Chapter 145 Part 2

 

An increasingly strong feeling of bitterness, like a gust of wind that rolled up the gauze curtain, instantly swept through Pei Xiaoyuan’s heart.

After hearing what the old palace eunuch said yesterday, a vague realization had begun to form in Pei Xiaoyuan’s mind. The emperor’s act of summoning him into the palace, only to later send him away, was perhaps no more than a pretense. In truth, it might have been a silent permission—or even a deliberate arrangement—to grant him a chance to get close to the princess.

However, this may also illustrate one more thing, that was, even the emperor knew that his daughter did not want to have too much involvement with him anymore.

She had taken the talisman representing his identity from him with her own hands. The other talisman, which he treasured more and therefore hid in secret, had now been lost along with Jinwuzhui.

Everything that belonged to him and was related to her had left him. Only Xiao Hu’er was left.

She knew that he wanted to see him, so she did not hesitate to send Xiao Hu’er to his side. She was very considerate and kind to him.

She seemed to be doing very well now, even better than he had imagined.

She was a regent princess with countless honors, with a beloved son in her arms and many loyal young and promising ministers around her. As long as she was willing, she could just move her finger and there would be countless young talents kneeling at her feet.

Perhaps, no longer disturbing her—quietly putting away the so-called feelings he had once wavered over and clung to—was the greatest kindness he could offer her.

At the center of the square, the master chanted the rites with a resounding voice, clear and sonorous like a great bell, yet not a single word reached Pei Xiaoyuan’s ears.

After the ritual was over, the master, the county magistrate of Chang’an, and a group of officials wanted to send the princess off. The people below the Zhenguo Tower saw the figure behind the purple gauze curtain slowly stand up, and suddenly, the crowd surged slightly and moved towards her.

“Long live the Princess! May you enjoy health and peace!”

Some people in the crowd began to shout out their hearts. The shouts were sporadic at first, but gradually, they rang out in succession.

She paused for a moment, and suddenly, still through the gauze curtain, she bowed properly to the people in front of the tower as a token of gratitude.

The cheers became louder and louder, like an overwhelming tidal wave, and the people knelt down in the direction of the purple curtain.

She did not stay any longer, and when she had finished saluting, she turned around and went downstairs to get into the waiting carriage to leave.

Suddenly, amidst the enthusiastic cheers of “Long Live the Princess”, other voices could be heard in several corners at the end of the square.

It was a group of dirty beggars, dozens of them, huddled in the crowd and singing ballads. Listening carefully, the lyric turned out to be “The monarch’s spirit is not right, the country is not at peace.” The nearby guards noticed something was wrong and immediately rushed over to investigate. But the beggars were as slippery as eels; they twisted around and scattered in all directions, deliberately diving into the densest parts of the crowd, pushing and shoving, creating chaos to cover their escape. At once, people began to fall to the ground, setting off waves of panic.

The people further away didn’t know what was happening. After a brief moment of confusion, they looked up and saw that the princess had disappeared from the tower. They hurried to leave the way they came, but the intersection ahead was already blocked and they couldn’t get out, while the people behind continued to press forward. The human wall began to sway like crashing waves. Some people began to shout for help, mixed with the heartbreaking cries of children crying for their mothers. The square became more and more chaotic, and even the numerous Jinwu Guards were unable to completely stabilize the order for a while.

Xuyu had already descended the Zhenguo Tower and was near the carriage. The chaos, like a tsunami, had quickly pushed to her side. One of the escort guards’ horses, spooked by the turmoil, suddenly threw its rider from the saddle and, in a wild panic, bolted—charging straight toward the princess.

By now, the magistrate of Chang’an and the others had been dispatched by the princess to escort the master conducting the ritual away and to manage the crowd. She herself remained where she was, standing still, her face turned toward the chaos spreading across the square. Worry clouded her expression, her brows slightly furrowed, and while she was hesitating about something, she failed to notice the approaching danger.

Pei Xiaoyuan had come behind her. Seeing this, his heart suddenly tightened. Without having time to think about anything, he stretched out his arms and violently pushed away several people who were still blocking his way in front of him, and rushed towards her like lightning.

Just when he was about to rush behind her, Lan Tai, who was closer to her, had already stood in front of her, hugged her around the waist, and moved aside swiftly with her.

Then, the rest of the guards followed closely and quickly subdued the frightened horse, averting the danger.

Pei Xiaoyuan stopped abruptly and watched Lan Tai gently let go of her waist.

She stood firmly on her feet, and then, as if she had made up her mind, she ordered Lan Tai to take the guards to help the magistrate maintain order.

At this time, some people nearby were frightened and turned around to squeeze into the gate of Zhenguo Tower, trying to go in and hide, but they were stopped outside by the guards. Then shout could be heard loudly.

“Let them in! Don’t stop them!”

She shouted at the guards, then turned around and ran in that direction.

Having served her for more than a year, Lan Tai understood her decision without her having to say anything.

She wanted to return to the Zhenguo Tower and show up to reassure people.

This could certainly useful, but—

“Princess! This is too dangerous! This minister will escort you back to the palace immediately, and leave this place to others!”

Lan Tai was unwilling to obey orders and tried his best to persuade her, however, it was obvious that he could not stop her.

She frowned, said nothing, lifted her skirt and ran towards the tall building.

“Lan Tai!”

Just when Lan Tai was anxious and hesitant, he suddenly heard a voice calling him from behind.

Pei Xiaoyuan gently put a crying little girl he had carried out of the crowd to a place with few people, then strode over and shouted, “You quickly escort the Princess back to the palace! Leave this to me!”

This voice instantly drowned out all the noise around and reached Xuyu’s ears.

She stopped running, paused, and slowly turned back.

Amid the countless people running around in panic in the center, the two people’s eyes met.

At that moment, he nodded slightly to her.

Lan Tai recovered from his surprise, immediately responded, and rushed towards the princess.

She no longer insisted. She allowed Lan Tai to rushed over, protected her, put her in the carriage, and closed the door.

Pei Xiaoyuan watched the carriage carrying her gradually drove away from the back of the Zhenguo Tower under the protection of Lan Tai and the guards. He closed his eyes and turned to look at the still chaotic situation in the square behind him. With his brows furrowed, he pondered for a moment. Suddenly, he looked up at the top of the tower, and then without hesitation, he went up the steps, quickly pushed away the crowd that was fleeing into the tower, and climbed up the stairs.

Without a moment’s pause, he left behind all those who were trying to climb the stairs with him for refuge, and quickly climbed to the top of the ninth floor alone and arrived in front of the bell pavilion.

The door was tightly locked. He drew his sword and, with a single strike, smashed the lock and broke in. Striding forward, he stopped before the colossal thousand-pound bell that hung silently beneath the bell pavilion. Grasping a massive suspended timber—thicker than a man’s waist—he summoned all his strength and pulled it back to its furthest limit, which usually required the simultaneous efforts of several people to control. Then, he hurled it forward, sending it crashing into the bell.

The great bell, struck by the immense force, trembled violently, causing even the beams of the pavilion to groan and shudder. A deafening, earth-shaking sound burst forth.

Ding—, ding—, ding—.

Thus, three bell sounds were heard in succession—like the roar of a dragon, like the bellow of an elephant—with each deafening sound spreading out from the bell tower wave after wave, spread in all directions. The force of it left Pei Xiaoyuan himself with blood surging, his chest tight and his ears ringing in pain.

Many officials who were busy working inside the palace walls stopped their work, panicked and confused, and rushed out of the government offices to ask each other what had happened; on the streets, passers-by stopped and merchant put down their loads, and the Jinwu guards who were patrolling in other directions and had not received the news here all mounted their horses and rushed towards the source of the sound; all the birds within a radius of several miles were startled and flew out of their nests. Around the Zhen’guo Tower, the sky darkened with a dense mass of birds, their shapes constantly shifting as they circled overhead, their incessant screeches filling the air — as if the end of days had arrived.

The thousands of people running around in panic in the square in front of the Zhenguo Tower suddenly quieted down. Everyone was shaken by the sudden sound of the bell above their heads. They were horrified and stood still, looking up at the sky. Many timid people turned pale, covered their ears, and fell to the ground on the spot.

The county magistrate of Chang’an was working alongside the Jinwu Guards’ officers at the scene, desperately trying to direct the crowd to disperse. He shouted until his voice was hoarse, but with such a mass of people, how could there be any immediate effect? In the chaos, he himself was knocked to the ground and struggled to his feet with the help of those around him, only to realize that one of his boots was missing. Seeing more and more people being trampled underfoot, he knew with dread that if this continued, a catastrophic stampede was inevitable. Just as fear seized him, the great bell’s toll shook the air, and instinctively, he and those nearby looked up—only to see a figure standing against the wind atop the bell tower, above the giant suspended bell. The figure called out loudly to the crowd below in the square: ” By order of the Princess: everyone stand still where you are! Do not panic, and absolutely no one is to move without instruction! Wait for orders and proceed in an orderly manner!”

His voice was clear and powerful, and along with the lingering sound of the bells, it was carried all around the square by the wind.

The bell stopped, and there was total silence everywhere; even the crying women and children fell silent.

“It’s Prince Consort! It’s Prince Consort who has returned!”

The county magistrate finally saw the young and resolute face clearly, and he was so overjoyed that he couldn’t help but shout loudly. Then, the Jinwu guards also recognized the man, followed suit and shouted, and climbed up to help maintain order.

“Everyone listens up! Follow the orders of Prince Consort!”

There was another buzz in the crowd, and then some people began to sob, but no one pushed or shoved anyone anymore.

A moment later, nearby guards also arrived and worked together to begin evacuating the people in the square.

Pei Xiaoyuan did not come down immediately. He still stood on the top of the bell pavilion, looking down, his eyes looking around like an eagle. Finally, after a moment, among the chaotic and tiny passers-by, he saw the shadows of several fleeing beggars he was looking for.

He jumped down from the bell pavilion, quickly went downstairs and chased after them.

As night fell, he finished his daytime work and returned to Yongning Mansion. After taking a bath, he casually lay down on the fragrant wooden bed, closed his eyes quietly, seemingly fallen asleep.

However, after just a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes, got up from the bed, grabbed his clothes and put them on hastily. Then, without any hesitation, he rode out the mansion, braved the night, and went to the palace.

He came to the palace gate where he was denied entry a few days ago. The gate guard tonight was the same one as last time, but this time, his attitude was completely different and he was extremely respectful.

“Please help me inform the Princess that I have urgent business and request an audience.

“Prince Consort may proceed at once. Last time it was this humble official who failed to recognize your esteemed presence. This humble official has offended greatly and beg your pardon.” The gate guard said hurriedly, and then ordered people to open the palace gates.

Pei Xiaoyuan paused for a moment before stepping inside.

He came to the Dongnuan Pavilion of Xuanzheng Hall, where he had not shown himself since the previous day, and came to a halt beneath the covered corridor that shielded from wind and rain.

There was still light coming through the window of the pavilion. Yang Zai’en was leading people and standing in the corridor outside the window with a slightly worried look on his face. Suddenly seeing him, he didn’t seem to be surprised at all. Instead, he hurried over to greet him. After paying his respects, he whispered, “Prince Consort come at the right time. The Princess was frightened during the day and is still working here alone. Please, Prince Consort, persuade her to go back and rest early?”

Pei Xiaoyuan walked through the covered corridor and entered.

She was sitting in front of folding screen painted with a winter scene of plum blossoms and snowy river landscapes, but she was not attending to memorials. The memorials were neatly stacked on the desk, looking already dealt with. She rested one elbow on the desk, propping her chin on her hand, sitting slightly slouched against the edge of the desk. There was a faint trace of weariness on her face, and her gaze was absentmindedly fixed on the flame of a white porcelain lamp placed on the desk, as if lost deep in thought.

When Pei Xiaoyuan silently stood by the latticed door and followed her gaze toward the lamp, a sudden sense of familiarity struck him. Then he remembered. This white porcelain lamp seemed to be the one she used in her residence when he first brought her back to Yongning Mansion.

He remembered that at that time, she was just a little court painter, dressed as a man, and almost drowned in the Qujiang River to save the two county princesses. He took her back home.

In an instant, the scene of her that night, wearing a loose home clothes and quietly wiping her long hair in front of the lamp after bathing, appeared in front of his eyes again with great clarity.

He stared at the person in front of him, and couldn’t help but feel a pain in his chest. He felt that the past was just a dream, a melancholy old dream with a hint of sweetness.

At this moment, she seemed to have noticed the movement outside the lattice door, and the soft shadow on the screen moved slightly.

“I got it. Don’t rush me anymore. I’ll be back to the palace soon!”

She probably thought he was a palace eunuch, so she said those things. She then put her arms away, sat up straight, and turned her delicate face towards his direction.

“If I don’t go back, Xiao Hu’er will probably start crying again, and He Amu and the others won’t be able to comfort him—”

She smiled with a soft sigh — a sigh tinged with complaint, yet also full of a certain sweetness. But suddenly, her gaze froze, falling on the face of the man standing in the shadow of the latticed door. The smile on her lips gradually faded away.

In that instant, a surge of hot blood rushed from Pei Xiaoyuan’s chest straight up to the crown of his head. The impact of it made him momentarily dizzy. He steadied himself, and after calming down, he walked slowly out of the shadow of the lattice door and stopped in front of her.

“This minister, Pei Xiaoyuan, has taken the liberty to enter the palace and seek audience with the Princess, and humbly inquires after the Princess’s well-being.”

He hesitated for a moment, but finally bowed his head to the quiet figure in front of him, performing the proper greeting.

After a moment’s silence, she moved again, then slowly stood up from behind the desk, took a step, and quietly walked past him.

The shadow of a skirt passed slowly in the corner of his eye.

She didn’t ask him to get up, ignoring him. Then just left him there.

“You haven’t knelt enough?”

Just as he was gripped by a deep feeling of dejection, he suddenly heard a clear voice behind him.

He looked back in confusion and saw her stop at the lattice door where he had just stood, and turned to look at him.

“Come with me, let’s go check on Xiao Hu’er first. If you have something else to talk to me about, it’s fine to talk later.”

She said this in a casual tone, walked out of the Dongnuan Pavilion, and led the way.

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