Chapter 20 The person you can use to hunt someone down is your sweetheart.
In the warm spring of March, with the Qingming Festival just around the corner, the chill of early spring has melted away, and people are changing from fur coats to light clothing.
Rinchaono started out as a nomadic family and placed great importance on hunting activities, holding large-scale hunts at the horse farm in the northern suburbs every spring and autumn.
It was early spring, the branches were just sprouting new buds, and there was still a slight chill in the air. Young gentlemen rode tall horses together, and they would inevitably discuss the imperial examinations and their beautiful wives.
Zhang Jialing, who was surrounded by the crowd in the center, took the lead and steered the conversation toward the beautiful women of Yongdu. As they talked, they moved on to the daughters of officials and members of the royal family.
"Chen Liangyu is not bad looking, but she has a bad temper. Don't be fooled by her quiet demeanor in public; she holds grudges very well."
One person chimed in, "I've heard that Prime Minister Xun has a daughter who is well-mannered, beautiful, and virtuous."
Those who knew a little about the inside story said, "Don't even think about the Xun family. Xun Shuheng even had the birth time calculated by a master. Madam Xun has been by her side since she was a child, and she is very strict with the rules. Now she is going to compete with Chen Liangyu for the position of Crown Princess."
Another person said, "The Imperial Concubine was once a renowned talented and beautiful woman in Yongdu. She only had one daughter, Princess Jiangning. Today, I have the pleasure of seeing the princess from afar, and she truly possesses a beauty that could topple kingdoms."
Zhang Jialing remained noncommittal: "It's not that it's ugly, but the little princess looks rather eerie."
Someone else said, "The second daughter of Prefect Li of Yong'an Prefecture is also a beautiful and graceful lady named Li Yujing. She was originally engaged to the Minister of War, but Chen Liangyu shouted in the court that she should become Qiu Shiyan's concubine, and the marriage was called off."
"Is it that serious?" Zhang Jialing pulled on the reins. "How infamous is Qiu Shiyan that he would throw away a marriage that was agreed upon with someone associated with him? The man is already dead, it can't be that serious."
On the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Qiu Shiyan died tragically in his room, his head severed from his neck with a single stroke.
According to his servant, Qiu Shiyan brought a young man back to his room from outside that day. The servant, who was guarding outside, heard no movement from inside the room for a long time. When he realized something was wrong, he pushed open the door and rushed in. What he saw was Qiu Shiyan lying in a pool of blood, his head and body separated.
Unfortunately, the curfew was lifted that day, causing chaos and commotion. A large number of refugees from Cangnan also gathered outside the city, making the place a mess. Neither the city guards nor the Yong'an Prefecture had the manpower to search for and arrest the person, who managed to escape.
By the time the various government offices were able to free up their resources, all the leads had been lost.
Qiu Renshan himself was not clean either, and he was unable to remain untainted in this round of court purges. He and his entire family were sent to local areas, and the case became an unsolved mystery.
"The girl Qiu Shiyan molested was literate and of strong character, which made the matter quite public, drawing widespread attention to the case. Li Yilian openly protected her, forcing Zhou Tongpan to admit in public that he had instigated his daughter to seduce Qiu Shiyan in an attempt to marry into the Qiu family. He told the public, 'My son is naive and immature, and couldn't resist temptation, but the Qiu family is willing to marry the girl without holding a grudge.' In this way, they became magnanimous. Such words might fool the masses, but who in the court doesn't know the underlying reasons? With such family values, what family with any sense of shame would dare to marry into such a family?"
"A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent; it's better for women not to study, so as not to cause trouble for no reason."
Zhang Jialing, holding his riding whip, searched for the person who had said that, asking, "Who's so feudal and pedantic?"
That sentence was like a pebble thrown into a vast, deep lake, barely causing a ripple.
No one questions it, there is no controversy, because it has always been this way since ancient times.
Apart from Zhang Jialing, who widened his eyes slightly, the others didn't even turn around to look back at where the conversation had started. They preferred to focus their conversation on Qiu Shiyan.
"Qiu Shiyan ended up in this state because he was too careless. If he had just spread the word that he had taken a fancy to that woman, the Zhou family, a small and insignificant family, would have gladly offered their daughter to him. Why did he do that? Not only did he become infamous, but now he has also lost his life."
Amidst sighs, no one wanted to talk about him anymore, fearing that saying too much would bring bad luck upon themselves. After a while, someone joked, "If you ask me, it wouldn't be a bad thing for Brother Jialing to take another wife. That second daughter of the Li family is better than many girls in brothels."
Zhang Jialing felt uneasy. He knew that in such an uncivilized feudal dynasty, comparing a well-mannered daughter of an official to a prostitute was a great insult. He did not want to make fun of an innocent person. "It is already very impolite for you and me to talk about a woman's appearance behind her back. Let's not say such things."
Among the crowd were many young masters from prominent families, and quite a few who knew their place and were accustomed to politeness. They were already tolerating such tasteless teasing, and when Zhang Jialing said this, they all understood the situation and said, "Yes, yes, yes, don't say anything improper. Let's go over there and take a look, scout it out."
A group of people, laughing and chatting, rode their horses side by side across the wide, flat riding arena.
The journey from the palace to the hunting grounds took half a day. The palace officials settled the accompanying imperial family members in the hunting grounds palace, while the game was being checked for the last time. Everyone was busy with their own activities.
Chen Liangyu found a slanted tree branch and hung upside down, hugging her chest, her tied-up hair hanging down, her braid swaying gently like a ponytail, completely lost in thought.
From a distance, it looks like a dried corpse hanging in a forest where new green leaves are just sprouting.
Every event that happened after returning to Shangyong City replayed in her mind like a revolving lantern. The suffering of the people in Cangnan was too tragic. She still felt lingering fear when she recalled the scene of ghosts and phantoms filling the streets that day. The people, caught in the storm of power struggles in the imperial court, seemed so desperate, helpless, and insignificant.
Someone came down from under the tree, and the sound of hunting boots snapping against the dead branches echoed through the air.
Chen Liangyu opened her eyes, and Xie Yuan's upside-down figure came into view, looking up at her. He hadn't brought any guards, and Yan Feng, who was almost always by his side, was also gone.
She straightened up, sat up, her legs dangling casually in the air, and nodded slightly as a form of greeting, "Your Highness Prince Shen."
That day, the first snow had just fallen. She stood in the cold wind, her nose turning pink from the cold, and asked him, "Would Your Highness be willing to be a wise and magnanimous monarch?"
When she asked that question, Xie Yuan stood not far away and stared at her for a long time without immediately answering her question.
When Xing Rui told her that Xie Yuan was dismantling wood to make firewood for the refugees to keep warm, Chen Liangyu stood in the crowd for a long time, her mind racing. She pursed her lips, and she probably knew what Xie Yuan was going to do.
Xie Yuan has already answered her question.
Xie Yuan looked up at her, his eyes full of smiles: "Why don't you go and test your archery with them? Why are you just sitting here enjoying yourself?"
"The birds and beasts here are not very wild, so it's not very interesting. There is a mountain in the north called Mingzhi Mountain. The wild animals and birds there are really fierce. You can't take it down without getting a scratch."
"If there is an opportunity, I will go with you to see if the prey there is really as difficult to hunt as you say."
Chen Liangyu paused for a moment, then flipped over from the bent tree branch, hanging by his arm in mid-air. He let go and landed steadily.
Some people have reason and composure buried deep in their bones. She analyzed the current situation in the court as quickly as possible in order to uncover Xie Yuan's deeper motives.
The people's suffering has continued until now. The land in the entire Cangnan prefecture has been re-measured. The Crown Prince dispatched Rong Jun to Cangnan to implement the "return of land to the people".
After the new tax system was piloted, it was gradually extended to other counties and prefectures.
To prevent another Chen family from emerging in Cangnan, Right Chancellor Zhang Diancheng, with the support of the Crown Prince, issued a "relocation order," forcing wealthy merchants and gentry who met certain conditions to relocate to Helu Town near Shangyong City, making it easier for the imperial family to control and govern them. Many wealthy merchants and gentry were forced to sell their properties at low prices to avoid relocation.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the crown prince nationalized a large amount of farmland and private mines.
In just half a year, the national treasury was full, the deficit was balanced, the population of Cangnan returned, and even the most extravagant and corrupt officials became more discreet, resulting in a temporary period of political clarity.
However, the sun at its zenith begins to decline, and the full moon begins to wane.
What was once a glorious and splendid scene was actually undergoing a re-divided power struggle amidst undercurrents.
The new tax system and relocation order affected the interests of a considerable number of court officials, including even members of the Crown Prince's faction. Moreover, the corruption of various government departments involved in the construction of the Yanzhi Mountain Palace had been put on hold, awaiting resolution after the major case was concluded.
Yao Chongshan wasn't the only one involved; many officials in the court profited from it.
When refugees flocked into the royal palace, looting, smashing, or burning became uncontrollable variables, and the damage to materials such as rosewood, sandalwood, and golden nanmu glazed tiles could all be reported.
The amount of loss can be manipulated by a person, and the potential for such losses is enormous.
When the clusters of fires at Yanzhishan Palace, disguised as refugees, are lit, all the injustices will be settled.
This was the main reason why Emperor Xuanyuan was furious and summoned Xie Yuan to reprimand him.
In the previous case of selling official positions for personal gain and the subsequent unrest in Cangnan, the Crown Prince had already investigated and executed a large number of officials. The Crown Prince's faction also knew that exhausting resources was the worst thing to do. Since Prince Shen had already set a way out, they couldn't push people too far, so they let those who hadn't committed serious offenses go for the time being.
Many officials who had been living in constant fear finally breathed a sigh of relief. After this incident, many people were grateful to Prince Shen and were eager to serve him.
The civil officials were very perceptive and could easily figure out that the Crown Prince was too powerful and that the Emperor would definitely cultivate someone else to rival him. Prince Qi, Xie Xuan, had lost power and the Emperor's favor, and Prince Ning, Xie Xun, was an idiot. So who else was there in Yongdu?
Prince Shen, Xie Yuan, rose to power so quickly that it was beyond anyone's expectations. Almost in the same month that the relocation order was issued, he already had the means to refute the Crown Prince's proposal.
Chen Liangyu approached and stopped some distance away, saying, "Your Highness should be aware of the current situation of the Marquis's Mansion. His Majesty and the Crown Prince are closely monitoring the movements in the Northern Border. Your Highness's choice to speak to me at this time and in this place is not a wise move. If you are now involved with me, everyone will think that Your Highness is trying to seize military power in the Northern Border. I'm afraid Your Highness will have no choice but to become an enemy of the Eastern Palace."
"I know," Xie Yuan said. "This step was inevitable sooner or later, wasn't it?"
Chen Liangyu bowed deeply to him, "Then, this humble woman is willing to do her utmost to assist Your Highness." After a slight pause, she continued, word by word, "I wish that in this life I can create a clear and open world, giving all women in the world a vast and boundless space."
Xie Yuan reached out and touched her arm. Her eyes were bright when she said this, like the most dazzling stars in the clear night sky. She hid her deepest long-cherished wish in her star-like and moon-like eyes.
Xie Yuan seemed to sense something; the anticipation for the new world outweighed his feelings for him.
They both knew perfectly well that behind her was the Xuanping Marquis's mansion, a military force powerful enough to help him achieve imperial power; while he was a prince, possessing the status she desired to contend for the throne.
This is not a contract that can be established by using emotions as a basis.
But what does it matter? Agreements based on shared interests are more reliable than those based on fleeting emotions.
Xie Wenjun stood quietly under a rough tree. The tree wasn't particularly thick, and she didn't try to hide herself. However, her riding and archery attire wasn't flashy, and her petite figure was hardly noticeable. Therefore, neither of the two people talking noticed her.
Chen Liangyu was the first to spot her. Xie Yuan looked over and was also startled. "Jiang Ning, eavesdropping is not gentlemanly behavior."
Her eyes, as black as the night sky, were filled with coldness. She held a bow specially made for her by an archer, carried an arrow basket on her back, and moved over from under the tree.
"Who cares to listen? And who wants to be a gentleman?"
Although she was speaking to Xie Yuan, she didn't even glance in his direction. "There are too many people and too many eyes in the hunting grounds. Doesn't Third Brother know what shame is? Doesn't he care about Commander Chen's reputation?"
Hearing this, Xie Wenjun didn't hear what she and Xie Yuan were saying, but she did see Xie Yuan help her up by the arm.
Even if she overheard a word or two, it wouldn't matter. The Crown Prince was the first to understand the slightest changes in the court's situation, and no one else needed to explain.
Xie Yuan, reminded by Xie Wenjun, belatedly realized his rashness; a man and a woman alone in the woods could easily be seen by outsiders, and things could get complicated. He frowned in annoyance and hurriedly left the woods.
Xie Wenjun placed the bow into Chen Liangyu's hand and sparingly uttered two words: "Adjust."
Chen Liangyu drew his bow and fired an arrow into the air behind him. It was clear that the craftsman had put a lot of thought into it; for Xie Wenjun, any tension was just as bad as any tension was too much or too little.
"The bow is fine."
"Not handy".
"Do you have a spare bow? We can use that instead."
"I don't want to change."
Chen Liangyu glanced at the bow twice, then handed it back to her without moving it, saying, "Shoot an arrow and let me see."
Xie Wenjun carefully and obediently nocked the arrow and drew the bow.
Before I could even reminisce about my time as a teacher at the Marquis's residence, the white-feathered arrow, nocked on the exquisite bowstring, turned sharply the instant it left the bow, its arrowhead plunging straight into the ground.
“Even before I grew teeth, I could hold a bow more steadily than you!” Chen Liangyu said.
I thought she had already learned quite a bit at the Marquis's residence, and that hunting a few wild rabbits and small birds so as not to embarrass the Crown Prince in front of others should not be a problem. But today, for some reason, she couldn't even hold the bow steadily.
She sighed, "If anyone asks, please don't tell anyone that the princess's archery skills were taught by me."
Xie Wenjun's mind was not on the bow and arrow at all. She picked up the arrow that had fallen in front of her and showed no intention of drawing the bow again.
"Do you really have to marry Third Brother?"
Xie Wenjun asked this question twice, once at this time and place, and the other time when sky lanterns were lit on the banks of the Xu River during the Lantern Festival.
Last time, she suspected that Xie Wenjun's words were a test, so she evaded the question by talking about other things. But today, when she was asked the same question again, Chen Liangyu felt very differently.
If her previous wariness of this question stemmed from her conflict with the Crown Prince, she now felt that Xie Wenjun herself wanted to ask it, and she could clearly sense that Xie Wenjun's thoughts were heavier than when she asked the same question last time.
In Chen Liangyu's eyes, Xie Wenjun's every word and action represented the Eastern Palace, but she seemed to care more about whether this marriage could be finalized than the Crown Prince.
Chen Liangyu had never been able to fathom the princess's thoughts. Perhaps she had no interest in figuring out what kind of person Xie Wenjun really was. Their brief teacher-student relationship could not be considered a true teacher-student relationship. It was just a brief encounter in their lives, which should have never intersected. It was her duty as a subject to the royal family.
Once the matter is settled, the bridge and the road should go their separate ways.
But under Xie Wenjun's serious gaze, she could no longer brush off the question.
She nodded firmly yet gently, looking at Xie Wenjun's reddened eyes. "Does the princess still remember the map of the girls' academy in the library?"
Xie Wenjun nodded.
"I cannot achieve my wish alone," she paused, then added, "Fortunately, the person I can use is the one I love."
The person I can use is the one I love!
“Third Brother may not be the only capable person.” A touch of peach-red at the corner of Xie Wenjun’s eye bloomed like a flower, covering her entire eye socket.
Who else could it be? The Crown Prince?
That's impossible.
Xie Yu was the successor to the throne, cultivated by the most ancient scholars and officials in the court according to the standards of wise rulers throughout history. Such an emperor would inevitably take the theories advocated by the most prosperous eras of history as the way of governing the country. How could he allow Da Liu to become more unpredictable under his rule!
"The Emperor and Third Brother are now locked in a power struggle. Chen Liangyu, do not make an enemy of the Crown Prince."
Xie Wenjun gave her one last piece of advice, then walked away with his bow and arrow, his back view showing an overwhelming sadness.
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