Chapter 22: Banquet Turmoil ā “Heās a duplicitous, beautiful Emperor shou, sob…”
Yu Jing and Cheng Shun had a clear division of labor: Yu Jing handled official business, while Cheng Shun utilized his strengths to accompany the Emperor in leisure.
However, Ying Xi was different from the Late Emperor. He cherished material resources, and his pleasures were frugalāat most buying a lantern or viewing flowers.
Cheng Shun was very restrained when playing with the Emperor, recommending only small trinkets worth a few coins, terrified of being branded a sycophant.
Ying Xi nodded.
“Your Majesty, please look.” Cheng Shun handed the item in his hand to Ying Xi. It was a semi-transparent gauze sachet filled with flower petals, its opening tied with ribbons of various colors.
“This is a fragrance pouch prepared by this slave and the others,” Cheng Shun said. “This slave thought, spring passes as quickly as it comes. Flowers bloom and wither, but if we keep them in a sachet, at least the fragrance can remain for a few more days.”
The eunuch held the flower sachet closer.
Ying Xi took the sachet and rubbed it in his hand. It was made of thin, light gauze, crystal clear and very pleasing.
From the sachet, his thoughts drifted to lanterns. He lowered his head to gaze at the sachet in his hand, bringing it to his nose to sniff lightly. Pleased by the small trinket and the refreshing scent of grass and wood, he nodded.
He added, “Prepare more. Distribute them to the ministers.” This was another good opportunity to win people’s hearts.
“Yes, this slave obeys.” Receiving the Emperor’s oral decree, Cheng Shun organized people to get busy.
Over a dozen flower-picking messengers were mobilized, each carrying a basket with small flower shears tied at their waists. They set off from Yichun Palace, walking in single file toward various parts of Shanglin Park.
The eunuchs were responsible for picking the flowers. The filled bamboo baskets were stored in the side hall next to Yichun Palace.
Ying Xi glanced over sideways and saw several huge bamboo hampers placed in front of the side hall. The flowers picked by the eunuchs were poured into these hampers.
Palace maids stood around the hampers.
The maids held gauze sachets in one hand and grabbed handfuls of petals with the other to stuff inside. Once the sachets were bulging, they used the silk ribbons to tie them shut.
Produced in batches through this division of labor, the sachets were placed on trays. Inside the trays, the sachets were stacked one upon another, gradually forming small mountains.
Ying Xi stopped looking at the sachets and continued to gaze around the venue. Different types of people behaved differently.
He saw Zhu Zhao gathering with some civil officials to write poetry. They weren’t too far from him. Zhu Zhao still looked toward him from time to time.
Since their meeting at the Secret Archives, Ying Xi had deliberately avoided any interaction with Zhu Zhao. This was for confidentiality; he was currently integrating the Longwu Army, a major event, and he couldn’t let Zhu Zhao figure out his hand again.
As for Zhu Zhao being his teacherāwould continuing to give him the cold shoulder be seen as a lack of respect for his mentor?
Laughable.
He wanted to live in this life.
Pedantic, conservative moral concepts could not stop him. If Zhu Zhao wanted to restore their teacher-student relationship, he would have to completely cut ties with Li Yilong.
As for Ying Dang and Su Xueyi, they couldn’t be found in the crowd. Ying Xi thought that these two were mavericks in their socializing; they couldn’t get along with anyone. As long as they didn’t cause trouble for him, they could hide wherever they pleased.
The sun gradually climbed high; the sunlight in Shanglin Park was just right.
At Yu Jingās command, several young eunuchs came over and set up a pergola over the Emperorās head. Shade enveloped Ying Xiās seat.
Yichun Palace was an open-air structure without surrounding walls, allowing a panoramic view of the environment.
The pergola had no partitions, ensuring to the greatest extent that the Emperor could take in the abundant spring vitality with a single glance.
“…” Ying Xi narrowed his eyes.
A ray of cold light reflected into Ying Xi’s eyes from the side. The light was fleeting; he didn’t know what it was. Not paying it much mind, Ying Xi assumed his eyes were playing tricks on him.
The flower-picking eunuchs returned one after another from all over Shanglin Park.
There were enough flowers, and the sachets were mostly done.
Ying Xi looked at the sky. It was time to call everyone back to his side to brush up on Favorability while the event effect was still active.
Ying Xi gave the order, and Yu Jing executed it.
Yu Jing took a small long-handled gold hammer and struck a small brass gong at Yichun Palace with force. The gong sound spread in all directions. Hearing the gong, the court officials returned. Before long, the area in front of Ying Xi was packed with seated people again.
The maids from the side hall entered Yichun Palace, each holding a tray piled high with flower sachets. The maids curtsied.
Ying Xi said, “Spring colors are hard to keep, so I have specially prepared many fragrance sachets. Even after you leave Shanglin Park, you can take a piece of spring with you.”
The maids moved quickly, handing the sachets from the trays to each minister one by one.
The ministers received the sachets; some sniffed them before their noses, others gave them a squeeze. The flower sachets were fragrant and pleasant, stuffed solidly with petals.
The ministers chorused, “We thank Your Majesty for the reward. Your Majesty is benevolent; we are endlessly grateful.”
Favorability continued to grow in places Ying Xi couldn’t see because of his distribution of the sachets.
Ying Xi narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
Sweet Tub also hummed a little tune.
But at this moment, a scream suddenly pierced the tranquility of Yichun Palace. A court official’s face turned pale; he rose from his seat and stumbled back several steps. The sachet in his hand fell to the ground, and red petals spilled out.
“Your… Your Majesty, this subject…”
Items gifted by the Emperor were bestowed treasures.
Normally, officials took pride in receiving the Emperor’s rewards.
These sachets looked like mere accessories, but they had to be treated with extreme care.
Even if the petals inside withered after being taken home, they had to be enshrined for a period, and one might even have to submit a memorial asking how to dispose of them.
So, for this official to dare throw the sachet was, in the eyes of the ministers, a grave crime of offending the Imperial Dignity!
Ying Xi’s expression suddenly darkened.
That official was so frightened he hurriedly pleaded for forgiveness, his face even paler than before. He stammered, “This subject… this subject deserves ten thousand deaths. This subject shouldn’t have damaged Your Majesty’s gift, but inside there…”
He stopped, hesitating to speak.
This finally drew the attention of the ministers.
Several gazes converged on the ground. Only then did people realize that the red petals spilling from the sachet were not the color of the flowers themselvesāit was blood.
Blood dripped onto the petals, dyeing half the sachet.
Every fiber of the gauze sachet was soaked in bright red blood, stinging the eyes. The sachet definitely contained something that wasn’t a flower petal!
Instantly, a conjecture made scalps go numb with cold.
Blood in Yichun Palace!
“Protect the Emperor.” Yu Jing waved his hand. The captain of the guard stepped forward, and the guards surrounded the Emperor, drawing their blades outward in a defensive posture.
A row of people blocked Ying Xiās front.
The captain of the guard, dark-skinned and tall, stood with his back to Ying Xi. He used the tip of his blade to pick up the sachet, flipping it upside down and giving it a shake.
A red shadow flashed, and something rolled outāit was a bloody severed finger.
Sweet Tub let out a scream of “Yah!”
Compared to everything Ying Xi had experienced before, this was the only time involving both a severed limb and blood; Sweet Tub couldn’t handle it.
The skin of the severed finger was pale, and the marrow visible at the cut was a dense grey-white. Even someone unskilled in examining wounds could deduce that this had just been cut from a living person!
Why would a severed finger strangely appear in a flower sachet?
Whose finger was it?
Too many mysteries were hard to explain.
But one thing was certain: danger was now lurking in Shanglin Park.
Fear spread rapidly through the crowd.
“Your Majesty,” Yu Jing leaned in and whispered, “A severed finger appearing in Shanglin Park is an ominous omen. Your Majesty is a person of a thousand gold, and the Dragon Body is precious. It is better to arrange for the court officials to evacuate quickly back to their residences to avoid further complications.”
Yu Jing made sense.
Sweet Tub also persuaded from the side, “Your Majesty… it’s a bit scary, let’s go?”
The ministers exchanged glances in twos and threes, then stepped forward to advise, “Your Majesty, there may be danger in Shanglin Park. We are willing to escort Your Majesty back to Weiyang Palace immediately.”
More and more ministers seconded the proposal; the same advice echoed everywhere in Shanglin Park.
But with so many people persuading him, Ying Xi had a different thoughtāhe didn’t want to leave.
In his past life, he had never held a flower viewing banquet. This was the first time. His intuition told him he could discover things he had missed in his past life.
Secondly, if someone intended harm to the banquet, the suspect must be among this group of ministers below.
The Emperor held a flower viewing banquet, yet someone dared to pull petty tricks right under his nose? Ying Xi could not tolerate it.
He was determined to unearth the truth behind the finger in the sachet.
Ying Xi waved his hand. “It is merely a severed finger. No need to worry about Me; what scenes have I not witnessed?”
“Guards, seal off Shanglin Park. Everyone is to remain in their seats. Take a headcount and find the source of the finger.”
The captain of the guard immediately said, “I obey the decree!”
In an instant, guards mobilized from all over the palace surrounded Shanglin Park, encasing the garden in heavy security.
The officials had varying expressions. Some sipped tea in their seats with composure; others fumbled carefully with the sachets in their hands, looking worried as if fearing they would find something inside too.
The guards checked each seat one by one according to the roster provided by Guanglu Xun. Passing each lord, they first asked them to show their hands.
Fingers intact, person alive, identity confirmedāonly then would the guards use charcoal to make a small mark under the name and let the person pass.
Completing this round of checks took about the time for an incense stick to burn.
During this time, Sweet Tub was frightened. If it had a physical body, it would have been tugging at Ying Xi’s sleeve.
Ying Xi asked it, “If I stay here, does the effect of the Spring Blessing Event continue?”
Sweet Tub replied weakly, “Yes…”
“Then if I can investigate the origin of the finger in the sachet, will I win even more people’s favorability?”
Sweet Tub thought about it.
The charm of wisdom is hard for sapiosexuals to resist. It made sense that the Host would significantly increase certain people’s favorability this way.
Sweet Tub answered, “Yes.”
“So you don’t need to be afraid. Just consider it Me doing a new mission.”
Sweet Tub fell silent. At this moment, it felt that with the event effect still active, the Host had gathered everyone together again. Although it was terrifying, it was actually constantly absorbing energy.
Sweet Tub, full of power, recalled Ying Xi’s words: Is the Host… comforting himself?
The Host always appeared cold and heartless, but until this moment, Sweet Tub truly perceived the Host’s character. He didn’t like to show off, but he really treated people well.
He’s a duplicitous, beautiful Emperor shou, sob!
Sweet Tub updated its definition of Ying Xi, and its response gradually became more positive. “I’m not afraid of Your Majesty; I’m not scared at all!”
Emotional people are easily guided.
Ying Xi figured out Sweet Tub’s temper and smiled faintly.
One incense stick later, the captain of the guard reported, “Your Majesty, all court officials have been checked. Their fingers are intact, and all officials are present.”
Great Qin’s officials were unharmed; the ministers breathed a sigh of relief.
But this fresh severed finger couldn’t have appeared out of nowhere. Ying Xi was not satisfied with this result.
He looked around, seeing maids and eunuchs standing with heads bowed on both sides. He had a vague premonition and called to the guards, “Check them as well. Verify against the duty roster; every palace servant in Shanglin Park must be checked.”
The captain of the guard paused slightly.
He hadn’t expected the Emperor to make such a big fuss if no officials were injured or killed.
Moreover, aside from a few who had face, most maids and eunuchs in the Qin Palace were sold into the palace by desperate families.
One more, or one less… did not affect the big picture.
But the Emperor had spoken; Imperial Authority was supreme. As the captain of the guard, he could only obey, even if it consumed more manpower and time. “This humble official obeys!”
Shortly after the captain left, for a period of time, Sweet Tub perceived that the favorability of a portion of the crowd toward the Host was rising at an accelerated rate. It guessed these people were the maids and eunuchs of Shanglin Park.
Treating officials generously and treating servants equally.
In Sweet Tub’s heart, Ying Xi’s image grew much taller.
Another half hour or so passed. The guard returned to report to Ying Xi, bowing and saying, “Reporting to Your Majesty, all duty servants and maids in Shanglin Park are present. No one has a severed finger!”
All possibilities had been ruled out.
āCould it be that they had seen a ghost?!
Ying Xi felt slightly surprised. Within his eye sockets, his dark grey eyes flickered.
Impossible. Someone must have been missed.
He looked around casually, thinking in his brain.
He saw Yu Jing looking around; the usually steady Grand Superintendent actually looked somewhat anxious.
Ying Xi opened his lips. “Yu Jing.”
Yu Jing lost his voice, “Reporting… Reporting to Your Majesty, Cheng Shun is not here!”
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