Chapter 93 Chengzhi's Personal Address: Blame Myself for Being Too Impatient

However, a few bandits who trafficked people could not satisfy Prince Xin's appetite. The first thing Xi Congshuang did upon returning to Yongdu was to visit Prince Xin's mansion.

At first, Prince Xin felt that the puppet in his hands was out of control. Before he could call anyone back, he returned on his own. The eldest son was dissatisfied and wanted to leave the puppet waiting. He sent someone to inform the prince that he was busy and would not see anyone.

The master and servant, who had always been able to move freely in the Prince Xin's mansion, were turned away at the door.

Hongdou suppressed her anger, mentally cursing Prince Xin a hundred times over, and turned to walk towards the carriage: "What should we do, Sect Master?"

After a moment of contemplation inside the carriage, Xi Congshuang uttered only one sentence.

Upon hearing this, Hongdou's face showed obvious surprise, and she turned to talk to the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper couldn't understand these words, but he knew how important this guest was to the prince. He quickly turned around and went to find the chief clerk of the prince's mansion.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the side gate of the Prince Xin's mansion opened to Xi Congshuang's carriage, and servants removed the threshold, allowing the blue cloth carriage to clatter inside.

After coming to a stop, the mute man made a few "ah ah" sounds, took out a stool, put it down, and stepped aside.

As Xi Congshuang stepped out of the carriage, the first thing she saw was a middle-aged man standing in front of the crowd. He had grown a beard and had a kind face.

The clothes he wore were of good quality, but not to an extreme degree. He had the air of a nobleman, yet he habitually bowed. This was the chief secretary of the Prince's mansion, whose surname was Wang.

On the way back, Xi Congshuang had to take all necessary precautions—she had the Prince Xin's mansion thoroughly searched, and the entire place was searched overnight.

She now understands the Prince Xin's mansion so well that she could walk out of it with her eyes closed.

Chief Secretary Wang said respectfully, "Sect Leader Xi, please forgive me. Just now, His Highness was receiving an eunuch from the palace. The servant who was in charge of the ceremony was a bit slow-witted. He only remembered that His Highness said not to disturb us unless it was necessary, but he forgot that your arrival at the manor was a big deal."

Xi descended from the carriage amidst the frost, her white robes flowing gracefully.

Yongdu was not as cold as the North. He was only wearing a thin fur coat. He stood tall and elegant on the ground and said indifferently, "It's alright. Please sit for a while. Your Highness's business is important."

Chief Secretary Wang simply smiled and said, "Sect Leader Xi, this way please."

Everyone in Prince Xin's mansion respected her, but only because of Prince Xin. If Prince Xin had shown any displeasure, Xi Congshuang wouldn't have been able to even enter the gate.

Wang Changshi lagged half a step behind Xi Congshuang, glancing at her constantly out of the corner of his eye.

Before she set off for Fuzhou, he could not see through Xi Congshuang. Now that she has returned from the north, she has become even more enigmatic, and her emotions are hard to discern.

He had no idea whether Sect Leader Xi was upset about the neglect. Even if she was nitpicky and domineering, Chief Secretary Wang had a way of appeasing her.

But Xi Congshuang's hair didn't bristle at all; as if nothing had happened, she walked into the palace as usual.

This made Chief Secretary Wang uneasy, as if he saw a poisonous snake at his feet, silently lurking, ready to bite him at any moment.

No wonder the prince always spoke of her with apprehension, wondering if he could still control her once she truly rose to the highest position in the court.

Sometimes people are more trustworthy when they have obvious flaws. Xi Congshuang's flaws are not obvious in a certain sense, making her difficult to completely control.

She only spoke of high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, but showed little interest in the imperial court. She willingly took poison to show her loyalty, and afterwards she never said another word or complained.

Are there really such loyal people in the world?

Prince Xin wasn't so narcissistic as to think he could win the heart of a powerful sect leader. She always drank tea at Prince Xin's residence, and always wore gloves.

This is someone who left Medicine Valley alone. She didn't reveal much about her past, but one can probably guess that she left Medicine Valley when she was only a teenager.

Now, as the head of a sect, she has established her own sect single-handedly, and her strength should not be underestimated. Prince Xin even suspects that the reason she took the poison so readily is because she could turn around and detoxify herself.

He was also worried that this would be the second "Marquis of Pingding". The first Marquis of Pingding had made his father uneasy for many years, and there must not be a second Marquis of Pingding.

However, before that, Prince Xin would not easily give up on Xi Congshuang. He had to make the most of her and make plans after ascending the throne.

Just as he was thinking this, Prince Xin looked up and asked, "How long will it take for Sect Leader Xi to arrive?"

Before the attendant could go out to investigate, the voice of Chief Secretary Wang could be heard outside the door. Prince Xin finally couldn't resist and, adopting the demeanor of a humble and respectful prince, got up and went out to greet him.

"Sect Leader Xi, is what you just told the truth? The old immortal whom Father Emperor favors was actually recommended by my second brother?" Prince Xin couldn't wait to ask the question he wanted to know as soon as he saw the person.

When Xi Congshuang was questioned, she happened to step onto the stairs and walk up step by step.

A handsome man in brocade robes stood in front of the door. He looked to be around thirty years old and carried the scent of palace incense. The scent was fresh, indicating that someone from the palace had indeed just come by.

Xi Congshuang nodded: "Of course it's true. If I didn't tell you, wouldn't Your Highness be kept in the dark by the Prince of Wu?"

Hongdou followed behind Xi Congshuang with her head down. She didn't react at all when she heard Prince Xin calling her "Old Immortal" repeatedly, as if she didn't know what this "Old Immortal" was all about.

This old immortal claimed to be 130 years old before the emperor. He had grown a goatee, was slender, wore wide robes and sleeves, and had an ethereal appearance. It was said that he could ride the wind, which perfectly matched Emperor Jianxing's imagination of immortals.

In fact, he was only forty years old, his surname was Qian, and he was a spendthrift who gambled away his family fortune and was kicked out of the house.

After being kicked out of his home, he did all sorts of jobs, but he not only failed to earn any money, he also starved himself to the bone.

To avoid starving, he did all sorts of jobs, but his gambling addiction was incurable. He was also kicked out again because he refused to admit that he had stolen from his employer.

This experience of being kicked out of the house solidified his belief that honest work alone wouldn't be enough to support him.

He could only resort to swindling and cheating to continue gambling. Later, seeing that fortune tellers on the street could make money, he grew a beard, gritted his teeth and quit gambling for a while. He took out the disguise tools he had stolen from his employer's house, bought a few decent-looking clothes, changed his name, and carried a tattered book around to tell fortunes.

He couldn't calculate accurately, and the contents of the fortune-telling books were only half-understood. So he would find a few accomplices, make a name for himself, perform rituals for wealthy families, take the money, divide the spoils, and then leave to move on to the next place.

By sheer luck, while traveling around, he encountered a genuine old Taoist priest. To escape his debts, the "old immortal" stayed at the dilapidated Taoist temple and took care of the old priest for a few days. After the old priest died, he inherited the temple.

This provided him with a place to develop. He took out the money he had saved up before and renovated the front hall of the Taoist temple. He held a ritual and rode the wind in front of the bustling crowd. At that time, his face was full of rosy light, which made the statue of the god look golden, as if he was about to ascend to heaven at any time.

His reputation soared, and the Taoist temple where he lived became a popular place of worship.

Until he was recommended by the King of Wu, he went to Emperor Jianxing and presented him with an elixir that could extend one's lifespan by at least sixty years.

However, the price he paid was that he exhausted all his cultivation to create the elixir just to offer it as medicine, and he would probably be unable to ride the wind for some time.

After taking the elixir, Emperor Jianxing's health truly improved, and he became vigorous and energetic, even capable of riding horses and hunting.

Even the head of the Imperial Medical Academy said that His Majesty was in better health than before, which greatly pleased the Emperor. He rewarded His Majesty with a thousand taels of gold and bestowed upon him a long Taoist name, which he would simply call Minzhen Taoist.

As for why Hongdou knew so much, it was because all of this was written in the letter that the Second Hall Master sent to the Sect Master. That night, the Sect Master thought she was too noisy, so he read it once himself and then had Hongdou read it again.

Hongdou couldn't understand many of the characters, and had to guess them out. The process of guessing was too difficult, which is why she knew so much about the background of this "old immortal".

She also knew that it was Yihaotang who brought the "Old Immortal" to the King of Wu, and that the two teenage medicine boys beside the "Old Immortal" were also from Yihaotang.

However, the "old immortal" thought that the two medicine boys were sent by the Wu King's Mansion to monitor him, while the Wu King's Mansion thought that they had just bought two boys to help the "old immortal" and occasionally tip him off.

No one knows what kind of arrangements Xi Congshuang is making. She even has people in the Wu Prince's mansion. She has made connections with Consort Zhen. She lost favor because of her words and was suppressed by the princess. She is unwilling to give up like this.

While going out to offer incense, she learned of the existence of the "Old Immortal." She was then persuaded by someone with ulterior motives to inform the King of Wu about this.

As expected, the King of Wu was overjoyed and only wanted to live a life of ease, so the "old immortal" who had been living in seclusion in a corner of the country was pushed to the forefront and put in a difficult position.

Hongdou found the scene inexplicably funny, pursed her lips, and reminded herself not to laugh.

The Prince of Xin is right in front of you, so keep your mouth shut and don't laugh!

Upon hearing Xi Congshuang's words, Prince Xin was initially embarrassed, then turned around, slammed his hand on the table, and sat down in the main seat: "Second brother has always been like this, especially good at pleasing Father Emperor, I never expected..."

Xi Congshuang slowly continued, "I didn't expect that the King of Wu would take advantage of the situation so soon after I left."

He didn't want to admit it, but it was true. Prince Xin wasn't one to shy away from trouble, so he asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Xi Congshuang picked up her teacup, moistened her throat, and said under the urging gaze of Prince Xin, "Your Highness, please choose a day to dig up the stone kylin that was buried last year and present it to His Majesty."

That was originally intended by Prince Xin to build up his own prestige. After a heavy rain, lightning split the hill open, revealing a naturally formed, snow-white Qilin buried inside.

Emperor Jianxing sought longevity, so it was obvious that presenting this auspicious omen and saying a few auspicious words would please him and might even make him agree to appoint the crown prince.

Prince Xin instinctively thought, "No, we mustn't. The Qilin was intended to be presented at Father Emperor's birthday banquet to overwhelm everyone. If it's presented now, won't we end up empty-handed at the banquet?"

Remembering the other purpose of this white qilin, if it were offered up just for the purpose of fighting, wouldn't that make the crown prince's investiture letter even further away from him?

After hesitating several times, Prince Xin said, "Besides..."

Xi Congshuang thought to herself that this foolish child was beyond redemption. She put down her teacup and said, "But has Your Highness ever considered that His Majesty has just reached the age of sixty? You presented a white unicorn at the Thousand Autumns Banquet to congratulate His Majesty on receiving this auspicious omen. Then, the ministers petitioned to bestow the title of Crown Prince. What would His Majesty think?"

"Will he think this is a coincidence? Or are you planning for the King of Qin's future?"

Prince Xin's expression changed. In Emperor Jianxing's eyes, what difference was there between this and urging him to die sooner?

Go straight for his bad luck!

Upon hearing the name of the King of Qin, his face darkened even further: "Of course I don't want to!"

Everyone knows that the Prince of Qin is the eldest son of Emperor Jianxing and should have been the first choice for crown prince, but he was confined to his residence to reflect on his mistakes because of his association with court officials.

A month later, the Empress was found to have used witchcraft to curse the Emperor. She was banished to the Cold Palace and later executed.

The deposed King of Qin went completely mad. When he rushed out of the mansion, his leg was trampled by the guards' horse and he became a cripple.

After that, anyone who spoke up for the deposed King of Qin would be killed by the emperor, and the empress's maternal clan would be exterminated along with their entire family. Blood stained the execution grounds, and from then on, no one dared to speak up for the deposed King of Qin.

It had not been five years since this incident, and Prince Xin still vividly remembered everything.

"It's not about timing, but about timing. His Majesty is in a good mood, yet you're getting jealous of the Prince of Wu over such a trivial matter. He'll only be happier and might even compensate you."

Xi Congshuang made the final decision, "Right now, the only one who can restrain you is the King of Wu."

How could Prince Xin not know that Emperor Jianxing preferred to have his princes check and balance each other?

In the past, several people restrained the King of Qin. After the King of Qin died, Emperor Jianxing ignored everyone for a long time. Later, he was flattered by the King of Wu and received more favor.

Until Prince Xin took away this favor, he began to worry that he would lose this trust.

Without offering to stay for a meal at the residence, Xi Congshuang left after speaking, leaving Prince Xin to ponder the matter himself.

He had no time to question Xi Congshuang about why she had returned to the capital without permission. After she left, he summoned several of the retainers he kept in the mansion to discuss the matter.

After much discussion, news came from the palace that the emperor had kept the Prince of Wu as his companion and ordered the princess to bring the crown prince into the palace, saying that he wanted to enjoy family time.

Since the Emperor deposed the Prince of Qin, he has never allowed any prince to stay overnight in the palace. He also disliked the fates of the princes of various families as an obstacle to the Emperor, and refused to see any of them. But now he has actually seen them?

The first person he met was the Crown Prince of Wu.

This made Prince Xin feel even more threatened, so he wrote a letter overnight to have the white unicorn unearthed.

After fooling Prince Xin, Xi Congshuang left and returned to her residence. She didn't care about what happened after that, no matter how much she had foreseen it.

Back in Yongdu, Hongdou found the carriage stuffy and hot, and still longed for the bustling city, so she sat outside the carriage tracks watching the excitement.

She was still young, active, and liked lively and interesting places. During her time in Fuzhou, except for the night of the lantern festival, she was almost driven crazy by boredom.

It was nearing evening, and the streetlights were just coming on.

Changning Lane was mostly inhabited by high-ranking officials and nobles; a single brick thrown there could hit several members of the imperial family. Few ordinary people ever passed through this area.

It was getting late, and servants had already gone out to light lamps. As the lamps lit up, Hongdou rested her chin on her hand and looked around to see which people's residences these were.

Then she saw a mansion with a large, wide gate, but no one lit any lamps.

The lanterns with surnames on them were not lit, so she had to look up at the plaques.

Hongdou looked at it with wide eyes, puzzled, and asked, "Whose house is this? The residence of Marquis Dingping... no, it's the residence of Marquis Pingding!"

With a whoosh, the curtain behind her was lifted, and Xi Congshuang peeked out of the car.

The vast Pingding Marquis's Mansion came into view, with vermilion pillars reaching to the sky. There was no one lighting any lamps in front of the gate, so it was completely dark. Sure enough, the plaque at the top had a few words written on it: "Pingding Marquis's Mansion".

What a coincidence! On my way back, I ran into Xun Chengzhi's house.

The mute man silently slowed down, allowing Xi Congshuang to see him more clearly.

The gate of the mansion was wide, and the stone lions in front of it were covered in a layer of dust. They squatted on the stone blocks, their faces covered in dirt, continuing to guard the house. Perhaps there used to be a few that cleaned it, but now there was no one left. The place was deserted and desolate.

I heard from the people in the general's mansion that Commander Xun took everyone in the mansion with him before he went to war.

In a few days, it will be time for the troops to return home in triumph.

Xi Congshuang was unwell and could not rush back on horseback. Xun Suihuang was not particular about formalities and was unwilling to sit in the large carriage bestowed upon her by the emperor for even a short while. She must have returned on horseback.

Sitting back in the carriage, Xi Congshuang shook her head, thinking: I'd better come back soon, or I'm afraid she won't be able to resist writing a letter to me.

As Xun Suihuang was counting heads and preparing to return to the capital, he sneezed.

Gu Daifang laughed heartily: "General, who's been lecturing you?"

Xun Suihuang raised her long leg, about to kick her, but Gu Daifang quickly dodged. Everyone burst into laughter, saying that Gu Daifang had gone to offend the general again.

Aunt Ruo from the manor stepped forward and handed what she was carrying to Xun Suihuang: "General, someone has brought you a message."

As she spoke, Aunt Ruo glanced at the lock hanging next to the wooden box: "Do you have the key?"

"A letter? Isn't this a box?" Gu Daifang leaned closer and curiously fiddled with the lock. "Why is there a word engraved on the lock? No, I'm mistaken, it's not a word."

Xun Suihuang spotted the pattern on the lock at a glance and snatched the palm-sized wooden box: "My letter, all of you step back."

Unable to shoo away the people who wanted to join in the fun, he had no choice but to go into the study himself, break the brass lock, and open the box to take a look.

She felt a little sorry that the lock with the frost pattern engraved on it had been broken, blaming herself for being too hasty.

The contents of the box caught her attention; she saw a brocade pouch and a letter inside.

A faint floral fragrance wafted from the brocade pouch, its contents unknown. The pale blue brocade pouch lay bulging on the envelope.

She didn't take the brocade pouch immediately, but instead went to read the letter.

The signature above was indeed: To Cheng Zhi.

It is indeed Xi Congshuang's handwriting.

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Picking flower petals, writing, not writing, writing, not writing, writing...