Chapter 21: 21

“Tell her that I asked you to send it to her!”

She was presently in a difficult situation and must not let Xie Changgeng have any doubts towards her, let alone let him know of Xi’er’s existence and make things worse.

In her heart she was deeply reluctant, but a temporary separation is unavoidable. Mu Fulan’s rationality reminded her of what she should do now.

After arranging things, she did not dare to delay for too long. Suppressing her reluctance, she could only part with Xi’er, who had just returned to her side today.

She stood at the gate of the back mountain leading to the pagoda and stared at the little figure being sent down the mountain.

Such a small child who clearly did not want to be separated from her. He was so well-behaved and left without a single cry, just constantly looked back at her. His teary eyes were full of reluctance to part with her.

Mu Fulan stood there and watched her son’s figure completely disappear from her sight before turning around and leaving.

When she entered the city and returned to the mansion, it was already evening. Xie Changgeng had not returned at this hour like previous days, but as soon as she entered the door, the steward gave her a message.

The news came from Hexi. The northerners have made some unusual movements and Jiedushi can not stay in Shangjing this year. He will leave for Hexi in three days.

There was no major reaction on Mu Fulan’s face. She only asked people to pack her luggage as soon as possible, but in her heart she became nervous.

She originally thought that he would not leave until after the new year at the earliest, giving her half a month to prepare. Unexpectedly, there was a sudden change, and there were only three days left.

He was leaving, and her next direction, or in other words, the direction of her “fate” was suddenly thrust upon her.

She was glad for today’s decisive arrangment of Xi’er, but Mu Fulan immediately thought of what that had been weighing her mind a few days ago.

There is not much time left for her, and she must act as soon as possible.

That night, Xie Changgeng returned later than usual. The steward must have told him that Mu Fulan went to Huguo Temple during the day to worship Buddha. He didn’t say anything. When he came back and met her in the room, he just gave her a cold look, then went to the study. He came back late and by then Mu Fulan had already gone to bed with the curtain pulled down.

He continued to sleep on the couch, no different from before.

The next morning, after Xie Changgeng left, Mu Fulan was summoned to the palace by Empress Liu, saying that Hexi was unsettled and Xie Changgeng was going back to Liangzhou, and asked her what her plan was next.

Mu Fulan continued to play dumb, saying that he was very busy these days, leaving early and returning late. She could go with him to Liangzhou or go back to Xie County to serve her mother-in-law, she is dependent on her husband’s arrangement.

Empress Liu didn’t keep Mu Fulan for long. She stared at her back when she left, and asked Eunuch Yang, “What do you think?”

Eunuch Yang said, “Xie Jiedu is leaving the capital, but Mu shi still does not know where she is going, so it is clear that Xie Jiedu does not care about her.” 

Empress Liu nodded, “I also think the same way. This Mu shi has an elegant appearance, but her temperament is submissive. She is rather uninteresting and it was her beauty that initially attracted Xie Qing’s favour, but that didn’t last.”

Eunuch Yang said with a smile, “Indeed. The Empress Dowager does not have to worry about her bewitching Xie Jiedu.” 

Empress Liu smiled, “Of course there is no need to worry about this, but since I have summoned her to the capital, it is natural to keep her here for a while longer.”

Eunuch Yang was surprised at first, then had an epiphany.

Although Changsha is weak, it is also the land of a feudal king. The Empress Dowager does not intend to attack now, but it is not guaranteed that the other side is loyal and will not take advantage of the chaos to start trouble. Hearing that Mu Xuanqing loves his sister very much, it is naturally useful to keep the Mu shi as a hostage.

“Does the Empress Dowager want to use her as a hostage to deter Mu Xuanqing?”

“What do you think?”

Eunuch Yang pondered for a while, and said carefully, “Empress Dowager, the slaves are puzzled. Why didn’t the Empress Dowager bring Xie Jiedushi’s mother into the capital? Jiedushi has a lot of troops. Although he is loyal to the Empress Dowager, people’s hearts are unpredictable, in case…”

He paused.

“I heard that he is a filial son. Why don’t you find an excuse to bring Old madam Xie into the capital and so it is only natural for Mu shi to stay and serve her mother-in-law. The Empress Dowager has both the hostage of Xie Jiedu and Changsha, right? Killing two birds with one stone?” 

Empress Liu shook her head.

“For me to find a reason to detain Mu shi, Xie Qing will not object. But if I bring his mother, he will suspect that I am not at ease with him to use his mother as a hostage.“

She thought for a moment.

“Now is not the time to take her as a hostage and get him involved. We have internal and external difficulties at this time.”

Eunuch Yang hurriedly bowed, “Yes, yes. It is the Empress Dpwager’s proper consideration. Slaves has spoken out of turn.”

Empress Liu smiled and said, “Then it is settled. When he comes to see me, I will explain this matter to him and detain Mu shi as a hostage in the capital.

Eunuch Yang flattered, “The Empress is wise, no one can match her!”

…

Mu Fulan left the palace and returned to Xie’s house. She left the house on the pretense of visiting a wife of an official in the capital. Halfway there, she found an excuse to send away the steward who was with her, changed her clothes in the carriage, and got off the carriage and took a pre-prepared sedan to a restaurant to the west of the city. 

Zhang Ban had received a secret letter signed by Prime Minister Lu Lin of Changsha, asking him to meet at this restaurant at the end of the day.     

Zhang Ban was very suspicious.     

Last time, he took a heavy bribe from Lu Lin and acted as a lobbyist for Changsha in front of Empress Liu. Today, he unexpectedly suddenly received a secret letter from him. He did not know how the other party was so bold to come to the capital secretly, and did not know why he asked him out. He was not sure if he was being soft, but he was not happy.

But since he received the invitation, he knew that if he didn’t see him, the other party would definitely not give up. He had no choice but to take off his official uniform and sneak into the private room of the restaurant mentioned in the letter.

Zhang Ban arrived at the door of the private room, looked behind him to make sure that no suspicious person was following him, and pushed the door open.

The room was quiet and no one can be seen, only a figure faintly appeared behind the screen.

Zhang Ban stopped, stared at the figure and asked, “I have arrived, what do you want?”

The figure moved and came out from behind the screen.

It was a young woman who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. She had a very beautiful face and nodded to him with a smile.

Zhang Ban’s eyes fell on the other party, momentarily frozen for a moment, then reacted in surprise.

“Who are you? Why are you here?”

Mu Fulan said, “I am the sister of Changsha wang. Today, I borrowed the name of Prime Minister Lu, and asked Neishi (his title) to meet here.”

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Zhang Ban was even more surprised.

He knew Mu Xuanqing’s sister had married Xie Changgeng and entered the capital some time ago. But he never expected that she would dare to use Lu Lin’s name to trick him into coming here.

What was her intention?

His face changed slightly and he quickly glanced behind him.

Mu Fulan walked slowly towards him, smiled and said, “Zhang Neishi, don’t worry. I asked you to come here today without any ill intentions. However, I have something to discuss with you.”

Zhang Ban then calmed down and let out a sigh of relief. Without looking at her, he said coldly, “What’s the matter?”

Mu Fulan said, “Thanks to Zhang Neishi’s kindness last time, Changsha was able to find peace. My brother is very grateful. When I came here, I was specifically told that if I had the opportunity to see Neishi, I had to thank Neishi on his behalf.”

“That’s all. You are a woman, but you are pretendeing to be Lu Lin to see me here. I guess it’s not just to thank me. What else do you want?”

Mu Fulan smiled and said, “I have long heard that Zhang Neishi is not only a capable minister, but is also a quick-witted person. Meeting today, it is as expected. Since Neishi asked, I will not be shy. To be frank, I took the liberty of inviting you here today because I have something to ask.”

Zhang Ban couldn’t help but glance at her when he heard that she had a request. She stared at him with a pair of beautiful eyes, and without blinking. He raised his chin, “What is it?”

“Neishi is in an important position. You must also know that I am now in a difficult situation because of my background in Changsha. Xie Changgeng will be leaving the capital in a few days. I am afraid that the Empress Dowager will detain me in Shangjing and use me as a hostage. Today, I dare to ask Neishi to come out, because I hope that Neishi will help me on my brother’s behalf. If you can persuade the Empress Dowager to dispel this idea and let me leave the capital, not only will my brother express his gratitude, but will be even more grateful to Neishi.”

Zhang Ban glanced at her again.

“Mu shi, I don’t understand this. You and Xie Changgeng are husband and wife, and have your own affections. Why don’t you go seek him for this kind of thing, instead of begging me, an outsider?”

Mu Fulan said, “Does Zhang Neishi not know what kind of person he is? What kind of relationship do we have? As long as the Empress Dowager asks, he wouldn’t even frown if he had to take my life, not to mention holding me hostage in Changsha.”

Zhang Ban shook his head and sighed, “You are not a fool if you have such knowledge. It’s a pity that your father married you wrongly. Since you have asked me, I am not unwilling to help. Just this favour, I’m afraid it’s a little difficult to help ……”

His eyes stopped on Mu Fulan’s face.

This Zhang Ban, superficially dignified, is actually a lustful person. How could Mu Fulan not see the strange look in his eyes that gradually appeared when he looked at her? She smiled and said, “I know this is not easy. If Neishi is willing to help, I will definitely reciprocate when it is done.”

Zhang Ban knew that it was not easy to touch Xie Changgeng’s wife. It’s just that he didn’t want to reject a beautiful woman who came up to him for help. Listening to her words, she seemed to have another meaning. 

“What do you mean?”

Mu Fulan took a few steps towards him and whispered, “I’m afraid Neishi still doesn’t know, Xie Changgeng has the intention of plotting against the throne. No one else knows about this matter. He and I are husband and wife, and we are together every night. The bed is shared, how can he hide it from me?”

Zhang Ban was stunned and the frivolous expression on his face disappeared. His eyes stared at Mu Fulan and his expression became extremely solemn.

“Mu shi, are you serious?”

Mu Fulan nodded. “It’s absolutely true! I’ve heard him say words of rebellion in his sleep. If he didn’t think about it every day, how could he dream about it every night? He is very ambitious, how can he be willing to be a subordinate led by others for very long? Even if I did not happen to hear his dream, I am sure Neishi’s eyes are clear and he knows it very well.”

Zhang Ban and Xie Changgeng, one inside and the other outside, were both cited by Empress Liu as “trusted confidants.” Now that Xie Changgeng’s influence has grown, Zhang Ban seems to have fallen out of favour. With his character, how could he not be affected at all?

She looked at Zhang Ban and continued, “My father promised me to Xie Changgeng back then and his original intention was to seek allies for Changsha. But he is a cold-hearted man, who only wanted to get to the top for himself, and never cared about my country. Instead of relying on him, it is better to rely on you, Zhang Neishi.”

“If Neishi can help me get out and I don’t have to stay in Shangjing as a hostage, I am willing to help Neishi. I will monitor Xie Changgeng’s movements, and once I gather evidence, I will present it to Neishi.”

Zhang Ban seemed calm on the surface, but in fact, he had already had many thoughts in his heart.

In just a few short years, Xie Changgeng has soared so fast and repeatedly achieved great merits. Seeing his growing favour with Empress Liu and his own position threatened, Zhang Ban has never revealed a single point on the surface any time the two met. But his heart, has long begun to worry and even become jealous.

In the beginning of the year, he secretly instigated a minister to imply that Xie Changgeng had a chance to rebel, and remind Empress Liu to take precautions. Unexpectedly, Empress Liu not only remained unbothered, but also convict the man for false accusations. Since then, no one in the court dared to mention it.

Zhang Ban only hated that he couldn’t find evidence of Xie Changgeng’s treason, but today the opportunity came.

Mu shi was Xie Changgeng’s wife. No matter how much precautions Xie Changgeng took, he would never have thought that she would help others.

Changsha is small and weak so Xie Changgeng could not rely on it. He is willing to help at this time, the other party would definitely be eager. Mu shi, would not dare to cross the river and demolish the bridge and take him for an enemy. If he could use her and have someone besides Xie Changgeng, he would get real evidence in the future. When the report comes to Empress Liu, why would Empress Liu not believe it?

Zhang Ban suppressed the excitement that was surging in his heart, and a smile slowly appeared on his face.

He looked at Mu Fulan and nodded.

“Mu shi, then it is so agreed. In the future, the affairs of Changsha will be my Zhang Ban’s affairs. I will do my best to help you with your current affairs.”

…

Mu Fulan came out and took a sedan back to where the carriage was parked, got in and changed back into her original clothes. When she saw that there was no difference, she went back.

The carriage came to a stop in front of Xie’s house. She was helped down by a maid, and was about to enter when a voice came from behind, “Princess, stay!”

Mu Fulan turned her head and saw a servant running out of a nearby alley. He was dressed as a servant of the big family, ran up to her, bowing and claiming to be sent by Qi wangfei. “I came here to send you a letter on behalf of wangfei…”

The man said, while reaching into his arms to take out a letter. At this moment, ta sound of horse hooves came from behind. The man turned his head and saw from a distance that Xie Changgeng had returned. He immediately remembered his master’s advice, hastily retracted his hand, confessed that he could not find the letter. He was afraid that he accidentally lost it on the road and would go back to find it. After saying this, he turned around and left.

Mu Fulan was baffled for a moment. First, I do not know why Qi wangfei suddenly sent a letter to her, and she did not know what she wanted to say. Second, she felt that the words and actions of the servant was a bit odd. But he was gone, so she did not worry about it. She glanced at Xie Changgeng, who was returning on horseback, then turned around and walked in.

Xie Changgeng quickly arrived at the door and dismounted. The doorman came to welcome him.

He looked towards the direction of the person who suddenly turned around and ran away when he saw him coming back, and asked.

The concierge said, “It is said that Qi wangfei sent a letter to the princess. The person came a while ago and learned that the princess went out, but refused to hand over the letter to me to pass along. He said he would wait, when the princess returned, he could not find the letter.”

Xie Changgeng once again looked at the direction the man had gone. He called an attendant and gave him an order, then went in and waited. After a while, the attendant came back and said, “I caught up with that man and subdued in three or two moves. I found this letter on his body.” He handed it over.

Xie Changgeng took it and opened the letter.

As he expected, this letter was not sent by Qi wangfei at all, but from Zhao Xitai of Qi wang mansion.

Xie Changgeng scanned the contents of the letter and his face immediately went dark. He called a servant girl who was passing by, and ordered the letter to be delivered to Mu Fulan.

“Tell her that I asked you to send it to her!”

The servant girl saw his face was ugly and was a little scared. She took the letter and turned around hurriedly. After walking a few steps, she heard a voice from behind, “Stop!”

The servant girl stopped and turned around. She saw Xie Jiedu walking towards her to take back the letter, held it in his hand and strode away.

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