It was almost dark when the carriage left the death row.
Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Because Emperor Kangping is seriously ill, no celebrations or festive activities are allowed in the entire capital. Pedestrians walk silently in the streets, and even when they do talk, they only dare to whisper.
Despite the somber atmosphere, the evening market was still bustling. Pedestrians thronged the streets, and many women were carrying infants or leading toddlers with their hair combed as they picked out toys, bought candied hawthorns, and new clothes for their children.
Passing through the evening market was the shortest route back to the palace. The imperial guards, responsible for escorting the troops, led the way, shouting sternly to disperse the crowds in the street. A little boy, running too fast, tripped and fell to the ground, crying.
"Eunuch Yang, have the caravan change course and return to the palace," Qiu Jie instructed from inside the carriage.
Yang Yaozu was somewhat bewildered. He listened to the children crying and the imperial guards shouting outside the carriage, then looked at Qiu Jie. Qiu Jie's face was hidden behind a mask, making it impossible to see her expression, and he wondered what she was thinking.
Just because a mere boy cried, does the goddess have to take a detour?
He leaned out of the car window and said to the captain of the Imperial Guard, "The goddess has instructed us not to take this road, but to take another one."
The convoy stopped and turned onto a side road. This side road was much quieter, with few vendors.
“Eunuch Yang,” Qiu Jie said, “do you know why I let Consort Li go?”
Yang Yaozu was taken aback, and sat back down opposite Qiu Jie somewhat awkwardly.
Qiu Jie might have asked this question simply to get his opinion, or it might have just been a casual chat on the way. But he couldn't answer so casually.
Overnight, Qiu Jie miraculously gained the power of life and death granted by Emperor Kangping. This was not only because she had denounced Consort Li, but also because, after this incident, Emperor Kangping no longer trusted any physicians and entrusted his fate to Qiu Jie.
Now, Qiu Jie is not only the goddess of a family of divine healers, but also wields supreme power. Even if she speaks casually, one must carefully consider her words and cannot answer carelessly. If one answers incorrectly, the consequences are unknown.
Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. He understood this from the day he became a eunuch.
After much deliberation, he decided to act smarter. After all, no master likes a fool as their subordinate.
"Goddess, this servant is ignorant. Your request for His Majesty to spare Consort Li must be for the sake of the Fifth Prince. Any deeper reason is beyond the servant's comprehension."
He answered carefully, pointing out the key points of the issue without revealing everything. He only spoke three-tenths of the story, leaving the rest for his master to say. If he were too eager to impress and said everything, what would his master say?
A low chuckle came from behind the clown mask: "Eunuch Yang, no wonder you became His Majesty's confidant in such a short time."
Yang Yaozu replied humbly, "You flatter me, Goddess. I am but a servant."
A question suddenly arose in his mind. Shouldn't this be the first time he'd met Qiu Jie? How did Qiu Jie know he hadn't been in the palace for very long?
Upon further reflection, perhaps Consort Li told Qiu Jie this during a casual conversation. That way, she wouldn't need to bother considering such trivial details.
“The Fifth Prince is leading an army of 100,000 to attack Xiping Pass. If he finds out that his mother has been killed, he will definitely return to the capital. Although his army does not pose a threat, it gives Wei Jingzhuo a chance to catch his breath,” Qiu Jie’s fingers slowly traced the Chengjun sword on her lap. “Besides, even if killing Consort Li can keep it a secret for a while, who will communicate with the Fifth Prince?”
"The goddess is so far-sighted; this servant could never have imagined so much."
"Hehe, Eunuch Yang is too modest," Qiu Jie said. "I am very satisfied with you. His Majesty has already promised me that you will work for me from now on."
"This servant is filled with trepidation."
After Yang Yaozu finished answering, he remembered that Qiu Jie had asked Consort Li to write a letter to Wei Shao immediately while he was in death row, but unfortunately he didn't know what it contained.
It's clear that Qiu Jie wanted Wei Shao to continue attacking Xiping Pass, which is why she protected Consort Li. This way, Consort Li could continue communicating with Wei Shao without arousing his suspicion. Otherwise, given the heinous crimes Consort Li had committed, even being torn to pieces would be too lenient.
He couldn't help but feel secretly alarmed.
Originally, Consort Li was in control of this matter. Qiu Jie was her pawn. Now, the situation has reversed overnight, and Qiu Jie has become the one playing the game.
Did she plan everything in advance before coming to the capital?
A sharp gust of wind whistled outside the carriage, lifting the heavy cotton curtains and letting in a blast of cold air. Yang Yaozu quickly got up to press the curtains down.
Qiu Jie suddenly reached out to stop her, saying, "Wait a minute before you put it down."
Yang Yaozu held the cotton curtain in mid-air with both hands. When he noticed that Qiu Jie's eyes were fixed on the outside, he also bent down and looked out.
The carriage happened to be passing by the gate of the Duke's mansion.
The Duke's mansion was tightly shut, the lanterns that used to hang at the entrance were gone, and dozens of white cloth banners used for summoning spirits were instead displayed. The ground in front of the entrance was covered with paper money, which swirled in the wind. The entire mansion was deathly silent, as if no one was inside.
"God...goddess?"
Seeing Qiu Jie's fingers trembling slightly as she placed the sword sheath, and her eyes bloodshot, Yang Yaozu quickly asked her what was wrong.
Qiu Jie seemed to recover from her daze, turned her head away from looking outside, and said, "Someone in this family must have died. They're hanging up a funeral banner on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Quickly lower the curtain, it's too unlucky."
Yang Yaozu lowered the curtain and said, "This servant has been serving His Majesty in the palace and is not very clear about the situation. I heard that the Duke of Bai's family has lost its eldest daughter, and the Duke of Bai has not attended court for many days."
Just then, he clearly saw tears glistening in Qiu Jie's eyes.
Qiu Jie coughed lightly, closed her eyes, and said, "Have the caravan return to the palace quickly. I need to prepare medicine for His Majesty."
With that final closure, a tear finally spilled from the corner of her eye and flowed into the darkness of the mask.
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