ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 97

The sky has turned dark, and the palace lanterns have been lit. A crescent moon hangs in the sky, resembling the smile of a woman. The night is cool, like water, with a clear and gentle radiance. The silver moonlight spills onto the palace path, and a young eunuch in blue attire carries a palace lantern to guide the way, occasionally reminding the young man behind him to be careful.

After pa.s.sing through a palace gate, the young eunuch stops and politely informs the palace guard at the entrance, “The Crown Prince has arrived. Please announce his presence.”

The palace guard quickly goes and returns shortly, saying, “His Majesty has issued an edict, summoning the Crown Prince to enter for an audience.”

This time, without waiting for the young eunuch to guide him, Xiao Yan strides into the gate, descends the stone steps, and crosses the courtyard. The young eunuch hurries to lift the palace lantern, struggling to keep up with him.

The guards at the palace door bow and salute as they see him approaching, “Greetings—”

Before they can finish speaking, they only see a blur as the deep blue hem of his brocade robe swiftly pa.s.ses by, creating a gust of wind.

As Xiao Yan enters the hall, he hears the familiar voice of a young girl explaining, “Layer the minced lamb between the flatbread, add pepper, fermented black beans, pour sesame oil over it, then bake it in the oven until partially cooked. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds on top, and it becomes a baked pancake.”

Concubine Rong exclaims, “I didn’t expect there could be so many variations with a simple pancake. It must be delicious, right?”

Emperor Jing Ming nods, “The common folk’s cuisine is indeed different from the palace’s imperial kitchen. Although it’s rough, it has its own unique flavor.”

Li Zhizhi hesitates for a moment, then shyly smiles and says, “These baked pancakes are only made during special occasions or when offering sacrifices to the G.o.ds. At that time, our family was quite tight on resources, so we could only make one at a time. I’ve tasted a small piece once, and it was difficult to discern the taste—like chewing on a peony. I couldn’t tell if it was sweet or salty, but it felt incredibly delicious.”

“Flavors are not fixed; what suits the palate is precious,” Emperor Jing Ming remarked. Just as he spoke, Xiao Yan entered. The Emperor inquired, “Is there something urgent for you to enter the palace at this time?”

Xiao Yan took a step forward, bowed to Emperor Jingm Mng, and said, “Today, Father has commanded me to a.s.sist the Censorate in investigating the breach of the Lan River embankment. It’s my first time leading such an inquiry, and I feel somewhat uneasy. Afraid of disappointing you, I pondered over it and decided to seek your guidance before proceeding.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing Ming didn’t say much, just nodded and said, “Take a seat.”

Xiao Yan sat beside Concubine Li, noticing that the table was already filled with various dishes. The Emperor instructed a eunuch, “Add another set of utensils.”

The eunuch promptly left and returned shortly with new utensils, placing them in front of Xiao Yan before silently withdrawing.

Xiao Yan hadn’t expected the situation to unfold like this. He had come to the palace concerned about Li Zhizhi, who hadn’t returned for a while. To his surprise, she was detained by the Emperor to dine together. Listening to their conversation, it seemed they were enjoying a pleasant discussion.

Holding the chopsticks, Xiao Yan felt that his trip to the palace might have been unnecessary.

After the evening meal, tea was served by palace attendants. Emperor Jing Ming stood up, called Xiao Yan into the inner chamber, and Concubine Li held a teacup, peeking over to say with a smile, “His Majesty seems to be in a good mood today. He seems quite fond of you.”

Li Zhizhi hesitated, “In a good mood?”

In her eyes, Emperor Jing Ming had never smiled, and his face showed no expressions. It was impossible to discern his mood.

After listening, Concubine set down her teacup and used fingers adorned with Dan Dior to pull the corners of her eyes backward, adopting a serious expression. She said, “Can’t you see it? The Emperor is usually like this.”

Then, she lifted the outer corners of her eyes and smiled, saying, “But today, he’s like this.”

Li Zhizhi:…

She felt that Concubine Rong indeed had some extraordinary talent and was quite adorable. Unable to help herself, Li Zhizhi chuckled and said, “No wonder Your Ladyship has the Emperor’s favor. We ordinary people can’t fathom the imperial intentions.”

Concubine Rong waved her hand, mysteriously smiling, “Over time, you’ll naturally understand.”

Li Zhizhi found the statement a bit odd, but couldn’t quite pinpoint why. She nodded as if half-understanding.

In the inner chamber, Emperor Jing Ming was questioning Xiao Yan, “Regarding the breach of the Lan River, do you have any insights?”

Xiao Yan pondered for a moment and replied, “The difficulty of this case lies in the unanimous testimonies of the involved officials, all insisting that it was the Water Management Bureau and the Prefect of Louyang embezzling the funds allocated for repairing the river embankment. Chen Zhengqing of the Water Management Bureau has confessed and been punished, while Prefect w.a.n.g Yong has committed suicide. On the surface, it seems like the case has been resolved, but in my opinion, it’s just a way to appease the court.”

Emperor Jing Ming coldly said, “They’re doing it for me to see, presenting Chen Zhengqing as the scapegoat to quiet the murmurs throughout the nation. They think I’m a fool. A fourth-ranking official in the Water Management Bureau, can he embezzle a whopping forty thousand taels of silver?”

“I also think so. Relying solely on Chen Zhengqing and w.a.n.g Yong, it is impossible for things to be so perfect,” Xiao Yan replied, “Now that Chen Zhengqing has been executed and w.a.n.g Yong has no evidence, even though there is a confession letter, letters can be forged, and Chen Zhengqing’s testimony may not be true.”

Emperor Jing Ming glanced at him, sneering coldly, and scolded, “You can figure things out, but those people actually want to fool me.”

Xiao Yan remained silent for a moment, feeling that the Emperor’s words seemed to include him as well.

“They just think I’m getting old and can’t handle so many things. The officials protect each other, with deep-rooted connections. Maybe those people’s hands have reached into the court,” Emperor Jing Ming took the tea cup offered by a palace attendant, took a sip, and asked, “Since you understand these things, you know how difficult it is to investigate this case. What do you plan to do?”

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yan said, “I think, perhaps we should start investigating from the source, starting with the Magistrate of Louyang and Chen Zhengqing from the Water Supervisory Office.”

Emperor Jing Ming nodded, saying, “Correct.”

After saying this, he looked at Xiao Yan again and said, “You just said it’s your first time leading an investigation, feeling uneasy. I see that you have a clear idea, so why do you need me to point it out?”

Xiao Yan’s heart tightened, lowered his head, and said, “These are just my personal opinions. There are still some uncertainties, so I wanted to discuss with Father…”

Emperor Jing Ming placed the cup down, lifted his eyes slightly, looking at his youngest son as if a.s.sessing or scrutinizing. He made a faint sound, and Xiao Yan thought he would say something more, but he didn’t. The Emperor spoke in a calm tone, “This is the only thing you’re capable of.”

Having said that, he stood up and said, “From the capital to Louyang, the round trip takes no more than five days with fast horses. I’ve given you a total of ten days. If you’ve made up your mind, go ahead and do it.”

At this point, Emperor Jing Ming seemed like he wanted to say something more, but in the end, he just paused and walked out without uttering a word.

…

As Li Zhizhi and Xiao Yan left the palace together, the sky had already turned completely dark. The lights at the palace gate were faint, and she looked at Xiao Yan, asking, “What’s wrong? Did the Emperor say anything to you?”

“No,” Xiao Yan instinctively replied. However, after a moment of silence, he added, “I’ll be leaving the capital for a while.”

Surprised, Li Zhizhi asked, “Where are you going?”

“To Louyang,” Xiao Yan glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips as he said, “You’re asking so carefully, are you thinking of coming with me?”

Li Zhizhi smiled and said, “Brother Crown Prince is going so far, it must be official business. I shouldn’t go with you to avoid causing you trouble.”

Even though he had long understood that she couldn’t go, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment. However, he concealed it well, and Li Zhizhi didn’t notice. More importantly, he was concerned about the fact that he would be away in Louyang for ten days. Would Su Qingshang and Pei Yanchuan take advantage of his absence?

As Xiao Yan pondered, Li Zhizhi suddenly said, “Speaking of which, there’s something I’d like Brother Crown Prince’s help with.”

“What is it?”

Li Zhizhi smiled, her crescent-like eyes showing a hint of cunning, and she said, “Brother Crown Prince, can you lend me a hand with something?”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was taken aback and asked, “What kind of help do you need?”

Li Zhizhi replied, “I need a guard, someone obedient, tight-lipped, preferably with some martial skills.”

Xiao Yan suspiciously asked, “What mischief are you planning this time?”

Li Zhizhi leaned against the carriage window, the night breeze streaming in from outside lifting her hair playfully, some strands teasingly sticking to her cheek. It made one tempted to reach out and brush them away. She grinned and said, “Of course, I’m going to do some things that should stay in the shadows.”

Xiao Yan stared at her for a while. Li Zhizhi thought he would continue questioning, but to her surprise, he didn’t say anything more. Instead, he lightly tapped the carriage wall and called out, “Xu Tingfeng.”

Soon, the voice of the guard came from outside, “I’m here.”

“When I’m not in the capital, you will follow the Princess and obey her orders,” Xiao Yan instructed.

“Yes.”

…

Due to the urgency of time, Xiao Yan was set to leave the capital the next day. He first escorted Xiao Rulei to the Grand Princess’s residence, asking the Grand Princess to take care of her for a while. He admonished her to behave, but Xiao Rulei began counting on her fingers, muttering, “Brother, remember to bring me delicious food, fun things, beautiful clothes, and also—”

“If you keep going, you won’t get anything,” Xiao Yan interrupted, looking sternly at her. He continued, “I’m going on official business, not for sightseeing.”

Xiao Rulei reluctantly closed her mouth, and Grand Princess Yong Ning smiled and said, “Take care on your journey. Do you have enough people? Why not take some guards with you? The ones in my mansion are all skilled.”

Xiao Yan was somewhat helpless and said, “Aunt, I am going to handle a case, not to commit robbery.”

“Alright,” Grand Princess Yong Ning took him aside and whispered, “Your father, the Emperor, is starting to value you. As long as you handle this mission well, no one in the court will dare to say anything.”

Xiao Yan nodded and suddenly glanced at the door. Grand Princess Yong Ning asked, “What’s wrong?”

“What about Zhizhi?”

“Zhizhi went to the palace early in the morning,” Grand Princess Yong Ning explained. “I don’t know what the Emperor is thinking, but he asked her to teach Concubine Rong how to paint.”

Xiao Yan frowned but didn’t say anything. After bidding farewell to Grand Princess Yong NIng, he mounted his horse with his accompanying guards and swiftly rode out of the city. Suddenly, he remembered something and called Xu Tingfeng over, saying, “Did you remember what I told you yesterday?”

“I remember,” Xu Tingfeng nodded solemnly. “I will make sure to take good care of the Princess for you.”

Xiao Yan was somewhat satisfied and said, “That’s good.”