Chapter 221: Hello Chang’an
Chapter 221: Enemy or Chess Piece?
Li Lu was about to leave the capital, yet he went to Dayun Temple to meet Chang Suining. Naturally, she had to order people to keep a closer watch.
She never expected to wait for this kind of news.
That young girl had clearly rejected Li Lu before, yet now, in order to smoothly leave the capital, she actually agreed to Li Lu’s renewed proposal of marriage?
So this was Chang Suining’s chosen strategy to leave the capital… At this critical juncture, was she choosing to side with Prince Rong and his son?
She couldn’t help but recall some old matters: Ah Shang had always been especially close to Prince Rong, the two shared a deep bond. A Shang treated that royal uncle of hers with more intimacy than she did her own imperial father.
Prince Rong even knew Ah Shang’s secret.
It did not matter so much whom Chang Suining sided with, but Ah Shang was different…
Thinking of this, the Holy Emperor’s brows furrowed even more. If going to Yizhou, under no circumstances could she allow that girl to leave.
But to be cautious, she again sent people to Dayun Temple to verify the truth of the news. Very quickly, word came back: Chang Suining had left from the back gate of Dayun Temple with only a maidservant, secretly going to meet Prince Rong’s heir, and the two went boating together at night.
The Holy Emperor’s gaze gradually grew colder.
Was she truly choosing Prince Rong, to stand in opposition against her?
Very soon, the Holy Emperor summoned several officials into the palace.
“Prince Rong’s heir will soon leave the capital and return to Yizhou. Before that, I intend to select a suitable girl from the capital to grant him in marriage, to bring this happy event back to Yizhou, and perhaps also slightly ease the illness of Princess Rong.”
The officials understood and assented.
Wei Shuyi pondered inwardly. That the Holy One wished to bestow a marriage upon Prince Rong’s heir was not surprising, but to suddenly do so in such haste… Could it be that there was some movement on Prince Rong’s heir’s side?
Very soon, the eunuchs produced a list of candidate names that had been discussed.
The Holy Emperor lowered her gaze to look at the list.
She had lately been so busy that day and night blurred together, Ganlu Hall never had a moment’s peace, and she had not managed to attend to this matter. But now it could not be delayed further.
The choice of candidate was important, but even more important was that she must cut off Li Lu’s chance to request an imperial marriage to Chang Suining.
And further…
By choosing Yizhou as the path to leave the capital, that girl had already given her an answer, and perhaps there was no need to wait and watch any longer.
Since that was the case, to prevent changes arising where she could not see, she had to use a more secure method to keep the other girl by her side.
“Draft an edict for me: County Princess Gu will be married off to Tuyuhun, and by my side I lack a female official to serve. The young lady of the General of Agile Cavalry’s household has a widely known reputation, and I am very fond of her, I believe she can fulfill the position of female historiographer in Ganlu Hall—”
The Holy Emperor instructed: “Tomorrow, immediately send the decree to the Chang family, ordering their young lady to enter the palace to attend upon me.”
The eunuch assented, took the order, and withdrew to draft the edict.
Wei Shuyi was inwardly shocked. Chang Langjun’s injuries had not yet healed, and yet at this time the Holy One was already so eager to make Chang young lady enter the palace as a female official… What was the reason for this?
Was it in order to keep Chang young lady by her side, to steady the heart of Grand General Chang?
Wei Shuyi’s instincts told him that the reason behind the Holy One’s attention was probably not so simple…
He wanted to send word to notify Chang Suining first, but he remembered that today his mother had just said she and her brother had gone to Dayun Temple together to fulfill a vow and stay a while. And by this time, the night curfew was in effect, so he could not send anyone out of the city without being noticed.
As Wei Shuyi walked on the road out of the palace, he thought of the Holy Emperor’s attitude towards Chang Suining all along, and always felt there was some hidden strangeness he could not make out.
Was the origin of this strangeness that phrase from Cui Ling’an: “Sorry, this matter, I cannot speak of”? Or was it the secret hidden within the Heavenly Maiden Tower at Dayun Temple?
With thoughts tangled, Wei Shuyi subconsciously turned his head, gazing far off towards the direction of Dayun Temple.
He did not know the crucial point, but she, being in the midst of it, must surely know. Then, would she have a way to respond?
——
That night was windless, a bright moon reflected on the still lake surface, like a tranquil painting.
A pleasure boat pushed through the ripples, slowly tearing open this painted scroll.
Inside the boat, Li Lu personally brewed tea, pushing a delicate teacup before Chang Suining: “Lu is used to sleeping early, so I never drink tea at night. But since Miss Chang is here tonight, I naturally must accompany you.”
Chang Suining: “……” It was only drinking tea, yet he managed to speak as if it were like drinking poisoned wine together, sacrificing one’s life to accompany the other.
After the two finished a cup of tea, Li Lu summoned a servant into the cabin. That servant was of ordinary height and appearance, about in his forties. After saluting, he sat kneeling with eyes lowered at the side, looking respectful and reserved.
By the light in the cabin, Chang Suining recognized him.
So it was him, Fan Ou.
Li Lu said: “Miss Chang, this is the servant previously sent by my father to congratulate the Prince of Huainan on his birthday.”
Servant?
This was no ordinary servant.
Others might not know, but she knew this man had long been her younger royal uncle’s trusted aide. Though his martial skills were ordinary, he was well-versed in some unorthodox arts. When Prince Rong’s household sent him to the Prince of Huainan, was it truly just to offer birthday congratulations?
Thinking of the Prince of Huainan’s death plunging Jiangnan into greater turmoil, and his son Li Yi thereby becoming a variable, and putting all of this together with the man before her, Chang Suining nearly had the answer in her heart. The fingers holding the teacup felt a chill.
That servant Fan Ou sensed her gaze, and slightly raised his eyes to meet the young girl’s. In that instant of eye contact, a vague and strange feeling arose in his heart.
Considering the identity and value of this young lady of the Chang family, he respectfully asked: “I wonder if there is anything the young lady wishes this humble one to answer?”
Chang Suining asked him some questions about Chang Kuo, and he answered all that he knew.
Then she asked about the Yangzhou campaign, and he also carefully answered all of it.
At last, Chang Suining drank another cup of tea, and then began to speak with Li Lu about Yizhou.
She wanted to take the opportunity to inquire a bit about Prince Rong’s household. After all, there was no harm in listening if he was willing to speak.
But Li Lu was very cautious, and did not speak too deeply with her. He skillfully avoided the matters that were unsuitable to mention, never revealing too much.
Thus they conversed for nearly an hour. The tea stove had made the cabin rather hot, so Chang Suining went outside to get some air.
Moments later, Li Lu appeared behind her, speaking softly: “Regarding Yizhou, Miss Chang must not blame Lu for keeping some things back. Given the current situation, I have already told Miss Chang everything that can be said.”
“For those questions I cannot answer now, once you go to Yizhou, you may see for yourself, and naturally you will have the answers.”
Chang Suining looked towards the lake before her and nodded.
Ahead, the waterway curved, a bend where the banks were lined with withered yet still dense trees, silently concealed in the night.
Since boating was not the true purpose, the pleasure boat moved slowly. Li Lu came to her side, smiling as he handed her an object: “This is a betrothal letter written by my own hand, may Miss Chang accept it.”
Chang Suining looked at it.
“By propriety, the betrothal letter should be sent by Prince Rong’s household to your family elders. The ancestral rites must not be neglected. But this letter is one I wrote solely for Miss Chang.” The young man’s eyes held a clear smile. “Because in my eyes, Miss Chang is different from other women. This marriage must first gain Miss Chang’s consent.”
“As of today, I wonder if Lu’s sincerity is enough for Miss Chang to accept this betrothal letter?”
After a moment, Chang Suining raised her hand and accepted it.
Joy overflowed from the young man’s brows and eyes: “To be able to walk together with Miss Chang in the future will be my fortune.”
“Only those who share the same aspirations can walk together.” The young girl’s serious voice spread across the moonlit lake. “May I ask, Prince Rong’s household, what path do you follow?”
“Of course, to bring peace to the world and restore stability to the Da Sheng realm.”
“Is that so?” The young girl asked again: “Then why did Prince Rong’s household first take the step of fratricidal strife, secretly murdering the Prince of Huainan, causing the war in Jiangnan to spiral further out of control?”
All around, sudden deathly silence.
The smile on Li Lu’s face had not yet faded, but at her words his eyes flickered sharply.
Seeing this, Chang Suining no longer had the slightest doubt.
Indeed, it was Prince Rong’s household who, under the pretense of birthday congratulations, secretly murdered the Prince of Huainan.
In that instant, suddenly came the sound of a long blade being drawn—the servant Fan Ou guarding the cabin entrance had drawn his sword, staring tightly at the young girl who had spoken such shocking words.
The other two attendants Li Lu had brought also immediately stood ready in vigilance.
Chang Suining glanced at the blade pointed at her, and asked Li Lu: “The heir invited me on this boat to speak of secret matters, so I did not even bring a single maid. Yet you prepared blades in secret—this is the sincerity of the heir?”
“Miss Chang misunderstands, it is the servant who…” Li Lu narrowed his eyes, words not yet finished, when suddenly a dagger was at his throat.
“Fortunately, I have no sincerity either—let us call it reciprocation.”
As she spoke, Chang Suining had swiftly seized control of Li Lu, maneuvering behind him, holding him before herself as a shield.
Fan Ou and the others were greatly alarmed.
“Release the heir!”
“Why would Miss Chang do this?” With the cold sharp blade against his neck, Li Lu spoke softly: “Even if Miss Chang has some misunderstanding towards Prince Rong’s household, I would not allow anyone to harm you in the slightest.”
Without waiting for her reply, he slightly turned his face and asked: “Or is it that Miss Chang came tonight with the purpose of becoming enemy to Prince Rong’s household?”
“Our Chang family is weak and small, I naturally have no wish to be enemy to the grand Prince Rong’s household, nor have we ever provoked or offended you.” Chang Suining said, “It is the heir who has repeatedly pressed us, using the lives of my father and brother as threats, forcing the Chang family to choose between being enemy or being a chess piece—”
“The Chang family does not wish to make enemies, but will never be someone else’s chess piece.” The young girl’s voice by his ear was not panicked at all, even calm and casual. “So, I boldly came up with a middle path.”
As her voice fell, before Li Lu could ponder her meaning, suddenly he felt his body go light, and then out of control he fell backward, plunging together with her.
“Splash!”
“Heir!”
The sound of water splashing rang out. Fan Ou’s expression darkened, throwing aside his long blade and immediately leaping into the water after them.
The other two also jumped in after.
Yet that young girl’s swimming skills were superb. If not for their heir being this burden—no, hostage—most likely they could not have caught up at all!
Even so, Fan Ou exerted great effort just to barely close the distance. He was skilled with hidden weapons, but that young girl seemed to anticipate it in advance, always keeping the heir as her shield, so he had no way to act.
If he could not use hidden weapons, he could only fight at close quarters, to snatch the heir back!
But after a few exchanges, that young girl, one hand gripping their heir, the other fighting him, yet he still could not gain the upper hand. She seemed extremely adept at fighting in the water!
Seeing Li Lu coughing painfully from swallowing water, knowing his body was weak, Fan Ou grew anxious. Seizing an opportunity, as he swung a punch from the side, between his fingers there suddenly appeared a poisoned dart.
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