Chapter 49 His Highness, a Golden Branch and Jade Leaf
The next day, the sun shone brightly.
The entire West Garden was brightly lit all night. The princess was returning to the capital, and she wanted to take all her familiar belongings with her—clothes, jewelry, rouge, and so on—filling several carriages. Imperial guards stood on either side of the carriages, waiting.
To prevent a recurrence of the previous incident, a large number of imperial guards accompanied the entourage this time, numbering around fifty.
Shen Panyan got up early. After her maid helped her with her hair and makeup, someone brought her breakfast.
It was a bowl of plain porridge.
She was taken aback. Breakfast was usually more elaborate, so why was there only plain porridge today?
"Did Lin Xiao make this congee?"
The palace maid replied, "Your Highness, it was Lord Linxiao who made it."
He said that since you are returning to the capital today, the journey may be bumpy and you might have an upset stomach, so he only made some congee and sent it to you so that you can feel more comfortable in the carriage.
Shen Panyan's eyelashes trembled slightly. "He's thoughtful."
"You may all leave now."
"yes."
The young palace maid left.
Shen Panyan looked at the bowl of congee, her long eyelashes drooping to conceal the turbulent emotions in her heart.
After a long pause, she suddenly spoke, "Lin Xiao!"
A black figure appeared in front of her in an instant. "Your Highness."
Lin Xiao had been watching her for a long time, and seeing that she didn't move, he thought she didn't like today's breakfast.
"Your Highness does not like this porridge, so I will make you another breakfast immediately."
"etc!"
Shen Panyan spoke up to stop her, "I don't dislike this porridge, you don't need to trouble yourself."
Lin Xiao: "Serving Your Highness is my duty, not a troublesome task."
Shen Panyan tugged at the corners of her mouth, wanting to laugh but unable to.
"Don't go. I called you out to ask you when you're leaving today."
Lin Xiao: "I will secretly escort Your Highness back to the capital. I will only return to the Dark Guard Camp after Your Highness has entered the capital."
"I see..." She couldn't tell if she was sad, reluctant, guilty, or uneasy. She wanted to ask him when he would come to see her after returning to the Dark Guard Camp, but she was afraid that he would misunderstand her like yesterday. After thinking it over, she decided to give up. "I understand."
I had so much to say, but when it came time to part, I couldn't utter a single word.
"Be careful when you return to camp." She pursed her lips. "I don't need you to send me messages all the time. Don't send me any important secrets. Take care of yourself."
Lin Xiao looked up in surprise. He had thought that His Highness would ask him when he would send the message... but instead, His Highness said these things.
"Yes, I understand." His voice was gentle.
Shen Panyan looked at him, her few words echoing in her heart. After struggling for a long time, she still couldn't utter a single word.
That's enough. If you can't say it, then don't say it anymore.
She stood up and handed him the box she had prepared beforehand. "This contains something I'm giving you. Keep it safe and don't open it until I arrive in Kyoto."
Lin Xiao was taken aback. "This... I can't accept it..."
Shen Panyan had already guessed that he would refuse, so she looked up at him and said in a soft but firm voice, "If you really consider me your master, then accept it."
"If you don't accept it, then I'll take it as you were lying to me before."
Lin Xiao: "...Yes."
Helpless, he could only reach out and accept it, saying, "Your Highness, I thank you for your reward."
After delivering the items, Chen Panyan pursed her lips and lowered her voice, "There's nothing else here, you can go now."
"yes."
However, Lin Xiao did not leave immediately. Instead, he stood there and started talking about something else.
“Your Highness, after you return to the capital, I fear I will not be able to leave the Dark Guard Camp for long.” As he spoke, he took out a paper moon from his pocket and handed it to her. “Before contacting you, I will try to place a paper moon or something else folded from paper next to you. After you see this, I will definitely come to see you within three days.”
Shen Panyan paused, bit her lip, and reached out to take it. "Okay."
"Then if, if..." Shen Panyan's gaze slowly fell on his mask, "If I want to see you, how can I find you..."
He is hiding in the shadows; she can't see him or find him. How can she see him?
Lin Xiao was slightly taken aback, then the corners of his lips curved down, and his eyes seemed to fill with a faint light. "If Your Highness wishes to see me, you only need to go to His Majesty."
"To see the Emperor?!"
“Yes, unless I’m on duty or on another mission outside the capital, I’m usually by His Majesty’s side.” Lin Xiao’s gaze fell on her, his dark eyes clear as if freshly washed snow. “If I need to leave the capital, I will inform Your Highness in advance. If Your Highness wants to see me, you only need to go to His Majesty’s side.”
"Once I see you, I will definitely come to see you."
Shen Panyan slowly tightened her grip on the paper moon. ".....Okay."
*
"Your Majesty."
Someone carrying a fruit platter lifted the curtain and bowed as they entered. "Princess Mingyue has returned to the palace. His Majesty has dispatched dozens of imperial guards to escort her. Perhaps we should take advantage of this opportunity..."
The person made a gesture in front of his neck, saying, "It's over once and for all, a permanent solution."
"She's just a little girl, look how flustered you are, what kind of scheme have you come up with?" The Empress laughed, and looked at herself with great interest in dressing up in front of the bronze mirror. "Yuelan, come and help me see if this hairpin matches my outfit today? Does it look good?"
Yuelan was extremely anxious: "Your Majesty, what time is it? You still have the mood to look at hairpins? If it weren't for that little bitch Qiushuang tricking us before she died, letting Shen Panyan know the truth of what happened back then, she wouldn't harbor resentment towards you. His Majesty favored Consort Shu back then, and now he also takes great care of her daughter. Aren't you afraid that she will cause you harm after she returns to the capital?"
"Yuelan." The Empress put down the hairpin in her hand and slowly stood up. "She has been my daughter for fifteen years, and she has never been able to escape my grasp. Now she has only removed a few spies from her side. Look how anxious you are, as if she can escape my grasp now."
“I am not only her adoptive mother, but also the Empress, the Empress of Zhaoyan Kingdom.”
"Unless she wants to be despised by the world and dares to defy me, she will always be a well-behaved and sensible daughter in my eyes."
"Tell me, do I have any reason to be afraid of a daughter like this?"
Yuejian followed behind her, gradually calming down. "Your Majesty is right."
"Your Majesty, what should we do now? Should we just let it go? His Majesty is starting to have some doubts about you..."
"What's the rush? It's just suspicion. His Majesty and I have been husband and wife for many years. He won't do anything to me."
The Empress's smile faded. "Back then, Consort Shu couldn't beat me, and now, her daughter is unlikely to beat me either."
"Yuejian, send someone out of the palace to the Jiang residence and tell Mother to submit a token to the palace and bring Master Ruan to see me."
"yes."
*
The princess's procession back to the capital was extremely long, guarded by imperial guards on all sides. Palace maids walked in front, and eunuchs followed behind the carriages, surrounding the low-key yet luxurious carriage in the center. The horse stood still, shook its head, and snorted.
"Is everything ready?"
"Reporting to the chief, everything is ready."
Surrounded by palace maids, Shen Panyan walked out of the royal villa. Her figure was as graceful as a spring willow, her silk skirt swaying like light smoke, as she walked to the carriage.
The accompanying palace maid reached out to help her into the carriage. However, Shen Panyan stopped at the moment she reached out and turned to look at the royal villa.
The royal villa was a beautiful sight, built at great expense by the Ministry of Works. Its eaves and brackets were stacked like clouds, and as you walked in, winding corridors and stacked rocks filled the landscape, with exquisite details everywhere. She had come here to stay every year before, but she had never felt as reluctant to leave as she had this time.
Her pale fingers tightened little by little, her almond-shaped eyes seemed to fill with shimmering mist, yet also seemed to be empty.
Reluctance, attachment, silence... her gaze fell on every corner, the lush trees, the gray walls... as if searching for something.
Seeing that the princess hadn't boarded the carriage for a while, the commander of the Imperial Guards stepped forward and said, "Princess, it's getting late. Please get in the carriage, or we might arrive in the capital a day later."
Unable to find the figure she wanted to see, Shen Panyan turned around and whispered, "Okay."
She lifted the hem of her skirt and, with the help of a palace maid, boarded the carriage.
As the carriage curtain was lowered, the princess's delicate and gentle face was slowly concealed. The commander of the Imperial Guards mounted his horse and shouted, "Let's go! Back to the capital!"
"Yes." A unified voice echoed through the forest.
With the clatter of footsteps and the rumble of hooves, the carriages began to move, and the long procession set off for the capital.
Lin Xiao, hidden in the shadows, watched as the prince walked step by step into the crowd of soldiers and horses, and into the understated yet extremely luxurious carriage. The golden bells jingled, clear and melodious. His hands, hanging at his sides, curled up little by little until the blue veins bulged, before he dared to raise his head.
How could he not know what His Highness was looking for?
But he dared not go out... His Highness was too good to him, too indulgent, so indulgent that he almost forgot that his Highness was a noble princess of the Zhao Yan Kingdom.
She is the first princess in the history of Zhaoyan Kingdom to have her own title right after birth.
He was merely a nameless bodyguard, whose presence was restricted. After today, apart from His Highness, no one would ever call him Lin Xiao again.
He is An Jiu.
The ninth-ranked guard in the Dark Guard Battalion.
*
"Master Ruan, how is it?"
"Your Majesty, Princess Mingyue has returned to the capital, and her destiny is fluctuating, rising and falling. His Highness the Crown Prince may soon face misfortune. Your Majesty must be careful!"
The Empress frowned. "You've been trying to save the Crown Prince for so many years, why would he still suffer misfortune? Are you trying to deceive me?"
"This humble subject dares not!" The woman, known as Master Ruan, hurriedly knelt down to explain, "Your Majesty, the matter of replenishing life is against the natural order. Consort Shu's destiny is already extremely noble. If she had given birth to a son, replenishing the Crown Prince's life would naturally not have been so troublesome. But this humble subject did not expect that she would have given birth to a daughter."
"Men and women are inherently different, and the matter of restoring life is even more complicated than that of men. Your Majesty, please do not worry. As long as you take a little action to restore Princess Mingyue's life to its former state, His Highness the Crown Prince's fate will also be restored to its former state."
"The more she suffers, the better His Highness the Crown Prince's fate will be."
The Empress frowned in thought, "But now that His Majesty is watching, I can no longer act as I did before..."
Master Ruan: "Your Majesty, please do not worry. This humble subject has a method to bring Princess Mingyue's fortunes back to a low point..."
Upon hearing this, the Empress's brows relaxed: "In that case, I will trust you one more time. If you dare to deceive me, you can forget about having your head."
"This humble subject dares not," Ruan Shi hurriedly kowtowed to express his loyalty.
*
Twenty years ago, the Empress gave birth prematurely to a child who was as frail as a kitten. The child nearly died several times from high fever, and the entire Imperial Medical Academy was at a loss. They summoned renowned doctors from all over the country, and it was at that time that Master Ruan volunteered to enter the palace.
Her medical skills were superb, and she pulled the Crown Prince back from the brink of death several times, earning her the Empress's deep trust.
Unfortunately, the crown prince was born prematurely. Not only is he weak and prone to illness, but he is also often unlucky, has a poor memory, and is forgetful. As the future heir apparent, if things continue like this, he may not be able to win the support of the people.
The Empress could not bear it, so Ruan Shi proposed to make amends for her life.
The Crown Prince is the future heir apparent, and his destiny is naturally exceptionally noble. However, in this world, every gain and loss is predetermined. As the saying goes, the moon wanes after it is full. It is precisely because his destiny is too noble that the Crown Prince is so weak and needs someone to replenish his life force so that he can grow up healthily and ascend the throne.
How many children in this harem have died because of the need to replenish their lives? The Empress couldn't remember anymore. If it weren't for Consort Shu entering the palace, who knows how many princes would still be alive today.
Back then, the Empress and Consort Shu were both pregnant. The Imperial Hospital diagnosed that they were both carrying male fetuses. While the Empress was overjoyed, she also made up her mind to get rid of Consort Shu.
She was already an eyesore because of His Majesty's favor, and now she was pregnant with a boy. No matter the reason, she had to die, leaving the child behind to save her own son's life.
But before she could find an opportunity to strike, her own child died at the hands of Consort Shu.
It is a fully formed male fetus.
The Empress was devastated.
She not only wanted Consort Shu dead so that her child could save her own son's life, but she also wanted to torture her child in every way possible to vent her hatred.
Even if it's a daughter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
