It was an annual event that the emperor paid his visit to the army. He would inspect how well his army was trained. Generally speaking, only courtiers, instead of princes, had the chance to accompany, and those who on the journey were either highly expected courtiers or princes to be selected crown princes. If the emperor brought the fake bastard with him, everyone would know he was first in line to the throne.
“He is an unidentified person who made his sudden appearance from nothing. Why he can be treated that well?” Qin Yunuan was puzzled. She used to label this counterfeit as a mediocrity. So did Leng Changxi. But from this case, they underestimated his ability.
“Jing Yuanchu was behind the scheme. He brought that bastard, Du Wei back. Du Wei was highly similar to His Majesty, considering their appearance, utterance and expression were almost the same. Their blood coagulated together, which was also a convincing fact. After that, Jing Yuanchu produced chances for Du Wei to stay alone with the emperor constantly. When His Majesty knew Du Wei had a talented master, his appreciation escalated. The current situation was bad for us.” Bai Shishi pointed out directly. She was anxious. Du Wei gaining grace from the emperor added to Jing Yuanchu’s power. Now, Jing Donghua was in a bad health condition, and Jing Yuanxiao was already twenty-three. Succession seemed to be around the corner.
“Not a surprise.” Qin Yunuan wiped the sweat for Elder Princess who had been sitting on the rocking chair in the sun for an hour. She called Cai’er to push Elder Princess into the room and continued, “The inspection will be half a month. Accidents will happen at any second. We can’t let Du Wei stay with the emperor for that long.”
“I agree with that,” Bai Shishi glanced at Qin Yunuan, saying with sincerity, “Madam Leng, Yuanxiao will go, too. If you and your husband could protect him, I will do whatever I can to ensure the safety of Elder Princess in the Royal Palace.”
In the Royal Palace, the Crown Princess’s higher status guaranteed her more rights than in the battalion; this arrangement was satisfying for both of them.
“I will.” Qin Yunuan nodded to promise.
Three days later, the inspection team set off. They left West Liang and headed to the north, where the yellow flag military camps were situated. The emperor’s entourages included Zhang Chengduan, a faithful minister whose family had served three emperors of Jing, and several other predominant and influential courtiers. Those from the royal family were Jing Yuanchu, Jing Yuanxiao, and Du Wei, the latter was the popped-up bastard.
At the front were eight carriages of the emperor. Bright yellow curtains could only be used by the emperor hanging down from the carriage roof. The carriage after the emperor’s sat the crown prince, Jing Yuanxiao. Though he didn’t have a name in West Liang like Jing Yuanchu, he still got wide-ranged popularity-the masses pushed each other forward and backward to nudge to the front. Everyone was eager to catch a glimpse of the crown prince.
Soldiers were keeping order on the street. Seeing an old woman attempting to thrust her way to the front, one of them said “Piss off!” to her. The old woman seemed to be in her sixties. She looked a little groggy when she walked. She was seemingly murmuring something.
“Wait.” Noticing the soldier was about to kick the old woman, a maid by Jing Yuanxiao’s carriage side stood out and stopped him.
Having the crown prince as her backer provided her with convenience. Though the maid dressed in plain-black, her unusual quick-witted mind penetrated through her eyes. The soldier restrained himself and went backward, saving space for the maid to help the old woman get up.
“Are you alright, granny?”
“No big problem,” The old woman replied. Her eyes eagerly ran down everyone in the troop passing by, not even letting go any servant boy or girl, “I’m looking for my Jun’er.”
“Your Jun’er?” The maid in black turned around, ran her eyes over the retinues, “Does he serve His Majesty in the Royal Palace?”
“Ah…no.” The old woman was too old to speak clearly. Hadn’t until the maid in black figured out what did the old woman mean, a courier sent by Jing Yuanxiao urged her to go. Carriages of the crown prince went far. The maid in black made sure the old woman wasn’t hurt. As she was about to leave, the old woman waved her arms towards a coming carriage with excitement.
The maid in black looked back subconsciously. It was Du Wei’s carriage that happened to go through. The wind blew the cream-colored curtain upward. In a sudden glimpse, she caught Du Wei’s appearance.
She had to admit that compared with Leng Changxi, Du Wei had more physical similarities with Jing Donghua. The maid in black glimpsed the crown prince’s carriage from far away and glanced at the old woman. She was urged to leave hurriedly, so she headed down and said, “Let’s go.”
This ground noise was forgotten without a second. From the Royal City to the yellow flag military camps, 30 li was not a distance. That night, the inspection team arrived. Jing Donghua was welcomed by the Great General Meng Zhen and his fellows. He was arranged in the most luxurious two-stories’ loft. Jing Donghua’s bedchamber was on the second floor. The luxury there was nothing but more tiles and censers compared with an ordinary wooden house.
Jing Yuanxiao was, of course, living in a rustic environment. He only had a room that covered several zhangs and a wooden four-folded screen with blurred carvings. Without a doubt, tea was not so good as that in the Royal Palace. But sharing weal and woe with soldiers was the tenet that the ancestors of West Xia stuck to. Waste was a ban in the military.
Though Jing Yuanxiao was an unaccomplished person, he stayed humble and honest. He wasn’t picky about the living condition.
The maid in black was busy running back and forth, making preparations for Jing Yuanxiao. The crown prince had a tall and handsome figure, and his behavior was modest and gentle. But to say it in a bad way, he was a weak copycat.
“Your Royal Highness, please forgive me! I failed to get the bathwater back for you. Someone has already taken it.” A robust maid came in with her head low.
“How can that be?” puzzled the maid in black, “I ordered servants to boil water in advance. We’ve traveled that long, and Your Royal Highness must be frustrated by dirt. He must take a bath to relax.”
“I’ve heard that…” Said the maid with her voice lowering, “I’ve heard that it’s Mr. Du instructs his maid to take the bathwater away.”
Du Wei? The maid in black lost in thought but got bewildered. Generally speaking, Jing Donghua appreciated those modest, talented people. Du Wei was adept with both the pen and the sword, catering to Jing Donghua’s pleasure. But did it be better if he stayed humble and straightforward?
“Don’t mention it; We are brothers anyway. I can bathe tomorrow.” Jing Yuanxiao didn’t care that much. It seemed that he’d already regarded Du Wei as his younger brother. As an elder, he forgave him.
“We can’t submit to him!” Chen Bi pissed off. She was unyielding, strong and principled. Bai Shishi deliberately arranged her for Jing Yuanxiao, lest he was bullied for no reason.
“Who boils it, who owns it. Does Du Wei mean apart from him, His Royal Highness doesn’t want to have a bath? Besides, first come, first served. We ordered the water earlier, and it should be ours. What’s more, how can a bastard be mentioned in the same breath with His Royal Highness?”
Chen Bi surprised the maid in black with her clear logic and firm attitude.
“Then what should we do?” Jing Yuanxiao pursed his lip. He was that kind of mindless guy, “Rush to his yard and take our bathwater back?”
Chen Bi answered without thinking, “We ought to do so!”
“Forget it,” Said the maid in black. She calmed down both of them, “Not a big issue, actually, but things will be different if His Majesty knows it. People may condemn us for making a fuss. You don’t want this happen, do you? It is weird that he himself took away bathwater for three people. Let’s see whether there is a skeleton in the cupboard.”
“You’re right,” Jing Yuanxiao agreed. “Where is the guard? The one Shishi recommended along with you. Ask him to go.”
The maid in black gave a curtsy and left. She went round to find the guard’s lounge. Some of them were on patrols; some of them were already asleep for the next shift change. But there was a guard with ordinary appearance who sat straight on the heatable brick bed. He looked through the windows, with eyes shining endless secret and strength.
The maid in black called the guard. Together, they sneaked into a covert place. She expressed her doubts to him.
“Don’t you feel I am a little bit meddling?” Said the black maid with guilt, “But my instinct haunts me that something unusual must lies within.”
“You always have great intuition.” The tall guard stared at her with love and trust. He lowered his head, setting his chin on her forehead. From others’ eyes they were having affairs. Nobody would discover that under the skin masks, their real identities were Qin Yunuan and Leng Changxi, whom Jing Yuanchu wanted to push away from Jing Donghua and kill the most.
Bai Shishi arranged Leng Changxi to be a guard and Qin Yunuan to be a maid by Jing Yuanxiao’s side. The arrangement was entirely confidential; besides Chen Bi, nobody knew who they were, including Jing Yuanxiao himself.
“I’ll be on my way.” He disguised himself as a square face, but the sharp eyes failed to hide his excellence. It was great that he had learned to control the expression in his eyes. He needed to be seen as ordinary.
“Stay here and be safe.” Leng Changxi told her. Du Wei’s yard was close to Jing Yuanxiao’s. He exerted his light skills to climb over the wall’s top, which didn’t take him much time. Soon he was bending over on the beam of Du Wei’s bedchamber.
