Dongning had slept well and his motion sickness had improved considerably. He had taken a sleeping medicine the night before and slept soundly, so he didn’t know what had happened in the middle of the night.
When he wanted to visit Shen Ziqin in the morning, he was told that the marquis hadn’t woken up yet.
Dongning was surprised. Though the marquis usually woke up late, it had never been this late.
Although Shen Ziqin was being cared for at the prince’s residence and seemed to have recovered, Dongning worried he might have fallen ill again on this journey. Even Dongning, who was healthy, had suffered from motion sickness.
Dongning quickly asked: “Is the royal sister-in-law unwell?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the attendant said. “The prince came by last night and may have discussed some urgent matters. The marquis said he didn’t sleep well and wanted to rest a bit longer, so we shouldn’t wake him yet.”
Dongning exclaimed: “Royal brother came in person?”
That was too risky-what if Emperor Cheng’an found out? What urgent matter required him to make this trip?
The attendant nodded: “Yes, he came in quite a hurry, stayed in the marquis’s carriage just long enough to say a few words, then hurried away. Only the prince, with his strong constitution, could manage such exertion.”
Though concerned, Dongning knew that his royal sister-in-law and brother always had their reasons, and this time must be no different.
He still had much to learn.
The prince had such a strong filter in his eyes. Fortunately, he didn’t know that his sixth brother had made this journey just to get even by taking a bite of his consort.
Good children shouldn’t learn from this.
It wasn’t until noon, at lunchtime, that Shen Ziqin finally raised his head from under the blankets.
Wrapped in his blanket, he sat dazed in the carriage for a while, then lifted the blanket and looked down.
Good, another normal physiological reaction. Fortunately, this time there was no evidence left, and once he calmed down, he could cover it up without a trace.
Unfortunately, this time the person who had caressed him in his dream had a clear face.
That rogue Chu Zhao had kissed him and run, killing without burying.
Shen Ziqin had tossed and turned half the night in the carriage, his face flushed. The sensation still lingered on his lips, a clear reminder of what had happened.
That undeniable mark was just like its owner-eye-catching and flamboyant, burning him until his bones felt soft.
His heart had melted too.
What about the idea that a first kiss should be careful and protective? None of that existed. It had been unexpected, a sudden collision.
But the innocence was real innocence, and the sweetness… was real sweetness too.
Shen Ziqin couldn’t help but gently touch his lips again.
A moment later, he pulled the blanket over his head in embarrassment, curling up into a ball on the spacious couch in the carriage, angrily cursing Chu Zhao.
What kind of rogue kisses someone without explanation! What kind of scoundrel kisses and runs!
Is this how a decent person behaves?!
Far away in the patrol camp in the capital, Chu Zhao sneezed.
A commander beside him said: “Your Highness, have you caught a cold? I see you have dark circles under your eyes. You didn’t sleep well last night, did you? There’s nothing important today, you can go back early to rest. Leave things to us.”
Chu Zhao, who hadn’t slept at all after riding all night, waved his hand: “No, I’m feeling fine. Besides, there’s nothing to do if I go back.”
Surely Shen Ziqin was thinking about him. Well, let him think a bit more-he could handle it.
The commanders laughed: “With your consort not at the residence, your heart isn’t there either.”
Chu Zhao smiled: “The heart naturally follows the person.”
The marquis had hooked his heart with a jade pendant, so shouldn’t he use some method to hook the marquis’s heart in return? That’s only fair.
“Oh right, I haven’t told you yet,” Chu Zhao slapped the table. “Do you know about dragon and phoenix pendants?”
The commanders: Hmm?
Deputy Commander Wang, who had already been tormented once: “…”
He really had been shown off to yesterday.
The brilliant and mighty Prince Qin really would do something so outrageous.
*
Shen Ziqin stayed in the carriage until lunchtime before finally getting up.
They had plenty of supplies, and even in the wilderness, the cook could prepare good food.
After sitting in the carriage for so long, he naturally wanted some fresh air. Shen Ziqin and Dongning sat on small stools eating together. Dongning said: “Royal sister-in-law, I’m not feeling dizzy today. I’m better now.”
Shen Ziqin: “Good. Then we’ll continue traveling at night. Everyone, please take turns resting in the rear carriages. At night, we’ll travel for two hours, then stop for half an hour to rest, then continue.”
The others acknowledged his orders.
After the caravan had traveled for a day, a messenger bird flew in from the horizon. Bai Xiao caught it and gave the message to Shen Ziqin.
Shen Ziqin’s first thought was that it was from Chu Zhao.
What had he written? Was he going to be reckless again, or had his conscience awakened and he’d decided to properly explain himself in a letter?
With curiosity and a bit of anticipation, Shen Ziqin opened the letter, only to find it was from the third prince, Chu Jinxu.
…He wasn’t disappointed, really.
Shen Ziqin composed himself and decided to read it seriously, but soon discovered the third prince wasn’t discussing official business-he was complaining.
Chu Jinxu’s message could be translated as: “Sixth brother talks about the dragon and phoenix pendants to everyone he meets. I think he’s becoming obsessed with jade pendants. Sister-in-law, please hurry back and take this troublemaker away. Give us some peace! Much appreciated!”
Shen Ziqin: “…”
He read the letter several times to confirm that he hadn’t misunderstood Chu Jinxu’s meaning.
Chu Zhao, that Chu Zhao, was showing off the dragon and phoenix pendants to everyone? Could he really do such a thing?
Really?
Shen Ziqin tried to imagine such a scene.
Shen Ziqin: “Pfft.”
It was a bit funny.
But they weren’t rushing him, and he wasn’t planning to delay either. After all… he and Chu Zhao still had accounts to settle.
As they traveled, stopping occasionally, Shen Ziqin received several letters from the second and third princes, but none from Chu Zhao.
The second prince was more reliable than the third, and his letters contained important matters.
“Wei Changhai proposed cutting military funds. Sixth brother rarely speaks in court, but he argued with him.”
Shen Ziqin frowned.
Wei Changhai, the current Grand Secretary, had once helped Emperor Cheng’an ascend the throne-his contributions couldn’t be overlooked. This pair of ruler and minister had once had a honeymoon period.
But people change. While Emperor Cheng’an used Wei Changhai, he watched as Wei Changhai rose rapidly and gained more power, and thought: If you could put me on the throne, couldn’t you one day try to remove me?
And Wei Changhai, ambitious and insatiable, found himself constrained. Realizing he couldn’t get everything he wanted from the emperor, he naturally tried various methods to counter the court, both protecting himself from beheading and using schemes to achieve his goals.
Even if Shen Ziqin and the others didn’t intervene, this pair of ruler and minister would end up seeing who died first.
Otherwise, why would Wei Changhai seek military power in the original story? If not to force the emperor’s hand, was he raising troops just for show?
Chu Zhaoyu’s letter continued: “The emperor neither approved nor rejected, taking neither side. He’s trying to give his officials something to fight about again.”
Letting his officials fight among themselves, then reaping the benefits-this was Emperor Cheng’an’s favorite tactic.
After reading, Shen Ziqin burned the letter. The firelight flickered in his eyes as he stood up and gazed at the distant mountains. Yuzhou was not far now.
And Wei Changhai’s fate was not far off either.
Until he set foot in Yuzhou, Shen Ziqin hadn’t received a single letter from Chu Zhao.
This man was really planning to save everything for when they met. Fine, let’s see how he would explain his midnight raid.
Shen Ziqin let out a breath: he hadn’t been expecting any letters, not at all, mm-hmm.
After deciding to come for recuperation, Prince Qin’s residence had sent people ahead to Yuzhou to prepare accommodations. The caravan grandly entered a manor in the northern part of the city. As soon as they arrived, the Yuzhou prefect came to visit.
Since Shen Ziqin had come for health reasons rather than official business, it wasn’t appropriate for officials to welcome him at the city gate, but they were clearly monitoring his movements.
The prefect made the trip but didn’t see Shen Ziqin’s face.
Because Shen Ziqin met him from behind a screen.
Behind the screen, the healthy, rosy-cheeked Shen Ziqin spoke in a voice as thin as a thread: “Thank you for your concern, Prefect. I am ill and cannot have much contact with outsiders. *cough cough* If I were to pass my illness to you, I would feel terrible. I can only meet you like this. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Magistrate Cao sported a well-maintained beard and a portly belly, his face adorned with a warm, friendly smile that made him look like a genuinely nice person.
He expressed concern: “Please don’t say that, Your Highness. You are too kind. Being granted an audience is already my greatest honor. Please rest well in Yuzhou, and if you need anything, just send someone with a message. I wish you a speedy recovery and a return to full health.”
Shen Ziqin held a dried fruit in his hand, his tone perfectly measured: “I appreciate your kind words.”
Magistrate Cao took his leave with a smile.
After he left, the screen in the room was removed. Shen Ziqin unhurriedly put the pine nut in his mouth, its fragrance spreading, as Hei Ying said in a deep voice: “This man is impenetrable-clearly one of those most difficult types in officialdom.”
For this trip, Chu Zhao had sent both Hei Ying and Bai Xiao with Shen Ziqin, ensuring his security was well taken care of.
Shen Ziqin wiped his hands: “Yes, a smiling face doesn’t mean he’s not a tiger. If their spies are around these next few days, don’t clear them out-let them watch. Watching will put their minds at ease. But don’t allow anyone to infiltrate the residence. Treat anyone who tries to enter as an intruder.”
Hei Ying: “Understood.”
Shen Ziqin then turned to Yin Lie, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard: “Our arrival in the city was quite conspicuous, so people will surely be curious about who we are. Have some men mingle with the crowds and spread the news that Prince Qin’s consort has come to Yuzhou to recuperate. Make it seem natural.”
Yin Lie saluted: “Yes, sir.”
Shen Ziqin then asked for brush and ink, wrote down several names: “If these people come to visit, have Dongning receive them on my behalf. For everyone else, refuse them with the excuse that I am ill. Ah, Lord Bai is naturally not among them-let him in if he comes.”
Everyone went to carry out their assigned tasks.
Magistrate Cao returned to his residence, and after half a day, listened to his subordinates’ reports.
“After you left, several others sent visiting cards, but Prince Qin’s consort declined them all, claiming illness. Bai Junxing was received, but he came out quickly-no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, barely enough for a few words. I suspect the consort truly lacks energy, too weak even to entertain a friend.”
Magistrate Cao responded with a noncommittal “Hmm.” One of his advisors said: “That Bai Junxing has been watched by our people recently, and he hasn’t been seen doing any real work. He’s probably no different from those other censors who collect salaries without doing their jobs. Prince Qin’s consort is famously frail-even if they talked all day, they couldn’t possibly discuss anything that would concern us.”
Magistrate Cao covered his teacup and said slowly: “The Grand Secretary wrote that Prince Qin’s consort is known in the capital only for his beauty and frailty. His writing may be good, but he hasn’t written much. Still, we should keep an eye on him, because who knows-Prince Qin’s consort might be working for His Majesty.”
Though Shen Ziqin hadn’t done anything substantial publicly in the capital, his single remark in court had made Wei Changhai take notice.
Wei Changhai hadn’t remained standing for so many years without some skill of his own.
Magistrate Cao: “Tell those bandit leaders to behave themselves recently and not cause trouble. We don’t want to attract unwanted attention.”
The advisor bowed: “Yes, I’ll write the letter immediately.”
Magistrate Cao thought for a moment: “If Bai Junxing interacts too frequently with Prince Qin’s consort, report to me as well.”
The person responsible for surveillance quickly agreed.
His arrangements were good, but they were no match for the superior skills of their opponents, particularly the martial abilities of their subordinates.
Magistrate Cao’s surveillance personnel were completely outclassed by Prince Qin’s guards and the skilled Embroidered Uniform Guards.
That night, Hei Ying carried Bai Junxing over the courtyard wall into the residence, completely undetected by Magistrate Cao’s spies.
Bai Junxing climbed down from Hei Ying’s back-the journey using lightness kung fu had been quite thrilling. He exhaled slowly, and Shen Ziqin smiled at him: “Lord Bai, we meet again.”
Bai Junxing smiled briefly, then quickly adopted a serious expression: “Your Highness, regarding Yuzhou, I didn’t have time to tell you everything during the day. Now I can report everything to you.”
Shen Ziqin nodded: “Come, let’s sit inside.”
After they went in, Bai Xiao watched them and made a circular gesture with his finger: “A midnight rendezvous! Hey, Brother Ying, do you think if the prince and Commander Zhan knew about this, would they be jealous-Ow! Why did you hit me, brother?”
Hei Ying slapped the back of Bai Xiao’s head, deeply feeling that the child’s education had gone wrong: “What nonsense are you talking about? Say more foolish things, and I’ll confiscate all your storybooks when we return.”
“No, no, no,” Bai Xiao quickly waved his hands, “Brother, I’m not saying there’s anything between the marquis and Lord Bai. My focus is on the prince-don’t you want to see what the prince would look like if he were jealous?”
Put that way, Hei Ying did imagine it.
…To be honest, he was a bit curious.
But curiosity aside, adults are rational.
Hei Ying said: “Not particularly.”
He folded his arms: “When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer. If the prince gets jealous, we might be the ones who suffer.”
Bai Xiao thought about his brothers who had their training doubled for gossiping, and his own confiscated candy.
“It’s fine, I’m very capable, I won’t need extra training. If my candy gets confiscated, the marquis will replace it for me. The things my brothers can’t see, I’ll-Ow! Brother, stop hitting me, I’ll become stupid!”
#
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
