Chapter 64: A Turning Point Approaches

Kong Dezhao delivered a fierce backhand slap across the messenger's face, sending the man rolling several feet away and dislodging a tooth on the spot.

"Damn you, what a mood-spoiler! I was just about to enter the palace and request an imperial decree for the marriage, so what are you screaming about?"

Bleeding and too terrified to wipe it away, the messenger knelt on the ground. "Reporting to the Heir, the estate in the suburbs has caught fire, and seventy percent of the grain in the warehouses has been burned to ashes."

"What?!" Kong Dezhao's eyes bulged in fury. "To the estate!"

That estate was a Kong family property, though registered under the name of a distant maternal cousin. It was the primary hub where the Kong family amassed their wealth in the capital.

Losing the goods was serious enough, but if the fire grew too large and attracted attention, letting the Emperor discover anything would be fatal.

It had to be dealt with immediately and kept under wraps.

Without a moment of hesitation, Kong Dezhao spun his horse around and galloped straight toward the estate.

Inside the Imperial Palace.

The Emperor was reviewing memorials when the Crown Prince requested an audience, crossing paths with the Left Chancellor who was just leaving.

The Left Chancellor bowed. "Your Royal Highness."

The Crown Prince reached out to steady him. "Old Chancellor, please dispense with the formalities."

He smiled warmly. "When you have some free time, please come to the academy again to give a lecture to the students. I would like to attend as well to bask in your wisdom and broaden my horizons. I hear your lectures are always packed to capacity."

Stroking his beard, the Left Chancellor beamed. "What lectures could an old man like me give? It is merely a bunch of nonsense."

Eunuch Wei, standing beside the Emperor, chuckled. "Your Royal Highness, His Majesty is waiting for you."

The Crown Prince cupped his hands in farewell to the Left Chancellor and hurried into the hall.

The Emperor's cinnabar brush moved unceasingly. "Why have you come at this hour?"

"Father, Your Son has met with Kong Dezhao."

The Emperor gave a faint "Hmpf" and continued writing until he finished the line, finally stopping to look up.

"Where is he?"

The Crown Prince gave a general summary of the Su family's situation. "He was just about to enter the palace when he was summoned away by an emergency at his estate outside the city."

"I am aware of that estate; Qingyin reported it to me long ago," the Emperor said thoughtfully. "However, I never instructed him to investigate it too deeply. The Kong family is entrenched far away in Nanshun; even if something were amiss at the estate, they could easily shrug off all responsibility, and it would only make them more cautious."

The Crown Prince lowered his voice. "Now that Kong Dezhao has entered the capital, the Kong family cannot afford to be reckless. Your Son is willing to personally investigate the estate and see if there are any ghosts hidden there."

Of course, resentment burned in the Crown Prince's heart. Fu Qingyin had actually reported on the estate long ago, yet the Emperor had never once mentioned it to him.

Over the past two years, Fu Qingyin had grown arrogant on account of the Emperor's favor, practically treating him as a nonentity. In this contest of wits with the Prince of Nanshun, he was determined to secure the primary merit.

The Emperor pondered for a moment. "The Left Chancellor was just here, mentioning his granddaughter. She has been waiting for you for two years—what do you have to say? Your Empress mother also longs for you to take a wife soon."

The Crown Prince silently clenched his fingers. "Father, Your Son's studies are not yet complete. I wish to continue learning diligently from Your Father and do not want to be distracted."

The Emperor smiled. "Taking a wife means having a confidante to better care for you. How could that be a distraction? When I was your age, I was already married to your mother. If you do not wish to marry immediately, we can at least betroth you first."

The Crown Prince lowered his gaze. "Your Son will give it careful consideration."

"Very well, but do it soon so I may give the Chancellor a proper reply."

"Very well, go pay your respects to your Empress mother. She is likely fretting over this matter as well."

"......Yes."

The Crown Prince retreated, rage raging like an ocean in the depths of his eyes.

Marry, marry, marry! Could he not accomplish great things without marrying? Could he not be emperor without a wife?

As the Crown Prince, the future ruler of the realm, he could not even make his own decisions about such a matter!

Thinking of Kong Dezhao, he suddenly felt that he was even worse off than Kong Dezhao, who at least had the freedom to marry the one he loved.

And what about himself? Never.

***

Until nightfall, the Su family received no imperial decree granting the marriage.

The hearts of the Su household tightened once more. Fortunately, Su Yanshu learned through inquiries that Kong Dezhao had not changed his mind; rather, an urgent matter had called him out of the city.

Whatever the reason, Yu Shengsheng finally breathed a temporary sigh of relief.

After a hasty dinner, she sent Golden Leopard and Nanny Zhou off to rest. Leaving only a single oil lamp burning in her room, she waited with a heart pounding like a drum.

The ice in the basin melted away bit by bit, occasionally emitting a dripping sound, and a sheen of nervous perspiration broke out all over Yu Shengsheng's body.

At last, a light tap sounded against the back window. She immediately rose, practically running to the sill, and pushed the sash open.

Hao Mengye stepped in from the dark outside.

Yu Shengsheng was slightly startled. She had expected Hao Mengye to send a subordinate, never imagining he would come himself.

Hao Mengye's gaze swept over the wound on her face, and without a word of explanation, he tossed a box of medicine onto the table.

He opened the case he had brought with him, drew out a scroll, and slowly unfurled it.

"Miss Yu, whether this painting can be restored will determine whether your marriage can be successfully delayed. You must be extremely cautious."

Wiping the sweat from her palms, Yu Shengsheng leaned in to examine it closely.

It was a portrait of a woman. Unfortunately, the painting had been damaged, leaving the facial features blurred and indistinct.

"Can it be restored?"

"Yes," Yu Shengsheng said with unwavering resolve. "Yes."

Hao Mengye looked at the steadfast light in her eyes, then glanced back out into the dark night. "Two days. Two days from now, at the Hongyuan Temple outside the city, the scholars participating in the imperial examinations will all gather to listen to the abbot lecture on Buddhism and Zen. You may go offer incense on that day, hand me the painting, and I will also arrange for the two of you to meet."

Yu Shengsheng bowed deeply to him. "Thank you, Grand Commander. Such a great kindness can never be repaid—"

"This is no kindness; it is what I owe you. I promised earlier that I would not let Kong Dezhao enter the capital so quickly, and failing that was my oversight."

"Furthermore," Hao Mengye warned, "you must be careful. Princess Rongyang already knows about your relationship with Qi Mubai and is attempting to buy him off."

Yu Shengsheng's entire body tensed, her eyes widening.

"He refused," Hao Mengye's voice softened slightly. "However, now that Princess Rongyang knows, there is no guarantee she will not try a second time. That is why I want to arrange for you two to meet, so you can set each other's minds at ease."

It was only after Hao Mengye departed that Yu Shengsheng recovered her senses.

Su Zhiyi had actually seen Qi Mubai?

No wonder Su Zhiyi had been absent at the start of the performance today; rumor had it she had returned to her quarters to treat an injury and rest.

So she had actually sneaked out of the manor to see Qi Mubai.

A wave of lingering fear gripped her heart.

Yet knowing that Qi Mubai had refused her left a feeling that was both bitter and sweet, a tangled mix of joy and anxiety.

The joy, of course, was that her judgment of him had not been wrong; the worry was the fear that Su Zhiyi would not let the matter rest here.

She truly needed to meet with Qi Mubai to warn him to be on his guard.

Sitting before her mirror, the tears she had suppressed all day finally rolled down her cheeks—she finally knew she was not fighting this lonely battle by herself; the person she loved was also struggling alongside her.

Wiping away her tears, her gaze fell downward, and she noticed a cloth bag resting on the small side table. Opening it, she found the tools and pigments she had used last time to restore paintings at the Zhennie Tower.

Hao Mengye had brought them.

Clutching the bag tightly, gratitude swelled in her heart.

No matter how cold and ruthless Hao Mengye's words could be, there was no denying that he had been helping her all along.

She had to firmly grasp this opportunity.

Brightening the wick of the lamp, she set to work restoring the painting.

Meanwhile, a dark shadow swept across the rooftops of the Su residence, melted into the night, and vanished in an instant.