Chapter 113 A clear sound of a porcelain cup shattering...
A clear sound of a porcelain cup shattering echoed within the Shouhua Palace, shards of porcelain scattered before a pair of black-embroidered leather boots with qilin patterns. The feet stood firmly in place, without moving an inch.
The Empress Dowager, adorned with jewels and pearls, stumbled and fell, gripping the sandalwood armrest tightly with one hand. Beneath her lavishly jeweled hair, the powder on her cheeks couldn't conceal her deathly pale face. She gazed at the tall, elegant Chu Jingze standing below the steps, her voice hoarse and trembling: "What sins have I committed?!"
Her well-maintained hands trembled violently as they touched the smooth fabric of the cushion beneath her. It was as if she had returned to a winter day decades ago, when she personally delivered her infant son to Consort Yun's palace, and as she turned around, she could still hear the baby's heart-wrenching cries.
At that moment, she hardened her heart and never looked back. She was merely a noblewoman who rose from the ranks of palace maids. In the cutthroat harem, it was difficult enough to protect herself, let alone a prince.
Sending him away was better for both of them. He wouldn't be criticized because of his mother's background, nor would he suffer with her. And because she was deprived of the right to raise her own child, she would gain the late emperor's pity and Consort Yun's care.
Even when she later witnessed the child fall out of favor because Consort Yun had a biological child, and saw him being bullied by other princes, she gritted her teeth and didn't go to his side. She didn't want to disrupt the delicate balance between her and Consort Yun because of her own closeness.
Later, when he ascended the throne, she became Empress Dowager. Deep down, she felt a little fortunate; if she hadn't sent him away back then, perhaps he wouldn't have reached this supreme position today. But His Majesty always wore a distant expression, and he rarely visited her, only a few times a year.
They are clearly mother and son, yet they act like strangers.
She kept convincing herself that if she hadn't sent him away, he might not have survived to adulthood. She did the right thing, she did the right thing, she did the right thing...
She composed herself, her gaze sharp and authoritative. "Without my word, you can forget about taking that position!"
Chu Jingze remained calm and his tone was still gentle: "At that time, the ministers will have the support of the people, and I'm afraid even the Empress Dowager will be powerless to help."
What do you mean? Does it mean that once His Majesty passes away, the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne is a matter of course?
The Empress Dowager's eyes widened, and she slammed her hand on the table, rising to her feet in a panic. The hairpin at her temple swayed violently. "You cannot kill your father!"
"What are you thinking, Grandmother?" Chu Jingze curled his lips. "Father won't die. He just won't wake up forever. The court can't be in the hands of a sleeping monarch, can it?"
"Grandmother, the palace guards are now in my hands, and the capital's military camp will change hands in a couple of days. Why don't you just ignore everything and sit peacefully on the throne as Empress Dowager?"
He lifted his eyelids, his gaze icy, "Why bother seeing everything so clearly?"
The Empress Dowager sat there blankly, staring at the crane-carrying-auspicious-spirit palace lantern in the corner of the hall. It was a birthday gift sent by the Emperor on her birthday last year. He had never even stepped into the gates of Shouhua Palace, yet she still placed this birthday lantern in the most conspicuous place.
Actually, she did have some regrets.
When she was young, she was hard-hearted and often thought that she just wanted to live, what was wrong with that? As she grew older, she would sometimes think that her child was innocent. She brought the child into this world and then abandoned him. How could she say that she was not wrong?
Should she give up on him this time too, and continue living the rest of her life in a daze?
The palace lanterns swayed, illuminating the dim corners of the walls; footsteps faded into the distance, then gradually drew closer again.
"Qingping? Qingping?...Xiaoman?"
In her hazy state, Feng Mian vaguely heard someone calling her name. She struggled to open her heavy eyelids, and the dim candlelight revealed Dylan's delicate features. Her anxious expression turned to relief the moment they met eyes.
“Qingyi is keeping watch outside.” Dylan wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, his voice extremely low and rapid. “Qingyi has told me your plan. The Empress Dowager already knows about this. If she doesn’t give in, we should be able to stall for some time. My father has some connections in the army. I’ll find an opportunity to explain things to him. With him here, the commander of the capital’s main camp won’t be so easy to replace. At least… at least we can hold out for ten days!”
"But you still have a high fever and it's not convenient to move you. The Crown Prince... the Crown Prince will surely treat you well, and I will come to fetch you after you recover?"
Feng Mian's unfocused pupils focused slightly, and she nodded, squeezing out a few words from her throat: "Ten days should be enough."
She pursed her dry lips and said weakly, "The imperial physician who examined my pulse is surnamed Liu. He is tight-lipped but gentle. Perhaps he can find out the reason why my uncle fell into a coma."
"Okay, I understand." Dylan nodded repeatedly, then took a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and placed it in her palm. "This is the antidote for the 'Muscle-Softening Incense.' Be careful. The Crown Prince should be back soon; I can't stay any longer..."
Just as she was about to get up, Feng Mian's burning hot hand grasped her wrist. "Firefly, Willow..."
"Don't worry, Qingyi went to check. They were just locked up, their lives are not in danger." Dylan patted the back of her hand.
Feng Mian finally felt completely relieved, let go of his hand, and watched Dylan stride out of the dimly lit room.
As the footsteps faded into silence, Feng Mian closed his eyes. Suddenly, amidst the distant wind, the sharp sound of black iron arrows piercing the air was heard.
The winters of the sixteenth and seventeenth years of the Chengping era were not peaceful for the people of the northern frontier.
In early winter, everything was on the verge of improvement. The first batch of newly made winter clothes and quilts was distributed; they were soft, light, and warm, and the people of the entire Yunzhong County flocked to see them. Everyone touched a corner and happily noticed the difference in the white fabric, thinking that they should listen to the princess and make more so that by next winter, everyone would have a set of winter clothes and quilts.
What's even more delightful is the bountiful harvest this winter. The potatoes and sweet potatoes, planted with little hope, have yielded enough to feed the family for over a month. Especially the roasted sweet potatoes; their golden flesh has an irresistible sweet aroma. Honey is so precious these days, yet these sweet potatoes are naturally sweet.
So the food and firewood for winter were all prepared, and the children counted down the days to the festival, each day filled with anticipation. But along with a heavy snowfall came the iron cavalry of the northern barbarians.
The beacon fires of Yongxue Pass illuminated the sky, leaving the ground littered with devastation.
The city gates of Baishui County, separated from Yongxue Pass by two or three towns, were breached by curved swords and arrows.
"Get to the cellar! Everyone get to the cellar!" Village Chief Peng of Heishuigou stumbled along the snow-covered and icy dirt road, shouting hoarsely, urging the villagers to take cover quickly.
The snow fell heavily, carried by the cold wind, and seeped into his throat, chilling him to the bone. He kept running, shouting as he went, until he reached a house at the edge of the village.
The sharp sound of the black iron arrowhead piercing the air tore through the wind and snow, buzzing and drilling into his eardrums. He stopped abruptly, the black iron sword embedded in the frozen ground in front of him, the white fletching of the arrow still trembling.
Village Chief Peng felt a chill run down his spine and turned his head in alarm.
Five-year-old Gouwa tripped over a stone and fell to the ground, crying loudly. Another arrow was hurtling towards him.
His mind was still blank, but his body reacted first. Village Chief Peng leaped towards the child, his breath catching in his throat.
With a "bang," the pain of his body slamming heavily onto the dirt road rushed through his limbs, but the pain of the arrow piercing his body was slow to come.
The sound of horses' hooves thundered.
Village Chief Peng quickly raised his head amidst the swirling snowflakes.
The sky was a heavy, leaden gray, and the falling snowflakes, as large as goose feathers, pelted people's faces and eyelashes, blurring their vision. Yet, a rider in red broke through the snowstorm like a blazing flame.
The curly-haired woman unleashed a rapid-fire longbow, relentlessly forcing back the Alna cavalry. Several riders, clad in foreign armor, followed closely behind, protecting her as they faced the Alna tribe and blocked their path into the palace.
Village Chief Peng remembered her; she was the holy maiden of the Canglang tribe. Wasn't she a Northern Barbarian?
A weight came off his arm, and the last person struggled to lift him and Gouwa out of the snow.
"Village chief, what are you standing there for?" Chu Jingqi grabbed the arms of the old man and the child and pulled them back into the village. "Quickly, hide first, don't disturb their fight!"
"Young...Young Master?" Village Chief Peng blinked his dim old eyes, still looking back at the battle scene in disbelief, his expression filled with astonishment and uncertainty. "What's going on? Why are the Northern Barbarians fighting amongst themselves? Am I seeing things?"
“There are thirty-six tribes in the Northern Barbarians, and not everyone follows the Alna tribe!” Chu Jingqi led the two behind the earthen wall, carefully brushing the smudges off Gouwa’s clothes, and then took off his own cloak and wrapped it around the child. “Mi Tu and the Canglang tribe are here to rescue us. Tell the villagers not to be afraid, not to be afraid!”
Blood droplets splattered in the snow, like scattered red plum blossoms.
The curved blade blocked the long whip, and the general of the Alna tribe, with a scar running across his face, questioned Mi Tu in a harsh voice: "Are you going to betray the Northern Barbarians and join the Dayong?!"
Mi Tu's bright eyes turned cold. "We just want to live peaceful lives. Go back!"
The long whip lashed out forcefully, twisting the curved blade away and coiling towards the general's neck like a snake.
The general, having lost his weapon, was so shocked that he fell off his horse. "Quick, retreat!"
The remnants of the defeated army vanished in an instant, turning into dust. Mi Tu stopped Herlin, who was about to give chase, and said, "Go back and set up defenses."
The group surrounded the village and began cutting wooden stakes to make barricades.
Chu Jingqi: "Village chief, bring out all the wood we have in the village. We need to keep it in the village..."
"We can't let them stay here! If they're just pretending to sneak in and then killing us all, wouldn't that be like inviting wolves into the house?"
Some people expressed their dissatisfaction, saying they harbored deep hatred for the northern barbarians. Others nodded in agreement.
Chu Jingqi quickly glanced in Mi Tu's direction, and seeing that they didn't react, he hurriedly reassured them, "It was the cavalry of the Canglang tribe who saved us just now, everyone..."
"Who knows if these people are sincere or not?!"
Chu Jingqi scratched his head anxiously, "If you don't trust me and the Holy Maiden, don't you trust Princess Qingping? Princess Qingping took the initiative to do trade with them. If they were really evil people who were allied with the Alna tribe, would the princess be willing to trade with them?"
The crowd exchanged hesitant glances, when young A-Yang stepped forward: "I believe you! I'll go move the wood!"
Several boys stepped out from the crowd and ran back to the village with him. The others hesitated for a moment, but ultimately remained silent and dispersed in a panic.
"It seems your title isn't as useful as that of Princess Qingping." Mi Tu slowly swayed over.
Chu Jingqi was startled: "You heard everything just now?"
“We’re not deaf…” Mi Tu looked at the villagers’ departing figures. “I understand. When the princess sent someone to deliver a message, it almost scared the children in our tribe so much that they wet their pants. If they want to talk, let them talk.”
Chu Jingqi grunted twice, caught up with Mi Tu and handed her the tools, muttering, "They'll understand, not all the Northern Barbarians are bad people!"
A moment later, Village Chief Peng and his family carefully returned carrying several earthenware basins. "Holy Maiden, esteemed guests, please rest and have something to eat."
The cloth covering the earthenware basin was lifted, and steam filled the air.
"These are freshly harvested sweet potatoes. They're very sweet and fragrant after roasting. Enjoy them slowly."
Mi Tu took a bite, her eyes lighting up slightly as she looked at Chu Jingqi beside her. "Can these be included in the scope of the border trade?"
"I heard that not many were planted this year, and the harvest was small, so I'm afraid it won't work." Chu Jingqi hesitated for a moment, then excitedly blurted out, "But if you like, I'll go and persuade my little cousin to sell some to me as part of my dowry!"
“…” Mi Tu raised an eyebrow and glanced at him sideways, “…As a dowry for you?”
Chu Jingqi's face flushed slightly, though it wasn't noticeable in the cold wind. "If you don't want to, that's fine too... In another year, if we plant more, we'll definitely be able to get into the trade market."
Mi Tu didn't speak. After finishing a roasted sweet potato, she slowly wiped her hands clean, stood up, glanced at Chu Jingqi's dejected look, and said as she took a step forward, "When did I say I didn't want to?"
Chu Jingqi was stunned by this remark, and it took him a long time to jump up and chase after him, "What do you mean? You agree? Mi Tu Mi Tu Mi Tu..."
The noisy sounds were blown away by the wind and snow.
Inside the Snow-Covered Pass, in the military tent of the Al-Na tribe, the general dragged his remaining troops back.
The king glared at him with exasperation, then turned to the scout and asked, "Where is Baili Xun's boat now?"
"He's still tied down at Eagle Fall Ridge! Rest assured, Your Majesty, we will not let him escape!"
The king's eyes were deep: "Good, as long as we drag them, father and son, and the Dingbei Army to their deaths in the northern frontier, everything will still be ours when the new emperor ascends the throne!"
In a corner of the tent, a heavily armored guard silently picked up the extinguished charcoal brazier and left the tent.
A gust of wind swept past the helmet, and the guard slightly raised his head, revealing Feng Ciyan's cold and stern features.
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