Robbery and Feast
“A few petty thieves,” Xia Guo said. “They’re really blind, daring to try and rob the princess’s carriage!”
Shen Yao's heart skipped a beat, then she immediately said, "Spare his life!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she rushed out of the carriage, but it was too late. Those people seemed to have been prepared; even though A-Yuan was on guard, they all managed to kill themselves by biting down on the poison in their mouths.
Shen Yao turned to look in the direction Bao Yintu had left, and could even imagine the woman in the carriage lying comfortably on the cushions in the sunset. She was instantly filled with rage.
...
At the end of the year, robberies began to occur more frequently in Xiliang City.
This wasn't surprising; in fact, robberies became unusually frequent throughout the Sheng Dynasty at this time of year, even in the capital. Shen Yao had warned Chen Ming, but the fact that the perpetrators of the recent robberies were all from the Sheng Dynasty made it seem as if Shen Yao was being overly anxious.
Shen Yao wrote a letter to Lan Yunyi about this matter and strengthened the security measures for her travels, so that Lan Yunyi could stay in the area with peace of mind.
He must not return, especially at times like these. If the Jin Kingdom were to launch another surprise attack as it has done before, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Amidst this extremely tense situation, the New Year passed...
Lan Yunyi, unable to spare any time, wrote many, many letters, as if constantly testing Shen Yao's presence. Shen Yao responded to each one, and at the end, she wrote something only the two of them knew, to prove that the letters were indeed written by her.
During the New Year, people gather at home, but the Lantern Festival, which comes soon, is the real grand event.
In previous years, lanterns would be hung all over the trees along the streets of Xiliang City during the Lantern Festival, and every household would be decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. This year, Xiliang City had a generous budget, and it seemed that they could indeed hold a grand event. However, Chen Ming and the others were full of doubts and could not make up their minds. When they were discussing the matter, they sent someone to invite Shen Yao.
Shen Yao sat at the head of the table, her status no different from Lan Yunyi's. To her left was Chen Ming and to her right was Pei Heng, the two camps clearly divided.
Upon seeing her, Pei Heng couldn't help but say sarcastically, "With the princess here, what need is there for me, Pei Heng? You people of Xiliang City can do whatever you want."
Chen Ming said, "The robberies on the streets have been so frequent lately. Although they are not related to the Jin people for the time being, who knows when they will suddenly appear and attack the people in the city."
Pei Heng sneered: "This is utterly unreasonable. I think it's because the princess didn't benefit from this cooperation with the Jin Kingdom; in fact, she suffered a huge loss. That's why she's so opposed to the Jin Kingdom."
The trade with the Jin Kingdom was initiated by Young Master Pei, so naturally he was in charge. All the profits went to him; Shen Yao and the other officials of Xiliang City did not receive a single penny of benefit.
However, Shen Yao and the others had no interest in these valuables to begin with.
Chen Ming is prone to yelling and complaining in private, but he appears remarkably mature at work. No matter what Pei Heng says, he remains unperturbed, simply observing the man with a cold eye.
He continued to explain, "I just hope that when Young Master Pei communicates with His Majesty Emperor Sheng, he won't make His Majesty feel that we officials of Xiliang City are intentionally opposing him."
Pei Heng chuckled and said, "So you're afraid I'll report you behind your back... If you're upright and honest, what's there to be afraid of?"
Shen Yao couldn't stand his ugly face any longer and said directly, "Enough, the Lantern Festival cannot be held. At this critical moment, Xiliang City must be on high alert."
Pei Heng smiled and said, "Princess, the Lantern Festival is a grand event that Xiliang City must hold every year. The people take this opportunity to worship heaven and earth and the gods, and to express their gratitude to the Emperor for his virtue. If we don't hold the festival, firstly, it will cause panic among the people, and secondly..." He paused and then smiled, "Does the princess mean that because Emperor Sheng's decree to open up trade was not wise, it is not worthwhile for the people to offer sacrifices this year?"
"Please watch your words, young lord." Before he could finish speaking, a short knife was held against Pei Heng's neck, coldly gazing at his face.
A-Yuan stared at him coldly, her tone flat and emotionless. Shen Yao remained silent, unmoved as Pei Heng's terrified gaze fell upon her.
Pei Heng stopped arguing, opened his mouth for a long time, and then stammered, "I have an imperial decree on my behalf, who dares to kill me... You, are you going to rebel?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yao laughed, raised her hand to touch her face, and the white snake on her wrist poked its head out from her sleeve and stuck to her arm.
She cast a questioning look at Pei Heng and asked, "Whom am I going to rebel against?"
The tradition of the Great Sheng Dynasty is to pass the throne to the eldest son of the legitimate wife. However, in the previous dynasty, the emperor originally intended to pass the throne to the Princess Zhenguo, and no one in the court objected. However, this Princess Zhenguo died young and is now frozen in the deep mountains of the capital, and it is said that only a person chosen by fate can find her.
In the original work, this chosen one is naturally Pei Heng, who is standing before us.
"My relationship with my father is close. What are your intentions in trying to sow discord between us, young marquis?"
Pei Heng smiled coldly, beads of cold sweat dripping onto A Yuan's knife. As the water wet the blade, a faint scent of Chinese medicine wafted around them—A Yuan's secret to sustaining life even after slowly dismembering a person.
"...I understand." Pei Heng chuckled twice, then carefully stepped back and cautiously looked down at A Yuan's knife.
Shen Yao: "In that case, the Lantern Festival is canceled. A-Yuan, stop now."
...
The inability to hold the Lantern Festival as scheduled was indeed a major event, and Pei Heng's mention of "public panic" could not be ignored. Shen Yao wanted to find a solution that would benefit both sides. After discussing with Chen Ming, Cheng Xin, and others, they decided to hold a one-hour lantern festival at Lingshan Temple and sent invitations to the royal family of the Jin Kingdom.
On the day of the Lantern Festival, Bao Yintu and dozens of soldiers arrived at Xiliang City. She rode alone on horseback, looking up at Shen Yao on the city wall, her eyes burning with desire like flames.
No matter how much she pleaded, Shen Yao wouldn't allow her to bring so many soldiers into the city, so she ended up only bringing two guards into Xiliang.
During the day, Shen Yao took her to the places she wanted to play, until the two returned to the General's Mansion in the evening to wait for the sun to set.
After Xiliang City was plunged into darkness, Lingshan Temple was suddenly illuminated.
When Shen Yao brought Bao Yintu up the mountain, there weren't many people there at all, and she could even hear some people complaining along the way. Shen Yao didn't take it to heart, and was even somewhat relieved that there weren't many people at the lantern festival.
Inside the main hall, three thousand lamps are offered before the Buddha.
Bao Yintu's mother was a Buddhist, and Bao Yintu was well-versed in the rules of Buddhist worship. When he knelt down in front of the Buddha, he gently said to Shen Yao, "I will not be disrespectful in front of the Buddha."
Shen Yao said, "Then thank you very much, Princess."
Bao Yintu and Shen Yao closed their eyes at the same time. She said softly, "Princess Yao, I really hate you." But her tone was light and cheerful, full of a childlike coquettishness.
Shen Yao didn't speak.
"Why not hold a lantern festival?... Pei Heng is so stupid, always saying that the princess is devoted to him." Bao Yintu opened her eyes, suddenly leaned in and put her arm around Shen Yao's shoulder, shaking her gently. "Really?"
“…My consort is Lan Yunyi.” After saying this, Shen Yao couldn’t help but look at Bao Yintu with a complicated expression, as if she was dissatisfied with Bao Yintu’s questioning.
Bao Yintu exclaimed "Ah!" and suddenly realized, "It's true! That jade-faced general really did become a prince consort."
Shen Yao stared at her for a while, and Bao Yintu, feeling a little uncomfortable under her gaze, finally let go of her hand and nodded, saying, "Since the princess likes a handsome man like General Lan, she naturally wouldn't like a valiant and tough man like Young Marquis Pei."
Shen Yao pursed her lips, offering no comment on Bao Yintu's assessment of Pei Heng.
“He’s lying to me again,” Bao Yintu sighed.
Shen Yao neither agreed nor disagreed. Seeing that Bao Yintu had no intention of continuing to worship Buddha, she got up and left the Buddhist hall with her, returning to the General's Mansion.
Shen Yao was in no hurry to send her back. As long as the Baoyin Map was in her hands, the Jin forces in Xiliang City would not dare to act rashly, which would also make it easier for Shen Yao to use the emperor to command the feudal lords.
Shen Yao was initially puzzled as to why Bao Yintu had so readily accepted her invitation, seemingly unconcerned that Shen Yao and the others might harm her.
But upon closer reflection, no one in Xiliang City would dare to harm Bao Yintu; on the contrary, it was the people of Xiliang City who had to be constantly on guard against Bao Yintu's whims. Furthermore, given her deep love for the culture of the Sheng Dynasty, she probably would have come even without Shen Yao's invitation…
It took Shen Yao a lot of thought to figure these things out, and she felt exhausted as she sat in the carriage.
Lately, she often felt weak and lacked energy. In addition, Xiao Bai would suck her blood from time to time, so Shen Yao was not surprised by her drowsy state.
Baoyin's image chirped incessantly beside her like a little bird. Shen Yao pinched her wrist, forcing herself to wake up a little.
Bao Yintu noticed her unusual behavior and asked with some confusion, "Princess sister, how long has it been since you had a proper rest?"
Then she sat down next to Shen Yao and whispered, "If I wanted to kill you, this would be the best opportunity to do so."
Shen Yao said, "You are a reformer. For the sake of future trade between Dasheng and Jin, you won't kill me."
Bao Yintu raised an eyebrow, then smiled with a sense of relief: "...Princess sister, you really understand me so well."
Shen Yao smiled wearily: "I have to keep an eye on you. I will send you out of the city first thing tomorrow morning."
Bao Yintu nodded, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. Then she rested her chin on her hand and stared at Shen Yao in a daze.
Shen Yao glanced at her and asked, "What's wrong?"
“I was wondering, what would Princess Sister do if the Prince Consort were to be fickle?” Bao Yintu asked, tilting her head.
Shen Yao thought of Song Qingqing, who had already been sent to the capital, and said calmly, "The prince consort wouldn't be fickle; he wouldn't dare."
Bao Yintu was taken aback, then covered her mouth and chuckled: "Yes, of course he wouldn't dare. With Princess Sister's strong personality, if she can't handle the Prince Consort, she'll make that woman wish she were dead."
After she finished speaking, she suddenly blurted out a sentence in Mongolian, which made Shen Yao ask involuntarily, "What does it mean?"
Bao Yintu's gaze turned sinister: "Only reverence can make a man loyal."
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