The Slender Waist-Chapter 421 - 305: Tiger Tally Seal

Li Sangruo had personally seen Feng Yun arrange his clothes for him.

Being tall, he feared she couldn’t reach and would lower his head, like a docile big dog, letting her fuss over him.

That image was one Li Sangruo had dreamed of since her girlhood.

Spending day and night with Pei Jue, she sitting by playing the zither and making tea, watching him practice with sword and blade, sweating profusely, then coming over glowing with radiance, lowering his head before her, letting her wipe his sweat, change his clothes, his eyes bright and joyful...

"Prince of Yonghuai."

Li Sangruo slightly lifted her face, her posture graceful, looking at Pei Jue standing in the hall.

Her blood was ablaze, her eyes filled with anticipation.

If she could not be his wife in this lifetime, unable to dress him morning and evening, let this be a consolation.

"This subject will do it himself."

Pei Jue raised his hands, glancing sideways at the envoy delivering the decree.

"Let’s dispense with the formalities."

The envoy held his breath in surprise.

Li Sangruo’s smile slowly faded, her expression turning ugly.

It took her a good moment to regain her composure under the watchful eyes of the assembled officials, and she handed the ceremonial clothes to Pei Jue.

"That might be for the best."

Light and shadow danced within the great hall.

The officials did not dare speak, and Li Sangruo was at a loss for words.

All eyes were on Pei Jue as everyone watched him dress calmly in his regalia, expressionless yet majestic, commanding the awe of all present.

Li Sangruo gazed at Pei Jue, her throat tight.

In front of so many, she could not afford to lose face.

"Does the Prince of Yonghuai refuse my gift because of discontent in his heart toward me?"

The hearts of the officials all rose in anxiety.

Just when they thought Pei Jue had been pacified, was Empress Dowager Li going to stir up trouble over a trifle?

Was it worth it, just because Pei Jue refused to let her dress him personally?

"This subject has been negligent."

Pei Jue gave a bow to Li Sangruo, his eyes enigmatic.

"This subject only wishes to gratefully fulfill my duties, not daring to trouble the Empress Dowager."

His words were proper and watertight.

Yet Li Sangruo knew he was avoiding her, unwilling to let her touch him.

Not even a single hair.

This man...

She hated him to the extreme, yet yearned for him just as much.

Li Sangruo kept silent for a moment, working through the pain in her heart.

"General Pei worries too much. You have assisted me, protected the Great Jin, and repelled the Qi Army, earning your brilliant merits. You are worthy of the nine bestowments. What else is there that you cannot bear? With the Emperor so young and enemies watching us hungrily, we, mother and son, must rely on General Pei from now on."

In the great hall, the officials all lowered their heads, feeling embarrassed.

Everyone knew the truth behind the granting of the nine bestowments, but they kept silent for the sake of appearances.

The words of Empress Dowager Li sounded like resignation, but every word and phrase was filled with reluctance.

The sentiment was as if she were questioning an unfaithful husband...

Pei Jue frowned and remained silent, while the envoy became slightly anxious.

He had been sent by Li Zongxun with a myriad of cautions to keep Pei Jue steady and not let the Empress Dowager ruin the big picture.

"Empress Dowager," he bowed and reminded Li Sangruo, "the Tiger Talisman and the seal."

Li Sangruo, her heart unresigned and her eyes swollen with anger, met Pei Jue’s gaze and slowly drew out a faint, sorrowful smile.

"General Pei, you have been granted land and a royal title, and are given the nine bestowments, leading all the armies under heaven. Will you not come forward and accept the Tiger Talisman and the seal?"

"This subject accepts the honor."

Pei Jue, with the decree and the Golden Tiger Talisman in hand, paid respects to the Empress Dowager, then bowed in the direction of Central Capital.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness."

The envoys congratulated in unison, praising the Prince of Yonghuai as the nation’s pillar, yet privately, they were apprehensive.

The Empress Dowager had not yet openly disclosed to everyone that the Young Emperor was critically ill; only at dawn, she had an eunuch convey in passing, with the understatement, "His Majesty has caught a chill, the Dragon’s health is not well, all of you prepare to return to the capital," as explanation.

But which of the courtiers wasn’t from a noble family, and which family didn’t have their own sources of information?

Almost without exception, they all found out about the grave illness of the Young Emperor, which was far from a simple "chill."

The country had been in turmoil for too long; the slightest stirring made everyone tense.

At this critical juncture, the Great General, claiming to be "unwell," complied with the Empress Dowager and accepted the nine bestowments, a move with an undebatable intention.

Whether this was a blessing or a curse for the state remained to be seen.

But no one would oppose it.

His willingness to accept the honor was a great fortune amidst the misfortune. It was far better than coming to blows, leaving them trapped in Xinzhou, forcing the Young Emperor to abdicate and retire, by many degrees.

Because if it came to that point, Xiao Cheng would undoubtedly not miss the opportunity to take advantage of the Jin’s internal strife. He would certainly tear up the peace treaty and lead his army into Jin.

To delay even for a moment was valuable.

The officials all let out a sigh of relief.

In an era where the mightiest reigned supreme, at this moment, Pei Jue had reached the pinnacle of power, too noble for words.

Whether he harbored any intention to ascend the throne or if history would be rewritten by his hand, only time would tell as they returned to the capital and watched the changes unfold in the court.

-

Returning to the inner hall, Li Sangruo slumped down, covering her face as she wept.

In the face of war, slaughter, and the life-and-death struggle against disease, even as Empress Dowager, what could she do?

She cried for her own powerlessness, for Pei Jue’s heartlessness, for the early death of the former Emperor, for her son being too young, fearing solitude and helplessness, in the moment Pei Jue decisively turned away, she felt as if she had lost everything.

Tang Shaogong remained expressionless, as if he couldn’t see her pitiful state.

"Isn’t it too early to be heartbroken, Your Highness? Should you be crying now?"

Li Sangruo sobbed, her face buried in the brocade pillows, her shoulders trembling, unable to hold back her tears as they flowed crazily into her hair, soaking it through.

Tang Shaogong’s gaze was icy as he looked at the back of her head.

"The Emperor’s condition is unclear, at this time the Empress Dowager should be pulling herself together, making early plans."

Li Sangruo looked up with tears streaming down her face, both crying and laughing.

"Make plans for what? With things as they are, what plans can I possibly make?"

Tang Shaogong was silent for a moment, then reminded her in the calmest and most merciless voice.

"Should the Emperor unfortunately pass away, who is to sit on the Dragon Throne?"

Li Sangruo trembled, clutching the handkerchief in disbelief, and questioned with gritted teeth.

"Is Uncle Shaogong really so heartless? My Li Family has treated you well; how can you speak such treachery?"

Tang Shaogong bowed his head and made a respectful salute.

"Precisely because Prime Minister Li has treated me with kindness, I speak only the plain truth. Once the Emperor passes away, what will the Empress Dowager rely on to control the court? From within the Royal Family, whom should we lift as the new sovereign to safeguard our ancestral enterprise? Truth can be harsh to the ear; I implore the Empress Dowager to think deeply."

Li Sangruo looked at his cold, merciless face, first scoffing, but her laughter soon turned to tears again.

Because every word and phrase from Tang Shaogong spelled the imminent difficulties.

The confidential report said that her Kuangkuang abruptly fell ill and was beyond the help of medicine and stone...

The former Emperor actually had several sons, each one dying young, with the eldest living no longer than nine years.

Besides Yuan Kuang, the former Emperor had another son named Yuan Shangyi, the bloodline left by the previous Empress Jiang, weak and sickly from a young age and barely clinging to life, his days numbered.

If something were to happen to Kuangkuang...

Li Sangruo felt a chill spread through her entire body.

That man, who had promised to protect Kuangkuang, learned of Kuangkuang’s serious illness and received the Nine Bestowments with an expressionless face — could she still expect him to save the day as he had before?

Li Sangruo closed her eyes momentarily.

"When was it ever my place, a mere woman, to decide the fate of the nation and the Dajin empire?"

She glanced at Tang Shaogong again and laughed mockingly.

"Doesn’t Uncle Shaogong always say that father himself has the final say? Moreover, as Uncle Shaogong said, Pei Jue has an unwavering affection for me — where is it? Uncle Shaogong, it’s time."

Tang Shaogong was never moved by her sarcasm, responding emotionlessly:

"Your Highness, compose yourself and prepare for the return to the Capital. The rest will be decided by the Prime Minister."

He walked away without looking back.

Leaving no face for Li Sangruo.

Li Sangruo, enraged, felt her head buzz, tears in her eyes, teeth clenched, directing all her fury at the pillow, flinging it away with all her might while letting out a suppressed roar.

"Get out! All of you, get out."

-

The subtle changes in the Great Jin Dynasty did not escape the eyes of Xiao Cheng.

Pei Jue was granted the title of king with a division of land and bestowed the Nine Bestowments, adding further mystery and confusion to an already chaotic situation in the world. From the Jin to the Qi, from Yunchuan to the small state of Minyue, from the aristocratic families in their strongholds to the military nobility, all were covertly and overtly focusing their attention here.

However, the chaotic situation in Xinzhou City lasted only a few days before coming to an end.

The Jin envoys, as if reborn, were eagerly making preparations to return to the Capital.

The meeting between the Pei and Feng families was set for the next day at noon, at the Guanlan Pavilion in Xinzhou City.

This place was just next to the Huaishui dock, convenient for transportation and facilitating the comings and goings of both parties.

For a family meeting with the in-laws, with the son-in-law just having been made Prince of Yonghuai, Feng Jingteng was extremely cautious, fearing either inadequate decorum that could displease the Pei Family, or too elaborate of an arrangement that might offend the Chen Family.

Unexpectedly, this time the Chen Family was proactive, repeatedly deliberating over the list of gifts, even specifically asking him to review it, and even Feng Ying showed great concern for this meeting.

Just as Feng Jingteng breathed a sigh of relief, he was summoned by Xiao Cheng.

Learning that his whole family was to attend the banquet, Xiao Cheng gave a faint smile, congratulated him, then called over Daman.

"You should accompany Lord Feng as well."

Daman bowed respectfully, her slender waist elegantly swaying as she curtsied.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Her eyes were incredibly beautiful, and it was in those eyes, more than anywhere else, that she resembled Feng Yun. Bright and seductive, dripping with charm, her smile was suffused with a soft allure that set the imagination running wild.

Feng Jingteng found it hard to look directly into those eyes, his face tensing slightly as he inquired of Xiao Cheng.

"Your Majesty... In what capacity should I bring her?"

He was puzzled.

Xiao Cheng had always been indifferent to female beauty. There were several ladies in the palace, all daughters of prestigious families, each one a blooming flower and yet none were favored. Even Feng Ying, quite delicate and pretty, had not seen him stirred, and even with Feng Yun, he had never truly taken her to heart at the beginning.

And yet this Daman...

Perhaps she had brought pleasure in the bedchamber, for since that day she had served him on the Imperial Boat, she had accompanied him nightly, swiftly becoming the Emperor’s favored concubine.

Feng Jingteng thought Xiao Cheng might use this opportunity to give Daman a status, an official recognition and honour.

But Xiao Cheng spoke indifferently:

"The daughter of Lord Feng, a lady of the Feng Family."