Night of the Spring Festival
Hour of the Ox ( Choushi)
General Yan glared at Madam Xie and said, "Madam Xie, do you know something about this mysterious lady? If you do, you should tell us immediately. If you have hidden the Imperial Seal, just give it to us, and we will uphold justice."
He added in a warning tone, "If you refuse, will your pavilion be able to bear the consequences?"
Lady wenrou immediately grabbed her sword at this disrespect.
Madam Xie Yueqing stopped her and calmly continued the conversation. "This ribbon could belong to anyone in the Red Pavilion. Even some of our servants wear red ribbons. How many of them can you possibly interrogate?"
"It would be better for you to leave now. I will try my best to find the Imperial Seal, if it is truly here. You may all return and enjoy the festival," she concluded, skillfully managing the situation with her sharp strategic thinking.
All four generals began to leave. But before Yan Ruozhi could go, Madam Xie stopped him.
She slowly walked toward him, leaned close to his ear, and said softly,
"I can smell blood on you. You should be more careful, General. Your enemies could be anywhere. You cannot simply reveal your identity so easily."
She paused, then added with faint curiosity, "Now I am truly curious—who could possibly wound the great General of Yancheng? But if you want more answers… be my guest."
"Come next time for some tea."
She smiled.
General Yan Ruozhi left.
He knew Madam Xie and the people of the Red Pavilion were hiding something, but he could not prove it. He had to find the Imperial Seal and the last Imperial edict of the late Empress Lingshu.
After everyone left the room, only Lady Wenrou and Madam Xie remained.
Lady Wenrou spoke with slight tension in her voice. "A-Jie, what should we do now? We thought the matter of seventeen years ago had already ended. But how could the last descendant of the Yan family still be alive?"
She lowered her voice. "I feel like something truly big is about to happen in the Qinrong Royal City."
Suddenly, Lady Xiangling entered the room with a tense expression. She said, "A-Jie, Xiao Yue is back."
Lady Wenrou replied, "What? How? After getting his salary, he always sneaks out to the market. Then why did he come back so early today?"
"The situation of the Red Pavilion is not good right now. He shouldn't be here at this moment," she concluded.
Madam Xie asked, "Did Ah Huang say what happened?"
Lady Xiangling replied, "He was at the mountaintop, but when he saw the lantern lit at the Third Palace, he came back. But don't worry about it. I told him to do what he was supposed to."
"As long as he stays at the Yuexi Palace, nothing wrong will happen."
The scene shifted.
General Yan Ruozhi was in his chambers when he suddenly pulled out a dagger.
Looking at it, he smirked. It was the same dagger Yuehua had used to attack the intruder at the Yuexi Palace.
So the mysterious Man in Black had turned out to be General Yan Ruozhi, who had fought with the Celestial Moon Fairy of the Red Pavilion Yuehua.
He was observing the dagger when he noticed a pattern engraved on it. It was the character "Yue" moon the same character embroidered on the red hair ribbon he possessed.
He grew suspicious of the lady he had met that night and decided to visit her once again.
Then he placed two fingers on his lips, remembering the kiss they had shared underwater, and he smiled. The cold, ruthless General Yan smiled.
After a moment, he took out another knife and cut open the wound Yuehua had given him. He poured medicine over it. Even in pain, he was still smiling as he treated himself.
It was as if that lady had taken hold of the ruthless, cold, and heartless General Yan.
Next Morning Hour of the Rabbit (Maoshi)
Yuehua could not sleep. Her eyes remained open as she stared at the ceiling.
She lifted two fingers to her lips.
Her expression was still impossible to read.
She thought, This has never happened in the Yuexi Palace. But why now?
That man was dressed in black, yet he had no true sense of stealth. His force was brute, but his fighting style was impressive, and his reflexes were sharp.
He definitely could not be an ordinary soldier. He must be a commander or a general.
But what were his intentions? He did not hurt me… yet he saved my life.
Whatever the reason, I must eliminate all threats approaching the Red Pavilion.
The scene shifted.
It was the first day of the Spring Festival. Inside the Royal Palace, a grand banquet had been organized. Generals, commanders, city lords, governors, magistrates, and state counselors were arriving one after another.
The Four Great Generals arrived and took their seats.
But the fifth great general, Han Ruozhi, was nowhere to be found. People began whispering about him.
"Will he not come again?" Minister Luo said. "Is he truly not afraid of the Emperor's wrath?"
"He is truly brave," Minister Yao said with admiration.
"Brave?" Minister Qiu scoffed. "He is just a foolish young man waiting for his own death."
The other ministers greeted Minister Qiu respectfully, as he was the father of an Imperial Concubine.
Prime Minister Lian Ruofeng arrived with his son, Lian Ruoyu. Everyone greeted the Prime Minister, the father of the Empress.
Prime Minister Lian said calmly, "Today is an auspicious day. We should not concern ourselves with such minor matters. A mere fly cannot shake a mountain. This commander is not a threat to us."
Suddenly, one arrival mesmerized everyone. An announcement echoed through the hall:
"Madam of the Red Pavilion, Xie Yueqing, has arrived!"
Lady Wenrou and Lady Lianyi accompanied her. Everyone was too mesmerized to look away as the three divine beauties of the Red Pavilion entered the Imperial Palace together.
They took their seats gracefully.
Then another announcement thundered through the hall,
The arrival of the Emperor Zhao Yan.
TO BE CONTINUED...