The purple-hair brush glided over the paper, the strokes so powerful they seemed to penetrate the page. The handwriting was incredibly fluid and elegant, making it impossible to look away.
As the saying goes, “Handwriting reveals the person.” Seeing this excellent hand, Empress Dowager Qiu’s expression softened. Since there was no deception, it meant a whole sutra had indeed been painstakingly transcribed.
She gazed at it for a moment before speaking: “What ‘Eternal Spring’? I have no desire for it. Your marriage to the Crown Prince—the Emperor decided it, didn’t he?” she asked. “I have heard all about it.”
Empress Dowager Qiu had heard rumors of Ning Huan’s actions in the capital, but seeing him now, she felt he was nothing like the rumors. Most high-born ladies would secretly despise Ning Huan as being calculating and hypocritical, using small tricks to seduce various noblemen. But in the eyes of those men, Ning Huan was pure, kind, and innocent—a goddess from the heavens.
Comparing the words of men and women, the Empress Dowager naturally chose to believe the women.
But seeing him now, her impression of Ning Huan improved significantly. “Do you often read at the Marquis’s estate? What books do you enjoy?”
Aside from medical texts, Ning Huan naturally loved lighthearted and exciting stories—watching the protagonist level up and reach the peak. Though unrealistic, it was much more pleasant than dry scriptures.
But for now, he said, “I often transcribe scriptures in the ancestral hall, and when I have time, I read the Four Books and Five Classics.”
The Empress Dowager nodded. “Those who have read are indeed more intelligent.”
She discussed the Heart Sutra with Ning Huan and discovered that he truly had knowledge; it wasn’t something he had picked up last minute to please her.
The hour was getting late, and Ning Huan said, “I have stayed too long and do not wish to disturb Your Majesty’s rest. I will come to pay my respects again another day.”
Empress Dowager Qiu was actually somewhat reluctant to see him go. She was usually lonely and had few people she could truly talk to.
She took a bracelet from her wrist and gave it to Ning Huan. “For our first meeting, I shall bestow this upon you.”
Even though Ning Huan wore women’s clothes, he didn’t care for jewelry; he placed it in his sleeve.
Ning Huan said, “I thank Your Majesty. A few days ago, Prince Yue came to the Crown Prince’s Estate. He mentioned you gave him a string of Buddhist beads and showed them off to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is cold on the outside but warm on the inside; after Prince Yue left, he was quite melancholy. He said he has wanted to be close to Your Majesty since childhood, feeling a great affinity for you, but sadly you were not in the palace, and he did not dare approach.”
The Empress Dowager was momentarily stunned.
Ning Huan gave a helpless smile. “Because of the Emperor’s decree, the Crown Prince and I are not very close. The Prince said these things after drinking, and I was also quite surprised.”
Empress Dowager Qiu knew some things—for instance, that there was a high probability the Crown Prince would not return from this campaign. Perhaps the Emperor could no longer tolerate him because of his absurd behavior over the years.
She had always been unwilling to involve herself in these relationships; the late Emperor’s death was her eternal pain. Such a young son of hers had been killed by another son because of a woman.
But now she couldn’t help but harbor a sliver of hidden hope: the Emperor couldn’t tolerate the Crown Prince—could it be because the Prince was the late Emperor’s child? Otherwise, with how much the Empress was favored, how could the Emperor bear to kill their child? The Empress was older now and unlikely to have another.
To be honest, the Empress Dowager hadn’t seen Mu Jinyu in a long time. her impression of him came mostly from the gossip of palace servants. She vaguely remembered that the child had been handsome two or three years ago, bearing some resemblance to the late Emperor.
The bracelet bestowed by the Empress Dowager was made of mutton-fat white jade—the finest grade of white jade, warm and flawless throughout, with a delicate luster. Ning Huan examined it carefully; there were no markings on the inside or out. To the Empress Dowager, it was likely just a bracelet she wore casually.
The official of the Crude Drug Depot had never seen such a fine item. He quickly took it. “The Crown Princess suddenly bestowing such a gift leaves this humble official overwhelmed.”
Ning Huan’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Having accepted my gift, if you fail to do your job or if any word of this leaks out, you will only be ‘overwhelmed’ by terror, not favor.”
The official, named Yang Chi, promised repeatedly: “Rest assured, Your Highness. My mouth is as tight as a drum. If this gets out, I’ll lose my head too; I definitely won’t speak a word.”
Yang Chi was the Assistant Commissioner of the Crude Drug Depot, which was hardly a lucrative position. But the depot was managed strictly, and one could lose their head over a mistake. His monthly ration of two piculs of rice wasn’t enough for anything, and he was nearly driven mad by his situation.
Lately, the Crown Princess had somehow targeted him. She didn’t approach anyone else, only asked him many questions and gave him quite a bit of silver. The Crude Drug Depot had close ties with the Imperial Academy of Medicine and the Imperial Dispensary; Yang Chi knew many things about those two places. Money makes the world go round, and under the temptation of profit, he poured out everything he knew, large and small.
This time, the Crown Princess wanted the records of the depot’s medicinal consumption and distribution for the year. It wasn’t hard for Yang Chi to get, and he didn’t think it was particularly classified. A mutton-fat jade bracelet of such quality was more than enough in exchange. He estimated it could be sold for five hundred taels of silver—enough to buy a decent house in the capital.
Ning Huan obtained the ledger he wanted. By evening, he went to his pawnshop in the capital.
Sure enough, the bracelet had gone into Yang Chi’s hands and then quickly into the pawnshop. The shop manager bought it for five hundred taels. With the item returned to its owner, Ning Huan stroked the bracelet, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He checked the records: Afuyong was rarely grown in the Great Luo Dynasty. The supply in the Crude Drug Depot mostly came as tribute from a place called Jinsuo. The chieftain of Jinsuo had been contributing large amounts of Afuyong over the last two years. That region seemed to be the earliest place to grow it in the Dynasty, so they sent over a hundred catties each year.
Ning Huan suddenly found the name Jinsuo familiar. It had likely been mentioned in the story, but probably with very little detail, so he had forgotten exactly what was written about it.
Afuyong was mainly used to stop coughing and treat dysentery. But its price was high, and there were many substitutes. There weren’t that many nobles in the palace suffering from such ailments, yet consumption had been high this year—mostly used by the Imperial Academy of Medicine.
Since the source of the Afuyong used by the Empress was legitimate, Ning Huan ordered his people to stop investigating in the capital.
The staff at the pawnshop had been replaced many times by Ning Huan recently. One of them whispered to him, “Miss, yesterday I checked with a pharmacy. A manager said that if you need Afuyong, he can get you refined stuff, but the price is high—one ounce of gold for one ounce of medicine. That manager has some background; I heard he has a relative who is an official at the Huimin Pharmacy Bureau.”
Ning Huan nodded. “Buy some privately.”
It was nearly the New Year, with only two or three days until New Year’s Eve. Ning Huan estimated Mu Jinyu had already reached the Northern Border and wrote a letter to him.
Mu Jinyu had indeed reached Hanzhou. He had arrived sooner than Ning Huan expected. Taking advantage of a heavy snowstorm, he led his troops to launch a surprise attack on the Yicang granary occupied by the Fengdan tribe. This granary stored vast amounts of grain and was the primary source of food for the Fengdan army.
The local officials in Hanzhou were outwardly compliant but secretly defiant. The officials Mu Jinyu had brought from the capital were mostly the Emperor’s confidants. Except for a general named Wang Jun who wholeheartedly supported him, the other generals opposed Mu Jinyu’s decisions.
However, Mu Jinyu was no saint. Most people knew him to be arbitrary and violent; upon arriving in Hanzhou, he had immediately executed several officials who had committed errors to establish his authority.
Many letters had arrived from the capital—basically, letters came every day. His subordinates would report everything, large or small.
Ah Xi stood quietly by his side.
Mu Jinyu was thoughtful. “Ning Huan is also investigating the Afuyong matter and will soon reach Wei Su’s head.”
Ah Xi also knew of this. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “You are not in the capital; the Crown Princess is likely trying to share your burdens.”
Ning Huan acted very discreetly and managed all aspects well. If he weren’t in the Crown Prince’s Estate—where his frequent movements caught the attention of the dense network of spies—Mu Jinyu would have found it hard to know.
Regardless, this at least proved Ning Huan wasn’t the Emperor’s person. If he were, he wouldn’t go to such lengths to investigate this.
Mu Jinyu made time every day to read the letters from the capital. There were sarcastic greetings from his brothers and secret letters from subordinates, but he had yet to receive a letter from Ning Huan.
Scrolling down, he finally saw one. His expression changed slightly, and he quickly opened it.
Mu Jinyu read it from beginning to end, but he didn’t see Ning Huan say he missed him. The other simply gave a straightforward account of his investigation into the Afuyong matter, telling Mu Jinyu to rest easy in the North.
After reading it, he read it again.
Finally, Mu Jinyu said to Ah Xi, “If someone doesn’t confess their feelings but simply does things that are good for you, takes care of your family, and praises your looks—Ah Xi, what do you think they mean?”
Ah Xi’s expression was complex. “Are you talking about the Crown Princess?”
Mu Jinyu nodded.
Ah Xi said, “This servant feels the Crown Princess must be deeply in love with you. But she is naturally reserved and doesn’t like to express her affection, only using actions to prove it. You must know, women are mostly very shy.”
Mu Jinyu closed his eyes. But Ning Huan is a man! What is he shy about?
Mu Jinyu said, “Write a letter to Chu He. Tell him to follow the Crown Princess’s orders and assist him in everything. If the Crown Princess wants to use the spies in the palace, have Chu He help him.”
Chu He was another of Mu Jinyu’s confidants.
Ah Xi hadn’t expected Mu Jinyu to take it seriously. Even if he did and had developed feelings, he shouldn’t hand over his confidants for the Crown Princess to use. If the Crown Princess had a change of heart…
Ah Xi didn’t know how to say it. He cautioned carefully, “Your Highness, if you trust the wrong person, I fear in the future…”
The Emperor already disliked Mu Jinyu; he might end up without a place to be buried.
Mu Jinyu’s eyes remained closed. If Ning Huan truly betrayed him, perhaps he would have a chance to tie him up and give him a good lesson.
As for death—living wasn’t good at all. Mu Jinyu hadn’t intended to live long anyway. If he died, then so be it.