Chapter 1804

Hu Xiaotian strode into the Diligence Hall, unlike other officials; he wore no court robes, just a casual scholar's robe. Though his movements were graceful and unrestrained, such attire entering the imperial palace risked showing contempt for the court. Entering the palace, Hu Xiaotian faced little trouble: first he revealed his identity, then he produced the five-colored coiling dragon gold plaque Qiqi had given him years ago. To him, the imperial palace that others saw as lofty and unattainable was as simple as visiting a neighbor.

Choosing to appear publicly was also a decision he made after careful thought; after the life-and-death battle in Long Ling Shengjing with Ren Tianqing, continuing to hide his identity had become meaningless. He wanted to appear openly before the public, to reestablish his power and status in Dakang; for him this might be the best opportunity.

Qiqi gazed at the graceful Hu Xiaotian, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She could not deny that, day and night, she constantly worried about his safety, even more than she worried about Quan De'an. Seeing Hu Xiaotian safe and sound, her heart finally settled, but Quan De'an had not returned; there was an eighty to ninety percent chance he had met with misfortune. Qiqi could not determine whether Quan De'an's disappearance was related to Hu Xiaotian, and she even began to doubt his motives, suspecting that everything he had previously told her was a lie.

I, your humble subject Hu Xiaotian, pay respects to Princess Thousand Years thousands of years!

"No need for ceremony, rise!" Qiqi said softly. Hu Xiaotian was the foreign-surname prince she had decided to enfeoff; according to protocol he need not perform the kowtow before her. Qiqi sized up Hu Xiaotian, then quickly said, "Please be seated."

Although this was not a formal court audience, the three senior ministers Hong Beimo, Zhou Ruiyuan, and Wen Chenghuan were present; each of their statuses was no lower than Hu Xiaotian's, yet Qiqi had not offered them seats, showing her favoritism.

Zhou Ruiyuan and Wen Chenghuan exchanged glances, each seeing helplessness in the other's eyes.

After Hu Xiaotian thanked her, he sat on the right side; at the same time, palace attendants brought out several more chairs and invited Hong Beimo and the two others to sit down. Qiqi did not overlook this detail.

After everyone was seated, Qiqi said, "All of you, my beloved subjects, are pillars of the state; speak freely, do not stand on ceremony."

Hong Beimo smiled and said, "When did Your Highness, the Prince, arrive? Why had I heard nothing of this before?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "I just arrived; I hadn't even found a place to settle before rushing to the palace to pay respects to the Princess, lest Your Highness blame me for ignorance of etiquette and contempt for the court." He then bowed again to Qiqi; outwardly he remained respectful, but Qiqi did not think so, silently cursing his hypocrisy, and said calmly, "I have never said anything against you; the King of Zhenhai's fame fills the world—who does not know your ability? I had thought you had long forgotten that you are a subject of Dakang."

Everyone could hear the reproach in her words; it was common knowledge that Hu Xiaotian's achievements overshadowed the ruler, yet this fellow, as his wings grew full, had long ceased to regard the court, habitually ignoring imperial orders. He had once even annulled his marriage pact with the Yongyang Princess—a grave disrespect—but after the Yongyang Princess enfeoffed him as king, it amounted to a tacit pardon of his past offenses, and later he even went to Yunze to attend his grand wedding, improving their relationship.

In Zhou Ruiyuan's view, Hu Xiaotian's coming to Kangdu at this time was surely forced by circumstances; the earlier influx of refugees had already created enormous pressure, and if a grain source were not found promptly, Hu Xiaotian's territory would face a grave crisis.

Hong Beimo, however, felt Hu Xiaotian's appearance was too sudden; he vaguely suspected that this fellow's emergence might be related to many recent events, yet he had no evidence.

Hu Xiaotian said, "I have always been a subject of Dakang; this has never changed. If the Princess doubts my loyalty, why would she entrust me with the important mission to Xichuan?"

Wen Chenghuan gave a hollow cold laugh and said, "So the Prince has returned to Kangdu to report back; it seems the Princess entrusted the wrong person, for the situation in Xichuan has not eased but worsened."

Hu Xiaotian smiled at Wen Chenghuan and said, "Does the Grand Tutor mean that Xichuan's current state is entirely my fault?"

Wen Chenghuan countered, "Your Highness, the Prince, have you not completed the mission the Princess entrusted to you?"

Hu Xiaotian burst into laughter, his gaze fixed on Wen Chenghuan, but his smile suddenly faded; coldly he said, "Regarding the mission to Xichuan, I, Hu Xiaotian, will have my merits and faults judged by public opinion. If the Princess says I am guilty, I will willingly accept punishment. Now the Princess has said nothing against me—why do you leap forward to hurl accusations? What is your motive? What grudge do I have with you? Why do you constantly target me?"

Wen Chenghuan's white beard bristled with anger as he shouted, "You have betrayed the trust of Your Highness, failed to complete the Xichuan mission, yet you act self-righteously—do you not know what shame means?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Speaking of shame, I would like to ask: when Xichuan faced crisis, where were you? Dakang's entire civil and military establishment—could it really find no one daring to undertake the mission to Xichuan? Grand Tutor Wen, you of high virtue and prestige naturally understand shame; if so, why did you not voluntarily volunteer to go to Xichuan to resolve that crisis?"

"You..."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "People often say the older one gets, the more afraid of death one becomes; I used not to believe it, but now I am utterly convinced."

Wen Chenghuan snapped, "You spout bloody nonsense!" He rose angrily, intending to argue with Hu Xiaotian.

Beside him, Zhou Ruiyuan coughed and said, "Grand Tutor, calm down and listen to what Your Highness has to say."

Wen Chenghuan cupped his fists toward Qiqi and said, "Your Highness, this old subject is certainly not one who fears death and clings to life; whenever the court summons, I would go up blades mountains and down seas of fire without furrowing a brow."

Hu Xiaotian sighed, "The Princess is a discerning person; she knows who can be used and who cannot. Your Highness understands this clearly. Grand Tutor Wen's ambition remains undimmed, only unfortunately his strength falls short of his will."

"You..." Wen Chenghuan was so infuriated by this fellow that he nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

Qiqi, hearing Hu Xiaotian refute Wen Chenghuan, felt great amusement in her heart; her beautiful eyes shone brightly. This fellow truly had a silver tongue, she said softly, "I, the Princess, naturally know that Grand Tutor Wen is loyal to the sovereign and patriotic, but Hu Xiaotian, having been entrusted in a time of peril, did indeed take a great risk by daring to enter Xichuan under those circumstances. Some things are beyond human remedy; the Xichuan affair is complex and tangled, and not all blame can be laid on him." Qiqi's remarks set the tone: Hu Xiaotian need not bear responsibility for the Xichuan matter.

Hong Beimo secretly sighed; it seemed this girl indeed harbored lingering feelings for Hu Xiaotian, protecting him at every turn.

Qiqi turned her gaze to Hu Xiaotian and said, "You've come this time, I suppose, not merely to explain the Xichuan affair, have you?"

Hu Xiaotian said respectfully, "Your Highness is wise; indeed, in this world the one who understands me best is Your Highness!" This remark amounted to openly flirting with Qiqi.

Several senior officials turned a deaf ear, consciously filtering out those words.

Qiqi said, "I, the Princess, dare not claim to understand; as the saying goes, one can paint a tiger's skin but not its bones, know a person's face but not their heart—what you think in your heart, how could I know?"

Hu Xiaotian rose and bowed deeply to Qiqi, saying, "I, your humble subject, now have only Your Highness in my heart."

Qiqi, hearing this fellow's blunt confession, felt her cheeks flush involuntarily.

Hong Beimo and the two others could barely bear to listen; they thought, "Does Hu Xiaotian need a hint of modesty? There are still people around, yet he dares to say such things to deceive a young girl whose emotions are just awakening—is he even human? His heart holds only Qiqi, so why did he marry Long Xi Yue? If his heart holds only Qiqi, why did he earlier cancel his marriage pact with her? Do you really think women are so easily deceived?"

Wen Chenghuan seized the moment: "King of Zhenhai, on this trip to the capital, has your princess consort come along?" He was reminding Hu Xiaotian, "You rascal, you're already married—don't come here to deceive innocent girls."

Hu Xiaotian completely ignored that old fogey; Wen Chenghuan's hatred for him was profound, having already blamed the death of Wen Boyuan on himself, wishing he could tear himself apart but lacking the opportunity. Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "I am merely expressing my loyalty to Your Highness; gentlemen, there is no need for other interpretations."

Qiqi said, "Loyalty is not for you to declare; I, the Princess, am not so easily deceived. Hu Xiaotian, stop beating around the bush with all this talk—I, the Princess, know your purpose in coming this time."

Hu Xiaotian said, "The Princess plans with great strategy; my little thoughts cannot escape your notice, but I still have some things I wish to say to the Princess alone."

Qiqi deliberately said, "There are no secrets between I, the Princess, and you; if you have anything to say, just speak it out."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "If it's public business, saying it is fine, but I want to speak of private matters; if the Princess finds it convenient to say, then I don't mind." This fellow put on the air of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

Hong Beimo and the two others all secretly cursed this fellow's shamelessness; they thought, "He just wants to get rid of us—why beat around the bush about private matters?"

Zhou Ruiyuan was the first to rise and take his leave, saying, "In that case, I, your humble subject, will take my leave first."

Hong Beimo rose afterward; although Wen Chenghuan could not stand Hu Xiaotian, he too was a person of understanding, having long seen that the Yongyang Princess harbored lingering feelings for Hu Xiaotian, and realized that using the Xichuan affair to topple Hu Xiaotian was utterly impossible.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Mr. Hong, please stay."

Hong Beimo blinked, unsure why Hu Xiaotian had called him; he turned and smiled at Hu Xiaotian, saying, "Your Highness, the Prince, what guidance do you have?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Mr. Hong, do you have time tonight? If so, I would like to go to your residence to ask for some advice."

Hong Beimo laughed, "Your Highness, the Prince, having come from afar, it is only proper that I, Hong, welcome you with wine and dust‑washing; I will now return, prepare food and drink, and await your esteemed arrival." (To be continued~^~)