A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 96.1

A quarter past noon, Li Hezhang’s visiting card arrived at the Xuanping Marquis’s Residence.

He had borrowed brush, ink, and paper from an attendant in the Palace Front Hall, hastily penned the note, and rushed over without delay, yet he could not even enter the residence gate.

The guards at the main entrance of the Xuanping Marquis’s Residence listened as Li Hezhang announced his name and explained his purpose. One of them, gripping his spear, bowed, “Your Excellency, the Great General is far away at the Northern Frontier. This humble one cannot deliver the visiting card into the Great General’s hands.” As he spoke, he swiftly winked at an attendant standing duty inside the gate. That man quietly retreated a few steps. Once concealed by the vermilion gatepost, he quickly ran to the back to report.

Only then did Li Hezhang realize that Chen Liangyu’s return this time was a “secret” recall by the Emperor. He had momentarily forgotten that, officially, Chen Liangyu was supposed to be garrisoning the northern border right now.

Li Hezhang thought to himself: during the Wanhe Festival, the Great General and the Grand Princess had brazenly ridden into the Nan’ou Hunting Grounds’ eastern gate under a single bamboo hat, and many officials had witnessed it that day. Later, when the Grand Princess went to Taihuang Temple to mourn her mother, the Great General was also at her side.

Chen Liangyu’s return to Yongdu was an open secret.

However, since the guard insisted the person was not in the residence, it meant they had no intention of seeing him.

Xun Shutai also had not advised him on what to do if Chen Liangyu refused to meet. Rushing frantically to the Xuanping Marquis’s Residence, he was now obstructed by a mere formality. Although matters had their priorities, this was ultimately a duty of the Court of State Ceremonial Honglu, and no matter how urgent, it wasn’t more urgent than the Great General.

He was here to ask for a favor; since the Great General was unwilling to show his face, it was inappropriate to force the issue.

Li Hezhang sniffled again, his nose twitching.

After all this rushing around, perhaps it would be safer to just be stabbed by one of the Xi Ma Nou people. Even if he couldn’t stop them from causing trouble, suffering an injury would at least allow him to acquit himself to the Emperor.

The morning mist had yet to fully dissipate, occasionally drifting with a drizzle. The road surface was slick. Li Hezhang didn’t watch his step and his foot slipped, causing him to tumble and sit heavily on the ground.

He had rushed straight from the palace after being granted an audience, still wearing his court robes. The guards witnessed the exact moment a fourth-rank official in a deep scarlet robe and golden belt fell down, hugged the stone beast guarding the left side of the Xuanping Marquis’s gate, and burst into tears.

In the backyard of the Xuanping Marquis’s Residence.

Chen Liangyu personally delivered a Beggar’s Chicken to Jiang Bojin’s dining table.

A stable boy set out a shallow soup plate, deboned the chicken, tore the meat into easy-to-eat shreds, and served them on the plate.

It was rare that Chen Liangyu hadn’t been glaring and fuming at him these past few days. Instead, out of gratitude for the small favor of relaying a message to Ximu Qing, she had personally delivered his meals daily. Jiang Bojin was quite pleased. He propped one leg over the other, tapping his foot in rhythm.

The stable boy had just torn off a plump chicken leg. Before he could debone it, Jiang Bojin snatched and bit into it.

The gate guard who had come to report quickly tracked them down to the stables. “Great General, Minister Li from the Court of State Ceremonial is requesting an audience regarding the Xi Ma Nou’s pillaging of public property and destruction of fields. He is waiting outside the residence.”

Chen Liangyu instantly guessed what was happening.

Jiang Bojin’s spine chilled. His teeth lost their grip on the chicken drumstick he was chewing, and it fell with a plop into the soup plate. The next moment, a fierce palm strike slammed the dining table with a tremendous bang, shaking the soup plate so it danced across the surface.

Chen Liangyu flipped the soup plate over and slammed it onto the table, trapping Jiang Bojin’s meal beneath it. “You’re not eating anymore!”

“Don’t waste it, don’t waste it, it’s all food!”

Fearing that Chen Liangyu, in her anger, would sweep the whole plate of fragrant meat away, Jiang Bojin immediately stretched out his broken arm to shield it.

Chen Liangyu ground her teeth. “I’ll settle accounts with you when I get back.” She turned and exited the storehouse. To the reporting guard, she commanded, “Please escort Minister Li to the front hall.”

“Yes, sir.” The guard ran back to the gate to invite the visitor in.

Chen Liangyu had just passed through the back courtyard’s archway and was heading toward the lakeside pavilion when she suddenly felt a cool breeze behind her. She glanced sideways and, sure enough, Jiang Bojin was following.

This area of the backyard was deserted. Guards and servants rarely passed through, and they were completely alone.

Jiang Bojin said, “Why stop them? The bigger the mess they make, the sooner your Grand Princess can return. It’s just a few ridges of wheat, some cheap handicrafts. They’ve already stolen and destroyed them. How much money are they worth? The court can compensate them later.”

Chen Liangyu replied, “How much later? Do the common people who have had their property stolen and fields destroyed know that someone will compensate them later? To destroy fields—in the eyes of the populace—is to cut off their livelihood. If even one person were to lose hope because of this incident and fight the Xi Ma Nou to the death, who would bear the guilt?”

“I only told you to send a message to Ximu Qing, asking him to petition the Emperor to state clearly that the Grand Princess has consented to Dai Qing’s marriage, and that he only needs the Grand Princess to appear as the venerable witness before the wedding can proceed. I told Ximu Qing to insist on bidding farewell to the Grand Princess before leaving. Whether Ximu Qing goes up to Taihuang Temple or the Grand Princess comes down the mountain, as long as the Emperor provides that opening, I have my own way to rescue Her Highness. When did I tell you to incite Ximu Qing to pillage and destroy fields?”

Chen Liangyu strode toward the front hall.

“I should have known that with your character, your schemes would never be benevolent. It’s as if you’re only comfortable when the world is in utter chaos. I should have asked Second Brother to throw you out sooner.”

Jiang Bojin stopped, not following any further. He spoke from behind Chen Liangyu: “Do you think your Second Brother is unaware of this matter?”

Chen Liangyu’s steps momentarily faltered.

That was right. The one thing she couldn’t figure out just now was that if Li Hezhang had brought the problem all the way to her residence, the situation must have gotten out of hand and been reported to the Emperor. From this perspective, in addition to the pillaging and destruction of fields, people must have been injured. Since the Xi Ma Nou were distant guests, the Emperor would never send troops to damage relations. This pressure must have left Li Hezhang at a loss, forcing him to call on the Marquis’s Residence.