Chapter 122: Secret Game You Won’t
She picked up the bowl and chopsticks, concealing her panic, took two mouthfuls of rice, and occasionally raised her eyes to glance ahead.
Cheng Xianzhi slowly put a piece of meat in her bowl and said, "You're too thin. Eat more."
Feng Xin narrowed his eyes as if sensing some hidden secret and said hurriedly, "The snow in the yard needs to be swept. Feng Xin will go down first. After my lord and madam have finished their meal, I will call someone to collect it."
Lu Tingwan felt that the room was very stuffy, and her earlobes turned red.
Cheng Xianzhi pretended not to notice and just ate quietly, occasionally asking how the food tasted and whether he liked it.
Lu Tingwan nodded in response without saying much.
"If you like these, ask the kitchen to make more tomorrow. If I don't have any work to do, I'll come back and have lunch and dinner with you."
Lu Tingwan muttered, "That's not necessary."
"Don't you think it's lonely to be alone?" Cheng Xianzhi put down his bowl and chopsticks. He didn't eat much, and these nourishing foods would make him feel hot if he ate too much, which was not good for him.
"How can I trouble our Imperial Master to accompany me, a little palace maid, for meals every day?"
Cheng Xianzhi wiped his lips with his handkerchief, then folded it and folded it aside with great indifference. "Then I'd like to trouble Palace Master Lu to do me the honor of dining with me, would you?"
The voice was so gentle that it could penetrate into one's bones. Lu Tingwan shuddered and coughed lightly, "Hmm."
After lunch, Cheng Xianzhi was going to the military camp. Lu Tingwan leaned on the low couch, bored. If she stayed in Yansheng Hall for half a month, she would be bored to death.
Cheng Xianzhi drank her tea and sat for a while before leaving. She glanced at the person standing up and stood up as well. "Are you going to the Sixth Ministry?"
Cheng Xianzhi paused and turned sideways, "Let's go to the military camp."
Her casual question sounded like that of an old married couple.
"Can I go with you?" Lu Tingwan's pupils widened slightly.
Cheng Xianzhi waited for a moment, then looked out the window. The snow had stopped. "Let's go."
She followed in small steps, then turned back to take a cloak from the clothes rack. Her embroidered shoes stepped on the thick snow, and the hem of her clothes swept through the light snow.
The sky cleared up, and the afternoon sun made the shadows smaller. There was some snow on both sides of the path in the backyard, which was narrower than usual. The double shadows slowly melted away.
He casually stood by the path, leaving enough space for her to walk. Lu Tingwan kicked up the snow from time to time, and Cheng Xianzhi followed her movements with his peripheral vision.
Originally they were planning to go to the military camp on horseback, but Lu Tingwan made a last-minute decision and it would take time to prepare a carriage. Lu Tingwan just said there was no need to bother and she would just ride the horse.
There were many people passing Weiyang Street, so the horses slowed down. In the attic of Weiyang Tower, Gongsun Xue, who was watching a play, leaned on the railing and looked down at the snowy scenery of Kyoto. She happened to see two people passing by downstairs. In the inner room, a two-year-old child was turning a windmill in his hand, and his pronunciation was not clear.
"Mother, mother, look at Yan'er's windmill." Gongsun Xue named her son Gongsun Yan. There were rumors in Kyoto that the child in Gongsun Mansion was Cheng Xianzhi's abandoned son. Some also said that the child was the illegitimate child of Gongsun Xue and someone else, otherwise Cheng Xianzhi would not have divorced his wife and abandoned his child without considering their past relationship.
Gongsun Xue was initially furious and angry when she heard this. Her temperament changed drastically and she became moody. The servants in the mansion kept their distance from her.
Over time, those rumors faded, and new things happened in Kyoto. No one cared about the noblewoman from Kyoto who had been divorced by the Shangshu Mansion, nor did anyone care who the father of this child was. As Cheng Xianzhi's power in the court became increasingly secure, these rumors also faded.
Gongsun Xue resented Lu Tingwan becoming the principal wife, but she also knew it was the inevitable outcome. Later, she learned that their love wasn't truly genuine. Lu Tingwan moved back to Jinhua Palace and lived there for two years, not seeing Cheng Xianzhi or returning to the Cheng residence.
Cheng Xianzhi's painstaking efforts were ultimately in vain. The satisfaction she felt eased some of the unbearable hatred she had felt in the past two years. She occasionally met the two of them at palace banquets, and there was no conflict between them. She was almost ready to let it go.
Now, when they met again on Weiyang Street, they were seen together in pairs, and the people on horseback were chatting happily. The resentment that had been buried for a long time surged up again, and her slender fingers embedded in the frost under the railing and crushed it.
"Mother, please take care of Yan'er."
Gongsun Xue smiled bitterly, thinking that she had moved on, but every time she saw him in the palace, her heart would still beat fast. The divorce letter showed no trace of past affection, nor any reluctance, only the determination to sever all ties. Cheng Xianzhi treated her like a ghost, and wanted to hold Lu Tingwan, who didn't care about him, in high esteem. How could he not be himself?
"Yan'er, be good," Gongsun Xue said with a dull look in her eyes. She took the windmill from Gongsun Yan's hand, stretched out her hand over the railing, and a gust of wind blew by. She let go of the windmill, and it swayed and fell to the rootless place with the direction of the wind, taking away Gongsun Xue's passion and yearning.
The horses' hooves galloped out of the city gate, facing the solemn wind. Lu Tingwan only then smelled the atmosphere outside Kyoto. The people who were following behind him suddenly stepped hard on the stirrups and whipped their horses to get ahead of Cheng Xian.
The hem of her clothes was blown up by the wind, her hair was tangled in the snow, icicles hung on the withered old trees, and Lu Tingwan's little face was pressed against the wind, but she didn't feel cold at the moment. Seeing her retreating figure, Cheng Xianzhi quickly spurred his horse to catch up.
He sat on horseback, feeling the wind and frost, gazing at the clear figure he hadn't seen for a long time, feeling particularly content. His decision to keep her two years ago seemed to have been confirmed at this moment. Perhaps he was right.
After entering the mountain forest road, Lu Tingwan slowed down her horse. She was tired!
"Why don't you run away?" The hair on his forehead brushed against the young man's delicate eyebrows, completely changing his usual coldness.
"I haven't ridden a horse for a long time. I'm a little tired." She wiped the messy hair off her cheeks, and her fingers gripping the reins left red marks.
“Almost there.”
Soldiers from all camps were practicing martial arts on the parade ground. The lingering sounds of drills lingered. Lu Tingwan glanced at the soldiers on the parade ground as he walked, and his attention was distracted as he walked.
Cheng Xianzhi's originally relaxed brows furrowed again. He grabbed her sleeve and pulled her forward, switching positions with her so that he blocked her view.
"What are you looking at?" It was a casual remark, but it carried a warning tone.
Lu Tingwan said calmly: "Training!"
"Go to the tent, there's something else to show you." Cheng Xianzhi grabbed her wrist and left with his men, regardless of whether she was happy or not.
"Anything else?" Before Lu Tingwan could recover from her shock, Han Zhou came into view from the right bend, holding a broadsword in his arm. He watched the two men enter the military tent like a spectator.
There were some documents piled on the military desk. Cheng Xianzhi sat on a wooden chair and pointed to a wooden bench not far from him, "Sit here."
There were other benches in the room. Lu Tingwan took a look and sat down.
"Why is the training so hard in the camp now?" She took the teapot first. The military camp was located at the foot of the mountain and was even colder than the city. He lit the stove in the tent and kept the water in the teapot boiling.
"Why do you ask?"
"Has the Ministry of War received the letter from Shanhaiguan returning to the court?"
Cheng Xianzhi shook his head and picked up his pen to review military affairs. "Of course I have to reply. The memorial should reach Kyoto in two days."
"Are you on guard against the Jiang family?"
"Standing on a dangerous platform, one must be on guard." Cheng Xianzhi's eyes were fierce, "I can't trust anyone."
Lu Tingwan felt a chill down his spine and stood up to leave. "Then why did you tell me all this? And you even brought me into the military camp? I haven't seen any of this. If I leak any secrets later, Minister Cheng will have to question me to prevent any future trouble."
If she loses her life to relieve her boredom, she still knows what is more important than what is serious.
Cheng Xianzhi looked calm, but his words were firm, "It's okay, you won't."
The phrase "you won't" is telling her that you will believe her.
"Then can I trust you like this?" Lu Tingwan was a little surprised, but didn't want to appear too flustered in front of him.
A complex expression flashed across Cheng Xianzhi's brows, then disappeared in an instant.
"If you're willing, that's fine." When he said this, he revealed his guilty conscience, which only he knew.
"I only believe in myself." Lu Tingwan poured tea. "Two years ago, Jiang Qingsheng disobeyed military orders, leading to the defeat at Shanhaiguan. Jiang Haiyi and the Jiang family restrained themselves. To show his loyalty, he saw his son's head chopped off, but he still worked hard, watching the wind and snow year after year, suppressing the border for the court. But time and human nature cannot withstand scrutiny and temptation."
Lu Tingwan hinted at something, but Cheng Xianzhi had already smiled and was looking at her openly.
"Let's talk about it."
"The Turks have their reasons for invading, but it won't be easy to gain the upper hand in the battle against Dalan."
"But last year and this year, the Great Lan so badly that the crops in Lin State were completely barren. Our dynasty, out of benevolence and righteousness, has reduced taxes. However, the treasury is not full, and we are naturally unwilling to engage in war with the Turks. So why did the Turks still launch a massive attack on Shanhaiguan, diverting military pay and supplies from there and nearly emptying the treasury? Where will the Turks get their military supplies?"
"Did the military pay sent to Shanhaiguan actually end up on the battlefield? Or did it end up in someone's private treasury?"
Cheng Xianzhi listened attentively, his eyes full of appreciation. "What's your guess?"
"Concubine Rong passed away a year ago. Since then, the young emperor's daily life and education have been handled by you, the Imperial Preceptor. All government affairs, big or small, are decided by a single word from Minister Cheng. I'm not exaggerating. The balance of power the late emperor sought was already tilted after you became the Imperial Preceptor. So, the hunters who secretly seek to seize power will naturally aim for their prey."
The person who holds the most prey will eventually become the prey of everyone.
"Empress Dowager Jiang is not competitive, the Minister of the Central Secretariat has retreated into obscurity, and you are the sole regent. You are at the center of the storm, and the Imperial Preceptor bears the brunt of it."
"If Jiang Haiyi comes back from Shanhaiguan without taking something back, can he leave with peace of mind?" Every word Lu Tingwan said made sense, yet was so profound and unfathomable.
At some point, he had finished piling up the documents in his hands and looked at her. "So, in your opinion, what should I do?"
Lu Tingwan didn't rush to speak, but instead changed to a more comfortable sitting position, more casual than before. "The Turkic forces in the northwest are ready to attack. With their strength, they are definitely not enough to attack Shanhaiguan and the northwest at the same time. Xie Zhao is not willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of people behind him for personal gain."
"Does Jiang Haiyi have one?" Cheng Xianzhi seemed to be asking, but in fact he was guiding her thoughts step by step.
"Xie Zhao and I discussed this in a letter. It's impossible for the Turks to attack both sides. So, are those at Shanhaiguan Turks? Or who else?" Lu Tingwan narrowed his eyes, examining him. "Minister Cheng just said that when you're on a dangerous platform, you have to be on guard. So, are those invading Turks at Shanhaiguan one of your means of self-defense?"
Cheng Xianzhi smiled in an inscrutable way and leaned back in his chair, neither admitting nor denying.
"You haven't told me what to do yet?"
"Hasn't Minister Cheng already laid a trap?" Lu Tingwan ordered some tea, his fingertips resting on the military case. "He's so far-sighted and shrewd that he can even go this far, regardless of the consequences, even including the people behind Shanhaiguan. I really can't believe that you would trust me, such an insignificant person who is kept by Queen Mother Jiang."
He looked at the tea stains left by Lu Tingwan. With a few scribbled strokes, human figures were drawn on both sides of the mountain. On the south were the characteristics of weapons commonly used by Dalan soldiers, and on the north were Turkic soldiers wearing wolf coats. Behind the two groups of people, there was a shadow wearing Dalan court robes.
Lu Tingwan's words left him with a lingering fear. She had seen through Cheng Xianzhi and told him nakedly, "So, I only trust myself."
"Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you?"
"If you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have stayed with me for so long. Maybe you just thought it was fun. Did your identity as Minister Cheng force you to disguise yourself? Do you tease me occasionally so I can feel like a normal person?" Lu Tingwan said this with an element of gambling in mind. "So, from the first day I entered the mansion, you never gave me any trouble because I was Lu Mingqian's daughter. You thought I wasn't something to be feared. And then you agreed to let me divorce you, which was also a game you were playing with me."
"Whatever you plot, I won't care as long as it doesn't hinder me. I don't have the ability to change your decision."
"You are secretly pushing Jiang Haiyi to recruit soldiers and horses, and in the face of two years of poor harvests in Dalan and a deficit in the national treasury, you are satisfying all his needs. The higher you praise, the harder you fall. But Minister Cheng, please don't play with fire, lest you get burned."
"Are you a fish?" Cheng Xianzhi asked.
"A fish lives in water and dies on land. I don't want to be a fish."
"Yes, you are not a fish, you are Jiang Yanli, and you want to be Jiang Yanli, the wild goose flying south." Cheng Xianzhi was a little sad, recalling the night when she fell into a pool of blood.
Lu Tingwan knew Cheng Xianzhi was about to make a big move, and her purpose of staying in Jinhua Palace would soon be achieved. Although she would not join him, she could use this to push for the results she wanted.
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