A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 18.1

The palace gates were closing, and the City Gate Officer urged the closing of the locks upon hearing the drum signal.

The gatekeeper verified the tally and allowed the yellow-covered carriage to enter the palace.

The winter sweet at the Eastern Palace was blooming well this year. Xie Wenjun picked two sprigs, brought them close to her nose to inhale the elegant, faint fragrance.

She carried the plum branches toward the Crown Prince’s Qianqing Hall.

The Chief Cook happened to be leaving the Qianqing Hall with a tea tray. Xie Wenjun stepped forward to inspect it; the butter pastry named “Seeking Plums on Snow” on the tray was once again untouched.

Since the Lunar New Year’s palace feast, the Crown Prince had been overwhelmed dealing with the refugees and the matter of combating corruption and disbanding the army. He often neglected to eat or drink, which was how Xie Wenjun found the opportunity to leave the palace.

Leaving the palace without official presentation and using the tally for an Eastern Palace attendant on an errand meant she would inevitably be disciplined.

The Crown Prince was hunched over, reviewing official documents under the light of a crane-topped bronze oil lamp. Xie Wenjun stepped through the door, bringing in a gust of cold air.

She handed the winter sweet sprigs to the attending palace servant, then knelt in a grand salute.

“Greetings, Imperial Brother. I wish Imperial Brother a peaceful and prosperous New Year.”

“Rise,”

Hearing no movement for a while, the Crown Prince looked up from the mountain of official documents. “It’s good that you went out to see the lantern festival and experience the common people’s atmosphere.”

Only then did Xie Wenjun rise and take a seat.

“I’ve been busy lately and haven’t asked you, how is your martial arts training at the Marquis of Xuanping’s Residence going? Will you be able to shoot any game during the spring hunt?”

When discussing Chen Liangyu, Xie Wenjun gave a highly critical four-word assessment: Misleading the youth (teaching incompetence).

“Oh?” The Crown Prince spoke to her during a pause in his writing. “The Marquis of Xuanping’s eldest daughter has considerable skill. A bit of feigning is enough for your needs.”

Xie Wenjun unconsciously kneaded her shoulder. Even though the soreness had faded, she still remembered the taste of it.

“A person who is knowledgeable may not necessarily be a good teacher,” she said. “On the first day, she taught me nothing, only gave me a book to take back and memorize. It was full of moves and styles that had form but no spirit. Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult; one day was enough to memorize it.”

“What about the second day?”

“Stood in a horse stance for nearly two hours.”

“What about the third day?”

“Horse stance, holding a sword.”

…

The Crown Prince moved the lamp handle closer and patiently tried to reason with her. “The most important thing for archery is stability. If your center of gravity is unstable, you can’t stand firm. If your hand is unsteady, you can’t shoot accurately. She must have her reasons for teaching you this way.”

“I understand the reasoning, but I practice diligently every day. I thought I would receive a few words of praise from her, but she actually said I have yet to open my spiritual aperture,” Xie Wenjun took off her cloak herself. The attending Eunuch Wei quickly took it. “Isn’t she subtly implying I’m dull-witted?”

The Crown Prince set down his vermillion brush, pushed aside the complicated documents and memorials on the desk, and said, “She’s not wrong. When she was your age, she could already spar with the Marquis of Xuanping. Everyone has their strengths. You have your own world; you don’t need to compete with others’ advantages.”

Xie Wenjun said, “I’m not comparing myself to her, I just want to do better.”

The Crown Prince did not continue this line of talk. He leaned back and pressed the bridge of his nose to relieve the strain in his eyes.

After a while, he said, “I heard you requested the Sixteen Guard patrol registers from the South Bureau Secretary today. What for?”

Xie Wenjun’s fingers curled slightly, and her clasped hands involuntarily tightened, but her expression remained calm and composed. She said, “It was merely a routine check of the deployment of the Imperial City guards.”

The Crown Prince clearly did not believe this perfunctory explanation and, rarely, showed a stern look before this Imperial Sister whom he himself had nurtured.

He scrutinized Xie Wenjun and said calmly, “Jiangning, it seems you are very concerned about that young general from the Marquis of Xuanping’s family.”

Xie Wenjun readily admitted, “She is somewhat different from others.”

The Crown Prince walked around the mountainous desk piled with memorials and stood before Xie Wenjun. Xie Wenjun was small and sitting down, so she had to look up to clearly see the Crown Prince’s face.

His military uniform carried the solemn, antique scent of nanmu wood, which made one want to sneeze upon inhaling.

“You said you wanted to learn some horsemanship and archery for the spring hunt in March. I offered to find you a Grand Tutor, but you refused, insisting on being taught only by the daughter of the Marquis of Xuanping, which I also approved. But what did you say? What did you do at the Marquis of Xuanping’s Residence?”

Xie Wenjun sensed an accusation in his tone. She stood up from the chair, retreated a few steps, and knelt down in a deep bow. “Your servant sister merely reminded the Marquis of Xuanping not to interfere in the affairs of Cangnan.”

“Is that all?” The Crown Prince took a sharp breath. “Chen Liangyu suddenly mobilized the Sixteen Guards to surround the residence and arrest people. Do you dare say you didn’t urge or advise this?”

The disaster in Cangnan broke his heart.

He was not entirely ignorant of the actions of the Yao family and the Chen clan. He had endured and delayed dealing with them for a long time, only waiting for this morning to force the Censorate to jointly submit a memorial pleading with their lives. Then, he could follow the natural course of events, investigate the Marquis of Xuanping’s Residence, dismantle and reorganize the Northern Border Army defense, ensuring the three prefectures and sixteen cities no longer followed one person’s command.

But Chen Liangyu’s action instantly turned the tide. What was supposed to be a colossal crime of a powerful official conniving with relatives to oppress the people transformed into a noble act of righteousness by eliminating a close relative for the greater good.

The Censorate’s impeachments were thus rendered baseless.

The Marquis of Xuanping’s Residence was spared from mass implication. Although Chen Yuanqing resigned due to his fault, and the Northern Border Army troops were halved, the Northern Border military affairs were entirely handed over to Chen Linjun, making it a solid block nonetheless.

The Crown Prince was uncharacteristically furious. The palace servants and eunuchs attending in the Qianqing Hall were all terrified, kneeling flat on the ground.

Calming himself, the Crown Prince waved his hand to dismiss everyone. “Everyone, leave.”

Only the two of them remained in the hall.

Xie Wenjun was still kneeling on the stone-cold, bone-chilling floor.

Although the New Year had passed, the early spring chill was biting. Even with three or five bronze charcoal burners placed, the coldness from the ground could penetrate clothing and seep into the skin.

The Crown Prince felt both pain and extreme anger. His lips parted, but in the end, he hardened his heart and did not tell her to rise.

“Jiangning, do you know that in a nation, corrupt officials are just borers, but powerful ministers are ferocious tigers!”