Sure enough, Lord Cai’s death was concealed.
It was announced to the public that he’d met mountain bandits on his way home for retirement, but the ministers were all clever people, so anyone could guess what had happened.
If someone else had been the emperor, it might have angered the ministers. But it was Tantai Jin, who would kill when he said he would without beating around the bush. He didn’t care about face or reputation.
There was nothing they could do about a person like that.
In short, somehow someone yielded first and no one took the initiative to find fault1找晦气 (zhǎo huìqì) – lit. find bad luck; you do something and it brings you bad luck with Tantai Jin anymore.
Everything was progressing like a wildfire2如火如荼 (rúhuǒ-rútú) – like wildfire (idiom); unstoppable, and in the blink of an eye, it was the sixth month.
The day before the grand ceremony, Su Su tried on the red phoenix robe, which was gorgeously layered, with gold threads that shone in the sunlight.
Thirty-six embroidery ladies had been busy for two months making this garment.
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Ohld Lkyd Ywdkdt bye vs yexkv vbyv vbl ascl oyp ryavknwzyazu tsse-zssjkdt.
Fw Fw bye sdzu fwpv nbydtle swv sq vbl ascl obld psxlsdl alrsavle vbyv Zl Jkdt Fbydt bye yaakhle.
“Mbl olyvbla kp dknl, oswze Mbkae Fkpvla zkjl vs vyjl y oyzj vstlvbla?” Zl Jkdt Fbydt ypjle.
Mbl akxp sq bla lulp olal pzktbvzu ale, yde ydusdl nswze vlzz vbyv pbl xwpv’hl clld naukdt. Mbl ryzynl xykep zssjle yv Fw Fw, yde vbld cynj yv Zl Jkdt Fbydt okvb puxryvbu kd vblka lulp.
Gqvla Tkp Yyflpvu bye nsdqlaale vbkp Yyeyxl, bl’e dlhla pvyule shladktbv yv bla ryzynl. Mbkp Yyeyxl oyp iwkvl rkvkqwz vss.
Fw Fw zywtble kdpkel, “Gzaktbv.”
Mbl vos sq vblx oyzjle yaswde vbl kxrlakyz tyaeld okvb Lkyd Ywdkdt qszzsokdt nzsplzu clbkde.
Zl Jkdt Fbydt pxkzle ckvvlazu yde pyke, “Mbkae Fkpvla xktbv vbkdj vbyv R nyxl blal vseyu vs pyu psxlvbkdt rashsnyvkhl. Jwv ynvwyzzu, pkdnl Tkp Tktbdlpp Ikdt Dwyd ekle, R nyxl vs wdelapvyde vbyv R’x dsv czlpple okvb tsse qsavwdl3福 (qú) – tsse qsavwdl; czlppkdt; byrrkdlpp; 福薄 (qúcás) – vbkd zwnj (zkv.)/esd’v byhl tsse qsavwdl, yde nyd’v cl nsxryale vs Mbkae Fkpvla.”
Su Su said, “Having good fortune or not all depends on one’s accumulated karma4缘 (yuán) – cause; reason; fate; predestined affinity, so why should you entrust it to others?”
Ye Bing Shang was slightly stunned and nodded, “You speak well, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Third Sister will be the empress of Great Zhou tomorrow. I would like to ask Third Sister for one thing. Can you help me ask His Majesty for an imperial grace to let me leave the palace? Whether finding me a manor to live outside, or letting me return to Xia Empire, either would be doing me a favor.”
She looked at Su Su pleadingly and held her hand.
Su Su withdrew her hand, “Madame Zhaohua can go yourself if you want to ask for a favor, I’m afraid I can’t be of much help.”
A beauty shedding tears had absolutely no effect against Su Su. She pulled off Ye Bing Shang’s hand, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to my palace.”
Ye Bing Shang watched her back and withdrew her hand, her face devoid of sorrow or joy.
“What exactly does she want to do? She can’t really want to leave the Zhou Palace, right?” Curved Jade asked, feeling inexplicable.
Su Su opened her hand.
Curved Jade was surprised, “Huh? What’s that? Ye Bing Shang stuffed it into your hand just now?”
It only saw a dark green gemstone in Su Su’s hand.
Su Su said, “It’s grandmother’s gem.”
Back when the Ye family was exiled and the family properties were confiscated, Old Madam Ye hid only this gemstone.
It was the first thing that her grandfather had gifted her grandmother when she was young. When Su Su carried Old Madam Ye on her back to Liuzhou before, every cold night, Old Madam Ye would tell her some stories of her past.
Grandmother treasured this gemstone so much, so why is it in Ye Bing Shang’s hands?
Su Su had a bad premonition in her heart.
Curved Jade said, “Don’t be anxious. Old Madam Ye had always been at Tantai Jin’s place, so it’s impossible for anything to have happened. Ye Bing Shang, like you, has always been in the palace, so it’s impossible for her to do anything to the Old Madam. Didn’t you also receive a letter from Old Madam reporting her safety two days ago?”
Speaking of letters, the moment she saw the gemstone, doubts arose in Su Su’s heart.
She hastily took out the letters that her grandmother had written to her intermittently. After carefully comparing them, in several letters, the shape of the characters were exactly the same.
Su Su’s heart sank.
Even if the same person had written them, the same words wouldn’t be exactly the same in every letter.
She clenched the letter and gemstone tightly.
Suddenly sure of one fact——
Something has happened to grandmother.
Su Su quickly walked back, and sure enough, Ye Bing Shang was still waiting for her at the same spot.
Ye Bing Shang stood among the flowers, not at all surprised that Su Su would return, and she softly said, “Does Third Sister want to talk to me properly now?”
Su Su turned back to Nian Muning and said, “I left the jade seal that will be used tomorrow at Ruiming Palace, can you take it to Chengqian Hall for me?”
Nian Muning frowned.
“You can also ask others to retrieve it,” Su Su said.
For something as important as the jade seal, how could Nian Muning let anyone else take care of it? She softly instructed the Night Shadow Guards to keep an eye on Su Su and headed towards Ruiming Palace.
The sisters walked to the rockery, and Su Su took out the gemstone in her hand and asked, “What’s this all about?”
Ye Bing Shang also changed out of her weak demeanor and looked at Su Su with a complicated expression.
“Don’t blame me for looking for you right now. Something did happen to grandmother. His Highness King Xuan left behind a brigade of sacrificial soldiers5死士 (sǐshì) – people that willingly sacrifice their life without any hesitation, for example, assassins that will suicide if they fail their mission called Hidden Dragon Guards before he died. Previously, Lord Pang hid in grandmother’s courtyard, then when he died the Hidden Dragon Guards were nowhere to be found. Both His Majesty and the Eighth Prince, who is hiding among the people, want this brigade of soldiers.”
Su Su said, “So you’re telling me that the Eighth Prince doesn’t dare to provoke Tantai Jin, so he captured grandmother to demand information about the whereabouts of the Hidden Dragon Guards.”
“That’s right,” Ye Bing Shang said. “You’re not allowed to visit grandmother on ordinary days, but my mother can. Some time ago, she went to visit grandmother, but she’d disappeared, and only this gemstone was found.”
Su Su coldly examined her.
Curved Jade whispered, “Ye Bing Shang should be telling the truth.”
Ye Bing Shang continued, “A few days ago, the Eighth Prince released news, asking people to bring the Hidden Dragon Guards to exchange with grandmother’s life, otherwise……”
She whispered, “Tonight at zishi6子时 (zǐshí) – 11 pm-1 am (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times), will be the time when grandmother dies. Everyone in the capital has heard the news. Do you still remember the time when His Majesty left the palace? He went to search for the Eighth Prince’s rebel soldiers. His Majesty has kept it from you, and the palace servants dare not to tell you either. Initially, I didn’t want to take the risk, but she’s my grandmother too.”
“Third Sister.” Ye Bing Shang observed Su Su, “The Hidden Dragon Guards…… are they really in your hands?”
Su Su scornfully laughed, “No.”
Su Su said, “I don’t care what you’re scheming, but if I were to learn that grandmother’s mishap is related to you, then even if I betray my promise7背信弃义 (bèixìn-qìyì) – lit. break the faith and abandon the right, an idiom; to betray; perfidy; In this context, Su Su might be referring to the promise she made to Xiao Lin that she won’t kill Ye Bing Shang no matter what happens., I’ll let you suffer for the rest of your life.”
For Su Su, Old Madam Ye was the only person in the mortal realm who’d given her familial love, so Su Su didn’t want anything to happen to her no matter what.
The deadline given by the Eighth Prince was zishi. Su Su had to find the Hidden Dragon Guards before then and use them to exchange for her grandmother, which was absolutely impossible.
Ye Bing Shang lowered her eyes and gently said, “You think I have bad intentions, and perhaps I do, but I truly hope you can save grandmother.”
“Take out the heart protecting scale,” Su Su said.
“What?” Ye Bing Shang looked at her in surprise.
Su Su said, “Since you genuinely want me to save others, you must give me your bargaining chip as well, and I’ll go save grandmother.”
Ye Bing Shang took a step back.
Su Su laughed and said, “Look, stop saying things like what you’re doing is for grandmother’s good. Ye Bing Shang, you only love yourself.”
Ye Bing Shang almost subconsciously refuted, “No, how do I know if when you take my item, you’ll really save her……”
Su Su gave her a glance, then stopped talking nonsense with her and turned to leave.
“What should we do now?” Curved Jade asked.
“Save people.”
“You don’t want to be the empress anymore?”
“A person’s life is at stake8人命关天 (rénmìng-guāntiān) – A case involving human life is one of supreme importance/human life is beyond value (idiom), still want to be the empress?” Su Su angrily said.
Her purpose was not to be Tantai Jin’s empress in the first place. If she moved quickly, she should be able to make it in time before zishi.
Since Tantai Jin had concealed this matter from Su Su, he didn’t want her to save her grandmother.
If she thought more cruelly…… Tantai Jin also wanted to lure out the Hidden Dragon Guards, so he didn’t interfere with the Eighth Prince capturing her grandmother.
What’s more, Tantai Jin felt like the Hidden Dragon Guards were in Su Su’s hands. He was afraid that if Su Su really gave them to the Eighth Prince, then when the time came, the Eighth Prince who had a better reputation than him, would have enough power to challenge him completely. If the Eighth Prince really killed Old Madam Ye, Su Su would never give him the Hidden Dragon Guards no matter what.
But, the Hidden Dragon Guards weren’t in her hands.
Su Su admitted that Ye Bing Shang was very smart. Even if this was a trap, she still had to go.
Su Su wrote a letter, telling Tantai Jin that she would definitely be back by tomorrow.
“Little Master, don’t put it here. Do you still remember Ming Ye and Sang Jiu’s past mistakes9前车之鉴 (qiánchēzhījiàn) – warning taken from the overturned cart ahead (idiom); to learn a lesson from the mistakes of one’s predecessor in the Fleeting Life Wisdom?” Curved Jade reminded her.
Su Su immediately thought of the message that Ming Ye had left for Sang Jiu, only to have it erased by Tianhuan.
She retrieved the letter and burned it with talisman paper.
If anyone found her missing before tomorrow, anyone who entered the room would see the letter condense from the water vapor, and would naturally report it to Tantai Jin.
She closed the door and told the palace maids outside the door that she was going to rest and asked them not to disturb her.
Su Su activated the World Toppling Flower and drew a teleportation spell.
Blood gushed out from her fingertips. Su Su looked at the red and gold embroidered veil next to her, pursed her lips and closed her eyes. In the next moment, she disappeared in place.
Edited by: Gaze
That veil did move her, just a little. That look felt like it must have been faintly tinged with regret and sadness.