Free Web NovelChapter 460: The Emperor’s Reward of Gold, Silver, and Jewels
"Do you even need to figure that out?" Ye Qianning asked, looking puzzled.
Sang Yan was taken aback. "You don’t need to observe them?"
Ye Qianning tilted her head, even more perplexed.
Sang Yan was even more baffled. ’She knew they were plotting without even observing them?’
Seeing his silence, Ye Qianning scratched her head and shot him a couple of strange glances. She seemed to have something to say but was too embarrassed to ask.
That gaze left Sang Yan even more confused. After a moment of silence, he couldn’t help but ask, "How did you know they were going to conspire together?"
Ye Qianning clicked her tongue, her expression growing stranger. "Did you not have any close friends in the palace when you were younger?"
"Hm?"
"Back when I was in Nanyuan, I had a few very good friends. But one day, I suddenly realized they had started going to the mountains to pick mushrooms without me. They would also say a lot of bad things about me behind my back. From that day on, I learned a valuable lesson," Ye Qianning said with an air of profound wisdom.
Sang Yan had a flash of insight. She was analogizing the four nations to people. It was a simple comparison, but the principle held true.
She still had the mindset of a child, but her courage was beyond compare.
"You always have to be a little wary. Otherwise, you’ll end up counting the money for the very people who ripped you off," Ye Qianning advised.
"A lesson learned." Sang Yan’s eyes were filled with admiration.
Ye Qianning nodded, looking quite the part of a teacher.
’This trip turned out great,’ she thought. ’I delivered the message and got so much money for free. Two hundred thousand taels is enough to get a lot done.’
「 」
Beili Legation.
Xiliu Yuan returned to his quarters, and the Shadow Guard closed the door.
"Hand it over."
Xiliu Yuan said lightly, sitting at the table.
The Shadow Guard was confused. "Crown Prince?"
"The silver notes."
"..."
The Shadow Guard took out the few silver notes from his robes and presented them to Xiliu Yuan.
Xiliu Yuan took them, selected one, and examined it closely. He rubbed his fingers along the edge of the note, and in an instant, his pale, slender fingers were stained with a bit of dust.
"Your Highness, what is this?" the Shadow Guard asked in surprise.
The powder on the silver note came away, revealing a line of small characters.
After Xiliu Yuan finished reading, he made a slight movement with his hand, and the note—now half silver note, half paper with text—instantly turned to dust and fell to the floor.
The Shadow Guard watched, his heart pounding. When he had first received the silver notes from Miss Xiang, he had almost destroyed them on the spot to save the Crown Prince’s face...
’Thinking back on it now, I’m still terrified. If I had really done that, I probably would have lost my head.’
He surreptitiously moved his head. ’That was close!’
"From now on, anything that comes from the General’s estate, no matter what it is, accept it carefully," Xiliu Yuan said coolly.
The Shadow Guard immediately straightened up. "Yes, sir."
’Miss Xiang’s method of passing messages is truly one of a kind. No one would ever have suspected the silver notes.’
’I won’t dare be so reckless next time!’
"Send a message to my Imperial Sister and tell her she no longer needs to come to Beili," Xiliu Yuan said.
"Then what about the marriage to Minister Qian?"
"It is merely an imperial decree of marriage. Pay it no mind. The time for the wedding is not yet right."
"Yes, Your Highness. I will have someone deliver the message at once."
Xiliu Yuan’s gaze fell on the other two silver notes. ’She seems to be very short on money.’
’To take such a huge risk and hide the person the Emperor is searching for, all for mere money... she certainly is bold. Of course, she also has the ability to back it up.’
’The Beili Imperial Family has likely all been deceived by her appearance.’
’A little girl with such clever methods... is it really just for money?’
’Interesting.’
’Xi Yan’s greatest asset is its wealth. If I could...’
Xiliu Yuan’s eyes darkened as a thought occurred to him, a strange glint flashing through his dark pupils.
If his actions at the banquet had been a mere test, he now felt that if nothing unexpected had happened back then, bringing such an interesting creature back with him would not have been a bad thing at all.
"Your Highness, regarding what Princess East Shu mentioned today about the Sixth Prince Consort giving birth to an heir, should we include that in the message back to the Sixth Prince?" the Shadow Guard inquired.
"Send word back. Tell my Father Emperor to announce the matter of the former Princess of East Shu to the world. And have someone go to East Shu to verify the child’s lineage. If it is of royal blood, add the child to the Imperial Family’s registry, grant the mother an honorable death, and allow her entry into our family records. If it is not of royal blood, then she is a divorced woman deliberately stirring up trouble with a malicious heart. Make sure the Monarch of East Shu punishes her by drowning her in public as a warning to all." Xiliu Yuan’s expression was placid, but his words were ice-cold.
"Yes, Your Highness. I will see to it immediately."
The Shadow Guard bowed and left the room.
Xiliu Yuan lowered his gaze. ’The hidden agenda behind East Shu’s banquet is definitely not this simple.’
’The people from East Shu have been very quiet since arriving in the Capital City. A banquet right before their departure... could it be they want Beili to take something—or someone—with them?’
"Crown Prince." Another Shadow Guard appeared in the room.
"What is it?"
"General Mo has secretly hired some assassins. Their target is Miss Xiang."
"Take care of them. Don’t let anyone disturb the General’s estate," Xiliu Yuan said coldly.
"Yes, sir." The Shadow Guard thought for a moment, then asked, "And how should we handle General Mo?"
"Detain him for now. We’ll deal with him once we’ve returned to Xi Yan."
"Yes, sir."
"Who has been lurking outside the General’s estate recently?" Xiliu Yuan asked.
"Eight days ago, a number of Royal Hidden Guards were lurking in the area, but they withdrew after three days. Since then, the General’s estate has been quiet, with nothing out of the ordinary. Currently, there are many guards from the Zhan and Qian families present. Two days ago, a large number of Gu family guards also appeared. Today, the various branches of the Gu family all gathered at the General’s estate, each wanting to make Miss Xiang their goddaughter. They even caused a huge commotion at the front gate over it," the Shadow Guard reported.
Xiliu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "What kind of magic does she possess to make so many people flock to her?"
The Shadow Guard couldn’t figure it out either. The guards from the various families watched over the General’s estate day and night. The slightest disturbance would be noticed, so they hadn’t dared to get too close.
Xiliu Yuan raised a hand to rub his temples, still perplexed.
’The Qian family... Qian Fu was a chancellor of his generation. Although he was once suspected of treason, he still holds some sway in the hearts of the people, and even among the other three nations.’
’Although Qian Fanji is a Chief of Staff, he is also a formidable figure behind the scenes.’
’Even if they favor a mere child because she’s cute, their level of concern for Miss Xiang is excessive.’
’I’ve heard that Mr. Gu of the Gu family is very fond of Miss Xiang. The direct line of the Gu family hasn’t produced a girl in three generations, so it’s understandable that they’d dote on a young girl.’
’The Zhan family is even stranger. Their direct line has a daughter, so why would they want to adopt another family’s child as their goddaughter?’
’Adopting a goddaughter is one thing, but for the master, the madam, and their son to all move into the General’s estate is simply absurd.’
"Have someone investigate the connections between the Qian, Gu, Zhan, and Xiang families. While you’re at it, send someone to Nanyuan." Xiliu Yuan suspected that everyone in the Capital City was focused on Ye Qianning because of the ’Yin-Yang Symbiosis’ she brought with her.
The Shadow Guard respectfully complied, though he was puzzled. ’Why is even the Crown Prince so concerned with the General’s estate?’
"Have you seen my Imperial Aunt at the General’s estate?" Xiliu Yuan asked.
"I have not."
"You may leave."
"Yes, sir."
Xiliu Yuan had only ever seen his Imperial Aunt in portraits. He had grown up hearing his Father Emperor tell many stories about her, and this indoctrination had made him care deeply for the imperial relative his father thought of so often.
’She has been at the General’s estate for over ten days now. It’s time to find an opportunity to see her.’
Sang Yan escorted Ye Qianning back to the General’s estate, then hurried to the Imperial Palace to report.
In the Imperial Study, the Beili Emperor had grown much thinner over the past half-month. Due to Xi Fengying’s disappearance, Monks, Daoists, wandering sorcerers, diviners, and exorcists had been summoned to the palace one after another.
Ritual after ritual was performed, but there was still not a single shred of news.
This caused the Beili Emperor’s temper to grow increasingly foul.
The city gates had just been unsealed, yet East Shu chose this very moment to host a banquet for the other two nations. Envoys meeting privately with other envoys was a major taboo, especially since no one from Beili had been invited to this banquet.
"Your Majesty." Mr. Li entered, looking travel-worn.
"You’re back. Were there any unusual movements in the city today?" the Beili Emperor asked, his daily question.
"None."
"Take some men to the city gates tomorrow and keep watch. I refuse to believe she has the power to ascend to the heavens or burrow into the earth to escape the Capital City." The Beili Emperor remained convinced that she was still in the Capital City.
’Xi Fengying’s Illusion Technique is extremely powerful. It’s possible someone has fallen into one of her illusions and is helping her hide.’
"As you command."
"Mr. Li, do not betray the trust I have placed in you," the Beili Emperor said, his eyes downcast.
Mr. Li fell to his knees in terror. "This servant wouldn’t dare."
"Rise."
Mr. Li shakily climbed up from the floor. Of all the personal attendants the Emperor had taken with him that day, he was the only one to have returned. One could imagine the fate of the others.
He knew in his heart that the Emperor had spared him only because he had seen the woman in the secret chamber and was therefore still of some use.
"Your Majesty, the Third Prince requests an audience," a guard came in to report.
"Let him in."
Mr. Li respectfully took his place to the Emperor’s left.
A moment later, Sang Yan strode in and bowed. "Greetings, Father Emperor."
The Beili Emperor waved a hand, gesturing for him to rise. "How did it go?"
"The banquet is over. Your son only left after the Crown Prince of Xi Yan and Prince Yu departed from Immortal’s Respite."
"What did they discuss while they were together?" the Beili Emperor asked.
"They didn’t say anything. No, to be precise, they didn’t get the chance to say anything before it all broke up. East Shu took a major fall this time, and they managed to offend the Crown Prince of Xi Yan in the process."
"Oh? What happened?" the Beili Emperor asked, puzzled.
Sang Yan gave a gentle smile. "Father Emperor, this time you must give a handsome reward to Miss Xiang."
"Miss Xiang? Ye Qianning?"
"Indeed. If not for her today, it would have been difficult for your son to even step foot into Immortal’s Respite."
The Beili Emperor was even more confused. "How did she get involved in this?"
He had no good impression of that chubby, misshapen doll from the Xiang family. He only found her to be difficult and vicious.
"The envoys from Xi Yan and Nanyuan had just been seated when Ye Qianning arrived. She had an argument with the Princess of East Shu at the entrance of Immortal’s Respite and was eventually invited upstairs by the young prince of Nanyuan," Sang Yan explained calmly.
"The city gates had just been unsealed, and she just happened to go to Immortal’s Respite at that exact moment?" The Beili Emperor narrowed his eyes. ’Was it a coincidence, or was it intentional?’
"The little girl was cooped up in her estate for many days. Once the gates were unsealed, she was eager to go out and have some fun. It’s just a child’s temperament."
"I don’t think it’s that simple," the Beili Emperor mused.
Mr. Li bowed and stepped forward. "Your Majesty, regarding Miss Xiang’s visit to Immortal’s Respite, it’s all this old servant’s fault for running my mouth."
"You?"
"Yes. While I was leading a patrol through the streets, I happened upon Miss Xiang at Nianyunjian. She was going to buy pastries, but Nianyunjian was closed. It was my fault for thoughtlessly mentioning that Immortal’s Respite was still open, which is why she headed there. Right after she left, I heard about the envoys’ meeting. I wanted to warn her, but she had already gone too far." As he spoke, Mr. Li knelt and kowtowed. "I beg for Your Majesty’s forgiveness."
