A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 52

The people standing in the Flower Hall each harbored their own thoughts. Chen Liangyu, rushing back from outside, was still quite a distance away, yet she clearly saw the momentary loss of composure between Xun Shuheng and Chen Luan. She seized the opportunity while handing a hairpin to Xie Wenjun to move a couple of steps, stopping at a strategic spot that happened to block the view between the two of them, concealing the awkwardness on Xun Shuheng’s face. “Princess Consort, Prince Shen will return a day later. There’s no need to wait.”

Xianyu said, “Miss, the dew is heavy, let’s go inside.”

Xun Shuheng summoned the manor’s steward and a madam-in-charge, instructing them, “Once the guests have finished their conversation, please ensure they are properly settled.”

After Xun Shuheng returned to the inner courtyard, Chen Liangyu and Xie Wenjun exchanged glances and nodded lightly. Chen Yuanqing and He Yunzhou’s deaths were still unknown to Chen Luan, and as this was a private family matter, Chen Liangyu did not wish to announce it to everyone, even though Gu Xie was the only outsider in the Flower Hall.

“Second Brother.”

Chen Liangyu called out, and after Chen Luan performed a courtesy, he followed her out of the Flower Hall to a more private location.

Only Gu Xie and Xie Wenjun remained in the Flower Hall.

Dismissing all the servants, even Rong Jun, Yuan Rong, and Dai Qing retreated to wait outside the hall.

The Flower Hall was an independent, four-sided pavilion within the manor, featuring several tall, narrow windows hung with bamboo blinds.

Gu Xie said, “I heard from my grandfather and elder brother that there seemed to be trouble in Yongdu, and I have been worried about Your Highness. My journey to Yongdu that day was first for Ah Yu, and second, because I wished to rely on Your Highness for the revival of the women’s academy, to attend upon Your Highness. Your Highness told me then that the time was not right and asked me to return to Cangnan and wait. Since Your Highness has come here, why did you not inform me sooner? Although my talent and strategy are crude, it is always better to have one more person by your side.”

Xie Wenjun sat in the main seat of the Flower Hall and gestured for Gu Xie to take a seat, saying, “The situation was unclear, and I did not want to involve you too early.”

“The situation is already quite clear. The Crown Prince was assassinated, Prince Qi rebelled, and the army was mobilized to purge the court and eliminate Prince Qi’s faction. The throne will sooner or later belong to Prince Shen, but…” Gu Xie paused, “Selfishly, I would prefer that you, Your Highness, rule this world.”

Xie Wenjun understood what Gu Xie was thinking. Sages throughout history did not advocate for women’s learning because the rulers of the world were not women. Scholars establish themselves on the path of the sages merely as a means to cater to the monarch and achieve high success. If the person who ruled the world were a woman, promoting women’s learning would become a path for ambitious people seeking a new road to success. At that time, would the path of women’s learning not be one that everyone flocked to?

She said, “Where there is insufficiency in defense, there is excess in offense. When the situation is weak, one must conceal their weapon, ensure self-preservation, and then achieve complete victory.”

Hearing this, Gu Xie responded, “Your Highness is right. A gentleman conceals their weapon and acts according to the time. When one’s power is meager, one should indeed restrain one’s sharp edge, conceal one’s abilities to preserve oneself, and then await the opportune moment to defeat the enemy. Has Your Highness read military treatises?”

“I have. There is a person who is well-versed in military strategy, and I followed her lead to seek them out and read them.”

“Is it General Chen?”

Gu Xie realized she had asked too much. Xie Wenjun neither confirmed nor denied it, showing no intention of answering, so Gu Xie smoothly changed the subject.

“Although the latent dragon must not be used, Your Highness should not be overly discreet. To greatly revitalize women’s learning, one must inevitably get involved in court struggles. Besides rallying the officials under the Crown Prince, one must also take the opportunity to cultivate one’s own people. Furthermore, the court is not lacking in upright scholars and unaligned individuals; you could also attempt to recruit them. If that’s not possible, then at least do not offend them. The control of the military is paramount to who governs the world. While civil officials are the backbone of the court, your faction cannot be without a single soldier. Your Highness, Chen Liangyu is a useful asset.”

Xie Wenjun said, “She is not a person to be exploited.”

Gu Xie said, “If she can be, she will be the sharpest blade in Your Highness’s hand.”

Xie Wenjun said, “You do not understand her.”

“I do not know much about General Chen, but Your Highness may not have completely figured her out either,” Gu Xie responded. “Perhaps she is willing to embrace it?”

Xie Wenjun was silent for a moment.

“If Chen Liangyu cannot be used by Your Highness, then one must be wary of her. Although I am far away in Cangnan, I once heard that after the battle to repel the northern enemies that year, Chen Liangyu publicly requested the Emperor to grant a marriage in the court.”

Their voices were low, and then Gu Xie lowered her voice even further, “It is perhaps inappropriate to speak of this in Prince Shen’s Manor, but I still want to caution Your Highness: the person Chen Liangyu requested the Emperor to grant her marriage to that year was none other than Prince Shen. Your Highness was young then, so you probably don’t remember these things much, do you?”

A tall window on the south side of the Flower Hall was open, facing a bamboo grove.

Chen Liangyu and Chen Luan sat in a pavilion under the bamboo, seemingly engaged in a private conversation. Only two lamps were lit in the pavilion; the light was faint but not entirely dim. From Xie Wenjun’s vantage point, she could clearly see Chen Liangyu’s profile.

That face was quite striking; from any angle, it was one that commanded prolonged attention.

Xie Wenjun narrowed her eyes, glanced towards Chen Liangyu, and said, “I have a slight impression!”

Gu Xie continued, “If the feelings between the two of them are not over, Chen Liangyu may not stand on Your Highness’s side.”

“She will not.”

Xie Wenjun’s tone was overly certain, and the words Gu Xie was about to say were swallowed back, turning into a question, “Why is Your Highness so certain?”

From the moment she inadvertently found that map of the academy in the Marquis of Xuanping’s library, Xie Wenjun understood they were kindred spirits. Even when Chen Liangyu didn’t treat her very well, she knew clearly that they would eventually walk the same path.

At that time, she, too, was secretly hiding a damaged manuscript of Discourse on Women from her imperial brother.

Xie Wenjun did not offer Gu Xie further explanation, simply stating, “She is a fellow traveler of our path. You need not harbor any suspicion towards her, nor do you need to conceal any of our discussions from her. What were you about to say just now?”

Gu Xie said, “General Chen has reformed the old military system and recruited new soldiers, resulting in huge military expenditures. Can Prince Shen raise this money? Once the large army sets out, running out of provisions means a dead end.”

Xie Wenjun handed her a stack of papers. The papers were filled with rows and columns detailing the hidden accounts of officials, large and small, in the Southeast—Qiu Renshan’s certificate of surrender.

“This rich, hundred-mile territory provides enough to cover military expenses, even if we just catch some fish and shrimp. Qiu Renshan rose from a commoner to the Minister of Personnel. In his many years in the Ministry of Personnel, he held some leverage over all officials with rank. Even after being demoted and stripped of power, he could still unearth these accounts; he is not without real capability. This person is not useless, but after dwelling in the high places for too long, it’s easy to forget the difficult path one traveled to get there.”

Gu Xie quickly scanned it and returned it to Xie Wenjun. “I have one more question. The Imperial Edict has been issued; it is essentially a decree for a punitive expedition. Many loyal and upright generals have brought their troops to Linxia these past few days, or have sent letters expressing their willingness to follow Prince Shen to purge the court. Why has the army not been dispatched? Prince Shen and Chen Liangyu have deployed heavy troops around Linxia. Is it possible they plan to establish an autonomous territory?”

“The Emperor is still in Yongdu, as are Consort Xian and the Xun family. Once we raise an army, too many people will be implicated.”

Furthermore, there was a highly uncertain factor.

“The Imperial Edict was first sent to the Southern Territory. The Marquis of Lumping, Heng Jinan, has yet to respond. Before mobilizing the troops, we must first resolve this potential problem. If he does not come, I will go to see him. There is one matter I need you to clarify: where did the rumor of my third brother succeeding to the throne originate? We need to clarify this matter to understand the true intentions of the person fueling this rumor.”

“I understand.” Gu Xie thought for a moment and said, “It seems to have originated from Cangnan.”

“Not Yongdu?” Xie Wenjun asked.

She had also suspected that this news did not come from Yongdu. Spreading such a rumor would not benefit Prince Qi himself in any way.

“It should be him.”

Chen Liangyu and Chen Luan were also discussing this rumor. Chen Luan said, “I first heard about the Crown Prince’s assassination even before this rumor began circulating among the people. It was a person who spoke nonsense who told me.”

Chen Liangyu asked, “Does that person have a missing arm?”

“Yes, a very strange old man whose arms are both severed midway. He claimed to be a fellow student of Father’s and insisted that I take him as my master. I saw that he was crazy and not quite normal. He wouldn’t take money, so I dismissed him. He then said, ‘The Crown Prince is dead, and your father and mother are also dead.’ I didn’t believe it at first, but soon after, Princess Jiangning issued the Imperial Edict announcing the Crown Prince’s death…”

He dared not continue. Since learning of the Crown Prince’s death, his mind had been uneasy. Now that Chen Liangyu was sitting opposite him, he urgently wanted to know the truth, yet he feared that his worst fear would indeed be confirmed.

“Second Brother, Father and Mother… they are gone.”

Gu Xie had already left. Xie Wenjun sat alone in the Flower Hall, gazing at the bamboo grove. One of the lamps in the pavilion was extinguished. The servants did not dare to approach rashly to add oil, fearing they would disturb the conversation between the two people beneath the pavilion.

She watched the bamboo leaves rustle, watched the moonlight shimmering, and could easily see Chen Liangyu’s expression growing increasingly heavy and despondent.

The door of the Flower Hall opened and closed, and a person walked in. When Xie Wenjun looked at the pavilion under the bamboo again, it was empty. Chen Liangyu had left the pavilion and walked into the Flower Hall without her noticing.

“Thinking about something?” Chen Liangyu asked.

Xie Wenjun looked preoccupied.

She did not reply.

It was starting to get windy outside. Chen Liangyu first walked to the south window and pulled down the tall window. She approached Xie Wenjun, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Xie Wenjun suddenly stood up, seemingly expending all her strength to grab onto Chen Liangyu’s neck, hugging her tightly and burying her head in her shoulder.

Chen Liangyu froze for a moment, then responded to her.

A surge of strength wrapped around Xie Wenjun’s slender waist and back. Chen Liangyu, having practiced martial arts since childhood, had very powerful arms. With a slight force in her embrace, Xie Wenjun was pressed against her chest, the intensity so great that it allowed her no space to breathe.

There were only the two of them in the Flower Hall. The only open window had been closed by Chen Liangyu. It was sealed on all sides, with no one to disturb them. The surroundings were quiet, so quiet that their breathing and heartbeats could be heard clearly.

A strand of hair brushed past Chen Liangyu’s nose, and she could smell the scent unique to Xie Wenjun in those strands. It was like falling into a cloud of mist.

As if possessed, she lightly touched the tip of Xie Wenjun’s hair with her fingertip.

Xie Wenjun suddenly lifted her face and lightly touched Chen Liangyu’s lips and teeth.

Two thin lips kissed the corner of her mouth like a dragonfly touching the water, and the warmth seemed to scald her. Chen Liangyu’s heart suddenly constricted, and her arms tightened in response.

After a moment of testing, Xie Wenjun stared into her eyes for a moment, her gaze then moving to the spot above her lips where they had just touched, and then, she pressed in again.

As if desperately wanting to possess something, her tongue wantonly invaded the space between Chen Liangyu’s lips and teeth.

Chen Liangyu’s five fingers clenched into fists, even wrinkling the fabric on Xie Wenjun’s back. Her mind was momentarily stunned, and in her daze and confusion, she opened her teeth, gently yielding to the kiss, deepening it with every touch.

She had witnessed it these past few days: Xie Wenjun had been enduring for a long time. On the surface, everything seemed normal, and she hadn’t shown much sorrow, but even the strongest willpower has a limit. She was on the verge of collapsing.

Like a person dying of thirst who had traveled a thousand miles and finally found a source of water, she desperately needed to grasp something, to keep something.

If this way could bring her a little peace of mind, indulging just once might not be such a bad thing.

After letting Xie Wenjun have her way for a moment, Chen Liangyu tried to separate their intertwined lips and tongue, but this act simply displeased the other person. Xie Wenjun hooked her hand around the back of her neck and bit down, a sharp pain coming from her lower lip.

Feeling the force of the teeth closing on her lip, Chen Liangyu frowned. As that force slowly released, it felt as though something very important was about to slip away from her life, and a sense of faint melancholy enveloped her heart.

She had always been a person with strong self-control, but today, she disregarded everything, wanting only to follow her innermost instinct.

Since she was indulging, she might as well indulge more completely.

Just as she was about to pull away from that damp, warm embrace, Chen Liangyu pulled her back, pressing Xie Wenjun against the main table in the Flower Hall, and entangled their lips once more, teasing and sucking. Reason seemed to be washed over by a tide, causing her to sink, to suffocate.

Completely defeated.

Xie Wenjun leaned her hands on the table, gasping for air as if she were deprived of oxygen. Her body reached its limit, and she instinctively struggled backward.

The table shifted back an inch with a thud, and Rong Jun’s voice suddenly rang out from outside the door, “Princess, what happened?”

“Don’t come in!” Xie Wenjun seized the chance to take a few deep breaths, quickly composing herself. “I am fine.”