Chapter 4
Chapter Summary: Si Yang.
Yu Jing frowned because she hadn't yet obtained the Book of Fate, and meeting each additional person increased the risk of exposure. She was already struggling to handle Xie Xuan; adding Lord Su to the mix...
Xie Xuan frowned, fearing that Sheng Hua might summon Su Siyang at this moment. If Su Siyang had something else to say, he knew he wouldn't get anything out of him.
"Go and tell them that I am unwell and cannot see anyone," Yu Jing replied after a moment's thought.
"Yes," Ayu replied after a moment's hesitation.
"Lord Xie, please continue with your questions," Yu Jing said.
"Yes, Your Majesty, if you would be so bold as to ask, could Your Majesty tell me about the assassination attempt last night?" Xie Xuan was indeed being bold; everyone in the palace knew Sheng Hua's temperament. But he hadn't had much contact with Sheng Hua, so he thought it would be worth a try.
"Okay." Yu Jing thought that Xie Xuan must have asked her this question to catch the assassin as soon as possible. If the assassin was caught, it would also solve one of her problems.
Xie Xuan was somewhat surprised by Sheng Hua's reaction. He had heard in private that the Empress Dowager had a bad temper, but he didn't expect her to agree so readily.
Yu Jing recounted the assassination attempt on Xie Xuan the previous night, detailing every single aspect. Xie Xuan listened attentively.
“That’s how it is.” Yu Jing finished speaking and glanced at Xie Xuan.
Xie Xuan stood there, his expression serious, as if deep in thought. Then he looked up at Yu Jing: "Did the assassin say anything?"
"No." Yu Jing replied, noticing the white fox fur he was wearing, with a magnolia bud embroidered on the collar. Suddenly, a lump formed in her throat, and she felt a tightness in her chest.
Although the Matchmaker had said that Yueqing wouldn't arrive in the capital for some time, things would be different if they had known each other before. Without thinking too much about it, she asked directly, "Thank you, Lord Xie."
Xie Xuan was lost in thought when Sheng Hua called out to him, and he suddenly looked up at Sheng Hua.
"Do you have someone you like?"
After Yu Jing finished asking, the inner hall fell silent instantly, so quiet that only the crackling of the burning charcoal and the hissing of the wind through the windowpanes could be heard. Yu Jing immediately regretted it; even if she wanted to know, she shouldn't have been in such a hurry!
Xie Xuan was somewhat bewildered by Sheng Hua's question and became at a loss for words. They were talking about assassins, so how did the conversation suddenly veer to this?
"I only asked casually because I thought the magnolia flowers embroidered on Lord Xie's white fox fur cloak were quite elegant." Yu Jing was very flustered, her heart was pounding, and her palms were sweating as she gripped the brocade quilt. Although she regretted it a little, she figured she might as well ask for clarification since she had already asked.
Upon hearing Yu Jing's words, Xie Xuan suddenly realized and replied with a very light laugh, "Your Majesty, I came in a hurry last night. This cloak was given to me by my elder sister."
Xie Xuan had barely finished speaking when he clearly felt the person behind the gauze curtain breathe a sigh of relief, and was immediately confused. Why was the Empress Dowager so concerned about this matter?
"I see," Yu Jing replied with a sigh of relief. She was worried that the cloak was a gift from the Third Princess. If it was from the Third Princess, it meant that they were already in love. If she tried to separate them now, it would be difficult.
"Yes," Xie Xuan replied. "If Your Majesty has no further instructions, I will take my leave."
"Mm," Yu Jing replied.
Emerging from the Cining Palace's sleeping quarters, Xie Xuan was somewhat flustered. Firstly, he was concerned about the assassin. According to Sheng Hua's description, the assassin's actions from entering the palace to escaping were flawless. The only flaw was that he hadn't expected Sheng Hua to be awake. He had questioned her repeatedly, but found no clues. Secondly, he was bothered by Sheng Hua's question about whether he had someone he admired. Strictly speaking, this was their first meeting. Even if he did have someone he admired, so why was Sheng Hua so nervous?
Just as she was thinking this, she arrived at the palace gate. As soon as she stepped out of the palace gate, she met Su Siyang's gaze.
Su Siyang must have just arrived after court; he was still wearing his purple robe. Xie Xuan found it strange. Sheng Hua had clearly said she wouldn't see him, and he thought Su Siyang had already left, but he was still waiting at the door.
"This humble official greets Lord Su," Xie Xuan bowed and greeted Su Siyang.
Su Siyang stood at the foot of the steps, slightly raising his eyes to meet Xie Xuan's gaze, which traveled up from Xie Xuan's waist. He smiled faintly and replied, "Get up."
"Thank you, Lord Su." Xie Xuan responded and was about to walk past when Su Siyang called out to him.
"Thank you, sir."
Xie Xuan turned around and looked at Su Siyang with some surprise.
"Lord Xie came in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to change out of his official robes."
Although it was a simple question, Xie Xuan inexplicably sensed a barb in it, and respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty's decree, I dare not delay."
"Lord Xie and the Empress Dowager talked for a long time. I wonder what they talked about?"
Hearing Su Siyang ask this question, Xie Xuan paused. Su Siyang was always cautious in the court, so hearing him ask such a direct question was truly surprising.
"I only asked about the circumstances of the Empress Dowager's assassination attempt last night; we didn't discuss anything else," Xie Xuan replied truthfully.
Xie Xuan clearly saw that Su Siyang's expression relaxed. What's wrong with everyone today? They're all acting so strangely.
"Oh, assassin, any news?" Su Siyang then asked.
"Never."
"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Xie, the guards of Cining Palace these days."
"It is my duty," Xie Xuan replied, pursing his lips. "If Lord Su has no further instructions, I will take my leave now."
“Mm,” Su Siyang replied.
Xie Xuan walked forward, and Su Siyang watched. The young man was tall and straight, his white fox cloak swaying with his movements, exuding an indescribable spirit. At eighteen, he had already reached the sixth rank, bestowed with a scarlet robe by His Majesty. His outstanding appearance was undeniable, and his abilities were naturally not to be underestimated. For some reason, Su Siyang felt a vague unease rising in his heart. Only after Xie Xuan had walked far away did Su Siyang turn back.
"I do have something important to report, please inform me again," Su Siyang continued, leaving Ayu in a dilemma.
She knew a little about the Empress Dowager and Su Siyang's affairs, and neither of them were people she could afford to offend. Now that Su Siyang was asking her to inform him again, it was indeed putting her in a difficult position.
"Please wait a moment, my lord. I'll go in and inform him again." Ah Yu finally relented.
When Yu Jing heard A Yu's voice again, she was thinking back to whether she had given herself away when she spoke to Xie Xuan.
"Your Majesty, Lord Su says he has important matters to report and is currently waiting at the palace gate. Would Your Majesty like to see him?"
"Why haven't they left yet! What important matter could they have to attend to?" Yu Jing sighed deeply. Just as she was about to give in, she was startled by the sudden appearance of the Matchmaker, which aggravated her injury, causing her to wince in pain.
"Master, could you please let me know next time you appear? You scared me to death!" Yu Jing whispered.
"Understood. Su Siyang probably doesn't have anything to say to you, so just decline." The Matchmaker replied casually as he sat down in a chair at the table in the inner hall.
With the Old Man of the Moon's words, Yu Jing felt much more at ease and said towards the door, "I won't see him. Go and tell him."
"Yes," Ayu replied, walking towards the palace gate with some difficulty.
It's just a matter of a master's word, but a servant always has to mediate for a long time.
"Master, did you bring the Book of Fate?" As soon as Ayu left, Yu Jing asked the question he was most concerned about.
The Old Man of the Moon swallowed hard, stammering, "I did get it. However, last night, for some reason, a crack appeared in the seventh level of hell, and several vengeful spirits, half-burnt, escaped. They fled to the library, where the Red Lotus Karmic Fire burned nearly half of it down. In the end, we had to ask the Dragon King of the East Sea to quell the fire. So... this Book of Fate..."
"It was burned down!" Yu Jing exclaimed, her voice rising slightly in her excitement.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager?" Yu Jing had barely finished speaking when a young palace maid's voice came from outside the door.
Yu Jing kept her mouth shut, and after a while she replied, "It's nothing."
"Was the Book of Fate truly burned?" Yu Jing asked in a low voice.
"You... take a look for yourself!" The Old Man of the Moon sighed deeply, and with a wave of his hand, a booklet that had been burned beyond recognition appeared in front of Yu Jing.
Yu Jing first patted his chest lightly, took the Book of Fate, and flipped through two pages. Although some parts remained, nearly half of the book had been burned. The remaining half was also a blackened mess, with the writing barely legible.
"Is there no way to restore it?" Yu Jing looked up at the Old Man of the Moon and asked.
The Old Man of the Moon shook his head helplessly and continued, "That was the Red Lotus Karmic Fire. Even the Dragon King of the East Sea had to exert a great deal of effort to extinguish it. There's a saying in the Underworld: 'If the Red Lotus is burned, even Buddha cannot save it.' If even Buddha couldn't do anything, what can you expect? After the fire was extinguished, Yama immediately set off for Heaven to apologize to Laozi. This is a matter of great importance, and it seems that we will ultimately have to wait for the Heavenly Emperor to return to Heaven before making a decision."
"The Book of Fate has been destroyed. Yama says that if a new one is to be made, it will take three days."
"Three days!"
Just like the Heavenly Court, one day in the Underworld is equivalent to one year on Earth.
"Wouldn't that mean it would take three years in the human world?"
Xie Xuan is now eighteen. In the mortal world, most eighteen-year-old men have already started families and established careers. In three more years, he will be twenty-one. By the time the Book of Fate is revised, Xie Xuan and Yue Qing might even have several children!
"Yes, my dear disciple. So, I'm afraid this task of yours will be quite difficult." The Old Man of the Moon sighed softly as he said this.
"More than that," Yu Jingxin said, her heart ashen.
If there were a Book of Fate, one could simply know when the emperor would develop feelings for the Three Dukes, and then intervene. But now, all of that is gone!
Seeing Yu Jing's stunned expression, the Old Man of the Moon said, "However, I have looked through the Book of Fate before and still remember some things."
Yu Jing immediately came to her senses and looked at the Old Man of the Moon.
"The Lord Su who just requested to see Shenghua is named Su Siyang. He should also be in the portrait I gave you before."
Yu Jing thought carefully for a moment, and confirmed that Su Siyang was indeed such a person. He had a gentle and refined appearance, and looked very cultured. He gave people the feeling of a handsome scholar.
"He is the Grand Secretary of Beihuai, now in his thirties, holding the rank of third grade. Before Shenghua entered the palace, they... were once deeply in love."
Upon hearing this, Yu Jing was completely stunned: "Then... what about now?"
"He is still unmarried, which suggests that he still has feelings for Shenghua."
“Shenghua is now the Empress Dowager, how dare he?” Yu Jing asked the Matchmaker in bewilderment after a long while.
The Matchmaker, unfazed, met Yu Jing's eyes with a faint smile, his gaze calm after seeing countless things: "What is love in this world that makes people willing to die for it?"
"You've been in the Marriage Palace for quite some time now, haven't you seen enough of this kind of thing?" the Old Man of the Moon asked.
She had seen quite a few, but for Yu Jing, it was all different. The people she met in the Marriage Hall were all from books, no different from storybooks to her. But now, Su Siyang was a living, breathing person to her.
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