Investigating Rong Mu on imperial orders was the most difficult task Li Suichuan had undertaken in recent years.
At the palace gate, the young general sat on his horse, followed by a contingent of well-armed Black Armored Guard cavalry and some Changling Guards mixed into the procession.
Today the Son of Heaven traveled abroad, and everyone had to be on high alert. The palace road had long been cleared, shops along the route closed, windows only allowed open for ventilation.
Li Suichuan glanced to the side. On a chestnut horse sat Xiahou Yan, eldest son of the Xiahou family. Xiahou Yan was the eldest legitimate son of Xiahou Ming, one of the Three Excellencies and current Grand Tutor. The Black Armored Guards and Changling Guards had always kept to their own waters. Who knew what wind had blown this young master out today.
Xiahou Yan smiled and cupped his hands toward Li Suichuan: "General Li, I trust you have been well."
Li Suichuan casually returned the gesture, sneering: "Young Master Xiahou, shouldn't you be home playing zither and tasting tea? What business do you have competing with this crude fellow for work?"
Xiahou Yan smiled on the surface: "The general speaks wrongly. Even if His Majesty favors the Black Armored Guards, are we Changling Guards not still standing here? The Changling Guards still receive salaries. For His Majesty's travel, such a great matter, I must certainly come to provide personal protection. Otherwise, I fear being held accountable later."
Li Suichuan snorted a laugh, lowering his voice: "I'm afraid you're not here to see His Majesty."
A dark light flashed through Xiahou Yan's eyes, then he smiled again: "With noble personages traveling from the palace, how can we manage with only rough fellows? Is the General not right?"
Li Suichuan glanced at him. Behind them came the sound of the palace gate opening. Turning to look, a row of attendants stood with lowered heads and restrained brows, making way for an ornate carriage following behind.
The Black Armored Guards and Changling Guards dismounted and knelt to welcome the imperial procession, but for a long time there was no movement from the carriage.
Li Suichuan and Xiahou Yan exchanged a look. Just as they were about to speak for instructions, low conversation came from the foremost carriage. Those trained in martial arts had sharp ears and eyes; even not wanting to hear, they heard everything clearly.
"If Your Majesty won't go out to ride a horse, why squeeze into a carriage with me!"
The Son of Heaven's voice was low: "If I don't sit with the Attendant, how would I know that the Attendant loves flowers like his life, bringing this obstructive large water vat even when going out."
Rong Mu: "If Your Majesty finds it crowded, get down and ride a horse!"
Shang Cizhou: "I haven't made you throw the flower out already—that counts as mercy."
Rong Mu: "Bi Jiangxue is exquisite and lovely. This servant brings it out for a stroll. Could it be Your Majesty truly thinks I'm going to tour the imperial prison with you? This servant has no brain disease."
Li Suichuan: "..."
Xiahou Yan: "..."
Xiahou Yan: "He... that one, has he always been like this?"
Li Suichuan rarely didn't retort, only nodding and lowering his voice: "Don't provoke him. This person hasn't been figured out yet. His Majesty's attitude toward him is ambiguous."
Not figured out?
Was there someone the Black Armored Guards couldn't figure out?
Xiahou Yan's interest grew stronger. It was this Attendant Rong who had his legitimate younger sister so infatuated she burned incense three times in seven days, each time praying that this attendant could come out of the palace alive.
Otherwise, with His Majesty's coldness toward the Changling Guards, he wouldn't have stepped forward to show himself before the Son of Heaven.
This Great Shang capital—how long since such an interesting matter had occurred.
Xiahou Yan stepped past Li Suichuan, raising his voice to prompt: "Your Majesty, it has passed the morning hour. Departing now, we can reach the suburban imperial prison before noon."
The carriage was quiet for a moment. Then a hand with distinct knuckles lifted the curtain, revealing half of the Son of Heaven's handsome, indifferent face.
"Xiahou Yan? Haven't you been on sick leave for half a year?"
Xiahou Yan replied: "Thanks to Your Majesty's concern, this subject's illness has nearly recovered. Today I specifically came to accompany the procession."
Shang Cizhou lowered his eyes, casually saying: "Agreed."
The imperial carriage curtain lowered, and now there was no sound from within.
The attendants remained in place. The close guards took over the imperial carriage, and the procession headed toward the suburban imperial prison.
Rong Mu wore pale cyan fitted sleeves, his long, slender legs curled up constrained in the carriage. Shang Cizhou sat opposite him, with an impossible-to-ignore large lotus vat between them.
Bi Jiangxue swayed left and right with the carriage, wanting to be close to Rong Mu yet also wanting to absorb dragon energy. The entire flower was like an orphan lotus that had finally found both parents.
Facing Rong Mu, Shang Cizhou lacked the cold expression he showed outsiders, his face showing slightly more emotion.
"You care more for Bi Jiangxue than you do for me."
Rong Mu silently pulled the large flower vat toward himself. "Bi Jiangxue is so beautiful—large, cute, and fragrant. Except for this vat being somewhat rustic, everything about it is pleasing."
Shang Cizhou said slowly: "This treasure was given to me by the abbot of Huguo Temple. Now it seems you have become its master."
Rong Mu drew a breath and probed: "Your Majesty never cared for this flower. This servant spends every day with it, so naturally developed some attachment. Bi Jiangxue is also close to me. Otherwise, Your Majesty should just give Bi Jiangxue to this servant—"
Shang Cizhou: "No."
Rong Mu's eyes widened: "Why? It's just a pot of flowers. Must you be so stingy!"
Shang Cizhou was accustomed to being defied, even automatically ignoring Rong Mu's presumption by now. "It's still unclear how Min Kong obtained this from Southern Dai. Since my ascension, though I haven't waged war with Southern Dai, our relations are hardly good. If the Southern Dai king one day uses this to pressure me, and I have no flower to return, wouldn't I be in the wrong?"
Rong Mu heard of the Southern Dai king for the first time and couldn't help being curious: "Does Your Majesty know what kind of person the Southern Dai king is? Have you met him?"
Shang Cizhou's eyes narrowed slightly: "You truly are obsessed with Southern Dai... Then do you know that among the people caught in the imperial prison this time, three are Southern Dai spies?"
Rong Mu was speechless: "Why would Southern Dai send spies to Great Shang?"
Shang Cizhou kicked Bi Jiangxue with his foot: "What do you think?"
Bi Jiangxue drooped its flower head grievously. Rong Mu felt his own head hurt too. Bully him if you must, but not his big clumsy vat!
Rong Mu couldn't swallow this anger. Taking advantage of stretching his leg, he simply kicked the Emperor.
Now he felt better.
Shang Cizhou was unpredictable. Sometimes when you coaxed him, he pinched your neck. Sometimes when you kicked him, he smiled instead. A complete deviant.
The carriage swayed, the sound of horse hooves tapping outside. Shang Cizhou opened his mouth: "Anyone with eyes can see this flower is no ordinary item. Most likely it came from the Southern Dai imperial palace. The people of Southern Dai love flowers and lotus. This plant must have had a wealthy, noble former owner—possibly even Southern Dai royalty. Royalty naturally has the means to send spies to Great Shang to search for the flower."
Rong Mu listened, muttering softly: "Your bandit behavior... Is it wrong for them to search for their flower?"
Shang Cizhou's face was cold: "You should curse that fraud Min Kong for being like a bandit. He borrowed the flower to offer to Buddha, leaving me to clean up the mess. The new Southern Dai king acts strangely and mysteriously. Who knows when he might use this to make trouble for Great Shang. I don't fear him, but I hate trouble."
...So that night when he first entered the palace, this tyrant had that murderous, calculating attitude because he had been set up.
Rong Mu sighed: "So Bi Jiangxue really can't be given to this servant?"
"You are with Bi Jiangxue when you are with me. If you insist on having the flower, I would instead suspect you, like those spies, intend to run away with the flower... Or, do you have some reason you must have the flower?"
Rong Mu fell silent.
The Emperor was cunning as a demon. Slight probing made him suspicious. Rong Mu couldn't tell at all whether the Emperor had lowered his guard toward him now, and dared not expose his identity at all.
"Your Majesty, we have left the city." Li Suichuan's reminder came from outside the carriage.
Shang Cizhou made an acknowledging sound. The carriage slowly stopped. Rong Mu watched him step down. Before long, a long black horse nose pushed in through the carriage curtain.
The horse's nose was black and shiny. Looking up, there was a vertical white stripe between its brows—extremely spirited.
Rong Mu was wondering what this was about when a horsewhip hooked in from the carriage window. Shang Cizhou, in black brocade clothes, sat on the horse, his long hair hanging high down his broad back, his brow slightly raised as he looked at him: "Come down. I'll take you to ride Wuzhui."
Rong Mu's heart wavered seeing the Emperor like this.
This tyrant was dog-like indeed, but undeniably handsome.
Wuzhui also seemed to understand his master calling his name, excitedly snorting. Between breaths, he suddenly smelled the scent of vegetation.
The horse's eyes lit up.
Just as Rong Mu was about to move, Wuzhui nudged him with his horse head, then passed over him to go straight toward Bi Jiangxue's lotus leaves.
Shang Cizhou frowned. Before he could pull back Wuzhui's head, he saw Rong Mu's face turn instantly pale. Paying no heed to the sharp iron implements hanging at Wuzhui's face, he knocked the horse's face aside with one arm, holding Bi Jiangxue firmly in his arms in a half-kneeling, twisted posture.
Shang Cizhou's expression changed slightly: "Rong Mu!"
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