Seducing the Heart - Chapter 10

In a private booth of a teahouse, a waiter carried a teapot, serving tea to a refined gentleman sitting alone by the window.

He was a regular here and particularly enjoyed the quiet elegance of this place.

Although the teahouse was located in a remote and hard-to-find spot, it was an excellent refuge where one was seldom disturbed.

Even more unexpected was that the tea served here was in no way inferior to the famous Yipin Teahouse, the most prestigious establishment in the Imperial Capital.

“If you have any further requests, Sir, please call for me at any time.”

The gentleman’s face was as fair as jade, possessing the scholarly aura unique to a man of letters, yet his temperament differed somewhat from that of an ordinary scholar.

When the waiter first met him, he guessed that this man held an official position, and in fact, his guess was mostly correct.

“Thank you for your trouble.” Su Peiwen took out a few pieces of broken silver and placed them on the table. The waiter gathered the silver and turned to leave without further intrusion.

Estimating that the time was about right, Su Peiwen looked down from the window. He scanned the area but failed to spot his target, which he found rather strange.

That person was not one to be meticulously punctual, but she generally wasn’t late either.

Just as he turned his head back, he saw the person he was meeting standing right across from him, looking at him with composed leisure.

Su Peiwen did not dwell much on her elusive movements. He hurried to set down his teacup and invited her with a smile: “Please, have a seat.”

Qin Zhanluo sat down gracefully and cast a casual glance at the half-finished tea in Su Peiwen’s cup.

The color and quality of the tea were quite decent.

“Princess, have you been well all these years?” Su Peiwen looked at the jade-like face before him, inwardly sighing that true beauty lies in the bone, not just the skin.

Over the years, Princess Zhaoning’s appearance had become even more breathtaking.

“Passable.” Qin Zhanluo lightly tapped her tea bowl, gazing at Su Peiwen with a calm expression, not taking the initiative to say much.

Su Peiwen smiled helplessly, understanding that he needed to be more direct: “If Your Highness has anything you wish to know, simply ask. Within the scope of what I have learned during my years in this Imperial Capital, I will certainly tell you everything I know.”

“Then tell me about the current situation of the Yun Capital Imperial Family,” Qin Zhanluo took a sip of tea, staring at the emerald-green bottom of the tea bowl. “And… about King Jin over these past years.”

The royal situation, which seemed treacherous and volatile to outsiders, gradually became clear under Su Peiwen’s narration.

Currently, apart from Emperor Yun, the powers in Yun Capital could be divided into three main factions: the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace, King Shen, and King Rui. The others, who could only stir up minor ripples, were not worth mentioning.

Yun Mosheng indeed deserved his reputation for having once suppressed all the other princes to ascend the throne. He played the game of power and intrigue masterfully. Despite many years on the throne and countless petitions from ministers advising him to appoint an Empress, he had never done so.

Initially, Emperor Yun did this to consolidate various factions in the court and stabilize the harem.

As his grip on power became absolute, the title of Empress was gradually forgotten.

The Crown Prince, being the eldest son, had acceptable abilities but was most valued for his benevolence and filial piety; therefore, he was deeply loved by Emperor Yun.

King Shen was slightly inferior in terms of schemes and intrigue, but his merit lay in his mother’s family having significant influence in the court, allowing him to stand on equal footing with the Eastern Palace.

As for King Rui, he was sinister and ruthless. One could glimpse the essential qualities required for holding power in his personality, but he suffered from his mother’s lowly status, making it difficult for him to stand out.

However, it remained unknown into whose hands the ultimate power would fall; perhaps a latecomer would eventually rise to the top.

The officials in the court stood in line cautiously, only showing faint inclinations without easily making commitments.

After all, no one was willing to stake their entire livelihood only to end up as a sacrifice to imperial power.

Su Peiwen grew thirsty from speaking, so he poured himself a cup of tea to moisten his throat.

For some reason, Qin Zhanluo had brought a lot of oranges with her. She peeled them personally and put them into her mouth piece by piece.

Su Peiwen found it strange; he had never heard that Princess Zhaoning was so fond of this type of fruit.

Seeing Su Peiwen staring blankly at her oranges, Qin Zhanluo raised an eyebrow and handed a few to him: “Eat some.”

“Scholar Su, please continue.” Qin Zhanluo’s expression was indifferent as she gave a casual reminder, still eating the fresh and sweet orange in her hand.

…Continue?

Su Peiwen was stunned for a moment before realizing what Qin Zhanluo meant by “continue.”

What she still wanted to hear was the part concerning King Jin.

“King Jin is weak and prone to illness, and is rarely involved in court disputes.” Su Peiwen popped an orange segment into his mouth and spoke after a brief thought.

Although the various princes intended to win him over, King Jin rarely even stepped out of his doors. The places he visited were fixed, and he was never seen interacting with the ministers in his daily life, so he truly couldn’t be of much use.

“Is that all?” Qin Zhanluo waited for a moment. Noticing that Su Peiwen had no intention of continuing, her tone carried a hint of doubt.

“That’s all.” Su Peiwen replied nonchalantly.

That was correct; King Jin was weak and sickly, always recuperating in the Prince’s Manor. Aside from occasionally visiting Buxianxian, there was nothing else special about him.

When Qin Zhanluo personally came to Yun Capital claiming to seek a marriage alliance, Su Peiwen suspected he had misheard the news. It wasn’t until he actually saw her figure in the court that he barely dared to believe it: she had actually married King Jin.

Qin Zhanluo raised her eyebrows slightly. Her face remained as calm as a breeze, but her eyes turned a few degrees colder.

“If you wish to hear it, there is naturally a bit more that can be said.” As soon as Su Peiwen said these words, he felt the pressure exerted around him vanish completely, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

The pressure the Princess exerted when she was unhappy was truly as potent as in the past; it always made one’s back feel chilly.

Rumor has it that many years ago, there was a legendary concubine in the palace. This person was extremely beautiful, with an aura of innate grace and nobility.

Even more rare was that she was virtuous and wise, never taking the initiative to compete for favor, nor did she have the pretentious nature of ordinary women.

And this person was precisely King Jin’s mother.

Mu Chaoge was the most favored in the harem back then, leading people to believe that the position of Empress would definitely be hers in the end.

Unfortunately, an incident later occurred in the palace.

During that incident, she unfortunately passed away.

Emperor Yun and Noble Consort Xian shared a deep bond. He was greatly enraged by the accidental death of King Jin’s mother and executed many palace maids and eunuchs.

That incident years ago even directly led to Yun Capital declaring war on another country.

Although that country’s stubborn resistance prevented its complete annihilation, it still suffered heavy blows.

Since then, everyone in the palace, whether they knew the truth or not, was deeply secretive about the matter.

“Furthermore, after Noble Consort Xian passed away, King Jin once suffered a relapse of an old illness due to excessive grief and nearly lost his life. Fortunately, someone risked everything to save him.”

“Is that all?” Qin Zhanluo asked the same question in the same tone.

“This time, that really is all.” Su Peiwen spread his hands helplessly.

“What exactly was the ‘incident’ that caused Noble Consort Xian’s death? Do you know anything more specific?”

Su Peiwen shook his head. He did not play any tricks this time: “Most of the witnesses to that matter died back then. No one dared to mention it then, and now it is even more impossible to know.”

Qin Zhanluo’s finger tapped lightly on the table as she pondered for a while.

Yun Jin’s heart-knot might be related to her mother’s death.

No one would ever know that Scholar Su, who once studied hard for decades and became famous throughout the world in a single day, was actually from Northern Chu.

“I should return. Take your time with your drink, Scholar.” Having obtained the information she wanted, Qin Zhanluo tidied herself up, gathered the remaining oranges and the scattered orange peels on the table, and prepared to leave.

Su Peiwen watched in disbelief as Qin Zhanluo carefully collected the orange peels and put them into a white cloth bag.

He hesitated several times before he couldn’t help but speak: “Princess… what do you plan to do with those orange peels?”

“Fresh orange peels peeled within twenty-four hours are perfect for making nerve-calming incense.”

After Qin Zhanluo left, Su Peiwen was still muttering to himself with a peculiar expression: “Nerve-calming incense? Who is it for? Is the Princess not sleeping well?”

“Prince, it is time for dinner.”

“…Where is the Princess Consort?”

At that moment, Qin Zhanluo was sitting in the long corridor of the Prince’s Manor’s front courtyard, looking down and grinding several types of medicinal ingredients mixed in a mortar.

She seemed to be thinking about something simultaneously, her expression so focused that she failed to notice someone approaching behind her at the first moment.

“Princess Consort, what are you doing here?” Yun Jin lowered her head with quite a bit of curiosity to watch the movements in the other woman’s hands. Just at this moment, Qin Zhanluo also looked up upon hearing the voice.

Both of them subtly moved to create some distance.

Behind Qin Zhanluo, Yun Jin secretly touched the tip of her nose which had just been brushed by her, her tone remaining as usual: “I was wondering why I saw so many maids and guards in the manor today, each holding an orange. So it was the Princess Consort’s order.”

“I wanted to try making ‘tent incense’ for the Prince; the effect will be better, and fresh orange peels happen to be one of the main ingredients.”

Eating too many oranges might cause internal heat, so Qin Zhanluo had distributed them as rewards, giving a few to each person, with only the instruction that they needed to keep the peels and return them to her.

“I see.” Yun Jin nodded in understanding, picking up an orange that looked appropriately sized and began to peel it.

Qin Zhanluo assumed she also wanted to taste the fruit, so she continued grinding without stopping her hands, though she diverted a bit of attention to the person beside her.

Yun Jin’s hands were skillful. After fiddling with the orange for a while, she took out a small piece of candle from a nearby palace lantern whose light had grown dim. With a drop of wax, she fixed it inside the orange shell.

Yun Jin held up the processed orange in her palm for Qin Zhanluo to see: “Here, an orange lantern.”

The candle flame flickered slightly inside the orange lantern, emitting a faint orange fragrance, which was quite charming.

Qin Zhanluo looked at the orange lantern, carefully taking it into her hands to admire it. Then, as if remembering something, she looked up and asked: “Why did the Prince come looking for me?”

This reminded Yun Jin that she had almost forgotten her main purpose. She gave a covering cough: “I came to call the Princess Consort to have dinner together.”

“Alright.” Qin Zhanluo let out a light laugh, her eyes seeming to shimmer with flowing light.

Clearly, she was in a good mood at this moment.

The dim candle flame flickered, softening the lines of her face. Her eyes seemed to contain ten thousand kinds of charm, reflecting only one person’s figure.

Yun Jin stood there for a moment. After snapping back to her senses, she inwardly sighed that beauty is a distraction, then followed unhurriedly behind Qin Zhanluo to have dinner.

The evening breeze brushed past, bringing an unknown cold fragrance that was neither heavy nor thin, just right.

This scent was familiar.

Yun Jin casually caught a falling leaf and returned it once more to the dust.

The moonlight was just right, and the night was enchanting.

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