Of course I want to manage
Zhao Lingying said calmly, "For the sake of an old friend's entrustment, I must have the power to turn the palace upside down with one hand in order to find out the truth of what happened back then. If I were just a female official who embellishes peace with words, or a scribe in the Imperial Library who writes edicts for His Majesty, I would never be able to accomplish this in my lifetime."
Aqiu said incredulously, "Is Consort Zhao really willing to disregard even His Majesty for the sake of your old friend?"
She was surprised because this was somewhat different from her impression of the Four Flying Phoenix Guards' unwavering loyalty to Xie Lang.
Zhao Lingying sneered and said, "In this matter, it is His Majesty who has suffered the greatest loss of friendship, and I don't even want to say a word against him." She said coldly, "However, it seems that he is not having a good time either. But I will not interfere with him. The grievance has its source, the debt has its debtor, and it is only right to pay back debts. What I, Zhao Lingying, have promised, I will definitely do, even if it takes ten or twenty years."
She suddenly turned to A Qiu and said, "Since you know I am from Wu, have you ever heard the legend of Ji Zi hanging his sword?"
When A-Qiu was young, he heard his master, Wan-Qi-Qing, tell this story at Lanling Hall.
Ji Zi was the son of the ruler of the State of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period. He was sent on a mission to the State of Jin. When he passed through the State of Xu, the ruler of Xu noticed the precious sword he was wearing and liked it, but did not explicitly ask for it. Swords were ceremonial objects used by nobles, and Ji Zi had not yet completed his mission to the superior state, so he could not give it away.
When Ji Zi returned and passed through the State of Xu, the ruler of Xu had already died in the State of Chu. Ji Zi then hung the precious sword on the tomb of the ruler of Xu and left. Some people advised him that the sword was a treasure of the State of Wu and should not be given away in this way. Ji Zi replied, "It is not a gift. The ruler of Xu had long admired this sword, and although he had not spoken of it, I had already promised it to him in my heart. If I were to refuse to give it to him because of his death, it would be an act of deceit."
She recounted the story to Zhao Lingying in detail. Zhao Lingying was very satisfied with her recitation, finding it perfectly accurate, and smiled, asking, "What did you learn from this story?"
A Qiu immediately said, "The sword-making skills of the Wu Kingdom must be extraordinary! Even the ceremonial sword carried by the envoy is something that would make a king envious!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Lingying smiled slightly and said, "You truly deserve to be called the Master of the Divine Weapon Hall; your eyes light up at the mere mention of a precious sword. However, the sword-making techniques of Wu are indeed very famous. The renowned swordsmiths of the Spring and Autumn Period, Gan Jiang and Mo Xie, were both from Wu. Furthermore, the famous strategist Sun Tzu was also from Wu."
Ah Qiu was incredibly clever. He immediately understood that Zhao Lingying's purpose in mentioning this story was to focus on the people rather than the sword. So he said, "Then it is because the Wu people are brave and skilled in battle, and they are unyielding. Jiangdong is not an easy place to pacify."
Zhao Lingying said, both amused and exasperated, "Didn't you hear the words 'heart's promise' in it?"
A Qiu asked, puzzled, "I did hear it, but what does that have to do with what Zhao Rong and I are talking about right now?"
Zhao Lingying said calmly, "We Wu people value keeping our word. If we promise something to a friend, even if it's just a promise in our hearts, we will do our best to fulfill it later, regardless of whether the other person is still alive. This is different from those political families in the Central Plains who have been in politics for generations and are very adept at navigating the political landscape."
Her eyes shone as she looked at A Qiu and said, "Isn't the reason you've risked so much pressure to return to the capital alone because of your promise to the Young Master?"
A-Qiu said in a daze, "I am the successor of the Junior Master, isn't it only right that I carry on his will?"
Zhao Lingying coldly replied, "There's no such thing as 'should' or 'should'. The complexity of politics lies in the fact that even those as close as teacher and student, friends, husband and wife, or father and son can turn against each other for the sake of interests. As for breaking promises, that's the least of the problems. Now I only ask you one question: will you get involved in Shangguan Yuqi's matter or not?"
A Qiu said helplessly, "Of course I want to manage it, but I don't know how. Does Zhao Rong have any instructions?"
Zhao Lingying's eyes lit up, and she praised, "Just for your words 'Of course I want to manage,' Yuqi has not known you for nothing. Let me tell you, the problem now is not that His Majesty is keeping Yuqi in confinement in the Yeting Palace, but that Yuqi is sitting in the Yeting Palace and refuses to leave, demanding an explanation from His Majesty, otherwise she will not come out."
A-Qiu exclaimed, "What?"
The two talked as they walked, and soon they arrived at the palace alley where the Yeting (a type of imperial harem) was located.
Even from a distance, the ancient trees surrounding the place create a sense of seclusion and tranquility, as if a chilling, gloomy atmosphere is about to descend upon you.
Zhao Lingying stopped, looked up at the imposing six-foot-high red wall, and replied, seemingly unrelated to the question, "Actually, Yuqi and I are both fixated on the same thing, but we are concerned with different aspects. I care more about the outcome of that matter, while Yuqi cares more about the reasons."
Recalling the past, when Shangguan Yuqi broke into Qiwu at night and they faced off with weapons, A Qiu finally asked the question: "Is what Miss Shangguan wants to understand related to her aunt, the former Empress Shangguan Wen?"
In fact, she had also figured out that what Shangguan Yuqi wanted to investigate must be something extremely important and secretive. Otherwise, given the Shangguan family's pivotal position, Xie Lang would have dared not to investigate seriously with just a word in court. Why would she, as the most virtuous lady of a prominent family in the Southern Dynasty, personally enter the palace to infiltrate and investigate, and even repeatedly sneak into Qiwu Palace at night for this purpose, until she angered Xie Lang?
When she mentioned "Empress Shangguan Wen", she noticed that Zhao Lingying's body trembled slightly and complex emotions were revealed in her eyes. After a long while, she said, "Yes".
After answering that question, Zhao Lingying did not say another word.
After hesitating for a long time, A Qiu finally decided to break the silence: "So, what Miss Shangguan wants to understand is..."
Zhao Lingying seemed to have made up her mind, and decisively interrupted her question, answering, "It is the cause of Empress Wen's death."
As for the cause of death of Empress Shangguan of the former Huan Dynasty, A Qiu had heard Rong Jian and Gu Yi mention it when investigating the poison of "Qianji San" that she died of illness.
However, there were twists and turns along the way.
Rong Jian had been ordered to bestow the "Qianji San" (a type of poison) upon Empress Shangguan, but she deliberately delayed the process. Sure enough, the last emperor regretted his decision immediately after issuing the edict and chased after her, preventing her from being forced to commit suicide. However, Empress Wen still died of illness in Qiwu Palace several months later.
Could it be that Empress Shangguan did not die of illness as everyone unanimously claims, but that there are other hidden reasons?
Zhao Lingying looked up at her, somewhat listlessly, and said, "As for the situation, you can ask Yuqi about it later. This is probably a knot in her heart, and also in the Shangguan family's heart. But in my opinion, the cause of her death is not important. Because before that, neither she herself nor the emperor should have wanted her to live any longer. How she died doesn't matter."
Aqiu could hardly imagine the entanglement of grudges involved. After a moment, she asked, "Then why is His Majesty so angry that he has banished the eldest young lady to the inner palace?"
To be honest, no matter what the women of the Shangguan family did, no emperor of any dynasty would dare to touch them lightly. For example, Shangguan Yuqi's cousin, Shangguan Youzheng, is currently the Right Chancellor, and he has used the threat of resigning and retiring as leverage. And back then, Empress Shangguan's uncle was none other than Shangguan Jin, a pillar of the Southern Dynasty and a renowned prime minister, known as "Shangguan Jin, the Grand Secretary who could "overthrow the entire Jiangnan region with a single sword in a green robe."
Zhao Lingying's face showed a mocking expression. She said, "His Majesty cannot tolerate people asking about what happened back then, because he himself was involved in the death of the former Empress! You know Yuqi's temperament. Once her purpose for entering the palace was exposed, she dared to confront him without any mercy. His Majesty... was naturally extremely disappointed. And her returning the jade ruyi on the spot showed that she didn't give His Majesty any face at all. His Majesty's arrest of her in the Yeting Palace was originally just a momentary outburst of anger, but unexpectedly, she didn't give him any way out. It was easy for His Majesty to arrest her, but she resolutely refused to release her. He needed His Majesty to give her a clear and explicit explanation, which His Majesty could not provide. He was both angry and anxious, and that's when his headache flared up."
Shangguan Yuqi is not only the head of the Eastern Palace's Flying Phoenix Guard, but also the most respected and favored noble lady of the Southern Dynasty. If word were to spread that she had been imprisoned in the Inner Palace for questioning, it would surely cause a sensation throughout the court and the public, with everyone eager to know the reason. Xie Lang's anger and anxiety were inevitable.
A Qiu cautiously asked, "Why does Miss Shangguan insist that His Majesty give an explanation for the late Empress's death? According to Consort Zhaorong, even if His Majesty is involved, it seems that he is not the murderer."
Zhao Ling looked at her with an expression as if she were an idiot and said, "But among all those who witnessed and experienced that event, he is now the one with the most power, understand?"
Her expression seemed to be lost in the past, and she sighed, "When her aunt had her accident, Yuqi was only six or seven years old, still a little girl. Yet she remembered that her aunt died under mysterious circumstances. More than ten years later, she still wanted to take up her sword to seek justice for her. In contrast, His Majesty never mentions it, which is truly heartless."
For some reason, when Zhao Lingying recounted these events from the previous dynasty, A Qiu felt a surge of indescribable emotions. Her understanding of Shangguan Yuqi, Xie Lang, and Zhao Lingying deepened. And she felt a strange unease about the Empress Shangguan mentioned by these people.
What kind of woman was she that so many people still remember her after her death and want to seek justice for her?
Even though Xie Lang tried his best to cover it up, the fact that he was so angry and out of control shows how important Empress Shangguan was to him.
As for the claim that Emperor Xie Lang was also involved in Empress Wen's death, this was even more incomprehensible to her. Xie Lang was merely the Right General of the Imperial Guards, holding the same position as Consort Chen, Li Lanxiu, a far cry from the Empress's status. Furthermore, in A Qiu's view, Xie Lang wasn't one to frequent the company of women; how could he have been involved with the Empress was even more perplexing.
But now was not the time to ask about these things, because Zhao Lingying had already led her to a section of the courtyard wall in the backyard of the Yeting Palace and said casually, "I will throw a few torches in later. When the fire spreads out of control, you can go in and call Shangguan Yuqi out, how about that?"
Zhao Lingying actually wanted to set fire to the Yeting Palace himself?
A-Qiu asked in surprise, "Why do you do this?"
Zhao Lingying shrugged and said, "Since His Majesty has fallen ill, this hot potato has fallen on my head. Miss Shangguan has been sitting in the inner palace all day without coming out, and we can't give her an explanation. This is putting His Majesty on the hot seat. It is my duty to share His Majesty's burdens, so I finally came up with this brilliant plan."
A Qiu exclaimed, "A brilliant plan?"
Zhao Lingying replied matter-of-factly, "Of course it's a brilliant plan. By setting this fire, I can create the impression that someone wants to silence the Shangguan family and kill her here. Although Shangguan Yuqi is rigid and inflexible, she certainly won't be foolish enough to risk her life over something like this. Once the fire is set, anyone who isn't an idiot will want to come out; and you can take the opportunity to rescue her, which will give her face and allow her to save face. Isn't that a win-win situation?"
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