A piece of Japanese incense

Chapter 258: Pipa Offering

Emperor Zhaoding was leaning on the dragon couch. Although he had just recovered from a serious illness, his face was still a little pale and weak, but his eyes showed a little excitement because of the festive noise in the hall.

Inside the magnificent palace, the sounds of stringed instruments and pipes were endless, cups were clinking, and the praises of the ministers rose one after another. The air was filled with the aroma of imperial wine and the rich fragrance of delicacies, and it was a scene of singing and dancing.

The emperor rarely smiled. At this moment, a palace maid led a eunuch into the hall. It was the eunuch who was going to Sanchuan City to convey the emperor's imperial edict.

He was covered in dust and lay on the ground, not daring to look up: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I have returned to report..."

The emperor's good mood was interrupted. He frowned slightly and asked casually, "Has the decree been delivered? Is the daughter of the Zhi family grateful and ready to marry?"

The eunuch fell to the ground, his head almost buried in the gold bricks. "Reply...Reply to Your Majesty! That...that Zhiyi and she...she has become a nun."

"What?" The emperor's voice rose, and the music in the hall instantly became lower. Everyone's eyes were focused on the throne in horror.

The eunuch was trembling violently. "That Zhiyi and she... she actually took out a pair of scissors in public, without saying a word, in front of me and all the guests... with a few snaps, she cut her hair clean! She... she kept saying that she would never marry in this life, that she wanted to become a nun and spend the rest of her life in seclusion! I couldn't stop her..."

"Click——"

With a crisp sound, the white jade wine cup in the emperor's hand was shattered by him, and the hall was filled with dead silence.

"What a chaste woman! Cutting her hair in public? Becoming a nun? Ha! This is a slap in my face! This is treason! This is contempt for the imperial authority!"

The emperor slammed the imperial table and said, "Disobeying the imperial order! What's the point of keeping such a rebellious person? Zhi Yian, who is that? He taught his daughter well! He failed to teach her well and allowed her to disobey the imperial order, bringing disgrace to the royal family! He deserves death! Pass on my order!"

The sinful girl Zhi Yihe, who disobeyed the imperial order and defied the majesty of Heaven, must be immediately escorted to Jiyue Temple, shaved her head and made a nun. She must be kept under strict guard and not allowed to leave the temple for the rest of her life! Let her "cultivate" well in that bitter cold place until her death!

"Her father, Zhi Yian, failed to raise his daughter properly and is to blame! All property will be confiscated, and the entire Zhi family will be arrested immediately. They will be escorted to the capital and thrown into the Tianlao Prison to await their fate!"

As soon as the decree was issued, the atmosphere in the hall became extremely depressing and the festive mood disappeared.

However, the emperor's anger did not subside. Less than two days later, a postman was urgently brought into the palace:

"Your Majesty! The culprit Zhi Yihe's carriage had barely left Sanchuan City a hundred miles when it disappeared at the post station. The soldiers there were all killed. Everyone at the scene... everyone... disappeared! We've searched dozens of miles around, but there's no trace of her!"

"Waste!" the emperor roared. "Where could a little girl have gone?! Dig deep into the ground! Search for me! If you can't find her, bring your heads before me, everyone involved!"

The entire palace was shrouded in the emperor's rage, and everyone was in danger.

Just when the storm was about to come and the thunder was raging, King Feng Jinqi came to ask for an audience with a long object wrapped in brocade in his hand.

【The day before】

The crushed earring fragment, after passing through layers of barriers, lay in his palm. That was the emergency contact number he left for Yu Tuan—it must not be used unless it was a matter of life and death.

Yutuan crushed the earrings, which only meant one thing: Zhiyihe was in desperate situation and his life was hanging by a thread!

Zhi Yihe's portrait is known to almost everyone, and now with her newly chopped hair, she is even more conspicuous. The emperor is furious and has already dispatched countless soldiers. Now she is in danger again...

He thought of her blood-stained silk clothes on the night of the Lantern Festival. She might be being pursued by pursuers or even killed... Feng Jinqi was extremely anxious. He wished he could fly out of the capital and go find her in person.

But the emperor was already deeply suspicious of him. If he left the capital without a legitimate and sufficient reason, it would be tantamount to seeking his own death. It would immediately lead to the emperor's more frantic pursuit of Zhi Yihe, and might even directly confirm the crime of "collusion and rebellion" between them.

He had to leave the capital! There was no time to lose! But he needed a reason that the emperor couldn't refuse, a reason that the emperor would even welcome.

His eyes fell on the dusty brocade box in a corner of the study, and a bold and dangerous plan gradually took shape in his mind...

"Your Majesty, calm down! The dragon's health is the most important!" Feng Jinqi's voice was clear. He walked to the throne, knelt respectfully, and raised the brocade package above his head with both hands.

The emperor stared at him sinisterly: "What's the matter?"

"I am terrified! I heard the name of Zhi Yihe at a banquet a few days ago, and it reminded me of an old story. It is of great importance, and I dare not fail to report it! This item is an old item that was lost outside the Xiqi Palace of the previous dynasty."

He carefully peeled back the brocade, revealing a pipa:

"This pipa is extraordinary. It holds the key to the Xiqi national treasure lost when Princess Zhaoren of Xiqi came to Dongli. And Zhi Yihe... she has risked her life sneaking into the palace several times, seemingly searching for this very pipa. I stumbled upon it by chance, and recently, recalling her unusual behavior, I realized she might be the only person who knows the secret of Xiqi's national treasure!"

The emperor's turbid, angry eyes fixed on the pipa, then looked at Feng Jinqi. His words had a fatal attraction to him: "Are you saying that Zhi Yi and Cong Zhi's escape were all because of this?"

"I dare not speculate on her motives," Feng Jinqi lowered his head. "But this woman's behavior is erratic, and her mind is difficult to predict. She dared to defy the imperial order and refuse the marriage, and then mysteriously escaped along the way. I boldly speculate that her determination, even to the point of offending the Emperor, was not simply to refuse the marriage, but to break free from the constraints of the court so that she could pursue the secret of this national treasure on her own? Or even... was her escape premeditated, and was she and the person who met her meant to hunt the treasure together?

Now that she's on the run, her whereabouts have vanished. A massive imperial search would only alert her and backfire, forcing her to fight to the bitter end and bury the secret forever. "If the clues to the national treasure are lost, it would be a real shame for our dynasty!"

"Humph!" The emperor sneered and asked with scrutiny, "Do you really think so?"

Feng Jinqi looked up at the emperor frankly and said, "Your Majesty, please understand! I dare not hide anything! Zhi Yihe and I have an old relationship!"

Therefore, I know this woman's character is strong, and she would rather break than bend! She may still have a shred of trust in me...or at least she won't resist me. Your Majesty! I feel guilty about your crime and am willing to make meritorious contributions! Please grant me permission to personally leave the capital to search for Zhi Yihe! I will prioritize national affairs and use this old friendship to approach her, try to gain her trust, and learn the secret of Xiqi's national treasure! Once I succeed, I will escort the clue to the national treasure and the guilty woman Zhi Yihe back to the capital to hand over to Your Majesty for disposal!

Feng Jinqi kowtowed deeply. "I know this is an act of usurpation, and I know Your Majesty has doubts about me. But the national treasure is a serious matter, and Zhi is cunning. After experiencing the poisoning death of her grandfather, she is now difficult to trust. I am the only one who can give it a try! I am willing to issue a military order! If I cannot find the clue to the national treasure, I am willing to accept any punishment! I beg Your Majesty to give me a chance!"

There was silence in the palace.

The emperor's gaze moved back and forth between Feng Jinqi's face and the pipa.

Feng Jinqi's words were a mixture of truth and falsehood, but they hit the nail on the head: Zhi Yihe might indeed possess important secrets; the court's high-profile actions might indeed force her to death; and Feng Jinqi's "old relationship" with her was the only key that could possibly pry open her mouth.

Although the emperor deeply distrusted Feng Jinqi and suspected him of ulterior motives, the temptation of the Xiqi national treasure was too great. Moreover, if he could not find it or dared to disobey, it would be a good excuse to deal with him!

Finally, the emperor spoke: "Okay. Prince Feng, I will give you this opportunity. Remember your words! State affairs are more important!"

I grant you a golden medal, so you can act as you see fit. However, I will keep track of your every move. You only have one month. After that, regardless of whether you find any clues, you must return to the capital to report! If you dare to make the slightest move, don't blame me for disregarding my sympathy and severely punishing you and me!

"I obey your order! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! I will definitely live up to your trust!" Feng Jinqi kowtowed heavily, touching his forehead to the ground.

No one saw the deep anxiety and determination in his lowered eyes, which finally calmed down for a moment, and then were replaced by deeper worries - time is running out, Zhi Yihe, where are you?

He stood up, took the gold medal handed to him by the eunuch, turned around and strode out of the palace.