Chapter 70
Li Wenjian had just returned to the Chengming Hall when Fei Yu handed him a secret report from Jiangdu, which he quickly scanned before entering the room.
"Wang Yanhe and the others escorted her to Luozhi. Jiangdu and Yanchi have officially gone to war, leading to conflicts between the officials and refugees, causing chaos in the city. Wang Yanhe planned to take a detour from the north of Jiangdu to Luojia, but encountered the Yanchi army right after leaving the city. After a skirmish, where the Yanchi army retreated, Miss Wei came to be missing."
An Xuzhi read halfway through the paper, then glanced at Li Wenjian behind the desk before continuing, "Wang Yanhe and his men searched near Luozhi for four to five days, but there was no sign of Miss Wei. Wang Yanhe is worried that Miss Wei might have followed the refugees to Luojia. He fears that appearing in Luojia abruptly might alert the northern court and endanger Miss Wei. He dares not take any reckless actions and seeks your guidance, Your Highness."
Li Wenjian, perhaps recalling the woman who had promised him here with tears in her eyes, closed the document and said, "Wan Yu has been pampered since childhood. I should not have harbored any illusions."
"I never thought she would have the courage to agree to you," An Xuzhi sighed. "What if I go to the Northern Court..."
"Absolutely not," Li Wenjian firmly refused. "Yang Luo has rarely shown himself, and when he did at the Northern Court, he was killed. Besides, you have been walking in the East Palace for many years, and everyone in the court knows you. Going to the North poses even greater danger."
"Butâ" An Xuzhi frowned.
"Let Wang Yanhe and his team continue searching for Wan Yu outside Luojia. We can figure out the rest later," Li Wenjian instructed.
An Xuzhi acknowledged, turned, and left the room.
As night fell, Li Wenjian remained in his study, handling state affairs, when he heard a report from Mu Gui returning, "Your Highness, Jian Ning has come to report that there's trouble in the hunting grounds. The Sixth Prince went hunting and suddenly lost control of his horse, becoming separated from his guards. He's currently missing."
"Hmm," Li Wenjian raised his gaze from the documents on his desk to the outside sky. Dark clouds engulfed the city, and snowflakes drifted down in abundance, swirling in the wind. He then asked, "Did Yue Li go on the hunt as well?"
"Yes," Mu Gui nodded. "I heard Lady Liangyuan mentioned to the Empress yesterday that she had been dreaming a lot lately, always being chased and bitten by a white tiger. The Empress ordered the release of a white tiger kept in the Beast Garden to dispel Lady Liangyuan's nightmares."
Li Wenjian deduced the reason behind Zhao Heng bringing Yue Li along. The horses ridden by princes and princesses were trained in the Beast Garden. Some skilled animal trainers could domesticate horses to understand their master's commands, making them highly obedient.
As the moon-like window emitted a chilly wind, he looked out at the swirling snowflakes.
Zhao Heng had likely planned for this day, showing no sympathy for Concubine An. If she had done wrong, she must face the consequences.
Her grandmother's blood should not be shed in vain, and no one deserved to die unjustly.
Repayment of blood debt was only natural.
But the taste of murder was not easily borne.
How could she bear it?
*
The snowfall intensified, the feather-like snowflakes floated down, and mist enveloped the mountains, leaving only the cold wind to whistle through the silent forest.
Li Chengxuan clung to the horse's neck, his throat hoarse from crying, tears freezing on his face. Numb with cold and hunger, his heart was filled with endless fear.
Shivering, he heard rustling sounds ahead in the forest.
Raising his head from the horse's back, the glistening snowflakes fell off his body as he stood up suddenly. His face, pale as paper, with a small red nose, breathed heavily, the icy wind chilling his throat and making his voice even hoarser.
"Who's there?" He was almost numb with cold, but upon seeing a figure on horseback emerging from the trees, he felt a sense of relief.
As she approached, he noticed the scar on her face, illuminated by the moonlight and snow, terrifying like a ghostly spirit from the mountains. Trembling with cold or fear, he couldn't stop shivering, but heard her whisper in a soft voice, "Your Highness is lost, and the hunting party is searching for you."
Li Chengxuan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling weak as he fell from the horse.
Yue Li furrowed her brow, dismounted, and lifted him up, the young boy's lips trembling. "Are you here to save me?"
"Yes," Yue Li replied softly. "I am here to find Your Highness."
The wind and snow landed on his eyelashes.
"The heavy snow obscures the way back, and I, foolishly, cannot find the way back," Yue Li sighed.
The snow melted on the young boy, soaking his clothes, and numbing him with cold. His lips dried, and weakly he asked, "What... what do we do?"
Yue Li suggested, "I saw a cave over there. Why don't we take shelter from the storm until the Imperial Guards find us."
Li Chengxuan nodded weakly, "Okay."
Yue Li lifted him onto the horse, then mounted the horse herself, wrapping her cloak tightly around him as they made their way back.
As Li Chengxuan's consciousness faded, he faintly heard a short whistle behind him and mumbled, "What's that sound?"
Yue Li reassured, "Your Highness must be mistaken. There's no sound."
The horse Li Chengxuan had ridden earlier caught wind of the whistle and walked slowly into the deeper woods.
*
The cold mist lingered in the forest, painting everything in white.
The snow fell on Zhao Heng, covering her in dense flakes, dyeing her long, thick eyelashes as white as snow.
Breathing out, her breath turned into wisps of white fog. She turned to glance at Concubine An, who looked anxious. Softly, she said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. The little prince has a good fate and will be safe from harm."
Concubine An looked at the mist-shrouded forest ahead, feeling numb.
Suddenly, a short birdcall echoed from the forest, causing the horse beneath Concubine An to stumble forward, making her fall off. She landed in the snow, clutching her knee in pain.
The Imperial Guards behind her quickly dismounted to help her up, but Zhao Heng, aloof, glanced at Concubine An tear-streaked face and asked coldly, "What's wrong with Her Highness?"
"Her right ankle is broken," one of the experienced Imperial Guards replied.
Concubine An struggled to stand, but leaning on the guards' arms, she couldn't find her balance.
Zhao Heng dismounted and crouched next to Concubine An. "It looks like you can't move. Let's go back."
"No," Concubine An held Zhao Heng's wrist firmly. "Liu'er hasn't been found yet. We can't let the Imperial Guards go back."
At just nine years old, Little Sixth couldn't survive in the wilderness. If the Imperial Guards didn't find him soon, he would be in grave danger.
"But you can barely move now," Zhao Heng frowned, gently reminding her of their situation.
Concubine An couldn't afford any delay, nor could she use the Imperial Guards. Little Sixth's life was at stake.
Looking around, she spotted a small cabin.
To deal with any emergencies that might arise during their mountain patrol, the people in charge of managing the hunting grounds would build temporary shelters in the woods.
"There's a wooden cabin over there. I'll go rest inside for a while. Leave two Imperial Guards with me, let me recover, and then they can take me back." Perhaps due to numbness from the cold, Concubine An couldn't even feel the pain, but she unable to put any strength into her ankle.
"Alright." Zhao Heng lowered her eyelashes and said softly, "I'll leave one Imperial Guard, and I'll stay with you."
Concubine An was grateful, wishing everyone was out looking for Little Sixth, as the more people there were, the more hope they had.
Zhao Heng turned and signaled for a person to help Concubine An to the cabin, while the remaining seven continued to search for Li Chengxuan.
The Imperial Guard brought Concubine An and Zhao Heng into the cabin, which had only basic furnishings. He cleared some ash off a stool for Concubine An to sit, then found a small bag of leftover charcoal in the cabin. Lighting the charcoal in a basin, he positioned himself outside, keeping watch around them.
The charcoal burning in the basin was of low quality, emitting green smoke that made Concubine An want to cough.
As the cold was dispelled by the heat, feeling gradually returned to her. The piercing pain in her ankle made her bite down on her lip, fighting back the cold sweat.
After some time, the sound of hooves clattering outside reached them. Zhao Heng looked up and furrowed her brow slightly, "Is that Little Sixth's horse?"
At her words, Concubine An followed her gaze and indeed saw a chestnut horse approaching. Her pupils dilated suddenly; it was Little Sixth's horse, but it was empty, with no sign of him.
"Someone!" Concubine An called out urgently.
The Imperial Guard outside asked, "What are your orders, Niangniang?"
"Liu'er's horse is there; he must be nearby. Quickly go and find him," Concubine An almost shouted, struggling to stand up but falling heavily onto the dusty ground.
The Imperial Guard glanced at Zhao Heng.
Without even looking at Concubine An, Zhao Heng murmured softly, "Finding Little Sixth is crucial. They haven't gone far yet. Go bring them back, we'll wait here. Hurry back, with this much snow, if the horse tracks get covered, it'll be even harder to find them."
The Imperial Guard took out a signal flare from his waist and handed it to Zhao Heng, "This is a cabin used by forest rangers. It's built sturdy and can shelter from the elements as well as protect from wild animals. Your Highness, please don't leave this cabin. If there's an emergency, light this flare, and nearby Imperial Guards will come immediately."
Zhao Heng took the flare and nodded, "Go ahead."
The Imperial Guard bowed and exited the cabin, closing the door behind him.
The snow mist swirled, and snowflakes fell gently.
The charcoal burned freely, spreading a warm feeling that made Concubine An break into a light sweat.
All was silent, only the crackling of the burning charcoal was heard.
Zhao Heng watched the dancing flames, pursed her lips, and suddenly asked, "Niangniang, are you afraid?"
Concubine An caught a glimpse of the horse stepping away in the snow through the narrow gap in the window. She turned subconsciously at the sound of the hooves, looking at Zhao Heng with a tired smile. "Thanks to you today, you didn't have to come, but..."
"What I'm asking is..." Zhao Heng lifted her eyes, the heavy snow on her eyelashes melted by the fire, droplets hanging like dew on lush spring grass. Meeting Concubine An's gaze, she asked in a deep voice, "Were you afraid when you killed my grandmother?"
Concubine An's expression changed suddenly, a strong sense of unease bubbling up in her heart, but she still forced a smile and said stiffly, "What are you talking about? I don't understand..."
"When Little Sixth disappeared, can you understand the frantic feeling I had when I couldn't find my grandmother?" Zhao Heng looked at her expressionlessly.
"Where's Liu'er?" Concubine An was stunned, then looked at Zhao Heng in surprise.
With a slight smile, Zhao Heng teased, "Why don't you guess?"
Concubine An trembled uncontrollably, screaming, "What have you done to my son?"
Zhao Heng poked the charcoal in the basin with a fire poker, causing sparks to dance upon her skirt, burning a hole. She raised her hand to put out the sparks.
"You went from being an ignorant peasant girl to a high-ranking concubine, what more do you want? Why are you still trying to grasp a position that doesn't belong to you?" Zhao Heng asked calmly. "Everything that has happened is of your own making, isn't it?"
Concubine An's eyes filled with unease. "I don't understand what you're saying."
"If you don't understand, I'll explain it to you slowly," Zhao Heng straightened her dress and began speaking slowly.
"You wanted to get rid of the princes in the palace without causing harm to yourself. So you collaborated with Zhou Kuo and made use of me to send pastries to the Eastern Palace, hoping to injure the crown prince with the wood incense and compassion fruit in the pastries," Zhao Heng continued. "If the crown prince ate the pastries you sent, it would benefit you; if he didn't, you wouldn't lose anything. In this plan, only my grandmother, innocent of your schemes, lost her life!"
Her voice choked up slightly, and after a pause, Zhao Heng went on, "Then you orchestrated the disappearance of Little Sixth to confuse everyone, making them think you and Little Sixth were also victims. Am I correct?"
Zhao Heng watched Concubine An quietly.
Concubine An's sharp eyes raised slightly.
"Furthermore, you took advantage of the argument between the Fourth Prince and Concubine Meifei at Chenghu Lake, making him slip into the water, even planting a snake in there to bite him," Zhao Heng shook her head. "As parents, how could you have such a cruel heart? Aren't you afraid of retribution?"
"How do you know all this?" Concubine An demanded.
Zhao Heng looked at her coldly. "You tried to get close to me, using me, but that also had a consequence: I learned more about you. You had educated Little Sixth and Seventh Princess very well, especially Little Sixth. I saw the books you taught him from, teaching him to be a nobleman, teaching him the way of kingship. You found out from Bing Tao that I was illiterate, so you initially didn't guard against me because you thought I couldn't understand what was in those books. You're cunning, and later when you realized I could read, you always hid those books whenever I came to Jingyuan Palace. Isn't that right?"
"You say I'm cunning, but aren't you even more cunning?" Concubine An's gaze held undisguised resentment.
"Indeed, my thoughts are meticulous enough. Otherwise, I wouldn't have personally helped bury my grandmother, discovering from her wounds that she was pushed off a cliff." When mentioning her grandmother, Zhao Heng's eyes clouded with a hint of mist. "But you were also cautious. If it weren't for you noticing the Emperor's worsening health, and worrying about the aftermath once the crown prince ascends the throne, you wouldn't have resorted to such clumsy and rigid methods to befriend me, using me to poison the Eastern Palace. Am I right, Niangniang?"
Concubine An furrowed her brows. "We both come from humble backgrounds. I sympathize with you, giving you some extra care isn't wrong. Why are you making baseless assumptions about me?"
"Baseless assumptions?" Zhao Heng seemed to find this amusing. In the next instant, she bent down, gripping Concubine An's chin, and laughed openly. "You entered the palace aiming to become a truly noble person, considering yourself superior. Why should you sympathize with an insignificant concubine like me, a mere Zhaoxun? Do you think that just because I grew up in poverty and hardships, if someone shows me a little warmth, I will be endlessly grateful? Is that it?"
"Isn't it?" Concubine An struggled to speak with her chin firmly in Zhao Heng's grip.
Zhao Heng's eyes glared with a lingering red, reflecting the dancing sparks against her dark irises as she spoke with anger, "Let me tell you, Xie Jian. I grew up in the mud, willing to resort to any means to stay alive, naturally sensitive and suspicious, never believing in the unprovoked kindness of others. You shouldn't have touched her. If you did, you deserve to die."
"Are you trying to kill me?" Anpin suddenly smirked, her eyes glinting mischievously at Zhao Heng. "Have you ever killed someone? Do you know how it feels to take a life? Human flesh and blood have resilience; you'd be trembling in fear, unable to muster the strength."
"Besides," she casually glanced at Zhao Heng, "you don't have a knife."
With a slight smirk, Zhao Heng stared quietly at Concubine An face. "Do you want to know what it feels like to be shattered into pieces, to have your body torn apart?"
Concubine An frowned. "What do you mean?"
Zhao Heng got up and walked to the door, opening the tightly closed wooden door.
Snowflakes fluttered down, swirling in the icy wind, clearing some of the fog in the mountains. In the mist, the sound of heavy objects rolling over the snow gradually approached.
The snow and wind rushed in, causing Zhao Heng's Queenly and elegant crane cloak to flap in the wind. Concubine An looked out towards the door.
In the white world, the majestic White Tiger shed its previous lazy and gentle demeanor, its eyes like torches as it strode confidently through the moonlit snow.
A woman sat on its furry back, unfazed by the snow, her robes fluttering gracefully.
âââ
Author's Note:
Ah Li: My legs are about to break from running today~~
Zhao Heng: Thank you, Ah Li, darling~ Kisses~
âââ
TNote:
The term "å¨å¨" (Niángniáng) carries a regal and respectful air. It was used to address imperial concubines and/or empresses, signifying their elevated status and the deference accorded to them.
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