The sun rose and the moon set; summer faded into autumn.
Without anyone quite realizing it, the weather in Longshan Prefecture began to shift. Leaves turned yellower by the day, the temperature grew cooler, and even the dust suspended in the air seemed to thicken.
In the eighth lunar month, the autumn skies were crisp and clear.
Everything in the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor was running smoothly on track. Wang Yu had practically become an idle man. Aside from nodding his approval on major military and administrative matters, he spent the rest of his time practicing martial arts, wandering about, and growing ever closer to Qianqian.
Fortunately, with all manor business on track, Li Yunxiu also found herself with far more free time. She appeared by Wang Yu's side from time to time, allowing him to thoroughly savor the psychological thrill of two women vying for one man.
During this period, Zhao Rong managed to acquire two or three more spirit herbs. Feeding them to the turtle shell to digest and channel back into his body improved Wang Yu's natural talent once more. Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain advanced another step, complementing Flowing Fire Reflection so that his inner force cultivated even faster and his cultivation deepened day by day.
Yet more than two months had passed, and his Flowing Fire Reflection remained stalled at the fourth realm. As cultivation advanced, progressing became exponentially harder; both his innate talent and his dantian and meridians demanded vastly more energy to achieve further breakthroughs.
"A bit slow!" Wang Yu mused with a sigh.
If anyone else had known the sheer speed of Wang Yu's progress and heard him lamenting like this, they would have been tempted to draw a blade and hack him to pieces.
Wang Yu's idea of "slow" was merely in comparison to his previous pace. From the moment he crossed over to his return to the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, reaching the third realm of Flowing Fire Reflection had taken him less than a month, and advancing to the fourth realm had taken barely over a month.
Over these past few months, although he had remained stuck at the fourth realm, his innate constitution and meridians had continually improved. He was drawing closer and closer to the fifth realm, lacking only the qualitative breakthrough.
For anyone else, managing to generate inner force and master martial fundamentals within half a year was already considered a passing grade. Those who achieved minor success and held their own in duels and swordplay were hailed as promising talents.
To leap directly into the ranks of first-rate experts like Wang Yu, slaying Poison Hand Veda—one of the Five Great Bandits of Mount Qi—with a single sword strike, and evading two lethal ambushes by the successors of the Xingxiu Sea was something they would not dare dream of.
"Brother Yu!"
As Wang Yu was lost in thought, he saw Qianqian hurrying over, holding aloft a bottle of perfume. "Sweet osmanthus in the eighth month! This is osmanthus perfume fresh from the workshop. Smell me—do I smell nice?"
Accompanying her arrival was a rich, mellow, gentle, and sweet fragrance of osmanthus, laced with a faint, ethereal undertone of delicate perfume that set the heart fluttering.
"Where did osmanthus come from in the Northwest?" Wang Yu asked.
"Bought from Jiangnan, of course." Qianqian hooked her arm through Wang Yu's. "The little fatty specially sent merchant caravans to Wanghai Circuit, Jiangnan Circuit, and both Eastern and Western Chuan Circuits to buy fresh flower petals, and they brought them back to make plenty of perfume."
Feeling Qianqian's slender, delicate arm and the faint hint of softness pressed against him, Wang Yu leaned into her without the slightest hesitation. "What other perfumes did they make? Give me a few bottles so I can take them to Yunxiu."
Qianqian took a step aside and shot Wang Yu an endearing, petulant glare, her eyes brimming with charming coquetry. "You're with me right now! Must you bring up that old woman?"
"Shameless witch of the Demonic Cult!"
As the words fell, Li Yunxiu rounded the rockery not far away, holding a gleaming silver object in her hand. She sneered, "Are you going to contest the realm through perfumes? No wonder you've been beaten back time after time and branded as demons."
Qianqian, annoyed, pulled Wang Yu even closer and snapped back, "The man you serve isn't much better. With the realm so unstable right now, I'd say his dynasty won't last past three generations."
Li Yunxiu narrowed her eyes, but retorted evenly, "The late Emperor's northern expedition met with misfortune, and sudden rebellions erupted in the southwest. None of that is His Majesty's fault. Once we weather this rough patch, His Majesty will naturally stabilize the realm and forge a prosperous age once more."
Qianqian giggled. "And yet the Shuntian Army and the Red Lotus Cult both cropped up after he took the throne."
Although the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor was situated in the far Northwest, it sat right along the key artery of the Northwest trade route, where merchants from all quarters gathered. The three northwestern prefectures under its control also received court gazettes, so they stayed well-informed about the affairs of the realm.
When the late Emperor passed away, the northeast and southwest had yet to be pacified. Over the two years since the current Emperor ascended the throne, in order to muster supplies for those two regions, heavy levies were collected across the provinces. Unrest began spreading through the empire, igniting scattered beacons of war.
The Shuntian Army and the Red Lotus Army had both risen under these very circumstances. One claimed to 'Follow Heaven and Comply with the People,' while the other preached 'Red Lotus Karmic Fire, Cleansing the World of Evil.' Between them, they held multiple eastern prefectures, and the imperial army found them difficult to suppress.
Li Yunxiu replied indifferently, "A petty nuisance, easily crushed with the turn of a hand."
Qianqian laughed. "Is that so? Perhaps that wise and mighty Emperor of yours can't manage without you by his side, because the latest news says the Shuntian Army just took another prefecture."
Li Yunxiu offered no reply to that. Instead, she addressed Wang Yu: "The spring steel you asked for has been produced."
Wang Yu, having already noticed the spring in Li Yunxiu's hand, was overjoyed. "Splendid! From now on, riding in a carriage won't shake my bones apart!"
Li Yunxiu froze, her eyes going wide. "You had spring steel made just to put it on a carriage?"
Wang Yu countered, "What else?"
Li Yunxiu clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. "Was it not meant for crafting new military armaments?"
The craftsmen in the ironworks had recognized the moment they developed the spring that it could be utilized in weaponry and military gear, promptly reporting it to the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor. Li Yunxiu had thought the same, which was why she had rushed over immediately to inform Wang Yu.
And to think his only thought was a carriage?
Wang Yu took the spring from Li Yunxiu's hand and pressed it down firmly. His eyes lit up. "What weapon compares to my own backside? Send word right away to build a new carriage!"
Li Yunxiu took a deep breath. Beside them, Qianqian chuckled softly. "Do you think this lord of ours counts as an enlightened master?"
Just as Li Yunxiu was about to ignore them both and take her leave, a guard hurried over and bowed deeply to Wang Yu. "Reporting to Your Highness: a secret imperial decree has arrived from the court, sealed with fire-wax and marked unopened. The orders state it may only be unsealed when Your Highness and the Princess Consort are together."
"Hm?" Wang Yu and Li Yunxiu were both startled.
The world believed Wang Yu was Zhao Yu, and that the Emperor had allowed Zhao Yu to return and inherit the title of Prince of Zhenxi purely to keep the Northwest stable. Li Yunxiu was the living symbol of a partnership wherein the two sides sparred without breaking apart.
Under normal circumstances, even if the court dispatched a decree to the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, it should have been a formal public imperial edict, not a secret decree ripe for suspicion.
Not that a secret decree was impossible, but once a secret decree was issued, it signified orders meant to remain hidden from ordinary eyes. By all rights, the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor and the Great Jin imperial court had not reached such an intimate rapport.
Naturally, if it concerned an arrangement mutually beneficial to both parties that could not be made public, using a secret decree was understandable. Back when Zhao Zheng sent Zhao Yu to the capital in exchange for the Hundred Spirits Yang-Restoring Pill, it had been handled through secret channels.
"Come, let's take a look." Wang Yu waved his hand and followed the guard toward the rear hall, with Li Yunxiu and Qianqian falling in step behind him.
Upon entering the rear hall, they saw two men in plain clothes. The moment their eyes caught Wang Yu and Li Yunxiu, a sharp glint flashed in their gaze, and they stepped forward to pay their respects: "We pay our respects to the Prince of Zhenxi and the Princess Consort!"
As they spoke, they presented a leather scroll-tube and stated solemnly, "His Majesty personally instructed that this may only be opened by Your Highness and the Princess Consort in person."
Wang Yu glanced at Li Yunxiu. Seeing her shoot him a meaningful look, he reached out and took it.
Noting the wax seal on the leather tube was intact, Wang Yu opened it casually, only to find a single thin sheet of letter paper inside. Unfolding it, Li Yunxiu leaned in close to read along.
Qianqian did not step forward, but kept her eyes fixed on the expressions of Wang Yu and Li Yunxiu.
[To the Prince of Zhenxi and Princess Consort:
Song Jingzhou, Minister of Rites, has acted with insolent treason and colluded with external enemies; his entire clan has been executed. Yet unexpectedly, a pair of his children slipped through the net and fled west carrying the ancient Loulan treasure map, now several months ago.
These two are in hiding within the Western Regions, committing treason by colluding with the enemy. The Shuntian Army has already dispatched agents westward, intending to join forces with them to seize the treasure to fund their military. This treasure belongs to the imperial court. We order the two of you to personally lead an expedition into the Western Regions, execute the pair, secure this treasure, and deliver it to the imperial court.
By Imperial Command.]
Having read the secret decree in hand, Wang Yu and Li Yunxiu exchanged bewildered glances.
"Is this real or fake?" Wang Yu asked.
Li Yunxiu looked at the two men standing before them, then down at the paper in her hands, and sighed. "It's real."
Saying this, Li Yunxiu looked up and addressed the two messengers: "We have received His Majesty's secret decree. You two may rest in the manor for two days before returning to the capital to report."
"It is not convenient for us to delay; we shall return to the capital at once." The two men bowed once more and took their leave.
Li Yunxiu pulled Wang Yu into her private administrative study. Qianqian followed along curiously, and neither Wang Yu nor Li Yunxiu stopped her.
By now, all three knew one another's true background; what followed would simply be a contest of means. The matter of the treasure map required Wang Yu and Li Yunxiu to lead the expedition personally, which would be impossible to hide from Qianqian anyway, so there was no point in shutting her out.
Qianqian stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind her. Then she heard Wang Yu ask with immense curiosity, "He's the Emperor of the Central Plains, yet he's coveting the treasure of some tiny realm in the Western Regions?"
"Loulan is hardly a tiny realm," Li Yunxiu said, shaking her head. "Among the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions, Loulan is considered a second-tier power, and one of the wealthiest kingdoms along the Northwest trade route."
Wang Yu blinked. "Loulan hasn't fallen yet?"
Li Yunxiu was exasperated. "Of course it hasn't fallen."
"Then where did its treasure come from?" Wang Yu's mind was filled with questions. Weren't treasure maps in novels and plays always hidden away right before a kingdom fell, meant for royal survivors to fund a restoration?
"Who says a kingdom has to fall to have hidden treasure?" Li Yunxiu said with a smile. "Thirty years ago, a mutiny broke out in Loulan. The Great General killed the king at the time and declared himself King of Loulan.
"I heard that the former king's prince escaped the purge and fled to the Central Plains, hoping to persuade the court to send troops to help them reclaim power. However, the Central Plains had only recently emerged from wartime strife, and Taizu had no desire to campaign in the Western Regions, so nothing came of it.
"Who would have thought that the former King of Loulan had secretly left a treasure and drawn a map, likely as a reward for the court's military intervention? Somehow, it ended up in Song Jingzhou's hands."
Qianqian listened for a long while before finally grasping the situation, her eyes sparkling. "A Loulan treasure map? The Emperor wants you two to go to the Western Regions to retrieve the treasure? Did the Minister of Rites offer the treasure map to the Emperor?"
Wang Yu casually tossed the secret decree to Qianqian. "Nope. The Emperor had him killed."
Qianqian: "???"
Chapter 49