Chapter 176: Hello Chang’an
"IF YOU LIKE THE TRANSLATIONS, CONSIDER SUPPORTING US ON PATREON ads free with exclusive updates."
**Chapter 176: She Asks, He Answers**
"Everything is due to my carelessness, which caused the fire in the tower. Please, Aunt, punish me," Ming Luo said, expressing her apology.
Holy Emperor's gaze shifted slightly. "Carelessness?"
Ming Luo lowered her head and replied, "After the fire, I thoroughly investigated its cause. It was due to the Eternal Light lamp accidentally tipping over and falling, igniting the ritual cloth. When the monk approached to add more oil to the lamp, he was startled and accidentally knocked over the oil jar, which spread the fire."
"It was my failure to properly check the stability of the lamp or adjust the cloth’s hanging that led to the lamp falling and igniting the cloth, which caused the fire," she added.
Holy Emperor did not immediately respond, but stared at her for a moment before asking, "What was Miss Chang doing before and after the fire?"
Ming Luo's eyes revealed a hint of expectation, as she anticipated that her aunt might suspect Chang Suining was involved in the fire.
"Before the fire, Miss Chang was sitting at the sutra desk, waiting to transcribe the scriptures," Ming Luo answered. "As for when the fire occurred, she was talking to me... She never left my sight during this entire time."
At that moment, her aunt’s eyes and ears in the tower were not limited to Ming Luo alone. She knew she had to be truthful whenever the situation called for it.
"Talking?" Holy Emperor's gaze intensified. "What did she say to you?"
Ming Luo hesitated for a brief moment, her expression showing some discomfort as she replied, "She said she was hungry and asked if we could wait until after the meal before continuing to transcribe the scriptures."
"Was that all?" Holy Emperor asked.
Ming Luo seemed to hesitate again, then her tone became more complicated. "Miss Chang looked at the scriptures I was transcribing and asked if I was copying Princess Chongyue’s handwriting."
The way Ming Luo recounted this made it sound like Chang Suining was subtly comparing herself to Princess Chongyue, and to some extent, it painted her as someone who was deliberately mimicking the princess's style. This added an element of intent behind her actions, which cast her in a different light.
At the time, Holy Emperor’s spies in the tower could only see that the two were talking but could not hear their conversation. Now, Ming Luo had the option of how to respond.
Holy Emperor stared at her, his voice calm but piercing. "Is that really all?"
A silent pressure came over Ming Luo, and she steadied herself before saying, "I would never dare to deceive you, Aunt."
Whether Holy Emperor believed her was uncertain, but she continued to question. "Besides the fire, did anything unusual happen in the tower today?"
"Other than that, everything in the tower was normal," Ming Luo responded as she offered a box to her aunt. "In my opinion, Miss Chang didn’t behave unusually. This is the scripture she transcribed, please take a look."
A servant came forward to take the box and presented it to the emperor.
Holy Emperor opened the box, her expression unreadable. As the rumors had suggested, Miss Chang was indeed quite adept at mimicking Princess Chongyue’s handwriting. The style was undeniably reminiscent of the princess's, but the script in front of her was strong and steady, far from the shaky handwriting of someone who might be ill.
After a long moment of silence, Holy Emperor closed the box and pressed her hand on top of it. A faint cough escaped her throat.
Ming Luo immediately looked up and asked the servant, "Has my aunt taken her evening medicine?"
The servant replied, "Not yet, Miss."
Ming Luo frowned. "How can you be so careless?"
The servant sighed. Since returning from the Tower of the Heavenly Maiden, the emperor had been dealing with official matters, and two confidential letters had arrived, leaving her overwhelmed. The palace maid who was supposed to deliver the medicine had been unable to enter the study. When the servant mentioned it, the emperor had interrupted before he could finish speaking.
Ming Luo stood up and ordered the servant to hurry the palace maid to brew the medicine. Not feeling reassured, she went to the kitchen herself.
Not long later, she returned with the medicine and personally served it to Holy Emperor.
The emperor, though formidable and hardworking, was only human. Since taking the throne, she had never allowed herself to relax, always taking on responsibilities even when her health began to deteriorate. Recently, with so many urgent matters, combined with the chill she caught during the Chongyang Festival, she had been pushing herself too hard.
Ming Luo thought about the young woman in the Heavenly Maiden Tower and looked at the piles of memorials scattered across the desk. She realized that Holy Emperor had far too many concerns weighing on her.
For the first time, Ming Luo saw her aunt, the one who had ruled the kingdom for many years with strength and decisiveness, as someone who might not be invincible after all. Time, as it did for everyone, was catching up with her.
This realization made Ming Luo feel a fleeting sense of unease.
After a brief moment of uncertainty, Ming Luo handed the empty bowl to the servant and apologized, "I only regret that I haven’t been able to share the burden with you, Aunt."
"You only need to do what you are supposed to do, and that will ease my worries," said the Holy Emperor after drinking his medicine, closing his eyes to rest, and speaking slowly, "For the next two days, unless I summon you, stay within the Heavenly Maiden Tower. Be sure to pay close attention to anything suspicious..."
Ming Luo's half-lowered gaze landed on the box used to store the Buddhist scriptures copied by Chang Suining, a touch of sarcasm mixed with an inevitable realization.
As expected, her aunt would not give up so easily.
She responded with a devoted tone, "Yes, please rest assured, Aunt."
After the Holy Emperor had rested, Ming Luo left.
She descended the stone steps, the dark night sky above with no moon or light, only a few faint stars appearing and disappearing behind the clouds.
Inside the Heavenly Maiden Tower, Chang Suining, lying in the quiet room on the second floor, still could not sleep.
After a while, she got up in the dim light, put on her shoes, casually draped her outer robe over her shoulder, and walked to the window. She pushed it open and looked outside.
The Tower had a constant light, so although most lamps were out, the faint glow inside allowed her to see just enough.
Chang Suining wondered if she should take another chance and explore the hidden passageway with the traps, hoping to find some clues. However, after thinking for a while, she abandoned the idea.
Though the trap mechanism had been destroyed, someone left behind to watch her might still be observing. Setting the fire earlier had been risky, but it was a necessary action for her survival.
At least now she was relatively safe, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better to stay put for the time being.
If one wanted to live longer, sometimes one had to take bold risks at the right moment, but at other times, one had to keep a low profile and avoid unnecessary attention.
Her actions were now subdued, but her mind could not settle. Leaning on the window sill, she looked up at the night sky, her thoughts tangled.
As she withdrew her gaze, her sharp peripheral vision caught sight of a shadow.
Turning her head, she saw someone sitting by the stone table in the tower's yard, the same table where she had eaten earlier that day.
The person sat with their back to her in complete stillness, so quiet that she only now noticed.
Was this someone left behind to monitor her?
But the person simply sat there, seeming quite open and unguarded.
Chang Suining peered out the window again and focused for a moment. No, that person looked like...
The young man, who had been sitting there for quite a while, suddenly sensed something approaching him from behind.
Instinctively, he moved sideways to avoid the object.
There was a soft sound as the object hit the stone table and rolled a few times.
The young man picked it up and, with the faint light from the lantern hanging under the tower's eaves, saw that it was a chestnut.
He paused in surprise, then stood up with the chestnut in hand, turning to look at the direction from which it had come.
In the dim light, he saw a young girl dressed in light clothing leaning out from a window on the second floor of the tower, her upper body hanging out as she gazed at him.
Cui Jing, whose eyes had been cool with the autumn night air, immediately softened. He instinctively walked over.
Seeing him approach, the girl confidently bent down and stepped onto the tower eaves, preparing to jump down.
Cui Jing hurried forward and reached out his hand.
However, the agile girl landed smoothly and did not need his assistance.
He breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew his hand, placing it behind his back.
Chang Suining walked up to him, glanced behind him where there was no one else, and lowered her voice, asking, "Why would the great general Cui be here at this hour?"
"I... just came to sit for a while," Cui Jing said, unsure of how to respond.
He truly had just wanted to come and sit.
Not pressing for further details, Chang Suining did not ask more.
At that moment, she noticed his usually sharp, now seemingly filled with unspoken words, gaze. After a moment, the owner of those eyes asked, "Are you... well today?"
His usual speech was direct and efficient, but tonight these two sentences were full of pauses.
His eyes, as well as some silent gestures, seemed different from usual.
The Cui Jing she had first met was distant and cold, high above others.
The Cui Jing who became her friend was still reserved but sincere.
But tonight, the Cui Jing standing before her seemed... unsure.
This was a side of him she had never seen before.
Chang Suining quietly studied him for a while before nodding, "Don’t worry, I’m fine."
Cui Jing gave a rare, slight smile, relieved.
After a moment, he said, "Actually, I came to see you."
Chang Suining smiled lightly, "I know."
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have jumped down impulsively.
"Then why didn’t you throw a stone and call me down?" she asked. "Next time, you can try throwing a stone."
Cui Jing nodded seriously, "Okay, I’ll remember."
In truth, it wasn’t that he didn’t know how to call her down; he just didn’t want to disturb her rest. She had gone through such torment today and deserved to rest properly.
He had intended to sit there until dawn, waiting for her to get up.
He simply sat there, feeling at ease knowing she could rest peacefully within the tower.
"Why did you come to see me at this hour?" Chang Suining asked curiously.
Was it just to ask if she was alright today?
Cui Jing indeed had another matter to attend to.
"Tomorrow, I must leave Dayun Temple and return to Xuanzhe Mansion to arrange everything. I will then depart the capital early the day after tomorrow."
Chang Suining was a bit surprised. "Are you heading to the northern border to prepare for the construction of defense fortifications?"
After Cui Jing’s urging, the Ministry of Revenue had finally allocated half of the funds, and although he had mentioned leaving after the Chongyang Festival, she still felt it was a bit too rushed.
Cui Jing replied, "I need to stop by Bingzhou first."
"Bingzhou?" Chang Suining sensed something was wrong. "Has something happened?"
Cui Jing lowered his voice even more. "The Holy Emperor received a confidential report. It says that the chief of staff in Bingzhou’s military governor’s office has been secretly corresponding with Xu Zhengye. They fear he may be leaning toward Xu Zhengye’s faction."
Chang Suining’s expression stiffened.
"So, I need to act swiftly and discreetly, before anything happens in Bingzhou," Cui Jing continued. "To avoid alarming them, this mission must remain under wraps. When I depart the day after tomorrow, it will be officially announced as a journey to the northern border for defense fortifications."
Chang Suining understood now; this was a secret mission.
She glanced around warily, instinctively saying, "Since this is a secret mission, you didn’t need to tell me."
There may be spies from Ming Hou nearby, and he was divulging critical information to her like this...
Cui Jing replied simply, "You asked me, so I answered."
Chang Suining was momentarily taken aback. She looked into his still honest and sincere eyes and asked, "Will you always answer truthfully, no matter what I ask?"
In the night, the young man nodded at her. "I will."
Chang Suining smiled at him.
Indeed, there were many questions she wanted to ask him, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the right time or place.
She could engage in casual conversation with him without worry, even if it reached Ming Hou’s ears. At most, it would leave the impression that he was "blinded by love."
He had already made it clear that he would marry no one but her, so it was understandable for him to come and see her before leaving. In fact, if he had avoided meeting her, it would have contradicted his earlier behavior. His presence here might even alleviate some of Ming Hou’s doubts.
Perhaps that was why he could sit here in the open and wait for her without concern.
But deeper questions could not be asked or answered now.
Chang Suining felt a bit regretful. If she couldn’t ask now, she didn’t know when she would get the chance again.
She asked, "If things are settled in Bingzhou, will you head directly to the northern border?"
Cui Jing nodded, "Yes."
Chang Suining said, "After this parting, it may be years before we meet again."
Cui Jing didn’t respond immediately. For him, leading troops to battle was a routine matter, but never had he left the capital with such a state of mind.
At that moment, the girl suddenly took two steps closer to him, leaning in.
Cui Jing’s breath and heart both froze.
His years of military training made him instinctively want to step back when someone got so close, but he stood frozen, gripping the chestnut in his hand silently.
At such a close distance, he even smelled the faint scent of incense on her—an aroma used in offering to deities, pure and sacred, which suited her perfectly.
And just now, she had said that they would only meet again after several years, so… was that...
►►CLICK HERE FOR ADVANCE CHAPTERS◄◄
Comments
Post a Comment