Chapter 150 A crescent moon in the mausoleum area, two places of longing and sorrow.
The Imperial Astronomical Bureau selected an auspicious day, and Emperor Xuanyuan's burial was to take place on the 28th of May.
Since the beginning of summer this year, Yongdu has experienced continuous rain for ten days. Even in late May, the weather continued to alternate between sunshine and rain. Just when the sun appeared, it would start raining again. The weather never seemed to clear up.
While the winds and rains continued in Yongdu, a drought struck southern Cangnan County, causing widespread rice crop failure. The summer floods in Hezhou also urgently needed to be addressed. Due to the urgency of the situation, Xie Yuan was unable to personally attend the late emperor's funeral at the imperial mausoleum. After consultation between the Ministry of Rites and the Secretariat, it was decided that on the day of the late emperor's coffin's burial, Princess Xie Wenjun would conduct the burial ceremony on his behalf at the Guangdi Mausoleum.
The emperor only needs to conduct the same sacrificial ceremony in Yongdu to comply with the rites.
It is May 27th, the day before Emperor Xuanyuan's coffin was moved to the imperial mausoleum.
"Execute him for me!"
Inside the Chongzheng Hall, Xie Yuan, in a fit of rage, ordered that Dai Qiong, the garrison commander of Yaocheng in the northern border, be executed according to military law.
After Zhai Ji was driven back to the interior by Chen Liangyu, the northern border did not launch another large-scale military campaign, but small-scale and sporadic battles continued frequently.
When Chen Liangyu left the northern border for Yongdu, she made dense preparations for defense in Yunya and Hudong. As she expected, after she left, the Yong army suddenly arrived and interfered with the fortifications of the beacon towers in Yunya and Hudong. Jingming led the Eagle Head Army to meet the enemy head-on, and the enemy retreated.
Soon after, the Yong army arrived at Yaocheng. The Yaocheng garrison commander retreated in the face of battle and abandoned the city. Fortunately, Bu Ping'er led the Yunhui Army to the scene in time and fought a fierce battle with the Yong army. They lost more than a thousand elite soldiers and managed to defend Yaocheng.
Xie Yuan executed the garrison commander of Yaocheng, but suppressed the military merit report submitted by the Yunhui Army in this battle and refused to award any rank.
He didn't believe from the bottom of his heart that an all-female army could be particularly brave and skilled in battle.
While it's true that a woman like Chen Liangyu with the talent of a commander emerged from among women, there has only ever been one Chen Liangyu throughout history.
In the past, he had allowed all sorts of transgressions, recruiting female soldiers, establishing girls' colleges, and even fantasizing about interfering in the selection of court officials and establishing the first female examination... At the time, he thought that the education of women was indeed an unfinished task in previous generations, and that it was just a trial, and it wouldn't matter if it didn't amount to much, so he approved it. But he didn't think that this would fuel the growing ambitions of some people.
It's time to stop.
This farce, which he saw as having been going on for so long, should stop now.
Xie Yuan came out of Chongzheng Hall and strolled to the platform outside the hall, gazing at the sky where no clear sky could be seen.
After many days of continuous rain, the muggy heat has finally subsided, and the wind is refreshing and cool.
He stood with his hands behind his back and let out a soft sigh.
Zheng Hechuan thought he was worried that it would still be rainy the next day and the late emperor would not be able to be buried peacefully. He wanted to say something to comfort him, but then he thought that it would be useless to say those repetitive things and would only annoy the emperor. So he shut his mouth and stood silently by Xie Yuan's side.
The Imperial Guard Commander Jiang Andong walked to the platform, knelt on one knee a few steps away from Xie Yuan, placed his right hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, and reported: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects. Your Majesty, the entire Northern Divine Martial Army has been dispatched to the south of the city, and is deployed along the main street to the outer gate, with double posts at each sentry post; the Dragon Martial Army has also rushed to the Imperial Mausoleum, guarding the mausoleum gate, the spirit path, and the outer perimeter of the underground palace. The defenses at both locations have been properly arranged."
Xie Yuan did not respond immediately. He gave Jiang Andong a cold look, his expression particularly unpleasant.
The late emperor's body was barely cold when scandals broke out in the Empress Dowager's palace. Whether these rumors were baseless or true, they were all detrimental to the imperial family's reputation and were not worth mentioning.
We need people right now, so we can't kill him.
Jiang Andong is a despicable character, but at least he's an obedient dog and can be of some use.
Jiang Andong lowered his head and knelt for a moment, not hearing Xie Yuan give any more instructions, but a chill inexplicably ran down the back of his neck.
Xie Yuan's deep, cold voice came from above, "If Rong Jun was still by her side when Jiang Ning left the mausoleum, there's no need to report to me again. Execute him!"
"Your Majesty, I obey your decree." Jiang Andong said, "If Lord Rong is still alive when the Princess leaves the mausoleum, what should the Grand General do?"
Words froze for a moment.
Xie Yuan said, "She will come to see me on her own."
Xie Yuan turned and walked back to Chongzheng Hall, sitting back on his throne. The rain outside the hall began to fall again. The wind outside the window rose, causing the yellow silk curtains inside the hall to sway gently, much like his chaotic thoughts at that moment.
He had always known that Chen Liangyu and Xie Wenjun had some affection for each other when they were young. Xie Wenjun had stayed at the Xuanping Marquis's residence for a short period of time, where Chen Liangyu taught her riding and archery.
At that time, Chen Liangyu disliked Jiang Ning's personality.
Even he could tell that the two were not close friends.
But when did everything change?
He ordered people to keep a close eye on the Northern Border and the Princess's residence, and they rarely exchanged letters. The Marquis of Xuanping's residence and the Princess's residence also did not communicate frequently. On the surface, the two of them were not close at all.
Xie Yuan couldn't recall exactly when it started, but the doubts in his mind grew heavier and heavier.
The boundaries between people are often hidden in the smallest of moments.
No one can be perfect all the time. No matter how careful you are, you can't help but overlook the slightest deviation in the balance.
Sometimes it's just a matter of leaning in half an inch more during a conversation, showing a bit more honesty than when talking to others, a momentary hesitation when eyes unconsciously follow in a crowd, a tiny bit of urgency when heading straight for the Taiji Hall after a long journey back to Yongdu, and... the fleeting hesitation that crossed Chen Liangyu's eyes when she was ordered to intercept and kill the Changning Guard last time.
It was precisely this lack of finesse that betrayed the deep care they harbored for each other, a care that differed from their interactions with others.
Those involved are often confused, while onlookers can immediately discern the truth.
Where is she now, the Chen Liangyu who wholeheartedly assisted him and avoided Xie Wenjun like the plague?
Once doubts take root, they are difficult to eradicate.
Whether it is or not, a test will tell.
If Chen Liangyu were to become close to Xie Wenjun and side with him, then the military power she held would become a sword hanging over her head.
Having thought this through, he had already made up his mind.
Xie Wenjun's ambition has been fully revealed. If Chen Liangyu still cannot make a move this time, this knife must not be spared.
Killing Chen Liangyu is easy, but in the current court, there is a great shortage of military generals who can stand alone. Whenever military affairs are discussed, there are very few generals who can lead troops into battle, and it is difficult to find anyone who can be used.
Bei Yong is a formidable enemy. After killing Chen Liangyu, who will take over the military defense of the three prefectures and sixteen cities in the north?
Since it concerns the fate of the nation, he had no choice but to give it careful consideration.
There seemed to be arguing outside Chongzheng Hall. Xie Yuan called out to the outside of the hall, "Zheng Hechuan."
Zheng Hechuan bowed and entered. Xie Yuan, who was troubled, frowned and asked, "Who is making a commotion outside the hall?"
Zheng Hechuan, with his whisk tucked into his arm, entered the hall, knelt down, and replied, "Your Majesty, it is the Imperial Concubine who requests an audience."
"What's she doing here again?"
Since the war between Beiyong and Dalin began, Xie Yuan rarely went to Zhai Yu's palace, and he rarely summoned Zhai Yu when she requested an audience. Later, he simply told Zheng Hechuan to send people back whenever he saw them, without having to inform her.
He was about to say he wouldn't see her and tell her to return to the palace when Zhai Yu ignored the guards' attempts to stop her and forced her way into Chongzheng Hall.
The guards and eunuchs couldn't stop him and knelt down to await punishment.
Upon seeing Xie Yuan, Zhai Yu felt a surge of grievance. She looked much thinner and paler, making her appear pitiful.
Xie Yuan couldn't bear to be harsh with her. After all, she had just given birth to a prince, and he had indeed neglected her a lot these days. He felt guilty for not being able to see her properly.
Xie Yuan waved his hand, signaling the guards and eunuchs to leave.
Zhai Yu bowed.
Xie Yuan said, "Don't kneel, please take a seat." He asked, "What brings you to see me?"
Zheng Hechuan hurriedly moved a soft stool and placed it in front of Zhai Yu, but Zhai Yu did not get up.
She remained kneeling before the prince.
"The war in the north is at a stalemate, and I am also uneasy seeing Your Majesty worrying about it day and night. I do not want to see Your Majesty worried, and I would like to share your burdens."
Xie Yuan sighed and said, "With the two countries at war, how can a woman like you relieve my worries? It is already rare that you have this intention."
Zhai Yu said, "Bei Yong needs to recuperate to replenish its military losses, and Da Lin needs to stabilize its borders to reassure its people. If the two countries cease hostilities, it can relieve the suffering of the people on both borders."
She gently gathered her wide sleeves and gracefully bowed:
"Your Majesty, I wish to write a letter to our motherland, urging you to cease hostilities so as to promote peace between our two countries."
***
All the colorful decorations in the courtyard of the Princess's residence have been removed, and even the lanterns under the corridors have been replaced with plain white silk covers.
On the table in the main hall was a wooden tray, on which lay a neatly folded set of mourning clothes, a mourning cap, and a plain handkerchief, as well as a willow cane painted white.
This is the heavy mourning attire Xie Wenjun will need to wear for her funeral tomorrow.
Later, someone from the Ministry of Rites will come and go through the funeral rites for tomorrow with Xie Wenjun again.
On the dining table were a bowl of congee and two plates of vegetarian dishes, but Xie Wenjun did not touch them.
She walked to the veranda and stood there, her posture as graceful as bamboo and pine. Raindrops from the eaves formed a perfect line.
It's a rainy day, there won't be a moon tonight.
She thought so.
The wind whipped the rain into a ruffled mess of her hair, but she didn't flinch.
Xie Wenjun's gaze was fixed on the rain curtain outside the corridor when she suddenly saw several figures braving the wind and rain to enter through a side gate of the mansion. A Changning Guard led the way for them.
Gao Guan's trousers were stained with mud, his cloak was blown up by the wind, and he walked quickly, followed by two servants.
The servants carried a burlap sack, and someone was struggling inside.
Gao Guanchao waved his hand, and two servants carried the sack to Xie Wenjun's feet.
"Your Highness, the person you are looking for has been found."
After Han Song died in prison, the prison doctor who had treated his injuries disappeared without a trace. Relying on his keen intuition honed from various criminal cases in the Dali Temple, Chen Luan sensed something unusual. He carefully examined the cell and found a piece of incense about the length of a finger joint that hadn't burned out under the straw. He sent it to the Imperial Medical Bureau for examination.
It was a kind of incense that could invigorate and prolong life, common in Dongyin and also found in Beiyong, but rare in Dalin. Chen Luan suspected that the prison official was connected to the Beiyong spy that Xie Wenjun had been investigating, so he handed the half-burnt incense to Xie Wenjun. Xie Wenjun ordered Gao Guan to use his position as a patrolman of the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Court to secretly investigate.
It turned out that after Han Song died, Chen Luan found the half-burnt incense. The palace official, fearing exposure, wanted to kill the prison official to silence him. He didn't want to die, so he hid in the countryside. Gao Guan's men chased him for dozens of miles before finding him.
Xie Wenjun asked, "Has it been interrogated?"
Gao Guan said, "The interrogation has been completed. According to him, before Han Sheren died, he asked the Imperial Concubine to send a letter of peace to the motherland under the pretext of caring for the people, saying that the northern border was at peace, which is why the Emperor killed the Grand General. He was in contact with the Grand Shaman by the Imperial Concubine's side. I don't know where the other spies' hideouts are. Your Highness, do you want to interrogate him again?"
So cowardly and afraid of death, he vomited up everything he could.
Xie Wenjun said, "There's no need to interrogate him. Just send him to Chen Xingqian."
"Yes, Your Highness." Gao Guan bowed and reported again, "When I was inspecting just now, I saw that a part of the Northern Divine Martial Army had already deployed in the south of the city, and the Dragon Martial Army was heading south out of the city, heading towards the imperial mausoleum." He paused briefly and then said, "The gate guards have already guarded all the city gates of Yongdu, and the Martial Guards and the Mighty Guards have, as you previously instructed, been deployed to guard the main streets around the mansion and in key locations within the inner city to ensure the safety of the mansion and the western side of the imperial city. The Grand General has personally led the Valiant Guards and is currently on his way to the Guangdi Mausoleum."
The rain has gotten worse again.
The woodland outside the Guangdi Mausoleum area is likely to be stained with blood.
Rain poured down on the rolling hills north of the Han River, making the imperial mausoleum complex both magnificent and eerie.
A hundred or so iron cavalrymen, clad in straw raincoats, were the first to step into the Guangdi Mausoleum, followed closely by more than a thousand infantrymen.
Chen Liangyu reined in the jade lion, "Left Valiant Guard!"
The left and right guards who followed were all subordinates of Chen Liangyu when she served in the Southern Army, which made it easier for her to act.
"Your subordinate is here!"
She tilted her head to the left and said, "Immediately seal off all secondary passages in the mausoleum area, especially the two forest passes in the northwest and northeast, set up hidden sentries, and report back every 15 minutes."
"Understood!"
Zuo Lang clasped his hands in greeting and quickly led a group of men into the rain barrier.
"Right Valiant Guard," Chen Liangyu said, turning his gaze to the deep woodlands on either side of the Sacred Way, "take men and thoroughly inspect all the woodlands, ancestral halls, stele pavilions, and sacrificial utensil stores within the mausoleum area. Even fox and rabbit burrows must be thoroughly searched. Anyone who cannot produce the Imperial Guard's seal shall be detained, and anyone who resists shall be killed without exception!"
"Yes!" The Right General waved his arm and led his men away.
Chen Liangyu once again pulled the jade lion, spurred her horse forward, and personally led her men to inspect the inner side of the tall mausoleum wall. Visibility was poor in the rain, so she strained her hearing to its limit, her ears filled with the sounds of wind, rain, and rustling leaves.
The mausoleum of Emperor Guang is too large, with too many places to hide people, so she must be cautious.
A huge, flat, and open plaza was built in front of the entrance to the underground palace, for the imperial family and civil and military officials to mourn and pay their respects. Another well-disciplined imperial guard was stationed here, their armor slightly different from that of the Valiant Guard; it was the Dragon Martial Army of the Northern Army.
Chen Liangyu rode at full speed, heading straight for Jiang Shuli, the commander of the Longwu Army.
Jiang Shuli was tall and had a frosty face. He took two steps to the front of Chen Liangyu's horse and bowed without any expression, saying, "This humble general, Jiang Shuli, Lieutenant General of the Longwu Army, greets the Great General."
His surname is Jiang.
Has the Northern Imperial Guard already become Chiang Kai-shek's private army?
Chen Liangyu gave him a sharp look, his lips twitching slightly, yet not quite. “The outer perimeter of the underground palace is of utmost importance; it must be strictly guarded.”
Jiang Shuli replied, "Yes. This humble general is ordered to guard the strategic location of the imperial mausoleum, and I will do my duty." He glanced at the guards behind Chen Liangyu, "This humble general has made all the arrangements. Tomorrow, I will meet up with the general to provide support, and we will be absolutely certain that everything will go smoothly."
Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Chen Liangyu said no more and rode away.
After completing their patrol, the Right Valiant Guard reported that the woodland and all side halls had been thoroughly searched and no abnormalities were found. The Left Valiant Guard also reported that all passageways had been sealed off.
Even after the interior was cleared, Chen Liangyu was still worried.
The very existence of the Dragon Martial Army is the biggest variable. They guard the most important exits and entrances, and even if they launch an attack, she cannot guarantee "absolute safety."
Chen Liangyu returned to the makeshift military tent and spread out a map of the imperial mausoleum. A lamp was lit inside, its flickering candlelight casting her furrowed brows onto the map.
"Pass down the order,"
She pointed to a side hall where the underground palace met the sacred path. "Send a team of trusted experts to lie in ambush here. If the Dragon Martial Army makes any moves, stop them from approaching the Princess and the Changning Guard at all costs. Also, order the archers to take up positions on the high ground of the sacrificial hall. No one is allowed to use their crossbows without my order. They should wait for my signal before acting."
"yes."
The left and right officers received their orders and left, leaving Chen Liangyu with only a few personal guards who had followed her year-round.
Chen Liangyu walked outside the tent alone, as the rain-soaked sky gradually darkened.
Torches have been lit at the Longwu Army camp. The mountain wind is cold and damp, carrying the smell of damp earth and the bitterness of pine resin.
Tomorrow, more than just Emperor Xuanyuan will be buried here.
Perhaps there is also loyalty, and perhaps there is conspiracy.
Beneath the long, windy rain of Emperor Guangdi's Mausoleum, a deadly trap has been quietly set, awaiting only the dawn.
Looking up, there was no moon in the sky.
A subtle sense of regret suddenly arose in Chen Liangyu's heart.
As the saying goes, "Though separated by a thousand miles, we share the same moon." The moon symbolizes purity and eternity. When people cannot meet, the moonlight becomes the only bridge. When two people gaze at the same clear light, they can be considered to be together.
It's almost the end of the month, and even if the night sky is clear and there's a moon, it's not a full moon.
It was destined to be a regret.
Chen Liangyu suddenly asked, "Where can I buy candy?"
The guards initially thought they had misheard, exchanging glances but no one answered. Hearing their silence, Chen Liangyu turned away.
Um?
I asked seriously.
The guards, no longer caring about exchanging glances, asked one of them, "General, what kind of candy do you want to buy?"
Chen Liangyu turned his back and said, "Crispy candy, dragon's beard candy, any kind of snack will do."
A moment of silence fell over the surroundings.
Everyone knows she doesn't like sweet things, so why does she want to eat candy now?
The guard said, “Guangling County[1] is rich and has no shortage of merchants. It is not difficult to find a sugar shop. There is no curfew in the city. Even at midnight, if you walk a few more steps into the streets and alleys, you may be able to find a sugar shop that is still open.”
Chen Liangyu nodded, indicating that he understood.
He seems extremely concerned about this matter.
Before the sky was completely shrouded in darkness, the downpour suddenly stopped.
A thin, incomplete crescent moon emerged, enveloped in a cold glow.
Chen Liangyu looked up at the moon, and even the lingering dampness in the wind seemed to carry a touch of lingering longing.
Before the west courtyard steps of the Princess's residence, Xie Wenjun had just dismissed the old minister from the Ministry of Rites who was in charge of state funeral rites. She sat in front of the bronze mirror under the window of her sleeping quarters, untied her hair ribbon, and when she looked up, she saw the moon.
A single arc of light, two places of longing and sorrow.
Author's note: [1] Mausoleum city: In ancient times, it was a city specially built to worship and protect the imperial mausoleum. It was usually a county-level administrative unit and was usually very wealthy.
For example, after Emperor Wu of Han built Maoling, he relocated people to Maoling County three times, bringing in wealthy merchants and prominent families to settle there, which boosted the economic development of the surrounding area. Sima Xiangru and Dong Zhongshu also lived in Maoling County.
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