Chapter 1291

Hu Buwei said, "Your imperial older brother has invited you; will you go or not?"

Long Xuanjiao coldly said, "Unless he dies, I will never go to Kangdu, but since they have come to invite, I must give them face; I will prepare for Longyue to go."

Yang Longyue is the Imperial Younger Brother, but not the biological son of Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao; he has been made Prince Fu. Yang Longyue and the current Emperor of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, Yang Longjing, are half-brothers sharing the same father, differing in age by only seven days. They grew up together from childhood, deeply fraternal, yet their temperaments are completely opposite. Yang Longjing is indecisive and hesitant, benevolent and broad-minded, fond of poetry, songs, prose, and the four arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Yang Longyue, however, is bold and unrestrained, resolute and decisive; from childhood he enjoyed brandishing swords and practicing martial arts, and he is the favored disciple of Xie Tianyuan, the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom's renowned Southwest Sword Saint; it is said his swordsmanship already rivals his master's.

Yang Longyue not only possesses formidable martial skill but also excels at deploying troops and forming battle plans; two years ago he led troops to quell the barbarian rebellion, and his prestige in the military has been growing daily. Although Emperor Yang Longjing values him greatly, Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao begins to feel a grave threat: the higher Yang Longyue's prestige rises, the more detrimental it is to her own son. Prince Fu Yang Longyue himself shows no rebellious behavior, yet many officials have begun whispering that, although the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom nominally has Emperor Yang Longjing on the throne, his nature is truly too weak, and in reality it is Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao who controls the court. Some veteran ministers of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, unwilling to accept this, have started scheming to have the empress dowager relinquish power, but the current emperor Yang Longjing clearly lacks the possibility to challenge his mother's authority, so many have placed their hopes on Prince Fu Yang Longyue.

Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao's decision to have Yang Longyue go to Kangdu to attend the wedding certainly serves her purpose; she intends to use this opportunity to ensure he goes and never returns. If Yang Longyue dies in Dakang, she can achieve two goals at once: not only removing this thorn in her side, but also finding a righteous pretext to launch a military expedition against Dakang.

Hu Buwei immediately guessed Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao's purpose. He nodded and said, "That's not a bad idea; both emotionally and rationally we should send someone to offer congratulations, and it just so happens to let him bring a gift for me along."

Long Xuanjiao's gaze instantly turned cold: "You have no relatives left in Dakang, do you? It seems you still cannot forget that bastard offspring!"

Hu Buwei's expression remained as calm as an ancient well: "I am merely adding fuel to the fire, letting him die a little sooner. Long Xuan'en wants to kill Hu Xiaotian but lacks a proper pretext; if he knew Hu Xiaotian has always been in contact with me, intending to inwardly cooperate and outwardly destroy Dakang, do you think this charge would be enough to warrant execution?"

Long Xuanjiao said, "Yang Longyue's martial prowess is formidable; to eliminate him we must deploy a top-tier expert, and moreover it cannot be someone from the imperial family."

Hu Buwei said, "I happen to have a suitable candidate in hand."

Long Xuanjiao said, "Once this is accomplished, the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom will have no hidden threats, and we can devote our full strength to dealing with Dakang."

Hu Buwei said, "Is the timing ripe?"

Long Xuanjiao said, "Black Hu and Da Yong are entangled in Bei Jiang; Da Yong cannot spare troops in the short term to cross the Yong River. Dakang's internal conflicts are manifold, Long Xuan'en is decadent and lawless, throwing the court into chaos; if he eliminates Hu Xiaotian, the north will surely fall into turmoil. The collapse of the state is imminent."

Hu Buwei said, "Hu Xiaotian is no simpleton; Long Xuan'en may not succeed this time."

A faint smile touched Long Xuanjiao's lips: "After all, you still cannot bear to see him die." She leaned closer to Hu Buwei and whispered into his ear, "I can see it in your eyes."

Hu Buwei said nothing, merely furrowing his brow.

Long Xuanjiao said, "Whether Hu Xiaotian escapes this calamity or not, Dakang will inevitably fall into internal turmoil."

Hu Buwei said, "Don't forget Li Tianheng!"

Long Xuanjiao smiled and said, "He? I'm afraid he can barely protect himself!"

Not long after Hu Buwei left, the Emperor of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, Yang Longjing, came over to pay his respects to the empress dowager. Long Xuanjiao gazed at her gentle and refined son, a knowing smile appearing on her face, and Yang Longjing respectfully said, "Your son pays his respects, Empress Dowager!"

Long Xuanjiao laughed, reached out and took his hands, saying, "You—what kind of bearing does a ruler of a nation have? I hear you've gone to the Hanlin Academy again to match verses with those old scholars."

Yang Longjing, slightly embarrassed, nodded and said, "I merely went to seek advice from a few masters."

Long Xuanjiao shook her head and said, "If you have free time, you should read more memorials and ponder affairs of state."

Yang Longjing laughed and said, "Isn't the empress dowager helping me share my worries?"

Long Xuanjiao spat, "You are truly unfilial! I, your mother, am already past the age of forty; I ought to be enjoying my twilight years, yet you never think to ease my burdens, spending all day indulging in frivolous pursuits. Ah! You have been emperor for fifteen years and still do not know when you will truly grow up." Yang Longjing ascended the throne at seven and is now twenty-two years old.

Yang Longjing didn't want to keep haggling over this issue, so he changed the subject and said, "Mother Empress, I heard that envoys from Dakang have come over to deliver wedding invitations?"

Long Xuanjiao nodded and said, "Indeed, the Yongyang Princess will be married on the sixteenth of the fifth month, and they have sent the wedding invitations over, asking this humble one to attend the ceremony."

"Will Mother Empress go or not?"

Long Xuanjiao said, "I won't go, but we must not neglect propriety; I'll have Longyue go in my stead."

Yang Longjing's face was full of envy; having grown up almost entirely in the palace since childhood, he rarely left the imperial palace. Hearing that Yang Longyue could this time go to Dakang to attend the ceremony, he wished he could also go out and see the world like Longyue.

From his expression, Long Xuanjiao already knew what he was thinking, and she softly said, "You need not be anxious; there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

Yang Longjing nodded and said, "Mother Empress, I haven't seen Miss Yingyue lately."

Long Xuanjiao said, "She is devoted to her cultivation; what do you expect to see her doing?"

Yang Longjing's face flushed; although he was a sovereign of a nation, his conduct remained that of a refined scholar. Seeing her son like this, Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao couldn't help but sigh inwardly, this boy lacks ambition and is indifferent to state affairs, yet after seeing Long Xi Yue once, he cannot forget her. With him like this, how could she feel assured handing over authority to him? His facial features closely resembled those of Hu Buwei in his youth, and he indeed inherited Hu Buwei's many talents, but Hu Buwei's deep scheming and extraordinary strategizing were not passed on to him in the slightest.

Although Yang Longjing had become emperor, he still held great reverence for the Empress Dowager; seeing her displeased expression, he dared not ask further, smiled and said, "Your son still has matters to attend to; I'll take my leave now."

Long Xuanjiao nodded, watched Yang Longjing depart, suddenly felt an inexplicable vexation, and called out, "Zhou Desheng! Go make preparations; this humble one wishes to go to the Green Shadow Pavilion tonight."

The Green Shadow Pavilion is one of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom's imperial traveling palaces; it is not far from the Imperial City, located southeast of Fragrant Blossom City. In the past it was an imperial garden, where past emperors would go to escape the summer heat. Because the previous emperor died suddenly of illness here, the Green Shadow Pavilion came to be regarded as an ominous place, left abandoned for nearly ten years. Until five years ago, Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao finally had it repaired and rebuilt. After its reconstruction, it became her private domain; without her permission, not even the emperor dare come here lightly.

The Miss Yingyue that Yang Longjing had just mentioned was the one he happened to meet when he went to the Green Shadow Pavilion to pay respects to the Empress Dowager; the encounter left him awestruck, and from then on he could not forget her.

In fact, Yingyue is Long Xi Yue; after being sent to the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, she has been kept under house arrest in the Green Shadow Pavilion. Although her aunt, Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao, treats her kindly, she is not allowed to leave. When Long Xi Yue first arrived there, she spent all day washing her face with tears, but later she gradually accepted reality; she cannot rely on her own strength to break free from her confinement, and can only hope that her beloved will come to rescue her.

Long Xi Yue sat embroidering under the lamp; during her days in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, she could only pour her feelings into needlework, and only thus could she temporarily forget her beloved.

From behind came the sound of unhurried footsteps, and Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao appeared behind her, clicking her tongue in praise: "This mandarin duck embroidery is lifelike; throughout the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, I doubt there is anyone else with such superb embroidery skills."

Long Xi Yue gave a gentle smile, then set aside her embroidery and rose to her feet, softly saying, "Yingyue pays respects to the Empress Dowager, Thousand Years!"

Long Xuanjiao hurriedly helped her up and said, "You child, there's no need for so many formalities in the Green Shadow Pavilion; just call me Aunt."

Yingyue said, "At present I am merely a wandering orphan girl; I dare not be impolite."

Long Xuanjiao sighed and said, "When did we become so distant between us?" She took Long Xi Yue's hand and sat down on the chair. In the candlelight, Long Xi Yue looked somewhat weary, yet still radiantly beautiful; Long Xuanjiao secretly admired her, thinking she was truly peerless in beauty—even in her own youth she could not compare to Xi Yue's grace, and it was no wonder her son had become enamored of her. She grasped Xi Yue's delicate hand and said, "Xi Yue, do you wish to return to Dakang?"

Long Xi Yue had already lost hope that she could be allowed to leave, and she whispered, "Yingyue feels that now is already a blessing from heaven; her heart no longer harbors any extravagant wishes."

Long Xuanjiao sighed and said, "It's not that I, as aunt, am being harsh; rather, everyone in the world believes you are dead. If you were to return from the dead, how would Dakang explain itself to Da Yong? Given Da Yong's current strength, it would certainly launch an attack on Dakang, and by then even the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom might be dragged into the conflict."

Long Xi Yue said, "Empress Dowager, rest assured; Yingyue knows what she ought to do."

Long Xuanjiao said, "Actually, this humble one also wishes to return to Dakang to have a look, but there are too many matters to attend to within the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom; I simply cannot spare the time."

Long Xi Yue's gaze was indifferent; she had no interest whatsoever in Dakang's affairs, and the only thing that could catch her attention was news of Hu Xiaotian. However, Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao's blockade of the outside world was strict, making it difficult for her to obtain any other information.

Long Xuanjiao said, "Xi Yue, you have also reached the age to marry; I wonder if you have ever considered your lifelong union?" (To be continued~^~)