Tales of the Former Dynasty

Whether she was an insignificant dancer or a highly respected young master and grand master of music in the court.

Consort Chen's attitude towards her was always that of an elder caring for a younger person. It was not based on power or any exploitative value.

Now she finally understood why.

Consort Chen finally turned around.

Her beautiful and gentle face now exuded a chilling aura, and her eyes shone like swords.

She said coldly, "My friendship with Senior Brother Wanqi vanished the moment he became the National Preceptor of the Northern Qiang. The purpose of Lanling Hall for a thousand years has been to resist violence and tyranny for the people. In every generation of Lanling disciples, there are people who are infiltrated into the center of power, so that we can eliminate evil immediately once tyranny and evil people seize power."

A-Qiu suddenly realized something.

That explains why the Four Stars of Heavenly Secrets were invited by the emperor to enter the palace as hidden guards, lurking in the shadows to protect the emperor.

Whether it was the birth of the Emperor's Sword Technique or the existence of the Four Heavenly Constellations and the Four Flying Phoenix Guards, for thousands of years they have all been for the purpose of dealing with the Lanling Hall, a force lurking in the shadows that is powerful enough to threaten the emperor.

Imperial power and popular will have always been mutually restraining, and the undercurrents between them have never ceased.

Her entry into the palace, like that of Consort Chen, was not a whim of Wan Qiqing, but rather a tradition passed down for thousands of years by Lanling Hall.

She also remembered that before she entered the palace, Wan Qiqing had said half a sentence with a hesitant look: "...We have people in our palace, but I don't know if they will still take care of you now."

He added, "Even if she doesn't help you, she would never dare to ruin your plans. Because her background is also something we can use against her."

...

After entering the palace, A Qiu always operated independently, rarely even contacting Gongyi Xiu. She never imagined that the senior member of Lanling Hall who had infiltrated the palace was actually the former head of the Flying Phoenix Sect, and now the number one person in the inner palace, Consort Chen, Li Lanxiu.

Consort Chen slowly raised her Xiuyi sword, pointing it at Mo Yimingyue, and said, "We infiltrated the palace not to be pawns for Senior Brother Wanqi's personal ambitions, but to intimidate the emperor and instill in him the spirit of a virtuous man who is diligent and vigilant day and night. It is Senior Brother Wanqi, not me, who has betrayed the principles of Lanling and turned to opportunism and power struggles!"

She said coldly, "For example, if you came to assassinate me tonight, what crime has the Xie family committed? What wrong has the Crown Prince done? It's nothing more than you taking this opportunity to deliberately exacerbate the situation and force the Southern Dynasty to fall apart, so as to smoothly clear the way for the Northern Qiang's rule!"

Ah Qiu finally understood why Mo Yimingyue had arrived so suddenly, while Consort Chen seemed to have been waiting there all along.

At this moment, it seems only Consort Chen in the palace is still keeping a close eye on the Xie father and son. Because she herself hails from Lanling, she knows all too well what kind of person Wan Qiqing is. She can also foresee the targeted actions Wan Qiqing might take given the current situation.

The most important task at present is to dismantle the existing framework of the Southern Dynasty. Ideally, Gu Yi should be eliminated, but Gu Yi is not so easy to assassinate. If the weakest member, Xie Tiao, can be eliminated, it would be like cutting off a major artery with minimal effort—a sure-fire deal.

Mo Yimingyue's eyes were cold as she sneered, "I didn't know that Lanling Hall had such loyal and righteous men as my uncle. However, loyal and righteous men never live long in this world."

He paused, then scoffed, "If that's the case, what crime did my mother commit? What wrong did the entire Mo Yi clan do?"

Consort Chen's originally indifferent expression suddenly changed after hearing this sentence.

She looked at Mo Yimingyue, gently shook her head, and said softly, "If your mother... if Lady Huachi were still alive, she would never have watched her only son join the Northern Qiang and poison the Han dynasty."

A look of disbelief flashed across Mo Yimingyue's eyes, but she still asked, "Oh? So, Martial Uncle has also seen my mother?"

Consort Chen remained silent for a moment, as if recalling something. Then she said, "When Lady Huachi was at the height of her power, I was just a lowly deputy general in the Imperial Guards and had no honor in dealing with her. But after she retired and I was promoted to Left General of the Household, I actually had a chance to meet her once."

Her gaze fell on Mo Yimingyue's wrist, and she said softly, "That rattan bracelet on your wrist, is it her keepsake? I saw it once."

Mo Yimingyue struggled to suppress the shock in her eyes and asked, "What did she say to you then?"

Consort Chen sighed and said, "Actually, although she had already retired at that time, she was still the most prominent noble lady in the former Huan Dynasty. My status was still worlds apart from hers. How could I have had the opportunity to speak with her? From beginning to end, I only heard her sigh once."

Mo Yimingyue asked, "What did she sigh about?"

Consort Chen turned her gaze toward Huihe Palace, where Xie Tiao was resting, and said, "Four words."

But when Mo Yimingyue heard these four words, she could no longer hide her change in expression.

"What wrong has the child done?"

That was in the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Da Huan. Marquis Li Mingyuan, under the summons of Shangguan Jin, the Grand Secretary, brought his son Li Chongyu to court.

Li Mingyuan was staying at the Beining Pavilion at the time. His personal guards were responsible for security inside the pavilion, while a special Imperial Guard was stationed outside the pavilion to ensure the safety of Li and his son in the capital.

This Imperial Guard was then under the command of Li Lanxiu, the Left General of the Tiger Guard.

This also shows the importance that Dayan attaches to the safety of Li Mingyuan and his son.

Aside from the first day after arriving in the capital, when Li Mingyuan and Li Chongyu paid homage to Emperor Wu and the Empress, Li Mingyuan mostly went to the Ministry of Personnel to discuss the upcoming allied forces' plan to resist the Northern Qiang with Shangguan Jin and others. Although Li Chongyu frequently accompanied his father to court and participated in military secrets, he also spent a considerable amount of time at the Beining Pavilion.

One day, when Li Lanxiu returned to the palace to report for duty, he suddenly received instructions from Emperor Wu of Han, Sima Yan: if he had time, he could take Li's eldest son to walk around the streets and alleys of Jianzhang Palace to experience the local customs and culture of the Southern Dynasties.

Of course, the consent of the Marquis of Guannei must be obtained beforehand.

As Sima Yan spoke, a beautiful woman named Zhang was attending him. He glanced at her with seductive eyes, then looked away uninterestedly and pulled Emperor Wu aside to talk about other things.

Li Lanxiu seemed to realize something: Emperor Wu was the kind of person who would never bother with other people, so why would he have time to think about the boy being bored at the post station? Presumably, this Consort Zhang has a master behind her, wanting to get closer to the Shuofang Army, and is therefore looking for an opportunity to curry favor.

But as a mere lieutenant general, she was only responsible for security and guard duties. She simply carried out orders from above and had no time to consider such matters. So she bowed her head, accepted the order, and withdrew.

The next day, she consulted with the military advisors and studied the map of Jianzhang. They selected several routes for sightseeing, including the official roads leading to the East Market, West Market, and the outskirts. She first reported the plan to Li Mingyuan and received his permission to take Li Chongyu on the trip. Then, according to the travel schedule, she arranged for people to protect, monitor, and clear the roads along the route every day.

Since it was a trip to experience civilian life, everyone was dressed incognito and did not display the banners of the Shuofang Army or the Imperial Guard. The guards were all in plain clothes and hidden among the pedestrians, following in twos and threes at varying distances, using secret signals to communicate with each other.

Li Lanxiu herself was dressed casually, wearing a plain silk shawl and a light yellow pleated butterfly skirt. She walked side by side with Li Chongyu, who was dressed as an ordinary young man. At first glance, people would only think of them as an ordinary mother and son, passing through the streets and alleys of Jianzhang. They did not attract any attention.

Li Chongyu seemed extremely interested in the customs and culture of the Southern Dynasty, but he rarely asked her questions, mostly observing carefully and thinking calmly. Li Lanxiu immediately sensed that this young man was composed and ambitious, but she did not disturb his interest.

The past few days had been the same; they had toured the bustling shops and witnessed the abundance of goods in the East and West Markets. On the last day, however, Li Chongyu suggested to her that he wanted to buy a few sets of women's clothing.

She was slightly taken aback when she heard the question.

Although Li Chongyu had grown rapidly and was already as tall as an adult man, he was still a child. She was quite surprised that such a young boy wanted to buy women's clothes.

She wanted to ask, but felt that although the other person was a child, he was still the son of the Marquis of Guannei, and as an outsider, she should not pry. So she could only say tactfully, "Women's heights and sizes vary. If the young general just buys whatever he likes, it may not fit."

Li Chongyu glanced at her, then hesitated before saying, "My mother's figure is quite similar to yours, General. Perhaps you could choose one for me, General Li."

Li Lanxiu immediately felt relieved and said, "No problem. If we are choosing for the Lady of Guannei Marquis, we should go to the Shu Brocade Embroidery Workshop in the East Market. The ready-made clothes and embroidery there are superb, and it can be said to have gathered the best craftsmen in the Southern Dynasty."

Li Chongyu seemed to want to say something but hesitated, and finally only said, "Then I'll trouble you, General."

Although she claimed to have taken Li Chongyu to pick out clothes, she wasn't actually very knowledgeable about them. Because she rarely wore civilian clothes while in the military camp, and while the salary of a deputy general in the Imperial Guard wasn't small, it was still insufficient compared to the exquisite garments produced by the Shu Brocade Embroidery Workshop, which often took months to complete.

Before this trip, she had informed the palace in advance and requested a sum of money. Otherwise, if she couldn't afford the clothes with her own purse, it would be a huge embarrassment.

Upon arriving at the Shu Embroidery Brocade Shop, a female shopkeeper came out to greet them. To avoid revealing his identity, Li Lanxiu did not show his token, only saying that he had brought his young master to choose a dress for his wife as a birthday gift.

Upon hearing this, the female shopkeeper immediately praised the young master for his filial piety without reservation. She then laid out all the finished products in the shop and kept introducing their patterns, materials, and styles to the two of them.

Li Chongyu only glanced at all the styles displayed in the store before lowering his eyelids, seemingly showing little interest.

While dealing with the female shopkeeper's veiled probing questions about their budget and resources, Li Lanxiu kept a close eye on Li Chongyu's movements. Seeing his listless appearance, she was also puzzled. However, having served the emperor for a long time, she knew that reading people's expressions and serving them was basic etiquette. After giving the female shopkeeper a few more perfunctory replies, she led Li Chongyu out.

Seeing that they had reached the street, Li Chongyu finally came to his senses and asked her, "Aren't we going to buy anything?"

Li Lanxiu said with a wry smile, "Whether you buy it or not is naturally up to you, young general. Just now you didn't seem to find anything you liked, so I can't make the decision for you." He then tentatively added, "If there's nothing you like, I can report to the Imperial Household Department. As long as the size and style are agreed upon, they can make it immediately and will definitely be ready before you return to Youzhou."

Li Chongyu sighed again and stopped talking, but his feet remained in front of the Shu Jinxiu Workshop, as if he didn't want to leave.

Li Lanxiu looked at this usually brave and composed young man and was also puzzled for a moment.

It was his idea to buy clothes, so why did he seem so indecisive once they got to the store? And yet, if he didn't like them, he clearly wouldn't leave.