Princess Royal Residence
It was snowing heavily outside the window, but the room was as warm as spring. Several stoves were burning brightly, and a few twin-wick lamps lit up the room.
The young Canton Princess was playing the song alone.
Although it was only one person, the sound of the zither carried a lot of cheerfulness, as well as some anticipation, as if the dark clouds had parted to reveal the bright moon.
Under the snow, the sound of the zither echoed in the courtyard.
The Eldest Princess walked forward with Chen Xiang (the court lady) at her side, holding an umbrella. The snow falling on the umbrella made a rustling sound, and the snow crunched as they stepped on the snow. When they arrived at the Little Canton Princess's courtyard, they saw two servant girls dressed like dumplings, their faces red from the cold, waiting for orders in front of the small building.
"Eldest Princess." The two of them bowed.
"Shh!" The Eldest Princess couldn't help but feel happy when she heard the sound of the zither. After the song was finished, it seemed like the sound of the zither was still echoing in the snowy night.
"Mother." The moment the young canton princess turned around, she saw the Grand Princess pouncing into her embrace.
"You're still practicing the zither in the middle of the night. Don't you feel tired?" The Grand Princess said lovingly.
"I'm not tired at all. My zither skills improved a little last time. Now when I play the zither, I feel like there's water washing away the impurities on my body." The Canton Princess bowed down, "Mother, why are you back so late? You must have gone to discuss some matters with the Crown Prince and Pei Zi Yun right?"
The Eldest Princess laughed, "You're so weird."
"Mother, what did you talk about today?" The Canton Princess asked.
"You're not the one who asked." The Eldest Princess stroked her hair. The fewer people who knew about this, the better, even if it was for the little princess's safety.
"Mother, the other day I heard Young Master Pei's flute playing and was moved. I wish to visit him tomorrow." The Canton Princess spoke shyly.
"No …" Just as the Grand Princess was about to reject her, she noticed that she had lost a lot of weight. She then remembered the plan she had come up with today. After a moment of silence, she smiled and said, "Alright, but it has to be on the fifteenth day of the Lantern Festival. I will arrange it for you then."
"Thank you, mother." Originally Xiao Junzhu was only hoping in a low voice, but this time she was extremely happy. She threw herself into the Eldest Princess' bosom and kissed her.
"You little brat." The Grand Princess stretched out her hand and patted the Canton Princess's face.
"Mother, don't pinch me. Hahaha." The room was filled with joy and laughter. The two maidservants outside looked at each other. It had been a long time since the Canton Princess had been this happy and joyful.
After a while, the Grand Princess came out. In a blink of an eye, the zither started playing again. When she listened to it, she was filled with joy, but there was also a hint of melancholy. When the Grand Princess heard this, she was reminded of herself in the past, and her heart ached. She listened for a while more before asking, "Does the Canton Princess play the zither every day?"
"Yes, I've invited a few famous teachers. According to them, she's progressing very quickly. In the past one or two years, she's already showing signs of being a great teacher. Congratulations, Eldest Princess," Chen Xiang hurriedly replied.
The Grand Princess did not smile and sighed, "If it was before, I would have liked it very much. But her passion for the zither is normal. Why is she so desperate?"
"It must be because of Pei Zi Yun's flute. Because she missed him so much, she wanted to play again. Hence, she's putting in so much effort to learn. Look at her. She's lost so much weight, and her fingernails have even turned black."
"Since ancient times, wisdom has always been hurt. Deep love doesn't last long. If it was in a novel, her infatuation would be touching. But when it comes to my daughter, I'd rather she'd never loved before, and never met before." As the Grand Princess spoke up to this point, her heart ached as she couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
King Lu's Mansion
The King's Mansion was second only to the Crown Prince's Mansion. It was originally a mansion of the previous dynasty. The Emperor had allocated two hundred thousand taels of silver to renovate it and gave it to King Lu. The mansion was surrounded by a long stream, and there was a man-made lake within. It was surrounded by a rocky mountain, and there were many pavilions scattered about.
Eunuch Liao walked along the corridors and walked past a pond before entering a hall. From afar, he could hear someone talking.
When he entered, he saw that King Lu was in a good mood. His eyebrows were thick, and his eyes were bright. He looked very easygoing as he spoke to a young master.
Eunuch Liao was a fifth ranked Palace Supervisor. Seeing him enter, everyone except King Lu stood up. Eunuch Liao greeted King Lu, who waved his hands, "Companion, you don't have to be so courteous. Apart from this time when you're away on a business trip, we've been seeing each other every day. It's not good to be courteous."
"Greetings Eunuch Liao." The young master in front of him wore a black crown, and was dressed in robes that fluttered in the wind. His eyebrows were raised, and he had an extraordinary air about him as he bowed.
"Dark Altar Sect's Xie Cheng Dong!" Eunuch Liao knew about this and returned the greeting. He said that he wouldn't dare to do so, but his eyes were filled with vigilance. This vigilance wasn't because of anything else, but because he was extremely proficient in martial arts. At first glance, the young master in front of him looked very clear, but upon closer inspection, the young master in front of him started to blur, as though he was covered by a layer of fog.
This level of strength was terrifying. On the contrary, King Lu couldn't tell. Eunuch Liao had many thoughts running through his mind, but he suppressed them. He then heard King Lu speak, "It's good that you're back. We were discussing the rumors. Tell your companion everything in detail."
"Yes!" Xie Cheng Dong smiled, his smile was filled with sincerity and innocence, "Personal matters are the hardest to explain. Other things can be explained, but how can one explain personal matters?"
"Furthermore, the heart of a person is precious. It's important to strike at the weak spot, and strike at the weak spot. The Emperor wielded the three-foot sword to conquer the world, and fought countless battles. He was shot by arrows, wounded, and exhausted. When he was young, he didn't feel it. But now that he's old, it's obvious."
"In recent years, the Emperor has rarely visited his concubines. His concubines have been absent for a long period of time. To a man, wouldn't that be a very regrettable thing?"
"We started from this point, saying that the Crown Prince had an affair with one of the concubines. That's a sore spot for the Emperor."
"Even if the Emperor doesn't believe it, we've already planted a thorn in his side. Just thinking about it makes him feel uncomfortable."
"Originally, we even lured people from the Crown Prince's palace. First, we snitched on the White Wind Monastery. Secondly, we placed an aphrodisiac in the Crown Prince's pouch. Wouldn't the Emperor be furious if we found out about this?"
"Who would've thought that the Crown Prince had some luck. Halfway through, he was disrupted by someone else. Even if he was disrupted, that's fine. As long as he had roots in the Crown Prince's palace, he could always start over. Who would've thought that a few days ago, the Crown Prince's palace would be completely wiped out."
"Even so, we purposely locked the person we lured into the Crown Prince's concubine. We wanted to find out about this and incur the wrath of the Crown Prince and his wife. This would infuriate the Emperor even more. Who would've thought that after waiting for a few days, the Crown Prince's palace would be completely wiped out."
"All three of our plots fell through." At this point, Xie Cheng Dong sighed, "According to our investigations, this has a lot to do with the new Sect Leader of Free Cloud Sect, Pei Zi Yun. He's a huge enemy."
"Hm!" Hearing this, King Lu cleared his throat and didn't interrupt.
"However, the matter of us spreading rumors about the Crown Prince has caused a huge uproar. Everyone wants to know about the affairs of the Imperial Family. According to what I know, the rumors have spread like wildfire. There are dozens of different versions of the story. Some of them even spread the rumors to other concubines."
Eunuch Liao listened attentively and didn't interrupt. At this point, he paused for a moment before he bowed and asked, "The law doesn't apply to the nobles. I wonder how you managed to convince the people from the Crown Prince's palace to betray you?"
"The law doesn't apply to the nobles." Xie Cheng Dong laughed as he spoke in Beijing dialect. Just by listening to his accent, one could tell that he was a local, "But the first is the land, and the second is the nobles."
"The more important a place is, the more valuable it is. It's difficult to use Dao arts there."
"The capital city is the most important place. Ordinary Daoists wouldn't be able to use their Dao arts there. However, ordinary people's residences are much weaker. A Daoist with a certain level of skill would still be able to use their Dao arts there."
"Of course, if it's the center of the country, even the strongest Daoist would find it difficult to use their Dao arts there."
King Lu and Eunuch Liao listened intently as Xie Cheng Dong continued, "Speaking of nobles, the Crown Prince is a noble, and so is King Lu. Even you, Eunuch Liao, who is a fifth ranked martial artist, is a noble."
"But there are many who aren't nobles in the palace. For those servants who are of no rank, if they are close to them, they might be protected. But what about those who are further away?"
"Of course, even if that's the case, being in the Crown Prince's palace, they would still have some protection. The problem is that it's hard to guard against traitors. What if the servant or maid is dissatisfied, or has a burning desire to betray their master?"
"That's why these people can use the art of seduction. At the most crucial moment, they would be forced to do things that they wouldn't dare to do otherwise!"
King Lu and Eunuch Liao understood what was going on and looked at each other. Xie Cheng Dong smiled as he took a sip of tea. He wasn't trying to undermine himself, but rather, he was trying to prove himself. This was because of the experience of the previous dynasties. If a servant of no rank were to report to his master, he would die!
This was to deal with situations like this. If not, Daoists would easily stir up trouble.
However, the dynasty had only been established for ten years, and was still in the early stages of the dynasty. Hence, there were many loopholes that could be exploited. However, if something were to happen, the Imperial Court would be able to learn from the historical records they had passed down.
Eunuch Liao then asked, "Even if these rumors spread like wildfire, the Imperial Court wouldn't believe them. What's the use of that?"
"The officials and the commoners have different opinions. However, three people can become a tiger, and the public's words can be corroded." Xie Cheng Dong looked at Eunuch Liao and spoke, "If King Lu wishes to replace the Crown Prince and ascend to the throne, you have to have the status to replace him."
"The officials are all intelligent people. As long as King Lu ascends to the throne, they will obey obediently."
"But what about the commoners? Is it really that nice for King Lu to say that he's usurping the throne? "
"We have to lay the foundation now. The commoners didn't believe it at first, but after a few years, they started to believe that the Crown Prince was licentious and tyrannical."
"After a while, I'm prepared to spread the word that the Crown Prince likes to kill people and eat their embryos. He's a beast in human form."
"Then when King Lu ascends to the throne, he will obey the heavens."
When Eunuch Liao heard this, he thought to himself that Pei Zi Yun was indeed shameless. Was this how the rumors about these characters in history were spread? Then, he suddenly understood. He stood up and bowed deeply, "Thank you young master for your foresight. This old servant is extremely grateful."
Xie Cheng Dong hurriedly stood up, "I don't dare, I don't dare. You and I are the same master, how can I not do my best?"
When King Lu heard this, he folded his book and said, "Apart from the rumors, I'm sure you have a next step. Previously, your companion wasn't around. The next step is for the two of you to work together. I'm sure you'll be able to bring out the best in each other."
"Yes, the next step is to spread the rumors."
"All of us in the upper echelons know that in the past ten years, we've been reducing the number of towns. This is something that any Emperor would have to do."
"But the next step isn't clear. Or rather, even if we explain it clearly, we don't dare to think too much about it."
"We can spread the rumor that the Crown Prince has written a petition to reduce the number of towns. I'm sure the Crown Prince has a few words to quote."
"If King Lu were to express his goodwill, how would the towns respond?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
