at the courtyard?”
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As this was spoken, the carriage passed the boundary between the Thirteenth Prince’s manor and the Imperial Palace. Jing Wen knew that in the past few weeks, Zhou Aimin had been attending court as his father’s representative and even managed to earn a small reputation for himself due to his relationship with his martial cousin, Consort Ru.
Jing Wen felt slightly guilty since he implicated Xiahou Jie, and by extension, Zhou Aimin into this mess. He said, “I want to speak with His Majesty.”
Zhou Aimin looked at him and quietly said, “You’ve rejected all of His Majesty’s marriage candidates. Hehe, I suspect that His Majesty would be more outraged towards that regard even if he learned of the fake edict. Perhaps he would push even harder now.”
Jing Wen froze, and recalled that the Emperor had also planned to search for partners for Jing An. Thinking about this, he thought about the well-being of his little sister and how she was coping alone in the manor at Jing village. He said, “Once the matter with Hua Quanfu is dealt with, I will probably return to the countryside.”
The carriage suddenly went silent. After a long moment, Zhou Aimin asked, “Why? You were born in Lin’an.”
Jing Wen tilted his head down and said, “His Majesty wants to arrange a partner for my sister once she returns to the capital. I’m unwilling to let her marriage be decided in such a manner, but I also cannot leave her alone.”
Zhou Aimin had nothing to say to this. After all, this was what they had agreed upon since the beginning of their partnership. Slightly awkward, Zhou Aimin gave a smile and said, “Meet His Majesty first. Maybe in his rage, he would have forgotten the marriage for your sister.”
---
The carriage drove into one of the Inner Palace’s entrances. The Imperial Palace was immensely big, occupying a fifth of the city’s area. Except for when talking to Consort Ru, Zhou Aimin had remained in the Outer Palace, so he naturally has not seen much of the Inner Palace. There was a small trail that was too small for the palace, so the carriage driver was dismissed while the two travelled on the narrow path on foot.
This section of the Inner Palace used to house the three princes, so plenty of effort was expended on the appearance of these parts. Extruding out the fields of snow were green and tender bamboo that continued to thrive despite the frigid conditions. The trees, which had accumulated snow on their boughs, revealed through the gaps the splendour of the palace complex. It was a rather evocative image, akin to a renowned artists painting.
Zhou Aimin sighed. Even his father’s manor in Yanjing seemed a bit lacking to the scenery seen daily by the princes. Following Jing Wen down the path, which was surrounded by a garden of sorts, Zhou Aimin thought that this would be a perfect residence for fairies or immortals. The field was not too big, but was laid out impeccably. The oakwood and fired brick combined to form a strange beauty. It was not luxurious at all, yet gave a feeling of richness.
Zhou Aimin took in the scene for a long time before saying, “I recall that you were the Crown Prince’s playmate. To see such a scene almost every day is enviable.”
Jing Wen waved his hand and said, “It will still become dull after so long. One of the reasons why the princes moved out was to see something new.”
Zhou Aimin was slightly shocked but quickly said, “But at least the Thirteenth Prince lives so close to the garden. He must visit it every now and then for sentimental reasons or to appreciate its scenary.”
“That may be the case, but at least I won’t visit it to appreciate its scenary” Jing Wen said with a slight sense of irony.
Jing Wen ignored the reply Zhou Aimin was preparing to give and continued on the path, wandering out of the garden.
Soon, Imperial Guards became visible everywhere. One of the guards wearing a brocade robe with cloud decorations approached Jing Wen, who pulled out a badge from his waist.
The Imperial Guard inspected the badge for a long while before his face suddenly paled. Dropping his formality, he said hurriedly, “Capt- Marquis Jing, His Majesty is in Changchun Palace.”
“Don’t worry, I can wait outside.”
The Imperial Guard dared not reply; he simply returned to his post after regaining his composure.
---
In most cases, an Emperor entering one of his concubines’ palace meant he was prepared for a night of passion. However, Consort Li was certainly not any ordinary concubine and had even greater authority than the empress in some regards. The only factor preventing her from being the most powerful individual in court was her lack of a son.
It was rumoured among the taverns that she and the Emperor had never actually done the deed before, and all the nights they had spent were to discuss matters of the state. Most doubt the rumour; after all, Consort Li was the most beautiful woman in the Great Zhu, surely even the Emperor cannot resist, right?
Jing Wen stopped before Changchun Palace, and couldn’t help furrowing his brows. The entire Changchun Palace was surrounded by Consort Li’s maids, who were usually kept hidden. With Consort Li’s carefree personality, the only reason why so many of her forces were brought out today would be due the presence of guests.
Zhou Aimin saw the entourage waiting outside and said with a faint smile, “It seems that these are the Crown Prince’s people.”
Jing Wen was shocked.
One of the maids came to welcome the guests. She was aware of the… unique relationship Jing Wen had with her master. The first time the two met in Changchun Palace, they were prepared to kill another, yet the second time, they were sitting on a table happily drinking tea. In a cold yet polite manner, she said, “Other than His Majesty, Minister Zhao Yi came.”
Jing Wen frowned and played with his thumb ring. Minister Zhao Yi was on the side of the Crown Prince, while Consort Li was the force behind the Thirteenth Prince. Both Zhao Yi and Consort Li were staunch supporters of their respective princes, and with the presence of the Emperor, the two probably would not be considering any backdoor dealings. What were they discussing?
Jing Wen continued to stand before the stone steps before Changchun Palace, not rushing to get in. He was wondering whether or not their visit had to do something with Hua Quanfu. Although the Crown Prince and Thirteenth Prince shared the same mother, this was still a curious assembly. In the end, Jing Wen placed his hands behind his back and, with Zhou Aimin, walked into the palace. He was quite interested as to what thoughts Zhao Yi had.
Going past a graceful and curious blue magpie, Jing Wen arrived at the reception room of Consort Li’s manor. Although he did not enter, he could overhear the conversation to a degree, especially the imperative voice of the Emperor.
“You already have one of my sons. Now you want two!?”