Chapter Eighty-One: Love Rooted Deeply

“All friends across the world, your words are truly wonderful, Your Highness.” The Western Lady was taken aback for a moment, then her face brimmed with admiration.

Xuexue only smiled in silence. Though this Western Lady bore her no ill will, she was the type who never visited without a purpose. Still, Xuexue had no wish to probe her intentions, preferring instead to wait until impatience revealed her true motives.

For quite a while, their conversation wandered idly. Afterward, the Western Lady rose with her maids to take her leave. “Your Highness is still recovering; I won’t trouble you further. Please rest well.”

Xuexue also stood, supported by Yu Zhi, and returned to her chambers for a nap.

The Western Lady departed Anxue Palace with Mei Gu, the opulent yet graceful halls receding behind them.

“Milady, I find the Queen to be a fine person—calm and elegant. If you truly became friends, perhaps you could be friends of the heart,” Mei Gu recalled the Queen’s bearing; it was little wonder the King showed her such enduring favor.

“Unfortunately… our statuses and relations are as they are. Best not to meddle too much.” She shook her head, as though something weighed upon her mind.

Mei Gu paused, remembering how yesterday her mistress had received a mysterious letter. After reading it, her expression had shown rare joy and delight. Mei Gu hadn’t seen her so animated in a long time. Though she knew nothing of the letter’s contents, she suspected it had something to do with the ruler of Wu.

That night, the palace was aglow with lanterns, the tranquility tinged with a coldness.

In Lu Xi Palace, Luo Xi donned a maid’s attire—soft yellow garments, simple and unburdening.

She left Lu Xi Palace alone, making her way to a secluded corner of the harem, a route she knew well. The night was deep. The small grove was silent, beside it a river, and the bridge over the water looked old and almost ready to collapse.

“You really came,” a woman’s voice called from the trees above. She stood high, watching Luo Xi’s every move.

“Who are you?” Luo Xi looked up, her face wary, seeking the speaker.

She couldn’t make out the woman’s features or dress, only saw a figure watching her from above, as if assessing an object rather than a person.

“You don’t think that letter was written by him personally, do you?” Gongshen Ling’er asked. She’d merely tested her pen, yet the Western Lady had indeed come, revealing her feelings for Zuo Qiu.

“I am well aware. What’s curious is how you came to know of these matters.” Zuo Qiu Liyue? She knew the visitor wouldn’t be him, but clung to a sliver of hope.

She gazed up at the woman, feeling both disappointment and doubt.

The letter described her acquaintance with Wu’s ruler, but time had changed everything. He was no longer the weak youth, nor was she the innocent maiden awaiting marriage.

“Western Lady, Luo Xi. Over three years in the palace, yet your rank has remained unchanged, ever quiet in the harem.” Gongshen Ling’er leaned against the tree, observing the palace’s bright lights. “Your mother is from Wu, your father from Ji, a third-rank minister in Ji. Your grandfather Yan Pinliang now holds a second-rank post in Wu, and played a significant role in helping the Wu ruler ascend the throne. Wu’s imperial harem includes Consort Yan, and the Yan family’s influence in Wu is formidable.”

“You… who are you, really?” She had a fair grasp of Luo Xi’s background.

“Don’t be impatient. Let me guess: you met Zuo Qiu while visiting your grandparents in Wu, didn’t you? Odd—I have no recollection of you at all.” Gongshen Ling’er fretted inwardly.

Though she had investigated the Western Lady, she knew little of her true nature. She herself had known Zuo Qiu for years; if Luo Xi knew him, she should have known as well.

“If I’m not mistaken, you must be Miss Gongshen,” Luo Xi said confidently, her voice tinged with inquiry. “I’ve long heard there’s a beautiful woman ever at the Wu ruler’s side—surely that’s you.”

It was said Miss Gongshen was his childhood companion, the only one bold enough to be unruly before him. So it was this woman before her—she certainly had the air of defiance.

“Western Lady, you know quite a bit. It seems your feelings for Zuo Qiu run deep,” Gongshen Ling’er remarked in surprise, now scrutinizing the Western Lady closely.

She was not strikingly beautiful, but gentle and pleasant, with the warmth of a girl next door.

“Miss Gongshen, please speak plainly—why have you summoned me here?” Luo Xi’s eyes flickered with impatience.

“Very well, let’s be direct. The reason I sent that letter was to let you know Wu has a use for you, and most importantly, Zuo Qiu wishes for your help.”

“So it seems I have some value?” Luo Xi laughed at herself. “And it is he who wants my help? Does the man who is now Wu’s ruler know of this?”

“Of course. If not for Zuo Qiu, I wouldn’t even know of the Western Lady’s existence.”

“In truth, years ago I merely glimpsed him in Wu’s palace from afar, hardly worthy of your concern.” Luo Xi smiled, uncertain if it was sadness or comfort.

When she was fourteen or fifteen, she accompanied her mother to visit her grandparents in Wu. Her grandfather held a prominent post, and she was fortunate enough to attend a banquet at the imperial palace. It was there she saw a young man from afar.

He seemed delicate, almost like a girl, but more beautiful than any girl, so much so she was transfixed.

He stood tall, impervious to the curious glances of those passing by.

Later, she learned he was the unfavored prince of Wu, neglected because his appearance was too refined and feminine, which in turn led to his mother’s lack of favor.

“Isn’t this a natural development? You think of him, and he, too, remembers you,” Gongshen Ling’er said meaningfully, skilled at stirring hearts.

“He remembers me?” Luo Xi paused, recalling the banquet and the allure in his eyes, wondering if there had been a hint of inquiry.

So he remembered her, remembered someone he’d only met once.

“Let’s not waste words. Surely you’ve heard Wu has long sought the blind maiden.”

“So what?” Though she dwelled in the palace, she paid attention to Wu’s affairs. But what did the blind maiden have to do with her?

“She’s been found. Now, we ask for your help.” Gongshen Ling’er spoke with gentle persuasion, her tone almost hypnotic.

“You mentioned the Queen in your letter. Is she the one?” Everything seemed too coincidental, and the Queen was indeed the blind maiden.

The Wu ruler’s purpose here was perhaps precisely for the Queen.

Even if the Queen was the blind maiden, what could Luo Xi do?

“Simply do as I say.”

The deep palace sat quietly. In Hui Zhai’s shrine, a dim lamp still burned, while the rest of the chambers were dark, save for palace lanterns that swayed in the corridor. The lamplight flickered in the sand, as though it might extinguish at any moment.

In the shrine, the Empress Dowager sat upright, listening to her confidant report.

“So, the Wu ruler’s motive is not the wine, but the Queen.” She squinted, the green Buddhist beads in her hand turning with her movements, colliding with a crisp sound.

“Do you recall, Your Majesty, the Wu ruler harbors grand ambition, aiming to rule the world, and has always been searching for the blind maiden.” The attendant steered the conversation toward its crux.

At these words, the Empress Dowager opened her eyes at once, the beads in her hand ceasing their motion.

“So the Wu ruler’s visit is for our Queen. How interesting,” she smiled, gentle-eyed, but the curve of her lips held calculation.

No wonder—the Queen’s recent illness and absence must be to avoid the Wu ruler. Could Wu Qing know the intricacies and origins behind all this?

“Do you have a plan, Your Majesty?” Yun Dao asked, unable to restrain himself. He hadn’t seen her so cheerful in ages; she must have thought of a wonderful scheme.

“Perhaps we can assist the Wu ruler, show our sincerity in forming an alliance.” The Empress Dowager raised her hand, and Yun Dao quickly supported her to her feet. “But doesn’t this benefit them too much?”

The Wu ruler was too self-important. Days ago, they’d offered an olive branch, but he’d been slow to respond, perhaps unimpressed by their abilities.

“Hmph, to ally with wolves—who knows who will prevail in the end?” The Empress Dowager’s expression was inscrutable, dismissing Zuo Qiu Liyue as a child beneath her notice. “Xiao’er’s recent conduct worries me. She’s lost in thought all day, and at the banquet, the Western Lady stole the show while she made no progress at all.”

“I’m sure the Jade Consort will come to her senses. You needn’t worry, Your Majesty,” Yun Dao hurried to soothe her.

“I’ve no energy to deal with her now. Let her rely on her own fate.” She snorted, clearly unwilling to manage the harem’s affairs any longer. The priority now was to join hands with the Wu ruler, to catch Wu Qing off guard.

As for Ji Wuqing, now the subject of her mother’s schemes, he was in Anxue Palace; Xuexue sat with a book, ignoring him, clad in a nightgown, freshly bathed, her lowered lashes revealing a hint of contentment.

“Xue’er, have you forgotten your husband in favor of your book?”