Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 67

The Prince of Yuzhang was not entirely witless. With a little calculation, he guessed that Princess Puyang’s affair with that cripple was being kept secret from the Emperor. If not, why wouldn’t the Emperor have clearly stated that the Princess already had a betrothal? Furthermore, the Princess was the Emperor’s beloved daughter; how could the Emperor allow her to marry a cripple who could not walk and was bound to a wheelchair for life? Even an ordinary father would not be so cruel.

With this in mind, he decided to reveal it directly to the Emperor, so that the Emperor would break them up. Seducing a princess was a grave crime; he wanted to see how that cripple could possibly bear the responsibility!

The Prince of Yuzhang had a venomous mind and could not stand to see the Princess happy with someone else. He was just waiting to see the Emperor fly into a rage, and then watch Wei Xiu be arrested, imprisoned, and her reputation ruined. Only then would the hatred in his heart be appeased.

He had thought it all out perfectly, but who would have expected that when the Emperor heard of this matter, he merely flicked his eyes and raised an eyebrow, saying, “This is a matter of Our family. We thank you for your concern.”

He was completely unmoved.

The Prince of Yuzhang was utterly astonished, but the Emperor’s gaze was stinging and his presence as imposing as a mountain, so he dared not say more. And after that, the Emperor changed the subject to the matter of succession in the state of Qi, claiming their Crown Prince was unworthy of his virtue and a mere seeker of fame, while praising him, the Prince of Yuzhang, for having the bone structure of a ruler, the mien of an emperor. Hearing this made his bl00d boil with excitement, and it stirred his already restless ambitions to greater activity. The matter of the Princess was, naturally, temporarily cast aside.

No matter how important a beauty was, how could she compare to the world under heaven?

Was the Emperor truly not angry? Of course he was angry, but there were matters of priority. He first needed to form an alliance with the Prince of Yuzhang and secretly help him seize the throne. Besides, the Prince of Yuzhang was an external minister; how could he know the Emperor’s thoughts? Dou Hui, attending at his side, saw His Majesty’s eyes move slightly and his gaze darken, and knew it was a sign of great fury.

Sure enough, as soon as the Prince of Yuzhang left, the Emperor said grimly, “Go summon the Seventh Lady!”

Dou Hui quickly assented and prepared to go himself. As he was backing out to the hall entrance, the Emperor suddenly spoke: “Wait.” In but an instant, he had calmed down, his tone steady. “Do not disturb the Seventh Lady for now.”

Dou Hui acknowledged the order from the doorway and walked back to the Emperor’s side to pour him a cup of tea. The Emperor closed his eyes and knitted his brows, a look of fatigue appearing on his face.

According to the Prince of Yuzhang’s description, it was clear that Wei Xiu had bewitched the Seventh Lady. The princess had been deceived, and anger rose from the Emperor’s heart. But upon careful thought, if the Seventh Lady were so easily bewitched, he would not have indulged her in holding power. He feared there was another hidden reason.

At this moment, Dou Hui was also somewhat unable to grasp the Emperor’s thoughts and did not dare to offer comfort lightly. He only held up the teacup, presented it before him, and said, “Your Majesty, please have some tea to warm yourself.”

The Emperor took it casually, sighed, and the expression on his face grew even more complex. He lifted the lid, blew on the tea, and brought the cup to his lips. Just as he was about to drink, he seemed to think of something, placed it back on the desk, and asked Dou Hui, “You have also seen Wei Xiu a few times. What is your observation of this person’s character?”

Dou Hui was taken aback for a moment, then said with an apologetic smile, “Judging people… this subject has no such ability. How would I dare to speak so presumptuously before Your Majesty?”

The Emperor said impatiently, “Just say it!”

Dou Hui showed a look of alarm. “This… this…” He hesitated twice, then said with great difficulty, “This subject only knows that as for what Sir Wei thinks and feels, this subject cannot see through it at all.”

Chancellor, generals, even the Emperor, vassal kings—he had seen countless such people, yet now he was saying he couldn’t see through the thoughts of a scholar from the mountains at all?

The Emperor gave a small laugh, his voice turning cold and low. “Never mind you, We too are at a loss.”

Hearing this, Dou Hui let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief. He had said the right thing. This was precisely the answer His Majesty wanted.

The sky had grown completely dark. The palace attendants serving in the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue had been sent out when the Prince of Yuzhang entered the hall, and they had not yet come back in. Outside the hall, a cold wind suddenly rose, like a sudden surge of waves, its sound passing through the window paper to the ear, making one feel waves of panic.

The princes disappointed him. The other princesses only knew how to dig for benefits from him for their brothers, their husbands’ families, and themselves. The consorts also had their own schemes. The one who was most considerate, most able to share his burdens, was Puyang alone.

But this daughter, now, also had things she was unwilling to tell him.

The Emperor sat there, motionless. There was disappointment, but it was far outweighed by his suspicion of Wei Xiu. A person who desires neither fame nor fortune is difficult to control. She had said she wanted to make a name for herself when she went south in the future, and that nothing else caught her eye. Such willfulness had the air of a famous scholar’s unrestrained and free-spirited style.

But the Emperor only believed half of it, always feeling that there were still untruths in her words. It was only because he cherished talent, and because Wei Xiu had indeed repeatedly offered brilliant strategies, that he had not moved against her.

“Tell me, that Wei Xiu, what are her intentions, really?” the Emperor asked, his tone laced with doubt, as if speaking to himself. A person with no desires is not easy to control.

After thinking for a while and hearing no reply, the Emperor turned his head and saw that Dou Hui was also deep in thought, equally perplexed, so he said no more.

The Prince of Yuzhang took his leave the next day, carrying the state credential, and hurried back to the state of Qi.

The Emperor also began to deploy troops and generals. He didn’t move many, just a few garrisons along the Yangtze River, creating the appearance of massing troops by the river, ready to cross at any moment. The Wei army’s main role was to act as a deterrent. If the Emperor were truly required to exert effort to help the state of Qi fight the state of Song, he would likely have to think much more about whether it was worthwhile and how to maximize his gains.

None of these were strenuous matters. They were all dealt with in a matter of days.

The Emperor, having freed his hands, was now ready to deal with the matter of Puyang and Wei Xiu.

As for Wei’s intentions toward Qi, several high-ranking ministers in the court were well aware, and like the Emperor, they did not exert much effort. In the end, it was merely perfunctory. The deployment of troops and generals was treated as just an exercise, a chance to test whether the weaponry, long unsheathed, was still sharp and unstoppable.

Thus, the imperial court presented a scene that appeared busy but was, in reality, quite idle.

Puyang and Wei Xiu were both people who could see the essence of things, so naturally, they were not deceived by this facade of busyness. They too were at leisure, discussing some of the retainers under them who had already entered the court—which ones could be maneuvered into a higher rank, and how to arrange it to achieve their goal. They also assessed the new followers who had joined them, determining which were usable talents and how to use them.

The matters involved were extremely complex, but Puyang handled them with considerable skill and ease. These were not the most crucial things. What was most crucial was managing relations with the influential nobles of the court—how to establish connections with them, and even if they could not be recruited for her own use, to maintain a stable and good relationship.

“If one of the princes were to lose power, it would certainly strengthen Your Highness’s position,” Wei Xiu said with a leisurely smile.

If one among the princes were to completely lose power, the group of ministers who followed him would lose their master and fall into disarray. The princes were constantly vying with one another and held significant grudges, so the other princes would not dare to use this group of men until the situation became clear. Puyang, however, appeared to have no conflict with any of them and could naturally take them in and make them her own.

Puyang smiled. “That is still a long way off.” The Emperor was still using the princes to balance the court. According to her previous life, it would be at least another six years before someone fell from grace. By then, the Emperor would have more or less made up his mind to pass the throne to Xiao Dewen and would naturally want to clear the obstacles and remove the thorns for him.

However, Puyang’s gaze shifted. It was not impossible to pull some strings and make that day arrive sooner.

Wei Xiu was wrapped in a fur robe, a brazier before her with charcoal burning bright red. She turned to the side, her elbow resting on the armrest, and extended her other hand, unhurriedly soaking up the warmth.

“Since Your Highness has a decision in mind, I will not say more,” she said casually. “I hear that at the end of this month is the old madam’s grand birthday. Your Highness must not treat it lightly.”

The old madam she spoke of was Puyang’s maternal grandmother, Chancellor Wang’s wife. The relationship with the Wang clan needed to be as stable as possible; the comings and goings between relatives must not be severed.

Puyang naturally would not forget. Her gaze swept over Wei Xiu’s topknot, and she saw that what she was wearing today was precisely the jade hairpin she had gifted her that day. The green jade hairpin in her black hair looked exceptionally handsome and elegant. Two days ago, she had ordered an artisan to make a green jade crown to gift to Sir, which would be a perfect match.

Wei Xiu’s gaze shifted from the brazier. She looked up and saw Puyang looking at her with a smile. Not knowing the reason for her smile, she couldn’t help but be infected by it, a smile spreading on her own face as she asked, “What is Your Highness smiling about?”

Puyang rested her chin on one hand and looked over with a gentle smile. “I don’t know either. It’s just that sitting here with you like this, talking about court affairs, talking about the comings and goings of family relatives, feels very comforting.”

In truth, as long as she could be with Sir, whatever they did was joyful.

It was indeed so. Had she not said it, Wei Xiu would not have noticed. The two of them, gathered around a brazier, talking about trivial matters, being able to face each other, smile at each other, and be within reach—it was extremely joyful.

Though it was simple, it was also sweet.

Just then, a eunuch entered from outside and reported to Puyang, “Your Highness, a messenger has come from the palace to summon Your Highness to the palace immediately.”

A summons now? Puyang thought for a moment. There were no major events inside or outside the palace. Could it be that something unexpected had happened with Father? She asked, “Did the messenger appear urgent?”

The eunuch replied, “The messenger was calm and composed, his speech peaceful, showing no signs of anxiety. This subject asked why His Majesty had summoned you, and the messenger only said with a smile that His Majesty missed Your Highness.”

So that was it. His Majesty did indeed occasionally summon her just because he missed her. Puyang’s doubts were dispelled. She stood up, bid farewell to Wei Xiu, and prepared to follow the messenger to the palace.

Wei Xiu saw Puyang to the courtyard entrance. Puyang straightened her collar and said in a gentle voice, “It is cold outside. Sir should hurry back in.”

Wei Xiu nodded. “Your Highness may go. I will wait for Your Highness’s return.”

Snow suddenly began to fall from the sky. Puyang glanced up at the gloomy heavens, hesitated no longer, and turned to leave.

Returning to the room, however, the more Wei Xiu thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. Her Highness had just been to the palace the day before yesterday. The Emperor was not one to be in such a state as to want to see her every two or three days.

But it was also hard to say. The court was idle; perhaps the Emperor had seen a fine painting or encountered some good news and wanted to share it with Puyang. This was not without precedent.

She closed her eyes in deep thought. The Emperor’s summons, Her Highness going to the palace—there was nothing overtly wrong with it, yet it felt strangely eerie.

After a while, one of Puyang’s maids came and requested an audience from outside the door. Wei Xiu called for her to enter, and she came in holding a box.

The box was square, not large, and looked very exquisite.

The maid was beaming. She first bowed low, then said, “Before Her Highness left, she remembered this item and ordered this servant to bring it to Sir.”

Wei Xiu took it and opened it to see a jade crown. It was made of green jade, with a pair of phoenixes carved opposite each other on the lower sides. It was missing the hairpin used to secure a crown, designed to be a perfect match for the one currently in her hair.