Chapter 92: Conspiracy
Shen Zhishu did not think before she spoke. By the time she realized what astonishing words had come out of her mouth, it was already too late.
At that time, they were only halfway through their journey.
Lantiao swallowed and did not dare to answer. Jiang Yu did not answer either.
So the surroundings fell into a strange silence, heavy and oppressive in the not-so-large carriage, cramped and empty.
Shen Zhishu’s hand, which was on her knee, unconsciously clenched into a fist, and then she slowly released it. Perhaps because she really couldn’t stand such a cramped and dark atmosphere, she let out a low cough and tried to make up for it, “Just kidding.”
Jiang Yu said, “Mm,” and after a moment, she said, “The General has also learned to joke.”
Shen Zhishu was noncommittal, “I learned it from Your Highness.”
Jiang Yu’s gaze came over from the corners of her eyes impassively and happened to meet Shen Zhishu’s.
She didn’t seem to have any intention of answering. She lifted the carriage curtain and looked out without a word.
Shen Zhishu was relieved, originally thinking that this matter was over, but when the carriage reached the gate of the General’s Manor and was about to stop, she heard Jiang Yu mutter something in a low voice.
“Hmm?” Shen Zhishu did not hear clearly. “What did Your Highness just say?”
So Jiang Yu raised her voice a little, “I don’t know when I have ever joked.”
…What kind of talk is this? Weren’t the occasional outrageous words a joke? Weren’t the words “getting married” a joke?
Shen Zhishu opened her mouth, subconsciously wanting to say, “Aren’t those romantic words of yours a joke,” and also wanted to say with a teasing tone, “If it’s not a joke, isn’t it a genuine expression of your feelings,” but in the end, she did not say it.
It’s a little absurd, she thought.
…If she were to say these things, what was she expecting?
Jiang Yu would always say “Mm,” but she never knew if she was being sincere, nor did she know her true intentions hidden under those out-of-line actions.
So these seemingly lingering and thought-provoking words would always come to nothing.
Besides, they shouldn’t be ambiguous in the first place.
She had long since made up her mind not to pursue love in this life.
So Shen Zhishu just curved her eyes and said along with Jiang Yu’s words, “Your Highness has indeed never joked.”
The carriage stopped. Jiang Yu glanced at her, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, and then grabbed the door frame of the carriage through the handkerchief.
Shen Zhishu raised an eyebrow, “I’ll get down first, and then Your Highness can get down with my help. It will be easier.”
But Jiang Yu seemed to have not heard, and she got down on her own, holding on to the door frame.
**
The First Imperial Princess sat by the stone table for a long time and finally made a decision.
There was no turning back once the bow was drawn. After today, she and the State Preceptor would be grasshoppers on the same rope.
She then sneered in her heart and thought, Feelings are ethereal, they are really not a reliable thing.
She had originally thought that the State Preceptor had some genuine feelings for her mother-empress, but now it seemed that it was just out of pity for a substitute. And once the real person had a way to appear in the world, the substitute would be discarded like a worn-out shoe.
The State Preceptor had written in the letter that she had been desperately searching for her beloved, yet had found no trace. If she could not find her again, she was afraid she would not have a chance, so she had to use the heart’s blood of a similar person as a guide and then set up a formation to lure her lover out.
The fifteenth of the first month was a full moon, which was the best time to set up the formation. In addition, the next day was the selection of concubines, and the palace would surely be in a mess at that time, which was the most suitable time to make a move. At that time, she would send someone to assassinate the Emperor, and then she would help her to the throne.
And if she did not agree… she would go and find the other imperial princesses, and there would always be someone who would agree.
As for the Emperor, after her heart’s blood was taken, she would show signs of feigned death. With careful care, she would wake up after half a month, but her body would be a little weaker than before. But with ginseng and lingzhi to replenish her strength, she would always be fine and would not die young.
When the First Imperial Princess had finished reading the letter, her hands were trembling.
Do I really have to go to this extent? she thought.
She then thought again, An emperor’s greatest taboo is being soft-hearted. My mother-empress will not die, and I will be able to ascend to the throne. Why not?
If not, she was afraid she would not have a chance to become a dragon—although she was the eldest daughter, her mother-empress had always been more optimistic about the Second Sister.
The end of the letter said that if she was willing to cooperate, she should go to the State Preceptor’s Manor at the first quarter of the Hour of the Rat for a chat.
The First Imperial Princess’s eyes, hidden under her eyelashes, flickered.
—Since the State Preceptor had already made up her mind, if she wanted to do something, others would definitely not be able to stop her. Even if she reported this matter to her mother-empress, what could she do?
So her mother-empress would definitely lose her heart’s blood. This was an unchangeable fact.
If she hesitated any longer, wouldn’t she be handing over the throne to someone else?
It seemed that this trip was a must.
But…
The State Preceptor seemed to have been planning this for a long time—this letter was not written now, but had been prepared early.
So was the State Preceptor being sincere? Or was tonight’s meeting a Hongmen banquet, and the State Preceptor was actually her mother-empress’s spy, sent to test whether they had any rebellious intentions?
Forget it, she was now negotiating with a tiger. She would know the State Preceptor’s true intentions tonight when she went.
If she was sent by her mother-empress to test the loyalty of the imperial princesses, she could immediately change her words and say that she had come only to pretend to be fooled, so as to draw out more evidence.
**
The sixteenth of the first month was originally a very busy day—the selection of concubines in the palace, and the Eldest Princess’s birthday banquet outside the palace.
The Emperor had also issued an edict to select a consort for the Eldest Princess.
On the eighth of the first month, she had summoned Jiang Yu into the palace and had said this:
“Huai’an is twenty-one this year, and after her birthday, she will be twenty-two. In ancient times, people would get married at fourteen, and at the very least, at twenty, there should be someone to help manage the household. Since Huai’an was born as an Eldest Princess, she should set an example for the people of the world, and this selection of a consort is an explanation to the people of the world.”
Jiang Yu’s brow furrowed, “I don’t want—”
“This selection of a consort is a must. You have to show your attitude,” the Emperor interrupted her. “As for whether you see anyone you like, that’s another matter.”
…Jiang Chu was letting her start a family. Had she really let go of the past?
Jiang Yu narrowed her eyes, her faint voice showing no emotion, “Imperial Sister is being considerate of me.”
Jiang Chu smiled, and the white hair on her temples trembled with it, “A’Yu has grown up, and I am also old. Although I don’t know why you and General Shen are in love with each other but are not getting married, you also need to have a family and someone to take care of you, so that I can be at ease in the court.”
“In the past… it was my fault for not urging you to get married,” she shook her head. “I have been worried about this matter every night recently, and I still think that A’Yu should start a family as soon as possible. A’Yu has been without parents since she was a child, and in a few more years, my body will also not be good. At that time, who will take care of your food and daily life, and who will you discuss things with when you have problems?”
Jiang Yu lowered her eyes, and her crow-black eyelashes cast a faint shadow under her eyes.
She did not answer for a moment, and then suddenly raised her eyes and slowly looked around this place where she had lived for more than ten years.
This place had not changed, but it was a little less lively. It was as if since she had left, Jiang Chu had rarely set foot here.
Jiang Yu could almost imagine the scene—Jiang Chu would sit in the Imperial Study for half a day, and would only come here for a couple of hours to take a quick nap.
“What is A’Yu looking at?” Jiang Chu asked curiously.
Jiang Yu shook her head and said, “Nothing.”
She withdrew her gaze from the landscape screen, pursed her lips, and still instructed in a faint voice, “You should take care of yourself. If you have anything, you can also give it to the Eldest, Second, and Fifth. They should also start handling court affairs.”
Jiang Chu shook her head again, “I’m still not at ease with them… I have to do it myself.”
Jiang Yu said, “Mm,” but Jiang Chu seemed to have held it in for a long time, and her words came out one after another:
“In the past, I would sleep for two hours a day and still be full of energy when I was marking memorials, so I thought that my body was strong and I didn’t have to pay too much attention to my food and daily life. But now I realize that I was too young in the past and didn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. Yesterday, on a whim, I also acted as I did in the past, but I felt dizzy after sleeping for two hours. Oh, a person still has to accept their old age.”
“I was just thinking of A’Yu. What will A’Yu be like when she is old? I probably won’t be able to see it.”
“A’Yu is having her birthday on the sixteenth of the first month, and she is also selecting a consort. It’s a double happiness. I will have a grand celebration, and A’Yu doesn’t have to worry about a thing.”
“I just don’t know what birthday gift A’Yu wants? I have already prepared it here, but I’m afraid it won’t be to A’Yu’s liking. A’Yu…”
Jiang Yu suddenly called out, “Jiang Chu.”
Jiang Chu stopped her rambling, “What’s wrong?”
“You… don’t have to be like this,” Jiang Yu said.
You don’t have to be so careful, you don’t have to work so hard day and night, you don’t have to worry about me too much.
You don’t have to be so insecure.
This sentence was abstract and broad, but Jiang Chu understood.
She was silent for a moment and then suddenly laughed. It was unclear whether she was laughing at herself or was happy.
A joss stick’s time later, her heaving shoulders finally stopped, and she raised her hand to wipe the slightly moist corners of her eyes.
“A’Yu…” she let out a long sigh and asked carefully. “Do you still hate me?”
Jiang Yu looked at her calmly, as if she were looking at a tree. After a moment, she said, “I have never hated you. Besides—”
She paused and added, “Besides, it’s all in the past.”
“It’s all in the past,” Jiang Chu repeated these four words in her mouth.
Jiang Yu stood up and bowed her farewell with a blank expression.
When she reached the entrance of the hall, she paused and in the end, she did not turn back.
She heard a faint, murmuring sigh from behind:
“It’s good that it’s in the past, it’s good that it’s in the past…”
…
Shen Zhishu was waiting outside the palace gate, inexplicably a little anxious.
Soon, she knew the source of her anxiety—the first sentence Jiang Yu said when she saw her was, “The sixteenth of the first month is the selection of a consort. Is the General coming?”
Shen Zhishu was clearly stunned for a moment, “Selection of a consort? You’re selecting or I’m selecting?”
“Of course it’s me. The Emperor has already issued an edict to select a consort on the sixteenth of the first month,” Jiang Yu raised half of her slender eyebrow slightly. “Why is the General so surprised? I will be twenty-two after my birthday, which is already old. It is only right for Jiang Chu to be a little worried.”
A very reasonable and irrefutable reason.
…She was not getting married, but Jiang Yu had to be taken care of. The previous “I only wish to marry the General” and so on were really just a joke.
It was a good thing that she had almost taken it seriously.
Fortunately, she had never had any extravagant hopes from beginning to end, so she would not be too disappointed.
Shen Zhishu lowered her eyes and glanced at Jiang Yu, smiled and shook her head, and said in a deep voice, “I’m not going.”
“Hmm?” Jiang Yu seemed a little surprised. “Why not? If the General doesn’t want to marry me, it’s also good to come and help me take a look.”
Shen Zhishu only said, “We’ll see then.”
She admitted that her willpower was not strong, and she was not a tolerant person.
In her previous life, she could endure from beginning to end, only because there was no one else by Jiang Yu’s side. But now…
If she were to go to the scene, there would probably only be two outcomes—
Firstly, she would go on stage herself.
Secondly, she would be so jealous that she would go crazy and smash the scene.
