Chapter 52 [VIP]

Lu Xuejin: "Every time I see Lord Song, I feel a little more sorry for myself."

He met Song Zhao's gaze, and a silent atmosphere filled the air. Song Zhao looked at him, frowned slightly, and then looked away.

Song Zhao said, "Since you have your reasons, I will not argue with you."

The two of them stood at the palace gate, watching the ceremonial guard enter the palace in the distance. Sunlight pierced through the sashes on the palace walls, casting a majestic display. Led by Xiao Qi, the procession, along with soldiers, palace servants, and guards, stretched from the palace gate to the capital's gate.

As the music of the sheng and xiao began, soldiers in the distance sounded their horns at the city gate, and the drums followed. The drumbeats, large and small, fell like rain, and gradually figures could be seen at the palace gate.

The Hu tribe brought only one group of people on this trip. Their people wore animal masks: a frightened rabbit, a solemn ox head, a fierce rat tail, a weak black sheep, and a cunning fox face in the center.

The red tassels on the earrings fluttered and jingled as they fell. The women wearing rabbit masks and the bull heads had anklets with bells that shimmered and sparkled in the sunlight.

The women carried flower baskets, gifts for Xue Yi and Xiao Qi. Trumpet creeper flowers were placed in the baskets, and a Hu tribe maid personally placed a flower wreath on Xiao Qi's head. Xiao Qi grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth.

Lu Xuejin observed for a while, feeling that the maid's behavior seemed somewhat familiar. He stared at the maid and asked, "Have you figured out what's going on?"

The question was directed at Song Zhao. Following his gaze, Song Zhao saw Xiao Qi caressing the flower wreath with obvious delight. In the distance, the Hu King removed his mask and bowed, revealing a handsome but wicked face.

Song Zhao: "Are you referring to the etiquette of the Hu people?"

Lu Xuejin remained silent, sensing something was amiss. Seeing Xue Yi and the King of Hu exchanging pleasantries, he ordered his guards to turn around.

"Go to the Fate Chamber."

Song Zhao said to him, "Lu Xuejin, you must wait for His Majesty here. You cannot go anywhere else."

“Song Zhao, if you are coming, come with me; otherwise, stay here. I have important business to attend to. Tell the Emperor I will be back soon,” Lu Xuejin said.

Seeing that the guards obeyed Lu Xuejin's orders, and noticing that Lu Xuejin's expression was off, Song Zhao glanced in Xue Yi's direction and saw that Xiao Qi had taken away the bouquet of flowers meant for Xue Yi. He felt a little relieved and followed Lu Xuejin.

Most of the palace guards were with Xue Yi, and they encountered few people on their way to the Si Ming Hui (Ascension Society). The Si Ming Hui was located on a hillside beside the palace, a place called Guanghan Peak. Apart from large-scale sacrificial ceremonies, casting rites, and temple fairs, they rarely appeared in public throughout the year.

Guanghan Peak is exceptionally serene. In the distance, a palace can be seen nestled among the peaks. The mountains here are not particularly high, and a marble staircase leads directly to the palace. Wisps of smoke rise faintly from the palace. Since ancient times, the Fate Bureau has been responsible not only for ceremonial matters but also for other astrological research.

The palace was quiet and deserted. Lu Xuejin and Song Zhao descended. They saw no guards at the palace gate, and only a wisp of smoke drifted from the hall beneath the plaque of the Siming Society. The fragrance inside was faint yet familiar.

Lu Xuejin caught a whiff of the fragrance and froze. An empty courtyard, burning incense, a vast expanse of blooming golden lotuses, and a young girl all alone. He was lost in memories of that day at the Qiu residence.

Song Zhao looked around the palace behind him and speculated, "The guards who were watching over the Criminal Trial Committee must have been transferred away today as well."

"Do you still remember the day of the spring hunt?" Lu Xuejin suddenly asked.

The two entered the hall one after the other. The hall was backlit, and in the center stood a huge bronze censer. The censer was sculpted with twenty demon faces, connected by animal heads in the center, namely rat, rabbit, ox, sheep, and fox. The Director of the Criminal Trial Committee was kneeling on the ground, the golden crow patterns on her cuffs gleaming dimly. She was tending the fire with her head down, and looked towards the door when she heard the noise.

"This humble official greets Lord Song and Lord Lu," the woman said, bowing to them.

Song Zhao entered the room behind Lu Xuejin. He saw the bronze censer in the center and said, "This cauldron was a gift from the Hu tribe ten years ago. At that time, the late emperor ordered it to be sent to the Siming Society for burning incense."

Lu Xuejin turned to look at Song Zhao, sighed, and said to the woman in front of her, "The incense burning in your palace contains aphrodisiacs. Have these herbs been authorized? If I remember correctly, they should require personal approval from the Imperial Medical Academy to obtain."

The Director of the Fate Bureau, wearing a hooded robe that concealed his face, revealing only a section of his delicate chin, said in a low voice, "Does Lord Lu wish to see the letter of approval from the Imperial Medical Academy? This humble official will present it to you immediately."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhao sniffed lightly, unable to discern anything amiss, and couldn't help but look at the young man in front of him. This man had somehow secretly learned medical principles again. Now he had gained another skill. And he, having been busy with official duties, hadn't read a book in a long time.

Lu Xuejin: "I'd like to trouble you, Supervisor."

As he finished speaking, the woman silently put down the medicinal herbs in her hand. He then looked around the palace; behind the massive beams and pillars, several statues of the Goddess of Fate could be faintly seen. The statues wore long robes that obscured their faces, revealing only their lowered eyes and benevolent, mysterious, and intellectual countenances.

Behind the statue, several robes flashed by. Due to the special nature of the position, women were allowed to participate here, and most of them were women.

A moment later, the Director of the Fate Bureau emerged from the inner side and presented a document. That document was written by Physician Gu himself, who had personally approved a portion of the medicinal materials for the Fate Bureau to use in the research and development of medicines.

After reviewing the documents, Lu Xuejin said to the Director of the Fate Bureau, "Today, Lord Song and I have come here because of the matter of the Hu King entering the palace. A blessing ceremony is required for the Hu King's entry into the palace. This ceremony was initiated by His Majesty on short notice, so we have come here specifically to trouble the Director of the Fate Bureau to make the necessary preparations."

"The prayers and blessings are cast in the third section of the Imperial Palace using the Heavenly Tablets. This ceremony is related to the relationship between our Great Wei and the Hu people, and we are grateful for the supervisor's efforts."

Song Zhao hadn't quite understood Lu Xuejin's intentions before, but he understood now. He couldn't help but look at the woman opposite Lu Xuejin. The woman had her head down and still looked calm. Another woman came out from the other side, and they huddled together, talking in hushed tones.

Among the courses they learned in their childhood, the most difficult was the ritual invocation of the God of Destiny. Many children struggled with it because the classical Chinese texts were too obscure and difficult to understand. Because it was rarely used in contemporary times, some teachers even removed this course from their curriculum. The third section of the Imperial Palace was one of the rarely used invocations.

Seeing that the Director of the Fate Chamber had brought the prayer text, the ancient book covered in dust and heavy, he said, "With us here, Director, there is no need to worry. Let's have a quick rehearsal today, and then we will personally escort Director to meet the Emperor later."

This was to get them to recite the blessing. Although the blessing was somewhat awkward for the Wei people, it was like a foreign language to the Hu people.

The God of Destiny remained silent. The woman bowed her head before them, and behind the statue emerged many hooded robes. Deep within the palace, many eerie gazes fell upon the two of them.

"I'm sorry," Lu Xuejin said in a low voice. He stepped forward and grabbed the wrist of the woman, who lost her balance. Her calves, which were covered by her long robe, were exposed, and there was a red mark on her ankle left by a ring she had worn for a long time.

A flash of silver light appeared from within the woman's sleeve. Song Zhao reacted swiftly, immediately drawing his longsword. The sword was stained with blood, and before the dagger could pierce Lu Xuejin, she collapsed.

Song Zhao lifted the woman's sleeve and saw that there were Hu characters printed deep on her wrist. He confirmed without a doubt, "She is a Hu person."

How did you know that a woman from the Hu tribe had infiltrated their ranks?

Lu Xuejin understood and replied, "I was there when they danced during the spring hunt. Their dance style was different from the previous shaman. It wasn't until today that I saw the Hu women presenting flowers as a greeting. Their dance moves are similar, so they must have come from the same school."

He never said it, but upon arriving at the hall and smelling the incense, he was almost certain that a spies from the Hu tribe had infiltrated their Great Wei court.

Lu Xuejin: "Prince Hu must have come prepared for this trip to the capital. Please take good care of His Majesty while I'm away."

The hall fell silent. Lu Xuejin touched the sleeve of the fallen woman and pulled out several letters engraved with golden script. He couldn't recognize the Hu language script, so he put the letters away.

He noticed the gaze of the person beside him, and Song Zhao said to him, "Since you are worried, why leave the palace? Why not wait until this matter is resolved?"

"..." Lu Xuejin looked over upon hearing this, his gaze lingering on Song Zhao's face for a moment. "My departure date from the capital is set. I'll leave this matter to you. With your abilities, handling this shouldn't be a problem."

"Is it that Lord Song is reluctant to part with me?" he asked calmly.

Song Zhao frowned and replied coldly, "His Majesty is reluctant to part with you; I am merely expressing my regret for His Majesty."

“I see. I won’t read these letters. I don’t understand Hu language, so I’ll leave it all to Lord Song. I’ll trouble Lord Song to decipher the contents of the letters,” Lu Xuejin said.

He glanced at the demon-faced cauldron in the hall, took out some of the incense from it, and wrapped it in a handkerchief. As they came out, he vaguely saw women gathered behind the statue, watching their backs through their hooded robes.

Cigarette smoke drifted out of the stove. Song Zhao ordered the guards to surround Guanghan Peak, ensuring that no one on the mountain could step out of Guanghan Peak.

“This was my oversight. After the leaders of the Spring Fate Society left, I didn’t pay attention to the list of new members. I have already sent someone to find that list, and I will investigate how they infiltrated the Fate Society.”

Lu Xuejin: "This is too much of a coincidence. You should send someone to keep a close eye on Hu Wang. If he makes any moves, we should be on the lookout."

“Hmm,” Song Zhao responded, following behind him. The two of them mounted their horses together, the surrounding vegetation silent. He noticed that there were many medicinal dregs piled up among the plants, and where the dregs were, the plants withered, and the insects and snakes all died.

“…You.” Song Zhao spoke, leading the horse. Qing Xu’s eyebrows furrowed with emotion. The greenery behind him accentuated his slender figure, but the emotion dissipated with a gust of wind.

Lu Xuejin pulled on the reins on her horse and asked, "What's wrong?"

After a moment, Song Zhao spoke, "If you were in the capital, the court officials would feel much more at ease."

Lu Xuejin's lips curved slightly. Seeing that Song Zhao was deep in thought before speaking these words, he couldn't help but say, "Even without me in the capital, there is still Lord Song. The court officials can still feel at ease."

"After I leave, you will take my place. Just like five years ago, I believe... Lord Song can do even better."

As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled on the reins and rode away, leaving Song Zhao with only his back view.

As the snow-white robes disappeared into the depths of the greenery, Song Zhao stood there, staring intently at Lu Xuejin's departing figure, then looked down at the envelopes.

He still has a long way to go in terms of keen insight, photographic memory, and delicate wit.

Music filled the Golden Palace, a scene of splendor for the Wei court. After receiving the King of Hu, a banquet was held on the spot. The sounds of zithers and strings filled the air as court officials gathered in groups behind Xue Yi.

Yege was strikingly handsome. He had been in Shengjing for a month, observing the behavior of the Han people in the capital. Now he had learned to be very polite, which was truly admirable.

"I wrote to the King of Wei in a previous letter, saying that I had heard that there were many skilled chess players in the Great Wei, so I came here specifically to ask for his guidance."

Yeg clapped his hands lightly on the spot, and behind him, maids wearing rabbit masks carried a palanquin into the palace. The palanquin was extremely ornate, with a base color of turquoise and azure, cast with animal faces, and engraved with layers of Hu tribe incantations below, but placed in the center was a human head stained with blood.

The head had been delayed for a long time, and despite the efforts to preserve it, much of it had decomposed. Its bluish-white color emitted a nauseating stench of decay.

Many court officials in the hall changed their expressions. Xue Yi remained silent. Xiao Qi squinted and watched. Many court officials' families smelled the stench of rotting corpses and covered their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs.

In the far corner of the Golden Palace, Murong Yue, disguised as a guard, did not see Lu Xuejin. He watched his uncle's madness spread to Shengjing and saw the terrified faces of the court officials. He stared at him for a long time.

Yege: "This is the head of the Burmese king. Two months ago, our tribe's soldiers captured the Burmese city, and I specially took the head of the Burmese king to present to the King of Wei."

“Playing chess alone is meaningless. If anyone in Wei can beat me three times today, I will give the city of Burma to Wei.”

The situation on the southwestern border is complex. Beyond the capital, there are more than a dozen small kingdoms, including the Hu, Myanmar, Vietnam, Kyrgyz, Huai, Nan, and Xichi. Among them, besides the Hu, Myanmar is the dominant power. Now that the Burmese king has passed away, and the Hu king has personally delivered the offering, the implications of which are self-evident.

Xiao Qi slammed her wine cup down on the table, her narrow, fine eyes narrowing. This young Hu, whether driven by madness or a show of force, was now using a city as collateral in her Great Wei palace. If they agreed, would she then demand the cession of a city in return?

Unfortunately, he couldn't play chess. If it were a martial arts contest, he would definitely go up and cut off the necks of two Hu people, so that they could keep the Burmese king company.

Wei Ning sat with Yue Lanxin, the young lady of the Yue family, and watched as this group of Hu men and women gathered at the palace banquet. They were all wearing masks and exuded a sinister aura from afar. The sedan chair they were carrying looked like a coffin.

The officials huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. Xue Yi, standing in the crowd, glanced at the heads and noticed that Song Zhao and Lu Xuejin were missing.

Given the King of Hu's attitude, he could not refuse. If he did not respond today, wouldn't it be a sign that the Great Wei was devoid of talent? Besides, the art of chess originated in the Central Plains and spread to the Hu tribes.

"Since King Hu is a guest of honor of our Great Wei, Great Wei should naturally show him courtesy," Xue Yi said. He did not mention what he would have to pay if he lost, but this game of chess was one he could not afford to lose. He looked at the court officials and asked, "My dear ministers, which one of you is willing to play against King Hu?"

Court officials stepped forward in twos and threes, while guards and palace maids hastily set up a chessboard in the center of the hall. Calming incense burned throughout the hall, and tranquil music drifted out.

Beside Jaeger lay the fox mask, his gaze meeting that of the guard in the distance wearing a pig-face mask. He saw his nephew and couldn't help but laugh, his wicked eyes revealing a hint of madness, as if this Wei King's palace had become a stake in his game.

A note from the author: