The young, vibrant female body and the exquisite, high-end objects—these two seemingly unrelated things, when placed together, create no sense of dissonance at all.
Moreover, they always evoke associations with indulgence in sensual pleasures and extravagant living.
Liking to enjoy life is human nature. Even in the mansion of Princess Changzhu of Ningde, there is a troupe of young actors and a group of dancers—male and female—who stage fresh performances every year that are widely known in the capital.
Whenever festivals or holidays arrive, many nobles and officials take pride in being able to borrow the troupe and dancers from the Princess’s mansion.
But what Xie Yu couldn’t figure out was exactly what Prince Su intended to do.
If it were merely for amusement, he could have easily kept the people within his own princely mansion. Why go to the trouble of sending them all the way beyond the city walls?
Going to the trouble of bribing officials of the Outer City Bureau to sneak them out at night clearly indicated some shady business.
But what could Prince Su possibly gain?
Xie Yu’s first thought, when it came to the royal family, was rebellion.
But the country was currently peaceful, and the Emperor had several healthy adult sons. Suddenly changing the ruling house would likely meet immediate resistance from the old ministers left behind by the previous Emperor.
What about collusion with foreign enemies?
Prince Su was already a “Iron Hat” Prince, possessing the highest rank and wealth, with no higher position to aspire to. What benefit could he possibly gain from betraying the nation? It didn’t make sense.
Then perhaps he was trying to win over court officials and aristocratic families.
But again, the question remained—why?
If he had no intention of rebelling or colluding with enemies, and hadn’t held any official duties for years, what purpose would there be in cultivating connections?
No, there must be a reason.
Clearly, Prince Su understood that he himself would never regain power. But he had sons and grandsons. Considering his current relationship with the Emperor, who could say when he might pass away and whether his “Iron Hat” might turn into a paper one?
If we consider this as a long-term plan for the benefit of his descendants, then it was indeed necessary for Prince Su to cultivate allies.
Xie Yu leaned on one hand, gently tapping his temple with his index finger. He felt he really needed to visit the palace again.
If his speculation proved correct, then the matter involving Prince Su would run too deep for him to continue involvement.
Because if Prince Su was indeed laying the groundwork for his descendants, then we couldn’t just focus on the present—we needed to look ahead, to the next ten or even twenty years.
To put it more plainly, he wanted to place bets!
He wanted to place early bets on several princes and certain court officials to secure higher status for his descendants.
This was exactly the kind of behavior that every ruler feared most.
Therefore, the next priority was to find the whereabouts of those girls.
Once found, it would likely lead us to uncover who among the court and outside officials—and even which princes—were secretly communicating with Prince Su.
Thinking this through, Xie Yu tightly closed his eyes for a moment to relieve his accumulated fatigue, and when he opened them again, all signs of tiredness had vanished.
“You pick out a few inconspicuous people and spread them out starting from outside the city gate, all the way to the locations not marked with an ‘X’ on the map. Place one near Old Man Zheng’s teahouse as well,” he instructed Gao Laoliu. “Remember, don’t get discovered.”
There were no new yamen runners in the Kaifeng Prefecture this year. If the other side also had spies, the appearance of his familiar subordinates would likely be detected.
Gao Laoliu nodded in agreement.
Xie Yu paused slightly, “If you find Xiao Huang, ensure his safety first.”
That kid was truly talented. It would be a shame if he met an untimely end.
Gao Laoliu daringly raised his head to look at Xie Yu, somewhat surprised.
Xie Yu understood his meaning, “What I said, I stand by.”
Those who do well should be rewarded.
Right now, there was no need to sacrifice lives yet.
Gao Laoliu immediately lowered his head, sincerely kowtowing for Xiao Huang, “Thank you, Young Marquis. Then I’ll get going.”
After Gao Laoliu left, Xie Yu slowly exhaled.
Only then did Ma Bing speak, “Tired?”
The frequency and duration of his blinking were both more than usual. It was obvious he was trying to relieve fatigue through this subtle method.
Xie Yu wasn’t surprised she noticed.
He slowly blinked again, without stubbornly denying, “Hmm.”
A little.
Just a little.
He really didn’t want to get involved in the struggle for the throne.
It was boring.
Utterly boring.
He was carrying the burden of Kaifeng Prefecture, bearing the Emperor’s expectations, and representing the royal family’s image…
Previously, people had questioned whether he had obtained his important position at such a young age merely due to his family’s legacy and the Emperor’s favor.
But he had silenced all doubts through his actions.
Now, when walking on the streets, everyone respectfully called him: Young Master Xie.
Young Master Xie had always been someone else’s exemplary child. He couldn’t afford to be tired, nor should he be tired.
But when Ma Bing asked, he suddenly felt a surge of long-suppressed fatigue breaking through a tiny crack in his long defenses.
Perhaps he was indeed a bit tired.
It felt as if the past twenty years of restraint and fatigue had all converged at this moment, making him want to relax just a little.
But almost immediately, Xie Yu began to chastise himself, even feeling somewhat ashamed, then reflecting inwardly.
Perhaps it wasn’t really about being too tired, but that he had somehow become overly soft… which was not good.
While lost in thought, he heard a faint scraping sound from the side. Then, to his surprise, he saw Ma Bing moving her chair closer to his side.
Under Xie Yu’s gaze, Ma Bing scooted her chair even closer, until the armrests of the two chairs were tightly pressed together, unable to get any closer. Then she patted her own shoulder and asked, “Want to lean on me for a bit?”
Xie Yu’s eyes widened slightly.
What… did she mean?
Ma Bing looked at him and asked, “After so many years of being perfectly flawless, Young Master Xie must be really tired, right?”
Xie Yu’s pupils trembled slightly.
For a moment, his mind was completely blank, filled only with sharp noise and meaningless black and white spots.
No one had ever asked him like that before.
Even his father and mother had only said that being born into such a family, enjoying so much power that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine, naturally meant carrying burdens that ordinary people couldn’t imagine.
Tired?
Of course you are.
Being tired is normal.
Better tired than being dead.
Seeing the almost bewildered and unfamiliar expression on Xie Yu’s face, Ma Bing couldn’t help but think, about how they had ended up together.
Perhaps, they really were somewhat similar.
Suddenly, she also felt a bit tired.
So Ma Bing instinctively relaxed her body, leaning sideways against the back of the chair on Xie Yu’s side.
Xie Yu hesitated for a moment, as if making a decision, then also leaned back against the inner side of the chair like her.
Slowly, slowly, their heads leaned inward and downward, finally touching each other, their breaths mingling.
So then, just lean for a bit.
Just a little.
No one expected that just leaning for a moment, Xie Yu actually instantly fell asleep.
Actually, he only slept for about a quarter of an hour, but the feeling of instantly falling asleep next to someone else was still surprising to him.
In just a short quarter hour, it seemed as if all his recent fatigue had been swept away, and even Ma Bing seemed more energetic.
They exchanged glances and both smiled softly.
A bit shy, a bit happy, a feeling of peace and comfort.
Full of energy, Xie Yu entered the palace and honestly reported his speculations. The Emperor remained silent for a long time.
Xie Yu didn’t speak again.
He lowered his eyes, staring at the stone tiles on the ground.
He remembered that these tiles had recently been smashed, but now they had been replaced with new ones.
At first glance, it seemed as if nothing had happened, but upon closer inspection, one could see that the edges of these new tiles were sharper and clearer.
Each stone tile used for paving the floor was carefully measured and polished, with straight and clean seams, just like… how the Emperor viewed Prince Su.
Over the past years, he couldn’t claim to have been fully aware of every move and word of Prince Su—after all, he was merely a defeated general. Even if he had grievances, it wouldn’t matter. If he had treated the matter too seriously, it would have been undignified.
But the Emperor did know that Prince Su had been secretly contacting several princes.
He hadn’t stopped it.
Which prince hadn’t gone through this kind of thing?
They were all sons of the dragon. If they had absolutely no thoughts about the dragon throne… not even ghosts would believe that.
The eldest prince had already reached the age of thirty, and the younger princes were also in their twenties, having entered various government offices years ago and achieving some decent political achievements.
Being born a few years earlier indeed made it easier to gain more favor from the Emperor and leave a good impression on the court officials. But if an Emperor remained too healthy and long-lived, it gradually became a bad thing for the eldest sons.
It wasn’t their fault for being anxious.
But secretly connecting was one thing; being discovered involved in such despicable and disgraceful activities was another matter entirely.
Power infinitely magnifies a person’s flaws. If a prince was already so cruel while still a prince, what would happen if he ever ascended the throne? He would surely bring disaster to the country and its people!
The Emperor liked ambitious princes but could not tolerate cruelty and tyranny from them, betraying both the imperial grace above and the people below.
He rotated the jade ring on his finger, looked up at Xie Yu, “You’ve lost weight.”
It was indeed difficult for this child.
The Emperor thought for a moment, “You continue the investigation. I trust you. If anything involves those brats, just report directly to me. Don’t worry about any consequences.”
This was essentially a promise: if the matter indeed involved several princes, the Emperor himself would handle it, ensuring that Xie Yu wouldn’t be put in a difficult position.
Xie Yu nodded in agreement.
The Emperor raised his hand and gently patted his forehead, slightly regretting having so many children.
Actually, having just one child like his sister wasn’t so bad.
But then he thought again, no—if it turned out to be a fool, wouldn’t the entire empire be ruined?
Better to have several, at least there would be choices.
Thinking this through, the Emperor tightly pinched his brow, changing the topic, “What have you found out so far?”
Xie Yu replied, “Someone has already confessed—they accepted bribes and allowed the gray-covered carriage to pass through at night. However, they don’t know what was inside or where it went.”
The confessions came from two mid-level officials.
Being a city guard was tiring, but as long as one could secure an official position, there were many opportunities for profit.
Take, for example, the taxation and verification of goods entering the city—there was plenty of room for manipulation.
Many merchants, to pay less tax, would bribe city guards in advance, underreporting the quantity of goods.
Even worse, some would go to great lengths to obtain documents that reduced or exempted taxes. Normally, careful inspection by city guards would reveal discrepancies. But as long as bribes were paid, everything would be fine.
Several of those who confessed or were implicated had done this frequently.
As for the gray-covered carriage, they initially just followed their superiors’ orders, thinking it wasn’t a big deal.
Letting a carriage out of the city—either it was an official secretly meeting a concubine or smuggling some illicit goods. It wasn’t uncommon before, so they were somewhat complacent, thinking it probably wasn’t anything life-threatening.
But now, upon hearing that it might involve treason, they panicked immediately.
Xie Yu only interrogated them for two days before they quickly confessed.
“The carriage always went through the Chaoyang Gate on the east side,” Xie Yu said. “But Your Majesty, I think it’s highly possible they later switched to water transport.”
The secret letter sent back by Xiao Huang clearly indicated this:
The estates along the Bian River had been almost completely investigated, but no clues had been found. The remaining two locations might not be fruitful either.
On the contrary, the river was filled with countless boats, from giant seagoing ships weighing thousands of jin to ordinary cargo ships weighing hundreds of jin.
At night, sailors who had been drifting for months or even years would indulge themselves all night, and prostitutes would come aboard to solicit business…
In such circumstances, hiding the traces of several or even dozens of girls would be extremely simple.
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