Chapter 19 Blood Letter (Part 2) "What a fine way to repay, what a fine way to return to one another..."

“I captured his twin brother and discovered that the man had excellent eyesight. He could see clearly what was on the other side of the vast lake, and he could even tell me exactly how many birds there were and how many stones there were. I then checked with the guards who were waiting on the other side of the lake, and it was indeed true.”

"Could it be that he memorized it beforehand..." Shen Huaqing tried to think, but halfway through her sentence, she realized something was wrong and immediately stopped talking.

Shen Jia was too tired to complain about her anymore. She rubbed her forehead and said, "Birds are living creatures. They can fly on their own. How can they remember things in advance? Besides, pretending to be a Nine Luminaries person is harmful in every way. If he did it intentionally, wouldn't he be inviting trouble for himself?"

“Besides, he was locked in a dark dungeon, yet he could still see the bloodstains on my clothes. That level of eyesight can’t be faked,” Yuan Mingjin added.

For a moment, all three people in the room remained silent.

The founding of the Nine Luminaries Kingdom was based on a myth: a goddess observed the stars at night, conceived a child at the appointed time, and gave birth to the progenitor of the Nine Luminaries. Afterwards, those with clear vision were all descendants of the goddess, hence the name "Nine Luminaries."

"I thought it was just a legend, but I didn't expect it to be true..." Shen Huaqing muttered softly, "If that's the case, how could Prince Su dare to use the Nine Luminaries people as the left test subject?"

Since it concerned royal secrets, Shen Jia dared not speak rashly. Just as she was about to change the subject, Yuan Mingjin took the initiative to say, "Hua Qing, do you know that seven years ago, when my Tianyuan fought against the Nine Luminaries, my elder sister was clearly two years older than me, and her literary and military talents were no less than mine, yet Mother Empress abandoned her and sent me to lead the troops?"

Shen Huaqing shook his head, his ears perked up like a rabbit's, instinctively sensing that he was about to hear something extraordinary.

"It's all because her father is Prince Jiuyao. When he first infiltrated Tianyuan, he was mistakenly recruited as a servant in the prince's residence. Because of his beautiful appearance and graceful demeanor, he was chosen as a lady-in-waiting and was deeply loved by the Empress. He rose through the ranks and became the most favored in the six palaces. If his affair hadn't been exposed, he would probably be among the Four Emperors today."

Upon hearing this, Shen Huaqing's eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth remained agape for a long time before he finally said, "So you wanted to avoid suspicion..."

Yuan Mingqiong has half of the Nine Luminaries bloodline in her veins, so it's understandable that the emperor doesn't trust her... Even though she is his own flesh and blood, the imperial family is so ruthless, and they can't even enjoy the simple pleasures of ordinary people.

Shen Huaqing was filled with mixed feelings when he suddenly saw a person rushing towards him outside the study. The person excitedly said, "Your Highness is indeed a prophet! We caught a drunken female soldier at the side gate. She was holding this in her hand and said that she was entrusted to deliver a message."

Yuan Mingjin rushed forward, snatched the so-called letter, and saw that it was another piece of cloth with a strong smell of blood. The light blue background was stained purple with brownish blood, and it was also written in blood, crookedly—

"It is said that the bond between husband and wife is the result of past lives' karma. Through countless lifetimes of cultivation, we have now been able to meet. From the moment we are bound together, we will remain together for a hundred years. Like fish and water, we will enjoy each other's company day and night. I have been with you three times a day, and I have no way to repay you. Now I am imprisoned, and I fear that my wife may suffer the same fate. Therefore, I write this letter, and we each return to our own paths. I hope that after we part, you will rise high in the world. My wife, you should be brave and vigorous, and never forget to be careful and cultivate yourself. Let us resolve our grievances and release our hatred. Let us part ways peacefully and each find our own happiness. In the plum month of the twenty-sixth year of Chongding, the year of Yi Si, I bow my head."

Yuan Mingjin silently pondered these lines, her hands clenching tighter and tighter, veins bulging, twisting the dirty, tattered blue cloth until it was completely deformed. Shen Huaqing, seeing that although her face was expressionless, the ruthlessness in her eyes was undisguised, felt a sudden unease. Just as she thought Yuan Mingjin wouldn't speak, she suddenly sneered, "Well said, 'Nothing to repay,' well said, 'Each goes their own way!'"

"Su Xiaotang, is this how you repay me?! You think you can just part ways peacefully? No way!"

"Since Yuan Mingqiong has treated me so cruelly, I no longer need to consider brotherly affection! Issue my order: the Heavenly Squad will go to the brothel where Feng Qin once stayed and arrest the madam; the Earthly Squad will go to the Heavenly Prison and bring out the prisoners; the Black Squad will go to the Su residence and inform Lord Su to prepare; Lord Shen, you—"

"I will immediately take Hua Qing home, and on the way, visit Lord Mei at the Mei residence. Afterwards, I will return to my residence and close the doors to all visitors," Shen Jia said immediately, his eyes sharpening.

Shen Huaqing, unusually quick-witted, said, "Mother, I'm the one who's taking you home."

"Very well, you received a fine sword from His Highness Prince Rui today. Remembering that Miss Mei also loves these swords and spears, you couldn't wait to go and admire them with her. Now that you're tired, go back to your residence to rest."

Shen Jia readily agreed, bid farewell hastily, and quickly headed to the Mei residence with her daughter.

Shen Huaqing was still confused when she was hastily pulled onto the carriage. She hurriedly called out, "Mother, I haven't said enough to Jinniang yet. Are you in such a hurry to leave? Are you rushing to be reborn?"

"You little brat, how dare you talk like that?!"

A faint rumble of thunder rose in the distance, and a fierce wind howled, sending a few fallen leaves swirling and soaring into the air on the stone path. Shen Jia lifted the curtain and urged the horsewoman to hurry, turning around to hear Shen Huaqing's words. She was furious at his lack of self-control and said angrily, "The weather is about to change, and you're still arguing with your mother! I should have brought your sister today; it would have saved me a lot of trouble."

"Mother, what you're saying is so hurtful!" Shen Huaqing said aggrievedly. "I've always been completely clueless, how can you expect me to understand things as quickly as my older sister?"

What she said made sense—to avoid arousing the emperor's suspicion, the cunning and shrewd Prime Minister Shen always allowed his youngest son to develop into a spoiled brat. Only if something happened to his eldest daughter would he turn his attention to cultivating his youngest.

Without exceptional abilities, how could one lead his officials? To serve three emperors and remain firmly in the position of prime minister, his wisdom and integrity are beyond question.

This crime of deceiving the emperor, on the surface, seems like a dead end, but in reality, there is still a way out, and Yuan Mingjin has clearly discovered this only way out. When Shen Jia first realized this, she couldn't help but shudder, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "To be a ruler, one must be decisive and ruthless."

Even she herself only understood Yuan Mingjin's intentions after she made the decision, so how could she expect Shen Huaqing to react quickly? Shen Jia sighed, realizing that she had indeed been too hasty, so she tried to calm down and coax her gently, "Qing'er, do you know who His Highness Prince Rui's father is?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Huaqing recalled for a moment before suddenly realizing that Yuan Mingjin had indeed never revealed a single word about her father. Fortunately, she wasn't completely oblivious; the sudden jolt of the speeding carriage brought a flash of insight, and she guessed, "It's the Mei family?"

“Exactly. Back then, when the eldest son of the Mei family entered the palace and gave birth to Prince Rui with the current emperor, he was granted the title of Snow Lady. In addition, Mei Heming was already a third-rank official, the Dragon Martial General of the Northern Army, the second daughter of the Mei family was appointed as the military governor of Weizhou, and the third daughter of the Mei family was selected as the third-rank scholar. The Mei family was at the height of its power for a time.” Shen Jia explained the whole story to her in detail. “But Prince Rui was not yet a year old when Snow Lady died suddenly. Afterwards, Mei Heming was promoted to the rank of second-rank general of the Sixteenth Guard. Qing’er, can you see anything?”

"Snow Lord has passed away. In order to appease the Mei family, His Majesty promoted Lord Mei?" Shen Huaqing asked, scratching his head.

"Yes and no." Shen Jia shook her head. "The title of General is prestigious on the surface, but it is actually an honorary title. The power in his hands is not as great as that of the Sixteen Guards Generals, who are of the same rank as the Dragon Martial General. Moreover, Xue Jun comes from a prominent family. If His Majesty does not give an explanation for her death, not only the Mei family, but also the officials will not be satisfied."

"So Jinniang's father is—"

"It was His Majesty who personally poisoned him with a bowl of poison," Shen Jia said in a whisper in her daughter's ear, grabbing the back of her neck.

If you're not careful, the gust of wind will slip right past your ear.

Shen Huaqing was listening intently when he was suddenly startled by a gust of wind that made the back of his neck tingle. He gasped, “Your Majesty is so cruel! How could you even lay a hand on your own bedmate? If you asked me to kill Fuqu and Yuetao with my own hands, I would absolutely refuse.”

“You child…” Shen Jia felt a headache coming on when she heard her mention the servants in her courtyard. Fortunately, apart from her fondness for handsome men, she was not particularly outrageous, so she let go of her and temporarily abandoned her lecturing. “On the contrary, His Majesty is not only not ruthless, but also very soft-hearted—do you know why the Second Prince’s title is ‘Rui’?”

Shen Huaqing shook his head vigorously.

"You've been friends with her for years, how come you know nothing about her?"

The carriage was bumpy, making it inconvenient to grind ink, so a charcoal pencil was prepared. Shen Jia took out paper and pen from a hidden compartment, wrote down the phrase "Auspicious snow foretells a bumper harvest," and said, "This is the origin of His Highness Prince Rui's title."

The Marshal of the Army was the supreme commander in wartime, a position held concurrently by a prince, while princes were only granted official residences at the age of sixteen. Yuan Mingjin was not yet sixteen when he was to lead an army to attack the Nine Luminaries, so he had to hastily complete the princely investiture ceremony, without even designating a residence or fiefdom.

The titles of princes should be drafted by the Ministry of Rites according to regulations and precedents, and then submitted to the emperor for selection and approval. Initially, the Ministry of Rites selected the character "昌" (Chang), which means "a magnificent appearance and a benevolent rule for the country," and presented it to the emperor. However, the emperor rejected it and personally wrote the character "瑞" (Rui) to officially designate the title of his second son.

In this way, we mourn the passing of Xuejun, who died fifteen years ago... This is probably a unique style of letter writing used by an emperor.

"If that's the case, why did Your Majesty insist on killing Xue Jun back then?" Shen Huaqing asked, puzzled. "Rather than regretting it later, it's better to cherish the person in front of you now."

“What do you know, you mere child? Sitting in that position, you have no choice but to act against your will.” Shen Jia urged the horsewoman again, “They will establish their son as emperor and kill his father, preventing the emperor from serving the empress and participating in state affairs, thus causing chaos among the maternal relatives. The Mei family is powerful enough to overshadow the emperor, and it seems that the world will only know the Mei family and not the Yuan family. A mere man can be killed, but what is more important than the country?”

"Furthermore, throughout history, in the struggle between dragons and tigers, how can bloodshed be avoided? It's just that Xue Jun has died. If His Majesty wants, there are thousands upon thousands of men who are more beautiful and handsome than Xue Jun to be selected for the harem. And hasn't His Majesty treated Xue Jun and the Mei family well enough? He still plays with the prayer beads she left behind from time to time. Although Mei Heming was promoted in name but demoted in reality, her two daughters were not implicated at all and continued to serve as officials as before."

As Shen Huaqing listened, her heart pounded, and a surge of ambition to achieve great things welled up within her. She abandoned her usual lack of interest and asked proactively, "Is Jinniang going to the palace to meet the Emperor? Won't Mother go and help her?"

"Help what? His Majesty is extremely wary of factionalism and corruption. Are you trying to hasten your mother's death?!"

Shen Jia said irritably, "Mei Heming is His Highness Prince Rui's maternal grandmother. It's only right and proper for her to take the lead. What our Shen family should do is protect ourselves, not blindly rush in and risk arousing His Majesty's suspicion. Besides, if we all go in a rush and fail, there's no one of high rank or influence outside to mediate. Qing'er, in the future, when you do things, don't be reckless. You must think about your backup plan and escape route first, and preserve your strength. Even if you fail, don't be afraid. As long as you're alive, you can always fight again."

Shen Huaqing solemnly replied, "Daughter understands."

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Author's note: The foreshadowing of the repayment will be revealed in Chapter 10.

Hu Yang: In classical Chinese, this term specifically refers to servants, particularly those low-level service workers engaged in miscellaneous tasks such as raising horses and cooking.

"傧御" is a variant of "嫔御". "晓事傧御" refers to a servant who helps princes learn about sexual matters.

"The joy of simple food and drink" refers to serving one's parents with simple food and drink, such as beans and water, even when life is difficult, so that they can enjoy family life in peace.

"Wisdom and integrity" emphasizes that one's thinking should be thorough and comprehensive, while "integrity" requires that one's behavior be upright and proper.

The phrase "When the emperor was about to establish his son, he killed his father, preventing the emperor from serving as empress and participating in state affairs, thus causing chaos within the maternal family" is adapted from the Book of Wei. It states that "In the past, Emperor Wu of Han killed the mother of his son when he was about to establish him as empress, preventing women from participating in state affairs and causing chaos within the maternal family." This refers to the system of "the mother dies when the son becomes empress" (i.e., the mother is removed and the son is kept), a means to prevent the maternal relatives from seizing power. The emperor would kill the mother of the child he wanted to establish to prevent the family of the crown prince's mother from interfering in politics.

This letter is based on a letter written by a divorced woman from the Tang Dynasty unearthed in Dunhuang. Let me translate it for you:

As we all know, the bond between husband and wife is a karmic connection planted in a previous life. Two people have cultivated together through many lifetimes to attain this destiny in this life. Therefore, once the marriage is entered into, they must remain together until death do us part. Like water and fish, they should depend on each other and share joy every day. I have been received by my wife three times in one day; she has shown me such favor, yet I have nothing to repay her with. Now I am imprisoned, deprived of my freedom, and suffering in jail. Fearing I may implicate my wife, I have no choice but to write this letter to bid her farewell. I hope that after our divorce, my wife will have a successful career and rise quickly to a high position. Of course, my wife should wield her spear and gallop on horseback, continuing to be a great general, but at the same time, she should not forget to take care of her health and cultivate herself for longevity. Let us resolve our resentment and misunderstandings, and cease our mutual hatred. From this parting, we will both find liberation, find joy in our hearts, and begin new lives. On the day of Gengwu in the plum month of the year Yisi (the 26th year of Chongding, the reign of the current emperor, who has been on the throne for 26 years), Su Xiaotang kowtowed to his wife (to express his respect).