The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 53
The night fell abruptly silent, leaving only the rumble of the carriage wheels and the steady clip of hooves echoing in the darkness.
The young lady’s voice struck like a bolt of thunder from a clear sky. Pei Qing was still mounted on his horse, but his mind had gone blank. Heat rushed to his face in an instant; he stared ahead, dumbfounded.
It was a long while before he snapped his whip lightly and urged his horse forward, taking the lead of the group. For the rest of the night, he did not once glance back at the carriage.
—
At the horizon, a pale band of light slowly surfaced. The sun rose, and the torn clouds of dawn blushed red across the mountain ridges. The party pressed on, and it was not until midmorning that they reached the docks.
To travel by water, they would have to abandon carriage and horses.
Pei Qing had just untied the bundle from his saddle when he caught sight of two figures descending from the carriage behind him.
He had avoided them all night, but sooner or later, he would have to face them. When they approached, he turned around at last, bracing himself, and greeted the young lady stiffly, “Sister-in-law.”
Wen Shuse had been truly exhausted in the latter half of the night and had fallen asleep. She remembered curling against the window, clutching her bundle. Yet when she awoke, she found herself lying in the young master’s arms.
On one side of her face, faint creases remained where the fabric of his robe had pressed against her skin. When she smiled, she looked especially gentle and amiable. “Young Master Pei.”
It seemed as though she had deliberately cast aside the words of the previous night.
Pei Qing could not have been more grateful.
He had barely begun to relax when he saw her shift slightly to the side. She reached out and took the young master’s hand beside her, even offering Pei Qing a courteous smile, as though intending to clarify something for him.
Pei Qing: …
The awkwardness from the night before surged back at once. Mortified, he cast a pleading glance at his brother.
But there stood the other man, one hand held by the young woman, the other clasped behind his back. With his chin lifted, posture straight, his expression was calm, a faint smile playing at his lips. On the surface, he seemed composed, yet inwardly he could not have looked more pleased with himself. There was not the slightest hint that he meant to step in and rescue Pei Qing from embarrassment.
This was the price of a loose tongue.
Pei Qing wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it. Forgetting all courtesy, he turned and boarded the ship ahead of them, slipping quickly into the cabin.
Wen Shuse was not a vindictive person. Her gesture was simply to let him know: the hand had already been held, so there was no need for him to go question Master Wen on their behalf.
The only one who truly benefited was Xie Shao.
Her hand was still wrapped around his. Her slender fingers were soft and warm as they curled around him. It felt different from the few times he had taken her hand on his own initiative. Alongside the quiet pleasure was a trace of triumph, like a breeze of early spring.
Even his faint dissatisfaction from the latter half of the previous night faded somewhat.
After the carriage had left the city, he had seen the young lady fall asleep clutching her bundle. Wanting to conserve his strength as well, he had closed his eyes for a brief rest. In his drowsiness, he suddenly felt a sharp kick against the side of his thigh.
She was not lacking in strength.
He forced his eyes open through the ache and saw that the young lady beside him was sleeping most restlessly. Her head had turned toward the other side as she tried to lie flat, her feet busily sweeping away obstacles, as if determined to kick him off.
To avoid drawing attention tonight, Madam Zhou had prepared a carriage usually used for errands. It was far from spacious.
If she stretched herself out fully, there would be no room left for him at all.
He could hardly allow himself to be kicked off like that. Gritting his teeth, he rose and turned her solid little head the other way, settling it into his lap and directing her feet toward the carriage wall instead.
At last, she quieted.
Yet with such a delicate young lady lying in his arms, he found himself unable to sleep. He remained awake until dawn.
And when she woke, she did not ask how she had ended up in his arms, nor did she thank him. She pushed him aside in one brisk motion, intent only on picking up the bundle that had fallen to the floor, then jumped down from the carriage without so much as a backward glance.
Ungrateful and somewhat oblivious to kindness. His expression had remained rather sour throughout the journey.
Yet to his surprise, not only did she not hold last night’s conversation against him, but she even took the initiative to hold his hand in front of his brother, saving his face completely.
Compared to that, the faint trace of dissatisfaction in his heart amounted to nothing at all.
He even slowed his steps, worried she might not grip firmly enough, making it as effortless as possible for her to hold his hand. He had intended, when boarding the ship, to grasp her hand in return and help her up.
But she gave him no such opportunity. The moment Pei Qing left, she released him at once, lifted her skirts, and stepped across in a single stride, boarding the vessel neatly and without the slightest need for assistance.
Aside from kicking him several times the night before and depriving him of a good night’s rest, she had truly caused him no concern.
Xie Shao followed close behind.
Compared with Fengcheng, this place lies nearer to Western Xia. Passenger boats and cargo ships were plentiful. To avoid drawing attention, they did not charter a vessel of their own but boarded a freight ship bound for Yangzhou.
One man from their party stayed behind to dispose of the carriage and horses while the rest all boarded.
By water, it would take no more than an hour to reach the Ling River outside Fengcheng. It was only a short stretch, and there were no private cabins; everyone crowded together. No matter how much Pei Qing might wish to flee to the ends of the earth, he could not avoid facing the pair. Fortunately, Wen Shuse no longer made things difficult for him. She sat quietly to one side, gazing out at the surging river beyond the window.
The cargo ship docked twice along the way. It was near dusk when they finally reached the Ling River outside Fengcheng. As soon as the vessel docked, Xie Shao immediately sent someone to the city gate to inform Jing Wang.
—
Jing Wang had by now been blocked outside the city gate by Deputy Commander Xie for more than ten hours, utterly unable to understand what had happened.
The retainer at Jing Wang’s side were furious. One of them cursed outright, “That bastard Xie Daoyuan! He’s got no real ability, but his ambition knows no bounds. If not for Wangye’s favor, would he ever have commanded troops in his lifetime? And now he dares to turn his spear against his own master, where does he get the nerve?”
Jing Wang was far calmer. He only wanted to know what had happened. Several times he sent word, calling for Xie Daoyuan to come out so he could question him in person.
Deputy Commander Xie refused to show himself. By dawn, when no imperial troops had yet arrived, unease began to gnaw at him. After weighing his options carefully, he finally ascended the city wall and addressed Jing Wang below.
“Your Highness has returned from afar. I ought to have gone out to welcome you. That things have come to this is truly against my will. I am grieved beyond words…”
Jing Wang’s retainer, Master Wei, could not stomach the sight of him. He spat and shouted upward, “Rebel dog! Since you’ve gone this far, why bother putting on a show?”
Of all people, Deputy Commander Xie loathed this man the most.
Master Wei had always looked down on him. Hearing the insult now, he did not grow angry, instead, he smiled. “Your Highness has come this far in no small part thanks to Master Wei’s efforts.”
That remark only deepened the confusion.
Deputy Commander Xie did not prolong the suspense and addressed Jing Wang directly, “Your Highness often instructs the troops to be loyal to the sovereign, loyal to their master, loyal and filial to the court. Yet you yourself have failed this test. Listening to slanderous whispers, you secretly forged weapons and harbored thoughts of rebellion, seeking to oppose the court. I am deeply regretful and heartbroken. Today, in consideration of the favor you once showed me, I offer this advice in good faith: His Majesty has issued an imperial edict stripping you of your princely title. I urge Your Highness to turn back before it is too late. Cease resisting, lay down your arms, and surrender at once.”
Jing Wang finally understood, and rather than being shocked, he was more surprised.
Having just returned from the Eastern Capital, he had personally heard the Emperor’s message. His tone had been the same as always; every word filled with trust. He had even asked him to bring back the new tea that the Wangfei favored.
How could it be that no sooner had he left than an order was sent to strip him of his fief?
Doubts churned in his heart, yet aside from this, he could find no better explanation for why Xie Daoyuan had shut him out at the city gates.
Xie Daoyuan was a man he had personally promoted years ago. Of his temperament, no one knew better than he did.
Though the man possessed little real ability and was fond of petty gains, he did not have the courage to plot rebellion on his own.
It did not take long for him to guess that this must be the scheme of the one in Dongzhou. When he considered its purpose more carefully, a chill ran down his spine. Tilting his head back, he shouted angrily at Xie Daoyuan, “After all these years, you truly haven’t improved in the slightest. A wall of rotten earth cannot be plastered and even a pig’s brain has more sense than you.”
Though Jing Wang spent his years campaigning on distant battlefields, he was not a rough, burly-looking man. On the contrary, he carried himself with the refined air of a scholar.
As the face reflects the heart, so too was his temperament steady and composed. Though strict in governance, he rarely cursed anyone so openly. To berate Xie Daoyuan like this in front of the assembled troops showed that he was genuinely enraged.
Scolded so fiercely, Xie Daoyuan stood atop the city gate, somewhat stunned.
Jing Wang did not spare him another glance. He did not enter the city either. With a furious sweep of his sleeve, he turned around, led Master Wei and his own troops away from the gates, and hurried back the way they had come.
Halfway there, they encountered the men Xie Shao had dispatched. Upon learning that the third young master of the Xie family had already come out safely, he finally let out a breath of relief. Turning to a trusted aide at his side, he ordered, “Leave for Yangzhou at once. You must ensure Chancellor Xie’s safety.”
“Yes.”
—
While Fengcheng descended into chaos, a major incident was also unfolding in the Eastern Capital.
After the morning court session, the Emperor summoned the Crown Prince to the imperial study. He flung a document in his hand at him and suddenly flew into a rage, demanding, “Explain yourself to me clearly. How exactly did the war in Luo’an begin?”
In recent years, Great Feng and Liao had experienced constant friction, but because their interests were closely intertwined, they had never truly come to blows. Yet this time, the Crown Prince had somehow managed, by his own hand, to provoke a war.
Caught completely off guard, the Crown Prince’s face paled. He hurriedly knelt and said in alarm, “Father, please calm your anger. The Liao army attempted to seize a mountain range behind Zhending that belongs to us. Your son repeatedly sent envoys to warn them, but not only did the Liao forces show no restraint, they even made wild claims that one day they would surely devour Great Feng.”
Such boasts were commonplace on the battlefield. Who had not heard threats of razing the enemy to the ground, tearing them apart with horses, slaughtering entire clans, even seizing their wives and daughters?
Most of it was merely to provoke the enemy, to make them lose their composure.
But the Crown Prince had actually done it.
The Emperor gave a cold snort and pointed at the document before him. “Take a good look yourself.”
Panicked, the Crown Prince hurriedly picked it up.
It was a petition written by a Liao officer to the Emperor of Great Feng. Every line seemed written in blood, accusing the Crown Prince of Great Feng of forcibly taking the daughter of a Liao general, a woman of the Xiao clan.
The further the Crown Prince read, the paler he became. Before he could even finish, his forehead struck the ground with a heavy thud. “Father, please see clearly. Some months ago, your son did indeed receive a young woman, presented by an advisor in my residence. I did not know her identity.”
The Emperor let out a cold laugh. “Oh? Did she have no mouth to speak with, or did you stuff her mouth so she could not?”
The Crown Prince had never imagined that a letter from a Liao general could bypass his authority in Dongzhou and reach the Emperor’s hands. Caught utterly unprepared, he found himself unable to reply.
The Emperor understood at once. Disappointment filled his eyes as he spoke wearily, “Since she is already in your residence, tomorrow send someone to Liao to negotiate with the Xiao family. Give her the status she is due, openly and legitimately. I think the rank of Consort will do just fine.”
He was the dignified Crown Prince. If he were to form a marriage alliance, it should be with a princess of Liao. General Xiao was merely a fourth-rank deputy general, what qualification did he have to become his in-law?
Originally, seizing the man’s daughter had been an act of humiliation.
Whether she was granted the rank of Consort or made a concubine, once she was given a proper title, it would be the same as slapping his own face, letting others laugh at the Crown Prince of Great Feng.
The Crown Prince was deeply displeased, but now that the matter had reached the Emperor, no matter how unwilling he was, he could only accept it.
Before he had even stepped out of the imperial study, General Yang suddenly arrived outside. Without waiting for an announcement, he dropped to his knees with a heavy thud before the doors and declared in a ringing voice, “Today, I dare to come before Your Majesty to seek justice for the tens of thousands of soldiers of Great Feng.”
Back when the Emperor had marched north and south to seize the realm, aside from his adopted son Jing Wang, the one who had followed him at his side was this very General Yang.
When Zhou Yuan seized the empire, General Yang had rendered no small merit. After ascending the throne, the Emperor had not treated him poorly, immediately appointing him as the Great General of the Nation.
In recent years, as Great Feng had gradually settled into peace, it had been a long time since anyone had seen him so stirred. The Emperor promptly invited him in.
General Yang had always been hot-tempered. Now, having learned the truth behind Luo’an’s grain shortage, he did not spare the Crown Prince’s presence. Right before him, he detailed to the Emperor, without omitting a single point, how the Crown Prince’s men had withheld military provisions, disregarding the lives of the soldiers. As his own grandson had been among the victims, he could not help but let personal emotion seep into his account, even embellishing parts of it.
By the time he had spoken halfway, the Crown Prince’s expression had already changed. He tried to interrupt, but General Yang, hardened by years of campaigning, possessed a voice that could drown out thunder. Several times the Crown Prince attempted to interject, yet not once did he succeed.
The Emperor had already heard from the Crown Prince about General Luo’an’s journey to Fengcheng to borrow grain.
The Crown Prince’s explanation had been that Luo’an had not anticipated an actual outbreak of war and that the grain on hand had been used to resettle refugees from Qingzhou. In his words, he had even expressed considerable gratitude toward Jing Wang for managing to lend grain.
Luo’an was the Crown Prince’s territory. The Emperor had never once doubted him.
Only now, after hearing General Yang’s account, did he realize that it was not a matter of Luo’an lacking provisions at all, but that the Crown Prince’s men had deliberately withheld them.
Driven to desperation, Luo’an’s soldiers had sought grain everywhere. In the end, it was from Jing Wang in Fengcheng of Zhongzhou that they finally obtained support.
The Emperor was stunned, barely able to believe it.
He stared at the only legitimate eldest son before him. After the surge of fury subsided, what remained in his eyes was profound disappointment.
For the sake of venting momentary spite, he had lost his composure, seized General Xiao’s daughter, and escalated the conflict. Worse still, he had withheld the grain meant for the very soldiers who fought and bled for him. What exactly was he trying to do?!
A Crown Prince of a great nation and the heir of Great Feng. If his character was truly like this, how could he be entrusted with a heavy responsibility?
The Crown Prince had never expected that Yang Zhijing would dare oppose him so openly.
Sensing the Emperor’s genuine wrath, he knelt once more to plead for forgiveness. “Father, rest assured. Your son will return to Dongzhou at once to investigate this matter thoroughly. I will certainly give Father and the soldiers an explanation.”
The Emperor did not respond.
The Emperor sank back onto the dragon throne in dejection. Closing his eyes, weariness etched across his face, he said slowly, “All these years, I have asked myself whether I have been remiss in your education in any way. I find no negligence.”
At this, the Crown Prince’s heart plummeted. He hurriedly cried out, “Father!”
The Emperor seemed not to hear him. After a long, blank pause, he murmured, “Taught in the same way, how could there be such a vast difference?”
The Crown Prince’s expression changed dramatically.
“Your two elder brothers were ill-fated and passed away early. By my side, you are the only son left. I placed great hopes upon you, hoping you would become a worthy heir. And yet, you have disappointed me greatly.”
The Crown Prince shuffled forward on his knees. “Father…”
The Emperor did not even look at him. “Return. Go back to your residence in Dongzhou. Reflect on yourself carefully. Without my permission, you are not to set foot in the Eastern Capital.”
—
Though the Crown Prince possessed a fiefdom, because of his status as the crown prince, he had always been kept in the Eastern Capital by the Emperor and personally instructed within the palace.
Now, with the sudden order to send him back to his fiefdom, the court erupted overnight. Speculation about the Emperor’s intentions ran rampant, opinions flying in all directions.
Most, however, were not overly worried. The Emperor had only three sons in total. The eldest and second sons had died in battle in earlier years. It was only after founding the dynasty and marrying Empress Yuan that he had this present Crown Prince.
There was, of course, one more son… Jing Wang.
But an adopted son, how could he possibly compare to a blood heir? Surely this was only the Emperor acting in anger, giving the Crown Prince a lesson. After some time had passed, he would naturally be summoned back to the Eastern Capital.
The Crown Prince, however, did not see it that way. The very day he left the Emperor’s study, he went straight to the Empress, seething with fury. “Tell me… who else would have the ability to deliver a Liao military letter directly into Father’s hands, if not Jing Wang? Last time, Father kept saying that feudal princes were forbidden from entering the Eastern Capital and that Jing Wang should simply submit a memorial if he had matters to report. Yet in private, he still allowed him an audience. In that case, I grow ever more suspicious of those rumors.”
The incident with the armory the last time may not have succeeded, but it had made him see clearly the Emperor’s attitude toward that adopted son.
Compared to his two uncles, Jing Wang was the true obstacle in his path.