The First Jasmine - Chapter 153
Chapter 153 - Infiltration
Inside an ordinary residential dwelling in the city of Xincheng, Han Mingyue sat on a bamboo couch with a dark and grim expression, staring at the gray-clothed man kneeling on one knee before him. "What did you say?"
The gray-clothed man showed no fear on his face, answering calmly, "Reporting to Master: our people are completely unable to get anywhere close to Miss Su." With a light wave of Han Mingyue's hand, the porcelain vase resting on the nearby table crashed to the floor, shattering into countless pieces. "Useless fools! I refuse to believe that in just a few short days, Princess Consort Ding could turn the Prefect's Estate into an airtight fortress, leaving you unable to find a single flaw!" The gray-clothed man pondered for a moment before speaking, "Princess Consort Ding seems to possess remarkably unique talent in arranging defense and security. Two months ago, when various forces from all the nations gathered in the capital, they were still unable to breach Prince Ding's Manor. Your subordinate believes... relying solely on our current manpower, it is absolutely impossible to safely bring Miss Su out of the Prefect's Estate."
Han Mingyue said in a heavy voice, "Then transfer more people here! Even if you have to mobilize every last person in the Northwest, we must rescue Zhidie!"
The gray-clothed man frowned slightly and cautioned, "Please think twice, Master. If too many people suddenly appear in Xincheng, I'm afraid it will arouse Princess Consort Ding's suspicions. When that time comes, it will be even more detrimental to Miss Su." Han Mingyue closed his eyes, letting out a faint sigh as he said, "Forget it, handle it as you see fit. Choose whatever manpower you need, but you must guarantee Zhidie's safety." The gray-clothed man hesitated briefly before nodding. "Your subordinate obeys."
Locking his sword-like brows, Han Mingyue asked, "Is there any news from inside the Prefect's Estate?"
The gray-clothed man reported, "Apart from a single serving maid, Princess Consort Ding allows no one to approach Miss Su. Your subordinate sent people to approach that maid, but she is fiercely loyal to Princess Consort Ding and will not help us get near Miss Su at all. However, we managed to coax some information out of her. Miss Su indeed suffered a head injury; although a physician was called to treat her, I'm afraid it will leave a scar. Furthermore... over these past few days, Miss Su has been crying out for help daily, but that small courtyard is surrounded on all sides by Prince Ding's secret guards. Miss Su's life is likely..." A flash of heartache gleamed in Han Mingyue's eyes as he waved his hand and interrupted, "Enough! Rescue Zhidie as quickly as possible. Ye Li... if you harm her, do not blame me for showing no mercy!"
Meanwhile, inside the Xiling army camp, the Prince of Zhennan read the message he had just received. Sweeping away his dark mood from previous days, he was clearly in high spirits.
"Why hasn't Han Mingyue arrived yet?" Looking at the message in his hand, a light of absolute determination flashed in the Prince of Zhennan's eyes as he turned to ask the attendant beside him. The person standing by in attendance froze briefly before replying, "In response to Your Highness, Master Han arrived several days ago." The Prince of Zhennan frowned and asked, "Since he arrived, why hasn't he come to see this Prince?" In truth, the Prince of Zhennan didn't hold Han Mingyue in particularly high regard. To betray one's homeland, friends, and brothers all for the sake of a woman—such a person was not only incapable of achieving great things, but in the Prince of Zhennan's eyes, the trust that could be placed in him was extremely limited. Were it not for the fact that the Bright Moon Pavilion in Han Mingyue's hands was indeed a force he desperately needed, the Prince of Zhennan would not have paid him any mind at all.
"Reporting to Your Highness, Master Han... Master Han did not come to the army camp. Word has it he went straight to Xincheng."
Bang! The Prince of Zhennan slammed his hand onto the desk and stood up, immense aura and rage written all over his face. The pressure frightened the attendants in the main tent so severely that they all dropped to their knees with a thud, not daring to speak. The Prince of Zhennan let out a cold laugh and said, "What a fine Han Mingyue! This Prince thought he was merely arrogant due to his talent, but it turns out he's an utter fool!"
"Y-Your Highness?" The attendants by the Prince of Zhennan's side were naturally his trusted confidants, and they were well aware of Han Mingyue's identity. Although His Highness despised Han Mingyue's character, he had always held his talents in high praise; where did this label of "utter fool" come from? The Prince of Zhennan sneered, "Does he think Xincheng is so easy to enter? This Prince only fears he'll walk in and never make it back out!" The attendant's heart skipped a beat as he asked tentatively, "Your Highness... should we send word to notify Master Han?" The Prince of Zhennan sat back down, lowering his eyes in thought for a moment before speaking, "This man, Han Mingyue... hmph! Sooner or later, he will die at the hands of a woman. Forget it, notifying him now would likely be too late anyway. Dispatch people to gather the Bright Moon Pavilion's personnel in the Northwest; I fear something bad is about to happen." The attendant hesitated, reporting truthfully, "The Bright Moon Pavilion has always been controlled solely by Master Han. Without Master Han's official seal, outsiders have no knowledge of the Bright Moon Pavilion's inner network. I'm afraid we..."
"Incompetent fool! Send people into the city and bring Han Mingyue back alive, no matter what it takes!" The Prince of Zhennan's face darkened as he commanded coldly.
"Yes, Your Highness. If Master Han rashly entered the city, it was likely for the sake of Noble Consort Bai... What if..."
"No need to concern yourself with that. This Prince only requires Han Mingyue to return alive! Otherwise, the Bright Moon Pavilion under his command will be completely ruined!" That woman Bai Long—beautiful as she was, in the eyes of a man like the Prince of Zhennan, a beauty's value fell far short of power and authority. Since Bai Long no longer held any further value to be exploited, it was naturally the priority to rescue the far more valuable Han Mingyue. Besides, if Bai Long died... Han Mingyue and Mo Xiurao would become sworn enemies. That, too, perfectly aligned with the interests he required.
"Your subordinate understands."
In the city of Xincheng
Inside a secluded small courtyard within the Prefect's Estate, Su Zhidie—dressed in plain, unadorned clothes—sat by the window lost in thought, her expression dark and gloomy. She took immense pride in her peerless, flower-like beauty. Over the years, how many heroic figures, nobility, and emperors had been enchanted by her delicate countenance? She had risen from a mere orphaned daughter of a court official in Great Chu to become the fiancée of the Second Young Master of Prince Ding's Manor, then the young lady of the Bai Family in Xiling, and finally the Imperial Noble Consort of Xiling who dominated the inner palace. She had never once doubted her own beauty. Yet now, it was precisely because she was overly confident in herself that she ended up imprisoned in this tiny courtyard, passing her days in a state of chaotic misery. She had once believed that even if Mo Xiurao blamed her for abandoning him when he was gravely injured back then, as long as she returned and apologized to him, Mo Xiurao would surely forgive her and be overjoyed. But... recalling that day in the study, the moment she hurled herself toward the pillar, she had caught sight of Mo Xiurao's detached expression—his calm eyes without the slightest ripple of emotion. It was as if what stood before him was not a person seeking death by crashing into a pillar, but merely an ordinary maid reporting everyday matters. In that instant, she came to understand one thing with absolute clarity: Mo Xiurao did not care about her. He would not be entranced by her beauty, nor would he feel any pity for her. Yet precisely because of this, the love she had kept hidden deep in her heart grew all the more intense. In her mind, she felt a wild, raging jealousy toward Ye Li. That man should have belonged to her, and the position of Princess Consort Ding should have been hers as well! But now, she was locked up right here by Ye Li, completely unable to move...
"Miss, it is time for your meal," a young serving maid walked over carrying a simple tray of food, speaking with extreme caution. This beautiful Miss Bai was by no means easy to serve; over these past few days, the little maid tasked with attending to her had come to realize this fact deeply.
"Get out! Tell Ye Li that if she doesn't release me, I will starve myself to death right here!" Su Zhidie shouted harshly.
The little maid raised her eyes to glance at her, then immediately lowered her head again, whispering softly, "Her Grace said... even if Miss Bai starves to death, His Highness won't blame her. So... if Miss Bai truly doesn't wish to eat, then forget it. Miss Bai... you shouldn't throw a tantrum at Her Grace..."
"Impossible!" Su Zhidie stood up, glaring fiercely at the timid maid before her. "Xiurao would never treat me like this! I want to see Ye Li—tell her to come see me!"
Looking at the beautiful yet frantic woman before her, the little maid was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes. "Miss Su... Her Grace, Her Grace is very busy. You... you should hurry and eat. Your servant will leave it here." Having said that, she placed the food onto a nearby table and fled the room as fast as her legs could carry her, as if a man-eating demon were chasing her from behind.
Su Zhidie turned her head to look at the food on the table—four plain, light side dishes, a bowl of soup, and a bowl of rice. There were no exquisite ingredients, no master skill in the cooking, and even the knife work was utterly ordinary; at a single glance, it was obvious home-style food eaten by common households. All these years, Su Zhidie had lived a life of luxury, where the absolute best of everything always belonged to her. How could she possibly look favorably upon such simple fare? With a sweep of her arm, she knocked all the food onto the floor. The serving maid who had just run out rushed right back upon hearing the commotion inside. Looking at the mess on the floor, she felt entirely at a loss. "M-Miss Bai..."
Su Zhidie raised her chin and said coldly, "How do you expect me to eat such lowly trash? Go change it and have them remake it!" The little maid said in a dilemma, "But right now, everyone is eating this exact same food."
"Presumptuous!" Su Zhidie said in rage. "Do you know who this lady is, that you dare to serve me such food?!"
"But... His Highness and Her Grace are also eating this very same food. Miss Bai, these dishes are actually very delicious... You are being far too wasteful." Right now, the Xiling army was besieging the city. Although food grains inside the city were sufficient, fresh vegetables were gradually becoming scarce. Even the daily meals of the Prince and Princess were kept very simple; there was no reason to prepare specialized meals exclusively for Miss Bai. Su Zhidie's face turned green with rage. Over these days of interaction, she had come to understand this maid to some extent. She appeared as timid as a mouse, shedding tears after just a few sharp words, yet at certain times she was stubborn enough to drive a person mad. What was worse, Su Zhidie couldn't even punish her to vent her anger, because the moment she displayed any excessive behavior, the guards stationed outside the door would step in to put a stop to it.
Fuming with anger, Su Zhidie let out a soft hmph and barked, "Get out!"
The little maid stole a careful glance at her and retired respectfully. Miss Bai was throwing a temper, so it would be better to come back later to clean up.
Left alone in the room, Su Zhidie felt a wave of irksome frustration as she looked at the mess of food on the floor. Having thrown tantrums both this morning and at noon without eating, she was indeed feeling somewhat hungry now. Thinking back to all the suffocating frustration she had endured these past few days, she gritted her teeth, flicked her sleeves, and turned to walk back toward her inner chamber. Ye Li, you had better not fall into my hands, or else this Imperial Noble Consort will surely make you wish you were dead instead of alive!
"Zhidie..."
An extremely faint call came from the corner. Su Zhidie froze and looked back. Unnoticed, Han Mingyue—dressed entirely in black—had appeared in the corner behind the window. Su Zhidie stared in disbelief, then suddenly snapped back to her senses, crying out in pleasant surprise, "Mingyue...!" Han Mingyue shook his head, signaling for her to keep her voice down. Su Zhidie regained her composure, threw a vigilant glance outside the window, walked over to close the half-open window completely, and then turned back to vent her rage at Han Mingyue, "Why did you only come now?! Do you have any idea how terribly I've been mistreated?!"
Han Mingyue glanced at the floor, letting out a helpless, bitter smile. "I'm sorry for letting you suffer such grievances."