Chapter 60: Pushing Open the Hall Door
The Bright Palace was in the west, one thousand four hundred and ninety-four zhang from the Southern Sun Gate of the imperial palace. From the Weiyang Palace outside the Southern Sun Gate’s outer hall, it was another seven hundred-odd zhang. At her speed, without alerting the palace’s resident protectors, how long would it take her to rush from here to the Weiyang Palace? Which chapter of music was drifting through the night?
The southern envoy had surely already arrived and taken their seats. The Ivy Feast was about to begin. If she hurried over later, she should still make it in time. But first, she needed to know the reason. Luo Luo pondered these matters, silent, her face covered in frost, so much so that the entire hall felt somewhat cold.
Fortunately, aside from one female official, only she and the mistress of this hall were present. No one would accuse her of rudeness.
The Bright Palace was the quietest yet most extravagant hall in the Great Zhou imperial palace, for it housed the only daughter most beloved by Her Holiness the Sacred Empress—the Princess of Peace. The young woman seated in the host’s position had a radiant face and seemed not very old, yet between her brows there was an indelible charm.
Facing the Princess of Peace, who bore the boundless favor of Great Zhou, ordinary people wouldn’t even dare breathe loudly. But Luo Luo’s attitude was utterly unceremonious, her words carrying a hint of accusation: “Princess of Peace, you tricked me into coming here and kept me from attending the Ivy Feast. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”
Earlier, that female official had invited her to the Bright Palace on behalf of the Princess of Peace. Unexpectedly, after arriving, the official kept stalling for time. By the time Luo Luo realized what was happening, the Princess of Peace finally appeared—and a great deal of time had already passed.
She knew very well that the Princess of Peace was acting on someone else’s orders, and it was certainly related to the Ivy Feast. But she had only thought of those followers of the Sacred Empress who were eyeing the National Academy covetously; she hadn’t considered that their target had always been Chen Changsheng.
Hearing Luo Luo’s interrogation, the Princess of Peace wasn’t angered. She smiled slightly and said, “It’s only been a few months, but I heard you’ve been playing the part of a well-behaved female student at the National Academy. I was curious. By the way, what kind of person is this teacher you’ve taken?”
Luo Luo ignored her, staring into her eyes, and continued pressing: “Why?”
“Mo Yu knows that you and I are close, so she asked me to keep you here for a while. As for why… she didn’t tell me,” the Princess of Peace said, her expression very candid, as if this were no big deal.
But Luo Luo sensed something deliberate in her demeanor. Many people knew that the Princess of Peace and Lady Mo Yu weren’t particularly close; they only maintained a surface-level warmth and courtesy because of the Sacred Empress. Naturally, she wouldn’t fully believe her words.
The Princess of Peace said, “Don’t overthink it. Mo Yu is hosting the final night of the Ivy Feast on Mother’s orders, and her greatest concern is the engagement between that phoenix and that child from the Qiushan family. She asked me to keep you here because she was afraid you might jump out and cause trouble.”
Though her face was youthful, she referred to Qiushan Jun as “that child,” which seemed very odd.
Luo Luo was most uncomfortable with this mannerism of hers. She frowned slightly, disgusted, and said, “Speak properly… I’m not like you. Why would I cause trouble?”
The Princess of Peace’s eyes brightened a little, and she looked somewhat shy, saying, “Why would I cause trouble? Luo Luo, you really do love to joke.”
Luo Luo said, “You don’t like Xu Yourong… Anyone who’s lived in the imperial palace knows that, don’t they?”
The Princess of Peace’s smile vanished instantly, and she said coldly, “Mother likes her. Why should I like her? Besides, that child from the Qiushan family is flawless, so outstanding—he should be the consort of our Great Zhou dynasty. Why should he marry that mud-monkey reeking of the wilds!”
Luo Luo said with a hint of sarcasm, “No matter how many times you tell the story of losing a fight with her as a child, it won’t affect her standing in the Sacred Empress’s heart or anyone else’s. Don’t mention Qiushan Jun—even I would rather marry her than you.”
The Princess of Peace was very angry and said, “Whose side are you on?”
Luo Luo said, “You know perfectly well I’ve always liked her. Of course, if you’d let me leave, I could be on your side.”
The Princess of Peace stood up, looked at her quietly, then suddenly broke into a smile and said, “This is the first time Mo Yu has asked me for a favor. Do you think I’ll mess it up?”
Luo Luo stood up and said, “You never do things that don’t benefit you, do you?”
The Princess of Peace sighed helplessly and said, “I am a princess after all. I have to do something for Great Zhou.”
Luo Luo thought for a moment before understanding what she meant—it must be related to the southern envoy’s marriage proposal tonight. But she couldn’t figure out how her presence or absence at the Ivy Feast would affect this proposal. She admired Qiushan Jun, but she had no feelings for him.
Her hand lifted, close to her belt. With a single thought, she could draw the Rain-Scourge Whip.
The other was the Princess of Peace of Great Zhou, deeply favored by the Sacred Empress. Even she couldn’t go too far. But now, Luo Luo suddenly wanted to kill her, because it struck her that the other had only dared to trick her into the Bright Palace—but she might have made a move against her teacher!
The Princess of Peace knew her temperament but wasn’t afraid. Smiling, she said, “I heard the other day that you beat my distant nephew into a cripple at the Ivy Feast. Truly worthy of being Luo Luo. I can’t beat you, but… if something happens to me, can your family bear the consequences?”
Luo Luo looked at her and said, “The Tianhai family is a bunch of madmen. We really can’t bear that… But you also know that my family has plenty of madmen too. If something happens to me in the capital, can you and Mo Yu bear the consequences?”
The Princess of Peace said innocently, “This is the Great Zhou imperial palace. How could anything happen to you?”
In the night outside the Bright Palace, who knew how many palace protectors and experts were hidden.
Those people naturally wouldn’t dare truly harm Luo Luo, but they could trap her.
Similarly, for certain reasons, Mo Yu couldn’t truly harm Chen Changsheng either, so she had to find a way to trap him.
Now, both master and disciple faced the same predicament.
“Don’t play dumb or act cute in front of me. I’m quite good at that too.”
Luo Luo gripped the Rain-Scourge Whip and slowly drew it, looking at her seriously. “If I want something to happen to myself, who can stop me?”
The Princess of Peace’s expression tightened, because she saw Luo Luo’s resolve. If Luo Luo really came to harm in the Great Zhou imperial palace, neither she nor Mo Yu could bear the consequences. Most crucially, the Empress didn’t know about tonight’s affair. If the eight-hundred-li Red River erupted in fury, what then?
“What’s so good about that boy named Chen Changsheng that you’d be so devoted to him?” she asked Luo Luo, very puzzled.
“That’s not something you need to care about, nor something you truly care about.”
Luo Luo moved her right hand lightly, the Rain-Scourge Whip sliding slowly across the golden bricks. She looked at the Princess of Peace and said, “I don’t want to know what your real purpose is anymore. I only ask that you order those outside the hall to clear the way. I’m going to the Ivy Feast.”
The Princess of Peace was silent, as if hesitating or struggling, but in truth she was calculating the time in her heart. After confirming, according to Mo Yu’s plan, that the boy should now be trapped in the Tong Palace, she lifted her head and smiled slightly.
“Please,” she said to Luo Luo. “I hope you’re still in time.”
…
…
The night was deep, the hall bright as day. Luo Luo arrived outside the Weiyang Palace, a strand of hair at her cheek lightly stirred, a bead of sweat between her brows. She glanced at the shadows behind the hall, spotted the figures of Chief Historian Jin and Lady Li, and listened quietly for a moment. Her delicate brows lifted slightly, a hint of anger hidden within.
Chen Changsheng was not inside the hall. A moment ago, he had been at the side of the hall speaking with Eastern Imperial General Xu Shiji, then the Prince of Chenliu had exchanged a few words with him. Chief Historian Jin and Lady Li hadn’t been able to get close, but in the next instant, he had vanished into the night, gone to who knew where.
Luo Luo looked into the night over the Great Zhou imperial palace, at the countless flying eaves and pavilions, silent. She knew how difficult it was to find one person in such a vast area at such a time. What should she do next?
Some in the Great Zhou royal family didn’t want her and her teacher to appear at the Ivy Feast. The southern envoy was coming to propose marriage—why was that? She pinched the brocade pouch in her sleeve, recalling her teacher’s instructions before leaving the National Academy, and her brows lifted higher, as if about to take flight.
If the other side didn’t want her to do something, then she would do it.
Luo Luo stopped overthinking and directly pushed open the tightly shut doors of the Weiyang Palace, stepping into the light within.
Inside the hall, the southern envoy had already arrived and was exchanging greetings with the major figures from the Ivy Academies and the imperial court’s state religion. Some people she hadn’t seen before were introducing themselves, exchanging pleasantries about their long-admired reputations. It was a scene of harmony and lively bustle.
Just then, with a bang, the hall doors were pushed open!
Though the slightly cold night wind couldn’t blow inside, the light in the hall shifted, and the atmosphere changed as well, because the person who pushed open the doors was very rude.
When everyone saw clearly who the girl standing at the entrance was, the hall fell into an eerie silence.
Earlier, some had noticed that the seats of the National Academy were empty and had been surprised. Now, the main party had finally arrived.
Luo Luo’s gaze swept across the hall.
That middle-aged man should be the clan head of the Qiushan family, Qiushan Yuanxin.
That old man with white hair and beard, with only a bowl of clear water and a green pear before his table, should be the Lishan elder, Song Gong.
That woman with a white veil over her face and a serene bearing, dressed in state religion robes and sitting very close to the female professors of the Thirteen Radiants of Azure Sun, should be a fellow disciple of the current Holy Maiden.
Those three young men with indifferent expressions, swords resting across their knees, should be the rumored Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom.
She had seen the Five Ivy Academies and the young scholars who had passed the preliminary Grand Examination.
There were many people in the hall, but Chen Changsheng was not among them.
Luo Luo’s gaze finally fell on a seat at the very front.
That seat was very close to the main table of the Prince of Chenliu and others, only slightly inferior to the positions of Qiushan Yuanxin and Song Gong.
But the person sitting in that seat was a young man.
That young man had a gentle demeanor, was exceedingly cordial, and his aura was ordinary—but he was far from ordinary.
Because there was light in his eyes.
Luo Luo looked at that person and knew he must be Gou Hanshi of the Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom.
The legendary Gou Hanshi.