The Slender Waist-Chapter 439 - 319 Fierce Momentum

The weather was cold, and the world was not at peace, but New Year’s celebrations had to go on.

Central Capital City had just experienced a heavy snowfall; the roads were wet and slippery, yet the streets bustled with activity.

Vendors crammed among the never-ending stream of people, restraining their cries.

Children on the street were just about to light firecrackers when their elders stopped them and dragged them away.

The Emperor had passed away, and with the absence of festivities, the puppet shows and lion dances that were common during the New Year had vanished, replaced by silent crowds moving like a flowing painting, casting shadow after shadow beneath the prosperity of Central Capital.

If one were to flip through the history books, they would find this to be the most complex and pivotal year in the history of Jin, affecting the fate of the entire dynasty.

However, those living in the moment were completely unaware of the events to come, awaiting the coronation of a new Emperor.

"A country cannot exist a single day without a ruler."

From the court to the common people, undercurrents surged.

The "Heaven’s Blessing" prophecy from Baima Temple had spread throughout Central Capital.

The Prince of Qin was the legitimate son left by the Emperor of Xifeng, with a rightful claim to the throne.

Another propitious sign appeared with the Maitreya— a qilin—auspicious omen, indicating the Prince of Qin was destined for the True Dragon Throne.

On New Year’s Eve, the number of people visiting Baima Temple to offer incense surpassed previous years.

In front of the Maitreya Seated Statue, the crowd was so dense there was no space to insert incense sticks, and irritable ones quarreled endlessly.

As night fell, snow enshrouded Central Capital.

In the biting cold wind, a procession of swift horses passed through the city’s gate forest, their figures agile, heading towards the ancient Baima Temple.

The sound of horse hooves, accompanied by the long wailing of the snowstorm, pierced the heavens.

At the entrance to the Zen temple, a man resembling a eunuch waited anxiously.

The wind lanterns flickered, casting light on his agitated face, when suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"They’ve arrived."

In the midst of the blizzard, a group of three approached briskly. The man in the lead was tall, dressed in plain clothes with a dark cloak, his figure hidden beneath the cloak’s hood, his face mostly obscured, leaving only his thin lips visible. With a slight pursing of those lips, the chill seemed to follow the cold wind, sending shivers down one’s spine.

"Prince of Yonghuai," the eunuch bowed.

"There’s no need for excessive formality, Eunuch Jiang," said Pei Jue in a low voice. "How is the Taifei?"

"She has been waiting for quite some time." The eunuch glanced around and bowed, "Please, this way."

Pei Jue paused slightly, whispering to his companions.

"There are spies around."

Zuo Zhong responded, "I understand."

-

Inside the meditation room, candles still burned brightly.

The five-year-old Prince of Qin, Yuan Shangyi, sat properly beside the Taifei. Perhaps overwhelmed with fatigue, his head bobbed like a pecking chick, dipping once, twice, then jerking open, cautiously glancing at the Taifei before succumbing to another round of sleepiness.

The door creaked open.

From behind the curtains, the voice of Eunuch Gao Pei could be heard.

"Taifei, the Prince of Yonghuai has arrived."

The Taifei straightened up.

"Please."

After the coronation of the young Emperor of Xinghe, the Taifei naturally assumed her position, but she was actually not old, turning only twenty-six that year.

Over the years, she had been raising a young Emperor who was not her own flesh and blood, not eating well, not sleeping well, living in fear, dreading the day she might die a violent death.

She was melancholic and emaciated, her face haggard, and her frame thin to the point of frailty.

While waiting for Pei Jue to appear, she had become stiff, and upon hearing his footsteps, she trembled with nervousness.

She didn’t have immense ambition; she merely wanted to survive.

Being the Empress was not easy, and though the Taifei did not fully comprehend, she wasn’t completely ignorant either.

At that moment, she felt like a quail on the fire or someone sinking in a bog, with no way forward or back, her fate either left to the heavens or placed in the hands of others.

The curtain stirred, and Pei Jue walked against the light.

Some people are inherently cold. The Taifei hadn’t even clearly seen Pei Jue’s face, and her entire being seemed to plunge into a cold cellar.

"Great General, you’re finally here. Was your journey smooth?"

Pei Jue did not reply, continuing to walk until he reached the Taifei, where he finally bowed in greeting.

"I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin and to the Taifei."

His voice was low and calm, lacking the notorious coldness and ruthlessness, yet it startled Yuan Shangyi awake.

His face flushed with panic; he clutched the Taifei’s sleeve tightly.

Although Pei Jue had been bestowed with the title of king, Yuan Shangyi was a true prince by blood, deserving a position of reverence. However, the man before him exuded a fierce pressure, and the young Prince of Qin, intimidated by his indifferent gaze, nearly burst into tears.

"Prince of Yonghuai, you need not be overly formal."

This was what the Taifei had taught him.

The small Prince of Qin finished his sentence with a crying tone, managing to prevent the tears from falling.

Only then did Pei Jue withdraw his gaze, scanning the room before speaking:

"The Taifei and His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin have been greatly inconvenienced."

The Taifei shook her head, "To tell you frankly, over the years, I’ve been living with constant worries. Only residing in this meditation room in Baima Temple brings me a sense of stability."

Pei Jue was noncommittal, remaining silent.

The Taifei looked at him and let out a forlorn smile.

"Ever since the death of the Empress, my sister, and the Prince of Qin was raised by me, I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep, nor do I know when such days will end..."

Pei Jue asked, "Does the Noble Consort trust me?"

The Noble Consort’s eyes were moist, and she gave a bitter smile.

"I don’t understand the Prince of Yonghuai, but I trust Abbot Yuan of Baima Temple. If he hadn’t come to the door himself back then and presented this good strategy, the Prince of Qin and I might have been ’taken by illness’ long ago."

Pei Jue said, "Does the Noble Consort know why the Abbot would do this?"

After some contemplation, the Noble Consort glanced at Yuan Shangyi, who was ignorant of the world, and said softly, "The Abbot has a compassionate heart. He pities the bloodline of the late Emperor and couldn’t bear to see the Prince of Qin fall victim to the poison of the Li father and daughter; that’s why he offered his assistance..."

Pei Jue said, "It was I who asked him to do that."

The Noble Consort was astonished.

"You..."

Three years ago, when the previous Emperor passed away, Pei Jue single-handedly supported the son of Li Sangruo to ascend to the throne. At that time, everyone, including the Noble Consort, regarded him as a partisan of the Li Family, a subordinate to the skirts of Li Sangruo.

Shouldn’t he have preferred it if the Prince of Qin had met an untimely death? Why offer help?

Back then, as the legitimate son of the Emperor of Xifeng, Yuan Shangyi was a thorn in the side of the Li father and daughter. The Noble Consort lived in constant fear, and it was precisely then that the Abbot of Baima Temple came to say that the Prince of Qin’s illness was due to evil spirits, lacking one spirit and one soul, and he needed to undertake religious cultivation at the temple every three months to ward off evil.

In fact, the Noble Consort was well aware of why Yuan Shangyi was frail and sickly...

It was an ailment he had carried from the womb.

The late Empress was targeted by schemes during her pregnancy, resulting in a premature birth.

The child survived but the mother did not, and the Empress was but a wronged spirit used by the Li Family in their machinations for power.

Baima Temple was an official monastery, and the Abbot was highly respected and authoritative. The Abbot’s ritual to call back the young Emperor’s spirit every three months had imperceptibly protected the young Emperor’s life.

A prince without three spirits and six souls could never become an Emperor.

The Noble Consort was tearfully grateful to the Abbot...

But she had never imagined that behind the Abbot was General Pei.

"No wonder..." The Noble Consort muttered in a daze, her mind somewhat bewildered.

After a while, she managed to muster a feeble smile, "No wonder the Abbot said that tonight, we await an important person..."

She thought the "important person" was someone who, having fallen out with Li Zongxun, would protect the Prince of Qin’s ascension to the throne, no different from Li Zongxun, merely treating them as pawns, devices to manipulate events on the chessboard...

She had not expected that the person who saved her life three years ago was also him.

The Noble Consort was agitated and fearful, her voice timid.

"Why did the Prince of Yonghuai do that back then?"

Pei Jue glanced at her indifferently, "Consider it for the sake of the late Emperor’s bloodline."

Consider it...

Then it was not.

The Noble Consort dared not inquire further and, after a moment of silence, she said, "I don’t know what the Prince of Yonghuai wants me to do?"

Pei Jue said, "The Noble Consort need do nothing. Just take good care of His Highness and wait for the coronation ceremony."

He spoke with absolute certainty, but the Noble Consort was startled.

"What about dealing with the Prime Minister and the Empress Dowager..."

"The Noble Consort need not worry." Pei Jue gazed at the small Buddha statue on her desk, his voice cold, "Tomorrow, the Abbot will announce to the public that he has witnessed auspicious signs; the Prince of Qin has reclaimed his spirit and his health is restored."

The temple was filled with a strong scent of sandalwood, and the light of the lamps cast his figure, stretching a long shadow.

The Noble Consort’s throat tightened, and she did not dare look at Pei Jue’s face, but stared at the shadow and her mouth moved.

"We will follow whatever the Prince of Yonghuai decides, and rely on Your Highness from now on."

-

That same night, Empress Dowager Li, who had traveled day and night to return to the Central Capital, met with her own biological son in the eastern chamber of the Taiji Hall.

He lay in his coffin clothed in the Dragon Robe, his small face pale as paper, already stiff, and fortunately, the weather had been cold in recent days, allowing her to rush back to see her child’s face clearly.

"Emperor..."

"My Kuangkuang!"

Li Sangruo, anxious on the journey, had swollen eyes from crying and was so weak she was barely herself. Seeing her son’s remains, she still couldn’t believe it...

How could her child, who was well when she left, be gone?

When Li Zongxun hurried over, he was coldly invited by Li Sangruo just at the entrance.

"The daughter has questions for her father."

Li Zongxun walked to one side with a cold face, signaling the servants to leave.

"With Kuangkuang gone, you should stop dwelling on it and gather your spirits for me..."

"Gather my spirits for what?" Li Sangruo curled her lips in a cold sneer, "To await the enthronement of the Prince of Runan and be an awkward royal sister-in-law? Father..."

She took a step closer to Li Zongxun, "How exactly did Kuangkuang die?"

Li Zongxun’s face darkened, and his eyes bore into her coldly.

"You still have the face to ask me? Why don’t you reflect on what nonsense you’ve been doing in Xinzhou, how you drove Pei Jue to a dead end, leading him to take action against your son..."

"No!" Li Sangruo’s face changed, and she shook her head, "It can’t be him."

Li Zongxun gave a heavy hum, turned his face away, and said in a deep voice, "Yesterday, Baima Temple experienced an auspicious omen, and today they proclaimed the Prince of Qin’s recovery from illness. Before recovering, the Young Emperor didn’t meet anyone except for Pei Jue... Explain to me, how is that a coincidence?"

Li Sangruo’s legs weakened, and with a raspy voice, she said, "It can’t be him, it can’t be. He was the one who personally carried Kuangkuang to Taiji Hall, let him sit on the True Dragon Throne, and be adored by the ministers. How could he do such a thing..."

Li Zongxun scoffed, looking at her as if she were beyond help, his gaze icy cold.

"I have decided to adopt the eldest son of the Prince of Runan into your name. In this way, you’ll have a son again."