Chapter 18

Xie Lan had never encountered such a situation in his life. He stood there, stunned and momentarily speechless.

Seeing his silence, Jiang Luan began counting off on her fingers, "The ideal consort in my heart is someone just like Secretary Xie: in his early twenties, already an official, born into a prestigious family, steady in temperament, refined in bearing, possessed of exceptional intellect, and skilled in both letters and arms. You meet every criterion, making you the perfect candidate."

As Xie Lan listened to her enumerate these traits, his expression darkened. His voice turned as cold as ice once more, "Is the Princess intentionally mocking me? Did Commander Pei know of this beforehand?"

Jiang Luan raised her round silk fan, waving it languidly, "How could it be mockery? I am seriously selecting a consort. Commander Pei came to see me last night and told me he would send Secretary Xie over, instructing me to handle the matter carefully. And today, Secretary Xie has arrived."

She clapped her hands with great enthusiasm, "It is perfect that you are still unmarried. There is no need to look through that pile of scrolls on the table; please take them back as they are. Also, inform the Empress that she need not urge me daily anymore. If the Xie clan gives their consent, our Jiang clan and the Xie clan can become kin by marriage, sparing Her Majesty any further worry."

"..." Xie Lan stood there blankly for a moment. Then, radiating a chill like frost, he gathered the dozen or so scrolls from the table and turned on his heel to leave.

Jiang Luan chuckled softly. She slipped on her shoes and stepped down, calling out from behind the wooden window to the figure in scarlet official robes walking through the empty courtyard, "Besides the Empress, do not forget to pass on the same words to Commander Pei: I have no interest in young men under twenty—I simply fancy Secretary Xie!"

Silence. A long, drawn-out silence permeated the inner and outer courtyards.

The palace servants were frozen in place; the young eunuch sweeping the floor stopped mid-motion, and Lu Jixiang, who was scrubbing the courtyard on his hands and knees, pricked up his ears in alarm. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Xie Lan’s retreating back as he quickened his pace.

Nanny Yuan sat in the hall, sighing with worry, "We have offended him deeply now. I had hoped Secretary Xie would mediate for us, but now, not only the Empress’s palace but Secretary Xie himself likely wishes to devour us alive."

Xia Zhi emerged from behind the screen, offering a plate of cherries. "He has finally left. Princess, have some cherries. Princess Yihe sent a small basket a few days ago. I don't know who will send more once these are gone, so I couldn't bear to give them to Secretary Xie."

Jiang Luan pushed the plate toward Nanny Yuan, "Nanny, have a cherry, they are very sweet."

Nanny Yuan sighed, "How can I have an appetite, my little ancestor?"

With a cherry in her mouth, Jiang Luan replied, "We cannot be on good terms with the Empress’s palace. As for the Empress's character, no matter how much we try to please her, she will never consider our connection and will undoubtedly stand by the Emperor without hesitation."

"Secretary Xie is the Empress’s kin. Should a rift arise between the two sides, he will also stand with the Empress’s palace without a second thought."

"No matter how hard we try to please them, after suffering enough humiliation, we will likely end up in a mutually destructive situation anyway. It is better to stir up the muddy waters of the Imperial City from the beginning; perhaps we might even catch a fish in the chaos."

Nanny Yuan did not understand the "fishing in muddy waters" part, but she was alarmed by the phrase "mutually destructive."

"We are all of the imperial bloodline," Nanny Yuan asked, startled. "We have had some unpleasantness with those above recently, but is it really enough to lead to 'mutual destruction'? Surely not."

"Nanny knows as well as I do that matters involving the imperial family are never simple," Jiang Luan said, slowly lifting a cherry between her snow-white fingertips. "In the Liangyi Hall that day, when my second brother failed to strike his head against the pillar and my own punishment was not carried out, I heard the Emperor fell ill from the anger. Nanny, tell me, if my second brother and I were both to strike our heads against the pillars and perish together, would the Emperor's illness not be cured immediately?"

Nanny Yuan was too shocked to speak. Jiang Luan patted her hand comfortingly, "Do not worry, Nanny. I have my own plans." She sat by the long table, slowly eating her cherries.

***

In the distant memories of her previous life, she had adhered to her mother's teachings, living a quiet and modest life deep within the palace.

When the rebel army besieged the city in the third month, she did not join the Prince of Jin on the battlements to boost morale; she did not befriend the civil and military officials in the capital; and after the Emperor was brought back to the city, she received no plea for help from the Princess of Jin.

On the first day of the fourth month, the Prince of Jin struck his head against a pillar in the Liangyi Hall to prove his loyalty and died of his severe injuries.

The superficial stability of the capital lasted only a few months before trouble erupted again in the autumn.

On that chaotic night, turmoil swept through the capital like a storm. Everyone was caught in a vortex, unable to escape. Amidst the chaos, she was protected by those around her as they fled the palace.

It was autumn, and she was ill, burning with fever. In her sickness, she was delirious and could not recall many details, only that the people around her gradually disappeared, one by one...

Nanny Yuan told her to hide in a large yellow pear-wood chest. She obediently climbed in, her supple waist bending as she lay down, watching blankly as the lid closed above her. *Click.* Everything plunged into darkness.

Nanny Yuan wept as she pushed the chest into a tributary of the Luo River, "Princess, this is as far as I can take you. There are villains everywhere. Floating downstream might be your only hope of survival. Take care! I will do my best to hold them off; I shall serve you again in the next life!"

Jiang Luan lowered her head, carefully selecting a few bright, plump cherries from a white porcelain plate, arranging them in a glass dish, and bringing them to Nanny Yuan's lips. "I picked these myself, Nanny. Have a few."

Nanny Yuan, still stunned by the earth-shattering remark about "striking heads against pillars," was slow to recover. Unable to refuse her little mistress, she finally ate one.

Jiang Luan wiped the red fruit juice from her hands and summoned Qiu Shuang.

"The words I shouted to the courtyard were heard not only by Secretary Xie but likely by many others."

Qiu Shuang immediately replied, "I will go find General Xue Er and ask him to restrain his guards. I will personally summon the servants on duty and warn them strictly about the rule against reckless eavesdropping and gossip."

"You are always so thorough," Jiang Luan praised, then changed the subject. "Lu Jixiang, who was scrubbing the courtyard, heard them too. Do not restrain him. Over the next few days, let him run wild. Let him drink and talk with others at night, and spread my words—the more noise, the better."

Qiu Shuang accepted the order in astonishment.

Jiang Luan thought for a moment and added, "When you go to find Xue Duo, take two large plates of cherries and pass on a message for me. Tell him—"

"'Many thanks to Commander Pei for his thoughtfulness in sending such an excellent consort candidate as Secretary Xie. I am very pleased. These two plates of tribute cherries are a reward for all the guards on duty at Linfeng Hall today.'"

***

Night fell, the darkness thick and heavy, with dim palace lanterns casting a circle of light only a few paces wide.

Pei Xian had only just stepped out of the Council Chamber when he received two pieces of news.

The first was that the Princess of Hanyang had not taken a fancy to any of the portraits of young men sent to her, but had instead taken a fancy to the Secretary who delivered them.

The second was that the Princess was grateful to the Commander for sending Secretary Xie to Linfeng Hall and was very satisfied with her "viewing." In return, she had bestowed two plates of new tribute cherries upon General Xue Er and the guards on duty.

Pei Xian heard the news, took a deep breath, and remained silent for a long time.

Three paces away, standing by the palace path, was Zhong Yongliang, the head eunuch of the Empress's palace. He had been waiting there for an entire hour.

The last time he had approached too closely, he had been shoved aside by armored guards, and his old back was still bruised. He dared not approach again, merely bowing from afar, smiling in a way that looked more painful than crying.

"I have finally waited for Commander Pei to emerge. Her Majesty the Empress requests your presence."

Pei Xian paused. Upon seeing Zhong Yongliang’s face, he was already prepared.

"Is the Empress summoning me to question me about Secretary Xie?"

Zhong Yongliang hurriedly denied it, trembling, "Her Majesty the Empress says she only wishes to ask in person: how has the Xie clan offended Commander Pei recently? If any of the Xie descendants have inadvertently offended the generals under your command, or if they have offended the Pei clan in any way, she asks that you speak plainly. Secretary Xie has only just begun his career and lacks experience; she implores the Commander to spare him."

Pei Xian: "..."

Pei Xian tugged at the corner of his mouth, a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Her Majesty worries too much. The Xie clan has done nothing to offend me. Today’s matter with Secretary Xie was an oversight on my part; I underestimated the Princess of Hanyang’s talent for causing trouble. I shall go now to give the Empress an explanation."

The hurried sound of footsteps echoed through the deep, nocturnal palace corridors.

Wen Jing had received twenty lashes the day before and remained in the barracks to recover, leaving Xue Duo on duty at Linfeng Hall.

Recently, the palace had been undergoing a purge, hunting down servants who had harbored ill intent during the siege. Many had been executed, and the situation was far from stable. When the urgent knocking sounded at the palace gate, Xue Duo cautiously went to investigate himself.

The vermilion gates opened, and Xue Duo stepped out, hand on his blade. Under the dim light, he was startled to see his Commander, accompanied only by two armored guards, standing outside the gate in the dead of night.

The night was deep and damp with dew; he had clearly walked directly from the council hall, his black leather boots soaked through.

A few steps behind Pei Xian stood Secretary Xie, dressed in his crisp scarlet robes, his face as cold as ice.

Xue Duo’s heart skipped a beat as he stepped forward to salute, "At such an hour, Commander, what brings you...?"

Pei Xian’s gaze shifted past Xue Duo to the dim courtyard within. The moonlight was dappled, and the lights in the front and back halls were extinguished; the mistress of the house was clearly already asleep.

"Lights out so early?" Pei Xian chuckled softly.

"The Empress is too burdened with worry to sleep; I have been too disturbed to sleep; and Secretary Xie has just been scolded by his elders and summoned back to the palace by me. Counting them all, is it only the Princess of Hanyang who can sleep soundly?"

Sensing the tone, Xue Duo didn't dare utter a word, stepping back several paces to clear the path.

Pei Xian led Xie Lan inside, the armored guards clearing the way. They strode across the spacious courtyard, passed through the main hall, and headed straight for the quiet, dark rear hall.

The head maid on duty in the rear hall tonight was Bai Lu. Hearing the commotion, she hurriedly brought a lantern out, "The Princess is already fast asleep. Commander, please return tomorrow..."

Before she could finish, Pei Xian ordered coldly, "Knock."

The two accompanying guards stepped forward and kicked the heavy wooden doors open with a thunderous *bang* that echoed far into the night.

Cries of alarm erupted from the servants inside the rear hall.

A moment later, the copper lamps were lit. Through the window paper of the bedroom in the far west, the silhouette of a graceful figure sitting up in her robes was visible.

A familiar, soft voice complained with heavy sleepiness, "Who is it again? Why must you always come to disturb me in the middle of the night?"

Pei Xian stood outside the carved wooden doors of the hall, his tone surprisingly calm, "There is no one else who comes in the middle of the night."

"I, Pei Xian, have brought the Secretary that the Princess has her eye on. I request an audience in the dead of night."