Chapter 235: Qing Lord and the Princess’s Consort

Chapter 235 The Qing Lord and the Royal Consort

This military campaign was far in the southern seas, with little impact on Great Yu's heartland. With years of favorable weather, a full treasury, and supplies replenished by tributary states along the way, the army had ample provisions without increasing grain taxes by even half a percent.

Wu Shen led the campaign against Annam with Min Leyi by his side, keeping the vow he'd made when proposing.

Some officials complained about Wu Shen bringing his newlywed husband to war. After the morning court session, Wu Shen dragged them on horseback to the training grounds outside the city and had them spar with Min Leyi. The pampered middle-aged and elderly civil officials were no match for the young warrior who trained daily on horseback—within ten moves, they were soundly beaten.

The humiliated officials complained to the emperor, but Emperor Zhaoxin gave only a token scolding to Wu Shen. His obvious favoritism silenced further objections to Min Leyi’s participation in the campaign.

Before Wu Shen and Min Leyi departed, Qiu Huanian gifted them a large batch of Qiu's Six Staples’ latest formula of cooling balm. The humid, insect-infested climate of Annam, coupled with its miasma, demanded utmost caution.

Since the lifting of the maritime ban, the cooling balm had ceased to be a seasonal hot commodity and instead became Qiu's Six Staples’ top-selling star product.

Effective against seasickness, nausea, burns, poisonous insects, and fatigue, the panacea was called the perfect travel companion for seafarers, dubbed 'cure-all' by sailors—priceless in value.

Not only was it beloved by Great Yu’s sailors, but foreign merchants and envoys also coveted it, lining up daily outside Qiu's Six Staples near the Foreign Enclave, hoping to purchase more of the "divine medicine" that had limited supplies for foreigners. The long lines of foreign merchants had become a new spectacle in Tianjin Prefecture.

The versatile panacea, along with the strictly guarded production process of iodine tincture, gave Great Yu's troops an edge. Even before the campaign to aid Champa against Annam began, Great Yu already held all the cards.

After the army’s departure, the long-absent Qing Lord returned to the capital, going out of his way to visit Qiu Huanian in Tianjin.

The lake in the prefect’s residence’s rear garden had been renovated the previous year. Pink and white lotuses rose gracefully above jade-green leaves, while the June morning breeze rippled the water, carrying their fragrance.

Leaning against the railing of the lakeside pavilion with a lotus-leaf-shaped, bean-green, crackled-glaze fish food bowl in hand, the Qing Lord casually scattered food into the water. A few crimson and gold koi surfaced, their flowing tails tracing circles in the water.

"The imperial edict has been handed down. Soon, I will lead an envoy mission westward through the Guanlong region, past the Jade Gate Pass, carrying my mother’s ashes, until we reach Arabia."

The Qing Lord smiled at the fish. "The next time we meet, who knows when that'll be."

In an era where communication relied solely on letters and travel depended on mules and horses, a journey from East Asia to the Middle East was akin to venturing into another world. Years would pass, and no one could predict what the future held—or if they would ever meet again.

After a moment of silence, Qiu Huanian said solemnly, "Congratulations, Your Highness, on escaping your gilded cage and achieving your wish."

The Qing Lord chuckled. "Everyone has a place they belong in life. Mine has always been on the road, so I will keep moving forward to new places."

"Your Highness… who will accompany you this time?"

Knowing what Qiu Huanian was hinting at, the Qing Lord answered plainly, "The consort comes with me."

Qiu Huanian’s lips parted in surprise, but he swallowed his words. He knew too little about the story between Jie Tanguang and the Qing Lord to comment.

The Qing Lord tossed the last handful of fish food into the lake, sending up a spray of droplets on the water’s surface.

He turned, leaning back against the railing with both arms. "Let me tell you a story."

"Hmm?"

"Since I’m leaving my homeland soon, some stories are better told as amusement for those who might find them interesting, rather than buried forever."

Qiu Huanian blinked, then laughed. "You make the Qing Lord's secrets sound like a storyteller’s tale peddled in the streets."

"Isn’t that what they are? What feels like a life-defining burden to one person is just an intriguing story to others. Since it all ends as a story, why cling to it?"

Qiu Huanian understood—the Qing Lord wanted to satisfy his curiosity before departing, and perhaps rid himself of old ghosts.

"With flowers, water, pavilions, and fragrant breezes here, ‘Storyteller,’ begin your tale."

Relaxing against the railing, the Qing Lord took on the cadence of a street storyteller.

"In a land not of this dynasty nor this era, in a realm not our own, there was an Azure Phoenix Lord whose mother passed away early and who was shown little favor. I can't be bothered to recount his overt experiences—you can just compare them to mine."

"Anyway, having endured cold neglect and scorn in the palace since childhood, this Azure Phoenix Lord took great pleasure in keeping company with lowly palace servants. He loved aiding the weak and pitiable, and in his free time, he would disguise himself as a servant and roam the palace, righting wrongs."

"Most in the inner court knew the Azure Phoenix Lord's identity, so he often ventured to the outer areas like the Office of Prized Treasures, the Office of Ceremonial Rites, the Imperial Workshops, and the Painting Academy. Though within the imperial city, these places had fewer rules and more outsiders, making them far more interesting."

"Once, by the brush-washing pond near the Painting Academy, he rescued a youth of exquisite beauty with rosy lips and fair features. Not only was the boy exceptionally beautiful, but his demeanor, eloquence, and learning were also outstanding. This Azure Phoenix Lord, like me, had a weakness for beauties, and he took him to heart at once."

Qiu Huanian played along with Phoenix Roost's "the 'a friend of mine' game," thinking to himself that this young boy must be Jie Tanguang. He never imagined their connection had begun so long ago.

"And then? What happened between them later?"

Azure Phoenix Lord gazed into the distance, reminiscing. "The boy was merely an apprentice to a court painter, his standing in the palace beneath even that of favored servants. To avoid startling him, the Azure Phoenix Lord lied, claiming to be a menial clerk from the archives—this way, a minor painter and a menial clerk could be a matched pair, with neither looking down on the other."

"The young painter would enter the palace with his master on the 8th and 20th of each month, and the Azure Phoenix Lord would always seek him out near the Painting Academy on those days. Sometimes, he'd ask the boy to paint for him; other times, he'd bring books to read together. As they grew closer, they mostly talked of all things under heaven."

"They spoke of everything except each other's secrets—of the suffocating air of court and aristocracy, the dullness of worldly affairs, the grandeur of mountains and seas, and their half-spoken dreams of leaving the palace one day to wander the world together, somewhere no one could find them..."

Azure Phoenix Lord's voice unconsciously softened. Qiu Huanian didn't press him, knowing the next part would be the pivotal turning point of the story.

"And so, the young painter accompanied the Azure Phoenix Lord through countless dull days in the palace, weathering the death of the empress dowager and the turmoil of the court. The Azure Phoenix Lord began to take their whimsical dreams seriously, wanting to make them a reality."

"For the first time, he searched for traces of the young painter—and found no one."

"..." Qiu Huanian glanced at Azure Phoenix Lord, whose face showed no emotion, only a faint melancholy.

"Did the Azure Phoenix Lord resent him for this betrayal?"

Azure Phoenix Lord chuckled. "The Azure Phoenix Lord wasn’t that petty. Even after discovering he was Consort Ying’s nephew, the jewel of the Jie Clan of Jinzhou, he clung to the belief there was some hardship behind it all. He wanted to find him and hear the truth."

"On the 8th of the month, as usual, he went to their meeting spot with the young painter’s favorite books and pastries—but the one he longed to see wasn’t there. Instead, he was met by Consort Ying’s matron and the Grand Eunuch of the Office of Ceremonial Rites."

"..."

Azure Phoenix Lord spoke of it with careless ease. "What followed was too convoluted—I can’t be bothered to recall or explain in detail. In short, Consort Ying’s faction set a trap, smearing my name to the imperial court. Not only was I punished, but the Crown Prince was dragged down too."

Qiu Huanian switched back to personal pronouns. "So you began to hate him from then on?"

"No." Azure Phoenix Lord shrugged. "I still believed it wasn’t his true intent—that he had been forced by Consort Ying and the Jie Clan. I wanted to save him, to take him away from the palace as we’d once dreamed."

"My eldest nephew scolded me and made a wager, arranging for me to meet him alone."

Azure Phoenix Lord smiled. "He said—"

"He’d known from the very beginning that I was the Azure Phoenix Lord."

"He said he would never betray the Jie Clan, that their interests came before all else in his heart."

"On the day Consort Ying’s matron and the Grand Eunuch came to accuse me, he had known all along—standing by as it all unfolded."

"..."

Azure Phoenix Lord set the fishbowl on the stone table and stretched. "That’s the end. Did it amuse you?"

Qiu Huanian fell silent for a full minute, countless questions bubbling in his mind—yet he voiced none.

No wonder Jie Tanguang’s reaction had been so strange when Azure Phoenix Lord intercepted the wedding procession. It wasn’t anger but something closer to remorse and acceptance. No wonder Phoenix Roost both tormented and protected him, while Jie Tanguang never resisted or complained.

That day at the intersection of the imperial avenue, as the gilt whip grazed his ear and the exotic beauty on horseback leaned down to lift the Tanhua’s chin—did Jie Tanguang’s heart hold their youthful laughter, or just the words, "Long time no see"?

"Do you hate him for his betrayal?"

"I hate him for giving up."

Azure Phoenix Lord’s bright eyes gleamed. "So now, whether he’s willing or not, I won’t let him slip away again."