Chapter 110

The Forbidden Garden, with the palace wall in the south and the Wei River in the north, had been enclosed as a private garden for the imperial family since the Han Dynasty. In addition to the vast forests and grasslands that run through it, there were dozens of palaces, gardens, pavilions and towers for the emperor to relax and have fun, as well as Tianlong Stables for raising horses and the Animal Farm, where tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinos and other fierce beasts were raised.

Not only that, the office of Beifu Imperial Guards was also located here. Together with the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Court, one in the north and one in the south, they jointly protected the safety of the imperial palace and Chang’an.

Xianliu Palace was located on the highest plateau called Longjiyuan. Opposite it was Ningcui Lake. Several miles along the lake were a stretch of forest surrounding it. The location was secluded, and if you climb up to the highest tower, named after the princess’ old name, Zhanxing Tower, you could take in all the surrounding scenery. It could be said to be the best piece of land in the forbidden garden.

The next day, He shi, Yang Zai’en, Qingtou and others who were left behind in Yongning Mansion last night also arrived.

The newlywed princess and prince consort spent their days together in marital bliss, inseparable from dawn till dusk. In the first three days, they did not step outside the palace gates. It was only after a few days that they were finally seen venturing out, whether drifting across the emerald lake in a boat or riding horseback for leisure. Yet no matter where they went, prince consort was always by the princess’s side, never straying from her side. After a few more days, prince consort’s leave entered the second half, and Li Wanwan and Lu Wenjun were also brought over to join them.

With the arrival of the two county princesses and their entourage, the originally quiet place suddenly became lively. The county princesses spent their time swinging, gathering flowers, and playing games with grass stems. From morning till night, the air was filled with the soft chatter and laughter of girls.

Two days later, Prince Xin’an Li Hui, and Guo Guo’er also came.

The boys and girls were about 16 to 17 years old, gathered in this idyllic retreat—a paradise they had never visited before. Their aunt was gentle and kind, always accommodating their requests, so laughter filled the air each day. Even Lu Wenjun, who had been melancholy and withdrawn, gradually began to show traces of a smile.

This was precisely Xuyu’s original intention to invite them all to stay here, to help Lu Wenjun relax and lift her spirits. That day, when Li Wanwan once again brought up the idea of hunting, she had barely finished speaking before all eyes turned eagerly toward Xuyu. It was clear they had conspired together, pushing Li Wanwan forward to make the request on their behalf. Realizing that they only had a few days left before returning to the city, Xuyu discussed it briefly with Pei Xiaoyuan. He readily agreed, and so she gave her consent.

Lu Wenjun’s father held an official post in the Secretariat, while his cousin Lu Jingchen served as the general of the Beifu Imperial Guard. Lately, sensing an unusual shift in the political climate at court and aware that his own son lacked acuity—only knew how to eat, drink, play and carousing with other young nobles in the guards—he grew concerned that if Lu Wenzhong remained there, trouble would be inevitable. After discussing the matter with the grand princess, he had Lu Wenzhong reassigned to the Tianlong Stables within the Forbidden Garden, placing him under the supervision of a subordinate officer from the Court of Imperial Equerries. He also instructed Lu Jingchen, who was stationed nearby, to keep an eye on him, hoping the experience would temper his son’s reckless nature.

Lu Wenzhong’s father was from a powerful noble family, and his mother was none other than the grand princess. Within the guards, his character was a bit domineering that when he went out, even cats and dogs had to give way to him. Suddenly, his status changed drastically, and he was forced to tend horses in the forbidden garden. It was almost like being locked up in there, deprived of his freedom, so he was naturally unhappy. When he heard that his sister and the others were invited by their aunt princess aunt for a retreat, he was very envious. Upon learning that they were going on a hunt, he hurriedly selected a few fine horses and personally delivered them, seizing the opportunity to join the hunting party himself.

The next morning, the sky was clear and the air was crisp, and Xuyu and Pei Xiaoyuan led the group on their outing. Apart from Li Wanwan and her brother Li Hui, as well as the Lu siblings, they were naturally accompanied by an entourage of guards, eunuchs, and maidservants. A grand procession of several dozen riders, all clad in splendid attire and mounted on fine steeds, moved along the lakeside path toward the hunting grounds. Suddenly, a palace servant came from behind to report that Prince Kang had arrived.

Xuyu and Pei Xiaoyuan looked at each other and led the crowd to stop their horses.

Prince Kang was also dressed in riding and archery outfit today, silver garments atop a white steed, his features sharp and dashing. Accompanied by a few guards and eunuchs, he spurred his horse forward at full gallop, swiftly dismounting upon reaching them. He saluted them both before greeting them warmly as “Sister” and “Brother-in-law”, saying that he had wanted to visit them for days but had refrained from intruding. Upon hearing that they were going on a hunt with Prince Xin’an and the others, he decided to invite himself along, hoping to join the excursion.

“Since Sister returned to the court, I have been looking forward to being closer to you. Sister is now married, and my brother-in-law is someone I have always respected. Today is rare to come by, so I beg Sister and Brother-in-law to take me with you, okay?”

Although Prince Kang and the sibling of Prince Ning Mansion did not have frequent contact in the past, he and Li Hui had studied together in the palace when they were young. As for the Lu’s brother and sister, before the Qujiang Lake shipwreck accident, their relationship was even closer.

While he was speaking, Li Wanwan and Li Hui had already dismounted and saluted.

Lu Wenzhong also brought his sister Lu Wenjun to pay respect to Prince Kang. Lu Wenjun must still be resentful because of that shipwreck incident—her attitude was indifferent. Although she saluted according to etiquette, she did not even look at Prince Kang. Prince Kang seemed to not mind, and only looked at Xuyu with eager eyes.

Prince Kang suddenly arrived and asked to joining in. No matter what they thought privately, this action itself, apart from being a bit presumptuous, was not that inappropriate.

It was still unknown what the future would be like, but now, Prince Kang was still her father’s son, her younger brother. Even if she didn’t want to give Prince Kang face, she couldn’t refuse directly for the sake of her father.

She said fine.

Prince Kang showed a look of delight, saluted Xuyu and Pei Xiaoyuan again, and then mounted his horse.

It was the season when the grass was lush and the rabbits were fat. The group passed through a nearby forest and came to a hunting ground with a flat terrain.

This was the place Pei Xiaoyuan personally scouted in advance yesterday, and the purpose was naturally to ensure the safety of the two noble ladies who were brought out for fun today. Xuyu was not very interested in hunting, and did not intend to participate, planning to just watched from the sidelines. Pei Xiaoyuan ordered the guards to herd small prey, such as hares and pheasants, toward the center, where the two county princesses took turns shooting, each accompanied by Li Hui and Lu Wenzhong. After playing for half a day, the two shot dozens of arrows each and managed to claim their fair share of game. Li Wanwan, having practiced archery at home, displayed considerable skill, successfully hitting many of the pheasants and hares that strayed close. Lu Wenjun’s archery skills were not as good as hers, and she only shot two pheasants that were too fat and could not run fast, but she was also satisfied and very happy.

Past midday, the autumn sun grew scorching, and the hunting grounds, offering no shelter, became uncomfortably warm. The two county princesses, feeling hot and weary, soon grew hungry. Pei Xiaoyuan ordered the guards to withdraw, and the group made their way back to the tents that were set up near the edge of the forest to rest. Inside the purple tent in the center, surrounded by attending maids, the two county princesses sat on either side of Xuyu, sipping mild, sweet fermented milk wine and nibbling on refreshments. They chatted and laughed, clearly in high spirits.

Pei Xiaoyuan waited under the shade of a nearby tree. The wind occasionally brought the faint laughter of her and the two girls inside the tent. He waited patiently. At last, the two county princesses, accompanied by their maids, left for their own tent to rest.

Stepping into the purple tent, he dismissed the remaining attendants. Loosening the belt that had bound him for most of the day, he tugged open his collar. Then, without a word, he pulled Xuyu into his arms, drawing her down with him onto the plush carpet embroidered with an interwoven motif of twin deer and pearl garlands.

She heard him sigh softly, then closed his eyes and lay motionless.

Xuyu stuffed a small pillow filled with dried honeysuckle and chrysanthemum petals under his neck. He lay on it. She then found a more comfortable position in his arms, leaned over and asked him: “What’s wrong? Are you tired?”

At first he didn’t respond. After a while, just when Xuyu thought he was really tired and wanted to sleep, she heard him mutter, “When will they go home?”

She was startled to see him open his eyes and turn towards her. His lips quickly touched her ear and whispered in a very low voice, “Don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I don’t want to keep them around, but the vacation that your father granted me is about to end. There are only a few days left.”

After she brought the two county princesses here, she inevitably spent less time with him. In the past few days, she didn’t see him have much reaction, so she thought he didn’t care. It turned out that he just didn’t mention it.

She couldn’t help laughing secretly, and then whispered back: “I have already told them. I will send them back tomorrow morning.”

He should have breathed a sigh of relief, and then, his arms stretched out to embrace her, pressing her down on the pillow. But when he lowered his head to kiss her, Yang Zai’en’ voice came from outside the tent: “Princess, Prince Kang asks to see you.”

Prince Kang entered the tent. Once Pei Xiaoyuan had stepped outside, he was no longer reserved to Xuyu. First, he flattered her with pleasant words, then mentioned that he had recently acquired several rare treasures, which he had already sent to Yongning Mansion before coming here, hoping she would accept them. At last, he subtly revealed the true purpose of his visit. It turned out that he wanted to find out the truth about the emperor’s attitude towards the rumor currently stirring heated discussion among the court ministers, which was the crown prince assassinating prince consort. Xuyu claimed she knew nothing. Undeterred, Prince Kang pressed on. He confided that, according to his knowledge, Empress Zhaode’s disappearance all those years ago had been shrouded in mystery, and there was a strong possibility that no remains had ever been recovered. Her grand mausoleum was nothing but just a cenotaph. The culprit for all this should be Empress Liu and the people of the Liu family.

“As long as Sister is willing to lend me a helping hand, I will swear to heaven that in the future, I will not only avenge Sister and Empress Zhaode, but I will also treat Sister as my dearest and most precious person and ensure that Sister lives a life of glory!”

Prince Kang made a solemn vow.

After Pei Xiaoyuan came out, he still stopped under the shade of the tree where he previously stood. At this time, the two county princesses, Li Hui and others were all resting in their own tents. Except for the sound of the afternoon wind blowing through the forest, everything was quiet.

Suddenly, his sight was attracted by the shadow of an eagle hovering in the sky. The eagle was flying very high, and if one didn’t pay attention, it would look like an ordinary bird in the sky. He looked up for a moment, then closed his eyes, waved to the guards, ordered them to keep watch, and turned around and walked towards the forests. When he came to a weed-covered wild path a dozen feet away, he stopped and stood still for a moment. Finally, he slowly turned his head and cast his eyes to a corner behind a clump of trees. Lowering his voice, he shouted softly: “Come out! Why are you still hiding!”

As soon as he finished speaking, sure enough, a handsome smiling face popped out from behind the corner.

Chengping walked towards him and sighed, “I was worried the eagle might give away my whereabouts if it stayed too close to me, so I deliberately sent it off. But I didn’t expect you to find out anyway.”

“Why are you here?” Pei Xiaoyuan asked.

Chengping raised his eyebrows: “Pei Er, you don’t think that there are no brothers of mine in the Beifu, do you? How difficult is it to ask them to grant me a passage?”

“I’m asking you, what’s your purpose in sneaking here?”

Pei Xiaoyuan frowned, correcting his deliberately evasive answer.

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