Chapter 733 - The Old Woman With Flatbread
Translator: Choufleur
A multitude of stars twinkled in the silent night sky.
“Shu’er.” Wei Yi’s inky-black pupils seemed fathomless. Countless scenes of the time he had spent with Ji Yunshu flashed across his mind’s eye.
When he was tired, she would let him rest his head on her lap.
When he was scared, she would pat his head and tell him not to be afraid. When he was happy, she would be happier than him.
When he was in danger, she would risk her own life to save him.
He also thought back to that night in Jinjiang, where he carried the injured Shu’er on his back, slowly walking down the serene streets as he sang.
They had also released Kongming lanterns together, set down river lamps together, made mud figurines together... The images flickered nonstop through his mind, then gradually disappeared.
“Shu’er...” No matter how he called out that name, the sounds just couldn’t penetrate that redwood door and merely bounced back to his ears. His calls grew softer and softer. He had almost... given up on the notion of escaping. He could only hug his own trembling arms more tightly, drawing back into a tight huddle.
Knock knock. Someone was at the door.
Wei Yi raised his head up at the sound and vaguely made out the shape of a person at the door. That person wasn’t tall and had a crooked back. From the silhouette of their hair accessories and clothes, this should be an old momo of the palace. [1]
“Child, did you hear me?”
The old woman’s voice was raspy and cracked with age, but its tone held a kindly warmth and some sadness. Wei Yi pushed himself upright and shifted towards the door. “Who are you?”
When the old lady outside heard his reply, her whole body tensed and her lantern almost fell on the ground. Her wrinkled face crumpled in agony and her deep-set eyes became rimmed with red. Isn’t this that old momo whom Wei Yi had bumped into when Jing Xuan first kidnapped him into the palace?
“Child, you must be hungry, right?”
Wei Yi didn’t reply.
The old woman brought out half a flatbread that she had stuffed into her clothes, and squeezed it through a crack in the door. “Come, have something to eat. Otherwise, your health will suffer.”
The flatbread was now in the room but Wei Yi still didn’t pick it up. He asked again, “Who are you?”
“I am...” The old woman suddenly turned tongue-tied and swallowed her words. Just as she was about to speak again, two little eunuchs from Zhangzhi Hall had heard a disturbance and hurried over.
The old woman’s hand trembled and quickly withdrew, causing the flatbread to fall to the ground.
“Who’s there?” The two young eunuchs approached with their lanterns.
The old woman hurriedly tottered to the side in an attempt to hide but they still caught sight of her. “Zhang momo? Why are you here at this time of the night?”
The old woman lowered her head. “I came out for a walk and unexpectedly wandered over here.”
“You’d better not wander around late at night. Her Highness has orders forbidding people from coming here unbidden.”
“Yes, I’ll go right away.” She hunched lower and left.
The two eunuchs exchanged a couple more sentences in low tones and checked in on the room where Wei Yi was locked up before they left, assured that nothing was out of place.
Inside the room, Wei Yi looked at that piece of flatbread for a long time before he bent down to pick it up. There was a thin layer of dust that had stuck to the flatbread. He held it in his hand, his fingertips pressing down tightly. He took a bite, fighting back tears as the cold loneliness of the night whistled through his bones.
The next day.
The Emperor’s two edicts had arrived at the military base. The eunuch hurried away the minute he finished proclaiming the edicts.
The edicts only had two main points: first, expelling Ji Li from his post; second, commanding Ji Huan to set out immediately with his troops, without delay.
The two brothers were indescribably furious as they each held their edicts aloft. Ji Huan directly tossed his edict away onto a table. “Over the years, I’ve risked life and limb for Great Lin, conquering countless cities and territories. Now, he’s actually sending me to the border to fight the Barbarians. I can’t take this slight lying down.”
Ji Li was much calmer in comparison. “Even if you can’t bear it, you must.”
“Big Brother, must we really just let this go?”
“Do you intend to defy it?”
Ah! Defy? Ji Li truly had never considered this. He gulped. “Although I’m not satisfied with His Majesty’s decision, if I defy it, it is considered rebellion and a major crime.”
“Since you know that, then there’s no need to discuss it anymore.” Ji Li stated tersely. “Alright, you’d better quickly make your preparations. The matter of the Barbarians cannot be delayed. You should also be careful and don’t ruin things due to your impulsivity. Although an army of a hundred thousand is sufficient to deal with the Barbarians, you can’t lower your guard either.”
“I know that, but...” Ji Huan hemmed and hawed, but couldn’t articulate himself. In the end, he simply waved his sleeve and left.
Just after he left, Ji Shuhan summoned Ji Li. “What on earth is going on? How did a single trip into the palace end up with one of you being dismissed and the other sent to the borders to fight the Barbarians?” Ji Shuhan was furious.
Ji Li answered truthfully, “Since this son is the War Secretary, I naturally had to obstruct Prince Rong when he attempted to return to the capital. I didn’t expect that the posthumous edict he possessed was genuine. Thus, His Majesty was infuriated, convicted this son of attempting to murder His Highness, and removed my position.”
“Are you still not going to tell the truth?”
“Everything I said was the...”
Bang! Ji Shuhan slammed his palm onto the table. “I have also been an official in court for many years. Although I have already retired from office, I still understand how it works. This was a struggle between the political factions of Prince Yi and Prince Rong; Muqing has become Prince Yi’s consort so naturally you should help Prince Yi gain influence. However, you have always been careful not to be used by others; even if you were to help, you should only do so in secret.
“Look at what happened now. You’ve become the one that stands out and had your post removed. A great general like Huan’er has also been sent to the borders to fight the Barbarians. What is left of our Ji Family’s reputation in the capital?”
He continued angrily, “If Prince Yi becomes the Crown Prince, Muqing will become the Empress in the future. But after this debacle, Prince Yi’s influence has been set back and Prince Rong has won instead. The position of Crown Prince still remains uncertain.” He sighed.
To put it plainly, what Ji Shuhan was most concerned about was still whether his daughter could become the Empress.
Although Ji Li was soundly berated, he made no attempt to explain himself. After all, how could he say that his sister had been raped in the palace and Jing Yi had held this information against them, and that he only made such an obvious move because he had no other choice? He could only swallow the words down and bear with it.
“Father, please be assured. This son has his own plans.”
“What plans do you have?”
“I’ll explain another time. Now that the Imperial edict has been issued, this son must make a trip back to the Ministry of War.”
“Go on, go on.” Ji Shuhan waved him off defeatedly, drinking a cup of tea to calm himself down.
When Ji Li stepped out, he saw Ji Wanxin in the corridor and called out to her. “Wanxin.”
Ji Wanxin paused mid-step and turned to reveal that lovely visage. “Does Big Brother need anything from me?”
“Nothing important. The weather hasn’t been good lately and your health has never been good. I just have a couple of things to tell you.”
“Wanxin knows.”
Ji Li’s true intention was something else. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Big Brother has something to ask you. Do reply me truthfully.”
Ji Wanxin frowned slightly. “Big Brother may simply ask. If Wanxin knows, I will naturally not conceal anything.”
“Have you kept in contact with Yunshu?”
Ah! Her lowered eyes flickered imperceptibly. “I met her once when Yunshu was going to Yufu and passed by Jinjiang. I haven’t had any contact with her after that.” It was true!
However, Ji Li didn’t believe her. “You may not have met, but did you send any letters to each other?”
“Never!”
[1] Momo is a term for the older palace maids who chose not to leave when they were of age to marry. They also tend to be of higher rank than the young maids.