《Conquer the Castle》姬泱

3、Chapter One 3rd

　　Following the course of natural events, I nursed my injury at home. Zi Qi frequently sent the Imperial Physicians over, giving many medicines—all of which were the valued treasures of the Imperial Palace. In truth, my wrist had only suffered a slightly more serious than average twist, but there was a saying that an injury of the muscle and bone would need a hundred days of recovery, so I had no choice but to rest and recuperate in quiet.

　　On the third day, my hand had already swelled to the size of a mantou . Phoenix Jade carefully replaced the ointments for me.

　　“Thank goodness it’s the left hand, or I would have been unable to hold a brush.”

　　“Your Excellency, you used to be able to write the seal characters of the Plum Flower with both hands. Now…”

　　“It’ll heal.”

　　A boy-servant rushed in. “Your Excellency, you have a guest.”

　　“Who is it? Does he have a name card?” Phoenix Jade asked languorously as she helped me bind the last of my bandages.

　　“No, but he has a eunuch with him. Someone called…um…Su Xiu? He’s rather handsome.”

　　I stood up immediately. It was Zi Qi.

　　“Where is he? Help me with my clothes.”

　　“In the central chamber.”

　　“How did he enter?” I asked while changing my clothes.

　　“Zhou Qiao told me to let them in.”

　　“Ah. That’s good. Present the tea. Zhou Qiao has seen him before.”

　　By time I rushed to the central chamber, Zi Qi was gazing at the painting hung on the wall with his hands folded behind his back, Su Xiu standing behind him respectfully.

　　“Your Majesty,” I called softly. He turned towards me.

　　I straightened my robes and was about to go through the formal greetings when Zi Qi stopped me.

　　“We are neither in the Imperial Palace nor before the assembly. There is no need for such formalities. Su Xiu, leave us. Zhen has a few matters which Zhen would like to discuss with Yong Li in private.”

　　“Yes.” Su Xiao departed with his back bowed. He closed the door as he left, leaving the two of us in this spacious chamber.

　　“Who drew this? It looks like a peony. The brush strokes are really unique. The watercolours: even the sole colour of black is sufficient to portray the phenomenal beauty of the flower. The calligraphy is exceptional as well. Ever shifting and varying, it’s extraordinarily charming.”

　　I looked at the painting and experienced a feeling of remorse. “The painting is by the former emperor; the calligraphy by your servant’s left hand.”

　　He continued starting at the painting for a while, later siting down on the chair in the main hall.

　　“Yong Li’s double-handed seal characters are well-known all throughout the capital. The Imperial Uncle’s paintings have their own unique appeal. He used to call you his confidante.”

　　“I am hardly worthy of the former emperor’s cordiality.”

　　“Zhen killed those people.”

　　“…”

　　“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

　　“Your servant does not know what to say.”

　　He laughed coldly.

　　“Surely you think Zhen’s actions very strange. Even Zhen thinks so. However, Zhen finally somewhat understands my Imperial Uncle’s mind…anyway, it is time we turned to official matters. The Xin guardian Lu Feng Yi has arrived at the capital; did you know this?”

　　If he knew to ask me this, he would already have known of Xu Su’s visit to my residence. Surely I couldn’t hide this matter from him.

　　“Yes, I do.”

　　“Why didn’t you tell me?”

　　This was the first time he had addressed himself as “me” before me. Even though I was a little surprised, I didn’t reveal any of my emotions at that time.

　　“Your servant thought Your Majesty would not care. He only came to see if the military remuneration has already been dispatched.”

　　“The result.”

　　“He should have left.”

　　“He left yesterday. He’s Xu Su’s student, which means both of you are from the same school. Xu Su seems to be very fond of him, however. He’s no more than a Jin Shi, yet he managed to gain the position of the general of the borders. His talent is impressive.”

　　“Xu Su has always had a good eye.”

　　He laughed ingratiatingly. “Naturally. Lady Zhou has not yet had her name registered in the Department of Ceremonies to gain her title.”

　　”Your servant has not yet taken a wife. That was my concubine, Phoenix Jade, whom Your Majesty saw that day.”

　　”Really? why not?”

　　In truth, these were my personal affairs. Conventionally, the Zheng Emperor would not concern himself with this, but Zi Qi seemed to be waiting for an answer, which made it impermissible for me to not reply.

　　“I do not wish to burden others.”

　　“That can well be considered a reason. Is your injury better?”

　　“Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern; it’s a lot better.”

　　I was wearing a wide-sleeved robe. Normally I was scornful of the inconvenience the sleeves bring me, but now I was grateful for the cover they provided. I assumed that he wouldn’t come over to check my injury, but the reality seemed otherwise.

　　“Really? That’s good.”

　　Saying that, he came over to my side. I stepped backward, but he caught hold of my left sleeve in a move to check my hand. Knowing this, I resisted briefly, but he grabbed hold of me firmly.

　　“The crime of deceiving your lord is deserving of the deaths of the nine branches of your family.”

　　“Your servant knows his crime.”

　　He glanced at me and lifted my hand. Even though the ointment on my hand was coolly refreshing, the pain was still intense at the slight movement of him rolling down my sleeve.

　　“It’s already so swollen. Have you relocated your bone?

　　“Yes; Zhou Qiao did it for your servant.”

　　“The black-clothed man with the sword that day?”

　　“Yes; he’s your servant’s follower. He’s been with me for two years already.”

　　“You seem very intimate with him.”

　　There seemed to be a hint of accusation in his voice. I shot a glance at him, but his gaze remained fixed on my hand.

　　“It’s fine. The bone relocation was done well. You will still have use of your left hand.”

　　He seemed relieved and even sincerely delighted. Suddenly, he lifted his head and noticed me watching him, causing a flush to rise in his pale cheeks. As if to calm himself, he paused a while before continuing.

　　“Zhen might have ascended the throne, but Zhen still has need of a teacher. Zhen would like you to assume this role and assist Zhen in his studies. What do you think?”

　　“Your servant is willing to bow over to his utmost exhaustion for this task.”

　　I’m not willing to recite the phrase after that. That is something I will avoid with every means possible .

　　”Very well.”

　　***

　　Nevertheless, I attended the morning assembly on the fifth day. Distancing oneself from the central government was an exceptionally dangerous thing to do. My hand still hurt tremendously, but the wide sleeves of the official robes provided sufficient cover. Zi Qi picked a couple of important military affairs to discuss during the assembly and officially announced his edict to dispatch the one million silver of military remuneration to Xin. Even though the ministers did not object to this, I knew they were resentful.

　　The Xin guardian Lu Feng Yi was only thirty, the golden age for a man to render service and gain fame. He travelled the four seas during his youth and was agile with the sword even though he was a scholar. Xu Su was highly appreciative of this student of his. During the times when Xu Su and I still shared a close relationship, he used to frequently tell me stories of this older brother of mine, but I have never met him.

　　Others resented him because he did not achieve outstanding results in the imperial examinations. As only a Jin Shi, he would have been only a minor official if he had been promoted through the natural means. But within less than ten years, he had already become a second-ranked official who had power over the borders and complete control of the military affairs in Xin. To put it crudely, in Xin, he was the arbitrary ruler. It was no wonder he has attracted the jealousy of outsiders.

　　Zi Qi summoned me to the inner palace after the dismissal of the assembly.

　　“Why are you here today? Are you better already?”

　　“Thank you for Your Majesty’s worry. Yes, I am.”

　　We were in the imperial gardens. Zi Qi stood before a jade orchid, gazing at the buds that had just begun to bloom. The people around us were so far away that I couldn’t even see them. Lately, he seemed to be getting fond of dismissing his personal guards and Su Xiu.

　　“I’ve hunted out my Imperial Uncle’s calligraphy and paintings from the Soft Voices Hall within these two days. I’ve noticed that the paintings all have calligraphy by your hand, and all of them are monochrome paintings of flowers. You have stayed in the inner palace before, haven’t you?”

　　“Yes.” That was when the former emperor developed an obsessive passion for painting and granted me permission to stay in the Forbidden Palace for two months.

　　“The Lady Orchid passed away yesterday night.”

　　Even the child’s mother has died. Everything within the Forbidden Palace that bore relation to the former emperor has vanished without a trace.

　　“Your Majesty, please take care.”

　　“Why should I? She’s completely unrelated to me. I’m just experiencing certain nostalgic emotions; that’s all. Lu Feng Yi’s officially entering the capital next month to report on the affairs in Xin. Pay him some attention.”

　　“Yes.”