Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C108

For a moment, Mei Wushuang felt somewhat lost, but she did not show it, nor did she speak.

Fan shi should have been confined to the former Prince Jin's mansion. How could she have escaped, and how could she have entered the palace, and even come all the way here? Was it truly that the palace servants couldn't stop her, or was someone deliberately arranging this?

Unclear of the situation, Wushuang knew that remaining silent was better than speaking at this moment.

Behind her was the opera tower, and the Empress Dowager was inside. Fan shi's trip was originally to find the Empress Dowager, so the Empress Dowager would naturally not turn a deaf ear.

As expected, just as Fan shi, finding her pleas fruitless, was prepared to kowtow, Sulan, who was by the Empress Dowager's side, arrived.

She first gave a small bow to Wushuang and Wan Chun'er before saying, "Fan shi, come with me."

Fan shi hurriedly stood up and followed Sulan, bringing this farce to a temporary end.

After Wushuang and Wan Chun'er went to Cining Palace to have a cup of tea and chat for a while, someone came to report the situation.

It turned out that the Fan family, seeing that the Bai and Jia families had both taken their daughters back, had also become interested.

The one who had this idea was the Madam of Marquis Wuding, who was also Fan shi's mother. Fearing that her husband would disapprove if he knew, she used the excuse of sending things to her daughter to secretly replace Fan shi from that mansion. Today, she acted as a maidservant to bring her into the palace, hoping that the Empress Dowager would be soft-hearted and see if she could take her daughter home.

Who knew that Fan shi would act contrary to her wishes, instead exposing her mother's intentions, and even wanting to live and die with a commoner.

In short, in the end, the Empress Dowager granted Fan shi's wish and had her sent back.

Wushuang heard the hidden meaning, but with the people of Cining Palace present, she couldn't openly question it. It was only on the way back to the mansion that she voiced her doubts to Prince Wei.

"According to their story, since Fan shi fundamentally disagreed with her mother's idea, why did she leave the mansion and enter the palace with her, and even make such a scene, going around in circles, only to return to the same place in the end? I always feel like something is wrong. A criminal woman, brought into the palace just like that? What are the guards at the palace gate doing? Or does the Fan family still have someone in the palace?"

Unlike other princes who have their birth mothers in the palace, who can always help their sons, Prince Jin has nothing. At least, that was the case before Consort Dowager Hu was exposed. Now that his entire faction has fallen, it is even more impossible for anyone to help him.

"It seems the Fan family is not simple either," she concluded.

Seeing her analyzing things in such an organized manner, Prince Wei's eyes were filled with a smile. He lowered his head and used his finger to poke her cheek, continuing until she became annoyed, knitting her brows and glaring at him. Only then did he restrain his restless fingers.

"I'm not a little child anymore. Are you addicted to teasing Zuo'er usually?"

But wasn't she still a little child, one big and one small, two children.

Prince Wei coughed lightly twice, changing the subject, "Actually, you're right. The Fan family is probably truly desperate, which is why they would use such a crude method to test Father Emperor."

Wushuang raised her eyebrows in question.

"Father Emperor punished Prince Jin, Consort Dowager Hu, and even everyone in his Prince's mansion, including the retainers and advisors, who were imprisoned and exiled under various charges. The other officials who had dealings with Prince Jin were ignored, seemingly given a chance to reform, but the Fan family is different; their involvement with Prince Jin is too deep."

Indeed, not to mention the Fan family was Prince Jin's in-law family. Previously, Wushuang had also heard Prince Wei say that when Prince An was still alive, Marquis Wuding had close ties with him. Even Marquis Wuding's rise to become a confidant of Emperor Taihe was due to Prince An's recommendation.

What was once a celebrated tale had now become a joke with the exposure of Prince Jin's background. So, how should the Fan family of Marquis Wuding's Mansion, as the party involved, conduct themselves?

Emperor Taihe did not move against them, nor did he even pay attention to the Fan family, which was precisely what made the Fan family uneasy. It was like having a large blade hanging over their necks, never knowing when it might fall.

Therefore, for the Fan family, currently in a desperate situation, finding out how Emperor Taihe viewed them was of paramount importance.

So, the Fan family used the Bai and Jia families' retrieval of their daughter as a means to test the waters.

Although the Fan family's actions seemed to have many loopholes, which even Wushuang could see, it was precisely what the Fan family intended. They had no way out, and could not care about anything else, even at the cost of exposing that the Fan family had people in the palace.

To what extent did they have people? Enough to smuggle a criminal woman into the palace.

What would Emperor Taihe's reaction be after he found out? What would the Empress Dowager's reaction be?

"Then, did they manage to discern Father Emperor's attitude? What are Father Emperor's plans?" Mei Wushuang asked.

Prince Wei smiled wryly, "If they could discern it, then Father Emperor wouldn't be Father Emperor."

Seeing Mei Wushuang's confusion, he continued, "Things won't end so simply. The Fan family wants to find a way out, and some are unwilling to accept this. Whether the Fan family can survive depends on their choices."

Very well, this had already escalated to a level that Wushuang couldn't understand at all. She didn't want to listen anymore, so she stopped asking.

***

By the time the Fan family members returned to Marquis Wuding's Mansion, it was nearly dusk.

The winter days were already dark early, and the weather was cold. With the north wind blowing, snow flurries swirled, covering one's head and face even when wearing a cloak. Marquis Wuding, being a military general, naturally rode a horse. When he returned to the mansion and took off his cloak, his beard and eyebrows were white. His Madam, Liu shi, hurriedly had someone bring a handkerchief to wipe the snow from his face and beard.

Liu shi's face was filled with panic, "Lord, what do you think we should do?"

The Empress Dowager didn't even show her face regarding their farce, only saying that she would follow Fan shi's wishes, and if she wanted to return, they would send her back. The Fan family didn't see the Empress Dowager, so naturally, they didn't discern anything. It was as if they had expended a great deal of effort, only to return empty-handed.

Today, at the banquet in the palace, Liu shi had already sensed the cold reception. The Madams who were familiar and friendly with her in the past were particularly serious and reserved today. Even if she shamelessly went forward to strike up a conversation, they would refuse her by saying that this was the palace, or by evading the topic.

The reason for it all was self-evident.

During their trip to the palace, Liu shi was anxious and truly apprehensive. Naturally, she couldn't care less about losing face, but Marquis Wuding felt utterly humiliated.

In the past, others would always come to him to curry favor, but today he tasted the bitterness of cold shoulders and neglect. These people in the court were the craftiest of all, their senses sharp. They had all tacitly chosen to avoid him, which meant he was truly in danger this time!

"You ask me? How would I know what to do!" Marquis Wuding said impatiently.

At that moment, the housekeeper hurried over. Disregarding Marquis Wuding's displeasure, he whispered a few words into his ear.

"Please, Marquis, make a decision. Will you see this person or not?"

Liu shi's gaze was filled with surprise and uncertainty. She hadn't heard what the housekeeper said, but she saw her husband's expression change unpredictably, as if he were making some decision.

"Fine, I'll go see him and find out what he wants!"

Marquis Wuding threw down his handkerchief and strode off after the housekeeper.

Arriving at a hall, he saw a person standing inside, cloaked in black. The figure was tall and upright, and even from the back, one could tell that his bearing was extraordinary.

He was admiring a bow hanging on the wall, his back to the door.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around, saw Marquis Wuding, and revealed a smile.

"Does the Marquis truly intend to sit and await his doom?"

***

Wushuang had thought this year would be the same as last, but who knew that Emperor Taihe would issue an edict ordering the setting up of a lantern market at the palace gates, building an Ao Shan* lantern display, intending to celebrate with the people this year. 

TN: Ao Shan is a large lantern display shaped like a mythical mountain.

In fact, such things were not uncommon in previous years, but the cost of the imperial family setting up a lantern market and building an Ao Shan lantern display was enormous. Censors often submitted memorials to dissuade him, so it was not set up every year, but once every few years, or when there was something worth celebrating.

This year, Emperor Taihe suddenly had the idea, probably because there were many upheavals in the court at the end of the year, and the matter of the imperial bloodline being mixed up suddenly arose. He wanted to use joy to drive away the bad luck. In previous years, when an edict was issued to build the Ao Shan lantern display, some ministers would jump out and say a few words, but this year no one had any objections.

Therefore, these past few days when entering the palace, Wushuang could always see the Ao Shan lantern tower growing taller day by day.

"If this is lit up, it will definitely be extremely beautiful and dazzling, probably visible to everyone in the entire capital!"

Not only that, but since His Majesty planned to set up high lanterns and celebrate with the people, how could some princes, ministers, nobles, and relatives of the imperial family miss out? As was the old custom, along the streets below the square where the Ao Shan lantern display was set up, each family began to build their own lantern sheds.

The higher the status, the closer the lantern shed was to the palace gate. The Crown Prince's residence also had to set up a lantern shed. These days, Fusheng was in charge of this matter, and he also reported it to Wushuang. Wushuang had never arranged such a thing before, so she let Fusheng handle it entirely, and she would just ask about it every two days.

By the thirteenth day, the Aoshan Lantern, with a five-clawed golden dragon as its main feature, was finally completed. To be able to erect such a lantern mountain in such a short time was a testament to the prosperity of the Great Liang.

Some of the foreign envoys who had come with Emperor Taihe to view the lantern were dumbfounded.

They had always known that Great Liang was a superior nation, a vast and powerful country, different from their small states. Every year, when they came to the capital of Great Liang to offer congratulations during the New Year festival, it was already dazzling for these people from the border states, but they never imagined there were still things they had not seen.

The astonished expressions of these foreign envoys seemed to please Emperor Taihe, so he ordered that the lanterns be kept lit all night to welcome the Lantern Festival in two days, and also decreed that the people be allowed to come and view the tall Ao Shan Lantern at that time, to share the joy with the people.

Mei Wushuang also took advantage of entering the palace to see the completed Ao Shan Lantern, and was unable to regain her senses for a long time, thinking that when the surrounding lantern sheds were lit on the fifteenth day, it would surely be a rare and magnificent sight.

Unfortunately, she would not have the chance to see it, because on the evening of the fourteenth, Prince Wei had Linglong and the others pack some of Mei Wushuang's personal belongings, and also brought his son along, sending her to the West Garden.

The West Garden was inside the imperial city, but it was a different place from the imperial palace. Sending her to the West Garden at this time was clearly for a reason.

Prince Wei did not hide it from her, and roughly told her about the recent movements in the capital, such as Prince Qin having joined forces with Marquis Wuding, and the two of them uniting some rebellious parties to launch a coup on the Lantern Festival.

What he didn't say was that one of these two controlled the Five Armies Battalion, one of the Capital's garrisons, and although the Sun family seemed absurd, how could the Sun family, with Noble Consort Sun in such a high position, simply be an absurd maternal family? Marquis Wuxiang himself controlled the Commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards.

Speaking of this Commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards, one must talk about the garrison in the capital.

The garrison in the capital was roughly divided into two parts. One part was the Third Camp Battalions, stationed in the suburbs of Capital, responsible for guarding the safety of the entire capital, and under the command of the Privy Council. The other part was the Imperial Guards, which were further divided into the Twenty-two Guards. The Jinwu Guard was one of them, and the Imperial Guards were under the command of the Commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards.

The establishment of the Commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards was originally for the emperor to divide the power of the Privy Council to command troops, to prevent the Privy Council from becoming too powerful and threatening the imperial power. Throughout history, those in power have always used various checks and balances on military power, those who command troops do not control them, and those who control troops do not command them, with various constraints and balances.

Of course, it was not to say that Marquis Wuxiang's control of the Commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards meant that all of these Imperial Guards had betrayed Emperor Taihe, but rather that he had been in this position for many years, and no one knew how many people he had secretly won over, or how many he had bribed.

The same was true of Marquis Wuding.

Over the years, Emperor Taihe had been secretly gathering information, and this time he was probably running out of patience, so he simply made a move to lure the enemy in deep.

There was prior arrangement, otherwise Prince Wei would not have known that these two were planning a coup, but there was also danger, otherwise Prince Wei would not have sent Mei Wushuang here.

Seeing that he was deliberately downplaying it and speaking vaguely, Wushuang did not press him.

Perhaps seeing that she was sensible and knowing that she must be uneasy, Prince Wei did not leave that night, but stayed to accompany her here for the night.

The next day, Wan Chun'er was also sent here. She was still a little confused, not understanding why Prince Wei had sent her here. Mei Wushuang did not have the mind to explain it to her in detail for the time being.

***

Outside the South Platform, Ji Yang had already mounted his horse.

He rode a black steed, its legs long and muscles corded, its long black mane fluttering in the cold wind, exceedingly robust. Upon the horse, Ji Yang was clad in black armor, a vermillion cloak draped over his shoulders.

This was the first time Wushuang had seen him in armor.

The black scale armor, from top to bottom, featured Qilin beast heads as pauldron clasps on both shoulders, connected to arm defenses similarly crafted from scales. Two flying dragon patterns adorned the main body of the armor, and a leather belt inlaid with beast heads cinched his waist. He was not merely peerlessly handsome, but utterly valiant and imposing, unlike a mortal man.

Wushuang couldn't help but wonder if he had worn such attire when he went to war before, and her small face flushed slightly, quite out of place.

The two were so familiar; how could Ji Yang not know what she was thinking? He leaned down from his horse and stroked her cheek.

"Stay here and be good, and wait for my triumphant return."

A bellyful of worried words were thus extinguished. She could do nothing but nod, watching as he and a dozen or so Black Armor Cavalry disappeared at the horizon.