Chapter 41

After the news of Xi Qingyan’s arrogance and mistake spread to Dian Nan, in the study outside the Chu Palace, King Chu, Kang Xueying, and Dian Nan’s military commander, Diao Hu, convened.

“Xi… Qing… Yan.”

King Chu’s usually gentle and smiling face suddenly darkened, saying:

“I wish I could eat his flesh alive.”

Diao Hu’s complexion was extremely poor, burying his head, he said:

“I failed to restrain Xi Qingyan, leading to this great disaster. It’s my fault, I hope Your Highness will punish me!”

This matter couldn’t be blamed on Diao Hu either. He was born a commoner and was nurtured by King Chu. Although he was highly regarded by King Chu, in the eyes of noble-born children, he was nothing but King Chu’s dog. Xi Qingyan didn’t take him seriously at all, naturally not obeying his orders.

King Chu’s fierce gaze fell on him, originally intending to vent his anger on him, but thinking of Xi Qingyan on the way and the impending charges on the Yongxin Hall’s desk, he sighed deeply, displaying an expression of deep regret:

“This is his fault. Don’t shoulder the responsibility. When we get to the capital, this matter will definitely be used against us…”

Without hesitation, Diao Hu said, “This matter concerns the affairs of Dian Nan’s army. It was my misjudgment that allowed Xi Qingyan to take advantage of the situation.”

“Can only be so.” King Chu half-closed his eyes.

Diao Hu buried his head even deeper.

Kang Xueying, cold-eyed, observed from the side, and said at this time: “I also have some faults.”

“Oh?”

“Xi Qingyan had a drink with me before he set off, and I didn’t realize his intentions.” Kang Xueying looked ashamed, “General Du later learned about it and suspected that I was sowing discord. It’s my fault. I was negligent for a while, otherwise, it wouldn’t have come to this.”

“You don’t have to be like this,” King Chu waved his hand nonchalantly.

Although he was suspicious, Kang Xueying had helped him succeed many times over the years, never failing. This time, the method he proposed was reasonable, but it was Xi Qingyan who turned a good thing into a bad one.

Now that he was being manipulated by the capital, the Dian Nan Army would be constrained.

Thinking of this, King Chu hated Xi Qingyan even more, wishing to crush him to dust. But when he thought of the Virtuous Concubine in the palace, he forcefully suppressed his rage.

The urgent matter was to communicate with the Virtuous Concubine, making sure she didn’t ruin his great plan to save a wastrel.

Fortunately, the layout in the capital was still stable. If there were missteps in Dian Nan, it wouldn’t be fatal. They could take it step by step—

Kang Xueying understood King Chu very well and said at this moment: “My lord, with your military prowess, being deceived by petty people for a while is nothing. With Mr. Li in the capital scheming for you, this matter will surely be minimized.”

“My lord has a bright future and is blessed by the heavens. There’s no need to worry too much.”

King Chu’s expression softened considerably. Yes, there was also Li Zi. With the Prince’s illness and almost all the court affairs now under Li Zi’s control, he knew what to do.

If all went well, Li Zi would probably be able to suppress this matter, and it wouldn’t reach the Yongxin Palace.

King Chu’s eyes were full of growing ambitions, and a smile reappeared on his lips:

“Enough, enough, it was I who worried too much. It seems that the other side of the capital is too weak to—”

“Report to my lord.” A trusted aide hurriedly arrived, speaking softly and quickly, “We’ve received a letter from the capital, and Mr. Li’s side… something’s not right!”

King Chu’s smile froze instantly.

When he learned that Li Zi had been assigned such a task specifically designed to offend people, he took a breath, veins popping on his neck, his face twisted with rage, instantly contorted.

This matter was far away in the capital, while he was in Dian Nan, unable to reach there.

As the news came and went, the plans on the other side had all ripened.

What a Prince!

King Chu was furious, but after calming down, he immediately had someone send a secret letter to the capital.

The fern grass by the side of the Empress was King Chu’s person. When the Empress learned of what her younger brother had caused, her eyes went black, and she fainted directly in the Yixi Palace.

Song Qu immediately rushed over to visit his mother. Although he was cruel and ruthless to his wives and concubines, he cared a lot about the Empress and the Xi family. After clarifying the situation from the fern grass, he said immediately:

“We must protect Little Uncle.”

The Empress leaned against the head of the bed, wearing a jadeite headpiece, and weakly asked:

“How?”

“Let the commander-in-chief in Dian Nan take the responsibility. Little Uncle was just following his orders, so it’s not a big deal.” Song Qu said calmly, “Using his life to save Little Uncle’s life is his blessing.”

The Empress shed some tears again.

If it were possible, how could she not want to protect her own younger brother?

But it was clear that King Chu’s intention was to sacrifice Qingyan.

“Why isn’t the mother saying anything?” Song Qu asked.

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Duan rushed in from outside. His mother was lying sick in bed, but he was playing with palace servants and laughing non-stop.

Song Qu’s face darkened. “Third Brother, mother is having a headache. Behave yourself.”

“You mind your own business.” Song Duan sneered, seeming to retaliate, and made even more noise.

The Empress came to her senses and mildly reproached, “Duan’er is still young, it’s his nature. Don’t be too harsh on him.”

This was considered harsh? Song Qu rubbed his forehead. His mother was too indulgent towards his younger brother.

Ignoring Song Duan, Song Qu continued:

“King Chu has always been accommodating to us, mother. With him in charge of Dian Nan, even if Diao Hu doesn’t acknowledge it, he will have to. I’ll send a letter—”

“Don’t go.” The Empress instinctively said.

“Why not? He’s your brother and my uncle.”

Why?

Xi Qingmei looked at her eldest son in front of her.

Song Qu trusted him very much. She arranged for Song Qu to meet King Chu since he was a child, and their relationship was close.

Song Qu always thought that King Chu supported him. Now, keeping silent was just King Chu’s way of avoiding suspicion from the Crown Prince.

She didn’t know how to tell him that as a mother, what she had always hoped for was not for him to ascend to the throne—

Xi Qingmei felt another headache coming on. She held her forehead and groaned softly.

Song Qu, the filial son, immediately forgot what he said earlier, stood up, and personally called the imperial physician.

The Empress looked at Song Qu’s figure, thinking about her and King Chu’s grand plan and their two children, closed her eyes, and made a painful decision.

Unexpectedly, the Yixi Palace was quiet. Feng Yuexian could deduce that Xuancao had received the secret letter from Dian Nan and must have received the news.

The Empress’s frequent calls for the imperial physician couldn’t hide her actions.

The group escorting Xi Qingyan was about to arrive in the capital in a few days, but the Empress still hadn’t made a move.

“The Empress has given up,” Feng Yuexian said.

With nothing else to do, she picked up a chess manual and set up an endgame.

The snow-like white jade chess pieces rolled smoothly between her fingers, lacking the texture and richness of the skin, missing the delicate fragrance of beauty.

With just a glance at the chess manual, Feng Yuexian could consecutively set up half of the endgame. As she made her moves, the wide sleeves of her duck egg blue robe fluttered like thin clouds around her snowy white arms, unwilling to leave.

Song Pianxian’s gaze, like a butterfly, landed on her hands as they moved continuously, then drifted gently to the chessboard, smiling lightly:

“Or should we say, King Chu, has sacrificed Xi Qingyan.”

“For him, Xi Qingyan is more trouble than he’s worth, just a playboy. If he wasn’t worried about the Xi family’s displeasure, he wouldn’t even bother keeping him around.”

Feng Yuexian’s words flowed leisurely, but her certainty revealed her control over the information from King Chu’s side.

Song Pianxian nodded and said:

“What about Qi Baozhu’s side? Has she mentioned when the plan will be implemented?”

Feng Yuexian, in the midst of placing a chess piece, paused momentarily with her fingertip on the round chess piece.

What Song Pianxian said was exactly what she had been thinking but hadn’t said aloud yet.

This kind of common sense and tacit understanding in handling matters brought her a strange feeling of joy, a slight tingling sensation running down her spine.

If someone else had caught her thoughts, they might have felt apprehensive, but coming from Song Pianxian, it only filled her with genuine delight.

A hint of a smile appeared in Feng Yuexian’s eyes, her voice lighter than the sound of white jade pieces on the chessboard:

“Well, recently, His Majesty’s health has improved, and he can speak a few words, so it’s just right to take advantage of this.”

“At that time, I will have to make a trip to Qianqing Palace.”

Starting from Qianqing Palace?

Song Pianxian understood.

Song Qu was a Prince of great status, the most presentable in Dali now that the Crown Prince was weak. With the Crown Prince’s illness, Song Qu’s presence became even more necessary.

The only thing that could bring him down was the crime of treason.

“Good,” Song Pianxian chuckled lightly, “With Yuexian’s guidance, there’s nothing I can’t do.”

The smile, as gentle as spring breeze and moonlight, collided into Feng Yuexian’s eyes, causing her heart to tremble. The chess pieces she had never misplaced were now in the wrong position.

The surrounding pieces were all slightly askew, jumbled up. On the intricate chessboard, she felt dizzy and confused.

Song Pianxian seemed somewhat puzzled, tilting her head slightly. In the cluster of her hair, the light danced on the white jade cloud-patterned hairpin.

She swept her left sleeve and reached out her right hand to help herself gently return the confused chess pieces to their original positions.

“I didn’t expect Yuexian to be careless sometimes too,” she said with a smile, her voice as gentle and inclusive as ever, flowing over Feng Yuexian like water.

Her fingertips were so translucent, her nails tinged with a faint pink, like evening clouds.

Feng Yuexian impulsively reached out, as if to catch a chess piece.

Between the black and white chessboard were pieces that hadn’t been returned to their places. Above one gleaming white piece, two equally slender and beautiful, icy hands, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally, came together.

The jade chess piece was cold.

But her hand was warm.

Perhaps due to her illness, Song Pianxian’s hand was slightly cool, not very warm, but extremely comfortable, as if beneath the smooth skin lay the finely polished jade, radiating a cooling sensation.

Feng Yuexian was warm-blooded from practicing martial arts, and she thought, in the heat of summer, holding Song Pianxian in her arms would be extremely comfortable—

“Does Yuexian have calluses on her fingertips?”

On her fingertips?

Feng Yuexian pursed her lips, her long lashes fluttering: “Yes.”

She always wielded knives and guns, especially fond of playing with daggers, so how could she not have calluses.

She suddenly remembered Song Pianxian had once told someone she was a rough person.

Previously, Feng Yuexian had never paid attention to it, even feeling that the princesses in the palace were idle and anxious to talk about her.

But today, she only felt that in front of the elegant and refined Song Pianxian, she was indeed not delicate enough.

Which daughter’s hands would have calluses?

She lowered her eyes, a hint of melancholy hanging on her eyelids, about to retract her hand.

“Presumably, practicing martial arts must require a lot of effort and dedication.”

Hmm?

Feng Yuexian’s hand retracted hesitantly, looking up.

Song Pianxian’s amber eyes were clear and beautiful, showing undisguised admiration:

“Others may not necessarily have Yuexian’s endurance, especially young ladies. Before, I saw that you often liked to play with daggers?”

“Hmm,” Feng Yuexian responded very briefly, feeling she was too indifferent, then added, “Do you like it? I’ll show it to you.”

As she spoke, she was about to call for a dagger.

“No need,” Song Pianxian stopped her, smiling, “The game of chess is not finished yet. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”

Plenty of opportunities in the future.

Feng Yuexian savored the taste of this sentence, finding it sweet.

“Okay.”

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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