Chapter Ninety-Seven: The King's Love Letter

The Empress Dowager looked at the forceful "Ji Wuqing" before her, a flicker of suspicion and panic rising in her heart. Had she truly been outmaneuvered by Zuo Qiu Liye, unwittingly providing him with cover?

“You heard every word clearly just now. As for anything else, I have nothing more to say.” Ji Wuqing’s voice was calm, then he raised it, “Someone, escort the Empress Dowager back to the palace.”

“How dare you! I am the Empress Dowager of Ji, how dare you treat me with such insolence!” The Empress Dowager lashed out furiously. When had she, exalted as she was, ever suffered such humiliation? Especially since the man before her was not even Ji Wuqing.

“Have you forgotten, Mother, that I told you last time to remain in your own palace, to devote yourself to Buddhist prayers and a vegetarian diet?” “Ji Wuqing’s” face was expressionless, a cold majesty sharpening his handsome features.

“What arrogance! When has the King ever spoken to me like this? Who are you, to dare impersonate him?” The Empress Dowager straightened her back, the icy splendor of her palace attire lending her an imposing presence that could not be underestimated.

He glanced at her without speaking; after all, this was not truly his concern, and he merely awaited the King’s return to deal with it.

With a wave of his hand, the palace maids serving at the Upper Academy emerged and surrounded the Empress Dowager, at least making it seem as if she was being politely escorted back to the Hui Study.

Once she was gone, “Ji Wuqing” walked in the direction of Anxue Palace, with his attendants trailing behind.

Now that he was acting as the King, he must play the part to perfection.

He reached out, his fingers brushing the cold palace wall. The wall shone with a magnificent vermilion, making his slender, strong hand appear all the more powerful. The wide cloud-patterned sleeves added an air of aloof elegance.

“Wu Jun has vanished without a trace, and the news of his escape has already spread. It seems we and the Wu Kingdom are now on the brink of inevitable war,” Qing He, dressed in black, reported from behind.

“Both we and Wu have reasons that leave us no choice but to fight.” He nodded, withdrawing his hand. “We shall wait for the King’s return to resolve these matters.”

“Wu Jun fled in the direction of Anxue Palace. I wonder what his intentions are.”

“That is precisely why war is inevitable.”

The Empress Dowager returned to Hui Study with a dark and sullen expression. She understood now that these events had all been orchestrated by Ji Wuqing, and that the man impersonating him must be one of his trusted aides.

With this realization, she ceased struggling. She had indeed acted rashly, allowing herself to be provoked by Zuo Qiu Liye and causing the current predicament. The young King of Wu could never be trusted; in retrospect, allying with them was a most unwise decision.

Back in Hui Study, the evidence of conflict had already been cleared away; everything looked as it had before her departure. The difference was that all the palace staff had been replaced with unfamiliar faces, each with an impassive expression. They were clearly not ordinary servants, but placed here to monitor her, leaving her isolated and defenseless.

“Yun Dao, I have miscalculated this time,” the Empress Dowager said, slumping into her chair, her earlier arrogance now subdued. “I was too impatient, and thus fell into Zuo Qiu Liye’s trap.”

“Please, Your Majesty, do not dwell on it. At least the King still remembers your past relationship—he has not made these matters public, nor has he sought to punish you. We still have a chance, do we not?” Eunuch Yun Dao hastened to console her.

“Yes, this time the evidence was irrefutable, yet why did he not use this opportunity to get rid of me?” A glint of suspicion flickered in her eyes. “He must be waiting for the real Ji Wuqing to return, wanting Ji Wuqing to deal with me himself. He wants to witness my end with his own eyes, perhaps?”

That would explain why the impostor King was not given the task of dealing with her.

“You are right, Your Majesty, but who is this impostor? I observed him closely—his appearance and bearing are every bit as impressive as the King’s, and he knows the King’s affairs well.”

“I recall that Ji Wuqing has a capable eunuch at his side,” she mused, the image forming vaguely in her mind.

“Your Majesty must mean Eunuch Miao Jian,” Yun Dao recalled at once. “Indeed, he is always by the King’s side, and his bearing is extraordinary.”

“It must be him then.” The Empress Dowager nodded and rose. “Although Zuo Qiu Liye used me, he cannot be said to have deceived me. My ‘good’ son truly has left the palace, and for his Queen no less—to the point of disregarding his own kingdom. He is truly unlike his father.”

She let out a cold laugh, memories of old grudges further chilling her gaze.

Outside, snow began to fall again, but the warmth inside the carriage kept out the cold and the wintry wind.

He leaned back on the soft couch, holding a message from the palace in his hand.

“As expected, my dear mother could not restrain herself, but she acted too hastily and outsmarted herself.” He pinched the slip of paper, a relaxed smile on his handsome face.

He placed his hand on the back of the woman beside him, gently stroking her and adjusting the robe over her. His movements were tender and careful.

“If you already know the Empress Dowager’s ambitions, why do you let her continue unchecked?” She lay in his arms, her whole body pressed against him, her cheek against his chest, seeking warmth and comfort.

She had always been puzzled by the relationship between the Empress Dowager and Ji Wuqing. Outwardly, they seemed like a loving mother and son, yet beneath the surface, they were at odds. With Ji Wuqing’s abilities, it should have been easy to deal with her; why, then, had he never acted?

“Because there is still a truth yet to be revealed. They owe me the truth, and one day, I will uncover it.” His lips parted, and in his words was a hint of concealed pain, like searching for the truth through a haze of mist.

Xuexue listened, guessing that Ji Wuqing referred to matters of the previous generation.

“You’re quite arrogant. As King, you’ve abandoned your palace and your stronghold. The Empress Dowager is against you at court, and Zuo Qiu Liye threatens you in secret, yet you seem untroubled.” Her hand unconsciously toyed with the fabric at his waist. She wanted to ask if it was all worth it.

Did he really not regret it at all?

Perhaps, with a single misstep, he would lose his kingdom.

“That is why I am taking a great risk on this journey. Shouldn’t you show your appreciation, Xue’er?”

“Are you asking me to scold you?”

“Why would you do that?” He looked genuinely puzzled.

“To be honest, I’m happy you’ve done so much for me—I feel... blessed. But your kingdom is your greater responsibility. For me alone, it is not worth it. I mean, in comparison, you are sacrificing far more.” She tilted her head, listening to the steady, powerful beat of his heart, slowly voicing her thoughts.

Ji Wuqing listened, and held her tighter.

Xuexue waited a long moment for his reply, but instead felt a deep vibration from his chest—he seemed to be laughing.

“I don’t find anything funny in what I just said,” she said, lifting her head with a serious expression.

Ji Wuqing looked down at her stern face, her fair features tinged with a hint of admonition, and his smile deepened. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard you lecture me like this, Xue’er. I rather missed it.”

“What a strange habit, you’re not a child anymore.” Xuexue muttered softly, then buried her head against his chest again.

The familiar scent of him was soothing. After all, perhaps what she felt after leaving him was a kind of torment—a restlessness she could not quiet, forcing herself to maintain a calm exterior.

Thinking so, she took out the embroidered pouch at her waist and handed it to Ji Wuqing.

“Read it to me.”

Ji Wuqing took the pouch with a trace of confusion, then drew out a neatly folded letter. The paper was familiar, covered in his own handwriting.

It was the letter he’d left for her before his departure...

His lips curled as he saw her bury her face in his chest, perhaps out of shyness—she would not show her face.

“Very well, let me read it for my beloved wife.” He unfolded the letter, his gentle voice tinged with gravity. “There lives a woman within my heart. On that day, she danced in scarlet, not dazzling in beauty but stirring my soul. She was like a plum blossom, like a lotus, quietly blooming within me, until her roots ran deep. She did not know, or pretended not to know. Yet I knew she was worthy to stand beside this kingdom. The land is so alluring, yet for her, I would bow.”

She is worthy to stand beside the kingdom, the land so alluring, yet for her, he would bow.

Each word seemed to retrace the path of his feelings, the gradual change in his heart.

“You liar, that’s not what the letter says at all.” Xuexue snatched the letter from his hand and sat up, reading it herself.

“True, but that is what is written in my heart. The letter in my heart says so.” Pulling her back into his embrace, he whispered in her ear, “Didn’t you hear my heart, Xue’er? Or are you choosing once again to run away?”

To turn a blind eye to his feelings.

“Are you accusing me, Ziqing?” She collected herself, her tone lively and sly.

“Hmm, is it really an accusation? In truth, I can wait, as long as it takes.” For he knew Xue’er belonged to herself, but whether she admitted it or not, she already bore his mark—she was his, in name and in soul.

“But I’ve known my own feelings for a long time. What are you waiting for? My heart has long since decided.”