Volume One, Chapter 20: Underlying Currents Surge
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This place was one of the palace chambers in a row of abandoned halls behind the Imperial Garden, where the vegetation had long since grown wild and dense. A hidden passage within Xu Qing’s sleeping quarters led directly to a small path in the garden.
The construction of Xuanshi Hall had been secretly commissioned by the late emperor. Before the work was completed, the craftsmen were forbidden to communicate with anyone else. Once the hall was finished, the Founding Emperor immediately ordered every one of them buried alive.
This hidden passage had been built and renovated at the personal command of the Founding Emperor. No one but the sovereign knew of its existence. Xu Qing had learned of it only through a secret letter left by the Founding Emperor in a locked box on the writing desk in the Imperial Study.
Deng Chunyi, who had merely held the rank of Jieyu in those days and was now Empress Dowager Deng, naturally knew nothing of it. That was what allowed Xu Qing to evade layer upon layer of watchful eyes and meet with officials from outside the inner court.
In his previous life, Xu Qing had revealed the secret without reservation to Lou Hongling. Because of that, every one of their schemes and plans had been dismantled by Empress Dowager Deng, leaving them no way out.
Liu Changqing, however, bore none of the silent submissiveness he displayed at court. His eyes gleamed sharply, his tongue was as eloquent as a lotus in bloom, and every word fell like a polished pearl as he laid out the current situation before Xu Qing:
“Your Majesty, the Deng clan’s push to be granted a princely title is growing ever more forceful and can scarcely be stopped. Yet Your Majesty’s strength is still insufficient. Chancellor Wei commands the southern army, but it has not yet grown powerful enough to stand against the northern forces in Deng Wei’s hands.
“If conflict breaks out rashly, the various princes may seize the opportunity to muddy the waters and interfere in Chang’an’s military affairs. The Northern Desert will not let such an opportunity pass, either. The realm would once again be plunged into misery, with flames of war raging everywhere. Our Great He would be in grave danger.”
Xu Qing lowered his eyes and said nothing, his face clouded with worry. Empress Dowager Deng would give him no further opportunity to maneuver or delay. If he could not resist with force, there would be no second chance to stop the decree.
“Grand Tutor, what should I do?”
“Your Majesty, do not worry. When Heaven wishes to destroy someone, it first magnifies his power. This old minister shall step forward to support the Empress Dowager’s decree and openly declare my allegiance, making it appear that I have not yet settled on a side. When the time comes, we shall simply go with the tide.”
It seemed that… compromise was the only choice left.
In the blink of an eye, the final spark in the incense ash beside them died out. The appointed time had arrived.
After seeing this, Wei Xuan deftly gathered up the remaining ash and snuffed out the candle. Darkness swallowed their surroundings.
“Your Majesty, take good care of yourself. This old minister shall take his leave.”
Liu Changqing hurriedly rose, clasped his hands in salute, then opened the door with practiced ease and slipped into the ink-black night as though he knew the way by heart.
Xu Qing nodded in acknowledgment. With no time for further words, the two men turned and hurried away in opposite directions, moving in perfect understanding.
At a quarter past midnight, when the Imperial Guards patrolling the garden changed shifts, this side chamber would be left unwatched for a full quarter of an hour. No one would pass by, and even if the two men sat close together and spoke, no outsider would hear them.
Xu Qing had met Imperial Censor Liu Changqing here to discuss affairs of state. It had taken no small amount of effort for Liu Changqing to convey the information to him.
Afterward, Xu Qing would have to cross the garden while no guards were present and enter Xuanshi Hall through the hidden passage.
Liu Changqing, meanwhile, would rely on the cover provided by Wei Xuan’s personal guards during their patrol and leave the palace through a secret passage beside the palace wall, known to only a handful of people.
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Every step was as perilous as walking on the edge of a blade, so every second mattered.
In this life, Lou Hongling felt that the less she knew, the better. There were matters she did not wish to expose, and as she thought about them, drowsiness overcame her. Her eyelids grew heavy.
Suddenly, three brisk, urgent knocks sounded at the door. After the third, all was silent.
Her sleepiness vanished at once. She sat upright, tense and alert.
“Who is it?”
The person outside did not answer. Cautiously, she moved toward the door, then flung it open, determined to see who was playing tricks on her.
The surroundings were dim and indistinct. There was only the silent night and the vast, empty Xuanshi Palace. Not a single figure could be seen.
She cautiously lowered her gaze and noticed something on the ground. Bending down, she picked it up. It was a letter.
Full of suspicion, she unfolded the sheet. When she finished reading the final word, her expression changed instantly.
One incense stick earlier.
“Here. Take this to Lou Hongling for me.”
Dai Mao was secretly thrilled. She laughed coldly inwardly, delighted that Lou Hongling had finally taken the bait, but on the surface she appeared timid and uneasy.
“Sister Lin Lang, I’m afraid…”
“Afraid of what?”
Lin Lang impatiently shoved the letter into her hands.
“His Majesty retired early tonight. Take it to Lou Hongling as soon as possible. I’ll go and wait for her first.”
Lin Lang lifted her chin slightly. She could already imagine Lou Hongling begging for mercy before her. A faint look of triumph flickered in her eyes as she handed the letter to Dai Mao, whom she believed would be easy to control.
Dai Mao, however, handed her a cup of tea.
“Sister Lin Lang, you’re about to do something important. Have some tea first and soothe your throat.”
“Mm. At least you know how to be thoughtful.”
Knowing that Dai Mao was weak-willed, Lin Lang did not harbor much suspicion. She drank the tea at once, completely unaware that Dai Mao was staring intently at her, a cold glint suddenly appearing in her eyes.
After meekly agreeing, Dai Mao left the room. The moment she stepped outside, she secretly opened the letter and read it carefully. At the end, disdain and malice flashed through her eyes.
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She did not go to Lou Hongling immediately. Instead, she quietly returned to her room, took up her brush, changed the paper, and imitated Lin Lang’s handwriting to rewrite the letter.
In truth, Lin Lang herself had not been entirely certain of success. She merely intended to use the letter to make Lou Hongling behave herself around her from then on. Otherwise, she could tell Xu Qing everything she had seen and heard. Whether Xu Qing would believe her was another matter altogether.
Dai Mao, however, wrote with effortless confidence, transforming the message into:
“The Empress Dowager has something to discuss. Come at once to the southern side of the Imperial Garden.”
She knew Lou Hongling’s temperament well. If that fool Lin Lang had issued such a blunt threat and summoned her there for a confrontation, would that not amount to an outright confession?
Only in this way would Lou Hongling be forced to set out. And when the time came…
She resealed the original letter and carefully hid it in a locked box deep inside her room, then replaced it with the letter she had altered. When she saw Lou Hongling hurry out, Dai Mao counted silently on her fingers, estimating the time. A vicious expression spread across her face.
The Empress Dowager had summoned her urgently, so Lou Hongling dared not refuse. Yet she could not help feeling uneasy. Why had the meeting been arranged in the Imperial Garden of all places? She was afraid she might run straight into Xu Qing.
Lou Hongling paced twice around the room, stamped her foot, and thought of a plausible explanation in case she encountered the Imperial Guards. Then she lifted her skirt and headed toward the palace gates.
She had no idea that, in a corner of Xuanshi Palace, a figure had watched every one of her movements.
“Stop. Which palace are you from, and what are you doing out so late?”
Lou Hongling encountered a patrol of Imperial Guards along the palace road. She bowed slightly, presented the token proving that she was a palace maid of Xuanshi Hall, and delivered the excuse she had prepared in advance, neither servile nor overbearing:
“Replying to Your Honor, I am a palace maid of Xuanshi Hall. His Majesty has caught a chill, so I went to the Imperial Medical Office to collect some medicine.”
After inspecting her token, the Imperial Guards found nothing suspicious and allowed her to pass.
When Lou Hongling reached the Imperial Garden and nervously surveyed her surroundings, Lin Lang emerged from behind a nearby artificial hill, suppressing a mocking laugh.
“Lou Hongling, you really took the bait.”
The moment she saw who it was, Lou Hongling held her breath. Her throat tightened sharply, and the drums in her heart began to thunder. Her entire body stiffened as she stood frozen in place.
How could it be her?
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