Such Restraint

Chapter 23: Such Forbearance

Chang'an, Daming Palace.

At the pinnacle of worldly power, where all corners of the realm came to pay homage.

Every brick and tile here was steeped in eight hundred years of wind, frost, and blood.

Inside Changle Palace, a woman in bright yellow palace robes, her cloud-like hair piled high, sat upright upon the phoenix couch.

She appeared around forty, well-preserved, with traces of youthful beauty still visible in her brows and eyes, though a few fine lines at the corners and her calm, unruffled gaze betrayed the passage of time.

This was the Empress Dowager of the current dynasty, Liu.

"Imperial Mother, Your Son has acquired several fine Duan inkstones and has come specially to present them to you."

Below the couch, a young man in a prince's python robe stood with a bow. His features bore a seven-tenths resemblance to the Empress Dowager, though with an added touch of softness.

The Empress Dowager did not glance at the precious inkstones presented by the eunuch. She merely took a light sip of tea.

"You are thoughtful."

"If Imperial Mother likes them, Your Son will search for more."

"No need."

The Empress Dowager set down her teacup with a soft clink. "This Dowager now devotes herself to Buddhist rites and scripture recitation; I no longer use such things."

"As for you, spending your days either cockfighting and dog racing or scrounging for these useless trinkets—have you made any progress at all?"

The young man's smile stiffened, then shifted into a look of grievance. "Imperial Mother, you know well that Your Son..."

"Your Son what?" The Empress Dowager cut him off. "Now that you are a leisurely prince without power or influence, is that an excuse to wallow in degeneracy?"

"Your Son would never dare!"

The atmosphere in the hall grew tense.

The old eunuch standing to one side kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, not daring to breathe too loudly.

A long silence passed.

Finally, the Empress Dowager let out a faint sigh. "Rise."

She waved her hand, signaling the eunuch to take the inkstones away.

"This Dowager is not blaming you." Her voice softened slightly. "It is only... seeing you like this unsettles my heart."

"In those days... if not for him, how could you have ended up like this? You were born a crown prince; this Great Tang's rivers and mountains should have been yours."

"Imperial Mother... speak with caution."

"Caution?" The Empress Dowager suddenly smiled. "At this point, what words are left that This Dowager cannot speak?"

"This Dowager raised him with toil and hardship, taught him to read and write... I ask myself, I have done my utmost for him."

"And how does he repay This Dowager?"

The young man remained silent, offering no reply.

Naturally, he harbored resentment.

But now, what use was there in saying such things?

"Enough..."

The sharpness in the Empress Dowager's eyes gradually faded, leaving only weariness.

"Withdraw."

"Your Son... takes his leave."

Watching that figure disappear beyond the hall's doors, she waved her hand, signaling the palace maids and eunuchs inside to withdraw.

In the empty hall, only she remained.

"Come in."

She spoke calmly toward an empty corner.

A shadow slowly materialized.

"Your Grace."

"Speak."

"Jiang Xun's daughter, Jiang Yuechu, not only did not die, but has now... become a member of the Longyou Circuit Demon Suppression Bureau."

"Oh?"

The Empress Dowager raised her eyes, a flicker of surprise passing through them.

"How could this be? What of Pei Changqing, who was escorting her?"

"Pei Changqing and his entire squad of Demon Suppression Guards have all vanished. The Longyou Circuit Commandery sent people to investigate and only reported that they... encountered a great demon."

"Encountered a great demon?" The Empress Dowager let out a cold laugh. "Pei Changqing was at least a String-Hearing Realm martial artist, and his squad was elite of the Demon Suppression Bureau. Even facing a Bone-Resonating great demon, they should not have failed to send back a single message."

"This matter... is indeed suspicious."

"The Demon Suppression Bureau seems to still be investigating, but according to our people's reports, the Longyou Circuit Commandery did not make a major fuss over this. Instead... they directly recruited Jiang Yuechu into the Mysterious Battalion."

The Empress Dowager furrowed her brow.

Strange.

The Demon Suppression Bureau had always been fiercely protective of its own.

Now that an entire squad of Bureau operatives had vanished without a trace, for Jiang Yuechu, the sole survivor, to escape being subjected to every brutal torture under the sun and interrogated to the bone was already an immense stroke of luck.

Yet not only was she unharmed, she had actually entered the Bureau?

For the Bureau to set aside the vengeance for their fallen comrades and bend the rules to recruit her...

This girl was probably hiding something peculiar.

Speaking of Jiang Yuechu, she naturally had some impression of her.

Raised in the inner chambers, never stepping past the main gate, her greatest pastime was reading poetry and dabbling in painting.

Her nature was timid and docile, blushing at the sight of strangers.

How had such a delicate, powerless young woman survived a death trap like that?

And by what means had she earned the Bureau's special regard?

Besides, such skill couldn't have been acquired overnight.

This girl had likely known something all along and had been biding her time.

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes, then suddenly smiled.

"What a fine Jiang Yuechu... enduring so patiently... what exactly are you scheming?"

Ganzhou.

On the official road, eight Crimson-Eyed Stallions kicked up clouds of dust, galloping at full speed.

The Crimson-Eyed Stallion was a demon horse specially bred by the Demon Suppression Bureau, incredibly swift. Yet even so, it had taken a full three days to travel from Liangzhou Prefecture to Zhangye in Ganzhou.

Three days without rest, traveling day and night.

Even the sturdy men of the Bureau couldn't help but show signs of fatigue on their faces.

Liu Chen pulled on the reins, took a waterskin from his chest, tilted his head back for a gulp, then turned, his gaze instinctively falling on the figure at the tail of the column.

The wind and sand were fierce, stinging the eyes.

The young woman was dressed in a black uniform with crimson patterns, making her frame appear even more slender, as if a stronger gust might blow her away.

Yet she sat steadily on the horse, her posture straight as a spear, one hand holding the reins, the other resting casually on the saber at her waist.

The wind and sand swept across her fair face but left no trace, only lifting a few stray strands of hair to reveal her smooth forehead.

"Ahem..."

Liu Chen cleared his throat, deliberately dropping back a few paces to ride alongside Jiang Yuechu.

"Getting used to it?"

After all, it was her first mission. Such relentless travel was tough even for Bureau veterans.

Let alone a young girl.

But then he remembered—this seemingly frail body had, with one punch, beaten a Bone-Resonating great demon to death.

His question was really unnecessary...

For a moment, he actually blushed.

Jiang Yuechu replied indifferently, "It's fine."

Her tone was neither warm nor cold.

Liu Chen nodded, unfazed, already accustomed to her demeanor.

The group continued forward.

In the silence, Jiang Yuechu suddenly spoke.

"That day in Jincheng County, the one who drew his blade—what happened to him later?"

The men, who had been riding with their heads down, instinctively slowed their horses and pricked up their ears.

Liu Chen turned his head in surprise.

He hadn't expected Jiang Yuechu to take the initiative to ask about someone else.

"You mean... Lord Xu?"

"Mm."

The surprise on Liu Chen's face quickly gave way to a somber look.

"He's crippled."

Crippled.

Two simple words, yet they said it all.

"His meridians are completely severed, his qi and blood withered. We used the best medicine in the bureau, saved his life, but this cultivation..."

"Lord Wei went to see him several times, wanted him to stay in the bureau as a clerk, live out the rest of his days in peace."

"But he refused."

Liu Chen gave a bitter laugh. "A few days ago, he already submitted his papers, resigned and returned to his hometown."

The atmosphere in the group grew even heavier.

Even Zhao Hu wore a look of regret now.

Xu Nian had been a notable figure in the Longyou Circuit Demon Suppression Bureau.

Entering the String-Hearing Realm in his twenties, breaking through to the Bone Resonance Realm at forty, his Prison-Suppressing Blade had slain countless demons and saved countless common folk.

Yet even a man like him, with one moment of carelessness, ended up in such a state.

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