Chapter 629
Carrier Pigeon
Early morning, around 5:00 AM.
In the midst of the heavy snow, a gray pigeon took flight, a bamboo tube tied to its leg, and flew into the darkness of the capital. It circled over the city for a dozen breaths before turning and flying northeast.
Homing pigeons fly only from dawn to dusk, landing once every hour to rest and drink water and preen their feathers for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. After that time, they take flight again.
On the first day, after leaving Beijing, the carrier pigeon arrived in Miyun and then flew low over the abandoned beacon tower at Hubeikou.
The next day, a carrier pigeon flew over the city wall of Pingquan.
On the third day, the carrier pigeons flew over the vast plains of Fuxin.
On the morning of the fourth day, the carrier pigeon flew over the majestic city walls of the capital, circling endlessly above the watchtowers. Then, it plunged headlong into a residence in Banzhengfang.
This mansion on the outskirts of the imperial city is very large, resembling a temporary residence.
Ordinary princes and nobles would only dare to occupy 40% of the land within a ward, but this mansion occupied the entire Banzheng Ward, enclosing the whole ward with white walls and black tiles.
Above the five-bay main gate hangs a plaque that reads: "Princess Liyang's Residence".
According to the rules of the Jing Dynasty, only two stone unicorns could be erected in front of a princess's gate, while only stone lions could be erected in front of a prince's gate. However, in front of Princess Liyang's mansion, stone lions were erected instead.
The pigeons flew over the mansion and finally landed lightly at the entrance of the pigeon coop.
Upon hearing the sound of pigeons landing, someone immediately went into the pigeon house and removed the bamboo tubes from the pigeons' legs.
After carefully inspecting the bamboo tube and confirming that the sealing wax was intact, the man stepped through the snow and left the east courtyard, walking quickly deeper into the mansion.
In the front courtyard, a group of maids carried lacquer boxes, copper basins, and incense burners in single file. They wore blue satin vests and silver hairpins to hold their hair in place. The maid at the head of the group wore a lotus-colored satin jacket with gray squirrel fur trim on the collar. She whispered, "His Highness is afraid of the cold, so please add two more charcoal basins."
The man brushed past the maids and headed straight for the Ziwei Hall.
In the hall, Liang Gou'er sat on a rattan chair under the eaves, humming a tune with his legs crossed. A young maid sat on a small stool beside him, cutting up mutton and feeding it to him.
Not far away, Zhu Yunxi, shirtless, swung his knife in the heavy snow, using the same move day after day.
Liang Gou'er said slowly, "You must thoroughly memorize the Liang family's breathing method. Breathe like this when you sleep, breathe like this when you defecate, even if you lose your brain, you must still breathe like this. Only when you reach this level, if someone slashes at you with a knife, will your breathing not be disordered, and only when your breathing is disordered will the knife's energy not be disordered."
The next moment, Zhu Yunxi swung the Hidden Dragon Blade he obtained from the Martial Temple. A blade aura struck the wooden stake in front of him from more than ten steps away, splitting the stake vertically in two.
Zhu Yunxi stood in the heavy snow, looking down at the Hidden Dragon Blade in his hand.
Liang Gou'er said lazily, "Don't be so smug, continue."
Liang Mao'er brought him a new wooden stake so that Zhu Yunxi could continue chopping it.
At this moment, the messenger didn't look at them, as if he was already used to it. He walked straight through the courtyard to the front of the Ziwei Hall and called out loudly through the curtain: "The carrier pigeon from Hubeikou has returned."
The curtain was lifted a crack, and Jiang Pan, who was inside, glanced at the man and took the bamboo tube from his hand: "Step back."
The man took his leave.
Jiang Pan lowered the curtain and quickly walked inside.
The hall was warm and cozy. Old Man Yao was sitting at the table, flipping through an ancient book. On the other side, Princess Liyang was scolding a boy of eleven or twelve in a low voice: "Have you read 'Jingtai Zhengyao'?"
The boy lowered his head and said, "I read it."
Princess Liyang angrily demanded, "Where are we?"
The boy's voice was even lower: "On the merits of the person."
Princess Liyang gently patted the scroll on the table: "Emperor Taizu said to his ministers: 'The key to governance lies in acquiring the right people.' Now, let me ask you, how do you acquire the right people?"
The boy remained silent.
Princess Liyang looked at him and softened her tone: "It's not that I forbid you from playing, but you are a prince, not a child from an ordinary family. If a child from an ordinary family doesn't study well, he might only lose his future. But if you don't study well, you could lose your life! The word 'striving for excellence' isn't something you shout out; it's something you endure. Emperor Taizu read history books until the third watch of the night every day. How late do you read?"
The boy lowered his head even further.
Princess Liyang sighed: "Your third brother is outstanding in literature, well-versed in the classics, history, philosophy, and literature. At the age of twelve, he was able to draft imperial edicts on behalf of his father, and all the civil officials in the court admired him. Your sixth brother has distinguished himself in military affairs. At the age of sixteen, he followed the Marquis of Champion on a northern expedition against the Tatars, and at eighteen, he established his own government and commanded a large number of fierce generals. And you? You only know how to frolic with the maids in your household all day long. What do you have to compete with them?"
The boy whispered, "Sister, I know I was wrong."
Princess Liyang couldn't bear to continue scolding him: "Go and copy the essay on virtuous conduct ten times. You are not allowed to go out to play until you finish copying it."
The young man stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Yes."
After the young man left the Ziwei Hall, Jiang Pan stepped forward and handed over the bamboo tube with both hands: "Your Highness, he came from the Hubei Pass."
Princess Liyang took the bamboo tube, peeled off the sealing wax, and poured out a roll of paper about the length of a finger. The letter was filled with tiny, densely packed characters, each less than half the size of a fingernail.
After reading it, she was lost in thought and remained silent for a long time.
Old Yao glanced at her and asked, "Your lover is dead?" Princess Li Yang rolled her eyes. "You'd probably poison yourself if you licked your lips, wouldn't you? It's a letter from Ning Chao. Your precious disciple got married."
Old Yao was taken aback: "Married?"
Princess Liyang sat down in the chair opposite Old Man Yao's desk, leaning back in her chair: "Won't you feel regretful about missing your disciple's marriage? Why don't you guess who he will marry?"
Old Yao pondered for a moment: "With Zhang Xia?"
“No,” Princess Liyang said in surprise, “Shouldn’t you have guessed Princess Baili?”
Old Yao leaned back in his chair and said, "That kid is a taciturn fellow who keeps everything to himself. If Bai Li were still in the capital, the two of them probably wouldn't be able to get married for several more years. Only Zhang Xia could act so quickly."
Princess Liyang asked in confusion, "Why can't it be that Miss Qi the Third?"
Old Yao scoffed, "You know perfectly well why I'm asking this."
Princess Liyang smiled and said, "This marriage was quite a spectacle. First, Wang Daosheng personally acted as matchmaker, then a wealthy merchant presented thirty-six loads of betrothal gifts, and finally, the Imperial Guards went to fetch the bride. Unfortunately, your precious disciple moved into the Zhang family and even promised that the second child would be surnamed Zhang, which is no different from marrying into the family. In your Ning Dynasty, it's probably hard to hold your head up high if you live with your wife."
Old Yao glanced at her and said, "Look how sour you are."
Princess Liyang remained silent for a long time before rising and standing by the window. She pushed open a crack and looked at the heavy snow outside: "I do envy them. At Chongli Pass, Chen Ji was willing to stay as a hostage in Jiang Xiansheng's hands to protect Zhang Xia's life, and Zhang Xia was willing to break into Jiang Xianzong's White Tiger Hall to protect Chen Ji's life. At that time, I knew that they were a match made in heaven... True love will eventually prevail, this is a story that only exists in folk tales."
Princess Liyang turned around.
Today, she was dressed in a round-necked, right-fastening robe typical of men from the Jing Dynasty, her hair styled high to resemble a man's, exuding a heroic air: "Old Master, sometimes I think, if I were born into an ordinary family, I wouldn't have to think about the struggle for the throne every day, and it would be enough to have someone to stay with me forever. Unfortunately, these things are not up to me. In the Jing Dynasty, the struggle for the throne has always been a matter of life and death, with no way out."
Old Yao said slowly, "The military governor of Tokyo specially prepared three three-masted ships to send you and your brother overseas. Why don't you leave?"
Princess Liyang smiled and said, "Why should I leave instead of them? That dragon throne in the Hanyuan Hall of the Daming Palace should have been my brother's."
Old Yao scoffed, "You can't believe a single word an ambitious person says. If you've already figured out what you want most, stop pretending. People with feelings of love in their hearts can't even do one thing right."
Princess Liyang asked curiously, "Grandpa, why don't you teach this principle to your apprentice?"
Old Yao said leisurely, "He doesn't want to be emperor. He just wants to live a good life. A life of modest contentment is enough; there's no need for perfection."
Princess Liyang walked back and sat down: "Your disciple risks his life to save others every day. It's probably not easy for him to live a peaceful life."
Old Yao looked out the window at the wind and snow: "You don't understand. He risked his life for others, hoping that they would treat him the same way. Exchanging sincerity for sincerity and life for life is the biggest gamble in the world, but he won."
Princess Liyang asked thoughtfully, "Has the old man ever gambled?"
Old Yao said calmly, "I gambled, and I lost."
Princess Liyang was somewhat surprised.
She changed the subject: "These past few days, rumors have been circulating that there has never been a Mr. Yao at the Martial Temple. These rumors must have been spread by Lu Jin, who is just waiting for Yuan Heng Li Zhen to return to the capital to launch an attack. Yuan Heng Li Zhen came down from the Martial Temple, so this matter cannot be deceived. Tell me the truth, what is your relationship with the Martial Temple? Now that I think about it, I feel that Mr. Wu respected you a lot, but he never said that you were a member of the Martial Temple... You have never said that you were a member of the Martial Temple either."
Old Yao glanced at her: "If I weren't a member of the Martial Temple, what would you have done?"
Princess Liyang said sincerely, "You can still leave now. Fast horses have been prepared in the manor, and travel permits are ready. You can go out from Banzhengfang and take the Golden Light Gate. The Golden Light Gate is guarded by the Right Guard today, and they are my men."
Old Yao tapped his fingers on the table: "You, little girl, are not suited to vie for the throne."
Princess Liyang was taken aback: "What makes you say that, sir? I've been working to secure the throne for my brother, winning over court officials, managing spies, raising assassins, and maintaining relations with the border troops. Have I done anything wrong in any of these matters?"
Old Yao ignored her, lowered his head to turn a page of an ancient book, and slowly said, "When you win over court officials, you use kindness and righteousness, not self-interest. When you manage secret agents, you use trust, not intimidation. When you raise loyal followers, you raise devoted men, not lackeys to whom you can use their weaknesses. When you communicate with border troops, you communicate with comrades-in-arms, not with gold and silver. If you want to start a rebellion, this is acceptable, but it's not acceptable for seizing the throne."
Princess Liyang slowly suppressed her smile: "What's the difference?"
Old Yao said calmly, "When we rebel, we all have no way out. If we fail, we all die together. But when we fight for the throne, everyone uses conspiracies and tricks. If we sell you out, we can get a great future."
Princess Liyang calmly replied, "Old Master, you think too highly of me. I have my own methods."
Old Yao laughed heartily: "Your heart is still too soft."
Princess Liyang frowned: "When have I ever softened my heart?"
Old Yao tapped his fingers on the table: "Just now."
Just then, Jiang Pan returned to Ziwei Hall, lifted the curtain and strode in, clasping her hands in greeting: "Your Highness, the palace has sent an envoy to summon you to the palace... and Mr. Yao must also go."
Princess Liyang suddenly stood up: "Yuan Heng Li Zhen have entered the capital?"
Jiang Pan hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Your Highness, Yuan Heng Li Zhen has entered the capital."
Princess Liyang turned to look at Old Man Yao, but Old Man Yao stood up as if nothing had happened: "Let's go, let's go take a look."
Old Yao stopped abruptly at the door, turned back to Princess Li Yang, and said, "There's a principle I taught Chen Ji, and I'll teach it to you today: your heart can be warm, but your blood must be cold." (End of Chapter)