Chapter 41 Attendant Jiu
"Establish a crown prince." The dark eyes of the King of Zhen were filled with an gloom that could not be seen by light. Although his lips did not move again, Masaki had a strange feeling that the King of Zhen must be cursing in his heart, because his fierce and ruthless aura could not be faked.
After Qing'e finished her report, she took her leave. Upon hearing that the Empress Dowager had such a plan, many of the other ministers immediately echoed her sentiments, saying, "Your Majesty, we believe the Empress Dowager's words are reasonable..."
Many others, while arguing with those who advocated for establishing a crown prince, were led astray in the debate and tried to subtly extract information about the prince's preferred choice.
The person who will sit in the Eastern Palace seems to be a choice, but in reality—the eldest prince is disabled, the second prince died young, and the fourth prince died of poisoning recently, leaving only the third prince.
Even Shinjuku had figured out the intricacies of the situation. According to historical records, the third prince was to inherit the throne, but who could have imagined that the third prince would be so utterly depraved at such a young age? Shinjuku truly couldn't bear to think about handing over the Nian Kingdom to him. Therefore, Shinjuku couldn't help but look at the silent King of Zhen.
The ministers argued fiercely, and eventually no one stopped the emperor from going on the expedition. Instead, they regarded the establishment of a crown prince as a done deal, and the only thing to worry about was the selection of the heir apparent.
A tense atmosphere spread across the room. The Prince of Zhen's eyes held no smile, but his sword-like eyebrows were slightly raised, as if he had enjoyed their appearance enough. He slowly said, "I will not appoint a crown prince."
These words shocked everyone present.
"Your Majesty, how can this be! Please, Your Majesty, consider the well-being of the people and the future of the nation. The establishment of a crown prince is of paramount importance to the stability of the country. The Third Prince is obedient and filial, copying ten thousand words of scriptures for Your Majesty's birthday every year. His sincerity is evident." The implication was that the Third Prince would certainly not covet the throne.
"If Your Majesty truly has concerns, you may change the Crown Prince upon your return from the campaign..."
"Changing orders frequently is not advisable, but Your Majesty need not worry. Establishing an heir poses no threat whatsoever. Your Majesty is in the prime of life, in good health, and commands respect throughout the land. You will surely lead the nation to decades more of glory!"
Just then, five figures suddenly appeared in the Zhengren Hall, standing at the four corners, and the Poison King also got up from his seat.
The King of Zhen slightly raised his chin, looking down at all the ministers with his towering stature, and said, "During my absence from the palace, the Five Guards of the Golden Scorpion will take over the management of court affairs. They will treat you as if you were seeing me."
Five figures simultaneously raised their pure gold waist tokens, each engraved with the character "賿" (scorpion), creating several flashes of light in the hall.
The courtiers were astonished. They were well aware of the formidable reputation of the Poison King's Scorpion Army, but they had never seen a gold Scorpion token before, and even the silver ones were extremely rare. Those Silver Scorpion guards were specifically tasked with carrying out clandestine missions, usually appearing and disappearing without a trace. Yet, to their utter dismay, five gold Scorpion tokens, even rarer than the silver ones, suddenly appeared, and the holders were none other than five of the Poison King's chief palace maids!
To their astonishment, many people also discovered that the Golden Scorpion Tokens are petal-shaped with rugged and uneven edges, but they are clearly arranged in a regular pattern. When the five tokens are put together, they form the supreme token of military power—the Tiger Tally.
Now, the officials who had been eyeing the crown prince position dared not make any rash moves. They were so anxious that they were sweating profusely and wished they could leave immediately to report the news.
Shinju's eyes revealed understanding. No wonder the vast Scorpion Shadow Palace often only had one person on duty; everyone else was out on their own missions. Besides Zhixi, Tang Quan, and Qing'e, Shinju was seeing the other two for the first time. They looked extremely alike, probably twin sisters. When Shinju's gaze fell on them, they both smiled at him in unison, their eyes radiating a heroic and spirited air.
.
After sending out all the necessary documents and letters, King Zhen ignored the seemingly genuine but actually feigned attempts to persuade him to stay and boarded his carriage.
Shinju was also in the caravan, stroking the King of Zhen's Ferghana horse "Fengzhui" in his hand, secretly wondering if he could get the King of Zhen to allow him to ride it on his journey.
Unexpectedly, Fengzhui snorted irritably, but mindful of the boy beside it, it dared not kick its legs. However, its ponytail accidentally hit Zhenju, who immediately froze.
Shinju thought to himself, "Why is this horse so timid?" Just as he was about to pat the back of its neck to comfort it, the King of Zhen lifted the curtain of the carriage and said to him, "Aren't you getting in?"
Several generals on either side, riding tall horses and temporarily appointed, turned their curious gazes to the young man standing in front of the imperial carriage.
Shinju kept glancing at Daima, trying to subtly signal to the King of Hell, but the King of Hell acted as if he hadn't seen his signal and reiterated, "Come up."
Shinjuku had no choice but to let go and walk to the carriage. Just as he stepped onto the footrest, a bright yellow robe suddenly emerged from the carriage, grabbed Shinjuku's hand, and pulled him inside.
"Let's set off."
At the command of the King of Zhen, the caravan slowly began to move, heading out of the city under the stars and moon.
.
After the emperor and his entourage left the palace overnight, many people gradually received the news.
Inside Luoyan Palace.
Consort Yan was furious. "Why are you only telling me about such a big thing now! What use are you all!"
None of the servants dared to speak; they knelt timidly on the ground.
Her maid, Qin'er, was the first to be slapped twice, but now she could only tremble instinctively, her eyes devoid of light and filled with numbness.
Since her previous attempt to work for Consort Yan with her lover failed and instead caused Consort Yan to lose her power in the six palaces, Qin'er was not expelled from the palace. However, from that time on, she became Consort Yan's punching bag and had to endure her unpredictable temper tantrums.
Consort Yan had a vague feeling that someone was blocking the news, otherwise why would she be able to receive the news just as His Majesty left the palace?
“The frontier is such a dangerous place, how could Your Majesty leave me behind to go and risk your life? If… if something happens to him, how can I live? Your Majesty is confused! Even if he doesn’t think of me, he should at least think of you children!” Consort Yan wiped away her tears with her handkerchief, her heart filled with sorrow.
The eldest princess was also confused. Her father had left almost without saying a word, and didn't even come to see her before he left? But since her mother was so angry, she didn't dare to throw a tantrum here, so she could only go forward to comfort her mother.
With her daughter's comfort, Consort Yan finally calmed down after crying for a while. Then, she suddenly remembered something and hurriedly questioned her servants, "Where is that slut surnamed Qing in the palace right now?"
The servant hesitated for a moment, and Qin'er was kicked. The servant could only say tremblingly, "Your Majesty, Attendant Qing is not in the palace. He went to Langcheng with His Majesty."
"..." Consort Yan took several deep breaths before she could barely suppress her hysterical screams. She pressed down her trembling hands, smoothed her disheveled hair, and her eyes sharpened.
“In war-torn lands, swords have no eyes…” She imagined swords piercing someone's body, leaving one bloody hole after another, and couldn’t help but laugh. “Go and fetch paper and pen. I need to write a letter to my brother. Biying, you go back first.”
The Imperial Kitchen's Attendant Room.
Xiaodunzi lay down in the spot where Shinjuku used to sleep, curled up in a ball, feeling the place of Shinjuku that was getting further and further away, almost lost, with tears welling up in her eyes.
As if trying to grasp the only connection between them, Xiaodunzi stretched his hand out in the direction he sensed.
However, less than fifteen minutes later, the sensation suddenly went out.
He hadn't felt this utter lack of inspiration in a long time. This was the norm before, and it seemed like only a short time had passed since he entered the palace. But now, he felt as if he were enveloped in absolute darkness and loneliness, without a guiding light, without direction, and without any connection to the world.
That was his whole world...
The fine hemp threads that had curled up on the square pillow gradually became wet with water, bent over and drooped back onto the pillow surface, never to rise again.
Inside the Zhao residence.
Because the emperor left the palace late, the officials who had been urgently summoned were also busy until late enough before they were able to leave.
When Zhao Qianheng returned to the mansion, his wife even got out of bed to prepare a late-night meal for him. Afterwards, he had a private conversation with his father in the study.
When Zhao Kelin got up in the middle of the night, he noticed his sister-in-law pacing back and forth in the kitchen. He realized that the rumors he had heard earlier were probably true. So he quietly went to the study door and listened for a while.
Zhao Qianheng had said almost everything he could, and no one knew any further details. Although he was the Privy Councilor, he had only recently assumed the position and therefore lacked experience and influence.
His father, a former Privy Councilor who had retired from the court, could discern the underlying arrangements from this intelligence alone. He nodded, seemingly quite satisfied with the information his eldest son had brought back.
Overjoyed, Zhao Qianheng shifted his gaze and noticed a dark figure outside the crack in the door. He then changed the subject, saying, "Father, His Majesty has even taken his personal eunuchs to the frontier. You may not know, but today in the palace, that eunuch was truly skilled at bewitching people, saying only what His Majesty wanted to hear, without offering a single word of advice."
Zhao Kelin's hand twitched slightly, knowing that he had been discovered, and he turned to walk back.
However, Zhao Qianheng deliberately raised his voice, and what he said next made Zhao Kelin unable to stop.
"So young and with almost no experience, yet he's suddenly been given the position of attendant, and I've heard that the earrings he's wearing were a gift from His Majesty. These eunuchs are all cut from the same cloth, only good at flattering their masters and utterly useless."
The thing on his ear… refers to an earring? A eunuch wearing an earring… Zhao Kelin immediately thought of Shinju. He had noticed the pearl earring on Shinju's ear when Shinju was unconscious, but when Shinju finally woke up, he was too excited to ask about it… That earring was a gift from His Majesty? Wait, when did Shinju become an attendant? And even go to such a dangerous place as the frontier?!
Zhao Kelin lightly pressed against the wall to steady himself, then left behind a dejected figure as he disappeared into the corridor.
.
A dozen or so carriages burst out of the night fog, surrounded by hundreds of imperial guards on tall horses. The entire official road outside the city seemed to tremble, and the moonlight swayed among the trees on both sides, with countless birds startled into flight.
Sitting inside the carriage, Masaya's face went expressionless from the jolting of the carriage.
They were not traveling in the imperial carriages, but rather in lightly equipped horse-drawn carriages. These were neither luxurious nor shock-absorbing, but they were fast enough that they would arrive at the outskirts of Langcheng in three days, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
The interior of the carriage was very dark. Since the carriage was made of wood and was swaying so much, it was not suitable to light an oil lamp or candle. Only a tiny bit of light shone in from the red lanterns outside the carriage, which was dazzlingly red.
The King of Poison couldn't read the case files or use the small sand table, but that didn't stop him from calculating and pondering in his mind.
Shinju was somewhat worried that the King of Poison would ruin his health, because traveling through the night and being jostled around was really too tiring, and even he, a True Immortal, was feeling unwell.
Therefore, Shinjuku asked the King of Zashiki beside him, "Your Majesty, won't you take a nap?"
Just then, the carriage wheels ran over something, and the two people inside were thrown into the air for a moment. The King of Zhen silently turned his head and glanced at Shinju with a detached helplessness in his eyes, as if answering him with his eyes: How can anyone sleep like this?
Shinju couldn't help but close his eyes. Actually, he could have used his internal energy to stabilize himself, but after refining all the poison from the Nourishing Heart Pill for later use, he hadn't had time to fully repair his dantian. To avoid interrupting the repair process, he had been trying not to use his internal energy during this period.
Anyway, the jolting won't hurt you, and there's a soft cushion on the seat, so it won't hurt too much.
He was jostled so much that he almost fell into His Majesty's lap.
Shinjuku clung to the edge of the carriage, looking at the exhausted King Zashiki. Remembering that he had said earlier that he would take care of people, he paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you sleep next to me for a while?"
At that moment, a gaze as sharp as a hawk fell upon Shinjuku. Although the carriage was dimly lit, Shinjuku seemed to see something like stars or a sea of sand hidden within that gaze, tiny and fragmented, faintly emitting a ghostly light.
The next moment, he heard the King of Poison reply with "Good," and then a rather heavy object pressed down on his leg.
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Author's note: A little bit of drama is good, a little bit of drama is good (
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