Chapter 19: Red Plum Blossoms
“Imperial Brother, please don’t abandon me.”
Li Youqing’s fingertips tightened around her handkerchief, her small face instantly losing all color.
Was this sentence a test?
If he had discovered her true identity, would the next step be to offer her to Zhenbei Wang?
Biting her lip in silence, she stared blankly at the tips of her feet.
As her mood sank, the atmosphere between them grew heavy once more.
The carriage had already passed through the city gates, racing toward the Bai Family Villa. The road was terribly bumpy, and in her distracted state, she nearly tumbled forward.
Xuan Rui steadied her arm, his voice low: “Sit properly.””
“General…” Seeing his expression remain normal, Li Youqing felt slightly astonished.
Could it be that she had been overthinking things again?
The phrase ‘a guilty conscience’ echoed in her mind, bubbling with bitterness. Li Youqing lowered her gaze to his hand, recalling the fierce strength he had displayed when killing.
The hand supporting her arm felt like an iron clamp, hot and burning.
Noticing her pale complexion, Xuan Rui assumed she was distressed about the Third Princess’s death and said bluntly: “Actually, the Third Princess’s death is suspicious. Her face was too badly damaged for identification at the time. The Prince suspects deception and has already ordered a thorough investigation.”
“Suspicious death?” Li Youqing paused slightly, then lowered her eyes and said indifferently: “Zhenbei Wang seems quite concerned about the Third Princess. What is there left to investigate when she’s already dead?”
Xuan Rui had heard rumors about the Third Princess’s background, but since it involved private matters, he dropped the subject.
Her detached tone suggested she wasn’t particularly close to the Third Princess.
As the carriage gradually stabilized, Xuan Rui released her arm, and they both settled into their seats properly.
After pondering for a moment, Li Youqing looked up with pleading eyes: “General, when we reach the villa, could you please inform Bai Gugu about the Third Princess’s death first? Otherwise, I’m afraid when she brings up past matters with me, I won’t know how to respond.”
Having said this, she dejectedly lowered her head.
After a long pause, the man’s voice came from above her: “Alright.”
~
The Bai family was among Rou Lan’s top merchant households, possessing valuable properties in every city.
Backed by the powerful support of Zhenbei Wang, their business operations flowed smoothly throughout the northwest region, their influence growing increasingly vast.
As a woman, Bai Yao’er originally had no qualifications to participate in family business affairs. Destined to be a bargaining chip for political marriage, she was expected to marry when she came of age.
But at eighteen, being selected by Zhenbei Wang to be sent to the Great Liang Imperial Palace to teach dance to the princesses became the crucial turning point in her life.
When she returned to Rou Lan five years later, she had become Zhenbei Wang’s trusted confidant, tasked with managing nearly twenty intelligence agencies in Wu City. She now held significant status and voice within her family as well.
This Central Plains-style villa was her personal property, many of its decorations being rewards she brought back from the Great Liang Imperial Palace, all seemingly well-preserved.
The guards at the entrance had already been incapacitated in advance. The villa stood silent, not a sound to be heard.
Remembering what happened at the dance studio, Li Youqing quickened her pace to catch up with him, asking somewhat fearfully: “General, are we going to kill people again?”
Xuan Rui glanced at her, his gaze firm: “No.”
He had already taken care of everything earlier.
~
Li Youqing watched him enter to find Bai Yao’er, while she waited in the outer chamber.
Beside him stood several of his subordinates and An Shiyi. Li Youqing kept her head lowered, well aware they weren’t actually looking at her, yet she felt as if sitting on pins and needles.
The room was filled with the elegant fragrance of jasmine, the familiar scent of Changxin Palace.
This calming floral aroma gradually relaxed her, allowing her to sink into memories before the meeting.
Bai Yao’er had entered the palace at eighteen, residing as a guest in the Empress’s Changxin Palace while serving as the instructing matron teaching dance.
Though young and beautiful, she always conducted herself with propriety and restraint. Aside from teaching the princess dance, she would remain obediently within her own courtyard, rarely showing her face.
Although Emperor Jian declared all subjects of the territories to be citizens of Daliang, women of foreign tribes faced severe discrimination within the imperial city. Particularly in the inner palace, Rou Lan dancers held even lower status than ordinary palace maids.
Li Youqing suddenly recalled the old incident that nearly led the Empress to order Bai Yao’er’s execution.
Three years ago on a snowy night, draped in a thick white fox fur cloak and wearing the fashionable Lotus Blossom Hairpin Crown, she was preparing to cross the bamboo grove alone once more to deliver eighteenth birthday gifts to the Crown Prince at the East Palace.
With the Father Emperor’s health requiring tranquility, no celebrations were permitted in the palace. Thus, the Crown Prince’s birthday was only marked by a family banquet at the East Palace, inviting a few younger siblings to gather.
Mindful of recent conflicts between the Crown Prince and her maternal grandfather’s family, where both factions were locked in intense power struggles—even The Eldest Princess had hinted she should avoid the East Palace to prevent putting the Crown Prince in a difficult position—Li Youqing deliberately waited until deep night when the banquet had concluded before stealthily going to offer congratulations.
Only a small bamboo grove separated Liu Chang Hall from the East Palace—a path she had taken for years, one she could traverse blindfolded.
Yet that day, the grove was buried under heavy snow. With each step, her deerskin boots sank deeply, leaving her breathless from exhaustion in no time.
Li Youqing decided to crouch and rest momentarily. Being petite, her figure was perfectly concealed by a cluster of emerald bamboo.
Just then, she heard Bai Yao’er’s urgent voice from nearby: “Your Highness, Your Highness, where are you going? You mustn’t—”
To avoid attention, Li Youqing hadn’t brought a lantern. But tonight, the piercing moonlight cast a cold clarity, illuminating the snowy scene vividly.
Through the concealed bamboo, she saw Li Jing stumbling into the grove from the direction of the East Palace, his steps and crown both in disarray.
Like an immortal straying into the mortal realm, Li Youqing was initially mesmerized, but soon noticed the unnatural flush on his face.
She felt astonished—her elder brother the Crown Prince had always been restrained. Even if he had drunk an extra cup or two in celebration tonight, he shouldn’t have been so unrestrained.
As she was about to step out to support him, the scene suddenly turned intimate.
Bai Yao’er’s silk brocade vest and overdress were torn open, and she was pinned against two parallel bamboo poles, crying out in pain.
The Crown Prince’s spine, usually straight as cold mountain bamboo, arched—
Li Youqing covered her eyes, afraid to witness such a scene.
She had always believed no one was more detached and self-possessed in matters of passion than the Crown Prince.
Since the Empress moved to Chengqian Palace to attend to the ill Emperor, Li Youqing would slip to the East Palace every night, witnessing the Crown Prince reviewing memorials tirelessly until dawn, never indulging in romantic affairs.
Moreover, with the Father Emperor’s health continuously failing, all princes in the palace maintained fearful silence. No one would choose such a time for licentious behavior.
Just as she considered slipping away unnoticed, she heard Bai Yao’er let out a mournful cry.
Li Youqing instinctively turned around and saw a woman lying disheveled on the snow, her exposed thigh cut by a bamboo stump, blood trickling down and dripping onto the accumulated snow.
The Crown Prince’s refined features were frosty as he stared coldly at the woman sprawled on the ground, his voice resolute: “Get lost!”
“Your Highness—” Her unfinished words were choked in her throat by his sharp glare.
Seeing the deepening flush on the Crown Prince’s face, Li Youqing realized the situation was unusual.
Just then, Zhang Heng arrived with two personal eunuchs carrying lanterns. Upon seeing the bloodstains on Bai Yao’er’s clothes and the scattered crimson spots on the snow that hadn’t yet faded, they all wore expressions as if they’d seen a ghost.
The two eunuchs stepped forward to support the Crown Prince, while Zhang Heng helplessly removed his outer robe to cover Bai Yao’er, then lifted her over his shoulder and quickly headed back.
The bamboo grove returned to tranquility, leaving Li Youqing collapsing weakly onto the snow.
Who would dare be so bold as to drug the Crown Prince—
Remembering her Imperial Brother’s disheveled state moments earlier, Li Youqing felt a sour tightness in her chest. Struggling to stand upright, she didn’t even notice her hair crown had fallen to the ground.
Snowflakes drifted from the sky, leaving only faint traces where they had been standing.
The scattered crimson spots were soon covered. Taking a deep breath, Li Youqing resolutely continued toward the East Palace.
She remained hidden in the shadows, watching as the Empress hurried over, followed by nearly the entire Imperial Hospital staff.
Soon, someone was carried out wrapped in a straw mat.
Li Youqing’s palm still tightly clutched the birthday gift for the Crown Prince. Though wrapped in thick fox fur, her eyelashes were already frosted with ice, and the tip of her nose was red from cold.
With the Sima Family now dominating the court and viewing her Imperial Brother as a thorn in their side, regardless of whether her mother was ultimately implicated in this incident, she knew she couldn’t escape unscathed.
Through the heavy snowfall, she waited in the bamboo grove for a full hour until she saw the Empress’s phoenix carriage depart. Moving her long-frozen legs, she quietly slipped into the East Palace to check on the Crown Prince.
For eight years, the side gate of the East Palace facing the bamboo grove had never been locked.
Reaching the bedchamber, the eunuch on duty showed no surprise at her appearance, whispering: “His Highness drank too much at the banquet. The imperial physicians performed acupuncture, saying his vigorous energy and blood might prevent restful sleep.”
Li Youqing circled around the screen to find her Imperial Brother sitting at his desk, staring blankly at the piled memorials.
After bathing and changing clothes, the flush had faded from his face. His usually gentle eyes now held cold mockery, his thin lips pressed tightly together.
Seeing her appear, Li Jing suddenly stood up, his gaze filled with astonishment.
“Imperial Brother—” The look in his eyes pierced Li Youqing’s heart, making her hesitate to approach further.
Her small hands, red from cold, lifted to place the jade button she’d been clutching all night on the table. After wishing him “Happy birthday,” she turned to leave.
Only then did Li Jing snap out of it, calling her back before summoning palace maids to bring warm water for her to wash her hands and face.
Seeing her Imperial Brother treat her as usual, Li Youqing gradually relaxed and insisted on staying to sleep there that night.
Under the glow of the luminous pearls, all the furnishings in the bedchamber seemed haloed in light.
The modest gentleman, bright as the moon.
The Crown Prince who respected the worthy, humble and benevolent, had always been the bright moon hanging high over the Great Liang Imperial Palace.
The faint scent of sandalwood mingled with traces of wine, while the warm goose-down quilt felt light and cozy over her. Watching the Crown Prince’s weary figure bent over his desk, she couldn’t help but ask, “Does Imperial Brother like the gift I gave him?”
Hearing her voice, Li Jing rose and approached the bedside, fastening the jade toggle she had gifted him to his waist with his own hands.
A satisfied smile spread across Li Youqing’s face as she wriggled out from under the covers, making as if to throw herself into his arms.
The Crown Prince’s expression stiffened, and he bundled her back into the quilt. “A young lady of fifteen should no longer behave this way.”
Li Youqing agreed reluctantly, her voice tinged with concern. “Imperial Brother, aren’t you going to sleep yet?”
Li Jing tucked the quilt securely around her, his tone gentle. “There are still many memorials left to review. You sleep first, little sister.”
“But Her Majesty has been staying at Chengqian Palace every night lately. I feel so lonely all by myself.” Her expression downcast, she grabbed Li Jing’s hand and pleaded, “Imperial Brother, please don’t neglect me.”
“What’s this? Has that Jin Cheng fellow not been visiting often enough, leaving my imperial sister bored?” The Crown Prince sat down at the edge of the bed, his fingers unconsciously tracing the jade toggle at his waist.
As the sun warms the fields of Lantian, jade breathes mist. The palace overflowed with jade, agate, and sycophants, yet only his imperial sister truly understood every one of his preferences.
When no reply came after a long moment, he glanced down to find the little princess already asleep. He paused briefly in surprise before rising to draw the bed curtains closed.