Chapter 59 A Letter Returned to the Northern Kingdom by Carrier Pigeon
Helian Mingzhu practically ran back to the upper courtyard of the Honglu Guest House. The door slammed shut behind her with a loud bang, rattling the windowpanes. Her chest heaved violently with anger; the scenes from the banquet earlier felt like a red-hot iron, searing her heart with pain.
"Wuzhu!" Her voice trembled slightly, barely concealing her anger. "Immediately, send a message to my brother by carrier pigeon!"
Seeing that her expression was not right, Wuzhu dared not delay and quickly prepared paper and pen: "Please speak, Princess."
Helian Mingzhu paced restlessly in the room, speaking rapidly:
"Tell your brother, Emperor Yuwen Che of the Great Zhou Dynasty is completely obsessed with his Consort Chen, Su Luoxue! He protects that woman like the apple of his eye, no, even more than the apple of his eye!"
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and stated the facts:
"At today's palace banquet, I personally performed a dance, but he remained indifferent and ignored me throughout. On the contrary, he was very attentive to the sickly Su Luoxue, personally feeding her and preparing her a separate bowl of plain porridge and side dishes! As soon as Su Luoxue felt slightly unwell, he became as anxious as if the sky had fallen!"
The more she spoke, the more absurd it seemed: "What's even more ridiculous is that when the eldest prince went to ask him to feed him, he just stood there dumbfounded, and it was Su Luoxue who had to step in to save the situation! An emperor, whose mind is entirely on one woman, it's simply... simply incomprehensible!"
She walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky outside, and her voice carried a hint of frustration and confusion:
"Brother, Yuwen Che is a complete womanizer. His mind can't hold any other woman except Su Luoxue! All my tests and attempts to impress him are just a joke!"
She turned abruptly to look at Wuzhu, her tone resolute:
“Tell my brother directly that the path of entering the Great Zhou harem through a marriage alliance is a dead end! Forget about the Empress's position, I don't think Yuwen Che would even give me the lowest rank of Lady of the Palace! He guards against me like a thief, afraid that if I get even a little closer to him, I might disturb his precious darling!”
Wuzhu's pen flew across the paper as he meticulously recorded the princess's words, his heart heavy with worry. He had initially clung to a sliver of hope that Emperor Yuwen was merely putting on an act, but what he had witnessed and heard over the past few days seemed to him to be genuine.
After finishing her sentence, Helian Mingzhu seemed to have all her strength drained away, slumping into a chair and muttering, "Ask my brother... what should we do next? Should we give up and slink back home? Or... think of another way?"
She threw the question back at him, her mind a jumble of conflicting thoughts. Give up? She was unwilling! She, Helian Mingzhu, had never suffered such humiliation, nor had she ever failed so utterly in trying to conquer a man! But what could she do if she didn't give up? That man's heart was an impenetrable fortress.
Wuzhu carefully sealed the secret letter he had written and whispered, "Princess, the letter will be sent tonight. You should also... remain calm, perhaps His Majesty has other considerations..."
"Other considerations?" Helian Mingzhu scoffed, his eyes full of mockery. "His considerations are Su Luoxue! What other considerations could he have besides Su Luoxue!"
She waved her hand, wearily closing her eyes: "Go, send the letter out. I need to think about it carefully..."
Wuzhu bowed and withdrew, leaving Helian Mingzhu alone in the room. Looking at the flickering candlelight, she felt, for the first time, a profound sense of powerlessness over herself, over the Northern Kingdom, and over the future. Faced with an opponent who acted unpredictably and placed personal feelings above all else, her meticulously prepared strategies and her prized assets seemed utterly useless.
This Great Zhou was far more complex and... far more dangerous than she had imagined.
Meanwhile, the singing and dancing in the palace had not stopped, and the banquet was in full swing.
Su Luoxue leaned on Yuwen Che's shoulder, but her eyelids began to droop, and the weariness of pregnancy washed over her like a tide. She tried to stay awake, but soft yawns kept coming one after another.
Yuwen Che immediately noticed and asked softly, "Are you sleepy?"
Su Luoxue rubbed her eyes, her voice heavy with sleepiness: "Hmm... a little."
Without the slightest hesitation, Yuwen Che pulled her to her feet. The singing, dancing, and conversation below paused slightly at this sudden action.
"My lords, please continue to enjoy yourselves. The Imperial Concubine is tired; I will accompany her back to rest." His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. Without waiting for anyone's reaction, he carefully fastened a thick fox fur cloak around Su Luoxue, wrapping her up tightly. Then, with his arm around her waist, he left the main hall amidst the varied gazes of the crowd.
With the Emperor and Consort gone, the atmosphere in the hall seemed to relax considerably, though a few whispers arose. The concubines exchanged knowing glances and continued their meal, their minds already wandering. The ministers, on the other hand, marveled at the Emperor's favor towards the Consort, noting that she was practically inseparable from him.
Yuwen Che escorted Su Luoxue back to Guanju Palace. The wind and snow were kept outside the palace gates, and the palace was warm and cozy inside.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness." Fuling and Zhang Mama followed into the inner hall and, seeing that Su Luoxue was sleepy, quickly stepped forward to help her change her clothes.
"Change your clothes," Yuwen Che instructed, taking off Su Luoxue's heavy cloak himself.
Fuling and the old nanny worked swiftly and gently, helping Su Luoxue remove her magnificent imperial concubine robes and heavy phoenix crown and hairpins, and change into soft, close-fitting nightgowns. On the other side, palace maids were also helping Yuwen Che change out of his everyday clothes.
Once everything was in order, Yuwen Che dismissed all the palace servants.
Only the two of them remained in the inner hall, the candlelight dimmed, leaving only a dim, yellowish glow in one corner.
As soon as Su Luoxue touched the pillow, sleepiness overwhelmed her, and she could barely keep her eyes open.
Yuwen Che lay down beside her, pulled her into his arms, and as usual, patted her back rhythmically, humming a tuneless, unknown little tune that he had learned from somewhere and used to lull her to sleep.
"Sleep well, Xue'er." His voice was particularly deep and gentle in the quiet night.
Under his reassuring breath and gentle, rhythmic pats, Su Luoxue's consciousness quickly blurred, and she mumbled indistinctly, "Ache... I want to eat that crystal cake again tomorrow..."
Yuwen Che chuckled and kissed the top of her head: "Alright, I'll have the imperial kitchen prepare more tomorrow."
Having received the promise, Su Luoxue completely relaxed, her breathing became even and long, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Yuwen Che didn't fall asleep immediately. By the dim candlelight, he watched her peaceful sleeping face and listened to her steady breathing, feeling a sense of tranquility in his heart. The storms outside, the court intrigues, and the probing from the Northern Kingdom all seemed insignificant at this moment.
He gently placed his palm on her slightly protruding belly, where their future was being conceived.
"Goodnight, Xue'er," he whispered, and closed his eyes.
Outside Guanju Palace, the wind and snow continue; inside Guanju Palace, tender feelings fill the air, and a dreamless night passes.
As dawn broke and the court assembly began, the atmosphere in the Golden Horde royal court of the Northern Kingdom was different from usual, carrying a heavy and oppressive air. Emperor Helian Bobo of the Northern Kingdom sat high on his wolf-skin throne, his face rugged and his eyes sharp as an eagle, listening to his ministers below report on the winter storage arrangements of the various tribes.
Suddenly, a guard, carrying a thin bamboo tube, hurried into the golden tent, knelt on one knee, and raised his hands above his head:
"Your Majesty! Urgent message from Princess Mingzhu! A secret letter from Princess Mingzhu!"
The tent fell silent instantly, all the ministers' eyes fixed on the small bamboo tube. Helian Bobo frowned and said in a deep voice, "Bring it here!"
The attendant quickly took the bamboo tube, checked that the sealing wax was intact, and then respectfully handed it to Helian Bobo.
Helian Bobo crushed the sealing wax, pulled out the tightly rolled-up strip of paper inside, and quickly unfolded it. His gaze swept over the familiar handwriting, and the more he looked, the more gloomy his face became, his fingers gripping the paper turning slightly white from the force.
The tent was completely silent, except for the increasingly heavy breathing of Helian Bobo.
"Bang!"
Helian Bobo slammed his palm down on the low table in front of him, and the sturdy wood cracked with several fine lines! Veins bulged on his forehead, and his roar echoed throughout the golden tent:
"Useless! All of you are useless!"
The ministers were so frightened that they all lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at the emperor's face.
Helian Bobo's chest heaved violently, his eyes blazing with fury and disbelief.
"I sent my only legitimate sister, the noble pearl of the North, and she couldn't even get close to the Great Zhou's harem?! Is Yuwen Che blind?! He's humiliating my North like this for a merchant's daughter!"
He abruptly crumpled the secret letter in his hand into a ball and slammed it to the ground, pacing back and forth in the golden tent like a caged beast:
"Yuwen Che... what a Yuwen Che! For a woman, he doesn't even care about the most basic diplomatic decency! He doesn't take my Northern Kingdom seriously at all!"
An elderly and prudent prince cautiously spoke up: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Since the path of marriage alliance is not feasible, perhaps we should..."
"No way?" Helian Bobo suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes sweeping fiercely over everyone present. "If Yuwen Che won't let me have an easy time, how can I let him live in peace!"
He stared at the wad of scrap paper on the ground, as if he could see through it the young emperor who had repeatedly thwarted him; his voice was icy and chilling.
"Mingzhu said in her letter that Consort Chen is pregnant with twins, and the pregnancy is currently unstable, making it a vulnerable time..."
A cruel smile curled at the corner of his lips:
"Pass down the order: have all our people within the Great Zhou territory keep a close watch on Guanju Palace at all costs! I want to see if Yuwen Che can protect it so thoroughly every moment!"
“Your Majesty, isn’t this too risky? What if…” another minister looked worried.
“There’s no chance!” Helian Bobo interrupted him, his tone resolute. “Since Yuwen Che dared to humiliate my sister and my Northern Kingdom like this, he must pay the price! Openly or secretly, I will let him know that my Northern Kingdom is not something he can manipulate at will!”
His eyes gleamed with madness and calculation:
"Even if I can't harm that woman, it would be good if I could frighten her into a miscarriage, or throw Yuwen Che into a panic! I want him to taste what it means to be heartbroken!"
Within the golden tent, a murderous aura permeated the air. A conspiracy targeting the Great Zhou's harem, and specifically Consort Chen, Su Luoxue, quietly began amidst Helian Bobo's fury. Meanwhile, Su Luoxue, peacefully asleep in the Great Zhou's Guanju Palace, remained completely unaware of it all.
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