Huaiqing: You can only choose one of us, Lin'an or me

"Xu Qi'an!" Wei Yuan enunciated clearly, his expression straightening.

Emperor Yuanjing clearly didn't care what a small bronze gong was called. He glanced at Wei Yuan, somewhat surprised that this high-ranking eunuch spoke of a bronze gong with such solemnity.

"He's a promising talent. He was the one who investigated the cases of the minor official and Zhou Chixiong, and he also pointed out the source of gunpowder." Emperor Yuanjing took a sip of tea, looked down at the chessboard, and said as he placed a piece:

"So many days have passed, what progress has he made? I heard from Eunuch Liu that the boy leaves early and returns late, and the eunuchs in charge of recording things can't find him anywhere."

"We've actually made some discoveries," Wei Yuan continued, "The magistrate of Taikang County, Zhao, died in the dungeon of the government office early yesterday morning."

Emperor Yuanjing nodded. "Prefect Chen has already reported this matter."

Wei Yuan continued, "The cause of death was natural; there were no external injuries, no poisoning, and certainly no suffocation or other external causes. It was either the work of Daoist School spirit or a shaman from the Northeast."

Bang! The white chess piece between Emperor Yuanjing's fingers slammed onto the chessboard.

The emperor, with his thick black hair and only crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, then smiled, picked up the fallen chess piece, tossed it into the chess box, and said:

"I've been playing for so many years and haven't won a single time. It's so boring."

Wei Yuan stood up and bowed.

Emperor Yuanjing then turned to the Crown Prince and asked, "I heard that the other day the dragon suddenly went berserk and overturned Lin'an into the lake?"

The Crown Prince lowered his head and replied, "At that time, Lin'an was riding the spirit dragon and playing on the water. It was Huaiqing who whistled, startling the spirit dragon, which caused Lin'an to be thrown into the water."

The Crown Prince and Princess Lin'an are full siblings. Princess Huaiqing bullied Lin'an, and as her elder brother, it is perfectly reasonable for him to say so.

He was pragmatic, but secretly favored Lin'an; in his father's eyes, this was a form of "simplicity."

Then, the Crown Prince added, "But there is one thing that has always bothered me, and I still can't figure it out."

Emperor Yuanjing nodded and said, "The spirit dragon's reaction was too intense."

Apart from himself, the emperor, Linglong treated the princes and princesses almost equally, including the crown prince.

Whether it's the crown prince or a prince, as long as they don't ascend the throne, they are essentially the same.

"Father, that's not all," the Crown Prince said. "The dragon not only shook off Lin'an, but it also excitedly swam towards Huaiqing, even ramming its head against the shore and lying down to wait for Huaiqing to ride it."

Emperor Yuanjing's pupils suddenly flashed with a sharp light as he stared intently at the Crown Prince: "Huaiqing rode it?"

The Crown Prince shook his head. "Strangely, when Huaiqing tried to ride it, the spirit dragon resisted and forced Huaiqing back."

Upon hearing this explanation, Emperor Yuanjing frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "Prepare the carriage; I wish to see the Spirit Dragon."

Emperor Yuanjing departed in his imperial carriage.

The Crown Prince and Wei Yuan followed. Before getting into the sedan chair, Wei Yuan casually asked, "Your Highness, besides Princess Huaiqing, who else was by her side at the time?"

The eunuch beside him lifted the sedan curtain, but the crown prince did not immediately climb in. He turned back and replied, "Coincidentally, the gong-bearer under Duke Wei is also here."

Xu Qi'an and Wei Yuan stood there, stunned.

For the Crown Prince, a small gong was nothing to worry about; he remembered it purely because the half-poem was truly amazing.

Otherwise, with so many trusted confidants, the Crown Prince wouldn't bother remembering so many insignificant lackeys.

Thinking of this, the Crown Prince lifted the curtain and found Wei Yuan still standing in the same spot.

"Isn't Duke Wei going?"

Wei Yuan seemed to realize what was happening and followed him into the sedan chair.

The Crown Prince did not lower the curtain, and said with a smile, "But that gong is truly interesting. I never expected that such a mere gong could possess such poetic talent. On the day we held a banquet by the lake, he even composed a poem on the spot to help Lin'an out of a predicament."

The Crown Prince is telling me that this servant of mine is already Princess Huaiqing's man. Wei Yuan smiled nonchalantly, but the last sentence piqued his interest. He lifted the curtain and asked, "What poem did he write this time?"

Whether it's "Don't worry about having no friends on the road ahead, for who in the world doesn't know you?" or "Sparse shadows slant across the clear, shallow water, a faint fragrance drifts in the twilight," in the eyes of Wei Yuan, a man well-versed in poetry and literature, both are masterpieces worthy of a toast.

For the past two hundred years, every scholar in the Great Feng has harbored the heart of a brilliant poet.

The prince proclaimed in a loud voice. "Drunk, I knew not the sky reflected in the water; a boat full of sweet dreams pressed down on the Milky Way!"

What a wonderful poem! Wei Yuan's eyes lit up; he was deeply amazed by these two lines of poetry.

The Crown Prince waited silently for a moment, and sure enough, he heard Wei Yuan's question coming from the sedan chair opposite, "Where's the first half?"

The crown prince raised an eyebrow. "That's all."

That's all. Wei Yuan fell silent.

Seeing that there was no sound from the other side for a long time, the crown prince's mood immediately improved.

Xu Qi'an entered the palace and, in the elegant garden of the eldest princess, saw the eldest princess with a vulgar figure. She was wearing a beautiful palace dress with a white base and red plum blossoms.

She wore the most fashionable updo at the time, adorned with gorgeous jewelry, which complemented her exquisite and beautiful face.

After Princess Huaiqing had a palace maid serve her tea, she smiled and asked, "What's the progress on the case?"

She was probably asking about the results of the investigation into Qinglong Temple. Xu Qi'an replied, "There are indeed some leads."

Yesterday, with the joint efforts of the Wenyuan Pavilion, they discovered the rise and fall of Baota Temple and its current lineage. The Princess will definitely ask about information related to Qinglong Temple.

Upon hearing this, Princess Huaiqing's eyes lit up, and she looked at Xu Qi'an expectantly.

So far, this little gong has never let her down; it is highly capable and has a keen sense of smell.

When she initially recommended him to the Nightwatchers's office, the princess had considered recruiting him for her own use. However, in her plan, the process would be: observation, hints, bestowing favors, and winning him over.

Unexpectedly, Xu Qi'an was surprisingly quick-witted and shrewd, completing the final step ahead of schedule.

"When the case of Xiao Qi Guan occurred, I used the Qi-Watching Technique to observe Zhou Chi Xiong, and he did not show any abnormalities at the time. Now I know that he used a special magical Law Artifact to shield himself from the Qi-Watching Technique."

"After ruling out the Bureau of Astronomy and several Law Artifact in the palace, and conducting extensive investigations, I discovered that Qinglong Temple possesses a magical Law Artifact capable of concealing one's aura."

"Of course, we cannot be certain at this time that the Law Artifact on Zhou Chixiong's body definitely belongs to Qinglong Temple."

The eldest princess pressed on, asking, "Is that Law Artifact from Qinglong Temple still there?"

Xu Qi'an shook his head. "It was lost long ago. I was just about to report this to the princess. About a year ago, a monk named Heng Hui from Qinglong Temple had worldly desires and eloped with a female pilgrim, fleeing the capital. He also stole that Law Artifact."

The eldest princess immediately said, "If you want to elope, then elope. Why steal the Law Artifact?"

This woman is indeed clever; she pinpointed the crux of the problem in one sentence. Xu Qi'an said, "This matter needs further investigation. We still need the Princess's help with this."

"Me?" She raised a delicate eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"Does Your Highness know Princess Pingyang?" Xu Qi'an's words struck the Princess like a thunderbolt, causing her usually cold and aloof face to reveal a sudden surge of emotion.

"Is this true?" Her voice trembled slightly, her eyes fixed on Xu Qi'an.

"This was revealed to me by Abbot Panshu of Qinglong Temple. Whether it's true or not, we'll have to investigate to find out."

He makes bold assumptions but carefully verifies them; he won't make a definitive statement without evidence.

Princess Huaiqing remained silent for a long time, and the hall fell into silence. In the stillness, she sighed softly.

"Pingyang is Prince Yu's legitimate daughter and also my cousin. You've met my third brother, right? He always considers himself a scholar. Unlike the other imperial brothers and sisters, my third brother's mentor was Prince Yu."

"Uncle Wang is a learned and versatile scholar who studied under the great Confucian scholar Zhang Shen. He is well-versed in military strategy and once rose to the position of Minister of War. There are even rumors that he will enter the cabinet and compete for the position of Grand Secretary."

Xu Qi'an didn't believe it. Wasn't the Grand Secretariat only open to scholars? Besides, the Grand Secretary had more power than Wei Yuan. Would Emperor Yuanjing really trust a prince to be the Grand Secretary?

However, Xu Qi'an knew he was not good at history and had only a superficial understanding of the court situation, so he did not refute him on the spot.

"Uncle Yu has a powerful aristocratic group behind him, and it's not uncommon for nobles to hold positions of power in the cabinet," Princess Huaiqing patiently explained.

"The Great Feng Dynasty has continued uninterrupted to this day, and the nobles have gradually been pushed to the margins of the court, no longer capable of vying for the position of Grand Secretary."

So, was Prince Yu a figurehead promoted by the nobility? Is there a power struggle between the civil service and the nobility groups involved?

Xu Qi'an's mind was racing.

Princess Huaiqing continued, "Princess Yu was a talented woman, but unfortunately, she died young, leaving only a daughter for Uncle Yu. Uncle Yu is a man of deep affection, and to this day he has not remarried, cherishing this child left by his deceased wife as a precious treasure."

"But more than a year ago, Pingyang suddenly disappeared. At that time, the emperor mobilized the imperial guards to search the whole city, and most of the Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy were mobilized, but none of them could find Pingyang."

"This incident dealt a heavy blow to Prince Yu, and he soon became bedridden, his illness stemming from accumulated depression. Even the Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy were helpless, for mental illness is difficult to cure."

Xu Qi'an ate some melon seeds while digesting the shocking news.

The Imperial Guards searched the entire city, Bureau of Astronomy Warlock cooperated, but they still couldn't find Princess Pingyang's whereabouts. Therefore, they needed that Law Artifact to conceal their presence; otherwise, it would be difficult to take Princess Pingyang out of the capital.

No wonder Heng Hui wanted to steal the Law Artifact; now I understand.

The two remained silent for a long time, each lost in thought. After a while, Princess Huaiqing sighed, "Continue your investigation. If you encounter any trouble or insurmountable obstacles, don't hesitate to come to me."

Xu Qi'an nodded.

"By the way, I heard someone in Lin'an was looking for you yesterday?"

Xu Qi'an noticed that the princess's pupils had suddenly darkened considerably.

That sounds like: Did your ex-girlfriend come to see you yesterday?

Xu Qi'an said helplessly, "Yes, Princess Lin'an insisted that I submit to her and serve her like a slave. She even bestowed upon me a piece of jade around my waist."

The princess remained expressionless. "Why didn't you refuse her?"

Xu Qi'an said with a wry smile, "Princess Lin'an said that if I don't agree, she will shout 'Indecent assault'."

Is that reason enough? You royal sisters are fighting amongst yourselves, I'm just a nobody, what can I do?

Xu Qi'an believed that the Princess was an understanding, tolerant and considerate mature woman who would not nag him over such a trivial matter.

result

The eldest princess bluntly exposed her lie. "With your intelligence, you should be able to see through this bluffing threat."

This woman's personality is cold and aloof on the outside, but she's actually quite domineering on the inside. Xu Qi'an glanced at the princess in surprise, then quickly bowed his head. "This humble servant understands. This humble servant will return the jade pendant to Princess Lin'an and sever all ties with her."

From this day forward, I will only be loyal to Your Highness.

I swear, from this day forward I will sever all ties with Biao Biao and will serve you like a slave!

The eldest princess nodded in satisfaction.

Just then, a commotion came from outside.

"Second Princess, you... you can't go in."

"Roll!"

Amid screams and tugging, a radiant figure in a red dress burst into the hall. Princess Lin'an, with her oval face and peach-blossom eyes, glanced around and, sure enough, saw her loyal hound once again, stubbornly licking her former master.

She flew into a rage, her brows furrowing and eyes widening as she roared, "You dog of a servant, how dare you betray me! Have you forgotten whose person you are?"

Xu Qi'an sighed inwardly and subconsciously looked at the Princess, hoping she would step in and smooth things over for him.

Who knew that when the princess cut him open, he was black, looking at him with a half-smile, her eyes seeming to say: Choose one.

P. S.: Thanks to "Boy Wants" for the generous donation, he's an old friend. This is an extra chapter, so please don't mind it.