Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 8

Perhaps it was because she had discovered Wei Xiu’s unknown secret, making her feel that Wei Xiu was not as lofty and unapproachable as she had imagined. Or perhaps it was because Wei Xiu was a woman, which invisibly removed the barrier that existed between men and women. In any case, Puyang had become much gentler and more intimate with her.

For the time being, she set aside the matter of recruitment, no longer pressing her at every turn, but she had not given up in her heart. She did not mind showing goodwill, nor did she mind promising any benefits; she only feared that Wei Xiu would never relent.

Puyang put on a full display of respecting the worthy, placing her own safety second to Wei Xiu’s.

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiu merely smiled. She raised her voice to summon a servant, and at the same time, extended a hand toward Puyang. Understanding, Puyang walked over and placed the pouch containing the letter into her palm.

Wei Xiu took the pouch and said to the servant, “There is a letter here. Take it, descend the mountain immediately, and deliver it into the hands of His Highness, the Prince of Jin, in the capital.”

After she finished speaking slowly, she looked at Puyang.

Puyang smoothly took over, instructing the servant, “The Prince of Jin’s residence is located in Chongde Ward. Go there and you can find it by asking anyone. When you reach the gate, his household servants are very amiable.” The Prince of Jin maintained a daily posture of treating worthy men with courtesy, so his servants naturally acted according to his preferences. “Just tell the gatekeeper that Puyang has a letter for their master, and someone will surely lead you to him. When you see the Prince of Jin, you may present this pouch to him.”

The instructions were exceptionally detailed.

The servant took the pouch and looked at Wei Xiu. Wei Xiu gave a slight nod, and he bowed, said, “Yes,” and departed.

Puyang watched him go. When he reached the doorway, she suddenly remembered something and hurriedly called out, “Wait!”

The servant stopped and turned around, bowing to await her command.

Puyang took two steps forward until she was before him and said gravely, “If the Prince of Jin asks about my circumstances these past few days, just say you do not know. Pay it no mind.”

The servant was only there to follow orders, so he naturally wouldn’t question this sudden whim of hers. He committed it to memory and left.

Puyang watched him walk into the distance before turning back to sit opposite Wei Xiu. With great consideration for Wei Xiu, she said, “My third brother is quite thirsty for talent. If he were to perceive Sir’s great abilities from a few stray words, it’s hard to say he wouldn’t rush here with great fanfare and disturb your peace.”

She said she was afraid of disturbing her peace, but in truth, she was afraid the Prince of Jin would be a latecomer who surpassed the old-timer, stealing Wei Xiu away. Her Highness’s thoughts were quite obvious. Wei Xiu glanced at her, and Puyang’s smile was frank.

Wei Xiu also smiled. After laughing, she said, “Your Highness is still injured. It is most important to rest and recuperate. You should go and rest now.”

After all that had happened, Puyang did indeed feel weary. She did not refuse and immediately rose to return to her room.

At that moment, in the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, the Emperor was reviewing memorials.

The memorials on the imperial desk were piled high. With Puyang still missing, the Emperor had no heart for state affairs, and several days’ worth of important matters had accumulated. But the affairs of the realm would not be affected just because a princess was in trouble; the memorials that were supposed to arrive each day came without fail.

Since ascending the throne, the Emperor had been diligent in his rule and loved his people, reviewing memorials late into the night every day without ever slacking. But today, the moment he opened the topmost memorial, without even glancing at it, he knitted his brows and said, “Dou Hui, come and read this to Us.”

At these words, the grand eunuch standing behind him stepped forward, respectfully took the memorial with both hands, and began to read.

The Emperor leaned against a bolster, listening with his eyes closed. He wanted to quiet his mind and focus on state affairs, but his thoughts refused to settle. The moment he closed his eyes, he would think about Seventh Lady’s current state, whether she was safe, and where she had ended up.

The guards who had accompanied her were all dead. How could a delicate woman like Seventh Lady withstand vicious assassins? He was in utter despair, hating the mastermind behind it all. But as the days passed and her body was still not found, the Emperor couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope, praying that the princess was hiding somewhere, safe and sound.

When the reading of a memorial was finished, the Emperor had only vaguely grasped the gist of it. He frowned, his expression grim.

Dou Hui was the eunuch the Emperor relied on most and was best at discerning the Emperor’s thoughts. Seeing this, he gently closed the memorial in his hands and said respectfully, “Is Your Majesty tired? Perhaps you should rest for a while before continuing.”

“Mm,” the Emperor said, letting the eunuch help him sit up. He asked, “Is there any news of Seventh Lady?”

A trace of difficulty flashed across Dou Hui’s face. He softened his voice and said very tactfully, “The officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review are still investigating with all their might. There should be news before long.”

So there was no progress at all? The Emperor’s heart clenched, and an ominous premonition arose for some reason. Just as he was about to summon the two ministers in charge of the matter for another reprimand, a eunuch rushed into the hall from outside, fell to the ground, and said, “Your Majesty, there is news of the princess!”

The Emperor shot to his feet, his hand gripping Dou Hui’s arm tightening abruptly. “Summon them at once!”

For the past few days, a dark cloud had hung over the capital. Princess Puyang had been ambushed and her whereabouts were unknown. The Emperor was both anxious and furious, unable to eat or sleep in peace.

The ministers ordered to find the princess and investigate the case were reprimanded daily. All the officials in the court had been treading on eggshells recently, fearing that the slightest misstep would cause the Emperor’s unvented rage to burn them.

And among the many anxious people, the ones most on pins and needles were the Prince of Zhao and the Prince of Jin.

Puyang had disappeared on her way back from the Prince of Zhao’s banquet. The road was spattered with bl00d, and the bodies of assassins and the princess’s guards lay everywhere. The weapons used by the assassins bore the mark of the Prince of Zhao’s residence. When the Prince of Zhao heard this, he rushed to the palace to defend himself, but the Emperor, his mind solely on Puyang’s safety, refused to even see him. He confined him to his residence under the watch of the Imperial Guard, to be dealt with only after Puyang was found.

As for the Prince of Jin, the true perpetrator, he would know no peace until the matter was concluded.

The Emperor had handed the case to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to handle jointly, dispatching the Five-City Military and Horse Commands and the Gold Guard to assist. The princess had to be found, no matter what!

Princess Puyang was the Emperor’s only legitimate child, and the entire court had witnessed how much he doted on her. Upon receiving the edict, the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review dared not delay for a moment and rushed outside the city to investigate.

Of these two bodies, the Ministry of Justice was in charge of investigation, while the Court of Judicial Review was in charge of judgment. They had spent years dealing with treacherous and lawless criminals and were most skilled at uncovering minute clues. The Minister and the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review personally went to the scene outside the city. Seeing the ground covered in bodies and bl00d, they exchanged a look, and both saw the terror in each other’s eyes.

After checking the guard roster, it was confirmed that all the guards had been annihilated. If the guards were all gone, could the princess, an unarmed woman, still be alive?

If this matter was handled poorly, their official positions would be lost. If handled well, they would receive no praise. Furthermore, it involved an imperial prince who was a contender for the throne. The Minister of Justice and the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review saw the helplessness in each other’s eyes.

The Emperor’s mind was in turmoil over Puyang’s disappearance, but his years of shrewdness remained. To prevent anyone from obstructing the investigation, the two men he appointed were neither aligned with the Prince of Zhao nor attached to the Prince of Jin, but were two pure ministers loyal only to the Son of Heaven.

Such men were the Emperor’s confidants, not easily swayed by wealth, and their abilities were naturally one in a million. After a brief discussion, the Minister of Justice and the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review ordered the men dispatched from the Five-City Military and Horse Commands, along with the Ministry of Justice’s miscellaneous staff, to follow the bloodstains and escape routes and spread out to search.

One of the two senior officials supervised here, while the other, based on the clues gathered at the scene, went to investigate who was behind the attack.

The area was surrounded by mountains. Beyond one mountain was another. The mountain roads were rugged, and it was spring, so the vegetation was lush, making the search for a person anything but easy.

After a long search, they finally discovered a female corpse today, dressed in the princess’s attire. The body was already ruined and the face was unrecognizable. Because it was dressed in the princess’s clothes, the two officials hurriedly reported the matter to the Emperor.

After hearing the report from the Minister of Justice, the Emperor felt the world spin.

Dou Hui supported him, saying in a panic, “Your Majesty, please don’t be alarmed…” But he dared not utter the words “my condolences,” for fear of piercing the Emperor’s heart.

The Emperor gritted his teeth and steadied himself. His hawk-like eyes, bloodshot, stared at the Minister of Justice. “Where is the body? We will inspect it personally!”

The body was already decomposed, and a foul stench filled the hall the moment it was brought in. The goose-yellow dress was indeed the one Puyang had worn when she left the palace that day. The body’s height was also similar to Puyang’s. Dou Hui glanced at it once and then closed his eyes. This must be the Seventh Highness.

The Emperor refused to give up hope. He pushed Dou Hui aside and walked over, step by step. The ministers tried to stop him, worried that the Emperor would be traumatized by the sight of the princess’s tragic state.

The Emperor roared, “All of you, stand down!”

No one dared to obstruct him further.

The body lay there. The Emperor walked over and saw that the face was already unrecognizable, making it impossible to tell how beautiful she had been in life. The Emperor bent down, his hands trembling as he touched her forehead. Seeing this, all the ministers in the hall covered their faces and wept.

A moment later, however, the Emperor abruptly stood up and shouted, “Minister Zhao!”

The Minister of Justice, Zhao Yong, stepped forward apprehensively. “Your Majesty?”

“This person is not the princess!” A smile appeared on the Emperor’s face, like the sun breaking through the clouds, sweeping away the gloom of the past few days!

He pointed to the earring on the corpse’s ear and said, “This is made of copper.”

Not only was it made of copper, but it was also completely unadorned, plain and unremarkable, a far cry from the hairpins made of gold and jade, exquisitely carved by master artisans. The princess would never, under any circumstances, use such a crude ornament!

Since this was not the princess, and since this person had been dressed up as the princess, the princess was most likely still alive!

The Emperor was overjoyed. He said repeatedly, “Quickly! Go and investigate again! You must bring my daughter back safe and sound!”

Seeing that this person was not the princess, Zhao Yong also breathed a huge sigh of relief. He hurriedly knelt and complied. But he did not immediately rise to leave; instead, he secretly glanced at the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Zhang Daozhi.

Zhang Daozhi caught his signal and nodded slightly.

The Emperor returned to his throne, full of smiles. Seeing that Zhao Yong had not left, he asked, “Does Minister Zhao have anything else to report?”

The likelihood that Puyang was unharmed greatly comforted the Emperor. He saw everyone as a good person, and his tone was more than a little gentle.

Zhang Daozhi knelt down as well, speaking in unison with Zhao Yong, “Your servants have found some leads regarding the assassins and wish to report them to Your Majesty in secret. We hope Your Majesty will grant permission.”

At the same time, in the Prince of Jin’s residence, another official was reporting on the same matter.

“What did you say?” the Prince of Jin exclaimed, his face pale. “Zhang Daozhi has found out?”

That official was from the Court of Judicial Review, assigned by the Prince of Jin to gather information there. Today, as soon as the news was confirmed and Zhang Daozhi had left the Court of Judicial Review, he had rushed to the Prince of Jin’s residence.

“The Chief Minister has ascertained that the assassination of Her Highness Puyang…” The official looked up at the Prince of Jin, then prostrated himself in terror. “Was orchestrated by Your Highness. Right now, he has already entered the palace to report to His Majesty!”

A flash of fear crossed the Prince of Jin’s face. He forced himself to remain calm and stared at the official, asking again, “How did Zhang Daozhi find out?”

He could only hope that the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review merely had suspicions and no concrete evidence, which would still allow him to defend himself before His Majesty.

But the official said with a trembling voice, “The assassins’ weapons had the mark of the Prince of Zhao’s residence. The Chief Minister had people investigate this batch of marks and discovered that the engraving technique came from an old artisan in the Directorate for Imperial Manufactories. He followed this lead, only to find that the artisan was already dead…” What followed was a series of investigations that followed the trail, leading all the way to the Prince of Jin.

He had even found physical evidence.

In the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, the Emperor dismissed the eunuchs. Zhang Daozhi knelt in the hall, reporting everything in detail and presenting the evidence. “If I had not confirmed it, your servant would not dare to speak so presumptuously.”

The Emperor examined the evidence carefully, gritting his teeth in hatred. “That beast!”

His eyes blazed with fury. He immediately summoned Dou Hui and said, “Go and summon the Prince of Jin!”

Dou Hui dared not object and personally went out to arrange for men. This was a summons to hold the Prince of Jin accountable. Although it wasn’t explicitly stated to send the Imperial Guard to arrest him, it was better to be cautious and send a few sharp-witted men in case any complications arose.

As soon as Dou Hui left the hall, the Emperor’s grim expression softened slightly. He said to the two ministers, “Keep this matter secret.”

Meanwhile, the Prince of Jin paced back and forth in his residence, his heart pounding with fear.

The official who had tipped him off had already left. The Prince of Jin had summoned his most resourceful advisors to strategize, hoping to devise a plan of escape, but despite their clamoring, no viable plan emerged. The Prince of Jin forced himself to calm down, thinking, how exactly should he respond to his father’s accusations?

The Prince of Jin was terrified. The thought that the Prince of Zhao, though still under house arrest, would likely be released soon and come to gloat before him made his eyes darken.

Had all his efforts been a path to his own ruin? How could the Prince of Jin be resigned to this?

But he truly could not find a solution.

Just as the Prince of Jin was at a complete loss, his Chief Scribe hurried into the hall, bowed, and said, “Your Highness, there is a young man at the gate who claims to have a letter from Her Highness Puyang for you.”

Seventh Lady! The Prince of Jin said hurriedly, “Bring him here at once!”

The Chief Scribe had just turned when the Prince of Jin rushed out, saying, “No! I will go see him myself!”

Wei Xiu’s people, if nothing else, were unfailingly steady. The Prince of Jin took the pouch, removed the letter from within, and unfolded it. His eager eyes scanned it quickly. It read: “For the personal attention of my elder brother, the Prince of Jin: I have taken refuge from danger in the bamboo forest of Mount Mang. I am well, do not worry. Please report this to our Imperial Father on my behalf. From the hand of A-Qi.”

The servant stood there, watching the Prince of Jin’s expression turn to joy. After he finished reading, he exclaimed happily, “Heaven will not let me perish!”

Several advisors had followed him out. The Prince of Jin ordered his Chief Scribe to take the young messenger away and reward him with money and goods. The servant expressed his thanks, his calm gaze sweeping over the faces of the advisors and the Prince of Jin, before he followed the Chief Scribe away.

As the Prince of Jin emerged from his initial joy, suspicion gradually began to set in.

It made no sense for Seventh Lady to ask him for help. Shouldn’t she have sought out the Prince of Zhao? Could this be a trap?

These few advisors were all aware of the situation and began to discuss it among themselves.

Could it be that Seventh Lady knew he was the one who had orchestrated it, and was using this to bait him? If it really was him, upon receiving this letter, he would surely send men to cut the grass and pull up the roots. Perhaps an ambush was already set on Mount Mang, waiting to catch him red-handed the moment his men arrived. The Prince of Jin’s expression darkened. Or was she just bluffing? Her not entering the capital must mean she was injured and couldn’t travel far. She intended to use him to report to their father, and then settle the score with him after returning to the capital. His father already had Zhang Daozhi’s evidence, and with Seventh Lady’s testimony on top of that, he feared there would be no escape.

The advisors, for their part, had also reached a conclusion.

One of them, called Sir Ye, was their leader. He stepped forward and reported, “Your Highness, in our opinion, you must immediately dispatch men to intercept and kill her!”

“Oh? Intercept and kill?” The Prince of Jin’s eyes flashed. He had the same thought.

Author’s Notes:

Princess: Sir, my third brother is coming to intercept and kill me.

Scholar: He won’t.

Princess (puzzled): How does Sir know?

Scholar: I guessed based on his character.

Princess: ╰_╯ It seems Sir understands him very well!

Scholar: No matter how well I understand him, it doesn’t compare to how well I understand you.

Princess: ~(≧▽≦)/~//