Chapter 119: The Lady of the Liu Clan

Xu Boqing paced the streets of the capital, his brow tightly furrowed...

In the past, the manifestation of the Great Liang’s fate was unmistakable. Whether it was the assassination attempt on Emperor Yonghe, the grand Water and Land Dharma Assembly, or the uprising of rebels in the south, one glance would reveal the intensity of the nation’s turmoil...

But now, this aura of fate had suddenly vanished...

How could he not be alarmed and suspicious?

Recently, the capital had been plagued by a series of mysterious and strange incidents, all occurring right under the emperor’s nose. Not only the Patrol Department but even the Ministry of Justice, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Court of Judicial Review were under tremendous pressure...

Therefore, many renowned detectives from across Great Liang had been dispatched to assist in investigating these anomalies...

After circling around the capital, he could clearly sense that the city’s security was far tighter than when he had left—though not to the extreme of checkpoints every few steps, it was commonplace to see armored soldiers patrolling the streets with weapons in hand...

Xu Boqing stood still, his gaze sharpening...

While searching for the reason behind the disappearance of Great Liang’s fate, his Heavenly Eye had faintly detected several subtle traces of demonic energy.

However, these entities either hid within their mansions or stayed in inns, their movements well concealed. They were not easy to track, so he had not paid them much mind...

Then a thought struck him...

There was still over a year before the Water and Land Dharma Assembly was to be held, yet so many demons and spirits had already been drawn here...

Among them, some were reckless fools, while others were profoundly skilled practitioners. Surely, many like Zhu Sisi were lurking near the capital, gathering intelligence!

What kind of scene would unfold when the Dharma Assembly finally commenced?

Could the absence of Great Liang’s fate be connected to these malevolent beings?

Xu Boqing could neither think so deeply nor see so far ahead. Helpless, he shook his head with a sigh, deciding to return to the palace and first report to the Empress Dowager about his worries...

On his way back, he passed the Jing Prince’s Mansion. Before its gates stood a sedan chair. Pausing as if struck by a sudden thought, he concealed himself behind a tree.

At that moment, the prince of the mansion emerged, gave a few orders, then entered the sedan chair. The strong servants lifted it and headed toward the imperial palace...

After Emperor Yonghe appointed the Crown Prince, his other two sons were titled Prince Gong and Prince Jing, with the Jing Prince’s Mansion belonging to the current third prince.

That young prince just now was none other than the third prince, Zhu Wenjing!

Xu Boqing’s eyes darkened as he watched the sedan chair fade into the distance, his mind turning over the information he had obtained earlier in Xingyuan Prefecture from Zhou Xuan...

News about Deng Jian!

The eldest prince, Zhu Hong, had been stripped of his crown prince title and confined to the Eastern Palace due to his involvement with rebels. Although Xu Boqing had helped to clear his name—thanks to Empress Zhang—and had succeeded in lifting his confinement, Emperor Yonghe had yet to restore his position as crown prince.

Since the imperial family cared for no one, naturally the second and third princes began vying for the crown prince title...

Deng Jian was a martial expert at the Innate Realm. Not only was he one of the five assassins targeting Emperor Yonghe, but also a key target of the Western Depot’s extermination orders.

Xu Boqing mused that if he were the ambitious second or third prince, he too would keep someone like Deng Jian alive as a secret trump card.

After all, Deng Jian was powerful and in a precarious position. Protecting him would earn immense gratitude, especially since he held a crucial secret about the eldest prince, Zhu Hong!

If Zhu Hong remained despondent, that secret was useless. But if he showed signs of resurgence, this leverage could pull him back into trouble at a critical moment.

Apart from neglecting the Western Depot and Xu Boqing himself—the head of that secret police—the third prince’s decision to shield Deng Jian was a masterstroke...

“Tsk, tsk, tsk... Perhaps to them, I am nothing more than a trivial eunuch servant,” Xu Boqing thought with a wry smile, his understanding deepening.

After some reflection, he sneered softly and began to employ the “Muscle-Tendon Transformation and Bone-Strengthening Technique”...

The muscles on his cheek twitched as his form shifted. Since their build was similar, the transformation required little alteration. When he stepped out from behind the tree, he had assumed the appearance of the third prince, Zhu Wenjing...

The real Zhu Wenjing had only just left...

Avoiding the front gate, Xu Boqing found an unguarded wall and leapt into the Jing Prince’s Mansion.

Mimicking Zhu Wenjing’s demeanor, he strolled through the mansion. Servants and maids greeted him respectfully, none suspecting a thing...

He had hoped to locate Deng Jian and quietly eliminate him to fulfill Chief Huang’s last wishes, but after searching even the rear quarters, he found no trace of the man...

Strange...

Xu Boqing furrowed his brow, pondering...

Then it dawned on him: Deng Jian, having attempted to assassinate Emperor Yonghe, was ordered personally by the emperor to be eradicated. If he were openly found and reported to the throne by those with ill intent, it would be difficult to explain.

Hence...

He was best kept hidden as a secret pawn...

Nodding thoughtfully, Xu Boqing proceeded to Zhu Wenjing’s study. He rummaged through it but uncovered no clues.

He then decided to check the bedroom...

Just as he stepped out of the study, he unexpectedly encountered a beautiful young woman dressed in fine clothes.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, caught between youthful innocence and mature womanhood.

Perhaps recently having given birth, her chest was ample, and a faint fragrance of milk lingered about her...

Seeing him, she smiled gently and said, “Husband, didn’t you say you would go to the palace today? How come you’ve returned so soon?”

“...”

Xu Boqing’s mind momentarily faltered.

Immediately, he realized that since she called Zhu Wenjing “husband,” she must be either his wife or concubine. Zhu Wenjing was the son of Noble Consort Zhou.

Not long ago, when he had gained favor from Empress Dowager Chen, he had seen Noble Consort Zhou personally deliver congratulatory red eggs to Cining Palace. After exercising with the Empress Dowager, Xu Boqing had even eaten some for nourishment...

He had also overheard Empress Dowager Chen chatting about the red eggs.

According to her, Zhu Wenjing had married General Zhao Wu’s daughter, Lady Liu, who was five years his senior. The red eggs were gifts celebrating their child’s birth.

At that time, Xu Boqing had joked that the third prince was lucky to have a wife who cared for him deeply, causing the Empress Dowager to laugh heartily...

Calculating ages, Zhu Wenjing was just eighteen, making Lady Liu about twenty-three—matching the woman before him. The milk scent also aligned with a recent childbirth...

Yet, noble families usually employed wet nurses to feed their infants, rarely nursing them personally. So this...

Then again, people married young in those days. It was not uncommon for a woman in her twenties to have a child and still nurse naturally.

Still, one question remained...

If the red eggs had been delivered nearly a year ago, and the child was fed by a wet nurse, she should have weaned long ago...

Why did the faint fragrance of milk still cling to this woman?

Was she truly Lady Liu?

No...

Why was he even concerned if she was Lady Liu?

He was here only to investigate Deng Jian’s whereabouts, not to linger. Even if this woman was Lady Liu, what did it matter to him?

Snapping out of his reverie, Xu Boqing feigned composure and said, “The palace affairs have been handled, so I came back early...”

The woman’s eyes flickered softly as she smiled warmly, “You must be exhausted recently, husband.”

“Indeed, a little...”

Xu Boqing nodded slightly, then sighed, feigning weariness. “I’ll rest in my room for a while. If you have no matters, madam, you should also take care to recuperate.”

With that, he retreated to the bedroom...

The young woman stood rooted, watching his retreating figure. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, her gaze filled with indescribable grievance...

She barely remembered the last time someone called her “madam”...

Born into a military family, her temperament was fierce, yet as a woman, she knew she could not escape the fate of arranged marriage. Reluctant to submit too soon, she had delayed it until she was a grown woman.

She had thought that age would bring fewer troubles, but the current third prince had taken a liking to her, and her father had insisted firmly that she marry, no matter her wishes.

She had resigned herself to fate and entered the princely mansion as his wife.

At first, their relationship was tolerable. Once the marriage was consummated, she had done her utmost to embody the role of a virtuous wife and mother.

But then she discovered a disturbing truth: her husband had a strange preference...

He favored older women.

Moreover, this oddity grew stronger with age, especially during her pregnancies, when he paid her less and less attention.

Once, she even caught him entangled with the wet nurse!

It felt like the world had shattered.

For a long time, she did not know how to face a husband five years her junior...

Having tasted neglect, her wounds deepened...

Eventually, she resolved not to lose to a plain wet nurse.

She drank fish broth and took tonics, hoping to win back her husband’s heart by strengthening herself. Alas, though she grew stronger, his thoughts seemed elsewhere...

In recent months, he was either busy with state affairs or courting ministers, often staying out overnight.

Even when home, he wore a stern, unyielding expression...

Yet now...

She felt a trace of his care.

Even a single word—“madam”—or a simple phrase—“take care and rest”—warmed her heart, convincing her that he still held feelings for her...

She also reflected upon herself...

As the principal lady of the mansion, how could she be so jealous?

A smile blossomed on her face as she returned to her chamber, where a bowl of fish broth sat untouched, despite the swelling in her belly resembling a stone.

Still, she closed her eyes and drank the broth clean.

Then she prepared a pot of old ginseng soup, placed it on a tray, and carried it to the bedroom she had long since ceased to enter...