Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 339 Swallow's Nest
Inside the Ci'an Hall.

After seeing off the imperial physician, Empress Dowager Chengqing leaned against the chaise longue covered with thick brocade, her eyes half-closed, her face gloomy as she watched two swallows busy building their nest under the eaves.

In previous years, these swallows would always come, but she thought their nests were too simple and crude, not worthy of the grandeur of the Cixi Palace. So she had the craftsmen rebuild them and decorate them with gold and jade, and after that, the swallows stopped coming.

In a fit of anger, she ordered her men to dismantle the golden swallow's nest.

It flew in again this year...

Empress Dowager Chengqing's brows were furrowed tightly.

Lately, everything has been going wrong for her; it's as if fate is deliberately working against her.

She was upset and unable to eat or sleep.

"...That one in Jiaofang Palace has truly become a golden phoenix. His Majesty has visited for three consecutive days, showing concern and care. The whole palace is buzzing with the news, saying that this auspicious sign has come at just the right time, turning a potential catastrophe into immense wealth..." The old nanny Cui, standing to the side, spoke with deep resentment.

Empress Dowager Chengqing's face turned ashen upon hearing this.

"Everyone is eager to curry favor with him, but poor King Wei has suffered injustice for nothing."

On the other side, her trusted chief eunuch, Fuquan, was kneeling in front of the bed, using a small jade hammer to massage her legs with even force.

"Grandmother, please rest assured, it is important to take care of your health. Prince Wei is young and has a strong body, he will recover after some rest."

"I'm old and useless. I can't even protect my own grandson, so how can I be at ease? This bustling scene in the palace isn't prepared for me at all..."

Fuquan glanced at the Empress Dowager's expression and said cautiously:

"That nun Miaozhen from Shuiyue Nunnery has been entering and leaving the palace more and more frequently. This afternoon, she was ordered by the Empress to enter Jiaofang Palace and stayed for almost half an hour before coming out. I heard that... when she came out, Her Majesty the Empress specially rewarded her with a box of bird's nest, saying it was to nourish her body."

Upon hearing this, Granny Cui chimed in, "That Master Miaozhen is quite capable. Last time, regarding Consort Li...and Lady Xiao's affair, she managed to escape unscathed without getting a single stain on her reputation. Now, the Empress's pregnancy seems to have come about suspiciously...could this also be her doing?"

Empress Dowager Chengqing closed her eyes slightly.

That ignorant and arrogant concubine's daughter, even after becoming a nun, still wouldn't settle down.

I used to want to teach her a lesson, but I was repeatedly thwarted.

Li Yan was beaten so badly that he was covered in bruises and has not yet recovered.

On the contrary, she was able to enter and leave the palace unscathed, and her popularity was even greater than before.
"Hmph!" The Empress Dowager suddenly opened her eyes, her cloudy gaze extremely cold and sharp.

"In my opinion, she is nothing but a demon in disguise. Fuquan, what does she do when she goes in and out of the Empress's Palace? Have you found out everything?"

Fuquan quickly bent down and whispered his reply.

"Reporting to the Ancestor, it was said that she was there to preach to the Empress, take her pulse, and also to help with her pregnancy and other miscellaneous tasks... I heard that the Empress relies on her greatly and rewards her quite generously... But in private, some gossip has been circulating in the Jiaofang Palace..."

"Oh." Empress Dowager Chengqing asked, "What were they saying?"

"It's said that His Highness the Crown Prince treats her... differently, and the Empress hasn't objected either, perhaps tacitly agreeing. This golden sparrow is destined to fly high in the future, so we must treat her well..."

"This wild girl wants to climb the social ladder? Doesn't she even know her background?" Empress Dowager Chengqing glared at Fuquan and sneered.

“The old ancestor is right, how could she be worthy?” Fuquan was startled, and continued:

"I believe it's true that these two have something going on. But for the sake of the Crown Prince's future, Her Majesty would never agree to marry a concubine who has become a nun. Besides..."

He stopped, hesitant to speak.

Empress Dowager Chengqing said impatiently in a deep voice, "Just say what you have to say. Why are you beating around the bush?"

Fuquan then lowered his voice, as if speaking of a grave taboo, “Miaozhen used to be with Prince Duan. This relationship is in the middle, not to mention it will be ridiculed, it might even damage the imperial family’s reputation… Not to mention that the Empress is intolerant of any dissent, His Majesty would never allow brothers to fight amongst themselves… If they can’t get over this hurdle, their affair will not succeed.”

Empress Dowager Chengqing nodded, wanting to say a few sarcastic remarks.

But for some reason, thinking of Xue Sui's calm and composed face made me feel inexplicably weak.

“My grandson… has truly found a good helper.”

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Granny Cui stepped forward to serve tea, spitting out, "No matter how shrewd Miaozhen is, the root of the problem still lies with the Xue family."

The Empress Dowager recalled the miserable state of her beloved grandson Li Yan, who was beaten black and blue and had to use a rooster instead of a wedding rooster. Her chest heaved violently, and she was so angry that her teeth itched.

"Is there any movement from the Fu family?"

Granny Cui quickly lowered her voice and said, "Reporting to the Ancestor, Madam Fu sent word yesterday that Master Xue has already made a plan."

A cold glint flashed in Empress Dowager Chengqing's eyes, and she said in a chilling voice, "That's good then. Tell Lady Fu that I'm waiting to see her sincerity. If she, as the mistress of the house, can't even control a concubine's daughter, she can forget about ever turning her life around..."

Granny Cui understood immediately, lowered her head, and bowed in agreement.

"Understood, I'll get on it right away."

Empress Dowager Chengqing suddenly looked up at the eaves.

"Noisy!" she uttered coldly, then fell silent.

"Fuquan, send men to tear down those unsightly things under the eaves, along with their dilapidated nest. Not a single blade of grass should be left!"

The air inside the hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

The swallows under the eaves continued their busy work, completely unaware of the murderous intent lurking beneath the magnificent palace, and even less aware that their hard-earned nests would ultimately be destroyed by the powerful.
-
into the night.

The bamboo grove of Youhuang Residence was tinged with a deep, dark blue.

The wind rustled through the bamboo leaves, and the branches of the love-thread flowers stretched out in the evening breeze. On the Moon-Gazing Terrace, the night wind gently caressed Xue Sui's wide monk's robe, causing it to flutter.

With her back to the stone steps, she gazed up at the vast Milky Way under the rising moonlight.

A familiar footstep came from behind, crushing the mottled figure.

"Is Ping An waiting for me?"

Xue Sui turned around, smiled faintly, and spoke in a cool voice.

"Your Highness is late, I was just about to leave..."

"There were many trivial matters in the palace today, which delayed us for a while." Li Zhao walked up to the high platform and stood shoulder to shoulder with her. Their robes fluttered in the evening breeze as they looked up at the shimmering night sky.

"The entire court is praising the auspicious omens and discussing their mysteries. I am also curious, what method did you use to create the miracle of 'heavenly fire guiding the way, bronze cranes pointing to auspicious omens'...?"

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips, and turned to look at her.

"It suits my taste quite well."

Xue Sui looked at his profile, which was made even more handsome by the moonlight, and smiled slightly.

"It's just a bunch of tricks and smokescreens."

As she spoke, she took a magnet from her sleeve and flicked her wrist.

He then pointed to a piece of wood on the table with a small black iron nail embedded in it.

At a distance of about an inch, the magnet moved, and the pointer on the wooden piece was strangely drawn in, causing it to rotate slightly...

"The jade is translucent and possesses a spiritual quality; when illuminated by moonlight, it resembles sacred fire from afar. As for the bronze crane in the Fengxian Hall..."

As she spoke, she lightly tapped the spinning magnet with her fingertip.

"The crane's belly is hollow, with a magnet inside. Using a strong magnet to attract it, turning it is not difficult... But miracles are easy to create, but people's hearts are hard to tame. Therefore, Princess Tuya's addition was just right, and the dragon child in the Empress's womb was even more crucial... Both are indispensable."

She spoke in a calm tone, describing a scheme that stirred up the palace and affected the court as if she were cooking a simple dish or a child's game.

Li Zhao chuckled softly.

“The moonlight is just right, and this place is so quiet that no one is likely to see us.” His expression was clear and bright. Suddenly, he reached out, but instead of touching the magnet, he quietly and precisely grabbed Xue Sui’s wrist, which was hanging by his side.

Xue Sui: "...What are you doing?"

Li Zhao: "Hold hands."

Xue Sui: "The hands of a monk must not be tainted by worldly affairs."

Li Zhao: "Your hands can create heavenly fire, so how can holding hands be considered worldly?"

Xue Sui: "..."

He suddenly chuckled, "Besides, if no one sees it, then it doesn't count as a tie."

Xue Sui's gaze fell on the hand he held in hers, and she almost silently tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Deceiving yourself."

Li Zhao's fingertips moved slowly, clasping her slender fingers. His calloused fingertips were warm and firm.

"What is peace then? Deceiving people, deceiving the gods? If the gods have a spirit, they would probably sigh at your ingenious schemes."

"Your Highness is overthinking this." Xue Sui's voice was calm, but his gaze met his, revealing a deep and unfathomable depth, yet also a frankness bordering on sincerity.

"If the gods have spirits, they should be able to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and right and wrong."

Her voice was very soft, with a slight breathiness, and it brushed against his tense Adam's apple almost imperceptibly.

The slightly cool touch brought a subtle tingling sensation.

Li Zhao's breath hitched slightly.

He tightened his grip on her hand, and his heart felt as if it were being teased by a feather, a secret emotion quietly stirring within him.

"Are we going back to Shuiyue Nunnery tonight?" He swallowed hard, his voice lowering slightly.

Xue Sui asked, puzzled, "Why not?"

Li Zhao: "It's too late."

Xue Sui was even more puzzled. "So what? It's not like I haven't walked at night before."

Li Zhao looked into her clear eyes: "The night is deep and the dew is heavy, the mountain road is difficult to travel, and you are not yet fully recovered."

The Crown Prince, who remained unfazed even when facing a massive army and court infighting, now showed a hint of clumsy nervousness and slight disarray in this trivial matter.

Seeing his rare expression, Xue Sui smiled genuinely.

“In that case…” She tilted her head slightly, her eyes clear and bright, “Then I will trouble Your Highness to escort me back to the nunnery?”

　Li Zhao: When the star Tian Shu moves, I also move.

　　Xue Sui: It seems I wasted my time drinking honeysuckle tea...

　　(End of this chapter)