Thousand Verdant Mountains – Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Pei Xiaoyuan suddenly rushed to Ziyun Palace to ask for an audience. His purpose, as the emperor had expected, was for the young painter who was summoned into the palace.
After Xuyu was taken away by Eunuch Cao, Qingtou, who had received instructions before, immediately went out in a hurry to find him and tell him the news.
He didn’t know why the emperor had suddenly summoned her. Was it related to the search for Li Yan that day? Was he questioning her about the Qujiang Banquet? Or did the emperor know her identity? It was precisely because he knew nothing that he was even more worried.
He had long experienced the unpredictable temper and difficult methods of the current emperor. He was afraid that the emperor would harm her if he did not know the truth, and he was even more afraid that she would be stubborn and unwilling to yield, which would cause irreparable consequences. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became, and he insisted on asking for an audience regardless of everything. At this moment, he was finally allowed to see the emperor. He was led by the palace eunuch and strode into the West Hall. He saw the emperor sitting alone on a seat in the hall, with the eunuch Yang Zai’en standing beside him. He quickly looked around, but there was no sign of her. He didn’t know where the emperor had sent her and how he had dealt with her. He began to panic.
At this moment, he met a cold and heavy gaze casted at him by the emperor, and tried his best to resist the urge to ask where she was immediately, and went forward to salute as usual.
The emperor ordered him to stand up.
“What’s the big matter? Why do you have to see Zhen?” he asked calmly.
“Your Majesty, this minister has been in office for several months and has received Your Majesty’s deep grace. However, due to this minister’s incompetence, all along fail to achieve any results. Fortunately, Your Majesty has not abandoned this minister, so this minister dares not slack off. In order to facilitate the work, this minister plan to recruit another group of strong men from the streets for some purposes. Please be informed, Your Majesty.”
After hearing this, the emperor glanced coldly across his face and nodded.
“Great! It is indeed a big matter! No wonder you didn’t leave and insisted on seeing Zhen. Zhen thought if Zhen hasn’t seen you now, you would force your way into the inner palace?”
Pei Xiaoyuan suppressed his boiling anxiety and knelt down: “Please forgive, Your Majesty. This time, this minister selected these valiant fighters based on their abilities, so many of them may have been involved in legal troubles or have a bad reputation. Since this division is the Son of Heaven’s arch guard, and holds the esteemed honor of safeguarding the imperial name, this minister is afraid of tarnishing Your Majesty’s name. This is no trivial matter, so this minister have to report it. Humbly ask for Your Majesty’s permission.”
The emperor seemed to be choked by something. He paused for a moment, his face becoming increasingly gloomy. Finally, he snorted coldly through from his nostrils: “Zhen know! Withdraw!”
Pei Xiaoyuan finally got in, of course he was unwilling to leave without achieving his goal. After hesitating for a while, he finally couldn’t help but said, “Your Majesty, this minister heard that the painter Ye Xuyu from the painting department was summoned to the palace today?”
The emperor glanced at him and said, “Why, Zhen can’t summon him to paint for Zhen?”
Pei Xiaoyuan hurriedly kowtowed, “How dare this minister to be so presumptuous. The truth is the painter is an old friend of this minister, like a brother. Yesterday she bravely saved the two county princesses when the boat capsized, but in the process, she herself was immerse in the water and drifted all night. She was exhausted and very weak. The court sympathized with her and allowed her to take a three-day leave. Today is only the first day. This minister is a little worried, so this minister dared to ask, if Your Majesty allows, this minister will take her back so that she can continue to recuperate.”
The emperor let out a strange laugh, turned to the eunuch standing beside the bed, pointed at Pei Xiaoyuan and said, “Is Pei family’s son scolding Zhen for not knowing compassion and forcing people to do stuffs? Is he asking Zhen for people? Yang Zai’en, listen, are Zhen hearing it right?”
Yang Zai’en hurriedly walked to the emperor and knelt down: “Please forgive, Your Majesty. This servant is stupid and couldn’t hear it. Maybe since Pei Erlang and Painter Ye has deep brotherly relationship, he cares for the other, so he said such nonsense. Hopefully Your Majesty will not take it to heart. Your own health is more important!”
After hearing this, the emperor looked at Pei Xiaoyuan with a half-smile: “Well, well, Pei Er, even Zhen’s people are speaking up for you? It seems that today is truly Zhen’s fault.”
Yang Zai’en just kept kowtowing.
The emperor stared at Pei Xiaoyuan, the smile on his face disappeared: “If I don’t let him go today, are you planning to overthrow Zhen’s Ziyun Palace?”
Pei Xiaoyuan kowtowed again and said respectfully: “How could this minister dare? Asking to see just now is because of another matter.”
“What is it?”
“It’s related to Prince Ning. Prince Ning set up a banquet at Qujiang Lake, but a series of incidents occurred, causing loss of lives. He wants to hold a sacrifice by the river and needs to draw , and he wants Ye Xuyu to draw it.”
The emperor narrowed his eyes and said, “If Prince Ning wants to employ someone, just let him come himself!”
“Your Majesty, Prince Ning has arrived and is now outside the palace.”
The emperor was stunned.
“Just now this minister happened to meet Prince Ning on the road. Knowing that this minister was also going to the palace, he did not ask for an audience. He thought that if this minister could bring Ye Xuyu out, he could pick her up on the way, so as not to disturb His Majesty’s peace.” Pei Xiaoyuan explained.
Yang Zai’en forgot to kowtow after hearing this. He looked at Pei family’s son, who was kneeling on the ground with him, with uneasiness and surprise. He suddenly came to his senses and looked at the front quietly. He saw that the emperor had a very ugly expression and did not say a word. Suddenly, a palace eunuch walked into the hall and reported that Prince Ning asked for an audience.
Accompanied by the slightly hurried sound of boots stepping on the ground, Prince Ning’s figure hurriedly appeared in the hall.
He had a close relationship with the emperor and was older than him, so he was specially honored and favored, and did not need to kowtow when he met the emperor.
After the usual etiquette, he really asked for the young painter, saying that the time for the sacrifice had been set, which was tonight, and he hoped that His Majesty would lend him the person first.
“This minister hope to appease the dead and dispel evil spirits. Ye Xuyu is not only a painter, but also a blessed person who performed extraordinary deeds that day. This minister think it may be more effective if he paints the Fangxiang.”
The so-called Fangxiang was a god worshipped by people who could appease the dead, drive away plague and avoid evil spirits.
Prince Ning was a superstitious person, and what he said was not false. He really believed this with all his heart. After saying this, he bowed and kowtowed solemnly.
After a long silence, Yang Zai’en plucked up the courage to peek secretly.
The emperor who was sitting on the bed finally moved: “In that case, take him away!”
Yang Zai’en secretly breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Heavens in his heart. Fortunately, Prince Ning came to intervene in the end, otherwise, he didn’t know how the situation would end.
He quickly got up from the ground, walked quickly to the small pavilion, and pushed the door open.
As soon as Xuyu heard Pei Xiaoyuan asking for an audience, she knew that he must have come because he was worried about her.
She didn’t know why, but she felt that her father emperor, was extremely unhappy about this, so he didn’t allow her to show up, and locked her up in the pavilion. Through the door, she could hear the conversation in the hall one by one. She was so anxious that she almost couldn’t help but want to go out to let Pei Xiaoyuan feel at ease. Unexpectedly, there was a sudden turn of events, and Prince Ning suddenly came to save the situation.
At this moment, Yang Zai’en finally came to release the people, and she walked out quickly.
As soon as she appeared, she saw Pei Xiaoyuan looking up at her.
She immediately caught his gaze and nodded slightly to signal him that she was fine, but she didn’t know that this silent exchange of glances had already fallen into a pair of gloomy eyes.
Pei Xiaoyuan did not stay any longer. He stood up, thanked the emperor and left the palace. Prince Ning also hurriedly took the person away.
In the dead silence of the hall, the eunuch Yang Zai’en looked at the emperor who was left alone on the throne. Yang Zai’en didn’t know what he was thinking, as his expression became more and more ugly. Suddenly, he picked up a jade sceptre in his hand and smashed it heavily to the ground.
With the clear sound of jade breaking like the cry of a phoenix, the jade sceptre broke into several pieces and flew in all directions, scaring Yang Zai’en, who was peeping at him, so much that he shuddered and knelt on the ground in panic along with the other palace eunuchs in the distance.
The emperor stood up, put his hands behind his back, stepped over the broken pieces of the jade sceptre, and left without saying a word.
At night of the same day, the sacrifice held by Prince Ning at the riverside of Qujiang Villa ended successfully. He watched the flower boat made of colorful paper carrying Fangxiang and numerous sacrifices gradually drift away with the waves and disappear into the middle of the river, only then he breathed a sigh of relief.
Due to the rush of time, Xuyu came to paint on the spot, and she hadn’t left yet. Pei Xiaoyuan naturally stayed to accompany her.
After the sacrifice, Prince Ning turned to speak to Pei Xiaoyuan.
He had not thought of asking Xuyu to paint for today’s sacrifice. It was Pei Xiaoyuan who suddenly came to him during the day to remind him, and he thought it made sense, so he hurried into the palace with Pei Xiaoyuan to ask for people.
Pei Xiaoyuan signaled Xuyu to wait for a moment, and he invited Prince Ning to a deserted place, lifted his clothes and knelt at him.
Prince Ning was puzzled and stepped forward to help him stand up: “What’s wrong with you? Why are you kneeling to me?”
“I acted rashly and offended the majesty of heaven. If Prince Ning hadn’t accompanied me today, His Majesty would have blamed me and I wouldn’t have been able to leave the Ziyun Palace.”
Prince Ning was a kind-hearted man, but at his age, he was naturally not ignorant. Although he was still a little confused about what happened today, he understood it when he saw this situation.
Pei family’s son specifically asked him to designated a small court painter to paint. It turned out that he had another intention, which was to bring him along as backup to resolve the situation.
Although he was set up, Pei family’s son immediately turned around and offered a sincere apology. He couldn’t hold a grudge, so he just shook his head with a smile and sighed, pointing at him while complaining, “I can’t believe I was tricked by a kid,” before letting it go. He then instructed Pei Xiaoyuan to stand up and promptly asked, “So what exactly is going on here? I’m even more confused now!”
Pei Xiaoyuan naturally couldn’t explain the inside story. He only said that Ye Xuyu had exerted too much energy yesterday and had not yet recovered when the emperor summoned her. He was worried, so he wanted to go and bring her back.
Emperors were not the kind of people who used to sympathize with others. Prince Ning knew this better than anyone else. He also knew that the Pei family’s son in front of him seemed to be hiding something and had not told him the real reason, but he did not ask too much. After hearing this, he was about to ask him to take the young painter back to rest, but suddenly he remembered something.
“Yesterday, when I brought my grandson to ask you to be his teacher, we didn’t get to finish speaking before being interrupted. Now, while the opportunity presents itself, I’d like to ask again on his behalf—does he meet with your approval?” Prince Ning asked with a cheerful smile.
Pei Xiaoyuan had planned to refuse yesterday, but he didn’t expect something like this to happen today. Before he forcibly rushed into the palace, he knew that the emperor would be difficult to deal with, and was afraid that he alone would not be enough, so he made a plan and brought Prince Ning with him.
He owed people a favor, and now that Prince Ning mentioned this, how could he refuse? He nodded: “Prince Ning thinks highly of me and is willing to hand over your grandson to me, how dare I refuse? I will do my best in the future, and I hope not to disappoint Prince Ning.”
Prince Ning actually saw yesterday that he was unwilling to accept a disciple, so he took the opportunity to ask him again. Knowing that he would not refuse, he got what he wanted and laughed, “Then it’s settled! To be honest, my grandson has heard of your great name at home and admires you very much. It was he who came to me yesterday and said that he wanted to take Chief Pei as his master and learn some riding and archery skills. I will go back and tell him the good news, and bring him to perform the ceremony of worshiping the teacher on a certain day. It’s not early today, so I dare not delay any longer. You should take young master Ye back to rest!”
Pei Xiaoyuan turned his head and looked.
She sat on a rock by the water, facing the direction of the imperial palace in the distance under the night sky. She seemed to be gazing out in a trance, with mind full of worries.
After saying goodbye, the two of them rode home on horseback.
As usual, they walked to the gate of her residence, Xuyu stopped, turned around and thanked him.
On the way back, she seemed very depressed and didn’t say a word. Only at this moment did she smile.
“What’s wrong with your hand? Why did His Majesty summon you to the palace?” he asked.
He had noticed the new wound on her hand a long time ago, and it must be very inconvenient to paint Fangxiang for Prince Ning during the day. Fortunately, the painting was not complicated and was completed quickly.
After leaving the palace, things were hectic, and it was not until this moment that he finally got the chance to talk to her alone.
Xuyu shook her head: “It’s nothing. Father didn’t do anything to me, he just summoned me to paint on the west wall. I didn’t look carefully when I entered the palace gate and fell on the palace steps. I’ll apply some medicine later, and it’ll be fine in two days.”
“Let me take a look,” he said.
Xuyu paused, then slowly raised her hand, revealing her wrist in front of him.
He inspected it with the help of the lantern that illuminated the path in front of the courtyard gate.
The wound on her wrist was bleeding more severely than yesterday, and even her cuffs were stained with blood.
Pei Xiaoyuan turned back to fetch the medicine box for treating external injuries. Meanwhile, Xuyu had already gone inside to wash her hands, rolled up her sleeves, and was sitting in the outer room waiting for him.
Under the light of the white porcelain candlestick on the desk, he applied medicine to her and then carefully wrapped her two injured wrists with bandage.
After all was done, Xuyu put down her sleeves.
“Thank you also for coming to the palace to pick me up today,” she said.
Although he was over-worrying and risked offending the emperor by forcing his way into the palace for an audience, her current father, the emperor, was indeed not someone one could approach with an ordinary mindset like any common person.
“Father also questioned me about many things.”
She recounted what had happened, including her relationship with Yuwen Zhi and Chengping.
“Although he stopped asking later, I know that he has not completely dispelled his doubts. He might ask again someday if he remembers it. As for County Prince Xiping’s Shizi, I will send him a letter tomorrow to ask him to help me resolve the issue for the time being if His Majesty asks. As for your uncle and Prince Chengping—”
“Don’t worry! Leave it to me.”
Xuyu smiled and said, “Thank you for your help.”
Pei Xiaoyuan had already put away the medicine box, but did not leave immediately. He hesitated for a moment and suddenly asked, “Have you really made up your mind and don’t want to recognize your father right now?”
The remaining smile on Xuyu’s lips gradually disappeared, her eyes fell on the candlestick, and she did not answer.
After waiting for a while, Pei Xiaoyuan said, “This is Princess’s family affair. I am an outsider and even more so a subordinate. I have absolutely no intention of interfering. But there is one thing. Since Princess has met His Majesty today, it’s not easy to hide it anymore.”
Xuyu raised her eyes to look at him.
“I heard that His Majesty’s dragon body is not well. Princess must have seen it with your own eyes today. However, what’s more concerning is that, since a few months ago, His Majesty has refused to take the imperial physician’s medicine and has only used the elixir offered by the Taoists priests. I am not a doctor, but my uncle knows a little about medicine. I have heard him say before that such elixir are as fierce as tigers and wolves. They may relieve pain temporarily, but if taken for a long period of time, afraid…”
Xuyu’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
He paused, stood quietly for a moment, and spoke again.
“Princess, have a good rest. In a few days, you will have to come to the palace to paint for His Majesty. I won’t disturb you.
“I will find Zhao Zhongfang’s whereabout for Princess as soon as possible.”
He said this respectfully, then stepped out and gently closed the door for her.