The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 116 - Sacred Heart

Xingfu quietly waved away a few eunuchs, standing by with a towel in hand, eagerly waiting for Emperor Jianzhang to come out from the horse grounds.

"Why is it you handling this today?" Emperor Jianzhang crossed over him, noticing Xingfu following closely behind. "Is the Directorate of Imperial Sacrifices out of work?"

Xingfu felt a bit uneasy. Under his direction, the Deputy Minister of War had already pushed the responsibility for the incident in Tongzhou onto Yuan Hong, the commander of Zijing Pass, blaming him for failing to fulfill his duties, which allowed the Tartars to invade and brought calamity to Tongzhou. However, the Minister of War, Cen Biliang, Commander Yuan Hong, and a group of censors from the Imperial Censorate all reported that there were deeper issues at play.

In previous years, through his godson, he had accepted quite a bit of money from the Tartars, and his godson had maintained correspondence with high-ranking Tartar officials... Now, as the situation escalated, he was starting to feel panic set in.

The emperor's attitude was increasingly difficult to discern, making him feel even more anxious. Just as he was contemplating what to say, he heard Emperor Jianzhang's voice thundering in his ear like spring thunder: "All memorials related to the Tongzhou unrest are to be submitted directly to me by the Cabinet. I will review them personally!"

His face turned pale, and he suddenly felt his legs go weak, nearly unable to stand as cold sweat broke out on him.

The head eunuch following Emperor Jianzhang discreetly glanced at him and quietly reported, "Your Majesty, someone just came from Qingning Palace to report that Princess Duanhui has been in the palace for over two hours."

Mentioning his only niece, the emperor's expression softened slightly. Xingfu felt a sudden lightness in his heart and couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

With Princess Duanhui in the palace, the emperor was going to Qingning Palace to dine with the empress. Xingfu had no choice but to reluctantly take his leave.

Xing'an, who had long been waiting at the residence, hurriedly tossed aside the beautiful maid and rushed out, tying his clothes and nodding his head in a bow as he asked, "How did it go, Uncle? What does the Emperor mean?"

Xingfu had been castrated and entered the palace from a young age, and he had always been indulgent toward this sole descendant of the Xing family. Although he was dissatisfied with Xing'an's absurdity, he merely shot him a fierce glare and quickened his pace.

"Uncle, please say something!" Xing'an was getting anxious, closely following behind Xingfu. "This is no small matter. Those bastards from the Censorate seemed to take the wrong medicine; they're all fixated on us and won't let go..."

Suddenly, Xingfu stopped, and Xing'an, unable to stop in time, bumped into his back. He couldn't help but let out a yelp, covering his head as he started to ramble again. "I'm serious, Uncle. Those bookworms are no joke when they start a ruckus... If they really escalate things, won't our matters be exposed? Should we send someone to...?" He made a gesture of cutting his throat, his overly indulgent face gaining a hint of ferocity.

Xingfu shot him an annoyed glare. "At this critical moment, if they make a mistake, won't it just highlight our involvement even more?! Stop being so clever! I'll think of a way to handle this; you just behave yourself!"

Xing'an had never been particularly afraid of this uncle. He wrinkled his nose, drooped his head, and made a face.

_____

"His Majesty knows very well that I entered the palace today, yet he chose this time to go horse riding. He's clearly doing it on purpose to leave me hanging." First Lady Cui rested her chin on her hand as she leaned against the rocking chair, watching the goldfish in the tank kept in the empress's palace. "This little fellow with a red tail and a silver body is still alive? It has a long life, thanks to your patience. If I were to raise it...."

"It's long gone!" Emperor Jianzhang's voice arrived before he did. "You think you can keep fish with that temperament? I think it's about time you focus on raising your precious son instead."

Everyone in the hall was busy bowing, but Emperor Jianzhang waved his hand to dismiss them, turning to the Empress with a smile. "You've really worked hard, spending time with this chatterbox. I'm afraid your ears will get calloused. Has she been complaining about me all morning?"

The Empress smiled and shook her head, still sitting beside the Emperor at the head of the table. After personally accepting the tea from a lady-in-waiting, she replied with a smile, "She only complained that you went riding and didn't come to see her."

Emperor Jianzhang took a sip from his cup and set it down on the kang table, his brows clearly filled with mirth, yet his words seemed to carry a hint of reproach. "She's the one who's crying foul first. I didn't blame you for returning to the capital without coming to see me and the Empress, yet you blame me for not coming to see you."

Prince Zhuang had died defending Emperor Jianzhang against the arrows of Prince Tai and was the Emperor's biological brother, with whom he had shared a close bond since childhood. After his death, Emperor Jianzhang doted on his only niece, Princess Duanhui, treating her similarly to Princess Rongcheng. She had been raised in the Empress's palace for a full eight years and was now set to marry outside the palace.

Princess Duanhui was always bolder than Princess Rongcheng. Hearing this, she raised her delicate brows in mock anger. "How can you say that, Uncle? You know my journey back was not easy. If it weren't for that scare in Tongzhou, I would have returned much sooner. How could it have taken this long?"

Mentioning Tongzhou caused a flicker of something unusual in Emperor Jianzhang's eyes, but he quickly chided her. "You didn't rush back to the palace after the Tongzhou incident, did you? You first went to the Marquis of Changning's residence. Now you've learned to shift the blame onto your Uncle. You've really grown!"

Princess Duanhui smiled as she teased a goldfish with a jade stick, casually murmuring, "That's easy for you to say. After all, there is still the Cui family's bloodline in that household. I can't just let them be bullied! If I hadn't gone to stand up for them... who knows what would have happened!"

The Empress looked curious and thought for a moment before saying, "You just mentioned that the concubine in the Marquis of Changning's household is restless and almost caused trouble for Tingting's children? The Marquis of Changning's family is known for their strict morals, especially with the old lady keeping them in check. I can't believe something like this happened..."

Princess Duanhui glanced at Emperor Jianzhang and nodded repeatedly. "Isn't that right? If she hadn't caused such a mess first, I would have come to ask you and the Empress for permission to deal with that sweet-faced but ruthless Lady Li properly."

"First, think about how to handle yourself," Emperor Jianzhang shot her a glare. "You even went to their house to cause a scene. What? Do you think you can act recklessly just because I'm backing you? Let me tell you, that old fellow Song Chengru can't handle your antics for much longer. Now, everywhere needs manpower. If you scare people away for me, then you'll have to take their place."

Princess Duanhui blinked at the Empress, muttering something about being more obedient now.

The Empress couldn't help but chuckle, turning to look at the Emperor with a smile. "Speaking of which, I haven't met Tingting's daughter yet. I've heard she's young but very perceptive. If there's a chance, I must take a good look at her."