Chapter 113

The residence of Princess Yuanzhao.

The lotus flowers in the pond had long since withered, and the lotus leaves had turned yellow. Only through the dense, crooked, withered branches and leaves could one glimpse the magnificent scene of midsummer.

The soft, melodious sound of a zither drifted from the pavilion by the pond. Bai Yiqing's face was cool and her expression indifferent. Her fingers were slender and graceful as she casually plucked the strings.

Suddenly, something occurred to him, and his hand trembled for a moment, causing the music to falter slightly. Then, the sharp strings of the instrument ripped across his fingertips.

Qingnian's delicate and handsome eyebrows furrowed slightly. He opened his palm and looked down to see a drop of crimson seeping from his fingertips.

"What are you thinking about?" a gentle female voice came from behind. "Why does the music sound so mournful today?"

The servant standing to the side glanced at the newcomer, then immediately lowered his eyes, bowed, and retreated.

Although Princess Zhao Min is over thirty-five years old, she is naturally beautiful and well-maintained, looking like a beauty in her twenties, still retaining her charm.

Her bright, clear eyes held a faint smile as she gazed at her taciturn son, her gaze filled with profound meaning.

Bai Yiqing gathered her long sleeves and quickly stood up to bow, saying, "Mother."

Zhao Min glanced at him, her lotus-like steps faltering slightly, the jade pendant at her waist making no sound as she walked to the railing of the pavilion: "I heard that the Crown Prince sent people to intercept Prince Ning'an on the road. They won't let him return to the capital alive." Even when speaking of such an important matter, her tone remained lighthearted, calm and composed, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

Bai Yiqing glanced at her mother's slender back and hesitated for a long time before speaking: "Mother, do you want me to go and meet her?"

“I know your skills. Only if you go can Prince Ning’an return safely.” Yuan Zhao tilted her head slightly, reached out and touched the hairpin in her hair, her movements a little lazy. “I originally did not want to meddle in the affairs of the court, but as you know, the Emperor is easily swayed. He listened to slander and harmed Xun’er. Zhao Bing is cruel and licentious, and is indeed not fit to be a ruler. I’m just afraid… the people of this world will be plunged into misery, and I really can’t bear it.”

"A mother's great righteousness."

Yuan Zhao turned around and smiled: "I trust you, and of course I trust the person you trust. If you hadn't said that Zhao Kun has endured humiliation and hardship all these years and is a person we can rely on, our Nanwu Kingdom would probably have no hope at all..." She paused at just the right moment, her smile fading slightly, and she became worried again, "But what we are doing could lead to the extermination of our entire family if we are not careful... Therefore, Prince Ning'an cannot be harmed; he must be allowed to return safely."

Bai Yiqing nodded: "Mother, there is no need to worry. I have sent experts to accompany you, so there should be no danger. But since you are still concerned, I will go and meet you."

“No rush,” Yuan Zhao called out to him, her expression becoming more relaxed. “I’ve noticed you seem to have a lot on your mind lately. Would you like to talk to your mother about it?”

"No." Bai Yiqing answered without hesitation, as if he had a standard answer ready no matter what his mother asked.

Zhao Min, however, was used to it and continued, "I've also seen the new girl from the Right Prime Minister's household. She is indeed quite pretty, but... do you like this kind of girl? Or do you two know each other from before?"

Bai Yiqing remained calm, her eyelashes lowered, making it impossible to discern her expression: "We've only met once, I don't know why Mother asks this question."

"I just heard that you two seemed to have met privately on my birthday."

Bai Yiqing's eyelashes fluttered slightly: "I asked a few questions, I wanted to know if she was part of Prime Minister Xie's scheme."

Yuan Zhao said "Oh," and then asked, "What's the conclusion?"

"It's just a pawn, a link. Prime Minister Xie refused to use his own child for a marriage alliance, so he used the orphaned daughter of the Su family, who were the Minister of War back then."

Yuan Zhao nodded: "That's right, you're quite well-informed. You've also taken a liking to that girl?"

Bai Yiqing frowned slightly: "Why does Mother ask this?"

Yuan Zhao didn't answer, but stared at Bai Yiqing silently for a long time with eyes full of affection, until the other looked up and cast a puzzled look, then he came back to his senses.

She smiled with a rare innocence: "Does she have feelings for you?"

Bai Yiqing unconsciously clenched her right hand slightly and said, "Mother is overthinking it. We only met once."

"That's a pity," the princess said. "If you two were in love, I could have tried to help you. But since that's the case, then so be it. Go ahead."

"Yes." Bai Yiqing lowered her head and walked away.

After Bai Yiqing left, the princess's personal maid came forward and whispered, "Your Highness is so concerned about the young master's marriage, why don't you find a matchmaker to select from all the eligible young ladies in the capital?"

“Him…” Yuan Zhao smiled, “He’s proud and wouldn’t accept my arrangements.”

The maid smiled and answered "Yes," without saying anything more.

***

Bai Yiqing's palm strike almost killed Qin Sang. She woke up briefly that day, but quickly fell into a coma again and suffered from a high fever for several days.

Xie Sui'an and Wang Huiwen found several groups of doctors, and the herbal medicine was administered five times a day. Finally, the fever subsided, and the person was able to remain conscious for a while.

The room was filled with the smell of herbs. Lingding sat on the footstool by the bed, propping her head up and dozing off. At this moment, Ying'er tiptoed over, patted her shoulder, and gestured to her: Mr. Qin is here, he's just outside the door.

Lingding had been taking care of Qin Sang day and night for three or four days, and now her face was covered in bruises. She knew that Qin Baoyun must have come with important business, but when she looked back at Qin Sang, who had just finished taking her medicine and was lying down, she felt a little worried. So she rubbed her numb legs, stood up quietly, and went out.

"How is the young lady?" Qin Baoyun asked anxiously in a deep voice, looking travel-worn.

Lingding said, "After the fever subsided, you were able to wake up for half a day today. Why are you in such a sorry state? Weren't you going to inquire about the Prince of Ning'an? Has something happened to the Prince of Ning'an?"

Qin Baoyun glanced at the half-closed door, grunted, and said, "The imperial envoy sent by the Emperor to investigate the disaster relief grain case in Yuzhou and Yanzhou has been assassinated. His body is being transported to the capital. There is no news about Prince Ning'an, and we can't get any information from his residence either. We don't know the situation yet."

Lingding was shocked. If something happened to Prince Ning'an, the Xie family, who were now tied to Prince Ning'an, would completely lose power, and Qin Sang herself would also be implicated.

Qin Baoyun continued, "Once the young lady is awake, you can slowly tell her to make plans as soon as possible, as things may change in the capital..."

Before she could finish speaking, she heard footsteps coming from inside. Ying'er stood at the door and waved to Qin Baoyun.

"Is the young lady awake?" Lingding asked.

As Ying'er nodded, two coughs were heard from inside the room.

Qin Baoyun didn't delay any longer. She lifted her coat, went up the steps, took off her boots, and went inside.

But he didn't go into the inner room; he just knelt and sat at the entrance of the bedroom.

Qin Sang asked in a hoarse voice, "What's wrong?"

After recounting what had just happened, Qin Baoyun added, "When I returned from the outskirts of the capital, the disaster victims outside the city heard that the imperial envoy had run into trouble and that the disaster relief efforts had failed. They were furious and started cursing the Crown Prince without any regard for the consequences. When I returned, Tan Bi had already led his men to kill a group of the most vocal people."

"..." Qin Sang paused for a moment, then a surge of anger rose in her chest, and she couldn't help but cough again.

"And then?" she asked. "After killing the people, did everyone just quiet down?"

"Most people have calmed down, but many more have fled."

"Escaped? Where did they escape to?"

"Some people were disillusioned with the imperial court and chose to become outlaws, seeking refuge in the nearby mountain strongholds."

"...It seems the common people aren't all fools. But how could ordinary people know this news? There must be someone stirring things up." Qin Sang's lips were pale. She leaned back against the soft pillows, frowning as she pondered. She added, "The fact that there's no news from Prince Ning'an is actually good news. At least he wasn't carried back lying on his side."

Qin Baoyun said in a deep voice, "But the Crown Prince will definitely take further action. Miss, the capital is not safe right now."

“Yes,” Qin Sang sighed, her mind racing. “If the Crown Prince knew the Emperor’s arrangements, he certainly wouldn’t wait. But if they were to rebel, they would need to prepare for two things: first, send men to deal with Prince Ning’an and the Right Chancellor’s faction; second, they would need to mobilize troops to besiege the capital… But they wouldn’t go this far unless absolutely necessary. He’s already the Crown Prince; all he needs to do is point the knife at the one on the throne, and he can rightfully ascend the throne…” Qin Sang frowned. “But since the one above has already begun to take precautions, he won’t easily be slaughtered. It seems things have reached a stalemate. Unless the Crown Prince is reckless and willing to take a gamble…”

Then she remembered the instigator, the Princess who seemed to thrive on chaos, and hurriedly asked, "Has there been any activity at Princess Yuanzhao's residence these past two days? Has the Princess entered the palace?"

"When the young lady returned that day and had just regained consciousness, she asked me to keep an eye on the Princess's residence. We noticed that two days ago, the young master Bai from the Princess's family secretly left the city."

"Is anyone following us?"

"I can't keep up," Qin Baoyun said helplessly. "Young Master Bai's horse is a renowned steed." Seeing that Qin Sang didn't speak, he added, "The Princess also didn't go out or enter the palace."

Qin Sang nodded silently. Yes, the Princess's goal was to sit back and watch the tigers fight. How could she possibly side with either side? Even if she were to do something, she would whisper in the Emperor's ear and get him to issue the decree to depose the Crown Prince, thus provoking a counterattack from the other side. Then the two sides would naturally fight, causing internal strife in Nanwu.

But she hasn't, at least not yet.

What is she waiting for?

Qin Sang twisted the blanket with her pale fingers, thinking to herself: She's waiting for the right moment.

Now that Prince Ning'an has just gained power, it would be like an egg hitting a rock compared to the Crown Prince. If a real fight breaks out, the Crown Prince's side will naturally win quickly. On the Crown Prince's side, there is the powerful minister Han Sizhong. Under his control, the court situation may not be able to stabilize quickly.

In this way, she would have to spend even more time making plans and fighting against the new imperial forces... She might not have the patience to wait any longer after secretly descending to the mortal realm, so... she is waiting now, waiting for Prince Ning'an to gain power.

Therefore, she wanted Prince Ning'an to be safe more than anyone else, and she would definitely lend a helping hand. So Bai Yiqing's trip was to meet Prince Ning'an.

The girl's brows relaxed slightly.

He pondered further, "If that's the case, in order to thwart the eldest princess's plans and prevent this civil war from starting, we must eliminate the power of one side..."

The simplest and most effective way to weaken the power of the still-unsuccessful Prince Ning'an is to weaken his forces. However, based on the information she has gathered, if Crown Prince Zhao Bing is truly cruel and reckless, the people of Nanwu Kingdom will certainly not have an easy time after he takes the throne. Even if there is temporary stability and the country's fortunes are barely maintained, the people of Nanwu Kingdom will suffer, and internal strife and collapse will only be a matter of time.

Then the old man of fate will have something to say, and she'll have to stay here for a long time.

Alas, the root of the matter lies in the fact that the eldest princess used underhanded means to harm a wise ruler, Prince Su.

Otherwise, how could Namo Kingdom be in such a chaotic and polluted state as it is now?

In other words, I have no choice right now.

The only option is to stand with Prince Ning'an and support him in fighting against the Crown Prince in order to reverse the decline of the Nanwu Kingdom.

Therefore, her short-term goals are aligned with those of the eldest princess.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, if Prince Ning'an can thoroughly investigate the disaster relief grain case and return safely, his popularity and influence will surely be consolidated.

Her heart gradually calmed down, and she said to Qin Baoyun, "Keep a close eye on the Princess's residence. If the eldest princess is going to the palace, immediately send someone to inform me. Also, send people to Yuzhou and Yanzhou respectively to inquire about the Prince of Ning'an, and send people to find out what unusual activities the four garrison camps in the suburbs of the capital have recently made, and report to me daily."

Qin Baoyun took a careful note, bowed, and left.

Qin Sang paused for a moment, and the smoke from the incense burner drifted to her. She stared at it for a while before casually asking, as if something was missing, "Where is Second Young Master Xie?"