Luminous Pearl 6

"Did you have a good time?" After returning to the palace, Xiao Congzhi went straight to Xuanhe Palace, dismissing everyone and making it seem as if he wanted to indulge in debauchery in broad daylight.

Xie Mowen poured Xiao Congzhi a glass of water and replied with a smile, "Shouldn't I be asking you? Why did you suddenly decide to go on this trip?"

When Ge Yun came to report earlier, Xiao Congzhi gave Xie Mowen a look, meaning that he wanted to use Xie Mowen to go to the embassy.

"Lin Shuo wants to test me, so let's take this opportunity to find out what's going on at the embassy."

What is he testing?

"He's been probing me to see if I have any plans, and how many plans I have. Today, he sent Luo Yi here simply because he knows I'm interested in conflict events and wants to see what I'll do."

Xie Mowen thought for a moment, then brought up another matter: "That Vice Minister of Rites is..."

Xiao Congzhi didn't hide anything and nodded in response: "How did you know he could be considered one of my men?"

“You acted more naturally on the way to the embassy.”

"Is it that obvious?" Xiao Congzhi frowned.

“Others may not see it, so you don’t need to worry about it.” Xie Mowen was just observing Xiao Congzhi all along, and then said, “But I really have some doubts about what you’ve been doing these past few days.”

Xiao Congzhi dipped his finger into the water in the teacup, gesturing for Xie Mowen to come closer, and then began to draw on the table.

Several factions and names were listed on it.

Qi Ming, Prime Minister Jiang, Empress Dowager, Lin Shuo, Shen Zhuo, Yan Hong, Qi Wuxuan, Xia, Jin, Khitan.

“Let’s start with the simplest example, General Zhenxi. You’ve mentioned before that he’s unstable. His goal is clear: to attack the Xiongnu. But now that the court is controlled by the Jiang family, he will never have enough supplies to support his campaign.”

Xie Mowen pondered, "But the Qi family is loyal and righteous, and would not resort to rebellion to usurp the throne."

"Yes, but he can also support Prince Rong. I can't let him think I have no intention of ruling, nor can I let him think I'm easy to manipulate, otherwise he'll be the next Prime Minister Jiang."

"So that's why you haven't confided in him for so many years?"

Xiao Congzhi chuckled: "An emperor should not confide in anyone; keeping them guessing is the art of being an emperor."

"Mm." Xie Mowen silently put his arm around Xiao Congzhi.

Xiao Congzhi continued, "Military power has always been a troublesome matter. The only family that Shengchao can fight is the Qi family. I can't think of a good way to deal with the Qi family, so I can only leave it as it is for now."

"I think Qi Ming has made his stance clear during this period, which has also put some constraints on Prime Minister Jiang."

"Yes, but the Xiongnu will always be a hindrance to him. If the Xiongnu invade, he will lead the Zhenxi Army deep into the desert, and at that time I will not be able to rely on him in Yidu."

Xie Mowen nodded, his eyes darkening. "But, if it could be such a coincidence..."

"Because the Jiang family lineage has maintained a cooperative relationship with the Xiongnu for more than 20 years."

Xie Mowen looked at Xiao Congzhi in surprise.

“I have always suspected that the sudden death of the late emperor was orchestrated by the Xiongnu, because the Xiongnu are skilled in witchcraft. And for the past ten years or so, the Jiang family and the Xiongnu royal family have maintained an exchange of interests.”

"I'll have Shao Cheng come and take a look at that luminous pearl later." The Gu technique was unpredictable, and Xie Mowen dared not be careless.

"Alright, thank you for your trouble. The other day when the Empress Dowager came to see me, you were in the inner room, and she said something that wasn't wrong. The current dynasty is indeed beset by internal and external troubles. Internally, the Jiang family controls the court, and externally, the Xiongnu are eyeing us covetously. None of the vassal states are easy to deal with, and the people's lives are gradually becoming problematic."

Aside from Qi Ming's army, I am not entirely without usable forces. The Imperial Guard has always been under my command, and Shen Zhuo also has a secret force behind him, obeying his orders and loyal to me—each member is elite.

"In this way, the Jiang family is not at an advantage in terms of military strength."

Xiao Congzhi shook his head: "The Xiongnu are on good terms with the Jiang family, and the Xiongnu soldiers are quite brave. The Imperial Guards have no chance of winning against them, and Shen Zhuo's men are not many. So I plan to ask the Jin for help."

"Bai Luoan?"

"Yes, you don't understand the relationship between these three parties today because you don't know what kind of cooperation they have reached behind the scenes. First, there is the Xiongnu and the fourth son of the Xia Emperor. They benefit each other. The Xiongnu helped Xia Nanrui compete for the throne, and Xia Nanrui helped the Xiongnu to open a waterway directly to Yidu."

Xie Mowen suddenly realized: "So that's why it's a thank you gift. Then the jade that Xia Nanrui presented couldn't be the real thing. Did you steal the luminous pearl?"

"Yes, the theft and the murder of the dancer that night were both done by Shen Zhuo's men. At the time, I didn't know what was going on, so I just destroyed it to get rid of it. Today, I said that if nothing is found, we should punish them, and Shen Zhuo knew to put the luminous pearl inside."

Now that the Night Pearl has been found in Xia Nanrui's room, Qi Wuxuan will certainly not trust him anymore, not to mention that Xia Nanchi is very likely to take advantage of his misfortune, and Xia Nanrui will no longer have the ability to help open the waterway.

Xia Nanrui will likely suspect Jin in this matter, after all, Bai Luoan just picked a fight with him and Qi Wuxuan.

Xie Mowen nodded. The game in the imperial court was a grand scheme, and a risky one at that. "You want to loosen the relationships between these people?"

Xiao Congzhi hummed in agreement and then explained, "From the time of the gift presentation, I suspected that Bai Luoan and Qi Wuxuan were cooperating. Let's not talk about their purpose for now, but they probably agreed that one of them would send a dancer to test my strength, and the other would send a luminous pearl for execution after the test."

Xie Mowen frowned: "So there really is something wrong with that luminous pearl?"

"Hmm, perhaps, at least... the dancer is a top assassin of the Jin Kingdom."

Xie Mowen chuckled and raised an eyebrow: "Bai Luoan had a trick up his sleeve, which destroyed the trust between them. If Qi Wuxuan knew about this, it would be his motive for killing the dancer."

“That’s right. Bai Luoan is a smart man. How could he suspect Qi Wuxuan just because Qi Wuxuan gave Xia Nanrui a piece of jade? Not to mention the death of a dancer. He doesn’t need to care about that at all. What he cares about is his cooperative relationship with the Xiongnu.”

"So what did you do?"

“I had someone do something to make Bai Luoan realize that Qi Wuxuan knew the dancer’s identity. Bai Luoan knew that anyone who could kill the dancer must be a master, and Xia Nanrui was the only one around him.”

"This has broken the relationship between Bai Luoan and Qi Wuxuan. But what was the purpose of their cooperation?"

"I suspect it's a test. The only benefit of the Xiongnu's cooperation with the Jiang clan is that their Zhenxi army is unable to penetrate deep into the desert, but they clearly have more ambitious goals, such as entering the Central Plains. At the same time, Jin, as the most powerful vassal state, will not be content to remain a vassal state forever. For them, if I am truly weak, they can directly control me instead of feigning cooperation with the Jiang clan. In this case, their interests are aligned."

"Given your actions over the past twelve years, this is highly likely, which is why they reached an agreement. Therefore, the luminous pearl probably contains manipulative Gu techniques."

“Yes, but if I were not like that, the Xiongnu would want to collude with the Jiang clan to get rid of me and put a puppet on the throne. But Bai Luoan is not like that. After all, Bai Luoan is only the crown prince, not the emperor. The struggle for the throne in the Jin Kingdom is also very fierce.”

Xie Mowen gradually caught up with Xiao Congzhi's train of thought and tried to analyze: "So you can't let the Xiongnu discover your true strength, but you need to reveal something to Bai Luoan."

“Bai Luoan is a smart man. Once he realizes something, he will realize that it is better to cooperate with me than to conspire with the Xiongnu. He wants to ascend the throne as emperor, and I need the Jin army.”

Xie Mowen took a sip of tea, silently processing these intricate details.

Xiao Congzhi continued, "Next is Prince Rong. I told you about my relationship with the Imperial Uncle before. The Imperial Uncle and Sun don't care who controls the court. However, if I have the ability to manage the court, they would rather support the Emperor than the Jiang family."

"So they've been testing the waters?"

"Well, both of them are too smart and their stances are ambiguous. I can only use a mix of truth and deception to keep them guessing forever."

Xie Mowen tilted his head and gently kissed Xiao Congzhi's lips.

Xiao Congzhi dodged slightly, but a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes: "Chen Zhuo and Yan Hong, one in the shadows and the other in the light, are loyal only to the emperor and were originally with me. As for Luo Yi, I recruited him after observing him carefully for the past ten years or so."

"You placed him in the Ministry of Rites because of Prince Rong?"

"I would feel more at ease having someone keep an eye on me with my uncle. Besides, the Ministry of Rites is a good place to keep a low profile."

Xie Mowen looked at the densely packed lines on the table and sighed. It wouldn't be easy for Xiao Congzhi to smoothly assume power.

"Do you understand now?" Xiao Congzhi asked Xie Mowen with a smile, pouring out the tea from his teacup, drowning out the complex web of relationships.

Xie Mowen hugged Xiao Congzhi tightly and replied sullenly, "You have to make Qi Ming think that you have the potential to rule, make Prince Sun Rangrong think that you are unfathomable, make the Xiongnu and Xia think that you are just a puppet of the Jiang family, make Bai Luoan think that you are quite shrewd, and make the Jiang family not suspect you."

Xiao Congzhi leaned closer to Xie Mowen, his tone not heavy: "People will see what they want to see. I only need to leave a phantom image, and they can fill in the story in their hearts. Your Xuanhe Palace probably won't be very quiet during this time."

"Are you going to stay here and fish forever?"

"You're not willing?" Xiao Congzhi raised an eyebrow at Xie Mowen.

Xie Mowen gave Xiao Congzhi's waist a meaningful rub and replied slyly, "I'm willing~"

Xiao Congzhi looked at Xie Mowen and smiled, not with a deep or unfathomable meaning, but with a smile that was gentle and bright.

Xie Mowen stroked Xiao Congzhi's eyes, leaned down, and exchanged a lingering kiss.

"It still hurts, how can you bear to do this?" Xiao Congzhi grabbed Xie Mowen's hand that was reaching inside his clothes and said in a coquettish tone.

Xie Mowen took a deep breath, pulled his hand away, and while biting Xiao Congzhi's ear, grabbed Xiao Congzhi's hand and said impatiently, "Then touch it."

...

Xiao Congzhi blushed and leaned against Xie Mowen. He really let Xie Mowen have his way.

"Is it comfortable?"

Xiao Congzhi reluctantly agreed: "Mm."

"You just wanted to seduce those people by indulging in their beauty, so what do you care about?" Xie Mowen asked, amusedly, while holding Xiao Congzhi.

Xiao Congzhi seriously reflected: "Have I been too good to you?"

Xie Mowen shamelessly replied, "I'm very good to you too." As he spoke, he kissed Xiao Congzhi's neck, which was sweaty, and then licked it.

Xiao Congzhi felt a little itchy and tried to dodge, but then he suddenly realized that neither of them had experience in how to treat their lovers, but the other was someone they could indulge, so there was no need to worry about anything special.

As Xiao Congzhi had predicted, Xuanhe Palace became quite lively for a period of time afterward.

Xiao Congzhi initially proposed to destroy the Xiongnu, but was stopped by Lady Jiang. He then became obsessed with male lovers and made ambiguous remarks when the ministers advised him to select concubines. Later, he took his male favorites to the embassy, ​​where he obtained important clues but hurriedly returned to the palace, spending several days in Xuanhe Palace.

The truth is often elusive; what's revealed is always just the tip of the iceberg, and we can never truly know what lies beneath the surface.

Shen Zhuo sneaked into Xuanhe Palace late at night. He had no intention of disturbing his master and a certain despicable martial artist, but he was really unsure of what to do.

"Your Majesty, what should I say to the Empress Dowager?"

When he sensed Shen Zhuo's presence, Xiao Congzhi was kissing Xie Mowen. Having hastily donned his outer robe, Xiao Congzhi had little patience at the moment, but still prioritized business, replying, "Let the Empress Dowager think I just wanted to watch the spectacle and show off my imperial power. As for what decision to make, I'll just run away."

"My lord, could the people in the embassy have revealed something else?"

"Bai Luoan is a man of deep thoughts. Xia Nanrui is in a precarious situation himself. He is only close to Qi Wuxuan, but since it concerns his own interests, he dares not say anything ambiguous to Jiang Yangze."

After pondering it for a while, he understood and left in a hurry.

After carefully considering his words, Prime Minister Jiang reported to the Empress Dowager. The next day, he went to the palace and discussed the matter with the Empress Dowager for most of the day.

They almost completely lowered their guard against the emperor. After comparing intelligence from various sources, they felt that this emperor, who had been a puppet for more than ten years, was indeed uninterested in court affairs. However, he was still in a high position and was young, ambitious, and arrogant. He was dissatisfied that his words as emperor were like farts and wanted to show off his imperial authority.

But knowing he was powerless to change his mind, he could only pretend, and eventually gave up on himself and became obsessed with men.

After considering all this, Jiang decided not to take any action for the time being. After all, they were still worried about their relationship with Qi Wuxuan, who was a big eater and a scheming man, much more difficult to deal with than a puppet emperor.

Qi Ming was quite anxious. The Xiongnu royal family was enjoying good food and drink in Yidu, which made him very unhappy these past few days. When he was drinking and chatting with Zhang Hesheng, the Minister of War, they talked about the current emperor again.

At that time, he was quite intoxicated.

Qi Ming: "The Emperor has stopped attending court for some time now."

Zhang Hesheng seconded, "I heard that the reason for the court session a few days ago was because the Empress Dowager had given a reprimand the day before, and the topic of the imperial concubine selection came up in court..."

Qi Ming interrupted, "Look at the words you used! 'Admonition'? That's the Emperor himself!"

"Isn't that the truth? The current emperor arranged for that male favorite to go to the harem that very day, and he was probably extremely unhappy about it."

"That's right. Think about it, when we were young, I was fighting on the battlefield while you were slowly gaining power in the Ministry of War. We were both acting recklessly."

"Sigh..." Zhang He sighed, raised his wine cup and downed it in one gulp. "What power does the Ministry of War under the Jiang family have? They're always complaining about being poor to the Ministry of Revenue. That Feng Jue is a real scoundrel."

Qi Ming slammed his wine cup on the table with a "bang," and said in a vicious voice, "Seeing the Xiongnu lingering in the taverns and teahouses of Yidu every day, I wish I could take a knife and go there!"

"Sigh..." Another long sigh.

After a short silence, Qi Ming suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Brother Zhang, I went to offer my advice a few days ago. His Majesty is not entirely indifferent to politics."

“This…” Zhang Hesheng was somewhat surprised by Qi Ming’s boldness and hesitated before asking, “What do you mean by that?”

Qi Ming dared not elaborate on the details, only saying, "I've observed that His Majesty has been staying at Xuanhe Palace every day these past few days, venting his dissatisfaction with the Jiang family. If we add fuel to the fire..."

Zhang Hesheng instantly sobered up considerably and, reflecting on the Emperor's actions over the past few days, found them to make some sense.

The two exchanged a glance, hit it off immediately, and stopped drinking, secretly discussing the matter until dawn.

So the second person to visit Xuanhe Palace was Zhang Hesheng, whose reason was to recommend his younger sister to the palace.

The meeting should have taken place in the Imperial Study, but Xiao Congzhi told others that they could come directly to Xuanhe Palace if they had any business to discuss.

Zhang Hesheng waited outside the Xuanhe Palace. With his still-good hearing, he could hear the frivolous laughter coming from inside. It took him quite a while before he was invited inside.

When Zhang Hesheng entered the room, Xiao Congzhi was dressed neatly and was stroking a teacup, with a smile still lingering in his eyes.

"What brings you here, Minister Zhang?" Xiao Congzhi asked, sipping his tea in a very amiable manner.

"Your Majesty, I have come to recommend my younger sister to the palace so as to continue the family line."

Xiao Congzhi smiled and said, "My dear minister, the second daughter of the Zhang family is renowned in Yidu. Why would you step into this pit of fire that is mine?"

Zhang Hesheng knelt on the ground, pondering the deeper meaning of these words. He realized that he understood the Emperor's inner turmoil and was about to express his loyalty when he heard Xiao Congzhi speak again.

"My dear minister, please rise. Someone, bring a seat."

This interruption left Zhang Hesheng speechless, so Xiao Congzhi spoke first: "I'll just pretend you were never here. You can choose a good marriage for your younger sister."

"Your Majesty, your humble servant...your humble servant..."

Xiao Congzhi stood up, walked to Zhang Hesheng's side, pressed the man's shoulder, and said softly, "My dear minister, since ancient times, marriage alliances between rulers and ministers have been based on mutual benefit. There is nothing on you that I can take from you."

Zhang Hesheng was startled by these words and immediately slid to his knees, hurriedly saying, "Your Majesty, it is not...it is not."

"My dear minister, there's no need to be nervous." Xiao Congzhi turned around and sat back on the low couch. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xie Mowen give him a look, indicating that Ge Yun had been lured away.

Suspected of harboring ulterior motives, Zhang Hesheng broke out in a cold sweat. Xiao Congzhi sighed inwardly; he hadn't expected Qi Ming and Zhang Hesheng to make a move at this time—they had been too hasty.

He has already made his position clear: these two should simply remain inactive, neither contacting the Jiang family nor threatening Prince Rong, and wait until he needs to confront the Jiang family with weapons.

Unfortunately, the reason he came up with was not good either. A marriage alliance between a ruler and his subject was almost a declaration of their stance. Even if he refused completely, the Jiang family would still take action.

Now, Xiao Congzhi would have to be more explicit.

“My dear minister, I have nothing on me that you... or that General Qi need.”

Zhang Hesheng was shocked. How could His Majesty have guessed that the General of the Western Garrison was involved?!

Xiao Congzhi saw the question on Zhang Hesheng's face and said with a smile, "You and General Qi were drunk late last night and didn't leave until dawn. It's not hard to guess."

Zhang Hesheng was even more surprised. Last night, he and Qi Ming hadn't gone to a restaurant for drinks in a big way. He had only visited the General's Mansion in the evening, and the round trip had only taken a few hours. Did the Emperor already know everything? This control over Yidu... Zhang Hesheng dared not think too much about it.

"My dear minister, after you leave the palace, please find a good marriage for your younger sister, and also pass on a message to General Qi for me."

"Don't rush."

After leaving the palace, Zhang Hesheng felt a gust of wind, which instantly cleared his mind.

Putting aside his various thoughts, he first ran to the General's Mansion to deliver a message to the Emperor, then left Qi Ming, who was also in a state of confusion, and rushed back to his own residence.

As a result, less than an incense stick had burned since they returned home when their mother came looking for them, saying that Madam Jiang had sent someone to arrange a marriage for their younger sister, saying that the person was a distant relative of Madam Jiang.

Zhang Hesheng immediately realized what he had done and understood the foolish thing he had done that day.

Then I remembered those words from the current emperor.

I initially thought it meant that while the Jiang family was in power, he, as emperor, was powerless to wield authority. But considering the previous emperor's control over Yidu, did the current emperor mean that the Ministry of War and the Zhenxi Army wouldn't be able to contribute much to his personal rule, and they shouldn't expect anything; they should just behave themselves and not harbor any rebellious thoughts?

Yes, yes, Zhang Hesheng recalled that the Emperor had mentioned twice that he wanted to find a good marriage for his younger sister. He must have anticipated that Lady Jiang would make a move. Lady Jiang saw that he wanted to side with the Emperor, so she planned to win him over through marriage. The Emperor's mention of it twice was a warning to him not to be won over by Lady Jiang.

As for revealing that he drank with Qi Ming, it was meant as a form of intimidation.

The message he was asked to deliver to Qi Ming was exactly what it sounded: to prevent Qi Ming from making any further moves. They've probably disrupted the Emperor's plans...

After thinking it over, Zhang Hesheng calmed down and told his mother to refuse Jiang Shi's request, but to find a good marriage for his younger sister as soon as possible.

Since the Emperor has a plan, then he and Qi Ming really don't need to rush.

After Zhang Hesheng left, Xuanhe Palace.

"Are you alright?" Xie Mowen asked.

"That's nothing, I just didn't expect Qi Ming to be in such a hurry."

"General Qi must be feeling very frustrated watching the Xiongnu royal family move around in Yidu."

"Well, this is for the best. If the two of them are aware of the situation, it will reduce some of the risks."

"I guess Prince Rong will be here next."

"No." Xiao Congzhi pulled Xie Mowen over to kiss her, saying, "She is the wife of the Marquis of Anguo."

Xiao Congzhi was not wrong. Zhang Hesheng's actions reminded Jiang that there were loyal ministers in the court who wanted to assist the emperor in ruling. For this reason, Prime Minister Jiang found the Marquis of Anguo and hoped that the Marquis's wife could enter the palace and persuade the emperor to take concubines to have more children.

Prime Minister Jiang, mindful of any unforeseen circumstances, needed Xiao Congzhi to leave behind an heir as soon as possible.

Marquis Anguo had always been a restless man, and Xiao Congzhi did not want to engage in any pretense with Marquis Anguo's wife.

So he directly held Xie Mowen on his lap to meet Lady Anguo.

The lady looked embarrassed and said awkwardly, "I heard that His Majesty refused the Minister of War's sister's offer to enter the palace?"

"Yes, Madam is quick to get information." As she spoke, Xiao Congzhi ate a grape that Xie Mowen had given her, and even licked Xie Mowen's finger, eliciting a soft laugh.

Lady Anguo was restless and forced herself to say, "Your Excellency and I think His Majesty should take in more concubines to make the harem more lively."

"I think one of him is enough." After saying that, he patted Xie Mowen's buttocks meaningfully.

Lady Anguo, who had never seen anything like this before, blushed immediately, but still had to say it: "But men cannot reproduce after all."

“I am only twenty years old and am not in a hurry to have children.” Xiao Congzhi frowned.

"The Marquis is also worried; His Majesty must consider the stability of the court."

Xiao Congzhi frowned even more deeply and asked in a deep voice, "Are you acting as an intermediary for the Empress Dowager?"

"This...this humble servant..."

"Enough, Ge Yun!" Xiao Congzhi put Xie Mowen down, stood up, and said urgently, "Pass down the order: after the Mid-Autumn Festival, all eligible men and women in the capital city can participate in the selection."

After speaking, Xiao Congzhi picked up Xie Mowen horizontally and carried him into the inner room without looking back.

Hearing that Lady Anguo had left outside, Xie Mo asked, "Is there really a selection of candidates after the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

"I'll take you to Anling for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Oh~ then just say you're skipping the talent show, it'll make perfect sense."

"I didn't think that much about it, I just wanted to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Mowen seemed unable to control himself and hugged Xiao Congzhi tightly, lowering his head to kiss and bite his neck.

"Does it still hurt?" Xie Mowen asked breathlessly.

Xiao Congzhi was also a little out of breath, and replied, "It doesn't hurt anymore." He cupped Xie Mowen's face and kissed him.

The red candles cast a warm glow on the curtains.