Chapter 95: Whatever you can snatch is yours.
Princess Xuande prepared a box of rare jewelry and a stack of banknotes, land deeds and shop deeds to give to Congying, but was stopped by Prince Jin who came after hearing the news.
The princess said, "Why, she won't come to see me, and I'm not allowed to go to her? She's my future daughter-in-law, and I won't bully her."
The King of Jin said, "I forced her to stay here, not on her own initiative. Please don't take her disrespect seriously, mother."
The princess raised her eyebrows in amusement when she heard this. "Oh? So she's unwilling? Then you're just going to rob her openly?"
Prince Jin lowered his eyes and twirled the teacup in his hand, reluctantly admitting, "I guess so, but I..."
He was just pondering how to explain this when the eldest princess burst into laughter, clapping her hands. "Well done, you're worthy of being my son! Did you make it a done deal last night? When do you plan to get married, and how many children will you have? With your looks, your children will surely be adorable and worthy of supporting the royal family. Alas, raising a grandson is a serious matter, and I must plan carefully and soon."
Prince Jin: “…”
He explained seriously, "I didn't plan to do that. Madam Jiang Si is Xie Xuanlan's wife."
The princess was unconcerned. "They're not a proper couple until they enter the bridal chamber. And what's the point of being a proper couple? That fellow Xie San has been exiled. They have no future. If you can snatch her away, she's yours. Tomorrow I'll ask the imperial court for permission to marry you two."
Prince Jin shook his head and said, "She is unwilling. Mother, please don't force her like this."
"Force her?" The eldest princess was puzzled. "My son is a prince, how can he be inferior to Cheng Danyin's son? Although you are frail, it doesn't affect your relationship with her. You treat her with such care and tenderness. I don't believe she is not attracted to you at all. I saw you two hugging each other last night, and I didn't see her making a fuss. If a woman has feelings for you, she may be embarrassed to show it, but she will not reject you when you are close to her."
The Prince of Jin was unable to refute this perverse logic. He simply lowered his head and drank his tea. After a long while, he said, "I have my own way. Mother, please don't get involved. Isn't Doctor Zhang enough for you to be busy with?"
The princess was startled and speechless, revealing a guilty look: "What Doctor Zhang... I don't understand what you are talking about."
King Jin sneered and said nothing.
After he came back to life, Emperor Fengqi sent Doctor Zhang from the Imperial Hospital to treat him, and he has been under his care ever since then.
Princess Xuande had always been sarcastic about the imperial physician, but she gradually began to realize that this doctor had some talent. He had saved the dying Prince of Jin from death several times, and he treated her with dignity, showing a certain scholarly integrity. This changed her opinion of him, and she occasionally asked him to check her pulse. After a few visits, she saw that he was elegant and considerate, and she had a different idea in mind, so she used some tricks to get him to bed.
Afterwards, Doctor Zhang reacted very violently, feeling guilty and angry. He almost hit his head against the red lacquered pillar and died. The eldest princess stopped him and persuaded him to come down after much persuasion.
However, Doctor Zhang had gone into hiding and had never appeared again, and the eldest princess was busy trying to find a way to trick him out of the Imperial Hospital.
How did her eldest son know this?
Having put so much effort into subduing this man, the princess felt quite embarrassed and said awkwardly, "Fine, I won't bother with your business. You're not much more capable than I am."
After saying that, he stood up and leisurely left Guanxi Garden, but he had other ideas in mind.
*
However, Xie Xuanlan arrived at the northwest border at the end of August and encountered a heavy snowfall at the official post station. His original plan to report to the Xizhou camp had to be postponed for a few days.
Because of heavy snow blocking the roads, rations for both men and horses were scarce, and Xie Xuanlan had only two steamed buns for three days. In the evening, the two officers escorting him brought a table of wine and food from somewhere and invited him to drink. Xie Xuanlan, claiming to be dizzy from a cold, politely declined the offer and stayed in his room, boredly playing with the half bronze mirror that the King of Jin had returned to him before he left.
The Mirror of the World sounds a bit mysterious.
How had that old Taoist priest with the big nose, Taixiao, explained it back then? Xie Xuanlan hadn't listened carefully at the time, and now he couldn't remember clearly. He laughed at himself for trying anything desperately, even believing such fabricated things.
I think it was influenced by King Jin.
Xie Xuanlan's feelings about His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin were even more complicated. On the one hand, he was grateful that he cared for Aying, but on the other hand, he was afraid that he was too cunning and he could not see through his true desires.
Could it be that this person died once and really opened his third eye, or is it that the real King Jin is dead, and the one occupying King Jin's body now is a dirty creature from nowhere?
Is it true or false? What is the purpose?
Thinking also requires physical strength. The more Xie Xuanlan thought about it, the hungrier he became. He felt irritated and put the treasure mirror aside and lay down on a simple couch made of old door panels to sleep.
There was a cold wind blowing outside the window, and he had a short but intense dream.
I dreamt that I was sitting under a lamp and writing a letter home, which said: “This is personally addressed to my wife, Aying.
I have successfully arrived at the Xizhou official post station, but due to heavy snow the road is blocked, so I will need to stay for two or three days."
He looked up and around. It was a proper upper-class room in the government inn, much better than the lower-class rooms where prisoners were held for punishment. There were not only two charcoal fires, a new, soft, thick quilt on the couch, but also some wine and food on the table.
After writing this sentence, he walked to the table and poured himself a glass of wine. He stood by the window and listened to the sound of the north wind blowing and the snow tearing outside. He sipped the wine slowly and pondered what to write next.
After a while, he felt dizzy, stumbled a few steps, and tripped over a stool beside the table. As the stool landed, several masked men rushed in. Seeing he was still awake, they paused for a moment before slashing at him with knives, the blades pointed directly at his face. He broke out in a cold sweat, but his head felt heavy and his whole body went limp, making it difficult for him to draw his knives in time to strike back. He leaned back sharply to avoid the blow.
But although he dodged the first blow, he could not avoid the next one. Several people drew their knives and slashed at him at the same time. Xie Xuanlan rolled three times on the ground. He was stabbed twice on his back and legs. The pain made him sober for a moment.
In just a moment, he leaped up with all his might, using the wall for leverage as he unsheathed the Yanzhi knife hanging from the wall. In a flash of cold light, he severed the heads of the three assassins, sending blood gushing wildly across the room. Xie Xuanlan fell to the ground, his vision blurry and his ears ringing. With a strained hand, he wiped the blood from his face.
Under normal circumstances, he would have kept a person alive for questioning, but now he didn't know who had framed him. There was such a big commotion in the house, but no one came to take care of it. He didn't know what was going on and didn't dare to take the risk.
Xie Xuanlan panted for a while, stood up tremblingly, walked to the window, pushed open the window, and rolled out.
A muffled "bang" sound was heard in the dark night with raging wind and snow.
Xie Xuanlan suddenly woke up from his dream, opened his eyes, and touched the Yanzhi knife beside him.
It took him a long time to realize that the assassination attempt was just a dream. It was just that the feeling was too real. He touched his back and legs and could still vaguely feel the pain of being injured.
He felt a little relieved and was about to turn over and continue sleeping when he suddenly saw a figure passing through the door frame. Then, a slightly glowing red light pierced through the window paper and peeked in.
Xie Xuanlan remained calm, held his breath, stood up, stuffed the pillow into the torn quilt to create the illusion that someone was hiding inside, and then quietly stood by the door with a knife in hand.
The smoke produced by the incense sticks had a very good dizzying effect. Although Xie Xuanlan bit his tongue and held his breath, he was still affected a little and felt a little dizzy.
Such incense is not easy to make and is very rare. Who could make it?
Finally, the incense stick burned out. The person outside listened for a while and tentatively inserted a knife to pry open the bolt.
One, two, three... there are five people in total.
The five men, knives raised, approached the bed, nodded to each other, and chopped down in unison. Some men's knives struck the pillow, others stumbled. The leader was startled, and suddenly felt the hairs on his back stand up. Before he could even cry out "Oh no" he felt a chill on his neck.
Xie Xuanlan chopped off three heads with this sword. The remaining two people in the corner were no match for him. One of them raised his sword to kill him, but his head fell before the sword. The other one was frightened and turned to run, but was kicked to the ground by Xie Xuanlan.
The blood-drinking Yanzhi knife's blade was across the assassin's neck. His voice was colder than the blood on the blade: "Tell me, who is the master?"
The assassin trembled in fear: "I don't know who you are. We just wanted to get some money. We were blind and offended you, hero. Please spare my life, spare my life..."
Xie Xuanlan lifted his face with the blade and sneered, "Are you here to rob a convicted criminal? Coincidentally, I happen to recognize your face."
It was the assassin he had just killed in his dream.
Xie Xuanlan pointed the tip of the knife downward and swung it lightly. A silver light flashed, and the assassin wailed, hugging his severed hand and rolling on the ground.
Xie Xuanlan said, "You said it, I'll let you go back and tell you the news. If you don't, I'll cut you into pieces and leave you with a breath."
The assassin was in agony: "I tell you, I tell you! It's the prince... It's the Prince of Jin!"
Xie Xuanlan's pupils suddenly tightened.
＊
Chrysanthemums are in full bloom around the Double Ninth Festival, and the custom of appreciating chrysanthemums is popular in Yunnan and Beijing. People often hold elegant gatherings to appreciate various rare varieties of chrysanthemums and socialize with each other.
On the eighth day of September, the King of Jin came to Ji Su Garden and asked Cong Ying to change her clothes, tie her hair and put on her makeup, and go out with him.
"Xizhou has sent a message saying that Xie San has arrived safely at the military camp. You can calm down and change your clothes. I will take you out for a walk."
Cong Ying turned a page of the book. He didn't seem to be very interested. "Where are you going?"
The King of Jin said, "You will know when you get there."
He was always like this, gentle and considerate, but always decisive in what he said and did, never giving her the chance to make decisions.
Since Cong Ying didn't want to go, the Prince of Jin ordered the maids in the courtyard to kneel before her and present all the clothes, dresses, and jewelry. If she didn't even raise her eyelids, he would send for a new batch. This cycle repeated many times. Seeing that the maids were exhausted with sweat on their temples and their arms were shaking, Cong Ying finally sighed and put down the book in her hand: "As your Highness commands, I will go."
She chose a light blue wide-sleeved shirt and a moon-white hibiscus skirt, tied her hair into a simple single bun, and pinned it with a pair of pomegranate hairpins given to her by Xie Xuanlan.
Although she was dressed so simply, Prince Jin stared at her intently with a hint of a smile on his face.
"I seemed to have seen it in my dream," he said.
In her previous life, as the wife of the third young master of the Xie family, she sometimes had to attend social functions. She kept her mouth shut, her face unyielding, her reluctance hidden in her careless attire. Yet, she didn't realize that this look was also quite beautiful, like a bouquet of fresh lilies drenched in frost and dew, her waist swaying gracefully as she walked, her simple elegance striking.
Many people slandered her for being aloof while secretly imitating her. He only found out from Xie Miaozhu's complaints that the light blue satin was sold out after the Double Ninth Festival banquet.
The Prince of Jin picked out a pair of kingfisher-inlaid jade necklaces from the brocade box on his dressing table and put them around her neck. He took this opportunity to feast his eyes on them and said considerately, "This suits you too."
He walked out holding Cong Ying's hand, and they both boarded the carriage one after another. From a distance, they looked like a loving couple.
This appearance was seen by a curious servant hiding in the corner. He looked carefully, and after the carriage left Prince Jin's Mansion, he also found a chance to go out and came to Xie's Mansion cautiously.
He met Madam Xie and Prime Minister Xie, and described the scene to them in vivid detail.
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Xie's expression turned cold. He slammed the letter in his hand on the table and said in a cold voice, "The third sister was assassinated in Xizhou and nearly died, but she colluded with the culprit. Does she still have any sense of shame or gratitude? Such a heartless person, and you still ask me to rescue her? I don't think she needs to be rescued. I'm afraid the Xie family will ruin her!"
Mrs. Xie was silent for a moment. She picked up the letter on the ground and read it carefully from beginning to end.
This letter was sent by an unknown private merchant. The envelope was inscribed with a pseudonym and sealed with wax, but judging by the handwriting inside, it was indeed written by Xie Xuanlan.
In the letter, Xie Xuanlan said that he didn't know how powerful the person who was watching him was, so he randomly stopped a traveling merchant on the road and asked him to deliver the letter for him.
He also said that he was assassinated at the Xizhou official post station. Before his death, the assassin confessed that the mastermind behind the incident was Prince Jin. He asked Prime Minister Xie to investigate in Beijing and also asked Madam Xie to take care of Aying so that she would not be deceived or bullied.
After reading the letter, Madam Xie pondered for a moment, then gently advised Prime Minister Xie, "Aying is a devoted person, not someone who is ungrateful. Otherwise, why would she marry Sanlang even though she knew he was going to be sent to the northwest? I'm afraid there's a misunderstanding."
At the time, because Xie Xuanlan had specifically instructed him not to attend the wedding, Xie Xiang was not invited to the ceremony. He scoffed at the childish antics, but he couldn't help but feel resentful. He said angrily, "I didn't even drink the wedding wine, so how could I know why she did that? Besides, she went in and out with the Prince of Jin, and others saw it with their own eyes. Could it be that she was wrongly accused?"
Madam Xie said, "Perhaps the Prince of Jin has feelings for Aying. The Xiao people, especially those of Princess Xuande's lineage, will stop at nothing to seize a woman if they set their sights on her. Even officials at the imperial court would bow to their power, let alone a weak woman like Aying. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
After hearing this, Prime Minister Xie frowned slightly, raised his eyes to look at Madam Xie, with a look of surprise and doubt in his eyes, which quickly fell when she looked back.
He picked up the covered bowl at hand and scraped the tea soup to create ripples.
His tone became calmer: "Madam, what you said makes sense."
Madam Xie said, "Besides, Sanlang isn't sure if the man behind this is indeed the Prince of Jin. Since Ah Ying is with the Prince of Jin, asking her to investigate would also be a way to remind her to be more careful. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"
Xie Xiang was a little absent-minded: "I'll let Madam arrange this matter."
Madam Xie asked the messenger to find out the whereabouts of Prince Jin and Congying. At the same time, she walked to the desk, spread out paper and ink, and picked up a pen to write a letter.
The study was quiet for a long time, and neither Mrs. Xie nor Prime Minister Xie spoke.
About half an hour later, the messenger came back and said, "Prince Jin and Lady Jiang have gone to the Tiannu Canal."
Madam Xie said, "I heard that your Excellency is holding a chrysanthemum appreciation gathering at Tiannvqu today, but it's not convenient for me to show up."
She thought for a moment, then called a maid from the mansion and handed her the dried letter. After giving her some instructions, the maid left.
Then he said to Prime Minister Xie, "I've been busy for most of the day and I'm tired. I won't stay here with you, Prime Minister."
She stood up and left. When she was about to cross the threshold, she suddenly heard Xie Xiang calling her from behind: "Dan Niang."
Except when his love was deep, he seldom called her that.
Mrs. Xie turned sideways and looked back quietly.
The men of Xie family are all very handsome. Thirty years ago, Prime Minister Xie was riding a horse, leaning on a sloping bridge, with red sleeves waving in the building. Now he is nearly fifty years old. Although his temples are slightly gray and fine lines appear at the corners of his eyes, his demeanor is still as good as ever and his bearing is even more dignified.
No wonder...
Xie Xiang's eyes were deep, but his tone was calm: "Just now you said that Princess Xuande was tyrannical and tyrannical, and even the officials of the court had to submit to her..."
Madam Xie smiled slightly. "Of course I'm talking about Doctor Zhang from the Imperial Medical Bureau. Why, hasn't the Prime Minister heard about it?"
A moment of surprise flashed across Xie Xiang's face, but he quickly calmed down.
"I see," he said.
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