“General Xie, your appetizer is indeed…”
Eunuch Wang was immediately startled when he heard Xie Linchuan’s request. “General Xie, you are being far too whimsical!”
Since ancient times, there had been instances of emperors hosting banquets for important officials, but where had one heard of a subject inviting the Emperor to eat a meal he had cooked himself? Such a grand honor was not even guaranteed for the most loyal backbone ministers who followed the Emperor, let alone a surrendered general. Furthermore, who knew if it might be a cover for a poisoning or an assassination attempt? Who would dare to eat it?
Seeing Eunuch Wang’s hesitation, Xie Linchuan smiled slightly and produced a lustrous, translucent jade pendant to give to him. This had been carved from the high-quality raw jade Qin Li had bestowed upon him; Xie Linchuan felt no sting in using it to curry favor.
“Eunuch, you only need to pass the message. If His Majesty is too busy with affairs of state to make the trip, I will simply return to the palace with you.”
Eunuch Wang breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that General Xie was reasonable, he happily accepted the jade.
Inside the Yang Estate
Yang Qiong had just personally dealt with an assassin. Before dying, the assassin stared at Yang Qiong with wide, unblinking eyes. “You sold your master for glory! You will die a miserable death!”
Yang Qiong sneered. “You remnants of the previous dynasty are barely surviving yourselves, yet you dare come to take revenge on me?”
A confidant nearby frowned. “My Lord, a centipede dies but never falls down. Although the Li imperial family has collapsed, the new Emperor has just ascended and has not yet fully purged them. There are still many loyal sons and death warriors. They cannot get close to the Emperor, so they come to assassinate you. We must remain on guard.”
Yang Qiong waved his hand irritably. “Do I not know that?”
He was also anxious. He had been extremely careful, even using three carriages to mask his movements every time he went out, and he dared not sleep in the same room for consecutive nights.
In a short while, a subordinate rushed into the hall and whispered into Yang Qiong’s ear. Yang Qiong’s eyes rolled as he became overjoyed. “Good! Xie Linchuan is indeed colluding with the rebels; he has treasonous intent!”
“Go! Immediately send men to the King of Shun’s estate and intercept the letter Xie Linchuan sent to Li Xuehong. Closely monitor the Xie estate; not even a bird is allowed to pass!”
Yang Qiong paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. He had long been enemies with Xie Linchuan and Li Xuehong, their hatred as deep as the sea. Li Xuehong was now diminished and no longer a threat. However, Xie Linchuan had gained the favor of the new Emperor. If he were to whisper into the Emperor’s ear in the future, how could Yang Qiong find peace?
It was better to strike first. In any case, the new Emperor preferred men and likely only valued Xie Linchuan’s face, treating him as a male concubine to be played with and discarded. Thinking of this, Yang Qiong sneered. With the new Emperor’s ruthless and violent temper, once there was ironclad evidence of Xie Linchuan colluding with the remnants of the previous dynasty, Qin Li would have no choice but to kill him, no matter how blinded by lust he was.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace
Qin Li placed the secret report he had just received aside, his fingertips tapping the edge of the desk in silence.
Prime Minister Yan Yu stood by and advised, “Xie Linchuan is deep and calculating. His request to enter the palace was suspicious enough; we must be on guard. Since he is connected to the rebels and in contact with the King of Shun, the best course of action is to place him under house arrest at the Xie estate and keep him away from Your Majesty. Whatever they are plotting will fall apart on its own.”
Qin Li sat on the dragon throne, his gaze dark and his expression inscrutable. He hesitated to give an order, only asking, “Is it confirmed that Xie Linchuan met with Li Xuehong?”
Li Sanbao shook his head. “No such report has been received yet.”
Qin Li said slowly, “Since Xie Linchuan has already seen his family, send men to bring him back to the palace.”
Yan Yu frowned, looking as if he wanted to speak but stopped himself.
Before long, a young eunuch came in to relay a message. After hearing him, Li Sanbao looked at Qin Li in surprise. “This… General Xie, he…”
Qin Li swept a cold glance over him. “What is it?”
Li Sanbao stammered, “To express his gratitude to Your Majesty, General Xie wishes to invite Your Majesty to a meal outside the palace. He said he would personally cook and prepare delicacies for Your Majesty.”
“What?” Everyone looked at each other in shock. Yan Yu was stunned, calling it outright absurd. How could a subject be so bold as to ask the Emperor to condescend to such a degree? If it were a formal banquet hosted by a high-ranking minister with great merit, it would be one thing, but what kind of occasion was it for Xie Linchuan to cook personally?
The surprise on Qin Li’s face was fleeting. He raised an eyebrow and lightly stroked his chin. The words “personally cook” were like a small brush tickling his palm. What little trick was Xie Linchuan playing now? Did he plan to collaborate with Li Xuehong and the Li remnants for an assassination, or to help Li Xuehong escape the capital? Given Xie Linchuan’s calculating nature, was this such an obvious trap, or was there another purpose?
Qin Yongyi shook his head and spoke up. “Regardless of what they are secretly colluding on, as long as Your Majesty does not leave the palace, all their schemes will be useless. We should wait for them to contact the remnants of the previous dynasty and then catch them like turtles in a jar.” He secretly curled his lip. With such an obvious hook, why did Xie Linchuan think his sworn brother would bite so easily?
Qin Li raised his hand to interrupt them. He suddenly let out a low laugh and squinted his eyes lazily. “Send someone to tell him to prepare well. I shall grant him this favor.”
Qin Yongyi nearly bit his tongue. He stared at his sworn brother with wide eyes and stammered, “Your Majesty, this… is it not a bit risky?” He wanted to see what kind of trouble Xie Linchuan was stirring up.
Qin Li said displeasedly, “I will not be going alone. I will take the Yulin Guards with me. I am an Emperor who conquered the world; should I fear someone’s poison just to have a meal at a subject’s house?”
Qin Yongyi thought it over; it made sense. If Xie Linchuan were to use poison, he would not do it at his own home. Did his family not want to live?
Just as Li Sanbao was about to withdraw to pass the message, Qin Li called him back. “Tell him that if the delicacies he prepares do not satisfy me, I will…” Qin Li paused for a moment before slowly letting out a few words. “…give him a hard time.”
As darkness fell, there was indeed movement at the Xie estate. Xie Yingshan and his sister, Xie Yun, left the house with guards and followers, shopping along the way toward Qingyue Tower. As soon as they left, Yang Qiong received the news.
“My Lord, the informant reports that the follower beside the second young master of the Xie family has a stature very similar to Xie Linchuan. It is highly likely to be him in disguise.”
Yang Qiong laughed. “As expected! You lot, follow me immediately.” The place Xie Linchuan was going was definitely related to the Li remnants. He would personally wipe them out and then claim credit from the new Emperor. By then, he could rightfully remove the word “Vice” from his title of Vice Commander!
Qingyue Tower was highly prestigious in the capital. It was not an ordinary restaurant but a lakeside scenic spot built over the water. Many small painted pleasure boats were moored on the lake, each acting as a private room, with corridors connecting the boats to the main building. Unique patterns were painted on the bows to help distinguish them so guests would not board the wrong boat. It provided absolute privacy with no interruptions; literati and scholars often boated on the lake, inviting guests and dancers to recite poetry and discuss grand ideas.
To avoid alerting the targets, Yang Qiong ordered his men to wait outside and rush in only when he signaled. He took two men with him to investigate personally. Before long, he saw Xie Yingshan’s group appear and select a boat. Yang Qiong gave a signal to his confidant and quietly approached.
On the corridor of the boat, Xie Yun was holding her second brother’s hand, laughing and talking about interesting things. She suddenly slapped her forehead. “Oh no! I forgot to buy the snacks from Cuixiang Pavilion! The cloud-date cakes there are especially delicious.”
Xie Yingshan smiled. “Big brother knows you like them; he already had someone pre-order them for you, freshly baked.” He then sent the followers and the nanny serving Xie Yun to fetch the food boxes.
Not far away, Yang Qiong had already been secretly watching them. He saw that the tall follower indeed avoided the nanny and others, sneakily taking a different direction to leave alone. Yang Qiong wiped his nose with his thumb and said to one man, “You stay and watch Xie Yingshan’s boat.” He and another subordinate quietly followed the disguised Xie Linchuan.
Passing through a short stretch of the corridor, the nanny carrying the food boxes was looking down and sneaking bites of cake. Not paying attention, she bumped into Yang Qiong, and the cakes scattered all over the floor.
“You!” Yang Qiong was furious, but seeing Xie Linchuan walking further away, he did not make a scene. He hurried after the target, following his footsteps onto a boat marked with an orchid on the bow.
Inside the pleasure boat, the red candles were dim, and the curtains swayed with the wind. The antique decorations were elegant. As soon as Yang Qiong entered, the follower’s shadow flashed and disappeared from sight. Yang Qiong grew alert, feeling something was wrong. He clicked his tongue and, not wanting to be overconfident, immediately threw a signal firework out the window to call for reinforcements.
Right then, a muffled groan came from his confidant behind him. Alarm bells rang in Yang Qiong’s heart. He quickly drew his blade and turned around, only to have a sharp sword placed against his neck.
“Vice Commander Yang Qiong, how have you been? I thought the person coming tonight would be General Xie; I did not expect it to be Vice Commander Yang.”
Yang Qiong narrowed his eyes at the newcomer. The man was dressed entirely in black, but his face was not covered, revealing his features in the faint candlelight.
“It is you? Yuan Chen!” Yang Qiong’s mind raced. Yuan Chen was the confidant of the Third Prince, Li Fenghao, specializing in gathering intelligence and doing dirty work. He had not expected the man to still be hiding in the capital.
“What do you want? My men are all outside. If you run now, you might still make it.” Yang Qiong’s face was extremely grim. Back when Li Fenghao and Li Xuehong were fighting for the succession, he had chosen to remain neutral to protect himself and had refused Li Fenghao’s recruitment.
Yuan Chen said, “Do not worry; your men have already been dealt with by my people. His Highness the Third Prince has managed things in the capital for years; surely Vice Commander Yang did not think you were the only one with eyes in Qingyue Tower?”
Yang Qiong was startled but forced himself to stay calm. “What do you want? Even if you kill me, you will not escape. Since Xie Linchuan did not come, it means your movements have also been leaked. If you release me, I can use my status as Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard to cover your escape.”
Yuan Chen was silent for a moment. He had not held much hope in testing Xie Linchuan, but both Li Fenghao and Li Xuehong were certain that Xie Linchuan would not defect to Qin Li so quickly. Had they all guessed wrong? That was indeed a miscalculation.
After weighing it for a moment, he said slowly, “Give me your token now and cover my men’s retreat. I can spare your life. Perhaps His Highness the Third Prince will still have a use for you in the future.”
Yang Qiong breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want to leave a weakness in Li Fenghao’s hands, but he had no choice now and had to give his waist token to the other man. The man signaled to the other masked men, preparing to steer the boat toward a deserted part of the lake.
Suddenly, the boat shook violently. Yuan Chen’s face changed drastically. He cursed under his breath and shouted to the others, “Jump into the water!”
It was too late. Numerous Yulin Guards had already completely surrounded the boat. Bright torches illuminated the water surface clearly, and firelight was also gathering on the nearby shore. Wave after wave of arrows shot out, killing all the black-clad rebels who had jumped into the water.
By the Lakeside
A large, black carriage was parked quietly under a willow tree by the road. The Yulin Guards stood far away, not daring to approach. Inside the carriage, Qin Li leaned against the back of a soft couch, his silver hair tied back and falling casually over his shoulders. He propped his face in one hand, his left leg resting naturally on his right knee. He stared with a half-smile at the burly, plump Xie family nanny before him.
The nanny took off the headgear in front of him, removed the outer female clothing to reveal a tight-fitting green suit underneath, and used a wet cloth to wipe the makeup off his face bit by bit. Finally, Xie Linchuan’s face was revealed, though a bit of unwiped rouge remained on his skin. His deep, sharp features looked somewhat comical after being heavily made up.
Qin Li had originally left the palace and gone directly to the Xie estate. However, when he arrived, only the Old Madam of the Xie family and a panicked Eunuch Wang were there to receive him. Xie Linchuan had snuck away in disguise, which had scared Eunuch Wang out of his wits. Fortunately, the Old Madam was used to great storms; she apologized to Qin Li with dignity and stated that Xie Linchuan had invited him to Qingyue Tower to taste an “appetizer.”
Qin Li’s interest had been piqued by Xie Linchuan “personally cooking,” but his expectations had been met with a void. His brows were lowered and his face was grim, but he could not very well take it out on a woman in her sixties. Since he had already left the palace, and in the spirit of “being here already,” Qin Li harbored a stomach full of anger at being toyed with and led his men to Qingyue Tower.
All along the way, he sat in the carriage with a cold expression, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists. Qin Li was determined: if Xie Linchuan dared to use this chance to escape or pull any tricks, he would definitely give him an unforgettable lesson. Did he still want to leave the palace to see his family? He would not even be able to step out of the palace gates!
And then, he met Xie Linchuan at Qingyue Tower, looking like a burly woman in disguise. His anger was replaced by an indescribable feeling. Market rumors said Xie Linchuan and Li Xuehong had been very close in the past, but they never said it was this kind of closeness! Qin Li was silent for a long time, looking as if he wanted to speak but could not find the words. At that moment, he had to admit that perhaps Li Xuehong indeed possessed a level of tolerance that ordinary people could not match.
Inside the carriage, Qin Li looked at Xie Linchuan and nearly laughed out loud. He struggled to press down the corners of his mouth to maintain his imperial dignity. “General Xie, this hobby of yours is truly… unique.”
Xie Linchuan coughed lightly and pulled two steamed buns out from inside his clothes. Seeing this, the lip line Qin Li had just straightened immediately curled upward. He could not help but burst into laughter. “General Xie, your appetizer is indeed appetizing!”
As Qin Li was shaking with laughter, Nie Dong reported from outside the carriage, “Your Majesty, we have captured a rebel, and… Vice Commander Yang Qiong.”
Qin Li’s smile slowly faded, and he looked at Xie Linchuan meaningfully. “The dish General Xie has served is truly rare.”
Xie Linchuan’s gaze was calm. He let out a low laugh and made a gesture of invitation. “A dinner invitation naturally requires a show for entertainment. After you, Your Majesty.”
Qin Li reached out slowly and poked at the two buns, glancing at him with a half-smile. He opened the carriage door and was the first to step down.