Chapter 68: Thoughts

Chapter 68: Thoughts

On the day of departure to Pingcheng, the weather was clear with light clouds.

The Imperial Guard led the way, with the Emperor in his six-horse carriage at the forefront, followed by the carriages of the consorts, princes, and high officials, all setting off grandly from the Zhengyang Gate.

Despite the streets being cleared by the Prefect of Jingzhao, citizens of the capital still peeked through their windows and door cracks, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Emperor's face – a memory to treasure for the rest of their lives.

Pingcheng, located northwest of the capital, was just over three hundred miles away. By fast horse on the official road, it would take roughly six hours.

However, the imperial procession could not travel that swiftly. With stops along the way, it took more than a day before Jiang Hui, assisted by several palace maids, alighted from her carriage and settled into the Pingcheng temporary palace.

The temporary palace was not like the imperial city, lacking numerous individual palaces for residence. Jiang Hui shared the ideally situated Wenshen Pavilion and Yilan Xuan with the Empress, while Consort He, Consort Li, and the selected maids stayed in another courtyard named Qingquan Residence.

The Emperor was busy meeting with officials from Pingcheng, and the Empress was in no hurry to summon the consorts. She sent palace maids to suggest everyone rest for now and pay respects the next day.

Shan Zha, accompanied by two palace maids from the temporary palace, brought meals. After meticulous inspection by Hong Ying, the dishes were served on the Eight Immortals table for Jiang Hui's lunch.

For this autumn hunt, Jiang Hui left Wan Song, Shiliu, Hong Yu, and Feng Shi in the palace. Given the potential desperate measures by the Marquis of Cheng'en and Prince Jin, Nian'er's safety was still at risk.

Even though many assigned to guard Nian'er were skilled in martial arts, Jiang Hui couldn't afford to be complacent.

In Pingcheng, it was essential to have Hong Ying by her side. Without the small kitchen of Yaohua Palace, there was no telling if someone might resort to poisoning in a last-ditch effort.

Although the Emperor appeared confident in ensuring everyone's safety, being caught off guard could be too late for the imperial physicians.

After dinner and cleansing her hands, Qiu Kui hurried in and quietly reported to Jiang Hui.

"My lady, as per your instructions, I checked the stables. Most are from Pingcheng, and tampering with the horse feed or horseshoes would be quite easy."

"Since Prince Jin feels the Emperor has noticed something, the Night Jade Lion he personally presented won't be where he strikes," Jiang Hui said slowly.

"Does that mean Prince Jin won't target that horse anymore?" Qiu Kui asked.

"No, he still will. Seeing through a trap often lowers one's guard, and wouldn't it be better for His Majesty to think the threat lies there?" Jiang Hui spoke calmly, "It's just a matter now of who outmaneuvers whom."

"I understand," Qiu Kui said softly.

Jiang Hui nodded slightly and added, "Is everything arranged at Pulo Temple?"

If Prince Jin failed, the lay Buddhist at Pulo Temple, knowing the secret of the witchcraft, couldn't be spared despite the lack of concrete evidence; Jiang Hui couldn't leave any loose ends.

"It's arranged," Qiu Kui's voice grew even softer, "The personal soldiers left by the lord in the residence have taken action, leaving no survivors."

"Good," Jiang Hui nodded, "Go have your meal with Shan Zha and rest early. There's a drama to unfold tomorrow."

Weary from the journey, Jiang Hui retired early in Wenshen Pavilion, while Qingquan Residence was bustling with activity.

Consort He, chatting joyously with the Selected Attendant inside the room, filled the entire courtyard with her laughter.

Yinzhu closed both layers of curtains and the windows, instructing two junior maids from the travel palace to guard the door, then returned to Lady Li's side, expressing concern, "My lady, I don’t know what Consort He and the Selected Attendant are up to with such noise. How can you rest well?"

"Let them be," Lady Li replied absently, gently pressing her hand on her abdomen, her slender eyebrows deeply furrowed.

"Are you hesitating?" Yinzhu glanced at Lady Li's expression and asked unexpectedly.

But Lady Li wasn’t surprised; she met Yinzhu's gaze and softly said, "Yinzhu, I’m not hesitating. At the Mid-Autumn banquet, His Majesty wouldn’t have mentioned Prince Qi for no reason. He might have sensed something from the affair with the eldest prince."

"There's no other way," Yinzhu responded, "You must eliminate the eldest prince. Direct poisoning would be detected by the food tasters, so we have to resort to more indirect methods."

"Besides," she continued, "Prince Jin has noticed changes and sent a message. With the arrow on the bowstring, we have no choice but to proceed."

"No," Lady Li gently shook her head, "I mean, the Noble Consort might also know."

"How could she?" Yinzhu was startled, "It’s true the Noble Consort went to Changmen Palace to look for Zhao Shuren, but since Cheng Jiu is already dead, and that little eunuch serving Zhang can be a decoy, even if she suspects something, she wouldn’t think of you, after all, you're just a concubine from the Earl of Cheng’en's household."

"It’s precisely because Cheng Jiu died too cleanly that it raises suspicions," Lady Li said slowly, "Maybe, I shouldn’t have acted so hastily."

"My lady, Cheng Jiu’s suicide was surely because he feared he couldn't withstand torture and risk revealing information," Yinzhu consoled Lady Li, "With the eldest prince about to be weaned, if you hadn’t taken the chance during Mid-Autumn, finding another opportunity to send food into Yaohua Palace would have been difficult. The blame can’t be placed on you."

Lady Li didn’t respond to Yinzhu’s comfort, recalling the Mid-Autumn night in detail, she softly said, "Thinking back, that evening, the heir of Ningyuan Marquis must have intentionally dropped the ring in front of me."

Yinzhu, aware of her mistress's feelings for Prince Qi but reluctant to speak more, simply said, "Even if the Noble Consort and His Majesty know, there's no turning back for us now."

"The Noble Consort knows more than that," Lady Li sighed softly, "Why did she suddenly come to Yu Fu Palace to take shelter from the rain that day?"

Yinzhu, taken aback, instinctively replied, "The Noble Consort's carriage just happened to be near Yu Fu Palace..."

"If it was just to avoid the rain, there are pavilions outside Yu Fu Palace. The Noble Consort could have gone there," Lady Li said coldly.

"But the pavilions don’t protect from the wind, and the Noble Consort is delicate. Surely, Yu Fu Palace would be more comfortable..." Yinzhu began, then realizing her mistress could do no wrong, said outright, "My lady, are you suggesting the Noble Consort came to test you?"

Lady Li nodded slightly, looking down at her apricot-colored brocaded Luo skirt, "She probably knows I'm pregnant."

Yinzhu, staring at Lady Li's hand resting on her abdomen, fell silent for a moment before resolutely saying, "My lady, let me go in your stead tomorrow. You can change your clothes and slip away in the confusion. It's a slim chance, but still a chance."

Lady Li looked up at her, her richly colored face breaking into a smile, "Yinzhu, you're still dreaming in daylight. The Emperor personally selected me for the Autumn Hunt. How can I leave?"

"And," she said with a determined look in her eyes, "for the sake of... without trying, how will we know if we can succeed?"

"If it doesn’t work out," she murmured, "this child in my womb might just save our lives."