stonecrandall Chapter 54: Many Strange Things Happen
Chapter 54: Many Strange Things Happen
At this moment, even Li Yuanke, with his excellent self-control, was furious.
Tianfei Pass is a formidable pass, with sheer cliffs on three sides. It connects to Mount Xumi in the west of Xiling and to the Beishaziwu Ridge in the north, making it an impregnable fortress.
Xiling is situated on high ground. Without Tianfei Pass, it would be like having one's own gates wide open, inviting bandits to visit day and night.
With a single descent from Xiling, the army could directly reach the capital.
Will there ever be peace again?
If it cannot be reclaimed as soon as possible, the Great Zhou will have to move its capital, and Li Yuanke's throne may not be secure.
Back then, General Feng Yifeng spent several years taking Tianfei Pass from Xiling. On the day the pass fell, he was shot in the chest with an arrow, laughed and died without regret.
Li Yuanke was furious. He swept the table clean, pressed his head down, and closed his eyes in deep thought.
The hall was deathly silent; everyone was trembling with fear.
After a long silence, he finally regained some composure and called out to Li Fude, "Investigate when anyone from the Duke of Wei's mansion entered the garden recently?"
Without needing to investigate, Li Fude said, "Your Majesty, the Duchess of Wei visited Consort Rong in the palace yesterday!"
Therefore, the Duke of Wei's mansion knew about it at the latest yesterday, and Consort Rong only made this scene tonight.
Li Yuanke sneered and asked, "Cen Yin, when did you find out?"
Cen Yin said, "Your Majesty, I learned of this matter an hour and a half ago and rushed over here at full speed."
Cen Yin finally understood. "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and failed to obtain the information in a timely manner. Please punish me!"
"The Duke of Wei's residence has disrupted your information, preventing you from learning of this matter immediately. I am unaware of the situation at the front. Tell me in detail!"
Cen Yin said, "Yes! Your Majesty, with the invasion of Beisha, Xiling thought its opportunity had come and has been making some disturbances. Ten days ago, Xiling ordered people to harass Tianfei Pass while sending troops to invade the Shanzhou area."
The military governor of Longyou ordered his son, Xue Ju, to simply defend Tianfei Pass. However, Xue Ju was eager to compete with Ling Menghui for credit and fell into Xiling's trap of luring the enemy away from the pass. Relying on the natural defenses, Xiling lured all the troops away from Tianfei Pass, leading to its fall!
Once news of the fall of Tianfei Pass spreads, the imperial court will immediately be thrown into turmoil.
Shen Shixi took the tea that Li Fude brought in, handed it to Li Yuanke, and said to Li Fude, "Please also serve Lord Cen a cup of tea!"
Cen Yin thanked him and then said, "When I learned of this, Xue Ju had already launched two attacks, and Ling Menghui was also assisting from the side, trying to take back Tianfei Pass, but the casualties were heavy and they could not shake Tianfei Pass in the slightest."
Ling Menghui was Feng Yifeng's apprentice and Li Yuanke's senior brother.
"Since things have come to this, there's no need to be too anxious or upset!" Shen Shixi said. "Tianfei Pass is the most formidable pass in the world. If it can be retaken, it will naturally be lost one day. If it can be lost, it can naturally be retaken."
Cen Yin said, "Miss Shen... no, I deserve to die. Consort Zhao, the two steep peaks on either side of Tianfei Pass are like two sharp blades, reaching straight into the clouds, making them difficult to cross. The pass has fallen into the hands of the enemy, and it will not be easy to take it down in a day or two."
Furthermore, with the battle lines stretched thin and more troops unable to be mobilized immediately, Beisha will certainly not let this opportunity slip by!
Li Yuanke knew that Shen Shixi never offered empty words of comfort, so he asked, "Xi'er, do you have a solution?"
Shen Shixi asked for some charcoal, and with a couple of quick strokes, drew a simple, clear, and vivid sketch of Tianfei Pass.
"The peaks on both sides of Tianfei Pass are no more than a thousand feet high, with sheer cliffs on three sides. It is indeed impossible to climb by human power. If we can't go up, neither can Xiling. Xiling is located on higher ground, making Tianfei Pass easy to defend and difficult to attack. Also, because the terrain on the west side is narrow, Xiling cannot send more troops to defend it."
"Once we climb up the cliffs on both sides and have a commanding view, Tianfei Pass will be easily back in our hands."
Cen Yin asked, "But how can we get up there?"
"I have a way!"
Shen Shixi had someone summon people from the Bureau of Clothing and Stuff, and then had Cen Yin find kerosene overnight. In just one night, she had a small hot air balloon made.
The hot air balloon, carrying two people, slowly rose into the sky, getting higher and higher, smaller and smaller, and then flew westward driven by the southeast wind.
Li Yuanke stared at the small red dot in the sky until it disappeared from sight, then he looked away.
Li Yuanke instinctively hugged Shen Shixi, who had stayed up all night, and fell asleep leaning against him.
"You idiot, you can even fall asleep like this!" Li Yuanke chuckled.
He picked her up and placed her on the dragon bed in Qingyan Palace, then lay down to sleep fully clothed beside her.
Cen Yin led his men at breakneck speed, following the hot air balloon below. An hour later, they returned, announcing, "Your Majesty, great news!"
Just as Li Fude was about to tell him to be quiet, the emperor came out and asked with surprise, "Have you gone up Longevity Hill?"
"Your Majesty is wise! Yes, we've reached Longevity Mountain and landed on its highest peak. We could have flown even higher; there are still stones in the basket that haven't been dropped yet. I was afraid Your Majesty would have to wait too long, so I rushed back to report!"
"That's good! Let's do it her way!" Li Yuanke breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes, but I still need Lady Zhao's guidance!"
Shen Shixi also woke up. Based on the experiment, she calculated some data, such as the size and weight of the hot air balloon, the amount of kerosene used, how many people could be put in each basket, and the material requirements, and handed them all over to Li Yuanke.
"Your Majesty need not worry. The wind direction is perfect this season, predominantly southeast. This hot air balloon can easily fly to Tianfei Pass. Once the people are up there, Your Majesty need not fret. A few rocks falling from the mountaintop will cause numerous deaths and injuries. Tianfei Pass will be easily captured!"
Cen Yin laughed, "Yes, Consort Zhao is right. Fortunately, Consort Zhao is also familiar with the terrain of Tianfei Pass. With Consort Zhao alone, she is worth an entire army from Xiling!"
Li Yuanke laughed heartily, "I agree with what A-Yin said!"
Shen Shixi was sleepy, so she yawned, gave a few instructions to the ladies in charge of clothing and ceremonies, and then took her leave to catch up on her sleep.
As the anniversary of the late emperor's death approached, the emperor fasted for three days and personally went to Dingling to offer sacrifices, without returning to the inner palace.
Sacrificial rites are a man's affair and have little to do with women.
A Buddhist ceremony was set up in Yongyou Temple for the late emperor. The concubines would also go and make a show of it by kneeling and burning the Buddhist scriptures they had personally copied, in order to demonstrate their filial piety.
The two volumes of Buddhist scriptures that Shen Shixi copied were personally taken to Dingling and burned by Li Yuanke.
She then chose a day when Consort Song was not around and knelt at Yongyou Temple for half a day, which was considered to have settled the matter.
The person has passed away, so these things are only for the living to see; the dead will never know.
After the anniversary of his death, the emperor did not return to the inner palace for several days, but he summoned Xue Wanrong and had her accompany him in the Qingyan Hall.
Xue Wanrong was also promoted to Baolin.
The fall of Tianfei Pass finally caused a stir in the court, and Li Yuanke had even less interest in visiting the inner palace. However, Xue Wanrong was still able to accompany him and serve him every night.
Because of her merit in serving the emperor, she was promoted from Baolin to Cairen in just a few days, becoming the most popular woman in the world.
During this period, Wang Yuehuai was also summoned to the emperor's bedchamber and promoted to the rank of concubine. She was also a new concubine who served the emperor, but compared with Xue Wanrong's favor, it was like heaven and earth.
Suddenly, no one criticized Shen Shixi anymore, and Xue Wanrong became the number one among the new concubines.
The extent of her favoritism surpassed even that of Shen Shixi in the past. Gifts were sent to her residence, Feixue Pavilion, three times a day, including the latest and finest silks and jewelry. Everyone in the palace was envious.
Bai Ping couldn't help but feel sorry for her master, while Shen Shixi seemed to be deep in thought.
On the sixth day of the seventh lunar month, it was time for another morning meeting.
Xue Wanrong came over riding on half of a decorated banner, and she came face to face with Shen Shixi. Since she was of lower rank, she should have given way to Shen Shixi, but she refused.
Of course, it's unclear whether it was she who wouldn't allow it, or her people who wouldn't allow it.
After a brief standoff, she seemed to snap out of her daze. "Hurry up and move aside! I'll apologize to Consort Zhao!"
"No need, let her go first!"
Shen Shixi's men made way, and Xue's procession passed by first.
Chao Yu asked, puzzled, "Master? Why should we give in to her?"
"Given that she's currently a favored concubine, someone the Emperor greatly cherishes, we should avoid her for now and refrain from any conflict with her people!"
Consort Rong and Consort Song both arrived, both looking haggard, their dark circles barely concealed by makeup.
Shen Shixi could understand the former, after all, such a major incident had occurred in the Duke of Wei's mansion, and who knew what kind of thunderous wrath the emperor would unleash, possibly even beheading or exile.
The latter made Shen Shixi feel a little scared. There were many women in the harem who couldn't have children. If Song Jieyu were to blame her for this, it would be incredibly frustrating.
"If Consort Song is unwell, she shouldn't come to pay her respects! Pregnant women are usually radiant and cheerful, so why does Consort Song look like she's not feeling well?" Shen Shixi said. "Your Majesty, perhaps you should have the imperial physician check Consort Song's pulse?"
The Empress, who was about to say the same thing, nodded, "Very well!"
Consort Song, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, said, "No need! Your Majesty, I am fine. I had my pulse checked yesterday, and the pregnancy is stable, and the imperial heir is safe. It must be because the baby in my belly was restless all night last night that I am indeed a little tired this morning, but otherwise I am fine!"
Shen Shixi refused, "Then we must call the imperial physician! Although I have never given birth, I know that a fetus also needs to eat and sleep, and its schedule is the same as the mother's. If this child is so restless that it doesn't sleep all night, there must be a reason!"
"Your Majesty, the imperial heir is of utmost importance. I suggest we summon the imperial physician!"
The maid, Qianyun, said, "Consort, it's time to take your medicine to prevent miscarriage."
Consort Song just stood up. "Your Majesty, I should go back and drink my medicine to prevent miscarriage. I will have the imperial physician come to check on your pulse later."
"That's good! Be careful on your way back!" the Queen said.
Everyone wondered, what was the point of all this going back and forth?
Shen Shixi, however, felt that things might not be that simple. Her current seat was next to Song Jieyu's, which was very bad!
"Tomorrow is Qixi Festival. His Majesty doesn't like to celebrate Qixi, and the palace never does. Whether you're praying for skill or having a get-together, please be careful. It's cool at night, so remember to wear an extra layer of clothing. If you have princes or princesses, please take good care of them," the Empress said.
The concubines all knew about the confrontation between Xue Wanrong and Shen Shixi before the morning meeting, and no one expected that Shen Shixi would actually give in to Xue Wanrong.
Admittedly, Xue Wanrong's favored status was intimidating, and the fact that Shen Shixi knew how to behave appropriately showed that she was not an easy person to deal with.
Li Yuanke had a bad temper. He was very generous in bestowing titles and rewards, but he could be truly ruthless and merciless when he wanted to be.
It's not hard to understand why Shen Shixi would give in.
After the person left, the Empress ordered someone to investigate Song Jieyu's pregnancy. Soon, Quan Degui came to report, "It was Physician Liao who took care of Song Jieyu's pregnancy. Because it was he who diagnosed Song Jieyu's pregnancy that day, the Emperor ordered him to take charge of Song Jieyu's pregnancy."
"This servant can only inquire with Physician Liao that Consort Song's pregnancy is going smoothly; I can't find out anything else. Also, this servant heard from Physician Xu that he occasionally smelled the fragrance of mugwort on Physician Liao."