Chapter 99 - The Shadow Under the Moonlight
Chapter 99 The Shadow Under the Moonlight
On the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, Imperial Concubine Duan went to Weiyang Palace with roasted geese, fruit and candles. She obviously went here for condolence. Sima Xiu looked at her icily. He became more distressed at the thought of his old sister’s tragic death, his heartbroken mother who couldn’t stop crying for her dead daughter, and his poor nephew who had to hide and live as another person.
Sima Han was still making noises, which embarrassed Imperial Concubine Duan. She forgot to behave gracefully for the first time by revealing her panic in eyes and twisting her mouth. She said, “Fourth Prince must be so tired today and he’s talking nonsense. Yuenan and Yuebei, you two take him to have a rest.”
As bodyguards of Imperial Concubine Duan, Yuenan and Yuebei were good at martial arts. Despite feeling hesitant about her order, they still strode towards Sima Han and each one held one of his arms. Before putting forth their strength, they heard a voice as cold as ghosts.
“Who dare take Fourth Prince away?” Leng Changxi already stood up straight. His voice was flat, but the black mask he wore highlighted his absolute majesty. Yuenan and Yuebei were stunned and shocked by his mighty manner and words.
Leng Changxi smiled wickedly and said, “The emperor is still asking Fourth Prince questions. Why are you so hurried?” It seemed that he was talking about Yuenan and Yuebei but in fact, he was satirizing flustered Imperial Concubine Duan.
The more flustered she was, the more she gave herself away. Therefore, Sima Xiu would become more suspicious of her.
Although she was far away from them, Qin Yunuan saw everything clearly. Turning around to look at Qin Yuzhao who was nervous, Qin Yunuan held her hands and gave her a little squeeze to reassure her.
Sima Xiu frowned and decided to investigate the whole thing. However, it was not appropriate to start the investigation now because Wanyan Su, a foreign guest, was still here. He could not allow him to hear the imperial scandals.
Wanyan Su was discerning. He stood up and said to Sima Xiu, “My little sister has been in sleep and not come out of her tent for a long time. She may still be mad at me so I’d better comfort her now.” Then, he left with his retinues.
Seeing this, those young ladies from noble families followed and left too. Taking Qin Yuzhao to leave the banquet, Qin Yunuan remained worried.
Walking to a quiet place, Qin Yunuan made a hand gesture, a secret signal Leng Wu and she arranged. Normally, she would not call Leng Wu to show up to avoid drawing attention, but now, she had a task for him.
Hearing what she said, Leng Wu frowned.
“Third Miss, there are a lot of skilled imperial guards. I’m afraid I cannot hear what they are saying inside.”
“I’m not asking you to eavesdrop on them,” Qin Yunuan said in a light tone, “You only need to make sure your master and Fourth Prince stay safe. If anything goes wrong, inform me at once.”
Qin Yunuan was restless. Wanyan Su left the banquet and so did maids and eunuchs who served the emperor. Only the emperor, empress, several imperial concubines and their cronies were there. However, Leng Changyi, an irrelevant official, also stayed. That meant he was involved or he was the insider. Either way, he faced a complicated situation.
Cupping his hands before his chest, Leng Wu disappeared in the distance. Qin Yunuan asked Tong and Maner to send Qin Yuzhao back to the tent to have a rest. She alone was heading for the hillside near the shooting range where she had a talk with Leng Changxi in the afternoon.
It was quiet. The moonlight shone through leaves, leaving sparse lightspots on the ground. Qin Yunuan was walking aimlessly. She was thinking of Princess Saichun’s words, Queen Mother’s intention to fix Infanta Shuhua up with Leng Changxi, and Leng Changxi’s hard-hitting pledge. Unconsciously stepping on a pine branch which therefore cracked, Qin Yunuan heard a deep male voice with a North Di accent.
“Qin…Third Miss?” the man sounded like he was not sure about who he was talking to and he was confirming.
Turning around, Qin Yunuan saw a smiling man under the tree. It was Wanyan Su who just left the table. The path Qin Yunuan chose was remote and barely walked. Obviously, Wanyan Su followed her. Why did the Seventh Prince of North Di follow her alone?
Qin Yunuan became vigilant and she heard Wanyan Su raised his voice. He said, “Or should I call you Miss Yang, the co-owner of Golden Butterfly Embroidery House?”
He came here for business.
Qin Yunuan said slowly and calmly, “You, the Seventh Prince of North Di, are really well-informed.”
Wanyan Su, a foreign prince, just arrived in Qi for half a month. But he already knew that she was the owner of Golden Butterfly Embroidery House and found out her real identity in addition to the fake one, Miss Yang.
Wanyan Su smiled, “Third Miss, you can directly call me by my name.”
“I dare not.” Qin Yunuan kept Wanyan Su at a distance. Leng Wu was not here and she did not know his true intention. “Coming here at midnight, you are not to enjoy the moon, are you?”
“How can the moon be more attractive than you, Third Miss?” Wanyan Su smiled at ease. Grown up in the prairie culture, he was straightforward and said, “I’m not talking nonsense. I really admire you for your business talent. You manage to run a 100-year-old near-bankrupt shop noticeably well. Now, I’m afraid I am not the only one who knows your merits.”
“Shen Xun, the young master of the Shen Family, is a born business genius. I just offer him a little help.” Qin Yunuan didn’t dare to take the credit to give herself away. Shen Xun was indeed smart, but he was too casual about everything, usually leaving the shop to have a trip. Besides, he was not as shrewd as average businessmen. Therefore, it was she who ran embroidery shops in the Royal City and four nearby prefectures. Each month, Qin Yunuan earned several thousand tael of silver as dividends so she was really rich now.
“Please,” Wanyan Su shook his head and said, “Don’t be humble, Third Miss. After all, I’m here to cooperate with you instead of competing with you.”
“Cooperate with me?” Qin Yunuan felt puzzled. Owing to the longstanding war, the trade between North Di and Qi was under the strict government’s control. Only two trade routes, Yan Pass and Lu Pass, were open and people traveling through had to provide complex clearance documents.
It seemed that Wanyan Su knew what she was worried about and made this plan long time ago. He said, “Third Miss, perhaps you don’t know all people pursue for individual interests. North Di is rich in spices, treasures and diamonds but lack of silk, cloth and aquatic products. In comparison, Qi has cheap silk and expensive jade. Businessmen have racked their brains to explore new private trade routes. Simply near Lu Pass, I know there are 13 non-official routes. If you are willing to cooperate with me, I will integrate these routes to build a secure comprehensive one. You merely need to provide cloth produced by Golden Butterfly Embroidery House. I promise that your shop will become the No.1 embroidery shop in Qi in three years, leaving Yuman Embroidery Shop behind.”
“Your offer is quite tempting,” Qin Yunuan really meant it, “But why should I trust you? In addition to non-official trade routes, there are also official ones near Lu Pass. If officials or Pass generals find out our tricks, we will lose so much rather than just cloth.” If so, Golden Butterfly Embroidery House would be sealed up. At that time, not only Qin Yunuan herself would face money loss, but also Shen Xun, her career helper, would suffer from this.
“No need to worry about this, Third Miss,” Wanyan Su smiled, “A new general will take office to manage affairs in Lu Pass on the second day of next month. And I am the general.”
So that was his ultimate intention. Qin Yunuan curled her lips. She had long heard of the fierce fight between princes for the throne in North Di. The faction led by the Grand Prince, Wanyan Zun, enjoyed a strong momentum so they cracked down on other princes by all means. Undoubtedly, transferring Wanyan Su to Lu Pass, a politically sensitive area, from North Di was to push him out. Nevertheless, Wanyan Su took advantage of this change to grow stronger by cooperating with Qi businessmen who North Di was at feud with.
Qin Yunuan had a look at Wanyan Su’s shining blue eyes. He was ambitious and also patient.
“It’s too risky,” Qin Yunuan already made a decision but she still hid her thoughts while negotiating with Wanyan Su, “Besides, your offer, ‘leaving Yuman Embroidery Shop behind’, sounds not that tempting now. Even if my shop becomes the No.1 embroidery shop, it, after all, is a shop.” Qin Yunuan wanted more. Moreover, the owner of Yuman Embroidery Shop was Leng Changxi. Competing with it was like fighting against Leng Changxi, which was meaningless.
“Third Miss, you are so ambitious. I’m wondering what else you want?” Wanyan Su sighed but his words were full of praise for her. Working with ambitious people could help him achieve more.
Qin Yunuan smiled lightly and said gracefully, “I want a share of your business profits in North Di.”
She was rather too ambitious. Wanyan Su squinted at her and he was thinking over this offer. Before he replied, a man appeared out of nowhere with a strong wind.
It was Leng Wu.
Leng Wu looked up at Qin Yunuan and he also noticed Wanyan Su. Being surprised, he wondered why the latter was here.
Qin Yunuan had a glance at Wanyan Su who later discerningly stepped back and stood over ten meters away. People in North Di never paid attention to inner cultivation so Leng Wu knew that Wanyan Su couldn’t hear his words at such a distance. He reported, “Imperial Concubine Duan has been put under house arrest.” Looking up at Qin Yunuan and Wanyan Su who stood far away again, Leng Wu said in a light tone, “And, Prince Ray was attacked just now. Evidences point to North Di planning it.”