Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 11

The next morning, the Imperial Guard came up the mountain.

The Imperial Guard, the army that protected the palace city, was under the direct command of the emperor. The name for the Imperial Guard differed with each dynasty. The previous dynasty called them the Palace Guard. After the establishment of the Great Wei, they were renamed the Feathered Forest Guard. The Feathered Forest Guard was divided into four divisions—front, rear, left, and right—each guarding one of the four gates of the imperial city.

The one leading them this time was the Feathered Forest Middle General, Wang Gun. He came from the aristocratic Wang clan and was the younger brother of the late Empress, making him Puyang’s maternal uncle.

In a parent’s heart, no matter how old their children are, they still need careful nurturing. The Emperor poured all his paternal affection onto Puyang, not only because she was the late Empress’s daughter, but also because she was the most considerate among all his sons and daughters.

To others, Puyang appeared unrestrained and forthright, at times even acting with a certain arrogance. But in the Emperor’s eyes, no matter how he looked at her, Seventh Lady was filial, lovely, and utterly considerate.

He had sent Wang Gun instead of someone else because he was worried Puyang was injured. Others might not be meticulous enough to care for her properly, but a maternal uncle would always be more thoughtful of Puyang’s well-being.

When Wang Gun arrived on the mountain, he had his dozens of subordinates and the princess’s carriage wait outside the thatched cottage. He entered first to pay his respects to the master of the house and thank him for his meticulous care of the princess. As for the reward, he imagined that His Majesty would send an envoy to bestow it in a few days.

Puyang was already up. She was beside Wei Xiu, personally pouring two cups of tea. Using tea in place of wine, she first thanked her for saving her life, and then for her diligent care over the past few days. Wei Xiu drank both cups of tea without a word.

Setting down the teacup, Puyang felt a lingering reluctance to part. But she had just tried to persuade her yesterday; to do so again today would be too frequent, and she feared displeasing Wei Xiu. Furthermore, with the new discovery that the person Wei Xiu had been loyal to in her past life might have been someone else, Puyang was filled with shock and uncertainty.

Footsteps sounded from outside, steady and powerful, not belonging to the servants of this place.

The people sent to fetch her had arrived.

Puyang raised her cup again. “Take care, Sir. Once matters in the capital are settled, I will come to visit you again.”

Wei Xiu also raised her cup in a gesture. “Your Highness, have a safe journey.” After drinking this final cup of tea, Wei Xiu placed it on the table, then took a piece of fine silk from her sleeve pocket and handed it to Puyang. “This is the prescription Your Highness has been using. You might as well take it to the palace for the imperial physicians to consult.”

She even thought of this. A warmth spread through Puyang’s heart, and she accepted it with a smile. The fine silk had just been taken from the sleeve pocket and still held the warmth of Wei Xiu’s body. Holding it in her hand, Puyang suddenly felt that even if Sir had been loyal to someone else, as long as she stood by her side in this life, there was nothing to be concerned about.

Puyang felt a sense of sudden clarity. Turning her head, she saw that Wang Gun had arrived. Puyang stood up and said, “Sir, I take my leave.”

Wei Xiu nodded, also giving a bow of courtesy.

Puyang gave her one last deep look, then turned and left.

Wang Gun had been about to enter. He saw the princess first, and seeing she was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he notice the figure in the wheelchair. At a glance, he felt this person had a handsome bearing and a grand aura, surely no ordinary individual. At this time, not only the Emperor and the various princes were desperate for talented individuals, but the great clans also wished to recruit the world’s worthies to strengthen their families. Wang Gun’s father was the current Chancellor, who placed great importance on this. As a son, he naturally had to share his father’s burdens. Just as he was about to take a closer look, Puyang seemingly unintentionally blocked his view. “Uncle, it has been many days. Are you well?”

Interrupted by her, Wang Gun naturally shifted his attention. Compared to recruiting talent, the princess was more important. “This subject is well, just worried about Your Highness. Is Your Highness well?”

Puyang led him outside. “I was injured, but I am fine now. Is Grandfather well?”

Her voice gradually faded, and Wang Gun’s reply became inaudible.

Wei Xiu did not say a word from beginning to end. She thought about how domineering the princess was—having taken a liking to her, she wouldn’t allow anyone else to recruit her, intentionally or not blocking Wang Gun’s gaze. She couldn’t help but smile.

The mountain road was bumpy, and the journey back to the palace took the better part of a day. Although the carriage Wang Gun had brought was the most comfortable and stable available, Puyang’s body was still too weak to endure it.

Upon returning to the palace, her wounds, which had been healing well, showed signs of a relapse.

The Emperor was greatly alarmed and summoned half the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Puyang opened her eyes, saw her father’s worried face, and gave him a smile to show she was fine before falling asleep. The closing of her eyes frightened the Emperor into a cold sweat. He urgently ordered the imperial physicians to examine her. Only when they confirmed the princess had truly just fallen asleep did he feel relieved.

After confirming Puyang was fine, the Emperor summoned Wang Gun to ask where the princess had taken refuge these past few days.

Wang Gun recounted what he had seen. Unaware of Wei Xiu’s background and connecting it to the thatched cottage she lived in, he said, “He appears to be a hermit. I just don’t know which family’s young master has built a cottage on Mount Mang.”

It was no wonder Wang Gun assumed Wei Xiu was the child of a noble family. Such a person, blessed with natural grace and talent, was rarely seen among commoners.

When the Emperor heard he was a hermit, he first frowned. After some thought, his brow smoothed out, and he said, “We will ask Seventh Lady when she wakes. If this person has talent, we might as well recruit them.”

In the past, the Emperor would have been full of interest upon hearing of a hermit. But just two days ago, Chen Du, who styled himself a “loyal scholar of Zhou,” had made another outrageous statement. The Zhou dynasty had fallen eighteen years ago, yet these remaining worthies of the former dynasty had not only become hermits but were still reminiscing about their old master. It was no wonder the Emperor was displeased and his anger was misdirected.

Wang Gun tactfully withdrew. Only after he was outside the hall did he remember he had forgotten to report to His Majesty that the hermit seemed to have trouble with his legs.

No matter, he thought. At a time when talent is needed, minor flaws must be overlooked.

Puyang slept through the night and woke the next day with some of her energy restored.

The palace was magnificent, with brocades piled high. Splendor was carved into every corner of the chambers. This was the Hall of Containing Light.

Puyang opened her eyes on the couch. The imperial physicians were waiting outside the hall. The palace attendants who had served Puyang at the banquet had all failed to return. The ones who now came forward to serve were the second-rank palace maids of the hall. They were clever people, but not yet trusted confidantes.

Puyang ordered the imperial physician to enter. Her expression was calm and reserved, showing none of the tolerant affability she displayed before Wei Xiu. Seeing the princess’s poor complexion, the physician was even more cautious. After carefully checking her pulse, he was half-relieved and reported, “Your Highness was exhausted yesterday. After a night’s rest, your vital energy has recovered. This subject will prescribe a course of medicine. After taking it for a month, you will be fully healed.”

Puyang nodded. “I am grateful for your trouble, my lord.”

“Not at all, not at all.” The imperial physician cautiously withdrew.

The palace attendants all sensed the princess was in a bad mood. No one dared to approach and disturb her. Even their breathing was lighter and slower than usual. The entire hall was filled with an air of caution.

The palace was different from Wei Xiu’s thatched cottage. In the cottage, she could relax a little, but as soon as she returned here, Puyang’s nerves tensed, even though the master of this vast palace city was her father. But some people are born for intrigue and deception, and Puyang was clearly one of them. Returning to the cage-like palace, Puyang did not feel vexed; instead, her shrewdness was rekindled.

The matter of the assassination was not over. Only her personal attendants and His Majesty knew of her trip to the villa. Perhaps someone by the Emperor’s side also knew, but the people around the Emperor were bound to be tight-lipped. The problem still lay with her own people.

Someone had leaked her whereabouts!

After concluding the morning court session, the Emperor came to the Hall of Containing Light. Puyang dismissed the palace attendants and spoke with the Emperor in the hall for an hour. An hour later, the Emperor returned to the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, leaving behind a squad of the Feathered Forest Guard and several palace attendants, including Dou Hui.

Leaning on Dou Hui’s hand to stand, Puyang commanded, “Surround the Hall of Containing Light! Do not let a single person escape!”

All the palace attendants were driven into the courtyard.

Not one was missing.

This meant that the person, or persons, were still here.

Puyang ordered that all the attendants be detained separately. The culprit had to be interrogated out of them.

For a moment, panic filled the courtyard. Several palace maids watched in terror as the Feathered Forest Guards approached and roughly hauled them up. With disaster looming, everyone thought they could not escape death. Some maids and eunuchs could no longer contain their inner panic and fear of death and began to sob. Some even rushed forward, loudly proclaiming their innocence, only to have their mouths gagged by the guards and be forcibly dragged away before they could finish a sentence.

There were more than three hundred people in total. The accumulated panic of the crowd was enough to make even an onlooker’s heart tremble with fear.

Dou Hui quietly glanced at the princess. He saw that her expression was unchanged. The slender, fair hand resting on his arm was poised and self-possessed, its pressure neither increasing nor decreasing by a fraction. She was completely unaffected by the scene of wailing and sobbing before her, and even paid close attention to the expressions of several eunuchs and palace maids.

One attendant threw himself at her feet. She gave him only a faint glance, and before the attendant could even touch the hem of her skirt, he was dragged away by the guards.

Such a hard, cold heart.

Dou Hui couldn’t help but marvel. No wonder His Majesty doted on the Seventh Princess the most. This temperament was exactly the same as His Majesty’s.

The scene before them was finally quiet.

Puyang turned her head and said, “Eunuch Dou, I’ve troubled you this time.”

Dou Hui smiled in reply. “Your Highness may simply call this servant Dou Hui.”

The Emperor had left him here because he was worried about Puyang. If anything needed to be done, he could do it.

Dou Hui was conscientious and responsible. “What does Your Highness intend to do next?”

Dealing with so many people at once, aren’t you afraid of gaining a reputation for cruelty? If a prince did this, public opinion might be manipulated to praise him as decisive and capable of great things. But for a princess, it would most likely be seen as cruel and cold-blooded.

“It will stop once the traitors are found.” Puyang was not bloodthirsty by nature; she would certainly not execute all three hundred-odd people.

Dou Hui asked, “How will you handle the aftermath?”

“The traitors, once found, will be executed by slow slicing. The rest will be generously compensated.”

“Your Highness has a plan in mind. This old servant will say no more.”

Puyang smiled, a gentle and soft expression, like a spring breeze that coaxes a garden of flowers to bloom, refreshing one’s heart and soul. “Your presence here, Eunuch, is already a great help.”

Interrogating over three hundred people separately would have taken an ordinary person several months, but Puyang rooted out the leakers in just seven days. There were eight of them. Five were sweepers in the courtyard or did heavy labor in the kitchens, people who rarely saw her. Three were a little closer. They were not all the Prince of Jin’s people; the Prince of Zhao was involved, and even the Prince of Dai had one. To be able to plant people in her palace naturally required the efforts of the imperial concubines in the rear palace.

Just as she had told Dou Hui, after identifying the culprits, Puyang dealt with them immediately and did not follow the clues to trace them back to their source. The remaining innocent people were all released and returned to their duties, and were generously compensated. Those who had shown a resolute character during the interrogations were promoted to be her confidantes.

Even if a few among this group of attendants resented suffering an undeserved disaster, the generous compensation assuaged their feelings. Her Highness had not wronged a single person, nor had she let a single culprit escape. Following Her Highness brought great rewards, while betrayal… The sunless days of interrogation were seared into their hearts, and seeing the miserable fate of those seven people served as a profound warning.

After this ordeal, it was now impossible to plant spies by Puyang’s side.

The Emperor was very pleased to see that she did not relentlessly pursue the masterminds, believing that Seventh Lady understood the bigger picture.

If this matter were exposed, it would damage the imperial family’s prestige. Moreover, if the Prince of Jin were punished, it would allow the Prince of Zhao to become dominant. And both princes had deep ties to the great clans, so it was not advisable to act rashly.

The Emperor could not act on impulse. Besides, as Sir Ye had said, Puyang was his daughter, but the Prince of Jin was also his flesh and bl00d. Puyang was ultimately unharmed, but if word got out that the Prince of Jin had tried to assassinate his own sibling, he would be utterly ruined.

Because the letter Puyang had sent was addressed to the Prince of Jin, the Emperor assumed she did not know the truth and had only vaguely guessed it was one of her brothers, which was why she did not pursue the investigation. Not knowing the truth, yet not insisting on finding it out—she was truly sensible. In contrast, the Prince of Jin was truly detestable.

But the Emperor did not know that Puyang’s decision not to investigate further was not just about understanding the bigger picture. Firstly, as Wei Xiu had said, although the Prince of Jin was hateful, the Prince of Zhao was also a thorn in her side. If one was removed, the other would grow too powerful. Secondly, she could not afford to displease the Emperor.

Knowing how to act in her own best interest, however, did not make Puyang happy at all.

The Princes of Zhao and Jin had not been destined for the throne in her previous life. What would happen in this life was still unknown. Her arrival had already changed many things from her past life.

Thinking of the Emperor asking her about the hermit who had saved her, Puyang felt deeply that the matter of recruitment could not be delayed any longer. In a few days, once her wounds had healed, she would make a trip to Mount Mang.

Author’s Notes:

Princess: Sir, it’s been many days. Did you miss me?

Noble Scholar: No.

Princess: I missed you, Sir.

Noble Scholar: Weren’t you very fulfilled and imposing in the palace?

Princess: (︶︿︶) But I still missed you.