Chapter 7: Meeting the Empress
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“Ah Huan, that gentleman is truly peculiar—his youthful face contrasts with his white hair, and his speech is odd as well. But why did the madam of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion arrange our rooms so that they share a door, just a single step apart, and it opened with a kick?”
Seated inside the carriage, Ah Shu chattered endlessly about the events at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. For a rustic girl who had never left her mountain village, everything encountered in Luoyang City was fresh and fascinating.
Especially when she spoke of the white-haired man, her eyes gleamed with admiration.
“Yes, he is strange. But why are your eyes so dark around the rims?”
“Huh? Dark?”
Ah Shu took out a mirror and saw two deep, dark circles around her eyes, making her look utterly exhausted.
“That gentleman is too beautiful. I couldn’t help but watch him all night long, so I didn’t sleep well. But Ah Huan, don’t you think he’s handsome?”
In truth, she hadn’t just watched the white-haired gentleman all night; she had meant to sleep beside Murong Huan but was kicked off by his nightmare, so she simply stayed up guarding his bedside.
“Isn’t it just two eyes, a nose, and a mouth?”
Ah Shu paused, then sighed.
“Forget it. Ah Huan, you really are different from ordinary people. I always feel like something’s missing.”
The carriage soon rolled out of Sigong Lane, bathed in the hues of dawn and dusk, rattling toward the Luonan district.
Watching the winding, secluded roads and the river snaking like a white rainbow, Murong Huan suddenly asked, “Ah Shu, does the Su family know I am a woman?”
Ah Shu thought for a moment, then replied, “Well, it seems they do. At least the Duke knows. Whether the matriarch knows, I’m not sure. But... Ah Huan, don’t worry. We have the token left by your father and the Duke’s letter. The Su family won’t fail to recognize you!”
...
“Sir, why did you tell your real name to a mysterious little girl? And you stayed guarding two little girls all night? That’s unlike your usual style.”
Inside the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, after seeing Murong Huan and Ah Shu off, the young man in dark clothes asked, puzzled.
Xiao Muchen replied calmly, “It’s good to let someone remember your name forever. Better than having no one remember you at all.”
The young man sneered, “I’m afraid anyone who remembers your name wishes they could kill you. Did you know she almost strangled you last night?”
“I know, but she couldn’t.” Xiao Muchen smiled and continued brewing tea, glancing at the stunned youth beside him. “Xuan Yu, do you know who her father is?”
“How should I know?”
“Her father, Su Minghe, was once the top doctoral student at the Imperial Academy. If not for a small accident, he might have become a minister in the Secretariat. A great pity…”
He shifted tone, “But though you don’t know her father, you must have heard of her grandfather—the Duke of Punishment, Su Dingfang!”
“Duke Su Dingfang? The famous general who, alongside Li Jing, destroyed Baekje?” Xuan Yu was shocked.
“Yes, that’s him!” Xiao Muchen nodded. “Conquering Pingcong Ridge, subduing Baekje, attacking Goguryeo—he wiped out three kingdoms and captured their rulers alive. Truly a once-in-a-century general, worthy of temple honors!”
“And what does that little girl have to do with him? Just because she has a remarkable grandfather and a father who might have been great but faced misfortune, you look at her differently?”
“Of course not. But have you ever wondered why Su Dingfang’s descendants have been so mediocre? Why the title of Duke of Punishment was never passed down? The current head of the Su family, Su Qing, only holds the rank of Marquis of Wuyi County.”
Xuan Yu shook his head, playing along.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Muchen said, “I don’t know either. That’s what makes me curious about this little girl.”
Xuan Yu widened his eyes, speechless.
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“Just for that reason, you stayed all night in her room?”
“Of course not. I’m also curious about her. And... she said my hair turned white because of illness.”
Mentioning this, Xuan Yu frowned deeply. “Sir, shall I bring this little girl to your home so you can see what kind of illness it is?”
Xiao Muchen’s expression darkened, his glare sharp and fierce.
Xuan Yu quickly amended, “Sir, as you wish. But this little girl is truly strange. One moment she seemed fine, pure and cute like a little raccoon, then suddenly turned hostile and tried to kill someone. It’s terrifying—she’s like two different people!”
“That’s because... she’s sick too!”
After saying this, Xiao Muchen fell silent, the cup at his lips pausing mid-air.
“Someone’s coming!”
The door gently opened, revealing a woman in official attire.
With delicate features like a moth’s brow, skin as white as spring snow, a face like the morning glow, and eyes like autumn waters, she exuded the refined elegance of a scholar—like a gentle spring breeze or a solitary crane amidst clouds.
She was a female court attendant to the Holy Emperor, entrusted with drafting imperial edicts.
Xuan Yu respectfully cupped his hands, “Lady Shangguan Wen?”
Shangguan Wan’er glanced at Xuan Yu, then fixed her gaze on Xiao Muchen. “Deputy Minister Xiao, the Sovereign wishes to see you!”
...
Though the capital of the Great Zhou remains in Chang’an, the Empress has shifted the political center to Luoyang to escape the control of powerful aristocratic clans, building the grand Purple Star Palace.
A year ago, the Sovereign ascended the throne at the southern main gate of Purple Star City, the Zetan Gate.
The gate still radiates a chilling, murderous aura, heavily guarded by countless soldiers clad in gleaming armor, armed with spears and halberds.
Xiao Muchen followed Shangguan Wan’er through the Zetan Gate, proceeding deep into the palace until reaching the Qianyuan Hall.
The Empress, clad in broad ceremonial robes, awaited within.
Though over sixty, the Empress maintained her youthful bearing through careful upkeep. She commanded respect without anger, emanating a cold, ruthless aura.
“Minister Xiao Muchen, I pay respects to Your Majesty!”
Xiao Muchen was about to kneel when the Empress said, “Rise. There’s no need for such formalities.”
“Yes!”
“I heard you spent all night last night at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion in Sigong Lane?”
“Yes!”
“Why? I never heard you favor that place.”
“Last night, returning late, I met two homeless little girls. Feeling pity, I led them to stay at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion for the night. I was idle, so I sought some amusement.”
“Oh? What sort of place is this Hundred Flowers Pavilion? They don’t know, but do you? You brought two little girls to stay there?”
“It’s a brothel, under the jurisdiction of the Entertainment Bureau.”
Hearing the young man’s serious answer, the Empress smiled wryly.
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“Enough, I don’t need you to tell me!” The Empress rose, supported by Shangguan Wan’er, then spoke earnestly. “Zicheng, you are someone I personally nurtured and promoted, the only one of my northern scholars to remain. I have taught you diligently since you were twelve, now eight years. You’ve just come of age, and I appointed you Deputy Censor to supervise the officials and recruit talented commoners. But you must also strictly discipline yourself—don’t let the ministers catch you slipping!”
“Yes, I will heed Your Majesty’s teachings!”
The Empress paused, then shifted the topic, “How is the investigation of Pei Judao’s case? The capital has been unsettled recently.”
Pei Judao was the father-in-law of the late Crown Prince Li Hong, hailing from the prestigious Hedong Pei clan. Since Emperor Taizong’s founding, the Pei family produced several prime ministers. Pei Judao was one, but when the Empress ascended, the Hedong Peis sided with her opponents. Like Pei Yan, Pei Judao was falsely accused of rebellion by the ruthless officials Zhou Xing and Qiu Shenji and executed.
The case was reopened recently after someone secretly reported it to the Sovereign, and rumors in Luoyang stirred unease.
Not only Pei Judao, but several ministers were imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishments, enduring inhuman torture.
Xiao Muchen pondered, then replied, “Several officials are under suspicion. I am still investigating.”
The Empress nodded after a moment, “Old cases resurface only because some are dissatisfied with me. What I want to know is who is stirring up trouble behind the scenes!”
“Yes!”
“Go now!”
...
After Xiao Muchen left, the Empress sighed softly. To the attendant beside her, she said, “Do you remember when he was a child? He obeyed me utterly, was so clever and well-behaved. Now grown, not only has he gained a confusingly beautiful face, but his heart has become inscrutable. I can’t read his intentions anymore.”
“If Your Majesty is worried, why not have the Secret Guards monitor Deputy Minister Xiao’s movements?”
The Empress hesitated, then waved her hand.
“Enough. The child I raised with my own hands, it’s time to let go.”
...
Just as Xiao Muchen stepped out of the Purple Star Palace, Xuan Yu hurried over, whispering in his ear,
“Sir, everything is settled, but Le Xiang couldn’t bear the humiliation in the imperial prison and took his own life!”
Xiao Muchen stopped abruptly, a trace of regret in his eyes.
After a long moment, he quietly asked, “Have you found out who informed on him?”
“A petty clerk from the market, named Lai Junchen. He was once beaten a hundred strokes by Prince Dongping for false accusations. But now Prince Dongping Li Xu has also committed suicide at home, charged with rebellion!”
Xiao Muchen remained silent for a while, then said, “Since the Sovereign’s ascension, trusting villains like Zhou Xing and Lai Junchen more, I fear suspicion towards me is growing. From now on, I must be doubly cautious.”
“Yes!”
“And about last night’s matter, send someone to visit the Su family. Report everything that happened there to me!”
“The Su family? Why?” Xuan Yu was puzzled.
“Just follow my orders. Don’t ask why!”
“Yes!”