Chapter 115 Setting the Scene (2) Harem Mayhem
The rising snow mist signified the arrival of winter. As darkness fell, a sedan chair came to a stop in front of the Meridian Gate of the palace. A servant lifted the sedan chair door, and a well-dressed, wealthy-looking young man stepped out, fanning himself with a folding fan. He squinted at the blue-robed eunuch who had come to greet him, his expression displeased.
The blue-robed eunuch was adept at handling things. He said, "Lord City, you've had a long journey! The princess knows that you've had a long and tiring trip to the capital, so she specially requested His Majesty to allocate the most luxurious Jin Cui Palace to entertain you. Please come with me!"
The obsequious and glib manner of the young eunuch pleased Tan Yinyin, who readily agreed and alighted from the sedan chair. As he walked, he inquired, "The new emperor of Dahua is ascending the throne, and the wedding and empress-establishment ceremony will be held in three days. At that time, all nations will come to pay tribute. Are you preparing for a few days of festivities?"
A blue-robed eunuch bent down to carry a palace lantern to light his way. The group walked through the snow, making a crunching sound. "His Majesty has decreed that everything in the six palaces should be kept simple, but the envoys from the previous dynasty cannot be treated poorly. Therefore, from tonight until the grand ceremony the day after tomorrow, there will be a long and joyous banquet."
"Ha, that's long enough," Tan Yinyin hadn't left Huanyan Liuguang City for a long time and was already extremely bored. Staying in a wealthy nest for too long can make you numb. The newly enthroned emperor and empress of Hua Dynasty were inviting guests, and he accepted the invitation without hesitation and came to Hua to join in the fun. "What are the arrangements for tonight?"
The eunuch said, "A banquet of song and dance."
Tan Yinyin said, "Old tricks, boring... Where is your master? When is he coming to see me?"
"Your Highness is learning the wedding ceremony from the teaching matrons at Chuxiu Palace and will leave at 5 PM. I estimate that once you have settled in at the palace, Your Highness will arrive. However, a lone man and woman would attract gossip, so you will come with the other ladies of Chuxiu Palace under the guise of a nighttime banquet and garden tour."
Xiao Liling was always cautious in her actions, and Tan Yinyin remained noncommittal about her arrangements.
As they spoke, the group had already stepped over the threshold and entered the courtyard. The brightly lit hall was bustling with people, and the laughter of the young ladies entering the palace was like silver bells. Tan Yinyin asked again, "Good heavens, Second Master... no, Your Majesty, how many young ladies have you selected to enter the palace?"
The eunuch in blue robes, who was a fourth-rank official in charge of palace affairs, was well-informed about palace matters. “There will be a total of ten people to be conferred titles in the future. In addition to the empress, there will be four concubines and five consorts. They are either from families with high-ranking officials or daughters of officials who have made meritorious contributions to the emperor. Their future prospects are immeasurable.”
Tan Yinyin let out a long "oh." The art of emperors, the way of balancing power, the intricate connections between the court and the harem, it's likely that Xiao Yinshi carefully considered every concubine he chose; he never kept idle people around.
However, after witnessing Xiao Yinshi's behavior in the arena that day, I thought he had homosexual tendencies, grabbing that incredibly handsome brat and giving him a forceful kiss... Speaking of which, that brat Xiao Yinshi took a fancy to stole eight or nine tenths of the gold from his city, I wonder if Xiao Yinshi has settled the score with him yet.
Tan Yinyin gritted his teeth and snorted coldly. Just as he was about to ask a question, Xiao Liling gracefully emerged from the hall, greeted him from afar, and said, "Greetings, City Lord Tan."
Tan Yinyin's eyes lit up when he saw her. After several years, she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, with her gentle and dignified demeanor remaining unchanged.
When Xiao Liling approached, Tan Yinyin said, "Shall we talk here?"
Xiao Liling smiled apologetically and led him to sit down on the veranda. A warm stove nearby burned silver charcoal, and a pot of wine was warming on a stone table. One could turn their head and admire the snow scene in the courtyard. The ancient pine branches twisted and lush, and the pine canopy was swirling. The snow covered it like a feathered canopy, which was quite elegant.
The eunuch stepped back three feet, and Xiao Liling poured a cup of wine for Tan Yinyin. Raising his own cup, he said, "The few words in the letter cannot express my gratitude, so I, Liling, express my thanks with this wine!"
Having said that, she raised her cup and drank it all in one gulp. Tan Yinyin chuckled and drank it down as well, before speaking in a sinister voice, "Princess, don't bother with any thanks. It's just a transaction between us. I've done what you asked me to do. Whether the person was killed properly is not my problem. But when will you finally settle the matter you promised me?"
Xiao Liling glanced around warily, placed her wine cup on the stone table, and looked into Tan Yinyin's eyes, saying, "Lord Tan, when you lent me your manpower and masks, you told me that your actions would be flawless and that no one would find out that I was the murderer. But do you know... they all followed the clues and found me. Your work... is really... hard to describe... so I agreed to your conditions, but now I can only complete half of them."
The Xiao family is cunning to the core. His father's dying words to him were indeed true. Tan Yinyin sneered and said, "As long as you do it, you will definitely leave clues. If they find out, they can only say that you were unlucky. Our deal is done. If you want to renege on your debt, you'll have to ask Huan Yan Liu Guang City whether it's acceptable. Xiao Liling, you don't want to lose your chance to be empress, do you?"
These words struck a nerve with Xiao Liling. Her chest heaved, and her fingers clenched tightly. "The person I wanted to kill that day was the same bandit who stole your treasures from Huanyan Liuguang City. Didn't you also hate her so much that you wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible?"
Tan Yinyin was stunned for a long time before he said, "So it was him."
With a slight lift of his chin, which was covered in a light black mustache, Tan Yinyin stared intently at Xiao Liling. After a few moments of contemplation, he said, "In that case, I agree. But then again, why are there so many Imperial Guards surrounding your wedding banquet, as if they're about to arrest someone?"
His casual remark made Xiao Liling's eyes flicker. Tan Yinyin looked at her with interest and said, "Did I guess right? Then let me guess again... I heard that when Xiao Yinshi led his troops into the capital, it went very smoothly. He even captured and beheaded your father and younger brother who had already escaped from the capital. You were raised by his mother when you were a child, so you had a close relationship and naturally nothing happened to you... The only person he could arrest is Xiao Ying, the most powerful in your lineage."
Tan Yinyin patted the snowflakes that had fallen onto his knees, stroked his chin, and said, "But Xiao Ying isn't stupid. Why would he show up so easily? I'm really curious. Tell me, what exactly are you guys up to?"
"Lord Tan, too much talk leads to mistakes. It's best not to make unfounded speculations." Xiao Liling's expression was complicated. Tan Yinyin always had the ability to play dumb to deceive others; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to control the poisonous city of Huan Yan Liu Guang.
Tan Yinyin's words were quite right; every word struck Xiao Liling's heart. She gave him a deep look, and as she nodded and turned her back, a hint of hostility crept into her eyes.
The newly arrived palace ladies had finished touring the palace and were leaving in twos and threes, arm in arm. Only one girl in a blue dress followed behind, all alone, like a lone goose.
Xiao Liling stepped forward, took her arm, and said softly, "Miss Guan, your face is so pale, are you feeling unwell?"
Guan Zhizhang shook his head and said, "My chest hurts, it's an old problem, nothing serious."
She was the daughter of Guan Shao, the former Vice Minister of Rites. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he cruelly beheaded and tortured members of the Xiao imperial family. Guan Shao remonstrated against this indignation and was sentenced to fifty strokes of the cane in court. The imperial guards who carried out the execution did not hold back and used real force, so Guan Shao was beaten to death at the Meridian Gate.
Guan Shao died with his ambitions unfulfilled, his hatred lasting to the end. Upon hearing the tragic news, the new emperor was deeply saddened. With a stroke of his vermilion brush, he issued an edict to treat Guan Shao's daughter well, bestowing upon her the title of Consort An, and allowing her to enter the palace along with the other four consorts.
“A heart ache is no small matter,” Xiao Liling patted her hand gently, her voice carrying a reassuring strength. “You should see the imperial physician when you have time.”
The person in the pink palace dress turned around and said mockingly, "Sister Guan has just lost a relative in her family, it would be a shame if she wasn't heartbroken. Princess, if you ask me, you should just ignore the daughter of that treacherous minister, it'll only make you look bad."
The one who spoke was Mi Rong, the granddaughter of Mi Shu, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. Her father had also entered the Cabinet, and her brother ranked first among the successful candidates in the imperial examination, becoming the newly appointed top scholar. He was currently serving as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. The male members of her family were enjoying great success in their official careers and were extremely prominent.
Xiao Liling released Guan Zhizhang's arm and walked to Mi Rong. "From now on, we are both members of the inner palace. We should be kind to each other. The inner palace should not gossip about matters of the court."
Mi Rong came from a noble family. Although she was cunning, she knew when to advance and retreat. Her face turned cold and she remained silent. However, the girl named Li Xue, who was holding Mi Rong's arm, gave a sneer and said, "Princess, what Sister Mi said is absolutely right. Her father was beaten to death at the Meridian Gate, and she still wants to gain a reputation as an upright official. How hypocritical! His Majesty took pity on her and let her enter the palace. Otherwise, with her family's limited connections, how could she be worthy of being on equal footing with us?"
"Slap!" Guan Zhizhang slapped Li Xue across the face, the pain in her chest intensifying. "My father may be dead, but he must not be humiliated!"
The girls present gasped in surprise. They had been in Chuxiu Palace together for just over a month, and they never expected this docile girl to be so fierce. They were all barely twenty, and their tempers hadn't quite mellowed since being sent to the palace; many still retained their pride. One of them, unable to bear it any longer, angrily shouted, "Guan Zhizhang, how dare you slap someone?!"
Li Xue covered her cheek, looking equally incredulous, her eyes blazing with intense light. "Hold her down!"
The group immediately erupted into chaos, scrambling and wrestling in the snow. Xiao Liling tried to protect Guan Zhizhang, but in the confusion, she was scared off by someone and a small stone lodged in her knee, causing her to be unable to get up due to the pain.
Guan Zhizhang was already physically weak, and she couldn't withstand more than three rounds before being restrained by the other girls who were in cahoots. Their families were all more powerful than Guan Zhizhang's, who was fatherless, and they were even more arrogant when they taught her a lesson. The four of them held down her arms and forced her to kneel in front of Li Xue.
The palace maids and eunuchs who were attending her stepped forward to dissuade her, but Li Xue angrily rebuked them. Her cheeks were flushed red, and she raised her arms high.
Xiao Liling fell in the snow and looked at Tan Yinyin. Tan Yinyin nonchalantly heated up another pot of wine and tapped the stone table with his fingertips.
Interesting. Watching Xiao Yinshi's chaotic harem battles is much more entertaining than those ridiculous song and dance banquets.
However, these women are still not properly disciplined and do not know the king's lack of benevolence. In a few more years, they will all be molded into obedient and unremarkable people.
The raised hand, accompanied by the sound of wind, struck Guan Zhizhang's face. In mid-air, a bullet spun rapidly and hit Li Xue's forehead. She cried out in pain from the shock and took two steps back.
The next instant, the second bullet struck Xiao Liling's forehead, and the third bullet struck Tan Yinyin's forehead.
A series of crisp, sharp sounds rang out, and the people in the courtyard, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, all turned their heads sharply, their eyes fixed intently on the figure that appeared at the palace gate.
Feng Tan held a wooden slingshot, still in the firing motion, and slowly swept his arm across the foreheads of the people in the field from left to right with one eye squinted.
Li Xue turned around first and said, "What kind of thing are you, daring to hit me? You dog, get in here..."
Before she could finish speaking, another bullet came flying at her. Feng Tan hadn't stopped herself from hitting it, and half of her front tooth fell out of her mouth.
Feng Tan then stepped into the courtyard with a lantern, glanced down at Xiao Liling, and then turned to look at Tan Yinyin, saying, "When I come across this place, I see people I hate and I just want to give each of them a good whack on the head."
Tan Yinyin walked straight over from the corridor, his forehead flushed slightly. His gaze was fixed on Feng Tan, and as he looked at the boy's face, which seemed to be bathed in the warm glow of the lanterns, his pupils contracted, and he said, "It's you?!"
Author's note: A-Tan won't be the one rescued by a hero; A-Tan will be the hero and rescue the damsel in distress!
...No, she wouldn't make things up without reason. ( ˙-˙ )
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