Shen Zheng rubbed his slightly warm earlobe, and the scalding temperature of his fingertips made Wen Zhuo tremble all over again.
He let out a low soft laugh. "Teacher, do you still remember that I once told you I have a pretty good personality, a stable temper, and am overall positive and healthy, except for a rather special preference when it comes to matters of love and intimacy?"
Wen Zhuo froze for a moment, the scene when he first took Shen Zheng as his apprentice and they made their pact flashing through his mind.
Shen Zheng had indeed said those words, but Wen Zhuo had not paid them any mind at all back then. The only reason he could recall it now was his excellent memory.
Yet those words that had once seemed completely irrelevant to him now felt as if they were tied to every thread of his own fate. Wen Zhuo unconsciously tensed his spine, breathing more softly. "...I remember."
"So then—" Shen Zheng's fingertips slid to his chin, lifting it gently, his gaze deep enough to draw a person right in, "Your Highness wants it very badly, but you have the regular court assembly tomorrow. I can't bear to make you tired. When I come back, I will properly discuss this matter thoroughly with you, Teacher."
As he spoke, he cupped Wen Zhuo's cheek again, pressing kiss after kiss to those soft lips as if he would never get enough.
Wen Zhuo's heart was beating wildly. He actually wanted to ask just what exactly that special preference was, that perhaps he could handle it right today.
But the overwhelming surge of shame still drowned out that wild, almost reckless urge to throw caution to the winds. He opened his mouth, but simply could not bring himself to say the words.
Shen Zheng had deliberately moved all their shared pleasure to the early dusk that day, just so Wen Zhuo could get a good night's rest later. He was so meticulous that there was no way he would indulge further tonight.
But then... was it really that tiring?
Perched astride Shen Zheng's lap, Wen Zhuo's mind wandered uncontrollably. It could not be anything more than a little longer than fingers, a little bigger. He truly could not imagine what it would feel like.
Before dinner, Shen Zheng called Jiang Mannü to bring in hot water. The two of them quickly washed themselves clean, then Shen Zheng personally dressed Wen Zhuo in every layer of his robes.
Naturally, the process was interrupted by a number of roaming, restless touches that made Wen Zhuo shrink back step by step, until he was finally pressed against the wall, left with no choice but to let Shen Zheng do as he pleased.
When they finally walked out of the bedroom fully dressed, there were still quite a few unmentionable marks left on Wen Zhuo's most private areas.
These marks were known only to the two of them, more than enough to make him think back on the tender intimacy of the day when he was alone late at night.
Before Shen Zheng headed out, his eyes swept over the low stool, and he picked up that copy of *The Secret Essentials of Treasures Unearthed from Southern Screen Tombs* to bring along with him.
That kind of messy, nonsensical book had no business taking up space in his little cat's mind. Otherwise, if Wen Zhuo ever tried to discuss tomb-raiding insights with him in the future, he would be completely unable to give a proper response.
After finishing dinner, Shen Zheng took the secret passage to Marquis Yongning's Manor to say goodbye to his maternal grandfather and his uncle.
Marquis Yongning held his hand, his tone heavy with gravity. "This trip to Jinhai carries a heavy responsibility. You are bound to offend many people. The forces behind the grain transport by canal are deeply entrenched, and their power is not to be underestimated. You must be extremely careful."
Shen Zheng smiled faintly, his youthful spirit laced with a calm, commanding poise. "Since ancient times, no one can get things done without stepping on a few toes. If we avoided doing everything just for fear of offending people, nothing would ever change."
Marquis Yongning nodded in approval. "Well said! You have the exact same bearing I had in my younger days! There is a flock of carrier pigeons in the manor. Take them with you. Send us updates on the progress of the maritime transport operations regularly, and keep Director Wen informed as well, so that those of us in the imperial court coordinating with you can keep pace."
Jun Dingyuan, who had been standing to the side, lifted a hand to press the jade belt at his waist and unfastened the long whip that had been at his side for ten years.
Beneath the glow of the candles, the whip's entire body was deep black, glinting with a cold, sharp light that made it obvious it was a peerless, formidable weapon.
He handed the long whip over to Shen Zheng, his voice low and solemn. "This was a gift from my master back when I was heading to the Southern Border. The followers of the Mo clan and all the soldiers stationed in the Southern Border recognize this whip. Keep it with you, it will serve both as a weapon for self-defense and a token of authority. We will handle all the maneuvering in the imperial court, and your senior martial brother will keep things under control along the entire canal transport route. You just need to go all out, and come back to the capital as soon as possible!"
Shen Zheng accepted the long whip with great reverence, gripping it firmly in his palm. "Thank you, Uncle!"
After staying at the Marquis Yongning Manor for an entire hour, Shen Zheng got up to take his leave.
Jun Dingyuan watched as Shen Zheng did not leave straight for the palace through the main manor gate, but instead turned toward the secret path that led to the Wen Manor. He suddenly remembered the confusion Mo Shu had shown that day, and his brows knit tightly together.
Marquis Yongning noticed the strange look on his face and asked, "Huaishen, what's wrong?"
Jun Dingyuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head just as Mo Shu had done that day, pushing the unease in his heart aside. "It's nothing."
That night, Shen Zheng and Wen Zhuo slept in each other's arms, but long before dawn broke, Shen Zheng got out of bed as quietly as he could.
He gathered his men outside the Anding Gate, and set off precisely at the third ke of the Yin hour. The entire operation was so silent that no one was disturbed at all.
By the time Wen Zhuo woke slowly, he reached out habitually to the space beside him, only to touch a cold, empty patch of mattress.
At that very moment, Shen Zheng was already at the Tongzhou Courier Station, drifting further and further away from the capital.
As the sky turned pale, the faint glow of the morning light seeped through the window lattice and fell on the empty pillow. Wen Zhuo propped himself up slowly on the bed, staring at the shallow indentation still left on the pillow mat, lost in a wistful trance.
Three whole months. They wouldn't get to see each other for three whole months.
All of a sudden, he noticed that on the spot next to the pillow where he usually hid his waist-level viewfinder, there was a small celadon jar. On the body of the jar, a line of characters written with a fine brush had been penned — characters that clearly took endless practice to look even barely presentable: Cotton candy, two pieces a day. Your husband loves you.
What on earth is this?
The overwhelming sadness and wistfulness that had welled up in him at the hour of the Chen moment was instantly replaced by curiosity.
Wen Zhuo picked up the jar carefully, his fingertips brushing over the characters on the jar, and the corners of his lips curled up unconsciously.
He pried the lid off with effort, and a sweet osmanthus scent flooded out immediately. Inside the jar were square, milky white pieces that looked just like soft tofu, neat and adorable to the eye.
He pressed one gently with his finger, and found the substance was incredibly springy. His finger sank in to make a small dent, but the surface bounced back to its original shape in no time.
He looked at his fingertip, which was now coated with a thin layer of osmanthus powdered sugar, the sweet scent lingering in the air.
Wen Zhuo could not resist taking out one piece, and tentatively put it in his mouth. The springy little square slowly melted on his tongue, turning into fine, stretchy strands of sugar that tangled around his teeth and tongue.
The texture was marvelous, unbelievably delicious. Leaning against the headboard of the bed, most of the empty, hollow feeling in Wen Zhuo's chest was filled by that sweet taste.
Hugging the jar to his chest, he could not help but curve his eyes into a smile. Where on earth did Shen Zheng come up with such a novel thing?
Wen Zhuo had never been one to follow rules. The ten large pieces of cotton candy, meant to last five days, were completely gone in just two days.
He shook the empty celadon jar, tapped out the last bit of osmanthus powdered sugar left inside, and licked every last speck off, a look of clear regret on his face.
He immediately turned to ask Liu Qiying if Shen Zheng had left the recipe for the cotton candy behind. Liu Qiying shook her head, then comforted him warmly, "His Highness must have known you would stick to the proper portion, that's why he didn't leave the recipe with us. After all, there were ten big pieces — even Jiang Mannü would take three days to finish them all."
Hearing that, Jiang Mannü poked her head out and patted her chest. "Who said that? I could swallow the whole jar in one go!"
Wen Zhuo: "......"
Over the past two days, Emperor Shunyuan has only held one court audience. The discussion in the grand hall stuck to the same old topic as ever —
Gong Zhiyuan pleaded for Shen Chen to be released from prison, and Gu Weizhi stood firmly against the proposal.
Luo Mingpu pleaded for Shen Chen to be released from prison, and Gu Weizhi still stood firmly against the proposal.
Xie Langyang pleaded for Shen Chen to be released from prison, and Gu Weizhi continued to stand firmly against the proposal.
Seeing that none of his officials had any real state affairs to present besides this single matter, Emperor Shunyuan simply decreed that all court audiences would be suspended for the next seven days. No issues would be brought to his attention unless they concerned critical matters in Songzhou or maritime transport.
We can leave aside for now how Gong Zhiyuan and the rest of the group racked their brains over these seven days only to get nowhere. Meanwhile, a minor yet notable incident has unfolded on the Jun family's side.
For reasons unknown, Jun Mulan somehow offended Emperor Shunyuan. While she was allowed to retain her title of Noble Consort for the time being, her monthly stipend was drastically cut, her access to participating in palace affairs was revoked, and she was ordered to remain in her own quarters to reflect on her mistakes.
It was clear that Emperor Shunyuan only kept her noble consort title because Shen Zheng was still serving with distinction in Jinhai. In reality, Jun Mulan no longer held any status that put her on equal footing with Consort Zhen, and she had essentially been pushed back to the insignificant position she had held before.
Emperor Shunyuan had never been fond of a military general's daughter like her, who was trained in martial arts and could twist a person's arm clean out of its socket with a casual flick of her wrist. Even when he was in her company, Emperor Shunyuan could not help but feel on edge.
Both Marquis Yongning and Jun Dingyuan were imperial relatives by marriage, so they were not permitted to enter the palace at will. When Jun Dingyuan heard the news, he flew into a rage and was about to storm off to confront Emperor Shunyuan directly, only to be stopped by Wen Zhuo, who had rushed over in a hurry.
"I fully understand how deeply the General worries about his elder sister," Wen Zhuo said in a calm yet commanding tone that carried immense weight, "but the General currently commands the Three Great Battalions, and the safety of the entire capital rests on your shoulders. If you repeatedly rush to provoke the Emperor over matters concerning your sister, you will only make the Emperor grow wary of you. Since His Majesty has chosen to keep Noble Consort's title for her, it means his original stance has not shifted — he still holds high hopes for the Fifth Prince. We must not act rashly and throw all our careful plans into disarray."
Jun Dingyuan took a deep breath to suppress the burning anger in his chest, and said in a low, heavy voice, "I understand what Director Wen is saying. But this incident came out of nowhere, with no logical explanation at all. I am afraid this is only the opening move, and there will be more schemes to follow!"
Wen Zhuo nodded, his fingertips brushing slowly over the surface of his folding fan. "I think the same. The opposing faction cannot shake the Fifth Prince's position for now, so they have instead targeted Noble Consort Liang to strike at him. I will send someone to dig around and find out exactly what happened, and then we can decide our next move."
The person Wen Zhuo had in mind for this task was Liu Quan.
Since Liu Quan had once extended an offer of goodwill to their side, and Shen Zheng's prestige and influence were at their peak now, he would never stand by and ignore this situation.
That very night, Ge Wei, acting on Wen Zhuo's instructions, waited until Emperor Shunyuan was fast asleep, and finally spotted Liu Quan coming to the palace dining hall for his meal.
Ge Wei beamed at him, rushing to pour tea and offer water, even personally holding the teacup up to Liu Quan's mouth. "Old Ancestor," he said respectfully, "please have a sip of water to moisten your throat first."
Liu Quan slowly lifted his eyes, gave him a fleeting, knowing glance, and finally reached out to take the teacup.
That single gesture was a clear sign that he was willing to hear whatever Ge Wei had to say.
Ge Wei leaned in carefully, his voice dropping to a hushed whisper. "This servant went to the Imperial Secretariat today to deliver official documents, and ran into Director Wen. He was very curious about why His Majesty had reprimanded Noble Consort Liang, and asked me about it. But I knew nothing of the matter at all. I cannot figure out what taboo Noble Consort Liang could have possibly violated, so I knew I had to come to Old Ancestor to beg for your guidance on this."
Wen Zhuo had specifically told Ge Wei that Liu Quan was a sharp man, so there was no need to beat around the bush when speaking to him, and full sincerity and trust should be shown. For this reason, Ge Wei laid his cards on the table straight away, making it clear that he was inquiring on behalf of Wen Zhuo, not for himself or for Jun Mulan.
Liu Quan abruptly turned his gaze and stared fixedly at Ge Wei, but as expected, he did not raise any objections. This frankness actually put him somewhat at ease.
He thought to himself, Director Wen is truly an extraordinarily brilliant man, handling every matter with proper care and thoroughness. No wonder the empire has now fallen into Shen Zheng's hands.
Liu Quan glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then picked up a chopstickful of pickled mustard greens and stirred it into the bowl of plain congee in front of him. As he stirred slowly and unhurriedly, he said in a calm, faint tone, "A few days ago, Noble Consort Liang punished a maid who had a speech impediment. This matter was reported to Consort Zhen."
Ge Wei was utterly confused. As an imperial noble consort, punishing a lowly maid was hardly a major incident. It was unthinkable that the Emperor would go to such great lengths to mete out such a severe punishment to the noble consort.
Ge Wei probed tentatively, "Could it be that this maid was deeply favored by some master, and that master intended to..."
"Presumptuous! Who gave you permission to comment on the masters' affairs?" Liu Quan cut him off sharply, his bamboo chopsticks slamming onto the table with a crisp snap.
Ge Wei immediately dropped to his knees, his shoulders trembling, "Old Ancestor, please calm your anger! This servant spoke recklessly without thinking!"
Liu Quan looked down at him and said, "You only need to know that the Emperor is benevolent, and has always been compassionate to people with disabilities, especially full of care for those who cannot speak clearly. That is why he was displeased by what the noble consort did, and gave her this admonition. This is all the Emperor's kind intention, and as servants, we can only feel deeply grateful for his immense grace."
"Yes!" Ge Wei answered promptly.
Having received Liu Quan's guidance, Ge Wei did not dare to delay. He bowed to take his leave at once, and hurried straight to Jun Mulan's side.
Jun Mulan was sitting by the window, a book on military strategies in her hand. After Ge Wei repeated Liu Quan's words to her word for word, she finally began to see the whole picture.
"A few days ago, Talented Lady Song passed away due to illness. One of her dowry maids had a natural speech impediment. According to the palace rules, people with such ailments are usually sent out of the palace. But that maid cried and begged me, writing on paper that she had no relatives outside the palace at all and could not fend for herself, pleading to stay and serve in my palace. I softened my heart and agreed."
Jun Mulan paused, her tone suddenly turning icy, "But after she came, she relied on my protection to act tyrannically in the palace, often bullying the eunuchs and maids in my quarters. What was even more exasperating was that she was always the first to complain to make herself look wronged. Every time she caused trouble, she would come to me putting on a pretence to beg for pity. After I found out the full truth of the matter, I could no longer bear it, so I punished her severely and ordered her to leave the palace immediately. I never imagined that the Emperor was displeased with me over this."
Ge Wei still could not see all the hidden twists and turns behind the matter, and only said respectfully with his hands at his sides, "Your Highness, if you make the whole situation clear, this servant will go report the full story to Director Wen right away. With the Director's wisdom, he will surely come up with a solution soon."
Jun Mulan added, "You must make it clear to the Director for me that that maid repeatedly violated the rules, and her offenses were too much to tolerate. I did not, as a noble consort, wantonly bully a person with a disability. I, Jun Mulan, am not that unscrupulous kind of person."
"This servant understands, Your Highness. There is no need to worry over this," Ge Wei quickly replied. Then she remembered the reminder Wen Zhuo had given her, "The Director also asked this servant to tell Your Highness that this matter is far from over. The other party still has follow-up schemes, so Your Highness must be extra careful from now on."
Jun Mulan nodded, "I know. This incident has served as a good warning to me. I will never fall for such tricks a second time!"
The next day, the Collation Pavilion of the Hanlin Academy was deathly quiet, with only the occasional cicada chirp seeping in through the window.
Wen Zhuo sat at the desk, twisting his fingers gently as he pondered over the news Ge Wei had brought.
He had originally assumed that Consort Yi was the one secretly pulling the strings behind this scheme, but now it seemed that was not the case at all.
The most critical link in this trap was the person who had laid the accusation before Emperor Shunyuan.
Because of what happened to Shen Chen, Consort Yi did not even have the qualification to meet Emperor Shunyuan face to face, so how could she possibly have the chance to slander others in front of His Majesty?
That being the case, the identity of the accuser was obvious.
It was Consort Zhen.
Whether it was for the sake of fighting for favor in the imperial harem, or to slowly lay the groundwork for Shen He, Consort Zhen had every reason to make such a move.
If this matter was really orchestrated by Consort Zhen, Wen Zhuo did not feel particularly worried. In his past life, Consort Zhen had planned countless things for Shen He's sake, but unfortunately, Shen He never had the ambition for that path. He never followed a single one of her arrangements, and in the end, he even benefited from misfortune—he was exiled to his fief, and thus kept his life.
But it was still baffling that a single palace maid could be used as leverage to bring down an imperial noble consort.
Wen Zhuo knew Emperor Shunyuan far too well. He was never the kind of kind-hearted person, so the hidden key to this whole puzzle must lie in the words Liu Quan had hinted at earlier.
"Extraordinarily sympathetic to those who are mute... A mute person?"
Wen Zhuo repeated those few words under his breath, and suddenly a long-forgotten old memory came to him.
When he first arrived at the Hanlin Academy, envoys from the Kingdom of Bhutan happened to pay a visit to the imperial court. At the imperial banquet that day, the translator in charge of interpretation suddenly got a stomachache and left the table temporarily.
The envoy and Emperor Shunyuan could not understand each other's language, and the envoy was so anxious that he kept gesticulating wildly with his hands. Looking at him, Emperor Shunyuan, on a whim, started to gesture back. The envoy's movements were chaotic and completely unstructured, but the gestures Emperor Shunyuan made followed a clear, logical pattern.
Could it be that Emperor Shunyuan once spent a long time with a mute person, and that he cared so deeply for that mute person that his kindness extended to anyone who was similarly mute, making him far more compassionate towards the entire group than he was to ordinary people?
A vague guess began to form in Wen Zhuo's mind. He stopped his movements immediately, stood up and said, "You may head back first. I am going to pay a visit to Duke Liu."
Ge Wei quickly nodded in acknowledgement, but as she turned to take her leave, she noticed that Wen Zhuo had started to play with a chess piece again without her noticing.
This time, the piece resting in his palm was a sharp, bright white one.
