Chapter 1940

Since becoming engaged to Hu Xiaotian, the little girl has become much more low-key; to outsiders she also seems to have grown far more neglectful of state affairs, and apart from the regular court audiences, most external affairs are handled by Hu Xiaotian on her behalf. Hu Xiaotian, however, does not really believe that this girl could truly let go and from now on contentedly play the role of a virtuous wife and good mother?

Entering the Palace of Stored Excellence, I saw Shi Xuedong just coming out with two little eunuchs; upon seeing Hu Xiaotian, Shi Xuedong hurried over to greet him, lowering his voice: 'The Princess just had us bring over some fresh seasonal fruit; I suppose it's to receive Your Highness, the Prince.'

Hu Xiaotian gave a faint smile.

Shi Xuedong, seeing that no one was around, again lowered his voice and said: 'Seize the moment, opportunity must not be lost, lost opportunity never comes again—brother, you must definitely secure her as soon as possible!' This guy, although he had been castrated, still in his speech showed no lack of his flirtatious nature.

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'Elder brother, you're overthinking it; have you been satisfied with your recent duties?'

Shi Xuedong nodded repeatedly: 'Satisfied, satisfied; the Princess also treats me with special favor, all thanks to the Prince's prestige.'

Hu Xiaotian patted his shoulder: 'What's there to be polite about between us brothers?'

Hearing this, Shi Xuedong felt even more honored; having lingered in the palace for so long, he was also quite perceptive, and did not dare to take up more of Hu Xiaotian's time, hastily taking his leave.

Hu Xiaotian entered the Palace of Stored Excellence and saw Qiqi drawing at the desk; her beautiful hair hung over her shoulders, her bare feet were delicate and white like jade, her delicate brows furrowed, she would from time to time set down her brush and fall into deep thought—so absorbed that she did not even notice Hu Xiaotian approaching.

Hu Xiaotian did not immediately disturb her, lowering his head to look at the drawing on the desk, but the pattern there was extremely strange, winding and twisting like a maze, making his scalp feel a bit numb; he drew a breath and turned his gaze toward the distance.

Qiqi sensed his presence from that breath, she pursed her cherry lips, placed the goat-hair brush on the brush holder, and said softly: 'These lackeys have all been bribed by you; they don't even greet me when they come in.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'That's because they know I mean you no harm.'

Qiqi's beautiful eyes flickered: 'That's not necessarily so!'

Hu Xiaotian reached out his arm to encircle her slender waist, intending to pull her into his embrace, but Qiqi pushed back with her hand against his chest: 'I'm calling for help!'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Calling now won't help; even if they heard, they wouldn't come in—no one would dare ruin our affair.'

Qiqi sighed: 'Hu Xiaotian, Hu Xiaotian, you truly are my cursed star! I really don't know what I owed you in my past life.' A faint gloom lingered in her beautiful eyes; though not obvious, Hu Xiaotian noticed it. Seeing her spirits were low, he let go of her and said softly: 'Tell me, who has made my precious Princess angry? I'll vent your anger for you.'

Qiqi said: 'Besides you, who else?' Her gaze returned to the painting, her brows furrowing again.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'This painting has a hint of abstract art; with my limited artistic sense I really can't make sense of it.'

Qiqi, of course, had no idea what abstract art was, and she said softly: 'These past few days I keep having strange dreams, in which bizarre patterns keep appearing over and over; I've drawn them out, I remember some, but others I can't recall.'

'Since you can't remember, there's no need to think about it.' Hu Xiaotian began to worry about Qiqi's condition; she was clearly becoming immersed and unable to extricate herself, and if this continued it would do her no good.

Qiqi tightly closed her eyes, straining to clear the chaotic thoughts from her mind, and after a moment she said: 'Will Liu Yuzhang come as promised on the seventh day of the seventh month?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'He definitely will; he shouldn't miss this opportunity!'

Qiqi opened her eyes, looked at Hu Xiaotian, and suddenly took the initiative to spread her arms and embrace him; Hu Xiaotian held her close, feeling her tremble slightly in his arms, and softly comforted her: 'Don't be afraid, I'm here with you.'

Qiqi pressed her pretty face against Hu Xiaotian's shoulder and whispered: 'Promise me you'll never deceive me.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'Silly girl, besides your beauty, what else is there worth my deceiving you for?'

Qiqi lifted her head from his embrace, already tearful; Hu Xiaotian had never seen her show such a fragile side, he reached out to wipe the tears from her face and smiled: 'If anyone saw, they'd think I was bullying you.'

Qiqi also blushed a little, walked to the side, picked up a handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face, her mood calmed considerably, and she said softly: 'Lately there's been talk that the Miu clan's treasure lies beneath Yongdu; is this something you stirred up?'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'This has nothing to do with me; anyway, the more internal chaos there is in Da Yong, the better it is for us.'

Qiqi said: 'The Black Hu envoy has come to discuss peace, and this time it's Wanyan Liexin again; you two should be old acquaintances.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I've already received this news; the Black Hu envoy will arrive in Kangdu tomorrow, and tomorrow evening I will host a banquet at the Prince's mansion to welcome Wanyan Liexin and his party, to wash away the dust of travel.'

Qiqi said: 'But I don't know what scheme they have this time.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'It's just peace talks; the new Black Hu ruler should focus on consolidating power. The previous power struggles in Da Yong have already shown everyone the harms of internal strife; since Xue Shengkang's death, Da Yong has gone downhill and has not recovered, and although Xue Shengjing has succeeded in taking control of Da Yong's authority as he wished, the state's ills are deep-rooted and hard to reverse, the people cannot make a living, and the populace, struggling to survive, have risen in revolt; now Da Yong is engulfed in flames everywhere.'

Qiqi said: 'It seems we ought to take some action—while he's ill, take his life!'

Hu Xiaotian, however, shook his head and said: 'Although that may be so, now is not the best time to deal with Da Yong. First, we have a treaty with them, signed not long ago; if we openly renege, we will lose moral standing before the world. Second, if we move in while they're weak, the Black Hu side will not resign themselves to letting us monopolize this fat prize; they will surely send troops from the north to seize territory. Moreover, Da Yong is presently in internal turmoil and will inevitably continue to decline; we only need to covertly support the rebel armies, help them train troops and provide supplies, and then Da Yong's situation will only worsen. When the time is ripe and our plans are in place, we can take Da Yong in one fell swoop—wouldn't that be easy?'

Qiqi said: 'You're still plenty scheming!'

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, taking her remark as praise, and continued: 'What's most important right now is actually to seize Xichuan as soon as possible; the lands of Xichuan, Xizhou, and Xiezhou nearby are not only fertile but also surrounded by mountains, making the terrain strategic, easy to defend and hard to attack. Back then Li Tianheng raised troops and declared independence, carving out Xichuan for himself; now that Li Tianheng is dead, Xichuan should rightfully return to Dakang, yet the Tianxiang Kingdom has seized it like a cuckoo taking over a magpie's nest, forcibly occupying it. Although I took advantage of the earthquake to grab some territory, the land actually held by the Tianxiang Kingdom still cannot be compared; the longer we delay, the firmer the Tianxiang Kingdom's grip on this land will become. Moreover, to their south they have Hongmuchuan, and together with the Tianxiang Kingdom they have linked the south into a single bloc. If we do not break this connection, once a solid defensive line is formed, breaking it later will be as hard as climbing to heaven.'

Qiqi nodded and said: 'But with our current national strength, I fear we cannot sustain such a prolonged war.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'War need not be drawn out, nor must it be fought along the entire front; the biggest problem in Xichuan is popular sentiment—most of the populace still consider themselves Dakang people at heart, and when the Tianxiang Kingdom took control of Xichuan, they carried out massive massacres of the Li clan's old troops, leaving Xichuan's military morale unstable. Frankly speaking, these years I have never ceased my activities in Xichuan; within Xichuan itself, even among their forces, we have already cultivated a formidable unit.'

Qiqi heard this news but showed little surprise, nor any excitement; she didn't know why, but lately she seemed no longer as enthusiastic about power and status as before—could it be that feelings truly can change a person? She said languidly: 'Just go ahead and do these things; I can't be bothered to manage them.'

Hu Xiaotian also noticed her change, reached out to touch her forehead: 'Are you all right?'

Qiqi shook her head and said softly: 'Days have been too peaceful; in fact they're less novel and stimulating than before.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'Do you really think we have to fight to the death, bash our heads bloody, for life to be varied and colorful, for existence to have some other meaning?'

Qiqi sighed: 'I don't know what's come over me; suddenly I've lost interest in everything, and I can't muster the spirit for anything.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Or I could stay tonight to keep you company?'

Qiqi's pretty face flushed, and she snapped: 'What are you up to now? We haven't even held the grand wedding ceremony—what propriety would there be in your staying?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I'm just concerned about you; I certainly don't mean to take advantage of you, and the timing of the grand wedding is still up to your word.'

Qiqi said: 'You go back first; I need to think it over properly. After the matter of the seventh day of the seventh month is over, let's set the date as soon as we can, all right?'

Hu Xiaotian nodded, feeling that Qiqi's behavior lately was somewhat abnormal, yet he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong.

Wanyan Liexin arrived as scheduled, just as Hu Xiaotian had anticipated; this visit was indeed for peace, and the new Black Hu ruler could not possibly overlook Dakang, this great central-plains state.

Hu Xiaotian hosted a banquet at the Zhenhai Wang Fu, lavishly entertaining Wanyan Liexin and his entourage; as the saying goes, there are no eternal friends nor eternal enemies in this world. When Wanyan Liexin first fled in panic from Kangdu, he never imagined he would return to Dakang so quickly; although both times he claimed to come with peaceful intentions, this time his sincerity is greater.

After eating and drinking their fill, Hu Xiaotian invited Wanyan Liexin to the garden for tea; during the meal, Wanyan Liexin had already clarified the purpose of this visit, and now their conversation turned more to personal affection. Both were exceptionally clever, and neither brought up the incident where the Gangbadu gang had stolen the Skull.