When summoned to the palace, Liang Qiang felt both pleasantly surprised and apprehensive.
Although he had been reinstated as Brigadier General, he had no troops to command in the capital and was essentially idle at home.
Apart from attending that palace banquet, he seemed to have been forgotten.
At that banquet, he hadn't even managed to get close to the Empress. His mother and sister had only paid their respects to the Emperor and Empress along with the others at the very end.
Still, he wasn't overly anxious. Using his recovery from injuries as an excuse, he occasionally met with a few friends but mostly kept to himself at home.
He knew the Empress must have people watching him.
It was just a pity no one had approached him.
Perhaps those behind the scenes had been around him all along, just staying hidden while observing him.
But regardless, he was useful now, so he had the patience to wait.
Now that the Empress had suddenly summoned him, had she discovered something?
"Your Majesty, General Liang has arrived," the eunuchs announced from within.
Liang Qiang took a deep breath, setting aside his wandering thoughts as he looked ahead. A palace maid emerged, glanced at Liang Qiang, and said, "General, please."
Liang Qiang recognized her—she was Chu Zhao's maid, A Le. He followed her inside, and when a figure in a light yellow dress came into view, he lowered his gaze.
"Liang Qiang pays his respects to Her Majesty the Empress," he said with a bow.
"Rise," Chu Zhao said. "General, please take a seat here."
Liang Qiang looked up and saw Chu Zhao seated by the window, with a mat prepared for him below.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty," he said without hesitation, taking his seat as instructed. He noticed a row of wine cups on the table, each filled with crystal-clear wine.
He shifted his gaze back to Chu Zhao.
"Might I ask why Your Majesty has summoned me today?"
Chu Zhao smiled faintly. "To invite General Liang for a drink."
...
...
Xie Yanfang gently swirled a white jade wine cup, watching the clear wine ripple within. He brought it to his lips and took a light sniff.
"This batch has a good aroma," he remarked. "Seal it up."
Cai Bo, seated across from him, sealed two jars of wine. "In five more years, we'll be able to taste the fine wine you've brewed, young master." He then sighed regretfully. "It's a pity we gave one jar to Yu Shang last time. I barely had a chance to drink much of it."
Du Qi hurried in from outside. "Young master, the Empress has summoned Liang Qiang to the palace."
Xie Yanfang grinned at Cai Bo. "You lose! I told you the Empress would find out."
Cai Bo was no longer concerned about the bet. Frowning at Du Qi, he asked, "Did they uncover the Lotus Pond Pavilion? How? We cleared out all of Yu Shang's people."
Du Qi replied, "It was the laborers at the dock. Yu Shang often loaded and unloaded goods there. Before leaving the capital, he gave them some of the wine you sent, young master."
Cai Bo flew into a rage. "That foolish brute! Wasting such a treasure! You never should have given him wine, young master. What does he know?"
Xie Yanfang laughed heartily. "Cai Bo, giving him wine was what I, as a person, ought to do. And him casually sharing it with the dockworkers is exactly what he ought to do. There's no helping it—we are each our own kind of person."
Cai Bo glared at him reproachfully. "And you're still laughing? At the Lotus Pond Pavilion, you gave Liang Qiang a cup of wine and even let him know it was from you. Now, even a fool could guess it was you."
As he spoke, his expression gradually darkened.
Which meant the Empress would know as well.
Xie Yanfang said, "Don't worry. Since Liang Qiang knows it was me, he won't tell the Empress." A faint smile touched his lips. "He isn't truly loyal to Her Majesty. He wouldn't dare, nor would he want to oppose me."
Resting his chin on one hand, he gently swirled the wine cup with the other.
After all, he was the only one who truly cared for her....
Liang Qiang raised the wine cup and drained it in one gulp.
The row of wine cups arranged on the table was now empty—the one in his hand had been the last.
Setting down the cup, a faint hint of intoxication lingered at the corners of his eyes.
"How were these wines?" Chu Zhao asked.
Liang Qiang replied, "The flavors vary slightly, but they are all fine wines."
Chu Zhao smiled lightly, leaning against the armrest as she flipped through a ledger. "These are all wines from the Lotus Pond Pavilion, differing in grade and price."
A flicker of doubt crossed Liang Qiang’s eyes. He knew well that Chu Zhao hadn’t invited him here simply to drink. The Lotus Pond Pavilion?
"You were honored with the title of Brigadier General upon arriving in the capital, and your friends hosted a banquet for you at the Lotus Pond Pavilion," Chu Zhao said, gesturing toward the table. "Do you recall which wine you drank that night?"
Was there something about the Lotus Pond Pavilion’s wine that had caught her attention? Liang Qiang thought for a moment before answering, "It’s been too long—I can’t remember clearly. My mind wasn’t on the wine that night, and I didn’t pay much attention. It was probably the most expensive one."
His friends’ sincerity toward him might not have been genuine, but their intention to win him over certainly was—so they would have served the finest and costliest wine.
Chu Zhao nodded; this was hardly surprising. Only true connoisseurs would pay close attention to such details.
"Your Majesty, is there something wrong with the wine?" Liang Qiang asked, clenching his hands slightly. "I know I have no right to ask too many questions—I should only answer. But perhaps if reminded, I might recall more."
Chu Zhao called out, "Ding Dachui."
Two men entered from the adjacent room.
Liang Qiang saw that they were members of the Python-Robed Guard Agency, one of them holding a painting.
"Liang Qiang," Chu Zhao said, "have you ever seen this person?"
Liang Qiang studied the portrait and shook his head. "I don’t recognize him. I’ve never seen him before." He couldn’t help but ask, "Who is he?"
Chu Zhao replied, "He is Yu Shang. When General Zhong met his demise, Yu Shang was within Western Liang’s borders. He took poison and died upon encountering government troops."
Liang Qiang understood—this man was a spy connected to Western Liang.
"That night you were at the Lotus Pond Pavilion, Yu Shang was also there," Chu Zhao added.
So, that night, the mastermind had been at the Lotus Pond Pavilion?
Shocked, Liang Qiang stood up abruptly and stepped closer to examine the portrait more carefully. But in the end, he could only shake his head. "I didn’t see him that night. I hardly left the private room and was distracted throughout the banquet—I didn’t notice who was there."
Chu Zhao said, "Whether you saw him or not isn’t actually important."
Not important? Liang Qiang turned to look at Chu Zhao, his expression puzzled.
Chu Zhao met his gaze. "You drank a great deal that night. Did you happen to drink any wine that wasn’t among these varieties?"
Not among these? Liang Qiang’s eyes returned to the wine cups on the table.
He had already said he couldn’t remember the differences—they all seemed the same. But as the thought crossed his mind, his body stiffened, and his gaze froze. No—there was one that stood out.
At the same time, Chu Zhao’s voice continued in his ears.
"—That night, Yu Shang received a complimentary wine at the Lotus Pond Pavilion. It was said to be an Immortal Brew, exquisitely delicious."
Complimentary wine!
Immortal Brew!
Exquisitely delicious!
It felt as though a thunderbolt had struck Liang Qiang, splitting him in two. His heart leaped into his throat, and before his eyes, a window seemed to swing open—revealing a young man in blue robes smiling gently at him.
"It was that young master—"
"This wine isn’t from our establishment. It was brewed by that young master himself—"
"Liang Qiang!"A woman's voice sounded in his ear. Liang Qiang's separated body merged back together, his spirit returned to its place, and the illusions before his eyes dissipated as he looked at Chu Zhao across from him.
Chu Zhao was also watching him, clearly having noticed his strangeness, and asked word by word: "So, did you also receive a gifted drink there?"
Liang Qiang looked at her and slowly nodded: "Yes, that day besides my friends, someone else gave me a cup of wine."
As expected! Chu Zhao asked: "Who?"
The gazes of Ding Dachui and Yin Canshi also focused on him.
"I—" Liang Qiang shook his head, "didn't see—"
...
...
Didn't see?
Before Chu Zhao could speak, Ding Dachui's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward.
"Liang Qiang." he said in a deep voice, "Are you telling the truth?"
The burly man before him had a sinister gaze, like a predator staring at its prey, ready to tear him apart the next moment. Liang Qiang met his gaze without flinching: "I truly didn't see them. I had gone to relieve myself at the time, and was feeling restless indoors, so I stood in the corridor watching the lotus flowers in the Lotus Pond Pavilion—"
His expression carried a trace of reminiscence.
"Then a shop attendant came over and gave me a cup of wine, saying it was gifted by someone else. I originally didn't want to take it—it was so inexplicable—but the shop attendant said—"
He looked at the portrait held by Yin Canshi.
"—that the wine wasn't from their establishment, but was brewed by the giver themselves, who claimed to admire my heroic deeds and specially offered it as a token of appreciation—"
"So I took it and drank it. That wine—"
"Even now when I recall it, I can still seem to taste its full aroma."
Who cared about how the wine tasted? Just as Ding Dachui was about to interrogate him further, Chu Zhao stopped him.
"This palace understands." She nodded, then smiled slightly, "It seems this person is quite skilled at brewing—Commander Ding, focus your investigation on such people next."
Ding Dachui and Yin Canshi acknowledged the order.
Chu Zhao looked back at Liang Qiang: "General Liang, this matter is clear to me now. You may return."
Liang Qiang lowered his eyes and bowed: "Empress, if that person contacts me, I will report it immediately."
"No need." Chu Zhao's voice came down, "Carry on with your duties as usual. Someone will be watching you."
Liang Qiang acknowledged the order without another word, bowed, and withdrew.
...
...
Outside, it had begun to rain at some point.
Liang Qiang declined the eunuch's offer to escort him with an umbrella, walking steadily through the rain. The rain wasn't heavy, just a steady drizzle, but his heart felt like it was being drenched in a downpour.
Back in the Empress's hall, his mind had already been in turmoil, but he had desperately suppressed it to avoid showing any abnormality.
Now that he had left the Empress's hall and was about to cross the Imperial City gate, he could no longer contain it.
That person!
That person!
That person!
Just then, his steps halted as he watched a figure approaching slowly from within the palace gate. The person wore official robes and held a black umbrella, walking leisurely.
"Lord Xie—"
"Vice Censor-in-Chief Xie—"
The salutations of the imperial guards at the gate reached his ears.
Liang Qiang stood in place, feeling as if that person's light, graceful steps were treading directly on his heart, making his heartbeat stop entirely.
Xie Yanfang approached, glanced at him, then looked up at the sky before smiling: "General Liang, would you like an umbrella?"
He extended the umbrella in his hand forward.
"I've reached the Duty Hall, but you still have some way to go. You can borrow this."
Liang Qiang looked at him. Though his heart had stopped beating, he could hear himself speak: "Thank you... my lord."Xie Yanfang smiled, placing the umbrella into his hand. "No need for thanks," she said, then stepped past him, her hands tucked into her sleeves as she strolled leisurely away.
Liang Qiang stood frozen, holding the umbrella, until the sound of footsteps approached, mingled with the voices of palace attendants and officials.
"Lady Xie, you've arrived. Quick, bring an umbrella!"
"Lady Xie, His Majesty was just asking for you."
The chaotic footsteps jolted Liang Qiang's heart back to rhythm. He slowly turned, umbrella in hand, watching Xie Yanfang surrounded by the palace attendants and officials.
"Thank you... Lady Xie," he murmured hoarsely.
OpenNovel