Chapter 94. Long, White Hands: Don't Presume to Be Sentimental
I pulled out the thin envelope and tore it open almost impatiently.
The text inside was short, only a few lines. Before he could even feel disappointed, Xun Suihuang couldn't help but smile after reading the contents.
"Pear blossoms are a symbol of longing for those who are far away. The pear tree in the courtyard has blossomed, and I feel it's a pity that you can't see it, so I picked a few blossoms to invite you to enjoy them together."
She clenched the letter in her hand, opened the plump brocade pouch, and sure enough, several pure white pear blossoms fell out.
I don't know what Xi Congshuang did to these flowers, but the pear blossoms that traveled thousands of miles are still lifelike. If you pick up a blossom and smell it, you can still smell the fragrance of pear blossoms.
It looked like it had just fallen from a tree, and Xi Congshuang had casually picked it up, put it in a brocade pouch, and sent it over.
Xun Suihuang put the letter away with a strange expression. After a long while, she looked at the envelope in her hand again: "There really wasn't any poison in this letter?"
She lifted the letter and brought it to her nose to smell it, only detecting a faint medicinal scent and the fragrance of pear blossoms.
For some reason, Xun Suihuang's romantic nature was stirred up by this letter and the pear blossoms, and he could no longer suppress his emotions.
She wasn't born a general, and being a general is no longer what she most wants to be.
At that moment, she seemed to transcend time and distance, and saw a figure writing a letter with sleeves rolled up under the fluttering pear blossoms.
This even made her want to return to Yongdu as soon as possible.
With a "snap," Xun Suihuang closed the wooden box and pinched her own cheek.
"Why are you so happy? It's not like you've never seen pear blossoms before."
The person who said this carefully put the box away, stared at the blue crab lantern hanging to the side for a moment, then called someone in to carefully put the lantern away.
Throughout his life, Xun Suihuang had received many rare and precious gifts, but only two lanterns.
She's already broken one glass lamp; this crab lamp can't afford to break too.
*
Within Yongdu, Xi Congshuang waited for several days but did not receive a reply from thousands of miles away. It was impossible not to feel regret.
But now is a sensitive time, so it's perfectly normal for Xun Suihuang to be cautious.
However, news arrived from the palace. Hongdou skipped and placed the letter in her hand next to Xi Congshuang: "Sect Leader, this is your letter."
Xi Congshuang put down the book and opened it to examine each page.
The first item concerns Prince Xin. The letter states that Emperor Jianxing bestowed upon Prince Xin's heir a token to enter the palace, and that the son resembles him.
The Crown Prince of Xin was only six years old, with a robust and chubby face. Not only was he not afraid of Emperor Jianxing, who reeked of medicinal pills, he even rushed over with a smile and called him "Grandpa."
This was the first time Emperor Jianxing had met this grandson. Perhaps it was because he was getting older that he was easily moved by a young and lively person.
After the birth of the Prince of Qin's heir, Emperor Jianxing had a monk from Huguo Temple calculate that the prince would never meet the prince, and that his dragon sons and phoenix grandsons would all come to absorb his dragon energy and grow up by consuming his essence and spirit.
This made Emperor Jianxing extremely wary, and he refused to see any of the children again, directly implicating them all.
But recently, his most trusted Taoist priest, Minzhen, said: "Your Majesty is a true dragon emperor, one in ten thousand. You are the only one in the world who is truly unique. Heaven has even guided me to offer you the elixir of immortality. How could anything in the world possibly harm you? Only evil spirits can be harmed by your dragon aura."
Comparing the two, Emperor Jianxing naturally preferred the words of Daoist Minzhen, finding them more pleasing and agreeable.
He extended his affection to the King of Wu and his entire family, but the King of Wu's heir was naturally timid and was frightened by Emperor Jianxing, constantly hiding behind the Queen.
Emperor Jianxing had no choice but to have his wife take the person away to appease him. Although he didn't say it, he still harbored resentment. Now that he had encountered the Prince of Xin's son, who was so likable, he was even more convinced that it wasn't his fault.
Just as she finished reading this, a servant announced that Prince Xin had invited her to his residence.
"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty, I will change my clothes and then leave." Xi Congshuang burned the letter she had just finished reading, and only left after all the paper had turned to ashes.
“Master Xi has arrived. Someone, please serve tea.” Prince Xin said, “Today, my father asked me to bring Guan’er into the palace. He praised Guan’er and even gave him a palace pass, which allows him to enter the palace at any time.”
Unexpectedly, this outcome was achieved by accident, which only made Prince Xin think even more that Xi Congshuang was a prophet.
He mentioned another matter: "Just before leaving the palace, my father stopped me and said that I was careful and meticulous in my work. He asked me to go to the farewell pavilion thirty miles outside the city gate to welcome General Xun back to Yongdu. He said that the matter would be announced at the morning court tomorrow."
"I wonder what my second brother can do against me. What good is it to have a Taoist priest whispering slander in my ear every day? In the end, Father still relies on me the most."
After all that talk, we finally got to the useful information.
Xi Congshuang's expression was unreadable: "Back so soon?"
Prince Xin, unsuspecting, said a few more words: "It's almost time, it'll be in the next few days, then you..."
Prince Xin, who subconsciously wanted to bring his strategist along, paused. She was a commoner, or perhaps a member of the martial arts world; she shouldn't appear in public.
To be honest, it's not that I shouldn't, it's just that I don't want to.
How many people actually know Xi Congshuang? Most people have only heard of her name but never seen her in person.
He changed his words and said, "You can rest well at your residence then. I will have the Princess send you some medicinal herbs. You have been working hard for me since you returned from Fuzhou, and I have seen it all."
Xi Congshuang brought out a large pile of medicinal herbs, had them loaded onto a cart, and went back to her residence, as if she were receiving a cheap and unintentional holiday gift from her boss.
The general plan is complete; she needs to think carefully about how to proceed next.
Back at the mansion, the steward came to ask how to deal with the medicinal herbs.
Xi Congshuang simply shirked these mundane responsibilities, leaving the burden to Hongdou.
Since these were gifts from the Prince's Mansion, the steward dared not make any decisions casually, but it didn't seem quite right to put them together with the sect leader's medicinal herbs.
Hongdou spent a long time picking and choosing. Although she didn't like reading, she still had a good eye for identifying medicinal herbs.
The question was honed through brewing medicine for the sect leader, and also through being influenced and nurtured by what one sees and hears.
After looking at them for a while, she stood up, put her hands on her hips, and said disdainfully, "These are all things that are only a hundred years old. How can I possibly give them away?"
The housekeeper was embarrassed; she had noticed it, which was why she asked the question.
As the head of a sect, she had the best of everything, and the medicines she used were all top-notch. In her eyes, century-old medicinal herbs were just barely usable and only used as a last resort.
The gifts from the Prince's Mansion were naturally of high quality, though not quite as luxurious as those used in the imperial palace, they were still excellent.
Compared to what the sect leader usually uses, it's simply not good enough.
Using it is problematic, and not using it is also problematic.
Sending these things to a wealthy poison master shows that the Prince's mansion doesn't even understand the principle of quality over quantity.
Ultimately, it's about not caring and thinking everyone should be grateful.
The more she looked, the more her eyes hurt. Hongdou waved her hand and said, "Just put it in the storeroom and keep it at the bottom of the trunk. We don't want to accidentally take the wrong one and give it away. Our Yihaotang can't afford to lose face like that."
The steward was overjoyed and hurriedly called for a maid to come and move the items away.
Five days later, at dawn, Prince Xin, accompanied by his officials, went to the farewell pavilion thirty miles outside the Yongdu city gate to welcome Xun Suihuang back to the capital.
The last person to receive such treatment was the old Marquis of Pingding.
This shows the emperor's reliance on the commanders of the thirteen battalions of Northern Yan—this is what most people see.
Before it was time to return to the city, Xi Congshuang had already reserved the best spot in the restaurant, waiting for the general to return.
Looking down from the railing, you can see the entire long street in its entirety.
Of course, she wasn't the only one with this idea. The streets were already packed with people. Later, guards arrived with their men and blocked the crowds on both sides of the street, telling them to pack up their stalls and set them up again later.
This was a signal: the main street leading into the city had been cleared, and crowds of people were packed on both sides, eagerly awaiting the direction of the city gate.
Everyone could already hear the sound of horses' hooves, marching in an orderly and well-trained manner towards the city.
This was the first time Hongdou had ever seen a general return to the capital in triumph. She kept saying how majestic it was, and then she leaned over the railing to watch. If Xi Congshuang hadn't stopped her, she would have stuck half her body out of the railing to watch.
There were many people like her, whether on the ground, by the window, or by the railing, all craning their necks to witness this scene.
"They're here!"
With a cry of alarm, a dark, clattering cloud appeared at the city gate, with only a striking red figure in the center – these were the Northern Yan soldiers clad in soft armor.
The leading female general in red and riding a white horse was none other than Xun Suihuang, who was heroic and dashing, her red dress fluttering in the wind.
For a moment, some people were stunned. This powerful general was not as terrifying as a demon. On the contrary, he was quite handsome, with deep-set eyes and slightly pursed lips.
And unlike what everyone imagined, she had a calm expression, without any arrogance, as if she had everything under control.
Previously, Xun Suihuang, who was bound by the rule that she could not leave her residence without imperial decree, never liked to leave the mansion. Even when she did leave, she would not flaunt her title as the Marquis of Pingding. Her demeanor was not as discreet as that of a member of the imperial family, so she was not remembered by many people.
When war came, Emperor Jianxing immediately remembered this person.
While everyone was looking at Xun Suihuang, she was also looking at everyone else.
She looked at the excited faces, then suddenly turned her gaze to the front of her, no longer looking at them.
Xi Congshuang looked down and frowned: "Something's not right."
Hongdou stared intently, and upon hearing Xi Congshuang's voice, she instinctively asked, "What's wrong?"
Xi Congshuang stood up by the railing and looked down at the soldiers on the long street: "The numbers are wrong, and they've all removed their armor."
"Hmm?" Hongdou then noticed that everyone was only wearing soft protective armor, which was different from the armor they usually wore. "It really is."
Xun Suihuang, who was in the lead, was dressed casually, but her imposing aura concealed her true nature, and no one noticed that she was wearing a civil and military robe and that the long spear she always carried was not in her hand.
Not only her, but almost everyone in the process was like this, even Gu Daifang, who was skilled with a knife, was empty-handed.
The orderly soldiers led the way, followed by the carriages of civil and military officials, and the guards flanking the officials, all heading towards the imperial city in a grand procession.
Xi Congshuang did not see the canal carriages carrying weapons and armor. There were guards outside the imperial city, stationed on Dongshan Mountain, not far from the farewell pavilion.
Before they had completely left the long street, Xi Congshuang's gaze followed the red figure at the front: "It is only natural to remove one's armor before entering the palace for an audience; one should remove one's armor before entering the city..."
They've stopped acting altogether; they've practically etched the fear that you might suddenly rebel onto their foreheads.
Everyone was wary of Xun Suihuang, worried that she would disobey the imperial decree, so they brought a lot of guards with them. But to their surprise, she simply and neatly dismissed them and was willing to enter the city empty-handed.
Tonight, there will be a banquet in the palace to welcome the general back. Xun Suihuang, who has won a great victory and is also a relative of the emperor, must attend.
After the person left, everyone downstairs dispersed and went about their own business.
Xi Congshuang put down the teacup that she had barely touched from the beginning, turned around and left.
"Sect Master, wait for me." Hongdou hurriedly grabbed two pieces of pastry from the table and quickly followed Xi Congshuang.
If Xun Suihuang knew what Xi Congshuang was thinking upstairs, he would have said the same thing as Prince Xin: Sect Leader Xi is truly a prophet.
That night, Xun Suihuang, having changed her clothes, sat in the banquet hall, surrounded by melodious music, watching the people exchange meaningful words and drinks.
It's only been a little over a year since I last went back to Yongdu, but I never expected that I would find myself increasingly uncomfortable in Yongdu.
The music seemed weak and listless.
"Congratulations on your triumphant return, General! Let's raise a toast!" Another official approached with a smile, holding a wine glass in his hand to offer his congratulations.
Xun Suihuang thought to herself how fortunate she was to have sent Gu Daifang to the Pingding Marquis's residence to clear land this afternoon, otherwise she would have been very impatient.
He raised his hand and drank the wine in the glass without saying a word.
The official's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "General, you're truly decisive!"
Xun Suihuang smiled and said, "You're too kind, my lord."
Actually, she was thinking that even if she drank a whole vat of wine, she wouldn't get drunk, but she preferred drinking to pretending to be polite with these civil officials.
Sure enough, spending too much time with Gu Daifang has made her temper worse. In this respect, she is unlike her mother. Despite the old Marquis of Pingding's explosive temper, she is much more efficient in dealing with people.
She was, after all, a royal princess, and a woman who commanded her wedding procession to turn it into a force that could repel the enemy.
With this esteemed person leading the way, and the general gracing us with his presence, even more people came to offer toasts. Finally, it was only with the announcement of "His Majesty has arrived" that everyone was allowed to return to their respective places.
At this moment, Xun Suihuang did not feel dizzy. She stood steadily and could see that Emperor Jianxing seemed to look even younger.
The emperor was in a good mood today; in fact, he had been in a good mood lately. His attitude toward Xun Suihuang was unexpectedly gentle.
Xun Suihuang had no idea how many more pills he had consumed that had damaged his brain, so she remained respectful throughout, not daring to overstep the bounds in the slightest.
Who knows if Emperor Jianxing's paranoia has relapsed, it's just...
Xun Suihuang inappropriately thought of Xi Congshuang. She had once used a strange word on her, but after Xi Congshuang explained it, it perfectly captured her current feelings towards Emperor Jianxing.
Entrapment by law enforcement.
The emperor often acted on his whim, deciding who to punish or reward, without much regard for clear distinctions between reward and punishment.
Especially someone like Emperor Jianxing, who would go back to bed at night and ponder, if he felt that someone's gaze was not quite right, he would issue an imperial edict to punish them.
The emperor's status allows him to skip the step of holding grudges.
Seeing Xun Suihuang's fear and trepidation, Emperor Jianxing smiled even more: "Chengzhi, why are you so reserved? Let's treat today as a family banquet. Sit down and have a good talk with your cousin."
Xun Suihuang remained unmoved and dutifully replied, "Thank you for the seat, Your Majesty."
He lifted his robe, lowered his eyes, and sat down.
Her excessive caution bored Emperor Jianxing, who felt she was putting on an act, but secretly enjoyed it.
The chief eunuch chimed in, "General, you must be tired from your journey back to the city today, which is why you've been speaking so little."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jianxing nodded repeatedly, as if he had just remembered the matter: "Yes, yes, I almost forgot that Cheng Zhi has just returned. Let's start the banquet then."
In short, the welcoming banquet officially began.
The melodious music resumed, and beautiful dancers performed on the dance floor, while civil and military officials chatted and laughed.
Today is a welcoming banquet. The emperor said that we should not talk about state affairs, but only family matters. No one is being tactless at this critical juncture.
As dish after dish was served, Xun Suihuang held tightly to the wine pot, drinking one cup after another, and she began to regret it.
She regretted not stuffing her hair fuller when she changed, because based on her childhood experience, the banquets in the palace always served cold food.
The imperial kitchen was far from Jiying Hall, and by the time the palace servants brought the food up, the daylilies were already cold, so they never had a hot meal.
The warmest thing on the whole table was the wine that I had warmed myself up.
Soon, a group of uniformly dressed maids gracefully entered the hall, walked to each official, and placed the cold delicacies on their trays.
Xun Suihuang was staring at the tablecloth on the table, counting the number of flowers, when she suddenly smelled a familiar scent. Looking up, she saw a beautiful maid standing in front of her table with cold dishes.
"Just leave it there, as long as it's away from me." Seeing that the maid was moving slowly, Xun Suihuang thought it was her first day in the palace and she wasn't very familiar with the place, so she kindly pointed her in a direction.
The maid in the pink dress picked up the white porcelain plate with her delicate hands and slowly placed it in the direction Xun Suihuang pointed.
Xun Suihuang glanced at it casually, and her first reaction was that the hands looked so white and familiar. Then she looked up and, sure enough, met a pair of smoky gray eyes.
"..." No way?
The maid was not afraid of being stared at, and calmly picked up another plate of roasted venison from the tray and placed it to the side.
Xun Suihuang: "…………"
It seems so!
Maids of such stature are not common, but they do exist. However, Xun Suihuang has a very deep memory of those hands and finds it hard to forget them.
It is white and slender, and when it is not poisoned, it is cool to the touch, but after the poisoning occurs, it becomes incredibly hot.
After placing the items on the tray, the maid, who seemed to be born unable to bend over, nodded gracefully and whispered, "Please enjoy, General."
He turned to leave with another maid.
Xun Suihuang almost blurted out "Stop!" but then remembered that this was a royal banquet and held back.
She was indeed attending the royal banquet.
How exactly did Xi Congshuang get in?
How dare they show up in front of me so brazenly? Aren't they afraid of being exposed?!
Unable to sit still any longer, Xun Suihuang carefully recalled the events and belatedly realized that Xi Congshuang's face was different from what she usually saw. Undoubtedly, it was a pretty and delicate face, but it was noticeably different from her usual appearance.
So that way they won't be discovered...
Feeling uncertain, and with the second serving of dishes not being from Xi Congshuang, Xun Suihuang could no longer sit still. She made an excuse to change her clothes and left Jiying Hall.
The cold wind outside made Xun Suihuang want to go back.
Perhaps the reason the other party entered the palace has nothing to do with her at all; don't be delusional.
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Have they talked about it? If so, ( )
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