Chapter 105 Chapter 105 The Storm is Coming (Part 2)...

Ji Lian came to Langhuan Mansion in the imperial palace.

Langhuan Mansion was established when Sima ascended the throne. It houses all confidential documents of the royal family and the harem. It not only records the location of the tombs of emperors of past dynasties, but also details such as burial objects and people buried alive with the dead.

In fact, Xie Tingyu was not sure if he could find the map of Emperor Yang's tomb.

First, most of the craftsmen who built the imperial mausoleum had already been killed to prevent future troubles.

Secondly, officials who served in the Ministry of Works at that time were often sent away, demoted, or even dealt with secretly without leaving any trace.

Therefore, if she were to personally handle this matter, it would seem too abrupt. Leaving it to a leisurely imperial official like Ji Lian would avoid arousing suspicion and be more logical.

The appearance of Langhuan Mansion is no different from other buildings. It is just a common building with red walls and black tiles in the palace. It even looks similar to Lantai Pavilion.

The volumes recording the tombs of emperors of all dynasties are hidden in the deepest bookshelf in the palace.

Ji Lian had heard of this place, but he had never been there in person. He wandered among the numerous bookshelves for a long time, but ultimately found nothing. As he was hesitating, a standing candlestick with winding branches caught his eye.

Among the thirty candlesticks, only one has a unique shape, which is carved into the shape of a toad holding a pearl.

Ji Lian, curious, reached out and gently touched it. The toad's forelimbs responded with a thud. With a gurgling sound, the tightly closed bookshelf suddenly slid open to the sides, revealing a dark room.

He looked back cautiously and saw that the palace maids on duty in Langhuan Mansion were all busy with their heads down, and no one raised their eyes to peek.

Ji Lian descended the stone steps and saw a secret room filled with huge shelves, each covered with bamboo slips. Having been hidden in the dark room for so long, the air was filled with the scent of stale ink and the smell of dust.

He took a small candle from the stone wall of the secret room and started searching from the first bookshelf until he reached the last bookshelf, where there were four or five bamboo tubes stacked on top of each other, and finally found the bamboo slip he wanted most.

Ji Lian's impression of her mother was one of violent temper and capriciousness, often executing palace maids at will. When she passed away, while mourning should have been solemn, the palace maids could hardly conceal their relief. The individuals recorded in these bamboo slips likely suffered persecution from her, and the slips even contain extensive records of her previous misdeeds.

He took out an ink ball from his bosom, scraped off the fine powder with a golden knife, melted the candle wax to grind the ink, carefully filled the incisions on the bamboo slips, and copied two pieces of silk. He got two pieces of silk cloth, one of which told the location of the tomb, and the other was a map of the activities inside the tomb.

When the ink had dried, Ji Lian put the silk into her arms and put the bamboo slips back in their place. When she left the secret room, the palace maid was still writing rapidly, unnoticed.

Just a few steps outside Langhuan Mansion, someone suddenly approached quietly. Looking back, it was Yuan Fuxue.

The two walked side by side in silence until they found a hexagonal pavilion in the small garden.

"You look like you're up to something bad." Yuan Fuxue's eyes flickered across his face, and she said mercilessly, "Your cheeks are flushed, and your eyes are wandering. It's only late spring now, and the weather is still cool, not hot enough to make you sweat. You must be hiding something, which is why you look like that."

"You're being too nosy."

Ji Lian poured a cup of tea and drank it, covering her face with her sleeve. Suddenly, the person across from the stone table spoke up, "You're wearing a plain white robe today, stained with ink and dust. You just came out of the Langhuan Mansion. Did you copy something there?"

“…”

Ji Lian clenched her sleeves with her fingertips, her face cold: "Did you come to the palace to keep an eye on me, or to seek revenge for your brother?"

Yuan Fuxue circled the edge of the teacup with her fingertips, lowered her eyes, and murmured, "Since entering the palace, I have mainly been checking Mr. Xie's pulse. However, every time Mr. Xie sees me, his pulse becomes rapid and disordered, though it only returns to normal after a moment. It is obvious that Mr. Xie must know something."

"After all, my appearance is somewhat similar to my brother's."

Ji Lian was slightly startled, and said thoughtfully, "I never thought that studying medicine could reveal things that ordinary people cannot see through the pulse."

Yuan Fuxue glanced at him again, "Although you appear calm on the outside, your lower eyelids are slightly grayish-brown."

Without waiting for Ji Lian's reaction, he suddenly grabbed his wrist and pressed three fingers against his pulse. "Your pulse is rapid and agitated, indicating a strong internal heat in your body. Have you been having an affair with Madam Tingyu again?"

Ji Lian blushed: "Shut up. You really should stop interfering too much!"

Yuan Fuxue returned to the previous topic, "A few days ago, I tried to inquire with those old people who left the palace, but I still couldn't get any clues."

"Since everyone is so secretive about this, I might as well make a bold guess. The person who killed my brother might be related to Your Majesty."

"...Your assumption is too bold."

"Bold?" Yuan Fuxue raised his eyes, a dark shadow suddenly welling up in his cold eyes. "It's just an ordinary imperial technique. A carefully cultivated flower, no matter how beautiful and harmless it blooms, will inevitably be cut off if its sharp thorns injure its owner."

He used the tea lid to slowly stir the foam in the cup. "Why did my brother die? Perhaps it was because the Yuan family was so powerful. Your Majesty didn't want the aristocratic family to become too powerful, so he poisoned her during childbirth to control the power of the family. This is the art of balancing power in the imperial family."

Yuan Zhaoyun's upbringing of Yuan Fuxue did not prohibit him from interfering in the affairs of the aristocratic families or the imperial court, even allowing him to browse the documents of the Sinong Pavilion with permission. From a young age, Yuan Fuxue often watched Yuan Zhaoyun discuss matters with officials in the garden, and he would also play and listen nearby.

When Ji Lian heard this, Ji Zhao's gloomy face naturally emerged in his mind. He knew that this emperor was a man of deep thoughts. He would not only force him to represent the royal family at the banquet regardless of his will, but also confine him to the Posa Pavilion to save the family's reputation.

"By the way—"

Yuan Fuxue changed the subject, "Recently, I met several officials from the Taichang Yuan in the garden. They are all from the Yuan family of Runan, introduced by my mother. They seemed to be discussing the affairs of Northern Qin."

Northern Qin was the regime established by the Xianbei.

With a clang, the tea lid in Ji Lian's hand fell into the cup. He stared at Yuan Fuxue, his voice trembling slightly: "What are they discussing?"

"It's related to my Great Zhou."

Yuan Fuxue said slowly, "Northern Qin now has a new Khan. She has consulted her deity, Tengri, and learned that the future king's husband will be from the Great Zhou. A special delegation has been dispatched to propose marriage, departing several months ago and likely nearing Jiankang."

A chill rushed straight into Ji Lian's heart, freezing his fingertips so much that they trembled and even the breath in his chest stagnated.

"This matter has long been submitted to His Majesty, but His Majesty has ignored it and has not made a decision. Perhaps..."

Yuan Fuxue dipped her finger in water and wrote the word "selection" on the stone table. "I am considering whether to choose a man from an aristocratic family or from the royal family."

After saying this, he turned to look at Ji Lian, but was stunned.

He had never seen Ji Lian lose his composure like this.

Ji Lian's eyes were filled with tears, his lips were pale, and hatred and fear were swirling in his eyes like a thick fog. He bit his lower lip fiercely, "Why haven't I heard anything about this yet?"

"Only a few high-ranking officials in the Taichang Court know about this matter right now." Yuan Fuxue patted him on the back soothingly. "Don't worry too much. You may not be chosen. Besides, Your Majesty is currently preoccupied with the Fengge's proposal for the Tuduan (Tujue) and has no time for other matters."

Fear was like ants crawling all over Ji Lian's body. The humiliating scene of crawling on the ground like a dog in the dream came back to her again.

Ji Lian stood up suddenly, her lips trembling slightly, "I'm going to find..."

The first person that came to mind was Xie Tingyu. But even if Xie Tingyu knew about this, how could she help him? Moreover, the candidate had not yet been finalized. How could he bother her with such an uncertain matter?

The words stopped abruptly in his throat and turned into silent sobs.

Yuan Fuxue also stood up and frowned, "Who are you looking for? His Majesty?"

"I...I don't know."

Ji Lian's fingers were tightly clasped on the corner of the stone table, her knuckles turning white. "I, I'll take my leave first."

He turned a deaf ear to Yuan Fuxue's calls from behind, and stumbled along the palace path like a wandering soul. He looked up and saw a tall pavilion in front of him, and climbed up the stairs in a trance.

When he reached the top floor and leaned over the railing to gaze out into the distance, he suddenly saw a man walking slowly towards him from the end of the palace path. The palace attendants along the way were all smiling and calling out in unison, "Thank you, sir, good day."

Xie Tingyu was summoned to the palace by Ji Zhao's urgent decree.

The reason is very simple, that is, the people sent by Ji Zhao are completely unable to advance the Tuduan strategy agreed upon by Fengge, and they cannot even step into the threshold of the aristocratic family. Occasionally they are able to enter, but they are often prevaricated and evaded. After a few words, they are confused, and if they are asked a few more questions, they feel that their heads are in danger of being separated from their bodies.

Ji Zhao was so angry that he flipped the memorial on the table and stomped on it, shouting like thunder: "Didn't these noble families agree on this in Fengge at the beginning? Why are they hindering us in every way when it comes to the actual implementation?"

She pointed outside the hall and shouted angrily, "Is it true that without the Xie family, no one else could accomplish this?! I just want to ask!"

The palace was filled with rage and heat. The scribes and palace servants standing by all prostrated themselves on the ground, their backs dripping with sweat. No one dared to say a word.

After a long time, Ji Zhao suppressed his anger and ordered someone to summon Xie Tingyu into the palace.

Xie Tingyu walked all the way to the Huagai Hall. As soon as she entered, a palace attendant knelt hurriedly to remove her boots. Wearing only a pair of plain white socks, she entered with a calm demeanor, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, I greet you. I wonder what you need urgently to summon me."

Seeing Xie Tingyu's hands bowed respectfully at his side, his expression calm, Ji Zhao's anger dissipated somewhat as this distinguished and popular minister remained composed. She relaxed her expression and gestured to the tasseled cushion, "Thank you, please take a seat."

Xie Tingyu did not move, but bowed again and said, "I am terrified. I beg Your Majesty to make it clear."

Ji Zhao was even more satisfied.

"The policy of local rule that I have been promoting has been repeatedly blocked. As the initiator of this policy, what are your thoughts, Mr. Xie?"

"Your Majesty, whether this matter can be accomplished depends solely on Your Majesty."

"Thank you for the details."

"Your Majesty is benevolent and forgiving. All the attendants have been influenced by him and have acted moderately even when they have privileges."

Ji Zhao's eyes moved slightly, and his anger was reduced by three points after hearing these words.

"I am willing to share your majesty's worries and use the force of thunder to compel the nobles to submit. Anyone who disobeys will be subdued by force."

Ji Zhao hesitated slightly when he heard the word "force". "However, the Jinwu Guard and other imperial troops are required to protect the imperial city and should not interfere in local affairs."

"Your Majesty, there is no need to mobilize the Imperial Guards."

Xie Tingyu calmly replied, "Just grant me a special decree, and I will pacify all the counties inside and outside Jiankang for Your Majesty."

"good!"

Ji Zhao immediately issued an edict. With such a capable minister taking over the task without mobilizing a single soldier, how could he not approve it?

Anyway, according to what Xie Tingyu said, whether it is done well or not, she will be responsible alone. If it is done poorly, she will be the only one to be held accountable.

Xie Tingyu immediately followed the order, returned to Xie Garden, and led two teams of personal guards on board the carriage to set off.

Outside the garden gate, the captain of the guards who had been guarding the place saw Xie Tingyu and immediately remembered the instructions of the head of the family that no one, whether sent by the emperor or from the Xie family, was allowed to enter.

"No one is allowed to enter without the master's order!"

As the guard captain raised his hand to stop him, the tall woman with long, curly braids behind Xie Tingyu suddenly drew her sword from her waist. A flash of cold light, accompanied by a scream, and a bloody arm flew straight up.

Yu Wen Yue shook his long braid, placed the blade on his shoulder, looked at everyone with his nose turned upwards, and grinned:

"Has my master come in now?"

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The author has something to say: I will take a break and write the next update.