Chapter 4
After returning to the medicine room, Zhao Heng put down the tray in her hands and sat in front of the stove.
The fire in the stove was roaring, but Zhao Heng couldn't feel any warmth. It seemed like the earlier incident had drained all warmth from her body, leaving her blood frozen, sitting there stiffly.
After a while, the maid next to Madam Liu returned with the medicine cup and looked at Zhao Heng who seemed lost in thought. "If you're not feeling well, it's better to go back and lie down," she said.
Zhao Heng didn't refuse. She truly had no energy to continue working, fear hanging thick in the air, enveloping her tightly.
She got up and went back to her room, not even bothering to light the charcoal fire, slowly making her way to the cold bed. She weakly picked up the blanket, wrapping herself in it, and then couldn't move anymore, sitting there like a statue.
She had always followed the rules, being cautious, just wanting to endure until she could leave the palace.
On the day she encountered Li Wenjian, she was only in the imperial kitchen helping with the cooking. However, the banquet that day went on until late at night, and by the time she finished her duty, it was already too late. Afraid of being scolded by Aunt Chen for being late for duty the next day, she decided to run back to the East Palace.
But on her way back, she unintentionally disturbed some palace maids and guards having a secret meeting. Afraid of causing trouble, she took a detour, missing the time to enter her chamber.
Unable to return to the East Palace, she sought shelter in an abandoned hall to wait out the snowstorm.
As soon as she laid down wearily, someone barged in.
She didn't know he was the crown prince.
If she had known, even with a hundred or a thousand times more courage, she wouldn't have dared to knock him unconscious and flee in panic the next day.
Zhao Heng's fingers trembled as she clutched the corner of the blanket, and her palms ached from the effort.
She had always avoided thinking about that day, but it was deeply imprinted in her mind, becoming an unshakeable demon. Yet the demon unexpectedly broke through the barrier and entered reality.
Her nose tingled with the urge to cry.
Her parents had passed away early, and she had grown up relying on her grandmother. She just wanted to live well and provide for her grandmother in her old age, so why did she have to face such circumstances?
She had endured countless bullying in the village in the past and had never shed a tear; even when she was sent by Aunt Chen to a place like hell on earth as a punishment, she didn't cry.
But today, the bitterness and injustice flooded in like a landslide and a tsunami, no longer able to be suppressed.
She was as insignificant as an ant, and for her, even the loss of a single hair from a fierce beast was a calamity.
Footsteps could be heard outside, causing Zhao Heng's heart to tremble. She didn't want anyone to hear her crying, so she tightly bit her lip, forcing back the sobs until her lower lip went numb.
The footsteps finally stopped outside her door, and Yun Feng's voice came through the door, "Zhao Heng, are you in there?"
Zhao Heng was briefly stunned, and then a chill shot up her spine, spreading to every part of her body.
Yun Feng was the crown prince's palace maid, coming to find her at this moment...
She closed her eyes in despair.
Yun Feng's voice rang out again, "Zhao Heng, are you there?"
Zhao Heng wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and stood up to open the door. Yun Feng entered with the medicine bowl and noticed that there was no fire in the room. She said, "The Madam said you're sick and asked me to bring you some herbal medicine. It's so cold in here, why haven't you lit a fire?"
A buzzing sound filled Zhao Heng's head. It turned out that Yun Feng wasn't there to reprimand her. Her heart loosened a bit, and she replied in a calm tone, "I felt dizzy when I came back, so I just collapsed on the bed and slept."
Accustomed to being meek, she softly asked, "Did I do something wrong and lose the Madam's trust?"
The room was dimly lit, making it hard to see the tear stains on Zhao Heng's face, but her voice carried a hint of tears, clear and soft, indicating that she had indeed cried.
For a palace maid who had left her hometown to serve others, falling sick and shedding a few tears out of homesickness was a common occurrence.
Yun Feng had served by the crown prince's side since she was ten. The crown prince had always been taught to have a broad vision and compassion for all. He wouldn't tolerate anyone taking advantage of others.
While Yun Feng wouldn't punish Zhao Heng for quietly shedding a tear, when she asked if Zhao Heng almost caused a scene in the court and Zhao Heng admitted to it, Yun Feng still maintained a stern expression and said, "I've said it before, don't mess things up. Do you understand your mistake?"
Zhao Heng lowered her head and softly apologized, "I understand my mistake, please punish me, sister."
Bowing down and admitting fault when facing a problem had been Zhao Heng's way of survival over the years. Seeing her submissive and obedient demeanor, Yun Feng slightly softened and said, "Of course, there will be a punishment. After you return to the East Palace, come find me to receive it."
After a pause, Yun Feng handed her the medicine on the table and said, "You don't need to go to the medicine room today. Just rest after taking the medicine."
Zhao Heng took a deep breath and picked up the bowl Yun Feng handed her.
As the steam rose, the strong herbal scent filled the air, misting her eyes with tears.
Yun Feng glanced at her tear-filled eyes and suddenly felt uneasy. Despite her imposing presence as a senior palace maid, she also dreaded tears.
She happened to have two pieces of leftover candied fruit from lunch in her pocket and took them out, offering them to Zhao Heng, "If you don't like the bitter taste, have a piece of candied fruit to sweeten it."
Upon saying this, she left, afraid that Zhao Heng might start crying in the next moment.
*
In another part of the palace, Li Wenjian sat in his study, perusing the notes he had written in his childhood.
The morning light streamed into the room, illuminating his face with a radiant glow.
Meanwhile, Mu Gui reported on the information he had gathered about Zhao Heng.
"She entered the palace at the age of ten, previously worked in the laundry department. At 14, she was transferred to the East Palace. She doesn't talk much, mainly communicated with a minor steward from the palace who helped her maintain contact with her grandmother outside the palace. Those who know her say she rarely speaks. Besides diligently working, she rarely interacts with others. People at the laundry department know her as someone with a good temperament, who often takes on difficult and tiring tasks without complaint."
Mu Gui concluded his report.
Li Wenjian nodded and asked, "What about her family? What's the situation there?"
Mu Gui had personally visited Xuejia Village yesterday and had thoroughly investigated her background. He replied, "Her ancestors have been living in Xuejia Village for generations. Her parents were originally ferry boatmen at the dock. When she was three years old, there was a flood, and her parents risked their lives to ferry people across the river in the storm. Unfortunately, both the people and the boat fell into the river. Since then, the grandmother and granddaughter have been dependent on each other. When she was ten, to treat her grandmother's illness, she secretly accepted the reward money and entered the palace."
Li Wenjian was aware of the selection of palace maids that year.
At that time, the country was just starting to stabilize after a period of war and upheaval. The former emperor had not yet settled into the palace, reigning for only three months before passing away.
When his father ascended the throne, he faced a war-torn country and a palace full of old, weak, and disabled individuals left over from the previous dynasty. The emperor ordered the selection of palace maids.
However, while it was easy to overthrow an old dynasty, establishing a new one was not so simple.
The people were hesitant and apprehensive, as there had been many false claimants to the throne in recent years, most of whom quickly disappeared. Many of the palace maids recruited during that time fell victim to the turmoil of the war.
That year, there were almost no volunteers to enter the palace as a maid until Li Wenjian proposed offering a reward of five coins to those who entered the palace.
With a hefty reward, there were bound to be brave souls.
Zhao Heng was one of those brave souls.
After a moment of silence, Li Wenjian asked, "Why was she in the Qingliang Hall that day?"
"On that day, she was in the imperial kitchen," Mu Gui sighed. "She was temporarily assigned to help in the imperial kitchen, and because no one informed her that she could leave after the evening meal, she waited until nearly the hour of Hai before leaving the imperial kitchen. The journey from the imperial kitchen to the East Palace would take about two quarters of an hour if she walked quickly. However, on that day, the palace maid Lan Hui from the Meifei Palace and the guard from the Yu Lin Wei were meeting outside the Xingye Hall at the exact moment she left the imperial kitchen."
Li Wenjian stared silently at the calm water.
The Xingye Hall was the closest route back to the East Palace from the imperial kitchen. She avoided walking past the palace maid and the guard meeting, so she took a detour and coincidentally missed the time to retrieve the key under the palace gate. Desperate and with nowhere else to go, she decided to seek shelter in the Qingliang Hall for the night.
"So, you're saying she is innocent?" Li Wenjian asked.
Mu Gui hesitated for a moment before replying, "She had no motive, and most importantly... she had no opportunity."
A palace maid from the laundry department simply wouldn't have had access to him, let alone the chance to secretly drug his drink.
What kind of person would risk their life to poison his drink, then take advantage of his vulnerability the following day to knock him unconscious and escape?
After months of contemplation and pondering, the answer finally became clear.
Because they were simply not the same person.
Someone else was behind the poisoning.
Before dawn, An Xuzhi got up and after practicing a set of boxing, he happily headed towards Yanshan Residence where Li Wenjian lived.
An Xuzhi had always admired this cousin, who was only five or six years older than himself, but his composure and intelligence made him feel inadequate. He relied on Li Wenjian like an older brother, and respected him like an elder.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, An Xuzhi saw Mu Gui striding out of the house, looking hurried as if he had something important to do.
"Why is Qin the guard here so early?" he asked in surprise.
"There is urgent official correspondence from the northern region that needs to be presented to His Highness today," Mu Gui explained.
An Xuzhi was taken aback. "Has he... gotten up this early?"
Mu Gui replied, "His Highness rises promptly every day at the hour of Yin."
An Xuzhi was not surprised as he had developed this habit since childhood, waking up every day at the hour of Yin, regardless of rain, snow, wind, or frost, to practice martial arts and review his studies at the tranquil Jing'an Pavilion.
At that time, his great-grandfather often used him as an example to remind the younger generation of the family to study diligently and act with diligence.
Although An Xuzhi considered himself diligent and hardworking enough, he still felt inadequate when compared to others who were more skilled and diligent.
This was perhaps because some people were simply more talented and hardworking than you.
Li Wenjian looked out into the courtyard. The faint light of dawn was still soft, the sun had not yet risen, and there were a few strands of unbroken clouds in the eastern sky. A young man stood in the courtyard, conversing with Mu Gui.
He called out, "Ah Lin."
An Xuzhi responded, "Here."
He hurried into the house and saw Li Wenjian sitting at the table, flipping through scrolls of books. The completed official documents were neatly piled beside her, making him feel even more ashamed.
At his age, His Highness had already led a group to the north, using his iron-fisted tactics to retake twenty-four cities that had been captured by the barbarians during the chaos in the Central Plains.
He successfully reclaimed lost territories without shedding a drop of blood, leaving a significant mark on the history of the Eastern Li dynasty.
Comparing himself...
"What did you talk about with Mu Gui?" An Xuzhi asked.
An Xuzhi came back to his senses and quickly walked over to Li Wenjian respectfully, saying, "We didn't really talk much, just exchanged a few pleasantries."
Seeing that Li Wenjian was holding a book, he added, "I've finished reading the 'Records of Southern Jiangnan' that you gave me last time."
"Did you gain any insights?" Li Wenjian turned another page in the book.
An Xuzhi pursed his lips and replied, "When the late Emperor overthrew the tyrant, some remnants of the previous dynasty fled south to Jiangnan, where the Crown Prince was proclaimed emperor in Huizhou. With the support of the gentry in Jiangnan, the Crown Prince ruled as emperor for ten years. Nine years ago, General Wei Zhan led an army to defeat the southern rebel forces, leading to the Crown Prince's suicide. The gentry in Jiangnan were severely weakened, but their influence and reputation were still significant, even though they swore allegiance to His Majesty. His Highness is still wary of them."
Only then did Li Wenjian lift her eyes and size up An Xuzhi.
He had devoted time and effort to cultivating him, not only because of their family connection but also because of his potential, like a raw gemstone that could be polished into a gem. The third reason... was his guilt.
Due to his own negligence, An Xuzhi had fallen into the hands of assassins and, upon being rescued, had developed an extreme fear that led to him losing his ability to speak.
Bestowed with the title of Crown Prince and Relocated to the Eastern Palace, he also reserved a place for An Xuzhi, allowing him free entry and exit of the Palace
An Xuzhi had not uttered a word for five whole years.
Since then, Li Wenjian had kept him by his side at all times.
He had originally thought that if An Xu never spoke again, he would raise him for the rest of his life.
Recalling the unpleasant past, Li Wenzheng remained silent for a moment before continuing, "The Jiangnan gentry has been entrenched in Jiangnan for many years. In the past, they supported Prince Wuyuan as a puppet emperor, enjoying the rich Jiangnan. I don't believe they are willing to give up their boundless wealth, let alone to the descendants of a butcher. Therefore, I am worried."
"Dongli has just been established, and its foundation is still shallow, but I will never sit idly by and let the Jiangnan gentry continue to run rampant. This time, you and Grand Tutor Ye are going south, both to inspect the salt and to act as my vanguard troops. How the blueprint of Jiangnan will be drawn in the future depends on what useful information you can bring back this time? Do you understand?"
An Xuzhi couldn't help but straighten up upon hearing this. His words stirred up a surge of emotions in his heart and his blood boiled, as if he could immediately whip his horse and achieve great things. He sincerely said, "I will not let you down."
Li Wenzheng retracted his gaze and continued to read the book in his hand.
An Xuzhi looked at him studying seriously, thought for a moment, and suppressed the words he had originally wanted to say.