Zhao Mian returned to his room, and Bai Yu was actually waiting for him inside. Her face, devoid of makeup, was filled with anxiety and worry.
Bai Yu woke up in the middle of the night, unable to stop worrying about His Highness in the next room, and decided to come and take a look. This one look nearly gave her a heart attack. Fortunately, she wasn’t Zhou Huairang and guessed that His Highness had probably gone out on his own. She patiently waited for half an hour, and finally, His Highness returned.
Zhao Mian told Bai Yu everything about sneaking into the storeroom with Wei Zhenfeng at night—really, everything, including Wei Zhenfeng scolding him for being clumsy when he bumped into the stool.
“I wonder who the clumsy one really is,” Zhao Mian said.
Bai Yu couldn’t help but cover her mouth and giggle. Where did this smug little air of pride come from? She asked, “So, what exactly did Your Highness discover?”
Zhao Mian asked her, “Why did we come to Dongling?”
Bai Yu answered without hesitation, “For the treasures of Western Xia.”
Zhao Mian handed the gift list he had hidden from Wei Zhenfeng’s questioning to Bai Yu. She immediately saw a striking name—Gu Ruzhang, the son of the Duke of Western Xia who assisted the state.
Bai Yu’s beautiful eyes widened: “…It’s him? Gu Ruzhang, the last Grand Tutor and Prime Minister of Western Xia?”
Zhao Mian nodded slightly: “Sixteen years ago, Grand Tutor Gu had not yet entered the cabinet and held no official position, so naturally he was just ‘the son of the Duke of Western Xia who assisted the state.'”
Sixteen years later, this “son of the Duke of Western Xia who assisted the state” succeeded his father, becoming the de facto ruler of Western Xia in its final years.
Gu Ruzhang was born into a family of powerful officials, could write at the age of six, passed the imperial examination at the age of seventeen, and was appointed Minister of War at the age of thirty.
Famous at a young age, a genius of statecraft.
Unfortunately, Gu Ruzhang was born at the wrong time, when Western Xia was declining. Even if he was fortunate enough to become Prime Minister after growing up, he was powerless to save the impending collapse of Western Xia, despite having a heart dedicated to serving the country. He exhausted his energy and devoted himself wholeheartedly, and his hair turned white at the age of thirty, but in the end, he only managed to prolong Western Xia’s life for a few more years.
Two years ago, the capital of Western Xia fell. The Beiyuan army broke through the palace gates, and the young Prince of Beiyuan sat on the Western Xia Emperor’s dragon throne, ordering his troops to plunder the palace for treasures to fill the Beiyuan treasury.
However, the Beiyuan army searched the Western Xia palace high and low, almost turning it upside down, only to find valuables that couldn’t even fill a single carriage. Not only that, but the Beiyuan army also confiscated the residences of many Western Xia dignitaries, the money obtained was still meager.
Along with the endless treasures of Western Xia, the Imperial City Division- the military and political intelligence apparatus of Western Xia long commanded personally by Gu Ruzhang, also disappeared.
The young Prince suddenly realized what Grand Tutor Gu, who had been defeated by him in the battles of Luyang and Lingzhou, had been doing in the last few months of Western Xia’s existence.
A nation on the brink of destruction hides its weapons, biding its time to plan for the future.
It was said that the sixteen-year-old prince was furious. After destroying their country, he did not return to Beiyuan to report, but instead galloped across several countries, determined to personally extinguish the last embers of Western Xia’s hope, and then return home in glory with his spoils of war.
These were the only details Zhao Mian knew about the great war between the northwestern kingdoms.
After the fall of Western Xia, Gu Ruzhang’s fate remained unknown. Some say that he died for his country on the day the Beiyuan army stormed the city, following the emperor and empress to the afterlife.
Others say that Gu Ruzhang had long prepared a way out for himself, fleeing through the secret passages of the palace.
Still others said that Gu Ruzhang had become a prisoner of Beiyuan, subjected to daily torture, yet refusing to utter a single word.
The only certainty was that the “seed” Gu Ruzhang had left for Western Xia had not yet fallen into the hands of the young prince of Beiyuan. The remnants of the Western Xia army were still hidden in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to move and attempt to restore their nation.
According to the reports from Nanjing’s Qianji Institute, although Gu Ruzhang’s whereabouts are unknown, his most trusted nephew, Gu Shaodeng, appeared in Dongling several times after the fall of Western Xia. This is why Zhao Mian came to Dongling in person. If he can find Gu Shaodeng and then find the Western Xia treasures left behind by Gu Ruzhang, he can at least solve the issue of Nanjing’s military expediture for ten years, and at the same time suppress Beiyuan and Dongling, solidifying Nanjing’s position as the dominant power among the three countries.
It was frustrating that he was poisoned by Wan Huameng as soon as he arrived in Dongling and had to postpone his original plan to deal with the immediate problem first. But he didn’t expect to see Gu Ruzhang’s name on the gift list from Xuyuan sixteen years ago.
Did these two have some secret, unknown relationship?
Had Gu Shaodeng come to Dongling to seek Wan Huameng’s protection?
How much does Wan Huameng actually know about Gu Ruzhang’s “seed strategy”?
Zhao Mian has a vague premonition that Wan Huameng might be the key to finding the Western Xia treasures. If he can bring the treasure back to Nanjing before Beiyuan, the young prince’s expression will definitely be extremely interesting.
Truly something to look forward to.
Bai Yu, well aware of his Highness’s thoughts, advised, “Your Highness, your immediate concern should be the Gu poison afflicting you. We can discuss other matters after we’ve dealt with that.”
“I know,” Zhao Mian said, memorizing the contents of the gift list before burning the paper to ashes over the lamp. “But these two matters don’t conflict; we can handle them simultaneously.
Bai Yu is surprised and asks, “What does your Highness mean?”
Gu Ruzhang was a passionate painter with the style of a master, admired by many scholars and literati. Now that he could no longer paint, his existing works had naturally become highly sought after, fetching exorbitant prices. During his southern tour of Nanjing, a local official had even presented him with a landscape painting by Gu Ruzhang.
“I have been carrying that painting with me. Find a way to send a message to Zhou Huairang and have him mail it.” Zhao Mian instructs Bai Yu, “Then, present this painting to Wan Huameng, saying you obtained it by chance and wanted to use the painting to show your respect to the Imperial Advisor.”
Bai Yu understood immediately, “Understood, your subordinate will see to it at once.”
The next day, a matchmaker came to Zhao Mian’s room and meticulously taught him the rules of the wedding ceremony, step by step. From which foot to step forward with, to when to bow, and by how much. Every aspect was strictly regulated.
“When you bow to the ancestors, your husband will turn and stumble towards you. Remember to support him, and be sure to use both hands.”
Zhao Mian asks, “Why?”
The matchmaker was evasive. “Don’t ask so many questions, just do as you’re told.”
Even such seemingly unnecessary details are being rigidly adhered to, making it seem less like they’re holding a wedding and more like… like they’re trying to imitate something, replicate something.
Could it be that sixteen years ago, at that wedding, there was also a scene where the groom stumbled slightly during the bowing ceremony?
And the fact that the maidservants wanted Zhao Mian to eat more and to thicken his waist, and even wanted Wei Zhenfeng to be “eat himself a little shorter” – was that also in the hope that their figures would resemble those of the newlyweds who had performed the ceremony back then?
For an entire day, the maids actually delivered five meals, each filled with rich meat dishes. If Zhao Mian were to eat it all himself, it would take him three days to finish. And those maids were hovering around him, urging him to eat non-stop which was extremely annoying.
Finally, Zhao Mian snapped coldy, “With you here, I’ve lost my appetite.”
One of the maids was about to scold him, but Bai Yu quickly interjected, “My brother has this temperament—force him, and he’ll vomit it all up. Don’t worry, I’ll persuade him to eat. You wouldn’t want to fail your mission because he didn’t gain weight, would you?”
The maids exchanged glances, feeling that what Bai Yu said made sense, and they retreated one after another.
Facing a table full of delicacies, Zhao Mian, already full, disinterestedly picked at the fish with his chopsticks. Before putting the fish in his mouth, he had to pick out the bones himself, and he wouldn’t even let Bai Yu help.
Zhao Mian asked, “Has it been taken care of?”
Bai Yu said, “It’s all done. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, Gu Ruzhang’s painting should be in Wan Huameng’s hands now.”
“Well done.” Zhao Mian nodded in praise, “You’re far more reliable than Shen Buqi and Zhou Huairang.”
“That’s only natural.” Bai Yu smiled charmingly, “I am the eldest sister in your Eastern Palace, Your Highness.”
Zhao Mian also laughed, “Indeed.”
Zhao Mian ate the fish in small bites while talking to Bai Yu. Suddenly, a youthful voice rang out behind them, light and breezy: “On such a fine evening, how can there be meat without wine? I’ve come to offer you a humble pot of wine, and I hope the young master will accept it with a smile.”
Zhao Mian was stunned for a moment, then turned around to see Wei Zhenfeng’s dark-skinned face and said flatly, “Will that disguise of yours ever come off?”
Wei Zhenfeng raised an eyebrow, holding up the wine pot. “Are you so concerned about this? This is the second time you’ve asked.”
Zhao Mian ordered Bai Yu to stand guard outside, then said to Wei Zhenfeng, “I don’t want to talk to ugly men.”
Wei Zhenfeng, uninvited, and sat down generously in front of Zhao Mian: “Like I said, of course it can come off, but it requires a special potion. I didn’t think beforehand that there would be a need to remove it, so naturally I wouldn’t carry the potion with me. In this situation, I don’t have the time, nor is it necessary to go back and get it, right?”
“Then don’t use your real voice while looking like that to spout such pretentious drivel,” Zhao Mian said coldly, disgusted. “It’s unsettling.”
Wei Zhenfeng said “Oh” the cheerfully switched tones: “Want some wine, big brother? The wine I brought is really fragrant, it goes well with your big pork knuckles.”
Following Wei Zhenfeng’s words, Zhao Mian looked at the greasy, fatty pork knuckle on the table. His already full stomach unexpectedly felt nauseous.
Wei Zhenfeng watched as Zhao Mian’s face cycled through shades of green and white and finally, as if he couldn’t hold it in any longer, he turned his head to the side and gagged: “Ugh—”
Wei Zhenfeng: “…?”
Zhao Mian coughed dryly twice, closed his eyes, and tried to calm himself down, suppressing his anger. Wei Zhenfeng poured him a cup of tea and pushed it in front of him, “Are you alright?”
Without hesitation, Zhao Mian shifted the blame onto Wei Zhenfeng.
“I told you, I can’t be too close to ugly men, I’ll throw up from the ugliness,” he said, barely suppressing his nausea. He opened his eyes to glare at Wei Zhenfeng. “Did you think I was joking with you?”
Wei Zhenfeng was stunned. He never would have imagined that Zhao Mian, who was clearly just sick from eating too much to blame it on him. Impressive.
To be honest, the face he borrowed wasn’t exactly ugly, just an ordinary person on the darker side. For His Highness the Crown Prince to be unable to bear this, he’d probably gouge his own eyes out if he ever saw a truly ugly man.
Wei Zhenfeng wanted to laugh, but felt it was unkind to laugh at him at this time, so he held it back and said with a chuckle, “My fault, my apologies. How about this, I’ll leave after I tell you what’s going on.”
Zhao Mian noticed that every time Wei Zhenfeng came to him, no matter how unreliable he acted, it always ended up with them discussing serious matters.
That made sense. They had no personal relationship to speak of, so what else would they talk about besides business?
“I just received news that Wan Huameng wants to meet us in person,” Wei Zhenfeng said, “And not at Xuyuan Garden, but at the Nangong Palace.”
Zhao Mian put on an expression of surprise: “Really?” Wan Huameng wanted to see them, most likely about the matter about the painting. His conjecture was righy; there was indeed something between Wan Huameng and Gu Ruzhang. “In that case, wouldn’t that mean we don’t need to disguise ourselves and we can infiltrate the Nangong Palace openly now?”
Wei Zhenfeng, seeing how naturally Zhao Mian was acting, scoffed: “Cut the act. Tell me, what have you been doing behind my back?”
Zhao Mian asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“Wan Huameng never appears before the bride or groom before the wedding. Why would he suddenly want us to go to the Nangong Palace to see him?”
Zhao Mian slowly and deliberately wiped his hands with a handkerchief: “You’re asking me? How should I know?”
“I say, Young Master Xiao,” Wei Zhenfeng picked up a handkerchief from the table and imitated Zhao Mian, pretending to wipe his hands, “Since we’ve formed an alliance, it’s better not to hide anything from each other. I wouldn’t want to be fighting a life-or-death battle with Wan Huameng, only to turn around and find my own backyard on fire.” Wei Zhenfeng smiled, but his eyes held a warning. “That wouldn’t be fun, Your Highness.”
Zhao Mian stared back at him: “Likewise, Your Highness.”