Chapter 75

 

Xuyu arrived with the carriage and quietly checked into Yiyue Tower immediately.

This was the tallest building in Cangshan Palace and was an annex to Qingrong Palace. The structures on either side were connected by a suspended corridor, with painted beams and soaring eaves, vermillion columns, and intricately carved rafters. Inside, the floors were covered with lustrous silk, and curtains made of pearl beads adorned the space. The meticulous craftsmanship and opulent decorations within required no further elaboration.

This was also her last night as Ye Xuyu.

When the night was over, she would appear in front everyone again, but her identity would be different. She would be Princess Shouchang, Li Hao’er.

This matter was handled secretly by Zhao Zhongfang and Minister of Imperial Clan. The clothes and crown she would wear tomorrow morning were now quietly hanging in her bedroom. They were shone brightly under the light of a nine-branch gilded lamp nearby.

The second watch was about to start. Xuyu had just come out from the bath, and didn’t feel sleepy at all. She casually covered herself and walked through the faintly scented bedroom. She lifted the curtain and pushed the door open, walked to the terrace, and looked ahead.

The bright moon hung on the roof, so close that she could pick it if she raised her hand.

Under the winding and undulating mountaintops that were like dragon ridges and could not be illuminated by the moonlight, the night had completely enveloped this summer resort mountain that looked lush and beautiful during the day. However, below the halfway point of the mountain, the lights had grown brilliantly radiant. From her vantage point atop the high tower, gazing downward, the mountain’s base appeared alive with serpentine trails of fire, like dragons in motion. Interspersed among them, the flickering torches and blazing courtyard lamps resembled countless stars, casually scattered upon the mortal world by celestial beings in a moment of whimsy.

Her father told her to go to bed early and get up early tomorrow. However, tonight might be destined to be a sleepless night for her.

In the dream, her mother always told her not to come back. But she came back, and tomorrow, she would become the person her mother didn’t want her to be. If she knew, would she be at peace?

And there was also Grandpa. After they parted, there was no news from him. Where did he go? When wandering outside, could he have warm porridge to eat when hungry, or have a roof over his head when it rains?

What would he think if he knew her decision?

In the cool night breeze, her mind was full of thoughts, and finally, it returned to the “chat” between the emperor and Qingtou during the day.

Her father had never been at ease with him. Xuyu had known this for a long time. Those words spoken in her presence were laden with intent, and how could she fail to grasp her father’s thoughts?

And what about him?

She couldn’t help but think of what happened a few days ago.

He brought her out of the Fan family villa, and they stayed overnight at the old man’s house in Xishan. Then came the eventful night of the Yulan Festival. Several days passed, until this night. At this moment, Xuyu suddenly felt a little unable to contain herself.

Even if it weren’t for the various random thoughts that had been lingering in her mind these days, even if it was simply because of the care he had given her, she felt that she should say goodbye to him.

As Ye Xuyu, say goodbye to him tonight.

She returned to the boudoir, then went downstairs and walked out through a side door, already attired in her normal clothes.

At this moment, the surroundings of Qingrong Palace and the nearby palaces had fallen completely silent, with all unrelated personnel cleared from the area. Tonight and every night to follow, in addition to the 120 regular guards around Qingrong Palace, there an unknown number of covert watchmen, forming an impenetrable night defense.

Pei Xiaoyuan was not here.

Xuyu left the palace and met Liu Bo who was on night duty outside. Liu Bo told her that Master Pei had gone to Zhuque Terrace.

Tomorrow morning, on a vast plain at the foot of the mountains several miles south of the summer palace, a grand military drill would take place beneath Zhuque Terrace. Two thousand soldiers from the various divisions of the capital region had gathered at Cangshan several days earlier. Following the battle formation music performance, His Majesty the Emperor would personally review and inspect the troops in the southern reaches of Cangshan.

Tonight, after arranging matters at Qingrong Palace, Han Kerang had hurried over to Zhuque Terrace. There, he joined the Ministry of War and the leaders of the various military divisions to finalize and coordinate the arrangements for the grand drill.

Accompanied by Zhang Dunyi and two other guards he led, Xuyu followed the path towards Zhuque Terrace. After walking for a few miles and passing a ridge that looked like a mountain gate, the view in front of them suddenly opened up.

Tonight, countless tents were set up behind this ridge. The barracks were filled with soldiers who were going to participate in the military drill tomorrow. Fire sticks were burning everywhere. It looked like all the troops had just finished the last round of integrated training and were leaving the field to return to the camp. The officers roared at the top of their lungs, the soldiers responded majestically, and the horses galloped back and forth on the field… The atmosphere was tense and serious, but also full of excitement and enthusiasm.

The venue was very large, with people and horses running all over the place, it was dark and chaotic. Xuyu looked around for a while, and finally saw him after a while.

He, Han Kerang, and other general-looking men stood at a place not far from the Zhuque Terrace. Han Kerang waved his sword and pointed forward and to the left and right, as if he was discussing the route for tomorrow’s military parade. He stood behind the crowd, his figure mostly hidden in a corner where the firesticks could not illuminate, and was not conspicuous.

At this time, several soldiers who had just disbanded came towards them, chatting as they walked.

“Everyone is saying that before tomorrow’s military drill, His Majesty has something important to announce. Do you know what it is?” asked one of them.

“I don’t know! I was just about to ask!” another soldier replied.

“I asked the general, but he didn’t know either!” another person said.

“What’s going on?” Their comrade became even more curious.

“Who knows? Forget it, forget it. Matters up there—if even the ministers and generals doesn’t know, how could we possibly know? We will know everything tomorrow morning!”

The soldiers walked past her. She didn’t step forward immediately but instead waited patiently in a shadowed, quieter corner where the lights didn’t reach. After a while, Moments later, Han Kerang finished speaking, seemingly dismissing the group. The officers and soldiers gradually dispersed in pairs or small groups, heading off in different directions. Xuyu saw him exchange a few more words with Pei Xiaoyuan, most likely about the arrangements for tomorrow’s events. Finally, he patted his arm, probably telling him to go back and rest, and then he left.

All the people near Zhuque Terrace dispersed, leaving only him.

Xuyu was about to walk towards him when she suddenly saw him turn around and head north.

He left the camp, went around the ridge, turned onto a small path, and came to the nearby waterside called Qinglong River.

There were still many soldiers by the river, some bathing shirtless, some washing their horses, laughing and joking. Many people saw him and greeted him, and he responded as usual. In this way, they walked along the river and headed north.

At first Xuyu thought that he was also going for a night bath, or wanted to find a place upstream with fewer people, but gradually, her intuition told her that this was not the case.

As they got farther and farther away from the camp, there were fewer and fewer people by the river. He walked slowly and steadily. Xuyu then turned to Zhang Dunyi and said that she and Pei Xiaoyuan had an appointment to meet at the front tonight, and she was going to keep the appointment now, so she asked him to wait there and not to follow.

Zhang Dunyi was obviously reluctant, but after she repeated it in an imperative tone, he had no choice but to obey and stop.

Xuyu continued to follow from a distance. By now, the waterside was completely deserted. The mountain moon hung high, casting its light over the rippling surface, which shimmered with silvery radiance. She saw him suddenly stop, standing still for a brief moment as if lost in thought. Then, he stepped forward again, but in the blink of an eye, he vanished—gone, as if he had disappeared into thin air.

Xuyu ran to the place where he had just stopped, and found that in front of her was a field covered with weeds, and beyond that was a wild forest.

She went down the slope and searched around for a long time, but found no one. After thinking for a while, she was about to give up and turn back, when suddenly two figures came out from behind a cluster of trees in front of her.

The distance was quite far, and the moonlight by the forest was faint and shallow, so she couldn’t see the man’s face clearly. But based on his figure and the rough impression he left on her when he turned his head, she still recognized him. It was He Jin from Ganliang.

What a coincidence! Qingtou had just mentioned him during the day, and she saw him here tonight.

He should be in Ganliang or the Eastern Capital, not in Cangshan.

Almost as a subconscious reaction, she immediately crouched down and hid herself in a nearby patch of dense weeds.

Pei Xiaoyuan and He Jin seemed to have finished their meeting, and soon parted ways. Through the gaps in the grass, Xuyu saw He Jin turned around and leave, quickly hiding in the wild woods. Pei Xiaoyuan stood there for a moment, then took a step, and soon, he also walked past her not far away, returned to the Cangshan camp, and disappeared.

Both of them left, leaving only Xuyu.

Amid the constant rustling of the wind through the nearby grassy fields, she could only feel her palms sweating and her heart beating wildly.

She didn’t know why, but this unexpected discovery tonight, perhaps because she saw it with her own eyes, seemed to make her even more uneasy than when she learned from her sister on the night of the Yulan Festival that he had gone to see Li Yan.

After being stunned for a long time, she finally came back to her senses, suppressed her increasingly confused emotions, and wanted to go back first.

As soon as she moved, she suddenly felt one of her shoulders sink as if a heavy and hard iron object was pressing on it.

Almost at the same time, a chill ran through her neck.

It was a sword, silently and swiftly appeared from behind her, pressing against the warmth of her neck. Out of the corner of her eye, she could already see a cold light shining dimly on the blade reflecting the moonlight.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly stood up from the dark bush where she was hiding. She slowly turned around and looked at the man behind her who was holding the sword to her neck.

Her eyes met the other person’s pair of eyes. A strange light flashed across his dark pupils. The hand holding the sword paused, then withdrew the sword from her neck and quickly sheathed it.

At this time, He Jin, who had just disappeared in the woods, also came back and ran towards this side at a high speed.

“Miss Ye! How could it be you?”

When he got closer, he recognized her and called out in shock. Then he stopped abruptly and stood between Pei Xiaoyuan and Xuyu.

Xuyu remained silent. At first, Pei Xiaoyuan said nothing either. He Jin’s gaze lingered on Xu Yu, shifting back and forth, his expression uncertain. Finally, he looked at Pei Xiaoyuan and called him tentatively.

“Master?”

“Nothing. Left her to me. Go ahead.”

Pei Xiaoyuan said in a calm tone.

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