Chapter 17: 17

Xi’er is her child

Xi’er is her child.

No matter what, she could not let go of that piece of flesh in her heart.

Mu Fulan stared at the man looking down at her, motionless.

Xie Changgeng stared at her eyes.

Her blank gaze, which originally had pain from a nightmare, gradually became clearer.

As if she finally recognised who he was, didn’t say a word, but slowly loosened her body, turned inward, closed her eyes again, and seemed to fall asleep.

As soon as he came in, he heard a low moan coming from her from the bed. The voice sounded full of suppressed pain and sadness.

He came over and saw that she was having a nightmare, her brows were furrowed, her head was covered in a cold sweat, her eyelashes were trembling, both her arms were clutched around herself, and she was curled up in a tight ball on the bed, looking extremely distressed.

Although he knew that she hated him, but he could not bear seeing her like this. He called out to her to wake her up, but he didn’t expect her to call out such a name when she was about to wake up.

Xie Changgeng stared at the uncommunicative back that faced him, and his face slowly turned cold.

He didn’t ask any further questions, stood up straight, turned around and left the room.

He went to the study and returned in the middle of the night. After closing the door, he took out bedding from the chest and placed it on the couch opposite the bed.

The couch was designed for sitting and was not long enough to sleep on.

He lay down.

It was silent all night.

In the next few days, Empress Liu frequently summoned Mu Fulan to the palace to accompany her. When the wives of the officials in Shangjing learned that Princess Mu of Changsha who was married to Xie Changgeng had arrived in the capital, they came to visit one after the other.

Mu Fulan was busy dealing with various kinds of people during the day. At night, she shared a room with Xie Changgeng but slept on separate beds. He also left early and returned late, so for the time being, they were find with each other.

In a few days, it will be the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

These past few years, Empress Liu had gradually taken interest in Buddha. Not only did she spread good karma, she frequently performed services in the palace. Every April, on Buddha’s birthday, she even left the palace and personally went to Chijian Huguo Temple to worship Buddha.

Today is the day when Empress Liu went to Chijian Huguo Temple to worship Buddha.

From the imperial palace to the Huguo Temple outside the city, certain matters along the way cannot be neglected. The escort of the trip was Xie Changgeng and he served as the commander. Empress Liu, in order to express her piety, would set off at wu geng (3-5am). Xie Changgeng got up and left at san geng (11-1am).

Empress Liu was also taking her close attendants and ladies as part of her Buddhist rituals.

Mu Fulan was among the ladies who accompanied her.

After Xie Changgeng left, Mu Fulan woke up at 4am, got up, washed and dressed, ate a few bites of breakfast, brought two maids, and got into the carriage.

The Xie residence is very close to the palace, just two streets away.

When Mu Fulan arrived, the sky was still dark, but outside the west gate of the palace where Empress Liu was going to leave, the fiery stick was bright as daylight. The imperial guards in armour were already lined up on both sides of the palace gate. In the endless screeching sound of the wheels running over the ground, one luxury carriage after another carrying a group of women with the most noble status in Shangjing, gathered here. Under the command of the eunuchs in charge, the servants of each family parked their carriages in their designated positions according to rank, and lined up to welcome Empress Liu out of the palace.

Jiedushi is an external official, a second-grade position. According to the order, Mu Fulan’s carriage should have been in the back, but when the eunuch in charge saw the Xie’s carriage, he immediately greeted them with a smile and led them to a position near the palace gate. 

The weather was bitterly cold. It would be difficult for these ladies who are usually pampered to go out early and wait for Empress Liu to leave the palace, but it is worth boasting that they have the opportunity to go to Huguo Temple with Empress Liu to worship Buddha. The ladies of every family and prefecture, not only do not think it is hard, but they are proud of it.

Everyone knows that Xie Changgeng was appreciated by Empress Liu. According to rumours, even the wife he married should have seen the evil in Empress Liu as she was Changsha’s princess. However, she had only been in the capital for a few days, but she was summoned by Empress Liu to accompany her in the palace several times. This glory and grace can be seen. This morning’s trip to pay respects to Buddha, and the arrangement of Mu shi’s riding position, is even more evidence of it.

Sitting in the carriage, Mu Fulan knew that she had become the focus of everyone’s attention.

She picked up a warming pad handed over by the maid, and when she closed her eyes and leaned on the seat, she heard the steward of Xie’s house say from outside the car, “Princess, Qi wang fei asked someone to bring you a fur cover. “

Mu Fulan opened her eyes.

The maid opened the door.

A steward held a fox fur in his hand, stood in front of the car, bowed and smiled and said, “Wangfei said that it is very cold here in Shangjing, and you are used to living in the south. Wangfei remembered that you were afraid of the cold when you were young. She happened to have an extra one in the carriage, and asked me to bring this to you.”

Qi wang Zhao Long of was one of the royals who had a close relationship with the Emperor. After Empress Liu took power, the relationship between them was strained, and he returned to his fiefdom, but he still advocated peace. He has been a intermediate between Empress Liu and many other vassal kings and is considered important. Empress Liu treated Qi wang with kindness and allowed him to enter the capital every year to participate in the annual festival.

Qi wangfei must have also arrived in Shangjing these few days.

Whatever the upheavals of the past life, in the half year that Mu Fulan lived in Shangjing as a child, her aunt had a good relationship with Qi wangfei and she often came to the palace to accompany her. At that time, Mu Fulan did see Qi wangfei often in the palace, but after her aunt died, she returned to Changsha, and there was no more contact after that.

Mu Fulan asked the maid to bring it over and asked the steward to thank Qi wangfei on her behalf, closed the car door, and she sat back as before.

After a while, the palace gate slowly opened, and the eunuch shouted in a long tone, “The Empress Dowager is leaving the palace—”

Before the eunuch could finish speaking, the two rows of imperial guards lined up outside the palace gate knelt down in unison. The women also hurriedly got off their carriages and knelt on the ground to greet them.

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Although there were many people, there was silence all around.

Mu Fulan got off the carriage with the crowd, knelt beside the carriage, and caught sight of Empress Liu, surrounded by guards, ride out to the front of the door, where she was helped by an eunuch into a six-team carriage.

Xie Changgeng also appeared leading a team of guards. He rode in front and led the palace carriage to set off on the road.

Under the dark and dreary sky of winter, this group of men and horses lined up, passed through the empty streets of Shangjing, left the city gate, and went to the Chijian Huguo Temple outside the city.

Mu Fulan sat in the carriage with her eyes closed, as if in meditation.

There are eminent monks in Huguo Temple. It is said that by reciting the Buddhist chime scriptures, the souls of the dead can be relieved of their sins and injustices.

In the previous life, after Xie Changgeng became Emperor, he built Mingtang Hall for Empress Yuan who had died at the hands of his enemy, in Huguo Temple, and asked the monks in the temple recite scriptures for her day and night to help her soul find peace.

However, a wisp of her soul wandered. After all, she still couldn’t let go of her last entanglement in the world.

For ten years, she never left and watched him posthumously proclaim herself as Empress Yuan. He gave her a number of nice posthumous names, gave her a spiritual hall in the palace, gave her Mingtang Hall to reincarnate her spirit, and even later killed Qi Lingfeng.

But he did all this to deceive himself and others, ridiculous and hypocritical.

The sky is gradually getting brighter as they approached Huguo Temple.

Mu Fulan opened her eyes, quietly lifted a corner of the curtain, and peered in outside.

Xie Changgeng led the guards and was always besides Empress Liu’s carriage, a loyal and devoted appearance.

Eunuch Yang, with some of his apprentices, rode behind the horse.

Mu Fulan knew that Xie Changgeng would not stay in Shangjing for long. The Hexi border of Jiedu is not peaceful, and the northerners have been eyeing them. It is estimated that he will return to Hexi by the end of the year.

Mu Fulan was worried about where she would go after he left.

If they were an ordinary couple, her whereabouts would be clear.

If her husband loved his wife, he will take her to Hexi to take up his post.

If filial piety is a priority, she will return to Xie County to serve his mother.

Now, it is clear that neither of these two destinations is possible.

Mu Fulan believed that her performance after arriving in the capital would not lead to too much suspicion from Empress Liu.

What she was thinking about was the third situation that her brother had also worried about. She would end up being kept in the capital by Empress Liu on some pretext to be a hostage of Changsha.

If possible, she urgently needs to get someone by Empress Liu’s side, so that she can know Empress Liu’s movements in time and take precautions.

Not only is it urgently needed now, but if she can get through this hurdle, she will also have her own eyes and ears in the palace. This will also help when she returns to Changsha.

Mu Fulan’s gaze stopped for a moment on the back of the eunuch named Cao Jin, and then lowered the curtain.

From the moment Cao Jin delivered the message the night she entered the capital, she recognised this young eunuch as the same eunuch next to Xie Changgeng ten years later. Mu Fulan guessed that it was very likely that he should be Xie Changgeng’s spy beside Empress Liu now. 

Xie Changgeng is a cautious person, especially so after he became Emperor. Mu Fulan saw with her own eyes that he is extremely distrustful of people.

He knows people and makes good use of them. He has countless capable ministers, but there is no one who is completely trusted, including those of his old gang.

In the harem, it was even more so.

He did not allow Empress Qi to take a step into his bedchamber, and he was extra vigilant about his food and drink. He was diligent in government affairs, and he reviewed the memorials every night until late, but there was always a sword lying on his desk. He slept with a dagger hidden under his pillow, and as for the concubines, they were sent away after the royal pleasure, and were not allowed to stay overnight.

For almost a decade, there were no exceptions.

Only this Cao Jin is different.

Xie Changgeng not only only ate the food that Cao Jin had tried, but also allowed him to stay in his bedchamber and attend to his requests.

If they didn’t have a established relationship, how could a eunuch from the previous dynasty get such trust from him?

The carriage suddenly jolted and slowly came to a halt.

In the direction ahead, there was also a faint noise of settling carriages and horses.

“Princess, Huguo Temple is here.” The steward’s voice rang from outside the car.

Mu Fulan lifted the curtain again and looked out.

 Ahead of them were the foothills of the mountains. The morning mist is shrouded in the mountains. A straight staircase of more than ten feet wide that went straight up to the halfway point of the mountain, connecting the gate of Huguo Temple with the foot of the mountain.

The morning sun had just risen and shone on the majestic temple gate. A group of monks were hurrying out to welcome Empress Liu.

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