Chapter 935: Timing Not Yet Proper

Mu Rongjin pressed the peony brocade handkerchief into her palm, staring at it intently.

The golden‑threaded peony was dyed a deep crimson, the stitching fine, identical to those ten pieces.

Her fingers trembled slightly.

Wasn't this handkerchief already reconciled with the Needlecraft Bureau's accounts?

How could another one have appeared?

"Mother, mother…" Si Yu knelt on the ground, her voice trembling so it was almost inaudible, "How does that person still have another one in his hand?"

Mu Rongjin's mind churned: how many identical brocade handkerchiefs does he actually still have in his hand?

"When His Majesty sent people to investigate last time," she said softly, as if to herself, "the inventory matched the Needlecraft Bureau's records, and I was able to get away."

She slowly lifted her head, looking at Si Yu: "If he takes out another one and places it in Zichen Hall?"

Si Yu's face went white with a "Swish—".

Mu Rongjin gently placed the handkerchief on the bedside: "Having fewer is certainly wrong, but a brand‑new one appearing out of thin air... wouldn't that make it even harder for me to defend myself?"

Si Yu opened her mouth but could not utter a single word.

A bitter smile flickered at Mu Rongjin's lips, "He can make my accounts match, and also make them not match."

She suddenly rolled up the sleeve of her left arm, revealing a strip of fair wrist.

"Your Majesty!" Si Yu lunged forward, grabbing her sleeve, "What are you doing?"

"Step back!" Mu Rongjin barked sharply.

Si Yu's hand withdrew.

Mu Rongjin opened the paper packet; inside was a pinch of ultra‑fine light‑brown powder, emitting a faint, barely perceptible grassy odor.

She pinched a little with her fingertip and gently brushed a line on the inner side of her left arm.

Moments later, a layer of fine, dense red rash indeed appeared.

Si Yu knelt on the ground, trembling all over as she watched.

Mu Rongjin lowered her sleeve, her voice as calm as a still pond: "Apply it in the morning; it will disappear after bathing."

"I must test it to see whether this thing will harm Che."

Two days later, in the evening, after bathing, Mu Rongjin sat before her dressing table, rolling up her left sleeve.

The skin on the inner arm was as smooth as jade, leaving not a single red trace.

"Your Majesty," Si Yu stood behind her, looking at the flawless skin, "You've tested it for two days; any discomfort?"

Mu Rongjin lowered her sleeve, saying nothing.

She rose and walked to the cradle, lowering her head to gaze at her sleeping son.

The little fellow had long learned to turn over; now he lay on his side, his tiny mouth slightly open, sleeping soundly.

Mu Rongjin gently rocked the cradle, staying awake through the night.

Dawn is near.

Mu Rongjin extended her hand and opened the medicine pouch.

"Che," her voice was as light as a feather landing on water, "don't be afraid, Mother has tried it; it doesn't hurt or itch."

She scraped a bit with her fingernail, lifted her son's little garment, and lightly sprinkled the powder onto his tiny arm.

Xiao Che twitched in his sleep, his small brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed, let out a soft whimper, turned over and kept sleeping.

Mu Rongjin's hand hovered in midair, her lips pressed tightly together.

When her son was sound asleep and still, she sprinkled some more on his leg.

Si Yu knelt on the ground, covering her mouth, tears silently slipping down through her fingers.

"Go summon the imperial physician."

"Your Majesty?"

"Che has developed a rash," Mu Rongjin said, lowering her head to look at the slowly appearing red mark on her son's arm, "so we must summon the imperial physician."

Si Yu scrambled to her feet, stumbling as she ran out.

Mu Rongjin stood alone by the cradle, tears finally welling up.

A few days later, evening, Prince Ning's Mansion study.

Xiao Jieyun placed the tea cup on the desk: "The Xuanwu Guard has been investigating for over a month. The three newly appointed Ministers of State have remarkable achievements, incorruptible characters, no extravagance in the mansion, and no signs of private exchanges among the staff."

"Even the studies of their children have been examined by the Xuanwu Guard, yet no discrepancies were found."

Xiao Yuanhang's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Has His Majesty ever asked Lord Song about these three?"

Xiao Jieyun chuckled at the words, took a thin booklet from his sleeve, placed it on the desk, and handed it over.

Xiao Yuanhang leaned in to look; the booklet bore four neatly written characters: "Officials' Qualities".

"I asked him," Xiao Jieyun tapped his finger lightly on the desk, "and he responded by listing every candidate who could succeed as Minister."

"Each person's conduct, learning, achievements, strengths and weaknesses, item by item, crystal clear. At the end he wrote, 'Only His Majesty decides.'"

Xiao Yuanhang flipped through two pages, couldn't help but laugh: "Lord Song's trick is truly brilliant!"

"He wrote everything, leaving it to His Majesty to decide, fulfilling his duty as teacher and minister while avoiding any suspicion to the utmost; no one can find a single fault."

"As for my teacher," Xiao Jieyun said with a smile, shaking his head, "if it were someone else and they said something, I would have to ask more questions."

"Lord Song? I asked a single question, and he replied with a whole book!"

Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Xiao Jieyun paused, then shifted the conversation: "A few days ago, the Minister of Personnel submitted a memorial."

"He said that now the four seas are at peace, and the fierce nation has become the world hegemon."

"Such achievements far surpass those of the former emperor; I shall follow ancient rites, confer the title on Mount Tai in the east, perform the grand sealing ceremony, to inform heaven, earth, and the ancestral temples."

Prince Ning and his son exchanged a glance.

Fengchan is the most grand ceremony of an emperor; those without great achievements dare not perform it.

Xiao Ningchen said, "The memorial from the Minister of Personnel is not entirely wrong; given the current state of the world, our nation is indeed unprecedentedly strong."

"The Minister of Personnel's document had been submitted for barely two days," Xiao Jieyun continued, "the Astronomical Bureau has also presented a memorial."

The chief astronomer said that the star at the celestial pivot within the Purple Forbidden Enclosure shines brilliantly, its radiance exceeding the norm, and purple vapors rise from the southeast, stretching straight through the Dipper and the Ox constellations.

This is an omen of the saintly ruler's accession and the successful Fengchan, indicating that an eastward journey to offer sacrifices at Mount Tai is appropriate.

The study fell silent for a moment.

Xiao Ningxun slowly spoke, "The celestial signs described by the Astronomical Bureau align with the memorial from the Minister of Personnel. His Majesty, do you intend to travel east?"

Xiao Jieyun gave no reply, lifted his tea cup, and took a sip.

Xiao Ze said, "Father Emperor, I, your son, think that although this matter is good, the timing is not yet right."

"Oh?" Xiao Jieyun set down his cup, "Tell me."

"Fifteenth brother developed a red rash a few days ago," Xiao Ze said evenly, "the imperial physicians have been taking turns to examine him."

"He has taken a lot of medicine, yet they cannot pinpoint the condition, only saying he needs careful treatment."

"But these days it keeps recurring; it disappears today, reappears tomorrow, and shows no sign of great improvement."

He paused, then looked at Xiao Jieyun, "The Empress is deeply worried about this, staying by the bed all day. Whenever I go to pay my respects, I always see her eyes swollen and red; I suppose she weeps every night because of it."

"If Father Emperor were to leave the capital and travel east now, I fear the Empress's heart would be filled with even greater anxiety."

The study fell silent again.

Xiao Jieyun remained silent for a long while, then slowly nodded, "Che Er is young, the Empress… is always overthinking and worrying, truly cannot be separated from me."

He looked at Xiao Ze for a moment, then turned to Prince Ning: "I intend to have the Crown Prince perform the Fengchan rite and the Heavenly Sacrifice on my behalf."

Xiao Ze was slightly startled.