After civil strife broke out among the younger sons of the royal house of Zhou, the legitimate eldest son, Ji Qiao, was barred from entering Xianyang for seven days over a dispute concerning ceremonial protocol. In the end, it was only after Lord Hengyuan reluctantly went outside the city in person that the delegation was finally escorted into the official guest residence.
With every major state under Heaven now facing turmoil, the aging Qin Wang used his advancing years and the burden of state affairs as an excuse. Consequently, the banquet to receive the Zhou envoys was scheduled for the twenty-fifth day of the third month in the main hall of Changming Palace.
The first thing Ji Qiao did after arriving at the guest residence was send someone to bring Zhao Shu to see him.
…
Twenty-third day of the third month, Western Market of Xianyang.
A young woman wearing a veiled bamboo hat stood impatiently listening as a Persian woman in front of her enthusiastically explained something in broken, halting Chinese. Only one attendant accompanied the girl, a servant whose temple bore the scars of an old burn. The young woman was none other than Princess Weiyang, Ying Huan, who had declared several days earlier that she intended to find the Love Gu.
On a coarse piece of cloth lay two withered, brown leaves of an unknown plant. The Persian woman painstakingly explained, in clumsy Chinese, both their effects and the method of using them.
The two leaves formed a matching yin-and-yang pair. According to Persian legend, they were the fabled Love Gu.
“My beautiful lady, do not underestimate these two little leaves,” the Persian woman said. “What this old woman sells is no ordinary aphrodisiac. Those crude medicines bring pleasure for only a fleeting moment. But these Love Gu leaves, grind them into powder, dissolve them in tea, and once they’re consumed, they can make someone… love one today and another tomorrow… until, over time, affection naturally grows….”
“‘Love one today and another tomorrow?’ I think you mean love each other morning and night,” Ying Huan interrupted, no longer able to endure the woman’s mangled Chinese. “Just say they’ll make two people fall in love, willingly marry each other, and have children. Spare me the nonsense. I…” she coughed lightly before correcting herself, “…want two pairs of these. Just tell me how many jin of gold you want.”
Although the woman’s speech was often awkward and bizarre, she had become the leader of a Persian merchant caravan at only thirty years old. She had spent over a decade traveling through every kingdom of the Central Plains without ever once cheating a customer or selling inferior goods. Therefore, so long as she was not claiming to sell an elixir of immortality, she was generally considered trustworthy.
“Twenty jin of gold for one pair. However…” Hearing that Ying Huan wanted two pairs, the Persian woman hesitated before honestly admitting, “The herbs themselves are not especially rare. The difficulty is that refining a single pair takes thirty years. I only have two pairs left. This old woman is already thirty-two this year, and I had hoped to keep one pair for myself…”
At that point, the otherwise confident and flamboyant merchant unexpectedly blushed.
Ying Huan burst into laughter. She could not be bothered to ask further or waste any time. “Ten taels of gold,” she said bluntly. “Listen carefully, not bronze, but actual gold. Be sensible and sell me both pairs.”
She had expected to bargain or even threaten the woman. Instead, the moment the merchant realized Ying Huan meant gold rather than bronze coins, her striking, exotic eyes widened dramatically.
With a heavy thud, Jiaoyue placed a bulging cloth sack onto the table.
The Persian woman did not utter another word. She immediately turned to the cabinet, retrieved the final pair of yin-and-yang Love Gu leaves, then hurried back and enthusiastically seized Ying Huan’s hand. “Oh, beautiful lady! May the holy god Ahura bless you with many fine husbands!”
Ying Huan shook her hand off in disgust and motioned for Jiaoyue to put away the two pairs of Love Gu leaves before asking, “Does this Love Gu have an antidote?”
The woman was busy carefully counting the gold. Without even looking up, she shook her head.
The deal completed, Jiaoyue stepped outside to harness the horses. Ying Huan had one foot over the doorway when she suddenly turned back, casually tossed the merchant a small copper coin, and said, “You do sell aphrodisiacs, don’t you? Give me your strongest one.”
“Naturally,” the woman replied.
She promptly sold Ying Huan a packet of Hehuan Powder at several times its normal price. Watching the merchant beam with delight over yet another profitable sale, Ying Huan suddenly felt as though she had been thoroughly fleeced.
Before leaving, she could not resist saying sarcastically, “Actually, love one today and another tomorrow is an excellent phrase. And one more thing, beautiful young ladies around here especially love it when people respectfully address them as old grannies.”
The merchant, happily cradling what amounted to an entire year’s earnings, repeated the newly learned expression to herself with a grin. Escorting Ying Huan to the door, she eagerly put her new vocabulary into practice. “Beautiful Granny Lady, please travel safely!”
Ying Huan nearly fell off her horse. She shot the woman a furious glare, snorted indignantly, ignored her completely, and hurried back toward the Princess’s residence.
That very afternoon, inside a secret chamber of the Princess’s residence, two fully grown male foxes were each fed one leaf from a pair of Love Gu. In less than half an hour, Ying Huan watched with satisfaction as the two foxes, who had originally been baring their fur and snarling at one another, quickly stopped showing any hostility. Before long, they were nuzzling together affectionately, tangled up in each other’s embrace.
She tossed the only remaining pair of Love Gu leaves to Jiaoyue and said shyly, “Keep these safe. At the palace banquet the day after tomorrow, you don’t need to worry about anything else. Just make absolutely sure that Hostage Zhao eats one of these leaves.”
…
Night had fallen. At the Imperial Grandson’s residence.
Holding one of the withered leaves beneath the lamplight, Ying Wuji slowly examined its veins inch by inch. Their intricate patterns resembled the ridges and valleys of mountains stretching across a painted map. He turned the leaf over repeatedly, studying it for a long while, as though contemplating something deeply.
After a long silence, he finally asked, “If someone consumes this… is there any cure?”
The person reporting to him had not expected him to ask exactly the same question Ying Huan had asked. After shaking his head, he heard Ying Wuji calmly order, “Send someone immediately. Go ask again.”
Half an hour later, Jiaoyue returned, accompanied by two death guards. Having questioned the Persian merchant thoroughly, she reported every detail regarding the Love Gu’s method of use. There was still no antidote.
However, after being threatened beneath an iron whip, the Persian merchant had remembered an unusual method of using it that she had once heard mentioned.
Perhaps the death guards’ methods had been too brutal. Terrified for her life, the Persian woman wisely kept her mouth shut. She never mentioned that Ying Huan had later purchased a packet of Hehuan Powder from her as well, burying that detail forever.
After hearing the report, Ying Wuji raised an eyebrow. “So, although there is no antidote, if one person swallows an entire leaf while the other consumes only a tenth or two-tenths of the matching leaf, then the Love Gu’s effects will manifest only in one person. In that case… could it not be used as a means of controlling another’s heart?”
Realizing where his thoughts were heading, Jiaoyue hurriedly explained that each pair required thirty years to produce and described what had happened with the two male foxes. She knew her master placed tremendous importance on power and authority. Fearing he might plan to purchase these in bulk and devise some bizarre political scheme, she cautiously added a rare word of advice. “Imperial Grandson… although these leaves are far superior to ordinary aphrodisiacs, their effects are long-lasting because… they still require… physical intimacy. And since producing one pair takes thirty years… if they were to be used for seizing power…”
Understanding the absurd implication behind her words, Ying Wuji’s mouth twitched. His expression instantly darkened. No matter how ambitious he was, he certainly had no intention of manipulating ministers and political rivals through such a ridiculous method.
He immediately cleared his throat heavily, cutting her off. “Proceed according to Weiyang’s plan. At the palace banquet the day after tomorrow, find a way to slip one of the Love Gu leaves into Hostage Zhao’s cup.”
Having given the order, he dismissed Jiaoyue.
Left alone in the secret chamber, surrounded by towering stacks of bamboo slips, he sat silently for a long while.
Warm candlelight filled his eyes, softening the emerald color until it resembled the rich green of fine jade.
When he sat quietly like this, his eyes seemed even more ethereal and crystal-clear, as though he were an immortal banished from heaven.
Yet because of those unusual eyes, before the age of sixteen he had suffered countless slights and mockeries among the noble families of Handan.
Now, however, things were different.
Just that very morning, an urgent military dispatch had arrived from Chu.
The moment Zhang Mao crossed the dangerous mountain pass, he had immediately sent the intelligence back by carrier pigeon. Even traveling through the official military courier system, the formal report would not reach the Qin royal palace until noon the following day at the earliest.
Once western Chu was conquered, Qin’s border with Chu could be pushed another four hundred li forward, connecting directly with Duchess Yong’s fief.
His next step would depend on calculating how many years his grandfather still had left to live. Perhaps he would have to personally lead the army, choose the campaign with the greatest chance of success, and charge into battle at the head of his troops to win Qin’s first conquest of an entire feudal state.
At present, aside from the Grand Commandant, a veteran minister from Changming Palace, and the seventy-thousand-strong imperial guard still under his grandfather’s direct command, Ying Wuji already controlled the largest military force in and around Xianyang.
No matter how carefully he planned or how thoroughly he accounted for every possible variable, whether it came to open warfare or bloodshed within the palace itself, he was absolutely certain that he would one day ascend the throne of Qin.
And yet…
Though he possessed ambitions far greater than merely becoming king, his heart had grown increasingly unlike that of an ordinary man. More often than not, once the affairs of state were finished and he finally had a moment of leisure, he found himself at a loss, unsure what to do with himself.
Especially during the past few days, after Zhao Shu had been taken to the Zhou delegation’s guest residence by Ji Qiao…
A strange obsession had quietly begun taking root in his heart.
Ying Wuji tore the remaining Yang Gu leaf in his hand into three pieces. He turned, stored two of them inside a carved sandalwood box, then picked up his cup of hot tea. Just as he was about to swallow the remaining piece, his brows furrowed. After a moment’s hesitation, he tore even that piece into three smaller fragments, selected only the narrowest sliver, and, after deliberating several times, finally drank it down with the tea.
Since consuming merely a tenth or two-tenths of the Yang Gu was enough to fully activate the Yin Gu inside the other person’s body, there was no need for him to take much himself. It would be enough simply to experience a trace of its effects. Why should he accompany that person into complete madness?
In the end, his troubled state of mind had been weighing on him lately. At most, he was only using her to distract himself for a while, a self-indulgence he knew he should not have allowed in the first place.
As for matters of desire, once he had experienced the novelty, that would be the end of it.
Thinking this way, Ying Wuji carefully stored away the remaining majority of the Yang Gu inside the sandalwood box.
He even thought to himself that, should they ever part on good terms in the future, and should Zhao Shu one day truly meet someone she loved, he would simply give her all of the remaining Gu leaves.
…
Meanwhile, after Zhao Shu arrived at the Zhou guest residence, she naturally spent a long time catching up with her eldest maternal uncle, Ji Qiao.
Ji Qiao bore a striking resemblance to her late mother. Already past fifty years of age, he was not particularly tall and wore a gentle expression, though traces of the dignified bearing expected of the legitimate eldest prince of the Zhou royal house could still be seen in him.
After uncle and niece had finished reminiscing, Ji Qiao never once mentioned the turmoil in Luoyi. Only after Zhao Shu repeatedly questioned him did he finally tell her that the Son of Heaven had never actually fallen gravely ill.
His explanation was brief, but it was enough to hint at something far greater. The rebellion among the Zhou king’s younger sons might itself have been nothing more than an elaborate performance orchestrated by her grandfather and her uncle.
Even after two days of negotiations, Qin still showed no intention of releasing her.
On one hand, Zhao Shu had confirmed that both her uncle and grandfather were safe. On the other, she had also managed to see Da Yi that day. As a result, she no longer felt any urgency to press the matter of leaving Qin.
However, on the afternoon of the palace banquet, Ji Qiao summoned her once again. After offering several vague words of reassurance, he suddenly said, “Little Shu, remember this well. For the next three years, the only person’s words you should trust are those of Imperial Grandson Ji. Be humble before him. That young man is at least someone who keeps his promises. Just remain at the Imperial Grandson’s residence. As for that girl Qi who always follows you, I will find a way to take her away tomorrow.”
Ji Qiao had never regarded Zhao Shu as an outsider.
Only then did she suddenly understand. Perhaps the rebellion in Luoyi, Zhou Wang’s feigned illness and confinement, and even Prince Yi of Qin’s campaign against Zhou… had all been schemes in which her grandfather had secretly played a part.
As she walked back, an inexplicable sense of loneliness settled over her. It was not because her return to Zhou remained unresolved. Rather, she had finally realized something far more painful.
To her grandfather and her uncle, they were first and foremost the ruler and heir of the Zhou royal house. Perhaps they had long known what kind of life she was living in Qin. But before the fate of the kingdom, she was first the deposed hostage prince of Zhao and only afterward the little girl whom her grandfather had once held in his arms while she laughed and tugged at his beard.
One question lingered in her mind.
If she truly had harmed Ying Wuji in the past and if one of Imperial Grandson Ji’s conditions for cooperating with them had been her life then… she did not dare think about what the outcome might have been.
Counting carefully, she had been in Xianyang for less than two months. Yet if someone asked her exactly how many times that man had saved her life, even she could not immediately answer.
How could the politics between the various states become so hopelessly tangled? The image of Ying Wuji standing with a blood-dripping sword flashed through her mind, and nausea rose in her chest once more. Fortunately, her elder brother would soon arrive.
If things truly came to the worst, she would entrust Yingying to her uncle and find some way for her brother to help them escape. Even if they had to flee to the ends of the earth or some distant wilderness, she would rather live there than remain trapped any longer in the filthy mire of interstate politics.
As she wandered idly through the guest residence, she suddenly saw Xin You, the elderly nursemaid who served beside Duchess Yong, hurrying anxiously toward her with a summons.
“Young Master, please don’t blame the Lady. Regarding your cousin’s affair last time, she truly had no other choice. After all, she’s only a woman.” Oddly enough, Xin You’s very first words upon delivering the summons were an apology.
Only after Zhao Shu had been helped onto a swift horse did she finally learn the reason. Mi Yan’s back ailment had flared up again. Earlier that morning, she had already ordered the execution of two court physicians.
Zhao Shu’s hand tightened on the reins. She frowned, suppressing the anger rising within her. Nevertheless, urged repeatedly by Xin You’s earnest pleas, she finally urged her horse forward and galloped toward Changming Palace.
This time, Mi Yan’s attitude had genuinely softened considerably. After examining her, Zhao Shu discovered that the physicians had indeed inserted their needles into the wrong acupuncture points. She admitted that the correct points for this condition were exceptionally difficult to locate and easy to mistake. Even so, she remained cold and expressionless throughout the treatment.
When it was over, Princess Weiyang personally brought her an exquisitely prepared bowl of sweet vegetable broth. The taste was surprisingly pleasant.
Still harboring resentment, Zhao Shu had been debating what she should say. Without even taking time to savor the flavor, she drank the entire bowl in one swallow. Before leaving, she faced Mi Yan directly and said fearlessly, “Madam, those two physicians made nothing more than an honest mistake. They may be commoners, but they also have parents and families waiting for them to return home.”
Mi Yan rose from the couch and stretched her waist and legs. Instead of taking offense, she merely nodded at Zhao Shu with unexpected kindness.
After Zhao Shu departed, Duchess Yong continued watching the direction in which she had gone for a long time. Then she slowly turned her gaze toward her only daughter and said quietly, “Huan’er, you won’t be attending tonight’s palace banquet. Until the Yan envoys arrive, you will remain under my watch. You are not to take a single step outside the inner gardens.”
Believing that both she and Zhao Shu had already taken the Love Gu, Ying Huan pulled a face at her mother, gave a haughty snort, and left together with Jiaoyue.
After returning to the inner quarters, Ying Huan glanced at the sky. She still had one packet of Hehuan left unused. Figuring that her mother would now be especially wary of Jiaoyue, she summoned an inconspicuous young eunuch whom no one ever paid attention to. Secretly handing him the packet of Hehuan, she instructed, “Mix this separately into Brother Rong’s and my elder brother’s food or drink. You must make sure it is done during tonight’s palace banquet!”
***
At dusk, just as Zhao Shu and Ji Qiao were about to leave for the banquet at Changming Palace, they had only just stepped out of the guest residence when they saw that the carriages from the Imperial Grandson’s Manor and Young Master Rong’s residence were both waiting outside along the way.
Her gaze briefly swept over the tall figure mounted on the crimson steed before she indifferently looked away. But beside an ornate carriage with a jeweled canopy, she spotted Qi Ying dressed in palace attire.
Ignoring everyone else’s presence, Zhao Shu hurried over, grasped Qi Ying’s hands, and looked her over from head to toe.
Only a few days had passed, yet Qi Ying now had an alert and capable maid of seventeen or eighteen named Little Yuan attending her.
Qi Ying appeared to be doing well. Zhao Shu fired off a string of questions, all of which Little Yuan answered politely and appropriately.
At last, Zhao Shu lowered her voice and asked, “Has Young Master Rong mistreated you? This is all my fault, Yingying. I’ve already asked my uncle to bring you back to Luoyi.”
Qi Ying shook her head. The palace banquet was about to begin, leaving her no time to explain. She took a small bamboo tube from her sleeve, stuffed it into Zhao Shu’s hand, and whispered only, “Assistant Director Cheng… gave this… said… it’s for… treating… cold poison.”
The young girl looked at Zhao Shu with unmistakable worry. Before Zhao Shu even had time to ask why the medicine from Handan had still not arrived, Little Yuan was already supporting Qi Ying into the carriage.
Clutching the bamboo tube, Zhao Shu suddenly realized something. She jerked her head up as though shocked, her eyes meeting those of the man seated atop Chiji.
Seeing him looking at her with a gaze so intense it felt almost tangible, the little face concealed beneath her disguise instantly flushed crimson. Pretending not to notice him with feigned nonchalance, she calmly put away the unexpectedly obtained bamboo tube, then quickly walked toward Ji Qiao’s carriage ahead. As she passed the man, she acted as though she had never seen him at all.
Ying Wuji raised an eyebrow. Watching her aloof and proud retreating figure, he found himself looking forward even more eagerly to what would soon unfold at tonight’s palace banquet.
…
Night had fallen, and Changming Palace blazed with magnificent lanterns. Music, singing, dancing, and the clinking of wine cups filled the air without pause, making the palace seem no different from a heavenly paradise.
Originally, this banquet was meant to welcome the legitimate eldest son of Zhouluo, and proper ceremonial rites accompanied by bells and drums should have been observed. But Lord Hengyuan paid no heed to such conventions. Instead, he arranged the feast as though it were merely a gathering of close friends. Though there was no shortage of fine wine and beautiful women, the banquet’s actual level of formality did not even match that accorded to an ordinary feudal lord.
Ji Qiao sat alone with a dark expression, silently drinking. He knew Lord Hengyuan’s absurd nature, and he also understood the old Qin Wang’s deliberate intentions. Nevertheless, he remained composed. Whenever beautiful attendants came to refill his wine, he accepted every cup without refusal.
It was Zhao Shu, however, who had been personally granted a seat of honor by Duchess Yong. Ji Qiao pondered this inwardly. Lady Mi Yan belonged to the same generation as himself. Back in her day, she had been an extraordinarily influential and formidable woman, shrewd and anything but easy to deal with. Even someone as calculating and resourceful as Imperial Grandson Ji had needed three full years before she had finally laid aside her reservations toward him.
So how had the hostage Zhao Shu managed to earn her favor in such a short time?
His nephew from Zhao had always been innocent, straightforward, unreliable, and utterly unsuited to rule. Had Imperial Grandson Ji not looked after him, he likely would have died in Xianyang long ago.
Watching Duchess Yong treat Zhao Shu with such warmth, even the old Momo Xin You personally and attentively pouring wine for Zhao Shu, Ji Qiao began to waver.
The music swelled once more, while dancers’ flowing sleeves scattered gracefully through the air.
Ying Wuji paid no attention whatsoever to Ji Qiao’s unusual behavior. After dealing with several ministers and nobles whose greetings he could not avoid, though without drawing attention to himself, his eyes scarcely left the person seated beside Mi Yan.
Only after seeing with his own eyes that Zhao Shu had finally drunk the genuine Yin Gu did Ying Wuji relax and turn away. Accepting a cup of wine from a senior official, he maintained the demeanor of a refined gentleman, warm, courteous, and modest, as he drank while subtly attempting to win over the official in charge of the city’s defenses.
As he absentmindedly imagined how those innocent apricot-shaped eyes would look at him in the future, a strange and blazing heat suddenly spread through his chest and abdomen. It was completely unlike anything he had ever experienced before, overwhelmingly fierce, forcing him to suppress an immediate gasp.
Could something have gone wrong with the Gu leaf?
But Jiaoyue had personally witnessed its effects. It should have been impossible for there to be any mistake.
His fingers tightened. Frowning, he looked toward Zhao Shu, who was seated beside Duchess Yong, only to find her still wearing the same outwardly obedient yet indifferent expression, with not the slightest hint of anything unusual.
So it was not the Love Gu. Someone else had poisoned him.
In that instant, his emerald eyes swept over the attendants carrying dishes back and forth like a hunting hawk’s, determined not to let whoever had plotted against him escape.
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