13
“Xiao Jiu! Xiao Jiu!”
Mu Liangzhe had barely left when he came rushing back, his voice booming even before he reached the door. Just from the excitement in his tone, it was clear he was in a great mood.
Hearing him, Yu Shu’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly released her grip and took a hurried step back, putting some distance between herself and Lian Sheng.
Lian Sheng, too, snapped out of it. He averted his gaze, no longer daring to meet Yu Shu’s eyes. Instead, he busied himself with the items on the table, idly touching them one by one—yet the faint redness creeping up his ears betrayed his flustered state.
“Xiao Jiu!” Mu Liangzhe strode to the doorway in just a few steps and stepped inside. Spotting Lian Sheng, his handsome face lit up with a grin. “Oh, Lian Sheng, you’re here too!”
“Your Highness,” Lian Sheng quickly turned and bowed.
“No need, no need.” Mu Liangzhe waved him off dismissively and walked straight over, clearly in high spirits. He beamed at Yu Shu and announced, “Xiao Jiu, guess what? Chancellor Liu just sent me a whole load of gifts and promised that in a few days, he’ll arrange for us to enter the palace and meet the Emperor of Daxia!”
Yu Shu’s heart sank. So soon? Had Chancellor Liu really agreed that quickly? What should she do? She had no desire to meet Xiao Jingyao!
Of course, Mu Liangzhe was completely oblivious to her turmoil. He was too busy feeling triumphant, ready to roll up his sleeves and make big moves. “When I see the Emperor of Daxia, I’ll have a proper talk with him, not just about diplomacy, but about our Xiao Jiu as well. Xiao Jiu is the number one beauty of Xijiang, sweet and stunning. He’d better treat her well, or else he’ll have me to answer to!”
Hearing Mu Liangzhe’s words, Yu Shu could only hold her forehead in exasperation. He thinks he can make Xiao Jingyao answer to him? More likely, it would be the other way around, Xiao Jingyao wouldn’t let him off so easily!
“Third Brother!” Yu Shu’s face was full of embarrassment and helplessness. “Stop talking already.”
But Mu Liangzhe, seeing her frown, completely misunderstood. He assumed she was just shy and waved it off. “What’s there to be embarrassed about? You’re going to marry him anyway! I’m just making things clear upfront!”
Yu Shu was so frustrated she wanted to stomp her foot or better yet, kick Mu Liangzhe out of the room. “What do you even know?!” He’s going to drive her crazy!
……
Inside the imperial palace, Xiao Jingyao was reviewing memorials when Xu Daman entered quietly and reported in a low voice, “Your Majesty, Wei Zhuo has arrived.”
Without looking up, Xiao Jingyao placed the finished memorial aside and picked up another. He gave a casual command, “Let him in.”
Xu Daman acknowledged the order with a bow, then turned to summon Wei Zhuo.
Before long, Wei Zhuo stepped inside, bowed, and greeted Xiao Jingyao.
“Did you take care of what I asked?” Xiao Jingyao marked the memorial with a vermilion brush, writing ‘Reviewed. Approved.’ Then, with an air of disdain, he tossed it aside before finally looking up at Wei Zhuo.
“Everything has been thoroughly investigated,” Wei Zhuo reported.
A few days ago, Xiao Jingyao had ordered Wei Zhuo to look into Lian Sheng. It had taken considerable effort, but while he hadn’t quite traced Lian Sheng’s ancestors back eighteen generations, he had dug up nearly every detail of the man’s life. From the trees he climbed as a child to the trouble he caused growing up—everything had been documented. Most importantly, his connection to the Ninth Princess of Xijiang was crystal clear. The two had practically grown up glued to each other, childhood companions in every sense of the word.
“All the information is here.” Wei Zhuo presented the compiled dossier with both hands.
Xiao Jingyao took the thick stack of documents and began flipping through them. The first few pages were unremarkable, but as he read on, his pace quickened. Before long, he had skimmed through the entire report.
“He once attempted to help the Ninth Princess escape, but failed?” Xiao Jingyao’s gaze lingered on the passage, his voice turning cold.
“Yes,” Wei Zhuo confirmed.
“So, the King of Xijiang ordered him to redeem himself by serving as the deputy envoy, responsible for escorting the Ninth Princess to Daxia?”
“That’s correct.”
“Hmph! The King of Xijiang certainly has a cunning plan.” Xiao Jingyao let out a cold snort, snapping the dossier shut and slamming it onto the imperial desk.
Wei Zhuo kept his head lowered, remaining silent.
Xiao Jingyao continued, “Every time I leave the palace, the Ninth Princess somehow manages to find out. There must be something going on behind the scenes. Have you discovered who’s been feeding her this information?”
“This subordinate has failed… I haven’t found anything yet.” Wei Zhuo inwardly groaned. He had thoroughly investigated the matter, even assigning men to keep a close watch on the Ninth Princess. But no matter how carefully they observed, they never saw her contact anyone or pass messages. And yet, every time His Majesty discreetly left the palace, she somehow managed to ‘coincidentally’ run into him. Calling it a mere coincidence was laughable even he didn’t believe it, let alone the emperor.
Xiao Jingyao was clearly dissatisfied with Wei Zhuo’s response and reprimanded him sternly, “It’s been days, and you still haven’t found a single clue? What exactly have you been doing?”
“This subordinate will intensify the investigation.” Wei Zhuo knew he had fallen short. The emperor’s movements were a matter of utmost importance—one misstep could have far-reaching consequences. Right now, it was just the Ninth Princess of Xijiang acting suspiciously, and fortunately, she hadn’t done anything harmful. But if an assassin were to gain access to the emperor’s whereabouts instead… it wouldn’t just be a matter of a few heads rolling—it would be rivers of blood and corpses strewn across the ground. There was no room for failure.
“You may go.” Xiao Jingyao’s tone was neither harsh nor gentle, but his words carried weight. “I’ll give you three more days. Don’t come back and tell me you’ve found nothing.”
The task was daunting, but Wei Zhuo had no choice but to face it head-on. No matter how difficult the road ahead, he had to press forward. He acknowledged the order with a firm “Yes, Your Majesty” before taking his leave.
Stepping outside, the cool wind hit him, and only then did he realize that his back was drenched in cold sweat.
…
Two days later, Shen Jiaqing went out for a visit, making a stop at Zhang Wei’s distillery. On the surface, he was just there to buy wine. As soon as he entered, he asked the shopkeeper for the finest liquor available. When the attendant brought out a bottle, Shen Jiaqing took a sip, then scowled in dissatisfaction, slamming the table as he demanded to see the owner.
The shop attendant had no choice but to head to the back and fetch the owner.
The owner was none other than Zhang Wei. Upon hearing what had happened, he hurried out, putting on a fawning smile as he apologized to Shen Jiaqing. “Please don’t be upset, sir. This attendant is new and doesn’t know any better. If you’re looking for a particular wine, allow me to take you to the back to select one personally. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
“Hmph, that’s more like it.” Only then did Shen Jiaqing let his anger subside and followed Zhang Wei to the back of the shop.
Zhang Wei led him into a sitting room and offered him tea, but Shen Jiaqing waved it away impatiently. “No need for that. Just tell me—are the people in place? The delivery to the guesthouse is happening tomorrow.”
“Everything has been arranged. You can rest assured, my lord.”
Shen Jiaqing’s expression darkened as he warned, “Make sure every detail regarding the Ninth Princess of Xijiang is thoroughly investigated. There can be no mistakes.”
“And one more thing—if she’s exposed, it must not lead back to us.”
Zhang Wei nodded solemnly. “Understood.”
“I’ll be off, then,” Shen Jiaqing said as he rose to leave.
Zhang Wei quickly grabbed two fine jars of wine and handed them over with a flattering smile before escorting Shen Jiaqing all the way to the entrance of the tavern.
The street wasn’t too crowded. As Wei Zhuo rode past with his men, he spotted Shen Jiaqing clutching the wine jars, looking utterly intoxicated.
Shen Jiaqing lifted his gaze and locked eyes with Wei Zhuo, immediately shooting him a venomous glare before spitting on the ground in contempt.
Wei Zhuo paid him no mind and rode past without so much as a glance.
One of the guards beside him, however, bristled with indignation. “That man was blatantly disrespectful to you, Deputy Commander! We should teach him a lesson.”
“What lesson?” Wei Zhuo scoffed, utterly unbothered. “He’s a fallen prince of the former dynasty, reduced to nothing but a drunkard clutching wine jars all day. He’s just waiting to rot away. What’s the point of bothering with him?”
“But he had no right to insult you like that!” The guard was still fuming. “You’re the Deputy Commander—”
“If you’ve got time to waste on this nonsense, you’d be better off focusing on the task at hand,” Wei Zhuo cut him off coldly. “If we fail to uncover anything, neither of us will have our heads for much longer.”
Wei Zhuo had been completely overwhelmed these past two days, he had no time to waste dealing with Shen Jiaqing. The emperor had ordered him to investigate the Xijiang’s Ninth Princess, but ever since she injured her foot, she had been confined to the guest residence, with no contact with anyone outside. There was simply nothing to investigate.
With no other options, Wei Zhuo decided to revisit the places the princess had been to before her injury, hoping to find something he might have missed.
That day, he led his men to inspect the tofu shop, Linglong Pavilion, Xiao Sixi, and Fahua Temple, carefully searching each location.
That night, Wei Zhuo entered the palace to report his findings.
“Your Majesty, I re-examined all the places the Xijiang’s Ninth Princess previously visited and discovered this mark.”
He handed over a drawing of the symbol he had found, then added, “It appears to be a means of communication.”
Xiao Jingyao studied the mark before questioning, “How can you be certain this was left by the princess and not someone else?”
“Because it only appears in the places she visited. Nowhere else,” Wei Zhuo replied.
Xiao Jingyao was mostly convinced. He ordered, “Then keep watching her. See if she uses this mark to contact someone and find out who. I want every last one of her secrets exposed.”
**