The Perilous Palace Dream - Chapter 104
Chapter 104
Emerging from her sister’s inner chamber, Nie Qinglin thought for a moment and asked Nanny Shan: “What is the Grand Tutor busy with? Will he be back to dine with us at noon?”
Nanny Shan answered honestly: “Prime Minister Qiu from the capital sent someone over. It seems he will be busy for a while.”
Nie Qinglin took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped, walking slowly toward the front hall of the temporary palace, where she ran headfirst into Xiu Tuhong, who was just walking in.
Seeing her walk straight towards him, Xiu Tuhong was slightly taken aback and subtly scrutinized her.
With just that knowing glance, Nie Qinglin concluded that he was the one who had relayed the message to her sister.
Since Lord Ge had pulled out this last trump card, how should he play his hand to achieve the greatest destructive power?
She could now determine the reason for the sudden arrival of someone from the capital.
If the person sitting high on the dragon throne was a woman, this single stone would undoubtedly stir up endless tempests and vicious waves.
If her guess was correct, the version Lord Ge would spin was that the Grand Tutor had long known the Fourteenth Prince was female, deliberately supported the female emperor as a substitute, and had already engaged in illicit affairs within the palace with the female emperor…
If this rhetoric circulated among the populace, it would shock everyone from the common people below to the high officials above.
If the Grand Tutor were to ascend the throne at this time, his position would be unjustified.
Even if he resorted to thunderous acts of slaughter, it would likely earn him eternal infamy.
If this were true, what should the Grand Tutor do?
In her view, there was a simplest solution: the emperor and Imperial Princess Yong’an, siblings with one heart, would both pass away, or the emperor would pass away, and the princess, overwhelmed by grief, would commit to a life of asceticism, never to marry. In any case, Wei Lenghou could no longer have any involvement with Princess Yong’an. Otherwise, when the officials looked upon the future new emperor’s empress, who looked exactly like the late emperor, the rumors would never dissipate. They would be a thorn in the side, stimulating the hearts of every minister who cherished the former Great Wei.
As a person in power, one must always weigh both sides.
This choice… is actually not difficult.
That night was as dark as ink.
The Grand Tutor did not return until deep into the night.
As he gently paced into the inner chamber, he noticed the fair lady was not asleep, but sitting by the window in a light silk nightgown.
“Why are you not asleep yet?” the Grand Tutor asked with a frown.
Nie Qinglin smiled and said, “Waiting for the Grand Tutor to return.”
After saying this, there was silence.
The maid on duty brought in a newly trimmed palace lamp and placed it on the writing desk by the window.
Looking at the Grand Tutor by the lamplight, one could see the man’s features appeared even more profound in the dim light.
Even though it was late after handling state affairs, his face showed no trace of weariness or fatigue.
It was a handsome face, an unmistakable ambition, a fervent desire to achieve great things.
A man like this would never become one of those scholars in folk tales, who are perpetually obsessed and restless over love.
Even if there was a sliver of genuine affection, what would it matter? The path to the throne of power holds too many excitements and dangers that transcend the love between a man and a woman.
Once tasted, so called love is merely a cup of light, fragrant tea; the taste is indeed pleasant, but ultimately no match for the mellow aroma of strong liquor…
Wei Lenghou naturally noticed Nie Qinglin’s abnormality.
Although the conversation between Princess Shaoyang and Nie Qinglin today took place in the inner chamber, someone had long ago informed him of the crucial details, word for word.
Therefore, the Grand Tutor saw no need to beat around the bush and stated directly: “It is merely the last resort of a cornered bandit chief, at his wit’s end. The Princess need not worry about it.”
Upon hearing this, Nie Qinglin’s delicate brows lowered: “It is not too difficult to resolve. I only hope the Grand Tutor shows pity and finds a good place for me to go, to avoid all these disturbances.”
Before she finished speaking, her arm was gripped by the Grand Tutor: “What do you mean by that, Princess?”
Nie Qinglin looked up at the man.
His handsome face was now expressionless, only his gaze was cold as he looked at her.
Nie Qinglin did not speak, but merely looked back at the Grand Tutor steadily.
She had been compliant and offered the Grand Tutor a graceful retreat, treating all the previous talk of marrying her as his legitimate wife and installing her in the imperial harem as if it had never happened.
Would that not be wonderful? Since she was so understanding, why did the Grand Tutor not accept the goodwill and follow suit?
After a long while, the Grand Tutor finally spoke slowly: “Recently, this Marquis has thoroughly enjoyed traveling and sightseeing with the Princess. However, a sickness of the mouth, nose, and throat is currently prevalent in the capital. The Princess is already tired from the trip, and returning to the capital might make her throat uncomfortable. Why not stay at the temporary palace for a while? The autumn vegetables and fruits there are fresh. Did the Princess not enjoy the food there? A period of recuperation would also be beneficial…”
The Grand Tutor was truly brilliant; he figured it out quickly.
The mouth, nose, and throat sickness was indeed rampant recently.
Nie Qinglin felt a faint tightness in her throat.
The temporary palace? It was likely she would have to reside there for a long, long time…
Rumors erupted in the capital, and the political situation became volatile.
The Grand Tutor also put aside his recreational thoughts.
After the Prince escorted Princess Shaoyang and her daughter away, he quickly set off directly for the temporary palace.
After he had sent her to the temporary palace, rumors soon spread in the capital that the Emperor’s health was deteriorating, and he might pass away at any moment.
That separation from the Grand Tutor lasted for more than a month.
On this day, Nie Qinglin was sitting idly in the palace, staring blankly at the desolate branches in the courtyard, when suddenly a visitor from the capital requested an audience.
When she heard it was Qiu Mingyan seeking to meet her, Nie Qinglin was slightly stunned.
It would be understandable if he was seeking the Emperor, but what was the rationale for a minister to travel thousands of miles just to see a Princess?
Nie Qinglin’s heart sank slightly, though she did not know why.
Upon seeing Prime Minister Qiu again, Princess Yong’an immediately noticed that this fine young man had suddenly lost a great deal of weight, and the cinnabar mark on his forehead was no longer as vivid and striking as before.
When Prime Minister Qiu saw the Princess slowly enter the sitting room, supported by Nanny Shan, he immediately knelt down, touching his forehead to the ground and performing a profound salute.
This action naturally contained a degree of conscious guilt, which he found it difficult to express directly, and could only offer an apology by kowtowing.
Nie Qinglin slowly and deliberately parted her red lips and asked: “Why has the State Minister come to the temporary palace? What is the purpose of your visit?”
Qiu Mingyan looked up at Princess Yong’an, his face pale and haggard: “Princess, the Grand Tutor has vanished.”
At this statement, there was a complete silence in the room.
It was Nanny Shan behind Nie Qinglin who could not maintain her composure, staring with wide eyes and shouting: “Qiu Mingyan, what nonsense are you spewing?”
In fact, what Qiu Mingyan said was not a lie.
The whole story must begin with the Wei family’s maritime transport business.
The Wei family had been involved in maritime transport for generations, and their business was quite enormous.
There was a small island in the South Sea.
This small island had cliffs on three sides and a natural leeward port on one side.
It was three days’ distance from the coast of the Wei Dynasty.
Fifty years ago, the Wei family discovered this small island, and gradually built a wharf and defense facilities, transforming it into the Wei family’s sea supply, transfer, and rest stop.
After seeing his brother off, Wei Yunzhi returned to operating the cargo ships at sea.
A large part of this involved coming to this small South Sea island to check the cargo and resupply water and provisions.
That day, he was checking the wharf when suddenly someone reported to Wei Yunzhi that ships had been spotted in the distance.
Wei Yunzhi climbed the lookout tower and saw several black dots in the distance, likely a passing fleet.
In the past, Wei Yunzhi would not have paid attention.
The island had an excellent geographical location, and fleets passed by frequently.
Moreover, the Wei family had been merchants for generations and were very familiar with the pirates in the nearby waters.
Red Beard, Du Bangchui, and Ma Dapao were the three largest groups of pirates.
The Wei family paid a regular tribute every month.
Especially after his brother Wei Lenghou became the Grand Tutor of the Wei Dynasty, these pirate groups dared not provoke their ships again.
However, a group called the Blood Red Society had recently emerged.
They were murderous, robbing, and cruel in their methods.
Red Beard was dissatisfied that they had broken the rules of the sea, and after a major battle, Red Beard was actually completely wiped out.
This put all the merchant fleets who made their living on the sea on high alert.
This time, Wei Yunzhi had a gut feeling that this might be directed at the Wei family and himself.
The black dots slowly grew larger.
They were six large, double masted, raised bow ships.
The bows of the ships were all fitted with pointed battering rams over a dozen meters long.
The ships were flying a flag: a black background with a bloody long knife, confirming they were ships of the Blood Red Society.
Wei Yunzhi quickly ordered all his sailors to take up weapons, man the defensive walls, and prepare for battle.
When the large ships approached, he shouted loudly: “Brothers of the Blood Red Society visiting our Wei family wharf, is there anything we can help you with? I am Wei Yunzhi, and I enjoy making friends with heroes. If you need anything, please just ask.”
A powerful man stood on one of the large ships and said coldly: “The Wei family brothers are indeed hospitable. I want to borrow your fine head for a purpose, and I trust you will not disappoint me.”
After speaking, he ordered the attack.
Arrows rained down like shooting stars from the large ships, showering the Wei family sailors.
Several sailors failed to dodge and were shot down.
Wei Yunzhi ducked and avoided several arrows aimed at him, then ordered a counterattack.
For a time, an arrow shower fell between the defensive wall and the large ships.
Neither side had heavy equipment, so they could not harm the other with only bows and arrows.
They fought for an afternoon, with losses on both sides.
The Wei family escort team was experienced at sea, but the opponents did not act like an ordinary ragtag group.
Their maneuvers and attacks were veteran and skilled, just like old sea dogs.
Wei Yunzhi thought this was bad.
If this group of pirates landed on the island, given their past behavior, not a single woman, child, or elderly person on the island would escape death.
The only strategy now was to defend the island to the death and wait for reinforcements.
So, he carefully selected five subordinates.
After dark, the five men climbed from the wharf to the top of the cliff.
They tied ropes to a large rock, and four men descended the ropes to the bottom of the cliff, where they jumped into the water.
The remaining man retrieved the ropes and returned to the wharf.
It turned out that a fast boat was hidden beneath the cliff, stocked with sealed food and drinking water.
Rocks had been placed on the boat to sink it in the water, making it impossible for outsiders to discover.
The four men worked together to push the rocks from the boat into the sea.
The small boat floated up, and the men climbed onto the fast boat, disappearing into the night.
By the time they finally broke through the heavy blockade and reached the mainland shore, three of the five men had been killed in the arrow rain.
Because they were all old comrades and had always followed the Grand Tutor’s younger brother, the butler at the Grand Tutor’s residence recognized them when they arrived.
The two men met the Grand Tutor, knelt, and tearfully explained what had happened, finally saying: “The Second Young Master may not be able to hold out much longer. Please ask the Eldest Young Master to rescue him quickly.”
The deep bond between the Wei brothers prompted Wei Lenghou to briefly hand over political matters, personally lead a unit of the Black Flag Army who had experienced sea battles in the South Frontier, and set off.
But since his departure, there had been no further news.
When Qiu Mingyan personally led men to search, they only found that the South Island had become a deserted empty island, with only corpses from the massacre.
Not a single person was left alive, but there was no sign of the Grand Tutor or his second brother.
Counting the days, the Grand Tutor had been missing for over ten days.
Qiu Mingyan made the excuse that the Grand Tutor was drilling troops and inspecting the border towns, temporarily concealing the news.
However, this could not continue indefinitely.
The court could not remain vacant.
The immediate solution was to first ask the Emperor to come forward and stabilize the government.
When Qiu Mingyan finished recounting all this, he slightly raised his head and saw that the Princess’s face was completely pale.
She remained silent for a long time, then suddenly asked: “The Grand Tutor suffers from seasickness. Why would he personally go out to sea?”
Qiu Mingyan’s brows were tightly furrowed: “Your subject was not present at the time and does not know the specific details. If I had known, I would certainly have stopped him and never allowed the Grand Tutor to put himself in danger.”
