gnovel Chapter 034: The Engagement
Chapter 034: The Engagement
"You're still wearing the same gray short-sleeved khaki you wore three years ago when you entered the palace."
Zhao Bozong looked at the thin fabric on Liu An's elbow and the frayed edges of his collar.
"You sent all five hundred coins back to Shanyin County, Shaoxing Prefecture every month."
Your mother is still alive, and you have a younger sister who married a tenant farmer in the neighboring village. Every month you send money back home through someone, and you barely keep a few copper coins for yourself.
He pushed the empty cup back in front of Liu An.
"I'll give you three times your monthly pay, 1,500 coins. You'll continue to report to Prime Minister Qin and continue to meet the man in gray at the back gate every evening."
But what to report—that's up to me.
Liu An finally raised his hand and slowly reached for the wine glass.
He gripped the stem of the cup, his whole body tense.
"Your Highness...aren't you afraid I'll tell Prime Minister Qin?"
"What did you tell Prime Minister Qin? That Prince Pu'an knows you're a spy?" Zhao Bozong picked up his wine cup and touched Liu An's, which was hanging in mid-air.
"When Prime Minister Qin placed you in here, he never intended to hide you. You are an open pawn; an open pawn remains an open pawn even if it is discovered, but an open pawn can become someone else's open pawn."
"Prime Minister Qin will kill the young one."
"He won't. Because you still go to the back door every evening and report to the man in gray every day."
Your report will remain unchanged—Prince Puan drank a certain amount of wine, read a certain number of erotic poems, and discussed a certain number of romantic matters today.
What Prime Minister Qin saw was still that member of the imperial family who was indulging in wine and women; he didn't know, and he never would know.
Zhao Bozong placed the wine cup back on the table, the bottom of the cup making a soft sound as it tapped against the wood grain.
"A monthly allowance of 1,500 cash is enough for your household expenses."
In addition, a Miss Shen will be coming to the manor soon. I will not let her know any of this, and you should not let her know anything either.
"You will remain as usual in the Prince's residence. In her presence, you are merely my personal attendant, unrelated to Prime Minister Qin or anything else."
Liu An remained silent for a long time.
The sound of rain outside the window fluctuated, and he raised his wine glass to his lips and drank it all in one gulp.
Then he stood up, took two steps back, knelt down, and pressed his forehead against the blue brick ground.
"Your Highness, my life belongs to you."
Zhao Bocong did not help him up.
"Your life is still your own. What I want is not your life, but your eyes and ears."
From today onwards, you will be my personal attendant during the day and Qin Hui's spy in the evening.
The only difference is—you get 500 coins from Qin Hui, but 1500 coins from me. Your mother's living expenses and your sister's dowry will not be interrupted.
Liu An kowtowed, his forehead hitting the blue brick with a dull thud, then stood up.
His fingers had stopped trembling. He drank quickly, his cheeks were slightly flushed, but his eyes were brighter than before.
They retreated to the doorway and stopped.
"Your Highness, Prime Minister Qin has been acting strangely lately."
Zhao Bocong raised his head.
He met many people back and forth. Some were wearing court robes, some were wearing everyday clothes, and some were too young for him to recognize.
He often stayed in his study until very late, adding twice as much lamp oil as usual.
Yesterday he met a man from Xiangyang. After the guest left, Prime Minister Qin sat alone in his study. Dinner was brought in and then brought out again, untouched.
"I have never seen Prime Minister Qin look like this before."
Zhao Bocong's finger stopped on the page.
When guests arrived from Xiangyang, Qin Hui sat alone until late at night, without eating dinner.
This means that something unexpected happened in Xiangyang that Qin Hui did not expect.
Perhaps Yue Yinping had transferred four hundred veterans in advance, causing Qin Hui's men to arrive in Xiangyang only to find no one there, or perhaps Niu Gao had shouted something in the military camp that alerted Qin Hui's spies to something amiss.
"Liu An, keep an eye on things. If he gets any more news from Xiangyang, let me know immediately."
Liu An acknowledged and withdrew. Zhao Bocong got up, walked to the window, and opened it a crack.
The lights in the Qin residence were still on, brighter than usual. Qin Hui's purge was continuing, but his men in Xiangyang had already made their move.
He sat down at his desk and reopened Shen Qingci's letter. The last sentence, "I will come to pay my respects once I have settled in," was slightly swollen from the dampness that seeped in through the window cracks.
The plum rain season in Shaoxing, which has lasted for twelve years, is not yet over.
Zhao Bozong was in his study looking through the account books that Manager Wang had sent over.
Tucked inside the ledger was intelligence sent by Qin Keqing on her last ship trip: "The Jiangbei traveler has left Zhenjiang, accompanied by three people and carrying a secret box."
Feng Yi also received news from the palace that Qin Hui had been frequently meeting with the Privy Council's Naval Commander recently, and the discussions involved the mobilization of warships in Zhenjiang.
He placed the two intelligence reports side by side on his desk, the papers a few inches apart, but they both reported the same thing: Qin Hui was making moves in Zhenjiang, and his target was most likely Li Bao.
Just as he was about to pick up his pen to write a letter to Yue Yinping, Liu An announced in a low voice from outside the door, "Your Highness, Miss Shen has arrived."
Zhao Bozong put down his pen, closed the account book, tucked it into a hidden compartment, then stood up and walked a few steps to the desk, straightening his collar. "Please come in."
Liu An pushed open the study door.
A woman dressed in light blue stood outside the threshold.
The bundle was made of coarse cloth with a blue background and white flowers. She held it tightly in her arms, as if afraid that it would be snatched away if she let go.
She was slender, but she didn't look frail standing there; her back was very straight, even a little taut.
A few stray hairs slipped down from behind her ears, which she gently gathered back with her fingers. She raised her head, her gaze passing over the threshold and landing on Zhao Bozong's face. She paused for a moment, then looked away.
"This humble woman, Shen Qingci, greets Prince Puan." Shen Qingci's voice was soft and trembling slightly, as if she hadn't spoken in a long time, or perhaps she was nervous.
She bowed slightly, her movements a little stiff, not because she was ignorant of manners, but because she hadn't done so in a long time.
As Zhao Bozong looked at her, something deep within his memory was gently stirred.
Xiuzhou, the old house, the plum tree—and a blurry shadow.
The shadow had two buns tied in her hair, and the silver bells on them jingled as she ran.
He remembered the sound of the bell, but not the face.
He looked at the woman in front of him, trying to connect her features with the little girl in his memory, but he couldn't quite make it match.
"Miss Shen, please come in. You must be tired from your journey. Please sit down and let's talk."
Shen Qingci bowed slightly, but tripped as she stepped over the threshold.
Liu An quickly steadied her and helped her up. When she thanked him, her eyes were slightly red, but she quickly lowered her eyelashes to hide it.
She sat down in the chair, placed the bundle on her knees, pressed her hands on the bundle, and remained tense.
Zhao Bocong asked Liu An to make tea.
Only the two of them remained in the study, and it was quiet for a long time.
"His Highness has probably already read the letter your elder brother asked me to deliver," she said first, her head bowed, her voice even softer than before.
"I have come to Lin'an to seek refuge with a distant relative in the west of the city."
They haven't been in contact for many years, and they don't know if the other side still recognizes the kinship.
I've come to the Prince's residence today firstly to pay my respects, and secondly... to thank Your Highness for your letter regarding my elder brother's acceptance of my letter.
She pronounced the word "greeting" very clearly, as if she had rehearsed it many times in her mind.
She didn't mention the engagement, and neither did Zhao Bozong.
"Have you made contact with the area west of the city?"
Shen Qingci's fingers tightened around the bundle.
"Not yet. I plan to find an inn to stay in first, and then inquire again tomorrow."