With the Grand Ancestor’s decree from years past as her shield, Su Fengyi had no need to humor Qiao Gui. She stepped forward to enter, smiling as she said:
“In the past, I could see the Grand Ancestor without announcement, and I could see the Late Emperor without announcement. Now, to see the Emperor, there is naturally no need to trouble Eunuch Qiao for an announcement. The Emperor still owes me a decree—I will take it and leave.”
Qiao Gui maintained his honest man’s smile, offering a flawless excuse:
“How would I dare to stop Your Highness? It’s just that the Emperor is weary and is currently bathing and resting. For Your Highness to enter now would be inappropriate.
As for the decree, I will go and announce it for Your Highness. Would Your Highness please sit and wait for a moment?”
To say Qiao Gui was truly capable—in just these few moments when no one was watching, he had managed to placate the furious Emperor and even concocted the excuse of bathing to block Su Fengyi.
In any case, the imperial decree would ultimately be written by Qiao Gui, so it wasn’t absolutely necessary to see the Emperor. Su Fengyi paused in her steps and sat down in the hall, saying:
“Very well, I’ll trouble you, Eunuch. I will wait here for the decree.”
Lu Hong exchanged a glance with her and followed Qiao Gui to find the Emperor.
Su Fengyi waited for a long time. She sat drinking tea for half the afternoon, ate two pastries, and even had her evening meal. Finally, Qiao Gui returned, holding an imperial decree with a beaming smile:
“Your Highness has waited long. The Emperor has issued the decree—please review it.”
Su Fengyi took the decree and opened it on the spot. It read:
Shen Hongxian shall atone for his crimes with merit. Within three months, he must raise one million taels in border taxes to offset his offenses.
The handwriting was Qiao Gui’s, and the seal was the Emperor’s—a genuine decree, no mistake.
No wonder it took so long to write just these few words. Since the Emperor had already agreed to release the Shen family, Qiao Gui could not reverse the decision, so he tampered with the deadline.
First, he separated the Emperor from himself, then he wore down and altered the “endless generations” agreement Su Fengyi had previously negotiated with the Emperor, changing it to a three-month deadline.
Qiao Gui truly lived up to his reputation as the foremost powerful eunuch by the Emperor’s side—such skillful maneuvering.
Su Fengyi read it without anger, only asking him:
“Three months? The Emperor just now didn’t mention three months? Besides, Xuanfu hasn’t opened Border Trade—where would the border taxes come from?”
Qiao Gui wore an expression of innocence and the flustered look of someone who had made a mistake:
“Your Highness, please calm your anger. The Emperor’s thoughts are not for me to presume. Should I go and ask again?”
Behind Qiao Gui, Lu Hong, who had followed closely, shook his head slightly.
Meaning: Do not.
This Qiao Gui—setting another trap, is he?
Su Fengyi could guess exactly what trick Qiao Gui was trying to pull.
If she really let him go and ask, he would surely stir up trouble with words like: “The Grand Princess is very dissatisfied with the Emperor’s decree and flew into a great rage.”
Qiao Gui worked for the Emperor, so Su Fengyi’s attacks, both overt and covert, targeted his incompetence.
Su Fengyi held no real power, so competence or incompetence mattered little to her. Qiao Gui, recognizing this, avoided attacking her competence and instead focused on her attitude.
At this moment, it was truly not the time to clash head-on with Qiao Gui. Delaying and lowering his guard was the wiser course.
Instead of anger, Su Fengyi smiled:
“If it is the Emperor’s will, what do I have to be angry about? As long as you, Eunuch Qiao, have no regrets.
Let me ask you: after three months, if the one million taels are not raised, what will happen to General Shen? And what about his accomplices?”
Seeing Su Fengyi smile, Qiao Gui hunched his back and smiled along obsequiously:
“After three months, it will be autumn. General Shen was previously sentenced to execution in autumn. Accomplices share the same punishment.”
“Alright, three months it is. I’m leaving.”
Su Fengyi accepted the imperial decree, stepped past Eunuch Qiao, and strode out of the hall.
As they passed each other, both wiped the smiles from their faces.
Seeing Su Fengyi leave so decisively, Qiao Gui couldn’t quite figure out what the Grand Princess was up to.
To be fair, in the past, he and the Grand Princess had kept to their own territories. There was no conflict of interest between them, no need for a life-or-death struggle. As long as the Grand Princess didn’t oppose him, he had no reason to antagonize her.
So, these three months were merely bait he had cast to test the Grand Princess’s true intentions.
Three months—General Shen wasn’t a deity; where could he possibly find a million taels of silver?
If the Grand Princess truly wanted to save him, she would naturally have fought for it in front of the Emperor.
Qiao Gui’s original plan was to let her wait the entire afternoon first. Given the Grand Princess’s temper, after waiting so long, she would surely be furious. Then, when she saw the decree had been altered, her explosive temper would undoubtedly ignite.
And that would be perfect!
When someone explodes, they can say all sorts of treasonous things.
A furious Grand Princess, facing a suspicious Emperor, with him, Qiao Gui, fanning the flames—hmph, today the Grand Princess would surely meet her end.
Yet, judging by the Grand Princess’s demeanor, she didn’t seem to care much. Her argument had been almost perfunctory, which meant she wasn’t genuinely intent on saving him?
Eunuch Qiao Gui was utterly bewildered by the Grand Princess’s actions.
Was this Grand Princess friend or foe? What exactly was she trying to do?
…
Su Fengyi left the White Tiger Palace, found Little White Dragon, mounted her horse, and prepared to return to the Princess’s residence, only to see Lu Hong following closely behind.
She waved her hand and said:
“I’m heading back now. No need to see me off. At present, you should stay by the Emperor’s side as much as possible.”
Qiao Gui was vying to be the Emperor’s foremost confidant. He and Lu Hong had been locked in open and covert struggles for years. A moment’s carelessness, and he would set a trap.
The Emperor, with his youthful temperament, was fickle and unpredictable—hot one moment, cold the next. There was always the fear that Qiao Gui might whisper a few words behind his back and stir up trouble.
Lu Hong had followed her out because Su Fengyi’s mission had failed, and he was worried.
Lu Hong glanced in Qiao Gui’s direction and shook his head slightly. “Qiao, suspicion.”
Su Fengyi understood: Qiao Gui had sown discord, and the Emperor had grown suspicious of her intent to save General Shen.
Knowing his thoughts, Su Fengyi replied:
“Don’t worry. I have my own plans. Within tomorrow, he’ll come begging me to save him himself.”
That was good, but Lu Hong still wondered why the Grand Princess was so determined to save General Shen.
Pondering the Grand Princess’s usual behavior, Lu Hong furrowed his brow slightly and asked, “Shen, handsome?”
Su Fengyi had been about to leave but, hearing his question, remembered something. She quickly beckoned him over.
“Yes, handsome. Haven’t you seen him? Speaking of handsome, I just remembered something. Come here.”
Lu Hong drew closer, taking hold of Su Fengyi’s horse’s reins as he looked up at her seated high on the saddle.
Su Fengyi leaned down, bringing her lips close to his ear, and whispered in a breathy voice:
“Help me find someone in the palace. Quietly. Don’t tell anyone else.”
Her breath brushed against his ear, and Lu Hong felt a tingling in his earlobe. The sensation spread from his ear throughout his body, a restless, spring-like itch that permeated every limb and bone, wave after wave, unending.
Lu Hong seemed oblivious, his expression unchanged, merely raising one hand toward Su Fengyi and offering his palm to her.
This was a habit they had cultivated since childhood—writing secrets on palms.
Su Fengyi hesitated briefly, but recalling that the Grand Princess often did this in the original story, if she were to act coy, it would seem deliberate.
Moreover, they had slept in the same cradle as children, as familiar as could be; aside from differences in status, their bond was akin to that of siblings. Su Fengyi felt that writing a word on his palm should not be a problem.
Thus, she naturally extended a finger and wrote on his palm: Xue Yu.