Chapter 6
Chapter Summary: The Assassin.
After Xie Xuan left, the maid rolled up Yu Jing's trouser legs, and Yu Jing immediately noticed two red marks on her knees. She must have fallen too hard.
The young palace maid looked at the red marks and seemed very frightened. She quickly knelt down by the bed and begged for forgiveness, saying, "It was my fault for not serving you properly. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Yu Jing gazed at the kneeling palace maid and fell into deep thought. She was now quite curious about the original owner of this body, Sheng Hua. What kind of temperament did she possess?
Sheng Hua remained silent for a long time, which made the little palace maid even more frightened. Her kneeling body began to tremble slightly.
Yu Jing glanced at them and quietly said, "Get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager! Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!" the little palace maid said repeatedly, then added, "This servant will go and fetch some wound medicine for Your Majesty to apply."
"Mm," Yu Jing replied.
At the same time, Ayu entered carrying something. Seeing the scene, she hurriedly greeted Yu Jing and rushed to her side to check on the injury on Yu Jing's knee. With concern and anger, she said, "How did they all serve you? I was only gone for a short while, and Your Highness is injured again. The injury was already serious, and now it's worse. In my opinion, they should all be sent to the imperial prison to receive punishment and learn their lesson!"
She must have been truly angry to speak so recklessly. Or perhaps, Ayu really is different from others in Shenghua's eyes. In any case, her feelings for Shenghua seem genuine and sincere.
"It's nothing, I just tripped and fell," Yu Jing said.
When Ayu and the maidservant heard Yu Jing's words, they were both visibly taken aback. When Yu Jing looked at Ayu, the surprise in Ayu's eyes had not yet faded.
Yu Jing then realized that she might have said something wrong, and frowned somewhat helplessly.
"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager must be hungry, so I specially ordered the kitchen to prepare stewed duck, cherry meat, and poria cocos cakes." As she stood up, Ayu said, she picked up the food plate from the small table next to her, preparing to feed Yu Jing.
Yu Jing's hands were injured, so he was naturally happy to have A Yu serve him. After eating quite a bit, he suddenly thought of Xie Xuan and asked, "Where is Xie Xuan?"
Just then, a young palace maid brought in some wound medicine. Hearing Sheng Hua's question, she replied, "Your Majesty, Lord Xie is currently guarding the door. Does Your Majesty have any instructions?"
"It's nothing," Yu Jing replied, shaking her head.
She had originally intended to ask him if he had eaten dinner, since Xie Xuan was the only person she knew in this mortal realm. But then she thought that it would be too abrupt to bring it up now, so she decided against it.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager has been hungry for so long, why don't you have some soup to soothe your hunger?" Ayu then said.
"Okay." Yu Jing nodded.
Ayu picked up the soup, blew on it, and fed it to Yu Jing. Yu Jing took a sip; it was sweet and delicious, very tasty. Much better than the celestial nectar.
After feeding Shenghua, Ayu withdrew from the bedchamber. A little palace maid followed behind her, looking at the food plate and whispering to Ayu, "Sister Ayu, have you noticed that the Empress Dowager has been a little different since she woke up?"
Ayu glanced at the little palace maid with some curiosity, and the words Shenghua had told her inexplicably popped into her mind. She straightened her expression and replied, "An assassination attempt is no small matter. It's understandable that the Empress Dowager's temperament has changed somewhat."
Since Ayu said so, the little palace maid naturally couldn't say anything. She nodded and followed Ayu to the small kitchen.
"grown ups."
The guard trotted over, bowed to Xie Xuan, and then said, "News from Lord Zhou of the Heavenly Prison: the assassin has been captured."
"Really?" Xie Xuan asked in surprise, feeling for some reason that this matter was not as simple as it seemed.
"Yes," the guard replied.
"Do you know the assassin's identity?" Xie Xuan then asked.
"I heard that he is the adopted son of Li Guangwei, the former governor of Shangzhou."
Speaking of Li Guangwei, Xie Xuan did have some recollection of him. He had heard about this incident when he was at the border. Li Guangwei, the governor of Shangzhou, had offended Empress Dowager Shenghua and was used as a pretext to have his entire family executed, including nine generations of his relatives. This matter spread widely, and although Xie Xuan was at the border at that time, his impression of Shenghua had already become somewhat negative.
"You stay here and keep watch, I'm going to check on the prison," Xie Xuan replied.
"Yes," the guard replied, and Xie Xuan turned to leave. He had only taken two steps when he saw a group of people walking towards him in the distance. Upon recognizing them, Xie Xuan paused.
"This servant greets Lord Xie," Qu An said, bowing to Xie Xuan.
"Get up," Xie Xuan replied, then asked, "Did you come here so late at night, Eunuch? Is there something you need?"
"This servant has come to convey His Majesty's decree," Qu An replied with a smile. "The assassin has been captured and imprisoned in the Imperial Prison. His Majesty summons you to the Chengming Hall. Please come in."
"Alright." Xie Xuan responded and followed Qu An toward Chengming Hall.
Upon arriving at Chengming Hall, Xie Xuan followed Qu An inside. The hall was warm, and the scent of ambergris was strong. Xie Xuan entered the inner hall and realized he wasn't alone; Zhou Shu, Han Qingzhou, and others were also there. The group standing made the inner hall seem a bit crowded. Judging from their appearance, they didn't seem to have just arrived.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject greets you." Xie Xuan entered the room and greeted Qi Jin.
Qi Jin sat at the table wearing a black robe with gold dragon patterns. His long hair was not tied up and was draped behind him. He looked more dignified than when his hair was tied up, and more youthful.
"Get up," Qi Jin said slowly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
As Xie Xuan stood up, he heard Qi Jin say, "Xie Xuan, you should already know about the assassin, right?"
"Yes," Xie Xuan replied, cupping his hands in a fist salute.
“Li Guangwei’s entire family has been executed, and the assassin has committed suicide by poison in prison. All those involved have been killed. This matter is now closed.” Qi Jin said, indicating that the matter had been settled.
“Your Majesty is right. If this matter is investigated further, it will surely disrupt the peace of the court and the harem,” Zhou Shu said, seizing the opportunity.
After a moment of silence, Qi Jin's voice rang in my ears again: "Although the assassin has been captured, I am still not at ease. From now on, how about I entrust the Cining Palace to you for guarding?"
Xie Xuan was stunned for a moment before realizing that Qi Jin was talking to him, and solemnly replied, "Your humble servant will certainly not fail in his mission."
"Okay." Qi Jin smiled and replied.
After leaving Chengming Hall, Xie Xuan and Han Qingzhou walked along the corridor. Because it had snowed again and the weather was extremely cold, there were very few people in the corridor except for those on duty.
“Li Guangwei’s execution of his entire family has only been going on for less than six months. You and I both know that it’s impossible for one person to have planned something so thorough in just six months. This matter is definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface,” Han Qingzhou said.
"But His Majesty means that this matter should end here. We all know what kind of person the Empress Dowager is. Back when Li Guangwei was the governor of Shangzhou, he and the Empress Dowager disagreed on political views, which is why he ended up like this. If the Empress Dowager knows that this matter is being dealt with so lightly, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain."
Speaking of Sheng Hua, Xie Xuan inexplicably pictured his face. Because of his good relationship with Han Qingzhou, he spoke his mind freely.
"Qingzhou, is the Empress Dowager's temperament really as rumored? Why is it that during my two days guarding Cining Palace, I felt that the Empress Dowager's temperament was not as bad as the rumors suggested?"
Han Qingzhou frowned in disbelief after hearing Xie Xuan's words, and said in a low voice, "Don't be fooled by the Empress Dowager's seemingly weak appearance. The execution of Li Guangwei's entire clan was orchestrated by the Empress Dowager behind the scenes. She was involved in power struggles, the killing of loyal officials, the harsh treatment of subordinates, and collusion with her relatives. Every single one of these things was done by the Empress Dowager. You've been away from home for many years, so you probably don't know the details. It's not easy to survive in the palace, let alone for someone who has ascended to the position of Empress Dowager."
Hearing Han Qingzhou's words, Xie Xuan inexplicably recalled Sheng Hua's indifferent demeanor when he first met her. Her appearance was somewhat different from what Han Qingzhou had described. He truly found it hard to imagine that such an indifferent and innocent face, with such clear and innocent eyes, could commit such a cruel act. But Han Qingzhou had no reason to lie to him; the truth was the truth.
"His Majesty likely appointed you to guard the Cining Palace with the intention of promoting you," Han Qingzhou added with a sigh.
His words are actually not difficult to understand.
The Cining Palace now has more than four times the number of guards as before, and each one is an elite soldier capable of taking on ten men. In any case, the assassin is dead, and the guards of Cining Palace will have a much easier time. At that time, they can naturally be promoted to higher ranks for their meritorious service in guarding the palace.
"I really envy you. You were His Majesty's study companion since childhood, and later followed the General Who Protects the Nation in battle. Upon your return, you were a highly decorated general, holding the rank of a sixth-grade officer. His Majesty personally bestowed upon you the honor of wearing a scarlet robe. Among all the civil and military officials, you are the only one who has achieved this."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xuan reached out and patted Han Qingzhou on the shoulder, saying, "He's just luckier than others, what's there to envy?"
Han Qingzhou smiled and said, "If it really is just luck, your backbone will probably be pierced by those old civil officials from the previous dynasty!"
Xie Xuan smiled, pursed his lips, and did not respond.
"However, you should think carefully about how to report this matter to the Empress Dowager. His Majesty has already said that he will not pursue it further. If the Empress Dowager insists on a thorough investigation, your job will be difficult."
Han Qingzhou was right; the most urgent matter was how to explain this to Shenghua. Thinking of this, Xie Xuan felt a headache coming on.
After parting ways with Han Qingzhou, Xie Xuan slowly walked towards Cining Palace. He was somewhat puzzled by Qi Jin's arrangement for him to continue guarding Cining Palace; he felt it wasn't as simple as Han Qingzhou had described. In the years since he left the capital, Qi Jin had changed drastically, and sometimes Xie Xuan couldn't fathom his intentions. Qi Jin was no longer the former Crown Prince; he was now a true emperor.
Before long, we arrived at Cining Palace.
Xie Xuan walked to the corridor and spoke to the palace maid at the door. The maid then announced the news.
"Your Majesty, Lord Xie requests an audience."
At that moment, Yu Jing was sitting at the table reading poetry. She had been lying down for too long these past two days, but Sheng Hua's bookshelves were full of military strategy and historical records, which were quite boring. Having no other choice, Yu Jing had to find some interesting poetry to look at. Her knees had only been slightly aggravated by the bump; although they still hurt a little, after sleeping for so long and trying to walk with A Yu's help, she could walk without any problems.
Hearing the noise outside, Yu Jing glanced at herself, noting that she was dressed fairly neatly, and then agreed, "Let him in."
"yes."
"Creak." The palace door opened, followed by a series of steady footsteps.
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