Font Size:
Yun Chu also sensed that something was off.
“Your Highness…”
“This is merely a personal grudge, unrelated to the matters we are discussing today. Shijun was unwell yesterday and lacked strength, so it can’t be considered bullying you.”
Looking at the bruises on Gongliang Chong’s lips and the dark circles under his eyes, Li Yunli took a slow sip of tea.
Gongliang Chong touched the corner of his mouth, bared his teeth slightly, and withdrew his hand. “Alright, since Your Highness comes from a martial background, today’s incident indeed doesn’t count as making things difficult for me. Let’s continue discussing our business.”
Clearing his throat, he continued, “At this moment, Your Highness is troubled by two major issues: the floods in Yongzhou and the bandits of Baotou Mountain. If Your Highness grants me land in Yongzhou, I can resolve both concerns for you.”
“Three concerns.” Li Yunli glanced at Gongliang Chong and added another condition. “The land west of Yongzhou once belonged to the Wurong tribe, but it is also the upper reaches of the Wei River. I need that land to improve the river’s irrigation system.”
Gongliang Chong turned his head to glance at Master Qingnian, who was silently rotating his prayer beads and murmuring “Amitabha.”
Gongliang Chong said, “That land was won by the two Highnesses years ago. Now that Wei has fallen to Chu, it should rightfully belong to the Chu Kingdom. However, it lies outside Yongzhou City and requires military force to secure.”
“The flood control measures need to be fixed at the root. If you wish to be Yongzhou’s governor, wouldn’t Baotou Mountain already have the necessary forces?”
“We do not lack manpower, but we lack legitimacy.”
“That is not my concern. If you take control of the upper reaches of the Wei River, I will acknowledge your capability and agree to your terms.”
With that, Li Yunli rose to leave.
“Your Highness, the Grand Princess.”
Gongliang Chong smiled bitterly. “You are wagering my integrity in this deal.”
“Naturally. The livelihood of the people cannot be entrusted to someone who only seeks fame. If you succeed in this task, I will personally petition His Majesty to grant you the position of Yongzhou governor.”
With that, she adjusted her headpiece and turned to leave.
Gongliang Chong and Master Qingnian remained in the corner, exchanging glances.
Gongliang Chong gave a helpless smile. “This Highness is quite different from what I imagined.”
Master Qingnian said, “But exactly as I envisioned the late Prince Nian’an.”
Gongliang Chong mused, “They say the Grand Princess has always relied on Prince Jin. After his passing, she supposedly wasted her days in indulgence, but she is nothing like the rumors describe.”
Master Qingnian pressed his hands together and recited a Buddhist verse.
Just then, a young monk ran in from outside.
“Master! Master!”
Master Qingnian raised his hand to calm him. “What is it?”
“Just now, the Grand Princess asked me to give you this.”
The young monk opened his palm to reveal a silk handkerchief embroidered with a pattern of sweet osmanthus.
A flicker of emotion crossed Master Qingnian’s calm eyes. “Has she already left the mountain?”
“Yes, she departed with Benefactor Feng.”
The mountain path was rugged, but descending was not difficult.
Before long, Li Yunli and her companions had boarded the carriage back to the estate.
Li Yunli had instructed the driver not to rush, so the ride was smooth.
Inside the carriage, Feng Mu knelt before her, crying like a pear blossom in the rain.
Li Yunli was holding her sachet.
Originally, she had invited Feng Mu to return to the estate together. But just as Feng Mu boarded the carriage, Li Yunli casually remarked,
“That Master Qingnian… he is the man from the painting you made, isn’t he?”
Feng Mu was stunned, staring at Li Yunli in shock.
Li Yunli extended her hand. “Let me see the sachet at your waist.”
Her words seemed offhanded, yet each one hit the mark.
“The person in the painting had long hair, so I didn’t recognize him at first glance. Do you have a past with him?”
“I…”
At the mention of this secret, Feng Mu became flustered. She averted her gaze, unsure of how to respond, but Li Yunli’s next words forced her to her knees.
“The other morning, you deliberately used osmanthus cakes to lure us outside so we would meet Gongliang Chong, didn’t you?”
Li Yunli’s voice remained calm as she questioned Feng Mu about her actions. The sharper her words, the more uneasy Feng Mu became, fearing what revelation would come next.
Yun Chu, leaning against the carriage wall, watched in silent understanding.
Caught off guard, Feng Mu panicked under Li Yunli’s scrutinizing gaze. “…Yes.”
“So it was also on his orders that you delivered a secret message to Shijun that day? And after he left, you switched the incense in the room, leading me to suspect Shijun?”
There were few people in the governor’s mansion with such freedom of movement. She was one of them.
Tears welled in Feng Mu’s eyes. “Yes… The second-in-command instructed me.”
Li Yunli was usually easygoing, and Feng Mu had never seen her take on such an imposing, solemn air. Now, confronted with this sudden interrogation, she was too shocked to even fabricate a lie.
Yun Chu remained silent, listening intently, as the matter concerned him.
Li Yunli narrowed her eyes. “The day we saw you supposedly kidnapped outside Yongzhou City—was that also Gongliang Chong’s arrangement? Did he deliberately plant you among us and have you stage a performance?”
“No, no!” Feng Mu shuffled forward on her knees. “That was real… Gongliang Chong has been trying to recruit Yongzhou’s people to the mountain for years. That day, I was under his orders, leading a group to the mountain! Meeting Your Highness in the city was an accident!”
Li Yunli arched a brow. “So, you are part of Baotou Mountain’s forces?”
Feng Mu shook her head. “No, I’m not…”
“Then why do his bidding and deceive me?”
Feng Mu trembled, her lips quivering. “I…”
She could not speak.
Li Yunli’s voice remained even, yet her words made Feng Mu’s heart race.
“You remained calm when you were kidnapped, not because of your personality, nor because the bandits respected your identity, but because you share a romantic past with Master Qingnian. You trusted that he would protect you, didn’t you?”
Feng Mu bowed her head, her voice choked with sobs. “Yes.”
“I was once betrothed to him as a child. He became a monk at fourteen, but promised me a fifteen-year vow—that when he left monastic life, he would devote himself to me.”
Li Yunli glanced at the osmanthus-embroidered sachet in her hand. The stitching matched the embroidery on the handkerchief found at Yongqing Temple.
She let out a cold laugh. “Master Qingnian, with his reputation and status, would truly break his vows and return to the secular world to marry you?”
Though her eyes were wet with tears, Feng Mu’s voice was resolute. “He will!”
Buddhism preaches detachment from worldly desires.
If she had not known the full story, Li Yunli might have thought this was another tale of a devoted woman and a faithless man.
However…
Li Yunli scrutinized her. “You sound so certain. Why?”
Feng Mu turned pale, struggling to respond.
Li Yunli’s tone grew softer, her eyes piercing. “Because… his true identity is not that of a monk but the chief of Baotou Mountain? He promised to leave monastic life and marry you once his work is done, so you believe he will?”
Feng Mu sat frozen, even forgetting to cry.
“You… how did you…”
“It seems I guessed right.”
Li Yunli murmured.
Yun Chu smirked as he observed their exchange.
Li Yunli’s voice was indifferent. “Feng Mu, when I first met you outside Yongzhou, I thought you were bold and intelligent. But after arriving at the governor’s mansion, I realized you were nothing like that. You are a well-bred noble lady, timid and rule-abiding. That means your actions that day were all under someone’s instructions.”
Feng Mu was stunned. “Just because… of that?”
“Yes. That, and the painting of Master Qingnian before he became a monk, merely confirmed it.”