Chapter 350: Turning the Tables, a Real Crisis
Zhao Mingyan was suddenly backed into a corner by her.
As Ji Qingwu spoke, her face was filled with an unimpeachable righteousness, giving her the air of an Imperial Censor admonishing him during morning court.
It truly was indefensible. Anyone who overheard would think the Emperor was an incompetent fool. It would be more absurd than the wildest tales in unofficial histories—the greatest joke in the world.
Zhao Mingyan’s gaze flickered, and he seemed at a loss as to what to do with her.
Ji Qingwu looked down, studying Emperor Wu Su’s expression. ’He seems to be softening,’ she thought. ’I can’t push him too far. I should placate him a bit.’
She sat back down, setting Yuan Heng on her lap and pulling him into an embrace.
"Your Majesty came here alone and incognito. You did not come in your capacity as the Emperor, but as a father coming in the middle of the night to bring his child home."
Ji Qingwu tapped Yuan Heng’s little cheek. "And this isn’t some little prince, but a child who hasn’t seen his mother in a very long time."
Yuan Heng’s dark eyes sparkled as he nodded in agreement.
Zhao Mingyan seemed reasonably satisfied with her portrayal of the "family." A flicker of amusement crossed his eyes as he asked, "Then what does that make you?"
Ji Qingwu said, "Me? I’m..."
She mused, "...the birth mother who remarried into another family."
Yuan Heng continued to back her up with a nod. ’Whatever his mother said was right.’
Meanwhile, his father, in a fit of pique, tucked the boy under his arm and left.
Left in the empty room, Ji Qingwu wistfully opened the small bundle Yuan Heng had left behind. She neatly folded the clothes inside and put them away.
In the middle of the night, Ji Qingwu took the clothes out of the chest again and placed them beside her pillow. She was just starting to drift off...
...when a knock sounded on the courtyard gate of Xinyuan Hall.
The voices of Lan Zhi and Xuemei were clear in the night air.
Ji Qingwu threw on a robe, got out of bed, and walked to the door. She opened it a crack and asked, "What is it?"
Lan Zhi came jogging back and said with resignation, "It’s someone from Prince Yong’s Mansion again."
They had already summoned the Fifth Missy once during the day, and now they were sending someone for her again in the dead of night.
When Ji Qingwu heard it was Prince Yong, she relaxed slightly. ’Prince Yong loves to make a fuss,’ she thought. ’It’s probably nothing serious.’
But a part of her still feared that something major had actually happened.
The messenger was Eunuch Changlu, an attendant to Prince Yong. He said in a frantic rush, "This time something truly terrible has happened!"
*
「The Northern Border.」
The desolation of autumn was on full display here. A powerful sunset cast its light over the yellow sands, where the wind whipped at the black banners of Beili.
News that Emperor Wu Su had regained consciousness that morning didn’t reach the military camp until nightfall.
Wei Chi Lianping kicked open the tent flap, shattering half of the tent’s frame in the process.
"No matter how happy you are, General Wei Chi, you shouldn’t be destroying military tents."
Wei Ting set down his book on strategy, his gaze coolly landing on the tall, robust figure at the entrance.
Wei Chi Lianping casually unfastened his helmet and set it on the table, bringing a gust of wind and sand with it.
He laughed. "His Majesty is awake! With such wonderful news, I couldn’t resist coming to celebrate with you, General Wei!" He then set down the jug of wine he was carrying in his right hand.
Wei Ting watched as his clean, tidy desk was instantly coated in a layer of dust. Wind and sand continued to WHOOSH into the tent through the broken flap.
He inhaled a breath of dusty air. The candlelight before him flickered wildly, making it impossible to read.
Wei Ting stated bluntly, "General, no matter how excited you are, you shouldn’t have kicked open *my* tent flap."
Wei Chi Lianping waved his hand dismissively, chuckling. "General Wei, you’re too formal. What’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine."
With that, he called to his deputy at the entrance and ordered some soldiers to come and repair the flap.
Thanks to the good news, Wei Chi Lianping found himself looking at Wei Ting before him much more favorably today.
For some time now, Xijin’s army had repeatedly provoked them and stirred up trouble, but casualties on both sides had been minimal.
This was because Xijin hadn’t yet dared to launch a full-scale assault.
Wei Chi Lianping knew why. For one, Wei Ting was in command. ’And I have to admit,’ he thought, ’when it comes to cunning schemes, no one is more formidable than this General Zhenbei, with his ever-present, gentle smile.’
Furthermore, Xijin was waiting for the right moment—waiting for news of Emperor Beili’s death.
At that point, even with him and Wei Ting present, the morale of the army at the Northern Border would surely collapse.
Wei Chi Lianping glanced around the tent and spotted some bowls and chopsticks on a shelf above the bed.
He strode over to grab them, and his eyes fell on a potted plant on the top shelf. It was green with a hint of red. "What a refined hobby, General Wei," he said in surprise. "Raising flowers in a military camp."
The soil was still moist, and its long, pointed, upright leaves were free of dust, as if it had just been meticulously tended to.
Wei Ting ignored the comment. "I’ve already written a letter and sent it back to Lin’an with a courier."
Wei Chi Lianping swept his sleeve over the table, clearing away the dust he’d brought in. He then placed two large bowls on the surface and filled them to the brim with the wine he’d carried.
He pushed one of the bowls over. "Was that a memorial to His Majesty, asking for forgiveness?"
Wei Ting shot him an irritated glance. "Couldn’t it have been a letter to my family?"
Wei Chi Lianping took a large gulp and let out a satisfied sigh. "This northern wine has a real kick. It’s stronger than anything in Lin’an."
Wei Ting picked up his bowl and took a sip. It felt like a small knife was repeatedly jabbing his throat.
’You couldn’t even call this wine strong,’ he thought. ’It simply burned.’
Wei Chi Lianping quickly drained his bowl and refilled it. "General Wei, now that His Majesty is awake, given what I know about him, you’d best prepare the divorce papers sooner rather than later."
Hearing that word, Wei Ting’s hand, which was holding the wine bowl, froze.
Then, he threw back a gulp of the wine. The burning sensation from his throat all the way to his stomach made his brows knit together, his handsome face contorting for a moment.
"General Wei Chi, since when do you concern yourself with other people’s domestic affairs?"
Wei Chi Lianping said, "I don’t like meddling, I just think you’re a capable man with the talent to be a great commander. Don’t let a woman create a rift between you and His Majesty, or you’ll end up..."
He trailed off, but Wei Ting understood what he meant.
More importantly, he understood the true meaning behind Wei Chi Lianping’s concern. He gave a short, mirthless laugh but said nothing.
"She’s just a woman. It’s not worth having a conflict between ruler and subject. A valiant and handsome man like you, General Wei, will have no trouble finding someone better—someone more delicate, more beautiful..."
Wei Chi Lianping’s eyes darted about for a moment before he added with some difficulty, "Though, I admit, that won’t be easy to find. But they must exist! I’ll keep an eye out for you."
Wei Ting waited for the burning in his stomach to subside before slowly voicing the other man’s true thoughts.
"I think what the General really wants is to settle this war quickly so you can return to the Imperial City and be reunited with the Eldest Princess."
Wei Chi Lianping was in the middle of a drink and choked on his wine, his true intentions having been exposed.
He was indeed afraid that a feud between Wei Ting and Emperor Wu Su would cause trouble here in the Northern Border—where "the heavens are high and the emperor is far away"—and delay his own reunion with his wife and child.
Wei Ting shot him a sidelong glance. "If Ji Changlin wanted to rekindle his past relationship with Princess Hua Chang, would you be willing, General?"
The story of what happened back then was no secret in Lin’an. No one had ever expected the Eldest Princess to end up marrying this boor.
’It’s easy to tell others there are plenty of fish in the sea,’ Wei Ting thought. ’It’s a different story when it’s your own wife.’
Wei Chi Lianping slammed his wine bowl down on the table, making the dust on its surface jump.
He roared, "To hell with that! If Ji Changlin dares to return from Nanchu and show his face before the Eldest Princess, I’ll ride back right now and cut him down!"
Wei Ting shook his head almost imperceptibly. He raised the wine bowl and drained the rest of its contents. The liquor trickled from his chin, past his Adam’s apple, and seeped into his cold armor.
It was a fiery liquor, but all he could taste was bitterness.