Chapter 71 [VIP]

Chapter Summary: The Talent Show.

Xie Xuan found Yu Jing somewhat suspicious. She wasn't like this when he met her at the beginning of the year, but now she seemed like a completely different person.

Thinking of the look Yu Jing had given him and the words he had spoken, his heart ached with a dull pain, and he suddenly felt breathless.

"Sister."

The carriage moved smoothly, the rain pattering on the roof. Xie Ying and Xie Xuan were sitting inside when Xie Xuan suddenly called her name. Xie Ying quickly turned her head to look at Xie Xuan: "What is it?"

"When I was in the army, did anything happen in the capital?"

Xie Ying frowned slightly at Xie Xuan's seemingly random question: "Xuan'er, what is it that you want to ask?"

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager," Xie Xuan blurted out, eager to know. Xie Ying was taken aback upon hearing "Empress Dowager," then thought carefully for a moment, "I haven't heard of her before. Is there something wrong?"

Xie Xuan shook his head and then fell silent again. Xie Ying was curious, realizing that Xie Xuan wasn't in a good state, and thought it would be the same to ask later. However, Qi Jin had already stripped their Xie family of their power at today's banquet, so they would have to be even more careful with their words and actions in the future.

Back at the Xie residence, Xie Ying instructed someone to prepare hot water and helped Xie Xuan over. After taking a few steps, Xie Xuan said to Xie Ying, "Sister, there's no need to see me off. I can go by myself."

Xie Ying hesitated for a moment before replying, "Okay, be careful."

Then he instructed Xie Yi, "Xie Yi, take good care of the young master."

"Don't worry, Miss." Xie Yi stepped forward and walked to Xie Xuan's side, assuring Xie Ying.

He took off his clothes in the bathhouse and stepped into the warm water, feeling completely revitalized. Although it was summer, the rain had left a chill on his body. Whenever he closed his eyes, the words Yu Jing had just spoken echoed in his mind, and each time he recalled them, he felt something stuck in his throat, making it hard to breathe. He raised his hand and gently patted his chest; the tears that had been welling up in his eyes finally fell. Xie Xuan slid down, completely submerged in the water, his experiences with Yu Jing flashing through his mind like a shadow play.

"Splash!" Xie Xuan burst out of the water, gasping for breath. That wasn't Yu Jing. The Yu Jing he knew would never have such a tone or expression. If he had doubts before, now he was certain. Even if she was Yu Jing, something must have happened that he didn't know about.

Xie Xuan came out of the bathhouse and, as he walked into the house, instructed Xie Yi, "Go and find out what the Empress Dowager has gone through from the beginning of the year until now."

Xie Yi paused, hesitated for a moment, and looked at Xie Xuan: "If we go down to investigate now, our spies in the palace might be..."

Xie Xuan understood Xie Yi's meaning. His father's conferment of a marquisate was a demotion in disguise, and Qi Jin had already become wary of him. Now was the time when he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Xie Xuan closed his eyes and after a long while, he finally spoke, "That's enough."

Back in his room, Xie Xuan felt agitated. He picked up a military treatise from the shelf to calm himself. The worst thing for a commander is chaos; chaos leads to disarray, loss of composure, and ultimately, the collapse of the entire operation. He could always maintain excellent composure when leading troops, but when he encountered Yu Jing, Xie Xuan raised his hand and pressed his temples.

"Young Master, the General has arrived." Xie Yi's voice came from outside the door.

Before he could finish saying thank you, the door was pushed open. Xie Xuan saw Xie Jin come in and quickly stood up, calling out, "Father."

"Xuan'er." Xie Jin entered, then turned to look at Xie Yi. Xie Yi understood, turned and left, closing the door behind him. Only then did Xie Xuan notice the pot of wine and two wine cups in Xie Jin's hands.

"You might fool others with your claim that you can't hold your liquor, but you can't fool your father," Xie Jin said with a smile, raising her hand. "How about having a couple more drinks with your father?"

"Alright." Xie Xuan replied and sat down at the table with Xie Jin. Xie Xuan reached out to pour wine for Xie Jin, but Xie Jin avoided him, saying, "Father, pour it for you."

Xie Xuan paused for a moment after looking at the wine glass Xie Jin handed him before reaching out to take it.

"What do you think of tonight's events?" Xie Jin's voice rang out after she finished a glass of wine.

Xie Xuan swirled his wine cup: "Your Majesty is now wary, so the only thing to do is to be cautious."

"Yes." Xie Jin sighed. "Father's career has come to an end. I thought that being loyal and honest as a subject was enough, but now it seems that in the ups and downs of officialdom, one cannot help but get tainted by filth and corruption."

"I didn't teach you these things, but if your life is ever in danger, I won't blame you."

Xie Xuan was completely taken aback when Xie Jin told him these things. He put down his wine cup and solemnly said to Xie Jin, "Father, I wouldn't do that."

“Those children wouldn’t do it, nor would they deign to do it.”

Xie Jin looked at Xie Xuan meaningfully for a long time before reaching out and patting his shoulder. The two drank a few more cups before Xie Jin stood up: "Father, you've had too much to drink, so I'll go back now."

Xie Xuan stood up and saw Xie Jin to the door: "Father, take care."

Back in his seat, Xie Xuan stared at the wine jug and drank several cups in a row. The effects of the wine began to kick in, so Xie Xuan lay down on the couch, looked at the ceiling, and soon drifted off to sleep.

Inside the hall was an ice pot, on which watermelon, grapes, and cherries were chilled, their coolness carrying a faint, sweet fragrance. Yu Jing sat down, picked up a washed grape with her finger and put it in her mouth, the grape's sweet and sour taste melting on her lips and tongue.

Since Xie Xuan had returned from the battlefield and Xie Jin had been granted the title of Marquis of Wu'an, there was no rush to hand over the guard duties of Cining Palace to Xie Xuan. It was already August, and nearly two months had passed since Yu Jing had seen Xie Xuan. Yu Jing thought that this was a good opportunity to explain to Qi Jin that it would be better to have someone else guard Cining Palace, to avoid any awkwardness when they met again.

Yu Jing glanced at the sky outside; it was getting dark. "The summer heat has subsided. Ayu, pack up and go to the Imperial Study."

"Yes, this servant will go and fetch the sedan chair right away." Ayu bowed and was about to leave when Yu Jing stopped her. "No need. You've been cooped up in the palace all day. It's cool here now. Let's go for a walk."

"Yes," Ayu replied.

Yu Jing stood up and walked outside. Although the weather was cooler, Cining Palace was still quite a distance from the Imperial Study. When she was almost at the Imperial Study, Yu Jing was still covered in a light sweat.

"This servant greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." Xu Xinshu and Qu An were waiting at the door. Upon seeing Yu Jing, Xu Xinshu bowed and greeted her.

"I have something I wish to discuss with the Emperor," Yu Jing said directly.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to inform you," Xu Xinshu said politely to Yu Jing.

Yu Jing nodded in agreement. After a while, Xu Xinshu came out from inside and gestured for Yu Jing to go in.

As Yu Jing stepped into the hall, the scent of ambergris slowly filled the air. The hall contained many ice jars, making it even cooler than the Cining Palace. When Yu Jing reached a pillar, she noticed several people still sitting in the inner hall. She paused, hesitated for a moment, and then continued inside.

Qi Jin sat in the main seat, while Su Siyang sat in the first seat on his left. He was wearing official robes and was visibly thin; his already fair complexion was almost sickly, making him look very haggard. Several other officials from the inner court sat behind him.

"Your subject and Your Majesty the Empress Dowager greet you." The two of them rose together to bow to Yu Jing. Yu Jing walked to the right and sat down. "No need for such formalities."

They sat down as instructed, and Su Siyang stared intently at Yu Jing, making Yu Jing very uncomfortable.

"The Empress Dowager has arrived just in time; I am currently discussing the selection of concubines with them."

"A talent show?" Yu Jing asked, somewhat puzzled. "Isn't it already August?"

The draft usually takes place in June.

"Your Majesty, the great victory at Youzhou in June left us with many affairs of state and no time to attend to this matter. Now that the border war has been settled, this matter can naturally be brought up again," one of the officials replied, rising to his feet.

"Mother, I think that holding a selection of consorts would be too extravagant. It would be better to simply choose a few from among the noble families of marquises. What do you think, Mother?"

"Whatever I think is best," Yu Jinglue replied perfunctorily. Whether or not she was selected for the talent show was not something she could control, and it was of no concern to her.

"Then so be it. You may all leave," Qi Jin said, dismissing them. He then turned to Yu Jing, "Mother, has something to discuss with me?"

"I was thinking, since Lord Xie has just returned from Youzhou, and the task of guarding Cining Palace has already been handed over to Lord Xu, I think Lord Xu has done a good job, so let Lord Xu continue. Lord Xie, just give him another task." Yu Jing said this, and then looked at Qi Jin's expression. Qi Jin's expression was truly unreadable.

"Such a trivial matter is something Mother Empress can decide herself; there's no need to ask me," Qi Jin replied with a light laugh.

"After all, this concerns court officials, and I cannot make decisions on my own."

"Court officials who are in the inner court are at the mercy of the Empress Dowager."

Yu Jing didn't respond again. She chatted casually with Qi Jin for a couple more minutes before leaving the imperial study. For some reason, she always felt exhausted whenever she talked to Qi Jin.

Emerging from the Imperial Study, Yu Jing didn't want to walk any further, so she summoned A Yu to fetch the sedan chair. The sedan chair traveled a short distance before stopping. Just as Yu Jing was wondering what was going on, she heard A Yu's voice: "Your Majesty, Lord Su is waiting ahead."

Yu Jing wasn't wearing earrings today. If she had, she might have been able to meet him. As for herself and Su Siyang, there was really nothing to say.

"Let's go, ignore it."

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager," Ayu whispered, the matter seemed rather troublesome.

Yu Jing lifted the curtain and saw Su Siyang standing beside the sedan chair. If he didn't move aside, the sedan chair couldn't move.

Judging from Su Siyang's expression, it seemed that not seeing him was no longer an option. Yu Jing frowned and alighted from the sedan chair. This place was already secluded, and she followed Su Siyang to the corridor. Night had fallen, and there were no candles lit in the corridor, making it difficult to see clearly.

"Stop associating with the Xie family."

Su Siyang walked straight down the corridor.

She had no real connection with the Xie family; the only person she was related to was Xie Xuan. Su Siyang's meaning was self-evident.

"Why?" Yu Jing had a vague feeling, but still asked.

"Shenghua, are you pretending to be ignorant, or do you really not know?" Su Siyang asked with a look of disappointment.

Seeing Su Siyang's appearance, Yu Jing felt even more panicked.

"The Xie family's downfall is only a matter of time. If His Majesty finds out about your dealings with the Xie family..." Su Siyang paused, then glanced at Yu Jing before turning and leaving.

He had made himself perfectly clear; if she still didn't understand, there was nothing he could do.